Crafting an Unforgettable Day: Our Vintage-Inspired Montana Wedding

It’s been 2.5 years since Patrick and I tied the knot at Chico Hot Springs Resort in Pray, Montana. Though it’s been a minute since the day, I’m thrilled to finally share a few of my favorite details that made it extra special and offer a few tips for sourcing items that fit your unique personality. In this post, I’ll walk you through a few of the design elements that I focused on when planning our event, from how we chose our overall color palette and event inspiration, to how I chose my wedding dress + accessories.

Choosing Your Color Palette + Deciding on a Theme

Patrick and I had a long engagement (just over 2 years!) which allowed us ample time to mull over key elements of our wedding day, like our color palette and theme. While you definitely don’t have to have a strict color palette or theme, I found it helpful to have a few pieces of inspiration in mind that guided my choices.

We chose our main two colors very simply- they were each of our favorite colors! Mine is yellow and Patrick’s is blue, two colors that complement each other nicely enough that we decided to make them the center of our wedding day design. Of course, Pinterest and wedding magazines were my friends when considering our colors, but don’t be afraid to take inspiration from all places! As our engagement progressed, I ended up expanding our palette to include a few other colors, inspired by the colors of Provence and 1970s-era interior decorating palettes.

When choosing your main colors, I encourage you to think about meaningful colors to you as a couple, but also consider the season you’d like to be married in, as well as where you’d like to host the event. As we were hosting an outdoor, peak-summer affair, yellow and blue worked nicely to complement Montana’s bright yellow sun and vibrant blue sky. If you’re planning on having an Autumn wedding, perhaps take your inspiration from the changing leaves, or any favorite architectural details of your venue, such as a lush garden.

Regarding choosing a theme, I’m not a fan of an overly strict theme, as I find it can become cliché or constricting too quickly. Instead, think about how you can incorporate your favorite concepts or items to infuse meaning into the event. The little choices you make, such as the invitation design, your wedding dress + accessories, and tabletop decor, will build upon each other to reverse-engineer a theme that feels true to you as a couple and more complex than your standard theme choice.

Choosing a Wedding Dress + Accessories

Although I consumed copious amounts of the television program Say Yes to the Dress as a child, I did not purchase my wedding dress in person at a bridal salon. Instead, I opted to use Etsy to source two vintage gowns that spoke to me (and were easier on the wallet!). As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a big fan of 60s and 70s fashion, so I searched for this era of wedding dress when looking for my own. For my ceremony dress, I opted for a 70s prairie-style dress. For the reception, I wanted something a bit easier to move around in, so I settled on a vintage silk Prada nightgown (I love the cut of this 1930s silk style!). If opting for a nightgown, I recommend a sold slip underneath, as they are quite sheer.

Because my dresses were vintage and not as expensive as your typical bridal gown, I decided to amp them up with accessories, and I had so much fun with this process! My first task was finding the perfect shoe. I wanted a sandal, because our ceremony was in a grass field, and I wanted to be able to move around freely. Although I was tempted to have my shoes be my “something-blue” with these blue heels by Loeffler Randall that are a perenially popular bridal choice, I ultimately settled for the flat-version of these Gucci Horsebit Sandals. These were perfect for walking around all day and I’ve worn them many times since!

While I kept my veil simple for the ceremony, I did opt for a blusher option for a traditional nod. For my reception look, I let myself be a bit more creative. I opted for deadstock 60s elbow-length floral lace gloves (another Etsy find!) that I paired with my mother’s heirloom amethyst and pearl ring (similar here). My earrings were an emerald and pearl drop style found on The RealReal.

Table Settings

The table settings were another key decor element that I spent quite a bit of time on and thoroughly enjoyed putting together. One thing that made this planning process so fun was the mix of high and low, DIY, and rented elements. For our table numbers, we sourced vintage 45s that featured love songs through the ages and did a quick DIY to add the numbers. I also found these small stands that worked perfectly to hold the 45s. I knew candelight would be a major design element of our event, so we rented mixed brass candlesticks from Montana Party Rentals and set a group of three on each table, filled with blue, yellow, and white candles sources from a local Billings-area shop, Zest. I loved how the mix of different heights + colors added visual interest to to the center of the table.

I also visited the BBJ La Tavola showroom outside of Chicago to select chargers and napkins for the table settings, which was so fun! I opted for a French blue floral napkin (similar here) and woven wood placemats (I love this option currently on their site!) to continue the summer garden party vibes. I also DIY’d the menus featured in the photo below, which I designed in Canva and cut the scalloped edge on my Cricut.

A special thanks for all of our wonderful vendors that helped put this fantastic day together! All of these photos were taken by the lovely Elizabeth + Samuel Photography, who captured so many beautiful moments for us. Another special thanks to Magnolia Blue Events who was a wonderful coordinator and helped everything run smoothly.

Stay tuned for more wedding recap and advice, including info about Patrick’s and the bridal party’s attire, more DIY projects (including tutorials!), and our wonderful Super 8 film done by the talented Regan Scaife Photo & Film.

With love,