FRIDAY Q&A: WAITING TO GET ENGAGED, MOVING TO GREENWICH, OUR FIRST DANCE SONG, AND MORE

Happy Friday! This will be our fourth weekend at home in a row and I think that may just be a new record for us. We don’t have any plans besides checking out a couple open houses but I will be sharing some exciting news next week so be sure to check back in then! Have a good one!

design darling friday q&a

1. Would you recommend studying abroad in Australia?

Our trip to Australia was amazing but I personally loved studying abroad in Europe! I spent a spring semester in Tours, France, and spent as many weekends as possible visiting friends who were studying in other European countries. It’s so inexpensive to travel between countries once you’re already in Europe and I wouldn’t trade those relatively affordable weekend trips for anything!

2. My favorite color combo is white and navy too! Do you prefer silver or gold as an accent color for white and navy wedding decor?

We didn’t really have a ton of decor for our wedding outside of our flower arrangements, but if you’re wondering about flatware or hurricanes, I personally prefer silver!

3. I have Greenwich, CT, on my places to visit, and possibly live, list. Any recommendations on where to go while visiting? Is it a great place to live? Suburban, yet close to New York?

We’ve loved living here! I grew up ten minutes north of here in Darien and they’re both beautiful suburbs less than an hour from New York. If you’re visiting for the day, I’d stroll down Greenwich Avenue and then spend the afternoon at Tod’s Point. I shared some of my favorite restaurants in this post! 

4. I would love to see outfit ideas for a bachelorette party where you don’t want to be too skimpy!

I’m not sure if you’re the bride or a bridesmaid so I’ll share ideas for both! I wore a white off-the-shoulder top with jeans and a white Lilly Pulitzer dress on my bachelorette party so I definitely didn’t go the skimpy route — you have to feel like yourself! If you’re the bride, I love the looks of this, this, and this. And if you’re a bridesmaid or friend of the bride, you can’t go wrong with a cute top and skinny jeans (love this and this) or a playful (but not provocative) jumpsuit like this or this. Have fun!

5. Looking for something to wear to my college graduation. Any dress picks under $200?

Congratulations! I wore a pretty eyelet dress to my high school graduation and then threw something together last minute for my Bucknell graduation — I wish I’d taken the time to plan ahead like you are! You absolutely don’t have to spend a fortune to feel pulled together (especially since your graduation gown will be covering your outfit for most of the day!) and I’d focus on finding a dress you’ll be able to rewear after the big day. How about something like this, this, this, or this with a pair of comfortable wedges?

6. What did you put on your wedding invitation for attire?

Our wedding invitations had a link to our wedding website which had all the information about attire for each event. Our wedding ceremony and reception were cocktail attire (cocktail dresses for women and sportcoats for men) with the addendum “the brighter, the better!” so people knew they could have some fun with it! 

7. Did you ever consider doing a minimoon or a delayed honeymoon? How did you make it work with Will’s job?

We left for our honeymoon two weeks after our wedding which gave us some time to get home from Nantucket and unpack and pack our bags before the long trip to South Africa. We were engaged for almost two years so Will had more than enough time to ask for two weeks off!

8. What was your first dance song at your wedding?

We agonized so long over this decision and wound up going with a classic — “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” by Frankie Valli. I get so happy every time I hear it! 

9. Did you experience the weird limbo of waiting to get engaged? I feel like I’m going crazy!

Will proposed after two years of dating so he really didn’t keep me waiting too long! We had moved from New York to Dallas together eight months prior so we’d had long conversations about where our relationship was headed pretty early on in our relationship. I think it’s so important to have an open and ongoing dialogue with your partner to make sure you’re both on the same page or to figure out how to get there if you’re on two different timelines right now. There is no reason you should be pining to be engaged without knowing where your partner’s head is on the matter! Communication is so, so critical and while it might seem scary to bring up such a serious topic, it’s one of the first of many serious conversations you’d be having as a married couple, so I strongly believe it’s worth ripping off the bandaid and addressing the elephant in the room (even if it means there are nerves or tears!). 

10. Where is your next dream trip? Hard to beat Africa / Australia!

I’d love to spend a week or two in Italy! I’m not sure when we’ll have the chance but I don’t think I’d ever turn down a trip filled with pasta, rosé, and incredible views! It’s been a few years since our trip to the Amalfi Coast in 2015 and my first visits to Florence, Rome, and Venice during my semester abroad in 2010 — I would go back to any of them in a heartbeat!