Category: Places to See

Places to See, Travel

15 Road Trip Must Haves

by fashionablepetiteLeave a Comment on 15 Road Trip Must Haves
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–Road Trip Must Haves-

1. Bee & Willow™ Home Picnic Basket with 4 Place Settings – My hubs and I registered for a picnic basket when we got married and it remains one of my favorite things we ever got! Why not stop on the side of the road, enjoy the scenery, and enjoy an impromptu lunch?

2. Will Shortz Presents Road Trip Sudoku – I love a good mind teaser game and Sudoku is always one of the best!

3. Dot’s Homestlye Pretzels – Ah, Dot’s! They are one of my favorite road trip snacks. A nice buttery, peppy twist to munch on during hours in the car.

4. Neutrogena Beach Defense Sunscreen Spray – SPF 50 – Neutrogena is my GO-TO sunscreen on vacation. The spray is light, non greasy, and it smells so good. I’ve had people I’m with go and invest in a can because it’s that good!

5. Picnic Time® Ottoman Cooler in Grey – I can’t express this enough, I LOVE this cooler! It is not only a cooler, it also acts as a bench or ottoman up to 350 pounds. If you’re on the side of the road for a lunch break, you can sit on cooler and still be comfortable! It has a divider between the cold storage and dry storage so that everything isn’t at the same temperature. The dry storage also has a front opening so you can easily grab your snacks from the front seat without digging around.

6. BlueAvocado® Zip 2-Pack Snack Bags – I’m ALL about road trip snack and these snack bags are the perfect size to pre-pack some of my favorite treats!

7. Dream Zone™ Sleep Mask – Everyone needs a good sleep mask when traveling. I’ve used the Dream Zone since my freshmen college dorm days and love it’s silky, lightweight texture.

8. Ello Jones 11oz Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Travel Mug – This travel mug is the perfect size to fit in your cup holder and fits under single serve machines (shout out to the 7-11 coffee dispenser). It’s insulation means your cold drink will stay cold and your hot drink will still be toasty up to 5 hours after you pour that cup of joe.

9. Fujifilm Instax Mini 11 Camera – There is something that feels quintessentially road trip about a Polaroid camera. Digital photos are great, but having instant photos to keep forever is special. Why not invest in an Instax Mini and snap those vacation memories as they happen?

10. Rechargeable Book Light 5 LED Clip-on Reading Light – There is nothing worse then straining your eyes trying to read at night when you have inadequate light. This rechargeable book light has 3 colors of light and brightness to accommodate different lighting needs throughout the day/night. You wont have to put down your book when the sun starts to go down!

11. Newton Ridge Plus Hiking Boot – Hiking boots don’t have to be ugly! Colombia is the king of the outdoor wear and these Newton hiking boots are both practical and stylish. The cognac color with the red laces creates a rustic look without compromising on the cute.

12. The North Face Jester 28L Women’s Backpack – I’m a firm believer in investing in a good backpack and North Face is one brand you cannot go wrong with. This women’s backpack is great for a road trip because the molded straps mean it’s comfortable, while the roomy main sized compartment means you can pack a decent amount of stuff inside. It has a laptop sleeve and extra room on the outside for two water bottles.

13. Moroccan Magic Lip Balm – Coconut Almond – I’ve talk about Moroccan Magic on my Instagram before, but they have some of the best lip balm! It’s oil based meaning your lips are left a lot smoother vs. a regular balm. Moroccan Magic is also vegan and cruelty free, meaning everything is clean without animal byproducts.

14. Samsonite® Magic 2-in-1 Travel Pillow with Pocket – Samsonite is known for great travel products and I’ve been using their suitcases for ages. They also sell travel pillows and the travel one is fantastic. It converts from U shape to square to accommodate different sleep positions and it has a slot to store your earbuds.

15. Sony XB12 Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker – Big beats, little size. This portable speaker from Sony delivers quality sound in a compact size. It’s also waterproof AND dust proof, so you don’t have to worry about the elements.

Places to See, Travel

Getting Married Abroad

by fashionablepetiteLeave a Comment on Getting Married Abroad
Getting Married Abroad

I’ve been thinking a lot about my wedding day in the midst of the global changes we are facing and I’d like to share my own experiences about getting married in Italy and the unique challenges to planning a destination wedding.

When my husband proposed to me under the Christmas lights in 2015, I knew I wanted a destination wedding. I never envisioned myself getting married in a traditional setting, and after we became engaged, I set out on figuring out where in the world our wedding would be. Enter endless plates of pasta, pizza, and some of most stunning views in the world. We decided on Lake Como, in northern Italy’s lake district and in August of 2017, we made it official. Oggi sposi!

It took close to two years of extensive planning to realize my vision, partly because I wanted to have a legally binding wedding vs. a symbolic ceremony. It was important to me to make it legal in Italy and because of that my husband and I jumped through an astounding number of hoops without speaking very much Italian in order to get married on the waters of Como. There were lots of tears along the way, stresses galore, and we got married during what was timely named the “Lucifer” heatwave of summer 2017. It was so hot that our photographers let us take breaks between shooting so that we could step into the shade and try and hydrate. The weather that morning was 90 degrees by 11:00am. The rest of the day was dedicated to swimming in Lake Como and drinking Aperol Spritz’s galore. Despite the heat and all the challenges we faced getting there, it was truly the perfect day. Magical, dreamy, and as perfect as I imagined.

For my dress in Italy, I wanted to feel old Hollywood glam. Think Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. I also didn’t want a heavy, full length dress that I had to carry with me through Europe. I found a simple lace cocktail length dress with cap sleeves from Adrianna Papell and Levin heels from Jessica Simpson in white snakeskin. I was worried about navigating cobblestone streets in heels, so I went for a 3.5 inch heels and they were surprisingly comfortable. Looking back, the dress wasn’t my absolute favorite in terms of style, but it was comfortable, light, and fit well with a wedding by the water.

When we arrived back to the US from our wedding and honeymoon, we held a big reception to celebrate with our family and friends in Denver, Colorado at the Lobby restaurant. It’s a fantastic old brick building in the heart of downtown that’s not too stuffy and it was perfect for a laid back reception. They have a large courtyard that we used for a quick vow renewal (it was important to have family and friends be a part of the day since only a handful of people went with us to Italy). After our mini ceremony, we played corn hole in the courtyard and chowed down on tiramisu wedding cake.

My full length wedding dress was the Nima dress by THEIA and I purchased it at a&bé bridal in Denver. It had an empire waist with beading on the top (the intricate bead work was what I fell in love with) and cap sleeves. The skirt was tulle and the dress had a scooped back. The dress was not light because of the amount of beading on the top, but I still could still move well for dancing and felt beautiful for my husband.

Do you have wedding questions that you’d like answered? Where to travel in Italy? Best places to eat in Milan or Como? Planning a wedding and want advice? Send me all of your wedding or travel questions!

Ciao bellas!

-xo

Darcy