As you may have deduced from last week’s “catch up with me next week message”, The Husband and I did a bit of traveling recently. While the primary reason for the trip was to attend a wedding in Boca Raton, we booked a little bit of extra time for ourselves to see a few of the sights in South Florida as well.
We had talked about making it a longer trip (2 to 3 weeks) and one that would have had us visiting several other states. However, back in November when we were booking our flights, uncertainty about COVID while traveling in some southern states led us to decide on a more limited itinerary. We were gone for 8 days but as you know, flying from coast to coast eats up nearly an entire day so we really only had 6 non-travel days in Florida. And on three of those days, there were wedding-related events. I’ll get to more of the wedding details shortly, but first, let’s review what I packed.
The weather was predicted to be typical for South Florida in February with daytime temps in the mid-70s to low-80s. No heavy coat or sweaters needed but I did bring a few light jackets. I limited myself to three pairs of pants/jeans (each to be worn twice) and one casual dress (also to be worn twice). I packed 7 tops so that I’d have a couple of options and I did wear them all. Of course, there was the outfit I wore to the wedding plus two swimsuits and some workout wear. The swimsuits and workout wear never came out of the suitcase.
Unlike the trip we took back in August (see Packing For A Road Trip) where I made my outfit choices during the trip, this time I preplanned what I would wear each day. For the most part, I held to that plan. And now, a few brief details about each day of the trip.
Day 1 – travel day to Miami
We were up bright and early for our 5:30am flight to Miami with a connection in Denver. This was our first time back on an airplane since December 2019 and fortunately, all went quite smoothly. My travel outfit was dark wash jeans with a plaid top and a medium wash denim jacket. Those three pieces as well as my purse were all secondhand purchases. Only my sneakers were bought new.
Day 2 – Naples
The next morning we headed west through the Everglades and spent some time in Naples. We shopped a bit, we had a late lunch, we strolled out onto the pier, and we touched the Gulf of Mexico for the first time. The dress I wore is a recent purchase and the sandals I bought last year. The jacket, too. My silver crossbody purse was a thrift store find made a couple of months ago.
Day 3 – Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
To get a taste of the Everglades, we opted to visit the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary which is run by the National Audubon Society. A key feature of the sanctuary is the raised wooden boardwalk on which visitors stroll at their own pace on a two-mile loop through four ecosystems as shown in the graphic below. Neither of us was interested in doing a boat ride or seeing alligators being fed so this was the perfect option for us. And we did see an alligator or two (both from safe distances) along with some magnificent trees and other wildlife. As for my OOTD, it was my white jeans with my paradise tee and walking sneakers. Afterward, we headed to Boca Raton for the weekend.
Day 4 – Explorations and Rehearsal Dinner
The bride is the daughter of our friend Linda, who I featured in an “A Woman I Know” post last summer. And Linda is the fiance of Keith who The Husband has been friends with for over 50 years. “My brother from another mother” they call each other. Anyway, while Linda and her daughter were tied-up with some final wedding details, Keith took us out for a drive to see some sights and we had lunch. The rehearsal/out-of-towners dinner would be happening later that evening. The wedding invitation had called out “black and white formal attire” so I figured that black and white would be the way to go for this event as well. As you can see from the bride-to-be and groom-to-be’s attire, I was correct in this assumption.
Day 5 – A bit of shopping and the wedding
Since the wedding was in the late afternoon, we had some time in the earlier part of the day to ourselves. And what better way to spend that time than shopping. Linda used to live in Boca Raton and she had told us about the Dillard’s Clearance store so off we went. Unfortunately, we came away empty-handed from that excursion. And then it was time to get ready.
I’ll be sharing in greater detail in a future post about the options I went through before deciding on this dress to wear to the wedding. When we first heard about the wedding, I was looking forward to having an excuse to buy a fancy dress. However, that excitement was tempered a bit by the “black and white” suggested dress code. I hadn’t wanted to wear black and I did try to find either a dark floral or black and white dress but the dress I’m wearing was truly my best option considering the price, style, and that it came in petite sizes. The shoes I wore were new as well and they struck just the right balance of comfort and style. My sequined jacket had been a thrift store find from a few years ago and the necklace I bought on Poshmark about 5 years ago. I turned my silver crossbody into a handheld clutch for the evening by tucking the strap inside.
The ceremony was lovely, the bride and groom looked fabulous, and the party was grand. Everyone looked stunning and honored the black and white theme. I only wish I’d been able to take more pictures.
Day 6 – Atlantic Ocean
I’ve been to the east coast about dozen times in my life but had never “touched the Atlantic Ocean” so it was a must-do for this trip. Keith, Linda, and Keith’s son Justin joined us on this adventure. After lunch at The Whale’s Rib in Deerfield Beach, we headed to the sand to dip our toes in the water. Coincidently, I’m wearing the same dress as I did when I touched the Gulf of Mexico. In the evening we parted ways with those three since Justin was flying back to California that night with Keith and Linda set to leave the next day. We weren’t heading home until two days later.
Day 7 – Sawgrass Mills
Sure, there are a lot of places to see and things to do in South Florida but we were lured by its promise of being “the largest outlet destination in the US” into visiting Sawgrass Mills. It was large and there were a lot of stores including a Primark which was a first for me. I’d heard some good things about Primark but I wasn’t overly impressed. Maybe it’s the time of year and being at the end of winter/not yet spring so there wasn’t much that interested me in any of the stores. However, the luxury section of the mall is a sight to behold. All in all, I did buy a belt at Primark and a deeply marked down cashmere sweater at Theory so the trip was not for naught.
