A St. Lucia Honeymoon

If you've been following along recently, you already know that Will and I spent a week honeymooning in St. Lucia and it was an absolute dream! Before we ventured overseas, I wrote a blog post offering an inside peek into the resort we would be staying at. And let me just say that I was quite 'photo-happy' while Will and I were in St. Lucia, trying to capture all of the colorful buildings, the architectural details and all of mother nature's goodness...especially everything at our resort; Cap Maison. Because we were in St. Lucia for a week, I have tons of photos and information I could share but don't want to overwhelm anyone so I'll do my best to keep my St. Lucia posts as brief as possible, while still giving lot's of details and helpful information!

Two weeks ago on a Monday morning, Will and I woke up excited like little kids on Christmas morning, boarded our plane at the Charlotte International Airport and made the four hour trip overseas to our beautiful destination. We landed at the Hewanorra International Airport in Vieux Fort, went through customs and then waited for a van to pick us up and take us to the "heli-pad" where we took a helicopter to the George F.L. Charles Airport in Castries.

There are only two airports on the island, the main one (Hewanorra) being on the South side and our resort on the far north. They are pretty much on opposite ends of each other which meant Will and I had two options. We could take a taxi from Hewanorra to our resort which would be about an hour and fourty-five minute drive OR we could take a fifteen minute helicopter trip to the second airport and catch a taxi that would take us to our resort. We looked at the pros and cons of both options and decided to go with the helicopter for our arrival and a taxi on our last day. That way we got to see all of Saint Lucia from both land and air on our trip. Plus, we wanted to ride along with a local to learn more about the island and it's history which is something Will and I both are fascinated with.

But back to the story...neither of us had flown in a helicopter, and knew it would be a neat experience and would get us to our resort much faster. The only downfall was that the weather when we arrived was rainy and cloudy and made seeing everything a bit difficult and kind of scary. It was so worth it though and we would be willing to do it again, on a more clear and sunny day.

After all of our traveling, we finally made it to Cap Maison and were in awe of what we saw. As soon as we were dropped off, we were greeted by staff and offered refreshments and a cold cloth to use to cool down from the humidity that the afternoon's storm had brought in. Once checked in, we were taken to our room. We stayed in Room 8 which was a Junior Suite and just what we were looking for. If you ever have the opportunity to visit St. Lucia and decide to stay at this resort, we highly recommend Room 8 because of the ocean views, the specious balcony and cozy interior. From the balcony we could see the resorts main pool area, and the main restaurant. It was really nice being located so close to everything and was perfect for people watching!

After about an hour or so of unpacking our bags and relaxing, the weather started to clear up and we were able to venture out and explore the property. One of the things I personally loved most about the property was the Spanish Caribbean design and the fact the resort had it's own private beach and beach bar called The Naked Fishermen. 

After leisurely strolling around the resort and checking everything out, we made reservations and enjoyed our first of MANY delicious meals at The Cliff at Cap Restaurant. We watched the sunset, popped a bottle of champagne and toasted to a week in paradise before calling it a night. Our first day was a success and we were a happily married couple.

Later this week I'll be sharing more photos and recaps from our honeymoon and I'm really excited to tell you about my favorite things that we did. You can expect my next honeymoon post to be focused on all of the land and sea activities that we took part in. Until next time...orevwa (which is goodbye in Creole and one of the many words we learned on our trip)!

Bridesmaids Luncheon

I can't believe I'm finally a Mrs. and back from an amazing honeymoon which I am still uploading all of our photos from and can't wait to share them with you soon! The days leading up to our wedding were fairly stress free and felt very much surreal. We got married on Saturday, June 13th, drove back to Charlotte the following morning, and left for Saint Lucia early Monday morning. To be honest, I was a bit worried that all of the wedding festivities, along with our big day, would be a big blur to me but luckily that wasn't the case! Of course there are some aspects that I don't remember distinctively but one of the things I prayed for regularly leading up to the wedding was to have a peace of mind and heart and the ability to savor every sweet and intimate moment that passed me by. God was very gracious and answered my prayer and I'm so appreciative of that.   

The afternoon before the big day, Will's Mom Mary Lou, Grandmother and close family friend Michelle hosted a bridesmaids luncheon for me and my favorite ladies. It was held at a lovely French Brasserie in Raleigh's North Hills shopping center at a place called Coquette. I was so anxious for the luncheon because it was a time that I got to personally thank everyone for their love and support throughout the whole wedding planning process. It was also the perfect time for me to hand out gifts I got for everyone to show my appreciation for them and all they have done for Will and I. I was especially excited to give my bridesmaids something I made them. You might remember this post I posted on Instagram about a month ago secretly showing something I was making for my bridal party while at Beads in Charlotte. The final product? Gold earrings for them to wear at the wedding. You can kind of see what they looked like in the picture below!

The luncheon as a whole couldn't have gone better and it was everything I could have ever wanted and more. Everything from the food, to the lovely toasts made, all the way down to inside jokes shared and photos taken, I had a wonderful afternoon.

