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August book of the month: The Women by Kristin Hannah

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Hi Gems, I am so excited to chat with you today about this book. And I don’t want to be dramatic, but I truly think The Women by Kristin Hannah might have changed my life. Dare I say it? This could be the best book I have ever read. And keep in mind, I read over 200 books a year, so that is saying something. What makes this even more surprising is that the book is completely outside my usual content, genres, and storylines. On paper, there is no reason I should have loved it. Yet here I am, weeks after finishing, still thinking about it daily. If you haven’t read this book yet, pause whatever you are doing and hit order immediately. Kristin Hannah has now officially earned her spot as a repeat author on my Kindle. She has such a gift for bringing details to life, and The Women was the most incredible introduction to her writing. Fun fact: one of her other novels, The Nightingale , is being adapted into a movie soon. For my audiobook lovers, you will be thrilled to know I listened ...
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The Secret Social Life of Reading

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Hi gems, Happy, happy Monday! ✨ Today’s blog is about a topic you know I hold near and dear to my heart, and something that deserves way more hype than it gets: BOOK CLUBS . I know reading is often seen as a cozy solo activity, curled up with tea, a blanket, and maybe a pet who insists on sitting directly on your book. But reading in sync with a group of like-minded people? That’s a whole different kind of magic. The laughs, the inside jokes, the “wait, you interpreted THAT scene how ?” moments… chef’s kiss. Currently, I’m living my best double-book-club life, and let me tell you, they are the perfect yin and yang. The first is pure girlhood joy. It’s with friends, there’s wine (a generous amount), amazing books, and just as many hilarious tangents as there are plot discussions. We rotate hosts, potluck style, so every meeting comes with new snacks, new stories, and that lovely feeling of walking into someone’s home where laughter’s already in the air. The group is a mix of old frie...
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Wedding tips: Budgeting!

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 Hey gems! I am back with a bit more detail on how we budgeted and paid for a 300 person wedding (A BIG ITALIAN ONE LOL). I get asked often how we managed and there are a few key items to note! 1. Research: I knew what florist, photographer, etc. I wanted but we still sent out emails and did some research with a variety of options in order to understand budget ranges, offering, etc. This meant we were able to at a minimum create a budget with ranges and desired spend on each vendor. This was key to having a starting point to work off of.  2. Prioritize: Once the research was completed, we sat down to review the tasks to do, vendor options, etc. and assigned a priority to each. Those with higher priority meant we were open to spending a bit more, versus lower priority meant using the least budget possible because to us they just were of lesser importance.  3. Overshoot: When creating your budget, always round tot he higher end of the budget. For example, if a vendor is cha...
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Wedding tips: For the day!

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 Ah hello gems! Welcome back to a wedding tip blog and one of the key items is the DAY OF! The day you have been planning comes quick but it also passes in a blur. Here are some tips to make sure you are fully present and enjoying it to the fullest: 1. Prioritize your partner: From the moment you are together, and throughout the reception, ensure to focus on time with your partner. A lot of people are there to celebrate you but don't get distracted taking shots or photos with friends when the truly important item is making memories together. You want to look back and have a similar recollection of the day's events, especially that you were side by side. This was a tip we were given a few months prior to the wedding and it was so true! 2. Something will go wrong, accept that: Something will go wrong inevitably, no matter how much planning you do you cannot control all items and that is something that is better to anticipate rather than trying to avoid. Big or small, the unavoida...
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She's a wife!

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Hi gems, after soooo much time away from the blog I am back with a life update! I have now been married for a month and had the most incredible honeymoon! We are just getting back home and resetting into a routine. The switch back to reality isn't an easy one but we are still on cloud nine from the events of the summer so that certainly helps! So with that said I think we are well overdo on a life update! Your girl is welcoming fall after a month in Europe and an incredible summer! Not only did my bestfriends get married in the most magical day, but we got to have a summer filled with so many celebrations. Summer 2024 will go down in the history books for sure as a summer of love. I also had another major life change earlier in the summer, I changed job! After five years at an agency, with the people I loved and who taught me so much. I got an opportunity at a company that is HUGE and rated a top company to work for. The job itself and benefits made it a deal I could not turn down....
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Wedding Planning Tips

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 Hey gems,  Reporting live is your 2024 bride here! Happy to report most wedding planning is complete, but we certainly aren't done just yet! As the process of planning a wedding is always both fun and stressful, here are a few tips I learnt along the way: Photo by Brightsight visuals  1. Have a vision Yourself and your partner should have a vision along with some general guidelines for the event and how you see it coming to life. Big, small, theme, style, etc. This is something that we were pretty lucky to align on from the start, but even then, when family and friends start offering input and suggestions, pushing for you to say YES to what they are thinking is a brilliant idea, it is sometimes so confusing to stick to your original vision. There are plenty of ways to compromise and make everyone happy, but knowing what your basis vision is really helps field some of those moments.  2. Learn about your circle Listen, everyone says you learn who your true friends are...
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New Year Update!

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 Hi Gems,  Wow it has been a while. The last time I wrote and published on here was in October which honestly feels like a lifetime. As the holidays came and went, we rang in the new year and I find myself thinking a lot about not only lessons learned this year but the direction I want to aim for when going into 2024.  As you may know if you follow my other platforms, I am getting married this year which feels surreal! It's been so far away for so long and here we are counting down less then a year! I also am so proud of Tia things on Instagram , TikTok and Youtube because I really have pushed myself to create more all while having fun! With all of this in mind, here are some of my goals going into 2024: 1. Have a life outside of wedding planning  Wedding planning has genuinely been so fun and even in the stress-inducing times, I would not change anything for the world. I am so proud of how much we have done, saved, planned, etc. as we put together our perfect day....
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