Glacier National Park Elopement & Josephine Lake Ceremony

When Sarah and Brantlee first reached out to us and mentioned Glacier National Park, we were so excited! We had been wanting to start transitioning Venture to Elope to Montana for awhile, and it was so exciting to book our first Montana elopement, especially a Glacier National Park elopement! It made it even better because they wanted to elope the week before us, so we got to spend almost 2 weeks in Glacier working and relaxing for our own elopement.

Their day began in the morning on the west side of Glacier. We met in a parking lot at the Trail of Cedars, a 1 mile roundtrip wheelchair accessible trail that’s located near Lake McDonald. We brought our pop up changing tent for them to each get ready in. Then, we helped them set up a first look on the trail! It was a bit busier this day, so we had to wait for visitors to walk past the trail. But for their first look, we ended up having it all to ourselves!

After they saw each other for the first time, we walked the trail a little bit more to explore some of the views and take portraits. It’s pretty cool because the types of trees you see along the trail (Western Hemlocks and Red Cedars) are usually more characteristic of the Pacific Northwest.

Keep scrolling to see the other 2 locations Sarah + Brantlee visited for their elopement adventure AND their surprise ceremony witnesses!

On our way to Logan Pass, we unfortunately witnessed a car accident that happened directly in front of us. Everyone was okay, but we stayed with them until help arrived. This minor (but unavoidable) incident set us back a bit in our timeline. So, when we arrived to Logan Pass, we didn’t have much time to try and find parking. Logan Pass is the highest point of the park that’s reachable by car! It has insanely expansive mountain views, epic alpine lakes, incredible hiking trails, beautiful alpine wildflowers, and plenty of wildlife. If you visit one spot in the park, THIS should be it.

Instead of waiting around in the parking lot of the Visitor Center, we decided to keep driving toward the east side of the park and find a roadside pullout to snap a few photos. Sarah and Brantlee were driving behind us and all of a sudden, I noticed that Brantlee had signaled to the right. I quickly told Adam and we pulled off at an incredible viewpoint. We got out and carefully navigated some of the rocks to capture the epic images you’ll see below! It was awesome how Sarah and Brantlee were both so flexible and spontaneous with the change of plans.

After our pit-stop along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, we headed to their ceremony location in Many Glacier. But before we hiked the trail, we arrived to a beautiful dinner picnic setup created by Montana Picnic Co. So, we captured some images and then enjoyed sandwiches, charcuterie, and pasta salad with them. The creators at Montana Picnic Co. had even brought a vase for Sarah to display her beautiful bouquet by Mum’s Weddings in Whitefish. Tom Paris, an officiant with I do Weddings, joined us for the picnic as well! It was so delicious!

Once we were full, we packed our bags and headed to Sarah and Brantlee’s ceremony spot for sunset. There are very specific designated ceremony locations within Glacier NP, so make sure that you fill out the proper permits here!

When we arrived to the lake for their intimate ceremony, we had the beach all to ourselves… except we didn’t notice the mama bear and her three cubs at first. None of us believed Tom when he jokingly told us that there were bears in the water to our right. But sure enough, Sarah and Brantlee had some surprise witnesses for their ceremony!

We quietly “ooh-ed” and “aah-ed” at the bears for a little bit before they disappeared into the forest. Then, we proceeded with their ceremony! Sarah and Brantlee have a sweet little tradition of getting each other “dirty” cards and writing sentimental things. So, for their vows they had actually both gotten cards! It was funny and super, super sweet. I don’t think there was a dry eye for their vows. They sealed the deal with a kiss and shots!

We took portraits along the beach while the alpenglow faded on the mountains. We even got another surprise black bear witness along the beach in the distance! It was a beautiful end to an incredible Glacier National Park elopement.