While it does take a while to complete because you have to let the potatoes cool, this potato salad is the perfect make ahead recipe. If you’re anything like us, you don’t enjoy the crazy-hectic-madness that can happen on the day of a get together. We usually make this the night before we have people over and let it rest overnight. Major win-win because it’s one less thing to do on the day of AND you know it’s going to be nice and cold when served!

Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

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Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

Easy potato salad recipe for anytime that has three of the best ingredients: bacon, ranch and cheese.

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 2 lbs Potatoes (Red or White) Cut into bite-size pieces.
• 16 oz Sour Cream
• 1 oz Ranch dressing mix packet
• 1.5 cups Bacon Cooked and crumbled
• 2 cups cheddar cheese More cheese never hurts
• 2 bunches green onions Chopped

Instructions

• Turn oven to 400º
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add bite-size potatoes and cook to fork tender, 12-15 minutes depending on how many potatoes. Drain and set aside.
• While potatoes are cooking it’s time to cook the bacon. Lay the strips of bacon out on a cookie sheet and cook for about 25 minutes (depending on your oven). Switch bacon from bottom rack to top rack half way through cooking for optimal crispness.
• Once bacon is crisp, remove from oven and let cool on a plate with paper towels to soak up excess grease.
• Once bacon feels dry to the touch, crumble the strips in to small pieces.
• In a medium-large mixing bowl whisk together the sour cream and the ranch dressing packet until mixed thoroughly.
• Fold in the potatoes, ¾ of the bacon, ¾ of the cheese, most of the green onions and gently mix it all together.
• Place in fridge for about an hour to really let the potato salad settle and capture all of the flavors.
• Top the potato salad with the remaining bacon, cheddar cheese and green onions.
• Serve and enjoy!

This was the perfect, almost classic side dish to go with our peach pork ribs, summer succotash and fried okra for July 4th. This potato salad is an incredibly easy recipe that doesn’t actually require much cooking. We love starting this before anything else and letting it sit either while we work on the main course, especially if we’re making it the day we’re planning to serve it.

We couldn’t think of a better side for a holiday weekend get together. Or even as a side to go with a steak or chicken on a week night. It’s easy to make and is one of the best potato salad recipes we’ve made. Who doesn’t love bacon, ranch and potatoes all together? So delicious. Enjoy!

The post Easy Bacon Ranch Potato Salad Recipe appeared first on Tastebud Travels.

Despite the fact that every wedding budget calculator ever makes mention of having a designated budget for gifting – I mean these people are devoting a little part of their life to your wedding. Between showers, bachelor/bachelorette parties, fittings and not to mention the big day… They deserve a little something. There’s absolutely no excuse for not gifting at least a little something to your wedding party and this was something we definitely wanted to do for our destination wedding!

A couple things to think about when choosing wedding party gifts:

Make sure they can use it again

This was a big one for us…. While they may be your bridesmaid for the day, they’ll be your friend/sibling/family for life (or so you’d hope). Try to stay away from something that says “bride’s bestie,” “bridesmaid,” or anything else that describes their title in your wedding, wedding party gifts don’t have to be cheesy, y’all!

Is it something they’ll be excited to get?

What kind of things are you actually excited to get? Hair ties? Bridesmaid engraved bracelet? Wine stopper? See what i mean… I don’t think any of those kind of things spark joy, at least not for me. Look at the gifts you’ve been given, find the ones that make you happy when you see them and capitalize on that.

Will they think of you every time they look at it?

Don’t get me wrong, every time I see a penis straw I think of my bachelorette party… Unfortunately, those might not make the best gift for your bridesmaids on your wedding day. Think sentimental. Jewelry from a reputable place, something related to their hobbies, those kinds of things.

Choosing wedding party gifts doesn’t have to be hard, but if you’re stuck on what to get, here’s a few ideas that will hopefully help.

Gifts for Bridesmaids:

Picking gifts for our bridesmaids was a whole other level for us. We had two bridesmaids (maid & matron of honor – but the matron of honor dropped out a month before the wedding, but that’s a WHOLE other story, for a different day) and two junior bridesmaids. Each of them being so, so different. We wanted something that meant something to them, could be worn multiple times again and would always make them think of us.

