Wedding Wednesday: Pre-Wedding Celebrations

This is my last Wedding Wednesday post before the big event!  The wedding is 9 days away! We started off the weekend with a party that my colleague/long-term mentor, Paul, and his wife hosted at their house. All of the people in my department at work were invited, plus we included some others that Paul and I had worked with at our previous employer. I think we had about 25 people there so it was a large group! Since the party was on Cinco de Mayo, we of course had Mexican food (which is my favorite!).

Here are Phil and I at the beginning of the night, drinking margaritas out of glasses that matched our outfits!

It was such a fun evening of celebration. Paul and his wife gave a toast to us and I gave a mini speech about how thankful I am to work with such a great group of people.  I said that about 75% of my job satisfaction comes from the people I work with. I've had several jobs in departments with cultures that were not a fit for me, so I really really appreciate how well I fit in at this company!  I also had a mini-celebration in Chicago yesterday when I was there for a day trip, complete with delicious GF cupcakes!  I am feeling very spoiled by my co-workers!

Back to the weekend of fun!  Saturday was my bachelorette party! My sister came to our house on Saturday morning and we started the day with a barre class!

Sisters that sweat together, stay together

Afterwards we got to work putting together a Mexican feast. Abby and my friend Courtney co-hosted the party and did a great job planning it!  I should have taken pictures of all of the food we made, but I was too busy soaking up time with all the ladies in attendance!  We had pork and veggie tacos, 3 kinds of salsa, guacamole, a jicama and mango salad, cilantro lime rice, black beans, and grilled pineapple and bananas with ice cream for dessert!

Since our wedding is book-themed and the theme of my party was "Girls Gone Mild," I had wear a book-themed shirt from my favorite book store - Powells!

Here I am with the co-hosts, Courtney and Abby! I love these girls!

My sister-in-law, Julie, came early to help with some of the last minute preparations. She's been part of our family for so long (since 1997!) so she truly feels like a sister!

I tried to take picture with all of the girls that came.  One of my favorite pictures is the silly one I took with 2 of the members of my book club!

My bachelorette party could not have been more awesome.  I had 13 of the important ladies in my life in one room. We ate delicious food, drank wine and palomas (a drink made of grapefruit juice and tequila), laughed lots, and ended the night with a couple of games of Cards Against Humanity. I am so very, very lucky to have so many wonderful women in my life. I can't imagine going through the peaks and valleys of life without these ladies by my side!

If you are married, what did you do for your bachelorette party? If you aren't married, what is your ideal bachelorette party?