Rachel and Matt Get Married

Last Thursday I traveled to New Hampshire where I was a bridesmaid for my friend, Rachel, in her wedding to Matt.

The lovely couple by the ocean.

Two of the four bridesmaids were hosted by Rachel's parents at their house in Durham, NH — isn't it nice?

Thursday evening Rachel's mom took Rachel and the two bridesmaids out to dinner while the boys had their bachelor's party. Good food and great company!

Afterwards, Rachel's mom treated us to a nighttime tour of Portsmouth, NH. She knew an impressive amount about the history of this little town and the Pilgrim-era buildings were neat to see (though, it was difficult to take good pictures at night...)

Friday morning the bridesmaids threw a bachelorette party for Rachel, complete with massage and homemade breakfast cooked by the mother-of-the-bride.

Gluten free, stuffed French toast.

A party is never complete without party favors, so I picked up some fun stuff from Sephora for all the girls.

Before leaving for the rehearsal, we took some pictures.

Bridesmaids with the bride.

The wedding was held in Ogunquit, Maine, about 40 minutes away, so we had a bit of a drive.

NH on the boarder of Maine. 

Then we arrived at Clay Hill Farm and it was beautiful!

Rehearsing

The rehearsal dinner was also in Ogunquit, so we hung out in Rachel and Matt's hotel room for the few hours between rehearsal and dinner. They had a fantastic view of the Atlantic Ocean – which I have never seen up close. Didn't get to put my feet in this time, though. I'll have to go visit again!

We stopped for another photo op before heading to dinner.

Man of the hour. 

3/4 bridesmaids + bride (yes, I'm short)

The rehearsal dinner was held at a fancy French restaurant in the cutest little building.

Toasts were made:

And I think everyone had a great time.

The next morning we woke to the big day! We started with some pampering: manis, pedis, and hair.

Everyone looked so nice!

Rachel's hari 

My hair. 

We rested for a couple hours and then headed to Clay Hill Farms to finish the preparations. The cake had already arrived and the toppers made everyone laugh. So did this silly bridesmaid!

We sequestered ourselves in the designated suite and applied make-up.

 

We took some more photos. The bride is so beautiful!!

Then it was time to grab our bouquets and make our grand entrance. Unfortunately, a huge rain storm descended about a half-hour before, so we had to switch to plan B and do it inside.

Obviously, I wasn't able to take pictures of the actual ceremony, but it was beautiful! 

Dinner followed and then cake cutting and dancing.

First dance!

Soooo happy!

We were out until nearly 1am and then crashed for the night. The next morning I drove back through New Hampshire to the airport and flew home. There was a giant moose at the airport, must have been a good sign.

A humongous CONGRATULATIONS to Rachel and Matt!!!! I am so honored to have been part of your special day!