Showing posts with label honeymoons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label honeymoons. Show all posts

Honeymoonin' Heaven {Italy}

Following our amazing week in Amsterdam, the husband and I flew to Italy, spending nearly a week out wine tasting in small towns throughout the Veneto region and enjoying a glorious stay on Lake Como.

The sights of Italy were truly breathtaking. We visited small medieval walled cities like Bergamo and Borghetto. They're equal parts awe-inspiring history and complete present day charm.



Lake Como certainly didn't disappoint. We spent an incredibly relaxing two days taking ferry rides across the water, breakfasts in the garden and wine lakeside every evening.


In each town we visited we'd pause to take a quick snapshot with our thank you sign - they'll all be compiled into thank you cards for our wedding guests. The cards will make lugging that chalkboard around worth it!

We certainly couldn't visit Italy and skip the most romantic city in the world - so we ended the trip in Venice. And I must say, it exceeded expectations. When you got beyond the sea of tourists and discovered the the twists and turns of the real city, the calls of the merchants in the fish markets, the clinks of glasses as people would toast next to the grand canal...

I spent the entire time trying to soak in each and every sight, sound and sensation. 


all photos by me!

There really is no place like it. We literally wandered this maze of a city for hours on end, until our feet just simply wouldn't hold us up anymore. 

Each evening we'd plop ourselves down, exhausted but thrilled, at one fabulous dinner table after another. Multiple courses of pasta, seafood, dolce, grappa, coffee and gelato later (more on the food experiences to come soon!), we'd collapse into our bed.

Ahhhh, la vita bella, ti amo.

Honeymoonin' Heaven {Amsterdam}

Well my dears, as promised, I wanted to share some of our honeymoon adventures with you. We had such an amazing time it's tough to pick favorite moments, but here are a few.

We started things off in Amsterdam. Even though we were deluged by rain most of the week, we made the best of it. We armed ourselves with umbrellas and rain gear and hit the streets  - taking 5 hour strolls in the downpours and having a ball the entire time!


We simply fell in love with the city, regardless of the perpetually cloudy skies. Every row house we passed was more stunning than the one before it. We spent endless hours going up one canal and down the next. By the end we actually knew where we were going!

We even found the famous Dutch flowers including my favorite - peonies!




We also found multiple havens to save us from the rain, one of which was the lovely little cafe Gartine. Tucked away in a little side street, passing by one may not give it a second look. But once you step inside, it is its own little foodie wonderland. 


all photos by me or the hubby!

Gartine serves the most delectable breakfasts, using ingredients grown in their own garden, made fresh daily. The setting alone was completely divine! I just had to take one of their cookbooks home as a souvenir! 

Even if the weather wasn't perfect, Amsterdam was the perfect way to kick off a truly magical trip with my husband (I'm still getting used to calling him that!).

Next up, Italy!

Happy {Jetplane} Weekend!

Well, my luvies, this is it! This weekend we depart for the honeymoon! The husband and I could not be more excited.


image via {i can't remember -eek!}

Now don't you worry, I wouldn't leave you high and dry while we're away. A wonderful series of guest bloggers will be keeping you company so please be sure to drop in and say hi!

And now, for the winner of the Shabby Apple La Tour Eiffel dress! There were so many great comments about what makes you feel romantic. Some of my favorites include:

*I feel the most feminine and romantic when I'm wearing something comfortable, classic and sexy
*My perfect red lipstic and a simple summer dress
*Heels and red lipstick!
*Slipping on my prized pair of Manolos while I work at my desk 
*Comfortable + confident being ME

Thanks to everyone for entering and for the sweet notes of support. The winner of the La Tour Eiffel dress is......Shannon! Shannon, please contact me at apt34blog {at} gmail {dot} com to claim your prize. 

Happy happy weekend my dears - I'll see you all in a couple of weeks!

*Mrs E

Wedding Wednesday {Going On Our Honeymoon - Part Due}

Last {Wedding Wednesday} I shared that we're about to embark on our European honeymoon and we'll be starting our in Amsterdam. I am so excited I can barely stand it.

