But why is the rum always gone?! Our honeymoon!

Our Christmas wasn't too exciting and since the weather has been a bit dismal and I'm ready for NC to decide whether it wants to get hot or cold, I figured it was high time that I recapped our honeymoon for all of you! I mean, some dreamy photos of the beautiful beaches of Antigua can't hurt can they?! AND they beat staring at the pile of work you've accumulated while being gone on vacation.

So our story begins.. We left for our honeymoon on Tuesday morning at 6am to Miami followed by a flight to Anitgua and I would highly recommend leaving a day or two later for your honeymoon! We totally allowed ourselves to unpack some things from the wedding and repack things we may not have considered, like snacks, and making sure all the cameras were charged. Also let's not forget the mass amount of CASH you can take with you... A few taxi's here and there made the cash super handy.

Our honeymoon resort was called Cocobay and it is an amazing resort. It is a very quite resort with not a lot of activity but definitely what we needed to unwind and unplug. No TV's in the rooms, no wi-fi, just amazing views at every turn, the most gorgeous beaches you've seen and awesome rum!!

I just kept wondering in a Jack Sparrow voice, why the rum was always gone?! (Because I drank it, duh!) Seriously, one day I had about three drinks by the pool and said to hubs, "I need to take a nap" and laid down and passed out.. whoopsie daisy! 

We stayed at Cocobay for 8 nights and it was wonderful really. The view was superb. We arrived a bit after lunchtime and were greeted with cold towels and rum punch by the hotel manager in which we were informed of the little resort oddities, like the one restaurant in which you had to pre sign-up for dinner but none of this really bothered us. We were NOT on a schedule and had no place to go beside a beach or pool...

 

Our adorable Caribbean styled cottage!

 

Netting in case you want to sleep with the doors open.
 

HELLO hammock of relaxation!

 

Our bathroom decorated with local flowers upon arrival.

 

The view from bed..

 

The view from our porch.

Private couples massage on said porch...

 

If anyone knows us, we like champagne to get the party started.. OH and the awesome indoor/outdoor shower.. SO FUN!

I would definitely recommend this resort over and over though. It was so simplistic and yet authentic without the cheesy resort games, and mass amount of people because your hotel holds over 1,000 people. Our resort maxed out at I believe at 160 guests, all with their own cottage. We walked pathways lit with "C"'s on the lamposts on the way home from dinner and were greeted always by friendly staff. The food was also excellent. There were plenty of fresh vegetables that I loved and lots of fish to try, they even had homemade ice cream at lunch and dinner, in which the flavor was always different. YUMMMM! 

 

The grounds..

 

Nothing like local caribbean music..

 YUMMY caribbean spiney lobster... WOW!

 

OH and fresh coconut shrimp?! Out of this world!

 

 GOOD MORNINGGGGG!

 OK, enough chatting and more photos!!! Here are some more gorgeous photos of the infinity pools and gorgeous beach(es), yes beaches, there are 365 on the island, of beautiful Antigua!!

 

 Oh and we also had dinner on the beach.. super romantic, I'd highly recommend it!

I am saving the best for last though. Hubby and I decided to forego the private dip pool on the resort and opt for a private 8 hour cruise on a private yacht instead, a way to really leave a lasting impression and an awesome way to spend some honeymoon money. I have to admit, it was well worth it. It was just hubby and I and the the captain sailing the day away, with a trip snorkeling and looking at the many beaches that line Antigua's shores.. It was a day we'll never forget! Many thanks to Miramar Sailing and Captain Kevin for an amazing honeymoon!! 

That's all folks! Our amazing Antiguan honeymoon! Like I said, I loved the resort but even if the resort isn't your style, I'd highly recommend Antigua because it's a GORGEOUS island with the most beautiful beaches, warm weather, and soft sand. The people are friendly and so welcoming and it's not over populated with tourists susurprisingly, so it's easy to find a secluded beach with hardly anyone on it. Where else can you do that?!

Now if only we were there right now... Until next time.

xoxo,
mrs. a. 

Post Wedding Blues

It's not just Christmas time that can be blue y'all.. I definitely feel that I'm suffering from the post wedding blues. I'm not even sure if that's a real thing but I'm feeling it. I find myself still looking at wedding blogs almost every day and still talking about weddings and being on Facebook in December is such a tease! Everyone is getting engaged and it makes me want to get engaged again and do it all over. Not that I really regret anything it's just that "feeling" if that makes any sense?!

I found myself one day driving down the road a couple months before the wedding thinking about how stressful the whole process was. I thought about how much I wanted it to be over because I was stressed, unhappy and overrun with details that I was constantly thinking about. Part of me would just think, "WHY do people go through an engagement?! It's really NOT all fun and butterflies!" but then I would think "I'm really going to miss this feeling of being engaged". I realized while being engaged it was fun to discuss my upcoming wedding with strangers who asked and wanted to know and it was SO fun going through the wedding weekend! 

It's just that with the excitement a wedding brings it can be super stressful, but then after it's all over and you sigh and relax on your honeymoon, you may be like me and realize that it's hard to let go. I mean, I HAVE to buy the new Martha Stewart Weddings magazine because of Blake Lively and Amanda from 100 Layer Cake's wedding... AND I'm already married. Perhaps it's an obsession or a stigma in society that comes with weddings but I did realize a couple months before our wedding that I was tired of seeing other weddings! Now I just want it to get married again. Oh well, I guess that's where hobbies come in! 

In the meantime I do want to continue blogging and sharing more details (I'm still waiting on my photos to really get back on track) and travel more and spend more time with the hubs instead of in front of my computer on Style Me Pretty. I promise I'm excited to be a wife though! I just had to tell y'all how I felt and I'm wondering if anyone else felt like this too?!

Miss y'all!
xoxo,
mrs. a.   

Monday Awesomeness

This weekend we wrapped up the 2012 wedding season with one of my dear friends marrying a wonderful man! It was a beautiful winter wedding in New Bern and it could not have been more perfect! Let's just say a dance party with monogrammed sunglasses?? Amazing no?! 

Here's some of the awesomeness:

 

 

 

And since December is an amazing month filled with love and family and happiness, it's my pleasure to announce that one of my best friends, bridesmaid, and gorgeous gal pal is ENGAGED!!!!!! I can't WAIT to start hearing about her planning details and lend a helping hand! Congrats Mandy and Brad!!! <3

Hope everyone else had an AWESOME weekend too!!
xoxo,
mrs. a.