Tag Archives: new orleans blogger

10 Fall Date Ideas

Happy Friday everyone, I hope you’re all enjoying the first “official” cool front of the season. At least that is what the “Today Show” said this morning! It’s the perfect day to cozy up with your loved ones and bundle up in comfy pullovers and blankets. To celebrate the beautiful weather, I’m sharing 10 fall date ideas with Southern Marsh to help you kick off the holiday season.

  1. Plan a cozy picnic with wine and cheese or hot chocolate and sweets. Remember this one from a few years ago—> Cozy His & Hers | Don’t forget to pack a basket with a comfy blanket to sit on.

2. Host a Friendsgiving bonfire. Get some warm and cozy ideas here! Invite your “couple” friends too! Duh!

3. Start decorating for the holidays together. I can’t guarantee that he will enjoy it or even consider it a date. LOL But it will all be worth it in the end when you’re both feeling the holiday spirit.

4. Visit a vineyard or schedule a wine tasting. Blake and I attended at Riedel wine glass tasting recently at Simplee Gourmet in New Orleans and we learned so much about the glasses on our wedding registry as well some party tricks! LOL Plus the wine and charcuterie boards were delicious.

5. Go camping! It doesn’t have to be in the woods. It could just just be a tent and mini bonfire in your backyard or rent a cabin at your local campgrounds! Don’t forget to pack flannel pajamas and fuzzy socks!

6. Speaking of camping, if you can’t dedicate a whole weekend or event night, research some nearby trails for an afternoon hike. Nothing sounds more like fall then crispy leaves crunching beneath your shoes! Don’t forget to pack a backpack with snacks and drinks.

7. Go exploring! Explore your own town or a city nearby. There is no better time to become acquainted with a new placed than in the crisp fresh air of fall.

8. Bake a holiday treat together! Don’t know how? Sign up for a cooking class together! I can’t think of better way to start new holiday traditions than with a new dish or pastry.

9. Enjoy a simple coffee date! Feeling overwhelmed with work during the busy season? Sneak away for an easy going coffee date at your favorite local coffee shop.

10. Netflix & Chill…for real though! I can’t think of anything else I want to do more tonight than order food in and watch movies while snuggling by the fireplace!

| Shop This Look |

My Outfit: Fleece Pullover c/o Southern Marsh— wearing sz XS | Jeans — wearing sz 26 Short | Lyriq Booties (Last seen here)— booties run TTS

Blake’s Outfit: Dress Shirt & Pullover c/o Southern Marsh | Slip-ons found at Dillards |

Picnic Basket c/o Lamps Plus

Photos by: Aperture Photos

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

SaveSaveSaveSave

Wedding Wednesday: Engagement Party Ideas

Hi everyone, I’m so excited to finally share all of our engagement party details with you from my braided updo and beaded outfit to our fall florals and stunning cake table with MacKenzie-Childs. I realize I missed Wedding Wednesday yesterday, but that was because I visiting Scriptura in New Orleans to print my wedding invitations. Speaking of Scriptura, they did a wonderful job designing my engagement party invitations pictured below. Since invitations set the tone for a party, we decided to include a sketch of an oyster on pearlized card stock so that people would get the simple yet elegant vibe of the event.

In case you’re wondering, “the world is your oyster” theme for the party all stemmed from the idea of having an oyster bar at the party, which ended up being a hit in addition to all the other food stations. However, I’m not surprised as we do live in Louisiana. Also, we chose Abita Roasting Co. for our event because it’s so beautiful on the water and we’ve always loved its quaint character and charm.

Scroll through this post for all of my party details!

| Shop My Engagement Party Look |

[show_shopthepost_widget id=”2888776″]

Outfit: Beaded Skirt | Beaded Cropped Top | Ankle Strap Heels | Loren Hope Bracelets 

Invitations by Scriptura

| Shop Our MacKenzie-Childs Cake Table |

[show_shopthepost_widget id=”2888502″]

Cake Displays & Tiered Stands:

It’s no secret that I love designing and decorating my own home and parties so I convinced my future mother-in-law to let me be in charge of the cake table and a few other details for the party. I came up with vision and and my friend Haley helped put everything into motion from ordering the desserts and working with the florist to even hand making the table top. Fortunately, I already had all kinds of beautiful cake plates and tiered stands by MacKenzie-Childs to help me display all of the delicious treats for my guests to see. I love investing in beautiful entertaining pieces from MacKenzie-Childs because they always make a statement at events or gatherings in your own home.

Decorative Cookies & Cakes:

Blake and I both share a love for sweets so it was only natural that we would have a whole spread of cakes of decorative cookies. I hired a local pastry gal aka “The Little Oven” who I’ve worked with in the past because she always knocks it out of the park with her designs and chantilly filled cakes. Fun Fact: She also made my birthday cake this year! She created the most adorable monogram cookies as well as engagement ring styles and the prettiest gold oyster deadens that I requested.

