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Meet Trailblazer Chelsea Combe

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea Combe.

Chelsea, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Born in a small town in Northeastern Wyoming, I was taught to see beauty in its most simple forms. My dad worshiped on endless, dirt roads, and my mother was a source of light for familiar faces around town. Career opportunities  brought my family to “big city” life in Casper, Wyoming in 1998 where I gained lifetime girlfriends and an addiction to dance as art. Regardless of the size of my surroundings, my parents raised me to be a dreamer with an opinion, an open mind and one hell of a punch.

After graduating high school in 2010, my adventures took me south to the University of Wyoming. Laramie provided me with a sense of home and community as a young woman. Like most Freshman, I had no idea who I wanted to be when I “grew up.” My mom was a registered dietitian in a nursing world so I figured I would give that a shot. A little blood followed by a fainting episode or two later, and I quickly realized I wasn’t quite nursing material. After an early 20’s crisis, I took a moment to slow down and reflect on my roots. Who was I, and who did I want to become? What was naturally stirring in my soul? I didn’t have a lot of answers then. But I knew to my core that I loved people. The way we think, decide, create, love and coexist! So, I stumbled into the marketing program at the UW College of Business praying for a fit. And that’s exactly what I found! While gaining my bachelors in marketing, and bartending at a local gastropub in-between, I landed a marketing and photography internship with a local wedding photographer, Brian Harrington of BHP Imaging. Brian and I instantly connected as creatives and friends. He introduced me to not only the raw beauty of life through a lens, but Brian is truly responsible for my love affair with the wedding industry. After a few years under his wing, he promoted me to his second shooter during wedding season. The opportunity sparked something special in me. A feeling, maybe even fate, that I can’t quite put into words even today. As a people junkie and a hopeless romantic, I became fascinated with capturing the untold progression, details, and chemistry behind a wedding day. It was routine for me to drop my camera and cry in the corner as a father and daughter shared their first dance. And don’t get me started with those bridesmaids!

My senior year in college, I met the visionaries behind Rocky Mountain Bride on an editorial styled shoot in the Snowy Range Mountains.. while holding/ hiding behind a reflector. Talk about humble beginnings! While behind the scenes I remember thinking to myself, “What a dream gig!” Never did I EVER think the media company would have a place for a small town girl like me.

In the fall of 2015, after graduating from UW, I packed my bags and moved south (again!) to the Mile High City. Fresh out of school, I accepted a corporate sales position with another wedding resource. Our day to day involved cold calls – AT LEAST 100 calls to wedding vendors across the country! Pushy, unauthentic sales of a product and a team structure I found difficulty to stand behind. Although I gained a backbone for sales and met a few wonderful women along the way, I realized that the lifestyle and business model was not aligned with my own personal morals and goals. After five months of telemarketing, commuting two hours a day and being horribly depressed, I quit off impulse. I traded my benefits and a corporate paycheck for a hosting position at a fine dining Italian restaurant in Uptown Denver.

Shortly after my departure from the corporate world, Rocky Mountain Bride posted a job position on Instagram. Reckless, young and optimistic, I applied (and, of course, dropped my reflecting expertise!). Sure enough, I was hired on to the team as a temporary intern.

Fast forward three years, nineteen magazines and countless hours of travel through the Rockies, and here I am – the Editor and Wyoming Director at Rocky Mountain Bride Magazine. You see, over the last three years, our small team has faced overwhelming challenges and reveled in immense growth, personally and professionally. Yet, our brand today is a true testament to the impactful art that can be created when passion and bravery show up for one another day after day. Rocky Mountain Bride is the heartbeat of the Rockies – authentically representing the vibrant communities of our region and the love that calls them home. My family, my community and my current calling!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Through my experiences, I have learned that life is never defined or enjoyed on a smooth road. Looking back I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am for those “oh shit!” chapters. For they were my most impactful, breakthrough moments. When life gets tricky, don’t shy away. Sit with your mess. Dance through the heartache, pour a second glass of wine and be proudly present in the unknown. The truth is that we’ve all been lost, and we have all surely failed. But when you believe in yourself and those who matter believe in you and the core of your character, you shouldn’t be expected to prepare an explanation for your growth or change of heart.

