July 5, 2024

Kiara & Quinn’s Glacier National Park Elopement in Two Medicine

Kiara and Quinn are big outdoor people. So much so, that this is the only time I can recall talking a bride out of something to 'get the shot.' We were at Running Eagle Falls, and the bridge had yet to be placed over the creek for the season. There was a small, thin, precarious, downed log that people were using to cross and Kiara was on her way over to it, hiking up the train of her dress. I calmly assured her that it really wasn't necessary and we could get a very comparable photo elsewhere in the vicinity.

As you can probably tell from the photos we did contend with the typical blustery winds found in the Two Medicine area and all of the East side of Glacier National Park.

July 1, 2024

Spring Family Portraits in Whitefish, The Vermillions

I was fortunate to hang out with the Vermillion family at their vacation rental on Whitefish Lake this spring. Funnily enough, it was the second time I've done a portrait session at this very rental which was fun. I even got the bonus of hanging out with them afterward when the road leaving the area was blocked.

June 26, 2024

Fischer Family Portraits at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake

The Fischer's eldest daughter lives in the area and had the pleasure of being visited by her parents, sister, and niece. They so rarely get the opportunity to all be in the same area at once it seemed like the perfect opportunity to knock out some family photos. It happened to be during a stretch of extremely rainy and cloudy weather this past spring in Montana, and the possibility of having to move the timing of the session around loomed all morning and afternoon. Thankfully though, we stuck to our original plans and were blessed with almost perfect weather for our evening time slot.

They were staying in one of the rental properties near The Lodge at Whitefish Lake which provided us a nice variety of photo backdrops to choose from including the trails in Viking Creek Preserve, Whitefish Lake, and Whitefish Mountain Resort.

June 18, 2024

Morgan & Ben’s Spring Wedding at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake

The theme of this spring here in Montana has been wild swings in weather, but it seemed to work with Morgan and Ben's wedding day schedule anyhow. Rain threatened all day, and there was considerable cloud cover throughout. However just as Morgan began walking down the aisle for the ceremony the sun broke through the clouds and hung around throughout the ceremony. Then as we were wrapping up wedding party photos, the clouds opened up and showered us in a downpour with small hail. We sprinted back to the pavilion at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake and enjoyed a beautiful reception.

Venue, Lodging, & Catering: The Lodge at Whitefish Lake / Bakery: Montana Wildflour / DJ: Sidecar Audio / Florals: Pure Happiness Wedding Flowers / Rentals & Decor: Celebrate Event & Party Rentals

May 1, 2024

Whitefish Senior Portrait Photographer, Ellen R. Class of 2024

Ellen and her mom were visiting Whitefish this spring and realized she hadn't had any senior portraits taken yet so why not take advantage of the beautiful area and correct that oversight? As is typical of spring weather in Montana—and the general late arrival of actual spring—we weren't able to take advantage of fields of wildflowers, or enjoy a beautiful sunny evening but I think we made out okay hitting up some of my favorite spots in town.

April 26, 2024

Abbey & Kyle’s Spring Montana Wedding at Diamond B Weddings

I couldn't wait to get Abbey and Kyle in front of my camera again after their engagement session in West Glacier this past Fall. They had planned a fairly large wedding here in Kalispell at Diamond B Weddings, which in addition to kicking off my 2024 wedding season, was also the same venue where I photographed my first ever Montana wedding back in 2018.

As is common for spring in Montana, the weather was a very big variable in terms of the plans for the ceremony location. Thankfully, in addition to the large heated event space Dimaond B added five years ago, the original barn is still there and was able to serve us well for the ceremony with a rainy, chilly forecast for the day.

Regardless of location, the day was always going to be filled with laughter, love, and smiles with Abbey and Kyle surrounded by over 150 friends and family.

Wedding Venue: Diamond B Weddings / Catering: Atomic Tacos / DJ: V-Team DJs / Hair & Makeup: Glacier Beauty / Transportation: Venture Shuttles / Rentals: Hi-Country Linen Service / Second Photographer: Cortney Foster Photography

April 24, 2024

Elope Montana Branding Portraits

A couple of years ago I got to team up with the badass boss women of Elope Montana. A collective of women who provide all-inclusive elopement services here in the Flathead Valley and Glacier National Park. I've worked with many of them individually over the years—both the officiants and the other photographers—and it's always nice to hang out if ever so briefly in a non-wedding or elopement setting. Even if it does send my anxiety through the roof when photographing several other truly outstanding photographers.

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 20, 2024

West Glacier Vow Renewal Photographer, Joni & Brandon

Joni contacted me all the way from Texas because she, her husband, and their three children would be visiting the Flathead Valley and wanted to have a simple vow renewal somewhere picturesque, ideally with snow and mountains. Thankfully, Mother Nature cooperated, and we coordinated with Jason of Big Day Officiants for the ceremony exchange itself and had the most lovely evening together.

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.

Prints & Canvas

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

Copyright ©Matthew Wetzler 2008–2024