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How to plan the Destination Wedding of your Dreams

For many brides, wedding planning can become so stressful that it will make you want to literally jump off of a bridge. Some people opt for destination weddings because they assume they’re hassle free; but if not planned carefully, destination weddings can cause even more stress and anxiety than traditional weddings. In my case, I planned a 10 year vow renewal in Montego Bay, Jamaica with 40 of my closest friends and relatives, hired local vendors, and managed to have the stress free wedding of my dreams. I’m not saying it was easy. There were some things I wish I had known beforehand that would have helped me along the way. Given what I’ve learned, my goal is to share those lessons with you so that with proper planning, you can have the stress free destination wedding of your dreams.

  1. Use a Travel Agent. If having your loved ones in attendance for your special day is important to you, consider using a travel agent. Travel agents can help you better manage your bookings, which will ultimately impact your guest count and the cost of your wedding. Because travel agents are usually paid by the vendor, they can offer group rates and flexible low deposit payment options at no additional cost to your guests. Using a travel agency made it easier to manage my final head count without relying on RSVPs.
  2. Offer Options to your Guests I chose the Ibersotar Rose Hall because it features three different resorts on the property. There’s the luxurious, adults only, 5 star Grand hotel, the 4.5 star Suites, and the 4 star, budget friendly beach property. Guest staying at the Suites have access to the Beach hotel, and guest who book the Grand have full access to all three. If you are not able to offer multiple resorts, offer room category upgrades for guests who want to enhance their trip.
    • Tip: Keep in mind, some people may want to attend the wedding and stay “off property”, which can result in additional off site fees for day passes. These prices can be outrageous, so if you don’t expect to cover these charges, be sure to communicate that to your guests before they start making travel plans.
  3. Make sure you fully understand what’s included in the Resort’s Wedding packages. Most resorts expect you to use their vendors. I handpicked all of my own external vendors and went with a cheaper wedding package. I hired local vendors including photographer, cinematographer, florist, makeup artist, and DJ resulting in steep vendor fees in excess of $250 per vendor. For me, it was worth the extra cost. Let’s face it, the resort photographer’s are great for capturing pictures at the resort, but they don’t specialize in weddings. Having my most precious memories not captured because I used a less experienced photographer was not a risk I was willing to take.
    • Tip: I saved money on the vendor fees by booking one-night hotel rooms for some of my vendors. The resort typically offers discounted rates for locals and it worked out nicely because my makeup artist was able to touch me up before the reception.
  4. Create a budget and try to stick to it. In the spirit of transparency, I failed miserably here. But that’s because I didn’t do step 3 and fully understand the extra’s that weren’t included. Before you begin selecting a resort and vendors, you need to know what you want, what you aren’t willing to compromise on, and then choose a resort that can accommodate you and your price point. To reduce cost, some resorts allow you to bring your own decor.
    • Tip: I purchased a $5 suitcase from Goodwill and loaded it with decor including chair sashes, table cards, and items to create welcome gift bags for my guests. Because I only paid $5 for the suitcase, I was able to leave it behind on my return trip home.
  5. Do your research before selecting vendors. I loved all of my vendors, and would highly recommend using any of them! Vendor profiles listed below.
  1. Go All Inclusive. All inclusive resorts are great for organizing group activities without breaking the bank. The day before the ceremony, I had an “all white” welcome reception at one of the specialty restaurants at no additional cost. Afterwards we gathered on the beach to enjoy a beach bonfire party and fire dancer.
  2. Plan to spend a couple of days at the resort before and after your wedding. This was essential because it allowed us time to go over last minute wedding details, do a walk through, and rehearse the ceremony ahead of time. The day after the wedding, I chartered a Catamaran to take us snorkeling in Negril and cliff jumping at Rick’s Cafe. It was incredible!
  3. Splurge on the Penthouse Suite on your wedding day. This was an excellent decision. The Iberostar penthouse was absolutely beautiful. I used it for my pre-wedding photo shoot and champagne toast with my girls before the ceremony.
  4. Trash the Dress. If you’re adventurous like me, do a Trash the Dress photo shoot. I booked Tensing Pen Resort so we could jump from the beautiful bridge. It was so much fun!
  5. Have Fun! Relax and have fun. Your special day will go by so fast, so enjoy it while you can.
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Visiting Miami in your 30’s

Miami in your 30’s is a much different experience than it is in your 20’s. For those who want a more relaxing vacation or weekend getaway, you can definitely find it in Miami. On our first trip to Miami, we stayed at the Clevelander Hotel right in the center of all the action. This time, we were looking for a much more relaxed atmosphere. We traveled with our friends for a quick weekend getaway to celebrate my husband’s birthday. Here are ways we enjoyed Miami in our 30’s!

