Pleated Engagement

Happy Thursday! 

It's been a long week and I am so happy tomorrow is Friday!

Today I wanted to share one of my outfits from our engagement photos last weekend. 

This was our second look, but the one I had to put the most thought into. (The first one came really easy. haha I'll be sharing that one in the next couple weeks too.) 

Since our first look was really dressy I wanted to keep this one a little more casual... but not jeans and a tee casual. I have a similar skirt in gold and I love it so I thought I would try and find a similar one. I searched for a while and finally found this one. I was a little worried the metallic would seem to Christmasy, but I think it worked out perfect! I wanted to keep the top neutral so I went with this off-the-shoulder gray sweater. (I asked for help on Instagram in choosing between this one and another one. I linked both in case you voted for the other and wanted the link.)

Once the outfit came together I knew immediately what shoes I would wear. They are really old, but definitely one of my favorites. 

We had a really great day shooting photos in North Carolina. Our photographer was awesome. I'm hoping to share some of our engagement photos with y'all soon. (Only if J agrees.) 

Top: h&m (gray sold out. similar here & here) | Skirt: Lulu's (similar here & love this) | Shoes: old (similar here & here) | Sunnies: Quay Australia | Earrings: Baublebar old (similar here,  here, & here) | Lipstick: Bite Beauty Matte Crème Lip Crayon in Glacé with bareMinerals Gen Nude Patent Liquid Lipstick in Major

Picking engagement outfits can be tough. I will definitely share some tips in an upcoming Wedding Wednesday post on how to pick your outfits. (It was a learning experience for me since these are the first professional photos J and I have taken.)

Travel Diary: Raleigh

Happy Thursday!

I'm finally getting around to my Raleigh travel diary. (J and I went there over the Holidays and I'm actually from a small town just outside of Raleigh.) I was debating if I would even do a travel guide/diary but a girl reached out on Instagram asking for recommendations for her trip. So, I thought why not do a post?

I will say I don't have a ton of insight on where to stay (I always stay at my dads house; however, I can give you lots of places to eat, drink and things to do.

EAT

Beasley's Chicken +Honey: This is a restaurant owned by Ashley Christensen, who you might recognize from Iron Chef. I got the chicken & waffles; since that's one of their staples and it did not disappoint!  The waffle was the size of the plate, crispy on the outside and nice and fluffy on the inside! They also gave me two huge pieces of chicken, which I definitely didn't finish. J got the Nashville hot chicken sandwich and it was definitely HOT!! Luckily he loves spicy, however,  I did notice a table next to us struggling to eat theirs. Our server did warn him before he ordered that it was going to be very hot so, he knew what he was getting himself into. We also ordered the Mac-N-Cheese custard and whipped potatoes. Both were very good. If you can go on Saturday or Sunday the brunch menu looked even better than the regular menu. They also have lots of specialty cocktails.

DuckDonuts: These are some of my favorite donuts!! This is a chain restaurant, and if you are from the north east you have probably seen one. I however, am not lucky enough to have one in Florida yet. They have flavors to choose from or you can customize your own. I usually get vanilla with Oreos & fudge drizzle or Lemon icing with coconut. The best part is they make the donuts fresh when you order, and then they are nice and warm if you eat them in the shop.

Brigs: This is a breakfast place with a couple locations in the area. They have all your normal breakfast items: eggs, pancakes, waffles, omelets, bacon, etc. and everything is really good. My dad and I usually go there for breakfast when I visit.

Trophy Tap& Table: We popped in here for a drink but the food looked amazing. They even had a beer called Trophy Wife, which I found hilarious and had to get. (It was really good!) Trophy is a brewery and they have 3 different concepts: The brewery, Tap & Table and a pizza place. I would definitely check them out.

Drink

Bond Brothers: There is no shortage of breweries in the area that is for sure. This on is located near downtown and my dad always ravs about it. It's pretty big and they have a nice outdoor area, which would be perfect in the summer. 

Fortnight BrewingCompany: This is another brewery and it's actually located in Cary just right outside of Raleigh. They are all English inspired beers, which makes them a little different. They have lots of games and you can order in food if you're hungry. 

Landmark Tavern: We stopped in here for a quick drink while walking around downtown. Nothing super special but, the bartender was nice and the drinks were pretty cheap.

If breweries aren't your thing or you want a livelier bar, there are a dime a dozen downtown! You're sure to find something you'll enjoy. 

Things To Do

Cameron Village: This place has grown so much since I was younger. There are a ton of shops, dinning, and boutique fitness studios here. I would definitely recommend spending the day walking around and doing some shopping and grabbing lunch at one of the restaurants. If you want to keep up your workout routine while visiting you can definitely find something here.

Streets of Southpoint: This is the big shopping mall in the area. It's actually in Durham, and  if you want shops your more familiar with (Nordstrom, Apple, Anthropologie, Restoration Hardware, Sephora, etc.), this is where you want to go. Most places are inside but they do have a little outside section too.

Downtown Raleigh: Downtown Raleigh is very walkable and there's a ton of things to do. With lots of restaurants and bars and even some shops you could spend a whole day walking around. There's also a lot of history since it's the capitol. Even though I've been 100 times I like to walk around the capitol building and read all the different statues & plaques. They also have a history and science museum with free admission. (Donations recommended)

Parks: Raleigh and the surrounding areas have really great parks and trails. Whether you want a place for your kids to play, a nice mild hike or even a long bike ride there is something for everyone. I suggest checking out their site here.

Sweater: Loft old (similar here & here) | Jeans: Old Navy | Boots: Steve Madden old (identical here) | Sunnies: Quay Australia | Bag: Nordstrom old (similar here same bag just no longer offered in my color) | Earrings: BaubleBar | Lipstick: Make Up For Ever Artist Rouge Lipstick in Rose Wood

There are so many other things I love to do when I visit. These are just the ones we did on our visit in December. If you are planning a trip soon and want some other suggestions please shoot me an email and I would be more than happy to give you suggestions tailored to you.

I hope you enjoyed this travel diary. I want to get better about actually putting these together for all the places I visit. 

I hope you have a great rest of your Thursday and an even better weekend! 

Winter Wear

Happy hump day!

I can’t believe it’s almost February and that it’s still 80 degrees almost every day here in Florida. Since this should be the coldest time of year for us I wanted to share some winter outfits with y’all over the next couple weeks.

I actually wore this while visiting my family in NC over Christmas but, it works for the transitional time of year. Vests are great because they provide a decent amount of warmth and you won’t be as hot as you would be if you were wearing a coat. (I was sweating when my mom and I decided to visit museums this day.)

The main thing I love about this look is the way all the colors work so well together. I know white denim is supposed to be a NO-NO after Labor Day, however I think with the right pieces it can work year round. To me the white denim is what actually pulls all these colors together, and makes the outfit read vey wintery.

Sweater: H&M last year (similar here, here & here) | Jeans: Lulus old (similar here own and love these) | Vest: Forever 21 old (similar here, here love this) | Boots: Steve Madden last year (this year's identical version here) | Sunnies: Ray Ban | Purse: 3.1 Phillip Lim | Necklace: Forever 21 old (similar here & here) | Lipstick: Mac in Invite Intrigue with Too Faced Melted in Dream House layered on top

What’s the weather like where you live? I hope we get a little more cold weather before “spring” (aka summer) arrives here in Florida.

As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great day!