Congratulations on your engagement! I am sure there is a lot of planning to do and perhaps you are still not sure where to host your wedding. If that’s the case, I can suggest the perfect city: Scottsdale, Arizona. The perfect blend of scenery, warmth and entertainment. Located in the grand Phoenix area, Scottsdale is often described as a desert oasis, and here’s why:

1. Perfect sunny weather all year round – although summers can get a bit intense.
2. The most breathtaking sunsets only the desert sky can offer.
3. Trendy shops, bars and restaurants. Scottsdale is all about the luxury and people here are not afraid to enjoy it.
4. Crazy nightlife! Not many places allow you to spend a quiet, relaxing day outdoors and then have an epic night filled with music and good drinks!
5. Amazing trails to hike or mountain bike, and perfect perches to practice yoga.

This the the best balance for you and your guests. You have plenty to choose from for vendors and your guests will have tons of options for entertainment.

Now that I know I have convinced you, let’s talk about the best part of it: the venues. Every venue in Scottsdale has luxury and elegance as their signature features. No matter which one you choose, you’ll end up with a Hollywood-like wedding but that doesn’t have to mean spending huge amounts of money. We have done all of the research for you and uncovered three stunning venues that will fit right in your budget:

Designer Phoenix Villa – Placed in one of Phoenix’s most prime areas, this brand new mansion is a designer’s masterpiece located in the exclusive town of Paradise Valley, in the Scottsdale District. Overlooking the beautiful sunny valley and the famous Camelback Mountain, this venue offers both entertainment and relaxation for you and 18 other guests during a memorable weekend! Hike, bike, lay by the pool or jump in the car for a one-minute drive to hundreds of trendy bars and shops in Old Town!

Finally, have a romantic outdoor ceremony for up to 100 guests during a priceless sunset, overlooking the majestic desert nature. Click here to book this venue!

The Resort Around the Corner – Why would anyone want to book a room at a resort when you can book an entire house that looks and feels just like one? Have all the privacy, comfort and fun you deserve at this amazing house located in the heart of Scottsdale. While secluded by the beautiful desert nature, this property is actually a few minutes away from all of Scottsdale’s most fun restaurants, bars and shops!

With 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, living room, dinning room, playroom and a heated swimming pool you might consider not even leaving the house! Host a beautiful ceremony for up to 100 guests in the spacious backyard for a celebration you will never forget! Click here to see more of this property!

The Royal Wedding Weekend – I know we are talking about Scottsdale but this venue deserves a shout out for its beauty and creativity! Only a 30-minute drive outside Scottsdale you will encounter this amazingly romantic venue that will make you feel like you traveled back in time. Inspired by 1800’s-style Victorian houses, this venue will make you feel like a princess 24/7!

The best part about this property is that you can decide between two wedding ceremony scenarios! Marry in the front patio facing the amazing Castle or go to the back of the Tuscan Property for a picturesque Venice wedding! Either way, the property is ready to provide you with tables, chairs, special lighting, onsite staff and whatever else you might need to make this day extra special! Click in both images to see the different options!

All of these properties are around 55% to 86% cheaper than the average venue cost for a boring, traditional wedding venue. Spend a weekend with your family and friends and take advantage of being able to have your rehearsal dinner or after-wedding brunch *in addition* to having your wedding ceremony and reception there. Other venues will not even come close to the experience you’ll have during an entire weekend enjoying all the luxury and style only Scottsdale and these venues can offer!

Love,

Luisa.

 Welcome to New Orleans (NOLA)! This is one of the most sought after US cities, with its crazy nightlife, tantalizing cuisine, distinguished culture, vibrant architecture and amazing music on every corner. You and your guests will have an endless list of fun things to do!

We’ve provided a guide to the best neighborhoods, restaurants, and activities – check it out!

Neighborhood: French Quarter

What to do: Go to Bourbon Street! In the heart of French Quarter, this is one of the most famous party streets in the world! Filled with amazing entertainment such as bars, restaurants, strip clubs and world famous festivals like Mardi Gras. While enjoying the nightlife on Bourbon Street make sure you get the Hurricane Cocktail (one of New Orleans’ most popular drinks) or one of their “huge ass beers”, served in big plastic cups for a low price. The best part? You can walk around with your drink through the charming downtown corridors!

