Chico Hot Springs Pray, MT
I think a pretty accurate way to start is by telling you that this was my third favorite day in my life. I'm not kidding. Only behind my own wedding, and the day we took Ollie home. I was so stoked to be asked to photograph this wedding. Because not only did Ethan & Lilly get married in my most favorite place, Montana, but also because these two humans are some of my favs. Like, ever. Lilly was whatever the opposite of a bride-zilla is, and that vibe was carried out throughout the entire day.
I met Ethan back in 2006, David (my husband) & I had just started dating, and Ethan was still in high school. They were working together at a boat dealership just a couple blocks from where we all went to high school. Over snowboard trips and cabin visits, the three of us quickly became good friends. Long story short, we all ended up moving to Bozeman, and living together in a 70's rental house with a carpeted bathroom. Our other roommate Austen, (the best man) would eventually introduce Ethan to a super sweet, and bad ass skier, that he grew up with in Hamilton MT. I'm also not exaggerating by calling Lilly super sweet. She is literally one of the only people I have ever met who NEVER says anything bad about anyone, ever. I remember these two hitting it off hard, I'm pretty sure technically there were only three people on the lease at that house, but most of the time there were 6 people, 3 dogs, 18 snowboards and 4 sets of skis at that house. We had fun. A lot.
This was my first trip to Chico Hot Springs even though when I lived in Montana I was only an hour away... whoops. It was way cooler in person than any of the photos I could find online. It was around 55 and mostly cloudy with some sun breaks, but turns out we were pretty lucky because when we left Chico the next morning it was hovering around 20 degrees and snowing and blowing. That's Montana for ya. Ethan & Lilly read their vows privately to each other before their ceremony, and it took everything in me to not start balling uncontrollably. It was such a perfect moment for them to spend together away from all the noise and distractions of a typical wedding day, and I am still so honored to have been accepted into that space. Everything about their day was pure magic, and I could go on and on trying to pretend to be a writer, or you can give up (if you haven't already) and just start scrolling and let the photos tell the rest of the story.
photo notes: 1. The kid on the horse is their nephew 2. They used the "thumbs up" photo as their Thank You's. omg they're so cute. 3. I'm not sure if Ethan ever actually did his hair, but in his defense it was windy that day. 4. the guy with the teeth... those are fake, it's a joke. enjoy!
