Last updated on February 7th, 2024 at 08:09 pm

Planning a destination wedding in Montana is a huge undertaking. It can be hard to even know where to start let alone what vendors to trust, what hotels you should use, or the places to visit along the way. That is why we have put this list together to make your destination wedding in Montana a breeze!

The Big Sky state is home to incredible views, amazing national parks like Glacier and Yellowstone, and wonderful people. More than anything it is an incredible place to get married! Now you may be coming home to get married in Montana, maybe you have important memories in Montana (like your first elk hunt) or maybe you just love the show Yellowstone and want to get married in Montana. No matter what you reason you have made a great choice!

Planning a destination wedding in Montana is a huge undertaking. It can be hard to even know where to start let alone what vendors to trust, What hotels you should use, Or the places to visit along the way. That is why we have put this list together to make your destination wedding in Montana a breeze!

Tips for a Planning Destination Wedding in Montana.

Where to start

 Congratulations you’ve gotten engaged you decided you wanna get married in Montana, now what??  I would suggest that you decide where in Montana you want to get married. This is an incredible state with so many beautiful views. Are you partial to a National Park elopement or are you hoping for more of a traditional wedding experience?

Once this has been narrowed down you can start to narrow down your location choices. Are there specific areas that you want to see on your wedding? Montana is a massive state and It can be hard to see it all-in-one trip Is. If you are wanting a more traditional wedding but want to see Yellowstone National Park definitely consider getting married in Bozeman or Big Sky Is. On the other hand, if you are excited about traveling to Glacier National Park consider a wedding Is in Whitefish or Kalispell.

Lodging

 Next when planning a destination wedding in Montana you need to think through lodging for your guests. If you are getting married in Montana during peak season (i.e. Summer) it is best to book your hotels out as far as possible. Places like Yellowstone and Glacier get millions of visits per year.

Hotels in other areas like Bozeman and Missoula also tend to fill up fast with many people traveling to Montana for their summer adventure. This means that it is essential that you lock down your lodging before all the hotels fill up. The best option is always to find a venue with lodging built-in. Check out some of our favorite venues in the Bozeman area.

Wedding Vendors.

Now that you have narrowed down your  Wedding location it can be really hard to know what vendors to go with. There are 2 schools of thought here.

1. Pick one wedding vendor that is most important to you. Really spend time finding someone who is a great fit. After you have booked your priority vendor ask them
   1. Who are their favorite vendors to work with? Asking specifically in each category can help narrow down the list
   2. What about this vendor do you like?
2. Hire a wedding planner. TEither way if you are planning a destination wedding in Montana I highly highly recommend getting a wedding planner. A wedding planner will help You find the right vendors narrow down venues and coordinate all the details while you are thousands of miles away. This is a great way to eliminate all the stress that a destination wedding comes with  When finding a wedding planner it’s important to look at the area that they serve. Some planners only works in a specific city while others will work statewide. 

Vendor travel fees

 With, Montana being such a large state many vendors will charge travel fees to and from your wedding location. This is why it’s important to either find wedding vendors who have built travel into their pricing or are native to the area that you are getting married in.  This is why we include travel and lodging in all of our collections so that you don’t have to worry about finding lodging or additional fees. 

National parks

Montana is home to 2 of the nation’s most beautiful national parks Glacier and Yellowstone and if you have the time you need to see both even though they are about 6-7 hours apart. For many of you this will not be the case. However, please make time to at least visit one of these amazing places during your stay in Montana.

Now, this may not be pertinent to all of you, but if you want to get married or have some photos taken in a National Park like Yellowstone or Glacier it is essential that you and your vendors have a permit. Ask your vendors if they have liability insurance because without it they will be unable to work in the parks. 

 Another big thing to consider when getting married in a National Park is where you are going to get married. You may have dreamed of getting married in front of the Yellowstone geyser as it goes off, however, there will be a lot of people watching your ceremony and a lot of tourists in the background of your photos. Talk with your photographer before eloping to find their favorite locations in each park. If you’re eloping in Yellowstone or Glacier consider getting married on a weekday day. . There will be less people around (still a fair amount of people) but you will be able to enjoy the park a bit better.

Final Thoughts

Planning a destination wedding in Montana can be a huge undertaking, but with the right vendors, it doesn’t have to be stressful! At Charles Moll Photography we work diligently to help your day go as smooth as possible so that you can be fully present enjoying those you love most. Contact us to learn more about our wide range of services.