This weekend we had big Saturday plans to go to Ikea and buy a new couch, but right before we left we checked the inventory online and saw that it was out of stock — bummer! So I was faced with a rare treat: a weekend day with zero plans. I decided to take advantage of our surprise day of freedom and threw a little impromptu dinner for friends. Since it was super last minute, I worked with what I had and re-purposed our table topper from our wedding, and some bright pink napkins from our rehearsal dinner, and then I finally broke out a few of our wedding shower presents, like my sea urchin salt and pepper shakers (I love them!), some Kate Spade candles, and a bunch of farmer’s market blooms — I was so happy with how it came out! 
Summer may be coming to an end, but while the weather is still warm, I’m planning to make the most of it with some picnic-ing! Check out my post over on Wayfair with all of my tips for throwing a picture perfect picnic.
I spent my Labor Day at the most gorgeous, love-filled weekend wedding up in Maine on a tiny little island. We ate lobsters upon lobsters, and sat around the fire roasting s’mores, and danced our hearts out to big band under the tent. Then after the wedding was over, we spent the rest of the weekend as little reunion of sorts with old friends and had some laughter-filled dinners on the porch of our little rental cottage under the stars (throwing an impromptu dinner party at a rental house called for some crafty touches — like place cards made out of local mussel shells). It was one of those weekends where I don’t mind coming back to reality after a few days off because I’m just so satisfied by all of the fun moments we made. Summer’s over, but we sent it out with a bang!
I am so excited to share that our wedding was featured on Style Me Pretty’s Little Black Book blog this week! I have anxiously been waiting to share these pictures on the blog, but wanted to wait until these came out first — so head on over and check them out (I’ve only looked at them about 1000 times now). And stay tuned, I’ll be sharing more detail pictures on the blog next week!
We had a little “Sunday Funday” at our apartment this weekend — the arrival of our monthly cheese delivery from Murray’s (best wedding gift, ever) called for a celebration. So my buddy Taz came over to enjoy some cocktails and bites to close out the weekend. We made one of my favorite snacks — goat cheese crostini — and whipped up a fresh batch of blueberry mint simple syrup to top off some prosecco cocktails. And the talented Taz took lots of pictures, so come back tomorrow to check out the recipes!
I was picking up a few weekend supplies (ie: cheese plate rations) at Trader Joe’s this evening and made a detour down the dessert aisle only to find a frozen sampler of TJ’s macarons. I felt it was my duty to share this very important information with my readers, as a public service announcement. I will warn you, they’re not as light and fluffy as homemade macarons (which I know from my cooking class experience!) — but at just $4 for a dozen, they are totally worth it. I have completely demolished one full row already, cassis and salted caramel were my favorites, just in case you were wondering.
The summer is halfway over and I have a major item to tackle on my “Kate’s Summer of Fun” bucket list (why yes, I have come up with a theme name for this summer). That item? See an outdoor movie and throw a fabulous picnic while I’m at it. Luckily my neighborhood has a whole movies-in-the-park series this year, I just need to get myself into gear and make it to one. I clipped this great cheese pairings piece from a recent Martha Stewart magazine to use as inspiration for some picnic treats — don’t you just want to try them all?
Now that our wedding is over, I’m back in the bridesmaid saddle and helped host a shower for one of my best girlfriends this weekend. It’s so fun when your fellow bridesmaids love party planning, this was an all-star team of girls working to put on this shin-dig. The shower had a Palm Beach-inspired theme with bright pinks and greens, lots of friendly lawn flamingos, and pom-poms galore. My favorite detail? The flamingo cocktail stirrers!
Last week I had one of my girlfriends over for dinner after work, and when strolling the aisles at the grocery store for some post-dinner dessert inspiration I decided, it’s summer, we need an ice cream sundae bar. In my opinion, a great sundae is really all about keeping it simple and letting the ice cream take center stage. We had delicious flavors (hello, sea salt caramel) with classic toppings: sprinkles and caramel sauce — and it was delicious. Note to self: have more ice cream parties. 
Note: Some of the products featured in this post were provided by Wayfair, all opinions are my own.
For those of you getting ready for Easter celebrations tomorrow, head on over to Wayfair’s My Way Home Blog, where I’m sharing a few of my favorite Easter traditions and tips for hosting a stylish brunch!
Photo Source: Grey Likes Weddings
