Why You Should Get Professional Photos on Vacation

So I'm here today with a very important PSA. If you're going on vacation - splurge to get professional photos taken. Whether its for a special occasion or just for fun, skip the touristy souvenirs and use that money for beautiful photos to capture the memories!

This summer my family decided to head down to Destin, FL for a week long beach vacay! I had just finished graduate school, my sister had recently gotten a promotion at her job, it was my parents anniversary week and we decided it was high time for a celebration! So I decided to surprise the family with a quick photo shoot - best decision ever!

We had an absolute blast with the BEST photographer in Florida, Nicole Bielenin, from Lavender Roads Photography! I can't say enough kind words about her. She was so sweet and accommodating, and made us all feel incredibly comfortable! She posed us all and told us exactly what to do (and when you're trying to get photos of 6 people at once - you know how important that is). Plus - Nicole is crazy affordable AND has the best pictures around!

I have to confess that it was ridiculously windy on our photo day. Like, we're talking gale force winds here people. But Nicole knew exactly how to pose us to get beautiful photos that we will cherish forever. We spent our entire hour laughing and making the best memories.

If you're going on vacation - you have to hire a photographer! It was seriously such a blessing to get these sweet photographs that we will be looking at for years to come! After your session, Nicole edits all your pictures and sends you an online gallery so you can download all the photos you want to develop!

So if you're in the Destin, FL area - you absolutely MUST call Nicole from Lavender Roads Photography! I promise you, she will blow you away with her incredible work! And you might even leave with a few hilarious gems like this one.

Hope you all have the best summer!

xoxo

NYC with StyleWatch x Sorel

So, for those of you who don't know, I recently won a trip to NYC! A few months ago, I entered the SORELxStyleWatchContest on Instagram by uploading some of my "fall fashion faves" and ended up being chosen! People StyleWatch and SOREL flew me and two friends (AKA my mom and sister) to NYC for a styling session with the fabulous Kami Stewart from StyleWatch and a shopping spree with SOREL! Needless to say, we had an incredible time! Here'a a little recap:

You can't go to New York without seeing a Braodway show, right?! So the day we flew in, we dropped our bags off at the hotel and went to Times Square to see what tickets we could get! We ended up choosing A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder and HOLY COW! It was SO good - the actors are crazy talented! If you haven't had a chance to see it, you have to go! Their last show is coming up soon, so don't miss it!

(and of course we had to take a selfie while in Times Square)

After a crazy long day of flights and exploring, we were absolutely exhausted and headed back to our hotel. We stayed at Hotel Empire - which is where several Gossip Girl scenes were filmed, so I might have had a few "fan-girl" moments. We walked around the hotel a bit, and then headed to bed to get some sleep before the big day!

At 7:30am, hair and makeup arrived to get us photo-ready. The makeup artist, Maya Calhoun, and hair stylist, Koni Bennett, were two of the sweetest people ever! They were both so incredibly talented and we had the best time getting ready, chatting and of course (in typical tourist fashion) getting all the New York info - including the best food spots.

After hair and makeup were done, we headed to the SOREL store in the Meatpacking District!

The store is absolutely gorgeous by the way. And can I just say...I wanted every single pair of boots. They were all so cute! 

Once we arrived, we were met by the StyleWatch team and got started! We all tried on endless pairs of boots and got to pick our favorites. Kami (the lovely lady in blue) gave us some fashion pointers and brought some fun accessories for us to try on. 

I ended up picking the Winter Fancy Lace Boot in Black. They go with everything and they'll be perfect for walking on campus in the rain and snow!

After a ridiculously fun day, we headed to Sugar Factory for lunch and drinks. And I've officially decided that every drink needs to be served with candy in it. Seriously, so delicious. 

Then we did a little shopping and explored the city. We made a quick stop by the NBC store so I could hang with my bestie Jimmy. 

This was my first time in NYC around Christmas time and it was absolutely magical. Lights and music everywhere! Rockefeller Center and Saks Fifth Avenue were our favorites - all decked out in Christmas-y goodness!

I can't say thank you enough to everyone at StyleWatch and SOREL! We had the best time on this trip and I couldn't be more thankful! Thanks for giving me such an incredible opportunity!