the one

I had THE MOST fun this weekend!  STG, my mom, and I all went to try on wedding dresses and swoon, just swoon.  They all looked amazing on me, so it was just a matter of seeing which ones looked best.  The bridal salon setting and decor made all the dresses look even prettier than they already were.

Y'all know I love me some hardwoods, brick, and chandeliers!

I think I tried on maybe ten dresses total, and really liked eight.  One of the later ones I tried on had the most beautiful skirt on it, but the top had too much bling for me.  The girl, Kelsey, who was helping us (and is the star of the day) said they had another dress with the exact same skirt, and a different top.  Kelsey pulled it off the rack and I had these reactions:

 Thennnn I tried it on and I had this reaction:

We all went into the appointment with the intention of just figuring out sizing and styles...butttt THE dress was perfect, and had the perfect price (already reasonable, no sales tax, and then 10% off too!!!)! I didn't want to take it off, and it was so gorgeous I couldn't stop touching it.  I still can't stop looking at pictures of it.  It just so perfect, there is no other word to describe it.  I know its really early to buy a dress, and like I said, I didn't intend to buy one, but there is no way I will change my mind.  Its exactly what I always pictured I'd wear on my wedding day...  I am so happy!!  Lots of smiles all around!  Thank you so much to STG and my mom for going with me and being so helpful in talking through each one.  I owe you both, big time!

As a small teaser, here are some of the dresses I liked a lot, but don't hold a candle to the one I ended up buying.

To round out a perfect weekend, Bubba won the Masters.  We had an office pool where everyone gave $5 and then drew a golfer's name out of a hat, and I drew Bubba, so I won all the money!  Hooray!!!

HPMKT Spring 2014

There is really nothing for the avid shopper (like myself) that can compare to High Point's Furniture Market, which it hosts bi-annually.  "Market" as it is called gives all the furniture and decor companies a chance to showcase new collections and designs in beautiful showrooms.  High Point is the furniture capitol of the world, and while High Point is a teeny tiny town, when Market is going on, you'd never know that by all the people who flood the town.  All kinds of people!  There are so many beautifully dressed interior designers, business men in tailored suits talking into the phone nonstop, pairs of people chatting away in all different languages, and then the furniture designers themselves, usually stylishly dressed and running around like a chicken without it's head.  Its so hard not to get stars in my eyes when looking at all the beautiful furniture and decor and imagining it in my own house!  Swoon!

Market is just FUN!  There's not other way to describe it.  There are so many beautiful things to look at, its impossible not to have a good time.  My favorite designer by far was the family-owned Taracea, where Louise worked over the weekend.  The Spanish, family-owned company not only had the most beautiful wood furniture I'd ever seen, but also the perfect setting to showcase their work.  The Radio building was an old bank, so the main floor has two story ceilings that are covered in windows on one wall, mirrors on another, and blueprints for the building on the others.  The vault which is still in the building is pretty cool too.  Other favorites include Stanford furniture, with the cushiest of chairs, and the coolest leather patterns, as well as Fauld for their beautiful English made furniture.

Potentially the best part about Market is the happy hour that starts around 4:00!  Everyone busts out the snacks and drinks, all for free (my fave) and it turns from a business environment to more of a house party environment, which is appropriate seeing as how each showroom is basically its own house.   Shout out to Eastern Accents for having the world's best and most mysterious sangria!

Prancing pony statuettes in Wildwood

Drool... Fauld settee

Fauld Buffet Table

Taracea...absolutely stunning!

Taracea again.  SO my style!

My lovely companions, who taught me about good furniture!

baby french sandwiches (part 3)

This weekend I attempted the macarons again... with improvement this time! The good part was that the cookies did not stick so much this time, and got the little feet perfectly! The bad part was that the recipe was supposed to make 30 sandwiches, but only made 18.  Which might not totally be a bad thing because I don't need to eat 30 macarons.  I made pink cookies, some with a rose buttercream (a little too much rosewater, need to but in a little less next time) and some with a lemon curd.  I loved both, but I think the lemon curd a little more, but just because the curd I made was so amazing. 

Look at the perfect little feet!!

Rose Macarons

Lemon Curd Macaron

I did a LOT of cooking this weekend - not just the macarons!  As I mentioned above, I made a killer jar of lemon curd, but I also made some pimiento cheese, just because its my favorite southern food....ever.  THEN we had friends over for dinner on Sunday night, and I had all that gorgeous lemon curd with no purpose, so I made a cake to go with the lemon curd!  For dinner, myself and one of Kyle's friends girlfriends, Hilary, made dinner of pork chops, balsamic glaze, and bomb couscous salad.  SO good, and so much fun to have people over!  Sienna was the perfect hostess, as per usual!

Big jar of dee-lish lemon curd!

Homemade pimiento cheese

Dinner for 5!

Mmm cake!

To round out the end of a fun, busy weekend, I had a little bit of pink cremant and a rose macaron to myself (and watched some Dr. Who)