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10 of my favorite wedding things

  1. Snackboxe Bistro welcome dinner. Ah, I’m so lucky this restaurant came into my life when they did. I couldn’t have asked for a better venue to welcome all of our out of town guests and loved ones. Getting to spend time with them in a place where I have artwork hanging and I love the food – it was so so special. The food was amazing, every single item was delectable and ALL the guests kept telling me how impressed they were with how delicious it was. It was well worth the money to have this extra time with everyone before the wedding. 
  2. The Wandering Tea bridal tea. My goal in life is to support my friends and the Atlanta creatives I admire whenever and wherever possible. The minute I saw that my friend Charise was offering bridal suite tea parties, it was a no-brainer. I knew it was going to be a delight, but while it was happening I fully realized how necessary it was. Any bride who is getting their hair and makeup done needs some sustenance and relaxation and Charise brings it all to your room. I never wanted it to end! Sipping on tea and mimosas was really the perfect way to wind down before winding back up again. One of the best decisions I made by far.
  3. Laudae bridal gown from The SentimentalistMy family and I did bridal appointments with four different shops and while every shop had beautiful gowns, it was at this shop that I felt most at home. My style is sort of all over the place and I like to take risks, but in the end I needed a gown that made me feel like myself. Other dresses felt very WOW but this one felt RIGHT. Like I didn’t feel like I was dressing up, I was just dressing like myself. And this is me. 
  4. Sarah Dodge’s baked goods. If you didn’t know already, food is pretty important to me. Also I had been exercising some good restraint before the wedding so obviously I deserved treats. My favorite Atlanta baker, Sarah Dodge, was there for me. On my wedding day, she delivered straight to my hotel room – galettes, sandwiches, biscuits, scones, chocolate chip cookies, and a LOAF OF BREAD. Everyone was astounded by how delicious it all was and not only that but we had a bunch of treats leftover which we got to enjoy after the wedding for days. It was glorioussssss.
  5. Jade Jamrozy, a stylist I could trust. I think brides underestimate how important it is to like your stylist. Not just to like their style, but to also enjoy their spirit and company. Jade is one of the sweetest stylists I’ve ever had work on my hair and face and her kindness made me feel a whole lot less bridezilla-y when I had a bunch of thoughts and second guessing going on in my head. She really made me felt like I was taken care of and that I wasn’t crazy insane thinking about little things after the trial. That sort of trust is hard to come by. Naturally, like a few days after my wedding, I went back to her to chop my hair into a short bob. And now I finally have my forever hairstylist. <3
  6.  Support without having bridesmaids. This is a short ode to my friends. I didn’t have a bridal party, but these girls acted exactly as if and made sure I never felt like I was being bossy or demanding. I am so so blessed to have friends who are as kind and caring as they are. They were with me at every step and I couldn’t have done it without them by my side. They don’t need to be wearing matching dresses for me to know that they are my forever friends.
  7. Being married by my BFF. And to segue from the last point, we knew very early on that we couldn’t be married by a stranger. It only made sense to pick either a family member or a BFF. My friend Liz was the only one I trusted to be able to do this for us – to give our ceremony the gravity it needed while still maintaining the closeness of having a friend by our side. She’s known me for half my life and it was reassuring to have her standing there next to me while I was trying to keep it together during the ceremony.
  8. Ben & Colleen, low pressure and always there. Have you sensed a theme yet? All these favorite things are about people giving me reassurance and being by my side. Ben and Colleen were no different and thank goodness I picked them as our photographers. They were always there when I was looking for them, they were in control but also very open to any requests. They were present without being too present. They were capturing all the little moments but also doing some of the traditional shots. I had considered so many other photographers, it felt sort of like fate that I ended up with them.
  9. Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, a venue that perfectly suited our vision. If you get married, make sure you love the venue. And boy, did I love this venue. No pictures can compare to how lovely it actually was in person, but you can imagine it:
  10. Our vows. Obviously the actual best thing about the whole day was that I got to marry him. His vows wrecked me and so I was trying to keep it together when I said mine. Sigh. Nothing could ever compare to that moment.

pj party

Silly title, but I feel like I’m wearing men’s PJs. And I don’t hate it.

I gotta say this is probably my favorite kind of outfit. The silhouettes are figure flattering while the fabrics are breathable and elegant. If I had a whole closet full of these pieces in a variety of colors, I probably wouldn’t need much else!

