Category Archives: Events

hosting: kendra scott + off the shoulder

Today’s second post is a little personal for me.

First, I hope this outfit inspires you for all things Spring. I’ve linked some similar items below that you can mix and match but off-the-shoulder tops, midi skirts and wedges are quickly becoming my go-to’s on these gorgeous April days.

{Photography by Alexis Kaplan}

{Deets: Off the Shoulder Top (similar ones here & here) // Midi Skirt (similar here and here) // Wedges (similar) // Sunglasses (or rent them here – use TOASTING for free month of sunglasses) // Lips (fanfare) // Bucket Bag // Jewels // Paws // Iphone Case}

Second, I’ve also paired this look with some of my fave Kendra Scott pieces.

If you haven’t already, be sure to “like” Kendra Scott (Tampa) for the latest updates. The Tampa store is opening SOON!

Wedding Season with Tempo Tonight

With my sister’s wedding on the horizon, there have been lots of wedding-related posts the past few months. These have also been some of the most popular ones to date as I assume bridesmaid and bachelorette duties are something we can all relate to at some point or another.

Well, today I am happy to share something that will help with another aspect of your life – also related to weddings – hangovers (or as I like to call them “Irish Flus”) or lack there of thanks to my new can’t-leave-home-without item – Tempo Tonight!

If you remember, I first introduced you to Tempo Tonight in my “Welcome Bag + Hangover Kits” post from my sister’s bachelorette weekend. I traveled with a few boxes to Charleston and all of the girls tried them out on just the perfect weekend.

For those of you not familiar with Tempo, it’s an all natural hangover and detox supplement that is taken both before AND after drinking. This is unlike most so-called “hangover pills” that you only take after the fact. Tempo ensures the absorption of nutrients and eliminates toxins before they hit your system. It works proactively while you’re drinking instead of just the next day.

Their new packets come with 4 pills – 2 to take prior to drinking and 2 when you head home or after “last call” (cheat sheet below).

They now come in price-break packages for all your wedding needs too (see below and shop here)!

  • Bachelorette Package – 2 Boxes 
    • Good for 12 people for two nights
    • $85 ($90 value)
  • Rehearsal Dinner Package – 3 Boxes
    • Good for 36 people 
    • $120 ($135 value)
  • Wedding Reception package – 9 Boxes
    • Good for 100 people
    • $360 ($405 value)

These have easily become a part of my weekend routines or even when I know I’m going to have a few drinks after work. Since college, I often complain that I get a headache and feel sick even just after a few glasses of wine. Well, Tempo has helped tremendously with that and I wake up sans a hangover and can more easily start my day compared to before. I’ve also let friends, both male and female, friends try it and they’ve also seen positive results. Now, that certainly doesn’t mean you have an excuse for excessive binge drinking but if you’re like me and you get an Irish Flu every now and then, you must try these yourself!

Today, I wanted to also share the new packages that Tempo has launched for weddings! As you might know, wedding weekends are often long and full of events after events. Between luncheons, showers, rehearsal dinners, welcome parties and then the actual day of and reception – you consume many mimosas, cocktails and then some!

One of the most important days for us girls not to feel hungover is the morning of the actual wedding. Whether you’re the bride, bridesmaid (or even a guest or groom!), waking up early, starting hair and make up and being “on” all day can be quite tolling even on a non-hungover Harriet or Hank. This is where Tempo would make perfect little gifts to include to your bridesmaids so they can feel bright-eyed and bushy-tailed come an 8AM call time even after a too-much-fun rehearsal dinner the night before. (You could also include and give these out to wedding guests.)

I know I will certainly be using a few packets for my sister’s big weekend soon.

Happy Wedding Season and Happy No More Hangovers! Cheers!

{This is a sponsored post by Tempo Tonight. All opinions are my own.}

Charleston Bachelorette Party Guide Part Two

If you’re reading today’s post, I hope you caught up on my Bachelorette “Welcome Bags” post (and hangover kits!) + Part One of my Charleston Bachelorette Party Guide. I’m back now with the long-awaited part two deets!

Saturday Evening: Roaring 20’s + Games + Dinner & Cocktails

After we finished up our blowouts at Tease on Saturday afternoon, we headed back to the house to get ready for dinner. We had bubbly, cocktails and played a few games – notably, “What’s in Your Purse” by WPD.

A common bachelorette weekend trend is everyone wears black (or a color) and the bride goes out in white. Well, I wanted to put a twist on this trend and have a theme that my sister would enjoy too.

