History was made in Flathead County on Thursday morning as two Kalispell gay men were legally married in Justice Court. 

One day after a federal judge tossed out the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, John Blanchard, 54, and Shawn Sharp, 35, arrived at the Flathead County Courthouse at 8 a.m. sharp Thursday to apply for and receive their marriage license. 

Later Thursday morning, they became the first same-sex couple to be married in Flathead County. Kalispell attorney Eric Hummel presided over the ceremony since the justices were at a conference. 

“I figured it was going to drag out for years, since it is Montana,” Blanchard said. “This blew me away.” 

The couple wore rings they gave each other at a private ceremony at Blanchard’s home in September. 

“There’s a lot of vain people out there,” Sharp said. “I’d almost given up, and then I met John. 

“This is a dream come true for me.” 

The couple showed off their official marriage license as well as a heartfelt note from a stranger. Blanchard and Sharp were handed a small piece of paper with a rainbow-colored heart drawn in crayon on the front. 

“Love is love. Congratulations to you on this wonderful day” read a note on the back of the card.

“For us, it’s really special that we get to have something that everyone else has,” Sharp said. 

The pair met online and have been together since August. They previously looked into getting married in Las Vegas and a friend suggested they drive over to Idaho to get married there. 

“Our love for each other is there,” Blanchard said. “We’re happy to finally have a legal paper to show we are who we are.” 

Blanchard, 54, recalled times in the past when strangers would drive by his home and yell gay slurs at him and his partner. “We’re still just people. We’re not any different than anyone else.” 

He also said there aren’t many gay men that are out in this area, noting that a lot of gay men in Montana tend to be really reserved. But times have changed — the couple said they’ve been shocked by the amount of support they’ve received.  

Sharp said that any relationship is more about personalities rather than gender or physical attributes. “We just see love,” he said. 

When asked how they would celebrate, the men grinned at each other. “I guess we should get some champagne,” Sharp said. 

Later Thursday afternoon, another marriage ceremony was scheduled for Tamara Walter and Heather Bryan. 

Gay couples also were exchanging vows at county courthouses elsewhere in Montana on Thursday.

Randi Paul and Jill Houk of Billings lined up for their marriage license before dawn at the Yellowstone County Courthouse. Less than two hours later — and just minutes after paying $53 for a license — they wed in a crowded courthouse hallway as dozens of friends, supporters and members of the media crowded around.

Universal Life Church minister Jeffrey Hill officiated over the brief ceremony. He said the event marked a triumph of love over law.

For Paul, a 28-year-old legal analyst, the occasion marked the realization of a longtime dream of getting married in her home state.

“I’m a super Montanan. That’s a big part of who I am. The prospect of getting married somewhere else was upsetting,” she said.

Montana Attorney General Tim Fox filed notice late Wednesday that he is appealing the ruling from U.S. District Judge Brian Morris that struck down the ban and made Montana the 34th state in which same-sex marriages are now legal.

Fox won’t seek an immediate stay to block the ruling while the case is pending. His spokesman, John Barnes, said the state was waiting for a San Francisco-based federal appeals court to set a schedule for the case.

But some couples said they were eager to say their vows in case Fox’s appeal prevails.

“Our feeling was to make sure to get married in a positive legal climate,” said Danielle Egnew, a 45-year-old Billings musician who was applying for a license to marry Rebecca Douglas. She said the couple already has a date for a larger ceremony — Sept. 15 — but would exchange vows Thursday to be safe.

Morris ruled that Montana’s constitutional amendment limiting marriage to a man and a woman violated the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause. 

The judge recognized that some people might disagree with his decision, given that the state’s ban was approved by voters. But he said the U.S. Constitution exists to protect “disfavored minorities from the will of the majority.”

In September, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down similar bans in Idaho and Nevada as unconstitutional. Montana is part of the 9th Circuit, and Morris cited the appellate court ruling in his decision.

The American Civil Liberties Union on Thursday was holding celebrations at several county courthouses across the state, with officiants present for same-sex couples who wished to marry immediately.

In Helena, the first couple to get their license was Mary Blair and Jamie Fortune, who have been together nearly four years. 

“Everything’s changing for the better,” Blair said. They plan to wed Dec. 31, to coincide with their anniversary.

Montana is one of three states that continued their legal fight against gay marriage despite rulings in favor of the practice from federal appeals courts that oversee them. The other two are South Carolina and Kansas, where gay marriage is being allowed in some parts of the state.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.