Tour de Georgia | Weekend in Pictures

This weekend had me all over the metro Atlanta area for both work and play (although in this case, they felt like the same thing!).  

Friday morning, I met a lovely couple at Atlanta's Piedmont Park to discuss details for their October wedding.  You have to love any meeting that takes place on green grass instead of a board room!

After wrapping up meeting numero uno, we drove about 15 minutes down the road to the charming downtown Decatur, Georgia.  I hadn't been to Decatur in years, and oh my word, y'all -- I'm in love.  It's urban and artsy, but still has a quaint neighborhood feel.  We met with another adorable Tailor & Table client at the Courthouse on the Square (if anyone is planning an intimate affair, the Courthouse ballroom has floor to ceiling marble and is stunning).

After our meeting we wandered around the square and stopped to eat lunch at Brick Store Pub.  I got the veggie sandwich, but my Mom got the Chicken Salad Melt which was to. die for.  They use cream cheese instead of mayo in their chicken salad.  Need I say more?

Despite the fact that we were all STUFFED after lunch, we couldn't leave without dessert! We sampled a few pastries from The Cafe at Cakes & Ale, which were divine.  The atmosphere was really lovely too.

As we were leaving, we walked past King of Pops, an Atlanta staple.  Y'all.  One does not simply walk past King of Pops and NOT get a popsicle.  Two desserts? YOLO.  I got the Ginger Lemonade, which totally helped soothe my overstuffed tummy.

After the perfect afternoon in Decatur, we drove the hour to my absolute favorite town in Georgia -- Athens!  Athens is home to the University of Georgia (my alma matter), and is a little liberal gem in North Georgia.  After stopping to a cup of coffee at Jittery Joe's, we walked over to the baseball field to watch South Carolina (and my baby brother) play the Georgia Bulldawgs.  My brother's team lost, but the Dawgs won, so it all evened out! It was a perfect Friday night.

On Saturday, I made my way to yet ANOTHER one of my favorite places in Georgia -- Roswell.  Roswell is a North Atlanta suburb with a thriving downtown area about 10 minutes away from where I grew up.  I've always loved Roswell and think it is the perfect place to raise a family (maybe one day!).  The weather was divine, so I called up an old highschool friend to meet me for drinks, appetizers, and a little gossip.  

Everyone else had the same idea, because downtown Roswell was packed!  We decided to forego a restaurant in favor of Roswell Provisions, a cute French cafe and bakery.  We bought a bottle of wine and sat out front -- it was perfect!  The owner chatted with us for a while and ended up treating us to a complimentary charcuterie plate, which was so very nice of him.  Meat and cheese and bread, oh my! 

We stayed up WAY too late enjoying our solo cups of wine.  What started as a casual happy hour drink turned into a very fun night... isn't that how the story always seems to go?

I had a client meeting at (what felt like) the crack of dawn Sunday morning.  Afterwards, I drove back to Greenville and took a much needed nap before starting to pack for our trip (we leave Wednesday ---- eeeek!).  

The weekend really made me miss my home state and all of its charm.  It also doesn't help that my parents and a lot of old friends are there.  As much as we love living in Greenville, it's really hard not to get homesick from time to time!  

Where did you grow up?  Could you imagine yourself living there now?

It's a Good Friday

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Happy Friday, y'all!

I wasn't planning on posting today, but I'm in such a good mood that I just wanted to share a few things that make me happy today.

- St. Germain Margarita.  WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?

- Speaking of margaritas, our DIY jalapeno infused vodka is ready to be consumed today! We're going to sit on the porch and share sweet and spicy jalapeno and pineapple cocktails and fish tacos tonight.

- I've been on a huge sneaker kick (pun intended) recently -- from Converse to Nike, I love them all.  The Glitter Guide has some great tips on how to style athletic footwear! What are your thoughts?  If they weren't sold out of my size, these puppies would be mine.

- The cutest, cheekiest cocktail napkins I've ever seen.  I need them for my bar cart!

- I tried this hair mask based on Ashley's recommendation, and it's all that and more. 

- I am BEYOND excited to be the winner of Jessica's Art Print + Turkish Towel giveaway! Best Friday ever, y'all.  Thanks again, J!

Enjoy your weekend, everyone! Make it count!

Spring Weekend

Weekend recaps on Tuesdays are kind of turning into my signature.

