Wedding Guest Dress!

Karen Millen Dress || Kurt Geiger Heels || Kurt Geiger Clutch (others linked below) ||

Pearl Studs || David Yurman Cuff || Similar Cuff || 

I wrote a post about a month ago about dressing for weddings. I hoped that it would be helpful for all my readers, but in reality it was my way of trying to plan outfits for the multiple weddings I've attended this summer! Is it just me or is someone else getting engaged EVERY time you open Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter?? It's crazy!

If you haven't heard, I am in Ireland attending a wedding of two amazing people that KB and I are lucky enough to call friends. When we heard they were engaged and planning a wedding in Northern Ireland we immediately booked our tickets so we could celebrate their big day with them! There's a group of about ten of us that hopped the pond to attend and we've had SO much fun. So before I jump into the outfit part of this post: Congratulations to the happy couple!!!

So even after all that careful planning and blog writing and ticket booking I started to pack and couldn't find anything in my closet that I was excited to wear to the wedding. I found a few things online, but with the shipping I couldn't get them in time, which gave me the perfect excuse to go shopping in London. (Looking back I might have self-sabotaged for a reason!) I wandered around and tried a few things on, fell in love with a pink Missoni dress on sale at Harvey Nichols, and then went into Karen Millen. This blue lace and floral dress caught my eye instantly! Then to my surprise, my super generous boyfriend got it for me as a belated birthday gift. He's just the best!

Of course, a new dress calls for some pretty new shoes. Actually, the heels I brought in my suitcase to wear ripped at one of the seams walking to dinner in London so wearing them to the wedding wasn't really an option. Just goes to show that you have to be flexible when you're traveling!

Kurt Geiger is one of my favorite shoe companies so I knew that's where I had to go. I found a gorgeous pair at Nordstrom Rack a year ago and have been obsessed ever since. This gold pair is really similar this Dolce Vita pair or the Sam Edelman Yardleys, but I like the heel so much better. Plus, like the dress they were on sale!

We are now on a train headed down to Dublin. I'm drinking a huge Americano and trying to wake up after partying all night at the wedding. Seriously, the Irish know how to party. It's going to be a long travel day, but being with friends and celebrating all night with them was so worth it!

Love you lots,

June Ab Challenge WEEK 5!

Today starts the last week of the June Ab Challenge! I hope you've all had a blast following along and I hope you've seen some great results!!

Finish strong!

Love you lots,

Touring around Ireland

Similar Striped Long Sleeve || J. Crew Factory Coat (similar here, here, here) ||

Levi Jeans || Sperry Boat Shoes || Similar Rebecca Minkoff Bag ||

Kendra Scott Necklace || Pearl Studs ||

We woke up to a hazy, rainy day in Belfast. However, we had a tour of Northern Ireland booked, so we bundled up and headed to the meeting point. Ireland really is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen! Our first stop was a castle (or rather what's left of a castle) and then we went on to the Giant's Causeway (I was most looking forward to this stop!). After hiking around for an hour we grabbed some food at the pub and headed on to the Bushmill Distillery. I'm not a huge whiskey drinker, so I was pretty excited when we headed to the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. I love the outdoor adventures!

It was a full day of being soaked by the constant drizzle and taking in all the amazing views. I brought my Sperry's specifically for this tour. I wanted a cute pair of sneakers to wander around the Irish coasts in. I honestly can't recommend this tee enough! It's my favorite long sleeve tee. I have it in the reverse (black tee with white stripes) and I am so happy I had it for this trip. It's very lightweight, but it adds a little bit of an extra layer to keep you warm. Then I topped it off with this olive, quilted coat. It looks like a Barbour coat or a Burberry, but was at a much better price point. However, it wasn't as water resistant as I thought it would be so I've hung it up to dry for the rest of our trip!! Oops!

Hope you all had an amazing, adventure-filled weekend!

Love you lots,

The Mad Hatter's Tea

Down the Rabbit's hole and through the looking glass into the garden of the Sanderson Hotel awaits quite possibly the most magical experience I have been a part of to date. Having been to London before I have done an afternoon tea service before, but nothing could compare to the detailing that this Alice and Wonderland themed experience offered.

The tea awaits you in mini crystal decanters each labeled with a character's name and an adjoining playing card that details what each of the teas contain. I chose the Mad Hatter because I am a huge fan of fruity teas. It was so lovely and as I sit in Ireland writing this post I'm kicking myself for not buying some to take home with me! I don't generally add sugar to my tea, but with all the sugar cubes hidden away in an adorable music box I was definitely tempted.  The tea pot comes out wearing a black crown with the queen's face one one side and the king's on the other. Oh and did I mention that each place setting was unique? The sandwich plates, cups and saucers are all mix-and-match in the most perfect way!

After the tea is served and you've settled in they bring out the savory portion of the meal. Tea sandwiches, a Scotch egg with caviar and crab on a miniature brioche. The green one looks a little off-putting, but it was my favorite by far. Then of course comes the tower of sweets! It was definitely a sugar crash waiting to happen, but we all dived in with reckless abandon. The mushroom marshmallows, red velvet ladybirds and the espresso macaroons were my favs!

I without a doubt would reccommend this experience to anyone in London. It was around a two hour afternoon meal and champagne, coffee and cocktail are also on the menu (which is held inside of a vintage book on each table!), but unfortunately by the time we finished the tea and snacks everyone was so full we couldn't eat or drink another thing!

Time to go explore Belfast!

Love you lots,

A Stroll Through Holland Park

J. Crew Factory Shirtdress || Soludos Esapdrilles || Target Belt ||

Similar Rebecca Minkoff Bag || Similar Kendra Scott Necklace || 

David Yurman Cuff || Pearl Studs ||

And I'm off to enjoy another day in the city!

Love you lots,

Independent Booksellers Week in London!

I'm so excited to be in London this week and it just so happens that it's also Independent Booksellers Week. I've seen a few others do this tag and I thought I'd throw my two "pence" in. 

Tomorrow (Friday) I plan to go to Persephone Books and London Review Bookshop and pick up a few things!! I am beyond excited to participate after hearing about it all over YouTube last year.

Also, I spent all day Wednesday on a plane and didn't realize it... Basically, I didn't realize it was Thursday until about 2 PM!!  So I'm going to post yesterday's outfit post and backdate it! 

Love you lots,

Week 4: June Ab Challenge!

I love a good jump rope exercise! Seriously, it's the best way to wake up in the morning. This workout had me pretty exhausted so while it seems pretty short don't knock it until you try it. Now on those busy days when you can't fit in a full cardio workout or exercise (Matt recommends an hour and a half of activity a day) this will only take you 9 minutes!! Of course it's not the same, but nine minutes of constant movement is way better than nothing! Hopefully you can make nine minutes fit into your busy schedule. I say that sincerely, I know how busy all of our lives can get!

Then if you're feeling really motivated you can do some extra strengthening exercises afterwards. This works great as a warm up to get your muscles toasty before diving into some more abs or whatever you're working on that day! It's very diverse. 

Hope you're having a great Monday and kicking the June Ab Challenge's booty!

Love you lots,