Elegant Ranch Wedding in Columbia Falls, Montana

Oh my goodness. I LOVED working with Hannah and Ryan! I knew from the moment we met at the My Montana Wedding Show, that planning the big day would be a blast! They are so kind and down to earth and their wedding reflected that. Everything was held at Triple B Ranch. If you have never heard of this venue before, do yourself a favor and go look it up – right now – I’ll wait…. Isn’t it amazing?! The property. The landscaping. The wildlife. The ceremony spots. The area. The ZEBRA! All absolutely stunning! Nick, the owner, takes great pride in his property and it shows!

Hannah and Ryan’s ceremony was held near a willow tree, overlooking the gorgeous property. It was perfect in every way! The grounds are so gorgeous, you don’t really have to decorate. An arch with some fabric was really all they needed! Everything about the ceremony was so beautiful! The reception was held in the arena. Nick and his dad recently renovated it into an event space and it can hold over 350 people! My favorite part is the old western facade they created. Behind the hand-made store fronts are a bar with a stunning wooden bar, just like an old saloon, a bridal ready room and the restrooms! Above it is an apartment that the couples can rent out for the weekend or if you’re visiting Montana on vacation, you can rent it was well! It’s just SO DANG COOL! With so much space in there too, you can really do whatever you want in terms of layout! It’s so wonderful!

Guests were able to enjoy a live band and a photobooth and later on the DJ busted out some jams while guests enjoyed cupcakes. Many guests also took advantage of the 30’ gazebo out front because it was such a beautiful night! The night ended with a sparkler send off and some fun photos with sparklers and the photographer afterwards. I’m so excited to have met Hannah and Ryan and am even more thankful to call them my new friends! Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Sims!

How’d You Meet?:

On a cold January day in 2008, two young college kids met and a friendship was born. Neither knew then where the road would take them, or that 11 years later they would be planning to spend the rest of their lives together. Ryan and Hannah met each other at a little drive thru coffee shop in Laramie, WY as employees of the Java Java Espresso. Working the Tuesday closing shift in a 10×10 foot space led them to become friends rather quickly. Debate as to whose hometown rival high school mascot was superior (the Lander Tigers or the Riverton Wolverines) was a frequent topic of discussion, and the rivalry continues today…

For three years, they worked together, never dating, but growing an amazing friendship. They would go on occasional snowshoeing/X Country skiing adventures and had a small tradition of spending Java tip money at Taco Tuesday at Corona Village, a local Mexican restaurant. There were random times where they both flew into Denver International on the same day, and Ryan waited until midnight just to give Hannah a ride to Laramie.

Time went on and Hannah moved to Salt Lake City for grad school. Both kept in touch, talking on the phone, not often, but consistently for 4 years. They would write letters and postcards to each other from their various global adventures . Their correspondence came to be more routine in 2014, and phone and Skype conversations were an almost daily occurrence. Ryan finally made a trip to Salt Lake to visit, and it was there that they knew their connection was more than a friendship. When Hannah moved to Boise for an externship, Ryan would come to visit her often, and Hannah would visit him in Laramie. For a trip that was a 10 hour drive each way, it proves the dedication that each of them had for each other.

One day in December, Ryan swept Hannah off of her feet by showing up in Boise with a trailer- load of his belongings, and the intent to become an Idaho resident. Both lived in Boise for 6 more months, until Hannah graduated in 2015. Both were able to find jobs in Bozeman, MT, where they lived together for a year, until new jobs brought them to Kalispell where they currently live and plan to stay for a while. They absolutely love living in Flathead Valley with their two cats, four chickens, four fish…and hopefully a puppy soon. It is here that they can not wait to celebrate with the most important people in their lives; a gorgeous Flathead celebration awaits!

The Proposal:

It was Valentine’s Day 2018, I came home after work to find a bouquet of flowers, wine, and candles in our kitchen with a note to “follow the trail” to my next surprise. Usually I was home first, but Ryan had left work early to set everything up. I followed a rose petal trail through the house (which was still a mess because we had just bought it 3 weeks prior). There were sweet notes along the way, and it ended in the entryway by the front door. As I was reading the last sweet note, he appeared around the corner with a bouquet of roses, got down on one knee and held out a ring. I have NEVER seen him more nervous in my life! He was shaking head to toe! I just remember saying “Oh my God oh my God oh my God” over and over :). It was extra fun because it was right in front of our fish tank and our cats were hanging out watching all of this unfold from the cat tree, so all of our pets were there to witness 😀

From the Bride:

“Katie and Joe of Big Day Celebrations made our wedding go off with(out) a hitch! From the first meeting we had with them as our Day-Of Coordinator, the overwhelming stress of planning, organizing, and coordinating all of our vendors completely vanished. The amount of detail and care they put forth, made us think that they had no other clients as we seemed to be their number one priority. A great story from our wedding that shows the true heroics of Big Day Celebrations came after the ceremony, when even after multiple reminders, our wedding license was left in a hotel room, miles and miles from the ceremony site. Joe dropped everything, got into his car and returned the document to us and acted as if nothing had even happened.

It is without a doubt that Katie was born to be a wedding coordinator and planner. Her enthusiasm, personality, communication skills, and attention to detail are simply astounding and she simply lives for her clients. Every last detail of our wedding was made easier with her by our side. Two words sum up our perfect day with Big Day Celebrations; True professionalism! We can not recommend them highly enough!”