Reluctantly saying goodbye to St. Barth, we boarded a tiny island-hopper plane for a 15-minute flight to Anguilla, a long and thin British island lying directly north of St. Maarten where we first arrived from the U.S.  The island is much different than volcanic-formed, hilly St. Barth.  Anguilla was formed from limestone and coral and is very flat, with much less vegetation.

 

 

 

Do you ever get a little mopey and down on everything?  Maybe someone hasn’t been nice to you or things are stressful at work or home?  I ran across this quote and it touched my heart.  There is so much negativity in our world and I’m not sure why because each day we wake up is truly a blessing.  Not to get too philosophical on you, but when you think about it aren’t we so lucky to have the gift of life?

I’ve been working on some exciting stuff to take this sacred space of mine even farther.  I love inspiring you with style and beauty tips, but I also want to be a positive force in this crazy world and if I could inspire you to do the same, just think how much positivity we could generate together!

These photos were taken during our little mini-vacay in California this month.  We were enjoying the warm sunshine and soaking it up like sponges.  This dress is one of my favorites I purchased for our honeymoon and I couldn’t wait to wear it again in California.  There’s something about a beautiful cream boho dress that makes any day or event feel so fresh and ethereal.

Wishing you a little sunshine… And lots of happiness this week!

 

 

Hat.  Top.  Skirt.  Necklace.  Bag.
Similar Bag.  Similar Bracelets.  Similar Shoes.

Oh, how I adored this serene little garden at The Langham Hotel in Pasadena.  We discovered it on a morning walk before breakfast.

I found this cute outfit at Nordstrom before I left on my trip.  I immediately fell in love with the beautiful pattern and coral embroidery in the skirt… There is an adorable matching top that would really make a great outfit with this skirt, but ultimately I decided to go with this laser-cut white top because I felt I could pair it with more.  The length is really flattering and to be blunt, the little ruffle gives an extra boost to your bust!!

This is perfect for spring and summer date nights, graduations, weddings, and parties.  As you guys know, I really love items I can dress up or dress down.  This one is easy to dress down a bit more with strappy gladiator-style sandals and adding a simple fitted white tank.

Right now Nordstrom is hosting their Triple Points Event where Nordstrom cardholders can get triple the points on dollars spent in stores and online.  I love purchasing items during this event because it means Nordstrom Notes coming my way… More free dollars in my pocket!!  The event ends on Sunday March 22nd, so hurry!!  It’s a great time to stock up on beauty products and basics, or treat yourself to some spring goodies.

If you follow me on Twitter, I tweeted last night about adding a little marble charm to the beaded stack I’ve been wearing lately.  Pandora is having their Free Bracelet Promo right now, offering a free bracelet with any $100+ purchase.  It’s a great time to add a bracelet to your stack, or purchase a gift for someone… You automatically get the bracelet free, so I’ve used the promo as a way to start a bracelet for a bride or a new mommy.  This promo ends Sunday March 22nd.

I don’t even want to tell you about this next promo, but I will because I am a good blogger… Lilly Pulitzer is offering a free gift with any purchase, and the gifts continue to add on and get better as you spend more!!  This promo is only Saturday March 21st and trust me, the gifts sell out quickly… So if you’re looking to get a cute free Lilly keychain, free Lilly jewelry set, or even a free Lilly tote, you need to have your shopping list handy and purchase your items as soon as you can on Saturday.  I’ve waited before and lost out on getting some of my favorite exclusive gifts because as soon as they’re gone, they’re gone.

Since we haven’t gotten our professional photos back and our photographers were shooting Friday-Sunday for our wedding, I’m just going to skip ahead to the photos we took on our honeymoon.  You can find my post on our arrival in Palm Beach, my post on the few days before our wedding weekend in Palm Beach, and lots of iPhone snaps from our honeymoon on my Instagram.

[Top] [Skirt] [Bag] [Similar Bag] [Sunnies] [Similar Necklace]
[Hermès Wrap Bracelet] [Similar Beaded Bracelets] [Heels]

Coming back from a tropical honeymoon to the snow didn’t feel fantastic.  My go-to uniform of coat, sweater, leggings, and boots has gotten so tiresome.  Ever since our return I’ve been itching to wear some Spring outfits and a family wedding in California this past weekend provided the perfect opportunity.

