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!
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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.  Ice Cream 1Ice Cream 3Ice Cream 2

Note: Some of the products featured in this post were provided by Wayfair, all opinions are my own. 

I was at a new grocery store last weekend couldn’t pass up the delicious looking fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice on display — and being the healthy gal that I am, immediately started thinking about which liquor I should mix it with.  The debate concluded with a tie, gin and champagne — and the Grapefruit Gin Fizz was born. Ready for this recipe? Start with 2 oz of gin over ice, add 6 oz of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, top with a splash of St Germain and finish with a champagne float and  garnish with a slice of fresh grapefruit. Striped straws are optional, but highly recommended (and let’s talk about how cute my new straw dispenser is — an amazing wedding gift from a cousin that knows me really well.) Bottom’s up, it’s Friday! 

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I’m dying to share pictures of the wedding, but in the meantime, I thought I’d share a few of the details from our rehearsal dinner. My lovely in-laws hosted a dinner at a waterfront restaurant near our wedding venue, and it was a perfect evening filled with all of my favorite things: fragrant peonies, gold polka-dot details, and lots and lots of nautical anchor motifs! Plus an amazing view out into the shipyards where our tasty dinner was freshly caught! Oh and did I mention the world’s best family and bridal party? DSC_0062DSC_0056

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I shared a few sneak peeks last week, but absolutely could not wait to post all of the amazing pictures my bridesmaid and bestie Taz took of my bridal shower. Am I not the luckiest girl in the world? I have the most talented friends — from the candy bar to the flowers, to the handmade tassel garland, I walked around the room with my jaw-dropped at how much effort they had into throwing me the prettiest bridal shower I’ve ever seen.

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All photos by Bring to Light Photography

With all of my recent wedding planning tasks, I nearly let the opportunity to do some decorating for the rehearsal dinner slip through my fingers. Until of course, I stumbled upon these pink, red, and orange napkins with metallic foil polka dots and decided they were begging for a spot at the dinner. And the kicker? They’re on sale, a set of 4 for $5. You can get them here, and you’d be crazy not to.

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With all of the craziness in Boston and some last-minute wedding planning, I took an unintentional two-week blogging hiatus, oops!  But I’m back in action with some very cute pictures to share, a few sneak peeks of the amazing bridal shower my best friends and sister threw for me over the weekend. I can not wait to share all of the gorgeous pictures of their hard work but in the meantime I had to post a few snapshots from my phone of the decorated mantel that I opened presents in front of, and of course the money shot: a giant stack of ombre macarons on the dessert table. 

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This weekend I decided to make some sweet treats to bring to an Easter celebration. I love any sort of food that can be consumed in bite sized servings (because, let’s be honest, then I have an extra hand to hold my glass of wine).  So when I read the name of this recipe “two bite lemon cheesecakes” — I was sold. Plus is there anything prettier than the combination of bright yellow lemons and deep blue blueberries? Yum!

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You can find the recipe here.

It’s hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that Easter is this weekend, mainly because I’m still wearing my winter coat to work everyday and there’s snow that has yet to melt on the sidewalks. So, to get me in the spirit, I took to browsing some spring-inspired entertaining accessories that are perfect for hosting a festive celebration! Gingham napkins and striped straws in pastel-hues are a sure-fire way to make it at least look like spring.

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