Coach Outlet Haul

As some of you may have seen I recently made a post (which I've since deleted) asking all of you for help deciding on what to do as far as purchasing goes, and gave all of you two options. Well I ended up deciding on my own shortly after posting and decided to go with Coach. I had a yard sale a few weeks back and decided to sale off some of my older Coach bags, accessories and other designer accessories. The ones I decided to sale was the items that I either didn't want anymore or wasn't using. I then took the money from the sale of those items and put it back into my collection to buy me some new items I did want and would use. After I sold two of my items I kind of wish I wouldn't have but it was for the best it was getting dirty and wasn't being used so it got sold. Anyone curious to see the items I sold?

First off is the item I kind of wish I didn't sale. It's my Hamptons Weekend Patchwork Tote I bought for FP at Macys (before I discovered the outlet) and the bag kind of had meaning to it because it was bought to mark a special occasion way back in 2007. I always loved this bag but it was dirty in a few places and I hadn't carried it for awhile so as a spur of the moment decision I decided to sell it. Also this is a much older photo taken right after I had bought it and long before I got married and moved out of my parents home.Sorry for the old photos but they are the only ones I could find of the bag that I still had.

I decided to sell my Kate Spade Wristlet that I bought on our honeymoon. Again this item had special meaning and I do kind of regret selling it but again same reason as with the Coach Hamptons it had some dirt on it and wasn't being used, so out it went. Again older picture, taken after we got back from our HM.

The next item I simply just threw away. It's a Coach wristlet, can't remember the name right off the top of my head, but believe it had something to do with the Hamptons line??? Can't remember, any ways I also bought this item FP from Macys several years back. I had used this item for many years as a change purse (Hey I know it's huge for a change purse but I use change a lot it comes in handy!) and the inside lining which was the tattersall print was simply just filthy, there is no other way to describe it's inside. I knew I couldn't use it for anything other then change(and didn't want to do that anymore) and doubt anyone would want to buy it, so it hit the trash. I know not the best photo of the wristlet, but you get the idea of how it looked.

The next item is one that I didn't mind selling and was the first item in my sale pile, as far as my bags and accessories went. It's my hot pink and khaki signature stripe shoulder bag. Which I bought many years back, and it became my workhorse bag for years. I must have used this thing every day for 3 years, loved the bag but got sick of seeing it. Not only that reason but it had been to work with me in a florist and had been sprayed with Lysol (yeah, used to do it because my supervisor bought her 3 year old son to work with her all of the time and he was sick ALL of the time and I kept getting sick because of it so i'd always disinfect everything that went to work with me, never hurt the bag at all as far as stain or damage went) and it reeked of lysol and truthfully just needed to go. I had quit carrying it over a year ago and had not touched it since, so sick of seeing it couldn't stand to carry it anymore. I ended up selling it and happy to be rid of it. However I must say this bag was in great shape when it was sold, no damge. This bag took a pounding and kept on going for years, great bag and it was MFF, still going strong for lady who bought it! Obviously a old picture again when I first bought it, sorry.

The last item that I tried to sell was my MFF Leather Zoe. I had only ever used this bag once, it's in excellent shape, exactly like you just clipped the tags. After I bought it, I didn't like it and had already clipped the tags when I decided I didn't like it, so it couldn't go back. I only bought it for two reasons, one it was a Zoe, and I had been wanting one because at the time they were popular and I just had to have one. Two I liked the color. However I learned I don't care much for plain leather bags, I gotta have something fun to look at. It's sat in my closet 2-3 years maybe longer and only been used once directly after I got it, since then it's been gathering dust. So obviously I decided to sell it. This is the only item that did not sell, I couldn't even give the thing away. It sat at my yard sale, two whole days, no one even asked me about it or looked at it. All of my other bags sold like hot cakes, except this one. I guess people don't care for leather bags, or maybe didn't know it was Coach? However I did have a sign attached to it stating it was a real Coach bag, couldn't miss the sign I had it to where you could see it, esp. the second day. Plus my other siggy bags sold for way more money then what I had this marked for (since no one seemed interested I put a really low price on it) Oh well, I still have it, but it's sitting at my moms because I forgot to bring it back home with me after the sale. Older photo yet again, when I first bought it.

