Friday, January 27, 2017

.Wedding Wednesday, Bridesmaids Proposal Box.





























{Photo Credit: Samantha Dimock Photo}

Personalized Champagne Flutes, c/o Cambridge Avenue || 
Bow Earrings, c/o Wedding Favorites 
Cake Pops, c/o Bee's Pops {website || Instagram} || Peony Candle, DW Candles 
Gold Foil Straws, TJ Maxx {similar here}



I know what you're probably thinking...yes, I know it's Friday, not Wednesday! This week did not go at all like I had planned it. Kennedy started coming down with a cold Monday night and didn't sleep a wink which meant I was up with her. Her cold turned into a pretty bad ear infection and to top it off she got pink eye!! Now we all know there's nothing worse than watching your baby suffer when they're sick, but throw pink eye into the mix and the world's falling apart. Tyler and I have probably washed our hands about 10 million times this week because we were not about to get it!! With all this said, now you know why I am posting a couple days late. Over the last 20 months I have truly learned that Mom life never really goes as planned. Thankfully, our little love has made a turn for the better and she's feeling a lot better!

Now on to something I have been dying to share with all of you! A little over a week ago I had the absolute pleasure of proposing to my bridesmaids. Well almost all of them. One I had already asked back in November while we were in Arizona {I talked about it here} and the other is out of town and we have't got to ask her yet. 

I started thinking about this day pretty much right after Tyler proposed. Picking the ladies that stand by your side on your big day is such a huge deal! To me it was no-brainer when thinking about who I wanted to ask. Every single one of these ladies has been in my life either from day one {no joke, my maid of honor is my cousin and 3 days younger than me!} or we have been friends for at least a decade! I love these girls and couldn't image them not being in my bridal party.

I really wanted to make this day super special for them. I started brainstorming exactly what I wanted to do around October. Yes, over 4 months ago! I'm such a crazy planner. I knew I wanted to put together fun boxes that they would enjoy and make an afternoon of it. After putting countless hours into searching Instagram & Etsy, I really feel like I found the cutest wedding vendors around. 

*Cambridge Avenue*
One day when I was scrolling on Instagram I stumbled upon Cambridge Avenue and it was love at first sight!! I seriously couldn't like her photos fast enough. Everything she makes is gorgeous! I immediately knew her customized gold champagne flutes were a must for gift boxes!! The owner, Kathryn, was beyond helpful and made the experience SO fun! I went back and forth between the gold and rose gold, but in the end went with gold. I also decided to all lower case. You guys, I thought I loved these beauties online, when they arrived I nearly died! They were perfect!! Perfection doesn't quite do them justice, they were that good. They were for sure the talk of the winery when they opened them. The fun part is too, not only did we get to enjoy them that day, but they will get to sip their mimosas out of them the day of our wedding!

*Wedding Favorites/Mod Party*
Another adorable shop that I found while looking around was, Wedding Favorites! If you're planning any type of wedding event, they carry just about anything you can think of!! I wanted to get the girls a piece of jewelry and ended up going with their 'Tie The Knot Earrings'. The little dainty bows caught my eye immediately and I knew they would be the sweetest touch. They come in a super cute box that has a gold foil heart on it. I loved these little cuties so much, I wished I could keep a pair ;) They would also make a great gift if you're looking for a little something to give your bridesmaids the day of your wedding. I've been looking around their shop with my bachelorette party in mind {because again they carry everything!} and how cute are these hats and these cups?! It's safe to say, I'll be a repeat customer!!

*Bee's Pops*
The gift box would not have been complete without a sweet treat! And what girl doesn't love a cake pop?! The answer is every girl loves cake pops, at least every one I know :) Bee's Pops is local and I had never tasted their treats before working with them for the gift boxes. I decided to go with funfetti for the flavor and o-m-g were they delicious!! I don't want to tell you how many I actually had, haha! But apart from them being so yummy, they were just about the most adorable thing I have ever seen!! I worked with the darling owner, Beronica, to create a pop that would fit right in with the girly vibe we had going. I'd have to say she nailed it with the gold polka dots & pink bow!! If you're looking for adorable cake pops or a cake for any event, make sure to get in touch with Bee's Pops. You'll LOVE them!! Psst..she ships if you're not local.

The boxes were a huge hit with the girls and it really gave me so much joy to spoil them. We ended up holding the event at our wedding venue. The venue is pretty large and part of it is a winery. The plan was to hold it outside, but since we had just had a rainstorm it was still pretty wet outside. We hosted the actual event inside the winery and then headed outside to play with the cows and explore the grounds. 

My mom put together almost all the food and decorations. She did such an amazing job! Looking back at the photos, I'm dying to have that cheese plate again!! It looked so pretty, like something out of a magazine. The day was filled with laughter, tears {happy}, wine, lots of yummy food, cows, selfies {lol}, great company, and was really one of the best days ever!! It made me so excited for all the wedding actives to come and blessed to have such lovely ladies in my life! Now bring on the wedding dress shopping because that's next on the list and only a couple weeks away!

Xo, Kayla 

P.S. A huge shout out to one of my favorite photographers around, Samantha! She came and hung out with us most of the day. She got such amazing photos that I will cherish forever. If you're in San Diego and looking for a photographer, I highly recommend her!!

Monday, January 23, 2017

.Monday Coffee Chat.


