Jon and Maddie's Wedding

I met Jon back the first day of freshman year. We were roommates in South Case Hall at MSU. We were also roommates junior and senior year at The Green Monster. That is where I remember Jon and Maddie dating. They bought a dog Harper who lived in our house. Those were some great times at MSU. Almost every memory at MSU has Jon in it and the later memories have both Jon and Maddie. Jon proposed to Maddie in Dublin over spring break our senior year. They then went to grad school in Mississippi. I hung out with Jon once or twice a year while he was in Mississippi when he would come up for football games or holidays but that was it.

I was asked to be the usher in the wedding. I was very happy to be a part of their wedding. The wedding was over Labor day weekend in East Lansing, Mich. I took off work Friday and headed out of Chicago for Lansing, Mich. It was a long drive due to traffic but once I made it I went straight to rehearsal dinner at Gilbert and Blake in Okemos. It was a nice place for the rehearsal dinner. I really enjoyed the video of Jon and Maddie growing up especially the college pictures. After dinner we all drove over to the MSU Chapel for rehearsal. Once the rehearsal was finished we all went to Peanut Barrel in East Lansing but we had some issues getting in. The door man was a huge ass and wouldn't let all of us in because we didn't have a second form of ID. After we talked to some people we finally got everything taken care of and get everyone in.

Saturday Morning came super early with a 5:30 am wake up call to tailgate. I met up with Jon at 6:30 in front of the Green Monster to drive over to tailgate to set up. We had quite a good turn out for our tailgate. I went to the game which MSU won but everyone else stayed and enjoyed the tailgate festivities. After the tailgate I checked into the Kellogg center after the game and I went for an 8 mile run with Brit one of Maddie's friends. Jon had a gathering planned for all of the guys at a Cigar lounge in downtown Lansing. It was a really cool thing. Even though I don't smoke I still had a really good time. The place had a lounge with giant leather couches and a big screen TV, a game room with billiards and darts and then an outdoor patio. We had full run of the place which made it really awesome and very chill. None of us made it much past midnight considering how long the day was but it was a very fun full packed day.

I started out Sunday by giving one of Jon's high school friends a running tour of campus. I showed a few of Jon's friends around campus the rest of the morning before getting ready for the wedding and picking up Dana. I made it to the wedding at the MSU Chapel and started seating people. Not going to lie I had no idea what I was really supposed to be doing as the usher but I hope I did a good job. After the ceremony everyone kinda just stayed in there seats I wasn't sure if I was supposed to do anything but everyone made it out ok. We had a few hours before the reception at the Kellogg so a bunch of us went to Harrison Roadhouse for a drink. I ended up running over to Sparty to remake the roomie photo with everyone in the wedding.

The reception was at the Kellogg Center. I got to sit with my old roomies and a few other friends. It was a smaller wedding then some recent ones I have been to but certainly not less fun. The appetizers were very good and the wine was tasting fairly good as well. Once everyone was seated and we had dinner the real party began. Jon and Maddie had their first dance as a married couple. Then the dance party started. I was on the dance floor most of the night. I had to keep dragging Dana out there but she seemed to be having fun. We did a roommate dance which was more just the four of us acting like fools but it was a blast. At one point in the night the groomsmen decided to take off there shirts minus the vest which looked a bit Chip and Dale-ish. Through out the reception I tried flirting with the bar tender but that wasn't working. Oh well. The night was so much fun. I danced with Dana, old friends and new friends, and just in general. Once the reception ended a group of us decided we were not done for the night so we took off for downtown East Lansing. We tried to go to the Riv but there was a line so we went to Harpers where some of us stayed till they closed it down. Needless to say it was a long weekend but it was so much fun and I am very glad I was a part of it and I wish Jon and Maddie nothing but happiness and good luck from here on out! Congrats!

Date: Dana P

Location: East Lansing, Mich

Date: September 5^th, 2010

Dinner: Pre set Menu on invite, I had the beef dish with steam vegtables and patatoes.

