We'd love to share the beauty of Montana with you, our closest friends and family. We'll be hosting a week of events leading up to the wedding and would love for you to join us for any / all of them, but of course we know the reality of limited vacation time and other commitments. At a high level, the plan is below:

July 4: Ennis Rodeo (meet at Jack Creek Road entrance @ 3:30pm)

July 6: Rehearsal Dinner (all are welcome @ 6:30pm 2 Hidden Trail Lane #2B)

July 8: The Big Day!

. . . . 5:00pm: cocktail hour @ Natawista Ski Trail (enter at 28 Cowboy Heaven Road)

. . . . 5:30pm: ceremony

. . . . 6:15pm: reception

. . . . 11:30pm: sparkler sendoff

July 9: Farewell Brunch 10am - 1pm (all are welcome @ 28 Cowboy Heaven Road #1D)

The Conophys have been gracious enough to host the ceremony and reception at their home, which is located 8,000 feet up Lone Peak Mountain facing north towards the Spanish Peaks. It has snowed in July before, but we are hopeful we'll stay dry this year. That being said, please plan ahead as temperatures do drop to the low 60's after sunset and the reception will be held entirely outdoors.

We are celebrating our wedding in Montana. Taylor has called Montana one of her homes for a while, and I have grown to love it very quickly. Every year we spend at least 3 weeks in the mountains. In the Summer we hike, fly fish, kayak, and just sit by the fire playing board games. In the winter we spend most of our time snowboarding, but also enjoy cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and sitting by the fire playing board games.

I know that most people have not been to Montana and I appreciate that you're taking time to come for the first time. There is so much to do here that we encourage everyone to plan a full vacation with our wedding as just one day of your trip. We wrote some suggestions of our favorite things to do, places to go, and what to eat, but Montana offers so much more!

We look forward to sharing Montana and our special day with you,

- Mark

Airport

The nearest airport is Bozeman's Yellowstone International Airport (BZN), located about 1h15 from the Conophy home. Often you will likely need to transfer in Denver, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, or Chicago to get to BZN. Alternatively, you can fly into Butte or Billings, which are about 1 hour and 2 hours away respectively. There is no good public transportation option to get you from Bozeman to Big Sky, so you'll either need to rent a car or take a shuttle (details below). We highly recommend renting a car as this will allow you the most flexibility, especially if you plan to visit Yellowstone.

For your return flight home, we recommend getting to the airport 1 hour prior to departure, meaning you'll need to leave Big Sky roughly 2.5 hours before your flight time.

The drive is a beautiful one, through a winding mountain canyon with a river running alongside it. If you're traveling this road during the day, you're in for a treat. Night time travel is a bit more treacherous as the canyon can be dark and there is no cell service. Sometimes we stay at a hotel near the airport for very early departure times (flying east from BZN usually means you're on a 6am flight). Bozeman is a very cute town with plenty of cool restaurants and a quaint Main Street. We recommend either the Element Hotel (rates usually around $160 / night) or the Holiday Inn Express in Belgrade (rates usually around $90 / night).

Car Rental

There are a number of car rental companies based at the airport and all have very reasonable prices. It's generally your best bet, especially if you have more than one person with you. They tend to book up quickly, so make sure to reserve yours soon!

Taxi / Shuttle Service

Unfortunately, there are not as many options for shuttles. To get to Big Sky, Karst Stage and Big Sky Taxi offer private car and shared shuttle services. Their prices are pretty high, and we strongly suggest renting a car instead. Alternatively, you can take a taxi to Bozeman, where there are additional car rental agencies and some additional bus services to Big Sky, though we am not personally familiar with them.

The Conophy home at 33 Renegade Road (google map link here) is located in Cowboy Heaven, which is a part of Moonlight Basin. Moonlight Basin is a secluded ski area within Big Sky, located at a higher altitude (the house is at 8,000 feet!). There are many housing options in Big Sky, from private residences, to cowboy cabins, to ski lodges. Our recommendation is to stay in a private home in Moonlight Basin, as they have the best views, full kitchens, outdoor hot tubs, and are within walking distance to the Conophy home.

We have hand-picked a few homes very nearby that are available to rent. The homes tend to rent for $280 - 500 per night and sleep 6 - 15 people, great for families or people who'd like to stay together. Please feel free to get in touch with Taylor and Mark with questions or help booking.

For those of you who would prefer to stay elsewhere, on the day of the ceremony there is some parking close by. We've listed some fun alternatives ("glamping" tents, dude ranches, etc) below.

Note: prices below are estimates. Please reach out to Jacquie Meredith at j.meredith@naturalretreats.com for help booking.

