A (last minute) Gift Guide for the Bride-to-Be

Looking for a gift for your fave bride-to-be, but aren’t looking for a standard bride gift? Well this is the list for you! No bride-to-be mugs or ring dishes on this list! These gifts your gal will love today or long into her marriage! These are all products I use and love myself.

Disclaimer- this post includes some affiliate links which I may receive a commission from.

Mizu Aura Crystal Water Bottle

One of my biggest health challenges is drinking enough water. I absolutely adore my clear quartz water bottle. It inspires me to keep chugging all day, and I swear the crystal gives the water a pure taste. I chose clear quartz because of the benefits: “Natural Clear Quartz Crystal helps to break through mental and emotional blocks, opening up the heart and mind to insight and higher guidance.” They also offer rose quartz “to create connection, encouraging unconditional love and attracting new or stronger relationships” - my pick for the bride in your life. They also have amethyst and smoky quartz!

Use promo code: SHEDFORTHEWED for $15 off your first order!

a high quality Spiralizer

For the health conscious bride, a spiralizer will take you far! The easy, cost efficient way to make veggie noodles apart of the weekly dinner repertoire! This is the most updated version of the spiralizer I use at home! I use the Paderno brand. This version has more blade options! Fancy, huh?!

Shed for the wed program

Give the gift of health this Christmas! Heading into the new year, we all could use an extra health boost! Help the bride and bridesmaids in your life to start the year off with healthy eats and recipes. Use code CHRISTMAS18 for 20% off ANY order including coaching with me!! Say wha?! Also, it’s all digital, so no worries about receiving a package in time!

Shop Novaa - Clothing, jewelry, and accessories

Hello, ethical, sustainable fashion! Buy your bride a cozy sweater or a piece of cool jewelry and support a local midwest start up dedicated to shopping sweatshop free! Use promo code: Shed15 for 15% off entire order! AND they are doing free 2-day shipping to get your gifts in before Christmas!

Still drooling over this wrap dress. (click to shop!) Photo from NOVAA

Yeah, I’m a sucker for stripes. (click to shop!) Photo from NOVAA

Erin Condren Life Planner

I have been using Erin Condren life planners for the past 4 years. There are so many planners out there- but this one really has the perfect formula. Monthly views, and weekly page views help for plotting the big picture and the nitty gritty details- perfect when you are planning a wedding! Bonus points- the covers are customizable and interchangeable! And do you see that rose gold?! 😍😍😍 They also have a beautiful wedding planner option if your bride doesn’t have one yet!

Use this referral link for $10 off your purchase!

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That’s it for my last minute gifts! What are you most looking forward to this holiday? Wishing you a cozy, happy, love filled Christmas! -AHS

Honeymooning on the Amalfi Coast

In September, Conor and I went to our friends’ wedding in Amalfi, Italy. It was a dream: the clear blue water, the mountainous terrain, lemons everywhere, THE FOOD. It was a truly magical and beyond romantic experience. While we were pretty much occupato the entire time we were there, I could not help but notice what an amazing spot it would be to honeymoon! Here are some of the most romantic highlights from our trip. Allora, andiamo!

Stay on a lemon farm (or at least visit)

This was probably the most surprising gem of an experience. We booked an AirBNB and were not really sure what to expect. Since most of our friends had chosen to stay nearer to the water, we wondered if we had made a mistake. NOPE. Every morning we woke up in a little slice of paradise. We literally watched people walking donkeys through the fields of lemons. There was a waterfall right next door. Breakfast every morning under the lemon tree canopy. We felt far from the hustle and bustle of all the tourists in town, even though it was just a quick walk away. The one downside–it is a pretty steep walk up the hill after our long nights. But I do wonder if it helped me with not gaining any weight on the trip! (Downright miraculous really!)

If staying there isn’t your cup of tea, they have lemon experience tours! This company owned our AirBNB and had a booming tour business. You definitely don’t want to miss the more mountainous side of town.

Go for a swim at Hotel Luna

Yes, this is really us. Can you feel the bliss??

Um, the picture above says enough, right? The pools are built into the rocky terrain, and have access to the sea. It’s private and quiet compared to the nearby spiaggie (beaches)! Maybe the highlight is a little Italian man named Pepe who runs the show there. Watch out, he may become your new best friend.

Bonus points: go for a midnight swim in town with your boo. Yeah we did that too! Skinny dipping anyone? #romanticAF

Sail to Capri

Can you even with that crystal clear, turquoise water? I CANNOT.

Taking a day trip to Capri is a must. Capri is a little island about 20 miles away from Amalfi. It is a bit of a tourist mecca, so best to go in the off season if you can. It’s probably most well know for its blue grotto. We visited a private beach club, La Canzone Del Mar, while we were there. We had a fabulous lunch and swim there. Be aware, if you do choose to swim there, they will charge you €!

Spend some time in Ravello

The view from Villa Eva - the reception venue for the wedding.

Taken in the town square at cocktail hour. The sun was just breaking through the clouds. *magic*

Ravello is a charming town set in the hills looking down on Amalfi and the sea. It’s a little slice of heaven. It’s where the wedding actually took place, so we didn’t have time to do enough exploring. But can you beat cocktail hour in the main square in town after a fresh summer shower? The views are unbeatable. You can apparently hike to and from Amalfi, but I wouldn’t recommend it in heels! The town almost transports you back to a simpler time. Don’t miss it.

