Tag Archives: charleston travel review

Charleston Wedding Week Recap

Happy Monday everyone, I hope you all had a nice weekend. As promised, today I’m sharing my Charleston Wedding Week recap with you. Let me start by saying that Charleston was among my top five places to travel to in 2017 so I immediately jumped at the opportunity to visit when I learned about Charleston Wedding Week especially since I’m currently engaged. I was lucky enough to attend some of the fabulous events as Diamonds Direct’s guest.

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Outfit: Velvet Skirt (also available here) — wearing sz S | Built-in choker tank — wearing sz XS | Ankle Strap Heels (similar here & here) | Chloe Small Nile Bracelet Bag 

Upon arriving, we checked into the beautiful Belmond hotel right in the center of historic district, which is right where you want to be when it comes to dining and shopping!

We kicked off the week with an adorable dog wedding at Diamonds Direct in honor of the Charleston Animal Society benefiting some sweet dogs for adoption. After the event, I couldn’t stop myself from trying on all of the diamond wedding bands and even some stunning engagement rings just for fun. Don’t worry! I still love my engagement ring, but there is no shame in playing a little dress up with luxurious diamonds especially since Diamonds Direct offers such a wide variety of options.

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Outfit: Velvet Wrap Dress — wearing sz S | Ankle Strap Heels (similar here & here) | Chloe Small Nile Bracelet Bag  | Rose Gold Bracelet Stack & Misty Hinge Cuff c/o Kendra Scott

On day 2 of Charleston Wedding Week, we got to experience a real live bridal show at Cannon Green featuring all of Charleston’s top bridal boutiques like Lovely,Verità and just to name a few. I must admit, I wish I had done something like this before buying my own wedding dresses. It really helps to give you an idea of how the gown looks in action. If you’re currently engaged or know you’re getting engaged soon, I highly recommend attending a bridal show. If you know you have the time, definitely look into tickets for Charleston Wedding Week next year! Take a look at 2018 schedule here to check out all of the events you’d be interested in attending.

I’m obsessed with the off-the-shoulder detail and dramatic slit. 

This gown is perfect the daring bride planning an edgy destination wedding.

The plunging neckline and completely open back left everyone drooling after seeing this gown including me!

My favorite event from Charleston Wedding Week was listening to the Publishing Tips From The Pros panel. We got to hear decision-making editorial experts like the executive director for “Brides” and the editor-at-large from Martha Stewart Weddings share their advice for crafting the submissions perfect for their publications. They even allowed us to ask individual questions to the speakers. I recommend getting tickets to this event if you’re a blogger, event planner, florist, photographer or designer. I learned so much from the amazing panel of speakers and plan to use the tips for getting my own wedding featured.

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Outfit: Grlfrnd Jeans — wearing sz 27 (I normally wear a sz 26, but had to size up in these) | Similar Camel Cardigan here & here | Black Strappy tank — wearing sz S | Gucci Dionysus Bag

Charleston Recommendations:

Start your morning at:

If you’re staying at the Belmond Hotel on a club level, just hop on up to the 8th floor for complementary coffee and breakfast. We dined there every morning during our stay and enjoyed fresh fruit, pastries, hot breakfast and coffee of course.

Black Tap Coffee

Toast

Caviar & Bananas George Street

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Outfit: Grlfrnd Jeans — wearing sz 27 (I normally wear a sz 26, but had to size up in these) | Tie Front Shirt | Leopard Print heels (also available here) | Chloe Small Nile Bracelet Bag 

Where to dine in Charleston:

Poogan’s Porch | Be sure to order the pimento cheese fritters as an appetizer and a side of the mac & cheese! It’s heavenly! Almost as heavenly as their fried chicken sandwich and fried chicken and waffles.

Husk Bar | If you’re on the hunt for the best burger in town, look no further than Husk! They serve the burger at their main restaurant during lunch, but if you’re looking for a late night bite, make sure to head over to their bar next door.

Snob 

Xiao Bao Biscuit | I’ve one word you…SPICY! If you love spicy asian fusion with southern food, this is your go-to joint!

Paw Paw Restaurant | Their CAST IRON POTATO GNOCCHI is delightful especially with a side of truffle fries!

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Outfit: BP Stretch Jeans | Crew Neck Sweater | Faux Shearling Jacket | Jenni Saddle Bag (Designed by Haute Off The Rack in collaboration with Gigi New York)

Raw 167 | Do yourself a favor and order the Crispy oysters! Trust me, you won’t regret it!

Darling Oyster Bar

The Watch Rooftop Kitchen at The Restoration Hotel | This restaurant definitely sits right around the top of my food list because their BLT, shrimp rolls and house-made chips were absolutely delicious! In fact, I haven’t stopped thinking about my meal there because it was that good! Plus you get the best rooftop view while you eat!

Don’t forget to check out my full Charleston Travel Review here!

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Outfit: Exact Leopard Print Coat— sold out (similar here & here) | Velvet Lace Trim Tank (similar here) | Black Jeans | YSL Handbag (similar here)

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Outfit: BP Stretch Jeans |  Strappy tank — wearing sz S | Cardigan | Jenni Saddle Bag (Designed by Haute Off The Rack in collaboration with Gigi New York)

This post is in partnership with Charleston Wedding Week & Diamonds Direct, a brand I love. All opinions and selections here are my own. Thank you for supporting the affiliate posts who make this blog possible.

