When A College Bestie Gets Married

After over two years of planning, one of my best friends from college finally tied the knot with her man this summer! I met M when we were both in undergrad through a mutual friend. We were all in the College of Education together at Mizzou. These girls quickly became so very special to me! We had our weekly dinners together, and when we graduated we went in together to get football season tickets to start a tradition that is still going strong over five years later. When M asked me to be in her wedding, I was so thrilled to get to stand by her side! I hadn't been in a wedding yet, and I had no idea everything that would be involved! Over the span of two years, I wore Lilly to every Bridal event.

The Bridesmaids, Mother of the Bride, Mother of the Groom, and our Bride all wedding dress shopping in St. Louis. Our girl took us to 4 different bridal shops, only to end up buying the very first dress she tried on. :)

For a day of wedding dress shopping, I wore my Paws Off Elsa (older print, similar here), navy Heidi cardigan (old, similar here), J. Crew navy Pixie Pants, and Frye Melissa Button riding boots (I wear the extended calf). Elsa tops with Pixie Pants and boots are pretty much my fall/winter wardrobe! 

Next up, the engagement party! We got to go back to Home Sweet CoMo (our bride still lives and works there!) for a night celebrating the happy couple!

Our classic "pose". There are pictures of us doing this at Mizzou graduation, random nights out, my rehearsal dinner, my wedding, various events for M's wedding, etc. 

I wore my navy Lilly Pulitzer Charlena dress (older, similar here or here) with Kate Spade Karolina bow heels in seafoam (older color, similar style found here)

Fast forward about a year, which included my wedding, the birth of my baby boy, and life in general. I was unable to make it to the bachelorette weekend in Nashville because I was still on maternity leave, but the whole family made it to CoMo for the bridal shower!

Another even, another piece of Lilly! I pulled out my favorite Lilly Pulitzer Delia in Fountain Hopping for the occasion (similar here) and paired it with a navy Amalie cardigan and my blinged out Jack Rogers sandals. 

Just a few short months later, it was wedding time! Back to CoMo we went. The rehearsal dinner was at our favorite spot during undergrad- Shiloh Bar and Grill. You can't beat some good ol' college nostalgia! It was a pizza and beer kind of night, and we loved it!

The Bride and her Maids! Pulled out my Lilly Pulitzer Cadence dress in Dripping in Jewels. I adore this one! One of my all time favorite prints, and such a fun and flattering style! (similar here and here)

Wedding day at the Tiger Hotel in Columbia, Mo!

These girls <3

If you went to Mizzou, you know it's goals to drink Champagne on the Quad! 

Baby man pooped out in his Tula carrier the next morning! I love my Lilly Pulitzer Hillary Pullover for relaxed, throw on and go looks! 

Baby G and his favorite Bride at the Farewell Brunch!

Just a little throwback picture- way back to 2011! These girls have been there for me through thick and thin and I am so grateful we are still doing life together! 

Despite the expense, headaches, hard work, and drama involved in being in someone's wedding, I wouldn't trade it for anything! I love that I had the chance to be in this dear friend's special day. I can't wait to see what other big, special events we get to be a part of together!

xx, Emily Ann

My First Mother's Day

After years of feeling like I was waiting for my life to happen, it's like God hit the "skip" button and BAM! I had everything I had been waiting for. Life came on, fast. And I couldn't be happier! My husband and I dated for a year. At that point, we decided we would get married. The next thing we know, we're pregnant and moving up our wedding and planned the whole thing in under three months.

I always knew that marrying him meant a "ready made" family, and I loved that. I couldn't be happier to have immediately become a step mommy to our beautiful girl. L was 11 when her daddy and I got married, and just three days after she turned 12 her baby brother was born.

My colorful, beautiful, happy girl and I at an 80's band concert shortly after we found out I was pregnant

My heart has been filled to the bursting in the last year. I am so incredibly happy! We didn't go about things in the traditional way, but my family is the most important thing in my life.

