I was so absolutely excited to be a featured designer on the Montana Bridal Tour 2015!

This year the tour featured 4 beautiful venues, and I was lucky enough to set up at the historic Story Mansion, located just blocks from downtown Bozeman.

Our venue featured authentic farm-to-table pulled pork created by Claudia’s Mesa, an amazing bluegrass trio called Acony Belles, gorgeous gowns from Plume Bridal, and model styling from Brooklynn Studio. Merissa Lambert Photography, our featured photographer, captured the fun moments throughout the day.

The Story Mansion sits on a full city block, and many wedding receptions take place on the grounds. Gallatin Event Rental set up a tent on the lawn to showcase one of the many ways that couples can use the space.

Oh, and a big congratulations to Zebra Catering and their delicious sangria for winning Bride’s Choice–Signature Drink!

Enjoy the images and behind-the-scenes design tidbits!

Design Inspiration:

I really wanted the Story to have a feeling of richness and warmth that only seems to happen this time of year. Being inspired by the season, the venue, and the mixing of textures and materials, our design theme was Fall Sangria.

We used shades of purples, greens, ambers, golds, and reds for the focal colors. I chose ivory for the table linens, which allowed the other colors to pop. The wooden chairs, rented from Montana Party Rentals, matched the original golden wood trim that’s found throughout the Story.

As a literal nod to sangria, I cut the bottoms off of various wine bottles, illuminated them with flameless candles, and placed them on the staircase in the foyer. (FYI real candles look beautiful in the bottles, but they cause the glass to get extremely hot)

Stacy with Big Announcements did a fantastic job designing the custom paper pieces that accented the tables.

The floral, created by Karen’s Floral Artistry, added a simple, beautiful elegance to the tables. Karen followed through with my idea of mixing fruits with florals by adding pears and grapes to the centerpieces.

the table designs:

While both tables had the same plates, flatware, and glasses, I used accent pieces to create two different designs. Both tables featured beer bottle candle holders, which were cut in a similar way as the wine bottles. They were one of my favorite design elements.

Table #1

The place settings on the first table featured golden woodgrain chargers, a menu card, place card, and a golden fabric accent band. Alongside the beer bottle candle holders, the centerpieces also featured red pears and gold mercury glass candleholders. The look was completed with a thin green fabric band wrapped around the tops of the chairs.

Table #2:

The second table had a completely different design, and was meant to be a bit more interactive from a guest’s perspective. The place settings were simple, featuring a rustic woven charger and a small bowl of fruit.

Yes, real, edible fruit. (A lot of people were surprised by this) There was a mix of red grapes, purple grapes, and blackberries. The bowls that held the fruit were made from the bottoms of the wine bottles I had cut for the stairs. Interesting AND economical.

Finally, there was a sweetheart table, placed in front of the beautiful fireplace. Karen decorated the mantle with a large wooden garland and floral arrangement. The place settings included glasses of fruit, mercury glass candle holders, and a small floral arrangement. The chairs had strips of gold fabric wrapped around the top.  

So, there you have it! I really loved how the whole design came together, and it was so much fun to work with all the other vendors. Here’s a few more shots of Team Story:

Team Story!

The Story Mansion, tent, and ceremony set-up

Zebra Catering

Acony Belles

Plume Bridal

Merissa Lambert Photography

Pulled pork, and cilantro slaw from Claudia’s Mesa

Sweetheart table