David Clumpner Blog:Anna and Nick's Missouri Headwaters Wedding in Three Forks, Montana

This was one of the most epic weddings I’ve ever photographed in terms of adventure and story. Anna and Nick really wanted to get married at a place they could return to with their family (they have twin daughters) on their anniversaries, so traditional wedding venues would not fit the bill. Water was important to Anna and fly fishing to Nick, plus the Missouri Headwaters State Park is where they took their daughters on their first hike. Also, it’s the confluence of the longest river in North America and there’s probably a meaning in there that can be related to a lifelong relationship.

I offer my clients unlimited wedding day coverage which sometimes means I join them the morning of their wedding for activities such as yoga, fly fishing, or, in this case, a river float. Anna and Nick wanted to relax prior to their wedding so this float was going to be important and I wanted to be there for it. But about five minutes into the float my partner and I flipped our canoe. Along with my camera gear, which all shorted out. I swam to a gravel part and we all gathered before I borrowed a phone to call a photographer friend who lent me her entire kit for the day. A wedding guest picked it up and used Google Earth to get as close to the river as possible before knocking on the door of a farmhouse to get permission to cross their property. The owner drove her out to the edge of the river, where I acquired a working camera, then we proceeded to continue the float. Once back on dry land I switched out everything, suddenly using gear I wasn’t used to (but I figured it out in a hurry!) Later in the day I got back into a kayak to again photograph from the water as Anna and Nick did a short drift boat ride after the ceremony to be alone for a bit. Then it rained and rained. So we had a lot of water for this wedding, but thankfully I also had insurance. 🙂

This slideshow is worth seeing. There was such happiness all day long, crazy weather, and a desire just to have a fantastic day with great people. It was so perfect that even our portrait session was capped with a lightning photo!