So that's it for the things I sold, anyone ready to see what I decided to buy? I ended up buying four things, and one was a item I've had on my wishlist for what seems like forever, and I never thought i'd find it to buy at the outlet, but I did and i'm super excited! Ready to see what I bought? Okay here we go!

Any guesses of whats inside?

So I decided to show this item first, because it is the item I am most excited about. It's been on my wishlist for ages and I thought i'd never find one out the outlet to buy, but I did and I am super super excited about it. I bought the glitter watermelon key fob. I adore watermelon items, my kitchen even has watermelons in it. I adore this little fob, the watermelon is actually pretty good size, I didn't expect it to be so big, seemed smaller online. However I do love its size, I love everything about it and can not wait to clip it on my bag! It's so cute and simply perfect for summer. 

The next item I bought was a bag. Since I sold several bags, I mainly wanted my purchases to be bags. After looking online for a few days and trying to narrow down the ones I wanted and I decided on buying the Signature Stripe PVC Swingpack. I've never owned a swingpack before but has been curious about it and wanted to give one a try for awhile now. I thought it might be nice for days when I want to travel super light. It's small but I think i'm going to like it. I tried to pick bags that can be wore several different ways and crossbody wear is a must! They had 3-4 colors to choose from in this particular style and I decided on the Orange. I am happy I choose the color I did, it's a bright and fun bag to carry especially for summer. The bag has kind of a odd smell to it, I guess it's the coated canvas. I've only owned one coated canvas item before and it was the Coach wristlet I just threw away, but I don't remember any odd smell from it. Oh well I still love the bag any way and can not wait to try it out. Sorry no modeling photos, yet. However I will try to do a post later on with some modeling shots.

So the next bag I bought is kind of a replacement bag for two different bags of mine. It's a replacement for my signature stripe shoulder bag, and my file bag. Now ya'll know what happened to my SS bag but as for my file bag to be honest i'm not even sure what happened to it myself. I went to get it out a few weeks back to carry and I noticed all these what appear to be dirt marks or stains on it. I haven't carried it all that much maybe 5 times? In those five times I never remember it being dirty or stained for that matter, wouldn't know how it could get that way because unless I make one my work horse bag i'm pretty careful with them. All I know it was in a Coach shopping bag under some other bags that looked perfectly fine, in my closet. The back of the bag looks stained and the front is dirty in places. I've been meaning to throw it in the wash or take it to the cleaners as a last ditch attempt to be able to use it again. However in case that don't happen I wanted a replacement. Any way enough of my going on, lets move on to the purchase! I decided to buy the Signature Stripe Duffle in Hibiscus. Now I have no idea why they call it a duffle, it looks nothing like what I think a duffle looks like, to be honest the shape is more like my file bag, I'll even post compare photos. As for the color it reminds me of the Siggy Stripe on my bag I sold. I adore the color, again it's bright and fun and if you love pink you will LOVE this bag! It's pink all over inside and out and it's a bright pink. It can be wore either on the shoulder or crossbody(which is my favorite).It has pockets inside as usual and it has one slip pocket on the back of the bag. I adore this bag, it even comes with two hangtags, which i love.

Here is my file bag to make comparisons in shape and size.

The last item I bought was also a bag, and also a bag that can be wore 4 different ways including crossbody.  I decided on the Kyra Signature Tote. Now I didn't pay to much attention to it when I bought it but after I unwrapped it I noticed it, it's basically the same shape as my Hamptons Weekend Patchwork Tote, just slightly different and a different print. So I guess I bought a replacement for that bag as well without even trying. What originally drew me to this bag is that it comes with a cute blue flower charm already attached to the bag. The flower has Coach written on one of the petals, which my photos didn't pick up. It's so cute and I love how your bag already comes with a charm. I also picked this bag because it can be wore tons of ways, 2 different ways on the shoulder, crossbody and on the arm or in the hand. Looking at it on a model online I loved how it looked worn as a crossbody so that kind of sold it for me as well. After getting a chance to look at it unwrapped I love it even more and it has a beautiful lilac interior. It's roomy with pockets and cute detailing, and has a detachable strap.

One last photo and then i'm done, hope ya'll enjoyed it! If you have any questions feel free to ask!

What's In My Bag June 2013 - Vera Bradley Mandy Island Blooms

Well for all of you curious to see my Mandy bag filled and ready to use, here she is! I've been using this bag since I received it and I LOVE it. I'm so happy I bought this bag, it works wonderfully for me. I can carry as much or as little as a like. Some days I tend to carry more then others and recently I've been carrying around a lot more then normal. Even with everything I have in the bag, it's not even half way filled and I've barely utilized the pockets.

