I’m back after a long break from actually writing a blog post. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed how much traveling I’ve been doing lately and all of the wedding prep I have been doing lately as well, which is why I have been MIA. Work and school have also been busy, as usual, which has also made it difficult to find time to blog. I had my bridal shower last month and my future in-laws hosted the event, which was absolutely amazing! I wanted to show you all of the pictures because the shower was absolutely stunning and more than I could have ever asked for!
This is when you you first walked into the house from the front door. They decorated a mirror and put champagne in champagne flutes with cotton candy on top and when you pushed the cotton candy in, the drink turned pink and looked so cute. Such a fun little detail for when we all first walked in!
The dining room was my favorite room from the bridal shower because the dessert table was absolutely stunning! I also loved the backdrop, which was perfect for taking pictures. All of the desserts were delicious and beautifully made. I think everyone went back for seconds on the cake because they were all so yummy!
Next was the kitchen area where they set up the most beautiful balloon arch and charcuterie spread. If you know me, you know I LOVE charcuterie so it was definitely my kind of appetizer table. They also set up the cutest coffee station and added pictures to the stations for personal touches, which I loved.
The amazing balloon arch wrapped all of the way into the den where they had a charm building station, a ring game, and pictures. I also opened gifts in the den and I could not believe how many beautiful gifts I received! It’s funny how now that I’m in my mid twenties, receiving kitchenware and household items are my favorite gifts now!
I walked throughout the house and could not believe how beautifully decorated it all was and then I stepped outside and was blown away! All of the details were beautifully done and I don’t think I could find something better on Pinterest if I tried! The table settings were so cute, the flamingos and mini beach balls in the pool, the tropical wine toppers, the tropical ice, all of the palm leaves, the flower arrangements, flamingo glasses, and everything else! There were a million cute details I could point out that I loved about my bridal shower. They absolutely hit the ball out of the park on this one.
As you can see below, we had the most amazing lunch spread and all of the food was delicious. The salads and the shrimp were my favorite, they were so flavorful and cooked perfectly. I’m always a sucker for Mexican food so I was very excited when I saw we were having tacos! It was so fun eating outdoors, especially since it was perfect weather in LA. Well, perfect weather in my eyes, 95 degrees and sunny!
After lunch we played the cutest games. We played a few trivia games, which were so fun and then we played a toilet paper wedding dress game, which was hilarious to watch! I was the judge and got to see everyone’s cute creations and everyone made the game so fun to watch and play!
Charlie’s family did such a wonderful job hosting such a beautiful event and I cannot thank them enough for hosting my bridal shower. It was a once in a lifetime event that I will always remember and cherish. I can’t wait to show pictures to our future kids! Everyone who attended made the event memorable and fun and I am so thankful to have such a wonderful support system in my life.
To end the weekend, we stayed at the Westin Pasadena during our time in LA for the bridal shower. The Westin Pasadena was so hospitable and made our stay so enjoyable! I wish we were able to stay longer and enjoy the pool and on site restaurant. Thank you to the Westin Pasadena for the incredible gifts when we walked in the room! It made our celebration even more special. We did eat at the California Pizza Kitchen with the most beautiful views of City Hall and I highly recommend going if you are ever in Pasadena. Definitely request a patio view at sunset, it’s worth it!
Just when you thought you had spent too much money during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, now it’s time to shop the Prime Day Sale! If you have Amazon Prime, you are eligible to shop the sale and there are some amazing deals happening, especially on electronics and home items. The items included in the sale sell out extremely fast and since the sale happens only for two days, if you see something you like, it’s better to go ahead and buy it. If you don’t like it or decide you don’t need it, Amazon has a great return policy. I linked my top favorite items from the sale below.
The BEST sale of the year is finally here and it’s like Christmas Day! I absolutely love the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and have been shopping the sale well before I become a blogger. I love the sale because all of my favorite brands go on sale, which usually doesn’t happen at any other time during the year. I also love the sale because most clothing goes on sale after the season has already happened, as in, summer clothing usually goes on sale when summer is ending, fall clothing usually goes on sale when fall is ending, etc. BUT the Anniversary Sale features mostly fall and winter clothing for the upcoming seasons, so it is the perfect time to stock up!
