Tillie & Jesse’s love story starts years ago, before they had their first child together. They’re both such sweet, organic people and they grow their little family over the years. We met them back in 2020 for their forest engagement session. Now, it’s their time to get married in their own way. They have a traditional Blackfeet ceremony with themselves and their tribe, and now it’s time for their Montana mountain elopement.
Their ceremony is at Chief Mountain, on the eastern side of Glacier National Park, off the beaten path (literally). We drive through this super sketchy road to get to their ceremony spot. Thank goodness for our good ol’ little Subaru, because without it, we would still be stuck in that mud! This message brought to you by Subaru! HA! Juuust kidding!
The sun is behind the clouds, and light rays are shining down. Tillie’s grandfather was the tribe’s weather man, giving him the ability to change the weather. Tillie prayed to him to keep the rain away during her ceremony, and right on cue, the sun peaked through the clouds. The light is gorgeous as these two say their vows to each other in front of their closest family. They wanted a Montana mountain elopement and they got it!
Now this is where the story gets interesting. But let me back it up a bit.
Every single couple we help guide through their elopement experience gets a custom location list from us. I spend literally hours pouring over a questionnaire we send to the couple. It asks questions like, “where do you see yourself marrying your best friend?” or “do you like mountains, waterfalls, deserts, or coast?” Ya know, those types of things. We get the questionnaire back and go to immediate planning beast mode. We scour the internets for the perfect spot, and give them an entire list of locations they can choose from.
Tillie & Jesse chose these amazing alpine lakes on Chief Mountain for their Montana mountain elopement. It’s a meaningful spot for them, it’s gorgeous, and it’s an adventure. What else could you want?! We almost get to the trailhead (ahem, sketchy, muddy road), to realize that there is a tribal ceremony going on and we need to find another place.
This is why we do all this crazy research – for the Plan B, or C, or hell, even D.
We pivot to Saint Mary, Glacier National Park. We end up on the east side of the park, where the lighting is dark and moody, the wind whips through the canyon. Tillie is giggles the whole time while the wind blows through her dress. We love every minute of it! These two are such genuine, sweet people with a great sense of humor.
We said to Tillie, “hey, I know things didn’t turn out quite the way we planned, but you’re married.” And Tillie has the perfect response. She says, “It turned out exactly how it was supposed to.” YAAASSS GIRL!!! Regardless of what happens, no matter if you get all the way to Plan Z, at the end of the day they’re married. They can ride off into the sunset together, starting that journey of marriage! We are super thrilled for them!
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