Seven Continents & 50 States Before 25: Wisconsin Wedding!

MILWAUKEE, WI -- Ahhh, how nice to be back in the good ole state of Wisconsin! For all the time I have spent there, it had been nearly a year and a half since I was last in Wisconsin, and even longer since I had spent any time in Milwaukee. My timing was perfect - I timed a pickup at MKE driving from Chicago to the minute, and made it to the hotel with no issues. Then, about three minutes later, it started snowing. Sure, it snowed in Antarctica, and we were surrounded by snow there, but this was the first real snow I've been in for more than a year.

March 2, 2012 - Got to the hotel and about an hour later everything was covered in snow!

It was gorgeous watching from the hotel. Later, at night, I drove over to the church to meet up with everyone en route to the Friday night dinner, and what is normally a four minute drive took about 20 in the snow. Luckily it stopped snowing shortly thereafter, and in total dropped about 6-7 inches, which is a solid snow but not a blizzard or anything that would have impacted the wedding logistics - lucky timing and just the right amount!

Interestingly, this was my first "real" wedding I have attended of my friends and peers. Turned out I was not alone - the same was true for many of us. As such it was an interesting first experience, given all the weddings you see in popular and religious culture. Mike, the groom, was my roommate in Madison for three years. He and his wife, Beth Ann, have been together for around eight years now, and as such she practically lived with us in Madison as well. In addition to the wedding itself, this was the first time that all of us former roommates at UW got together since graduating over three years ago now, so it was a great mini-reunion of sorts with everyone flying in from out of town too.

Overall it was great to see everybody after so long, and as is often the case with close friends, we picked up right where we left off and had a blast. The dinner before the big day was nice - it was at an Italian restaurant that eight years prior served as the location for Mike and Beth Ann's first date. The wedding day was nice weather - the light reflected off the snow which made for some good outdoor photos. The church was completely full, the service was short and sweet, and everybody in the wedding party did a good job escorting, holding rings, and walking backwards in formation.

March 3, 2012 - Just married! Walking down the aisle as husband and wife.

After the wedding service we made our way back to our hotel, which was the location of the reception. The party started around 5pm and went into the early morning hours. A few highlights...