the southern part of heaven

Saturday we traveled to Chapel Hill, NC to celebrate the marriage of Anna and Landon and it was a blessed event in every sense of the word! David grew up with Landon and the families were very close. I had the pleasure of meeting both Landon and Anna back in October at the Powell's wedding and Anna and I became fast friends. It was such an honor to be at their wedding this week and we look forward to meeting up with the Whites regularly over the next years. It was also fun to meet Landon's mom whom I've heard so many wonderful things about {hi Mrs. White!}

The wedding was absolutely fabulous and we all agreed that Anna was absolutely stunning! Both the ceremony and the reception were on the UNC campus where both Anna and Landon hold degrees from. The reception was held at the historic Carolina Inn in the heart of the shaded campus. The decor was beautifully classic with a sophisticated and updated twist on color. The reception was held in the large ballroom with black and white flooring and antique chandeliers. The space was so spectacular that extra decor was almost unnecessary and should be kept simple - which Anna and her planners perfected.

We boogied the night away and ate some delicious food {i.e. shrimp and grits!} before wishing Mr. and Mrs. White off to their honeymoon in Costa Rica. Anna even changed into a creme traveling suit before their exit, which I just adore.

The next morning the groom's close family friends hosted a delightful farewell breakfast in another one of the Inn's stylish dining rooms. In was so nice to see all of the White's friends near and far reminisce and gather for such a great occasion.

It was a long drive back for the Tallahassee crew but we were able to stop at A Southern Season on the way out of town which everyone had been raving about. It is amazing. Think Fresh Market, higher-end World Market, My Favorite Things, and Williams Sonoma all in one. And to top it off they were having a fabulous sale! I came out with a new soft camera bag and some birthday candles - just what I needed. I wish we were able to have spent more time in Chapel Hill for from what we saw of it, it truly was the southern part of heaven.

Congratulations and cheers to the newlyweds!

festive gift bags for guests staying at the carolina inn

everything in it was so beautiful and detailed...my favorite was an envelope that said "bon appetit" with a card inside listing all of anna and landon's favorite restaurants in town and a personal description of each...I wish we could have stayed long enough to try them.

this was the dining room I fell in love with

this might be my favorite picture - I just love it and love him!

perfect peonies adorned the tables for the cocktail hour on the lawn

gabe, martin, and david

cocktail hour...they had a photographer take pictures of guests in front of a black and white damask fabric and then had them printed and framed in an envelope by the end of the reception! david and I are racking up on our wedding picture favors!

the party then moved inside to the reception ballroom

"the catch of a lifetime"

first dance

mc, anna, hillary and sarah

the band invited the bride and bridesmaids up for a song

the all pretty in pink candy table

up to no good at the candy table

tablescape at the farewell breakfast

@ the breakfast

spring island

Late Thursday night David and I traveled to tiny Spring Island, South Carolina with our dear friends Gabe and Sarah en route to a wedding in North Carolina. Arriving in the wee hours of Friday morning, we knew we were somewhere special when we warned to shine the car lights on the front porch in case there were any creatures there to greet us.

Spring Island is a fascinating private residential and nature preservation island off the coast of South Carolina. It was formerly a large cotton plantation and the old tabby ruins of the main house are beautifully set amongst the live oaks and palmettos. I cannot adequately describe my love for lowcountry terrain but I will say I could have stayed on Spring forever. We explored the island and golf course on Friday and in the evening we went into nearby Beaufort, SC which I absolutely adore. It has been in my top five of favorite places for years now.

The wildlife on Spring did not disappoint. We saw tons of deer, a fox, fox squirrels and even a hungry gator. There are lots of alligators on the island but they mostly reside in the lakes along the golf course. Hole 17 is where they prefer to sunbathe and wait for white egrets to fall from the branches. As we approached hole 17 via golf cart there were none to be seen. Until...we saw a aforementioned white egret bobbing oddly in the water. As we waited a gator rose from the water and stared at us with bird in mouth with a sly smile as if to say "is this the show you were waiting for". I hopped off the golf cart to take a quick picture and as soon as I stepped foot back in the cart...swoosh. Gator and prey were gone leaving a stir of muddy water. Talk about a show! That was enough nature excitement for moi and cooler to witness than if we had seen twenty gators leisurely swimming along the banks.

