SOCIAL MEDIA

6.29.2016

Pink Floral Kimono

Kimono: Forever 21 (old, similar here and this one is SO cute), Jeans: Joe's, Sandals: Rebecca Minkoff, Hat: Rhythm (sold out, similar here)
Happy Wednesday darlings! Hope your week is going well so far. Linking up with Mix & Match Fashion for today's post. First off--I just wanted to thank y'all for your sweet comments on my last post about our move/new house! We're so excited about it and everyone was just so kind and excited for us! As always, I've been super busy this week. Still working on unpacking the house, furniture shopping and work has been off the chain. We also have my cousin's wedding in NY this weekend so since we'll be away, everything is sort of crammed into these few days. We leave Friday evening for NY and come back Monday night so it'll be a pretty short trip. I'm so excited though--it seems like just yesterday she got engaged! I'm going to do a blog post on Friday but I'll probably be skipping Monday's post so I can enjoy the last few hours with family before we had back to VA.

I got this kimono from Forever 21 either last year or the year before that and I still love wearing it for summer! The floral print is so pretty and the material is super airy and lightweight. Kimonos are so easy to throw over a dress or almost any bottoms and I just love the boho vibes they create! I linked to a couple other kimonos I'm lusting after currently. I think they would be so adorable for my upcoming trip to California!
6.27.2016

Moving Weekend


Happy Monday loves! Hope you had a wonderful weekend. Ours was pretty eventful since we moved into our new house! Linking up with Biana from B Loved Boston for today's post. I promised to get up an empty house tour but no joke when I say, we didn't have a minute to spare! Our U-Haul got double-booked on Saturday and we had to drive 30 minutes out of our way to get a new truck after calling customer service and complaining. We won't be using them again for our next move--which hopefully won't be for another 5 years because after this weekend I could not be more exhausted! It wasn't until we were unloading all the boxes that I realized "Crap! I needed photos for our 'empty house tour' for the blog." Oh well--I promise to post photos as we get each room a little more decorated!

Photos above are of our beautiful kitchen which is one of my favorite parts of the whole house! It's beautifully upgraded and super spacious. This is the only part of the house that we got unpacked pretty quickly so it was sort of photograph-ready! Our focus now is going to be finishing furnishing our living room--then it's time to finally get a dining table. I've been doing research for the last few months and just haven't found anything that I really love! I think we're just going to take our time and do everything one room at a time.

How was your weekend?!
6.24.2016

New Home--Decor Inspo

Sofa: Ashley Furniture, Apothecary Jars: Pier 1, Lamp: Nordstrom, Rug: Target, Mirror: Wayfair, Candle: ILLUME, Coffee Table: Wayfair
Happy Friday loves! Hope you had a wonderful week and some fun weekend plans ahead. Today I am actually home from work because I want to get a lot of stuff done around the new house before we move all the big furniture in on Saturday. We had our couch set delivered yesterday (which is super similar to the one pictured above--the exact couch isn't online), we also had cleaners come in to do a deep clean of the house, and also had cable/internet set up! Needless to say, it's been a super busy week and the weekend will be no exception. I know I mentioned I might get the empty house tour up on the blog today but I think I'm going to have to push it to Monday because I haven't had time yet to take a bunch of pictures!

Obviously, with getting the house, I have been all about researching furniture, home decor, reading interior design blogs, etc., so I wanted to share some inspiration with you guys for our new place! I have always been really into the shabby chic look and I'm also really into neutral colors. I like keeping things pretty grey/white BUT I love a pop of blue! Maybe it's because I also love that coastal look but I think blue is just so gorgeous and calming in a home. It's also pretty gender neutral so it's a good color to use when you're decorating for you and your hubby/boyfriend/fiance.

We are keeping some of our furniture from our old place but a lot of it we're selling so we can buy something new/better quality. One thing I'm seriously struggling with is finding a dining room table that I like! If you guys have any suggestions I would love to hear. I can't wait to show you guys more of the house and I'm so excited to do more home decor/home update posts!

