Hope in a Blog- Honeymoon Packing Tips

Hello, hello my name is Hope from Hope in a Blog and  I am taking over Miss Lisa's blog today as she is busy getting married and honeymooning.  As a recent wife myself, (May 31, 2014!) I am totally a bit jealous of Lisa's wedding and honeymoon bliss - I want to do it all over again. Anyway,  if you're about to be wed and then honeymoon bound and heading somewhere warm, packing is of the essence! Seriously! My husband and I spent a glorious 10ish days in Greece after we got married and it was absolutely perfect. One thing that I did learn, I over-packed! So below I have listed some little tidbits I learned about packing for a honeymoon, once my honeymoon was over.

1. Bathing Suits. You don't need twenty five. Just pick your solid favorites + hang dry them whenever you are done wearing them. Let's face it, you're totally going to wear your favorite bathing suit more than once...right?!
2. Heels. Never wore them. Not once. Now, that could have been the cobblestone and hills that made up the Greek Isles but, it was nice to wear pretty sandals. If you're going to be walking around uneven sidewalks and/or sand- ditch the heels. Bring your favorite pair of wedges and a lot of pretty sandals and you are good to go.
3. Sweaters. BRING THEM! It may be blasted hot during the day time but that little bit of sunburn paired with sundown might just cool you down more than you like. Bring wraps, light sweaters, and scarves. Accessorize, ladies ;)! 
4. Meds. Spyros + I brought Tylenol, Benadryl, and Zyrtec on our trip. It all came in handy. We didn't however pack anything for a cold and of course Spyros woke up quite stuffy one day (bad luck, I guess?) so we ventured down to the Greek markets and got him some cold medicine. Let's just say we hope that it was FDA approved...!
5. Hats. I bought a cute little fedora at Nordstrom as an impulse buy before we left for Greece and I wore it every single day. Kept my scalp from getting burned and my face away from too much sun, plus I felt super trendy. Bring a baseball cap for your hubby too!
6. Waterproof or ziploc bags to hold wet swimsuits - just in case one isn't completely dry before you have to pack up.
7. Sunscreen - if you're checking a bag - pop your favorite sunscreen in, it's much cheaper to buy it at a drugstore than at the hotel resort you'll be staying in.
8. Your chargers!!! Seriously. Don't forget those for your phone or camera!
9. What I wish we had packed is something to make our phones waterproof - that way we could have jumped in the sea and snapped pics. 
10. Did you get any fancy lingerie from your bridal showers or bachelorette parties? Pack it ladies, it's your honeymoon!!!! 

:: Also...don't forget to bring your selfie arm because that's what honeymoons are all about! ::

And those are my tried + true honeymoon packing tips, ladies. Now...pack me and my hubby in your suitcase?! Thanks! Xx.

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Thanks so much Hope for helping me out while I currently am on-board a Southern Caribbean cruise ship.  Hope, you are so right! I always pack a million and one swim suits and only end up using 5 of them!  I need to stop buying swim suits..   Yeahhhh like that'll ever happen!    As of today we are docking in Antigua (St. Johns)! Tomorrow we hit St. Lucia!  I am so excited! Hope you are all having a fabulous July since I will be absent for most of it!! xoxo

Guest Post : Notes from the Nelsens

Today is the day of Love- February 14th! I hope everyone has a happy and safe day whether it be with your best friends, family, or the love of your life! Today I have Heather stopping by to share some insight on her and her hubby's magical wedding day:

Hey there! I'm Heather Nelsen, and I write a lifestyle and foodie blog over at Notes from the Nelsens.

That cute guy in the picture with me is my hubby, Matt. We started dating in high school and got married six years later after graduating from Clemson (Go TIGERS!) and Furman. Six must be our lucky number because this year, on our sixth wedding anniversary, we found out we are expecting our first baby!



Just a little more about us- we're Atlanta natives who moved back to the city after college. We bought our first house in 2010 and flipped the entire thing before moving in. You can check out the whole-house renovation here, learn more about us (including goofy pictures of our high school dating years) here, and see a list of places we have traveled here.



