JD’s best friend from 2nd grade was getting married to a beautiful human being that just simply got him in good and bad even in dating. So when we were asked to be of the select few to be in attendance.

Ashley sent an email with the details about a week out which was helpful since they had gotten a private chef and I’m egg and dairy free. I felt bad since it was less than a week out though we didn’t know any details prior just the date and where to fly into. I let her know and she conveyed to the chef.

Since our flight was at 7am CT and the airport had construction going on, we got up at 4:30 so we could get ready, drive to the airport, park, take the bus to the terminal and then wait to board. Luckily we had just carry on and TSA Pre so we didn’t have to anything to deal with. We landed in Chicago at 8am but had to wait to taxi until 8:30am. Since we had a 3ish hour layover, we found a bar close to our gate to get lunch and wait to board. I ended up studying for a few hours while JD death scrolled. We ate lunch and headed to our gate when it was time. The plane was completely full and was a 4 hourish flight. Once we landed and got to our rental car, we had a two hour drive through the forest to get to our beach front house for the weekend.

Nate and Ashley arrived before everyone and the rest of us just trickled in as our flights/travel accommodated. In bride and grooms style, this wedding wasn’t about the guests as so many do. It was about the village they chose to be around them during this moment.

The group included:

Ashely (Howard) and Nate (Woodward): The bride and groom, Ashley from Boulder CO and Nate from Durham NC. They met at Amazon and solidified their bond through COVID.

Chris and Matthew: Chris is a long time friend of Ashley’s and was also their Officiant for the wedding. They are engaged and set to be married next year. Chris was from Boulder CO while Matthew was from small town TN (sorry Matthew that I can’t remember).

Morgan and Nate: Morgan is also a long time friend of Ashley’s and was a what I would consider a bridesmaid but not in the same sense (to be explained in a bit).They did have kids back home and were from Colorado.

Kevin and Andy: Kevin worked with Ashley at Amazon. Ashley helped Kevin pick out Andy’s ring. These men have traveled like it was their job and I loved the stories!! They currently reside in San Francisco.

AJ (Anna Jo) and Greg: AJ worked with Ashely at Amazon and that is how they met. Greg put on a mean Gaston from Beauty and the Beast. Like I’m pretty sure he played the part in his younger years. They were able to drive in as they live in Seattle and it was about a 4 hour drive.

JD and myself: As mentioned, JD and Nate have known each other since second grade and have been through so much shenanigans over the years. The stories are quite comical!!

Though these are photos from the ceremony, they are also the only pictures I have of each couple individually.

When we arrived, Chris and Matthew were there along with Ashley and Nate. We settled into our room and took a tour of the place. They hired a private chef for our meals for the weekend who was busy getting dinner prepared. Kevin and Andy came in next followed by Morgan and Nate with AJ and Greg bring up the rear.

We sat down for dinner which was salmon, steak, salad, mashed parsnips, and broccolini in a cream sauce. Since I’m dairy free, the chef made me a plate of steak and non sauced broccolini and a cheese free salad. The meal was really good. After dinner, we gathered around and played a game called Red Flag. Once we finished the game, we moved down to the arcade room. Not sure when everyone else went to bed but JD and I called it a night at midnight, which meant we had been up for almost 22 hours.

Here is the link to the house we were so fortunate to stay at with the group. Great location, super kid friendly, and can accommodate a lot of people! https://thewestrock.com