Colter Bay Wedding | Morgan & Seth

Returning to the wild west for their Colter Bay Wedding, Morgan and Seth celebrated on both sides of the Tetons in this 2-part wedding with their closest friends and family. They met working at the marina at Colter Bay a few years ago and have been partners since, so it was only fitting that they return to this place that means so much to them for this new chapter in their lives together.

Seth has ties to Maine, where I was raised and spent my first 21 years and feeling that mix of all the things I love about my little island community back east and my more recently kindled love of the west was a refreshing feeling and instantly put us all at ease.

This day was a perfect synopsis and example of why I chose to hold my policies as they are when I’m working with a couple. One of the biggest reasons I don’t offer packages under 4 hours for elopements, and don’t do smaller sessions with couples, families, etc is that there is SO much value in having the time to get to know me, find your groove together with a third person there, and get comfortable with a camera. If you’re making an investment, the images should truly represent you and yours as you are in the best moments of your lives, not stiff portraits you can take on a self-timer or have the nearby visitor awkwardly shoot. Since most people don’t spend a ton of time in front of cameras, easing in naturally takes a bit of time. Having extra time with Morgan & Seth in the morning made working together later so much easier as we’d already worked out the kinks, and dind’t have to worry about trying to squeeze everything into our time in the afternoon.

There was another huge benefit to the day and one I can’t thank these two enough for being excited about. SUNRISE! Most of the time, and for good reason, we opt to work with sunset as it’s far more convenient– but, sunrise light can be SO worth the early start for that first glow of the day. Not to mention, you’re far more likely to see far less people and start the day in the best way. If you’re having a bigger wedding or have a strict schedule, I also highly encourage this to my couples– either the day-of or the day after. If you’re making a substantial investment, you want your portraits to utilize the knowledge of your photographer and the best possible lighting– it’s a day that will only happen once, so let’s make the most of it. Sometimes, in order to keep the day’s schedule feasible for your guests or the restrictions of your timeline, the best option for portraits is something private where you can focus on one another and the experience together while also having the perfect light you deserve. This is a huge part of why I spend a ton of time with each of my clients planning details, other vendors, timeline, weather plans, permits etc. So, be like these two and consider sunrise, I promise, it’s always worth it.

Now, back to these two– Lord of the Rings fans through and through (Morgan even has a tattoo that combines Harry Potter & LOTR) it was only right for Morgan to wear a dress designed with elven queens in mind (And, Seth’s mom made her Elven dress, and Morgans mom made her wedding dress– and its a family tradition on both sides!!). In our sunrise session Morgan showed off her first dress & for the ceremony, her second. By the time we got out to Colter Bay the weather had taken a dramatic turn (classic mountain weather!) and all plans had gone to the wind (literally!). These two were absolute champs, making the best of the situation and we worked with it. As it rained upon our arrival to their private ceremony location, all of their friends and family rallied together to create the best day from the circumstances and i’d say from these images below, it was well worth it.