How To Find Vendors For A Montana Elopement
Whether you were born and raised here, a longtime local, or are coming to elope under our big skies, figuring out how to find vendors for a Montana elopement can be confusing at best and downright frustrating at worst. Though we’re more connected than ever, it seems even harder to find vendors. Scrolling social media, reading blogs and websites — there are so many choices. But how do you find the right vendors for you? This guide will help you figure out not just where to start but how to vet vendors by spotting red flags and making sure they’re the right fit for your incredible day.
I’m Engaged – Now What??
The hardest part of wedding planning is knowing where to start! I remember being so confused about what all a wedding entailed, let alone where to start! You’re not alone, friend. When you’re first getting married, there’s a million voices saying do this or that, and it’s so hard to know who to trust or listen to.
The order I always suggest couples book their vendors in is: venue, photographer, videographer. Doesn’t have to be that exact order but those should be the first vendors you book.
Why? Because their books fill up the fastest! Most photographers only have the current and upcoming year open on their calendars and sometimes books for, say, 2026 can book up in early 2025. You always want to make sure your photographer is available for your day as early as possible.
Next, the venue. Whether you’re running off to the woods to elope and only have a vague location in mind or you’re planning a big wedding with everyone you love, venues, like photographers, book up very quickly!
Last, your videographer should be booked around the same time as your photographer. Lots of couples tend to put off videography until near the end of their planning process, but I really believe they should be booked first! Both photos and videos are magical in their own way, and just like photographers, videographers can book up quite early! Plus, knowing you’ll have an entire media team working together throughout the process is such a load off. They’ll be with you throughout the planning process and will have so much more time to get to know you and your vision for your day!
So again, before we move on: book your venue, your photographer, and your videographer first! Another bonus of booking these vendors early: they’ll also have recommendations for other vendors to work with!
Which brings us to our next point:
OK, But How Do I Find Vendors??
There are so many more ways to find vendors now than there were even 10 years ago. But not all those ways are created equal. Let’s start jumping into the real how of how to find vendors for a Montana elopement.
Personal Referrals
One of the easiest ways to find vendors is through personal referrals. People as a whole also tend to trust vendors that their friends have worked with, too. Knowing someone you trust has had a good relationship with a vendor, whether it’s for getting your hair done or photographing your elopement, goes a long way.
But let’s suppose no one you know has gotten married in Montana. What next?
Vendor Referrals
Vendors who’ve been in the industry long enough will have lists of vendors with whom they’ve worked and who they trust. Just like your friend referring you to their hair stylist, vendors also have long-established relationships with other vendors. We all want to maintain good relationships, but we don’t just recommend everyone we’ve ever worked with. Every vendor has a horror story about one vendor or another. If a vendor makes it on our referral list, you can trust they’ll be exemplary for your day.
Why? Because it’s not just that certain vendor’s reputation on the line — it’s ours! If we refer you to a certain vendor and they underperform or you have a bad experience with them, that also makes us look bad. And that’s the last thing we want!
Let’s just get this out of the way: Google is broken. The AI search results are crap and search in general is broken in a way that I don’t think can be fixed. That said, it’s still a much more preferable way to find vendors. Why? Because a reputable vendor will have the following:
A working website: Any vendor without a website is instantly suspect to me. Despite all the problems with Google, a website is still the one place on the internet that you as a vendor control. It’s our place to show off who we are and what we do without an algorithm dictating who sees it (and if they even see it at all!). Make sure you look through their website and know what you’re getting. Is their work consistent? Do they talk about how long they’ve been in business? Do they have testimonials for you to read? Do you feel like you understand them as a person and know what kind of person you’ll be working with?
As an example, there’s lots of newer photographers who have sites hosted on Pixieset (their name.mypixieset.com). Pixieset is a gallery software that’s working to be an all-in-one studio for photographers, allowing them to send contracts, upload galleries, and make their websites all in one place. Which is fine, but be aware that someone doing that has been in the business for less than two years as of this writing.
