It’s been a year since my middle son, Zach, got married to his high school love, Mikayla. Since then they have traveled to Mexico, Switzerland and Italy together and Mikayla to Austria by herself. (Might I add that I have never been across the pond but I’m not bitter.) We sent them off to their lifetime of exploring with a fun travel theme for the rehearsal dinner.

We gathered at Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter in Stillwater, MN. It was the perfect setting for a travel themed dinner complete with a German buffet celebrating the roots on both sides of the family and fun activities for the guests.

So one of my favorite parts of this whole deal was the anniversary letters. A month before the big event, each member of the wedding party and close relatives received a card with an assigned anniversary (1st- 50th). They were to fill the cards with notes or picture or poems or whatever they wanted.  Each parent wrote something for the couple to open on their 50th anniversary. I might have cried the really ugly cry writing mine.

Below is a peak at the decorations for the night. HUGE shout out to Belle Goscha for the many days she helped me make paper airplanes and menus and all manner of things and to Emily Lee for the beautiful writing on the globes.

Photo credits: Photos by Chelsie   (If you live around Nashville and need a photographer, Chelsie is your person. She also LOVES to travel so she might even come to you. She was all heart eyes for all the things that night.)

Desserts: Wuollet’s Bakery

Globes: Target