Beautiful Summer Wedding In Paradise Valley | Ellen + Brian

Ellen and Brian's perfect day at Sage Lodge was full of incredible details designed by Bijou Weddings By Design, gorgeous florals, late night dinner and dancing, and of course stunning views of Emigrant Peak. Photography by Troy Miekle.

"Brian and I met in Chicago in 2018. Like many modern couples, we met online through an app called Hinge. Our profiles shared one thing in common: under a prompt that read "Where is your favorite place in the world?" we both listed 'Montana.' During our first date, we learned that each of us shared a unique love of Montana and fly fishing. After our first magical date, we fell in love quickly and easily, eventually making our way to Montana together for our first of many magical vacations in Paradise Valley.

Our love grew tenfold when we welcomed our puppy, George, into our new little family in late 2020 and in late 2021, Brian proposed at our favorite spot in Lincoln Park in Chicago, with George by our side. When it came time to find a location for our wedding, we knew Montana would be the perfect place!

Our wedding took place on July 8th, 2023. It was a perfect, beautiful July day in Paradise Valley. We were married at Sage Lodge, with stunning views of Emigrant Peak in the background. In true Montana fashion, we were treated to a quick rainstorm before the ceremony began! I commissioned a pianist to create a custom recording of 'Yellow' by Coldplay, which played as I walked down the aisle with my Dad.

After the ceremony, our guests enjoyed a cocktail hour before the party kicked off! Dinner was a delicious spread of red wine braised short ribs, mashed potatoes and assorted roasted vegetables. To kick off the dancing portion of the eventing, we surprised our guests with passed espresso martinis that were topped with mini beignet doughnuts - it was such a hit!

Dancing began just after dinner and went late into the night (we may have extended our venue for another hour!). In between dancing, our guests enjoyed the beautiful views on the patio terrace where we had an array of cigars and cocktails to enjoy while they took in the view. We kept to our Chicago roots for our late night snack - Chicago style mini hotdogs! We are huge foodies and the catering team at Sage Lodge really helped us deliver an amazing spread for our guests!" –Ellen, the bride