Bad in Plaid

We have been wanting to have a 'Bad in Plaid' party for ages, and this past weekend we finally did it! Some of you may remember this event from our days in Germany, when the Scatinni family hosted it. For years we have been wanting to throw our own version. So, we sent out the invites, and went on a search for bad plaid. It is actually much harder than you may think to find that ugly retro bad plaid. After countless trips to the thrift stores, we finally had some good items to choose from.

Nick's brother Matt and his girlfriend Jackie joined us from Michigan for the occasion. Luckily, Matt brought his own bad plaid and even an extra pair of bad plaid shorts for Nick. Nick's shorts are tan and white, so it is hard to see the plaid, but trust me, they were horribly bad and polyester plaid. (Did I mention short?)

All of the guests were told to wear bad plaid, and come prepared for a cut-throat match of croquet. First we had a BBQ and waited inside for the weather to cool down. Unfortunately, the weather never cooled much. It was about 102 when the party started, and by the time we moved the event outside it was still in the high 90's. Some of the guys braved the hot weather while Nick grilled the food.

You may have noticed that two of the guys came dressed alike. Funnily enough, they say it was a complete accident. They both went to the Dillard's clearance rack and picked out the same outfit! They were the first guests to arrive, along with their wives. They all made a beer stop on the way, and I can only imagine the funny looks they must have received in the store.

We awarded a prize to the best male and female best (or really worst) dressed. Here are the finalists. There was a lot of plaid at the party, but since it is popular again, not much of it was really 'bad plaid'.

Benny couldn't wait to play croquet, and he finally convinced two guests to play a practice round with him.

Finally, we decided to head outside and play croquet. Nick and Matt had set up the course the night before. Nick also had brackets set up, and we were all assigned teams. There were 6 teams competing, and everyone joined in on the fun. It took so long for all six teams to play that by the end, we were using flashlights to see the balls and wickets.

Here is the home team-myself, Matt and our neighbor Danny. This photo was taken before the last round when we won the tournament! It must have been that home field good luck. The last game took forever, and it was nearly 11 pm before it finished. Danny's wife Casey was on the opposing team, and she really gave us a run for our money. Apparently she plays croquet at her mom's house, and she was really good. She finished before the rest of us were half way through.

All in all, everyone had a great time. It was hilarious to see everyone's bad plaid. Maybe next year we will host Bad in Plaid 2! Hopefully it won't be so hot!