What you are looking at:

My cellphone

One of my Coach umbrellas

My keys, complete with a Coach key chain (I need to get me a new one!)

Our Garmin Nuvi GPS we just bought a few weeks back

The cords and holder to our Garmin (I need to get something to store these in)

My USB

Pen

Change Purse

My Coach Ocelot business card case (I turned into a small wallet)

my hallmark calendar (love freebees!)

Here she is filled. I keep the Garmin in the front pocket when I carry it. As I said I need something to carry the holder and cords in, maybe a large Vera makeup bag? I believe I have one somewhere, but wouldn't mind buying a new one because they do come in handy to have several in all sizes. My phone isn't in the bag because the hubby was using it for business at the moment.

Coach Garden Mix Key Fob

I hadn't really planned on buying anything from the Coach outlet but I couldn't resist one small purchase.

I decided to buy the Coach garden mix key fob  I mainly bought it because it reminds me of what my mother and I do every single mothers day. It's a tradition that we always buy flowers and plant flowers together on mothers day. This mothers day was pretty special to us both and this key fob happened to pop up at the exact same time so I bought myself one. I want to buy my mother one as well, but right when I went to purchase her one they took them off the site. I keep hoping they will add them back to the outlet sell, but so far no luck. I love this key fob so far, it's so cute. The little watering can has the Coach C on it as you can see and the little bee has coach written across his black stripe, which my camera didn't do a very good job of showing. 

Vera Bradley Mandy in Island Blooms

So i'm sitting here listening to the new song by Cassie called numb and looking at my latest bag. I must say i'm pretty happy, I bought on of my wishlist bags and I wouldn't necessarily call it designer but I bought a new Vera Bradley bag. I bought the Mandy in Island Blooms, which I have wanted for a good 6-7 months now. Here she is, newly unboxed and ready to be used!

I ended up having to place a order for her online since all of the stores in my area who sale VB did not have it in stock. I bought it online and received it in 60% less time then my local stores could get it ordered for me. I love this print, to me it looks perfect for summer and it looks beachy to me so It's perfect for me. I know there are lot of people who don’t care for Vera Bradley bags but I love them. I know they can be pretty expensive considering they are just quilted fabric but for me they work and I don’t mind paying the price, especially if I find a print and style I love. I think VB bags are great because number one you can wash them! That is a big deal to me. If I’m going to be in a dirty or germy area, break out the Vera and come home and wash it and it’s like new again. I love some of the print and colors they come in, I love bright colors and I adore this particular print. They are light and summery and something I don’t mind just throwing around. I also love to use my Vera bags when going somewhere I may not want to take my more expensive designer bags. Say if I go on vacation, or downtown and I don’t feel comfortable taking my designer bags these work perfectly for me. 

As far as this bag goes I love it so far, haven't used it yet but I can't wait to use it tomorrow! The bag is pretty basic it has one slip pocket on the outside and six pockets on the inside and has a zippered tote. It's pretty roomy inside so it can hold a lot. I love the size of it because while I may not always carry a lot there are days I have my purse stuffed completely full of stuff so I like a bag that can hold a lot for the days I need to carry more. Inside it has a block pattern as you can see and it comes with a little Vera Bradley card you can also see, just like all the other Vera bags. The price for the regular size Mandy bag that I bought is $70.00 and if you order it online and factor in taxes and shipping my grand total came to $84.80. If you are not much on big bags they do make this bag in a smaller size and it's called the Little Mandy. My mother has the Little version and it's exactly the same as mine, it has six pockets inside and one slip pocket outside the only difference is really the height of the bag and it may just a bit smaller on width as well. 

If you are interested in buying the Mandy bag in Island Blooms you better get it soon. The person I talked to in my local VB store told me that Island Blooms will be retiring soon. I believe she said in September, but I may have misheard her. Sorry but I don't have any modeling shots yet, but if/when I take any I will be sure to post them for you all so you can get an idea of what the bag looks like when it's full of stuff and when it's carried.