I welcomed spring's loveliness this weekend with a fresh blowout, rooftop wine, a trip to an outdoor brewery*, and lots of grilled deliciousness.  And yes, #selfies too (new sunnies hastang spring, hashtag sunshine, hashtag brightfuture, hashtag diva, hashtag letmetakeaselfie, hashtag ughworstsongever).

It was definitely the best weekend that I've had in a while, but I'm ready to detox a little this week.  Friday and Saturday were filled with champagne, beer, wine, and crazy amounts of hairspray fumes, and my body needs a break.  Here's to lots of water, cooking at home, and a few trips to the gym.  I don't mind -- it was worth it!

What are your plans for the week? Anything exciting going on?

*Greenville folks -- Brewery 85 just opened up and it is awesoooome.  The beer is delicious, the owners are as nice as can be, and they have two REALLY cute dogs that hang out on the property. For my Athens folks, it's Greenville's version of Terrapin.  Levi and I decided that we'll be spending a lot of time there this summer!

Weekend

Top of the morning to ya.  This weekend was one for the books -- sunny, warm, and filled with good food.  Just how I like 'em.

Levi was out of town all last week, but surprised me by coming home on Friday early enough for us to have a lunch date.  We went to one of of our favorite spots in downtown Greenville, Nose Dive.  We took advantage of the gorgeous day and sat outside to people watch.

I always, always, always order the lobster sandwich when we go to Nose Dive. I would try something different, BUT LOBSTAH.  Enough said.  I did try the roasted brussels sprouts with a warm bacon vinaigrette as my side and they were beyond delicious.  We do like to try new beers every time we go.  This time, we enjoyed a red ale by local brewery Thomas Creek.

On Saturday, I did a little window shopping* at JCrew and Forever 21.  

While I kind of loved everything, I only purchased the pop-pom dress and the tortoise shades from Forever 21.  I had a $25 Visa gift card that covered the purchases exactly. Cha-ching.  However, I fully intend on purchasing that little summer tunic from JCrew as soon as it goes on sale.  I have a serious thing for tassels and pom-poms right now (boy, never thought I'd say that), so it's a must.  Levi, if you're reading this, my birthday is coming up...nudge, shove.  Also, I think it's officially time for a spray tan.  Like, tomorrow.

Sunday we brunched at Southern Culture Kitchen + Bar.  I've heard amazing things about their brunch, so I wasn't too surprised when we were told that the wait for a table was over an hour.  Their kick-ass bloody mary bar and live music made the hour fly right on by! As expected, the food was great.  I got a burger, which was good, but a mistake.  Levi got fried chicken, biscuits, gravy, and fried eggs and I dropped some not so subtle hints that I wanted to trade plates.  No dice.  Even true love can't come between a boy and his biscuits.   The rest of our table was really happy with their meals.  We'll definitely be back.

I spent the rest of the day nursing a head cold, picking up the house, and giving myself an at home mani. I went with another neutral (surprise!), OPI Mimosas for the Mr. & Mrs.  

While I'm completely in love with the color, the formula le sucked.  It will definitely be going back to Ulta.

I'm still trying to fight off this cold before I head to Atlanta tomorrow and then fly to New Orleans on Thursday for MARDI GRAS!  Send me some Vitamin C love, please!

How was your weekend?  Did you have beautiful weather?

* By window shopping, I mean trying everything on and torturing myself by not buying anything.  Dressing room attendants love me.

A Girls' Weekend

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My BFF is flying in from New Orleans tonight to spend a long weekend with me in Greenville.  To say that I'm excited would be a VAST understatement.  It's been a week filled with not so great news (womp, womp), so I'm looking forward to some distraction. I'll spare you sappy friendship quotes (I would judge myself), but know that I'm signing off for a few days to enjoy the limited time we have together.  I plan to come back next week rejuvenated and ready to rock 'n' roll*.

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!


* I do have a few fun announcements next week, so be sure to check back!

Surprise!

Oh hey, friends. Remember me?

I know, it's been a while.  I took a little break -- not because I was exhausted and needed to get away, but because life has been crazy (in a good way!).  The month of June has been very, very good to me.

Let's recap, shall we?

I rescued this little nugget.  She showed up in our neighborhood with no collar and no microchip.  We searched for an owner, but after a few days we realized that someone probably dumped her in the neighborhood and left (which makes me incredibly angry, but I digress).  Peach the Puppy lived at our house until we found her a great forever family. Georgia and I miss her, but I'm so glad she has a family that loves her to peices!

