Out & About: Xel-Ha

So, today I want to bring back my "Out & About" series by sharing my experiences at Xel-Ha in Mexico.  Today is the perfect day for me to reminisce about my vacation in Mexico because exactly one month from today my husband and I will be on our way to Jamaica! (Yay!)  I cannot wait to be back by the Caribbean Sea!

I absolutely adore planning vacations. I frequently use resources such as Yelp or TripAdvisor in deciding what activities will be worth my while.  While planning fun things for my trip to Riviera Maya, Mexico, I read a little bit about Xel-Ha, a natural water park. I was immediately interested, and I am so glad we set aside a day to visit.

Xel-Ha is an all inclusive day-long experience with different options for different travelers.  The option we chose was the Xel-Ha all-inclusive with transportation.  Now for those who have never been to Mexico, the taxi rides can be scary.  Xel-Ha's transportaion included a large comfortable bus.  I chose the Xel-Ha all-inclusive because I had read many reviews from people who hadn't and they wished they had more time at the park.  And after experiencing the park myself, I completely agree.  I was there all day, and still would've loved more time!  There is so much to do!

Hellooooo, paradise!  This is a picture I took of the main swimming and snorkeling area.  Of all of the things to do at Xel-Ha, snorkeling was my favorite.  (AND, I got to cross it off my bucket list!  Score!)  There were so many different fish to see, and I loved being free to roam wherever in the park.

Photo from TripAdvsor

Other activities at the park were inner-tubing through beautiful water pathways and cliff jumping into the clear water.  Here is a picture I found on TripAdvisor of the cliff that I would love to jump off of again!  SO fun!

Now, for the all-inclusive aspect of the park, the restaurant was all you can eat (buffet style) and the alcohol was all you can drink.  Sangria and daiquiris.  Yum!  This was the perfect set up as you could swim, swim, swim (which always gives me an appetite) and then eat and drink.  (And then start the process all over!)  What a great way to spend a day!





Here are some pictures I took!

Just looking at these pictures again makes me want to go back!  Long story short?  I recommend Xel-Ha for anyone heading to Riviera Maya and wanting a day long fun excursion.  Here is a link to the website if you would like more information.  I'll leave you with this picture...

Tweet

Wedding Details: The Dress

I am so excited to be doing this next portion of my wedding details series!  Today I am sharing the dress!  My wedding dress is honestly my favorite detail from my wedding.  I know I haven't gotten into the details of my wedding decor, but my wedding was vintage-inspired.  I love vintage, antiques, and hearing old stories from parents and grandparents.  This leads me to my beautiful and unique wedding dress...

My wedding dress was my grandmother's wedding dress from 1960!

Just that sentence alone makes me smile!  Yes, I wore my grandmother's wedding dress from my mom's side.  My mom has had the dress for years, and it has stayed in such great condition.  I remember my mom bringing it out every now and then to show me it when I was younger.  I even tried it on as a young girl.  It was much too large, but that never stopped me from twirling around imagining my own wedding one day.  She always told me that I could do whatever I wanted with it when that day came.  

I did alter the dress to make it more of an ideal dress for myself, but I must say, the dress was already beautiful to begin with.  It was solid lace with a sweetheart neckline and thick straps (not sleeves.)  The dress also came with a solid sheer lace long-sleeved jacket.  So, unlike most dresses from that era, it did not have long sleeves, rather it came with a lace jacket to go over it.  This made it easier to alter, as there were no long sleeves to deal with.  Aside from that fact that this dress is from 1960, what makes it even more unique is that it was handmade by my grandmother and her mother (my great grandmother.)  

The changes we made were actually quite minimal.  Like I mentioned, I loved the dress to begin with.  We had a wonderful seamstress help us with the alterations, and here is a short run-down of what we did:

• We made the dress fit me to start.  It had to be taken in and made quite a bit shorter.  (I'm only 5'3'')
• Since the dress already had a sweetheart neckline, which was my absolute ideal, we just had the straps taken off to make it strapless.  The sweetheart neckline only had to be altered slightly after the dress was taken in.
• I ordered a pink satin ribbon from a website called Your Dream Dress.  It was inexpensive and just what I was looking for.  I love bows and pink, so this was the perfect way to complete making the dress my own.  

And ta-da!  My dream dress was complete!  

I created this collage to show the lace and other details of the dress.  So lovely.  

And, here are some more lovely dress shots.  (Photography by Stephanie Fry)

 I created this collage as well, showing myself on my wedding day and my grandmother on her wedding day.  

I'm going to wrap this blog up with two pictures of newlyweds. (Myself and my husband, and my grandparents!)  

If anyone is considering altering an older dress, I highly recommend it.  It's a perfect way to get your dream dress, and an even better way to wear a dress that has meaning.  

Thanks for reading!