What's In My Bag - May 2013

I've changed out my bag to a bag I've never really carried much since I bought it a year and a half ago. I decided to carry one of my leather coach bags. I really like this bag, even more so since I've been carrying it lately and really using it for the first time. I love this bag because it has to Cs embossed into it, and I love the size of this bag it's huge so I can put just about anything I want into it and i'm ready to go, plus I love the metallic bronze color so much. I did have to prop it up against something to get it to stand upright because it don't have much structure to it at all.

So what's in my bag?

1. Our new Garmin GPS my husband and I purchased a few weeks back.
2. My free calendar I picked up at Hallmark a few months back.
3. My little blue change purse I picked up of all places at the Dollar Tree a few weeks ago. I've been seeing jelly purse accessories for awhile now, they seem to be getting popular and I've been wanting on so I saw it at the dollar store and decided I didn't want to tear up my Vera Bradley wristlet with change so I bought it for my change instead.
4. My Coach Ocelot business card holder I use as a small wallet
5. My USB for my classes
6. A pen
7. My Coach umbrella, I've been keeping it in my purse a lot lately since the weather hasn't been all that great.
8. My keys

Old Navy Shopping Spree!!

For the last several years I haven't been able to find much in Old Navy that I cared for. The style in my opinion was awful huge chevron prints, ugly colors and sequins among other no nos. Well this spring I fell in love with Old Navy again and I went CRAZY in there ended up spending $420.00. I got one of those bags to put stuff in while I shopped and I stuffed one completely full to overflowing and went carrying a arm load of clothes and items as well. I'd say I was in Old Navy probably a good 4-5 hours shopping and trying on clothes. I've lost a lost of weight over the winter and I'm proud to say that now depending on the fit I can wear a size 12 pants / shorts and still a large in tops. Some items I had to get a 14 or a XL in because they ran smaller like Chinos and Polo shirts. Where I lost all of the weight I've needed some new better fitting clothes for awhile now, so I treated myself to huge shopping spree!

The first items i'm going to show you all are 6 pair of flip flops. Now I probably didn't NEED these but I loved the colors and i'm crazy for flip flops so I bought these and got repeats of two of the colors in case they get dirty I will have a second pair, plus the two colors match several items I bought. The yellow is more of a neon highlighter yellow, the camera washed the colors out. The hot pink is a true hot pink, it's neon and the navy has neon orange straps and the purple has jelly neon purple, orange and pink straps. I had to size up from my normal size because the ran a little small and I have a wide foot so my foot hung over the 9s on the sides so I went with a 10 this year. I generally have to size up or down with the flip flops in old navy, the sizing is screwed up a lot and every year my size changes. Last year I believe I had to buy a size 11 to fit my normal size 8 1/2-9 foot. None of these colors are available online YET so you will have to go in the store to get you a pair in these colors. If you are a frequent shopper at Old Navy you know they are 2 pair for $5.00 and you just can't beat that price. There are lots of pretty colors this year they also have a coral which I picked up and accidently picked up the wrong size and put it down and forgot to go get my correct size in the color until I got out of the store.

The next items I bought was these Boyfriend Skinny Khakis in Finding Neon and black. I adore these, and as soon as I saw them they went in my bag to try on. I ended up purchasing a size 14 in these a 12 worked but was a bit too snug for my liking, esp since I plan to wear these to work so I went up a size for a nicer fit.I liked them so well I ended up buying two pair of them.

I also bought several button down dress shirts for work in several different colors. I bought a darker bright pink (in the pink) which is one of the classic shirts. I wanted neon pink which they had just not in my size, so I ended up going with a darker bright pink. I also bought a Buttoned Tab-Sleeve Linen-Blend Tunic in neon yellowish green (Persian Melon) that is slightly different it has sleeves that roll up and button and the pink one does not. The color didn't show up as well on camera and some of the photos of them are better than others. I tried to take the best photos I could given my lack of space and time at the moment. I also bought a Plaid-Print Madras Shirt in Pink Madras and I bought a linen peach button down as well. All of these will mostly be for work but also for casual well as well.

I bought four of the perfect crew tees to go under the shirts. I bought pink, purple, grey, and black. Seeing as how I bought two or more they were only $6.00 each so that was a pretty good deal in my opinion. I kind of wished i'd have picked up a green as well but oh well, maybe some other time. 

Also I'm seeing three small empty boxes above this photo when I preview the post. I have no idea why they are there and no matter what I seem to do they won't go away so just ignore them. I'm also not sure why the spacing is screwed up closer to the bottom of the post so ignore that as well.