Jewelry they can wear on wedding day

We planned to get matching bracelets for my bridesmaids to wear on wedding day as part of their gifts. We snagged these really cute Kendra Scott bracelets in sliver and slate cats eye for an amazing price and it was a no brainer. The girls could wear them on wedding day because they were in our color scheme and could wear them over and over again after our big day.

Charms

If any of your bridesmaids have a charm bracelet, this is the perfect gift for them. My maid of honor had a charm bracelet that she wears almost every day, so I knew an engravable charm for her bracelet and a freshwater pearl charm would be the perfect gift to commemorate the day. On the engravable charm we wrote MOH and the date of our wedding.

Gifts for Groomsmen:

You’ll read my little rant mention below about the things I think you should not give your groom, but that rule doesn’t apply to groomsmen. These probably aren’t guys you’ve given gifts to a thousand times (supposedly guys don’t give each other gifts nearly as often as girls do, but whatever).

Funny socks

Obviously, if we got any of our groomsmen socks, they wouldn’t be able to wear them during our wedding (#BeachWeddingProz?), but some of these socks are too funny not to mention.

Decanter

A decanter is the perfect gift for your best man, especially if he is a whiskey drinker. We had actually already decided to gift Thomas’ best man this for his wedding (which was a few months after ours) so we held off on this as his best man gift.

Cuff links

A timeless watch

It’s hard to go wrong with a classic watch. Similar to how we picked bracelets for my bridesmaids that they could wear on wedding day, we did the same with the watch for the best man. We went with a simple Fossil watch and engraved a message on the back. Personalized, reusable and timeless – a solid wedding party gift for sure!

Gifts for the Groom:

I’m not judging anyone who has done what I’m about to say, but the whole watch thing is so overdone. Have you ever actually googled “best gifts for guys” or “gifts for the groom?” The number one thing you’re going to get is a watch, with cuff links close behind. Maybe some guys need that many watches, who knows. Thomas and I had been together for six and a half years when we got married. I have given him his fair share of watches – engraved, custom, fancy, chill – every kind of watch you can think of. He needs no more watches, EVER!

Tickets to something he enjoys

A few weeks before our wedding I surprised Thomas with tickets to the Texas vs USC game in Austin. The year before, in 2017 he gave up our tickets to the game in California because it was the only weekend we were able to get down to Gulf Shores to do wedding planning. I knew right then we couldn’t miss the game in 2018 in Austin. But, with the 2018 game being only a few weeks before our wedding, we “agreed” we shouldn’t go to the game. Little did he know, I wasn’t about to let that happen. So I surprised him the morning of the game with a wake-up call that included tickets to this coveted game!

Boudoir photo book

Never did I think I’d be advocating for this, but here I am. I did it on a whim and not only was it the most empowering experience, but Thomas absolutely loved the gift. There are tons of great ways to set up a DIY boudoir shoot (I tried this first) and get plenty of good images, especially if you are skilled in editing photos! I don’t care if you’re a size 00 or a size 22 – find a photographer that makes you feel good or a good friend you’re comfortable with and work it. Your spouse loves you for you (hopefully) so why not give them a book all about you?

Custom card

Obviously, you should write your husband a cute message on your wedding day. But it’s what you write it on that counts (or doesn’t). I had a custom card designed by our favorite graphic designer, Whiski Designs that encompassed everything Thomas loves!

Gifts for the Bride:

I feel like I need to put a disclaimer here. Thomas went above and beyond when it came to a gift for me. But, if you’ve followed us for any amount of time, you know this his completely normal for him.

As a groom, you should know what your bride likes/loves, what she’s been wanting for a long time, but didn’t want to buy for herself, continuing a tradition you’ve started… the list could go on forever.

Every bride is different, but being able to have something I can use every day, look at and always be reminded of our wedding day made both of Thomas’ gifts for me absolutely perfect!

Gifts for the Moms:

A lot of people would say you don’t need to give your moms gifts, especially if they helped contribute towards the wedding. Well we think that’s a bunch of crap. Whether they offer financial support for your whole wedding or don’t contribute a dollar, they are still your mom, and in most cases, in some way, helped you get to this day. They deserve a gift. Don’t leave them out.

