Wedding Ceremony by the Water
Photo: Kyle Stansbury
Jessalyn and James live in Ohio where one works from home on her computer and the other works the graveyard shift for Spectrum. This creates a challenging schedule to balance work with sleep and relationship time. Persevering past this obstacle, after dating for a few years, they decided to make the shift in syllables from girlfriend through fiancé to the monosyllable: wife.
Photo: Kyle Stansbury
Engaged on a kayak, they were super excited to target a place that was remote and beautiful and were excited to learn of the many options we have here in Montana. After exploring the waterfall, the mountain top, the mountain backed meadow and the beautiful lakeside options, they settled on the beautiful spot of the West Shore unit of the Flathead Lake State Park. It held promise of all the privacy and beauty they were seeking and did not disappoint.
Photo: Kyle Stansbury
The vibe was a predictable combination of wedding day jitters and gentle reassurances, which the bride and groom exchanged seamlessly, boding well for their future together. For a mid-October elopement, the weather was unseasonably warm, bright and calm. We could not have asked for a more glorious day to celebrate this commitment of love and dedication.
Photo: Kyle Stansbury
This intimate elopement had layers upon layers of thoughtful details, from the handmaid boutonnieres of which Jessalyn made more than one so that James could pick his favorite, to the Halloween socks and matching hiking boots under their formal wear, there seems no end to the little surprises woven in to their ceremony attire.
Photo: Kyle Stansbury
The dress had pockets! She had a matching shawl and crafted her own dried flower bouquet which traveled under wraps all the way from Ohio. The rings were nestled into a uniquely crafted Fairyland seen with micro mushrooms and tufts of moss – so beautiful that it was almost painful to remove the rings from their fantasy land.
Photo: Kyle Stansbury
The decor of the wedding was a sparkling clear laughing lake with giant driftwood logs, smooth pebbles and a backdrop of brilliant orange, yellow and green changing trees. The sun brought warmth and brightness to our intimate gathering.
Photo: Kyle Stansbury
Jessalyn found my website while searching for an officiant in Western Montana and was so grateful for the guidance and support I was able to provide them in researching a location, marriage license, photography resources and as well as crafting the ceremony for them. They had some glitches in their planning due to health challenges and all three of us were so excited once the plans we realized and they said “I do”.
Photo: Kyle Stansbury
Knowing that obtaining a permit to have a ceremony at nearby Glacier National Park can be prohibitive and cumbersome, I urged Jessalyn and James to consider other remote and beautiful options that could serve them well and serve up less of a hassle. I sent them photos of four unique options: a waterfall, a meadow, a mountain, and the lakeside option as that was their favorite. I also shared with them a video I had made to further detail the beauty of the location and help them know what to expect. The state park that they chose for their ceremony does require a commercial use permit for an activity such as hosting a ceremony. I had already established a standing permit to cover myself, a photographer and couple with limited guests for the full calendar year and was pleased I could offer this option.
Photo: Kyle Stansbury
“Audrey was truly a pleasure to work with. She was kind, considerate, and patient through the entire process. The words she used during the ceremony were lovely, and she even gave us a printed copy to hang. During the ceremony she mentioned Montana and the Native American tribes that once lived there, which I thought was a beautiful touch. She asked us if we wanted to change anything about it before the ceremony, but I thought it was perfect. We had a small intimate ceremony with no guests, and she made it feel really special. Audrey listened when we said we couldn’t really afford a photographer, and she recommended someone that did a great job at an affordable price for us. We are not from the area and she helped us locate a perfect spot, and even helped us understand some of the details since this is our first marriage. She checked in with us often and scheduled Zoom meetings to get to know us, which we really appreciated. Audrey just went above and beyond, I’m so grateful I found her website. Please consider booking Bespoke Ceremonies for your elopement or wedding!”
Photo: Kyle Stansbury
Vendor Team:
Audrey Hyvonen, Bespoke Ceremonies Montana
Kyle Stansbury, Stansbury Wedding Photography
Are you excited to get started on planning your epic adventure wedding in Montana too? Want to elope just the two of you? Want to have your closest family and friends there too? Let’s do it!
