looking back: my absolute favorite day of 2013, our wedding

Even though everyone says it, I can honestly say our wedding day was the best day of my life so far. We saw so many loved ones, danced the night away, and drank plenty of champagne {and maker's mark}.

looking back: favorite moments of 2013, part IV {getting glam}

It's so cliche, but it's so true: your wedding day flies by, and before you know it, you're eating hamburgers at the Ritz Carlton at 3am with your new husband {maybe that was just us}. All of my best girls stayed the night with me the night before our wedding at a house we rented in Sarasota. The next morning seemed like a mad rush to get ready, but we tried to linger over catered brunch and mimosas as much as possible. 

favorite moments of 2013, part III {my mother's wedding dress}

I am really bad about changing my mind if I plan my outfit in advance. When I do, I usually end up switching it up last minute and going in a totally different direction. I bought a super cute alice & olivia dress {seen here}, but as our wedding date approached, I, per usual, started second-guessing my choice. So three weeks before our rehearsal dinner, I went to my favorite tailor with a huge demand...

looking back: favorite moments of 2013, part II {engagement shoot}

It would be a serious stretch of the truth to say my (now) husband enjoyed our {two} engagement photo shoots. I had a sneaking suspicion we were getting engaged while in Paris, so like all normal girls, I booked a photographer for while we were there, claiming we HAD to have photos of ourselves in the City of Lights as a keepsake. Needless to say, when I explained we had to go through all of that again with our actual wedding photographers, my husband looked at me like I had three heads. Obviously, he's a keeper. Here are some of my favorite shots from that afternoon {it was super stressful since we drove all the way to West Palm after working half the day, but so worth it in the end}. 

all photos by kallima photography.

looking back: favorite moments of 2013, part I {bridal shower}

It has been so busy with the holidays that I've been more than remiss with blog posts (largely because cooking has fell to the wayside). Today I wanted to reflect on some of my favorite moments and days in 2013, since I'm sure you haven't seen a million of those all over the place already. This has been a great year, and we've got some great things planned in 2014 that I'm already looking forward to. But for today, I'm going to savor the last hours of 2013 - which was by far one of my best years yet.

closet shopping

I have to admit that shopping in my closet is really not one of my favorite activities... however, sometimes I find something I was always pretty whatever about that suddenly seems like a must-have item. I've probably had "boyfriend" jeans in my shopbop cart 12 times and then bailed before hitting "confirm purchase" (something that actually happens more often than my husband would believe). Then I realized I purchased these Joe's Jeans from Anthro literally years ago, and they were always too straight-legged and a bit too big ... in other words, now they're perfect. After a bit of DIY distressing {I've since distressed them a bit more}, they're now being worn on repeat after years of neglect. 

one-pan meals: sage turkey with spinach and mushrooms

Confession: sometimes, I really hate cooking. I am not one of those cooks who cleans up as she goes, so the more involved the dish, the crazier my little kitchen gets {luckily, we have an amazing unwritten policy in our house that whoever cooks does not have to clean}. On days when I've had a crazy, stressful day at work, but still want to eat organic, healthy, whole foods, I tend to make these one-pan meals.

bacon quiche

I'm nominating myself for sibling of the weekend award. Little Mia finally arrived last weekend, and she and her mom and dad went home from the hospital Friday night. Since they're apparently a bit crazy and had us all over on Saturday to squeeze the little bundle, I made this quiche so they wouldn't have to worry about breakfast for themselves the next day.

feeling festive

It's that time of year: holiday party season. I spotted this peplum at Anthropologie, and knew it would be perfect for a few of our upcoming holiday festivities. Usually I prefer overdressed rather than under, but during the holidays it feels like almost everyone overdresses... so I like to switch it up a bit. I'll definitely be repeating this slightly shimmery top {especially since I can overindulge given the space provided by the peplum}.

butternut squash noodles

We were never huge pasta eaters before we decided to cut grains, so it hasn't been too difficult of an adjustment in that regard. However, since I do love to make sauce (a la vodka is one of my faves), a great noodle alternative is a must. 

pulled pork lettuce wraps

I've always had a weakness for tacos (one of my husband's favorite stories from when we first started dating involves a late-night trip to... Taco Bell). When I get a real craving for Mexican cuisine, I throw paleo to the wind and head to Miguel's. But when I'm trying to stick to our healthier lifestyle (which right now is always), I make "lettuce wraps" to get real tacos out of my head.

low key

We spent our Black Friday doing just the opposite of most: we slept in and had a leisurely lunch at Oxford Exchange. Then we headed to our favorite local dog boutique and grabbed a few new items for our pup (the only family member we ended up shopping for, actually).