Have a cocktail: Pat O’Brien’s Bar is the one and only to grab a drink when visiting the Quarter. Home of the Hurricane Cocktail – yes, they invented it! – this casual bar is filled with lush gardens and tons of charm. Have a great time enjoying your drink listening to a live piano at the lounge or even at one of its private party rooms!

Grab dinner or a snack: Saints & Sinners is a must stop for a bachelorette party! The restaurant and bar was created in 1897 and it was a haven for jazz musicians, risque women and men with questionable moral standards. Closed in 1917, it was re-opened by actor Channing Tatum (that should be reason enough to go) and a friend, as a tribute to the city’s ribald reputation. Have fun with your best ladies grabbing drinks, dinner and partying!

Where to stay:

Live it up in this French Quarter chateau that has a private balcony overlooking the street. There is plenty of room to have a private dinner in the lower corridor – why not have it catered with some delicious creole food?!

Neighborhood: St. Charles Streetcar corridor

What to do: Get on the St. Charles streetcar of course! NOLA’s oldest continuously operating streetcars in the world are probably the best and most original way to see the city using its three different lines: St. Charles, Canal Street and Riverfront. The St. Charles route will offer you a great ride through a tunnel of Live Oaks, Tulane and Loyola universities and historic mansions and monuments – not to mention dozens of shopping centers, hotels and fine restaurants.  

Have a cocktail: Pontchartrain hotel rooftop deck. What better way to enjoy a fine drink then with an amazing view? With a design inspired in the 1940s, the Hot Tin – Rooftop Bar has a breathtaking 270 degree view to the Mississippi River and downtown New Orleans. Pop a bottle and soak in the view!

Grab dinner or a snack: Head to Bacchanal. Truth be told, this restaurant/garden is not in the St. Charles area but Bacchanal is such a cool spot that you MUST visit while in New Orleans. It’s in the Bywater area and this specialty wine shop and restaurant have delicious dishes and an impeccable selection of wine. The night we were there, we were lucky enough to catch a blues/jazz band that took us back in time. I cannot recommend this place highly enough! Get the rigatoni with cream and roasted cauliflower!!

Where to stay:

Don’t just admire the antebellum mansions alongside the streets, stay in one! This STUNNING luxury home is the definition of what the old, classic New Orleans was all about! It was recently remodeled and now has 6 bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms, two kitchens and a balcony overlooking St. Charles. Enjoy all the great shops and restaurants near by and feel like you are back in the 1800’s!

Neighborhood: Garden and Lower Garden District

What to do: Known by many as the “Hollywood South”, the Garden District has been featured in countless movies! Enjoy the beauty of the Live Oaks, as well as the many antebellum mansions you can find in the district – nowhere else in South has a better collection of antique mansions clustered together in one strip. Tip: stop by Washington Avenue and visit the Lafayette Cemetery No. 1  by Prytania Street. With its unique tombs and vaults, the cemetery was featured in many movies and it’s one of the oldest, spookiest cemeteries in town.

Have a cocktail: Barrel Proof. In the middle of the historic Garden District, this bar is actually a modern spot, opened in 2014 featuring over 50 beers and a list of 150 + whiskey bottles! Even if you are not a whiskey person like me, trying out one of their whiskey flights is a worthwhile experience, the ambience is classy, comfortable, and perfect for it!

Grab dinner or a snack: I honestly could add Commander’s Palace both as a place to grab dinner and a cocktail. With countless awards, including six James Beard Foundation Awards, and being New Orleans Best Restaurant for four years in a row, this should be enough reason to visit this 1893 landmark. But there is another excellent reason: 25-cent martinis. Yes, you read it right: grab lunch at this NOLA jewel and drink basically free martinis!

Where to stay:

Located only a mile away from Bourbon Street, this 1907 built jewel is located right behind Elmeril’s Delmonico. Have fun enjoying all the shops and restaurants nearby, spend a couple hours at the balcony overlooking the Crescent City Connection or get one of the 3 bikes available in the house to explore the area!

Neighborhood: CBD (Central Business District)

What to do: Take a walk around the historic Lafayette Square in the evening and enjoy free concerts, theaters and numerous bars and restaurants! If you are visiting the city during summer, make sure to leave wednesday free for the Wednesday at the Square festival, featuring the top names in local acts! During the fall, the Square becomes home to a blues music festival.

