McCall Wedding Photographer / Maggie Grace Photography / Brundage Mt

I first “met” Jeana on Instagram late last summer. It was one of the easiest connections I’ve ever made! She checked in with my schedule right away and I gave her my July dates that were left. Within a matter of a few emails she had booked her dream venue at Brundage Mountain Resort and locked me down. It was easy as could be! It’s an honor calling Idaho my home. Jeana and I both grew up in Idaho and one of the first things I loved about her was her love for mountains. We both have that in common. Also, her love for McCall! Although I live in Boise and consider myself a Boise wedding photographer, I truly only work in Boise for 1/4 of my weddings. The rest of the time, I call McCall, Stanley, and Sun Valley my home! I grew up skiing on Brudage Mountain and it’s crazy as an adult to now be a McCall Wedding Photographer. I get to work in so many places where I have childhood memories!

jeana + cody: their story

I was lucky enough to take Jeana and Cody’s engagement photos over Thanksgiving week last fall! It gave us some time to hang out and talk about their story. I discovered quickly that music was a HUGE part of their relationship. I asked where they had their first date and of course, it ended up being a concert. When I asked who made the first move, Jeana admitted it was her. They were at a mutual friend’s apartment and in her words, she thought Cody was super hot, so she walked up to him and asked if he wanted to have a drink with her. Then they discovered they both had tickets to the same concert, so he asked if they wanted to go together. They bonded immediately over having an identical taste in music and the rest was basically history!

the vision: a mountaintop dance party under the stars in McCall Idaho

With McCall as a priority for their wedding venue, Jeana and Cody began their venue search there. Jeana and Cody love music and dancing, so finding a venue without noise ordinances was crucial. Luckily, when you get married on top of a mountain at a ski resort, there are no rules. They could have danced until 4am if they wanted to. As a last minute decision, they decided to move the ceremony to the top of Brundage Mountain. It was so fun to ride a chairlift to the top of the mountain and see all the guests enjoy the experience of riding a chairlift in the summer. Jeana also envisioned lots of summer greenery for her color palette to create a clean, timeless, and boho aesthetic on her wedding day! Hiring Rust & Thistle for design and coordination completed her vision.

The first look

Ponderosa State Park // McCall Wedding Photographer

One of the fun aspects of being a McCall Wedding Photographer is planning epic first looks close to town. It’s so easy to create a dreamy first look experience when the forest and lake are in your backyard. Because their venue was up high on the mountain in the forest, we decided to go a different route for their first look. I have spent countless hours location scouting in McCall for secret spots. I took Jeana and Cody to my secret aspen grove and hiked into a small clearing. It was SO magical. I seriously LOVE creating amazing private moments for couples to escape on their wedding day!

The ceremony + reception // McCall Wedding Photographer

A secret many people don’t know about me is that I have a silly fear of heights. I rarely let it stop me, but I would be lying if I said riding a chairlift with all my gear made me slightly nervous. However, it was absolutely a highlight of the day! It was so fun seeing Jeana and Cody’s guests get excited as they hopped on and off the chairlift. The ceremony was SO beautiful with a view of the entire valley and Payette Lake below. After the ceremony, we headed back down the mountain where the real party started with some of the most emotional speeches I’ve ever seen. I loved the dance floor Sound Wave Events created with Brundage Mountain Resort’s Lodge as the backdrop. These dancing photos are filled with so much joy!

Sunset // McCall Wedding Photographer

At sunset, I snuck Jeana and Cody away from the party for a few minutes. I adore taking photos at sunset because the energy is a little more relaxed once the big parts of the day are over. You can visibly feel how happy couples are after the big wedding day events are over and see them relax into each other. There is something just so romantic about sunset photos. We couldn’t have asked for a better sunset for Jeana and Cody. They seriously ROCKED it and their love was so infectious. I was smiling the entire time we took these photos! You guys. My job. It rocks. It’s a dream to take photos at sunset as a McCall Wedding Photographer. I think sunsets just might be better in McCall ;).