Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Welcome to the World Spencer Andrew Ackerman

So after about 18 hours my sister had a beautiful, healthy baby boy!   On February, 28th 2012 we welcomed to the world Spencer Andrew Ackerman, 5lbs 6 oz.  He is the most precious baby boy ever.









Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Baby Break

Usually I have weddings on my mind when writing this blog, but today I am fully focused on babies. Right after I posted yesterday I got an exciting call from my dad telling me to book a flight to Michigan because my sister was going to have the baby!  I rearranged my business  trip to Vegas, wrapped twelve gifts in a period of thirty minutes (with a dog jumping all over all of the wrapping paper), caught a cab, and two hours later I arrived in Detroit. 

My sister is already a few days past her due date so she is READY for this baby to come.  Jeff (her husband), my mom and I all escorted her to the hospital, where I began taking pictures as if I were the paparazzi.  At 12:09pm I began to work on this post and there was still no baby.  I edited this post at 11:00 am and there is still no baby.

So instead I leave you with this.. how adorable would my nephew be at a wedding wearing this?

Okay I still have weddings on my mind:) via

Monday, February 27, 2012

Rehearsal Dinner Dress Dilemma

One of my good friends, Nicole, has her sisters wedding coming up in a few weeks.  She has been searching for the perfect dress to wear to the rehearsal dinner.  As the maid of honor, who is also the sister of the bride, you want a dress that makes you feel special but that doesn't outshine your sister.  Since the bridesmaid dresses are a color for the wedding,  she decided she wanted to stick with black or navy for the dinner. 

Naturally, I told her I would help find her a dress.  As I started surfing the web I realized how hard it really is to find a perfect LBD in February.  Nicole doesn't want the dress to be boring, but she also doesn't want to wear anything too trendy that she will look back at in a few years and wonder what she was thinking. 

So after much research here is what I have come up with... hopefully one of these can be the ONE!


1. Tibi 2. Elizabeth and James 3. Alice + Olivia 4. Rachel Zoe 5. Rebecca Taylor 6. Joie 

Friday, February 24, 2012

Flashback Friday: Adam and Siera's Wedding

Today I am so excited to share with you the wedding of Adam and Siera Rubenstein.   Yes, this is the same Siera that guest posts for The Bride's Perspective series (you can read her past posts here and here).  Anyways, Siera and Adam have such a beautiful love story.  They were set up by Adam's aunt who knew they would be perfect for eachother.  I remember vividly how excited and nervous Siera was for her first date.  It didn't take long for Adam to fall in love with Siera and her adorable puppy Stella.  They were married at the Park Hyatt in Chicago on September, 24th 2011 and the entire wedding was just breathtaking.





Love this one of her getting ready

Bride and sisterly love

Ronsley Special Events made their dreams come true

Beautiful wedding party



Her Valentino shoes were to die for!

Love this sibling pic

Stella walked down the aisle too!

Siera and I share a mutual best friend (the reason we met all those years ago)

My favorite of her bridesmaids (I am biased)



Wedding Planner: Reva Nathen
Dress: Rivini and belt by Monique
Hair: Erin Karr from Salon Buzz
Tux: Zegna
Band: Great Life Music
Flowers: Ronsley Special Events
Makeup: Suzanne from laura mercier Nieman Marcus Northbrook Court
Photographer: Stephan & Lisa Green Photography

Thursday, February 23, 2012

How to Plan the Perfect Bachelorette Party: Eliminating the Drama


It is offically bachelorette party season!!! If you have a spring/early summer wedding the bachelorette party should be just around the corner, and if you have a late summer/early fall wedding the planning for it should be in high gear.  I have sooo much to say on the topic that I have decided to start a new series entirely. 

Before any planning takes place I think its important to understand the goals of the weekend:

  1. Make sure the bride has the best girls weekend of her life
  2. Make sure the bride has the best girls weekend of her life
  3. Make sure the bride has the best girls weekend of her life
Okay, now that we all understand the goals we can continue with the first phases of planning.
Each bride is different so it is her responsibility to voice who she wants to plan the weekend.  She may want to plan the entire weekend herself, if so good for her.  She may want all her bridesmaids to plan together.  Often, she gives this responsibility to her maid(s) of honor and the MOH decides if she wants to do it herself or turn to the bridal party for help.

I have been in all three situations.  When my sister got married she asked me to plan it, I had never been to a bachelorette party before so I had to turn to those girls in her bridal party that knew how to plan a bachelorette party in Vegas.  Another time a bride didn't have a MOH so she planned a lot of the weekend on her own and then us bridesmaids planned the rest of it all together.  I have also been to a few where the MOH does most of her planning on her own.