If you are a Nordstrom credit card holder, you can start shopping today, which is amazing because you will get priority access to shop all of the items before the sale goes public (it’s like a VIP pass). You can apply for a Nordstrom Credit Card here. Once you are approved, you can begin shopping immediately. Oh, you also get a $60 note when you sign up, which is basically a $60 gift card and can be used towards the sale!
Tips for shopping the sale:
Shop online: I prefer to shop online simply because the stores can be INSANE during the sale. The stores are packed and the fitting rooms are also packed and hot, since everyone is shopping at the same time. I also prefer to be in the comfort of my pajamas with a coffee in hand, while I quietly shop the sale. If you are up for the crowds, it’s definitely an experience and you will get to try everything on.
Shop with a plan and budget in mind: I plan ahead and write down the items I want before I begin shopping. This allows me to shop with a purchase and not aimlessly browse the site. Aimlessly browsing can lead to missing out on purchases because items go fast and can also lead to spending a lot more than you had planned on spending because it is so tempting to keep adding items to your cart. I would make a list of what you are wanting before you start shopping, which will ease stress and allow you to stick to budget.
If you see something you like, buy it and don’t wait: The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is very popular and SO many people will be shopping it, especially the first few days it goes live. If you see an item you like, buy it and don’t wait because it is very likely it will be gone the next time you go to buy it again. Nordstrom also has an amazing return policy so if you buy something and you don’t like it, you can definitely return it. Better to be safe than sorry!
Don’t be afraid to click around: This sounds obvious, but I made this mistake before I became a blogger and didn’t know how to shop the sale. I would scroll through the main page and see an item in a color I did not like, which prevented me from clicking on the item to see if it came in additional colors. Most of the time, everything you see on the site comes in additional colors and/or patterns so if you see something you like, but are unsure about the color, check to see if it comes in additional colors.
Here are my picks so far (in no specific order):
I will be updating my sale tab throughout the duration of the sale and will also be sharing all of my favorite items on my Instagram story so be sure to follow me: @sandytoesandsaltyhairblog and check back in on the blog to see what I am loving!
I will also be hosting a giveaway very soon, hint hint- it might have to do with the sale! Be sure to check Instagram to enter when the giveaway goes live.
I hope you all love the sale as much as I do! Happy shopping!
Hi everyone! Long time no see! Holy smokes, the last few months have been a whirlwind. If you saw from my previous blog post, I did a ton of traveling in March and April for bachelorette parties and a bridal shower. I was then in two weddings, one was in San Diego, the other was in Spokane, then went to an engagement party in Portland, and went to another wedding in Phoenix. On top of all of the traveling, I finished my first year of grad school (yay!) and started my thesis, along with my emphasis courses. I’m also still working full time, along with wedding planning so that’s why I have been a little MIA the past few months! The best way to stay up to date with my life is via my Instagram: @sandytoesandsaltyhairblog, where I share daily outfits and Instagram stories throughout the day. I am SO happy to be back on the blog though and once my wedding is over in September, I plan to be more consistent with posting. And just wait until I finish grad school next May, you won’t be able to keep up with all of the posts I’ll have coming because I won’t know what to do with my life haha.
Anyways, the real reason I’m typing this post is to share some outfits and accessories for the 4th of July! I absolutely love the 4th of July (I think I say that about every holiday), but I really do love it. I love summertime and spending the day in the sun, bbqing, and watching fireworks. All of my memories of the 4th of July have been the happiest, usually because we are always at the lake and who wouldn’t be happy at the lake?! All of my picks are very affordable (with the exception of the Lilly Pulitzer items) and some items are even under $10! I hope you all enjoy and have a happy 4th of July!
