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Author Archives: BAC
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!)
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.
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.
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.
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!)
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).
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!
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
- Custom H&T “For When the Bubbly Bites” Tags – I love this saying and thought it worked perfectly for a hangover kit so I worked with Dani from Drafts & Crafts to design them. You can buy them too now! I tied the tags onto burlap bags I found at Michael’s with WPD red ribbon.
- 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.
- 16 Comments | posted in Events, Hosting, Toasting, Travel
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Ultimate Valentine’s Day Gift Guide
As promised, today’s post is perfect to send along to all your loved ones and hint at some Valentine-inspired gifts or shop for them yourself! There’s bound to be something for everyone (I know I’d certainly be happy with anything below).
In addition, for all my DC and NYC readers – be sure to place your flower orders with UrbanStems before the 14th – they just launched their new flowers and personally, I love the Georgetown (I might be a little bias). And ladies, they’re also teaming up with Bull + Moose to send floral bowties too.
Shop till your heart’s content!

2 Weeks & Counting!
{Image via UrbanStems}
How-To: Blowout, Curls & Hair Products
Today I’m blogging about a new topic for H&T – my locks.
Now before I begin, full disclosure: I am by no means a hair stylist or even expert for that matter. However, I decided to share my routine because I often get asked by readers and friends, what products I use, how I curl my hair and my favorite; “if I just got a blowout” (no, I don’t get them every week. sigh. but thanks for the compliment.)
The first thing you must know is that this routine works for me but, as my hair stylist reminds me, I have “A LOT of fine hair”. My hair often looks thicker in photos or in person because of this. With that being said, I find that I can’t use a lot of products because they weigh it down.
Also, before a few years ago, my hair would hold absolutely NO curl (it’s naturally pin straight and also dries in about 5 seconds) – more on that later.
So after much trial and error, I have found what works for me. Alas, here are some of my routine products with tips and suggestions.
One. Drybar Texas Tea Shampoo & Conditioner + L’OREAL EverPure Volume Shampoo & Conditioner – I have both sets in my shower and switch it up each wash or often mix them. I can’t use a lot of conditioner on my roots or my hair will be weighed down so I focus mostly on the ends. Both of these products are also sulfate-free. (I noticed a huge difference in my hair’s shine since switching to sulfate-free shampoos years ago. Note: I also do absolutely no coloring to my hair.)

Two. ghd Style Heat Protect Spray + ghd Paddle Brush – I spray the protectant on when my hair is still wet & use the paddle brush after. This brush is pretty much life changing – it has a non-slip handle and is perfect for detangling, styling and blowdrying.

Three. Drybar Texas Tea Volumizing Spray – I spray this on the upper half of my hair near the roots while it’s still wet as well. This is a new product for me and I’ve noticed a big difference with volume since using.

Four. Drybar Triple Sec 3-in-1 Spray – Sometimes I will use this instead of the Texas Tea spray but I have to be careful to not over-do it or my hair will look greasy. This little baby is a volumizer, texturizer and dry shampoo in one. I use it when my hair is still wet before I blowdry.

Five. Drybar Buttercup Blowdryer + Drybar Medium Round Brush – I now own the BEST blowdryer (thanks to Christmas) and I switch between my paddle brush and the round brush when drying. To be honest, my hair already dried super fast and now that I have my own Buttercup, it’s amazing how quick I’m out the door. If I’m going to curl my hair, I’ll put a headband in, put on my make up and take a “hair break” and then proceed to the steps below.

Seven. Drybar Money Maker Hair Spray – If you buy one hair product on my list – make it this. No, seriously. This is the only hairspray I have ever liked or used consistently – it is worth every penny and I have multiple travel bottles so there’s always a can around. Not to mention it smells amazing, feels light weight (not sticky) and lasts all day long. I even spray it on straight hair. If I’m going to curl my locks, I will spray my paddle brush first and then brush my hair out. I also use this once I curl my hair to set. I cannot get enough.

Eight. Enzo Milano Hair 25 MM Wand(1″ Barrel) – As I mentioned earlier, my hair is pin straight naturally. I spent my childhood in dance recitals, plays and cheerleading competitions and I was always that girl who had to keep the bandana on with pin curls or rollers until the last minute – please, tell me someone else shared my pain?
I also could not use a curling iron and hated the dent marks they often left. This all changed a few years ago when I got my ENZO wand (complete with a Michael Jackson-esque glove for newbies #hot). It truly is the only tool that works for me and lasts and I can’t tell you how many people I’ve recommended it to. I use is a few ways – I will split my hair in two and curl sections from the root down away from my face or just curl the ends for a quick and easy look. I’ve also used it while my hair was in a pony tail and then curled. Another tip if you have super straight hair is that I always make the curls tighter (hello, Shirley Temple). I then spray and let them fall out or shake them out with my fingers before I’m ready to leave the house. This item deserves a blog post and how-to video of its own.

Nine. Drybar Detox Dry Shampoo – the last product that I consistently use is this dry shampoo. Like hairspray, I have never been a huge fan of dry shampoo as a whole until I discovered this one. Drybar also makes a “brunette” version but I prefer the normal one as the brown spray can come off on your sheets, clothes and hands (no bueno). I use Detox before I go to bed at night and then again on the day of. I also am a fan of “dry blowouts” on the days where I don’t wash my hair or frankly, don’t have the time. I will spray in some Detox on my roots, run my fingers through it and then blowdry the rest out.
For those of you wondering how often I wash my hair, this depends on the week – I used to be a “wash my hair every day” kinda of gal but I noticed when I let it go an extra day, it always ends up looking so much better. Truthfully, it also really depends on my Barre Tech + Soul Cycle schedule. I’m sure someone understands this too? #sweaty

And there you have it! What are your favorite products? Have you tried any of my favorites?
Shop them all again below and send any questions/comments my way!

Stay tuned later this week for my Valentine’s Day gift guide galore!
- 13 Comments | posted in Beauty
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Entertaining Finds
With the holidays now behind us and calendars finally starting to slow down, it’s safe to say that I’ve taken a little break from the entertaining myself. However, that certainly does not mean that I have stopped shopping online for inspiration for upcoming Spring get-togethers this year.
Today I’m sharing some of my entertaining finds over the past week – have any favorites? Send my way!
Sometimes I find myself completely inspired by one item and create an entire party or excuse to host (and toast) – whoops!

Happy Friday and to everyone who has a long weekend – enjoy!
- 2 Comments | posted in Hosting, Toasting
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