After some intense planning with my friend Subera, we got all the fun little details outlined for Erin's shower and b-party. We had it the last weekend in August and had a great time celebrating with family and friends. The shower was very tasteful and beautiful (shout out to my fam at Smith Bros. for providing lots of the food!), and it was great to see so many lovely ladies there to support Erin. After the shower, we packed everything up and headed back to Erin and Ross' house and transitioned into the bachelorette party. For those of you who don't know, Erin is as Irish as they come, so we settled on a St. Patrick's day theme for her party. Not gonna lie, I'm secretly jealous because that's my favorite holiday and now I feel like I can't steal that idea for my party if I get married, ha! Anyway, we all got dressed up in green and proceeded to have a million jello shots that a bunch of us had made the night before. We had a bus take us out on the town that night and we traveled to several different bars around Wausau, which may or may not have included a strip club. ;) We were all feeling pretty good by the end of the night. Great time! Take a look at some pics from those two parties, and then take a look at the wedding pics too!
BRIDAL SHOWER
Me and Subs before the shower started!
Erin with her mom and mother-in-law!
Dessert table!!
Erin opening the emergency wedding kit I made her:).
Lots more gifts from guests!
Look at all the people!
Maid of honor and the bride!
Bridesmaids!
BACHELORETTE PARTY
Just some of the booze;).
Making jello shots!
Erin taking advantage of the leftover alcohol we couldn't get into syringes!;)
One of two coolers full of jello shots. Yum!
Who doesn't want a penis cake?!
And she went for it... :)
We played the panty game where everyone brought a pair of panties and Erin had to guess who brought her which ones. As she guessed, she had to put each pair on over the next. Too funny!
The bride-to-be ready to go!
Loading the bus!
Here we go!
Some Colby ladies at the first bar!
Future brides get to do whatever they want!:)
Dance!
Right after a shot, ha!
She actually didn't do too bad, but this picture is too good not to include!;) Great times were had by all!
THE WEDDING
Because I was maid of honor in the wedding, I took off work the day before and headed up by Erin on Thursday night. L was able to get Friday off too, so we rode up together, he dropped me off in Wausau, and then he headed Colby to hang with my parents until the wedding on Saturday. I was slightly nervous about how he'd handle being with them without me for an extended period of time, but it's safe to say everyone had a good time! :) For the ladies in the wedding, Friday was spent getting nails done, doing some decorating at the ceremony and reception sites, and doing the rehearsal. Everything went very well, and we were all in bed by a little after 10:00, ha! Made sense, though, because we all got up around 6:15 on the morning of the wedding day to start getting ready. It was pretty chaotic in the house to begin with, but everyone slowly got ready and then we did a bunch of the girl pictures (boys were at a separate location). Sadly, it was quite chilly and rainy that day, but it cooperated when we needed it to for the most part! The day went fast, but the wedding was beautiful, and the whole thing was great. I had to give my speech, and I'm not gonna lie, I was a bit of a hot mess. I'll be real, I wasn't even sure if I'd cry or not. My emotions are kind of wild card in that sense, but boy, did I fall apart. Ha! One of the main things in my speech I remember saying is, "Wow, I am a mess right now!" Fortunately, everyone laughed with me...or at me at that moment;). My speech was very heartfelt, and I'm truly happy for Erin and Ross! While I was embarrassed by my surprising lack of control over my emotions, I did get many, many compliments on my speech, and some people even told me that they cried. L, who is the king of best man speeches, was even impressed because he said, "It's hard to be maid of honor. The best man can just crack jokes and everyone laughs and that's that." He thought I had the right balance and that it was a great, sincere speech. Made me feel flattered since he's awesome at this stuff:). Anyway, we chatted with lots of friends and danced the night away! On Sunday morning, we went out to Erin and Ross' for some last goodbyes and then headed back to Colby by my parents to watch the Packers dominate the Lions (it's about time they won, but it still wasn't that pretty). Got to see my brother, his wife, and the kiddos too! Then it was back to Madison! Crazy how time flies. It was a great time, though, and I'm so happy we were able to be a part of their special day! Enjoy a few photos!
The night before the wedding, one of Erin and Ross' cats was inspecting this poster board for a LONG time. Think she was trying to decide if she was okay adding Ross to the family. :P
Erin getting her hair done!
After we got her in the dress, I had to tie her tennis shoes! (Yes, she wore tennis shoes.)
Tada! She looked beautiful!! (Confession: I LOVE my hair!)
Me and Bean before the ceremony! 
Limo!
Newlyweds! 
Me and Ash!
I'm classy like that;). Secret: It was empty!
Me and L!
Me and papa at reception!
Me and mama!
With the bagpiper!
Friends for life:).
<3
Me and Subs at the head table!
Happy couple!
Me and Becca! (This weekend, I got asked to be her bridesmaid for her wedding next summer!)
Me and Jared!
Hilarious photobomb by Bean!
My bouquet looks beautiful even after the wedding!:)
One of the professional photos from the day! (Love everyone's faces!:)
