Today, I’m sharing photos from our intimate wedding dinner overlooking Lake Toxaway at the Greystone Inn. In my mind, it was exactly what I had dreamed it would be. Since it had been raining all day, the trees were extra green, the skies were purple, and fog hovered over the mountains. It was the most romantic spot! This wasn’t where we were initially going to have our dinner, but it was our backup plan since the rain decided to show up. But for a backup plan, it was surely beautiful!

Photography by Amanda Castle
It was a blast designing this wedding table. Since I only had twelve guests, it was much easier to be hands-on. I kept a lot of the decor budget-friendly by shopping at Hobby Lobby, Amazon, Etsy, Homegoods, and a few antique stores. 
When I first saw the dinner table with all the details together, I wanted to try. It was my dream!
The wedding cake was so elegant and simple. I found this beautiful blush pink cake holder at Homegoods, and it felt like I had hit the jackpot! Kyle and I had traveled up to our venue a few weeks before the wedding to drop off our wedding decor so the vendors could use them. This cake was one of the most delicious cakes I have ever eaten. I’m ordering a mini version of this exact cake for our anniversary this year! It’s from Blue Ridge Bakery in Brevard. It was my favorite flavor, almond!
Ivory Taper Candles / Pink Taper Candles / Crystal Candle Holders / Clear Crackled Candle Jars / Pink Mandala Glass Candle Jars/  Small Candles / Chargers (I hand-painted the dots with shimmery rose pink acrylic paint)/ Napkins / Name Placements/ Chiffon Ribbon / Chiffon Table Runners

If you’re interested, I can write up a blog post about how I went about designing these table settings. I have so many photos documented from the process! I couldn’t share them before.

When the glass chargers arrived in the mail, I loved them! The only problem is that the pink was more of a coral/reddish color! I decided to dedicate an entire Saturday hand-painting each dot on the chargers to match my wedding decor. It was worth the neck pain and hand cramps! I loved how they turned out.

As it got later into the evening, the glow from the candles set the most romantic mood.
As a coffee lover, I ordered adorable espresso cups and chargers to go on the dessert table. I figured ending the evening with cake, custom treats, and espresso was right up my alley.

I spent weeks searching for the perfect set that fit my budget. I couldn’t believe it when I found these on Amazon! I bought two sets, and I plan to use these in case we ever have guests over. They look adorable in my pantry on my dish shelf.

I loved the idea of having custom cookies and macaroons made for the dessert table. I had a local baker, Made By Megan Jayne, create these, and they were delicious and so beautiful sitting next to the cake. I loved having pops of blush everywhere.    
We kicked off the dinner with champagne and appetizers. We did a farm-to-table style menu, and everything tasted amazing! If I could eat this meal all over again, I would. The chefs at Greystone Inn knocked it out of the park by designing this menu.

Farm to Table Wedding Menu

hors d’oeuvres

amuse bouche- foie gras mousse, pistachio
granola, caramelized citrus supreme, grilled brioche
house pappardelle- truffle egg yolk jam, shaved pecorino

salad

salad- baby arugula, micro aromats, lemon cured figs,
thyme infused chèvre, roasted macadamia, elderberry vinaigrette

entrée

salmon- sugar snaps, caramelized baby carrots,
vegetable ash ravioletti, sweet pea purée

dessert

almond wedding cake, vanilla
buttercream frosting, espresso, & champagne
Floral Design / Party Rental
 We had the best night.  If you plan to do taper candles, make sure to purchase double if your dinner goes on longer than a few hours. The staff went above and beyond and would change the candles once they got low. I also highly recommend shopping Hobby Lobby candles when they are 50% off, which is often! They were under $1 when I purchased them all. They have so many colors, so you’ll be able to match them to your wedding. I also paired them with mini candles to tuck into the flower garland.  Speeches are my favorite!  My dad made these boxes for the wedding ceremony, and I purchased the beautiful large honeycomb vases at Ballard Designs. A few cell phone shots! The guests were at the cozy bar located inside the Greystone Inn, next to our ceremony spot, before heading to dinner!  Kyle’s Tux / Leo’s Tux / Wedding GownMy mom looked absolutely stunning. (her gown)
    
The salmon entree was the star of the show and cooked to perfection.
Kyle and I did the first dance together after dinner.