If you follow me on Instagram, you probably know that I did a lot of weekend traveling this past month. I was gone every weekend from March 21st- April 14th and went to three bachelorette parties and one bridal shower. All of the events were out of state so I got to do a lot of traveling, which was so fun! I loved getting to see different groups of friends and spend time with friends that I hadn’t seen since I graduated college. I got sooooo many questions about where we stayed, where we went, what I wore, and much more so I wanted to share a recap of all of the weekends. If you are going to or planning a bachelorette party to one of these cities, I highly recommend going to some of the places I’m going to share because everything we did was so so fun!
Austin, TX
I went to Austin, TX first and went from March 21-24 to celebrate one of my best friends at her bachelorette party. The only other time I had been to Austin was a couple of years ago with my mom and Charlie, but we were only there for a day and didn’t get to explore too much of the city. It was so fun to go back to Austin and really explore the city with all of my friends! I think the most questions I received about the bachelorette party was regarding the Airbnb we stayed at. If you are visiting with a large group or going for a bachelorette party, I highly recommend staying at this Airbnb because it was big enough to sleep all of the girls and it was so so nice! Click here to check if the Airbnb dates are available for your stay!
The weekend itinerary:
Thursday:
Our flight landed in Austin around 4 pm and we ubered to the house and started getting ready for dinner and the night out! We went to El Naranjo for dinner and I got the La Fresa to drink and the Mexico City Street Tacos for dinner. We also split chips and guac to share and everything was so so yummy! El Naranjo also let us make a dinner reservation for our big group ahead of time, which was super helpful. After dinner, we went to Rainey Street and danced the night away. We started at Unbarlievable, which has a slide and live music then worked our way to Container Bar, which has such a fun atmosphere + great dancing music! After dancing the night away, we went to the food trucks on Rainey Street and I got a grilled cheese and had one of my friend’s mini donuts (healthy, I know) from Lucy’s Donuts and they were so fresh and good!
Friday:
We woke up the next morning and got ready for brunch and a day of exploring Austin. We went to Perla’s for brunch and I got the Admiral’s Spritz to drink and fish and chips for lunch, and also had a few bites of my friend’s mac & cheese. The mac & cheese was definitely better than the fish & chips. If you like lobster and mac & cheese, I highly recommend getting that to eat! We then walked around all of the cute shops on Congress St. and enjoyed the warm weather. We of course went to Jo’s for iced coffee and took pictures in front of the famous I love you so much wall. We then went to Central Standard on Congress St. for oysters and cocktails. I got The Harrier to drink and also tried an oyster… not my favorite experience. The deviled eggs were amazing though! After afternoon drinks, we went back to the house and hung out for awhile then started getting ready for dinner. We went to a fancy night out at Vince Young Steak House and all wore black, while the bride wore white. I got filet mignon and an espresso martini and both were amazing! After dinner, we went to Pete’s Dualing Piano Bar (I highly recommend going, especially for bachelorette parties) then went bar hopping on 6th Street for the night!
Saturday:
Saturday was a much more chill day and it was so nice to relax after all of the weekend activities. We woke up and had breakfast at the house and relaxed for the morning. We then went to the W Austin and spent the day at the AWAY Spa and relaxing by the pool. The pool and spa were both so relaxing and they gave us complimentary mimosas at the spa to take to the pool. I got a 60 minute massage and it was amazing! After leaving the W, we went back to the house and spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out, playing games and snacking. We also did a lingerie shower for the bride!
Sunday:
Most of us left the house at 4 am to head to the airport for 5:30 am flights. Austin was such a blast and I can’t wait to visit again someday!
Shop all of my outfits from Austin below:
2. San Diego, CA
The second weekend, I went to San Diego the weekend of March 28th-31st to celebrate my future sister in law at her bachelorette party. We stayed at a VRBO in Mission Beach, was super convenient since we mainly stayed around the Mission Beach area throughout the entire weekend. Click here to check if the dates are available for your travel dates. I always love visiting San Diego and the weather was so perfect for a bachelorette party. I took a half day from work and drove to San Diego, which is about eight hours from Flagstaff.