I had my 5 seconds of fame on Bravo's "Newlyweds".  I worked on Blair & Jeff's wedding, and the cameras caught me in OCD mode (folding and refolding napkins until they are perfect).

We celebrated Georgia's 2nd birthday by chasing ducks and eating peanut butter fro-yo.

We've tried some new restaurants in Greenville and dined al fresco.

At home, we've been focusing on clean eating (80% of the time, anyway).

This happened. And this.

I reached out to my homegirl, Angela from Saffron Avenue, to start an exciting new project (!!!).

We booked a vacation to Mexicoooo! We leave next Saturday.



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Here's to July being just as wonderful! Hopefully I'll be around to share more of it in real time, too. :)

So tell me -- how was your June??

Memorial Day

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It's Fridayyyyy, friends! I have to work on Monday (boo), but I plan on taking full advantage of the holiday weekend while enjoying some fun and sun on the lake.  L & I are renting a boat for the weekend with some friends and I could not be more excited.  I am kind of a wimp when it comes to nature, but NOTHING beats a day on the boat.

Wishing you all a fun and SAFE holiday weekend!

Country Girl

Happy Friday, love bugs!  I'm headed out after work to my favorite college town (Athens, GA)  to see my favorite Georgia boy in concert with Jason Aldean.  They are performing the first ever concert in Sanford Stadium, where my beloved Georgia Bulldogs play on Saturdays during football season.  I consider myself more of a city girl, but mmm, mmm... I just love that Luke Bryan.

Favorite town, favorite stadium, favorite people, favorite country music cutie.

It's the perfect storm.

Yeehaw!

Enjoy a your beautiful spring weekends!

Southern Weddings

Yesterday was your typical Tuesday -- at work, answering a million emails, and in desperate need of a latte. I decided to take a sneak peak at Facebook (shhh) and boy, was I surprised when I saw a post from my fabulous wedding photographer saying that Natalia + Levi's wedding was named one of the Top Ten All-Time Favorite Weddings by Southern Weddings Magazine.

Wait. What?

I clicked on the link. Low and behold, there it was. 



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I respect the ladies at SW so, so much and they feature some of the absolute best content in the wedding world.  I can say with absolute confidence that they publish the BEST wedding magazine, period.  No one else even comes close!   I'm still completely baffled that they wanted to publish our wedding in their V4 print edition, and now I'm even more shocked that my little budget DIY affair made their Top Ten list*. 

Ladies of Southern Weddings, THANK YOU.

All of my talented, dedicated, super-duper awesome superstar vendors, THANK YOU.

Mom, Dad, Taryn & Tom, THANK YOU.

Levi, thanks for marrying me.  I know I can be a bit of a handful sometimes.

Be sure to head over to the SW blog to check out the other weddings on the list -- they included some of my all-time favorites (I still remember drooling over Lindsey & Tyson's wedding when I first saw it in V3, and absolutely nothing has changed).

Want to see more of our wedding?  Be sure to check out the Part One and Part Two on the Southern Wedddings Blog!

Also, I don't care if you're single, engaged, or already married -- go buy all five editions of Southern Weddings Magazine now.  It's so full of pretty.  You will thank me.

Happy 5th Birthday, Southern Weddings!!!

*Psssst, Marissa.  Thanks for choosing us! You're my homegurl.

Truths

Hey, friends.  How goes it?  My sweet, sweet friend Ashlyn from Let it be Beautiful tagged me after she shared her Five Truths yesterday, so of course I accepting the challenge.

Secrets, secrets are no fun unless you tell everyone. Right?

Truth One

I only wash my hair twice a week, max.  I have super thick hair and I haaaaaate the process of washing, drying and styling my hair.  Luckily, I've trained my hair to stay clean for two to three days.  Then I extend it another day or three with dry shampoo and ponytails.  Judge away, clean freaks, judge away.

Truth Two

I'm terrible at keeping in touch with long-distance friends. I love them to pieces and think of them often, but I  rarely pick up the phone and call.  I deal with people all day, and often the only things I want after work are sweat pants and silence.  However, that's no excuse.  I need to make more of an effort, even if it's just a quick text message or card in the mail to let them know I love them dearly and cherish their friendship

Psst, all my LDF's out there? I love you!! Sorry I'm such a sketch-ball.