Thanks to Lisa for inviting me to share about our wedding day! If you have any questions about anything I share, please feel free to contact me!

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Wedding Day: November 17, 2007

It's hard to believe this picture was taken over six years ago. So it only feels right to start off by saying- TIME FLIES! If you're currently planning a wedding or getting ready to enter this exciting stage of life, I encourage you to soak up every minute.

Don't sweat the small stuff. Invest in preparing for the marriage that will follow your big day, because the day AFTER your wedding is when the fun really begins.

How We Met: 

I'm actually sharing this oh-so-cheesy story on my blog today! You can check it out here.



Engagement Story:

Matt and I got engaged on January 12, 2007 at the Cliff's at Glassy Chapel in SC.

 Matt told me we were going to a birthday party for one of his friends whose parents had a place at the Cliffs. He had it all planned out- down to involving our friends who set up the chapel and hid in the bushes to take pictures, and his other friends who had scripted responses for when Matt called to say we were on our way to "the party". As we were driving up the mountain, Matt called one of his buddies and asked if many people were at the party yet and if we would have time to swing by the chapel. His friend, of course, said we had plenty of time since there were only a couple people there. ;) And "swinging by the chapel" was honestly not strange at all- Matt had told me about the view and said before that he really wanted to take me there. I was excited we were going to see it!

I was so clueless, in fact, that when Matt opened the doors and I saw the way the chapel was set up, I thought we were intruding on someone else's event. 

And then he told me it was for me. Swoon. ;)

So that's where the next chapter of our lives started.

Now to the Wedding Day:

How many bridesmaids did you have?

Ten! My sister, Matt's sister, 4 of my college roommates, and 2 of my best friends from high school and college. Matt had 10 groomsmen also- his dad as the best man, plus 9 of his best friends from childhood through college.

What was your color scheme?

Brown/aqua- I have a feeling this color scheme has the potential to turn into the shoulder pads of the 80s, but I loved it at the time, and I guess that's all that matters.

What was your favorite thing about your wedding day?

Honestly, having all of our closest family and friends there to celebrate with us made the day so incredibly fun. I realized within the last thirty minutes of the reception that this same group of people would likely not be together again until our funerals- which we would obviously not be there for. (Great end-of-the-Big-Day thought, right?!)

What was the most stressful thing about your wedding day?

Well, it's funny really, because the little stretch of stress occurred because my bridesmaids and I were having such a fun just relaxing that morning. All of the girls spent the night at the apartment that Matt and I would be living in, and the whole morning of the wedding was spent in our pajamas, cooking breakfast, singing and dancing, and losing track of time. Before we knew it, we were supposed to be at the church and had to frantically grab all of our stuff and GO! Once we got there, I realized I didn't have my bag with all of the shoes for our honeymoon, and also realized that I didn't have earrings. And by that I mean, I never actually bought earrings to wear on my wedding day. Oops! Thankfully, one of my sweet bridesmaids, Stephanie, gave me the ones she was wearing, which she happened to wear on her wedding day. What a friend!

That's Stephanie on the right. Pretty earrings, right?!

...Oh, and both of our wedding bands were delivered at the church because they had just finished them the day before. Close call- but it all worked out!

If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?

I would make our reception at least an hour longer! Time just flew by way too quickly!

What is one thing you did that you would recommend to other brides?

While our friends and family were eating, Matt and I walked around to each table to greet our guests and thank them for coming. It gave us a chance to connect with each person, even if for just a minute, and helped us to soak in the importance of the day and appreciate the people who had supported each of us throughout our lives to that point.

This is one of my favorite shots that a friends captured as we were walking back down the isle- that face is pure joy :)

What's your best piece of advice for future brides out there?

