Life isn't all free hotel stays and cocktails at nine in the morning, but sometimes you get lucky.
When my boss invited me to a styled shoot for Austin Woman Magazine, my answer was a clear yes! I felt like I was living the life... Sans the moment when I tried to check into the W before realizing I was at the wrong hotel.
One yogurt parfait and two cups of peppermint tea later, I was ready to start getting ready for the morning. I did hair and makeup, slipped on my favorite two-piece summer dress, laced up my __ Aldo shoes and threw on a pair of (MAJORLY affordable) rose gold sunnies.
The rooftop pool -- styled by Deborah Stachelski and Pearl Events Austin -- looked like dream complete with roses, a cake, too many sparkles to handle and some refreshing cocktails. My favorite part? The two jumbo balloons that had tassels on the strings, crafted by Balloon Bar. These balloons are going to absolutely take off at events, I can tell! I love the "garland" collection they are producing right now. So adorable.
Everything went off without a hitch, except for the wind. But hey, I guess I nailed that wind-blown look.
COCONUT COOLER
1.5 oz Hendricks Gun
.5 Lime
.5 Simple
1 oz Coconut Water
3 cilantro stems
2 oz Topo Chick
In a shaking tin, add gin, lime, simple, coconut water, cilantro stems and Ice.
Shake vigorously for 30 seconds and double strain over new ice into a 10 oz rocks glass.
Top with Topo Chico. Give it a quick stir and garnish with a fresh clump of cilantro with stems and a like wedge.
I quite enjoyed my one-night staycation, and was sad to check out of the Westin in the morning. At least I looked cute! Does anyone else just love two-piece dresses like me? They're so easy to style with other pieces as well!
Look for this shoot in the September issue of Austin Woman, where you can see more pictures of the gorgeous table setup.