Dark florals like this skirt can easily bridge the gap between chilly Winter weather and warm Spring temps.  It’s flattering silhouette and subtle-yet-sexy lace inserts will make it a seasonal favorite in anyone’s closet.  I love the idea of adding a light sweater or a pale leather jacket for evenings.

For accessories, I’ve currently been drawn to tassel necklaces and beaded bracelets for a bit of a relaxed vibe.  My trusty Wayfarers give the feminine floral pattern in the skirt just a bit of edge.

  

[Striped Shirt] [White Jeans] [Trench] [Watch] [Tote] [Loafers] [Mini Bag]

First, let’s talk outfit… This is one of my favorites for traveling because it is so versatile and also manages to still look polished even after hours of flying and sleeping on planes.  Three steps to a polished travel look:

One – I start with a crisp button-down shirt, preferably striped or colored since white ones tend to show the airport dirt and grime rather quickly.  This one is my all-time favorite because it’s flattering and withstands lots of washes.
Two – I pair it with either dark wash or white jeans in a sleek, slim cut.
Three – Then I always add an easy loafer.  These from Tod’s are my favorite and have lasted me years and years.

For this particular trip I threw on a vest from Lilly Pulitzer, but most times I’ll either top this look off with an easy cotton v-neck sweater or a classic trench coat.

For accessories, I like to add a classic watch… A preppy look like this doesn’t need much jewelry.  I like to pack my laptop and iPad in an easily-washed nylon tote, tucking in a little metallic bag that can double as a wallet during travel and as a cross-body bag when going out or sightseeing once I reach my destination.

I traveled to Palm Beach on this trip so I could experiment with a more vibrant color palette.  If you’re traveling somewhere tropical (and as the months move into summer) it’s easy to bring in a little more color to any of these pieces.  If you want to keep with the preppy theme, think navy or evergreen with tan and dark jeans in the fall and winter and bright colors like coral and turquoise with white jeans in the spring and summer.

Best of all, once you get to your destination (and my fingers are crossed for you that it’s tropical) you can easily translate this outfit to night.  I switched out my shirt for a silky top and added a scarf around my shoulders to beat the ocean breeze.  Take out the little bag you packed in your tote and switch out the loafers for heels.

Last I talked to you all, I was just getting back from picking up my wedding dress in NYC.  I feel as if I spent most of January traveling across country for dress fittings and appointments and I was more than stressed at that point.  With only a few days before our departure to Palm Beach, I had a few sleepless nights and finished last-minute errands, laundry, and packing.

A lot of my stress lifted the day we departed.  J was a trooper packing up all our wedding gear, picking up our wedding planner, and driving us all to the airport.  All my things ended up filling the entire cargo hold of the plane, but I was so excited to see my parents nobody’s grumbling could get me down.  It was nice to have both the space to store all our wedding items and the space to get some last-minute meetings done with the wedding planner.

My uncle snapped this gorgeous photo of the waves.

One of the perks of having a wedding at The Breakers is all the pampering they do each time you visit the resort for the wedding… I’m a sucker for goodies and surprises.  The attention paid to every detail is impressive… They even had one of my dad’s favorite wines and a photo of John and I in a gorgeous frame for my mom waiting in their room.

We had dinner Tuesday night with my parents in The Breakers’ Seafood Bar.  There might have been key lime pie… #NoWeddingDiet.  I wore the evening-approved version of the travel outfit I described above… When you arrive somewhere after traveling it’s so nice to make a couple changes to what you’re already wearing and head out the door ten minutes later.

I’ll be posting more Palm Beach outfits next week… Just in time for you to get your vacation/spring/summer wardrobe ready.

I started searching for our dream wedding invitations on every bride’s best friend, Pinterest.  After numerous searches for “blush and gold invitations” and “luxe wedding invites” I had some basic ideas, but the real inspiration was still in my head.. Which, if you’ve ever planned a wedding, is the worst place for them to be since communicating how vague ideas fit into your overall fairytale can be difficult.

I was introduced to Ceci New York by my wedding planner and we had a conference call to go over the themes of my wedding, our current decor plans, and those vague ideas of mine.  I mentioned timeless scrolls and a beautiful crest, gold foil accents, and touches of blush pink.  I wanted the design to look romantic and luxe.

Once the design process begins, Ceci brides can be as involved or as uninvolved as they would like.  I chose to be part of the process… I wanted to see each round of inspiration, all the options, and even had the Pantone color chips sent to my house for me to check out.  I love visual styling, so getting to see these gorgeous invites each step of the way was like a dream for me.