Truth Three

I'm obsessed with TV.  Seriously, obsessed.  I develop oddly deep emotional connections with characters and story lines.  I probably have 10+ shows that I watch religiously, including The Walking Dead, Shameless, Girls, Breaking Bad, Suits, Modern Family, Homeland, The Real Housewives of Orange County, and The Millionaire Matchmaker.  Thank the TV gods for my DVR.  Do you watch any of those shows?  Call me.  Lord knows I'd love to talk about my friends Walter White and Patti Stanger.

Truth Four

I curse like a ******* sailor. A-Bombs, D-Bombs, S-Bombs, F-Bombs --  I drop them all.  If I'm not careful, I can easily work multiple curse words into a single sentence without realizing what I'm doing.  It's extremely unbecoming and I know that I should stop... but honestly, I don't see myself cleaning up my act anytime soon.  

Truth Five

I've only had one serious boyfriend, who is now my husband.  I kissed my share of boys, but I was way too insecure as a teenager to ever let anyone get too close.  I started dating L when I was nineteen and it was the first time I had ever dated someone exclusively.  He made me feel beautiful, smart, funny, and all-around fabulous, and continues to make me feel the same way every day.  Do I sometimes think about what I missed out on by not dating more men?  Of course -- I'd be lying if I said I never think about it.  But on the flip side, I have a wonderful significant other who makes me feel like a rock star, PLUS I've never experienced a serious heartbreak.  

So there you go.  That was relatively painless.

Marilisa, Lauran, Nat, Tina, and Emily -- you're it, girlfrans.

Insta-Lately

Pretty, pretty flowers sent to my new office from my old coworkers

Night out with Greenville friends

Dirty Sue Olive Juice for dirty martinis at home. OB-SESSED.

Fueling my blue and white obsession

New Orleans apartment on Jackson Square.  Ready to plan a return trip ASAP.

Venti Fridays






What have you all been up to recently?!  I am finally settling into the new routine, meaning I'm not completely exhausted (mentally and physically) when I get home from work every day.  Plus, I feel rejuvenated thanks to the beautiful weather we had this weekend...65 and sunny?  I don't hate it.

With the return on my energy levels, I'm really looking forward to get back into my blogging routine  -- writing, reading, commenting, and emailing back in forth with friends.

I hope you all are feeling equally as energized this week!*



* If all else fails, there's always Venti vanilla lattes.  They will make you feel bright, and shiny, and new.

Rocky Top

Not a bad view, eh?

Oh, goodness. The long holiday weekend was SO wonderful.  Our cabin ended up being right on the Tennessee River and offered the most idyllic views.  The rushing water, the green meadows, the fresh air... something about the mountains speaks to my soul.  I wanted to run along the river singing "THE HILLS ARE ALIIIIIIIVE WITH THE SOUND OF MUUUUUSIC", Maria von Trapp-style.  

As predicted, the weekend was filled with laughs, cocktails, and sweater leggings (of course)*.  We had a big group (12 people!) and the entire weekend was completely drama-free. Don't you just love that?  I can't wait to reunite with this fun group for the wedding this March!

*We also watched a lot of LOLcat gifs and laughed until we cried, but you didn't hear that from me

Where do you guys like to go for a weekend getaway?  

Are you a fan of rolling green hills or do you prefer white sand and salt water?

Long Weekend

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This week has been a bit mentally draining.  I'm not sure if it's the never-ending amount of rain or something else, but I've definitely been in a funk.

  I am so excited to end the week on a high note with a long weekend away.  We're headed to a cabin up in the mountains with some of our bestest friends.  I'm planning on three days filled with sweater leggings, hot drinks by the fire, and lots of laughs.  

Here's to coming back next week rejuvenated and ready to take on the world!

Four Favorites

So glad to be linking up with Ashlyn from Let it Be Beautiful & Kristin from Fancy Things Blog for Four Favorites Wednesday!  Here are four pretties that have caught my attention recently...

horn statement necklace

super chic gilded coasters

linen skirted console & beautiful botanical print

the messy baby bun. it kills me. it also doesn't hurt that she could be my mini me.

Be sure to check out the other ladies' favorites today!

Also, think about joining the fun next Wednesday, what don't ya? 

Wedding Weekend: The Main Event

Finally! It's the wedding!

