From Baltimore to Bordeaux and Everywhere in Between: August 2015

I flew home to Rochester on August 6th and that Saturday was Josh's bachelor party. As the (wo)Man of Honor, I was in charge of organizing it and although it was the first one of these things I had ever been to, I think I did a pretty damn good job. There were matching hats. Carpools were organized so no one had to drive drunk. A detailed itinerary was distributed to all members prior to the event, all of which was planned from another damn country. If you put me in charge of something, it's gonna get DONE.

The day started out at Lost Borough Brewing Co. where we had Wegman's subs for lunch and plenty of tasty craft beers. It just so happened that there was a bachelorette party that came in at about the same time and clearly we needed to challenge them to a drinking competition. You already know who won.

Next stop: The Genesee Brewhouse. I must admit, I was partially using this visit as recon for our own rehearsal dinner (!!) but also because it is so boss. Free tour of the brewery? Flight of four beers for $3? Roof deck with amazing view of High Falls? Yes, please.

Man down!!!

Roc Brewing was next on the list. It's in a random part of Rochester so I don't think I would have ever been there if it weren't for this event. Definitely a more upscale vibe than the other places we had been but that might be in part due to the fact that it seemed super new.

We were going to hit Swiftwater but we didn't have time or enough space left in our bellies for more beer. It was time for LASERTRON! As the website suggests, this is indeed a place where adults go to play. There is a giant arcade with all kinds of games, a full service bar and restaurant and, most importantly, several different styles of laser tag games. This is not your corny old school laser tag. You're not supposed to run but we were all sweating buckets after the games anyway. If you are looking for a fun time to feel like a kid again but this time with booze, I definitely recommend this place.

No event for Josh Stich would be complete without a meal at Stone's Countryside so that's where we decided to end our evening. We ate and drank to our hearts' content and it was glorious. It's really cool to get to know my cousins all over again, now that we're all grown-ups, and getting to hang out with my dad and my brother all day was spectacular. There's not much else I miss about living in Rochester, but I do miss that.

Not long after Josh's shindig, it was time for Stefanie's bachelorette party (oh yeah, I get to go to BOTH parties!) There was a lot of Fireball and an actual fire and I'm sure Stefanie felt like her throat was on fire after belting out show tunes at 2am but it was all worth it. Wooo! Penises everywhere!!

And suddenly, it was my little brother's wedding day. Like us, Josh and Stefanie were sick to death of wedding planning but really excited to get married so when the day finally arrived, I was hoping Josh would be relieved. More like "anxious/nervous/terrified" but hey, he's not the first and certainly won't be the last to have some pre-wedding jitters. Stefanie stayed at the hotel the night before and Jason and I stayed with Josh at his place. We tried to get him to eat some breakfast but his stomach would not allow it and we opted to just get ready and try to stay focused on getting through the day. Even if everything else was a giant disaster, at least we were going to look good.

I was wearing a dress that barely left me enough room to breathe let alone carry a camera so I didn't take many pictures for the rest of the day but all you need to know is that it was beautiful. The ceremony was super personal (officiated by a friend of theirs) and it was great to see so many people from so many parts of their lives together in the same room to watch them celebrate their love for one another. My toast was EPIC, the drinks were plentiful, and they added an extra hour of dancing to the end of the night. And just seeing how happy they are together... Ugh! Who is cutting onions in here??!?