Timeless wedding gifts for mother of the bride & mother of the groom

To me, it’s a no brainer. Whatever you’re getting your mom(s) should be timeless. We chose to give my mom a David Yurman Chantelaine bracelet with a pearl stone because she absolutely loves David Yurman and the pearl will always remind her of our wedding at the beach. For Thomas’ mom we went with the classic Tiffany & Co Tiffany Twist Knot Earrings because they were simple enough to be an everyday pair of earrings but classic and somewhat nautical with the knots! We also did a group gift for both of our moms – a bottle of Dom Perignon Champagne. They both put up with us for over a year of wedding planning on top of dealing with each of us for 20+ years.

We really focused on our moms personalities and figuring out what would mean the most to them. We both agreed these were the perfect gifts for them.

When it all boils down to it, wedding party gifts for the people who helped make your big day special should be well thought out and meaningful. Hopefully some of these ideas will help you figure out what to get the people you’re sharing your big day with!

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In honor of summertime getting up and going, we’ve compiled a list of over 30 cool pool floats under $30! If you’re like us an disregard all budgeting aspects when it comes to these floats, you can check out our huge list of pool floaties in all price points. It has some of our trusty favorites and some new ones we have our eyes on for this summer like this speed boat pool float and the ride the bull pool float! I mean seriously, just look at all of these!

Did we miss one that you’ve had your eye on for a while? Do you have a super unique floatie that you don’t see on our list? Drop us a link in the comments. We’re always looking for new pool floaties to add to our collection!

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We’re sharing our complete list of vendors, how we managed to find the best wedding vendors in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama and of course, some of our gorgeous wedding photos!

Social media has become one of the quickest ways to find just about anything, and wedding vendors are no stranger to that.

Instagram

Instagram is one of the best ways to find destination wedding vendors. We swear by hashtag and location searches on Instagram. We found both our photographer and videographer by using different hashtags. And found our rehearsal dinner spot by doing a location search!

Hashtag searches are a lot like searching for something on google, but instead of “best wedding photographer in Gulf Shores” it’d be something like “#GulfShoresPhotographer” “#AlabamaWeddingPhotographer.” This was incredibly helpful because we weren’t finding any videographers within our price range, so after expanding our hashtag research from #GulfShoresVideographer to #AlabamaVideographer we found a whole new list of videographers. We ended up choosing Wilt Productions as our videographer for our destination wedding even though they were located a few hours away from where our wedding was going to be.

Facebook

This one is a little hard to explain, but try to stay with me because it’s a really good way to find people – especially small businesses.

You’ll do a normal search on Facebook like you would for anything, but type in what you’re looking for photographer/videographer/cake/flowers and where dallas/austin/houston – whatever. (I typed in cake Gulf Shores Alabama) Once you hit enter or search, a new page will open up. From there, tons of options will begin to fill the page, scroll through and you’ll see tons of small and large businesses, just waiting to hear from you!

Remember – Facebook Messenger is kinda wonky. If you don’t hear back form someone within a day or so, i’d recommend commenting on their page and letting them know you sent a message, just to be sure.

Word of mouth

We had an amazing wedding coordinator who helped us with so many aspects. Having someone who was on the ground and could connect us with vendors for our destination wedding was one of the best things. Carol and her team deal with vendors in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama all the time, and she knew who tell point us towards and who to steer us away from!

Take your time

Finding a great vendor is like finding an oyster with a pearl in it. Okay, maybe not that hard. But seriously. Don’t try to rush it. Don’t try to rush any of the wedding planning process. Give yourself enough time to really sort through the masses of vendors that you come across. Heck, so many of them will take days (yes, days!) to get back to you, there’s no reason to rush through the process.

Even though we’re planners, we still had a few details left till the very end. We really wanted to host our rehearsal dinner at Bill’s by the Beach, but they were not very good about getting back to me and that left us stressing, in a major way. It ended up leading us to the most amazing rehearsal dinner spot in Gulf Shores – Sunset Cork Room. My mom and I were lucky enough to be able to stop in for dinner when we were in town for my bridal portraits two months before the wedding and we knew instantly it’s where we had to have our rehearsal dinner. If we wouldn’t have had the issue with our initial place, we probably never would have found Sunset Cork Room.