But where might we be going next you ask? Well, there was really only one option and that was......... Italy!


We'll be traveling from Amsterdam to Northern Italy, spending 5 days touring the shores of Lake Como and the small towns all around.


And we'll end up back in Venice for some serious romance (and gelato eating!)


I just couldn't resist sharing my excitement with all of you, but alas, I can't take you all to Europe with me. Instead, I thought it'd be fun to spread a little European flare around with a giveaway! 

One lucky Apartment 34 reader will win this La Tour Eiffel dress from Shabby Apple.


Simply leave a comment on this post, letting me know what you love to wear to feel romantic. Make sure to include your email address. A winner will be selected at random at 12:00 pm PST on Friday, June 4. 

Good luck!

{Honeymoon} Wear

With a short week and our honeymoon getaway looming, there's little else on my mind this week than our trip. Focus on work wear has certainly gone out the window - all I'm doing is mentally packing and repacking my vacation suitcase.

The spring collection from Mara Hoffman is making it a very easy task. 





I'm so excited to rely on dresses while we're in Europe - a total departure from my usual day-to-day look. 

I hope you find the opportunity to dress up this week luvies.

Happy short week!

*Mrs. E

Wedding Wednesday {Going On Our Honeymoon!}

Ok, ok, I know what you're thinking. Wasn't a destination wedding enough? Or maybe we'd be done after our hometown reception? It would have been easy to just stop there, but I decided to head my father's advice and take a full fledged honeymoon while I had the chance. 

So very soon we depart, yet again, this time for a trek through Europe and I could not be more excited. Our first stop: Amsterdam!



all images by pia jane bjerk via here

It's a homecoming of sorts, as my grandmother immigrated to the United States from the Netherlands in 1932. I cannot wait to go on a bike ride, take a boat down the canals, visit the Van Gogh museum, and people watch in sidewalk cafes, browse through local shops and discover local hidden gems.

I'm banking all the insider info I can right now, so if you have a favorite spot in Amsterdam, please let me know!

Faraway Fashion

Even though I know I just returned from an amazing trip, travel is already back on the brain -because we head out on our full-fledged honeymoon in Europe in June! 

There will be many more details to come on that in future Wedding Wednesday posts but for the moment I'm focused on a dress - the dress for walking the cobble stoned streets of the Netherlands and Italy. 

I want to find that perfect go-to look that can handle super hot temps and take on 100 different forms depending on the choice of shoe, belt, bag or earring. The goal here is to pack light -- not my strong suit!






The ideal selection will combine comfort, ease, style and a little splash of fabulousness. Easier said than done I'm afraid but I love all of the looks above and how they incorporate a splash of color, flirty fabric, with a classic note to top it all off. 

Let the shopping challenge begin!

Wedding Wednesday {Honeymooning}

With only two months of wedding planning to go it's easy to get sucked into the minutia. But one can't forget I've got a honeymoon to plan too! Well, my honey is actually planning it, but there are still wardrobe choices to be made.

When the Lauren Moffatt spring line landed in my inbox I was so thrilled to discover they may have taken care it for me!



via lauren moffatt

Add a mango margarita to any one of these looks and call me good to go.

PS stop by later for a great giveaway for the honey in your life!

Wedding Wednesday {Honeymooning}

As we've embarked on the wedding planning, the man and I have been advised, and wisely so, to actually go on a full fledged honeymoon trip because those well-intentioned promises of getting to it "someday" or "when we can really afford it" always seem to slip down the priority ladder.

So after much hemming and hawing we've begun to make our honeymoon destination decisions and the first place on the list (with more to come) is...Venice!

all images via dustjacket attic

I can't think of anything more romantic than strolling arm-in-arm past the canals, sipping cappuccino all morning and vino all afternoon, doing little else than watching the gondolas float past. 

After all, Italy is the epicenter of la dolce vita. Not a bad way to begin a life of marital bliss!

PS. all travel recommendations welcome - so you Italy aficionados, please comment!

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