Love at The Ranch: A Frigid Bridal Party

If I'm not mistaken, we took about two hours to finish our portraits which meant we were around 30 minutes late to meet our bridal party and family for pictures. The funny thing was, we didn't care. We'd padded the photo-taking with enough time that we were still able to get all of the pictures we wanted. Plus, it was so frigid outside (probably 30 degrees with the windchill) that we couldn't stand a drawn out photo shoot anyway. With t-minus one hour until our ceremony time, we gathered our friends and went back out into the field for some group shots.

The storm clouds and wind really started to pick up.

Beyond these professional pictures, our friends got some funny pictures of this whole photo shoot taking place.

My two awesome MOHs waiting to go outside for group shots.

Photo by Claire Barthelemy

My MOH put lip gloss on me before we went outside.

Photo by Claire Barthelemy

Outside, the bridesmaids borrowed the groomsmen's coats to keep warm.

Photo by Claire Barthelemy

Running back to base camp, they tried to prove they could handle the cold, they were strong.

Photo by Claire Barthelemy

But they ran anyway.

Photo by Kimberley-Marie Blanchot

How did we get here?

Mr. CB and I road-tripped it to Colorado.

I spent a peaceful morning with my girls.
Followed by a rowdy bachelorette party.
Two days before the wedding, we fought.
Then, we made up.

On Saturday, Mr. CB recuperated while I hiked with friends.

We celebrated our rehearsal dinner.

Sunday Morning: The girls got ready.

And the guys got ready.

Mr. CB and I had our First Look.

Budget Breakdown: Bouquets and Bouts.

Potraits of the bride and groom.

**All images above by the ridiculously talented and awesome Tec Petaja, unless otherwise noted. Head to his blog for some serious eye candy.**

Love at The Ranch: The Girls Get Ready

The day started off as golden as I wrote to all of you, with sunlight striping the pines in front of our cabin. I woke up around 8 am with Mr. CB beside me. I slipped out of bed, took a quick bath, and then pulled on my merino wool sweats and my "Soon to Be Mrs..." tank I'd received for my shower.

Luckily, my bridesmaids were in the cabin right next door so I didn't have far to go. The make-up artist, Liz from Bobbi Brown, and the hair stylist, Candace from Denver's Hot Head's Salon arrived at 9 am and started getting some of the girls going. I got to their cabin at 9:30 to find coffee and bagels waiting. I was ready to start the day.

My hair was set in curlers to give it body. While I waited for those curls to set, Liz did my make-up.

Meanwhile, my bridesmaids were all getting ready in one of the bedrooms in the cabin.

Somewhere in the mix, my maid-of-honor and I were mirror images of each other.

Photo by Amanda Wilson

After my make-up was finished, it was right back to Candace's chair to finish my hair. During my trial, we decided one side of my hair was too plain with the side bun so Candace added these two little braids to spice it up a bit.

The bridesmaid dresses all hung in the window next to mine.

The obligatory dress shot...

Finally, it was time to put her on.

And add the J. Crew belt I thought would make a good addition.

Bridesmaid AC helped me put my shoes on.

I wavered between the pearl studs and the long, pearl dangles.

With my dress, shoes, and accessories on. My hair and make-up done. I was finally feeling bridal.

And ready to head outside for our First Look...

How did we get here?

First, Mr. CB and I road-tripped it to Boulder, CO.

Then, I spent a peaceful morning with my bridesmaids and maids-of-honor.
Followed by a rowdy bachelorette party that night.
The next morning, two days before the wedding, we fought.
Then, we made up.

On Saturday, Mr. CB recuperated from his bachelor party while I hiked with friends.

Until evening, when we celebrated our rehearsal dinner.

**All images above by the ridiculously talented and awesome Tec Petaja, unless otherwise noted. Head to his blog for some serious eye candy.**

Gifting the Shower Hostesses

I learned an important lesson this weekend: Ask for advice more than five minutes ahead of time. Even if you think you're prepared. 

On Saturday, my two MOHs threw me a beautiful bridal shower. Almost twenty of my closest female friends and family were there and it was so amazing to have them all in one place at one time. I couldn't help but get excited about what the wedding will be like! But, more on the shower later. For now, let's focus how to appreciate your shower hostesses. Here's a sneak peek of me and my two MOHs from the shower:

MOH A, Me, And MOH J

Before they came over, I had two gift bags all ready for them. Someone had mentioned giving them shower products would be a cute way to return the favor and I agreed so I put together a few products I found and loved. Here's what was included in each:

A packet of Bluebird Bath Products Salts ($7) each. The packets each have a cute quote on them. On the "Living Large Oatmeal Milk & Honey" salt package it read: Here's to great friends, howling, laughing, tremendous memories, divine food, & stylish clothes. That's as large as it gets! 

The other one, "Hey Girlfriend Cool Coconut" bath salts read: Mixing lots of vodka & lipstick? Not a good look. Mixing lots of vodka and best friends? A great look! When you finally pull out of it, fill your tub with warm water, add these salts, rest up and try to reclaim your dignity (good luck with that)!

(source)

The girls also received a bar of Pre de Provence soap ($5) in sage or mint leaf. 

(source)

And, finally, they got a tub of Mediterranean Spa Body Butter ($12) in either Olio di Oliva (olive oil) or Olio di Basilico (basil oil). 