Cross-check popular wedding review sites

I mean this with the utmost respect, but y’all, if you’re so naive to think people can’t pay for their reviews or pay to be on the first page of the popular wedding review sites, you’re wrong. There are some great, incredibly descriptive reviews on sites like Wedding Wire and The Knot, but just like everything, you have to cross-check. Google, social media, other sites, they are all your friend when it comes to making sure a company or service hasn’t spent their marketing dollars trying to overdo it on one of those sites. This is going to take a little time, but it is SO worth it.

Our vendor list

Venue: Young’s Suncoast Rentals – Hangin’ 10 Beach House (We rented a big beach house for our family and friends for the week and got married on the beach in front of the house)

Wedding coordinator & officiant: Orange Beach Weddings

Photographer: Southern Shores Photography

Videographer: Wilt Productions 

Hair & makeup: Christian Burchfield Hair

Caterer: Culinary Productions

DJ: D’Jones Entertainment

Flowers: Coastal Flowers and Design

Rentals: Gulf Coast Events & Rentals 

Cake: Sugar House – Custom Cakes

Weddings are no joke (duh, right?) and the planning process is the most time consuming thing. Don’t rush through any aspect of it, take it all in and enjoy it.

We’ll have more wedding stuff up soon, but if you’re curious about our honeymoon, you can read all about our honeymoon in Antigua! And if you’re new around here, you can take a look at our engagement story, our unique Dallas engagement photos and our engagement story in DMagazine!

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions on how to find the best destination wedding vendors, especially if you’re looking for ones in Gulf Shores or Orange Beach, Alabama!

The post How to Find the Best Destination Wedding Vendors appeared first on Tastebud Travels.

Recipe:

1 Marie Callender Double Chocolate Loaf cake

2 eggs

3/4 cup of half and half

1tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tbsp. sugar

2 tbsp. vanilla extract

 

Instructions:

1. Thaw Marie Callender loaf cake for 1.5 hours on the counter.

2. Remove Marie Callender loaf cake from packaging.

3. Slice Marie Callender loaf cake in to 1/2 inch slices; should yield between 8-10 slices. 

4. Cut each slice in to 6 cubes, and line a glass dish with cubes, and set aside.

5. In a small mixing bowl, combine eggs, half and half, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla extract, and whisk for two minutes. 

6. Pour mixture over cake cubes, and cover. A small amount of the mixture will be visible in the bottom of the dish. Place in refrigerator overnight.

7. Heat oven to 350°.

8. Uncover, and bake 20 minutes on bottom rack, recover with foil, and back on top rack for 20 minutes. Uncover and cook on top shelf for 5 minutes.

9. Let cool, and serve with Reddi-Whip!

 

 

 

 

And I always top my sweet breakfast treats (or any treat for that matter) with Reddi-Whip, because it seriously is the perfect addition to any recipe! Now, I’m not saying this recipe is guilt free, by any means, but Reddi-Whip is made with real cream and is 15 calories per serving, so win-win? I think so!

Not only is this dish incredibly delicious, it’s easy to prep and easy to cook on any holiday morning! If you’d like to purchase either of the items I mentioned, you can click below to add them to your shopping list, and check out the coupons!

SaveSave

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We have been season pass holders every, single year since we began dating and go at least a dozen times each year. We love the food, the atmosphere, the people, the football, the everything! If you’ve been around a while, you’ve probably seen our State Fair of Texas Bucket List. But, since the fair is such a busy place, and there are always a ton of people, we knew we were going to really have to be on top of the planning and strategy for the shoot!

Once we found an amazing photographer, who was crazy enough (and insanely talented) to go along with our idea, we set out for a sunset engagement shoot at The State Fair of Texas!

Photographer: Nat Chittamai | Instagram | Facebook

State Fair of Texas Engagement Photos + Engagement Photo Tips

Chose a location that totally represents you

This was a no brainer for us. We wanted something that SCREAMED “Thomas and Tiffani,” so we chose a place where we had so many wonderful memories and a place that meant a lot to us. Deciding on State Fair of Texas engagement photos was something we just knew would make our friends and family literally say “These are SO YOU” …. and they did.

Bring your support system!