Tweet

Wedding Details: Love is Sweet Candy Bar

Today I want to share a favorite wedding detail from my wedding last June.  I opted for a candy bar in place of individual wedding favors.  I loved the idea right when I saw it, and immediately got to researching the details.  It's actually a very affordable option- more affordable than any favors I liked.  I'm going to share pictures, as well as break down the details and costs.  My biggest piece of advice for wedding planning is use what you already have! (Or what anyone else you know already has!)  It minimizes the amount of things you're buying just for the wedding.  I used a lot of glassware and little decorations that I had at home, and when the wedding was over they went right back to decorating my house rather than sitting in a box labeled "wedding stuff."

The best part about doing a candy bar?  Picking out your favorite candy, of course!  I went through Candy Warehouse, an online website for purchasing candy in bulk.  They have so many options and you can search by your wedding colors!  It's best to know where your wedding will be held (indoor/outdoor) before purchasing the candy.  My wedding was outdoors in June, so I knew that chocolate was off limits.  I stuck to candy that I knew wouldn't melt if the weather was really warm.  Here's a breakdown of the candy I purchased and their prices through Candy Warehouse:

• Tootsie Roll Frooties in Strawberry Lemonade- $7.20 for a 360 piece bag:  I've always loved these little candies.  I used to walk down to the mini mart with my brother and we would stock up (they were only  a penny a piece back then!)  One bag was plenty for our guest list of around a hundred.  
• Laffy Taffy in Strawberry- $14.50 for a 145 piece tub:  I love Laffy Taffy, complete with a joke on every wrapper.  These were a hit!
• Pink Pillow Mints- $9.90 for a 14 ounce bag (about 350 pieces):  What's a wedding without mints for after dinner?
• Pink and White Candy Sticks:  $12.50 for a 250 piece box:  Although these wouldn't make my favorite candy list, they were too adorable to pass up.  Plus, they look like a vintage candy, and my wedding was vintage-inspired.  
• Salt Water Taffy in Strawberry and Creme:  $15.00 for a 3 pound bag (about 195 pieces):  My husband and I both love salt water taffy, and there are so many flavors to choose from!  At the time, we chose this flavor because it was on sale for $12.50- so be looking for deals!
• White "Just Married" Candy Rolls- $24.50 for about 150 rolls:  I fell in love with these the moment I saw them.  They are rolls of white candies that say "Just Married" on them.  If you're wondering what they taste like, they are similar to the white "Smarties" candy- very good, and larger than I was expecting.  

 After I purchased the candy, I had to figure out the rest of the candy bar details:  bags for guests to put the candy in, candy scoops, jars/ containers, and the table decor.  I was able to find the bags and the scoops on Amazon.  I knew I wanted small white paper bags, nothing fancy.  Here is a link to a vendor that has a pack of 100 for $11.69.  I definitely had a lot left over.  I'm still thinking of projects to do with them!  Here is a link to the adorable 2 oz aluminum scoops I found.  I purchased two of them, and they worked just fine. They were less than $3.00 each.

For the jars, I lucked out.  My sister-in-law had a set of two lovely apothecary jars with lids that she let me use.  My mom also provided me with a large jar, and I purchased some inexpensive hurricane vases from Ross for the rest. 

The candy bar decorations were simple.  I used blue vases from home, and we put a single pink carnation in each of them.  For the "candy bar" sign, I used a free printable from Wedding Chicks.  Their website is fabulous, and they have so many great free printables where you can pick the colors!  Here is a link to the printable I used.  I framed it in a $1.00 frame, and was so happy with how it turned out!  The "love is sweet" was a touch I added myself.  

Photography by Stephanie Fry Photography

 I am so happy that this is something I included in my wedding, and I adore how it turned out.  If you're considering a candy bar, it's a great option- especially for those on a budget!  

 Happy Sunday all!

Tweet

DIY Photo Album

Today I'm sharing the photo albums I made for my lovely bridesmaids.  In addition to the typical thank you card, I wanted to thank my girls with a photo album filled with pictures from all of the wedding events (bridal shower, bachelorette, rehearsal dinner, and wedding.)  Here's what I used for the albums:

-Four photo albums (I feel like I lucked out finding these at Walmart for $5 each!  They are sturdy and came in great solid colors- meaning they were ready for me to decorate.  I also liked the fact that they were meant for 4X6 pictures, but the album itself is larger and square.  They were just what I was looking for!)
-A package of silver gems (I found mine at Walmart in the craft aisle.  I don't remember the exact price, but they were under $5.00.  Possibly $2.99)
-A package of scrapbook letters (I got the hot pink glittery ones that I used from Target's scrap booking aisle for $.99!  They were perfect!)
-A hot glue gun

My plan for the albums was simple.  I knew I wanted each to have their name, and I knew I wanted each to be "bedazzled."  When I was ready to make them, I started by sorting through the letters and spelling out each girl's name.  I wanted to make sure I had enough letters before I did any gluing.  Once I saw that I wasn't going to have to make a last minute dash to the store for more letters, I started with the first album.  I placed the letters evenly spaced below the picture slot on the album cover.  Then, I took out my gems and played around with their placement.  I arranged different sized gems in the left hand corner and liked the simplicity, but I still thought that something was missing.  Light bulb!  I quickly ran to my box of stuff used for the wedding and found leftover lace that we had used to wrap around mason jars.  I thought that it would be the perfect touch, since lace was such an important aspect of my wedding.  I wrapped lace around the right hand side of the cover, and knew I had finalized the album covers.  It was time to glue!