Bar: Open

Gift: A Baking set of pans.

Lodging: Kellogg Center

Miles Traveled: 580

Estimated cost: $445.00

Hotel, Gas, Gift, food along the way, Tailgate supplies

Music: DJ

Misc: Rehearsal Dinner, MSU football tailgate

Mark and Paula's Wedding

I met Mark back my sophomore year at MSU. He was my roommate on 5 south in Case Hall. He was a very energetic easy-going guy and we got along very well. Through him I met his long time girlfriend from his hometown. Over the years at MSU we remained friends and I also became friends with Paula through him.

I bored a train from Chicago to East Lansing where I was picked up and went to the house I grew up in very near to East Lansing where I stayed for the weekend. It is fairly convenient growing up so close to MSU for reasons such as this. I brought, Katie F, one of my friends from MSU that I met while working at the IM West Outdoor Pool. Katie was a very fun wedding date. She actually knew more people then I did from MSU, which kind of surprised me considering I know a great deal of people from my school.

The wedding was held at the MSU Alumni Chapel along the Red Cedar River on campus.

I used to give tours of Michigan State when I was a student there but I never knew where the Chapel was till my friend Katie showed me and told me how to get to it. I did find this fact a bit embarrassing. Once we were seated inside the Chapel I found it to be a very nice little building with a variety of stained glassed windows depicting the various academics and athletics provided by Michigan State through out the years.

As I have known Mark for a while now I have learned he is a very humorous person and likes to make people laugh and enjoy themselves. I was sure his wedding would somehow involve this as well. I was not disappointed though at first Mark had nothing to do with it. As both Mark’s mom and Paula’s mom had just light the candles for the unity candle and turned to step down the few steps back to there seats Paula’s mom caught her shoe on her dress and tumbled down. Everyone reached to help but obviously everyone was seated and was helpless. Luckily she was not injured and just laughed if off and returned to her seat now with locked arms with Mark’s mother. As the ceremony went on Mark took his turn to make a good laugh of the wedding. As Paula finished her vows Mark made a comment about how long they were and made everyone laugh. As the ceremony concluded we were asked to assemble down near the river for a full group photo.

Katie and myself returned to the car and drove across campus driving past all the building we had both spent many hours in as students as we traveled to the Kellogg Center. Once we got the Kellogg Center we walked to the rooms where the reception was in rooms B and C. I knew this area well from the multiple career fairs I attended there as a student. For this wedding the room didn’t look like a convention space at all but a very nice elegant room designed for a wedding. As we walked in we were greeted with a three-foot ice sculpture of a block “S”. We got a glass of wine and took our seats and waited for the rest of our table. Once we had all introduced ourselves and found out how each person knew the couple we went for the hors d’oeuvres of fruits and cheeses.

The wedding party entered and the toasts began. The best mans toast was from a person I had met a few times before. Kevin is the next-door neighbor of Mark at his cottage. Just as Mark likes to make a joke of things and make people laugh so does Kevin. He shared many funny and enjoyable stories of Mark and Paula while giving advice all along. At the conclusion of the toasts the buffet began which was a wide variety of Italian dishes. I have never seen a buffet quite like it but it was very enjoyable all with amazing food. About the only similarities the Kellogg Center shares with its weddings and conventions is the food, which is superb. I was very stuffed from how much I had eaten, as was everyone else at our table but as someone pointed out MSU taught us never to turn down free food especially if it is good so our entire table went up for seconds. As we finished the second helping the dances began, as did the full celebration. It was a very fun reception filled with dancing and drinking but mostly dancing. I did still manage to get quite drunk by the end but it took the full night before it hit me. At the conclusion to the reception I called my mother who came to pick Katie and myself up from the Kellogg Center and drove us home. I am very glad that I was a part of their special day and I wish both Mark and Paula happiness in their lives together. And its about time they finally got married!