1 Hotel South Beach

This time around, we were looking for a more upscale beachfront property, and 1 Hotel South Beach did not disappoint. 1 Hotel is a 5- star hotel in South Beach along the Atlantic Ocean.

1 Hotel Main Pool

Watr at the Rooftop

After checking in to the hotel, we headed to Watr, the hotel’s sky high restaurant and rooftop bar for excellent views, good food, and amazing drinks. We had the Watr burger made with Wagyu beef, which was amazing, and I enjoyed the Frose’ All Day, a delicious and refreshing cocktail made with Rose’, Sky Vodka, Peach, lillet rouge, and fresh citrus!

Saturday nights, the hotel offers live beats by local DJs.

Birthday Celebration at Villa Azure

Since we were celebrating my husband’s birthday, we joined our friends for dinner at Villa Azure, a chic French- Mediterranean restaurant. This place was incredible. The servers went above and beyond to make his birthday celebration memorable. Here are some pictures from his birthday dinner!

For dinner, I highly recommend the 2 LB butter poached lobster (pictured below) and the 309 Azure Margarita is the best. It’s a unique margarita with Avion Tequila, lime juice, Agave Nectar cointreau infused with fresh jalapeno, topped with black lava salt. It’s spicy goodness!

2 LB Lobster

Chill at the Beach

This time around, we were not looking for the club experience and chose to spend our days as “beach bums” relaxing by the beach with cocktails in hand. What’s nice about the 1 Hotel location is it’s close proximity to the beach. We walked directly onto the beach from our hotel.

After spending the afternoon riding the waves on the jetskis, we went back to the rooftop pool for some much needed R&R. We kept the Frose’s coming!!!

Dinner at the Lobster Bar

For dinner we ended the night at the Lobster Bar Sea Grille. The food was good, and the location is walking distance to Ocean Drive.

This pretty much wraps up our Miami Birthday weekend. Please comment below. I’d love to hear about your 30’s Miami experience.

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Visiting Miami in your 20’s

Miami is the ideal travel destination for beautiful beaches during the day, and vibrant night life for party goers in the evening. In Miami, the party ends when you decide it does.

I traveled to Miami in my 20’s with my husband and some friends. We were looking to have fun, which consisted of a full schedule with nonstop partying and good food in between. Miami exceeded our expectations.

While it’s true that Miami offers something for every demographic, it’s a different experience visiting Miami in your twenties compared to your thirties. Here are some helpful tips on how you can enjoy your Miami vacation in your twenties!

Where we stayed: Clevelander hotel, Ocean Drive https://www.clevelander.com/

Clevelander hotel at night

Pros: Free entrance to the onsite club if you stay at the hotel, good DJ, good breakfast, perfect location in the heart of Ocean drive with a view of South Beach

5 Things to do in Miami in your 20’s:

  1. Attend a concert or sporting event at American Airlines Stadium
Bad Boy concert at American Airlines Arena

2. Enjoy water sports on South Beach

3. You haven’t “LIVed” unless you’ve gone to club LIV on Sundays. It’s the Miami hot spot for those looking to turn up while in Miami. Tickets can be pricey, but there’s usually always a celebrity guest appearance, and the experience is definitely memorable. https://www.livnightclub.com/

Celebrity The Game performing at Club LIV

4. Have a drink at Wet Willie’s. They offer some of the best uniquely named frozen cocktails like Sex on the Beach, Shock Treatment, Attitude Improvement, and Call a Cab if you want to get really messed up!

5. Don’t skip out on the exotic entertainment. Miami has some of the best strip clubs in the US. We attended the infamous King of Diamonds, Miami’s well known hip hop gentlemen’s club, where the infamous phrase “make it rain” was originated.  Although KOD is no longer in business, you really can’t go wrong with strip clubs in Miami.

Restaurant Review

If you like seafood, try A Fish called Avalon. It’s located right on the iconic Ocean Drive and offers outdoor patio seating, fresh seafood and excellent service!

2020 IN THE REARVIEW. NEW YEAR, NEW YOU…

I usually kick off the new year reflecting on the previous year’s accomplishments and setting new goals for myself in the form of crafting a vision board. Creating a vision board is simple. I used a poster board and a few magazines to create the masterpiece you see below. Then I hung it in my closet as a daily reminder of who I’m striving to become. Vision boards get results because they help you hold yourself accountable for your progress.

