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! 
Over the weekend I tried out a new blow dry bar in Boston — BeStyled. I had a recent conversation with a friend where she predicted that getting a blow out before a party or event is some day going to be as prevalent as going to get your nails done — and I don’t entirely disagree, there’s almost nothing that makes me feel as confident and pretty as bouncy blown out hair from a salon. This time was no exception, I loved the salon’s little details, like color-coordinated candy jars and chick-flicks on the TV (I watched Something Borrowed — love that movie!). It was the perfect little luxurious treat to kick off a long weekend!
Note: BeStyled gifted me a free blow out to come in and try the salon, all opinions are my own.
This weekend was a whirlwind of bridesmaid duties and wedding festivities as we celebrated the marriage of two of our dearest friends. It was a perfectly preppy wedding in a big giant tent at a gorgeous estate — complete with a pink and navy theme (I loved my hot pink bridesmaid dress) and romantic blush florals (I mean, look at those dahlias!). We danced our feet off late into the night and may have indulged in one too many glasses of champagne which resulted in quite the lazy Sunday to round out the weekend.
The weather is unpredictable in New England, and this week the forecast is ranging from the low 60s up into the 90s. But the first cool morning this week when I was walking to work, my mind immediately went to fall footwear — it’s almost boot season I thought. I have a few items on my wishlist for fall — including a sassy pair of leopard wedge heels, and some luggage leather boots. All of these kicks would be welcome additions to my closet. What’s on your fall footwear wishlist? 
Clockwise from top left: Hunter Wellies, Black Flats, Riding Boots, Suede Booties, Leopard Wedge Heels
I am constantly trying to make my bed incrementally more comfortable and cozy (we got fluffy new pillows this weekend, a must!), but don’t you just always wonder how stylists get that “coziest place on earth” look when bedrooms are featured in magazines and design books? I ran across this image and I want to dive head first into that freshly made bed — the layered pillows, the slip-covered headboard, smooth crisp duvet… I mean — it might actually be dangerously cozy, I don’t think I’d ever leave!
Source: Stephen Shubel Design
A few weeks ago when we were in Maine for a wedding, we hanging around the rental cottage for the ‘after-after party’ and a cousin of the groom started whipping up grilled cheeses with the local blueberry jams that had come in our welcome bags. I have since been dreaming about this late-night snack and realized all of the untapped potential of grilled cheese experiments. So I set to work this weekend to test some gourmet grilled cheese recipes that would be perfect for a grilled cheese bar at a casual party, or served bite-size as an appetizer.
Are you ready for these pairings? First up, I recreated my late night inspiration with sharp English cheddar and wild blueberry jam (this one is still my favorite!). For a savory sandwich I combined goat cheese with cracked black pepper and fresh green chives (this won the husband vote). And for the most unique combination, I used a french brie, drizzled with honey, and topped with some sweet raisins. My cast iron skillet was pumping out these crusty, buttery little treats and we had quite the Saturday taste-testing all of my concoctions — I’m definitely using this idea for some simple entertaining with friends!
Last night I had one of my girlfriends over for some dinner and drinks on our porch — I’m determined to soak up the warm(ish) weather as long as possible — and truthfully, I didn’t have a dinner planned until about an hour before her arrival. But leftover fig spread and some tasty goat cheese caught my eye in the fridge and I went with it. A quick spin through the grocery store and I had the makings of a fig, goat cheese, prosciutto pizza — I jazzed up with some fresh chives when it came out of the oven, and had rolled some special rosemary infused sea salt into the crust. Sometimes simple is just better, and this was certainly the case — my last-minute meal was a hit, and it paired perfectly with one of the iced tea infused honey wines I picked up from last weekend in Maine!
I am mildly obsessed with how our wedding photos came out (and now that they’re up on Style Me Pretty, I promise to share lots of them in the coming weeks!) so when I thought about narrowing down the images into one formal wedding album, I was stumped. I decided to give Blurb books a try and make some of my own picture books with all of the photos from the day’s events, and that way I’d only have to narrow it down to my top 500 favorite photos (and yes, narrowing it down to the top 500 was still hard). I’m so happy with how they came out — I even ordered some additional books with photos from my bachelorette, bridal shower, and our rehearsal dinner. Plus I love the idea of leaving them on an end table and using them like coffee table books, something to casually flip through and remember our memories of the day.
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!