Here are the photo albums after decorating:  

Note: I had not printed any pictures for the albums yet, hence the lame picture that comes with the albums.

Another great thing about these albums was they came with a blank page (like a cover page) right when you open them.  I used this page to write heartfelt thank yous to each of the girls. 

After the albums were decorated, I went through all of my pictures and ordered the ones I wanted online through Costco's website.  I really like their quality and prices, plus it's convenient to order online and pick up at my local Costco. Here are a few pictures showing the albums after I had filled them with photos:

I really had fun with this DIY project, and I adore how they turned out.  

Thanks for reading!

Tweet

Wedding Details: Shoes

It's been awhile since my last "Wedding Details" post, and today I'm getting back on track with... shoes!  I had done a lot of online shopping, just trying to narrow down the search, and it was pretty overwhelming.  Lace, solid, peep-toe, pumps... I knew I was going to have to go shopping in person to try different options on.  So, with positive thoughts of finding the perfect wedding shoes, I hopped in the car and traveled to Seattle.  I was very fortunate because my first stop ended up being my only stop:  Nordstrom Rack.   I highly recommend shopping here for shoes- the deals to be found are endless!  After looking through rack after rack and trying different styles on, I was starting to think I was going to have to save my high hopes for the next store.  And then I saw them.  Soft pink Badgley Mischka heels with ruffles.  I had seen these shoes on Pinterest and couldn't believe I had found them hidden at Nordstrom Rack, in my size!  I quickly snatched them up and tried them on.  They fit!  After examining them for the price, I noticed that the right shoe had some scuff marks.  I looked at the price tag and saw that they were $60 (way less than the original price.)  They were affordable!  I quickly called my sister in law and told her the situation.  She assured me that she would help me take care of the scuff marks, and we both decided they were too perfect to pass up. I took them up to pay for them, and they rang up at $30!  Yes, I got Badgley Mischka shoes for $30!  I still can't believe it.  Needless to say, I highly recommend Nordstrom Rack for anyone in the market for nice brand shoes at an affordable price!  Here are some snapshots of my lovely wedding shoes:

Photography by Stephanie Fry Photography

Photography by Stephanie Fry Photography

I had found an idea that I loved where the bride's "something blue" is found on the bottom of her shoes.  My lovely bridesmaids helped me pull this off by purchasing little blue gems and using a hot glue gun to adhere them to the soles of my heels.  I love how they turned out!  And, the gems stayed on the entire time!

Photography by Stephanie Fry Photography

Good luck to all the lovely ladies out there searching for those perfect wedding shoes!  

Tweet

Happy Friday!

TGIF!  I turned 23 on Thursday, and am so excited to celebrate with my family this weekend.  Here are some things that made me smile from my birthday week!

Date night this week consisted of Wazzuopoly- monopoly themed after WSU, the university I graduated from.  Go Cougs!

This was the weather on my birthday- beautiful January sunshine!

...and here is a birthday card from a lovely friend.  Made me smile!

---

Happy Friday to all!

---

Tweet

Remembering Lost Loved Ones

Sometimes in life, we lose people who are close to us.  Things happen, and tomorrow is promised to no one.  One year ago today, a dear friend passed away.  She was such an inspiring and positive person, just being around her made me want to be inspiring and positive too.  Although she's gone, I still think about her every day.  I am so thankful to have known her, and I am trying to follow her lead in life as a helpful, selfless, friendly, and happy person. 

Losing loved ones is a very hard thing to go through.  One thing that we did in dealing with our loss a year ago is let balloons go.  It's a very simple idea, and though this may not be the case for everyone, it really helped me feel better.  Here's the concept:

Purchase a bunch of regular, helium-inflated latex balloons- however many you want to let go.  We did ours at my brother's house at a gathering where we all shared great memories.  Then, we each got a balloon and a sharpie.  We then took our time in writing a note to Katie on our balloons.  After our notes were written, we went outside to let our balloons go.  Here's a picture:

We all stood together outside holding our balloons until we were all ready to let them go at the same time.  Then we got to stand out and watch them go up and up, until they were barely visible.  

The best part?  Our balloons stayed together the whole way up.  

♥♥♥

Tweet