.travel: san diego, to celebrate a new mr. and mrs.

a while back, peter and i flew to san diego to attend one of the funnest weddings we've ever been too! makes sense, since these two crazy cats are seriously one of the coolest and friendliest couples we know -my old cruise ship bestie and her new husband, melissa and bryan swarberg.

[and gosh, didn't they make a gorgeous bride and groom! not even fair!]

and where do i even start? it was all just perfectly amazing. 

from the venue - a new children's museum in san diego, to the guests - probably some of the nicest people we've met in a while, to the decor - the bride has some serious diy skills and such a creative eye. seriously, everything was so beautiful.

we were welcomed with open arms, even invited to the rehearsal dinner the night before, which was super thoughtful of the couple. we had such a blast and made so many incredible new friends. i truly wasn't kidding when i said everyone was super nice. we felt like part of the family.

^^a canadian mountie we found at a local bar, after the rehearsal dinner! sweet! ^^

the ceremony was the best ceremony we've seen. period. it was emotional, personal, beautiful and filled with these amazing little parts - like a rope tying performed by the bride's dad, a reading from the story 'i like you' by sandol stoddard warburg and vows written by the bride and groom.
i cried. i laughed. i smiled. i held my husbands hand and was filled with love.

at the wedding, we sat at table 9 and shared many many laughs. we even had a little bonding session with a few 'famous' people [name dropping! yes, that's kaitlin olson and rob mcelhenney from one of our favourite shows 'it's always sunny in philadelphia']. needless to say i think kaitlin may be calling me to watch her children and vice versa, since we're bff's now. you know how it is. as rob put it, they got sucked into my vortex. umm....that's a good thing right?!
anyways.....

we also partied and drank with 'trebuchet', a band that we cannot stop listening too. peter and i fell in love with them and their music just solidified their awesomeness. seriously, how good are they? they played during the ceremony and it stopped us dead in our tracks. take a little listen below from a short clip i made on instagram.

other than that, we were known as 'the canadians'. and probably 'the loud canadians' as i allowed a few drinks down the old hatch. again, you know how it is....i simply could't let my girl, melly, down.

we danced. we sang. we ate. we drank. we talked. we sprayed the newlyweds with silly string. we bar hopped. it was the perfect way to celebrate love and friendship and everything that a wedding should be about. what a great night.

it was an event i knew we wouldn't miss for anything, and it is a memory that i am so happy to share with the newlyweds. i adore mel. couldn't love her more. she's one of my best friends even with our distance, and i know she's found the perfect match in bryan. he's just one rad guy. and that hair of his!
thanks again, you two. we love you both immensely and can't wait for our annual reunion!

.top knot events.

today i felt like sharing a little love i have for a new up and coming business [and business owner for that matter!]

the gal behind the scenes of top knot events - sara, is one hell of a woman. i won't give you the long soul-searching story behind sara's journey [you can read about it on her personal blog, saige wisdom] but i am basically in awe that she put it all out there to follow her dream. however i will tell you this, this girl has it. her wit, her style, her drive. her entire heart and soul has been thrown into this new venture top knot events, and i know one thing for sure - it's going to explode in greatness. 

event planning is a very personal subject for me as well. for those of you who know me personally, you may remember my desire to start my own event planning company years back which i never had the balls to complete, so needless to say i feel a little more selective when it comes to supporting companies like this. i suppose i have quite high standards.

the reason i mention this, is just to reaffirm that i truly believe that sara at top knot events has the qualities needed to make your moments and memories the best that they can absolutely be. every attention to detail, from the smallest things like place cards to the larger ticket items like venues or caterers, will be taken care of. just take a look at her website! it's incredible! if i was getting married again [to peter, of course!] i know that i would have sara right by my side. i'd happily have her as my third wheel ;)

sara is made to do this. made to create magical, creative, and unique events for us all lucky enough to have her. i wish you the best of luck sweetie, but know that you won't need an ounce of it.

and speaking of luck, why don't you all try yours out with this amazing giveaway she's having this week [enter and read more about it here]. those prizes [!!] amazing, right!?

**this post is not sponsored, nor has sara asked me to feature it, i just really believe that good things happen to good people. and she's one of those gems. 

you can find more of sara on her personal blog, saige wisdom.

and be sure to check out, top knot events.

.threads: wedding lace and a peplum.

over the long weekend, my cousin got married. it was an awesome day/night, filled with loads of love and dancing. it was even better because jack had his first sleepover at babcia and dziadek's house [polish for grandma + grandpa!] and this momma got to have a few drinks and relax! all went well at the sleepover, besides a rather sleepless night for babcia zosia, but i suspect she didn't mind one little bit. i on the other hand, had a really hard time saying 'buh-bye' those first few minutes at the hand-over, but felt i dealt with the separation after a few hours rather well. helps that i know the woman loves my little man almost as much as i do. so thank you, zosia.

also helped to think of the amazing trip the hubby and i are about to take, just the two of us, in a couple months so i'd better get used to the idea of leaving the little man overnight with someone i trust.

guess i could have called this post, 'parenting success with the first sleepover'.

for attire, i went with my newest acquisition from anthroplogie. a burgundy lace peplum dress. i seriously have nothing but rave reviews from this beaut - i mean, i got to eat dinner and not have to suck it in for the rest of the night! that is an absolute win in my books! that little lace puplum detail around the mid-section hid all the bits i wanted hidden, and the short length allowed me to show off all those squats i do while holding jack non-stop throughout the day. i also found the lace material just dreamy, and the shade of burgundy gave me a little rosy-glow. and how about those melanie auld earrings! just perfection, no? [and they are on sale! whoop!]

