With the exception of one more look, we are almost at the end of our Saint Lucia photos [insert sad face emoji here]. But today is one of my favorites so I was really just saving the best for last!
If you keep up to date with my doings, you know it's no surprise I picked up this dress. I'm a sucker for anything blue and white but especially for anything that even resembles toile, and especially this dress. In its purest form it's a shift dress, which I usually don't love for my body type (I'm a fit-and-flare kind of girl) but ya girl just couldn't resist.
The material of this dress is super sturdy and very well made so it's going to stand the test of time (which I am so excited for). I find myself buying a lot of clothes recently that I will wear over the next 10 years and ones that will make me a "cool mom" lol. Not at all thinking about kids but you get the idea...
Really just focusing in on timeless pieces (instead of trendy) and ones that genuinely make me happy and fit who I am instead of trying to fit someone else's mold. This is one of those dresses. Just looking at it makes me so happy and I can't wait to wear it more!!
So excited to share what I wore to my sister's wedding! The setting, the dress, my hair, my sister -- all were STUNNING and you'll see for yourself below!
As you can see, I went with the yellow dress! I know there was a lot of input from you all on THIS post and it was pretty 50/50 (thank you!) but my sister and I loved the yellow so much we said yes to the bridesmaid dress :)
I was not expecting this dress to be the one I'd wear because it isn't even that cute online. But I was pretty desperate and was buying any maxi dress to see if it would work. Yellow wasn't even in my approved color wheel of dresses. However, when I received it and we tried it on -- and even when we test shot it -- we all agreed it was perfect.
It was perfect for the wedding because it was different and not super traditional, much in the same way as the wedding. It was such a beautiful color that went perfectly with the beach theme. I'm not usually one who likes the short dress with a long skirt over it, but it was so ideal for the warm beach wedding. I also was sweating a little and you couldn't even tell!
Who knew that yellow was my color?!
As for my hair and makeup, I am very proud to say I did them both myself. I even applied the LAYERS of makeup on my bruise. For my hair, I pulled my bangs out, braided them and tied it at the end. I curled the rest of my hair, put it in a low bun, teased it and just took pieces of the ponytail and bobby-pinned it up. Then I pinned my braid back as well. Turned out pretty great, huh??
The wedding itself was absolutely stunning and the prettiest thing I have ever been a part of. I laughed, I cried and I had the most amazing time. I'm so happy for my sister and her new husband but very sad the whole thing is over. I wish I could relive that week over and over again (minus the fall down the mountain).
I didn't want to share too much of my sister's wedding since it's not mine to share, but I thought a picture or two of the both of us should suffice!
P.S. I know my dress is expensive so I rounded up my favorite yellow dresses below (most are under $100!)
After the beautiful weekend we had, who is ready for a full roundup and review of the swimsuits I wore in Saint Lucia? We have some good ones from this trip so get your wallets ready!
SHOP MY SWIMSUITS HERE:
Do you notice a one-piece trend here? I think I wore a bikini twice on the trip but never shot it. One-pieces for sure ran the pool on this trip. I used to think one pieces were more for parents (because they always wore them) and children -- always too old or too young for me.
But I was wrong (obviously) and I think over the past few years one pieces are making a strong comeback. It's weird but I almost feel sexier in a one piece than I do in a bikini because they show off all the things I want to highlight, make me slimmer and hide more imperfections.
I know I've recently been sharing a lot of different swimsuits but I wanted to break them down one by one and talk about my likes and dislikes for them individually!
(P.S. The black version is fully restocked in all sizes) -- (see full post HERE) Gingham One Piece(currently 20% until tonight!): (size M) Solid & Striped is one of my favorite swimsuit brands and the original one who made me fall in love with one pieces. I own a few different styles from them but you know when I saw this gingham print it had to be mine. I already knew I was going to love it because I have this style of suit already but that just means that I loved it enough to buy more versions of it. It's a really well made suit and you can't go wrong with anything that this brand carries.
J. Crew Striped One Piece (25% off!):(size 6) I was really excited to wear this swimsuit because of the stripes and the cute ruffle it had along the back. But I really didn't love how this pictured. I feel like it almost blended in with my pale skin and the stripes did me NO favors in the chest or stomach area. The swimsuit itself was also a little flimsy because of the halter neckline. Flimsy in the sense that with the other low scoop back swimsuits I have that go over my shoulders, this one felt more loose and that I could pop out at any time. It's less secure is what I'm trying to say. I'm going to keep it and see if I can tone and tan away my problems but I didn't love this as much as I was hoping!
J. Crew Gingham Off The Shoulder One Piece:(size 6) I bought this swimsuit hoping it would be similar to the black off the shoulder I mentioned above. It had all the makings to be! But the structure of it was a lot less sliming and spanx-esque and more just there. So it wasn't as flattering and I don't know that I loved the way this pictured either. Out of all the swimsuits I wore on this trip, this was probably my least favorite and wouldn't totally recommend buying it.
Happy Friday! I am officially back in regularly scheduled programming and slowly getting my routine set for the coming months. It feels good to have a set routine (especially in the morning) but even better to just be at home and do what needs to get done. It's been a productive week!
Shopping:
New white denim -- I've been trying to find a new pair of white denim for FOREVER but none that I love. Hoping these do the trick!
Reading: About to start readingLuckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll! A friend at work recommended it to me because she knew the author through a friend of a friend. She says it's too good to put down!
Weekend Plans: Andrew and I have a "free weekend" which means no travel, no need to shoot for the blog, no weddings, etc so I think we're going to try and go to Six Flags tomorrow! And then for Easter Sunday we'll be spending it at his parents' house!
Favorite Blogger Post: I know I always link to Taylor but she's just my favorite and is sooooo pretty! Her most recent post from Palm Beach is no exception!
Song Of the Week: Throwing it back to some 90's country with Jo Dee Messina's song "Bye Bye" -- if nothing else be sure to watch how OLD this video looks ahahah
A Must Watch: Veep comes back on Sunday (YAY!) and I cannot wait but I saw JLD tweet this video out and it was so spot-on it's almost sad this was a very real life clip. People who know and love Veep will love this, I hope the rest of you do too!
A Must Read: Have you guys heard of Shadowbanning on Instagram? I guess it's yet another thing we're going to have to worry about now (especially if you hashtag a lot). Check out this post to learn all about it, if it affects you and how to stop it.
There is no one in the game that does resort chic better than Lilly Pulitzer. So you know I had to snag some new dresses for my trip to Saint Lucia for me and Ryan!
Of course this was my first time being able to rock a mommy-and-me outfit and I loved it! It warms my heart to wear a matching dress with Ryan even though she hated getting her photo taken. Every chance I get, I try and buy her a little Lilly shift dress because they are so cute on little girls.
Plus, these dresses really do grow nicely with them. Because they have separate bloomers, it doesn't matter how tall she's getting. I know it's a weird thing to go on about but I'm just so happy she wears Lilly!
Of course she hated the camera, and I swear gave me side-eye for the rest of the day because I dressed her, but I think we got a couple cute shots! The angry crying ones were quickly deleted hahah
On to my dress... The Emila Wrap dress is amazing. I'm biased because I live for wrap dresses but it seriously fits all bodies so well and is made out of this really great material that is thick and doesn't wrinkle easily!
And of course the Tana shift. How can you not love a classic Lilly shift! The gold lace down the front and the small scallop detailing on the dress itself is not to be missed. Both make this dress absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait to wear it again now that the weather in New York is heating up!