We had spent almost a year creating the perfect wedding dinner playlist, so let me know if you’d like me to share it with you!

Even though we didn’t do a traditional reception with dancing, I think this moment was special, and I’m happy we didn’t leave it out.
Dancing with my dad was one of the most memorable moments. We danced to the song “The Way You Look Tonight” by Tony Bennett. It’s been one of my favorite songs since I was a little girl watching My Best Friend’s Wedding repeatedly.


I loved these photos our Photographer captured. After dancing, we cut into the most delicious wedding cake.
We had a no-smashing cake in the face agreement. After several servings of cake and the most delicious espresso, we headed back to the Inn for the night.

The forks said, “I do,” and the other fork said, “Me too.”Sparkler send-off!  I took some time after dinner to take off my wedding dress, my makeup, and get my cozy pajamas back on! We headed down to the lobby to enjoy a glass of wine with family by the fireplace. June 9th was the best day of my life, and it was even more magical than I had ever imagined.

Questions for you!

1. Let me know if you’d like me to add a few other wedding posts (welcome bags, wedding dresses I tried on but didn’t buy, decor planning, etc..)
2. What was your favorite memory at your wedding?
3. Did you freeze your wedding cake?

I hope you’re all staying warm during these January temps. We expect our first snowstorm in the South this weekend, and I am so excited! This will be Tux’s first time playing in the snow, and I can’t wait to see it. Before I log off for the weekend, I wanted to share my wedding photos from our outdoor ceremony at The Greystone Inn in Lake Toxaway!

I have always dreamed of an outdoor wedding. Being obsessed with greenery and flowers, it couldn’t be more fitting. I was a little nervous since it had been raining all day, but just a half-hour before walking down the aisle, it stopped raining, and while Kyle and I were exchanging vows, rays of sunshine came poking through the trees. It felt so magical.

Thank you, Amanda Castle, for capturing our wedding day!
Our ceremony was at 6 pm on a summer night on June 9th. We had our intermediate family there to celebrate with us, and everything was so special. Our wedding ceremony overlooked Lake Toxaway, and it was simply dressed with white rose petals down the aisle and gorgeous bouquets designed by The Blossom Jar. I purchased these beautiful large honeycomb vases at Ballard Designs to go on the pedestals my dad had built.
 
 These photos of Kyle made me smile so hard while looking through the album. Our photographer, Amanda Castle, shot our wedding so beautifully.   
This was such a happy moment! My dad was such a champ helping me straighten out my train before walking down the aisle. My dress is from Winnie Couture in Charlotte.
All of the women wore a beautiful blush pink. Because I didn’t have bridesmaids, I thought it would look so nice if the guests were matching, and everyone looked amazing. Kyle and I bought blush ties from The Tie Bar for all the men and put them in the welcome bags. With an intimate wedding like this, the matching guests made the photos turn out stunning.We had the sweetest officiant, and I can’t recommend her enough! She was such a blessing to work with, and she made our ceremony so special. She sent us the script of our ceremony so we could have forever. I highly recomend asking for this so you can print it in your wedding album.       My husband  
  After the ceremony, we dove straight into family portraits. 

 
Before heading to the reception, we spent some time taking portraits with our photographer. It was so nice to get a moment with Kyle alone beore celebrating the rest of the night.

 I love these photos so much. It was a dream day.    

  
And then we were off to our dinner! I’ll be sharing all of the photos from our dinner and night of celebrating in the next wedding blog.

Questions for you!

1. Did you have rain on your wedding day?
2. What were your wedding colors?
3. If you had to get married again, what would you do differently?

Happy Thursday! I wanted to get another wedding blog up today. I’m only a few blogs away from finishing the wedding series. It’s so fun to go back and look back at all these photos. We had the most perfect day! Today, I’m sharing pictures from getting ready and the first look with my dad. Next, I’ll share all the ceremony photos!

I dried out the flowers from our proposal and saved them for the wedding detail photos. Amanda incorporated them into our photos beautifully.

Jewelry by Atelier Elise

It took me forever to find the perfect wedding jewelry. I wanted something minimal but still fancy enough to be wedding jewelry. I decided to stop looking at all the popular brands and search Etsy. When I came across Atelier Elise designs, I immediately yelled, “hallelujah!” It was exactly what I was searching for. I immediately added everything to my cart and never looked back! It was even better in person.     It was love at first sight when I tried on these Betsey Johnson wedding shoes. They were so comfortable, the heat wasn’t too high, and they were something I’d want to wear all night.

