My Bachelorette Weekend, Part 1

Tweet this!

I am so blessed my by friends and family. 

To everyone who was in town this weekend at our Bachelor/Bachelorette events, Thank you! You are awesome and made us feel so special! Thank you for spending your time with us.

To everyone else, here's the story:

---------------------------------------------------------------------

After many, many weeks of anticipation, my bachelorette weekend has finally come (and, unfortunately, since it's Monday... it has now gone, too. Sniff sniff. Somebody hold me).

My sister and cousin planned a super fun Friday night for us. We started by meeting up near my apartment. My bridesmaids and I each had manicure appointments, and we all got no chip. I considered being adventurous but ended up opting for my new favorite standby: I Theodora You.

Bridal Party Manicures

This nail place is a bit on the smaller side, so we pretty much closed the place down because of the size of our party. Sorry we're not sorry... you're welcome for the business. The nail techs were having a great time and we all joked around while they finished our nails.

Afterward, we went back to my apartment, where "Survival Kits" for "The Lost Weekend" were waiting for us (props to my sister on how beautiful they are - she made them). We each got some Emergen-C, Green Tea, a Silver Glitter Wine Glass, and a monogrammed robe.

My super talented cousin made us these custom robes. On the back is a black and pink version of my wedding monogram. The front has some pink embellishment and then the first letter or our first name (so mine has a C, my sister's has an A, and so on).

Bridal Party Sparkly Wine Glasses

My sister had also made us some beautiful wine glasses. Mine said Bride, and the rest of them had the bridesmaids' initials in paint marker. The stems are silver and glittery, because my sister used mod podge (is that how you spell it?) to decorate them.

We also had some delicious Lavender Lemonade that my cousin came up with. We combined water, lemon juice, stevia, and lavender (which we later strained out) and let people mix it with vodka or champagne. Mostly champagne. It was delicious and perfectly girly.

We also distributed these gorgeous hangers. I ordered one for each girl off of Etsy so that they could keep their dresses on them and we can still use them for pictures on the wedding day. Note: There are only 4 hangers. I actually have 5 bridesmaids, but one of them was unable to fly in because of some family health issues, so we had to make do without her! [Love you Kels!]

Bride To Be... with my dog's bacon bone sitting down behind my feet.

Once we were all ready to go, they adorned me with traditional bachelorette garb and we headed out the door to head over to Pump Room. When we got there, a few of the girls had already arrived, and we had a big table for about 15 right in the center of the dining room.

While we were eating, two guys came up and proposed a toast. They were hilarious and toasted me as though we had been friends for a million years - saying things like, "It's been a roller coaster and we have watched you turn into a wonderful woman." They were cracking us up and we just let them keep going!

Bachelorette Party Dinner @ The Pump Room

We were at Pump Room for quite a while. Our dinner took two hours (and we didn't sit down until 9:15), so by the time we were finished eating, the bar area behind us was pretty active. We decided to grab another drink there before moving to a new spot. After some hilarious interactions with a drunken British man named Charlie, we eventually peaced out and found a cab.

We finally headed to The Twisted Spoke. Totally different crowd over there, and instead of glam and pomp and circumstance, it was chill and quieter. We had another drink there and actually ran into my fiance, his cousin, and my brother, who were on their way back to their hotel for more bachelor party festivities.

By this point in the night, I was feeling pretty good and had to snap a selfie to prove that my makeup had stayed on all night. Way to go, bride to be.

After The Twisted Spoke, we hung out at my apartment for a bit and ended up hitting the sack around 2:30am. We had some big plans (Part 2 of the Bachelorette Weekend) for Saturday, so we didn't want to be too crazy and mess anything up.

More to come :)

My Hangover Cure

Tweet this!

...the completely unofficial, and only once tested remedy.

Disclaimer: This is not a normal practice and I don't advocate being in the situation to even NEED a hangover remedy. But, we're all human, and sometimes we wake up with a banging headache that is screaming at us for having one too many drinks.

I woke on on Saturday morning feeling like I took a freight train to the face. Between drinking strong drinks, dancing at a concert, and eating octopus at midnight (why?!?!), my body was pretty angry.

Step One: Go to Brunch. 

If you can handle it, and it's relatively close, WALK THERE. As painful as it is, the fresh air and sunlight will help you a lot. When you're there, order something delicious and filling. I encourage eggs, meat, and bread. I ordered Naan with chicken chorizo and two sunny side up eggs. ALSO, DRINK WATER WHILE YOU'RE THERE!

Step Two: Add Nutrients. Another thing to do at brunch, if possible. We decided to hit up Meli Cafe, where they have freshly juiced beverages. I had a delicious beverage with a ton of freshly juiced ingredients, like oranges, carrots, apples, and beets. If you can't get it at brunch, at least add some fruit or take a multi vitamin. ALSO, WATER!

Step Three: Take A Nap

Now that you've stuffed your face, it's time to fall into a fitful coma for 3 hours. Or as long as you need to sleep. I napped while my fiance watched sports (what sport? no idea. didn't care). I am a strong advocate of napping to golf, because it is by far the most boring sport to me, and I can always nap. Other good options are: Friends Season DVDs, Avatar, any movies that are long.

Step Four: Sweat

This is the hardest one for me. Now that you've eaten and rested, you may feel just a little bit better. No, you're not ready to conquer the world. But, you are ready to sweat a little. Get the rest of that booze out of your system. You will probably want to sleep instead, but trust me, it's worth it. DO NOT FORGET TO BRING A WATER BOTTLE!

If you're worried about balance, stick with a bike or elliptical (don't want you hurting yourself!). I, for one, was brave and hit the treadmill. I ran 4 miles, but it took me a full hour. I alternated between walking (4mph), walking on an incline (3,8mph, 5-9 incline), and a light jog (6mph). 

I know what you're thinking... how on earth will I get myself to work out when I feel like death? Well, the answer, my friends, is water and entertainment. I brought my iPad and started catching up on Revenge (awful show, still have to watch it for some reason) and drank a LOT of water.

Step Five: Get Pretty

Now that you've eaten, napped, and sweated (and PLEASE tell me you've been drinking water), it's time to put yourself back together. I had plans for a friend's birthday party that night, and we were meeting at Blow by Blow to get our hair done, so I showered (had to) and did my makeup, then got dressed. I donned a good old arm party and headed over to Blow by Blow. Before and After pics below... it obviously helped.

Step Six: Have A Drink

Notice I did not say "Get drunk" or "Drink a bottle of wine." Having one drink is fine, but over-doing it will put you in the same predicament you are finally easing out of. So, chill out, have one glass of wine, and don't get too excited about the alcohol. I'm a big fan of red wine when I'm not feeling so hot, because it keeps me warm and feels somehow nourishing (again, this only counts if you're only drinking a little bit!).

Step Seven: Eat Again

Eat again, and eat a lot. You're finally in the clear, for the most part. I was at Pump Room and ordered a Kale Salad (read: nourishment, vitamins), a salmon over rice pseudo-sushi (read: healthy fats, light carbs), and some fried polenta (read: carbs and cheese in my belly). 

Step Eight: Learn From Your Mistakes and Just Go To Bed
Don't go out. Don't go drink more. Just go to bed. I cannot even describe how amazing it felt to crawl into a nicely made bed and curl up, knowing that I could drift off into sleep.

Question:

• What's your hangover cure?