DINER EN BLANC 2017: what i wore!

this year, for DINER EN BLANC 2017, i took a gamble and played 

a little game of "let's look in the closet and pull out everything white." 

 luckily, it paid off! 

as a busy mama, with no attention span or time for shopping

 (even though i work in retail and play with clothes all day long!)

 i often find myself thanking past-sami for being such a thrift queen, 

stock-piling dresses for my future use!

the dress i wore was from my best friend's wedding a few years ago-

it is a fun eyelet, which was perfect for an end of summer fete.

my feather wrap added yet another texture to my all-white ensemble,

and just the right amount of warmth for a late summer evening.

i've had it for-ev-er and it's actually from forever 21!

i piled on a mixture of vintage/ j-crew and betsey johnson baubles,which all seemed to 

have a lavender tone to them. i brought along a lavender kate spade bag (conveniently

not pictured for breaking the all-white rule!) and gold gucci-inspired sandals 

from asos. my lipstick was a purpley mixture of playtime and pink popcorn by mac ;)

like last year, my favorite part of diner en blanc was getting to spend time to

my blog wife/ blog partner in crime, lei ann. we always seem to be coordinated

whenever we meet up-but this time it was on purpose!

thank you to lei ann for the fabulous photos :)

♥ what i wore to diner en blanc BOSTON!

 

for the diner en blanc, i pulled together some of my favorite white pieces

for a fun and festive look. my husband was trying to convince me to

re-wear my wedding dress, but i felt like that would be way too

much tulle for the subway!! 

instead, i opted to wear my wedding fascinator, with a simple shirt

and puffy lace a-line skirt and neutral accessories (i don't own a

white bag or shoes!!) my necklace tied the white and gold

together nicely, and my pink lipstick was a necessary

rule-breaker!

by the end of the evening, my heels were chewed up from getting them stuck between all 

of the wooden planks on the dock, and my feet hurtsomuch that i could barely take

another step, but i somehow floated home on a cloud from all the revelry

 and joy from my enchanted evening at diner en blanc.

photos by my girl- lei ann :)

fascinator: ban.do

necklace: macy's

shirt: target

skirt & shoes: forever 21

handbag: furla

♥ diner en blanc BOSTON.

last weekend, my blog wife, lei ann, and i dressed in our finest whites and headed to

the top secret location, (aka boston children's museum), to participate as media in the

highly-anticipated, all-white affair, diner en blanc! 

as i stepped off the train in south station in my snow-white get-up, i had no idea 

what to expect- but as i looked around, i started to notice throngs of expectant 

party-goers, dressed all in white, and carrying everything with them-from tables

 and chairs to picnic baskets. it was thrilling to see how seriously everyone was taking

the event, and made me instantly feel like i was part of something 

truly special. 

on our walk over to the museum, lei ann and i were stopped by confused onlookers,

wondering if we were on our way to a wedding?? i joked that we were both the bride,

and we laughed the whole way there :) :)

the set up of the dinner occurred over increments, with 2,000+ 

well-dressed revelers arriving in groups of fifty from different points all

 over the city.  everything from seating to eating was hand-carried in. 

i was lucky to just bring myself :) but looking around at the decadent meals

and romantic tablescapes, i sort of wish i could be there with my boys!

(although, i could pretty much guarantee that no one would make

it through the night in all-white with henry around!!)

a big part of what made the evening so spectacular was definitely

 location, location, location! my pictures could not do justice to the magnitude of

 the event and the beauty of the outdoor locale.

 while we have been having a rather humid summer, the waterfront

terrace of the children's museum was cool and breezy. the partygoers were

 full of joyous exuberance,  and the celebration was white and magical.

♥ gucci is love.

i am head over block heels in love with all things gucci these days-

and this gia coppola-directed mini film, the myth of orpheus and eurydice,

is no exception. featuring quirky looks from the pre-fall 2016 collection,

and starring lou doillon,  the costumes, the imagery, the music, the jewelry,

the cool looking people, the modern take on a greek myth, the clothing, 

gah! the clothing!!!-it all paints a very embroidered picture of the new

 look of gucci.... and what a good look it is!

♥ scenes from the weekend!

we haven't been away all year (yikes!)

this past weekend, we went to new hampshire for a wedding,

and soaked up every last minute of free time together with our friends.

the foliage was gorgeous, and nick took henry for his first swim!

what have you been up to?

♥ taking the plunge.

a week after my best friend, carolyn, took the plunge-

she visited the pool of her wedding photographer, grace taylor,

and took a different type of plunge-in her wedding dress!

after learning that grace also specialized in underwater photography, 

carolyn made the decision to take some photos in her gorgeous gown.

according to the bathing bride, "it was a fun way to wear and play in my dress again!"

don't you love how the pictures turned out? 

it's like her dress was meant to be underwater!

♥ my best friend's wedding.

this weekend my best friend, carolyn, and her fiance, greg, tied the knot.

it was a gorgeous day filled with happy family and friends and a 

whole lot of love ♥

here are some of my favorite details from the special day:

the bridal party-- after hair/before makeup.

bouquets of white and green with pops of yellow.

the flower girl's sparkly nails.

NO UGLY CRYING. (embroidered  in an ugly way by yours truly!)

the beautiful bride. 

snazzy wedding socks worn by the groomsmen.

the big reveal :)

love the whimsical bridal gown, the birdcage veil, and the snapdragon-
filled bouquet! she got it right ;)

and i love that my boys were there to share in the joyous occasion.

congratulations, mr. & mrs. miller!!!!!

♥ tea (dresses) for two.

at my wedding, my bridesmaids each wore a little black dress-

and while i still love the idea of each girl being able to put that dress

to good use for some other occasion, i also la la love these vintage-

inspired tea dresses from soho mode on etsy!

how awesome would it be to pick your pattern from the

designer's vintage archives and have a dress custom made to your dimensions?

i'm obsessed!! i know it's only been three years, but should nick and i

get re-married so i can include these dresses? ha!

#totallyserious

♥ to have & to hold.

next week, my cousin, jaimee, and her husband will celebrate their one-year wedding

 anniversary-- and look what arrived just in time--a pair of gorgeous,

stackable wedding bands in both their birth stones!

she ordered these simple bands from sheri's designs on etsy, 

and couldn't be happier with how they came out.

they're so personal and pretty and the best part is that

they can be added to forever! LOVE IT!

♥ better together.

image via hello love photography.

two years ago, nick and i were hitched.

we have been together for (almost) thirteen years now-

but there is something to be said about the official-ness

of being married that makes the journey together so 

much sweeter. we are so blessed to be

able to spend the rest of forever

together.

may you all know that kind of love.

♥

♥

yesterday morning, my best friend, carolyn, 

called me the very best news: 

she got engaged !!!

♥

she and her boyfriend fiance are away in the cape this week, so

under the pretense of going off for an early morning fishing trip, her

 fiance lured her down to the beach an hour or so later to show her the 

fish he caught- and when she came down to the beach 

she saw these words written in the sand,

and her man kneeling beside them!

isn't your heart melting?

i cannot wait to see the ring in person- but i can tell you this:

it's a canary yellow diamond with a sparkling halo,

and as my bff says,  feels like it's 

just meant to be there.

cheers, my loves !! 

xoxo