A Rustic Antique-Inspired Wedding at The Ranch Club in Missoula, Montana

Kaley Overbey (33 and a school counselor) and Jacob Slingsby (34 and a commercial lender) met through mutual friends. But, Jake moved to Alaska, and they lost touch. Years later, their mutual friend called the last known back he had worked for in Alaska and pretended he did a loan for her. Reluctantly, the bank gave her his number because he had moved to Fairbanks. She called him and told him he needed to call Kaley. He did and they started a long distance relationship that lasted for two years before she moved to Alaska, too. One May, the couple was looking for sea glass along Bering Sea. “As we were walking along collecting glass, Jake got down and said, ‘I think I found a piece of glass you will really like.’ I looked down and he was on one knee with my thin band solitaire diamond ring. I was so happy that we were going to get married. I said, ‘Yes!’” The couple decided to exchange vows in Montana because that’s where they are both from originally. But, they had a difficult time finding a venue during the winter that would complement their rustic, vintage vision. That was, until they found the Ranch Club in Missoula. They loved the vaulted ceilings, exposed wood and iron chandeliers. Plus, they could have the ceremony and reception in the same room. The bride’s mother created a lot of the DIY details such as the fabric flower bouquets, burlap table runners and wine bottle centerpieces. For dinner, the couple served herbed beef tri-tip steak with demi-glace sauce, garlic mashed potatoes, jasmine rice pilaf and mixed greens salad with raspberry vinaigrette. “For dessert, I wanted to bring a touch of Alaska to Montana,” Kaley says. “During the summer, Alaska has amazing wild blueberries, which I love to pick. Bernice’s Bakery used my Alaska blueberries to make blueberry pie for the reception.”