Straps or No Straps?

After Tuesday's post I have been even more excited for my vacation to Aruba coming up at the end of March.  As much as I love finding new ways to get a fake tan, nothing beats lounging all day in the sun sipping on yummy drinks.  The constant daydreaming has inspired me to start looking for a few new bathing suits.

 I did a little research and found this:

Via

I love this suit, like so much and I have to buy it.  The problem I am facing is I am standing up in a wedding at the end of April and we are wearing a strapless dress.  Since I have become a professional bridesmaid I have given myself a cardinal rule of no straps in the sun.  Now, what do I do?  If I buy this suit and get a tan line because I am enjoying myself and forget to take down the straps, what will I do in the middle of a Chicago winter to erase a tan line?

I really want to buy it, so I have come up with a plan.  I will wear this the second day of vacation.  I normally get the biggest tan lines from the first day when I go from pale to not so pale.  If I wore it day one, I would be struggling to fill them in the entire trip.  Now if I wear it on day two, I will already have a base, and I will have the rest of the trip to blend the tan lines.

What do you think?  Is it worth it?  I just love it so so much!

{Guest Post} The Bride's Perspective: Choosing the Perfect Venue

Today, I am thrilled to have Alex from Things That Sparkle participating in my series The Bride's Perspective!  Things That Sparkle was the first blog I started to read on a daily basis, and it inspired me to start my own.  If you are not already addicted, trust me after today you will be.  So without further ado here is Alex:)

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Hi all, I am Alex from Things That Sparkle and I am so excited to be here today sharing the very first decision we made in our wedding planning process. We got engaged in May of 2011 and knew right away we wanted to be married in Chicago (or the surrounding area) in September of 2012. We both really wanted it to be in a tent, ideally somewhere close to the water. We were having a hard time thinking of spaces that would accommodate our large group, until my fiance suggested Northerly Island. 

Although I had never been there before I remembered reading about its background. It used to be Miegs Field, an old private airport right on the outskirts of downtown. Its a little peninsula of land surrounded by beautiful views of the skyline, water and harbor. Now that the airport is gone all that is left is the old retro terminal building, a small concert venue at far end, and a big wide open field. 

After my fiance suggested this location, we did some research and went to go see it in person. I immediately knew it was perfect. Everything we had always envisioned. So Chicago. So us. We booked it the next day.

An overhead view.Water on all sides.

 A view of the harbor, Soldier Field and the beautiful Chicago skyline.

The old terminal building which is where our after party is going to take place!

Achieving a Natural Glow

So, I am not sure how you feel, but when I look at myself in the mirror right now I feel pale, very pale.  I went to Miami for a quick two days during New Years, but that little tan I got lasted about three days.  When I am a bridesmaid I like to look tan, I am not saying the day you get back from a weeklong vacation where you have spent several hours a day basking in the sun tan, I just mean having a natural glow.

There are many options to get that natural glow without jetsetting somewhere warm in the middle of your hectic work week:

1. Tanning bed - I can literally hear my dad yelling at me through this computer, but if you only go one time a few days in advance it does give you such a perfect glow (I'm sorry Dad if you are reading this!)
   
   
2. Professional spray tan - Many of my Chicago friends swear by the spray tan you can get at Benefit Boutique.  This technique works great but my advice is only do this if you are wearing a darker dress, I would hate for you to wear a light dress and some of the orange to rub off.
   
   
3. Self tanner -  Some people are really good at using self tanner, I am not one of those people.  I would be careful about applying any self tanner yourself if you are new to it.  I would hate to try it out and make a mistake and then have streaks and globs all over my body. YIKES!
   
   
4. Tan-in-a-can -  My favorite option is the Guerlain Terracotta Spray.  It is simply makeup, you can wash it off immediately if you are not satisfied. I spray it on my face and body and it dries instantly as if it was a powdered bronzer.  You can prevent streaks by using a bronzer brush to blend it all in as soon as you spray it.  A little goes a long way and it doesn't come off easily like most self tanners.  Make sure you spray yourself before you put your dress on!

You can also use a combination of the options, but the key is less is more.  You do not want to look too tan or fake.  My favorite trick is to take a few pictures of myself before I get in my dress just to make sure I am happy with the way I look.  Many times when I get my makeup done they don't understand how I want them to apply my bronzer so I like to do my own touch up after.

Okay, I promise I am not trying to give you a tutorial on how to look like Snooki, I just like a natural glow. 

These pictures demonstrate the tan I am looking to achieve:




This was taken at the rehearsal dinner for a wedding I had in November I would tell you what combination I used but that would ruin it (hint I definitely used #4).  On a side note, doesn't my sissy look fantastic?  She is due any day now!

Shower Look: Part 1

Happy Monday!  Come spring my weekend days will be spent attending showers for all the weddings I have this summer and fall.  I look forward to the showers because they are a fun excuse to get all dressed up in the middle of the day. 

This is my idea of a dream shower ensemble.....

1. Milly 2. Alexis Bittar 3. Miu Miu 4. Essie 5. Bobbi Brown 6. Pour La Victoire 7. Kendra Scott

Flashback Friday: Hillary and Todd's Wedding

Today I am sharing with you some highlights of Hillary and Todd's wedding.  It took place March 26th, 2011 at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago.  Hillary and I have a special relationship because not only have we been friends since we were eight years old, our moms were best friends growing up.  We went to camp together for seven years at Camp Marimeta in Wisconsin, and we have stayed close throughout the years.

Hillary and Todd were set up by two friends who were dating, Todd looked up Hillary on Facebook and decided he was going to marry her.  Hillary was so nervous for their first date, but they ended up having a great night and she knew he was the one!

Hillary is just a breath taking bride.

They are just such a beautiful couple, this picture is just adorable!

Their photographer, Jai Girard, is so creative with every picture!

My sister and her Husband Jeff were invited too.  We had the best time together!

They are so in love!

I hope you enjoyed Flashback Friday!! Have a wonderful weekend:)

Shower Gifts that Won't Break the Bank

When a bride has several different showers buying a gift off her registry for each one can get expensive and boring.  I think its fun to do something a little more personal for at least one of the showers. 


Here are a few creative ideas that won't break the bank!

1. Make her a personal sweatshirt that she can wear to her bachelorette party via
2. Get her a blinged out personalized hanger for her wedding dress via
3. Fun new towels for the honeymoon via
4. Something blue bag to store her wedding shoes in via
5.  She can wear these on the wedding night and anyday after via

Goodies for Guests

When you start writing a blog its hard to predict what direction it will go in.  When I decided to write on my experiences as a bridesmaid, I had no idea that what I was really doing was throwing myself into the wedding industry.  After three weeks at it I found myself interested in all aspects of wedding planning, not just the bridesmaid portion.  Before the blog, if I was constantly reading about weddings David would have thought I was putting way to much pressure on him, now its just research!

So while doing some blog research, I came across the most darling company in St. Louis, Goodies for Guests.  Goodies for Guests is a gift box business that provides welcome boxes for guests of the wedding that are in from out of town.  As Goodies for Guests embarks on their third year of business they are ready to expand outside of St Louis.  Below are a few options they offer and everything can be customized by the customer!

As GFG expands outside of St. Louis they are teaming up with local vendors in other areas to offer special treats out of towners will love!

Making the gifts for guests can be very stressful and time consuming right before the weekend begins, but Goodies for Guests is such a great way to eliminate the task!

Check them out on Facebook:)