Especially if you are going to a busy place, somewhere there is a lot of traffic, or a decent amount of foot traffic, you need people there! Whether it’s to hold your lipstick, and all the little extras you brought along, or just for emotional support, bring them along. Having someone else there adds a different dynamic, and might make being in a busy place less awkward.

Don’t be afraid to share your ideas with your photographer!

When we first contacted Nat he recommended we start a Pinterest board, so we did! It gave Nat a good idea of the photos we wanted, and let him see what we are looking for. Having engagement photos in a unique location, that not many people use, make things a little more difficult, but having a baseline idea of the kinds of photos we wanted beforehand made it so much easier to go through the motions during the engagement shoot.

Bring props that mean something to you!

The whole point of having a unique engagement photo session is to be unique! So do it! Bring props that are unique to you guys, your location, or something you love! We snagged this “Howdy, Folks!” printable from Whiski Designs the minute we saw it go up on their Instagram! It is so cute, and was the perfect accessory to our engagement shoot at the state fair!

Tell people around you what you’re doing!

Sound silly right? People should just know you’re in the midst of a photo shoot, but they don’t. Let people know. They’ll often give you a little extra! In our case, we were graced with free cotton candy (see below), our photographer and moms were able to ride the carousel with us, and a few other things. Especially if people are staring, and trying to figure out what they’re doing, let ’em know! Everyone loves hearing about an engagement!

Have total confidence while shooting!

When shooting unique engagement photos, you are bound to have people staring. Whether you’re in a park, and wearing crazy clothes, or in the middle of the State Fair of Texas with a photographer in tow, OWN IT! Know people are just curious, and you have to be confident in order to get the best pictures possible!

Don’t worry about peoples’ reactions!

If this isn’t your life motto (it’s totally mine), live by this, y’all! Don’t worry about everything going on around you. Engagement photos are supposed to show how in love you and your significant other are, and of course, to show off the gorgeous asset on your left ring finger! Get lost in the person you are with, flirt, laugh, and enjoy each other. Don’t worry about anyone else… Except maybe your photographer!

If you are interested in seeing more of our engagement photos, head over to our wedding website and check them out -> SweetHomeAnderson.com

The post State Fair of Texas Engagement Photos + Engagement Photo Tips appeared first on Tastebud Travels.

Here are Thomas’ 5 tips for a perfect proposal:
1. Do it when it feels right to you, and only you, to make it as special as it can be.
People are going to ask. They’re going to ask you ALL. THE. TIME. Don’t do it just because people are pressuring you. Wait until the time is not only right for you, but for both of you, and until you’re able to give her the ring she really wants. You want it to be special.
2. Pick a place that sums up your relationship.
I choose Central Park in New York City because we are a traveling couple and it is our travels that makes us feel the most happy. I think the best spot to do it for each couple is somewhere that you guys both love, or a theme that really fits your relationship.

3. Tell your families at the latest moment possible to avoid spoiling it.

I told both of our moms, and of course they promised not to tell anyone, but of course, everyone knew (including Tiff’s nail lady, hah!). If you want to keep it secret, tell the least amount of people and wait until the very end to tell those few people. It will help keep it from getting out to her. If you’re wanting a proposal where you are involving friends or family, obviously this would be even harder! Just keep it on a need to know basis.

4. Say what you are feeling in the moment, instead of coming up with a rehearsed speech.
I believe this is the best advice I can give someone who is looking for the perfect proposal. Trying to remember a speech will make you way way more nervous. Once you get down on that knee your heart will be pounding and you just say what you’re feeling. It’ll make it easier and more genuine if you speak from the heart in that moment.

5. Get it on camera to have the memory forever in print.
If at all possible this is a BIGGEST one for the perfect proposal, especially in a girls eyes. If you can get it on camera or video she will be so thrilled! It will only add to how great the proposal can be.  Whether you set up your own GoPro, have a friend hiding in the bushes, or hire a photographer, just do it, SHE WILL THANK YOU! I’m so glad we were able to get a picture of our proposal to have for the rest of our lives to show our kids, their kids and whoever else.
Using these five tips when you are proposing is sure to help you have the most perfect proposal!

If you aren’t feeling any sappy love stories, you can stop reading now. But if you are in the mood for a couple of sappy love stories, here is our engagement story, written from both perspectives!