After rounds and rounds of design styling, font and wording edits, mockups, and add-on’s with one of Ceci’s talented designers we decided on this luxe look set on the creamiest, thickest paper.  The invite is 9.25″ x 6.5″ soft white and gold foil on the front with an intricate blush and gold back.  We added a soft gold belly band around the invite to list our wedding website, as well as to add a little interest when guests opened their invitation.

The invitations came in a large envelope with digital calligraphy and two custom stamps.  Also in the envelope was a card giving guests information on accommodations, and an RSVP card and return envelope addressed to my wedding planner with another custom stamp.

I’m so happy with the way Ceci turned my vision into reality… I couldn’t put into words exactly what I wanted, but when I received the finished invitations to send out I began to cry because Ceci had created my dream invitations and it felt as if the little fantasies I had swirling around in my head had materialized in my hands.

I’m waiting on our professional photos to come in so I can do my wedding blog posts.  When I do, you’ll notice that we also used Ceci for our welcome bag tags, place cards, table numbers, and church programs.  We’ve also ordered our thank you’s from them.  I’m all for a creative company run by a woman that provides one-stop shopping!!

I’ve been missing writing and editing my outfit posts so much it’s ridiculous.  Here’s what I’ve been up to lately…

 

In mid-January my mom and I flew to Chicago for dress fittings.  Her rehearsal and wedding dresses are from there, as is my rehearsal dress.  Although wedding emails and callings were coming through at a breakneck pace, we found a little time to spend lunch with J’s mom at Fig & Olive and were able to decompress in the evenings.  We ordered room service and watched a wonderful movie called The Good Lie.  If you haven’t had the chance, please watch it – it’s a beautiful story.

 

From dreary, blustery Chicago my mom went home and J met me in the airport to journey on to New York for more dress fittings.  (I really am quite tired of being half naked in front of other people by now.)  While he doesn’t want to see the dresses until our wedding day, he was happy to go along and help me with our seating chart and other wedding planning tasks in between fittings.

At night we saw the musical Aladdin; a colorful, imaginative feast for the eyes and a must-see for any Disney fan.  Granted, J had to drink his Ketel One out of a souvenir plastic cup… But I don’t think he minded too much.  We met a good family friend for dinner at Smith & Wollensky.  And we had nightcaps at The Rose Club in The Plaza.

I’ve been wearing this outfit combo over and over again lately.  This thick fisherman’s sweater is cozy and incredibly warm.  I wear it with leggings and these Frye boots that seem to bridge the gap between casual and dressy perfectly.  I add a little scarf for color sometimes, and if I’m cold I’ll throw on this fur vest from Vince (similar one here).  It’s the perfect winter outfit and lends itself to traveling because everything is so comfortable.

I had a week at home, during which I worked on wedding planning nearly nonstop and managed to get a cold!!  So with an aching face, I boarded my flight last Monday to NYC.  Of course, there was a giant snowstorm forecasted which caused my flight to be diverted to Newark, NJ.  In whiteout conditions, the emergency flight I booked back to Denver was cancelled and all transportation by car into the city was taking an average of 2-3 hours.  Faced with waiting out the storm in the NJ airport or trying out the train system into the city, I chose the latter.

Thank goodness for my sweet friends… They guided me into the city (dragging along my giant leopard suitcase the entire time) and I stayed at my girlfriend’s place to indulge in some takeout, wine, and Nicholas Sparks movies.  We filled the bathtub just in case of power and water outages and went to bed expecting to wake up to a NYC snow globe.  Except… We didn’t.  The 2 feet of snow ended up being 4-6 inches and streets were relatively clear by noon that day.

My dress fittings cancelled, we spent Tuesday grabbing lunch with another NYC friend, working out at SoulCycle, hitting up a pharmacy to soothe my sinus problems, and seeing the movie Into the Woods (awful – don’t waste your time!)

My dress fittings were rescheduled Wednesday and I was thrilled to see both dresses again in person.  After multiple fittings, they were snug around me and the perfect length; I couldn’t be happier with the way they turned out.  It was the last time I would have them on my body before the wedding and it was an emotional day.

Thursday I picked up my wedding gown and hauled it home with me.  I was so happy to get home and begin packing and finalizing details for our wedding!!  I cannot believe it’s so close.  I have a lot to finish up and I won’t likely be posting much… But you can keep up with me and any posts in the meantime through my social media: