November 2024:
Highs of the Month:
- I'll keep this first one short and sweet: marrying Ryan on November 16th, 2024. 😍 I am so happy to be Ryan's wife! What a blessing. Having beloved friends and family members there with us for our ceremony and reception also helped make it so special! There is truly no feeling like having loved ones (especially those you don't see often) attending your big day.
- Our tropical honeymoon in Barbados! It was such a wonderful trip in so many ways. It just went by way too fast! I'm so excited to share all about our resort and what we did on the island soon here on the blog.
- One of my favorite parts of the wedding day (and that totally exceeded my expectation) was our beautiful and delicious wedding cake. My good friend Bri is a professional baker (her business is Baking It Caking It for any local Hampton Roads friends reading!). Not only did she design the most visually stunning wedding cake for us, but all three of the cake flavors we picked also tasted great! I'll definitely share more about our cake in a Wedding Wednesday post next year.
Lows of the Month:
- I had some pretty unexpected disappointments with a few wedding vendors, which added a lot of stress and rough feelings to both my wedding day and beyond. I won't elaborate on that for right now, but maybe next year once some more time has passed I'll do a Wedding Wednesday post detailing some of this. I knew going into my wedding that no wedding days are 100% perfect, but I did not expect to have issues with some vendors like I did.
- Ryan and I both got horrible head colds the week before our wedding. Fortunately neither of us ever had a fever or any symptoms that were too bad, but I forgot how annoying and draining a good old fashioned seasonal cold can be! Both of ours really lingered, and I was still chugging cough syrup by the time the wedding day rolled around.
- I received some disappointing news in November. (I will share more when I can, but I will say thankfully it wasn't related at all to health or our wedding!) I found out only a few days before my wedding, which was rough timing to get crummy news. It definitely added some stress and sadness to my wedding week.
November Weekend Recaps:
- 1st - 3rd - I worked literally the entire weekend! Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday night we did have Ryan's mom's birthday dinner out at one of our favorite restaurants, so that was something nice amidst the work craziness. After work on Friday, I did get to finishing a DIY bridesmaids' gift for the wedding! I am excited to share more about that soon with a TikTok/Reels video.
- 8th-10th - Ryan and I were both sick with bad head colds. 😓 We did get out of the house Friday evening with a Walmart trip that started being for a few household items, but ended with us finding some fun new Christmas ornaments, and a few clothing items for me! I also worked on some Instagram content at home before the wedding. I went back to work on that Sunday- I was still a bit stuffed up, but I'd run out of days off (especially with all the time off I had coming up for the wedding).
- 15th-17th - Our WEDDING WEEKEND!!! What a whirlwind. On Friday morning I checked into the beautiful Transcendent Stays rental beach house that I'd be in with the bridal party. After my bridal party arrived, we all went out to brunch at Bay Local, my favorite local brunch spot. That afternoon we worked on shooting some fun content for the beach house- you'll see that hopefully next month. Friday evening was our much-awaited wedding rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, and welcome party! Saturday was our WEDDING DAY!! On Sunday, Ryan and I had breakfast at the hotel that we spent our wedding night at. He then headed home, and I headed out for a second breakfast with my parents and some out-of-state family that had come in town for our wedding. I then headed back home for a lazy rest of the day with Ryan. It was a Sunday afternoon filled with watching football and decompressing after the wedding.
- 22nd-24th - We were enjoying Barbados on our honeymoon!! How I wish I could relive this weekend over. 😊 Friday and Sunday were resort relaxation days, and on Saturday we did do some exploring around the island with a private tour guide we hired! I'm looking so forward to sharing more about our honeymoon itinerary soon.
November Purchases:
- While I didn't spend nearly as much on Black Friday this year as I normally do (Thank you wedding expenses!), I did still have some fun buys in November. First up: a couple amazing Walmart finds! I couldn't believe how gorgeous this plaid dress was. It stopped me in my tracks in the store! It's so classic and traditional, and will be a holiday staple piece and my wardrobe for years to come.
- Another find that stopped me in my tracks in-store: this gorgeous embellished button-down shirt. This screams J. Crew to me, but for a fraction of the price! I still can't believe what a deal this was.
- I wanted to get a new pair of white everyday sneakers prior to our honeymoon (my previous pair were getting quite worn out). I decided to get these sneakers, and I really like them! They're quite comfortable, and the under $50 price was great.
- I treated myself to this shimmery green blouse on Black Friday, thanks to a gift card I had saved from my birthday! It'll be perfect for the holiday season and beyond.
- This lilac turtleneck sweater was such a pretty color, and I think will go so well with the white dress pants I purchased last month. It'll be a fun way to add spring color to my wardrobe in February/March when it's still cold outside.
- My biggest clothing purchase this Black Friday was thanks to another birthday gift card that I'd been saving. I treated myself to this beautiful pink winter coat, that was marked down over 70% off the original price! I can't wait for it to arrive. This was featured on my wishlist from last month's Midweek Ramblings post, so I was extra happy to find it marked down so much!
- And my biggest purchase of all in November was still quite a splurge even with the Black Friday deal, but it's something I plan to have and keep probably for the rest of my life! I purchased a Petite Keep Bridal Trunk to keep all of my wedding and engagement heirlooms. I cannot wait to get my trunk! I plan to do a full review of it for a future Wedding Wednesday post.
November Wishlist:
- You know that I am the queen of doing my nails myself. While I haven't tried this popular nail brand before, they just released their first-ever gel polish system. I am intrigued and adding it to my Christmas list!
- This popular bow formal dress is back for this year in a beautiful new hot pink color. So girly and fun!
- I love these darling embellished pumps that are perfect for holiday outfits. You cannot beat the $30 price.
- A girlfriend of mine wore this sweater dress to dinner last month, and I was obsessed with it! It comes in multiple colors, and I thought it looked so much more expensive than it is.
November Blog Posts:
God Bless,
xoxo Annaliese
Wishing you guys the biggest congratulations!!
ReplyDelete