A Montana Winter Wedding

A few weekends ago, I rented a car (4 wheel drive for certain!) and headed south west toward Livingston, MT. A few miles south, out in the ranch land, likes Chico Hot Springs Resort. A lovely place, that I'm embarrassed to admit, I had never visited before (even after being a Montanan for something like 23 years). I got a lot of flack for that from friends! The reason for my trip was for a winter wedding of two friends. I'm a sucker for a wedding, and if it is amongst the diamond crystals of a snowy winter---even better!

 The roads were questionable and after seeing seven wrecks only a handful of miles out of town, I definitely thought of turning around. But I just kept keeping on. The fog rolled in and out, the snow fell, the sun appeared, the roads froze, the traffic thinned, and after four hours I was there. Arms a bit shaky from battling the wind.

Pray, MT

My choice of room was the least expensive variety, which put me in the lovely original lodge at Chico, built in 1900. No TVs, no phones. No bathroom either, except a few down the hall. It was rustic, but beautiful, and I slept well on my antique iron bed.


The rest of the weekend was spent wandering both Chico and Bozeman. I did some shopping, went to the Museum of the Rockies (had to buy my sister a dinosaur souvenir) and drank a lot of good coffee.

 Upon returning to the resort, I sidled up to the bar, ordered a Bud and watched the Bronco game with the locals. This was some of the best fun of the trip! Met some great people until it was time to go get dolled up. I chose my favorite Armani dress and simple accessories and walked carefully down the snowy sidewalk to the ceremony.

The bride's colors were black and silver and white. The whole affair was very elegant, with flickering candles, silver mercury glass and lots of white feathers. The ceremony was sweet and personal. The couple smiling at one another and laughing. Lovely!

 The reception was a joy, with a lot of great food and wine and company. Delicious cake and a big dance floor! The speeches were sweet, the first dances were heartfelt and the party just got better and better. As the night slowed down, we were given scratch-off tickets as favors and we all feverishly scratched away at the bar hoping for winnings!

Early the next morning I bed adieu to the lovely resort and headed home through the cold. (Mind you it was about 5 degrees each day). It felt good to get out of town---and out of my comfort zone! Attending a distant wedding alone is not an easy task for a gal, but I made the most of it! (Thankfully I had friends in attendance and even knew the photographer from grade school!)

Ahh, Montana love. Doesn't get any better!

The lovely bride and groom! Dennis Webber Photography