April 5, 2024

West Glacier National Park Engagement, Spence & Kristen

This has been the winter and spring of engagement portrait sessions for several lucky couples. Or should I say I've been the one lucky to be working with them?

Spence reached out to me weeks ago as he and his now-fiancé Kristen would be in the area and he was planning on proposing. While he wasn't trying to capture the actual proposal itself as part of a portrait session, he wanted to commemorate the occasion with a portrait session the following day.

We spoke on the phone a couple of times, he asked dozens of really great questions, and we settled on a time and place for the session. All we needed was confirmation of Kristen's "Yes!" and we were off and running.

We experienced a perfectly magical evening with clear skies and warm sun in West Glacier and Glacier National Park resulting in some epically beautiful photos.

March 13, 2024

Surprise Glacier National Park Winter Proposal, Melanie & Bryan

I told Brian—after he'd successfully asked for Melanie's hand in marriage on the shore of Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park—that I think my heart was probably pounding as quickly as his heart was. Surprise proposals are such an honor to be a part of but man can they be stressful. What if I'm in the wrong spot? What if I'm focussing on the wrong couple? What if I have a camera failure at the key moment?

Thankfully, choosing a winter proposal here in Glacier means it won't be super busy, and with the proper preparation—something Brian and I began discussing three months prior—a lot of the risks can be minimized. Photographing a proposal is also an adrenaline rush for me not unlike the start of a race, where I quite literally have one opportunity to get it right, and there are no true do overs.

February 21, 2024

Whitefish Engagement Portrait Photographer, Gabrielle & Christian

Gabrielle and Christian had two prerequisites for their engagement session. They wanted to include their dogs, and as winter sports enthusiasts they wanted it to be snowy.

Including the dogs was the easy part, but the snow was not so much. This winter has been so strange—and more like spring than winter for most of it if we're being honest—so we kept pushing the session date. Thankfully, Mother Nature finally delivered with almost a week straight of snow, and temperatures low enough to where it stayed pretty and didn't turn to slush. We also lucked out by avoiding the weekend when it was -28 degrees. However, we still dealt with single-digit temps as it was.

I cannot wait for these to get married next fall at Star Meadows Ranch!

November 20, 2023

Winter Engagement in West Glacier, Kristina & Casey

Another day, another astonishingly beautiful day in West Glacier. Kristina and Casey are getting married this summer just outside the West entrance to Glacier National Park and were in town meeting up with their planner Big Day Celebrations and other wedding vendors so it seemed like a perfect opportunity to grab some engagement portraits in the same area they'd be getting married in!

November 17, 2023

West Glacier Engagement Photographer, Abby & Kyle

When Abby and Kyle first booked me for their wedding and added an engagement session, we always planned on scheduling it in the Fall. Partially because the Fall colors in Northwest Montana are amazing, but also out of necessity. Kyle is a Wildland Firefighter, and during the summer his schedule can be extremely volatile.

Thankfully, things worked out tremendously weather-wise. We did have a heavy dusting of snow that provided a lovely contrast with the Fall colors. I am so looking forward to their wedding this spring.

November 15, 2023

Glacier National Park Adventure Engagement Photographer, Lauren & Wade

Lauren and Wade's wedding is this coming summer, but they wanted some portraits taken in Glacier National Park for their save-the-date cards. If you saw my last blog post, you already know what the Fall colors look like right now. As luck turned out, Going-to-the-Sun Road closed until next year the day before our session. No worries, it encouraged us to explore a handful of less-traveled areas, and it meant we practically had the park to ourselves. As soon as the road closes for winter, the crowds truly disappear, and it's a really special time to be in the park.

Cannot wait to get these two married next year.

September 27, 2023

West Glacier Engagement Photographer, Ashley & Matt

Ashley and Matt were recently engaged and just happened to be here in Northwest Montana for a friend's intimate wedding day. In my extremely biased opinion, they had the magnificent idea to get some engagement portraits done while they were here. After all, it's awfully difficult to pass up the opportunity for engagement portraits at Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park.

October 28, 2022

West Glacier National Park Engagement Portraits, Morgan & Bryan

It's always a great idea, if the schedule works out, to do an engagement session with your photographer prior to the wedding day. For one, it insures that you've got a good rapport with them ahead of time. There's nothing better than when I roll up to a wedding day and the couple are already "old friends."

Morgan & Bryan have grown up visiting Whitefish with their families and thus are here often so it made sense to meet up for a portrait session. I loved meeting their dog Bruno—we always talk about Bruno—and wrapping up the session at the Bulldog in downtown Whitefish. I can't wait for their summer wedding at Snowline Acres this year.

February 15, 2022

Winter Engagement Portraits in West Glacier, Ashlyn & Patrick

Ashlyn & Patrick were recently engaged and in the area so naturally, they wanted some portraits taken in and around Glacier National Park. February weather and all. And like the vast majority of people that find themselves in front of my camera, they claimed to be totally helpless in photos. I had to vehemently disagree, however, as they absolutely nailed their session, especially the in-between moments where I simply take photos while not necessarily giving any direction at all. Just them being their natural selves. Which is actually a big pro tip. Just be yourself if you're having portraits taken, pretend the camera isn't there.

December 1, 2021

Glacier National Park Winter Engagement Photographer, Xaviera & Adam

Xaviera & Adam contacted me sort of last minute as they were visiting Whitefish for a quick vacation and visiting wedding venues for a wedding the following year. It'd been a while since I'd had the opportunity to photograph a winter engagement portrait session so I was thrilled that I was available and we made plans to freeze our collective rear-ends off and pay Glacier National Park a visit. In these scenarios, I always feel a little bit bad for the couple who is trying to be cute and handsome in below-freezing temperatures while I get to bundle up as much as possible. And of course, as is often the case in life, the women suffer more than anyone else, as cute women's clothing is typically offers less coverage, and is just generally not as warm, to begin with.

Xaviera and Adam were troopers about it though, and braving the frigid temperatures was totally worth it.

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Matt Wetzler is an editorial, motorsport, portrait, and destination wedding photographer based in Whitefish, Montana.

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