(source)

I wasn't sure when to present the gifts to the girls until I came across a posting online that mentioned giving it to them just before opening your gifts and making a little toast to them for putting the shower on as well as thanking everyone for coming. I liked this idea and went with it. 

The Girls Opening their Gifts

I failed to do one thing: Contact my MOHs beforehand to see if anyone else was going to help out with the shower. You see, another friend of ours was there bright and early with them to help set up. I felt bad that I didn't have anything for her as she did nearly as much as they did. I thanked her profusely as she was leaving for all of her help. She brushed it off saying, "Oh, I love doing stuff like this!" Nonetheless, I felt bad. 

Soon after they left, I sat down at my computer and had a gift bag of goodies sent to her from The Body Shop. They make it easy with a link that sends you directly to gift sets. And, for $3.50, they'll gift wrap it and attach a little card. I wrote a note: "Sorry for the belated gift but thank you for your help--the shower was wonderful!" Here's what I got her:

Moringa Magic Gift Set with shower gel, body butter, body scrub, and loofa

And here are the true shower hostesses:

Me with My Girls

What did you do for your shower hostesses to show your appreciation? Did you have any unexpected hosts and how did you handle it?

Meet My Wing Women

A little surprise showed up in mailbox today. And I am more than thrilled. My two beautiful MOHs put together a little par-tay for yours truly. I've been looking forward to celebrating with my closest female friends and family for some time. The sweetly handwritten invitations say "Join us for light lunch, dessert, and cocktails." And, it's at my parent's house (where I grew up). 

After getting this, I realized I've talked on and on and on about the dresses that will adorn my beautiful bridesmaids, but I have yet to introduce you to them. When choosing my bridesmaids--I will have five by the way--I decided to go with friends who I've known for years, who have been close to me during significant points in my life, and who felt like natural choices. None of my bridesmaids live in Santa Fe. In fact, the closest are a six hour drive or an hour-and-a-half flight away. Not to mention they are completely spread out from each other (LA; Boulder, Colorado; New York City; and Upstate New York). There are numerous other friends I'd make bridesmaids if I could, but I had to put a cap on it somewhere.

First, I'd like to introduce you to my two (yes, two) maids-of-honor. We'll call them MOH J and MOH A. I've known MOH J since we were little 14-year-olds out on the soccer field in Los Angeles. My junior year of high school, I transferred to her school and we randomly had lockers next to each other. We spent our senior year of high school stalking a young, handsome, male celebrity who lived across the street from me. We've been best friends ever since. During my junior year of college, I transferred colleges and ended up in Boston with her, too. I met MOH A my junior year of high school in chemistry class. MOH A and MOH J were already friends. MOH A and I were lab partners and quickly became good friends. We both have parents that are psychologists so, subconsciously, I think we relate to people in a similar way. Senior year, we attempted to learn a song on guitar together for the senior talent show, only to fail miserably. But, we got to have private lessons from a very handsome young lad. The three of us have been tight for years. Both ladies currently reside in Los Angeles.

MOH J

MOH A and her puggle, Jackson

Next, Bridesmaid Georgia* (*this is a nickname)
I met Georgia in line at JFK airport in New York during my junior year of college. Where were we headed? Florence, Italy, for a semester abroad. How many people did each of us know going into it? A whopping zero. Thanks to my family's chatty ways, Georgia made fast friends with my grandmother and mom and soon we were introduced. We spent the semester hopping all over Western Europe together and bonding over snowboard trips to Switzerland and Austria, during which we partied with pirates and fended off butt-pinches from drunken Italian men. We've stayed friends after our semester and visited each other in our respective cities--Georgia in Boulder. I even spent a snow-filled Thanksgiving/birthday at Georgia's parent's house in Maine where we hot-tubbed under the falling snow and drank champagne.

Bridesmaid Georgia (looking at camera)

Next up: Bridesmaid FSIL
Bridesmaid FSIL is Mr. Cowboy Boot's step-sister and the person I most look forward to seeing when we head back east to visit his family. She put together the decorations for our engagement party (which were gorgeous!!!!) and is game for pretty much anything! Not to mention, she's a seriously good cook. Even though Bridesmaid FSIL lives in Albany, NY, we've spent a reasonable amount of time together during visits, work trips, and holidays. We've even giggled over an episode of Rock of Love Bus together. To her right is Junior Bridesmaid A (we'll call her JBA for short). She's is Mr. Cowboy Boot's niece. She'll be 10 at the wedding and will be arriving by train with her grandfather (Mr. CB's dad) after a cross-country trip. Now, that's a bonding experience I wish I had when I was little.

Bridesmaid FSIL and JBA

And last, but certainly not least, Bridesmaid AC.
I met AC in British Literature (our teacher was half Greek/half Australian, wtf?) at Emerson College. I can't remember our first date, but we had so much fun in Boston together--heading to Manchester-By-The-Sea on the weekends and to Montreal in the bitter cold of February! Besides constantly being asked if we are sisters (I wish!), we are extremely similar--we love to chill out when we're tired, party it up if the mood is right, and be in the mountains skiing, snowboarding, hiking, and camping. The only dissimilarity we have is that I can't speak a lick of French. Oh, and she's got a good five inches on me.

Bridesmaid AC

I am more than thrilled that these girls will be standing by me on the big day. They've already been uber-supportive (dealing with my dress schizophrenia) and lovely to this day.

How did you pick your bridesmaids?