Ask Me Anything: How I Picked a Wedding Dress, My Skincare Routine, 2019 Travel Plans, and more!

Happy Friday! Since I had a long travel day on Tuesday, I thought I’d see if any of you have any questions for me. It had been a while, right?! But instead of answering them on Instagram, I decided to save them for this post. A lot of the questions were really good, so I wanted to make sure I gave you thoughtful answers vs. super quick ones on stories!

Honestly, this was SO much fun to write, so if you like this format, let me know! I’d be happy to start adding these into rotation if you’re into that idea. Just comment below or shoot me a DM with a question for the next post!

Okay, let’s get to it…

How did you pick a wedding dress? Designers, number of try-ons, etc?

Honestly, I’m still surprised I picked a dress as quickly as I did. I overthink everything, so I’m really glad I didn’t let myself overthink this decision! I created a full list of Chicago bridal salons for you guys, but I knew I wanted to go to Alice in Ivory first. My sister kept asking me if we should make more appointments, but after that first visit it was clear we shouldn’t go anywhere else. I think her quote was “how did you find a bridal boutique that is so perfectly curated for YOU?” ?

Even though I found the dress during that first appointment, I was a little torn between that one and another one. Instead of feeling pressure to decide, I made another appointment when my sister in law would be in town. I’m very close with her, so I knew I’d feel more confident making the decision if I had her + my mom and sister all in the same room.

As soon as I put the dress on again, I knew it was the one. I didn’t really cry, which is surprising because I’m usually very emotional (guilty!). Instead I just felt really calm. I tried on a few more dresses to be sure I wasn’t missing out on anything, and we found one that came close but ultimately didn’t compare. The one I got is everything I wanted, plus everything I didn’t even know I wanted. And it’s super unique but still classic and classy. I’m all heart eyes for it!

My advice? If you have no idea what you want, try on tons of different styles. Something might surprise you! But once you get them on your body, if you’re continually drawn to one boutique, or one designer, or one style – listen to that! Ultimately, you want to pick the one that makes you feel the most beautiful and confident!

PS. If you’re planning a wedding, don’t miss out on my Wedding Planning Bundle! It includes a Printable 12 Month Wedding Planning Timeline, Wedding Registry Checklist with helpful insights from my married readers, a customizable Budget Template, a Venue Comparison Sheet, and EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNTS! Sound good? Click here to purchase!

Who does your hair/what do you do to it? I love the color!

Jenna is my hair wizard!!! She works at Platinum 34 in the Gold Coast and I can’t say enough good things about her. She does both my cut and color – and she does such a great job with my color that I can go a really long time without a touch up from her. Who doesn’t want low maintenance hair, am I right?! (Plus, she’s a DOLL. You can’t sit in that chair and not want to be her friend!)

Were you scared when you quit your 9-5 job?

Of course! I did my due diligence before quitting my job though! I wanted to make sure that I had money saved, a decent income stream coming in, and a rough business plan in place. You can read more about that big decision in this blog post! 

Have you been able to offset your previous full time job with your full time blogging?

Yes, I’ve been able to make more money blogging than I was at my old job. Granted, it wasn’t a super impressive salary, but still – I’m very proud of that! If you’re interested in how this first year of self employment has gone, you can read my reflections in this post!

Your skin looks flawless! What’s your routine?

Firs to all, THANK YOU and BLESS YOU to this incredibly nice human! Second, my skin is not flawless – I admittedly swipe over to the Paris filter on my insta-stories way too often. It’s very hard to resist, guys ?

That being said, I’m really lucky that I don’t deal with acne at this age. I’ll occasionally break out when I’m stressed or my period is coming or that one time I thought  I’d use a drug store cleanser instead of ordering more of my trusty Bioclarity (BIG mistake! Why did I do that?!). But most of the time, that’s not a huge issue for me. 

Yet I’ve started to feel 32 a little bit more recently… especially when I don’t have any makeup on. So to make me feel less self conscious, I splurged on this retinol serum that Liz Adams raved about before the last Sephora sale. And while I was at it, I also got this brightening and depuffing eye cream because I’m always looking for products to help my dark circles. I’ve been using these products after I wash my face – and that’s pretty much it right now! Sometimes I use tea tree oil when my skin is healing from a breakout, too. (It helps with redness/bumps and calms blemishes!) 

