An Outdoor Adventure Wedding at Belton Stage Park

Sometimes, simpler truly is sweeter! Even though we love a grand wedding with all the pomp and circumstance, we also deeply appreciate the intimacy and romance of a true elopement. That’s not to say though that an elopement is any less exciting than a larger wedding! Take Kelle and James’ elopement in Glacier National Park last fall. It was an adventure wedding day, packed with incredible views, quality time together and even a little bit of drama, as the potential storm clouds kept us on our toes! 

In our previous couples’ adventure weddings, we’ve also encountered wildlife while exploring the park, set up a full picnic on the side of the mountains, sailed on a private boat down the lake, and celebrated the night away at an intimate dinner with the newlyweds’ closest family and friends. We love putting the “adventure” in adventure wedding, especially when the couple is having a destination wedding here in Montana! We just adore where we live and love to show it off any chance we get! 

Today we’re proud to take you to Belton Stage Park for Kelle and James’ elopement! This lesser known spot in Glacier National Park is actually one of our favorites for its sweeping vistas and easy access to the rest of the park. On their adventure wedding day, Kelle and James eloped here then roamed through Glacier on a newlywed photo session, where the final images seriously took our breath away when we first saw them! 

Come on an adventure with us as we relive their epic elopement! 

Planning an Adventure Wedding in Glacier National Park

No matter how simple a wedding may seem, there are always detailed logistics that come along with it! For a day as important as your wedding day, you want to make sure every detail is taken care of and nothing is left to chance. So planning an elopement may not be as easy as you think! 

Once Kelle and James made the decision to elope in Montana just the two of them, we worked with them to get the following details in place: 

Glacier National Park Permit 

You need a permit in order to get married in Glacier National Park. When you work with us, we always guide you through this process, from filling out the paperwork to choosing your top ceremony sites in the park to troubleshooting, if needed. 

Time of Year

Deciding on the time of year to get married is crucial for any type of wedding! You have to consider the weather, what vibe you’re going for, your own personal calendar and preferences, and pricing for travel if you’re having a destination wedding here. In Montana, summer is the most popular season for weddings because of the great weather and outdoor summer activities, but because of this, it’s also the season when prices will be higher and vendors will have more limited availability. 

Kelle and James decided to elope in the fall when the leaves on the trees in Glacier were changing colors and the weather was still mild. On the day of their adventure wedding, storm clouds threatened to bring us a downpour of rain, but thankfully, it held off and ended up giving us the dreamiest skyscapes we could have asked for! 

Wedding Day Attire 

We give our couples major props for traipsing through Glacier National Park in any sort of wedding attire! It’s not the easiest in dress shoes or with a multi-layered dress, but our couples are the absolute coolest and make it work without complaint. It’s their dream adventure wedding day after all! 

To best prep our couples for hiking (even a light amount of hiking) through Glacier, we always recommend dresses made of lighter materials, ones with a short or no train, and minimal layers in the skirt, if possible. Extra shoes are a must too! Of course, we LOVE ballgowns and cathedral length veils, but if comfort is a top priority for you on your day, this is what we would suggest! 

For her bridal look, Kelle opted for a blend of fashion and comfort! Her wedding gown was a sleek, white dress with spaghetti straps, ruching on the side, and a small train. She accented this with a longer, floral embroidered veil and later in their photo session, she added a faux fur stole. She even busted out her Hunter green rain boots as comfort shoes while they explored the park! 

Wedding Vendors 

Sourcing the right wedding vendors can be a challenge, especially if you’re planning from afar! Luckily, we have spent years curating our preferred vendors list, which is filled with top tier vendors who we have handpicked to work with over and over again. These vendors are the ones bringing your wedding vision to life, even with a seemingly simple elopement, so assembling the right vendor team is key! 

Although Kelle and James’ adventure wedding was just the two of them, they still had an entire team behind them. We planned and coordinated the day, their photographer captured every meaningful moment, their florist created the most stunning autumn bouquet and boutonniere, their hair & makeup artist helped Kelle feel at her best, and their officiant married them in an open meadow with mountains towering behind them! 

It truly takes a village, and we’re so grateful for the vendors we work alongside to make magic happen! 

Wedding Day Timeline

For us as wedding planners, creating a wedding day timeline is like our Super Bowl. It’s our bread and butter, our master playbook, as this document guides everyone through the entire wedding day. The months and weeks spent planning a wedding ultimately culminates in the wedding timeline, which denotes everyone who is involved in the day as well as the time and location where everything should occur. Crafting this timeline with so many logistics and people involved is something that takes years of experience and practice, like knowing when to add buffer time and how much, and what the ideal timing of your ceremony and photo session should be. 

We created this document as we worked with Kelle and James throughout their wedding planning process, and refined it as their big day approached. So that on the day of their adventure wedding, they got married with soft, golden sunlight shining upon them and they got to take advantage of golden hour for their newlywed portraits. 

Part of our job as wedding coordinators is also monitoring the weather and knowing how to adapt, if inclement weather is in the forecast. As you can see in the photos of Kelle and James’ ceremony, dark clouds rolled in overhead, but what you don’t see is us checking the radar all day prior, communicating with both the couple and the vendors to make any timing adjustments based on the weather as needed. Shifting the timeline on the fly based on what the weather is doing can be tough, but we use all of our experience and expertise to figure out the best solution for you, no matter the weather or situation!

Glacier Adventure Wedding & Photo Session 

The beauty of being a wedding planner is seeing all of our plans unfold on the wedding day. No matter how many years we do this, we never fail to be amazed at how things turn out even better on the day of than we can even imagine! 

Kelle and James got married at Belton Stage Park in a sweet and sentimental service. Since it was just the two of them, the moment felt extra special and sacred, as they couldn’t take their eyes off each other! After they became husband and wife and sealed the deal with a kiss, they headed off on their adventure wedding photo session. They wandered through Apgar, West Glacier and the Belton Bridge areas, taking in the scenery and the moment with each other. They ended the day with a little champagne picnic on the shores of Lake McDonald, toasting to their new spouse and their new life together ahead.  

A Word from Katie 

Kelle & James, what a day! Your adventure wedding was nothing short of perfection. Even the weather held out for you and ended up giving us the most gorgeous skies! I had such a good time getting to know both of you, and I hope our paths cross again one day! You’re always welcome back here in Montana! 

-Katie

Vendor Team 

Wedding Planner: An Epic Elopement  

Venue: Glacier National Park – Belton Stage Park

Photography: Thewmatt Photography

Floral: Rose Mountain Floral

Hair & Makeup: Melanie Hobus

Officiant: Best Day Officiants - Angie

Let’s Plan Your Adventure Wedding!

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!

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