My Wine Dilemma

Today I will discuss something of the highest importance: wine. That, and the dilemma that a wine novice will face.

I recently attended one of the greatest events of the year here in the Triangle to kick off Spring with music, weather, and sipping on something fantastic. It's called the Great Grapes! Wine & Food Festival.

Not from the Raleigh area? Don't fret! This festival makes its way to four other locations in three different states. Chances are there are similar meetups near you as well.

Other than the obvious, the purpose, for me, of this festival was to combat the classic "label vs. taste" dilemma that many girls experience when they go to the store. I can't tell you how many times I've bought a bottle based on how cute the label was, only to find that I wasn't a huge fan of its contents. I was tired of wasting money and just wanted to narrow in on what I really liked.

After tasting literally dozens of wines (bottled water was definitely involved), my jazzy little group unanimously agreed that there was one brand of wine that was delicious across the board.

The name is Southern Charm Winery. Their bottles are currently all under $15!
Our personal winners were:

• "Honeysuckle" - a light blend of apples, pears, and honey, yet not so tart that you can only have one glass.
• "Carolina White" - A sweet white that won the Gold at the Southeastern Wine Competition. Perfection.
• "Edisto Black" - A darker option of sweet blackberry flavored wine that also took home the Gold at the Southeastern Wine Competition. 

Don't hesitate to order a bottle of this liquid loveliness for the inevitable bridal showers, beach trips and post-work shin-digs this Spring! And trust me - the labels on this one are sufficiently cute ;)

It was a gorgeous day! Here's a little sneak peek into the event:

 

Wedding Confessions

It's time to spill the beans. The first wedding I ever attended was my own.

Bizarre, right? When I became engaged back in 2013, I thought it was the worst situation a bride could  be in. Many of my friends had been to a handful of weddings in their lives, and most have even been in them. Well, not this girl. I'm the oldest in my family, first to get engaged of my friends, and always ended up out of town when I was younger. I had no idea about wedding etiquette, that there were "traditional vs. modern" options for everything, or that things get booked out SO fast!

Do you want to know what the absolute worst part was? NO ONE would help a girl out and tell her what to do when I asked. If I had a dollar for every time I heard, "It's your day, choose whatever you like best..."

Everyone is petrified of influencing the bride in the South. Unless you're her mother. From the food to the getaway car, it became clear that I was on my own.

But then I realized..... this is the most amazing thing that could happen.

This was MY wedding! I wasn't influenced at ALL by my friends and neighbors' ceremonies. Every single decision I made, I made because I favored it. I didn't see something at Susie's wedding and subconsciously think that I'd be judged if mine didn't have it.

Once I switched mindsets, everything changed. I was proud that I was putting together such a day right by myself. Ladies - even if you have been to another wedding, I urge you to do this exercise. There are so many emotions and people tied to this one event that your feelings can get lost in the mix.

Take back the power! Say, "What would I want if I had never attended a wedding before?"

Without further ado, here are a few pictures of my day. The venue is The Grand Marquise Ballroom, and these photos are by the extraordinary Walters & Walters.  James and Meredith are a dream to work with!

Until next time!

Moving Madness

My husband and I always knew that we wanted to own a home as soon as possible after tying the knot. It isn't right for everyone, but we really felt the need to settle into a place we would call our own.

After months of obsessing over websites like the Parade of Homes, Zillow and Trulia, I happened to stumble upon this beautiful craftsman style place in our favorite area. It was everything I could have hoped for.

We move mid-May!

Now the important part - decor of course! I, like so many other southern women I'm sure, tend to favor the taste of my mother. I grew up in a home filled with natural light and neutrals accompanied by wonderful pops of color in the Spring and deep shades of red during the holidays.  Our new place enables me to do just that.

Without further ado, here are a few shots of my blank canvas:

Cabinet color: Cherry Java

Granite: Santa Cecilia

Spring has sprung here, so as a rule I only direct myself towards things that I will use in the next 6 months. With the rich brown and creamy beige of the downstairs, I've decided on blue, green, and maybe even salmon accents!

Recent purchases include:

Fiddle Leaf Fig: HomeClick   |   Bombay Vase: Wayfair   |    Pillow: Zazzle

There are a BUNDLE of posts to come about our love nest in progress! In the meantime, this girl will be enjoying wine festivals, outdoor beach music, and chipping away at my ever-growing book collection :)

Welcome

Here. We. GO!

I have so many topics currently buzzing around in my head at the moment, but honestly my southern-to-the-core self has been celebrating this weather all day long. Yes... I am chatting about the weather.

It was 72 degrees today - which is quite a turn from last month's lovely 40 degrees. You can see the need for a celebration. However, all of the long lost greenery and Taylor Swift songs playing with the windows down did not make my sinuses quit trying to cave my face in.

Charming, I know.

What makes it all worth it are evenings like tonight, when I get to visit my family and fur babies. In our house, the first spring day will often look like this:

Bring on the cold beverages, pedicures and grilling out. With evenings like this, I have to say, sinuses can just take a seat. I'm ready.

Until next time.