My Wedding Shoes / Velvet Ring Box / Ralph Lauren Romance
 
     My mom, Leo, and I had a fun morning and afternoon getting ready for the wedding! My mom steamed my dress, helped me with ALL the details, and I couldn’t have done it all without her. It was raining on and off all day, and I knew my hair was going to take a beating, so I just put in some natural curls and went with it. I was happy with the decision to do my hair and makeup on my wedding day because I wanted to look and feel like myself.
 

 
 

Almost ready!
  I felt like the luckiest bride in the world because it was pouring right before the ceremony, but then suddenly, the skies cleared up, and the sun came out shining!
My dress is Winnie Couture.

 
I was so excited for my dad to knock on the door and walk me down the aisle!
  I LOVED looking at these photos of Kyle in the album. He got ready with his dad, and I think he looks so handsome! I got pretty lucky. 
 We bought all the men’s ties that matched the wedding colors from The Tie Bar.   My groom      
 
I did my first look with my dad! It was so fun to see his reaction
 
I hope you enjoyed all of these photos from the moments before the ceremony (ceremony is the next blog post!)

Questions or you!

1. Did you do a first look with your groom? (would you want to?)
2. Do you prefer an indoor wedding or an outdoor one?
3. What was your wedding color? (what would you choose!?)

I was also a little nervous because of the rainy forecast. We made a last-minute decision to move the wedding dinner under a tent, and thank goodness we did because the rain was in and out all day.
The best man and the bride  
I spent some time with Kyle in the morning before he went off to spend the rest of the day with his dad. I was so excited that I’d be in my wedding dress the next time I got to see him! The dress I had been hiding for nine months in the back closet!
I felt so bad for Leo being sick and still a little down about Grumples, but it was important to have him there with us on our wedding day. The rest of the morning was super relaxing. I spent the day with my mom getting our dresses, accessories, and everything ready for the ceremony. She also busted her butt along with our amazing photographer to set up the dinner table. Since I decided to design the table, I did a quick trial run with my mom at my house to know what it would look like. She made it even better than I could imagine! I’ll share so many photos of the table setting in another wedding blog.
I loved seeing the sun rays shine through the big windows in our room. It eased up my anxiety about the weather, and I decided just to let it be. Kyle had breakfast with his family that morning and brought back some oatmeal and fresh fruit for me.  I drew a hot bubble bath to relax while having my oats and coffee. Whenever I’m feeling sick, baths help tremendously! The best way to relax on a wedding day! If you can, I highly suggest scheduling a bubble bath on your wedding morning.
The Greystone Inn in Lake Toxaway was the perfect wedding getaway for the family! It had so many activities to do, and you didn’t have to worry about entertaining your guests. There’s paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing, hiking, swimming, horseback riding, boat rentals, golf, tennis, pickleball, games, restaurant, bar, and more! Kyle and I had vacationed there a few times (I still need to get those travel blogs up!) It’s stunning all year long.

acastlephoto
 The Rockefeller Suite, where we stayed! 

The bouquet arrived
 
I can’t wait to share the following blog with getting ready + first look (with my dad!) photos.

Questions for you!?

1. Are you currently planning a wedding?
2. What was one thing you did on your wedding day that helped you relax?
3. How many people did you invite to your wedding?

Thanks for stopping by to read! I hope these photos inspire you to schedule a boat photoshoot soon!

The wedding week spent with family couldn’t have been any more perfect.
A Castle Photo
Kyle and I had traveled to the Greystone Inn several times before the wedding. Look at how gorgeous the Greystone is just sitting on the hill overlooking the beautiful lake. I never imagined getting married on a lake, but we fell in love when we saw the Greystone Inn in person. Not only was it a cozy and romantic setting, but it also had everything to entertain our guests. While they stayed, they could horseback ride, kayak, swim, paddleboard, play tennis, golf, hike, get a latte from the bar in the middle of the afternoon, sit by the fire, and the list goes on. Kyle and I plan to come back as much as we can.

