perfect + southern.

I'm joining in the Instagram fun with Ashley at a {little} dash of ash again this week!
This is a pretty packed post, but bear with me--there's lots of goodness for everyone ;)


Thursday night: {cv} and I flew into Raleigh to visit my longtime bff {kj} and her boyfriend {pw} in Durham. She just started business school at Duke and I am SO proud of her :) it was wonderful to get a peek into her fabulous new life in North Carolina! Later that night, we enjoyed a true Southern feast at 
The Q Shack. Since {cv} and I move north, we always seek out great BBQ...
and The Q Shack definitely delivered!

Friday: We set out to explore Durham, starting with a yummy breakfast at a super cute store called Parker & Otis--I couldn't get enough of all their fun paper goods or lovely kitchen goodies. From there, we visited the Duke campus to get a better taste of {kj}'s new digs. We then made the short drive to Chapel Hill to meet up with my sweet friend {ca} for lunch at Milltown in Carrboro--where I enjoyed
a killer avocado grilled cheese {yum!!!}. While {kj} wrapped up her classes for the day, {cv} and I 
then stopped by to see my dear friend {ac} at Bull City Burger and Brewery...another great stop 
on our tour of the Triangle.

Friday night: {kj} embarked upon her first campout for Duke tickets--an annual rite of passage for any Duke student, so we dropped her off so she could get acclimated before we met up with her after a few drinks at Alivia's Durham Bistro with three lovely ladies: {es} from All You Need Is Love and {jm} from Seashells + Southern Belles, and {ca}--who now really wants to start a blog ;) Again, my love of the blogging community was affirmed after meeting these two gals, who are as sweet {and Southern} as I imagined they would be. After we left Alivia's, we headed back to Duke to spend a few hours with {kj} at the campout, which turned into a rainy {yet massively fun!} evening. I love any time I can get with my best girl friends, so even though I'm not a Duke fan, I got to enjoy to hype with her!

Saturday: Our day began all too early with an 8:00am flight up to the DC area, but the upside was getting more time in one of my all-time favorite cities, Alexandria. I lived there from 2008 to 2009 and was excited to explore Old Town again. We stayed at the Hotel Monaco, a Kimpton hotel with lots of eclectic charm. After we got settled, {cv} and I took a stroll, stopping by the brand new paper goods shop, Fifteen Eleven--an impeccably designed storefront which is an absolute must-see for any paper lover. We then bopped in Olio Tasting Room, where we sampled tasty olive oil and balsamic vinegar to our hearts' content. {cv} and I enjoyed some tasty pizzas at Pizzeria Paradiso at their newest outpost in Old Town. We've long been fans of their Georgetown location, so it was exciting to get a taste of it in Alexandria. Before getting gussied up for the wedding, we had a quick cocktail with two of my DC pals, {ms} and {mr} at Jackson 20. It was good to catch up and live vicariously through their DC lives!


Saturday night: {vp}--now {vl} :) married the love of her life, {kl}, in a stunning ceremony and reception at The Carlyle Club. {She's the beauty behind The Wired Bride and now Life as a San Franciscan, who you may have seen on Style Me Pretty and in this past post!} Her wedding was planned to the nth degree and we were so so honored to be guests! {vl} looked stunning {as always!} and they couldn't be a more perfect match. From the mashed potato bar to the flip-flops, I was in heaven. Their celebration was joyous and lively, just like the two of them! {For the wedding, I sported another Rent the Runway ensemble and loved every minute!}


Sunday: After a festive night of dancing and happiness, we woke up to meet my dear friend 
{kh} at Jackson 20 for brunch, with bottomless mimosas and ice cream waffles included ;) 
We then perused Red Barn Mercantile and stopped by her precious apartment before she had to 
head to work. {kh} recommended we stop by Virtue Feed & Grain--a gorgeous new restaurant 
near the waterfront in Old Town. {cv} was happy to see some football and my friend {ar} saw 
my foursquare check-in and stopped by--it was fabulous!