The theme for the night was Roaring 20’s (fitting for Charleston!) – so think Great Gatsby-ish, flappers, headpieces and yes, we had long strings of pearls to wear out. The only rule was that you couldn’t wear white but everyone dolled up in dresses, sequins and all things 20s. We also wore flash tattoos on this evening and more stickers.

After drinks at the house, we headed to dinner at the delicious O-Ku Sushi in Downtown Charleston. My sister loves sushi and it was the perfect atmosphere for a large group of girls – delicious sushi items to split, crafted cocktails, gorgeous decor and beats!

O-Ku is also within walking distance to The Cocktail Club and other Charleston Bars. If you’re in the mood for a more “club scene” – Republic is also close. We headed to The Cocktail Club after dinner and took over a large portion of the bar. In warmer months, I love Cocktail Club’s deck too so be sure to check it out if you’re planning an outing in Charleston. (These Florida babes were a little too “cold” to step outside long.)

Sunday: Surprise Private Barre Class + Farewell Brunch

My sister’s last “date card” surprise was given to her as she woke up on Sunday morning. She thought we were just going to have a big brunch and everyone would head home, but we still had more fun in store for her.

To give you the background on this “surprise” (as not all brides might enjoy a workout on their bach weekend) – Megan had always told me how fun she thought a yoga class would be on a bach weekend (YEARS ago) and well, I never forgot that little comment. Flash forward 5 years and her and I have both become addicted to barre (seriously, we never miss it!) so I couldn’t imagine a weekend without it somehow included.

She woke up to another bag (Wifey bag sold here) full of goodies including Pointe Studio barre socks for her and all the girls, Emi Jay “See You at the Barre” tank, a new Lululemon sports bra, AND a tutu to wear to class (a la Target kids). (I also threw in the “husband is the new boyfriend” tee for her to wear post wedding).

My friend Margaret works for Pure Barre HQ so she put me in touch with the owners of the Charleston studio and we worked to put together a private class for our group on Sunday morning. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, everyone wore the “welcome bag” cocktail tees, patterned barre socks, hair ties and last night’s hangovers. After we LTB and tucked to our heart’s content, we enjoyed mimosas at the studio and headed to a much-needed southern brunch.

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Charleston Bachelorette Party Guide Part One

I’m back today with a full recap of my sister’s bachelorette weekend in Charleston, South Carolina. If you didn’t read my first post about the welcome bags + hangover kits, be sure to catch up here.

For all my fellow Maid of Honors and bridesmaids out there, I know that the idea of planning the bachelorette weekend for your favorite bride-to-be can often be a little overwhelming especially if you haven’t traveled to the city of choice before or have no event planning or organizational skills (or TIME) whatsoever. Luckily, I had been to Charleston more times than I can count and was so excited when my sister chose the destination.

However, for those of you that have not been to the Holy City or might be planning a bach of your own down there (or up for all my southern readers), I hope this guide helps you as I plan to share in two parts all the places we visited and links to all the goodies I incorporated throughout the weekend.

Friday: Arrivals + Check into House!

My number ONE recommendation for planning a Charleston weekend with a group of girls (we had 10 total) would be to rent a house. While groups often rent houses in Folly Beach or Sullivan’s Island – I opted to rent a house in Charleston proper since these babes (mostly FL & CA girls besides me) get enough of the beach already. The weather in March was also a little chilly to be poolside over the weekend. There are excellent finds on VRBO and Homeaway, however, I was connected with a friend at Rewined and we rented her home via AirBnb instead. It was the perfect little green bungalow just outside of downtown Charleston. The best part renting a house vs. one of the fabulous hotels in Charleston is that we all got to stay together over the weekend, bond over late night food, get ready together and it’s also the most affordable for such a large group on different sized budgets. (Here is the link to the house we rented!)

house

Friday Afternoon: Spa Day at The Spa at Belmond Charleston Place

Throughout the weekend, my sister received “date cards” (if you will a la The Bachelor) with various surprises revealed one by one. This worked for her because she was the type of bride that did not want to know a thing about the weekend (other than what to pack) and we kept all the planned outings and activities a secret. Believe me, if you know how close my sister and I are and how bad I am at secrets…this was very hard.

blindfold1

After she opened up her bach welcome bag, we blindfolded her with her sash and let her open the first “date card”. Inside she found a giftcard to The Spa at Belmond Charleston Place from all her bridesmaids and girls attending the weekend. She had a massage booked and we dropped her off for a few hours of pampering while we ran around to the grocery store and other errands to get the house prepped for the evening. This spa afternoon served as a perfect way for the bride to “relax” into the weekend and of course, as a special treat too.

