Tips for Planning a Destination Mountain Wedding in Montana/Glacier National Park

Mountain weddings near Glacier National Park are an incredible way for you and your guests to truly get away and enjoy spectacular mountain scenes, incredible wildlife and enjoy nature!

Here are a few tips to help you prepare for your mountain wedding!

Share the Experience

Even though it’s your special day your special guests are going there to support you. However, most are also going to want to explore since it’s probably the first time they have been to the area. They may also want to make plans around your itinerary. You may want to plan activities but keep in mind your guests may want to simply relax if there are nice views or places to find moments of peace and quiet.

Keep an eye on your Budget

Destination weddings in general can get very expensive, very quick but they don’t have to if you ask alot of questions. Make sure you know all of the details of where you are wanting to tie the knot. When choosing your dream location don’t forget that most venues charge a 20% gratuity on food and alcohol but typically not the venue itself. Then you decide on how extravagant you would like your menu and what type of food you and your guests would enjoy. If your main goal is to “wow” your guests, make sure the venue has a high quality restaurant with catering on site with a good reputation and is highly rated on trip advisor. This could make or break your entire wedding day!

Location, Location, Location

Mountain weddings are the ideal setting for those that love nature, wildlife and the outdoors. There are many choices, choose a venue that will prepare just about everything for your big day except some creativity and your choice of decorations of course.  It’s important for you to be in the moment and truly experiencing one of the most exciting events in your life! Then you are able to focus on spending time with your guests and new family members. You’ll have to choose how many vendors you are going to want to communicate with during what could be a very stressful weekend.

Time to Go

One of the biggest mistakes most wedding couples make is when choosing their venue.  Alot of people don’t realize that there is more than likely a “curfew” that you must adhere to if you choose a venue that may have a hotel or other guests near by that are not part of your wedding party. Another way to put it, “Stop the party, lights out”, when you choose a venue make sure you wont be required to stop until you want to stop the music, after all you are paying for it, right? Search for a venue that doesn’t have noise ordinance in place. If you can, book the entire property so all of the cabins are part of your wedding party. There is one venue that has the best view of Glacier National Park that actually does just that, check out Summit Mountain Lodge.

List your Top priorities

How do you and your fianc’e envision your special day? What’s the most important detail that you and your significant other want to remember the most? Is it the view? Is it the food? Is it the reception? Is it the music? What’s the vision and are you going to be able to keep creative control of your wish list? Make sure that you can simply create your dream wedding without too many headaches.

Gift Bags for your Guests

Your guests will be traveling to a new part of the country and may seem a bit uneasy on new experiences. Help prepare them by giving them a small gift bag with  the essentials. If you are heading to Glacier National Park, Montana make sure to include a map of the park and surrounding area with a list of activities. Include a small token for the effort that they are putting in to support you on your special day. Anything with huckleberry in it is always a hit!

Prepare for Success

You will have enough to worry about while planning your wedding in the mountains of Montana. The details can be overwhelming, arranging itineraries, booking the lodging and travel for all of your guests will be a nightmare.  Keep it simple so you don’t have to deal with someone else’s stress. Send out a card or email with all the FAQ’s with details. Such as closest airport, visitor guide, rental car agencies in the area, map of the roads or GPS. Montana is mostly rural and if you are planning a mountain wedding close to Glacier National Park make sure everything you need is on your laptop and don’t depend on the internet! Typically Uber is not an option if you are heading to the mountains!

Details, Details, Details

The best part about having a destination wedding is you are able to have everything you want but you don’t have to do all of the work.  There are some venues who help you coordinate your wedding day and they also provide all of the rental equipment needed for you and your guests. The best part is you still have all of the creative control for your big day! If and when you choose a venue make sure it works for you. How much time and effort are you wanting to put into set up, food service, alcohol service , decorations, music, photography and the details go on an on. Most weddings will need 4-5 independent vendors that you will need to speak with on a regular basis. Most all of them for weeks prior and then up to the final day.  Do you want to spend that much time with all of the logistics and details?

Glacier National Park

If you fell in love with Glacier National Park the first time you saw it, welcome to our world!  The scenery is simply breathtaking but make sure you and your guests are ready for the changing elements. The weather can change in seconds and you can literally see 4 seasons in about the time your ceremony is over.  Make sure you choose a venue that has a ceremony site outside but you have an indoor space to run for cover and party the night away. The best way to prepare for Montana is to bring clothes you can layer since you will more than likely want to go hiking while you are here. Make sure to let your guests know that days can be warm but nights can get chilly, or even snow later in the season.

There is a lot of thought that needs to go into choosing a mountain wedding but there ways for you to keep it simple and pretty stress free.  The best way for you to truly enjoy the big day is for you and your guests to go enjoy Glacier National Park and when the time comes you just put on your nicest dress and let the party begin. After all, it’s your big day and it’s all about you!

If your searching for an incredible location for the wedding of your dreams, we have everything you need at Summit Mountain Lodge.

“We do it all and we do it well”

Photo: Dina Remi