Amara and Michael worked with Mariana at our NYC studio to create their stunning invitation suite for their wedding in Montana last summer. We’ll let Amara take it from here to share more about their wedding details!

CAN YOU SHARE WITH US A BIT ABOUT YOUR WEDDING AND YOUR INSPIRATION FOR THE EVENT?

I had never been a “wedding-kinda-girl.” I was eager to elope, but my fiancé, Michael (now husband) wanted a wedding. I really had no clue or vision of what I wanted except for three things, I didn’t want “conventional”, I wanted it in Montana (where my family is from) and I wanted it to be more about Michael and I getting married than the wedding. Besides that, I really was clueless! Thankfully, I have the most amazing mother. All while growing up, my mom always set a beautiful table-scape for dinner. I knew that I wanted our wedding to feel and look like those special memories of being a family at our dinner table. Honestly, it was really my mom who stepped up to the plate and created exactly what I wanted in a wedding. In the end, I can’t even imagine wanting to elope. I loved our wedding!

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR COUPLES CURRENTLY PLANNING A WEDDING?

Wedding planning was VERY stressful for me, even with my mom’s generous help! It felt like I was non-stop having to answer a million questions from a million different people all while never really knowing how to answer them!! Do your best to give yourself a pat on the back and acknowledge that it is freaking hard and always ask for help when you need it! Outside of that, don’t compare your wedding planning to anyone else’s. It’s different for everyone! Plus, it does all work out in the end and the quirks of the day make it unique to you! (We forgot our marriage license!) Also, don’t be afraid to get married on a day that isn’t Saturday. We got married on a Sunday and it allowed us to book the vendors we wanted since they weren’t booked. Plus, some venues give discounts if you do a “non-Saturday” wedding.

HOW DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR INVITATION DESIGN & INK COLORS?

Coming up with our invites was a group effort. I worked with Mariana at Bella Figura and she was a dream! I was so scatterbrained and there were so many options, I really needed help! I knew I wanted our invites to reflect our rustic wedding in the mountains. We used sample invites and combined elements I liked to create gorgeous invitations. The invited were on the most beautiful gray/green, hand torn homemade paper. The copper text with just a hint of shimmer was perfect for a western wedding. My favorite part was the lining of the envelope, which was a spattering of three simple line drawings of flowers. Before stuffing them into the envelope, we tied the info card and the invite with a rusty pink chiffon ribbon. We carried a lot of the same elements into our menus and place cards. The whole design felt like it matched the natural beauty of Montana perfectly.

WHAT SURPRISED YOU MOST ABOUT YOUR WEDDING?

I was very surprised by how much my dad got into the planning! I flew out to Montana a couple weeks before the wedding and when I arrived at my parents house, the front porch was covered in huge planters with beautiful flowers. My dad had been growing and tending to them since the spring (our wedding was in August) to use at our reception! I also was surprised at how ready I was to get married. The day off, I was surprisingly calm. I just felt eager to marry Michael and start our life together!

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT?

There were so many favorite moments! Two that really stick out are walking down the aisle just after we were announced as husband and wife. It was surreal that the first moments of our new lives together were walking that aisle surrounded by family and friends showering us with applause and love! The second moment was when we had gone to the fire station to take photos (Michael is a firefighter, so we wanted some pictures with the fire truck!). Two kids had set up a lemonade stand across from the station and brought us free lemonade in paper cups. The kids were so sweet and that lemonade was our first toast together as husband and wife.

FAVORITE DESIGN ELEMENT OF YOUR BIG DAY?

I adored our invites. They were stunningly beautiful and served as the foundation for the look and feel of our wedding. I feel like the invites nailed the vibe of capturing the beauty of Montana. I wanted to embrace the natural landscape of work with it, not completely against the design of our wedding.Another element that was very important to Michael and I was our seating chart. Instead of a standard seating chart, we handwrote a letter to each one of our guests. Writing these letters allowed us to personally acknowledge each guest, thank them for coming and share how much they mean to us (along with let them know what table they are sitting at!). We stuffed the letter in envelopes that a family friend hand calligraphed our guests names on and we tacked them on a large white stand adored with green leaves. Writing the notes took forever, but was something Michael and I did together before the wedding. It gave us a chance to relish in memories of the people who love us and truly realize how grateful we are for all those in our lives.Oh! And I cannot forget our cocktail napkins! With us living in NYC and our wedding in Montana, it meant that our beloved cat, Bosco, and dog, Jax, were not able to join. It was vital that we incorporated them into our wedding, so we put their pictures on our cocktail napkins. They were a hit and big conversation starters, which really made us feel like, even though our pets were not physically there, they were a part of our day!

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE NEWLYWEDS?

Anything and everything! We keep saying how excited we are to experience life together. First up, our first actual trip together to celebrate our honeymoon in Greece and Italy!

Photography: Fran Ze Photography | Chapel: Big Sky Chapel | Reception Venue: Rainbow Ranch
Florals: Katalin Green | Make-up: Fumi | Hair: Celeste at Parlour Livingston | Band:The Tiny Band
Dress: Alexandra Grecco via Lovely Bride NYC

foil stamping: copper matte | letterpress ink: stone | bella handmade laurel + bella cotton ivory 1ply | fonts: playfair + aston | envelope liner: custom pattern in stone | envelope: bella cotton ivory pointed flap | customization #61879