Several other honorary bridesmaids and I went to Dry Bar Saturday morning in order to look picture perfect for the wedding.  It was my first time and I will definitely be back.  I have a TON of super thick, long hair (it's a blessing and a curse) and blowdrying it is the bane of my existence*.   Dry Bar really was the best start to my day.  In addition to a killer blow-out (I opted or the "Straight Up"), I drank free champagne and watched chick flicks.  Did I mention it was only $35, no matter what hair style you chose? Winning!  I went to the location off of West Paces Ferry in Atlanta, but Greenville needs a location, STAT.

*If I won the lottery tomorrow, I would hire a full-time hair stylist before a chef, personal trainer, or maid.  I hate it THAT much.

After being pampered at Dry Bar, we hurried back to the hotel to get ready in order to make it to the bridal suite in time to see the bride put on her beautiful dress.  Does this dress look familiar?  It's one of my Black Friday purchases that I was a little iffy about.  I'm so glad I kept it because it was perfect for the event.  Plus, I'm a sucker for tartan.

Dress (on sale!) // Shoes // Necklace via TJMaxx

From this point forward, everything was so fun that I honestly forgot to take pictures.  You can tell I'm still a blogging newbie, huh?  The bride was drop-dead-gorgeous, the groom was totally in love, the venue (the historic Biltmore) was out of this world beautiful, and the food and drink was top-notch.  Honestly, I was too busy tearing up the dance floor to worry about pictures.  The band was awesome and the bride and groom had one hell of a fun crowd. One guest grabbed a mic and gave a FLAWLESS performance of "Ice, Ice, Baby".  These were my kind of people.

Quick couple shot // amazing detail at the Biltmore

And then of course, it was Sunday and I had to face the post-wedding world.

McDonald's saved my life, yet again. I have no shame.

I hope you all enjoyed the mini series on the wedding! 

Do you all have any fun stuff planned for the first weekend on 2013?

(Psst! I finally added Google Friend connect to my page. Scroll on down and join, won't you?)

All photos property of All the Things, etc

Wedding Weekend Part II: The Rehearsal Dinner

After the bridesmaid luncheon, Levi and checked into our hotel room and got ready for the rehearsal dinner.  I ended up wearing a simple black dress with black tights and a chain link necklace. Easy peasy.

Asos // Target // Aldo // necklace via TJMaxx

I brought multiple coats to combat the freezing tempertaures.

 (Hello, my name is Natalia and I'm a serial over-packer)

Black Jacket: Forever 21 (old) // Cream Coat: Zara (sold out)

In the end, the cream coat won out.  

 Check out the great view from our room.  I may have pretended to live in a fabulous downtown apartment while I got ready, a la SATC (what girl DOESN'T do this?).  In addition to the great view, the hotel also offered a daily cocktail hour with complimentry wine and hors d'oeuvres.  Mama likey. 

Welcome to Atlanta, where the playas play

The rehearsal dinner was directly across the street from our hotel (my high heel-clad feet did a happy dance) at the Academy of Medicine.  It's an event space that I had never visited and I was very pleasantly surprised!  The exterior was gorgeous and the interior was full of black and white checkered floors and beautiful crystal chandeliers. Very traditional and very classy.

The food was really yummy -- we ate everything from pâté crostinis to BBQ sundaes (pulled pork, slaw, and the fixings inside of a mason jar).  After explaining what pâté was to Levi, he paused for a minute before asking in his Southern drawl, "so, it's basically a giblet cracker?".  

. . . 

Yes, honey. Yes it is.

All photos property of All the Things, Etc

What I Wore: Bridesmaid Luncheon

Anthropologie // JCrew // Aldo (a dead ringer for these, which are going to 3x the price on ebay!)  

Beautiful gift from the bride // Monogram from Etsy

Butternut Squash Soup & Spring Salad with Duck (both YUM)

Wedding Weekend kicked off with the bridesmaid luncheon at Briza in Midtown Atlanta.  We sipped pomegranate cocktails, ate the yummiest lunch, and just gabbed the afternoon away.  The rehearsal was actually at 10AM that morning, so everyone was able to relax and enjoy the rest of the day without any anxiety (genius).  Sars was one of the most relaxed, happy brides I've ever seen, and the positive energy was contagious! It was a fabulous start to a fabulous weekend.

Stay tuned for the rehearsal dinner, as well as the main event!

All photos property of All the Things, Etc