I know this because in 2021, Pixieset bought FloThemes, the theme builder that this very site used to use. Following the acquisition, in 2023 Pixieset discontinued support for FloThemes and every photographer who used it on their own sites got left holding the bag, having to rebuild our entire web presences from scratch. I mention this not to drag Pixieset (though they very much deserve it) but rather to point out that someone should have their own hosting and their own domain (.com, .net, .org, etc) as part of their web presence. Why? Because that shows an investment in their business. They’re taking this seriously as a business. You can literally write these things off on your taxes.
And for photographers and videographers who don’t yet have a site and only use instagram as their web presence? I won’t tell you to run, but I will say to be very wary of their business practices. They may be newer, which may mean you get what you pay for (derogatory).
A Google My Business profile: A Google My Business profile allows someone to not only show up on Google search results (especially on Maps) but also allows them a spot to collect reviews. Some of us (*waves hand*) are bad at asking for reviews, but you should always, always make sure you read reviews and testimonials as you’re looking for vendors.
Facebook/Instagram/TikTok:
Social media is great in that it allows us to join groups or easily search for vendors and see their work. However, it doesn’t tell us the whole story. This is also part of why a web presence is so important: you get so much more of a rounded picture of a person through their website than just some photos they’ve posted on Instagram or funny dancing videos on TikTok. Remember, in everything, social media is a highlight reel. You can’t know the whole person just through what they’ve curated for the feed. I’ve had so many couples find me through social media, which I absolutely love!, but always check to see if they have a web presence in places that aren’t just social media.
Wedding Fairs/Events
If you’re local or will be visiting, it’s great to check and see if there are any wedding fair events happening. Not every vendor goes to them, but they’re a great opportunity to get to know vendors, chat with them, and see what their vibe is like.
ChatGPT
Haha just kidding do not use ChatGPT to find a vendor. Why? Because it’s even more broken than Google. There are so many instances of ChatGPT giving not just incorrect information but also making up vendors that don’t exist! As an example, I saw one person recommend elopement locations for Montana that are inaccessible in the season they had suggested. Why? Because they used ChatGPT to generate the list. (If you’re wondering, it was “the Bitterroot Mountains in Montana are a great location to elope in April and May.” They’re not, unless you want to roll the dice on there being two feet of snow for your spring elopement). ChatGPT hallucinates things all the time. Please don’t use it when trying to find vendors.
OK, we’ve gotten through the how part of how to find vendors for a Montana elopement. You’ve found a vendor you’re interested in. What next? How do you vet someone from far away?
Vetting Vendors
You’ve looked through someone’s body of work, you’re interested in working with them — what next?
Reach out
The easiest way to reach out is over email (and ideally through someone’s contact form on their website). DMs can get lost or never make it through filtered inboxes, so email is usually the most reliable form of communication for vendors. After an initial conversation, we’ll give you our numbers for texting or calls.
Schedule a consult call/meeting
You’ve had some time to chat over email and/or text with someone but it’s hard to really know someone without actually talking to them. Your next step should be to arrange a consult call or in-person meeting. We love consults! It’s so nice to get to chat with people, to learn about them, and hear about their vision for their day no matter how far into the planning process they are.
Any consult call you schedule should be very no-pressure. The main point of a consult call is to decide if we’d be a good fit for working together and to make sure you know what you’re getting with us. You wouldn’t want to book someone for an adventure elopement who’s only ever worked at venues! Making sure everyone is on the same page and we can set expectations early is a huge part of these. And for you, it lets you get to know us, ask questions, and make sure we vibe.
Read over their contract with them
Any vendor you book should have a contract that’s been checked by a lawyer that protects both you and them. We’ll go over this more in the next section, too. But one thing to keep in mind is that your vendor should be able to explain what everything in their contract does. Even if it’s just the sections of legalese (force majeure, things of that nature), they should know what’s in their contract and be able to explain it to you either in person, on a call, or in an email.
Red Flags To Avoid
And now, some red flags that should make you run for the hills:
Red Flag #1: Unresponsive Communication (1 Week+)
Busy season is rough for all of us, but if you don’t hear back from someone within 24-72 hours (and they haven’t updated socials to mention they’ll be delayed on emails), take that as a potential red flag. Immediacy culture is a scourge but someone should be able to follow up with you in a timely manner. Even a quick email after you’ve signed your contract and have a question to say they saw your email but [they’re out of town, they need time to find the answer to something, etc] should be the bare minimum!
