Classic Bozeman Fall Wedding | Rachel + Tom

We're in love with Rachel and Tom's beautiful day at the Big Yellow Barn in October, Montana's shoulder season sweet spot. Photography by Montana Bride Vendor Jessie Hardy Photography.

THE PROPOSAL

"I was living and working in Rochester, MN, and decided to try BumbleBFF to meet some friends. Little did I know that in addition to finding a great friend, Sarah, I would also find a husband. I met Sarah’s brother, Tom, at a Memorial Day party in the Spring of 2021, and we started dating soon after. I knew he was the one as soon as I pulled into his driveway because he had a beard and a Traeger grill. Two of my most important must-haves in a partner." :)

Our relationship continued to develop and grow beyond dating. Family is very important to both of us and after getting to know each other’s family, it became apparent we were a perfect fit. Tom has three sisters and they all welcomed me into their family seamlessly. My sister and brother were also not difficult to win over. The most difficult relationship to navigate, though, was with Tom’s yellow lab, Oakley. As far as Oakley was concerned, she was the only girl that Tom needed in his life. After some time and lots of walks, I have become Oakley’s favorite. (Don’t tell Tom :))

In September 2022, we bought a house together and began renovations. While scraping ceilings and painting walls, we talked about getting married, but the decision was made to wait.

Only a month later, in October, we made a trip to Montana to visit my family. I had no idea what excitement would be coming just a few days after we arrived. After a day of pampering with my mom and sister, we had plans to meet up with my aunt, uncle, cousin, and his family for dinner. It was perfect timing, and so many details fell into place perfectly, including a surprise trip (that everyone knew about except me) to Bozeman by Tom’s parents so that almost everyone could be there. In my parent's backyard, with the Bridger Mountains as a backdrop, Tom proposed on October 6, 2022."

THE WEDDING

"Knowing Bozeman was where we wanted to be married, we began searching for the perfect venue the next day. We fell in love with the Big Yellow Barn as soon as we walked inside. The architectural beauty of the barn, paired with the expansive and unobstructed views of the Bridger Mountains, made the perfect foundation for the wedding we wanted: simple elegance. And, while my family has only been in Montana for nine years, the Bridgers have become the backdrop for many of our life events, now including our engagement and our wedding.

Our wedding ceremony was very personal and meaningful and one of the things that most of the guests commented on. Our dads, both named Scott, offered to officiate our wedding together. We are very close with our dads and have always admired our parents’ marriages, so we loved the idea of having them play such an important role in our day. This turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the wedding. The dads wrote the ceremony and it was very personal and heartfelt. It was a wonderful blessing to enter into our marriage with their guidance.

We wanted to give our guests a taste of Montana, so we worked with Chef Daniel Cox and decided to serve locally sourced food at our reception. At the cocktail hour we served Elk sliders, Smoked Trout, and Bison as appetizers. Chef Daniel prepared a delicious dinner and it was served buffet style. A dear family friend made our wedding cake as a gift. Truly, it was one of the most delicious cakes we have ever had. We couldn’t choose just one flavor during our tasting, so we went with different flavors for each tier, including vanilla bean with fresh raspberry filling, lemon with fresh raspberry filling, and a traditional wedding cake with crème brulé filling. The groom’s cake was carrot cake, Tom’s favorite.

Jessie, our photographer, captured our day more perfectly than I could have ever imagined. She and her second shooter, Jamie, were professional, thoughtful, hilarious, and fun. Tom and I had a great time getting to know them and felt at ease in front of the camera because of them. We are grateful to them both and will have beautiful memories to last us a lifetime." –Rachel, the bride