We headed up to the Greystone Inn the afternoon before the wedding. We had our welcome bags packed (let me know if you’d like me to do a post on those), all of our wedding decorations, some gifts, and Leo in the backseat. We always stop in Brevard and Hendersonville on the way up. It wouldn’t be a trip to Lake Toxaway without a Caesar salad wrap, a pastry, and a cappuccino from Black Bear Coffee in Hendersonville!
It was so nice to see all the greenery back since we last visited in early spring. After Kyle and I dropped our stuff off, he headed to the Asheville airport to pick up his mom. I didn’t feel like staying in the car another hour, so Leo and I stayed behind and walked around the property. We also sat on the deck, looking out at the mountains. This was Leo’s first time at the Greystone Inn. I love that the Greystone Inn is pet-friendly. After Grumple’s passed, we knew we wanted Leo to be a part of our big day.
We booked the Rockefeller Suite for the wedding weekend. The two-story room is huge and filled with giant mullioned windows! It features a massive stone wood-burning fireplace, king bed, two bathrooms, second-floor loft with double-sized bunk beds, private entrance on both the main and second level, and a private balcony overlooking the lake. If you plan to get married or stay at the Greystone Inn, it’s totally worth the splurge.

On the way back from the airport, Kyle surprised me with an oat milk iced latte since I was on the phone telling him how tired I was. In fact, I ended up taking an hour’s nap while he was out, and it was the best! The bed in the Rockefeller Suite is like sleeping on a cloud.
 Around 4 pm, we got ready for our boat ride with our photographer Amanda, and Les Rue, the caption of the wooden boat!


I fell in love with wedding boat photos like those off the coast of Italy or in Lake Como. When I saw that Lake Toxaway had a wooden boat club, I just had to recreate a moment like that. Our wedding event planner and coordinator, David, set the whole thing up with Les, and it couldn’t have been any more perfect. Our photographer was so excited to capture the boat photos, and we had the absolute BEST captain. Les showed up in the best captain outfit (which his sweet wife picked out for him), and he picked us up right off the dock at the Greystone Inn. He even drove us to his house and switched up boats to have photos in both of them. It was one of the best nights! I will be sharing all of the pre-rehearsal photos from the boat ride in the next blog post. 
A Castle Photo
A Castle Photo

The “boat hair don’t care” look!

We got fortunate because the rain was on and off all week. It rained just before we got on the boat, and the sun was out shining for our ride!
 
A Castle Photo
The Lake Toxaway Country club is only a two-minute walk from the Greystone Inn. I loved that about this venue. We had a catered dinner right outside on the Vanderbilt porch. It has the most beautiful view of the golf course and mountains.
 
A Castle Photo

I am so in love with these photos Amanda took. I have another blog with all the links if you want details about my dress, shoes, and other wedding-related items! Here is the link!

A Castle Photo
When we got to the table, a few beautiful charcuterie boards were laid out for the guests to eat while getting settled in.

A Castle Photo
 We had one of the most powerful rainstorms roll in while sitting down for dinner, but watching it from the porch was somewhat relaxing. The storm cooled everything down, and it made for the most beautiful summer skies.
First up, we had the field green salad with grilled peaches, goat cheese, walnuts, and elderflower vinaigrette. It was delicious and fresh!
The dinner was absolutely delicious. Everything on the plate tasted magical! The guests had the option of steak or jumbo scallops. I went with the scallops since Kyle went with the steak. We always end up doing the “here try this” with our meals. The scallops were served with herb butter buerre blanc and sun-dried tomato risotto & asparagus. Everyone was talking about how good the food was!


The scallops deserved extra photos since they were perfection on a plate. A Castle Photo
We had the best night kicking off the wedding together! This was actually the first time some of our families met each other, so it was even more special.  For dessert, we had signature Lake Toxaway buttermilk pie with brown sugar sauce. I know it was the night before the wedding, and I had a dress to fit into the next day, but it was worth every bite! And it wouldn’t be right if we didn’t end our evening with coffee with dessert!