I feel like I can never really tell if those kinds of products actually work, but earlier this week, my friend Shaheen (who I haven’t seen in a while) complimented my skin as soon as she saw me. I attributed it to a good night’s sleep, but the more I think about it, I think these products might have something to do with it! Money well spent!

Have you started thinking about a honeymoon?

Yes! We’re going to go to Italy! Adam volunteers for a camp for foster kids in June, so we can’t go right after our wedding, which I’m actually totally fine with. We’re thinking of going somewhere in Wisconsin or Michigan for a few days right after, and then we’ll go to Italy in the Fall! It gives me more time to plan it, and we can go when it’s a little less touristy. Two good perks!

What trips do you have planned before 2019 ends?

We’re going to Montreal next weekend for fun (thanks for your recommendations, by the way!). After that, I am going to Northern California for another press trip. It will be another really quick trip, but I’m VERY excited about it! Then, later in October, my incredible Godmother is hosting a Bridal Shower for me before winter hits so I can celebrate with my East Coast family and friends. Honestly, I can’t handle how sweet it is of her to do – she’s just the best.

And lastly, we’re going to Arizona in November to celebrate my Mom’s 60th birthday! We did the same thing for my Dad’s 60th last year, and it was so fun to get away and be together, especially now that my brother and sister-in-law live in Austin now. I can’t wait!!!

That should be it! While other things can easily pop up, we don’t have any plans to travel around the holidays. I’m really grateful that we should be able to stay put and enjoy that season together. We both LOVE Christmas, so I’m already excited for family snuggles with the tree all lit up. Yes, please!

Personal question – were you dating much before/when you met your fiance?

To be honest, I never really “dated much” in the grand scheme of things. A few months before I reconnected with Adam, I went on a few dates with a guy a friend set me up with, but it didn’t last long. A few weeks after that fizzled away, Adam came up to me to say hi at Old Town Social, we got drinks to catch up a week later, and the rest is history.

Throughout my single years, I always approached dating as organically as possible. It’s not that I thought I was above dating apps, I think I just knew that I wanted to work on myself for a while. I was really enjoying spending my time however I wanted to – whether it was learning more about yoga, growing this blog, exploring the city – most of the time, I liked being single. My early 20’s were tough (no disposable income, not sure where my ‘career’ was going, dealing with the end of a long college relationship), so it felt good to finally THRIVE in a new city I was falling in love with!

I know it’s SO annoying when people tell you that you’ll find your person when you’re not looking, but I also think it’s true. Independence and confidence are attractive. At least to the kind of people you probably want to attract 😉

Best advice to get a blog started? Is the space too saturated?

This is such a tricky question. If you just want to jump in, get insta famous right away, and do what everyone else is doing, then yes – it’s too saturated. But if you feel like you have a unique voice and you could provide value to other people’s lives, then why not give it a try? I mean, aren’t all industries a little too saturated?

It all depends on what you’re trying to do and the type of content you want to create. It also depends on how hard you’re willing to work! I always hate to make it seem like this is the hardest job ever, because when comparing to a lot of other career paths, it’s not. That being said, there’s no guidebook and no one can tell you the secret recipe for success. You need to be ready for trial and error, lots of googling, and figuring out how to do a lot of things you probably never thought you’d need to learn. That’s just the truth!

If you’re interested in starting a blog, I’d recommend reading My Top 10 Blogging Tips first and go from there!

Where’s your shirt from?

It was from Loft – and it comes in a t-shirt version, too! Sorry I didn’t get to this answer on Tuesday when I was actually wearing it!

Any suggestions for functional but still cute winter boots for Chicago winter?

This will come in a blog post in the next few weeks – but let’s chat my personal favorites in the meantime! For everyday use, I bought these Blondo booties during the Nordstrom Sale. They’re a great basic, plus they’re super comfortable and waterproof. So practical!

As for true winter boots, I got J.Crew boots last year that I’m OBSESSED with (seen here). They’re not on the site right now, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they debut next month. I’ll keep an eye out for you guys!

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This was so fun! Let me know if you’d like to see more of these and/or if you have any additional questions!!

PS. You might also like Reflecting On A Year of Self Employment, Sephora Favorites, and The Best Chicago Bridal Salons!