Revel in Montana's Natural Beauty - Kaitlyn and Zach's Wedding - June 24, 2023

Breeze your way through these photos from Kaitlyn and Zach’s wedding and you will see why Montana does summer weddings better than any place on earth. Kaitlyn and Zach threw open the barn doors, strolled through green-gold meadows, played yard games on the lawn, danced outside, and memorialized the natural landscape with their own artistic touches. Kaitlyn created her own seating assignments and hand-drew native plants onto each of them, such as beargrass, arrowleaf balsamroot, and sticky geranium. As biologists, they even appreciated some of the lesser-known creatures that share this magical place with us: turtles! Photos by Renske Photography.

Bride and groom walk along the ceremony path at the Rugged Horizon wedding venue as the Mission Mountains start to turn pink and purple in the background. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

Bride holds a delicate spring/summer bouquet of sweet peas, sea holly, scabiosa, and anemones in the field at Rugged HOrizon in Montana. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

The wedding party walks down the aisle toward the outdoor ceremony site at the Rugged Horizon wedding venue in Montana. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

Meadow flowers form an arch around the ceremony site at the Rugged Horizon wedding venue in M ontana. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

The groom catches his first glimpse of the bride walking down the aisle at Rugged Horizon. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

The officiant performs a reading during an outdoor ceremony at Rugged Horizon. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

Guests listen to the wedding ceremony during an early summer wedding at Rugged Horizon. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

Bride gazes at the groom during a summer wedding at Rugged Horizon. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

Bride and groom hold hands inside an arch of meadow flowers with the Mission Mountains and fields at Rugged Horizon in the background. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

Outdoor wedding ceremony at Rugged Horizon. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

Bride and groom share their first kiss as a married couple during an outdoor wedding in Montana with the mountains in the background. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

Bride and groom look back at all the people who came to support them in their marriage and celebrate their wedding during an outdoor ceremony at Rugged Horizon. Photo Credit: REnske Photography

Bride and groom share a moment together in a sun-kissed meadow at Rugged Horizon with the mountains in the background. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

The road leading up to the Rugged Horizon Barn wedding venue in St. Ignatius, Montana. Cocktail tables are set outside on the patios for social hour and yard games are set up on the lawn. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

The bride decorated the walk to the ceremony site with copper hoops lined with dried floral arrangements. She hung them from black shepherd hooks along the path to the meadow at Rugged Horizon. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

The bride used wood-burning tools to create her own signs for the walk to the ceremony site at Rugged Horizon. Her sign says, “Welcome - 06.24.23 - Adventure Together.” Photo Credit: Renske Photography

The bride created a seating chart using log rounds that she hung from copper frames. She used wood-burning tools to engrave each of the signs with native plants and seating assignments for guests. She also created macrame backdrops and decorated the site with lush bouquets. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

Close-up of the seating chart that the bride designed for her wedding. She used wood-burning tools to engrave log rounds with seat assignments, and then decorated each wooden round with hand-drawn native plants. The plants that she drew on the wood rounds include arrowleaf balsamroot, beargrass, and prairie smoke. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

Bridesmaids carry the bride’s dress and walk with her back to the Wedding reception at the Rugged Horizon Barn. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

Wedding guests play yard games during the wedding reception at Rugged Horizon. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

Groomsmen play cornhole during social hour at the Rugged HOrizon wedding venue. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

Guests enjoy the wedding meal during the reception at Rugged Horizon. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

The bride created her own seating cards and decorated them with hand-drawn native plants, such as this one which reads, “Sticky Geranium” and is decorated with an ink drawing of the flower. She used dusty blue place settings with ice blue napkins, vintage goblets, and rattan chargers. The floral centerpieces are white with purple pansies. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

A vintage chair in golden velvet sits beneath a tree and holds a bouquet of lavender, purple, and soft green flowers. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

Vintage chairs upholsted in golden velvet decorate the sweetheart table at Rugged Horizon. Guests mingle in the background. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

The bride designed her own beer koozies for social hour on the Rugged Horizon patio. Red yarrow and purple salvia bloom in the background. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

Wedding guests enjoy the indoor/outdoor reception area at the Rugged Horizon wedding venue. The barn doors are open and sunlight pours through the French Doors. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

Bright pink sweet pea flowers bloom next to catmint in the gardens at Rugged Horizon. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

Bride and groom stand next to the seasonal pond at the Rugged Horizon wedding venue in Montana. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

Bride gets a piggy-back ride during golden hour at Rugged Horizon. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

Bride and groom stroll through the summer fields with the Mission Mountains in the Background. Photo Credit: Renske PHotography

Bride and groom are reflected in the seasonal pond at the Rugged Horizon wedding venue in Montana. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

Bride and groom take a sunset walk through the fields at Rugged Horizon. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

Bride and groom stroll back to the Rugged Horizon wedding venue to join their guests for dinner. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

Groom kisses the bride’s forehead during a golden hour portrait session at Rugged Horizon. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

Groomsmen pose for their portraits in the field at Rugged HOrizon. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

Guests socialize around the firepit at Rugged Horizon. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

The bride dances wth her wedding guests during a reception at the Rugged Horizon wedding venue. Photo Credit: RensKe Photography

Bride, groom, and witnesses sign the marriage license at Rugged Horizon. Photo Credit: Renske Photography

Bride and groom share a kiss in the golden fields at Rugged Horizon. Photo Credit: Renske Photography