Jeni and Brandon's Stag & Doe!

Last weekend was the Stag and Doe party of my friends Jeni and Brandon (I am going to be her Maid of Honour this summer!). Now, I know not every area does this kind of party, but they are basically a fundraiser for the new couple- you charge entry and then there are door prizes, a 50/50 draw, and sometimes games too. All profits go to the couple! This one was planned by the bride's best friends from her hometown, Shawville, QC.

Of course, I should start from the beginning!

On Friday night a couple of friends rented a minivan and 7 of us (the bride and groom included) headed out in TORNADO weather to Quebec! Thankfully we did not have any tornado sightings, but it was some pretty bad traffic. We got to Jeni's parents house around 1am, but unfortunately they had lost power in the storm! We stayed up late and had a couple of beers by flashlight, all hoping and praying the power would come on during the night.

Well we woke up the next morning still powerless. Jeni's poor family had 15 people to feed so an assembly line of eggs and toast on a camping stove was in order. They provided for us well and then just as we began to discuss how on earth we would all shower (they are on a well and you can't use much water when the power is out), the power came back!

We ran a bunch of errands that morning and then there was a nice tea in Jeni's honour, thrown by her aunt and grandma (who were also very happy to get their power back too since so many people were coming!). After the tea we headed back to work on preparing the food for the party and to break into the beer supply a little early. I was in charge of the vegetable plate, but we were all pretty impressed with the Wafer Jenga action that the others put together! Wafter Jenga was also pretty popular at the snack table too- and it never fell down!

Then those of us in the wedding party (excluding the main couple), headed out to the bar in town to begin set up! The party started at nine and we had so much fun! The bar hired a live band for us and even donated a bottle of alcohol as a door prize. They get so many customers from these types of parties that they don't charge anything to hold them there. I thought that was pretty cool and it meant much less overhead.

The couple had a wonderful "first dance" to start the evening off.

I think there was always someone dancing out here so the band was definitely a hit! Lots of people came out to support the bride and 50/50 tickets were flowing non-stop thanks to Jeni's friends and her sister. The winner ended up being one of the groomsmen and he promptly spent every last penny of his winnings on buying the entire bar some shots.

We had sooo much fun dancing and chatting! There was even a pretty cool shuffleboard table in the bar that was pretty popular (I would have to say, I am not a natural).

A few of us managed to keep on going long after the band had gone, playing song on the jukebox and laughing non-stop. Finally at 3am Jeni's dad showed up to taxi us all home (much appreciated!).

Last shot of the night

Because Jeni's parents are so generous, there were actually 22 people staying at their house! Therefore us youngins' all camped out in their backyard. I think there were about 5 or 6 tents out there so it was quite a sight. It ended up being SO cold I didn't think I would be able to sleep but I conked out right away and was up pretty early because it became so hot!

We ended up rolling out in the early afternoon to begin the long ride home. Thankfully this minivan had a bluray/dvd player so we were well entertained in the back! It was actually the fanciest minivan I had ever been in.

It was a great night and felt like a mini-preview for how much fun we are going to have at the wedding in just a few weeks! I love this girl so much and I can't wait!