Have a cocktail:  Need a little help to start the day? Fear not! No better way than at Daisy Dukes drinking their famous, award winning Cajun Bloody Marys! They also have a 24/7 amazing breakfast menu, which means that you get an excuse to keep sipping those Bloody Marys past lunch time!

Grab dinner or a snack: Willa Jean. This is the best place for breakfast or brunch! I personally just went and after a rather aggressive evening of cocktails, I sopped up all that alcohol with their award-winning banana bread, a green juice, coffee, water, orange juice AND avocado toast with a fried egg. I was a NEW WOMAN!  

Where to stay:

If you are hosting a bachelorette weekend, there’s no better place to be! Located in downtown NOLA, right where all restaurants, bars, music festivals, art galleries, bands and beads are! This newly renovated condo is perfect for a weekend of jazz, cocktails and the unique NOLA atmosphere.

Hope you enjoyed! Email us if you need anymore tips or help organizing your trip! [email protected]

Happy Valentine’s day everyone! Love is in the air and with that I thought it would be a good idea to talk about something my husband and I did before getting married: engagement pictures. They were a gift from my mother-in-law to us, and at first I thought that was a little bit cheesy to be honest. I could not have been more wrong! With a talented person behind the camera and the right scenario, you’ll get a gift of a lifetime!

Here is some personal advice for you to make the most out of this experience:

• Have a quality camera

Perhaps hiring a professional photographer isn’t in the cards – after all, those wedding expenses can add up quickly! Instead, ask a friend with a quality camera to help you out. Alternatively, try one of the fun polaroid cameras. If you go the friend route, make sure you/they have a decent camera which is easy to handle. Maybe your friend already has one, but you can always rent cameras locally. Research!

• Choose the right scenery/scenario

What is the right scenario? The one that best represents you two! It doesn’t matter if it’s a crazy huge sailing boat at sunset on a beautiful beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (yes, I saw that happening) or your grandmother’s front porch. If it’s a place where you two share memories together, or it fits your personalities, that should be enough.

If you are thinking of hosting an engagement party or planning a romantic weekend getaway for you two, there is no better time to have some pictures taken! Choosing to do it in a private setting, such as a house with a beautiful yard or view, is great if you don’t feel comfortable taking romantic pictures in front of strangers! We have great properties for these moments on our website.

• Focus on your partner and this moment

Don’t overthink the fact that there’s a camera pointed at you. In fact, forget about the camera! The best thing about engagement pictures is the experience itself. So laugh, be goofy, spontaneous, romantic. Don’t be afraid of hugging, kissing and being silly during the photoshoot, take this moment to appreciate how lucky you two are for having found each other!

• Bonus Idea

Maybe you are not engaged yet but this post is sparking a few ideas. Need a little help to come up with the perfect proposal? How about hiring a private chef to cook a delicious meal, and take a tour around the art galleries before popping the question? We have the perfect place waiting for you in Chicago, IL.

Happy Valentine’s day.

Love,

Luisa.

There isn’t just *one* way to do dinner for your wedding. In fact, you may not have an evening celebration at all. I was just at reception that was a brunch! The bride and groom decided they wanted a quick ceremony and to have a day-long celebration so they started with a brunch complete with mimosas, French toast, bacon, eggs, and tons of other options.

For those that are going to have your wedding in the afternoon or evening, there are a few choices you have: 1) Seated meal 2) buffet meal 3) family-style meal and 4) food trucks.

The first item to consider though are dietary restrictions. Keep in mind that some people may gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, etc. You can still have the meal you want but do it while staying flexible. To make it easier, when sending out invitations with the menu, create an additional box for your guests to fill out in case of any food allergies or preferences (vegetarian, vegan, for example). This way you’ll be prepared to handle those beforehand.