Friday:
I got to San Diego around 8 pm and quickly changed so we could all head out to dinner. We went to Firehouse American Eatery + Lounge in Pacific Beach and I got the Firehouse Mule to drink and the Shrimp Firehouse Tacos for dinner. Both were delicious! We then went to Moonshine Beach, which is a huge country bar with live music. Once it gets later, they start playing dance music and it turns into more of a club!
Saturday:
We woke up on Saturday and went to Pacific Beach Alehouse for brunch and got bottomless mimosas to drink and I got the breakfast burrito to eat. After brunch, we ubered to downtown San Diego and had reservations for Social Cycle. We had SO much fun doing Social Cycle and it was the perfect bachelorette party activity! The tour guide stopped at three different bars at three different locations in downtown San Diego. The first location was a rooftop bar at Petco Park, the second location was in Gaslamp Quarter, and the third location was a fun brewery downtown. All of the bars gave us special deals on drinks since we were with Social Cycle. We were also playing a bachelorette scavenger hunt during the activity, which made it even more fun. We then went back to the house to relax and also went to the beach, which I loved. After going to the beach, we had dinner at the house and just hung out. We also had a lingerie shower for the bride, which was so fun. After dinner, we got ready and went to a bar called Maverick’s Beach Club for the night. We all wore black and the bride wore white for our night out and we danced the night away!
I got the bride a customized veil and sash from Sassy Sash, which had her future last name on the front of the sash, their wedding hashtag on the back of the sash, and a customized veil that said Future Mrs. on the back in rose gold writing! I chose to do a white sash with rose gold writing since the bride loves rose gold and the decorations were all rose gold. Sassy Sash is the perfect customized gift for a bride to be and there are so many cute options, depending on the theme of your event. Use the code: SANDYTOES20 at checkout for 20% off your entire order.
Sunday:
I had to leave at 7 am for the eight hour drive back home, but we did stop by Better Buzz for coffee/ breakfast to go and it is my all time favorite coffee shop ever. It’s only located in San Diego and I always look forward to going whenever I am in San Diego. I got the bacon ciabatta breakfast sandwich and an iced skinny vanilla latte.
Shop my San Diego looks here:
3. Seattle, WA
The third weekend, I flew to Seattle the weekend of April 4th-6th for one of my best friend’s bridal shower. I hadn’t been to Seattle since I was in fifth grade so I was really excited to visit again and see more of the city. I worked a half day then headed down to Phoenix to catch my flight to Seattle!
We woke up early on Saturday morning to start getting ready for the bridal shower and drove about thirty minutes to the bride’s sister’s house where the shower was. We stopped at the cutest little fresh flower market in Bothell, which was on the way to the shower. I cannot believe how many fresh flower markets there are in the Seattle area and how cheap the flowers all are, not to mention, they are all absolutely beautiful! We got to the shower and it the bride’s family did the best job decorating, it was so so cute! We had such a blast at the shower and it was so fun to celebrate the bride to be! All of the food was delicious and we had so much fun playing games/watching the bride open presents. After the bridal shower, we went to Pike Place market and I got fresh tulips and we got a bowl of the yummiest clam chowder at the famous Pike Place Chowder. We then walked to Old Stove Brewing Company and had a beer there (it also had the most amazing views). We sat next to the window and had the most amazing views of the ferris wheel and the pier. We then went to dinner at Nijo Sushi Bar and Grill and I got a Sapporo to drink and the Red Dragon roll for dinner, the seafood was so fresh and delicious. Of course after dinner, we had to make another stop at Lady Yum and I got the shindig and vanilla bean macaroons!
I got the bride a customized veil and sash from Sassy Sash, which had her future last name on the front of the sash and their wedding hashtag on the back of the sash! I chose to do a pink sash with rose gold writing since the bride loves rose gold and the decorations were all pink and rose gold. Sassy Sash is the perfect customized gift for a bride to be and there are so many cute options, depending on the theme of your event. Use the code: SANDYTOES20 at checkout for 20% off your entire order.