Red Flag #2: No Consult Call/Meeting
If someone won’t even speak to you before asking you for money, run. This is a classic scammer tactic, which unfortunately there are plenty of in the wedding industry.
Red Flag #3: No Contract
No vendor worth their salt should work with you without a contract in place. As I mentioned in the previous section, a contract protects both you and the vendor. It sets expectations for everyone. How soon will you get your photos back? Does your hair and makeup artist offer a trial? Everyone needs to be on the same page and have — in writing! — what they will deliver. It also protects you — what happens in case of bad weather on your elopement day? What if there’s a wildfire? Will there be an option for a backup plan? (That’s where force majeure comes in!). What happens if your photographer has an emergency — how will they handle getting an associate for your day?
NEVER work with someone without a contract in place!!
Red Flag #3.5: Wanting Money Without A Contract In Place
Just like we said you should never work with someone without a contract in place, you should never send someone money before you sign a contact! Any good vendor will have a system in place for processing your payments and that should come with your contract. Anyone who wants you to send money before you sign anything is a scammer, full stop. Without a contract in place, there’s no way to get your money back if your makeup artist flakes on you or your videographer never sends your video. In the eyes of the law, you have no recourse. Make sure you not only have a contract in place but understand what your payment schedule will be and what you’re owed if services aren’t rendered. Your vendor should be able to talk through that with you on your consult call.
Red Flag #4: No Business License or Insurance
Just like every vendor should have good contracts, every legitimate vendor should have a business license and insurance. You can always ask us to see them — we’d be happy to show them to you! You can also look them up through the Secretary of State’s office or the city’s business directory. For example, I’m licensed to operate in the city of Missoula, Montana as an LLC and am insured through State Farm. This protects all of us in case anything happens (twisted ankles, broken or stolen camera equipment, etc.). You can go ahead and look me up — you’ll see that I’m licensed and in good standing and also my lawyer (registered agent). Shoutout to Griffith Suazo Law. I know it’s more work for you, but if anyone gives you the ick, run a quick check to make sure they’re legit.
If you’re hiring a vendor from out of state to come here (and I really don’t think you should for lots of reasons), make sure they’re insured to work in your state.
Red Flag #5: A Deal Too Good To Be True
I get it — elopements are expensive. When I got married, all I wanted to do was get the damn thing over with. If adventure elopements had been a thing when I got married, I would have lobbied hard to do that. And the costs add up quickly, even for the simplest of elopements.
But sometimes some deals are too good to be true. Lots of vendors want to come to Montana to photograph or film elopements here. I can’t blame them! But make sure that the deal you’re getting is on the level. Many photographers will offer to come photograph your elopement just for travel costs, or they’re a newer photographer and will charge only a few hundred dollars. All of us start out somewhere and don’t want to seem like we’re overcharging. But anyone severely undercutting what other, established photographers are charging isn’t operating at a sustainable level for their business. They also likely haven’t incurred a lot of business costs. Remember what I said about a custom domain and hosting? Do they have a business license? Did they work with a lawyer to get a rock solid contract? How are they paying for equipment in addition to upkeep and maintenance? Camera equipment, to no one’s surprise, is quite expensive!
All that to say that you get what you pay for. This isn’t advocating for breaking the bank. But a lot goes into running a wedding business. I promise we don’t just jack up the cost because something is a wedding or elopement! We know we operate in what is essentially a luxury business! But at the end of the day, there’s so much we have to do behind the scenes to keep ourselves in business and be legally legit. Again, make sure every deal you get is on the level. This is one day you can’t just redo, and it breaks my heart every time I hear of a couple getting scammed, either through not signing a contract or a vendor just disappearing off the face of the earth.
And that’s it! With all these things in mind, you can be more confident you can find legitimate, reputable, reliable vendors for your wedding!
And if you’re looking for a wedding or elopement photographer or Super 8 or hybrid videographer in Montana, I’d love to chat with you! Even if you just have questions about how to elope here, questions about this or that area, or want to chat more about what’s in this post, I got you.
Reach out with the form below. I can’t wait to chat with you!
