April Wedding Weekend!

My dear friends Scott and Lauren got married the first weekend in April. We had just gotten back from Florida and were ready to celebrate our two pals!  Check out some of the fashion behind their beautiful wedding.

This is my absolute favorite shot of Scott and Lauren!

Photography by: http://www.rachaelosbornphotography.com/

Lauren and I teach and coach together. Her fabulously fun mom is on the right!

It was SO great to see my Colesters! 

My dress: B.B Dakota. This color is jade. The fuchsia is on sale for $65! For under $100, you cannot beat this dress! (Hence why I have it in 2 colors-- heheh!!). 

Cross body book purse: Etsy.  (Our pal Ben thought I couldn't put down Pride and Prejudice novel and had to bring it with me to the wedding ceremony. baahhaha!). 

My sister is such a trooper-- 9 months pregnant and still looking gorgeous!

Anna's dress (c/o Jackie!): here (on sale!) or similar here (both maternity). 

Cheetah ballet flats: here or here for $24! Here is the pump version.

Pumps on me: here in black (my rose gold is sold out!).

I love this shot of past and present poms/dance coaches for West!

How amazing is Lauren's wedding gown?!

Stephanie (one of the bride's sisters) and Lindsey, the bride's cousin, both looked radiant at the wedding!

Lindsey's hair was so fabulous: it was curled and gathered to one side. She totally rocked it! Her hair was styled by Privato Salon in Oswego, IL. Everyone raved about how pretty it looked all night!

Melissa and Stephanie were the co-maids of honor! Their speech made everyone laugh and provided some tears, as they included a toast from their late Grandmother, who passed away in the fall. 

Lindsey's dress (on the right) old Limited: similar here, here, here (in navy) and here. 

Lindsey's shoes are Bandolino! Absolutely adorable and a great price point. 

Mrs. Miller's dress: Adrianna Papell. That beading! To die for!

Libby utilized Rent the Runway for her cobalt blue stunner. Rent it here in black. Here (those details!), here (DVF and full back zip-- what could be better?) and here (that back!) are blue options from RTR to duplicate that vibrant color!

My earrings: old Stella and Dot, similar here (on sale-- under $20!) and here. 

My forever wedding date! Isn't he cute??? 

A reminder of the back of this dress. I love the open back! Remember when I wore this in red to my friends Jon and Sarah's wedding? 

My Chicago besties. All the SMC gals together!

Julie's red dress can be rented here.

Maria's orange/white dress can be rented here.

Jackie's blush dress (maternity) similar here from ASOS. 

Both Anna and Jackie are 9 months pregnant! They were glowing at the wedding!

We had a blast celebrating Lauren and Scott! 

What's your go-to spring wedding look?

xxoo

Mary

A Wedding Weekend at Notre Dame!

Two of my dear friends, Jon and Sarah, got married over the weekend at The University of Notre Dame.  ND holds such a special place in my heart; I attended Saint Mary's College (across the street) and my husband attended Notre Dame. The Basilica, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful places on earth.  Sarah was absolutely radiant, and I've never seen Jon happier. Thank you so much for including us in your day!

Paparazzi shots, courtesy of Mike. haha! 

The inside of the Basilica at Notre Dame-- it's so ornate and gorgeous.

Any time I've attended mass at the Basilica, I have to remind myself to stay focused on the homily and to not just stare at the gorgeous ceiling and architecture! But it was easy to stay engaged at Jon and Sarah's wedding; their priest was AMAZING! He was married for 45 years, has 5 kids and 15 grandkids-- after his wife passed, he became a priest. What incredible life experience! And, he was hilarious! Everything about their mass (and wedding!) was perfect. 

Mike is getting very good with the new cam! The exterior of the Basilica.

My dress comes in 11 colors! 

The back was TO DIE FOR!  

Find it here. My color was Crimson. 

