When you're planning a wedding all you get is advice. Advice. Advice. Advice. And thank goodness, because how else would we all get through that crazy process? One of the best pieces of advice that we received was to not do a honeymoon right after the wedding, but rather plan it for a few months later. There are pros and cons to doing it both ways, but knowing us I knew we would need something else to look forward to after being on such a high during the wedding. At the same time I really wanted to share in that experience of being whisked off to some remote place to relish in what just went down... enter the 4 day mini-moon. The perfect way to have your cake and eat it too! 

We chose to go to St. Lucia (so hot right now) for a few days post-wedding craziness to recharge the batteries and reflect on the wedding week. We stayed at the oh so beautiful Viceroy at Sugar Beach and I would highly recommend it to anyone. The hotel is stunning, the food is delicious, and the service is absolutely impeccable. 

What is so cool about this hotel is that it's an old sugar plantation and mill with the original plantation home now serving as guest reception as well as restaurants and some very chic bars.I just love that it isn't your typical resort. It is very small and it feels so intimate. Normally I'm a "stick to my travel buddies" type of person when I'm at a resort, but we actually got to know a couple of the other guests and had a really great time chatting at the pool and over cocktails (not mutually exclusive).   

We chose to stay down on the beach in a bungalow, but there are also these amazing cottages up on the hill that have absolutely stunning views of the harbor. It's pretty much heaven on earth. 

So many people have asked to see pics from our mini-moon and I've been so hesitant to put them out there because we literally just lazed around like a bunch of lazies! You can actually hike the larger of the two Pitons (the smaller one is too steep), but Chip was too busy doing other things (exhibit A above) and we never seemed to get around to it... gotta save something to save for next time right?! I adore this picture of Chip snoozing so peacefully. 

For me one of the highlights of the trip was the AMAZING spa. It was seriously beyond words amazing. The entire spa is built like a giant tree-house and each treatment room is its own tree-house bungalow. The services were to die for and I it was a truly can't miss experience (especially for spa aficionados!) 

 As you can see we spent a lot of time in over-sized robes... which is obviously a telltale sign of a great vacation. 

XOX

Ever since we tied the knot I've received several inquires about how I got in shape for the wedding, so rather than continue to respond individually I am going to lay it all out here to be taken as just one point of view/ one option of many to try out there. The first thing I would say is that between working a very demanding job, pulling together wedding plans, and carrying on with everyday life (and living with a boy with the fastest metabolism in the world)...working out and eating right ain't easy. The second thing I'd say is that everyone is different and what worked for me might not be right for you so... you do you! 

Wedding Workout: 

• I am a naturally muscular person so I tend to stay away from some of the aggressive strength classes at the gym and look for options that tone and lengthen. I was turned on to barre classes back when I lived in NYC, but didn't really truly appreciate them and see how wonderful they can be until I discovered Exhale Spa and Pure Barre. These classes completely transformed my frame and I seemed to just shrink and tone in places I never thought possible. I tired to go to barre classes three times a week in the two months leading up to the wedding. 
• I'm not a runner. This seems strange coming from someone who used to be a pretty darn obsessed trackster back in the day, but I think I just ran myself sick of running. However, because of this I often miss out on some essential cardio. For someone who hates running and cardio... in order for me to pick-up the pace and push myself I need something just shy of a drill Sargent screaming in my ear... enter Barry's Bootcamp. They will kick your butt. 

1. Exhale Spa // 2. Barry's Bootcamp // 3. Pure Barre

So that's it! No big secrets here! And if you're ever at the Exhale Back Bay or Pure Barre in Burlington keep an eye out for me! I'm still addicted so have been trying to continue to go on a regular basis. The no drinking and eating right thing however has gone completely out the window... 

XOX

I didn't shiver and attempt to turtle as far into my winter coat as possible when I walked out of my front door this morning. There may be an end to this winter after all! I don't want to jinx anything but..... Happy Spring! 

Photo Credits: Pinterest/ all the beauty things/ ZsaZsa Bellagio

Spring is all about new beginnings and there are so many new things to be excited about. Newlywed bliss... great friends moving into town... great friends growing their families (aka more babies and puppies to snuggle)... and so much more. 

XOX

I love summer weddings. And when I say love, it's more of bordering on obsession. Sunset ceremonies and outdoor soirees under the stars make me melt into a gushy puddle, so even I was shocked when we decided to have a winter wedding. Despite my initial hesitation, I have to say, it's one of the best decisions I've ever been a part of and looking back I wouldn't have done it any other way. As someone who had never been to a winter wedding, I wish someone would have told me all of the great things I had to look forward too in planning a wedding this way (aside from that whole marrying the person you love/ your best friend in the world thing)...

1) The photos are completely magical...

.... It also doesn't hurt that we were lucky enough to land these awesome photographers :) 

2) It's a fun and unique experience for your guests 
I'm the biggest advocate for summer weddings out there, but sometimes it's nice to mix it up a bit. Aside from the fact that it's my favorite place in the world, we chose Vail because we knew it had something for everyone. We have a lot of friends who love to ski and snowboard and we have a lot of friends who wouldn't be caught dead in something as unflattering as snow pants, so we made sure to pick a location that would be a fun winter vacation for both groups. We also heard a lot of people say how nice it was to have something in late February/early March to look forward to as it's kind a lull in the year. 

3) You avoid the summer wedding schedule maddness
Not only is it easier to narrow down a day for the wedding that doesn't conflict with another wedding, we didn't have to compete for our top vendors. We pretty much had our pick of everything so we could make our day exactly as we wanted it. We even squeezed a few "good deals" out of it due to how clear vendor calendars were at the time. 

4) Weather worries be gone (sort of)
The morning of our wedding I looked outside and there were about 6 inches of new snow outside my window and it continued to fall at a rapid pace. To any bride this could trigger complete panic mode, but because we were in the winter wonderland of Vail ... the more snow the better!! Our guests enjoyed a good day of skiing and our photos turned out even better with a fresh layer of powder as the perfect backdrop against the rocky mountains. 

The one caveat here is that weather will always be a worry at any wedding. For much of the week they were forecasting rain on our wedding day. Of course.... an extremely rare occurrence in Vail in the peak of ski season. Luckily it turned out to be snow and was even better, but I still had anxiety about it all week  (I think that weather worries are just part of the deal... Woof.)

There are countless amazing things about winter weddings that I could go on and on about, but there are also some considerations that I wish I had been warned about going in... but that is a whole other post on a whole other day :) 

XOX