Starting out the year, my goal was to begin writing my travel and hobby blog; so if you’re reading this, you’re already aware that I’ve gotten started. I have always enjoyed creative writing and now have the freedom and flexibility to share my ideas, and hopefully you can take away something inspirational from them.

One of my goals I’m most proud of is building my dream home. It was an exciting, overwhelming, and sometimes frustrating process, but overall it went relatively smooth and I enjoyed it, and don’t have any regrets. I’ll be writing a blog sharing the home building experience sometime in the near future.

Ironically, the COVID 19 restrictions have also helped me focus on meeting a couple of my financial goals. We usually spend an exorbitant amount of money on trying new restaurants. By staying at home, I have been able to get closer to my money saving goals by preparing more home cooked meals; which are usually healthier options that taste pretty good too!

I also invested in a couple of small purchases this year that have had significant gains in helping me crush my financial and time management goals. I am an avid coffee drinker; I went from daily Starbucks coffee runs to making my own specialty coffee. I purchased the KK-Café Special Edition Single Serve Coffee maker. It is a powerhouse brewer that allows me to froth fresh milk and make delicious lattes and cappuccinos. I love it!

With the kids doing remote learning and working from home full time, time management was a huge goal for me this year and has become essential. I purchased a 1Thrive wall organizer that has made the meal planning process and managing the kid’s busy schedules much easier. I went with the Brooke wall organizer for $169 that features a weekly blackboard, calendar whiteboard, and corkboard.

On the other hand, I didn’t knock anything off the travel bucket list. Due to the global pandemic, I cancelled two planned family vacations; a two week trip to Europe visiting Rome, Italy and the the Greek islands, and a 5 day cruise to Mexico. I also didn’t meet any of my workout goals. My beach body workout motivation left as soon as my trips to the Mediterranean Ocean got cancelled. Essentially, no beach, no body. LOL.

I think we can all agree that 2020 was an unusual year. I’m intentionally exercising patience with myself for not achieving everything I set out to do given the circumstances. Instead I’m grateful for amazing things I was still able to accomplish this year, looking forward to mapping out my vision for 2021, and excited about what the future brings.

Happy New Year!

Tis the Season for Holiday Décor, Family, and Gratitude

With my family moving into a brand new home and travel restrictions in place this year, I spent time this holiday season getting in touch with my inner decorator. While I am by no means a professional, I used a little creativity, style inspiration, and expert design tips (by way of YouTube) to add some farmhouse flair to our living space.

Oh Christmas Tree!

We purchased a 9 ft. pre lit artificial tree from Home Depot for $379. The branches and pine cones came decorated with a snowy glitter like substance that reminded me of Christmas. It was easy to assemble and took about 15 minutes of fluffing the branches to make the tree look full. I also used satin wired ribbon from Michaels craft store to fill in the the empty spaces. Regular price was $14.99 a roll, but it was 50% off with the coupon. Since I’m a huge fan of both Rae Dunn and Beyonce’, I couldn’t resist the Rae Dunn ornaments I found at Home Goods, which even included a cute little Queen Bee. I sprinkled in a couple of snowflakes, white beads, and inspirational holiday tags. Lastly, I combined the remaining ribbon with Buffalo plaid to create the perfect tree topper for my farmhouse look. I’m looking forward to gathering around this lively tree with my family on Christmas morning.

Cozy Fireplace

For the fireplace, I found a decorated string of garland at TJ Maxx and nestled it behind six multi colored Christmas stockings I purchased on Amazon. I bought the stocking tags on Cyber Monday at Etsy’s Rocky River design shop, and with my 20% discount, the price was less than $6 each. Lastly, my Christmas themed wall art came from Kirkland’s and really gives the room that “farmhouse look” I was hoping for. I’m excited about cozying up by the fireplace, watching Christmas movies with my family.

Festive Porch

Keeping with the modern farmhouse inspired theme, I looked for Buffalo plaid items to match my doormat to tie everything together. My reef, holiday sign, and small galvanized sleigh also all came from Kirkland’s. And while we’re not planning on a large gathering this year, my hope for my porch is to spread holiday cheer.

Being in quarantine for majority of the year has given me perspective. Decorating for the holidays and watching the way it sparked excitement amongst my family gave me so much joy and appreciation for the simple things! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Sources for the items you’ve seen in this post below.

Material Sources: