Real Essense of Australia Bride Amber + Justin

A graduation photoshoot in breathtaking mountain scenery turned into a surprise engagement for the former work colleagues Amber and Justin. The two lovebirds tied the knot at the gorgeous Mountain White Resort in Montana, surrounded by their loved ones.  

Amber’s bridal dreams came true in elegant, flowy  Essense of Austalia Style D2971, with cupcakes and a dreamy sunset. Join us for this stunning celebration of their love! 

AMBER, TELL US ABOUT YOUR LOVE STORY    

We met in my hometown, Bozeman, Montana, when I was 18 and he was 20 years old, working at a physical therapy clinic. I was playing volleyball and going to physical therapy. I went off to college to play basketball but transferred back to my hometown college after a semester. I got a job working at the front desk at the physical therapy clinic, where my now-husband was a strength coach. Working together, our relationship blossomed. 

The proposal was a total surprise to me! I was graduating with my bachelor’s degree and he was graduating with his master’s degree, so I wanted to do a graduation photo shoot. Up in the mountains toward Big Sky, Montana, he proposed at the beginning of the photo shoot. Our graduation photography shoot turned into an engagement shoot and the photographer ended up also being our wedding photographer.  

DESCRIBE YOUR BRIDAL STYLE 

I went into my bridal appointment with my mind made up that I was going to wear a tight trumpet or mermaid wedding dress.  I tried on about ten dresses that were the styles I had envisioned, and nothing seemed to feel right. I asked my stylist for an A-line gown, and she pulled out Essense of Australia Style D2971 — it was perfect!  

Before I tried it on, I knew it was going to be the one. It featured straps, a long train, not too much bling and no tulle, which I never really liked. My dress was the perfect balance of simple, elegant and fun. To complete the look, I wore a long veil, which was very important to me!  

In addition, I wore my great grandmother’s pearl earrings and had daisies in my bouquet. Daisies were meaningful to me because they were used in my great grandmother’s, grandmother’s and mother’s wedding bouquets. Justin, on the other hand, wore his grandfather’s cuff links, as well as a pocket watch that was passed down in his family.  

On our wedding day, my dress fit like a glove and was so comfortable! This was so important because we were getting married on top of a mountain, so it was hot and rocky. Our wedding venue was open to tourists before the wedding started, so there were people milling around looking at the views. It sounds cliché, but when I was walking with my photographer for the first look, a little girl who was with her mom told me I looked like a princess – a bride’s dream! 

TELL US MORE ABOUT THE WEDDING 

Justin and I knew we wanted to have an outdoor wedding in Montana because of the scenery. We chose Whitefish Mountain Resort because it’s beautiful and a place we can always go back to visit.  

Our bachelorette and bachelor parties were the week before the wedding. Most of our bridal party was from out of town, so we didn’t want to have them pay for multiple trips. The groomsmen took it upon themselves to wear speedos all week. At the wedding, they all wore them under their suits, but eventually, into the night, they were only wearing the speedos — it was a blast!  

I feel like this is more common now, but we bought one small cutting cake from the grocery store and then hired Sugar Happy Bakery to make cupcakes and macarons for the guests to eat.  

For our first look, Justin was crying before he saw me! When I touched his shoulder, he turned around and just hugged me and told me how beautiful I looked. 

Cheers to Amber & Justin! 

Photographer: Fran Ze Photography 

Bridal Shop: Plume Bridal 

Wedding Venue: Whitefish Mountain Resort 

Florist: Jami Bonnell 

Wedding Planner: Allison Leake 

Cake: Sugar Happy Bakery 

Hair + Makeup: Craft Society Salon 

Wedding Website: Amber and Justin 

Did you wear an Essense of Australia gown on your wedding day? Share your photos with us for a chance to be featured.         

Are you still searching for the perfect wedding dress? Take a look at our latest designer gown collections from Stella York, Essense of Australia, Martina Liana and All Who Wander.