Stay tuned next Monday and read the first part of our St. Lucia honeymoon!

Cap Maison

Y'all, it's Friday and I'm getting MARRIED tomorrow! Eek! I can't believe our big day is finally here and the countdown is over. To say we are excited for our life as one to begin would be an understatement. And what better way for us to enjoy being newlyweds then to travel to a destination that neither of us have yet to experience, and to celebrate our first days of marriage as just the two of us, savoring all of the blissful and relaxing moments that we have been dreaming about for months?!

So welcome to Cap Maison friends! The place Will and I will call "home away from home" for a full week following our wedding day. I mean....did you look at those pictures above?! All of the photos came from Cap Maison's website and I can't help but sit here and daydream about how amazing this place will be when we see it in person. We will be staying in an 'ocean view' Junior Suite that has it's own private veranda and even a minibar. Y'all, I can't wait to wake up early, have breakfast in bed some mornings, and some days even outside, and spend our days exploring the property and all of St. Lucia. 

For most of you, you know that I'm a planner, but when it came to planning our honeymoon, we wanted to leave our schedule pretty open. Of course we have a list of things we want to do, but we want our time to be spent relaxing, going with the flow and being as flexible as possible. Something we both struggle with doing and thought would be the perfect time to practice while on vacation. Even though we don't have much set-in-stone, we are looking forward to our helicopter ride from the airport to our hotel once we arrive, going snorkeling, visiting La Soufriere Volcano and the Sulfur Springs Park in Soufriere, checking out the Castries Market and eating lots of yummy food.

I'll be documenting my time in St. Lucia periodically via Instagram (@mmackvick) and Snapchat (@mscheek) so be sure to follow along over the next week and when I get back I'll be doing a few recap posts. Have a great weekend, y'all! Can't wait to catch up when I get back!

Something Old, New, Borrowed and Blue

10 days until our wedding y'all! I can't believe in just about a week I will be putting on my wedding dress and getting ready to marry my best friend! Since we are nearing the single digits , I thought today would be the perfect time to write another wedding post.

Something Old, Something New, 

Something Borrowed, Something Blue...

Something OLD...this is supposed to represent something from the past, whether it belongs to the bride or someone she knows. Something NEW...this symbolizes optimism for a happy future. Something BORROWED is supposed to represent borrowed happiness. And the something BLUE is for love and fidelity. You've also probably heard of the "sixpence"...well that is for good luck and is usually placed in a shoe.

After doing some research and figuring out what each of these things represent, I wanted to take the time to really figure out what I would have for my something old, new, borrowed and blue. A few were easier to figure out then others, like the something old and new, but figuring out what I wanted for my something borrowed and blue...that took a little bit more time!  Below I will share what I'll be using, along with other alternatives that are just as great! Remember, not all brides decide to participate in these "superstitions" so it's okay if you don't incorporate everything. And make sure that whatever you settle with is meaningful, especially for you. 

For my something old I'll be wearing my grandmother's wedding ring that my mom gave me two years ago at Christmas. She is no longer with us and was the only grandmother I was fortunate to get to know and our relationship is one that I will always cherish. Every time I wear her ring, it makes me think back on the strong Christian relationship my grandmother and grandfather had, one that lasted so many years and was a great example of what true love looks like. Not only is my something old sentimental, but it's also very practical. Other options for your something old could be a small photo charm of loved one's who have passed that you attach to your bouquet, a heirloom bible that is used during your ceremony, wearing the same veil your mother/aunt/grandmother wore on her big day, or using the cake topper that was used in a previous family member's wedding.

I love jewelry and I love when I find classy and timeless pieces to add to my collection. So what better way then to buy a new pair of earrings that I will wear as my something new? The Nina 'Rennie" Teardrop earrings that I found complete my bride "look".  They are the perfect size, lightweight and remind me of "vintage glamour"...which is exactly how I would describe my wedding dress! 

For a lot of brides, their wedding ring or even their dress serves as their something new, and for others, like my friend Kate, one might receive something from their soon to be Husband that they can wear after the knot is tied. For Kate, her Hubby gifted her with a beautiful monogram necklace that showcased her new initials. Another idea for something new could be champagne flutes with your initials on them to be used at the wedding reception during the toast.

Something borrowed. This one was a little bit more difficult for me to figure out. I've heard that some brides will borrow wedding bands of a couple who have a love that really inspires you and tie the rings to their bouquet, or wear them as a necklace. Other brides may borrow jewelry, or items to be used at the wedding ceremony or reception. My something borrowed will likely be a small clutch that I can use to carry my lipstick, my phone, tissues and things that I might want or need throughout the day.

Something blue. There are so many ideas for this one. One idea that I love is a hidden snippet of blue stitched into your gown. This could be your new initials, your wedding date, or a little heart. My something blue will be the garter that I wear that Will's Mom is giving me, along with blue nail polish I wear on my toes. Another option for your something blue could be a robe or whatever you plan to get ready in the morning of your big day.