-
Wedding Wednesday: Engagement Sessions
Nowadays, people need a professional photographer for everything! Of course you need a photographer for the wedding, but also for the actual proposal itself, an “engagement session”, and the rehearsal dinner; and after marriage you might hire one for anniversary sessions, holiday cards, pregnancy announcements, baby showers, gender reveals (separate from baby showers, of course), or even for the actual birth of your child! Man, did I pick the wrong profession or what?! I seriously just saw on Facebook yesterday that this girl had a professional photographer take photos of the birth of her child, and everyone holding the baby after the birth. I kind of get it, and who knows, I…
-
Wedding Wednesdays: All About That Lace
If you ask me, there’s no dress more beautiful than a wedding gown. This is the one type of dress that can make anyone feel like a princess regardless of the style. I was looking at our wedding album the other day and was reminded how much I loved my dress! I bought my dress over a year ago, so I was interested in what other dresses have come out since then. I know that I’m personally drawn to lace and tulle ballgowns, but you have to be careful with lace because sometimes it can look cheap or tacky, and no one wants that. Here are some of my overall…
-
Homemade Pumpkin Dog Treats
I’ve been making homemade cookies for my dogs for years because I just hate the way the treats from the store look and smell. I would love to make all of their food, but it is very time consuming and I don’t want them to miss out on any key nutrients. So, I do my best to at least make their dog treats every weekend or every other weekend, depending on how many they eat during the week. These cookies are all natural and healthy for your pups, and they are so easy to make with only 3 ingredients. I have yet to meet a dog that doesn’t like these treats.…
-
Things To Do: Top Golf in Tampa
This weekend I surprised Joe with a little Father’s Day outing to Top Golf in Tampa/Brandon. We picked up my little brother on our way and got there early Saturday morning when they opened at 8am. I wanted to get their early so we could have breakfast and beat any crowds, and that was a great idea. Within about 30-45 minutes of being there, the line to get in was out the door. If you’ve never been to a Top Golf location before, it’s basically like the golf version of bowling. The facility has 3 floors, and you have your own little area with a tee off space, a table with…
-
A Cuban Rehearsal Dinner at The Columbia Restaurant
There are so many options for the rehearsal dinner. It can be a rehearsal dinner or a rehearsal lunch, it can be formal or casual, or it can be intimate or huge. I love the idea of a rehearsal dinner as a way to get all of your friends and family together before the main event in a more relaxed environment. It can be a great way to allow guests to mingle so they won’t be meeting people for the first time at the wedding, especially members of both families who haven’t yet met. After Joe asked me to marry him, we went to a well-known local restaurant called The Columbia that…
-
Things To Do in Orlando: Orlando City SC vs DC United Football Match
This weekend we were invited to join my little brother’s soccer team at the Orlando City SC vs DC United match. It is the inaugural year for the Orlando MLS team and it was a lot of fun getting to watch an MLS match in Florida! I’ve only ever been to one other MLS game and the rest have been whenever the U.S. National team comes to Florida. My husband is a big football fan (yes, we refer to it as football like the rest of the world does, except for America) and he has played his whole life and through college. It was a lot of fun seeing Americans…
-
Wedding Planning: What I Would Have Done Differently
Today I thought I would share some wedding planning advice I learned from planning my own wedding. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved my entire engagement and wedding, and I believe it was perfect exactly how it was. However, looking back, there are a few things I could have done to make things go even smoother. I’m one of those people that puts way too much thought into things, so most of these probably aren’t even a big deal to most people. Not all of these will apply to everyone, but here are the 6 things I would do differently if I could go back in time to planning…
-
A Parisian Affair – Jessica’s Chanel Inspired Bridal Shower
As I mentioned in last week’s Wedding Wednesday post, Saturday was Jessica’s bridal shower. She will be getting married this October, and we spent Saturday celebrating her upcoming marriage. It was a very fun and intimate affair held at the Maid of Honor’s house. It was incredibly humid (typical Florida) so we tried to stay indoors the majority of the time, though there were some outdoor activities. The theme was Chanel and the colors were black and white stripes with lavender accents. Enjoy some pictures of the fun Parisian affair… The entrance was decorated with a gold glittery “I DO” hanging on the door, and a welcome chalkboard that I created.…
-
An Alice in Wonderland Themed Bridal Tea Party
This Saturday we are throwing one of my BFFs (Jessica over at Leopurrd, check her out) a bridal shower, which inspired me to post this Wedding Wednesday about my bridal tea party, hosted by my Mother-in-law and godmother-in-law. I know, it seems rare to have a good relationship with an in-law, but I really do feel like mine is just like a second mother, and we have a great relationship. When we got engaged, her and her lifelong BFF (aka Joe’s godmother) said they wanted to throw a tea party for me and my girlfriends. It was super cute and fun, and I definitely want to do it again sometime!…
-
Enchanted Garden Wedding – St. Petersburg, FL
I got married about 9 months ago, and I could still talk about weddings all day. After spending so much time planning my own wedding, I realized that I really enjoyed it and would possibly love to get into that industry one day. So, I will be dedicating one post on Wednesdays to weddings, whether it’s advice, inspiration, or just random wedding talk. This will be my “Wedding Wednesdays”, very original, I know. To kick of Wedding Wednesdays here at Simply Otte, I will start with my own wedding and a little about our special day… My husband, Joseph, and I got married on October 11, 2014 in St. Petersburg,…
Travel • Food • Mom Life in the PNW