Have a wonderful weekend!!
6.22.2016

Boho Floral in Red

Tunic/Dress: Free People, Heels: Sam Edelman, Clutch: Free People (old, SUPER similar here)
Happy Hump Day darlings! Linking up with Mix & Match Fashion for today's post! Hope your week is going well so far. Mine has just been CHAOTIC but in a good way! We got the keys to our townhouse on Monday so it's finally 100% officially ours!! So all week we have just been packing up our apartment after we get home from work--we honestly didn't really want to get started until we knew it was happening for sure. Needless to say we have SO much to pack. We have been in this apartment for 3 years now which I think might be the longest we've ever lived in an apartment so a lot of stuff has accumulated! Thursday and Friday we're bringing the smaller stuff over gradually then on Saturday we are bringing all the big furniture. I really want to post some "empty home" pictures either this Friday or maybe even Monday depending how everything goes!

Anyway--this dress from Free People just gives me life. The color is so different from anything else that I own and I love the big floral boho pattern. They labeled this as a tunic so I'm pretty sure you're supposed to wear pants underneath (oops) but it's definitely just long enough to wear as a dress. I love that it's high-low and super flowy! I'm just in love.
6.20.2016

Button-Down Maxi

Maxi Skirt: Pull & Bear via Asos (Sold out, similar here), Tee: Caslon, Necklace: Kendra Scott, Hat: J. Crew, Sandals: Dolce Vita (old, similar here)
Happy Monday loves! Hope you had a fabulous weekend with beautiful sunshine like we had here in DC. Linking up with Biana from B Loved Boston and Style Elixir for today's post! This weekend pretty much consisted of prepping for the big move this upcoming Saturday into our townhouse. Honestly, I got so overwhelmed as I was packing up my clothes because needless to say, there is a lot of it! I did donate several bags full which made me feel awesome. I love cleaning out my closet and moving is always the perfect time to do it! Sunday I spent the morning by the pool finishing up "Me Before You." Let's just say I had to head back to the apartment because I was unable to contain my emotion! Now I just need to see the movie.

This maxi skirt from Asos is seriously one of the most comfortable clothing items I own! It's so SO soft and since it has the awesome split down the middle, it's super breezy. I just feel so comfortable in maxi skirts and dresses for summer. This is a go-to outfit of mine!

--Also, I'm wearing the Smashbox lipstick I talked about in Friday's post in these photos if y'all were interested in the color. Seriously OBSESSED!
6.17.2016

Weekly Favorites


Happy Friday loves! I feel like this week just dragged on and on so I'm glad it's FINALLY almost the weekend. This weekend is going to be pretty busy. We're finally going to start packing up now that everything is pretty much settled for the townhouse! I'm also trying to squeeze in a lunch date with one of my awesome bridesmaids/besties. We also need to stop into a few different furniture stores because I just can't commit to ordering a lot of the furniture online without seeing it in-person. For such a big purchase, I really need to see it! I think we also need to start registering for wedding gifts because I seriously can't think of a weekend where we have downtime to do it in July.

I've never done a post like this before but I love reading when other bloggers do it! I just wanted to share a few of my favorite links/articles/recipes/etc that I stumbled upon this week. Linking up with Amanda from Meet at the Barre for today's post!

Favorite New Website--I think I'm probably SO late on this discovery but while I was scoping out Pinterest, I came across an article posted on "The Every Girl." Now I'm totally in love with this website! I especially love the home decor/home tour posts!

Favorite Article--Since I was pretty much reading every single article on The Every Girl when I had downtime, I really enjoyed this one specifically on managing and maximizing your savings. I'll be totally honest that the past 2-3 years of my life I have not been focused on saving at all. Now that we have all these big expenses coming up, reality has struck! This article was definitely helpful and super realistic.

Favorite Blog/Outfit Post--This post is actually from last week but I am SERIOUSLY obsessed with this outfit from Ashley aka The Teacher Diva. It's just such a cute look and y'all know how much I love blush!

Favorite Beauty Item--I normally sort of gravitate towards mauve/brown lip colors so I wanted to try something a little different for summer. These Smashbox "Always On" Matte Liquid Lipsticks are seriously amazing and so comfortable to wear. I got it in the color "Babe Alert" which is a really fun pink! They describe it as a rose shade but I would say it has some really subtle coral undertones too. I just love it!

Favorite Home Decor Inspo--Since we're going to be moving into our townhouse so soon, I'm all about home decor and interior decorating blogs/articles/etc. I follow Lauren McBride on Bloglovin' and this post popped up on my feed! I LOVE the farmhouse vibes for home decorating inspiration and her tips are awesome.