Date: Katie F

Location: East Lansing, Mich

Date: August 14^th, 2010

Dinner: Buffet with a variety of Italian dishes. It was very good food.

Bar: Open

Gift: A casserole Baking set

Lodging: Parents home

Miles Traveled: 475

Estimated cost: $75.00

Train Ticket, Gift, and food along the way

Music: DJ

Misc:

Caity and Brent

In 2005 I went on a study abroad to Sweden, and Denmark and then traveled through Norway and England. At the conclusion to that trip I was sitting in London Heathrow waiting for my morning flight back to Detroit on British Airways. I found a small café in the food court and ordered something to eat. As I was eating and a large group of women and girls started to sit down all around me and a few of them had turned the chairs at the table I was sitting at to join the rest of there group. I didn’t take much notice till I heard them talking about Detroit and Michigan State. I kinda picked up and someone noticed me and we started talking. Through that I meet Chelsea, Caity’s older sister who went to MSU with me. Once back at MSU I gave Caity a ride up to her cottage after a football game and then we became friends. Both her and her sister came to the house I lived in a fair amount either to tailgate before games or for parties we hosted. We have been friends ever since.

Caity got married on August 7^th in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan to Brent. Since this wedding in Mt Pleasant was close to my family’s cottage in Houghton Lake I just stayed there. I brought one of my good friends from Chicago, Kate. We left Chicago Thursday night and drove to Houghton Lake passing through Lansing on the way to pick up my family dog, Otis. Friday we spent just lounging around at Houghton Lake and then we out drinking with my family at our friend’s bar, The Northshore Lounge. After that evening I didn’t think I would even want to drink the next day at Caity’s wedding.

We drove down from Houghton Lake to Mt Pleasant for Caity’s weddings. The wedding was in a nice little city park called Nelson Park. It was a very nicely landscaped and had a good setting. The weather was beautifully sunny and warm. The weddings itself was fairly short and to the point but very nicely done. This was the first wedding I have been to that had bubbles that people actually blew so that was quite fun.

After the wedding we went the short short distance to the reception at Centennial Hall. We found our seats, which were very close to the dance floor and also the bar. The venue its self looked a bit old but looked like a lot of time has gone into it in recent years to spruce the place up to look like a grand ballroom rather then just a rectangular hall. Overall I was very pleased with the appearance of the room. To my surprise once we finished dinner where I had had a couple glasses of wine I went to the bar. The bar tenders were very friendly and made a variety of drinks that are untraditional so naturally I had to try them. One led to another and so on. I must say I enjoyed the girl’s version of a Long Island Ice Tea very much. One of my friends, Aaron, tried to play bar tender himself but his drink did not come out to tasty but it was very strong. It was crown and peach snaps but it definitely needed some pop added to it. During the reception I spent a lot of time on the dance floor dancing with Kate as well a few friends of mine that I had not seen in awhile that I knew through Caity.

As the conclusion of the reception approached I called my parents to come and pick us up. Earlier in the night Menna’s had been brought up. Menna’s is an East Lansing original and I got it in my mind that I wanted it. So when my parents came to pick us up I requested that they take us there so I could get Kate to sample a part of East Lansing. Once we left Menna’s and returned to the cottage we decided that we wanted smores as well. So at 1:30 in the morning we built a fire in the fire pit and roasted marshmallows. These are not just any marshmallows these are super sized giant marshmallows that came from Meijer. They tasted so good but they were very messy. It went very well with the candy bags we had made at the wedding, which had a very good variety of candy to choose from. This was a very good night and I hope Caity and Brent a safe return to Baltimore and to enjoy their Honeymoon.

Date: Kate

Location: Mt Pleasant, Mich

Date: August 7^th, 2010

Dinner: Buffet with pork, BBQ Chicken, a variety of veggies and a good selection of salads.

