Autumn is the season of cozy. Between the leaves changing colors and the air becoming more brisk, this is the time of year to cuddle up with your hubby or wifey to be! Traditionally, this is also the time of year when fall weddings have moodier color palettes, including hues like maroon, navy blue and rust orange. Here at An Epic Elopement though, we always like to remind our couples that their wedding day can be anything they dream of, no matter what season it is!
Macy and Tanner’s western wedding with boho accents is the perfect example of this! This couple had a natural affinity for jewel tones and earthy vibes, so it only made sense for them to incorporate these elements into their micro wedding despite the spring season. We love that they stayed true to themselves by infusing their wedding design with rich, deep colors and textured accents. With their wedding being in the spring, they could have easily fallen back on conventional spring wedding colors, but that ultimately would not have been true to their personalities and hearts.
If you’re currently planning your wedding and feel any kind of pressure to have your day be a certain way, keep reading! Through Macy and Tanner’s western wedding story, you’ll discover what happens when you follow your heart and instincts, and have the wedding you’ve always envisioned. It’s pure magic!
The Western Wedding Vision:
When asked why she chose the western wedding style that she did, Macy said: “I LOVE JEWEL TONES! I love rich, deep colors. I feel like they’re often mistaken as sad colors when that shouldn’t be the case…I’ve always been drawn to deep tones. They are obviously western chic, but those tones seem timeless in a sense as well.”
We completely agree! Rich tones, like rust, ivory, and deep teal, have beautiful depth and dimension to them, making them elegant and timeless. More muted hues like these allow you to bring color to your wedding design without being overpowering.
For Macy and Tanner’s western wedding, we played off of Macy’s chosen colors and leaned into a natural boho vibe. We incorporated lots of texture, from fluffy florals and lush greenery to vintage lace and cowhide rugs. In addition to leather details, warm lighting, and the natural beauty of the Montana landscape, these elements all helped pull off this western wedding vision in the most dynamic way.
Before the “I Do:”
On the day of this western wedding, our owner and lead planner, Katie, arrived at Paddle Ridge to start bringing all the wedding plans to life! She and the incredible vendor team set up the ceremony site with two wooden pillars with floral arrangements to frame the altar. A cowhide rug set the stage where the nearlyweds would soon say “I do.” Patterned, multi-colored rugs decorated the aisle, adding a beautiful and cozy element to the ceremony. Last but not least, they affixed dried floral sprays to the wooden ceremony chairs.
While the team set up, Macy and Tanner had their first look. That day, Tanner wore a brown suit with tan cowboy hat and rust-colored tie. It was an elegantly understated look, perfect for their western wedding.
Macy donned a gorgeous white wedding gown, complete with lace details from the sleeves and bodice and all the way down the train. With her hair swooped in a chignon and a pop of bling on her earrings, she was radiant. The most perfect final touch to this bridal look was an ivory cowgirl hat, mirroring the one Tanner wore. When asked about her dress and how she chose it, Macy shared:
“I knew that I wanted a lace gown from top to bottom for as long as I can remember. When I first tried on this gown, it felt like I was wearing a lace that was made for me.”
This beautiful couple shared a private moment together for their first look in a wooded area of the venue before hopping over to West Glacier for pre-ceremony portraits. Building this adventure session into their timeline ensured that Macy and Tanner had intentional time to themselves and that they captured the most epic wedding pictures! Between the banks of the lake, the perfectly moody cloud cover and the snow-capped mountains, Montana was truly showing off that day just for them!
Western Wedding Ceremony & Cocktail Hour:
When it was time to kick off their western wedding ceremony, Katie helped the couple’s loved ones find their seats, lined up the wedding party and cued the music. Macy and Tanner’s uncle Stacey officiated the proceedings that day and the ceremony was filled with beautiful, raw emotions. The joy of the day was visible on everyone’s faces, especially Macy’s as tears sprung to her eyes.
This right here is the moment that we as wedding planners live for! The moment when you get to finally marry your best friend surrounded by those you love most. Nothing makes us happier!
After Macy and Tanner officially became husband and wife, we invited guests to enjoy cocktail hour. They got to relish appetizers like Korean bison meatballs and Moroccan chicken skewers while savoring the gorgeous mountain views.
Meanwhile, our team repurposed the ceremony florals into the reception space. We always maximize your décor as much as possible and for this western wedding, this meant resetting the ceremony arrangements to be in front of the sweetheart table and cake table. We also utilized the chair floral sprays and bouquets around the pavilion to add extra enhancement to areas like the bar and lounge set.
The last step was to bustle Macy’s dress and then invite everyone into this western wedding reception celebration!
An Indoor/Outdoor Intimate Wedding Reception:
The Parkview Pavilion at Paddle Ridge is a beautiful indoor/outdoor event space whose aesthetic is reminiscent of a classic Montana cabin. The open-air walls (with optional pull-down siding) allow guests to enjoy the mountain views and fresh air while market lighting twinkles overhead.
To execute their western wedding vision, we set burnt orange, patterned linens on the guest tables. Muted burnt sienna napkins adorned each place setting, wrapped in custom leather napkin ring place cards. Deep teal glassware, amber mercury votives, and organic floral centerpieces brought each tablescape all together. They perfectly complemented Macy and Tanner’s sweetheart table, draped in an ivory crochet overlay.
One of our favorite creative elements to design is a lounge area! Consisting of different sofas and comfy chairs where guests can enjoy drinks and mix and mingle, a lounge set is the perfect place to let your wedding theme shine. There are so many opportunities to play with color, texture and pattern, like how we incorporated bold tribal patterns in the throw pillows and blankets for Macy and Tanner’s set. The burnt orange hue of the sofa mirrored the brown tone of the leather ottoman side table, and the rattan siding of each accent chair reflected the woven seagrass coffee table.
That evening, this western wedding reception was filled with joy and romance. Macy and Tanner shared their first dance to “Forever and Ever Amen” by Brent Morgan. Then, everyone enjoyed a delicious dinner of poached beet salad, Flathead Lake trout and beef medallions. The perfect ending to the meal was the pink champagne wedding cake with huckleberry mousse!
Macy and Tanner got to spend the rest of the night with their loved ones, playing yard games like jenga and cornhole, and dancing together as the sun set. The entire day was a dream come true and we’re so grateful we got to be a part of it!
A Word from Katie:
“Macy & Tanner, we did it! Your western wedding day was truly magical and I’m honored you invited me into your lives to help pull it off. Thank you for being so wonderful to work with and I wish you all the happiness and love in the world!”
-Katie
A Word from the Bride:
When asked “What piece of advice would you give to couples planning their wedding?” Macy answered:
“HIRE KATIE. I’ve never in my life imagined my wedding to go off without any problems, or stress me to death. But when I say I told Katie what I liked and she turned my dreams into reality, I feel like that’s an understatement. She created something better than I even dreamed.”
-Macy
Vendor Team:
Wedding Planner: An Epic Elopement
Venue: Paddle Ridge
Photography: Amber Lynn Photography
Videography: Lexi Jane Captures
Hair & Makeup: Honey Beauty
Catering: The Kopper Kitchen
Floral: Conrad Floral
Cake: Miss Patti Cakes
Linen: BBJ La Tavola
Rentals: Empress Tents & Events
Let’s Plan Your Western 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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