Category Archives: Toasting

05.17.16

Simplified Planner Launch

In today’s busy world, it seems that there is little room for “white space”. I am more than guilty of lacking what some would call a “balanced life” some weeks between juggling and scheduling a full time job that I love, running H&T (also a full time job that I love!), working out, relationships, carving out time for friends and family and sleeping enough.

If you’ve seen my Snapchats (bannc), you know that sometimes I can be quite the night owl and still somehow manage to wake up, fuel myself full of coffee and head to work out bright and early.

However, what helps keep me centered and scheduled in my organized chaos of a life, has always been a physical planner. Yes, an old fashioned – use your colored pens + pencils – kind of book. I still use my iPhone calendars but I’ve always been a firm believer in writing things down, making lists and checking things off (could anything be more satisfying!?)

This is why I also love Emily Ley’s Simplified Planners so much – because the help me do just that. The new ones just launched last week and I’m already filling mine up with birthdays, wedding weekends and other important dates, so that it’s all ready to go later this year. I also paperclip in birthday cards as reminders of when to mail them out because I still believe in snail mail and handwritten thank you notes at all times of the year.

The other reason I love these planners so much is how simple they truly are – you can schedule your day by the hour – add in meal preps, weekly highlights and reminders and be inspired by quotes each day. You can also prioritize, forgive yourself a little for not getting everything done perfectly and carve out that much needed “white space” for yourself and your loved ones.

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05.18.15

Vacay Every Day with Palm Breeze

Right about now I am missing the beaches of Tulum – as I just got back into town recently from an amazing trip to Mexico. I wish I could live on vacation every day – seriously! Who doesn’t?

Well, today I want to share a way you have your own “staycation” and embrace the “vacay every day” spirit all Spring and Summer long. I know that I plan to do so quite often along with the help of Palm Breeze.

One of the best parts of being on vacation is relaxing and spending time with those that mean the most to you – whether they be friends, significant others, family or all three (or even a solo trip by yourself). AND one of my favorite ways to do this and keep the vacay spirit alive even while home is to host everyone in my back patio – with drinks, a cookout and good music.

Palm Breeze is the perfect addition to this – it comes in two flavors – Ruby Red Citrus and Pineapple Mandarin Orange. My personal favorite is the Ruby Red Citrus. It’s light, refreshing and sparkling in nature. It tastes of citrus and grapefruit and is perfect for an afternoon cool-down as the warmer days approach. I also recommend serving it with ice!

It makes the perfect drink for guests who want something to quench their thirst and also perfect for afternoons full of magazines, lounging and sunshine (by yourself or with company!).

How do you staycation? Consider adding Palm Breeze to the mix and share with me below!

{Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Palm Breeze through their partnership with POPSUGAR. While I was compensated by POPSUGAR to write a post about Palm Breeze, all opinions are my own.}

{Please Drink Responsibly.}

04.16.15

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.}

04.14.15

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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03.25.15

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…)