Let’s face it, friends, we love our sweet beaus, but sometimes you need a few days with your best gal pals on a gorgeous beach with a (monogrammed) koozie in your hand, and your toes in the white sand! Can’t you just imagine how much fun that would be? Well, in today’s edition of our Summer in the South series, we’re going on a beach getaway! Grab your girls and your Jack Rogers and let’s get road trippin’, y’all!

A. In this hot Southern sun, a girl has to keep her skin protected. Don’t forget to lather on the Coppertone!

B. Feeling a bit pale? A little St. Tropez on your legs before you go will keep you looking sun-kissed without the risk.

C. Whether it’s inviting your girls on the trip or sending out a sweet thank you after, I’m dying over these adorable bikini notecards from Design Darling! Don’t they make you want to put on some Barbie pink lipstick?

D. To me, the summer means seersucker! This Marley Lilly monogrammed cosmetic bag is the perfect summer size bag! Toss a bit of cash, some lipgloss and your ID and stash in your beach bag!

E. Add a little nautical flair to any outfit with these Swell Caroline anchor earrings! Now, all you need is a striped tee and some red shorts!

F. Whether they’re for a rainy day game of war or a girls night game of hearts, I cannot think of a Southern girl who doesn’t need a set of personalized playing cards!

G. Giant bow, bandeau bikini top, and SEC colors available. Enough said – adorable!

H. This J. McLaughlin duffle is the perfect weekender bag for the rough-on-luggage girl (like myself)! It’s actually made of durable sail material!

I. Nicole and I are both crushing on this C. Wonder Girlfriend shirt! We’re pretty sure it’s the ultimate gingham shirt for the summer!

J. Follow Kate’s lead, and dive in! One can’t go wrong with this super fun Kate Spade beach towel!

K. My friend, Emily Ley, and I have kind of a koozie obsession, and these monogrammed ones are right up our alley!

P.S. Beat the heat with more of our Summer in the South series:
Blue Eyed Yonder
A Weekend Barbecue
Summer Essentials from A Southern Lady

Sometimes I think this column should be called “Monogram Spotting” – what do you think? We just can’t help ourselves, though! We love a good set of letters more than most anything, particularly Marissa. I’m sure she would have been delighted to find herself a bridesmaid in this wedding!

Photo by Blume Photography

From Michelle, the bride:

My husband and I decided not to have bridal parties, but I still wanted to give my mom, sister and best friend a little something sweet and exciting when they arrived to the bridal suite on the morning of my wedding. I decided on a monogrammed Longchamp tote filled with a few goodies. My favorite was the button downs, which we had embroidered at a local shop. I also included a heartfelt note for each lady. I am so lucky to have spent the day with the people I love and care about most!

P.S. Love monograms? Be sure to check out these posts:
A monogram-filled real wedding
A monogram-filled bridal shower
A pink wedding with a monogrammed hay bale (among other things!)

Apparently flower girls are just begging to be monogrammed. Seriously, y’all! Because in my experience, pretty much any fabric expanse on a Southern flower girl is adorned with a set of initials quicker than you can say biscuits and grits – see here and here for evidence. In case any of you ladies are still looking for inspiration for getting your monogram on, look no further than this adorable gal, sent in by Brita Photography!

Adorable!!

Now tell me: Who out there is monogramming her flower girl(s), and where are you putting said monogram? Spill, please!

With about four months to go before our wedding day (whoo!), we’ve definitely moved from putting the big blocks in place to finalizing the smaller details, and I couldn’t be more excited! One such smaller detail I’ve been thinking about? My accessories! We’ve already discussed hair and makeup, but today I’d love to tell you about the pretty pieces that will complete the look.

To start with, let me just say that my accessories are bringing the “borrowed” in “something old, new, borrowed, and blue.” And I kind of love it! Of course I appreciate the cost savings that come with borrowing instead of buying, but I also love the sentiment of carrying my loved ones down the aisle with me.

One accessory that I will not be borrowing? My shoes! I debated long and hard over colored v. white, but in the end, white won out. After all, my favorite shoes have always been white ones – this Christian Louboutin pair in particular:

Both by Jose Villa

Since CL is out of my budget, internet searches for something similar brought me to the Nina site, and I quickly fell in love with a shoe called the Paladin. It had a fairly low heel (2.5 inches), was classic and ladylike, and featured a bow. I was in love! I was also devastated to find that when I went back to the Nina site a week later to make my purchase, the Paladin was nowhere to be found!! A call to customer service was not fruitful.

The wedding gods were shining on me, though, because when I tweeted my predicament, the Nordstrom Wedding gals came to my aid, directing me toward 6pm.com. How sweet is that, y’all?! That they would direct me away from their site and toward another just to assist a bride in need? Major kudos to them.

And yes, there was the Paladin, not only in stock and in my size, but 58% off Nina’s price!! My wedding heels cost $37, but I couldn’t love them more if they were $370. Seriously, these beauties make me SO happy. Here they are:

Mi Amore Foto

In case you were wondering, they are insanely comfortable. A 2.5 inch heel is the perfect height, in my opinion!