Florals:

When it comes to fall florals, I immediately gravitate towards blush and burgundy so I sent the florist some inspiration photos and she created a mood board for me to approve before we moved forward. I worked with Olivia from Delphine Floral Design and she did an amazing job from start to finish. She even delivered the arrangements herself and decorated the cakes the floral cake toppers that she made herself.

Custom Wine Bottle Labels:

I’m all about adding a little customization when it comes to special occasions so I worked with Lolli Bella to create custom wine and champagne bottle labels for the party as well as mini water bottle labels. Remember when I created custom labels with her for our wedding party gifts? See here—>5 Fun Ways to Ask Your Bridesmaids & Groomsmen

Table Centerpieces:

In addition to our beautiful floral centerpieces, we also included mercury glass votives with candles and gold framed photos of me and Blake throughout our 10.5 years together as a couple. To save money on flowers, we created some of the floral arrangements ourselves instead of having the florist make all of them.

Boho Bridal Hairstyle:

First of all, I owe a huge thank you to my friend Courtney Graham who came back from maternity leave for a hot minute just to help out with my hair for the party. She just gets me! I showed up at her salon and I told her exactly what I wanted and it took her all of thirty minutes. I basically said I wanted a braided updo with wispy pieces around my face and a perfectly-undone bun!

Welcome Table:

These are the five things that I think every welcome table should include at an engagement party:

1. A guest book — We got ours from GiGi New York. Don’t forget a pretty pen!

2. A framed photo of the couple

3. A welcome sign! Duh!

4. Candles to create a cool ambiance.

5. A beautiful floral arrangement

Bonus! We also placed a champagne bar directly next to welcome table so that no one had to walk in empty-handed!

Photos by: Michelle Preau Photo | Hair By: Courtney Graham  | A huge thank you to  all of our friends and family who hosted the party especially my friend Haley for helping me make my cake table dreams a reality! LOL

SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

How To Style Olive Booties

Happy Tuesday Shoesday! Today I’ve partnered with Born Shoes to show you how to style the new Casco booties in olive. We all know how to style the neutral colored bootie, but how about olive green? Fortunately, this beautiful shade of green by Born Shoes made it easier than I expected. I’m sure you’ve seen me wear this exact same outfit with taupe suede booties, but I love the pop of deep olive green for a change. I honestly consider olive as a part of the neutral color family. However, if you’re not into olive but love this style, you’re in luck because it’s available in three other colors.

The best part about this exact pair is that they’re super comfortable especially for walking in all day. However, I’m not surprised since Born specializes in comfort and premium leathers. On top of that, the Chelsea style boot is timeless gives your wardrobe that effortless style we all strive for.

Scroll through this post to see how I styled these olive booties for an everyday fall look.

I love how the rich cognac color of my Jenni Saddle Bag complements these olive booties. Also, the camo print pairs perfectly with the green color without feeling too matchy matchy!

| Shop This Look |

[show_shopthepost_widget id=”2867660″]

Outfit: AG Jeans (also available here) —wearing sz 25 | Long Sleeve Thermal Top | Camo Jacket (similar here) | Casco Boots c/o Born Shoes | Jenni Saddle Bag in suede (Designed by Haute Off The Rack in collaboration with GiGi New York)

Photos by: Aperture Photos

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

The Gigi New York Jenni Saddle Bag In Suede!

Happy Friday everyone! I’m so excited to bring back the Jenni Saddle Bag with Gigi New York for a third season and this time we’re introducing the newest edition in a beautiful suede with hand lacing detail. This fall we’re offering the bag in three new suede colors: taupe, cognac and olive and you’ll also notice that we went for sleeker and more minimal look by nixing the tassel.  Don’t worry though, it still hold all the best qualities as pebble leather version including the full pocket across the backside of the bag for easy access to all your essential items like your phone and keys.

If you remember back to our first launch of the Jenni Saddle Bag, I designed it small enough to wear across the body while staying out of the way, yet also large enough to hold everything from your phone, keys, sunglasses, wallet, touch up makeup and more.

Scroll through this post to see how I styled the taupe bag during New York Fashion Week. Oh and you may want to check the bottom of the post for a 20% OFF promo code!

 | Shop The Jenni Saddle Bag |

[show_shopthepost_widget id=”2854326″]

| Shop This Look |

[show_shopthepost_widget id=”2854383″]

Outfit: Nude Booties c/o Vince Camuto | Jeans | Gucci Belt | Lace Top | Jenni Saddle Bag (Designed by Haute Off The Rack in collaboration with Gigi New York) <—Take 20% OFF with code: JENNI2017

Jewelry c/o Julie Vos

| Shop This Look |

Outfit: Denim Skirt | Velvet Tank | Easton Leather Jacket c/o Parker | Studded Belt (also available here) | Jenni Saddle Bag (Designed by Haute Off The Rack in collaboration with Gigi New York) <—Take 20% OFF with code: JENNI2017

Stay tuned to see how I style the new suede Jenni Saddle Bag with all of my fall sweaters and coats in Vermont next week.

Check out the first launch of the Jenni Saddle Bag here—> The New Gigi New York Jenni Saddle Bag

Photos by: Michelle Preau Photo

SaveSaveSaveSave

SaveSave