Hope you guys enjoyed this post and I'd love to hear some of your weekly favorites in the comments! Have a wonderful weekend!
6.15.2016

My Favorite Summer Accessories

Sunnies, Panama Hat, Sandals, Bracelet, Beach Tote, Headwrap
Hope your weeks are going well so far! As usual, mine has been a little bit hectic. I haven't wanted to say anything until we were officially good to go, but we will be moving into our townhouse next weekend! We're starting to pack and also we're trying to sell a few furniture items before we move because there are a couple things we don't want to bring with us. It's always nice to sort of start from scratch when you move into a new place! I'm so excited to move in and I can't wait to start doing more home decor posts and updates. Also, now that I'm finally going to have more space, I'm really hoping to start filming some videos as well. That was one of my resolutions for this year but we're just so cramped for space right now so it's been really difficult!

I wanted to get one more outfit post up for you guys this week but the photos we shot this weekend just turned out really dark and I wasn't happy with the quality. Instead, I just want to share a few accessories I am LOVING this summer! I already talked about this J. Crew panama hat in Monday's post but y'all--you seriously need it in your life. I also have been loving my round Ray-Bans. I have had them for a while but I have been really getting back into wearing them this summer. Lastly, how ADORABLE is this bag from Target?! It's such a great dupe for so many other pom-pom/tassel beach bags out there and is probably a quarter or less of the price. Caitlin from Southern Curls and Pearls also did a super cute tutorial here on how to DIY a pom/pom beach tote and I thought it was such a great idea. Just wanted to share since these totes are on major trend right now!
6.13.2016

Little Black Romper

Romper: Loft (on sale!), Wedges: Old (similar here), Hat: J. Crew
Happy Monday darlings! Hope you had a wonderful and safe weekend. Linking up with Biana from B Loved BostonStyle Elixir, and Mix & Match Fashion for today's post! To be honest, I'm still reeling from the tragedy in Orlando. My heart is just so broken for all of the innocent victims and their families. I am just praying for everyone involved and praying that one day these horrible acts of hatred will end. For those of you in Florida, I hope your community finds peace and strength following this awful tragedy!

On a happier note, we spent Saturday in our first floral consultation for the wedding. It went so well and I'm feeling such a sense of relief! The florist was so incredibly helpful and knowledgeable! I just can't wait to see how everything we talked about turns out. Sunday, I spent the morning at the pool and finally started reading "Me Before You." I'm already half-way through and just love it so far!

This romper from Loft is such a summer staple and it's currently on sale! It's awesome quality and I love the length of the bottoms. Also--this hat from J. Crew is seriously one of my favorite recent purchases! It's the PERFECT panama hat if you're looking for one. It goes with almost every outfit!
6.10.2016

Engagement Photos--What to Wear!

www.kirstensmithphotography.com
[What I'm Wearing: Dress: Topshop (old, similar here), Booties (old, similar here), What Steven's Wearing: Top: J. Crew]
Okay y'all, I promise this is the last post where I'm just gushing over our engagement photos! But as promised, I wanted to talk a little bit about how we picked what to wear. As you know, I'm just a little obsessed with talking about fashion and before going into our photo session, I read a bunch of other blogs and articles about what we should wear! Here are some tips I read and also learned myself along the way:

1.) Be the "Best Version of Yourself": If you're not the type of person that wears dresses often or wears prints/patterns, then don't do it for your pictures! Wear a nice top and a nice pair of jeans. Whatever you feel most comfortable in! The pictures should be a reflection of your style (and your fiance's) and you want to feel like you look your absolute best. You're not going to feel that way if you're wearing something totally out of your comfort zone.
2.) Pair solids & patterns: As you can see, in each set of outfits Steven and I combined solids with patterns. Combining too many patterns can be really distracting and wearing only solids doesn't give a lot of dimension.
3.) Wear colors that compliment but don't match: Initially I was thinking about having Steven wear navy to match my off-the-shoulder top but when I pictured it, we would sort of just blend together into one blob of navy in the photos and I definitely didn't want that! I wanted him to wear white so it really added some contrast without being too mismatched.
4.) Think about your background: I knew we were going to be photographed amongst a lot of greenery and yellows and browns so I wanted to pick outfits that really stood out against the background. Just be cognizant of your surroundings and don't pick colors that are going to blend in.
5.) Bring multiple outfits: This might be a little high maintenance to some, but I knew I wanted some photos where we were basically wearing our "Sunday Best" and some where we just looked like ourselves on an everyday basis. That honestly sort of describes our style together because we like to get dressed up when we go out on dates but when we're just spending time running errands together or with family we keep things casual! Also, it's just nice to have some versatility in your photos!
6.) Wear comfortable shoes: I feel like this is a pretty "um...duh" tip but we were doing a lot of walking around to different areas of the park and also you can see we had to trek through the woods to get some shots. Make sure you're wearing shoes you know are comfortable and functional especially if you're shooting outside in nature!
7.) Last but not least is only for the ladies--wear make-up that is going to stand out in photos but also makes you feel your prettiest. Don't go overboard if you're the type of person that just likes natural looking make-up. And if you love getting done up with false lashes and smokey eyes and that's how you feel the most confident, then do that! Make sure you don't wear foundation with an SPF (to avoid flashback in photos) and if you're changing outfits, make sure your eye and lip colors go well with both looks.

