Lockie Photography

When Josh and I first got engaged and started planning our wedding, my amazing sister-in-law Kiersten had a very cool idea. She regularly has great ideas, but this one was a particularly good one. She began to send us emails with little pieces of advice about planning a wedding and being married. She coined these as “Nuptial Nuggets”, and they turned out to be amazingly useful, and just plain fun. I know you’re jealous of me because how many gals have such a sister-in-law?

So here’s the deal. From here on out, Mondays on the LP blog are Nuptial Nugget days. So tune in to be inspired about your marriage, and get some great ideas for anything from a kick ass date night, to a cool floral idea for your wedding, and many subjects in between.

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Weddings are beautiful. They are are a subject that many girls dream about for years. They are one of the most important days of a person’s life. That’s the way it has always been, and that’s the way it should be.

However, I can’t help but think that instead of being the culminating point in a person’s life, the wedding celebration should be the precursor for amazing things to come. While I was wasting time on Pinterest the other night (don’t you wish you had a quarter for every time someone said that??), I saw a quote that a friend of mine posted, and was struck by how true this actually is. Think about it, and let me know your thoughts.

Kath

As we are fast approaching Christmas, Josh and I have been thinking about how life just seems to propel forward, and very rarely slows down. No matter what your vocation or stage in life, I think relaxing and slowing down has to be intentional or it never happens. We are blessed to have our business and get to work together, and we love having the flexibility that we do, but many times I think it ends up adding to the busyness instead of taking away from it. However, no matter how busy things get, neither of us would trade our job in for anything else.

Even though we are full tilt into our Montana winter, we still have several beautiful weddings to finish up for the summer and fall. So take a break from the falling snow to look at this August wedding in West Yellowstone at the old Train Depot! Tyler and Shana did most of their decorating and planning themselves, and had some phenomenal ideas (so to our 2012 brides – listen up!). Their primary table decorations were freeze-dried hops, which turned out to be stunning against the red tablecloths and wooden accents. They went with the classic cupcake idea for dessert, but specifically made plenty of Gluten Free ones and tagged them with adorable little “gf” signs – something we thought to be very thoughtful as gluten free is becoming increasingly important these days. In true Montana style they made ample amounts of huckleberry vodka to use in drinks for their guests – a little extra work, but worth it! And last but not least, they laid out tables and chairs in such a way that they could use the same set up for both the wedding and reception. In many cases this is not possible, but if you choose a venue which will work for it, it can be a very cool touch! The lofty ceilings and striking central fireplace at the Train Depot made it a perfect spot for such a setup as you’ll see.

Tyler & Shana, we loved photographing with you two, and want to thank you again for hiring us for your wedding! Enjoy your post, and have a very merry first Christmas together.

Kathy & Josh

We met with Ian & Caitlin at 10am on the morning of their wedding for an hour of first look pictures at Carroll College. The day was beautiful and sunny, and those two were just beaming and so excited for their wedding day (while simultaneously being completely chill and laid back). As we’ve gotten to know Ian + Caitlin over the past few months, Josh and I have both just really gotten excited for them and for their married life together. It’s a beautiful thing to see a couple who are such close friends.

I+C were married at the Mountain Meadow Inn in Helena. The Inn is a wonderfully old mansion on the outskirts of Helena, and proved to be an ideal setting for their 1920′s era styled wedding. Their colors were turquoise and light green with peacock feathers and handmade flowers. Ian designed their invitations, programs, and favor boxes, so make sure to check those out below. Hats off to Chili O’Brien’s Catering for a wonderful meal as well!

Ian & Caitlin, we had such a wonderful time working with you, and hope your first few weeks of marriage have been far and away the best of your life together so far. All the best to you in your many years to come!