For young women, making your way, remember that you matter. YOU MATTER. The flawed, rare, beautiful you – matters. Just the way you are. What you choose, what you think and how you make people feel always carries on. Live in your truth and show up at every moment at the best you can possibly give that day. More than anything, people appreciate vulnerability and authenticity. And you will shine brighter for it!

Be bold, network like mad and make yourself uncomfortable. That’s where your strength lies.

Above all, it is never too late for you to start or pursue something new. Don’t let society tell you differently! You don’t need to just be passionate about one thing, blindly, for eternity. If anything, your experiences and skills in the masses make you more powerful. Bring all of that to the table, gracefully, fiercely and with your head held high. Never forget where you came from. Go get em, girlfriend!

We’d love to hear more about Rocky Mountain Bride.
Behind the scenes of Rocky Mountain Bride, you will find ten women with roots and personal connections across the Rockies. Our passion lies in creating a brand that authentically represents the expansive region we cover. As a small business, our hope is to disrupt the corporate status quo and create a resource for today’s modern couple focused on quality over quantity, a heartfelt connection to community and endless support to local business owners.

As a small, awkward teenage business, we all wear a lot of hats. However, as I mentioned, I am the Editor and Wyoming Director. My favorite roles as editor include editorial shoot design and coordination, editing our nine printed babies, interviewing real brides and, of course, writing. For the last two years, I have spearheaded the direction of RMB Wyoming, our annual state publication. I am truly honored and humbled to work so closely in my home state that I adore. Making lasting relationships with Wyoming brides and wedding vendors has been my biggest blessing and achievement in my career. I feel more tied to the land and community than ever before. When I talk about my calling.. this is it! My main goal in creating and sharing wedding and lifestyle inspiration in our Wyoming publication is to show couples that they can embrace their Western roots all while curating a timeless, elevated event true to them and their love story. Above all, not much has changed. I am still a sucker for human connection. I am truly in my element in a crowd and love working a room and meeting the insanely talented creatives and business owners in the industry. In many ways, it is my form of shedding light and positivity – making the world a better place.

To me, Rocky Mountain Bride has become successful for three main reasons:

  1. The vision and hard work of our fearless leaders, Taylor and Erika, who bought the company seven years ago and rebranded Rocky Mountain Bride into a clean, elevated print and online resource that readers and creatives truly believe in.
  2. Our approach! We are a small, locally powered resource with a national reach. All ten of us work our asses off to build authentic relationships with our advertising partners and grow their businesses to the best of our ability, truly connect with our brides and create custom inspiration that is not only beautiful but truly helpful for those couples whose love story is embedded or beginning in the Rocky Mountains.
  3. This team! Good Lord! Each RMB girl shows up every day not because we’re swimming in cash pools, but because this work fuels us and fills us up. This is more than a beautiful bridal magazine. RMB is a true testament to love, hope and a woman-dominated industry that continues to defy odds and support one another.

So much of the media coverage is focused on the challenges facing women today, but what about the opportunities? Do you feel there are any opportunities that women are particularly well positioned for?
I’m sure this comes as no surprise, but I believe women are positioned for any opportunity in their hearts. However, I have never believed in the divine power, strength, and grace of women more than I do right now thanks to this opportunity. As I mentioned, the wedding industry is a female dominated industry. And honestly, we’re slaying!! It has been a pleasure to watch the women entrepreneurs in this industry build empires by day and go home to pour love into their families at night. These selfless, badass visionaries work together with one another on a regular basis. Although challenges and obstacles always appear, it is so rewarding to watch a group of women’s vision come to life seamlessly without fighting, competing or fixing. It moves me.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
The Lively’s, Alp & Isle, The Mitchell Photo Collection, Coryn Nelson Photography, Foxtails Photography

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