That's all I have--I hope you enjoyed reading these tips and found some of them useful!
Have a wonderful weekend loves!
[What I'm Wearing: Top: Eight Sixty (linked here but sold out), Denim: Joe's Jeans, Sandals: Rebecca Minkoff, What Steven's Wearing: Henley: J. Crew

Thank you again to Kirsten Smith Photography for the amazing experience and gorgeous photos!
6.08.2016

Easy Weekend Style

Sweater: Lou & Grey via Loft, Jeans: Joe's, Shoes: Sam Edelman
Happy Wednesday ladies! Hope your weeks are going well so far. Linking up with Mix & Match Fashion for today's post! My week has already been somewhat eventful! I won't get too much into it but there is a possibility of a really exciting change for me at work so I will be thrilled if that works out! Also, there has been a good amount of wedding planning going on this week. I ordered my Save-the-Dates and am so excited to see them! I used Wedding Paper Divas if any of you are curious and so far the experience has been really great. We also are meeting with a couple florists this weekend just to start getting a general idea--especially when it comes to the budget! I literally have no idea what flowers cost but I've heard it's pretty insane.

This sweater from Loft is one of my new favorites! I love lightweight sweaters for summer because in the evening if we're going out to dinner or to the movies I always get a little chilly if they are cranking the AC. Sweaters like this are perfect because you're not going to be sweating wearing them outside but it'll also keep you a little warmer indoors! I also just LOVE the blush shade of this sweater and the slouchy style of it. It would look really adorable over white denim as well!
6.06.2016

Chic Wrap Skirt

Top: Asos, Skirt: H.I.P. via Nordstrom, Shoes: J. Crew, Tote: Tory Burch, Necklace: Kendra Scott
Happy Monday loves! Hope you had a beautiful weekend. Linking up with Biana from B Loved Boston and Style Elixir for today's post! We had a super relaxing weekend for the most part--we were really just looking at furniture for the new house and getting some ideas for decorating. The weather was supposed to be rainy the whole time but it ended up just being cloudy with the sun peaking through once in a while! I don't know why but I was just feeling so drained all week so it was nice to get some lounge time.

This skirt is an absolute closet staple! First off, it's SO comfortable and I think it's super flattering. You can dress it up or dress it down making it super versatile! I could actually even wear it to work depending what I pair with it. I got this crop top from Asos last year and seriously haven't worn it once! I'm not really a crop top kinda gal but I thought it looked adorable with this skirt. The skirt is high-waisted enough so it's not revealing too much skin!

How was your weekend?!
6.03.2016

My Favorite Wedding Planning Tools (So Far...)

www.kirstensmithphotography.com
Happy Friday darlings! I don't know about you but I couldn't be happier that this week is over. It was just jam packed and incredibly busy but this weekend should be pretty relaxing! I'm going to just jump right in to today's post because I think it might be sort of long.

As most of you know, we're in the process of planning our wedding which is next April! I'll preface this by saying we had a longer engagement than most. By the time we walk down the aisle, it will have been a total of 21 months. The first 6 or so months I honestly didn't do much and it was pretty amazing! We loved having that time where we could just enjoy being engaged. The only thing we did do last October was booked the venue. Venues around here book up well in advance and especially out in the Chesapeake Bay area which is where we knew we wanted the wedding to be. The only other thing I did prior to the 12-month mark was purchase my wedding dress! I truly thought it would take forever for me to find my dress because I'm SO picky and as y'all know, fashion is my passion (haha). Much to EVERYONE's surprise, the very first dress I tried on was the one! Fast-forward to April where I finally got into full planning mode. Since I do have the luxury of time, I don't want to waste it. There are obviously certain things that have to wait until closer to the actual wedding date but the little things leading up to that I really want to be on top of. Here are a few tips that have already helped me feel organized so far:

