10 Things You Should Know About Getting Married in Montana
10 Things You Should Know About Getting Married in Montana
Let’s get married in Montana! Now what?
So, you’ve decided to get married in Montana, now what? Well, we’re here to help with the next steps! We know there is so much information out there about traveling to a new place, so we’ve compiled a helpful list of 10 things you should know before you start researching and planning!
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10 Things You Should Know About Getting Married in Montana:
#1
How to Get Here
Photo by Jennifer Vernarsky Photography
#1: How to get here — Northwest, MT near Glacier National Park
Planes, trains, and automobiles will all get you here! If you chose to fly, you’ll want to fly into Glacier Park International airport, airport code: FCA. It’s a pretty small airport and flights in and out of here tend to be a little pricier, but you can get to most places from this airport. We just had a major renovation to the airport. Fun fact: the airport expansion has given us the first escalator in Flathead County (yes we know, it’s 2024)! Our area also is serviced by Amtrak, so you could take a train here if you live along a train line. Lastly, you can drive here! Road trips are always fun and allow you to see the rest of the beautiful part of the state before arriving here! If you plan to rent a car while you’re here, we highly suggest you secure your rental car first among your reservations. These are in high demand and short supply during the busy summer season (June-September). We have the typical rental car companies like Hertz, Alamo, and Enterprise. You can also use Turo to secure a rental from someone local renting out their vehicle.
#2
Where to Stay
Photo by Lindsey Jane Photography
#2: Where to Stay
Given that this area is a high tourism area due to Glacier National Park, the options for lodging are expansive and include hotels, airbnb’s, ranches, lodges, glamping or camping. You can also stay in Glacier National Park in some of their campgrounds or Historic Lodges. Below we share a couple of our favorite places that are super cute and make for a perfect getting ready photo opportunity. We recommend couples and their families stay at these options when they come to Montana for their elopement.
Montana Treehouse Retreat Columbia Falls, MT
Cabins at Blacktail Lakeside, MT
Clark Farm Silos Kalispell, MT
Clydesdale Outpost Whitefish, MT
#3
Driving Distances
Photo by Ahlani Bree Photography
#3: Driving Distances
A common misconception that many make when they visit this area (Northwestern, MT) is that they didn’t realize the amount of time it would take to drive from one place to the next. Montana is a HUGE state and getting anywhere typically takes about an hour plus. So plan for that now! Your lodging might be close to an hour from Glacier. From the National Park Service website, they share an awesome breakdown on what to expect, we’ll share it below!
Times within and around the park are estimates and will vary with construction and time of day.
St. Mary to Many Glacier Valley: 20 miles, 30-40 minutes
St. Mary to Two Medicine Valley: 34 miles, 1 hour
St. Mary to Waterton Lakes National Park: 50 miles, 1 hour plus customs
West Glacier to East Glacier: 56 miles, 1 hour
West Glacier to St. Mary (Going-to-the-Sun Road): 50 miles, 2 to 2 1/2 hours
West Glacier to St. Mary (US Hwy 2 to Hwy 89): 90 miles, 2 to 2 1/2 hours
West Glacier to Many Glacier: 70 miles, 2 1/2 to 3 hours
West Glacier to Polebridge: 28 miles, 1 hour
With that information, plan to include drive time in your itinerary for your time here!
#4
Hours of Daylight
Photo by Jennifer Vernarsky Photography
#4: Hours of Daylight
Want to know a fun fact? During the summer solstice, you can expect to have about 16 hours of daylight in northern Montana. Sunrise around 5:38 am and sunset around 9:42 pm, but you get about a half-hour of light on either side of those times. Yes, daylight till almost 10:15 pm at night!! Due to being so far up north in the hemisphere, the earth tilts towards the sun during the summer months and allows for us to have more daylight in the summer, but in return, we get less daylight in the winter (about 8 hours total daylight by winter solstice).
#5
Glacier National Park Reservations
Photo by Jennifer Vernarsky Photography
#5: Glacier National Park Reservations
Due to the influx of popularity to travel stateside during 2020, the park has seen a huge growth in the number of visitors in the past few years. To navigate the influx of visitors, the National Park Service had to develop a process that would limit the number of visitors each day. Queue, the reservation system for entry. This is nothing new with the National Park System, just new to Glacier National Park in 2021. Each year will bring new changes, so it’s easiest to stay up to date by visiting the National Park Services website to view the latest details. Glacier National Park did release the reservation ticketing information requirements for 2024:
What You Need
May 24 through September 8 vehicle reservations are required for the west side of Going-to-the-Sun Road and North Fork from 6 am to 3 pm.
July 1 through September 8 vehicle reservations are required for Many Glacier from 6 am to 3 pm.
Visitors entering the park in a vehicle or on a motorcycle in one of these areas during these dates need two things: (1) A vehicle reservation OR service reservation and (2) Park Entrance Fee OR valid Park Pass (Annual, Senior, Military, etc.). See details for Entrance Fees and Passes below.
The park is open 24/7 and visitors may enter vehicle reservation areas before 6 am or after 3 pm without a vehicle reservation. Learn more about visiting without a reservation.
Already Booked an Activity?