Bar: Open well with a call pay option

Gift: A Cheese set and a few kitchen utensils

Lodging: Cottage

Miles Traveled: 811

Estimated cost: $150.00

Fuel, Gift, food along the way

Music: DJ

Misc:

Wedding Season 2009

Last year I started out with my cousin's wedding where I took my friend Kristin as my date. The reception was in Eagle, Mich just outside of Lansing. It was a lot of fun to see my family and celebrate. I also had a very good family friend's wedding down in North Carolina. I went with my friend Michelle and also with my parents. The wedding was at a golf course resort in Pine Hurst so we stayed right on the grounds. That led to some trouble as the wine kept coming all night long and the party moved its way to the bar after the wedding and ultimately to the pool. Lets just say breakfast the next morning was a bit difficult. Wedding number 3 last year was my friend from MSU, Fran. Her wedding was down near Cleveland. I have a friend in Chicago who was also attending this wedding so we drove together which made it nice. I took a stop off in Detroit Friday night to hang out with some friends and pick up my friend Mandy who was my date for this wedding. As we were driving to Cleveland I realized I did not have the invite so no address or time or anything. In a panic I texted one of the brides maids and found out all the details. Once we finally got there I realized I had the exact same color shirt on as the wedding party so I found the nearest store and bought a new shirt. Mandy had also forgotten her make up. We were off to a great start. The reception was a very good time with lots of friends and dancing and as all other weddings some drinking. The next morning we woke up very early and made our way back to Detroit for the Lions home opener. That was quite a weekend of driving and if I can remember correctly it was about 1100 miles on my car. The 4th wedding I went to I was in. I was also there when they met because I introduced them. I was there to help with Kyle's proposal to Erin and I took pictures for them. Their wedding was a very nice wedding on a small lake near Ann Arbor, Mich. This was a very gloomy day that turned just before the wedding started and the sun even made an appearance out over the water. I thought Erin was going to kill someone during the rehearsal when they said they may have to move her wedding indoors. We were also having issues with our tux's because the buttons kept falling off. One even fell off just a few seconds before we had to walk out for the wedding. All said and done it was a very nice very smooth wedding and I was very happy to have been a part of it. The last wedding I attended in 2009 was that of my cousin Ryan. His wedding was out in Rhode Island. I have been to Rhode Island many time in my life and I love it there in the fall. Like my other cousin's wedding earlier in the summer this was filled with family and it was very nice to get to see everyone. I had a great time out visiting my family both before and after the ceremony. During the reception I did have a small tiff with one of the bar tenders. Ahe served my younger sister without any question but when it came to me she needed my ID which I did not have. It was out in the car. As she had not carded anyone else there I was kind of taken back. By the time I hunted down my mom and finally found the car keys then found my ID and returned to get my drinks i went to put the ID down on the bar and say "I'll take my wine now" but the card kind of slapped the bar making an obnoxious noise so I just ran with it and came off as quite an ass. She would not serve me the rest of the night but made the other bar tender.

2009 was a great year and so far 2010 is looking very good. This year is no different then last year except all of the weddings I have had are friends weddings. My friend Caity got married, my old roommate Mark is getting married this weekend and then next month my friends Jon and Jenn are getting married and in November my friend Allie.

How this all got started

I am currently 25 years old and live in Chicago. I graduated from Michigan State University in 2007. I have come to that age it seems were all of my friends are getting married. Some friends told me that I go to a ton of weddings. They said it would be cool if I made this to talk about each one. I gave it some thought and figured why not. I am not going to go back to describe all the previous ones I have gone to in detail but I will give a quick idea of what went on at each one from last year. Last year I went to 5 weddings and the year before I had 2. Weddings are alot of fun but they get expensive and somewhat frustrating on who to bring, what to get as a gift, where to stay, how to get there and other things. I have no idea how much I spent last year nor do I want to think of that. this year however I am going to try to keep track of an estimated total for each wedding including things such as hotel, travel to and from, gifts, clothing needs, etc.