Beaufort brought a fabulous dinner at Wren and a beautiful scenic tour of the waterfront and the 5 million different houses that I will someday live in - all with the most amazing view. I had first heard of Wren from Ashley's blog but much to my surprise I had a connection myself. Last time I was in Beaufort I had the absolute best gourmet sandwich at a little restaurant/store called Sea Island Wine and Gourmet. As I researched our restaurants for this trip I was sad to see SIWG had closed but most pleasantly surprised to see that they had reopened across the street as Wren. Everything we had Friday night was delish! I had mahi fish tacos that were the most refreshing and flavorful thing I've had in a long time.

The company was even better on our trip and early Saturday morning we were off to Chapel Hill. Stay tuned for part II of my weekend vacay.

a view from spring island

the houses were non-showy and blended into the gorgeous landscape

the gator and his prey

me and sarah

at the riverhouse on spring before dinner

david and gabe

beaufort, sc

the.best.fish.tacos.ever.

happy first

Happy first anniversary to Page and Eric!! Last year at this time we were having a fabulous time in Birmingham which I featured in "two hours in tupelo." And in celebration I'll be wearing the same sassy orange bridesmaid dress as a guest to another wedding this weekend in North Carolina! Page, thank you for picking out stylish bridesmaid dresses that we can truly wear again! Three cheers to many more wonderful years, xoxo.

memorial day fun

Bright and early Monday morning, sister, Sally Kate and I traveled down to the Emerald Coast to visit Heather Lane and family! We stopped in Rosemary to shop and then headed to Seaside to meet for lunch. We ate at Bud & Alley's Pizza Bar and it was delicious and refreshing! Then, we traveled a little further west to have some fun in the sun at the beach. SK had a blast and really enjoyed playing in the sand. It was a wonderful way to spend my day off. And the best part was that we got to visit with the Lanester {a.k.a. Heather Lane, Lane, Laney, Tullulah, Lulu...} along the beautiful Florida coastline.

the pizza bar wasn't open yet so we met kristen {so good to see you too!} and heather lane at the cocktail airstream camper...

sister sitting pretty

lulu in all her glory

a rather dark picture but it's the only one of all five of us...
mc, heather lane, kristen, holly and sk

trying to stay cool

she loves the pool this summer and loves to splish-splash in the water!

giving kisses to lulu

pouring and rubbing sand all in lulu's bubbies...this was hilarious and went on for a while...and that's why we love lulu so much :)

gorgeous water - clear and warm

Happy belated Memorial Day! Summer is not officially here but let's all pretend. Also, thank you to those who serve and protect our country - I am forever grateful. God bless America.

summer. supper. spectacular.

Well I thought this post might not make it until after summer but alas here it is! Last weekend was so relaxing and just what I needed. I started my holiday vacation on Thursday night and stretched it as long as I could until late Monday evening. Here's a look at what we did. I know I don't need to preface this but they involve yummy summer suppers, flowers, and friends :)

on thursday night we had our neighborhood supper club and this is where I found sally kate...

special delivery!

I did actually have to work on friday...but it was at the beach as we installed the furniture for one of our projects just in time for memorial day. the kitchen it quite fabulous...and please try not to notice the packing material still on the table base!

on saturday night we had the most delicious meal with sister and marcus. the boys smoked a chicken and pork piece and the girls made the sides all fresh from the farmer's market. I love this about summer - bring on the freshness! We had smoked chicken and pork, fried okra, grilled corn, sliced tomatoes, and homemade macaroni and cheese. we had enough to feed more like 4 families, but everyone will be pleased to know I actually used the leftovers the next day. in fact, david and I cooked at home 4 meals in a row! that's a record for me, but here's the thing if my life was one long leisurely weekend I'd do it more often!

oh, and I made homemade peach cobbler too!
it's peach season y'all!

signs of summer also includes these beauties blooming everywhere, ahhh bliss. this year they are in my yard too thanks to capital city lawn care. I hope they will stay pink...

so it's only fitting that my house remains filled throughout the summer with cut from the garden hydrangeas...

and the smell of gardenias in bloom is absolutely divine.

another project this weekend was the purchase of a baker's rack to store all my flower containers. is it weird that I absolutely loved organizing everything and I love the way it looks on my porch?!

I have too many of these mason jar votives to keep track of...

and now I can cross one more thing off my list...patio furniture. check. all I wanted was something very plain, simple and black. at last I can dine al fresco on my back deck!

Let the summer fun begin!