The Spa at Belmond Charleston is quite the establishment and comes highly recommended by the bride after her appointment and myself.

Friday Night: Southern Shrimp Boil + Lingerie Shower + Night Out

 With the help of one of my sister’s closest friends, Mallory, we decided to have the first night of the weekend be more casual and allow the girls to settle into the house over drinks and delicious food. We cooked up a paper-plate & fork Shrimp Boil (not quite as fancy as my DC one) complete with wine and bubbly.

shrimp2

After dinner, I hosted a lingerie shower with dessert, games and yes, bubbly. The theme was “All You Need is Love…and Lingerie” so we had appropriate decor to match complete with napkins, coasters, Rewined candles and custom lingerie cookies. We hung up all her pretty new pieces on a tassel banner with pink clothes pins and made her guess who bought what.

IMG_2604 IMG_2600 IMG_2602

I bought Megan this “my little black dress” sleep shirt (it’s sold out online but I’ve still seen it in the stores) & this mini pink glitter crown headband (similar here). She proudly wore them both all weekend around the house (along with her sash) and during her lingerie shower to open gifts. I also had the tattoos & stickers below made for everyone to wear throughout the weekend. (Mine went home on the plane with me, whoops!) 

littleblackdress

tattoo1 stickers

If you’re looking for a fun, dance-on-the-bar, coyote-ugly type of spot for an evening out, shall I recommend Market Street Saloon. It is not my typical type of hangout or spot while in Charleston but perfect for bach affairs. We had a blast and it allowed for Megan to complete more than one of her “weekend dares” that we set aside for her (sorry, those will always remain secret).

megandme

After we stopped at a bar around the corner and then to Giovanni’s Pizza, which is all within walking distance. I took the liberty of ordering the largest sized pizza (and slices) I have ever seen in my life. This place was on my bucket list for late-night food in Charleston and it should be on yours too!

pizza

 Saturday Morning: Pajama Brunch

On Saturday morning, the majority of us woke up with slight Irish flus so I whipped up a homemade brunch for the group. We indulged in diamond donuts, “naughty” fruit skewers, cava mimosas and a few healthy items – to get our day started.

Today’s “date card” was a hand-written note from the groom who was sweet enough to “host” our brunch. He didn’t do the cooking but he made sure we had everything we needed to stay full. I also included a black and white canvas photo of my sister and her fiance from WPD that we gave her on this morning. (more…)

How-To: Bachelorette Welcome Bags + Hangover Kits

HELLO!

As you might of noticed, things on H&T have been a little quiet for the month of February so it’s good to be back!

The blogging break wasn’t intended but after spending all my time outside my day job consumed with other projects, events, speaking engagements, barre classes and most importantly, Maid of Honor duties for my sister’s wedding – I decided to take a much needed hiatus so I hope you’ll forgive my silence!

The good news is that I have a lot of exciting posts coming up for you. In case you were not following along on Instagram or Twitter – I just recently hosted and planned my sister’s bachelorette weekend in Charleston, South Carolina.

I plan to share in a series of posts all about the weekend with a full recap and how-to if you’re planning a bachelorette weekend of your own and especially one in Charleston!

First up, a closer look at the “Welcome to Charleston” bags I put together for all the bridesmaids and best babes that attended. These bags could be assembled to match any bachelorette weekend destination. They might also provide inspiration for wedding welcome bags too. I tried to keep in mind what the girls might need most over the weekend plus a few fun souvenirs to take home.

Below you will find links to everything I included in mine!

#1. The Bags

 I ordered 10 of these South Carolina Totes. They are reusable and great for the gym, groceries and as a tote, of course. (The banner seen below, I purchased here.)

#2. Custom Name Tags by Drafts & Crafts

I tied these on to each bag with gold ribbon from Wedding Paper Divas. I had them made with each’s girl’s name and then an extra one that read “The Bachelorette” for my sister.

#3. H&T Hangover Kits

  • Tempo Tonight – These all natural hangover pills are my newest go-to!  You take 2 pills before you have your first drink and two more once you get home. It works proactively against toxins and it’s safe to say that I got the girls hooked on them too after last weekend! Hangovers prevented. Do yourself and your body a favor and order a box now!
  • EOS lip balms – I don’t know about you but I always wake up with the driest lips.
  • Mini Bottle of Tums – for those next-day tummy aches.
  • Mini Nutella Packets – my sister’s favorite and who doesn’t like Nutella? Hungover or not.
  • Tic Tacs – to kill that morning breath.
  • Packets of Advil & Tylenol – pick your poison.

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