The front! Haha. I hope this isn't really how I look when I dance! However, Sarah and Jon's playlist was the best! So many Backer songs (for all you Belles and Domers, "Africa" by Toto was one of the first songs!) 

Lips: MAC, Brave Red

Maria opted for Rent the Runway and looked absolutely fabulous!

Find her dress here. Maria loved the dress she rented so much that she is actually going to rent it again for New Year's Eve! 

Maria's lip color: MAC Diva. 

Maria's bracelet: mine from Fran's wedding! But here is an equally adorable one. 

Maria and Kevin looking fancy and dapper outside the Dome.

Maria's shoes: black glitter pumps!

Maria's chain link clutch: similar here. 

Earrings: on Maria (old Ann Taylor), similar here. 

Mine, old Macy's, similar here. 

Since we both wore lace dresses, we avoided necklaces, and we instead chose ornate chandelier earrings and stacked several bling-y bracelets. 

I loved the fit of this $98 B.B. Dakota stunner. 

I ordered it online from Nordstroms, and it fit perfectly. I will say, if you are between sizes, size down! It was better for me to go with the smaller size. (Also, the reviews confirm this!). 

My bracelet is old Ann Taylor (from my wedding, actually!), but here is a similar style. 

Shoes: my trusty BCBGeneration studded pumps!

I danced all night in these shoes without any pain. 

Also, no tights or coat in December in South Bend! It was 61! Crazy!

Selfie! Oh, my. Too close! haha!

Nails: OPI Edin-Burgandy (discontinued), but here is a similar OPI color! 

Our hotel room was our wedding date! 7-11!  Kismet? I think so. 

Purse: from Etsy. This shop owner is sooo talented and wonderful to work with! She makes different book clutches from several choices of novels. The books are actually the real texts! But she lacquers the sides, and cuts into the book to create a purse. It's phenomenal! The price is right, too, especially in comparison with the Kate Spade book clutches. 

I think I'm going to need to purchase this dress in more colors! I received so many kind compliments on it. Additionally, it was comfortable to the max. Fit and flare is the best style for me, and this dress exemplifies the fit and flare style.

Many congrats to Jon and Sarah!
xxoo
Mary

Thanksgiving and Our Ohio Travels

You might say I was really excited to be home for Thanksgiving. :-)

The above picture is the first photograph taken with our NEW Nikon CoolPix P610 digital camera. Horray! It was an amazing early Christmas gift from my mom. (Please excuse the alarming photograph: I had just woken up!). Shout out to Mark and Courtney for the best tee shirt!

Similar J. Crew bow PJ pants here.

We got to meet Miura, the most beautiful daughter of my dear friend, Amanda. 

Lululemon Headband here. There isn't a better headband for working out than the Fly Away Tamer. It has a little strip of stickiness so it won't slide around (even in downward facing dog!). However, the sticky strip doesn't pull out your hair like other headbands I've worn. 

Okay, I had to throw this one in because he just looks so great with a baby! Hehehe

 Next on the Boardman docket was helping implement stages 1-3 of Jimmy's proposal to Megan scheme.  Megan and Jimmy have been to of my closest friends since we were in elementary school. We helped coerce Megan to go to our elementary school playground so she could meet Jimmy there, where he would propose! (I said we needed her to snap a Christmas picture of my family! Haha! It worked like a charm).

I love this yellow ruffle top from Loft. Here is the top in a beautiful pink; the yellow is sold out, but this pink color is fabulous! 

This maroon/Pinot Noir Julie pant (old) from Loft is my favorite fall/winter pair of pants. It was unseasonably warm in Youngstown over Thanksgiving, so I was able to wear the crops with more open pumps. The best part of these skinny crops, though, is you can wear them tucked into your riding boots all winter. Here is an alternative pair: from J. Crew Factory. The color is so on trend right now and can easily be paired with various colors on top! 

My BCBGeneration studded pumps are so comfortable and remind me of the Valentino studded pumps (for a serious fraction of the price).  

