Fresh Wedding Contest- Enter Today

Planning to get married while riding camels across the Sahara or in a 1,000 year old church in Tuscany? Exchanging vows on a tropical beach barefoot?Did you meet at summer camp and fall in love while making s'mores? Did your proposal involve international travel or a barbershop quartet?
If you have a great story, a fresh and unique wedding plan or a wild wedding location. We want to hear your story!

The freshest, most unique wedding plans or wedding couple will win a complete wedding photography package. This includes everything from engagement photos to the day after wedding photos all presented in a artistically designed album and publication of your wedding in a national magazine.

How to enter: Send your story in an email to meghan@gatheringlightphoto.com. In 500 words or less tell us your wedding plans (Date, Location, Number of Guests) and what about your plans or you as a couple makes you unique and fresh. You may also send up to three attached pictures of yourselves and/ or the wedding location.

Deadline: All entries must be received by April 15, 2008. Winners and runners-up will be announced by April 20, 2008.

Prizes: One GRAND PRIZE winner will receive a complete wedding photography package including an engagement session, full wedding coverage (up to three days for destination weddings), all digital proofs of the wedding photos, DVD slideshow of wedding photos set to music, and an artistically designed album containing approximately 40 pages of wedding pictures. Your wedding will be published in a national magazine.

One RUNNER-UP will receive a complimentary engagement session and day after "Trash the Dress" photo session and two complimentary parent albums with purchase of wedding album

Contest Rules: To be eligible for the contest your wedding your wedding must take place between May 1, 2008- August 15, 2009 and will be subject to photographer availability. Entries must be received by April 15, 2008 by 11:00 pm MST. By entering the contest participants agree to having their images and wedding stories published on Gathering Light Photography's website and in a national wedding magazine, if they are the selected winner.

Wedding in Marin County, California

I was thrilled when Megan contacted me about doing her wedding in Marin County, California. This is because, as I told her, that part of California is one of my favorite places in the world. Therefore, what could be better than shooting a wedding there? I was even happier to hear that Megan had decided to contact me because she loved the work I had done on her friend Annie's wedding in May. I love referrals! So much love- this wedding was sure to be one of my favorites!

Well, Megan and Philip's wedding met all my expectations. They themselves were beautiful and their friends and family were wonderful to meet and photograph. The ceremony reflected this couple's deep faith and the reception highlighted their fun loving spirit. And the setting- just as beautiful as I remember. Can you say palm trees and sun shine in January? (Oh and it was -30 in Bozeman while it was 65 degrees in Marin!).

I was having so much fun with Megan and Philip that I even tried to get an invite along to the honeymoon in Hawaii, but, alas, that did not happen!

Hope you two had a great time and thank you for having me capture your special day.

A Wedding in Vienna, Austria

What could be more romantic than a wedding in a palace in Vienna? Perhaps if you add light snow, horse drawn carriages and one of the most romantic paintings in the world. . . then you would have Heather and Gary's fairytale wedding in at the Belvedre Palace in Vienna, Austria.

This fun loving and SUPER sweet British couple decided to have their intimate wedding in Vienna after getting engaged there the year before. When they contacted me to photograph it I was thrilled and it was all even more photogenic than I imagined (as were the beautiful bride and groom!).

In their words the whole evening was just "lovely."

Lee and Jaci's Wedding

I LOVE weddings in November! Just as the weather starts to turn cold here in Bozeman but it's not quite ski season and no longer hiking/ biking season it can sometimes seem like a slow/ quiet time of year but a wedding can change all that. Lee and Jaci's wedding was anything but slow and quiet- these two and their friends and family were a blast!

Their wedding at the Holy Rosary Church followed by the reception at the Baxter was filled with laughter, love and dancing. Everyone was breaking down at the reception, including Lee's grandmother- who may have had the best moves of the bunch!

I felt so lucky to be a part of this special wedding and hope that Lee and Jaci have a great time in Hawaii- I'm very jealous!

Dena and Jeremy's Wedding

Dena and Jeremy are so cute! When I met this sweet couple several months ago, I just enjoyed their company so much and knew that their wedding would be special- and it was! Dena held so tightly to Jeremy's hand during the ceremony and he looked so deeply into her eyes that I don't think either of them noticed anyone else in the church!

Their friends and family are equally as sweet. I really enjoyed getting to know some of the bridesmaids and groomsmen and loved how they were up for anything wen we took the group portraits. The guys even agreed to hold hands and spin in a circle! Now those are some good friends!

It was a beautiful fall day here in Bozeman and I think Dena and Jeremy are in for many, many beautiful days to come.

Thanks for having me there to document your wedding day Dena and Jeremy and I hope to see you soon!

Erin and Tyler's Wedding

I left Bozeman for Miles City in the middle of our first snowstorm of the season, but by the time I got to Miles City (a four hour drive that took almost six in the snow!) the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day for a wedding.

I met Erin and her eight (yes, eight!) bridesmaids at a local hair salon which was all decorated for the three bridal parties getting ready there that day. It was all so fun that I was ready to move to Miles City.

The groomsmen in the meantime were gathered around the TV watching the Griz game, which the Griz won at the last minute. They were all such a fun group and were genuinely excited to watch Erin and Tyler tie the knot.

The reception had every one up and dancing- I even got spun around the dance floor a few times! What a great night- I'm so glad I got a chance to be a part of it.

Julie and Derek's Wedding

Golden Aspen trees, blue skies, BIG families and a lot of laughter- that's how I will remember Derek and Julie's beautiful mountain wedding in Vail Colorado. The bride was even more beautiful than the setting and watching the groom smile at her it was obvious he felt the same way.

Julie, the bride, is one of four girls and their father is the only son in a family of eight children, so there was a lot of gentle teasing for the father of the bride who has always been surrounded by so many wild women!

The party went well into the night and everyone was sad to see the night come to an end- so was I! Julie and Derek thank you so much for inviting me to be a part of this special event!