Long Weekend in the Big Apple

We spent Memorial Day weekend in New York City for a family wedding.  Kevin and I have vowed that we have to make the trip more often.  It's so close and there is still so much we have to see (and eat!), so hopefully there will be many more long weekends taken there in the future.  The wedding itself took place at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.  It was beautiful, and boy was a good time had by all.  I have never been to a wedding where the dancing started before dinner was served (and between the courses)-- and I wouldn't have expected anything less from the amazing couple.

 {Nha Khanh Hydrangea Dream Sheath Dress via Rent the Runway |  JCrew Factory necklace | Steve Madden shoes | Franchi White Maya Clutch via Rent the Runway}

Besides the delicious food and desserts at the wedding, we pretty much ate our way through this trip, as we do most of our vacations.  

The day after the wedding, we spent some family time in Dumbo (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass).  We rode the carousel, snacked on whoopie pies, then rounded out the day at the New York Transit Museum so our nieces could see the trains.  It was a great family-friendly tour of Brooklyn.  Dumbo is a great little area of parks, food, and some great shopping. 

So long for now, New York.  We'll be back soon!

Where we stayed: 
Sheraton Brooklyn- bonus: our room had a view of the Statue of Liberty!

Where we ate:
Empellon
The Clover Club
Hunter's
Spice Thai
Junior's- famous cheesecake spot just around the corner from our hotel
One Girl Cookies  
Shake Shack

 

One Dress, Two Ways

Well it's December and officially holiday season, so I thought I'd share with you one of my little secrets for looking put together during the holidays: Rent the Runway.  A friend recently introduced me to this amazing company and I am hooked!  If you're not familiar with RTR, please check them out.  The website is super user-friendly, the have an awesome mobile app, and their customer service is fantastic.  Essentially the process is exactly how it sounds.  You rent designer fashion at a discounted price.  The dress choices and the prices are available in a wide range to suit any event or budget.  When the dress arrives, it's guaranteed to be in good condition and they even send you a second size to ensure fit if you'd like!  Check out more on how it works here. 

My first rental was for my high school reunion, where I rented a black Helmut Lang.  I felt so comfortable, and was so impressed with the whole process that I knew I'd be renting again soon.  The opportunity presented itself a couple of weeks ago for a friend's wedding.  I waited until nearly the last minute to decide what I was wearing, but Rent the Runway still had plenty of dresses available in my size so I landed on a purple Jay Godfrey.

Something that should be considered when renting is that you have your dress for two full days (the rental is really 4 days, but one day is lost on each end for shipping essentially).  I love that this leaves you open to use the dress twice if you'd like.  So Friday night you can dress it down for a girl's night.

{Jacket: Forever 21 (similar), Necklace: J Crew Factory (on sale!), Purse: Coach}

Then you can dress it up for date night on Saturday.

    
It's the perfect solution for all of the holiday events you may have coming up this season.  The question of what to wear has been answered!  

I recently purchased a Pro Account with RTR which basically means that you get free shipping and insurance for a year with an annual membership fee.  When you rent twice, it pays for itself.  I plan on sharing all of my rental experiences over this next year, and I'd love to hear about some of your experiences too!  Has anyone rented yet?



*Disclosure: I recently became an affiliate of Rent the Runway because I am huge fan.  I get a small commission on sales; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

*Linking up with Because Shanna Said So and The Pleated Poppy