Sunday:
I left at 9 am on Sunday morning so I got dropped off at the airport around 7:30 am, got a Starbucks, and got on the plane to fly home. I loved visiting Seattle and can’t wait to visit again soon! There are so many restaurants and bars I want to go to still and will definitely be making another trip to Seattle in the near future.
Shop my Seattle looks here:
4. San Diego
The fourth weekend, I went back to San Diego the weekend of April 12th-1th and celebrated one of my college friends at her bachelorette party! I took the day off of work and flew to San Diego with one of my other friends on Friday morning.
Friday:
We got to San Diego around noon and headed straight to the hotel. We stayed at the Coronado Island Resort & Spa for the weekend and the property was absolutely amazing! When we got to the resort, we headed straight to the pool to get mimosas and chips/guac to share. It was soooo nice out so I immediately put a tank top on to try to get some sun! Once the rest of the group arrived, we took the bride to get drinks while some of the bridesmaids decorated the rooms. We went to The Famous Mexican Village on Coronado Island and got tequila shots (yuck), margaritas, and I got a chicken quesadilla. The service was AMAZING and all of the employees were so nice/fun. I highly recommend going if you are ever visiting Coronado. We then went back to the hotel and got ready for dinner and the night out. We went to dinner at Searsucker in downtown San Diego and I got the french squeezed to drink and my friend and I split the catch of the day, which was swordfish and also split mashed potatoes + brussel sprouts. The brussel sprouts were definitely my favorite. We then went to barleymarsh, which was right across the street from the restaurant and we danced the night away!
Saturday:
On Saturday morning, we all woke up semi early and everyone either went for a walk along the beach or got coffee, and I stayed in the room to do my homework since I had an exam when I got back home. We all got ready and went to brunch at the hotel and got bottomless mimosas + the buffet. All of the food was delicious and they had an omelette station, which is my favorite. After brunch, we got ready for the beach and ubered to Hotel del Coronado where we walked around the beautiful hotel and then went to the beach. After the beach, we went to McP’s Irish Pub and Grill and sat on the back patio. I got a moscow mule to drink and chicken tenders with fries to eat. We then ubered back to the hotel and had a lingerie shower for the bride before going to dinner! We ubered back to downtown San Diego and ate at Table 509 Bar & Kitchen and I was so full from the late lunch so I split the shrimp tacos with my friend and got an espresso martini. After dinner, we went up to the Level 9 Rooftop Bar , which is also located at Hotel Indigo in downtown San Diego. I got a pineapple jalapeno moscow mule and it was seriously the best drink I have ever had! The rooftop bar had beautiful views of downtown San Diego and had such a fun atmosphere. After having a drink, we went to OMNIA Nightclub in downtown San Diego and got a table then danced the night away again!
I got the bride a customized veil and sash from Sassy Sash, which had her future last name on the front of the sash, their wedding hashtag on the back of the sash, a customized veil that said Future Mrs. on the back in navy blue writing, along with a sailor hat! I chose to do a white sash with navy blue glitter writing since the bachelorette party was in San Diego and we wanted the gifts to be nautical theme. Sassy Sash is the perfect customized gift for a bride to be and there are so many cute options, depending on the theme of your event. Use the code: SANDYTOES20 at checkout for 20% off your entire order.
Sunday:
We left early on Sunday morning and I had to get back home to take my test. We got Einstein’s at the airport and hopped on our plane back to Phoenix. I had so much fun in San Diego and loved seeing all of my college friends that I hadn’t seen for awhile.
Shop my San Diego looks here:
I hope you all enjoyed reading about my recent travels for bachelorette parties and the bridal shower. I got to visit so many fun cities and loved exploring new places! If you are planning a bachelorette party in one of the cities I visited, I highly recommend checking out some of the restaurants, lodging, bars, etc. that I visited while I was there!
