When Patrick and I lived in NYC we spent countless afternoons picnicking in Central Park and exploring The Metropolitan Museum. We are so happy to have these engagement photographs to remember a few of our favorite Manhattan moments. Thank you to Sophie Kaye for capturing this special day on film.
New Orleans Travel Guide
Patrick and I have been spending a lot of time in New Orleans this year checking things off our wedding planning list. So many new spots have opened up since we started dating there almost a decade ago, I thought it would be fun to put together a little highlight reel of favorites here.
Where to Stay
We are planning on staying at the Henry Howard Hotel along with our wedding party, this renovated house is drenched in sunlight which is why I bookmarked it a couple years ago for day-of photography. Another recent renovation that just opened is Hotel Peter and Paul which is perfect if you want to stay in the quiet Marigny neighborhood.
Where to Shop
I mentioned Vintage 329 in a post about vintage shopping in New Orleans a while back, but I have to bring them up again. This shop is always a must-see on my list since they have one of the largest collections of vintage Chanel jewelry in the country.
Where to Eat
Cavan is a romantic brunch or dinner venue with all the old world charm New Orleans has to offer, be sure to order the whipped pimento goat cheese that comes with the antipasti plate. Another new find was Auction House Market where you can dine on a bit of everything from their local food hall setting, if you have a sweet tooth head to their coffee stand and pick up a frozen coffee.
A Week in Manhattan
Patrick and I traveled to New York City earlier this month, it was actually my first return trip since moving to San Francisco nearly 2 years ago. My Mother joined me during the week for a few preliminary bridal appointments, I have been scoping out a few styles online and wanted to see things in person while I was in town. We visited the bridal salons at Monique Lhuillier, Bergdorf Goodman, Spina Bride and Lee Petra Grebenau. The rest of the week was filled with old favorites like: eating at Momofuku ramen and Milk Bar, shopping in Soho, seeing the annual fashion exhibit (Heavenly Bodies) at The Metropolitan, afternoon tea at Bergdorfs, vintage shopping at What Goes Around Comes Around, cheese plates and wine at Murray's Cheese Bar, walking around Washington Square Park and brunch at Balthazar. It felt good to be back, almost like we never left! I believe the moral of the story is 2 years is too long to stay away from Manhattan, hopefully we'll make a return trip this spring.
Wedding Planning Update
I thought sharing our new bridal jewels would be a good excuse to give a wedding planning update! Things are coming along, slowly! Patrick and I have began reaching out to wedding planners and potential photographers first. We would love to start things off with a Summer trip to New Orleans to meet with planners and see who we find a good fit with, especially since we will be getting very close with this person and their team over the next year or so.
Next, and what I'm most excited about, is taking a trip back to our old home; Manhattan. There's a lot to accomplish in the city like meeting with a photographer who I've followed for years for an engagement photo session, visiting a few bridal salons I have bookmarked and celebrating with old friends. In the meantime, we are trying to plan a little engagement picnic party here in San Francisco or wine country.
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Vintage Wedding Jewelry
There are still days where I need to pinch myself to remember that I am indeed engaged. It feels like forever ago that we were celebrating with friends and family over the holidays after Patrick and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary. We are planning on having a long engagement so that we can enjoy the moment before all the craziness kicks in. With that said, we will most likely start exploring destination venues late this Summer and meeting with wedding planners to get a head start on the process.
Since I am officially engaged, curating the Sweet & Spark Wedding Collection with Jillian has been much more exciting lately. I can't help thinking about what vintage jewelry I want to find for my big day, I might be more excited about hunting for the jewels than finding a dress. I will try to keep wedding updates on the blog without ruining too much of the surprise!
S H O P T H E L O O K