42 Cowboy Heaven Road (link) Sleeps 9, 3 bed, 4.5 bath @ $325 / night

1 Shadow Ridge (link) Sleeps 12, 3 bed, 4.5 bath @ $338 / night

1 Hidden Trail (link) Sleeps 9, 3 bed, 4.5 bath @ $338 / night

9 Indian Summer (link) Sleeps 13, 3 bed, 4.5 bath @ $325 / night

7 Happy Trails (link) Sleeps 12, 3 bed, 4.5 bath @ $325 / night

Alpine Meadows 5A (link) Sleeps 8, 4 bed, 4.5 bath @ $325 / night

Alpine Meadows 5B (link) Sleeps 8, 4 bed, 4.5 bath @ $325 / night

Silvertip 4 (link) Sleeps 3, 3 bed, 3 bath @ $299 / night

Luxury Suite 7B (link) Sleeps 13 (+ sofa sleeper), 5 bed, 5.5 bath @ $499 / night

Vacation Big Sky (link)

The most local way to book, this site has the best selection of private homes for rent in Moonlight Basin. Please email Jacquie Meredith at j.meredith@naturalretreats.com for help with bookings.

Moonlight Basin Website (link)

Moonlight Basin is a tight knit community that focuses on personalization. To find accommodations this route, you'll need to email them at memberservices@moonlightbasin.com or call them at 406.995.7618. Just tell them you'll be in town for Taylor Conophy and Mark Bruno's wedding and they'll take great care of you!

Big Sky Website (link)

Big Sky offers another source of accommodations, though not as personalized. You can use their website to find exactly what you're looking for.

VRBO (link)

Vacation Rental By Owner is similar to Airbnb without the focus on meeting locals. There are some fantastic finds in Big Sky and the Conophys have used VRBO as far as Costa Rica.

Airbnb (link)

Airbnb, for those of you who don't know, is a great tool to help guests find homes to stay with. You can search for entire homes or rooms within a home if, for example, you're traveling by yourself and want to get to know some of the locals. Mark and Taylor have not only used Airbnb countless times from DC to Vietnam, but are also hosts in NYC. It's a great way to meet people and get fantastic local suggestions on restaurants, or in Montana's case, local hikes, ski runs, etc.

Of the sites listed, Airbnb is generally the most expensive with added service fees and higher initial prices, but it's a good alternative and is pretty easy to use.

The bride and groom want to spend time with as many people as possible the week leading up to the big day. In addition, Montana has a lot to offer! We recommend spending more than a few days in Montana so you can take in more of the sights. Spend a day in Yellowstone National Park, see a (real) rodeo in Ennis, go fly fishing, hiking, or whitewater rafting, or just lounge by the fire and watch the day drift over the mountains.

Closer to the actual date, we'll send an email with our plans (ex: Monday Ennis Rodeo, Tuesday Hike Beehive, Wednesday Yoga at the Lodge, etc) so you can see if there are activities you'd like to join us for. If you'd like help planning a little getaway of your own in Montana, let us know! We'll be glad to help. See below for some suggestions.

Big Sky has a lot to offer, mostly in the form of outdoor activities. While you're here, you can enjoy a number of hikes, fishing, white water rafting, and more. We have some information about these things below, but for those who are looking for dining options in Big Sky, we recommend the following:

Lone Mountain Ranch

Hands down, our favorite dining in the area. Lone Mountain Ranch has a restaurant called Horn & Cantle where you can get local Montana dishes like bison short ribs, trout, and their famous fried chicken. The copper bar is beautiful and a great place for a pre-dinner drink. Take an evening stroll around the ranch after dinner to enjoy the river, cabins, (huge) draft horses, and beautiful forest area.

Moonlight Lodge

Moonlight Lodge is definitely the closest dining option to the houses in Moonlight and the lodge itself is beautiful. There are huge fireplaces with mountain goats on them, a great bar, and beautiful views of Lone Peak. Our favorite here is the burger.

Michaelangelos

A new northern Italian restaurant serves hearty dishes across from the Big Sky town center.

Lotus Pad

If you're in the mood for something more exotic (to Montanans), head to Lotus Pad, where you can find the best Thai food around.

Andiamos

Another Italian option closer to Moonlight Basin is Andiamos. We usually pick up pizza (and garlic knots!) to enjoy at our home, but their dining area looks neat too. Andiamos is at the Big Sky mountain village at the base of the ski area. It's nice to walk around the village before or after to explore the area. There are some little shops, a small grocery store (an outpost of the Hungry Moose in Big Sky town center), and of course, the slopes.

MacAllister's (near Ennis)

MacAllister's is our favorite on the Ennis side of town. The dining area has a nice cozy fireplace and you can enjoy steaks and more.