Option 1: Seated meal

A Three-Course Meal with at least two different options for each course, example:

• Appetizer: kale caesar salad or green garden salad/creamy mushroom soup (simple salads or soups are a great appetizer because most people can eat just about all ingredients).
• Entrée: Chicken marsala with julienne of zucchini, carrots and squash/ Medallions of beef with bacon brussel sprouts and risotto with herb pesto (avoiding pastas is a good way of saving yourself the trouble of having to create an additional ‘gluten free’ dish).
• Dessert: you can simply serve the cake you chose for your wedding or come up with additional choices such as berry parfaits or homemade tarts.
  • If there are some vegetarians at your wedding reception, it’s a nice idea to have something different for them, like pasta or stuffed mushrooms. You can also create an entrée based on the things you already have, for example: why not serving the julienne of zucchini, carrots and squash with herb pesto?

Pros: You don’t have to worry about having enough food to serve people more than once, or to consider those who just eat a lot at buffets. Everyone of your guests will have the same portion and no food will be wasted.

Cons: Creating the menu can be a pain, especially considering allergy affects, eating lifestyles and other small things. Sometimes an entrée seems to fit all the criteria and only later you find out that amazing sauce has peanuts on – and one of your guests is going on an anaphylactic shock during your reception.

Option 2: Buffet Style

Personally, I think this is a much easier way to go. On my wedding, we had a big buffet of Italian inspired cuisine. The buffet included a big salad, dressings on the side, three different kinds of meat: salmon, chicken and meatballs, two different pastas (one was gluten free), rice, assorted breads and other goodies I can’t honestly remember.

Both me, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law are gluten intolerant and my husband’s cousin is lactose intolerant, so I know just how important it is to have good, flavorful options for people who can’t just eat anything.

Pros: Your guests will have the freedom of choosing whatever they want to eat, make the combinations that will most please them. The signs indicating what food that is spear you from the trouble of having to worry about anyone eating something they weren’t supposed to.

Cons: There’s a big possibility people will eat more than in a three-course meal dinner. If your guests have the freedom to get up and go back in line for more, a lot of them most likely will, so be prepared to have extra food saved for the big eaters.

Option 3: Family – style

This is pretty much a mix of options 1 and 2. You are seated but the food is passed around the table. Again, make sure your menu is flexible. I recently went to a wedding that had an array of options for all diets: rice pilaf, chicken, spaghetti, broccolini, roasted parsnips and sweet potatoes, and a dessert table for people to choose from, depending on their preferences.

Option 4: Food trucks

Here’s a fun and creative way of serving food to your guests. Food trucks are trendy, casual and everyone seems to love them. If you get yourself a cool venue that has enough space outside and allows you to do what you want, choose 2 or 3 food trucks of your favorite kind of food. How about a Mexican inspired cuisine? You can have trucks serving tacos, nachos, burritos and dulce de leche churros for your guests. This way you don’t even have to worry much about big tables and seating, since these are all items people can eat with their hands!
No matter what you choose, every decision will come with its pros and cons. As always, be conscious of your budget, the number of guests you have and the size of your venue.

Don’t forget to save yourself a bite!

Love,

Luisa.

Tradition says before the romantic day there should be one last ride for the bride – and groom, of course. Bachelorette parties are not mandatory but they sure are a great excuse to gather your best friends for some adventure that will generate fun memories for a lifetime.

Maybe you are not a big party person and you don’t see a reason to go thru the ritual but just because the idea of staying up all night in some loud bar doesn’t amuse you, doesn’t mean you should give up on the idea of having your girls with you to have some fun. Here are some ideas:

1. Let’s start with where to stay. The days of splitting up into 5-10 different hotel rooms are over! Get together with all your friends in one, big bachelorette house.

   

   

   Now you can have a dinner catered, unwrap bridal gifts, get a bunch of snacks and cupcakes, and stock the refrigerator with wine and Gatorade!

The cool thing about renting a house is that you’ll have more time to enjoy your besties’ company while visiting a new place!

2. Get pampered. Who says a “bachelorette party” can’t be all about relaxing? Your wedding day is just around the corner so it makes total sense to have a nice, relaxing day getting a pedicure, facials, full body massages, and mud baths to make you feel rejuvenated and ready for the upcoming event. The experience gets even better when you have your best friends with you to chat, laugh all day, sun bathe by the pool or have a nice brunch.

3. Party hardy. If you are like me and love a fun party this is the perfect opportunity to celebrate! You have a few different options: bar crawling, club crawling, bar + club, just a bar, just a club, dinner & drinks + party… the choices are endless and it’s up to you to decide what you like best.