**only 2 more days to vote for my family in the H&M fashion family contest! we're currently holding first, but it's a tight competition so please head on over and give us your vote. we could use each and every single one! many many thanks my friends!

shop:
dress, anthropologie | shoes, nine west [similar] | clutch, club monaco [similar] | bracelets, stella & dot 1 & 2 | earrings, melanie auld
shop similar looks here:

.3 Years ago today.

3 years ago today, i walked down an aisle to meet your dad. it wasn't just your average day or an average aisle, it was our wedding and i wanted the world to know just how very much i loved that man. i wanted it official. i wanted to be called his wife. and i wanted to let him know that i was planning on saying 'good morning handsome' for the next, like 60+ years or so.

and i think it's all worked out pretty darn well, thus far. we now have you baby bugg, and i couldn't imagine a life without this guy being with us every single day. i couldn't imagine having anyone else being called your daddy or watching anyone else become such an amazing father. and frankly, a darn wonderful husband too.

when i look back at pictures from our wedding, i am reminded of the excitement and serious love we had [and have!] for each other. how nothing else in the world mattered. how we dreamt of the future and how we couldn't wait to see what our marriage and our new life together would bring us. we never dared imagine how perfect you would be, or the joy you would bring to our little family. i never imagined how happy your father would make me or how complete we are, even now.

marrying your father was the best decision i ever made, and we are so very lucky. i thought i loved him then, but it's nothing to how i care for this man now. he [and you] are my everything and today is our anniversary, 3 beautiful years later.

love you baby bugg. love you baby daddy. happy anniversary to us.

*sidenote: i just worked out that peter and i have been married for 3 years, but have actually been together for 10 years! that's a real long time, yo! yay us!

*pictures via andrea, pinksugarphotography

threads: wedding florals.

this past weekend we attended my step-sisters wedding. it was a lovely evening, filled with delicious food [a pasta bar! a sushi bar! a salad bar! a meat station! a candy buffet! and my fav - an ice cream station!!!], a beautiful bride and catching up with family. it was a perfect day and we had an absolute blast. but then again, since becoming 'mommy' just about any old excuse to dress up makes me deliriously happy!

after not 'feeling' a romantic taupe coloured lace dress that i had originally planned on wearing, i decided to pull out a sheath dress from my closet that i purchased while i was pregnant and hadn't had a chance to wear yet. the florals felt summery enough, while the short length lent a little sexiness to the dress - and bonus! after all that eating, i didn't feel restricted in some tight outfit!

for some finishing touches, i added some tan heels with a bit of edge [a metallic heel! yes!] which added some contrast to the soft florals, curled my hair, and threw on some of my favourite jewels. 

shop my threads:

dress || topshop [similar]

shoes || michael kors [similar]

clutch || old melanie auld [similar]

earrings || melanie auld [similar]

bracelets || stella & dot

bracelets || anthropologie [similar]

*top outfit photo's taken by my lovely sister and husband. thanks guys.

and of course we couldn't have a post without a cheesy family wedding shot, so here you go. you get three of them. and that's how you turn a simple outfit post into a mile-long one ;)

*post contains some affiliate links, but all opinions and style choices are my own.

.diy: the map love frame.

About a month ago I finally finished a personal diy project that I've been working on for some time now. It was actually a gift for some very wonderful friends of ours and I'm so pleased with how it turned out.

Since we travelled to see them get married in England [yes, mr. james + mrs. fiona] , we struggled with the whole 'gift' option. The good ol' question, 'What do you get them?'
You can't pack up a giant present abroad, and we knew right off the bat that giving money wasn't an option [too impersonal for how close we are with this couple]. We also knew that we wanted it to be something thoughtful and hopefully very meaningful to them. Something, so that every time they look at it, they are reminded of their special day.
So after throwing around a couple ideas, we decided to run with an adaptation from this original idea.  What do you think?

While, we spent the extra $ to get a custom frame and mat made for this gift, you can certainly diy this yourself [for cheap!] with these simple steps:

one] Just grab an old frame lying around.

two] Measure 3 holes and cut out the background mat from thick card-stock of your choice [you could really have some fun with matting options here!]. I went with squares, but you could do ovals, hearts, or even just use a pre-cut mat that comes with the frame. Easy! 

three] Print off some favorite map pictures or just tear from a atlas. Position your printed or cutout map picture over where you want it to show (for example the town or city) using your background matting cutout as a template. I choose to show the entire country [Australia + England + Canada] but you could also just show the town/city with a close up of roads or streets.

four] Grab some colored embroidery thread and a big needle and poke holes in a heart shape over the town that you met, married, and live on your printed map pictures. Then thread your heart, being careful not to pull to hard which might tear the paper. Tape down the ends of the thread on the backside of the map picture once you are finished.

five] Now position your finished embroidered map picture into the matting and tape down the picture onto the back. I choose to go with we met in the first square, then we married in the middle square, and finished with we live.

six] Choose a stamp color and small alphabet stamps in the font of your choice. Measure a straight line with a pencil [go light so its easy to erase and doesn't leave a mark] as a guide to stamp down your wording. Again I went with 'we met', 'we married', and 'we live' but you could choose whatever you'd like.
*Another idea would be to add the couples name or last name to the top of the map too.

seven] Put the finished picture and mat into the frame, seal it all up and viola! Cute and memorable picture for your home. 

And I am happy to say that it is now in their possession and I think that they really liked it.
xo