Hotel San José

Posted on June 2, 2014 by coffeeandtacos

Posts are popping up all over the interwebs about summer vacations that people are embarking on – it’s June already, say what?! – and it made me think about the Hotel San José, one of my most favorite places in the world to rest and relax. Located in the heart of Austin’s South Congress district, it is situated in the midst of the city’s hustle and bustle while simultaneously maintaining a super chill and comforting vibe. For those reasons (in conjunction with the rave reviews I gave after staying there with my brother in 2012 and my mom in 2013), it was the hotel of choice for my family and many guests during the wedding weekend festivities. The rooms are gorgeously outfitted in hipster-chic decor with lots of neutral pieces and pops of color, like these fabulous hippie blankets (Mom gifted me with the teal & yellow combo after our first visit to the hotel together). Beautiful kimono-style robes are provided for each guest – I love them so much that Mom & Dad sent two to James & me as post-wedding gifts and, suffice it to say, we are obsessed with them. The rooms are stocked with Malin + Goetz products, which are my absolute favorite (who can resist peppermint shampoo, cilantro conditioner, and bergamot body wash?). The hotel’s breakfast is the stuff of legends and their courtyard bar is undoubtedly one of the best in Austin. The Hotel San José owns Jo’s Coffee, the delightful coffee shop adjacent to the parking lot, and they serve unbeatable coffee, Daily Greens juice, and the tastiest breakfast tacos from Tacodeli, all of which you can charge to your room. Even the keychains that go along with the room keys are darling (and the answer is yes, I have one of them on my key ring – so, basically, I bought everything in the gift shop). The decor, service, food, and ambiance are all truly perfect. It is, without a doubt, one of my very favorite places to be – and, lucky me, it’s just a three-hour drive away!

The Hotel San José is owned by the Bunkhouse Group, who also built, designed, and outfitted the El Cosmico in Marfa (where Kyla, Laura & I stayed in September), the Hotel Saint Cecilia in Austin (where James & I stayed on our wedding night), and the Hotel Havana in San Antonio. The El Cosmico and the Saint Cecilia are just as gorgeous as the San José, and I’m sure the Havana measures up – but I’ll have to make a trip there to find out!

I love these photos that Heather took of the Hotel San José during the wedding weekend – they really capture the boutique-y & beautiful essence of the hotel. If you find yourself in Austin in the near future, do yourself a favor & book a room at the Hotel San José!

Wedding Florals

Posted on May 14, 2014 by coffeeandtacos

One of the elements that I was most excited about planning for our wedding was the flowers. I was thrilled to get to work with the über talented Nouveau Romantics (who style all of the florals for one of my favorite bloggers, Camille Styles – check out their studio tour featured here), which is why I nearly fainted when they sent me the floral proposal for our wedding. They knew that I wanted to incorporate succulents, ranunculus, and trailing greenery into the overall scheme of things, so they took that inspiration and ran with it. They sent me the most elaborate, beautifully laid out document that highlighted all of the flowers they wanted to use on our special day, ranging from posies and garden roses to sweet peas and herbs. I was blown away by how much I loved their selections; it was like they had read my mind. The florals turned out so perfectly – I can’t even really begin to describe how much I loved the outcome. My favorite arrangements were my bridal bouquet, my flower crown, and Callie’s flower collar. In fact, on our honeymoon I told James that I wished I could still a) be wearing my wedding dress and b) be carrying my gorgeous bridal bouquet around with me. Le sigh.

Enjoy some photos of our wedding florals from the fabulous Heather Hawkins, as well as a peek at the floral design proposal that we used to make our selections!

Plant Panache

Posted on May 12, 2014 by coffeeandtacos

Happy Monday! How was your weekend? Ours was filled with lots of outdoorsy goodness, especially because we’ve outfitted our backyard with zero-gravity reclining chairs (heavenly for reading and sunbathing) and a spankin’ new grill. Coupled with our twinkle lights and Tiki torches, we now feel like we have a little oasis in our backyard, and we love it.

Last month I got to write another piece for Bungalow Magazine, the beautifully designed and curated online quarterly about home decor in Texas. I wrote my third and favorite piece to date about how to use house plants to decorate your space, and I got to interview the talented and creative Brianne Denton, co-owner of the Dallas-based floral studio Blue Lotus. Heather shot the gorgeous images for the story, making it an all-around blast of a collaboration.

Head over to Bungalow to check out the piece (on pages 105 – 113). Even though I pride myself on maintaining a green thumb when it comes to my beloved succulents, I learned so much about using different kinds of house plants (like pencil cacti and bromeliads) to really bring the outdoors in. Bri gave some fantastic recommendations about surprising and beautiful containers to use, and she shares some good tips for keeping your plants alive. I especially love this quote from her, as it totally encapsulates the vibe I’m trying to create in our home: “I’ve made little vignettes around my house using plants. Putting a living plant in every nook of the house is inspiring.”

Happy reading!

Image via Uncovet

Wedding Decor

Posted on May 7, 2014 by coffeeandtacos

It’s been just over three weeks since James and I got married at Le San Michele in Buda, Texas, and I know that we can both confidently say that we had the wedding of our dreams. I want to keep reliving that beautiful day so each week I’m going to share snippets of our wedding, featuring different aspects of our gorgeous celebrations as time progresses. To start, let’s talk about decor. Our wedding was the perfect mix of so many of our favorite elements – the outdoors in general, certainly, but specifically European gardens, ranch life, Texas foliage, and starry skies. Our planners, Liz and Hannah of The Nouveau Romantics, helped us make our visions become a reality. Something we loved about them is that they are a one-stop wedding shop – they do in-house floral arrangements and paper design/production in addition to event planning, ensuring that everything about our special day was unified and seamless.

I spent many hours creating a Pinterest board with Liz and Hannah, which served as a visual bulletin board to guide as we chose linens and farm tables and lighting set-ups and floral arrangements, and then, later, over the phone, that helped us navigate our options regarding the beverages to serve at cocktail hour and the number of waiters to have during our family-style dinner service. We picked out china and vases and napkins and flatware, selecting everything carefully and thoughtfully. And I loved every single minute of it. It turned out so beautifully that as my family, bridesmaids, and I pulled up to the wedding venue on April 13th, I started crying at the sight of the perfectly-planned spot where James and I would become man and wife. It was all so overwhelming and special!

Heather Hawkins, our incredibly talented friend and photographer, captured so many gorgeous images that highlight the decor decisions we made for our wedding. I have so many more pictures of hers to share, so future posts will come on florals and getting ready with girlfriends and, of course, the wedding itself, but for now, take a peek at how our wedding day decor turned out. I love these photos more than I can say!

P.S. Here’s a romantic sneak peek of James & me…more to come soon!