This post holds a special significance for me, as Caroline is one of my long-time closest friends. It has been so exciting to see how her and Dave were brought together through seemingly insurmountable circumstances (the biggest of these is that they got to know each other while she was living in China and he in Africa). It has been quite a journey for them so far, and we were so honored to be involved in their beautiful, intimate ceremony last month. The lion’s share of the photographing fell to Josh, as I was in the wedding, and he did a masterful job of tirelessly running around and documenting everything (have I mentioned yet how amazing a photographer Josh is?).

Dave + Caroline decided to have a small, but very meaningful few days to celebrate their marriage. The event took place at the beautiful Holland Lake Lodge, and included incredible meals, bonfires, hikes, canoes…they really made it a priority to spend some quality time with their small group of guests.

Dave + Caroline, it is so exciting to see you together and to know that you’re finally married and starting the next phase of adventures together. We can’t tell you how much we love you guys, and we’re so honored to have been a part of your special day.

This wedding was such a blast. It started with us driving into the middle of nowhere (and beyond) to meet Bob + Rissy at her family’s ranch on the outskirts of Butte. The ranch has been in her family from generation to generation for (if I remember correctly) over a hundred years. There is so much history and character to the place, and it was really special that the beginning of the day was centered there. The morning was filled with getting ready, sorting out details, getting all the pictures in, and just seemed like a fun time for them and both their families.

If there is anything to be said about Bob + Rissy, it is that they aren’t your average, run-of-the-mill people. Their love of things a little off the beaten path filtered down from Rissy’s beautiful dress (chocolate brown toned with dark brown accents) and into every part of their wedding day. Their day was full of awesome ideas  – including a craft table at the reception for the kids (note to brides, this was a great idea)! In their relationship they complement each other very well. It seems like at the base of things they are just best friends, and that is such a fun thing to watch and get to capture in photographs. Bob is laid back and good natured while Rissy is spunky and enthusiastic – and both of them are very considerate and caring of everyone around them.

Bob + Rissy were married at Abundant Life Fellowship in Butte, with a reception in the Knights of Columbus building afterwards. The reception room was beautiful vintage with huge windows and a vaulted ceiling. There was never a dull moment from the toasts, to the Dollar Dance, to Rissy’s dad tearing it up on the dance floor – tons of dancing, and lots of laughter all around!

B+R, we had such a great time photographing for you and getting to know you. Enjoy your photos!

Kathy & I went over to Butte this past weekend to photograph David & Danika’s Wedding and what a treat to be there! We couldn’t have asked for a better church or reception venue, but the real joy was watching how much fun our bride & groom had – one of those couples who just fit. It was hard not to fall in love with Dave’s caddy though. Leave a comment for the happy couple below.

This past weekend we were privileged to have photographed our good friends’ wedding in Two Rivers Wisconsin. Link & Siri were so relaxed and happy on their big day, and we had tons of fun capturing it for them! They were married on an old farm that has been in Siri’s family for generations, and it is 5 minutes drive to the shores of Lake Michigan. At 7:00 the morning of the wedding Josh and I took the couple out to the beach for their first look pictures. We hid Siri away in some beautiful trees on the beach and had Lincoln walk up from behind to see his beautiful bride for the first time. I think they both found it to be a very special, exciting, and peaceful way to start their wedding day. Here are a small selection of photos from the morning. Enjoy!

Mandy & I corresponded via email about wedding plans as she & Josh were in Living in Germany. I almost always photograph the couple after the ceremony but I suggested that Mandy check out this blog post from a phenomenal photographer Jasmine Star. After reading the article, Mandy immediately emailed me saying that it was a great idea and that they were on board. The morning of the wedding Kathy and I went out for a walk on the beach and by the time we got back, we were in a pretty heavy downpour so we regrouped with Mandy and had to reschedule everything. Where we had four hours to get everything in, we now had no time outside as there was no way of keeping people dry; wedding party photos on the beach were out. Well, after pulling some strings we were allowed into Josh & Mandy’s condo unit early which as you can see, made for some awesome shots. Enjoy!