Mother's Day 2015, I took a pregnancy test and my (then fiance) and I found out we were pregnant. Mother's Day 2016, I was mama to two beautiful children! L & G make every single day beautiful. <3

Mother's Day 2015 

The whole weekend was a very full one! My cousin who lives in California with her family flew in to visit our grandparents, so my husband and I made sure to make it up to St. Louis for the day on Saturday so our boys could meet and we could all catch up! It was wonderful- I hadn't seen her since our wedding in August!

My cousin and I with our baby boys and our Grammy. I have found that my Lilly Pulitzer Popovers have been getting even more love since having the baby- they are my new wardrobe staple! I'm wearing my Ahoy There Popover, which is an older one, but similar fun printed popovers can be found here! 

We spent our first official Mother's Day with my family. We went to church, brunched, and just enjoyed our day. It was a beautiful time! And you know me, I had to wear Lilly for the occasion! I had been saving my Lilly Pulitzer Southern Charm Cathy shift for the occasion. (similar found here)

With my husband, R, my mother, and my brother at brunch. My Searulean Blue Lilly Pulitzer Amalie cardigan has paired perfectly with the Southern Charm Cathy shift! 

With my sweet baby boy, G

Afternoon snuggles while G took his nap. I love how he curls up on me to sleep, it's so hard to put him down, even though I now I should! 

My G after bath time that evening- he is such a happy boy! 

Unfortunately, I didn't get to spend actual Mother's Day weekend with our girl. She was with her mother that weekend. But because she knew she wouldn't be with me for the actual day, she celebrated with me the weekend before. She gave me the sweetest card, and the gift she made me was so very thoughtful and original, I adore it! She is such a creative, artistic girl. She didn't know about Lilly before we were a family, and the previous summer I bought her first Lilly dress for my bridal shower. She remembered that it was a big deal for me as well as for her, and she made me a painting of the print of that dress. It was the best gift she could have given me! It is hanging in the bedroom now.

For her first Lilly print, I think she did a wonderful job! The print is Electric Feel. I can't wait to see what she creates in the future! 

I don't know what I did to deserve such a beautiful family, but I am so very grateful for them every single day!

xx, Emily Ann

Lilly Lover Meetup

If anyone were to ask what I love most about Lilly, there are some pretty obvious answers that most Lilly Lovers will give you: I love the colors, the prints are so fun, I love how Lilly makes me feel! The list could go on and on for me. But really, what I love most about Lilly is the people I have come to have in my life because of a love of the brand. The thing with Lilly Pulitzer is, it's not just a clothing brand, it's a lifestyle. There is a community that is all about this brand! When my best friend first introduced me to Lilly in 2010, I had no idea what I was in for. Not long after she got me hooked, I stumbled upon my first Lilly Facebook community. This group quickly welcomed me with open arms, and made me feel a part of something so much bigger than myself. I found myself a part of several other groups as the community kept growing and I found some ladies who I am still friends with today- almost 6 years later! I was lucky enough this weekend to get to meet up with a few of my favorite Lilly ladies. These are women I have met through the community, and I am so grateful to have met them! We had an absolute blast together, and I can't wait to plan the next meet up with these wonderful women!

I hit the road early Saturday morning, decked out in Lilly and ready to meet up with the other gals in St. Louis. I wore my Lilly Pulitzer Barefoot Princess Essie dress for the first time- and oh my goodness, I love it! It is such a flattering fit, and definitely great for a hot summer day in Missouri! I do find it to be a little "boobalicious" so I use my Miss Oops! Boob Tube to help with some of the cleavage without the annoyance of tank top lines on my hips. I have also been loving my Ray-Ban Erika sunglasses lately, it's great to mix-it-up for my usual Wayfarers every once in a while.

Our first stop, of course, was to Pink Magnolia, the Lilly store in St. Louis! You can't have a Lilly Ladies get together without a little shopping! I ended up with a few goodies that went home with me- a pair of Callahan shorts for my daughter, and a new pair of beach pants in Nice Ink- I have been waiting for those to come out for a while! 