1.) A General Timeline-when we were first engaged I sort of used this 2 year timeline as a guide. But I haven't really stuck to it because we did so little in the first 6 months of our engagement! This is the one I have been more diligent about sticking to and it has been so helpful. There are a TON on Pinterest so you can really find one more suited to your engagement period. I also took the timeline from Pinterest and made my own spreadsheet where I populated the corresponding months each item needed to be completed leading up to next April. It feels good to mark things off the list!
2.) A Fabulous Agenda/Planner-maybe I'm sort of behind the curve on this but I don't really use my phone or tablets for planning. In my everyday life, I'm a list-maker and I like to hand-write it. That's why I've always had a really comprehensive agenda! I knew when wedding planning it would be no exception. My Erin Condren planner is AWESOME--I feel like I can really have everything all in one place. I use the agenda pages and calendars to mark milestones or appointments, the grid pages for some budget planning (although I do most of it in excel), note pages for note-taking when meeting with vendors and also for making lists. For example, I have a list going right now of all the ideas I have for bridesmaid gifts! My only complaint about the planner is it's sort of big and bulky. I wish they shrunk it down just a bit so it wasn't such a pain to carry around! I also bought this Kate Spade Wedding Planner which I love the idea of but to be honest, I haven't used it that much.
3.) A Book of Lists-I can't remember who it was but another blogger talked about this book from The Knot and it sounded PERFECT for me! As I mentioned before, I'm a huge list-maker so having a book of pre-made lists sounded amazing. I also love how tiny and compact it is so you can bring it with you to meetings with vendors!
3.) Excel-this is sort of a boring tip, but I use excel for almost everything. I have one big spreadsheet with our guest list and a separate tab for addresses so everything is in one place. I use it for budget planning and also as I mentioned before, for a breakdown of our timeline!
4.) Pinterest-I mean...let's be real, I have had a "Wedding" board on Pinterest since I was in college. I'm pretty sure I have well over a thousand pins on that one! Pinterest is just such an amazing platform for brides and if you're super visual like me, it's so helpful for literally EVERY aspect of wedding planning. I honestly don't know how people planned weddings before Pinterest existed lol.
5.) Google Docs-I love using Google Docs because my parents, Steven, or my future in-laws can access anything I load on there. For example, I uploaded our tentative guest list and it was nice because they could review and make any additions or adjustments! I think it'll also be great for planning with bridesmaids too because a few of my bridesmaids live far away!
6.) Referrals-this isn't really a "physical tool" but it's a huge tip for any bride-to-be. If you can get referrals for any of your vendors it's SO incredibly helpful and it just helps alleviate anxiety when you see what they can do in action! I had a friend from high school who was kind enough to send me a list of all her vendors and contact information. I didn't even ask for it! She just sent it to me right after Steven and I got engaged which was so sweet! Even though we aren't even close to booking all of our vendors, she referred me to Kirsten, our photographer who I had an amazing experience with and I'm definitely planning on reaching out to more of her recommended vendors.  One of my bridesmaids also just got married last summer so she has given me tips and referrals too!

I know none of these are super earth-shattering but I hope it was sort of helpful and fun to read! I really didn't even know where to start when we got engaged so all of these tips and tools have been so helpful in keeping me sane and organized!

Have a wonderful weekend!!
6.01.2016

Boho in Yellow

Dress: Lush via LuLu's (on sale!!), Hat: J. Crew, Sandals: Rebecca Minkoff, Sunnies: Ray-Ban
Happy Hump Day loves! Hope y'all are enjoying your short week so far. Linking up with Style Perspectives and Mix & Match Fashion for today's post! I say this every time but I wish 3 day weekends were permanent! That one extra day just makes a world of difference. The only bad thing is that everything gets crammed into 4 days so it has been SUPER busy at work! I have been doing a little bit of research this morning because this weekend I think my friend Nicole and I are going to get HydraFacials. I have heard really good things about it from other bloggers and I have always had horribly dry skin. If it's helpful, I would love to get that regimen going leading up to the wedding. Have y'all ever done it before or heard anything about it??

There are no words for how much I LOVE this dress! The bright yellow color, the subtle floral pattern, and the fun layered ruffles at the bottom--just a recipe for adorable. I wanted a dress that was super easy for summer but also had a really different color or pattern than I typically purchase. This one is just so bright and summery! It's also on sale right now so this would be a great time to scoop it up;)