7 Things you need to know about getting married in Montana
Who can marry you in Montana...
Anyone can officiate as
long as the couple getting married believe that person is qualified to
solemnize their marriage. Most people choose to pick someone who has been
ordained, is a member of the church, or a government official
Getting a marriage license in Montana.
Marriage licenses are good
for 180 days. You can go online and apply for the marriage license and pick it
up at the courthouse when you arrive in Montana. The cost is $53. Both parties
must be in attendance to pick up the license. Yes, you can get your license in Missoula
County and get married in Mineral County. It doesn’t have to be the same
county, but most people, for convenience's sake, get their license in the
county they will be getting married. You have 30 days to file the completed
marriage license. Your officiant can drop if off for you and it will take about
2 weeks for you to get your official license. If you take it in yourselves they
will give you your license right then and there.
Getting married in Glacier
National Park
If you are going to get
married in the park, you will need a special use permit and make reservations
depending on the location. You will want to apply for this as soon as possible
as it could take some time to process. Most locations only allow up
to 15 people for the ceremony. If you just want pictures, you will need to
check with your photographer on permit rules for what type of pictures they are
going to be taking. Make sure you pick a local photographer who is familiar
with the park’s rules and regulations. They will also know all the right spots
for those amazing pictures! For the most updated information on getting married in Glacier National Park Click HERE
This is probably the
hardest part of planning a destination wedding, I highly recommend you contact
a wedding planner/coordinator to help guide you through all of this. They are
going to know the vendors in the area and will make sure that you are getting a
quality vendor. You are going to spend a lot of money, because of this you need
to make sure that you can trust who you are hiring. A planner will ensure that
the vendor has a good reputation, is licensed, insured, and meets the
qualifications of businesses in Montana. So many times, I see people reaching
out to anyone on wedding boards on Facebook and everyone jumps on their post
trying to get business. Most of these people are just starting out or do not
have a legitimate business. So beware. If you are the planning type and like to
do everything yourself here are a few sites with a list of vendors: they have
all been vetted and are going to be your best bet.
I’m always going to say,
you need at least a month of coordinator with a destination wedding! With this
you plan your whole wedding yourself, you pick your vendors. You have someone
as your point of contact to ask questions and get legitimate answers from
throughout your planning process. A month or so out, the coordinator will make
sure everything is in order and there was nothing left out. They will go over
the timeline and coordinate with all the vendors to ensure everyone knows what
they are supposed to do and when. They will be there to walk you through the
rehearsal to make sure everyone knows what is happening during the ceremony.
And they will set up and tear down the day of your wedding and make sure
everything goes smoothly. This is the last thing you want your family and
friends to be doing. You want them to enjoy the day!! They didn’t travel all
this way to work and not have all the fun!
Overall, Montana is less
expensive than a big city. But it’s not as inexpensive as it was 5 years ago!
You can thank Yellowstone! The hidden gem of the US has been found. Because
more and more people are getting married in Montana the vendors have had to
increase their pricing due to demand. Also, Covid has not helped this situation
at all! Costs have naturally gone up in price over the last 2 years. But the
location you choose is going to also play a part in what your wedding is going
to cost you. Glacier, Whitefish, Kalispell, Big Sky, Bozeman are all going to
be more expensive than places like The Bitterroot Valley or Billings.
Now with cost, I’m going
to tell you when you do a google search and ask what the typical Montanan
spends on a wedding, it’s going to say around $15,000-16,000 or $150/per guest.
Keep in mind this is local, they are probably getting married on a relative’s
property and have a very modest catering menu, minimal flowers, and decor, and
under 100 guests. The more people you invite, the more your wedding is going to
cost. Realistically plan on at least $250/per guest to come up with your
budget. I’m not saying you CAN’T do it for that much but be realistic about
what you want and what you can afford. A lot of those pictures on Pinterest are
super pretty but very expensive!
When
there are snow-capped mountains for your pictures
If you are planning a
wedding for May or June, you will probably get your snow-capped mountains in
the background. If you are looking at Mid-July and August, there’s a very good
chance you are not going to get that. This also depends on where you are
planning your nuptials. But pretty much anywhere, August, the beginning of
September is going to be hard-pressed to find what you are looking for unless
we had a very crazy winter and not very hot summer. And honestly, the best time
to get married in Montana in late September - October! It's cool, no real fire
dangers, fewer tourists, and many vendors have off-season pricing which is
lower than the busy months of May-August.
Fire
season in Montana
Yes, we have fire season.
July/August it can get pretty smokey. There is no way to predict this. But
understand there may be fire restrictions in place during the summer months.
And they can come instantly without warning. This means no open flames, no
regular candles, no sparkler send-offs, no bonfires, no fireworks. Venues are
strict about this sort of thing…and for good reason! You don’t want to be the
party that burns down Montana!