Celebrating our bestie, Megan, getting engaged!

Amanda, Megan, Jamie and me

Jamie's shirt (similar here) is one I own, too! We both purchased it last year from The Limited. However, the Loft option is just as adorable! 

Thursday was Thanksgiving. 

I love this Loft striped and sequined shirt from a few seasons ago. I have paired it with jeans, black pants (for work), black skirts and colored pants. It is such a workhorse in my closet! Unfortunately, it is several years old. But, here is a great alternative (below). 

This shirt from J. Crew Factory is $31 currently, and it has gold sequins down the side! How fabulous! You could pair it with khakis or tailored black pants for work, and wear it with similar pieces as my above striped top. 

Cooper needed some turkey, too! ha ha ha

 I just smile when I see Coop! With my sister, the mom-to-be!

I can't get over this red lip color from Stila. I've blogged about it before, but this is it in Fiery. I am not exaggerating when I say it lasts ALL DAY. I looked for a lip stain for my wedding (apparently stains are not as popular these days), but this was the best bet (in Amalfi for the wedding). 

My glasses are Kate Spade. Here they are online, but I bought mine from the awesome Amy at Third Street Eye Care (if you're ever in Geneva, you MUST stop by for new specs!). 

I have to say, my bestie Mandy totally motivated these spectacles. I came with her to find her new pair last summer. I did not realize I bought the exact same ones this past fall! Even more reason for people to think we are twinnies! :-)

Our 10 year high school reunion was Friday evening. It was so fun! We danced and had a blast catching up with old friends!  It was so nice to chat with pals from all over the country. A special shout out to Jamie Spickler who made my whole weekend by telling me she loved the blog! <3

Above: me, Amanda (new mama!), Megan (newly engaged!), Jamie and Lauren

Friends for decades! 

You know you're best friends when 5 of you show up in practically the same black, lace dress.

Mine is old Lilly Pulitzer, but here are five other styles of fabulous lace LBDs (all for under $150).

1. B.B. Dakota from Bloomies: here.

2. J. Crew Factory short sleeved: here

3. Adrianna Papell from Nordies: here. (Very similar to Jamie's!).

4. B.B. Dakota from Nordies: here. (Just bought this in red for my friend's wedding in December!).

5. Asos long sleeved: here.

We had so much fun catching up with Alyssa and Danielle! 

She's engaged! Sooooo happy for Jimmy and Megan! 

Thanksgiving part 2 commenced on Saturday with the Hancock side of my family. It was SO awesome to be able to be with my dad's side on our way back to Illinois. My cousin Neil and Caitlin (far right) just got engaged and will be getting married in October!

My burnt-sienna colored peplum top is a bit older from Loft, but here is a great alternative, that is on BIG TIME SALE today! This is another fabulous peplum option from Loft. Pair it with your favorite skinny jeans and a plaid scarf, and you have a simple, quick and stylish outfit! 

Pair all peplum tops with fitted skinny jeans or tailored pants to offset the flowy-ness of the peplum. 

My gold sparkly Tory Burch flats are about 4 years old, but I just found these stunners at Talbots! 50% any full priced item today! 

We spent Sunday decking our halls back at home in Illinois. 

No, I am not a giant. Yes, this tree is approximately 4 feet tall. LOL

Check out my Pure Barre gear in this post! 

Mike gave me this ornament last week when I had had a rough day. Yes, that is a newly married couple as a s'more! There is nothing I love more than S'MORES, and this ornament for our first Christmas couldn't have been more ideal. Mike found this at Von Maur in store, but here is a Baby's First Christmas s'more option found online. 

Decking Mike's drums with lights! Our new tradition :-)

I hope your Thanksgiving was full of family, love and cheerfulness.
How are you decorating your home for the holidays? The glittery trees and deer are my new obsession (thank you, Target!).

xxoo
Mary