Blog - Thewmatt Photography

May 14, 2022

Intimate Whitefish Wedding Photographer, Chelsea & Corey at Star Meadows Ranch

I was so thankful that Whitefish-based wedding officiant Sarah Harding brought me into the fold for this wonderful intimate wedding at Star Meadows Ranch between Chelsea and Corey. Because they were simply having a short ceremony followed by a group dinner they initially planned on simply relying on friends with cell phones and cameras to document the day. Thankfully Sarah convinced them to book even just an hour of my time so that everyone could really soak in the moment as they tied the know and it was my absolute pleasure to document everything.

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Wedding

Tags: Intimate Wedding, Montana, Montana Wedding, Star Meadows Ranch, Wedding, whitefish

May 11, 2022

Glacier National Park Portrait Photographer, The Rhodes

As you might imagine people arrive in Northwestern Montana from all over the place. Tina and her husband were visiting from the Southeastern United States where the mountains look quite a bit different and the spring climate is dramatically different. No matter, they simply embraced the chilly weather, admired the snow on the mountains across Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park, and we had a wonderful morning.

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Couples Portraits, Portraits

Tags: couple, couples portraits, Glacier National Park, Montana, Portraits, West Glacier

May 6, 2022

Montana Elopement Photographer, Jennifer & Vincent on the North Fork

Teaming up with officiant extraordinaire Sarah Harding is always such a pleasure, and doing so with Jennifer and Vincent on the North Fork was no exception. Though I suppose it didn't start out that way for the couple. What with getting married at the forefront of their mind, the marriage license was left at home and they had to turn around to go get it and Jennifer forgot Vincent's ring.

Now normally, this could really sour the mood of a couple on such a special occasion, but love and positivity won out, as everyone involved simply laughed it off, a 'ring' was fashioned out of some grass, and the ceremony went off without a hitch. Well, I suppose it went off with one hitch, that of Jennifer and Vincent 'getting hitched.' but that is all semantics.

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Elopement, Wedding

Tags: Elopement, Montana, Montana Wedding, North Fork, Wedding

May 4, 2022

Alpine Theatre Project Kid’s “RENT: School Edition”

In preparation for photographing Alpine Theatre Project's production of "RENT: School Edition," I did a lot of listening to the music from the original production and the feature film adaptation that included most of the original Broadway cast. I had already seen a number of ATP's middle and secondary kid productions, so expectations start sky-high for these performances, but "RENT" is sort of a different beast. It's got difficult subject matter and the songs do an awful lot of heavy lifting—largely because basically all dialogue is performed via song. But once again everyone absolutely knocked it out of the park, and it was such an honor to document it.

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Theatre

Tags: Alpine Theatre Project, ATP Kids, Live Performance, non-profit, Theatre

April 29, 2022

Whitefish Wedding Photographer, Janay & Ryan at Grouse Mountain Lodge

While the calendar says "April," spring is still largely "indoor wedding season" in the Flathead Valley, as you may guess from the snow-covered mountains in the background of the outdoor portraits. Thankfully we've got a number of venues like Grouse Mountain Lodge that provide outdoor views and indoor party space. Janay & Ryan took full advantage of Grouse's property and had a ceremony and party for the history books.

As is, fortunately, the case more often than not with the amazing couples I get to work with, I was treated like one of the guests as soon as I arrived and it continued throughout the evening. All the way to a parting tequila shot with the wedding party before I left at their insistence.

Venue, Catering, and Lodging: Grouse Mountain Lodge / DJ & Photobooth: Destination DJ / Flowers: Mum's Flowers / Hair & Makeup: Majestic Mountain Beauty / Couture: BHLDN & Mimi's Bridal / Jeweler: Whitefish Goldsmith / Rentals: The Party Store

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Wedding

Tags: Grouse Mountain Lodge, Montana, Montana Wedding, Wedding, whitefish

April 11, 2022

Whitefish Elopement Photographer, Lianne & Ron at Whitefish City Beach

A week or so before they were to elope I received a message from Lianne to see if I were available to photograph their simple elopement ceremony with just the two of them and their officiant. I happened to be free that afternoon and was more than happy to do so. They were both so sweet, and you've got to love the expression on Ron's face as they said their vows to each other. It's such an honor to be a part of these intimate moments in people's lives.

Venue: Whitefish City Beach / Officiant: Lichen & Pines / Flowers: Mum's Flowers

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Elopement, Wedding

Tags: Elopement, Montana Wedding, Wedding, whitefish, whitefish city beach

February 24, 2022

Whitefish Theatre Co.’s “The Revolutionists”

Feminism, the French revolution, and—spoiler alert—lots of beheadings. It was such a pleasure photographing Whitefish Theatre Co.'s production of the play "The Revolutionists" by Lauren Gunderson.

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Theatre

Tags: Live Performance, non-profit, The Revolutionists, Theatre, Whitefish Theatre Co

February 17, 2022

Glacier National Park Maternity Portraits, Cristine & Josh

Cristine and Josh seem to have developed a habit of finding themselves in front of my camera, and I do not mind one bit. We've met in Fall, Summer, and now winter. We need to get together in the Spring to complete the seasonal collection.

This session may have actually been my favorite as it's such an honor to continue documenting someone's life together as they move from a couple to a family.

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Couples Portraits, Maternity, Portraits

Tags: couple, Glacier National Park, maternity, Montana, Portraits, Winter, winter maternity

January 13, 2022

Whitefish Portrait Photographer, Ed & Suzette’s 20th Anniversary

This portrait session with Ed and Suzette was perfect for so many different reasons. Not the least of which was they were just a joy to spend a couple of hours with while we all lost feeling in our hands. For one thing, it was a great reminder you don't need to be recently engaged or recently married to have portraits taken. It can be any milestone, such as a 20th anniversary which is very much worth celebrating. It can also be an opportunity to document your vacation to an area that has a dramatically different climate than the one you're used to, and they were certainly not used to a massive powder day in Whitefish. It snowed all day, which was a dream come true for me, because I finally had the opportunity for a portrait session with it actively snowing, which had eluded me up to this point.

Ed's suit was rented from Mimi's Bridal in Kalispell.

Published by Matthew Wetzler in Blog, Couples Portraits, Portraits

Tags: couple, couples portraits, Montana, Portraits, snow, whitefish, whitefish city beach, winter portraits

December 10, 2021

Kalispell Wedding Photographer, Sarah & Dominic at Best Western Plus Flathead Lake

It was so great to see Sarah and Dominic again during the winter holiday season after their engagement session this past summer and get to meet their friends and family. They really wanted to make it a welcoming affair and had tons of great Christmas touches like a hot cocoa bar, Christmas trees, mil and cookies for dessert, and as you'll see in the image above a first kiss under the mistletoe.

Venue: Best Western Plus Flathead Lake / Catering: Vista Linda / DJ: V-Team DJs