How many of you have ever talked with a bride that had a destination wedding in Mexico, Hawaii, or somewhere in the Caribbean? What did they tell you about the experience they had during the planning process? Pretty stress free wedding, eh?

Why was it so stress free, after all? It’s because they only had 2 or 3 choices when they were planning their big day. When a destination bride reaches out to a resort and informs them of their plan to get married, the planner says GREAT and sends them a document that has 3 bouquet choices, 3 cake choices, 2 or 3 ceremony arches, and a few menu and drink choices for the wedding guests. Pretty cool concept if I do say so myself. No being overwhelmed, no comparing prices and trying to decide what to cut to fit it all in your budget.. you pay one price for your wedding, you show up, get married and party your little faces off. After years of destination weddings being ever popular, it hasn’t been until recently that pop-up weddings have started to create a splash in the wedding industry.

After just one Montana wedding season of talking to overwhelmed brides and frustrated vendors due to brides that have changed their minds for the 854683th time (which.. can we blame them?!) I started thinking to myself.. why in the world can’t a Destination Montana Wedding be planned just like a destination wedding would be planning anywhere else? The wheels started turning, and 3 pop-up wedding design concepts were created for one lucky bride and groom.

I knew that I was in love with the concept of IMPROMPTU from the very beginning, it was just a matter of getting the vendors on board… which to my surprise, did not take very long! Nothing makes a vendor happier than giving them some creative freedom to develop a concept that they know the client will love. But after staring at Pinterest for months or even years, it can be difficult to talk brides and grooms into trying something a little different that hasn’t been done before!

Jake and Lauren Kimball were the lucky winners of this $6,000 pop-up wedding. They were not only the coolest couple ever, but also more open minded to our concepts than we all could have asked for in a Montana wedding couple! They even had a few fun ideas up their own sleeves.. including the brunch wedding concept which we all jumped at the idea of!

I knew from the beginning that White Raven would be a perfect place for this springtime pop-up wedding. For one, we had an indoor option just in case there was rain. And two, well it was Ashlie and Ryan.. and they are pretty darn cool.

Riversong Gourmet prepared an incredible Montana inspired brunch including bison sausage eggs benedict with morel mushrooms and a mimosa bar complete with flathead cherry juice. Poppy Bakery added some yummy pastries to the coffee and tea bar which just had to have huckleberry turnovers and lemon morning buns. What about the wedding cake you ask? Another nod to a Montana bride and groom.. a delightful flathead cherry pie which Jake and Lauren decided to keep the pie dish from for Lauren to bake in for years to come. How sweet is that?

 

August and Stone crafted some incredibly cute and modern signage for the event. I just loved her idea of the light wood to match the vibes in the White Raven. Lauren and Jake decided they wanted some practical favors which could be used at the wedding so when they were inspired by the mugs Ana created for Rocky Mountain Bride, they just knew the coffee mugs would be the perfect way to go. Needless to say their wedding planner was pretty stinking excited about the design element this would add to their coffee and pastry cart!

 

Paige Marie Photography took all of the incredible photos from the event. She did such a wonderful job of capturing the shortened wedding and reception as Jake and Lauren wrapped up their celebration in Alberton, Montana that afternoon before heading back into Missoula for another reception that evening. Lauren and Jake made a quick trip to Missoula at the beginning of March to finalize the wedding details and the timing just happened to work out perfectly for Paige to take their engagement photos in an incredible gown that Velvet Bride was kind enough to let us use! Hannah with Moxie Makeup stepped in to do Lauren’s make up trial as well so she was ready for the big day.

All the greenery you see was done by the talented Dottie at Bitterroot Flower Shop. When I had created the industrial chic design concept for this event, I knew greenery would be a great option for spring as you didn’t have to worry about wilted blooms. Lauren was on board with it ALL! Dottie had some fun with the bouquet and bout and added some dainty accents of copper wire. That was my favorite touch.

The dinnerware on the tables came from Vintage 44 rentals who is now offering these place settings for 2018 and 2019 Montana weddings and beyond! The ornate copper plates brought the entire theme together. Jordan with RMF Entertainment added the perfect brunch music for a morning party as the clouds parted for a little dancing on the White Raven patio.

Slikati was also on site all day doing their videography thing. I cannot wait to see the promo video in the next month or so!

As promised, I did say when I first launched the IMPROMPTU marketing campaign that Pop-Up weddings in Montana were now going to be a service Soiree 99 Events will be offering. I am in the process of getting the specifications listed and up on the website this summer for any Montana brides inquiring, but as always, feel free to contact me and just ask about the details! I cannot thank this crew of Montana Wedding Vendors enough for all that they did to make this Montana Pop-Up Wedding come to life. Jake and Lauren, I am so glad you allowed me to design and coordinate your Montana Wedding Day! Thank you for being my “IMPROMPTU guinea pigs.” 🙂

Planning, Design, and Coordination: Soiree 99 Events

Venue: The White Raven

Floral Design: Bitterroot Flower Shop

Paper Goods: August and Stone

Photography: Paige Marie Photography

Rentals: Vintage 44 Rentals

Desserts: Poppy Bakery

Catering: Riversong Gourmet

MUA: Moxie Makeup

Entertainment: RMF

Videography: Slikati