All in all, it was the perfect Southern weekend--which {cv} and I both needed. I so enjoyed
getting some quality time with him, especially since life has been increasingly busy lately.
Exploring with {cv} could be counted as one of my favorite hobbies ;)

How did you spend your almost fall weekend? Did you explore anywhere new?

Cheers to a fabulous week--More from me tomorrow! xoxo {av}

P.S. Thanks to {es} for letting me steal that sweet instagram of us on Friday night :)

26 comments:

  1. LOVE your dress and love rent the runway! i have had such great experiences with them as well! Also that grilled cheese looks like something I need to try and re-create at home ASAP!
    xo
    Meggan
    Lila Grace

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  2. what a hottie you are in that dress a! :)
    a fabulous weekend, indeed! mmm i wan that waffle asap!

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  3. Looks like a delicious weekend to me! And your dress is absolutely gorgeous. Love Rent the Runway :)

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  4. How did I not know you were in Durham this weekend?! I was there all weekend, too!!! Agh. Your dress is adorable! I need an excuse to use RTR soon! :) And I LOVE the Q Shack... my family ate there for lunch yesterday. Such good food. Glad you enjoyed your weekend!

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  5. visiting from the link up! looks like you had a super fabulous weekend sweetie!!

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  6. sounds like a wonderful weekend and i LOVE your RtR dress and those earrings!! yes please :) xoxo jillian:: don't miss my ayofemi jewelry giveaway

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  7. "That's why I rent the runway girl!" Looks likes such a fun weekend!
    xx
    Z

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  8. Sounds like such a fun weekend!! That dress looks awesome on you. And that waffle?? Yes, please!

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  9. Wow, I'm totally jealous of your weekend. Looks amazing!

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  10. sounds like an awesome weekend! All of that food is making my mouth water... especially that waffle.

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  11. Sounds like you had an AMAZING weekend!! So jealous of all that food -- and your dress!

    xxx

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  12. Such a fun weekend! Loved all your pics and was extremely jealous of the pastry filled tray ... Yum!

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  13. I've been loving following along with you on Instagram...all your pics are GREAT! I especially love those pretty shutters, and the grain chairs. :)

    Sounds like the most wonderful weekend! YAY for happy times!

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  14. Aw, I'm from Alexandria but now live in Cali. This post made me nostalgic! I love Old Towne so much.

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  15. Great post {av} so glad you had a good time! Love how sweet and in love you are w {cv} and that y'all (how's that for Southern?) had a great weekend! xo

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  16. Oh my goodness, what a busy, beautiful weekend! I feel like such a lazy fool compared to the two of you!

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  17. I had such a great time! and I LOVE that RTR dress! You picked a good one!

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  18. Ah, that food looks seriously delicious! Loving your dress from RTR, too!

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  19. What fun you had!! You shoulda stopped in Charlotte! ;)
    Next time for sure!! That ice cream waffle looks yummmmy!

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  20. I loooooooove Alexandria! When I lived in DC, The Remix was a fave vintage shop of mine. I heard that it closed though. Boo!

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  21. Oh my goodness, this sounds like an amazing weekend. I've never truly experienced the South, but I am dying to!

    Cheers!
    Catherine
    http://bradfordandcatherine.blogspot.com/

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  22. Isn't instagram so fun? It's like an instant photo editor right on your phone! I love it! And, slightly addicted...www.atfirstblushbeauty.com

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  23. come baaaaaaaaack!!! NC misses you!! we had simply the best time ever, and hope the rest of your time in DC was fab. you look gorgeous in that RTR dress -- get it girl!! and all your food pics are making me drooooool. miss you already!! xoxo

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  24. Whitney of Cheerios and Beer pointed me in your direction and I love the blog! I just had to comment because I LOVE Rent the Runway, and the dress you're wearing is the one I rented for Labor Day weekend! BUT, the person who rented it before me hadn't returned it on time (grumble), so I got a free upgrade and chose a different Shoshana dress. Looks awesome on you!

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