I was lucky enough to have not only one but two bachelorette parties! Before I left Brazil I got together with my girl squad there and we went to a couple bars before moving on to a fun party where we danced all night!

Then back in Arizona I gathered a few friends, my mom and mother-in-law for what was going to be just a casual dinner & drinks at a cool bar but turned into another party-night later, thanks to my sister-in-law.

4. Sweat it out. Ya know, after that crazy night of partying you may need to sweat it out a little bit. Try organizing a spin class to go to or walk to some of the city’s shopping destinations. Grab one of those rejuvenating juices because you probably have another night of partying on the docket or a plane ride home. Either way, HYDRATE!

5. One extra thing: Accessories! Doesn’t matter if you are going to a yoga retreat or a male strip club, make sure you have fun accessories so everyone knows this is not just a simple day/night! Maybe your maid-of-honor is already on it and you don’t even know, or maybe you might want to bring up the subject to make sure it’s going to happen.

You can all make fun matching shirts, beer mugs, flip flops, hats… there are a lot of cool ideas if you go online and search for it on Instagram or Pinterest. If anything, have at least a crown and a sash. Why? Because you are a queen and it’s your moment and you deserve to have lots of fun experiencing it!

Love,

Luisa

For many brides, the wedding dress can be a crucial decision. For me, choosing the right dress was really important because it’s that *one* day you really get to shine for your fiancée and loved ones.  It’s understandable that we want to look stunning, right?? Just like the other decisions I had to make, this particular component required a lot of thought because there are thousands of dresses out there – how the heck do you choose? So, I am here today to give you some tips based on my experience when choosing my wedding dress.

• What makes you feel comfortable? Consider your body type and what styles you like.

Choosing your wedding dress can be overwhelming since there are so many different styles out there so one thing that helps narrowing that number is to look at yourself in the mirror and think about what looks – and feels – best on you. Strapless dresses are beautiful and elegant but my boobs are not very big and I always get paranoid I’ll be naked whenever I put my arms up! Have you seen those nightmare photos where that happens?

It was too much for me to handle so I knew I would feel much better with some straps on, so I discarded all strapless models right away.

• When and where are you getting married?

It’s always a good idea to take your wedding venue  into consideration. For example, when I was planning to get married in Brazil we were going to have a big, glitzy ceremony, at night, during winter. Because of that I was looking for a really fancy dress with more of a “princess look” – lace, sequins and a beautiful pattern on my back. I actually got a dress at the time that looked a lot like this (I was also going to wear my hair up like in the picture):

But we changed our mind and decided to go with an intimate, natural backyard wedding in Arizona during the day.  I felt that the princess-like type of dress just wasn’t the right fit anymore -it was too much and I wanted something more simple, elegant and boho inspired.  Voila! Here is my dress:

Big difference, huh?

• Instagram and Pinterest are still your best friends!

Just like what I wrote on my last post about using these apps to find inspiration for the different components of your wedding colors, flowers, and accents (if you haven’t read it yet, I strongly recommend you to stop right here and go back before moving on), Instagram and Pinterest will be just as important on your search for the perfect dress.

Personally, I think I followed about 10 different Instagram accounts dedicated to wedding dresses and had at least 40 different pins on my Pinterest board titled “wedding dresses”. For my search I typed tags such as “wedding dress”, “boho”, “backyard wedding”, “simple wedding dresses”, and went from there. I can’t even describe how helpful that was to picture what I was looking for.

• What is your budget?

I have friends who had absolutely stunning gowns but had a different approach because they either didn’t have a big budget or didn’t want to spend a large amount on their dress. I had friends who bought a pre-owned dress, who bought directly off-the-rack because they didn’t have time to go through custom tailoring, and one who bought their dress from J. Crew but it wasn’t even a wedding dress. All of them had varying budgets and timelines, and that was a determining factor in how they moved forward with their dress purchase.

In the end the choice is yours. It’s your day, all eyes will be on you and if you want a big, puffy, full of feathers, sparkly dress for your small ceremony, you go for it! As long as you feel like the princess you are, your spouse will look at you with that “I can’t believe she is mine” look – you can’t go wrong!

Love,

Luisa.