Caitlin Carroll, Ian Lyon exchange vows in Montana

Caitlin Joy Carroll and Ian James Lyon were married July 16, 2011, in an outdoor evening ceremony held on the grounds of the Mountain Meadow Inn near Helena, Mont. The Rev. Robyn Barnes, friend of the groom’s family, was the officiant.

Bill and Dana Carroll, Colfax, escorted their daughter and gave her hand in marriage. The groom was escorted by his parents, Christine Dickinson and Matt Lyon of St. Ignatius, Mont. The grass pathway to the ceremony site, situated in a grove of trees, was decorated with large white bows and turquoise lanterns on shepherd’s hooks.

Maid of honor was Caitlin McGraw, friend of the bride, and bridesmaid was Ashley Buswell, friend of the couple. Alasdair Lyon, brother of the groom, was best man, and Nikolas Griffith, friend of the couple, was groomsman. Flower girls were Londyn and Camryn Goodman, cousins of the bride. Ring bearers were Michael and Peter Lashinski, friends of the couple.

Special readings were given by the bride’s sisters, Keely and Colleen Carroll and by Catherine Redfern, friend of the couple. The groom’s parents composed a special piece of music for the ceremony. They, along with Alasdair Lyon, played the piece on ukeleles accompanied by bassist Steve Dagger, friend of the groom’s family.

The bride wore a full-length strapless ivory gown with a sweetheart neckline embellished with seed pearls and beading. The drop waist featured ruching gathered to the left side where it was highlighted by an antique style pin, the full skirt flowed out to a short train. Her bird cage veil was embellished with peacock feathers and turquoise stones.

The bride’s bouquet was made of beautiful fabric flowers in shades of turquoise, spring green, brown and soft white. An antique peacock pin, a gift from the bride’s mother, adorned the base of the bouquet. The bridesmaids carried smaller bouquets of similar composition with a peacock feather on the base while the flower girls carried baskets adorned with flowers and peacock feathers.

The bridesmaids wore short dresses, one in turquoise and one in brown, while the flower girls wore matching green dresses.

All flowers for the ceremony were made by the couple with help from family and friends.

Special guests included the groom’s grandparents, the Rev. James and Dora Mae Dickinson, Proctor, Mont., and Ronald and Susan Lyon, Cascade, Mont., and the bride’s grandparents, Dr. Frank and Marcy Busch, Dillon, Mont., and Joseph Carroll, Pocatello, Idaho.

The ceremony was followed by an outdoor reception at the Mountain Meadow Inn. Guests were treated to a buffet-style dinner catered by Chili O’Brien’s of Helena. Tables were decorated with votive candles and vases holding calla lillies, peacock feathers and ferns while turquoise cloth napkins added another touch of color to the white table cloths. Mirrors and colored glass pebbles under the arrangements reflected a lovely glow through the evening. The two-tiered chocolate covered wedding cake, topped by the groom’s original peacock design, also used on the wedding invitation, was displayed inside the Inn where guests gathered for the traditional toasts and cake cutting.

Colleen Carroll was mistress of ceremonies and DJ for the evening. Guests enjoyed dancing, visiting, viewing slide shows of the couple as children, and trying out a photo booth.

After a honeymoon on the Oregon and Washington coasts, the newlyweds are making their home in Helena where Caitlin works as a patient care coordinator for Comprehensive Hearing Services. Ian is an electronics engineer for the Montana State Dept. of Justice.

A 2006 graduate of Colfax High School, the bride in 2010 graduated from Carroll College with a degree in English writing. The groom is a 2006 graduate of St. Ignatius High School in Montana and a 2011 graduate of Carroll College with a degree in mathematics-engineering.