12 Dates of Christmas: On the fifth date of Christmas...

... I spent the day enjoying Christmas in Manhattan with my friend Jill, who was visiting from Minnesota.

We started our morning bright and early with a delicious breakfast at Norma's in Le Parker Meridien Hotel. Their cheesy french toast is honestly one of the most amazing things I have ever eaten- I have been thinking about it ever since our visit! After breakfast we shopped around at the Union Square Holiday Market, visited Tiffany's, and saw all of the beautiful holiday windows on Fifth Avenue. We also stopped at the Plaza Food Hall for some treats mid-morning. The pink and white cookies (or red and green during our visit) from William Greenberg Desserts are ones of my favorite treats in the city! It was so wonderful having Jill in New York City for the day. We have been friends since fifth grade and it was awesome to catch up and get lots of baby advice from her! If only she lived on the East Coast... come back and visit again soon, Jill! 

Our New York City Wedding {inside City Hall}

I always knew I wanted a small wedding. For years I actually envisioned Brian and I eloping! But I am so glad we ended up planning an intimate New York City event. We invited 19 of our closest family and friends to attend our ceremony at City Hall and dinner at Maialino. We anticipated waiting at City Hall for about an hour before our ceremony, but we ended up spending a few hours together inside before getting married. It was perfect time for both sides of our family to get to know one another, tell stories, and catch up. I love how our photographer captured so many candid moments throughout our two and a half hours there. Some of my favorite photographs from our wedding day were from these moments!

Our New York City Wedding {our first look}

The week of our wedding my friend Susan gave me a wonderful piece of advice. She asked me to enjoy every moment of the day and to fully take in at least one moment that I would viscerally remember forever. For me that moment was our first look. Brian and I met around the corner from City Hall before joining our family to go inside. I was so incredibly happy and couldn't stop smiling as we hugged, kissed, and talked privately together. Brian had no idea what I would be wearing, so it was also super exciting to show him my dress and accessories. After a few minutes together we walked to the front of 141 Worth Street and headed inside to get married!

Our New York City Wedding

Our New York City wedding was truly a dream come true. I can't wait to share photos from our special day throughout the week. Stay tuned!

Brunch on the Lower East Side

What began as an internet friendship quickly turned into a real-life friendship when I met Amy and her husband last September in the West Village for a day of sight seeing. I was so excited to hear from her again a few months ago to schedule another meet up! Amy and Chuck were in town to photograph a friend's surprise proposal in Central Park and met me in the Lower East Side for brunch the morning they flew in. We had a delicious meal at Freeman's, followed by pudding from Sugar Sweet Sunshine and ice cream from Ice and Vice. We had a great time wandering around and catching up! Amy and Chuck, thanks for another awesome day together. Looking forward to your next visit to the Big Apple!

Married.

Our wedding day was like a dream. I had always wanted a small, intimate New York wedding. We invited 19 of our loved ones to witness our marriage ceremony at City Hall in Manhattan. After we were married, Brian and I rode around the city together in a 1969 checkered cab. We stopped in DUMBO, admired the views from the Top of the Rock Observation Deck, and strolled around Gramercy Park. That evening we had the most amazing meal with our family at Maialino in the Gramercy Park Hotel. We laughed and cried through many speeches and left with full bellies and hearts.  It was honestly the most happy and least stressed I have been in my entire life. I cannot wait to spend a lifetime with Brian!

Our photographer, JC Lemon, sent us a few sneaks peeks from our day. I am so excited to see the rest of our photos in a few weeks! Once I have all of our photos from our wedding I will make sure to share more.