Weddingbee

Without further ado, I present to you guest photos of our cocktail hour and a lengthy narrative to accompany them!

Mmm, don’t those hors d’ouevres look scrumptious? It looks like one of our guests set up this plate just for a photo! (Notice the suspiciously well-placed garnish…)
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I found some photos of our rehearsal on Facebook. Sweet!

As I wrote before, I was not exactly the picture of peace and sanity during our rehearsal.

Now, at least I have one photo to illustrate how I was feeling:

Needs more thought bubbles…
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Oh, lookie! I found another stash of guest photos from before and during the ceremony! Silly me, I forgot that some of our guests didn’t choose our suggestion of Flickr for photo-sharing but stuck with their more-familiar medium… Facebook. (Insert finger-wagging at sisters and uncle.)

Well, I now have more pre-ceremony and ceremony snapshots to show you, as well as a hidden cache of rehearsal photos even I hadn’t seen before. Behold!

Here’s Mr. CP being shepherded into the Polebridge saloon by his groomsmen. It looks like they’re consoling him a bit, doesn’t it?

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And now, after our pre-ceremony shenanigans, it’s time for guest photos of the main event! As always, click for larger versions…

It seemed like forever before it was time for the ceremony: the buses had arrived with nearly an hour to spare leaving me unsure of what to do with myself. Our photographer shot some bridal portraits with me outside the cabin that was our staging ground, the planner attached my veil, I ate a snack, and had my mom check my makeup. Finally, I went inside the cabin, sat down, and had about 20 quiet minutes to myself.

I wish I could say that I meditated on the meaning of love and marriage and looked forward to my joyous union with a zen mind, but I didn’t.
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It’s hard for me to really remember anything about our wedding day. That’s how I get when I’m overwhelmed and over stimulated, for better or worse. I think it’s a coping mechanism, but it sure is obnoxious.

That’s one of the reasons that photos are so important to me on momentous occasions such as these. I’m not only reliving our wedding through them, I’m honestly recalling my wedding through them. Where I was, how I felt: it all comes back when I see a photograph.

And that’s why, as of yet, I still have a really hard time remembering the morning of our wedding. I’ve seen photo proofs of the rest of the day, but nothing of us getting ready except this photo of me on the Lake McDonald Lodge lobby balcony, taken right after my mom finished buttoning my dress:

When I get the pro pics back, I’m sure I can tell you more, but what I remember is this…
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And now, back to your regularly scheduled guest-photo recap. Pardon me if I pack a LOT of action into this post— the best way to replicate how I felt the day before our wedding is to completely overwhelm you with details.

Last you saw us, we were stuck bickering in a 2-man tent. Now, it was time to REALLY get ready to get hitched… and THIS is the location for which we were headed:

Before blogging for Weddingbee, I had no idea what “boudoir photos” were. The first time I heard them described, I thought the idea was really, really strange. I mean, why would your husband need sexy pictures of you if he’s just going to see you naked anyway?

I started Googling to find out more about the tradition, and right there on the first page—BAM!—was a link to a Seattle boudoir photographer’s website, complete with boudoir session info. Her name was Kate McElwee, her work was GORGEOUS, and I was terribly impressed. After reading more about boudoir pics I was less skeptical and more intrigued.

As an amateur photographer, I often find myself behind the camera, which means I have barely any pictures of myself, much less sexy pictures—I’m most commonly photographed sweaty and rugged during a hike, bike ride, or race. Boudoir photos started to seem more appealing. And, when I thought about what to get Mr. CP as a wedding gift, my mind started to come back to a particular image… a little, black, unassuming photo album filled with saucy pictures.

So, that’s what I made!
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In this edition of “Married in Montana,” I’ll take you deep into the Glacier backcountry on our pre-wedding, 2-night, 3-day trip to Cracker Lake. The trip was fraught with action, adventure, and… ah, mostly angst… and a lot of rain. Plus, there was some extremely gorgeous scenery:

But the real reason I’m writing about this trip isn’t just to share glorious photos; it’s to tell you about “the fight“.
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I know we’re getting a bit too “punny” with the “Secret Life of Bees” titles, but I had to give it a shot.

I even made a PIE CHART to illustrate the four very random “secrets” I’m going to share!

Har har har, I slay me.

Let’s start at the top, shall we?
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To get back into the wedding recap, I have to rewind to one week before the wedding, when Mr. CP and I drove from Seattle to Glacier National Park for a pre-wedding vacation. When we arrived, I was exhausted and fed-up. I wrote:

The truth is that the last two weeks have been absolute hell, and I have wanted, very badly, not to be dealing with this wedding any more [...] I am tired of unreturned phone calls and email, missing critical details, and misinformation. I am ready to break up with our wedding.

But as soon as we crossed state lines from Washington to Idaho and Idaho to Montana, my stress lifted. And this is why the drive to Montana is my favorite rite of passage: The beautiful scenery was passing, and I was a full part of the journey to my favorite place to marry my favorite man.

And, between you and me, I planned to marry him not once, but TWICE.

Why? Don’t worry; we’re getting there…
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