Bitterroot event planner looking to showcase valley's wedding potential

Summers in Montana can get hot but that doesn't stop thousands of couples from planning their big days beneath the big sky.

Big skies and rolling rivers can be the perfect reason for a wedding in Montana. But wedding numbers are relatively low in the Bitterroot Valley. Event planner Autumn Kozimer hopes to change that. She recently founded the Bitterroot Wedding Association to showcase the area's wedding options.

"I'm looking to try and make a really cooperative wedding market in this area. I don't want business to be cutthroat. I want it to be really helpful so we can just in general grow the number of weddings," Kozimer said.

photo:white evening dresses

She's quickly gained recognition and appreciation since the association began. Regional wedding magazine Rocky Mountain Bride had her plan a photo shoot for the Spring 2016 publication. Connections like this are just one reason locals are joining in.

"I think it's beneficial to marketing, networking and whatnot," said Kalyn Halamandaris, a member of the Bitterroot Wedding Association. "That's always a huge part of business is to get your name out there."

And with more business in the area means a boost in the economy. But that's not the only perk.

Having your wedding in the Bitterroot Valley means getting to throw a bouquet of local flowers and using props like this old Model T for your photo shoot.

It may take several miles of dusty dirt roads to get to the perfect spot, but brides say it's worth it for the view.

"You can have a wedding in the middle of a field in the middle of nowhere and feel super remote but at the same time you can still have that high end wedding, that beautiful wedding that you've always wanted," Kozimer said.

If you're looking for a roses and reels kind of wedding, the Bitter Root Valley may be the perfect spot to say "I do."

Nearly 50 local businesses in the Missoula and Bitterroot area are part of the Bitterroot Wedding Association.