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Charleston Trip Review

Hi everyone, today I’m sharing my Charleston trip review from my recent girl’s getaway! Scroll through this post for my top recommendations on dining, hotels, sight seeing and where to “wine” down!

Where We Stayed: 

We stayed at the most adorable boutique hotel in Charleston, the Zero George Hotel. We lodged in the main house on the third floor so every morning we would just walk right downstairs for complimentary breakfast and coffee. Speaking of coffee, Zero George offers free coffee, lattes, espresso and cappuccinos 24 hours a day! If that isn’t amazing enough, they also offer daily bike rentals and host a complimentary wine and cheese hour for their guests every afternoon. The servers personally deliver wine and cheeseboards to your room or balcony for you to enjoy.

As for the Zero George restaurant, we didn’t get to experience their dining menu, but we only heard wonderful things about it from both locals and tourists. Also, they close their restaurant every Monday night to host a cooking class that you can book here—> Charleston Cooking classes

In case you missed my Instagram posts, this past Charleston trip was one for the girls, but I would love to come back here for a romantic weekend with Blake! It is among the most darling towns I’ve ever visited!

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Outfit: Distressed Jeans | White Cold Shoulder Top | Somers Sneakers c/o Sofft Shoes (also available here)— size down a half size | Jenni Saddle Bag (Designed by Haute Off The Rack in collaboration with Gigi New York) | Ray-Ban Round Sunglasses in Rose Gold

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Outfit: Denim Skirt (similar here) | Built-in Choker Top (also available here) | Marc Fisher Platform Wedges | GG Marmont Matelassé Shoulder Bag (mini version here) | Ray-Ban Round Sunglasses

Start your morning at:

Black Tap Coffee

Toast

Caviar & Bananas George Street

Where to dine in Charleston:

Poogan’s Porch | Be sure to order the pimento cheese fritters as an appetizer and a side of the mac & cheese! It’s heavenly! Almost as heavenly as their fried chicken sandwich!

Poogan’s Porch Famous Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe:

Ingredients: 1 cup sifted self-rising flour | 1 tsp. baking power |1 Tbsp. sugar | 1/4 cup shortening | 4 oz. buttermilk (room temp)

  1. Mix flour, baking powder, and sugar thoroughly— cut in shortening until mix forms course crumbs.
  2. Add 3 oz. buttermilk and mix. Add additional buttermilk until desired consistency is met.
  3. Place dough mixture on a floured surface for kneading and pat dough to 1/2 inch thickness and use biscuit cutter.
  4. Place biscuits on lightly greased baking sheet and bake 350 degrees for 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
  5. Brush biscuits with melted butter!

Xiao Bao Biscuit | I’ve one word you…SPICY! If you love spicy asian fusion with southern food, this is your go-to joint!

Paw Paw Restaurant | Their CAST IRON POTATO GNOCCHI is delightful especially with a side of truffle fries!

Raw 167 | Do yourself a favor and order the Crispy oysters!

Darling Oyster Bar | We were so bummed that we didn’t get to eat because the menu looked amazing, but I’ve already added to must-do list for the next time that I visit! Everyone raves about this place!

Snob | We didn’t get to actually eat here, but we heard this place was fabulous!

Sugar Bake Shop | one stop shop for coffee & freshly-baked cupcakes!

The Watch Rooftop Kitchen at The Restoration Hotel | This restaurant definitely sits right around the top of my food list because their BLT, shrimp rolls and house-made chips were absolutely delicious! In fact, I haven’t stopped thinking about my meal there because it was that good! Plus you get the best rooftop view while you eat!

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Outfit: White Jeans (wearing sz 26) | Blush Lace Up Top | Denim Jacket (wearing sz XS) | Somers Sneakers c/o Sofft Shoes (also available here)— size down | Ray-Ban Round Sunglasses in Rose Gold | Jenni Saddle Bag  (Designed by Haute Off The Rack in collaboration with Gigi New York)— new spring colors coming soon!

Where to sight see:

If you have the extra time, I highly recommend a walking tour to learn all about the history and culture of Charleston!

Rainbow Row

Charleston Battery

Waterfront Park

Shop on King Street

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Outfit: Steve Madden Ava Sandals (also available here) | Steffee Dress c/o Yumi Kim | Jewelry c/o Julie Vos | Jenni Saddle Bag (Designed by Haute Off The Rack in collaboration with Gigi New York)— new spring colors coming soon!

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Outfit: Distressed Jeans | Light Pink Sweater (similar here) | Marc Fisher Platform Wedges | GG Marmont Matelassé Shoulder Bag (mini version here) | Ray-Ban Round Sunglasses

Where to “wine” down in Charleston:

Gin Joint

Scarecrow Wood Fire Grill

The Ordinary

I hope you enjoyed my Charleston trip review and please feel free to comment with any additional questions or you can reach me via email at Jenn.hauteofftherack@gmail.com

Photos by: Lainey Reed Photography

A special thanks to Jennifer Stuart at Exploreateur Travel for helping us plan the perfect Charleston trip!