Here at An Epic Elopement, we believe an elopement can be whatever you dream it to be! Whether it’s a mountaintop micro wedding with a handful of family members or a full day adventure elopement, we’re here to help bring your elopement vision to life. With Glacier National Park in our backyard, we even elevate your elopement to be truly EPIC!
Amanda and Nick’s Glacier National Park elopement is the perfect example of this. They tied the knot at Pray Lake in Glacier National Park with just the two of them… and it was even a secret from their family and friends! They had their beautiful Glacier National Park elopement ceremony on the lake’s edge and celebrated their new marriage with an adventure session around the park afterwards.
Even a few raindrops couldn’t get this couple down on their big day! We’ll show you how they made the most of the drizzle, took full advantage of the natural beauty that Glacier has to offer, and ultimately, had their dream Glacier National Park elopement.
Get ready for some epic wedding photos!
To Elope or Not to Elope?
If you’ve been thinking of having a Glacier National Park elopement, but aren’t 100% sure about it, let us help you make up your mind! Our team at An Epic Elopement specializes in intimate weddings and elopements, and our sister company, Big Day Celebrations, specializes in larger, more traditional weddings, so we live and breathe all types of wedding celebrations! If you’re on the fence about eloping versus hosting a traditional wedding, here are some important factors to consider:
Overall Wedding Vision
When you’ve pictured yourself getting married (we know you’ve had that secret Pinterest board for years! 😉), what have you been envisioning? A true elopement with just you and your sweetheart? An intimate gathering with an al fresco wedding dinner? Or a full blown party with everyone you know? It’s important to reflect on what your heart desires before you start planning and more importantly, before any outside opinions can influence you!
We suggest having a special date night with your new fiancé to dream and brainstorm your individual wedding visions, and how you can combine the two. Have fun with it and think of all the possibilities that the two of you would love!
Budget
Once you’ve established a vision, it’s time to crunch some numbers. Your budget is critical in deciding if you can afford a larger wedding, or if you’d prefer to spend your money on an adventure wedding, like a Glacier National Park elopement. This step will also help you determine how many guests you’d like to have on your big day (if any!).
Family & Friends
While it is important to consider how you may want to incorporate your family and friends in your wedding, we want to encourage and remind you that this is ultimately your big day! Your wedding will be a cherished day for the rest of your lives, so we give you permission to put yourselves first and really go for the wedding you both truly want. If it doesn’t include your loved ones, you might consider throwing a “happily ever after” party to celebrate with everyone when you return from your adventure elopement.
Getting Ready for a Glacier National Park Elopement
On the day of Amanda and Nick’s secret Glacier National Park elopement, our lead planner, Katie, picked up the couple’s gorgeous florals from Mums while Melanie Hobus dolled up our bride. This couple’s elopement color palette included peach, burgundy, orange, and ivory; the perfect complementary colors for the natural scenery in the park!
For their Glacier National Park elopement, Amanda was a vision in her white wedding gown with floral embellishments and beading from top to bottom. It had a long, flowing train for a bit of drama and she wore her hair in a low, elegant chignon.
Her soon-to-be husband, Nick, wore a classic navy blue suit with a pink and navy striped tie. His orange and peach boutonniere completed his dapper look!
Coordinating and Officiating a Glacier National Park Elopement
Fun fact: Our team’s fearless leader, Katie, can really do it all! Aside from being a Certified Wedding Planner and owner/lead planner for An Epic Elopement and Big Day Celebrations, she is a licensed wedding officiant!
On the day of your Glacier National Park elopement, she will liaise with your wedding vendors, ensure that you and your fiancé have everything you need, set up your wedding cake and personal décor, and on top of all of that, she’ll officiate the ceremony too! Throughout the planning process, you’ll work with Katie closely to ensure that every detail of your Glacier National Park elopement is perfect. Over the course of that time, you’ll get to know each other, so that by the time you walk down the aisle, you’ll feel like a close friend is helping you marry your best friend!
Katie had the privilege of both coordinating and officiating Amanda and Nick’s Glacier National Park elopement. The day started off overcast, but the clouds miraculously parted for the ceremony itself! After a sweet first look, Amanda and Nick walked down to the banks of Pray Lake together to exchange rings and vows by the water’s edge. The sun sparkled off the lake with the water reflecting the color of the surrounding mountains, covered with lush green grass and trees.
Katie married Amanda and Nick in a sentimental and heartfelt ceremony, personalized with details from their unique love story. This beautiful couple actually met while both working at Sports Authority and shared their first stolen kiss at a coworker’s birthday party. Needless to say, they started dating shortly afterwards and Nick ended up proposing to Amanda on a beach in St Petersburg, FL at sunset! All their family and friends were there to witness this special moment, and now, Amanda and Nick were going to surprise their loved ones again by getting married in a secret Glacier National Park elopement!
Glacier National Park Adventure Session
After Amanda and Nick made it official, it was time for their Glacier National Park adventure session! We recommend a newlywed photo shoot in the park 10/10 times! It is the perfect way to soak in the moment together and explore Glacier’s natural beauty and many varied landscapes. Of course, the final photos make for breathtaking keepsakes too! Since Amanda and Nick’s Glacier National Park elopement was a secret, they planned to announce their new marriage a few months later with their adventure photos gracing the front of their announcement cards. We can’t think of a better or more gorgeous way of sharing the news!
Simply check out these snapshots from their elopement day and adventure session to see what we mean! All of our AEE couples absolutely love the images they get from their photo sessions, partly because Glacier has so many natural backdrops to take advantage of, and partly because the photos always capture that magical “just got married” feeling!
A Word from Katie:
Amanda & Nick, your Glacier National Park elopement was the perfect day! I’m so incredibly honored and humbled to have been the one to marry you two, and it was a joy witnessing your love firsthand. Congratulations on your stunning elopement and marriage… and good job keeping it a secret! ;)
-Katie
Planner // An Epic Elopement
Officiant // Katie Jimenez with An Epic Elopement
Photographer: Kelly Kirksey Photography - Gavin
Venue // Glacier National Park – Pray Lake
Florist // Mums
Videographer // On the Fly Films
Hair & Makeup // Melanie Hobus
Let’s Plan Your Glacier National Park Elopement!
Based in Kalispell, Montana, An Epic Elopement specializes in all-inclusive elopements, micro-weddings, and intimate weddings. Here, you get the full experience of having a traditional wedding, but with a little more adventure included!
Are you ready to start your elopement journey? Send me a note describing your vision and let’s make it happen!