A Joy-Filled June Wedding In Bigfork

Montana Bride
7 days ago
3 min read

Katelyn + Zach were married on a mid-summer day in Bigfork, Montana. It was a celebration that exuded a happiness that was felt by all in attendance. Photography by Melissa Stickney

"Zach and I matched on Hinge in June of 2022 before I was living in Montana. I was on a work trip and found myself on Hinge on some down time and we ended up matching! However, we were physically a few hours apart and didn’t have the time to hang out before I had to fly out the next day. We didn’t talk much until the next month when our paths crossed in Denver and we went on our first date to a brewery and a bluegrass festival. For the next few months, we got to know each other over texts and FaceTime calls and the occasional visit. I was still living on the East Coast and Zach was in Montana.

After about a year and a half of long-distance dating, I moved my whole life and business across the country in February of 2024 and we began our life together!

We got engaged in October of that same year on an icy and windy hike in Glacier National Park. It was a beautiful fall morning down in the Flathead Valley, and once we drove up to Logan Pass to begin our hike, the sunrise was coming out from behind the mountains and the snow-covered peaks were glowing in the morning light. We trekked up in the snow and ice and Zach had flown his cousin out to surprise me and take photos, so even though the snow ruined his original spot, he proposed halfway down the mountain, and not ten minutes later we saw a grizzly bear and three cubs! Once we got down to the parking lot, our parents were there to surprise me and it was one of the sweetest moments of my life!"

WEDDING DAY

"Our wedding was a dream come true. It was a perfect weekend with events every night leading up to the wedding day, including a pizza party on the lake, a welcome party the night before, and a girls' only breakfast the morning of the wedding. We had our wedding in Montana knowing that most of our friends and family would have to travel from out of state because Montana is so special to our relationship. This is where we fell in love and we love Montana so much we wanted to show it off to the people we love most!

It was the most perfect June day with not a cloud in the sky and all of our favorite people in one place. We had a private first look and read our vows to each other and it truly was so special and sacred. One of our favorite parts of the day was our ceremony. Zach’s dad married us and it was so special to have him be such an important part of our day. We had a mechanical bull, which added a really fun element and we partied into the night with everyone we love most! It truly was so special, and I wish we could do it a thousand times over!" –Katelyn, the bride