I bought myself a bathing suit but it won't be my "main" bathing suit. This is just going to be my bathing suit to sit in the ocean with and i'll have a coverup over it. It will just be something I can wear to chill out and sit in the beach chair and put my feet in the ocean. This was kind of a impulse buy and I will admit I bought it mainly over the color.

I bought a couple of polo shirts as well they had four colors to select from and I bought two of the four. I bought black (pictured) and navy (not pictured because I wore it yesterday). I love polos and couldn't resist buying a few of them.

When I saw the color of these I couldn't resist having a pair. I have a thing for neons at the moment and I can't seem to get enough of them. I bought a pair of the cuffed twill bermudas in Persian Melon. I can't seem to get neon colors to pick up very well on my camera so the color is a bit brighter then what my photos show.

Next I bought the rockstar denim bermudas, which I love. I generally don't buy that long of a short but when I tried these on I loved them and th fit so I bought me a pair of them.

The second I saw these womens everyday khaki shorts I fell in love and knew they would me mine. The color is what hooked me they are a true neon pink and I LOVE them!

Next I bought the sweetheart denim shorts and I LOVE these as well. These fit me perfectly and that's a rare thing for me to find. In fact I think these are the only shorts I've ever tried on that fit me perfectly. I bought these in a size 12 and I am so happy I picked up this pair of shorts to try on.

The last two items I bought were shoes. I bought a pair of actual shoes and a pair of sandals. The cross-strap sandals I had looked at online and they peaked my interest when I saw them.After I got in the store and tried them on I loved them and the color sealed the deal so they went in my bag. The shoes I needed because a lot of things I want to do this summer require actual shoes and not flip flops and since I don't buy actual shoes I needed a pair. When I saw the color and after I tried them on they went in my bag to buy. I love me some neons!

What's In My Bag - March 2013

I'm carrying my Coach MFF Daisy Pop C Print Tote (AKA Poppy Glam Tote) this month with my bright multi lozenge hangtag charm and my tourmaline tassel charm.

So what am I carrying in my bag today? Well not a whole lot, i'm not one that likes to carry a bunch of items that are not going to be needed.

Items in my bag:
1. Liquid gloss zip clutch - has my keys in it, so my keys don't tear up the silk lining)
2. My signature print umbrella
3. My Vera Bradley wristlet with a ton of change in it
4. My ocelot business card case that i turned into a small wallet.
Not pictured - my cellphone, since when i'm home it stays out of my bag, near me. Also not pictured my USB drive I normally carry with me for my classes.

Calling All Myrtle Beach Brides and Brides to Be!

For all of you getting married in Myrtle Beach SC, I have some information and recommendations you might be interested in. My husband and I got married in Myrtle Beach SC in July 2010. We actually got married at Myrtle Beach State Park on the beach during the evening. We also had my day after the wedding trash the dress photos done at Huntington Beach State Park and we had our honeymoon in Myrtle Beach as well. I was obviously a destination bride, because we didn't live anywhere near SC. We had a small wedding, just immediate family members  and a small reception after the wedding, in a picnic area at MBSP. I planned our wedding myself and I thought I might share some information and who I used for our wedding and give some reviews. Keep in mind I planned our wedding from a long way away, without ever meeting anyone I hired for our wedding, face to face until a few days before the wedding.

There are some things I can not help with because I bought these items before going to Myrtle.
Dress - By PC Marys, bought from local bridal shop (Yes I got married on the beach in a big ball gown)
Rings - Local Jewelry Store
Bride Gear - bride tank top, honeymoon flip flops, bridal bag to carry around for appoints the day of the wedding and so on - Classy Bride (can shop online or through catalog)
Veil - Davids Bridal
Tiara - Davids Bridal
Bridal Flip Flops - Davids Bridal (which i only wore to and from the wedding, went barefoot during the wedding. I wanted my feet in the sand when I said I do)
Suit, shoes, tie, shirt - bought locally
Serving Set - Things Remembered
Other Jewelry - I owned or borrowed
Garter - Ordered online

The Flowers:
I had to have a bouquet, even thought we had a small wedding I just couldn't do without a bouquet. My bouquet actually meant a whole lot to me, at the time I was heavily into flowers and worked at a florist shop myself back home. I had always wanted a beautiful bouquet and I had a special way I wanted my bouquet laid out, from the colors, numbers of type of flowers, and flower types and even the type of greenery. We also got my husbands boutineer there as well. I actually did a lot of research on florist shops in Myrtle. I wore Google out, called places, gauged places by how I was treated on the phone, got price quotes and so on. After many weeks of research for just the bouquet I finally ended up going with...

