Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lindsey Gardner. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lindsey , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you take vacations? Why or why not?

I do! I love to travel and hope to someday incorporate that into my business. It’s a bit easier for me to travel as I have a really relaxed (not full-time office work) job. I do have a busy season in which I probably shouldn’t travel but I still do. I just make sure I have all my ducks in a row before I do. But honestly, EVERY TIME I leave, I have a client email/call me with what to them feels like an urgent matter. It’s ok. I get it! I help them and go on with my relaxation. Or if I want to just not pick up phone, I let my upcoming couples know I will be out of town and everyone seems to be quite understanding. My advice would be to just do it. I know that sounds cliche, but life really is too short to not do the things you love. Vacations help me to get back to myself. They help me to see the world and it makes me realize how different everyone’s lives are. It honestly reminds me of HUMANITY!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My friend Kate and I started Elope Montana 8 years ago. It all started with me photographing a couple’s small intimate wedding and they asked me if I knew of any great officiants. I told them I thought my friend Kate would be great ;) as she had done a few friends. After their AMAZING and heartfelt ceremony in my heaven on earth- Many Glacier- I asked Kate if she wanted to do this more… like a lot more! I had been wanting to scale down my big wedding photography business to smaller anyways. She said yes and we got planning. I thought I could help other creatives (and my clients) by providing a small cake and a wedding bouquet for them. So we became an all inclusive elopement company that provides the photography, a bit of planning, an officiant (with a custom written ceremony), a cake, a bottle of whatever they want, a bouquet, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, an experience they will NEVER forget. That is what it came down to for me. I wanted them to walk away on cloud 9- all the other stuff was just a bonus. Kate made a logo- I worked on a website and we started putting it out there. One of our first official couples we are still very close with and pride ourselves in staying close with all. We started to grow and couldn’t handle the inquiries we were getting without taking precious time from our families. So, we added on a team of amazing women. 2 more officiants and 2 more photographers and then eventually a social media gal to help us on that end. I’m really proud of what we’ve created. Although some of our team has moved on, we are still trucking and have a busy summer ahead.

Any advice for managing a team?

This has been a challenge for me who has worked independently since I left my job at a small weekly paper. I have had some definite learning experiences with having to manage a team. I have found to just keep the communication flowing. Check ins and dinners when we are in slower season. (Probably should do a lot more of these!) We’ve done fun workshops where we “work” a bit, but laugh “a lot!” Overnights at hot springs, stuff like that. I feel like just making sure everyone is where they want to be and happy with what they are getting helps.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Being kind. Being a kind person to not only other people but to the environment we are working in is really helpful. I try to abide by Leave No Trace and help my couples do the same. Also supportive. I love supporting other creatives and helping them in anyway I can.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.elopemontana.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elopemontana/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elopemontana

Image Credits

Ahlani Bree Photography