Sunnies, c/o Shop Suey Boutique 

Happy Monday!! It's a very gloomy and rainy one over here. It's actually been very rainy the past couple weeks. Normally I welcome the rain with open arms, but now that I have a toddler, it's a little different story. We are going a little crazy. I think we have watched Finding Nemo about 10 thousand times and had a couple hundred tea parties :) I'm not complaining about the play time I'm getting with my girl, but we are super ready for some sunshine and zoo trips!

Things have been a little quite around here the last couple weeks. I thought it might be fun to check in with you guys and tell you a little bit about what has been going on around here. So grab a coffee and lets chat! 

 If you follow along over on Instagram you may know that I took a new job, yay! If you don't know, I'm thrilled to announce that I accepted a position over at Miss Match as their marketing director. My love for Miss Match dates way back to the beginning of A Darling Dream, so this was an exciting move! I hope you'll follow along with this new adventure. I'm not just saying this because I work there, but I truly believe they are the cutest boutique in San Diego! My main goal for 2017 is to not spend allll my paychecks there! I will let you know how that goes!

In other news, wedding planning is moving along! Two weekends ago I was able to "propose" to most my bridesmaids. It was such a fun day that I never wanted to end. I'm dying to share all the details and pictures from that day with you guys. I'm doing a special addition of "Wedding Wednesday" this week so make sure you check back! Also, get ready for the picture overload because I was too in love with every single one to narrow it down...like always! #whoops. Now my biggest task is getting organized and get our engagement photos taken so we can send out our save the dates!! I have a couple dresses that I purchased just for these photos that I can't wait to style!

This weekend was my mom's birthday. We started the celebration during the week and ended on her actual birthday, this Saturday with brunch and a trip to the movies. Kennedy stole the show at brunch when she showed up looking like the cutest thing on the planet. Complete with pigtails, a faux fur pink vest & her glitter purse she picked out. I was seriously dying over her the whole time!! I talk about it all the time, but this age (20 months) is quickly proving to my absolute favorite. She's a crack up, but still so sweet! We are hoping the terrible twos continue to stay away!! 

Shoes, c/o Mon Petit Shoes || Faux Fur Vest, Target || Glitter Bow, c/o Little Kate Designs

We have also been in the full on Valentine's Day spirit over here! I blame  thank Target's dollar section for this. Give us pink and red everything. I'm going to try and dress myself and Kennedy in as much pink and red over the next month as often as possible! I busted out my favorite red fuzzy sweater over the weekend and Kennedy excitedly said "ho, ho, ho" and asked for a hug when she saw me. Example #1 why this my favorite age, haha!

Heart Sweater, c/o Shopping Bag || Hunter Boots, Nordstrom || Purse, Here 


Hope everyone has the best Monday and don't forget to check back Wednesday for all the deets on the Bridesmaid Proposal!!

Xo, Kayla 


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Wednesday, January 4, 2017

.Lace Ups, The Best Leggings-Ever & Our New Years Eve.



Sweater, c/o Shein || Leggings, Nordstrom || Boots, Hunter || 
Beanie, Shop BellaC || Bracelet, Bauble Bar || Sunnies, Quay

Happy 2017, friends!! Sorry about the silence over here this past week. I took so much needed time with my family to enjoy every second of the holidays! It's crazy that the holidays are gone and we are in 2017! Every year the time goes faster and faster. You guys, I'm going to be 30 this year!! It's a good thing I still feel 18 at heart!

I resisted buying these leggings for about a year. Everybody and their mother raved about them, but for whatever reason, I didn't think I needed them. The price point scared me off a little. I honestly thought $55 for a pair of leggings was a little much! Boy, was I wrongggg! While after Christmas shopping with my mom, I decided to break down and give them a try. What a waste of this last year. I could have had a lot more comfort in my life had I added these to my wardrobe earlier. They are so, so slimming! Thanks to the holidays and way too many treats, I am a little fluffier than normal ;) You'd never know though when I'm wearing these!! #winning

Another slimming piece of clothing that I have been loving is this sweater. The slight bell sleeves are the cutest touch and of course the lace up detailing won me over. I hope lace ups stay around for a long time because I can't get enough! It also comes in 4 other colors and it's only $23. The green looks really pretty!!

Fun fact, I won this beanie on Instagram when Shop BellaC was doing a giveaway. I never ever win, so I was thrilled!! I had been waiting for the perfect occasion to finally wear it. 

 On New Years Eve we took a little road trip up to Julian for lunch and to check out the snow. This drive has always been my favorite in San Diego. It was a thousand times better with all the snow. We stopped up at our date spot, The Julian Grille for lunch. Kennedy was an absolute doll, which was nice, since going out to eat can be scary with a toddler! Haha if you have a toddler, you probably know what I'm talking about! It gave us hope that we can start going out to eat more often. Or else it was just a New Years Eve miracle!!

After lunch we headed back up to the snow to let Kennedy play in it. This was her first time and we had no idea what to expect as far as her reaction. Well she LOVED it and cried when we made her leave. It was so cute to watch her waddle around in her puffy jacket taking it all in. She was amazed that there was leaves buried in the snow and kept picking them out.  Watching her take it in was the highlight of the whole trip! 

Later that night after we put Kennedy down, we celebrated with a cheese plate & wine. Tyler was asleep by 10:30 and some how I managed to stay awake well past midnight watching a movie. We had such a calm, laid back New Years Eve, but it was honestly perfect & there was no place I'd rather be! 

I hope all of you had a fun time ringing in the New Year too!! Something tells me this year is going to be extra fabulous. A lot of it may have to do with our wedding, but there's also another exciting thing happening that I can't wait to share with you guys very, very soon!! 


 {Our little snow angel!}


Xo, Kayla 

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