A Castle Photo
After dinner, we headed back to our room; I quickly washed my face, threw my pajamas on, and headed straight to bed! I was so excited for the wedding day

My next blog post is going to be filled with photos from our boat ride! STAY TUNED! & Thank you, Amanda Castle, for capturing so many great shots the night before our wedding! Not only did she take amazing photos and help us out in so many ways during the wedding, but she also took Leo back to bed and breakfast with her during the rehearsal dinner so he wouldn’t be alone since he wasn’t feeling very well. She truly is the best! I can’t recommend her enough if you’re looking for a photographer. She truly is the best.

Questions for you!

1. Did you have more than 20 people at your wedding?
2. What made you choose your wedding venue?
3. What questions do you want me to answer in the next blog post about the wedding?

I went into Target yesterday to pick up some things for the 4th of July. Of course, I had to stop by the dollar spot. You know how Target runs are; you go in for one thing and leave with everything but that thing. When I saw these adorable wicker picnic baskets in the dollar spot, I just had to have them. I thought they would be adorable for welcome bags or a mini picnic. I am a sucker for anything picnic-themed or anything that involves a basket. If I found these before my wedding, I would have used them for my welcome bags (I will blog those soon!)These were so inexpensive to make and absolutely adorable! I hope Target continues to sell these affordable baskets so I can gift them during the holidays. I may need to go back to Target and buy them all. Even if you didn’t plan to make a gift package, these little baskets are so cute to fill up with a few sandwiches, chips, and sparkling water to take to the park or beach!

These little gift packages were made with everything at Target. You don’t have to run around a ton of stores to find all the goodies! I had so much fun filling them up. I tried to pick out items that had a lot of colors but also things people actually eat. 

What to place inside a picnic-themed gift package!

Hillshire Small Plates – They are perfect because they have the meat, cheese, and crackers! You don’t have to do any of the hard work, they’re cheaper than buying all the ingredients, and they fit perfectly in the basket! I chose two for each basket. You can find them near the cheese section.

Pistachios – Every charcuterie-style picnic needs some nuts.

Dark Chocolate – Because it goes with everything.

Sour Candies – Not only is the packaging cute (I’m a sucker for packaging), but I happen to think sour candy is the best when paired with rosé.

Sparkling Water – The water is the perfect item to add to the bottom of the basket to push up the rest of the snacks. It adds more volume, plus hydration is important.

Utensils- Paper plates, cute napkins, and a champagne glass.

Wine – I went with rosé for summer, but I would change the wine selection based on the season.

Hair scarf – I absolutely loved this little scarf from Target! It decorated the basket up big time. Plus, you can wear it in your hair instead of throwing away ribbon.

 I’m already planning on making another themed picnic basket with these!
I added a cute zinnia from my garden to dress it up even more.

Questions for you!

1. What would you pack in these picnic baskets?
2. What gift theme should I do next?

It felt like Christmas yesterday when Amanda sent me over some sneak peeks from our Wedding day. This is not the official wedding blog post because I’ll need about a week to write that one up, and I’ll want to share all the photos from the wedding with you then. But I wanted to share the photos she sent over yesterday because they are so magical and really tell the story of how the night went. I’ll include some details that I was asked over on Instagram as well. 
The night before

We had the sweetest man take us out for a ride on his wooden boat before our rehearsal dinner. I can’t wait to blog and share all the details from this night! We had our photographer capture the night before so we could be in the moment without phones, and I highly recommend doing that! Once I get those photos in a few weeks, I’ll write everything up! This summer is going to have some exciting blogs! I have wanted to write about so much like finding the perfect dress, our mini trips to Lake Toxaway, designing the wedding table, choosing a photographer, and so on!

Rehearsal Dinner Little White Dress / Baby Blue Velvet Shoes / Happily Ever After Bag

We had our dinner at the Lake Toxaway Country Club (food pics coming soon)I spent the morning of the wedding relaxing. I had oatmeal and berries for breakfast, drank coffee, and took a long hot bubble bath. Before any big event, I love to be alone, listening to podcasts, reading, or writing.
I got ready with my mom in the Rockefeller suite. It’s such a historic Inn with all the cozy vibes. 

My dress is Winnie Couture. It had a detachable train that was my favorite part.

The Greystone Inn was the perfect wedding venue. The inn’s event coordinator, David, was so easy to work with, and I felt as if we aligned on so many ideas. It’s important to work with people who see your vision as clear as you do.

Guest could stay busy by kayaking, canoeing, tennis, the pool, fishing, golfing, pickleball, hiking, horseback riding, and so much more.

