Hey ya’ll,
Recently, I took a four day mini-vacation down to St. Augustine, Florida. I can’t tell you how excited I was to see my mom, sister and best friend of 20 years! I was incredibly thrilled to serve as her maid of honor, and she couldn’t have picked a more stunning place to say her vows. Talk about #weddinggoals.
For those of you who don’t know, I’m sort of a Florida native. Having grown up in a city just outside of Jacksonville for the better part of my childhood, it always feels like a bit of a homecoming whenever I get the chance to return. Florida is the source of my goofy (I think endearing is a more appropriate word) accent, some of my favorite memories, and authentic southern style cooking difficult to find in New England. Though nothing is ever as I remember it – it’s been over 15 years! – I wasn’t sad to find that included the incredibly manageable 45 minute drive to St. Augustine! My mom and I always thought St. Augustine was much further away, but we were happy to be proven wrong.
Ya’ll, this city is beautiful. We stayed at a hotel on Vilano beach and it was absolutely perfect. Bright and colorful spaces, warm sand, mesmerizing waters and clear blue skies.
In addition to it’s beauty, St. Augustine is one of the nation’s oldest cities, rich with a complex and compelling history. Unfortunately, we were so wiped out from my best friend’s wedding, that we only browsed the historic district from the car. What we did see, we loved so much that we vowed to return within the next year. (When you can, read up on it! There’s a lot to learn. For example, many articles this summer noted Simone Manuel’s Olympic wins were earned despite a deep, traumatic history of Black Americans and swim. This history includes a 1964 St. Augustine hotel owner who dumped acid into a pool when white and black protestors staged a swim-in to denounce the hotel’s whites-only policy.)
To be honest, I wanted to enjoy my time there, so with the exception of a few snaps to my Instastory (which regrettably I did not save), I spent most of my time just soaking up the views. Also, the forecast was for torrential downpours (Praise God there weren’t!), but I didn’t pack typical beach town wear, unless you consider yellow rain boots an 80°+ weather staple.
Thankfully, I do have plenty of pictures of my maid of honor dress, which I would highly recommend to anyone planning on taking a beach city vacation ever in your life. This jersey knit maxi was an all-around win; comfortable, versatile, and machine washable. It was elegant enough for the wedding, but casual enough to wear the next day on the beach. It’s available in a variety of colors and can also be worn in six different styles. C’mon, need I say more? It paired perfectly with the beautiful handmade jewelry that my bestie gifted to the bridal party. Much obliged to my mom and sister for being my photographers on this one. Rest assured, this is not an easy task.
Once again, thanks for reading and sharing this memory with me! Hope you enjoyed!
:: Outfit//
Macy’s Top {Sold Out – Similar Here & Here} ♥ Ann Taylor Denim {Old – Similar Here} ♥ Ann Taylor Top {Sold Out – Similar Here} ♥ Shein Skirt ♥ Lulu’s Dress ::
:: Accessories//
Versace Handbag {Ebay – Similar Here} ♥ White Sunnies {Borrowed} ♥ BaubleBar Ring ♥ Watch ♥ Cat Eye Sunnies
:: Beauty//
ColourPop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick {Tulle} ♥ Milani Matte Lip Creme {Sugar} ♥ Two-In-One-Hair-Straightener-&-Curler ::
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