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A Winter Wonderland Wedding!

One of my friends from college, Brianna, got married last weekend! We met while we were both rushing the same sorority in 2007. She is one of the funniest, kindest, most entertaining girls I know, she’s one of the very few people that can just make me laugh hysterically.

I’m so glad that we’ve kept in touch & I’m so happy she invited us to spend her wedding day with her! I wanted to share some of the photo’s I snapped from her special day!

But first a few throwbacks:

Here we are in 2007 at one of our sorority events!
Here we are in 2007 at one of our sorority events! Brianna is lovely red head in the center 🙂
Here we are at our initiation! Looking all young & awkward lol
Here we are at our initiation – Phi Sigma Sigma, Iota Delta Chapter, the Kappa class! Looking all young & awkward lol
And here we are in 2009? Over-picniked lol. Extra tan skin & super white teeth. (Anyone else go through a crazy Picnik phase? lol)
And here we are at another initiation in 2009. Looking  over-picniked lol. Extra tan skin & super white teeth. (Anyone else go through a crazy Picnik phase? lol)

I have no photos from her ceremony, because I kind of feel strange using a phone/camera in church. I feel like the bride wants to see smiling faces as she’s walking down the aisle, not cameras (but you should know – the ceremony was gorgeous & very sweet).

So, we begin photos at the cocktail hour:

We walked into cocktail hour & I could not get over this table of prosciutto!
We walked into cocktail hour & I could not get over this table of prosciutto! They had an incredible crudite, fruit, meats & cheese stationary display – as well as some tasty passed apps.
After cocktail hour we entered the ballroom & were blown away by the Winter Wonderland before us! And the monogram - loveee!!
After cocktail hour we entered the ballroom & were blown away by the Winter Wonderland before us! And the monogram – loveee!! (They had small table tents noting the  hashtag for the event #KottPartyOf2  (which I think is such a fun way for guests to share photos on FB, Instagram & Twitter that you can look back on) – so I snagged this picture from AtmosphereProductions Instagram account)
I stole this picture from Carlgti2010's Instagram account as well. This was our table :)
I stole this picture from Carlgti2010’s Instagram account as well. This was our table – everyone got a huge mason jar filled with hot cocoa, marshmallows, peppermints, chocolate candies & more. I actually  tapped into mine the next day! Do you see the table number? Each table number was a small notebook that asked guests to write notes for the bride & groom to read on their X anniversary. We wrote notes for their third. Such a cute idea 🙂
After cocktail hour we entered the ballroom & were blown away by the Winter Wonderland before us! I loved her tall, hydrangea & crystal centerpieces!
I loved her tall, hydrangea & crystal centerpieces!
The beautiful couple's first dance :)
The beautiful couple’s first dance 🙂
Snagging a quick selfie ;)
Snagging a quick selfie with the Mister 😉
Photo boothing wih my friend, Steph!
Photo booth fun with my friend, Steph!
Got a hold of the bride for a group shot! Steph rushed the sorority with us in 2007 as well :)
Got a hold of the bride for a group shot! She looked so gorgeous & her dress was simply breathtaking!  (Steph  – on the left – rushed the sorority with us in 2007 as well 🙂 )
Mike & I!
Mike & I! It’s funny – he grew up in the same hometown as Brie, so he actually knew a bunch of the guests.
Cake time! Her 4 - tiered cake was gorgeous ( and delicious!)
Cake time! Her 4 – tiered cake was gorgeous ( and delicious!)
This is Mike's "I'm ready to get down" dance. We defintely did a bit of dancing that night! I think my feet have finally recovered :)
This is Mike’s “I’m ready to get down” face. We defintely did a bit of dancing that night! I think my feet have finally recovered 🙂 (LOOK AT THAT HAIR!! OMG.)
More photo-boothing :)
More photo-boothing 🙂
Cake, cookies, assorted truffles & chocolate covered strawberries!? So good!
Cake, cookies, assorted truffles & chocolate covered strawberries!? So good!

So, I didn’t catch the bouquet, the girl right in front of me did! …But guess who caught the garter!?

Go figure! I should have known. Mike never loses at anything. One of the girls at our table caught the bouquet so they did their little thing - it was too funny.
Go figure! I should have known. Mike is so competitive, he never loses at anything. The girl who caught the bouquet was from our table so they did their little thing – it was too funny & she and her boyfriend were real sweethearts 🙂
...Obviously we had to have one more photo booth experience for good measure :)
…Obviously we had to have one more photo booth experience for good measure 🙂 Right afterwards, we hit up the candy bar & called it a night. A GREAT night at that.

The wedding was so much fun. I’m really glad that I was able to be there to celebrate with Brianna and all of her friends and family! Everything was just perfect.

Sending a huge congrats to Brie & Colin (who are currently in Hawaii!!!) Wishing them a lifetime of love & happiness!

XOXO

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Spring Manicures – 9 & Counting!

I feel like Spring has just begun, but from the number of colorful manicures I’ve already rocked…you’d think the season was long gone.

I’ve been going back and forth from gel polish to regular polish, from dark colors to light colors, from short nails to long nails and I’m loving the variety.

If you follow me on Twitter, or Instagram, you’ve probably seen most of these manicures, but I wanted to do a full recap on the blog.

Get ready for some serious, mani-porn!

