Honeymooning

We heart traveling! Sometimes when i'm at work, I like to take a lil' breather and search for exotic travel destinations. It's so fun to fantasize about your next vacation while being on the clock! PLUS - it makes time go by faster.

I was watching a series on HGTV the other night called Island Hunters. It's pretty much like House Hunters, except it focuses on people who wish to buy or rent an island. A couple from the UK were seeking to buy a home in Nicaragua and transform it into an eco-retreat. It was awesome! I love shows like this because they expose you to so many interesting places around the world. 

I was so impressed by what I saw that I started looking for honeymoon/vacation properties in Central America. If you're searching for adventure, look no further. Theres so much action happening down there! From surfing to zip-lining, to relaxing by the pool, you will find the perfect place to hideaway; heaven on Earth really.

I love sites like Homeaway and Airbnb - you can rent an entire place right on the beach! How great is that! Countries like Nicaragua and Guatemala offer beautiful, lush landscapes and properties at affordable prices. So if you're eloping and have a few dollars to spare, why not make your honeymoon unforgettable?  Here are a few of my favorites:

Villa at Pelican Eyes - San Juan del Sur - Nicaragua

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Patrick Gorman

What a view! You can rent a private villa or the entire property for friends and family! Tourists all over the world are flocking to Nicaragua for its unique charm. According to the Huffington Post, it's one of the top places to visit in 2015.

Luxurious villa with a spectacular view - Lake Atitlan - Guatemala

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Marcelo of Homeaway

Do you see those volcanoes across the lake?! Amazing! When I see these images of Lake Atitlan, I feel so relaxed and at peace. Check out these reviews on TripAdvisor.

Flying Toucans Oceanfront Villa - Puntarenas - Costa Rica

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John and Mary Reilly

I love Costa Rica! It was the first country my fiancé and I traveled to outside of North America. You really feel like you're away from it all! There's so many activities to choose from - so fun! This property is on the very top our list if we ever head back.

I often dream of the breakfast we had while on vacay in CR. The food was delish! We stayed at the Royal Corin (where breakfast was complimentary) in La Fortuna, and enjoyed their hot springs to the max! It was great to come back after a long day of excursions with Red Lava Tours and relax our muscles. 

A Real Tiny Nuptial: Luz & Marshall

  Allow me to introduce my dear friends Luz Perez Brown, interior designer and owner of Slate Design Studio and her hubby coach, Marshall Brown. These two lovely human beings call Atlanta home, so if you're in their neck of the woods, check them out! Their the sweetest, most productive duo I know. I'm so thrilled that they took the time out of their hectic schedules to share with us! When I first started this blog, I knew I had to have them on here. It took me awhile, but I finally mustered up the courage to ask, and I'm so happy I did!

I hope their wedding inspires you to think outside the box! Enjoy!

Tell me your love story! How did you two meet?

Luz: My best friend at the time was a leasing agent at a rental property. I had met one of her tenants while visiting her office and I think we made a connection. Weeks later, the same tenant invited us to a housewarming/Fourth of July BBQ. We went and I ended up being totally intruigued by the tenant's hilarious co-worker instead, who had also been invited. We hit it off instantly and started to hang out pretty often.

From there, we developed a very good friendship which later turned into a romantic relationship. I think it was perfect for us because we became great friends first, which allowed us to be ourselves and truly learn a lot about each other. It is also nice because you know the person you're marrying is truly your best friend for life.

What was your tiny nuptial like? (I love this story!)

It was sweet and also funny! We had been engaged for several months and the wedding planning (and rules!) were starting to put a wedge in our relationship. My mom and sister had already started to plan a fun engagement party for us, so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to surprise the guests with the actual nuptial ceremony on-site and just "get it over with". It ended up being perfect for us and everyone got such a great kick out of it. The only people who knew about it beforehand were the minister, my sister and her husband. They were excellent secret-keepers and everyone had a blast!

Any advice for our couples? 

If you're non-traditional, don't try to fit a square peg into a round hole. Be you, throw a party for your family and friends and celebrate your love for one another around the people you love. That should be your only concern, because it's all about you and your partner and people will enjoy it regardless of how it goes down.

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Vendors and such:

Photographer: This is where most of our budget went, and well worth it. Ashley K Barnes Photography in NYC. She's a doll!

Dress: Ordered online. The dress was on sale for less than $200 from David's Bridal; I had it fitted with a local seamstress.

Suit: The suit was already in my hubby's closet, but we spent more of an effort getting an awesome tie to make it special. This one was $98 (on sale!) from Bloomingdales.

Officiant: Marshall's childhood minister.

Florist: The supermarket?

Party Favors: DIY hot chocolate packets bought at Publix and a custom-made mug ordered online. We assembled these ourselves.

Food: Ordered a Spanish style roasted pig for the event and family contributed the rest of the menu. We have excellent cooks in our family! Yum!

Venue: Rented a giant house on AirBNB that would welcome a party. Many of the traveling guests stayed at the house the night before and the night of, as we went off to our hotel. It was a great, casual family vibe the entire weekend.

Follow Luz on Pinterest and Instagram for interior design ideas! 

Thanks again Luz & Marshall! XoXo

Here we go again

We thought we had our whole elopement thing figured out a couple months ago, but I guess we were wrong. We keep going back and fourth between wanting to elope or host a small wedding. To me, a small wedding consists of 50 people or less.The problem with having a small wedding is the guest list. Who do we invite? Family. Yes, that's what you would think, but to honest, we're much closer to our friends than our actual blood relatives. It's horrible we know, but tell me we're not alone here! Sometimes we connect with our friends on a such a personal level that they actually become our extended family. 

If we were to go that route, we were thinking to invite immediate family and best friends only, but i'm pretty sure a few people would be a little offended by that decision. We could always let them know what the situation is (budget, stress) but i'm not quite sure if they'd understand. Weddings can make or break relationships! We don't want to go through all that. I guess the most important thing to remember is that it's OUR wedding and we should be able do what feels right to us - like splurge on an awesome vacay instead!

So, where are we now? Elopement is still our number one choice, but we can't seem to shake that little tiny voice that keeps telling us to invite our loved ones. If money and stress wasn't an issue, we'd say no problem! Unfortunately, this isn't the case. There IS life after the wedding bells have rung. We have commitments and responsibilities that need to be taken care of. We also have to take care of ourselves and follow our hearts. Decisions, decisions! Welcome to adulthood!