Day 8 – travel home
Heading home and back to colder weather. We again had a connection in Denver and with a storm front moving through the area, we were a little concerned about a potential travel delay or redirect. But luck was on our side and there were no problems with the schedule, although it was mighty cold as we walked through the jetway from the plane to the terminal and then again onto the next plane. I put on another layer I had with me in my carry-on once we landed back at our local airport in the late evening since it was a bit chilly there as well.
Let’s Wrap This Up
Now, onto the Fine-Whatever link-up. My featured blogger from the last link-up is Jess, a fashion blogger from North Carolina who dresses as she likes. On her blog Elegantly Dressed And Stylish, Jess walks-the-talk in her belief that it’s important to have fun with fashion and enjoy wearing what is in your closet.
Another state visited, two bodies of water touched, gators in the wild, a joyous wedding celebration, and a few new shopping experiences. What more could a gal ask for from a trip to South Florida?
Stay well and let’s keep in touch! Subscribe, tweet, follow, friend, pin … all options are available. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
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Note: This is an unsponsored post; however, some or all of the links to clothing items are associated with an affiliate program where I earned a few cents for each click.
Photos: MMPerez
21 Comments
I love seeing what you packed and how you wore it on your trip! Looks like a nice balanace of festivities and time to explore. I actually looked at traveling down to the everglades for spring break but we settled on the Great Smokies Mountains so we didn’t have to pay for plane and car rental but one day we will travel down that south. I love your dress for the wedding!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Your hair up in Day 4 and Day 5 are both seriously beautiful!
Love all the pictures!
Wendy TheInspiredEater.com
Thank you Rena! I enjoyed reading about your excursion! Looks like you got to do a variety of things while there for the wedding. I would love the Sancturary you went to! Such great pictures and you looked lovely in your gown.
jess xx
http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.comg
Packing is such a chore, but you were CUTE everyday!
Thank you for the feature!
jess xx
That’s great! Hope your having a nice and relaxing holiday and enjoying your time to recharge and have fun.
https://www.bauchlefashion.com/2022/02/5-key-pieces-to-dressing-really-well.html?m=1
Looks like a great trip! I saw your wedding look on IG, stunning!
Looks like a beautiful wedding and sounds like a fun trip! I love what you wore to the wedding, beautiful dress. I have not been to Sawgrass Mills in years but I honestly don’t get down to South FL much. Now I’d like to go!
xo,
Kellyann
Sounds like a great trip and a good wedding! Beautiful dress you are wearing. At first I thought, how weird to choose a colour theme, but it actually sounds great.
Great trip- enjoyed the post. You look so relaxed in the photos. Good to see what you packed too.
Sounds like a lovely trip! I’ve spent time in South Florida, and love it. But I was there in August so very warm and humid. I was amazed the first time I got in both The Gulf and the Atlantic. So warm! Having grown up in California, I expected them to be cold like The Pacific. Wonderful outfits all around! The green top is especially becoming.
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
Sounds delightful.
We haven’t traveled by plane for years (even before the pandemic). We love to travel by train so I would list out the days and where we were going to be, then plan my clothing. I then packed my bag in that order. It was only when the husband would go digging through that things got a little messy! It just makes traveling that little bit less stressful, right? I think you looked especially lovely in the dress you wore to the wedding. And, how fun to touch the Atlantic on both sides of Florida!
Thanks so much for the link up!
https://marshainthemiddle.com
Seems like you had a good trip full of various exciting activities, Rena. Love the way you look at the wedding
It’s great you made the most of everything you packed expect the swimsuits and exercise wear! I always overpack for trips but you thought it all out so well and your black and white wedding outfits were so pretty and perfect for the theme!
Thanks for the link up!
Hope that you had a nice weekend 🙂 Ours was quiet as we got flooded in with all the rain here.
Really enjoyed your post Rena, you made the most of your trip and what a beautiful occasion to share with great friends.
Pamela
http://www.style-yourself-confident.com
It looks like you’ve had the most fabulous time, Rena! I can’t remember the last time we had a proper little holiday, let alone a wedding to go to! You looked absolutely beautiful in that gorgeous dress!
Hugs
Suzy xx
P.S I completely forgot to add the Link-up to my post on friday, but it’s up now!
Looks like you had lots of fun in Florida! Thank you for hosting the link-up.
Carol
http://www.scribblingboomer.com
Rena, it looks like you had an amazing trip! What a wonderful reason to travel as well. We will be heading to Long Island this summer for a wedding and have decided to make it a whole family trip as well. I just returned from my 8 days of travel and that was quite enough for me. I am glad to be home and sleeping in my own bed!
Shelbee
Rena, thank you for hosting (my Chicken Biryani is link #62) AND for taking me on a little mini vacation this morning. I needed to get out of town! Loved your outfits. You look gorgeous for the wedding! Must say, I travel a lot more lightly than you do. I always figure, the same outfit will do for more days because I’m seeing different people all the time on a vacation and, besides, most of them will never see me again! 😁
This is what I call “An amazing trip”