Planning a last Minute Glacier National Park elopement with Shannyn and Tyler
It’s always ideal to plan an elopement 6-9 months ahead, but sometimes things need to happen faster. In Shannyn and Tyler’s case, planning their last minute Glacier National Park elopement required some spontaneity - and was an overall success! Their elopement at Glacier National Park had so many great examples of embracing the flow of things. They never let the small details control the outcome.
The first little hurdle we had was regarding the Going to the Sun road. Going the the Sun road is the main artery in and out of GNP, and it’s typical that it stays closed until mid June, (when the ice and snow melt). In 2022 however, the road didn’t open until mid July!
For current road conditions, go to the National Park page here.
These sorts of closures are why it’s super important to remain flexible while planning a national park elopement. You have to be ready to pivot and not let it get you down, and that’s exactly what Shannyn and Tyler did.
Getting Ready for their Glacier National Park elopement day
I met Shannyn and Tyler in the early afternoon. They got ready at their cute little rental house near Columbia Falls, and had their first look right there in the yard.
We had a fully packed day planned, so we packed up and headed out right after!
Ice Cream, Wine Tasting and Jenga
These two were super activity focused from the beginning. Their spontaneity to do and try so many different things on their elopement day was what made it such a success!
Our first stop was for ice cream.
The server that day was SO stoked to serve these two ice cream in their wedding attire, and even showed them around with a little tour. It was such a lovely bonus.
After the ice cream, we had a little bit of flex time before we needed to make the long drive across the park. We all noticed this winery not far from the park, and decided “why not, let’s try it!”
The winery squeezed us in last minute, and these two sipped wine while playing giant wooden jenga.
It’s just more proof that wonderful things happen when you’re least expecting it.
Spontaneous Elopement Ceremony at Ryan’s Meadow
After the wine tasting, we made our way into Glacier National Park. The original plan was to have their elopement ceremony at Ryan’s Meadow/Beach, but they were so in love with the way the trail looked, they decided to read their vows right there.
They read their vows under the trees, between streaks of summer sunlight. After shedding a few tears and exchanging rings, we continued on to the beach for some photos.
Sun Point Nature Trail Hike and St. Mary’s Lake Overlook
Our last location of the day was to make it to the Sun Point Nature Trail on the other end of the park. It was a two hour drive, but because of the Going to the Sun road closure, our only choice. They really wanted to see the mountains on that side of the park.
Once we arrived, we explored the trail as the sun sank lower. In the evening light, Shannyn and Tyler found an overlook to sit and open letters from their family. They read all the well wishes right there, and finished off with a spray of champagne.
Tyler even stopped to take some photos of Shannyn and hyped her up the entire time. As the sky faded to a deep blue, we ended the day with some lantern shots.
Shannyn and Tyler’s spontaneous day is proof that planning a Glacier National Park elopement does not need to be overly complicated.
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