Southern Weddings

The Fourth of July is a fan favorite in the Southern Weddings office (in fact, we all agree that if Kristin were a holiday, she would be the Fourth of July). We may love to celebrate, but that doesn’t mean we all have huge plans – in fact, at least Lisa and I are staying close to home, and no one is flying anywhere this weekend! We are big believers in staycations, both on holidays and normal weekends, and so today, just in time for the Fourth, we thought we’d share a few of our favorite tips for creating memorable occasions, whether or not they include travel!

Big hugs to our own Lisa and Dave for modeling for this mini shoot, and to Blue Ribbon Vendor Callie of Nancy Ray Photography for the sweet photos!

Create an itinerary. Just as you would for a vacation in another state or country, make an itinerary for each day of your staycation. Your itinerary can be simple (for example: Saturday afternoon: pool for four hours), but be sure to write it down. An itinerary will help you both get excited for what’s to come, and keep you from wasting time and getting frustrated brainstorming things to do once your staycation arrives.

Get the chores out of the way. You wouldn’t be doing laundry or scrubbing floors if you were staying in a hotel, so don’t do them on your staycation, either! To keep the urge to clean at bay, do some prepwork ahead of time: get all the dishes out of the sink, clear the common areas of clutter, vacuum, change your sheets – whatever will be nagging at you if it doesn’t get done, and will help you relax if it does!

Use your resources. Does your apartment complex have a pool? Plan to visit it! Have a friend with a gigantic movie projector? Borrow it and have a backyard movie night, just the two of you. Don’t hesitate to be a tourist in your own town, either – there are likely tons of fun (cheap!) activities to do and places you’ve never visited that would be perfect to explore.

Make a reservation. This is one of Kristin’s favorite recommendations. She’s a big believer in the power of a dinner reservation to heighten anticipation and create an “event” out of a simple meal. Splurge on a new restaurant you’ve had on your “list” (you know you have one), or revisit an old favorite!

Plan something special. Even though the goal of a staycation is often to save money (versus a full-blown vacation), that doesn’t mean it has to be just another weekend at home. We love the idea of incorporating at least one fun, out of the ordinary “extra.” Pick up breakfast from your favorite cafe and eat it at home in bed, make a new dessert (we love Lisa and Dave’s simple berry trifles!), or bring home your favorite restaurant’s pimento cheese for a pre-dinner appetizer. A little indulgence will take your staycation from just another weekend to one that goes down in your personal history book!

What are your plans for this weekend, belles? Are you traveling for the Fourth or planning your own staycation? Any staycation tips we should know about?

Written with love by Emily