Brianna

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So apparently Galentine’s Day is a thing… and it’s a thing that’s been happening for years and I’ve never even heard of it until a few weeks ago. One of the girls in my church group asked to have us over for Galentine’s Day and of course I said yes because, let’s be real, I’ll take any excuse to have a girls day with brunch and some bubbly. She made the most amazing breakfast with ranch casserole style potatoes, monkey bread and fruit salad (insert drooling emoji face).

I took on the patio decor and wanted to share some fun and easy DIYs! Most of this was pulled from supplies I already had. If you want to buy real roses, they would be prettier, but I had fake ones from the dollar store. This was such a great day and should just be a reminder that you don’t have to be in a relationship to celebrate this day. It can be a simple reminder to tell someone special in your life why you love them. 

 

Cheers to love! xo

A quick glimpse into our wedding day. I’m making a separate Gallery with a lot more photos, but wanted to make a post with our vendor details for anyone else planning a wedding in the SoCal area!

(I am also renting the macrame and peacock chairs in the reception photo below! Contact me if interested.)

 

Planner: Cortney Helaine     

http://www.cortneyhelaine.com/

Venue: Casa Romantica    

http://casaromantica.org/

Florals: Little Hill Floral Designs  

http://www.littlehillfloraldesigns.com/

Photographer: Chase Sevey    

http://chasesevey.com/

Videographer: Johnny B Films    

https://www.johnnybfilms.com/

Catering: 24 Carrots    

http://24carrots.com/

Rentals: Signature Party Rental    

http://www.signatureparty.com/

Hair + Makeup: Design Visage (ask for Karissa!)   

http://www.designvisage.com/

Band: The Trip Band

http://www.tripband.com/

Photobooth: Viva Photo Studio

http://www.vivaphotostudio.com/

Bridal Party + Family Accommodations:

Beachcomber http://thebeachcomberinn.com/

The Seahorse Resort http://www.seahorseresort.com/

Casa Tropicana   https://www.casatropicana.com/

Wedding “After Hours”: Pierside (Restaurant at Casa Tropicana)

http://www.piersidesc.com/

Rehearsal Dinner: South of Nick’s

http://nicksrestaurants.com/south-of-nicks/

For some reason when I imagined planning a wedding, I never thought the dress factor would be so stressful. I always knew I wanted long sleeves and lace which is a common style and thought it would be a breeze. Not. I made 3 appointments to start with: Love and Lace, The White Dress and Grace Loves Lace.  

We started early morning at Love and Lace and tried on a good number of dresses in different styles. Because I have bigger boobs, I was set on the fact that I could only try dresses with boning. They had several options close to what I always imagined, but nothing I tried on really wowed me. I remember at one point saying maybe wedding dresses just don’t look good on me.I put one to the side and decided it was most likely the one if I didn’t find anything else.

We stopped to get lunch before heading to our second location and got a round of margaritas. By no means should anyone be drunk when deciding on a wedding dress, BUT I definitely needed this to loosen up. I think I drank less than half of it because I was too nervous to get buzzed and make the wrong decision, but it helped so much. When we arrived at The White Dress the stylist handed me a dress she suggested I try on and I instantly said nope that would never look good on me, so she put it back. I had everyone choose one dress they liked and I picked several myself. Divide and conquer mentality going. Again, I found so many potential options but still felt so indecisive. The stylist begged me again to try on the dress, and at that point I said sure why not. 

 

As she zipped it up, I was surprisingly glowing so in love. When I walked out and stood on the podium to show everyone, it was the first dress I was actually smiling in. I think by my expression alone my mom, sis and bff unanimously agreed it was THE ONE. Before I knew it, I was saying yes to the dress, champagne was being popped and a few tears were being shed …mixed in with giddy laughter. 

 

Ines Di Santo is known for her beautifully intricate lace work. I did choose to order extra lace which I added to the front of the dress. The original neck was even deeper than what I’m pictured in above and I didn’t feel comfortable having all that cleavage going on. 

 

To be honest, when I say the dress aspect is stressful, for me it was more so thinking about it all year after the purchase. Did I make the right decision? Is it too ‘this’, not enough ‘that’ ? Does it match our theme? Will Charlie love it? Advice that helped me SO much… The dress is going to look WAY different on your phone, so don’t look at any of them after the purchase. Wait until your fittings and when your dress finally arrives to see it on you in person again. I remember each fitting was reassurance I made the right decision. My biggest piece of advice is to be open minded and try on dresses you never think would work for your body type. You might be pleasantly surprised! 😉 My final piece of advice is to make this day intimate. You don’t want too many opinions. The day is already overwhelming enough as is. Have fun and know there’s a perfect dress for you… just like picking a husband… don’t ever settle. ;p

Kauai will forever hold a special place in my heart after this trip. It was a first for both Charlie and I, and we already can’t wait to go back. Princeville is packed with greenery, beautiful hikes and serene beaches. However, due to the winter weather and honeymoon state of mind, Charlie and I really stuck to a leisurely vacation. Charlie went surfing in the rain one afternoon and had a blast, but I had to sit it out due to a bug bite on my leg that took over my entire thigh. Tip- pack bug spray! After that, we loaded up on deet and organic sprays. I did the whole shabang. 

We ate and drank everything, did yoga every morning and relaxed on the beach. Princeville is less touristy than the south and is home to some delicious food. Here are some of our top recommendations. 

Hanalei Bread Company: Adorable breakfast and coffee shop. Everything here is amazing, they also have some gluten free options for their baked goodies. This place is a must.

Bar Acuda: Another dinner must. They’re known for tapas, bar + wine; all Southern European and Mediterranean inspired. It’s a casual, lively and welcoming atmosphere with indoor and patio seating. 

The Dolphin Restaurant: A highly recommended fish house. We didn’t eat at the restaurant, but they have a poke house in the back where you can get fresh to-go items along with a wall of local sauces. If you know me, you know I love my sauces, so this hidden gem was a little piece of heaven. We picked out a couple rolls and a small poke bowl before heading to the beach. 

Bar Taheiti Nui: This is a dive bar that won’t show the best ratings on yelp, but a great locals spot with some pretty good pizza.

Postcards Cafe:  I’m pretty sure this used to be a home that was transformed into a boutique restaurant. Everything is super fresh and they only use local organic produce. You have to be a seafood lover for this one since they don’t use any meat, poultry, refined sugar, or foods with chemical additives. We got the seafood pasta and their homemake sake cocktails.

The St. Regis Resort – Even if you don’t stay here, definitely go for happy hour on their patio! The sunset view is hard to beat. We also walked over for breakfast one morning to check out their brunch, which looked awesome, but ended up just going to their coffee shop before heading to Poipu.

Waimea Falls: We stopped by these falls on the way down to Poipu. There was a local on the side of the road with fresh coconuts in the bed of his truck and a machete – seemed legit. The falls are breathtaking! 

 

Bucket List for Next Time: 

Queen’s Bath: The swell was reaching 20 foot waves while we were in town and were advised not to make the trek. 

Jack Harter Helicopters: Our helicopter ride got cancelled due to weather.