Okay, enough about shoes, let’s talk jewelry! The top of my gown is fairly involved, so I know I want to keep my jewelry fairly simple. Plus, I wear the same jewelry pretty much every single day: pearl studs, my engagement ring, a thin silver link bracelet, and a Dogeared necklace that was a gift from John for our first Christmas together. If I were to switch it up and wear something chunky or very obvious on our wedding day, the overall effect would be less stunning and more startling, I think. To that end, here’s some of the understated jewelry inspiration I’ve been collecting:

Earrings photo by Cooper Carras, kiss photo by Meg Smith, necklace photo by Charlotte Jenks Lewis via 100 Layer Cake, and up do photo by Heather Kincaid via Style Me Pretty

Short drop or simple cluster earrings and a simple necklace, and that’s it. I might add a bracelet if I’m feeling so moved. The earrings I will probably buy new, and the necklace will probably be my Dogeared one. UNLESS. See that simple gold and diamond number up there? That would be my dream wedding day gift from John :) With its price tag, it’s highly unlikely to happen, but a gal can dream, right? I just love that it’s a fancier version of the necklace I already treasure so much.

For those with a similar style, I put together a little shopping guide:

A. Kenneth Jay Lane CZ cushion cut studs ($49), B. Tiffany Diamonds by the Yard necklace in 18k gold ($615), C. J.Crew Crystal Starlet earrings ($35), D. J.Crew Pearl Jewel Box earrings ($68), E. Kate Ketzal Glow Drop earrings ($70), F. Nina Annabell earrings ($35), G. Kate Ketzal Adorable cushion cut earrings ($55), H. J.Crew Crystal Galaxy earrings ($55), I. Nina Passion earrings ($45), J. Tiffany Pearls by the Yard bracelet in 18k gold ($425), K. Jennifer hair comb, L. Bario-Neal single diamond bracelet ($750)

Now, what will I be wearing on my head? I don’t think I mentioned it in my dress shopping post, but I fell in love with a veil on my very first dress shopping excursion – the “Phoebe” by Sara Gabriel. I thought the horsehair trim was so unique, but still understated! I’ve never been able to get that veil out of my head, though its price tag has stayed firmly out of my budget, so a few weeks ago, I contacted Annette from Chaviano Couture about making a custom piece that involved my beloved horsehair. My future sister-in-law (who, if you remember, is getting married two months before me) and I are actually going to share the veil, and Annette has been great about incorporating both of our ideas. I won’t say too much more, but I am very excited to capture some gorgeous veil photos with Tanja!

Samm Blake via Style Me Pretty and Domenico Costantini via Martha Stewart Weddings

Since our veil is going to be fairly long, and our reception involves a lot of mingling, I’ll probably remove it post-ceremony, or at least post-reception entrance. I’ve been toying with the idea of adding a simple comb, kind of like the below:

Christian Oth and Jillian Mitchell via 100 Layer Cake

A few weeks ago my friend Nancy saw me pinning hair combs left and right, and kindly offered to lend me the one she wore on her wedding day. Score another one for the “borrowed” list!

And to round out my borrowed offerings, I will be toting this lovely clutch from my friend (and former SW editor!) Katharine. This beauty is from Davie & Chiyo for any of y’all who might like to purchase one for yourself!

Photo by Bryan Johnson from Katharine’s wedding

And that about takes care of that! Tell me, belles: How are you accessorizing on your wedding day? Simple and classic, or colorful and bold? Comment and let me know!

Up next: I’ll share our engagement photos!

In case you missed a post…
The main characters
Where we’re getting married
I go dress shopping
We choose a photographer
I ponder bridesmaid style
Mini food!
The music
We’re renting a tent!
We discuss bouquets + boutonnieres
We send out our save the dates
I gather hair and makeup inspiration
We talk cake and sweets
I introduce you to our videographer
We create a registry
We buy a tuxedo
We style a reception

Mi Amore Foto, Jose Villa, and Nancy Ray are fabulous members of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

We’ve looked at inspiration and flowers, so now it’s time for fashion! Photographer Annie Edmonds sent over these lovely images of Southern belles in their Derby finery, and I don’t know about you, but they sure make me want to grab a mint julep and hitch the next ride to Kentucky for this weekend’s festivities! Are any of y’all lucky enough to be going to the races?

Dress: BHLDN // Hat: Louise Green // Gloves: Gaspar Gloves // Ring: Tacori

Dress: Tory Burch // Shoes: Seychelles // Hat: Louise Green // Earrings and Ring: Tacori // Necklace: Skinny by Jessica Elliot

On the left: Dress: Karen Walker // Gloves: Gaspar Gloves // Headband: Ban Do
On the right: Dress: BHLDN // Hat: Louise Green // Shoes: Poetic License // Jewelry: Tacori

Dress: Moschino // Shoes: Seychelles // Gloves: Gaspar Gloves // Hat: Louise Green // Jewelry: Tacori

A huge thank you to the talented vendors that brought this shoot to life!