Fabulous Friday | Mission Michigan

Last weekend was epic.  Ok, maybe that's a stretch, but it was so much fun!  Ben and his friend Joel were groomsmen in Joel's brother's wedding which took place in Michigan this past Sunday.  So, after Joel got off work on Friday, we all loaded up in his in-law's conversion van for the 12 hour drive.  With three drivers, a little Brian Regan to keep us laughing, and Twizzlers and trail mix to keep us from going hungry, we pulled into Joel's parents' driveway around 7:40am on Saturday morning.  Yes, it was a long trip, but hopefully the pictures will help you see how much fun we had!

When Ben first asked me about making the trip with them, I jokingly called the trip Mission Michigan and said, "We can get t-shirts!"  Well, the joke turned into a reality (with the help of some of Ben's super talented friends).  The most fun part was that Ben and I pulled up to Joel's house with the shirts on and everyone's faces were in shock at how cool the shirts were.  And that's when we pulled out shirts for everyone!  I love fun surprises!!

Nina, Joel and Stephen settled in for the ride.

Ben had the first leg of the trip as driver.

After we arrived, Joel's dad cooked a delicious breakfast for us and then we all took naps before heading off for the rehearsal.

I think the groomsmen had a lot of fun over the course of the weekend... 

The bride and groom... Heather and Micah!

They were practicing getting up from their seats to stand and wait for Heather to walk down the aisle. 

This park was so gorgeous...

The flower girl was adorable.

David, Joel, and Ben did a fantastic job of keeping us laughing during the rehearsal.

And we (Mignon, Kristen and myself) were having a bit of fun too :-)

 On the way to the BBQ with my handsome groomsman.

 Chris, who officiated, and his wife Kadie are a blast.
I wanted to put them in my pocket and bring them home with us.

So, the groomsmen received light sabers as part of their gift.  Several battles then ensued. 

While the guys went to ride go-carts and play video games, Mignon, Kristen and I ventured into super cute downtown Rochester where we found an art auction and several boutiques with jewelry, bags, clothes and heels that were too high to walk in... and yes, I tried!  We finally ended up at the Bean & Leaf for coffee and tea.

Wedding day!  The guys were gone by this point so Kristen fixed mine and Mignon's hair while we all got ready.

Mr. Mangin looked so refined and so presidential!

Joel and Mignon are too adorable for words.

I promise we behaved during the wedding :-)

They're all handsome but the one on the right is the most handsomest of all.

Micah was in awe as he watched his bride walk down the aisle.

It was fun being an actual guest at a wedding... but even more fun being this handsome guy's date!

The Mangin family!

After the ceremony, there was a cake and cookie reception at the park.  Later that evening, there was a sit-down dinner reception with cupcakes... and these adorable bride and groom cakes!

I may have swooned when I saw these cupcakes...

Congrats Heather and Micah!

We left Michigan around 11pm, after the reception and pulled into Joel & Mignon's driveway around 10:45am on Memorial Day.  After long naps and showers, we all met up again at Ben's house for a cookout to celebrate the freedom that so many people have given their lives for.

I may have gone a little crazy with the decorations... but they were fun!

We had sparklers too, so this was one of my attempts to get Ben drawing a star in the air. 

Clearly I have some things to still figure out!

To my fellow Mission Michiganderites... thank you so much for such a fun weekend!  It was so much fun.  I'd gladly pile back into the van for another trip with you guys anytime!

Happy Friday!