North Myrtle Beach Florist
http://www.northmyrtlebeachflorist.com/

I picked NMB florist for several reasons:
1. I read about everyone experience and given that and some other information I had read about, that was a big seller for me.
2. He charged me the highest price of everyone I contacted. You are probably going wait....WHAT?! Yeah i picked NMB florist based on the highest price. I've always heard the term you get what you pay for, I didn't want my bouquet messed up and I decided to go with a florist based on the highest price. Remember cheaper isn't always better, you really do get what you pay for. Remember  going in without seeing or knowing anything about the business, I figured it would help to insure the quality of my bouquet.
3. When I called they treated me well, with respect. They didn't make me feel like it was too much trouble. There was a few florists I called that made me feel like they was doing me a favor by doing my bouquet, made me feel like it was just too much trouble. Not at NMB florist, they took down what I wanted, how I wanted it done, and was very patient with me and friendly. I will admit I called a lot, to change some things, double check and recheck and make sure all the information was correct, and they were always friendly.

It was a bit of a drive from where I was staying, about a half hour or so to go pick it up. However when I saw it, it was well worth the money i paid for it. The bouquet was simply stunning, it was just beautiful! They did an amazing job with the bouquet and I had a great experience with North Myrtle Beach Florist  I highly recommend that everyone go there to get their flowers done!

They fixed it in a box to I could travel with it. Here is what my bouquet looked like..

The Photographer:
I did a ton of research on this as well. I again just had to have a photographer, because I didn't want crappy wedding photos from throw away camera family brought. I wanted beautiful photos and exotic trash the dress photos. One day when I was searching Google I ran into the photographer I ended up using. I was impressed by their work and even more impressed when I contacted them. They were super friendly and they gave me a very good price. I got our wedding day photos and my trash the dress photos for only $750.00. On this I didn't necessarily go by highest price, but went more by the quality of work on the website and  how comfortable I was contacting them. I'm not usually one to enjoy having photos made, I usually feel self conscious so I took my comfort level into account when I chose them. I ended up going with...

Waynes View Photography
http://www.waynesviewphotography.com/home

I had a wonderful experience with them and my photos turned out beautifully! I was very pleased with their work and enjoyed having them take our photos. I liked their work so much I'm going to have them do our anniversary photos in the future. I had zero problems with them or their work and highly recommend them if you are looking for a photographer. I would post some of our wedding photos but I don't want our faces online, i'm just private like that.


Hair & Makeup:
After more research I ended up going with Shannon at The Spa on Broadway. I liked the fact that it was a spa and when I talked to her she was super friendly. I knew when I contacted her she would be perfect to do my hair and makeup so I went with her. I was super pleased with her work and pricing, again no trouble to report. Need your hair done for the big day? Head over to the Spa on Broadway! I know if I ever need my hair done in MB again, I'll be heading over there.

Here is a shot of how my hair looked after she did it!

The Locations:
As I said earlier we chose Myrtle Beach State Park for the wedding and Huntington Beach State Park for the trash the dress photos.

Myrtle Beach State Park:
When I chose MBSP I hadn't actually ever been there before. I explained what I was looking for which was to have the wedding on the beach and was given the suggestion of MBSP. I did some research on it and looked at a ton of photos online, in the end the photos sold me. Myrtle Beach State Park is really pretty. There is a pier there, picnic areas, and so on. It's a nice place to hold a wedding, esp if you want to have a outdoor reception. If your not big on fancy stuff and just want something small and normal for a reception, the picnic shelters are a nice place for a reception. However be sure and book your reception site, they go fast!

Huntington Beach State Park:
Again I hadn't been to HBSP before but my photographer suggested it for the TTD photos. If I hadn't already planned for MBSP for the wedding I would have had the wedding there in a heartbeat. Huntington Beach State Park is absolutely stunning! It's beautiful, online photos really don't do it justice. There is a castle there (Atalaya) and it has palm trees all around and there is a beach there as well, obviously. I highly recommend this place for weddings and TTD photos, the place is breathtaking. If memory serves me correctly you can rent out the castle and have your wedding in the little yard, inside the castle walls. I think there is also tours of the castle as well for a small fee. I didn't get a chance to tour the castle but I did have photos made around the castle and on the beach. The photos turned out just beautifully and I had a great time that evening!


