My Illinois Bridal Shower

Hi friends and happy Wednesday! Ben and I went straight back to work this week after our quick trip to Illinois this past weekend (were you following along on my insta story?). Our first ever vlog/travel diary is now live on my YouTube channel covering our weekend in the Prairie State with family, friends, and oh yeah – some goats. Check it out, like, sub, etc. etc. Don’t forget to let me know if you’d like to see more vlogs like these.

For months we have been planning on having a bridal shower at Ben’s family’s house on this specific weekend. Our plans took a dramatic shift when we learned a week ago that they had a house fire that left part of their garage, entry way, and basement covered in smoke, soot, and burn damage. Thankfully nobody was hurt, but not so thankfully we desperately needed a plan B for where to host our wedding shower.

Things took a turn for the better when one of the Brubaker’s family friends offered up her barn as an alternate location for our shower.

If you’ll remember, Ben and I began our wedding adventures touring barns to get married in. That plan changed, but I think this was the exact reason why I was excited knowing that we were still able to have our Illinois shower in a barn. It seemed like everything came full circle, although we definitely could have done without the house fire.

The bridal shower was a huge success. If you hadn’t known the back story of why we were having it at the barn, you would have thought it was the plan A location all along. We played games, opened gifts, and sipped sangria. I left the shower that day with a full heart. It’s overwhelming (in a really good way) to see and feel the love that friends and family have for Ben and I.

My second bridal shower is coming up this weekend in Tampa at Oxford Exchange. I’ll be surrounded by family friends, and mimosas – so it’s sure to be another good time.