Eat like the Locals

This was served in a parmesan cheese bowl. I’m still drooling, months later.

A little prosciutto panini? Yes please!

Grilled octopus (polpa griglia!) in a chili tomato broth. Absolute heaven.

Yes- enjoy the carbs. But don’t miss out on some of the freshest seafood ever. We are talking literally fisherman to table here people. The grilled octopus shown above may be the best thing I’ve ever eaten in the entirety of my life. And yes, don’t sweat the carbs and fat. You are walking enough to just enjoy. Also, food is real in Italy. Ingredients are better, fresher, and food isn’t over processed. Soak it all up! Try to avoid the tourist traps though. Things to watch out for- Alfredo sauce (an American invention), the use of the word “marinara” (another American invention!), and pictures on menus.

Other thing of note

Go shopping! The Amalfi coast is known for it’s gorgeous painted ceramics. Stock up!

Don’t drive. Please don’t drive. But, if you do drive: it’s critical to pick up your car within the reservation time. Unlike in the US, they will give your car away, and automatic transmissions are hard to come by. If you aren’t comfortable driving a manual transmission around coastal cliffs and hills, that is. We ended up in a SUV. We had to drive it through the tiny narrow streets all the way up to our AirBNB. Our Italian host literally called my husband a hero for not hitting anything or anyone. No one needs that kind of stress! There are ferries, trains, and buses that can get you where you need to go!

Positano. We were supposed to visit Positano but our plans were disrupted. From what I hear, it’s also on the not to be missed!

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This is by no means a comprehensive list of what you could do during your stay on the Amalfi Coast. But I hope it inspired some wanderlust and could help you visualize what your coastal honeymoon could look like! Can you feel the romance?? I’m still swooning. What’s on your honeymoon short list? -AHS

Strawberry Banana Spice Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1/3 frozen 🍌 banana⠀

• 3 frozen 🍓 strawberries

• 1 heaping tsp of organic 🥜 butter ⠀

• dash pumpkin pie spice

• 1 tbsp chia seeds ⠀

• Plant based milk 🥛⠀

• Garnish: fresh berries ⠀

• Optional: handful of spinach

Instructions

Layer ingredients. Cover ingredients in plant based milk. Blend. Top off with fresh berries. This is like a super filling strawberry milkshake for breakfast.

How He Asked

The pictures from our 2013 phones are really not great quality. So this is from our engagement session the following Spring. Photo by Kristin LaVoie Photography

Yesterday was the 5 year anniversary of our engagement! In honor of the occasion, I wanted to share the story of how he asked!

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The year was 2013. The town, Chicago. Conor and I had recently moved back to the States after a glorious year living down unda, in Sydney, Australia. While we had lived together when we were there, when we returned home, he got an apartment close to his office, and I moved back in with my parents. So to see each other, we would often have weeknight date nights after work.

That fall I had started volunteer tutoring with an awesome organization, Chicago Lights, located on Michigan Ave. It was a tutoring evening, so when I finished he picked me up and told me we were going to this sushi place in his neighborhood.

We were driving towards dinner, and I notice he missed the turn, and then he turns the opposite direction from sushi. At this point, I’m thinking, “What’s going on? Where are we going? What’s happening?”

We pull up at the Radisson Blu, in the Aqua building (Conor’s favorite building in the city at the time). He says, “Surprise! We are doing a staycation here tonight! There was a flash sale (lol not true) so I thought it would be fun!” This was not that far off from our occasional change up in routine, so it wasn’t completely out of character. But I was definitely deep in my head. “Is it happening? Or is he just being spontaneous? You’re imagining this.”

We get up to our room, and it has a killer view of the Wrigley Building and all of the Christmas lights along river. Even the bathroom had a view! We stepped outside on the balcony and it was freezing, and promptly returned inside. We then looked at the view from the bathroom for a while. Meanwhile, my mind is going crazy in every silent moment staring out the window. We finally got out of the bathroom (thank God!) and found ourselves in a cozy corner looking down at the Christmas lights. Next thing you know he starts saying all of these really nice, loving things, that I couldn’t repeat even if I tried, because a moment later he was down on one knee and I was mess. He asked me to marry him and the rest is history. 💘

I had never been that girl pestering and wondering when it would happen. And it’s interesting, for a really long time I didn’t want it to! We were so happy as things were- I didn’t want marriage to change things. Also, to be fair, I am a child of divorced parents who met in college (just like us!) and I did not want that fate for myself. We had been together for 6 years when I finally felt like we could begin to approach the subject of engagement! I know, I’m crazy. But when the time came, I could not of have been happier or more ready.

What I love about Conor and our relationship is that we know each other sometimes better than we even know ourselves. He told me later, he didn’t even know the night before he proposed, because if he knew, he knew that I would figure it out. So he had to surprise himself in order to surprise me! He had the ring for months before finding the right moment to make it happen. He also knew that I wouldn’t be keen on something large and public, despite the fact that he is super charismatic and thrives in the spotlight. It was a special night that was really just shared by the two of us- which made it all the more meaningful to me.

It’s funny because in someways your engagement is the beginning of your story, even though it can feel like a fairytale ending. There is so much ahead, both beauty and hardship. We have been through so much over the past 5 years (I mean really 11 years now!), and have so much more ahead of us. Being married is the process of falling in love, over and over again. 💖

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So that’s our story! I would love to hear yours too! Comment below or send me a note on Insta or FB! Happy engagement season, beauties! -AHS