Ousel & Spur

Ousel & Spur is a casual pizza place in Big Sky town center near the movie theater. It's thin crust pizza and is pretty good!

Alberto's

Alberto's is a cute Mexican place in Big Sky town center.

Gallatin River Grill

Gallatin River Grill is another favorite of ours down near the river past the Conoco gas station. One word of warning though, their kitchen is small and they get backed up very easily. If you want to eat close to when you sit down, we recommend going as early as possible (around 5:30pm). Besides that, there's a bar with poker tables and slot machines and it's generally a really fun place to hang out. Their back yard is the Gallatin River and it is beautiful.

Beehive Basin is one of Taylor & Mark's favorite hikes. It's a steady 3.55 mile hike up (7.1 mile round trip) a 2,000 foot vertical, but is always bursting with color when wildflowers are blossoming all summer and is actually not too hard. The trail winds up through a valley along a flowing stream and wildlife (deer, moose, sometimes even bears) have been spotted. The reward at the top is a glacier lake that offers the perfect place for a picnic. For those who haven't had enough, you can hike even farther up to another lake and on to some jagged cliffs.

Difficulty: Moderate

Yellowstone National Park, the first national park ever created, is located roughly 1.5 hours from Big Sky. It is well worth a visit if you've never been before. There are all sorts of tours you can arrange (in your own car, in the guide's car, walking, etc), you can bike through, and you can stay overnight. The scenery is beautiful, it is home to half the world's geothermal features, including the iconic and active Old Faithful Geyser, and there is plenty of wildlife (bears, wolves, bison, elk, etc). Yellowstone Lake is also centered over the continent's largest active supervolcano.

The most cost effective way to see Yellowstone is to purchase a non-commercial 7-day pass for $30 or the annual pass for $60, which is good for you and up to 3 additional people all year. Pricing details here.

http://www.yellowstonenationalpark.com/index.html

Ulrey's Lake is a Moonlight members lake that is truly a wonderland for all seasons. In the winter, there's a yurt with cross country ski and snowshoe gear, fat tire bikes, and snow tubing. In the summer, they've got kayaks, lawn chairs on the dock, fishing, and plenty of beautiful trails to explore around the lake...all with a beautiful view of Lone Peak. We'll definitely be partaking in some kayaking before the wedding day and would love to make it a general "hang by the lake" kind of afternoon.

Virginia and Nevada Cities are famous, historic mining towns from the 1870s with tours, live entertainment in the evenings, great restaurants and the famous candy store! It's about an hour away from Big Sky and you could spend a few hours wandering around the main street and taking a few tours before heading to Ennis for dinner at the MacAllister Steakhouse.

http://www.virginiacitymt.com/

Ennis is an adorable town about 45 minutes away from Big Sky through the canyon. You'll need a special code to access the private road between Big Sky and Ennis, otherwise you'll need to essentially drive back up to Bozeman and then down again, which adds about an hour to the trip. Transportation aside, the town of Ennis is one tiny main street with some old ice cream shops, a couple saloons, and various knick knack stores. The drive around Ennis is beautiful as it is mostly comprised of fields situated within the mountain valley. If you're lucky enough to visit during a rain storm you'll be wowed by the beauty of the storm clouds moving along as far as you can see. It's absolutely breathtaking.

The Madison and Yellowstone Rivers offer some of the best trout fishing in the world. They are both easily accessible and you can take fly fishing lessons at any level where a guide will take you to some of the best spots to help you perfect your form. There are a few organized guide trips and different ways to do it. You can go on a float where you are on a boat that slowly glides down the river (for those of you who want a bit more of a glamorous fishing trip) or you can do the traditional wading where you walk into the river up to about mid-thigh and cast your line from there. Yes, the water is cold. Yes, the water is moving very quickly and is very strong. Yes, the rocks at the bottom are slipper. Be careful! But you'll have a blast either way. Our favorite way to book is via Dave at East Slope Outdoors.

http://eastslopeoutdoors.com/

Obviously situated near rivers that experience a lot of snow melt runoff, there are some fantastic and accessible white water rafting options in Big Sky. The rafting trip takes about 3 hours (on the water for about 2) and is not too scary, except for a few parts. Taylor almost flipped out of the boat at one point, but her aunt saved her by grabbing her life vest :) It's not for the faint of heart, but you likely won't die. I don't recall what level rapids we encountered, but it was a whole lot of fun!

We haven't done the Lewis & Clark Caverns yet, but have heard amazing things about them. They are only an hour away and are located in the beautiful Montana State Park.

http://stateparks.mt.gov/lewis-and-clark-caverns/

Norris Hot Springs are a 30 minute drive away with live music offered Thursday-Sunday. We haven't been here yet either but hear it's a fun way to spend the evening.

https://norrishotsprings.com/

Lay of the Land

There are a couple parts of Big Sky that you should be familiar with.