The Cake:
I had heard a lot about the place I chose to have my cake made, but had never been there or ate food from there. I ended up picking the place based mostly on popularity and things I had heard. They quoted me a decent price on the size cake we picked. The only complaints I have is that the pink color on the cake didn't turn out to be as bright as I wanted it to be, it was more of a bubblegum color then a hot pink. The other complaint I have was that the bow on the cake fell, but that wasn't the bakers fault. The bow when I picked the cake up was beautiful, it was tall and it just made the cake. The second we took the cake out into the 90 degree humid evening the bow just fell flatter then a sheet of paper. That was my fault, I should have planned for that better and didn't take into account the humid day. The cake its self no matter how it looked was the best cake I ever put into my mouth (not counting my mommas red velvet cake, NOTHING can top that!) My family still talks about that cake 3 years later, about how good it was and that they never tasted such a good cake in all their life. When we have anniversary photos made, I'm considering having the top part of the cake remade again for us to enjoy on our anniversary.The place we chose for our cake was...

Croisants Bistro & Bakery
http://www.croissants.net/

My husband and I loved the cake so much, and highly recommend that place if you ever need a cake, super yummy! Ignore the flat bow, and here is what the cake looked like...

The Officiant:
This I was not super picky about, I only really had two requirements and one was that they was nice people and easy to be around. We ended up choosing..

A Southern Belle Wedding

A southern belle was great and I have no complaints. They were helpful, friendly and charged a fair amount, the price was good. I do recommend them for your wedding esp if you are looking for a non denominational wedding.


Where we staid:

The Holiday Inn at the Pavilion.

I have been staying at the hotel for years and chose to stay in it for our wedding and honeymoon. It's nothing super fancy but it is nice and it's right in downtown, in fact it's right across from the slingshot and the skywheel. I've always enjoyed staying there over the years and on our honeymoon was no different. We didn't do a super fancy room for the HM we just had a normal room, but we had a great time. They have 2 pools, a hot tub and a lazy river as well as a pool bar and it's ocean front! It's clean, and it's quiet so both those are a huge deal to me. I do recommend staying there any time you need a room, not just on your wedding or honeymoon.

Interested in seeing more of our wedding photos? Check out my Pinterest board!
http://pinterest.com/CarolinaDreams/our-wedding/


If any of you have any questions about who I chose for the wedding or any other Myrtle Beach wedding and honeymoon related questions, feel free to ask me. I'll be more then happy to answer any questions you may have to the best of my ability.

DIY Seashell and Sand Decor Ideas

Have you ever wondered what to do with all the seashells you bring home from vacation? Well I have several ideas for all of those shells. I started doing this I would say maybe 8 years ago before I was ever married. My family used to take vacations to SC just about every year and of course I'd go with them and like most people I'd bring a ton of seashells home, but never really had anything to do with them. One year when we went I really had no desire to leave and was taking going back home pretty hard so I bought a little extra something home with me. I decided to fill 3 water bottles up with wet sand from the ocean to bring home with me because I thought I could kind of bottle of the sea water sent to have for a little while. Well after the vacation was over and done and i had adjusted to being back home, I was putting up my things from vacation and saw the sand and shells and got the bright idea to make some decorations out of it. When I looked around the house I found several empty vases and filled them half way with sand than laid shells on top of that until I was happy with how it looked and set them around the bedroom. Ever since then it's become a thing with me that every time I go to the beach I have to bring home bottles of sand and shells to make decorations out of for the house, I must have 20+ sand and shell decorations around the house now. I really went crazy with the whole sand and shell idea when my husband and I got married, we got married on the beach and now I have sand and shell decor around the house from our wedding / honeymoon. I think it's a great idea to showcase shells you find, and it's also a excellent way to remember vacations or special moments past. Below are some of the things I decided to do my my sand and shells. I'm sure there are lots of other creative ways to display sand and shells but these are a few of my ideas.

If you have a empty vase laying around the house, they work wonderfully for this purpose. As for the colored glass gems, those was my husbands idea to add a little color it.

You can even flip over larger shells to make votive holders out of them!