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REVLON: Midnight. I went out to dinner with one of my best friends and she was wearing a fabulous navy/green/dark blue polish, I couldn’t stop staring at the color! Once I left dinner, I had to have it. I’m not sure which brand she used, but I went to CVS picked up this dupe. I nabbed this bottle at the end of March, but I WISH I had purchased it during the Fall/Winter. I think it’s way too dark for the Spring time, but I’m glad I was able to sneak one wear in. This polish will definitely be making a return this Fall 🙂
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New York Color (NYC): Manhattan. This is an all time favorite of mine. While it’s clearly more of a Fall/Winter shade, I wear it year round. This was a quick mani – obviously not my best work lol. But a great color, nonetheless. Plus, you can’t beat $1.99 bottles!
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Sally Hansen: Coral Reef. I have a history of adoring basically every Sally Hansen product ever made, and we can just add this polish to the list! Such a great spring color, super girly, super Springtime, super fab. For $3.99, it’s an excellent drug store steal.
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Wet N Wild Megalast: I Need a Refresh-Mint. This polish has some positives and negatives. Good news first – awesome color! When you want pastel, baby blue nails, this is what you have in mind. Thick brush for applicating is always a plus too. Bad news – if you do not wear a base coat… this polish will stain your nails. Seriously, stain. I knew I would just be wearing it briefly, so I didn’t bother with a base coat and now, over a month later, I still have blue remnants on my nails. Definitely not a good look. Now don’t get me wrong, I loved the polish…just be sure to use a base coat! 🙂
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Gelish Mini: Orange Cream Dream (Candyland Collection Spring 2012). I purchased this color last Spring when it came out & had not worn it until recently. I was in the mood for something different and decided to give it a try. It has great coverage and a nice shimmer – it wore very well. While this polish was part of a Spring collection, and I really did like it, I think it’s better suited for Fall.
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Gelish Mini: He Loves Me He Loves Me Not (Love in Bloom Spring 2013 collection). I could go on for hours about how much I love this entire collection! The Love in Bloom line is hands down my absolute favorite of the Gelish Mini polishes. This particular color wore so well – excellent coverage, not streaky at all. Added bonus – the deep purple/pastel shade seemed to match everything I wore!
Gelish Mini: Sweet Morning Dew (Love in Bloom Spring 2013 Collection), and Gelish Mini: June Bride on my ring finger. Ahh, another LIB favorite! I wore this manicure on Easter to compliment my yellow H&M lace dress (see below). When I think of Spring, I think of this color. It was the perfect blend of pastel peach, pink and orange shades. A full coverage polish, super feminine!
Gelish Mini: Sweet Morning Dew (Love in Bloom Spring 2013 Collection), and Gelish Mini: June Bride on my ring finger. Ahh, another LIB favorite! I wore this manicure on Easter to compliment my yellow H&M lace dress (see below). When I think of Spring, I think of this color. It was the perfect blend of pastel peach, pink and orange shades. A full coverage polish, super feminine!
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Sweet Morning Dew for Easter Sunday 🙂
Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips: Bling it On. I recently decided to break from gel manicures for a bit, just to give my nails a break, and I opted to try nail stickers! They claim to last for 10 days and come in an assortment of fun designs and patterns. I selected these pink glitter strips and was shocked by how easy they were to apply! Totally fool proof. I left mine on for about a week before I got bored & wanted a change, but they held up very well!
Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips: Bling it On. I recently decided to break from gel manicures just to give my nails a break. So in the meantime, I opted for nail stickers! They claim to last for 10 days and come in an assortment of fun designs and patterns. I selected these pink glitter strips and was shocked by how easy they were to apply! Totally fool proof (tip: use a base & top coat). I left mine on for about a week before I got bored & craved a change, but they held up very well – perfect for an event or fun night out!
Nina Ultra Pro: Violet it Ride. My current obsession! I picked this Nina polish up at Sally's Beauty Supply over the weekend and have been literally obsessed with it ever since! (When I say obsessed, I mean you can go through the photos on my iphone and 9/10 of them will be manicure shots). The polish looks like a very vibrant, neon purple in the bottle, but it wears slightly less aggressive - it has little more pink to it. Regardless, it's unlike any polish I've ever worn and I am SO in love with it right now!
Nina Ultra Pro: Violet it Ride. My current obsession! I picked this Nina polish up at Sally’s Beauty Supply over the weekend and have literally been obsessed with it ever since! (When I say obsessed, I mean you can go through the photos on my iphone and 9/10 of them will be manicure shots *See below). The polish looks like a very vibrant, neon purple in the bottle, but it wears slightly less aggressive – it has little more pink to it. Regardless, it’s unlike any polish I’ve ever worn and I am SO in love with it right now!
I love how the color changes with the lighting. I can't help but snap a pic every.single.time!
*Told you…and these are just 6 shots! I love how the color changes with the lighting. I can’t help but snap a pic every.single.time!

So there you have it. In the last two months, I’ve had nine manicures! I’m not sure if that’s normal, but it only really pans out to one per week – c’mon, that’s not terrible!

I love experimenting with new colors and straying from my usual go-to shades, I’ve been picking up a ton of polishes here and there for the Spring & Summer. I can’t wait to share 🙂

What polishes are you loving this season? If you have a new color to recommend, I’d love to hear!

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