Meadow Village: Lower part of Big Sky, post office, hair / nail salon, Olive B's restaurant, Lone Peak Brewery, & Country Market (grocery store)

Big Sky Village: Lower part of Big Sky across from Meadow Village, movie theater, East Slope Outdoors, Ousel & Spur restaurant, many other restaurants, Hungry Moose grocery store

Big Sky Base: At the base of the Big Sky ski resort (up the mountain), Andiamo's pizza, Hungry Moose grocery store outpost, various restaurants, 2 hotels (with spa)

Moonlight: Higher up than the Big Sky ski resort base, The Conophy Home, Moonlight lodge, residences

Grocery Store

Roxy's is our favorite. It is between Meadow Village and Big Sky Village in the lower part of Big Sky. They have a fantastic variety of produce, including a vast selection of organic, gluten free, and other items. They also have a great wine and beer selection.

Hospital / Pharmacy

There is a beautiful brand new hospital with state of the art equipment as well as a pharmacy near the Big Sky Village.

Where do I park?

Our hope is for people to stay as close to the house as possible, but if you'd prefer to drive, you can park on the road next to the house. Carpooling is encouraged. Please don't drink and drive! There are shuttle and taxi options that can pick up / drop off directly where you're staying.

What should I wear and what is "semi-formal / cocktail attire"?

While we are planning an elegant evening, we'll be completely outdoors and walking over grass / stones at some point. Comfortable shoes (maybe cowboy boots?) are encouraged. The ceremony will be on a wood slat bridge with 1/4" gaps, perfect for breaking heels. Wedges would be fine for the ladies, but don't let this discourage you from wearing stilettos if that floats your boat!

There will likely be a mix of long gowns and shorter cocktail dresses for the ladies and suits for the men, jackets are encouraged. Keep in mind you'll want to bring some sort of a shawl or jacket as temperatures can drop once the sun sets around 9:30pm.

Will there be food?

If you have to ask, you may not know T+M too well... we were planning our food before we even got engaged! You won't leave hungry and we will have gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, and vegan options.

What will the weather be like?

It will very likely rain (or sleet or even snow) on July 8th. In the summer, it rains almost every day. They are very quick, very heavy rainstorms that pass in the later afternoon. We will be prepared with a tent, but just be aware that our actual ceremony time may vary depending on the storm of the day. Additionally, the mountains tend to get quite chilly at night. We are having a 100% outdoor wedding, so coming prepared with a jacket is definitely not a bad idea. It will probably be somewhere in the mid 70s during the day, but temperatures can easily drop to the 40s or 50s after the sun goes down.

What are my options if I don't want to cook? (see above for more detail)

Big Sky has a small variety of restaurants to choose from both in the main village and in the mountain village. There's also a pretty good restaurant at the Moonlight Lodge for those of you who want to stay in a house, but want food options easily accessible. While there are options, please don't set your expectations on NY or Aspen-quality dining. Big Sky is a small town and the food is decent. Some of our favorite places are:

Moonlight Lodge

Lone Mountain Ranch

Lotus Pad

MacAllister Steakhouse (in Ennis)

Alberto's

Ousel & Spur

Olive B's

Where do I park?

At the Moonlight Lodge, unless directed otherwise. Carpooling is encouraged. Shuttle buses will be running from the Lodge to the Sugar Chalet all evening, but can only take so many people at a time, so please plan accordingly. Also, please don't drink and drive! There are shuttle and taxi options that can pick up / drop off directly where you're staying.

What should I wear / what is "cocktail attire"?

We'll be completely outdoors and walking over grass / stones at some point during the evening. Comfortable, walkable shoes (maybe cowboy boots?) are encouraged. The ceremony will be on a wood slat bridge with 1/4" gaps, perfect for breaking heals.

Will there be food?

If you have to ask, you may not know T+M too well... we were planning our food before we even got engaged! We plan to have a food truck stop by after the ceremony and we'll have lots of snacks, so you won't leave hungry.

What will the weather be like?

It will very likely rain (or sleet or even snow) on July 8th. In the summer, it rains almost every day. They are very quick, very heavy rainstorms that pass in the later afternoon. We will be prepared with a tent, but just be aware that our actual ceremony time may vary depending on the storm of the day. Additionally, the mountains tend to get quite chilly at night. We are having a 100% outdoor wedding, so coming prepared with a jacket is definitely not a bad idea. It will probably be somewhere in the mid 70s during the day, but temperatures can easily drop to the 50s after the sun goes down.