Visitors with lodging, camping, or commercial activity reservations (e.g., boat tours and horseback rides) within the specified reservation areas can use proof of their reservation for entry instead of a vehicle reservation to gain access to the vehicle reservation area for which they have a service reservation. See details below.
Vehicle Reservation Release Dates
A portion of vehicle reservations will be available 120 days or approximately four months in advance, starting on January 25, 2024, at 8 am MST on a daily rolling basis.
Next Day vehicle reservations will be available at 7 pm MDT for next-day entry starting on May 23, 2024 on a daily rolling basis.
Vehicle reservations can only be booked on Recreation.gov
#6
Going-to-the-Sun Road Closures
Photo by Lindsey Jane Photography
#6: Going-to-the-Sun Road Closures
It’s no secret that when you live somewhere that has a winter season that lasts about 6 months, the summer months are often filled with road closures or delays due to construction. Montana is one of those states! When planning your trip here, be aware that construction happens most often from late May (after the great thaw) and lasts until mid-October (around when we get our first snow typically). You can learn more about the Going-to-the-sun road on the National Park Service website. You can view the current road status of Glacier National Park Here. The Going-to-the-Sun Road is most commonly opens for traffic between the third week of June and the second week of July. This changes each year with construction, late-season snow, and progress with plowing on the road. The road typically closes for traffic sometime between the last week of September and the middle of October. Again, these dates are determined by road construction and early fall winter weather. Be sure to factor this information into your trip and elopement planning!
#7
Tourist Season
Photo by Ahlani Bree Photography
#7: Tourist Season
As noted above in the road construction and closure section, the Montana weather dictates when most people come to visit! Summer is by far the busiest tourist season in Northwest Montana. You can expect the most tourism visits between Memorial Day and Labor Day each year. We consider April/May and October/November to be the “shoulder season.” To paint a better picture, Glacier National Park had nearly 3 million visitors in 2023. Glacier has consistently hosted around 3 million visitors each year for the last 5 years, aside from 2020 due to pandemic related closures. You can view the stats of various information on the park on the National Park Services website.
#8
Benefits of Each Season
Photo by Lindsey Jane Photography
#8: Benefits of Each Season
Choosing which month to get married in Montana can be a little like opening pandora’s box! Each season is so different and has its own perks! We cover a little bit about each season for this area to give some insight and maybe get you a little closer to choosing which one is right for you! Let’s start with Summer!
Summer is nice because everything is GREEN! Most roads are open and accessible, the weather is nice, many of the summer tourist attractions are open, and school is out (in case you’re traveling with your kids). We love to spend time on the trails, lakes and rivers.
Fall is a fan favorite because of fall colors! The fall colors peak in mid-October (aspen trees) and again in late October/early November (fir/larch). The tourism is less than summer, so if you’re lucky you might actually get to see some places in Glacier by yourself without others around. Lodging is easier to find and rental cars aren’t as in high demand.
Winter brings way fewer crowds. If you like skiing or snowboarding, you can visit Whitefish Mountain Resort while you’re here and get some time on the slopes. Winter also means you can plan to drop in at one of the nearby hot springs for a soak, there is nothing more relaxing and romantic than soaking while it’s snowing!
Spring is a nice off-season here if you time it right. Things might be a little grey/brown in color here till about mid-April and into May when everything is starting to turn green and bloom. Spring is a time when we have way less tourism, but still offers some nice weather. Glacier National Park is a great option for late spring because you can bike up the Going-to-the-Sun road while you’re here!
Here is an elopement in each season:
Spring & Summer photos by Jennifer ernarsky Photography
Fall & Winner photos by Lindsey Jane Photography
#9
Ceremonies in Glacier National Park
Photo by Lindsey Jane Photography
#9: Ceremonies in Glacier National Park
As with many things changing due to an increase of visitors, Glacier National Park has also changed some of the guidelines and rules for ceremonies held within the park. A permit is required for all ceremonies, vow exchanges, or “words of the like” exchanged within the park’s premises. You can view more information HERE about the ceremony permit process in Glacier National Park. It is also important to note that there are very strict rules on the number of people allowed at ceremony locations (please know that this allotted number includes ALL people in attendance, couple, officiant, and vendors!) AND also on the number of vehicles allotted for ceremony locations. Here are the locations listed with the maximum number of participants allowed. Our team wants to create the best possible experience for couples, so when we share this information and talk about lowering your guest count to meet the needs of the park, we do so with the best intention for the park and its rules.
#10
Come Prepared
Photo by Lindsey Jane Photography
#10: Come Prepared
Lastly, when planning for your elopement day, we can’t stress this enough: pack a little bag to bring with you for your day! Given that driving to your ceremony location might be upwards of an hour or two away from your lodging, pack a bag with the essentials to make sure your day goes smoothly! You never know what kind of change in weather you might encounter. Some things we recommend:
water and other beverages to keep you hydrated
food and snacks (no one likes a hangry couple)
warm clothes or jacket
extra shoes if you plan on doing any trail walking
hand warmers
umbrellas
make up for touch-ups (lots of kissing for photos)
Any props, signs, memorabilia, etc…you might want for photos.
We like being prepared around here!
This concludes the ten things you should know about getting married in Montana! We hope that this information helps solve any planning stress you might have. Of course, if there is anything you need regarding planning your elopement after booking with us, your photographer and celebrant are great resources, so just ask!
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