As I mentioned at the beginning- don't sweat the small stuff. Try hard to remember that the best part about the wedding day is that you'll be married after it's over! No matter what doesn't go exactly according to plan, no matter who has to cancel at the last minute, no matter if it rains or pours- at the end of the day, you get to start a new life with the person you love. And look forward to the honeymoon of course. ;)

Thanks again to Lisa for inviting me over today!

You can keep up with us daily on Instagram @hmnelsen or follow us here:

Guest Post - Party Decor & Dishes

Hi there! I’m Emily from over at Martinis & Bikinis and I'll be entertaining for the awesome Lisa today while she travels for the Holidays. Over on my blog, I talk about anything from shopping, traveling, party planning, cocktails and my daily adventures in the Sunshine State.
If there's one thing I love to do is throw a good party, and since
Christmas is finally upon on us, I thought I'd share some fun ideas for
festive decorations and dishes for the holidays.

Holiday party decorating ideas:

Snowman place setting

Candy cane name tags 

Candy & Hot Cocoa Table

Festive Holiday Appetizers:

Fruit Tree via this site

Snowman Cheese Ball from Betty Crocker

Chile and Cheese Spirals from this site

Festive Spinach & Red Pepper Dip made by yours truly ;-)

Desserts:

Rudolph Sugar Cookies

Candy Cane Dip from this site

Hope I didn't make you too hungry with all these festive and delicious food ideas!



Enjoy and Happy Holidays everyone!
- Emily @ Martinis & Bikinis

Guest Post by Kimberly from Big Hair High Heels

I am so very excited to have Kimberly from Big Hair High Heels as my very first guest blogger here today! You can read my guest post on her blog about my Christmas Wishlist here. Kimberly is incredibly sweet and has an amazing sense of style!  She's going to be sharing her favorite Holiday outfit trends.  This girl is so trendy, I may need to take her shopping with me!   Take it away Kimberly!

Merry Christmas everyone! My name is Kimberly and I write the fashion/beauty 

blog Big Hair High Heels. Isn't Christmas the best?! Family, friends, parties, food, gifts, ... and of course fashion. I love everything about fashion, but mostly I love that it is ever changing. It's so fun to keep up with what is trending for the seasons.  Holiday fashion is better than ever this year, mixing color, patterns and textures for fun looks.
I have incorporated all of these trends into my top 3 favorite holiday fashions.
Take a look..

Tartan+Fur

 

Let's start with something casual. This look would be great for a little bit of last minute Christmas shopping or lunch with the ladies. I love tartan this season, it just screams Christmas. Layered with denim and fur makes for a fun, toned down look with just a punch of Christmas fun! 

Leopard + (Faux) Leather

 

Who would have thought that these two very extreme fashions would be "in" at the same time?! Paired together, this makes a great outfit choice for a semi-casual Christmas party.
Leopard made it through the fall and doesn't seem to be making any near exit for winter. Plus, everyone needs an excuse to wear leather pants. If it seems a little too extreme for you, just opt for leggings with accents of faux leather instead.

Blush + Burgundy

I could not be more thrilled that these two pinkish tones are super hot this winter! They pair together perfectly. Since staying in the same color scheme, I chose to play with textures to add a bit more dimension.  A sequin top, fur collar, and fun tights makes this festive outfit very appropriate for a dressy Christmas party.
 
I just love this time of year! Fashion this season is fierce...so don't be afraid to step out of the box a bit.   You can check out lots of fun fashion ideas, holiday makeup looks, and even toddler fashion here.  Also, If you would like to know where to find any of the items above, make sure to check out my blog for all the details.

Thanks so much Lisa for letting me share a little Christmas fashion with your readers! I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

-Kimberly @ Big Hair High Heels

 

Thanks so much Kimberly for sharing your amazing Holiday Fashion! I absolutely adore your leopard and faux leather leggins outfit!  Anything leopard and you've got me hooked!  So fabulous!  Anyways readers, if you have not already, be sure to check out Big Hair High Heels, she really has the best taste in fashion!

xo

Also, I'm pairing up with Dateless in Dallas for a Weekend Recap!  
Would love for you to be a part of it! Starting Monday!

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