How Audrey & Tyler Blended their Adventure Elopement with an Intimate Wedding

There are so many instances in life where you have to choose between two good things. You may have two comparable job opportunities, are between two cities to move to, or can’t decide if you should take a beach vacation or a mountain one. The beautiful thing about your wedding is that you don’t have to choose just one option or the other: You can truly have both! Take Audrey and Tyler, a fun-loving couple who got married in an adventure elopement then followed it up with an intimate celebration with their loved ones.

They craved the privacy and intimacy of a small ceremony, but all the fun of a larger gathering, so that’s exactly what we did! We found the perfect spot in Glacier National Park for their adventure elopement ceremony, where a handful of their immediate family witnessed their union. Then, it was off to a stunning lake house, where the party of their dreams awaited them.

If you’re dreaming of a unique wedding but don’t quite know what that looks like yet, this adventure elopement story is for you! Keep reading to find out the details of this creative and beautiful wedding, and see if it feels like the one!  

Adventure Elopement Ceremony at Ryan Beach:

Ryan Beach at Glacier National Park is one of our top sites for an adventure elopement! Easy to access with unbeatable views, you simply can’t go wrong here. Audrey and Tyler chose this as their ceremony spot because of the beauty of the mountain range and Lake McDonald, and the privacy this area offers. It’s more of a local hidden gem, rather than a frequent tourist location, which makes it ideal for your nuptials.

On the day of their adventure elopement, our owner and lead planner, Katie, picked up Audrey and Tyler’s gorgeous personal floral then escorted them to Ryan Beach. Audrey’s bouquet featured organic wildflowers in tones of coral, peach, and white. It added a soft spark of color to the day, perfectly complementing Tyler’s forest green suit and Audrey’s ivory wedding gown.

To kick off the ceremony, Audrey’s nephew and godson, Luca, walked her down the aisle. They made their way down to the shore, where Tyler’s sister officiated the proceedings. That day, this beautiful couple exchanged vows and rings under a hazy Montana sky. While it was overcast, the majesty of the mountains still shone through and the endless lake created a breathtaking backdrop.

The rain was even nice enough to hold off until Audrey and Tyler said “I do!”

Rainy Adventure Session in Glacier National Park:

When you work with our fearless leader, Katie, you’ll feel like you’re working with your best friend! Throughout the planning process, she’s your hype gal and shoulder to lean on, whether you need wedding design guidance or advice on etiquette or familial wedding drama. She’ll also be the first person to give you the biggest hug and congratulate you after your adventure elopement ceremony!

She’ll be waiting with drinks and a smile, genuinely over the moon that you did it! One logistical thing she always reminds couples of post-ceremony is to sign the marriage license. You would be surprised at how often people forget all about this important step! So Katie takes it off your plate right after the ceremony and even makes it a fun moment!

We also have a tradition around here, especially for our adventure elopement couples! We have a wooden “We Eloped!” sign that couples can use as a photo prop for their newlywed Glacier pictures. We always invite them to autograph the back of it as a little memento of our time together and it’s become one of our favorite moments of each wedding!

By this point in Audrey and Tyler’s adventure elopement, it had started drizzling. For many couples, rain is considered disastrous on their wedding day. However, one thing we encourage couples to remember that while we can’t control the weather, we can control what we do with it! The most important thing at the end of the day is that you’re married… Even if your dress is a little wet!

The new Mr. and Mrs. exemplified this beautifully! They broke out their umbrellas and proceeded with the plans for family portraits and then their newlywed adventure session. Smiles never left their faces! Audrey even later told us:

“After we wrapped our ceremony and it really started raining, it made it more fun and adventurous in a way. We truly just embraced the weather!”

Plus, when we asked her what her favorite décor element of the day was, she answered:

“Glacier National Park on a cold, moody and rainy day was a pretty good decor element! Nature showed up and did its thing for us.”

Intimate Wedding Reception on Flathead Lake:

After the newlyweds wrapped their adventure elopement pictures in Glacier, they headed back to Audrey’s parents’ house for their intimate wedding reception. Their home is nestled amongst the forest and backs up to Flathead Lake, making the perfect setting for a celebration!

Their family and friends awaited them there with a gorgeous tablescape where they would share a meal together. Audrey and her parents had found old antique bottles and brass candle holders from local antique stores in downtown Kalispell that they used to adorn the center of the farmhouse table. The twinkle lighting strung overhead and the awe-inspiring view of the lake also served to enhance the ambiance. It all created a lovely combination of cozy and elegant!

The rest of the evening was filled with good conversation, food and company! This celebration proved that even in small numbers, you can still have all the pomp and circumstance of a larger, traditional wedding. That day, Audrey and Tyler got to have their dream adventure elopement ceremony within nature and then got to celebrate with all their family and friends.

It just goes to show that on your wedding day, you can have it all!

A Word from the Bride:

When asked “What piece of advice would you give to couples planning their wedding?” Audrey said:

“Do whatever you want to do and do whatever makes you both happy! It’s your special day and you should plan for how you want it to be. It made the planning and the day more enjoyable knowing it was exactly what we wanted to do.”

A Word from Katie:

“Audrey and Tyler, I am so incredibly honored and humbled to have been a part of your gorgeous day! You guys were champs at handling the rain and it was such a fun day! Cheers to a lifetime of adventure and happiness!”

-Katie

Vendor Team:

Wedding Planner: An Epic Elopement  

Venue: Glacier National Park – Ryan Beach

Photography: Kelly Kirksey Photography

Floral: Flathead Farmworks

Hair & Makeup: Melanie Hobus

Let’s Plan Your Adventure 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!

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