It’s the coziest place that Kyle and I love to visit. I can finally share those old travel blogs! It’s located on a tall hill overlooking Lake Toxaway and the gorgeous mountains.

My Wedding Shoes // Velvet Ring Box // Ralph Lauren Romance // Jewelery // Earrings

Kyle’s Tux / Leo’s Tux

    I did a first look with my dad.

My dad built the stands, and the vases are from Ballard Designs.

All of the women wore blush pink, and all the men wore black. If I’m being honest, that idea stemmed from me having a dream about people showing up in neon yellow and red. To avoid that dream coming to life, I decided to pick a color scheme, and I’m so happy I did because the photos turned out so beautiful, and I love when people match in photos, espically when it’s a small group of guest. It’s as if all the women there were my bridesmaids. 

Ivory Taper Candles / Pink Taper Candles / Crystal Candle Holders / Clear Crackled Candle Jars / Pink Mandala Glass Candle Jars/  Small Candles / Chargers (I hand-painted the dots)/ Napkins / Chiffon Ribbon / Chiffon Table Runners

A few cell phone shots I took from my mom’s phone. But the cake was one of the most delicious cakes I’ve ever had! It was almond flavor, and each bite was pure heaven. It’s from Blue Ridge Bakery in Brevard.

The macaroons and custom-made cookies are from a local baker in Fort Mill, SC, Made by Megan Jayne!  
Floral Design / Party Rental   We had a farm-to-table style dinner, and it was absolutely delicious! I danced with Kyle and then my dad   The best night ever! I cannot wait to share the whole story and all of the other photos with you! If you have any questions you want me to include in the next wedding blog post, leave them in the comments below!

Photography by Amanda Castle Photography Website | A Castle Photo

The good part is that I get to watch Bachelor after logging off here. Honestly, I did not think I would love this Matt guy as much as I do. I think he’s so genuine, and his laugh is contagious. I don’t have any favorite girls yet, but I usually start getting attached during the fourth or fifth episode!   Last Monday was another gloomy one. After a morning project, I took Grumples out for a walk. Now that the construction is done on our street, I can finally walk them! Leo goes on my four to five-mile walks, but Grumples goes a mile around the block. We are actually going to be painting our porch concrete this weekend! It looks funny with the cement color, but we are thinking either sage green or beige. Eventually, we’d like to have someone install tile that looks like wood planks. The painting will be a quick fix for now!  It’s officially week five of eating low carb. I love that it has forced me to cook more, eat completely different than I used to (I was eating a lot of frozen processed foods), and it’s opened up my eyes to how much-processed sugar I was eating on a daily basis. I never thought I’d be eating a low carb diet, but after my doctor told me to see how my body/hormones responded to it, I thought I’d give it a shot. It’s not that hard or as miserable as I thought it was going to be. Luckily there are a lot of products out there now that make it easier. And to be completely transparent, I’ve lost five pounds, I’m eating way more than I used to, and I think I’m going to stick to this for a while. I have fewer mood swings, I’m not as tired in the afternoon (could also be because I reduced my coffee to one cup a day for over a month), and I do not crave the sugary and high carb snacks anymore! I did at first, but that went away after a week.

After my long walks, I usually have two slices of low carb bread with avocado. I also have a protein shake about an hour afterward.  I eat a ton of vegetables with a protein source for dinner now. I love the Siete taco seasoning! It goes perfectly with ground chicken, peppers, onions, cabbage, and thrown into a lettuce wrap. These are the types of dinners that take about 20-minutes to make, and they are perfect the next day for leftovers. One food that does get me through when I feel like I need chocolate is my almost no carb chocolate barks! You can find the recipe here. This time, I used peanuts and walnuts.  I usually have these in the afternoon with a decaf coffee or after dinner.  My camellias are still blooming!  I know this isn’t very pretty, but leftovers have been my favorite lunches lately. I always use Tessemaes dressing on top! The habanero ranch is so good.   A delicious dinner we made recently was roasted red peppers with tessamae’s dressing, roasted balsamic brussels sprouts, onions, and kielbasa.  Morning walks!  Hardboiled eggs with everything but the bagel seasoning is my new favorite.  I added a new plant to the family!  30-degree early morning five-mile walk with sweet Leo! I love that my neighbor and I hold each other accountable for our morning walks.  My mom and I had such a fun day on Thursday while shopping for her mother of the bride dress. We started our morning at First Watch! I can’t believe how big their menu is. Dangerous, they are only a few miles from my house! I can’t wait to go back. I saved my first cup of coffee for breakfast. I ordered the egg white omelet with peppers, onions, tomatoes, spinach, kale, and bacon.  A day after shopping! I actually found my wedding shoes, so it was a win for me! They are everything I was looking for in a wedding shoe and from one of my favorite designers!  And my mom actually found her dress! It looks so dang pretty on her, and I can’t wait to see her wear it this summer. It’s one of the dresses in the black and white photo. Such a fun day! I will share more wedding style blogs later this summer. I will be answering a few of your q&a questions on my Instagram later this evening!