If you think you’re too short to wear pants like this, let me remind you that I’m just about 5’4″ and wearing heels in these photos. I typically wear a size 4 or an XS in Anthro clothes (and often in petite sizes), but I got these pants in a standard small. It’s loose but seriously comfortable and gives me just enough fabric for the slit to only reveal itself when I’m walking or sitting.

And I mean, this top? Come on. I can wear it with white pants, I can wear it with joggers, jeans, skirts… so much!

summer vibes: cropped and wide

Well, this outfit was certainly a surprise. I saw this top online before I saw it in stores and it didn’t occur to me that it would be flattering let alone something I would actually want to purchase. I think it might have been the color that got me.

A lot of women seem to believe that this “cropped top” trend is not for them. I beg to differ. At some point within the last two decades, women were convinced that a longer top meant that she looks longer and leaner herself. This is not always true though and in fact, it can often do the opposite and truncate your figure and make your legs look stumpy. Crop tops, when selected and outfitted properly, are much more flattering because they don’t require any tucking! You can let your pants be your pants and your top be your top and that’s it.  And so I’ve found myself purchasing many a top that is cropped of all different shapes. Some will flare out like this one, others may come to a knot at the bottom. Either way I’m pretty glad that trends cycle back and around again and again.

tropic feels

Maxi dresses will never ever ever not be in style. Jumpsuits are obviously having a moment (as evidenced by how many retailers are upping their jumpsuit game) so I had to tell myself I needed to cool it on the jumpsuit front and find other kinds of pieces. This maxi dress is one I resisted for weeks and then finally gave in to.

The ease of the fit plus the boldness of the pattern equaled perfection for me. It floats away from the body, allowing me to feel comfortable. I love that you can wear this casually or dress it up with the change of a hairdo and jewelry. As I’ve said before, I’m striving for a wardrobe that will take me through my 30s with ease. I think I’m getting there. 

dress / anthropologie
earrings / anthropologie
sunglasses / anthropologie

linen on linen

I’m pretty excited it’s that time of year again… time for linen pants! I think I love them so much because they can look as edgy or classic as you want them to. It’s all in the styling.


Linen wide leg pants are a more recent obsession; it’s only in the last few years that I felt like I could pull them off and it’s probably because I finally found some that were flattering for my height (I’m 5’4″). All the wide leg pants I own (and flares) are petite sizes and I think that’s been the game changer. I do still have to wear a small heel but it’s the actual pant leg, not the length, that has become a better fit.

These new ones are particularly wide because of the slit on the sides, but they still look proportionately correct. They are slightly higher waisted but that means I can either wear them with a shorter top or tuck my top in for added definition. I create a linen on linen look here with this linen tank top but I’ve also worn these pants with just a tshirt tucked in to show off the rope belt detail.

linen pants / anthropologie
linen top / anthropologie
sunglasses / anthropologie
earrings / anthropologie
lip color / bawse by smashbox

kimono sleeve dress

If you told me I was gonna buy a dress that had kimono cold shoulder sleeves plus a lace bodice and burnout white lace pattern all over, I would die of disbelief. But it happened so now I can’t say anything about anything.

apron dress

Okay so by now, I can own up to it – I have a shopping addiction that is completely facilitated by the fact that I need to look good and fresh at work. While in my heart of hearts I know that new clothes are completely unnecessary and it contributes to the overall waste of the world, I also know that new clothes make me feel new inside too. Like when I feel stale and weird, a new piece can really pick my mood up. Superficial, maybe. But it’s just honestly what happens. Do you feel the same way?

headband, apron dress, seychelles mules / anthropologie

sequined pencil skirt

Wish there was something interesting for me to say about this outfit… but there isn’t. It’s simply a classic pairing for me – off the shoulder top and a pencil skirt. People know me for loving jumpsuits and pencil skirts. Can you blame me? 

in my white tee

Two things you may or may not know about me: 1. I’m not a “just a white tee” kind of girl and 2. I’m self conscious about my arms. Yes you may think I’m being ridiculous but I feel the way I feel and we all have our things that we can’t let go of. Cut to this top I just bought – it defied those two things and I bought it because I couldn’t get it out of my head.

I’ve worn it three times in the last three days and I have a feeling I will wear it until there’s holes in it. The feminine ruffle sleeve highlights my arms in a way that I somehow don’t hate. It’s the perfect proportion for my almost-petite frame. Not to mention, it allows me to wear just a white tee while still looking put together. 

from the block

Yes, as in Jenny from the block. Why? Because this jumpsuit feels part Destiny’s Child Survivor and part JLo. And I’m all parts excited about it. I really hope I can continue to rock jumpsuits into my 40s because within the next 5 years, I might have every shade under the sun.