If you are in any of these situations you might feel stressed, if you are caught feeling you have to plan it all on your own PLEASE ASK FOR HELP!  Odds are the group doesn't want to step on your toes, but they are more than willing to help with anything you need.  If someone else is planning the entire weekend and you have an idea, don't hold it in I promise she will want to hear from you.  It is important to communicate what you are feeling.  Again, the main goal is to plan the best weekend for your friend.  So its time to eliminate all the drama.

I promise you won't be stepping on any toes if you throw out suggestions.  For example, I have been to a few bachelorette parties in Miami where I was not in charge of planning.  Well, my family has a condo in Miami and I spend a lot of time there.  I made sure to voice my opinion and offer any help I could and I have never felt uncomfortable.  Both times they were so glad to hear what I had to say and we did what I suggested and everyone had a great time.  Another example is the bachelorette party in Austin I went to last weekend, I went to school there and I knew what would make for a great weekend, so I made sure to express it.

Okay, so now maybe I am just going off on a tangent, but I know how stressful the planning process can get so I wanted to lay it all out on the table before I get to the fun stuff.  It is important to understand that you are not alone in planning it and everyone understands the end goal.

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I have so much information to share on this subject so if you have any questions or need any advice please let me know and I will be sure to address it in the next entry.  Stay tuned for suggestions, ideas and ways to not break the bank when planning the perfect bachelorette party!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Kate's Bachelorette Party!

Now that I have had a moment to upload pictures I am ready to share with you some pics from the epic weekend we had celebrating Kate's bachelorette party.  I already had such a love for Austin, but after this weekend I miss it that much more.  It was the perfect destination because the culture is vibrant, the drinks are cheap and getting into bars is free!

Although every student kept congratulating her on turning 21, I am pretty sure Kate wouldn't change a thing, not even the weather.  Even though it poured on and off all weekend running home holding our heels and getting drenched makes for the best memories possible.  Kate and I met after college so this was so special to meet and bond with all the girls she has been talking about for the past three years.  Let me tell you, they were even better than she had said they would be.  Everyone was so fun, happy and just excited to share this weekend with their best friend, Kate.

We weren't going to let the rain ruin our weekend.

We walked into this adorable lingerie store, Teddies for Betties, and not only did they give us all champagne, they also gave her a gift which included a free pair of Cosabella underwear!  If you are planning a trip to Austin you must stop in there!

The best candy store in the world is on South Congress in Austin.  Trust me. 

We spent well over an hour in the Kendra Scott store. 

I bought such fun stuff:
You can get these via

Get something similar via
They came in so many colors via

We went to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Austin, Trudy's.  This is their famous stuffed avocado mmm mmm mmmmm.
I would like to point out I wore my shorts backwards all night.  I just bought them and the lady in the store told me the zipper went in front!  OMG I am so embarrassed and the pictures make me look like my sister (pregnant).  I also paid full price and could have gotten them much cheaper here.

First night out (check out the weirdos ruining our pic in back)

Kate and Brittany riding a bull

I stayed on for so long, don't worry I have all these bruises on my legs to prove it.


We took a poll dancing class in our hotel room.

Pretty bride ready for night two!

As I mentioned here, we played the underwear game and I went with these I DO Hanky Pankys.
I surprised Kate with a special Austin treat.. Tiff's Treats that is!  They are the best cookies on earth and they deliver them to you still hot from the oven.


It was such a great weekend and I cannot even wait until April 28th to watch her marry the love of her life!!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Getting in the Zone

Brides start working hard right when they get engaged to look like the best version of themselves come the wedding day.  In my experience as a bridesmaid I always say I will push myself to be that version of myself, but life gets in the way of it.  I am standing up in a wedding in two months, so today I am promising myself and all of you I am going to get started.  I have three goals that I am going to try and meet each week until the wedding:

1.  Work out three times a week plus a weekend day:  I am usually so busy I skip at least one of those three days and NEVER make it in on the weekends.  I just know I will be so much happier if I stick to my plan.

2.  Eat healthier: I am not big with diets, but I know when I am eating unhealthy.  I need to start substituting whites for wheats and cooking at home rather than going out for meals. 

3.  Replace coffee with blink Energy Water:  Rather than drinking coffee or soda for energy, blink Energy Water allows you to drink water and get the energy you need with the added bonus of only ten calories per bottle.  If you haven't heard of it yet, you will soon for sure. 

Since I am sure you will all love blink as much as I do, I wanted to let you know that Facebook is currently holding a contest for one person to win a year supply of blink Energy Water!  Check out Facebook for more details.