I had some of you asking about this top! It’s this top from the LOFT!

 I made a yummy chicken and veggie lettuce wrap for dinner on Thursday night. If you follow me on Instagram, I post a lot of the recipes as I go. This one had peppers, onions, bok choy, chicken, freshly squeezed orange, pepper, onion salt, soy sauce, sesame oil, and green onion on top. So tasty!  Kyle and I went to our favorite spot, Killington’s, on Friday night for Caesar salads and chicken wings!  They have one of the best caesar salads!  I made French onion soup on Saturday night. Kyle was craving it, and then I started craving it!  I will have to post this recipe soon! I finished it off in the oven with mozzarella and croutons.  We had such a random dinner night. I made zucchini pizzas for my side, and Kyle had leftover Udi’s pizza. Oh, and Caesar salads!Random, but it worked. On Sunday, I spent the entire day filming recipe videos and working on old popular recipes that needed a makeover on the blog. I have the carbless chicken nuggets and peach frosé recipe coming up this week!   Don’t forget to try out the new recipes I posted last week! Cinnamon rolls, the best blueberry muffins, and cranberry chocolate chip cookies!

I hope you all had an amazing weekend!

Questions for you!

1. Do you ever get the winter blues?
2. Are you going on morning walks?
3. Have you been cooking more at home or less?

We did it again.

What is this the fourth time? I didn’t plan on posting about it again but with all the questions about our plans, I felt as if I needed to get it out there. Planning a wedding or any kind of big day during a pandemic feels almost impossible. We didn’t think we’d face anything like this last year at this time. Even over the summer, things looked like they were looking up. And now with cases skyrocketing, things aren’t looking too promising, and it’s a bit nerve-wracking.

With all the uncertainty, we have decided not to move forward with an elopement in Italy. Not that surprising with the state of the world right now. With the amount of trip planning and money put into going overseas, it was in our best interest to keep our ceremony local and then fly to Italy for our honeymoon. And you know what? I’m looking forward to our new plans. We have a wedding coordinator that is taking care of absolutely everything so I don’t have to stress over anything. Of course, I’ll be doing some special DIY projects and personal touches, but all the important stuff is taken care of. We have kept the June date, but this time our close family will be there as well. This will be the first time our family will be together and it’s such an exciting time.

When we made plans to elope in Italy, we felt so overwhelmed with planning anything in the U.S. during the peak of Covid. We didn’t want to put down a deposit and then lose it when restrictions were placed. I feel awful with all the couples who have lost their time and money planning their big days. And with cases spiking back up, Italy was out. Who would have thought we’d still be uncertain about this pandemic?

A few things about our changes. We will be getting married local, with family, and it’ll be so sweet and intimate. I’m looking forward to this day more than anything now. I know it’ll mean a lot more with having our family there, and I won’t have to look back and wonder what it would have been like to celebrate the day with family. Does that make sense?

I won’t disclose a lot before our wedding because I want it all to be a surprise when our photographer captures the big day! I can’t wait to share it all with you then.

If you are a bride or groom going through the same thing this year, my heart goes out to you. It’s an emotional rollercoaster to get excited about something and have it fall through. I hope you all find peace with a plan that fits your dreams as well as comfort level with everything going on in the world.

I know this is a short little blog, but I’ve had a lot of questions recently about us going to Italy and the plans! We will still be going to Italy, but only when it’s safe

Questions for you

1. What are some big plans you had to change this year?