Rachel's Wedding in Milwaukee

Last weekend Chad and I headed to Milwaukee for my dear friend, Rachel Mason's wedding. I hadn't seen her since our New Orleans escapade two years ago.

It was a beautiful wedding and a great weekend. I got to see old friends and meet new ones. We hung out in the park by the lake, explored parts of downtown Milwaukee, visited the Milwaukee Art Museum and took a tour of Sprecher Brewery.

The wedding itself was so much fun! After heavy rains and flooding all over the Midwest the sun finally emerged allowing us to bask in the warm light during the actual ceremony. Rachel and Brandon took many of the wedding traditions and tweeked them to make the service more personal and unique. There were no brides maids or best men (your friends thank you for that!) and Rachel, led by both her father and mother, down the isle marched to the sounds of Rebirth Brass Band coming from a small boombox. The ceremony, ending in a small display of spiraling firecrackers, was short and sweet. After dinner we ate pie instead of cake, and later on in the evening Rachel slid onto the dance floor in roller skates for her first dance with Brandon as a married couple to a song from the Juno soundtrack.

(listen to the song below and picture your best friend slow dancing with her new husband wearing a wedding gown and roller skates)



After dinner we continued to drink and dance the night away.

The next day was brunch at the Hotel Metro where the newly weds were staying (chad and I and most of the kids took refuge in the Comfort Inn downtown near the lake.) Following brunch Chad and I peeked into the Milwaukee Art Museum's "Quadracci Pavilion." The newly renovated South Wing addition has some of the coolest architecture i've seen in a while. Designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, the all white boat-like interior is indescribably beautiful. We didn't go in to see the Gilbert and George exhibit because I already saw it at the DeYoung museum here in SF last month.

We then spent the rest of the afternoon chilling in the sun with friends, finishing off the left over keg from the reception and tossing frisbees and footballs in the grass by the lake. That night was the real party. Rachel's friends Mike and Joe got prime DJ spot at a pretty cool club, MOCT (pronounced 'most') we hung out and danced there 'til close then headed home.

Chad and I were the last ones to leave Sunday evening. We spend the day exploring Milwaukee on our own. We figured out the bus system to get to Sprecher Brewery then headed back downtown, ate a picnic lunch along the lake and caught our 7pm flight back to SF.

The trip was like a taster for the next few years in Chicago. Milwaukee is only 100 miles north of downtown Chicago. It's similar in climate, environment and personality. We got to experience the beauty of Lake Michigan and hang out with Rachel and Brandon who will be our neighbors in Chicago! I'm starting to get amped for the big move. :)