I will keep you posted on my results.  What do you do in order to look your best for a wedding?

Monday, February 20, 2012

{Guest Post} The Bride's Perspective: What I Expected from my Bridesmaids

Good Morning, y'all!  After a weekend in Austin I have been catching myself using y'all and that hasn't happened since I was in college!  I promise to share with you all the highlights of the weekend, but I first need to catch up on my sleep!  Since I am being so lazy today It works perfectly that I have a guest post from Siera... I hope you enjoy!

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Hi All, It’s me Siera! I hope you remember me from my first post on why I chose a smaller wedding. Today I am here to share what I expected from my bridesmaids.



Being a bride-to-be is very stressful at times, and the most important thing I valued in my bridesmaids was there unconditional love and support. My bridesmaids were there when I needed to cry and vent my frustration, but also there to let lose and have a girls night on the town. They were so supportive to me in so many ways that I don’t think they will ever even understand until the position is swapped. The day of my wedding I wrote each girl a long note and gave them a beautiful necklace. Although it was my thank you gift to them, I don’t think I will truly ever be able to show them how special they all were to me until it’s there turn to be the bride and me the bridesmaid!




Advice to all my future brides and bridesmaids: Be there for the bride in anyway you can. Let her know your supportive of whatever the next step may be. She has so much going on, including entertaining other family and friends and just knowing you are there will give her comfort.



Until Next time COAPBM….

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Thanks so much Siera!!  I know you are all probably drooling over these wedding pics, don't worry I will be sharing more with you this Friday when I reveal Siera and Adam's Flashback Friday!

Friday, February 17, 2012

Bachelorette Party Break

Happy Friday!  I am taking a break today from Flashback Friday to celebrate the bachelorette party of one of my best friends, Kate Cole.  I promise to be back next week with details from the weekend and a new FBF.

For now I leave you with my favorite picture of Kate and I from the first summer we met!

Yes, I used to have brown hair!

Have a great weekend!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Rain Rain Go Away

So last night when I finally got around to packing for my trip to Austin for Kate's Bachelorette party, I was stumped at what to bring.  I checked the weather yesterday and it says it is supposed to rain all weekend long! I know what I want to wear at night, I am sticking to my cute dresses and blazers regardless of the weather, but I cannot get away with casual dresses and shorts when it is cold and rainy during the day.

When I lived in Austin I spent almost every rainy day in bed watching friends with my roomies, or walking the aisles of Wholefoods munching on their flatbread from the sandwhich counter (trust me this Wholefoods kicks any others ass even the new one in Chicago).  I have no idea what to do when its raining and I have an even worse idea what to wear.  I started to feel helpless so I needed to take a break,

This inspired me to pour a glass of vino and start searching the web for rainy day must-haves.  If I only had these items in my closet I would be prepared for the weather Austin has in store for me:



Burberry

Hunter

Missoni


I might be taking a lunch break, and heading to Michigan Ave before my flight tonight!

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

The Underwear Game

This weekend I am heading to Austin, TX for the bachelorette party of one of my best friends, Kate Cole.  Kate has been banned from reading this post today because it focuses on a game we will be playing this weekend, The Underwear Game.

I am not sure all the rules of this particular underwear game we will be playing, but so far the only instructions we have been given are: everyone please bring a pair of underwear that best represents you or your relationship with Kate.

I have played this game in the past and the bride had to open each pair and guess who it is from if she guessed right the girl drank, if she guessed wrong the bride would drink.  I am assuming we are playing some variation of this game.  This being said I am on a hunt for some underwear that define me or my relationship with Kate.  Does anyone else find this difficult?  Here are a few options I have come up with to find the perfect pair of undies to bring for the Underwear Game.


1. Literal Approach
These low-rise Hanky Pankys could define me because I wear them everyday.  However, Kate and I are friends from after college, so it isn't like we were once roommates and she knows this sort of information about me.  I still could just get them for Kate because nobody can ever have too many Hanky Pankys so this would double as a great gift.

2. Silly Approach
These Vodka Panties are a little trashy in my opinion and there is NO way Kate would ever actually wear them.  That being said she may guess me because when Kate and I were both single we would start every weekend night at one of our apartments taking a few shots of vodka. 

3.  Austin Approach
This Austin, TX Thong is an easy way to define me.  I am the only girl going on this bachelorette party that went to University of Texas in Austin.  These would be a great way for her to remember her bachelorette party, but may be too easy as far as guessing who gave them to her!

4. Professional Bridesmaid Approach

Really anyone could buy these I Do Panties for her, but hopefully she will guess it is me since I am the professional bridesmaid and would think to give her a pair she can wear everyday, including the big day!