All my Lilly Ladies! Decked out in our Lilly best- The Essie, Marlowe, Ali, and an oldie but a goodie- the Deanna Romper! (you can find similar here) And of course, what goes better with Lilly than Jack Rogers sandals and Tory Burch?

I also wanted to add- you can follow my friend, Jen, on her blogging journey And Hattie Makes Three! 

Next stop, lunch! We opted to eat at Canyon Cafe, and you can't have a lunch with your gals without some drinks! My margarita was amazing! The tacos were pretty fantastic, too. 

None of us had ever had a blowout before, so we went to a local blow dry bar, Breeze, to get our hair down. It was definitely an enjoyable experience- something I plan to do again for sure!

The finished product! Big hair, don't care. ;) 

I am so grateful to have had the chance to spend the day being pampered and having fun with my friends! If you also have young children at home, you understand, it's so important to get that "mama time". My husband was a trooper and took both kids for the day so that I could go out and play. He's a keeper for sure! I can't wait to do another meet up with these fabulous Lilly Ladies!

xx, Emily Ann 

A Very Lilly-Themed Bridal Shower

As soon as my mama's friends found out I was engaged, they immediately went into shower planning mode. And knowing me as well as they do, there was no question that this would be a Lilly Pulitzer Bridal Shower! I knew they were a very creative and crafty group of women, but I was floored by how beautiful my shower was! My all time favorite Lilly print is Hotty Pink First Impression. Anyone who has been to my home knows that the print is EVERYWHERE- on a large canvas over my mantle, a monogram canvas on my mural wall, even my shower curtain is HPFI. So the ladies took that and ran with it!

The adorable shower invitation! The ladies even found someone local to make cookies that were very Lilly-fied

Since my house was already filled with Lilly and Lilly-inspired items, the ladies raided my house for a few things to add to my shower. The way they put it all together, combined with the things they made was just beautiful!

They even ordered Lilly Pulitzer Hotty Pink First Impression vinyl to make my Bride to Be banner!

My "throne" as they called it, using my Lilly Pulitzer murfee scarf in the much loved print. (My scarf is from the original release of the print a few years ago, but other fun prints and colors are still available here!)

They used my canvas print as the backdrop for the cake table. The cake was fabulous!

My new monogarm <3

The Lilly-inspired shift cookies were almost too adorable to eat- almost!

I've wanted one of these old windows to hang in my house for ages, this was a shower gift from one of the gals. She took all my favorite photos of R and I and made something I can hang in our home. 

As of today, we're down to only 16 days until our wedding day! I can't wait to be Mrs. Smith!

I can't wait for 08/07/2015!

The cake was made by the same woman who will be making our wedding cake. She said she was so excited when they asked her to make a Lilly Pulitzer inspired cake because she has heard so much about it from her daughters- I love how it turned out! The inside was pink and blue. I can't wait to see how my wedding cake turns out after seeing her beautiful creation!

E & R

Of course I wore Lilly to my Lilly-themed shower. I had a dress from the fall line in 2011 that had been sitting in my closet, never worn, just waiting for the right occasion. I was so excited to finally get to wear it! My mama and maid of honor both wore Lilly for the occasion, and I bought R's daughter her very first Lilly dress for the shower. She looked absolutely adorable! 

My mama, on the far left, is wearing the Palmer (no longer available, but you can find the "updated" version of the dress here), and Roman's daughter is wearing the Betty dress in Electric Feel from last summer. 

Lilly Pulitzer Evie dress in Ring Pop. I wish they still made this style- it's so wonderful! 

ADPi sisters, college roommates, and now my Maid of Honor. I don't know what I'd do without this girl! 

My MOH is wearing the Gabby shift dress. The blue is no longer available, but they currently have it in prints and an adorable pink here! 

With both my grandmothers

I am blessed to have so many truly fabulous women in my life. They gave me a beautiful shower, where I felt so loved and had so much fun! 

xx, Emily Ann