stacie's bachelorette weekend!

"so we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. by this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgement, because as he is, so also are we in this world. there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. we love because He first loved us." -1 John 4:16-19

on the weekend of march 9th, stacie and her wedding party went to charleston, SC for a bachelorette weekend! it was an absolute blast and a much needed, relaxing 3 days of vacation. plus we got to celebrate one of my best friends and her soon to be hubby. :) congrats stacie! i can't wait for april 28th!

the first place we stopped after arriving in charleston on friday was sesame burgers. (thank you tara for finding awesome restaurants and planning an amazing weekend of fun!)





my favorite part about this place was that you could order mini burgers in three different flavors! i decided to try the elvis burger which had peanut butter, bacon and banana on it - YUM!



after lunch, we headed straight to the hotel: the beautiful Charleston Place.





the rooms were awesome - i loved the furniture and decor, and the beds were realllly comfy.



after we got checked in, we went out for a stroll around charleston. we also did some shopping - all im saying is it was a good thing i did not bring my wallet with me that afternoon...

that night we had dinner at the leaf cafe. it was very yummy, but sadly, i did not bring my camera so i dont have any pictures from that night.

the next morning, we got up bright and early for a tour of the historic homes of charleston. we began at the house of our tour guide (laura wichmann hipp) - how gorgeous is this??







then we hopped in the van and started our tour!



our first stop was this amazing home on the water. this is where we had breakfast and learned a little bit about the history of charleston.





















after breakfast, we went outside for a small photo shoot. the house was just too perfect to pass up for pictures.









then we got back in the van and went to this beautiful garden down the road.













our third stop was at another huge historic house.





and then our final stop was back at our tour guide's house for tea!

mrs. hipp actually makes her own calamondin syrup (basically orange syrup that you can put on pancakes, biscuits, whatever, it was delicious!!) we each got our own to take home as a souvenir - thank you pam for those treats!





my favorite part: the dessert. i couldve eaten like 10 of those tarts.

after lunch, we went for a bike ride around charleston and battery park. it was a gorgeous day with a cool breeze.





for dinner that night, we went to the hominy grill. once again i left my camera at home, but the food was wonderful! i definitely recommend that place to anyone visiting charleston.

after dinner, we hurried back to the hotel to prepare for stacie's bachelorette party!



mama cathy sent georgetown cupcakes for the event. thanks mom! they were delicious, as usual. in fact, we continued to eat them for the rest of the night and the following day for snacks. :)

then we waited for stacie...





finally she arrived!

YAY!







first, there was a dress-making competition. syd vs. lily



i believe it was a tie! aren't they adorable?



then stacie had a gift of her own to present to us.

we were SO excited!!! new shoes for the wedding!!



the rest of the night, well, as they say: what happens in charleston, stays in charleston.

the next morning we met for brunch at the Husk restaurant.












we all had such an amazing weekend and it just made me that much more excited about the upcoming wedding! i am so so happy for you, stacie and i hope you're enjoying every minute leading up to the big day!