Her Story:
I should probably preface this by saying 1- it was SO hot when we got to New York, and 2- I get so cranky when I am hot and hungry. So….. Our flight finally landed in New York, we had been up since 3 AM and I was exhausted! Honestly all I wanted to do was get our bags and take a little 30 minute power nap and grab some lunch so we could explore the city on a full tank of energy! Thomas was rushing me to get our bags, and rushing me to get in line for the taxis! I knew the taxi ride was going to be rough, hello, I get car sickness from sitting in the backseat for five minutes! I knew our ride into the city was going to be brutal! And the heat! Oh my goodness, the heat! It was hotter there, then it was at home, in Texas!
We finally got a taxi, and finally made it to our apartment in East Village, and I was nauseous, exhausted, and hungry! After a few minutes of getting our things settled, and switching from my purse to a backpack, we were ready to go. But before we left, I realized I needed to put something else on the backpack, but Thomas wouldn’t let me even attempt to open it (HASHTAG OBLIVIOUS) which I totally attributed to all of his rushing. Nonetheless, we rushed out the door, with the promise that we would get food somewhere close to Central Park!
It took what felt like forever to get our subway passes but we finally got on the subway and rode it two stops further than needed (first timers, duh), and seeing as how our first try didn’t go so well, and I was even more nauseous at this point, we both decided it was best to get off the subway and walk in to the park! The first thing we saw when we got off of the Subway was The MET! I was completely enamored, but Thomas was having nothing of it, and rushed us past it.
We had both been in sandals for most of the day, thankfully we switched to tennis shoes to go into the park, but my feet were still killing me! AND if you haven’t noticed, Thomas is almost a full foot taller than me, which means his legs are much longer than mine, and he walks 10 times as fast as I do.
So we continued walking practically running to the park, just to get to “some dumb bridge!” We stood around taking pictures for a minute, and finally found someone to take our picture, so we didn’t just have a bunch of selfies of us! The lady went on and on about how she hated when people took pictures from far away, so she wanted to stay up close. Which I was totally fine with! Thomas handed her my phone, and pulls the backpack off my back and starts to rummage through it as if he needed something out of there (STILL OBLIVIOUS). As we were standing there taking the pictures, and my head was on Thomas’ chest (our normal pic stance) I literally felt his heart beating out of his chest!
Two thoughts ran through my mind, either this boy is about to have a seizure (he was epileptic as a little boy and the thought of a seizure often floats in to my mind), or he knew something I didn’t know….
The lady handed us back my phone, and asked if the pictures are OK, and of course I told her they were fine without even really looking at them. But Thomas immediately looked up at her and asked her if she could take a few farther back. I hand her back the phone, and attempted to step back into my place where we had just been standing, but as I turned to see were Thomas had gone, I turned right in to him, down on one knee! At that moment, I felt like MY heart was going to jump out of MY chest! I was shaking so hard, I couldn’t even focus on what Thomas was saying, I just knew this was the part I was supposed to say “yes!” And I did!

His Story:

Flight had just landed in New York City and I was nervous as hell! Not that she would say no, but that she would notice the ring before we got to Central Park, or we wouldn’t make it in time to do it and FaceTime our moms.
We got our bags pretty quick and walked to get a taxi. After about 10 minutes in the taxi line we finally got one. An hour and 15 minutes later we made it to our Airbnb in East Village. In the few minutes she was in the bathroom, I was trying to figure out how to get the ring box and ring from my backpack to hers without her noticing. I was trying to put it in anything that would keep it discreet, like my sunglasses case, her makeup bag, etc and finally I just tucked it in the bottom of the bag.
I was so nervous but totally under control. I was trying to get us outta there without being noticeable that I was rushing us to get to Central Park by a certain time.
We made it to the subway station and after a few tries we finally bought our 7 day subway passes and were on the subway, moving on the 4 train headed uptown. Our first subway ride and all I could think about was what was about to happen when we got there. Without noticing, we accidentally got off the subway at 86th St. but we needed 77th St so then came the walking in the 95 degree heat. We were headed back south on 5th toward the MET and she was SO excited about the MET and I’m kept telling her “no we gotta go we gotta get to the park soon”!
By now it was about 2:45 and I was getting worried because both of our moms took a long lunch together in Dallas so they could be waiting for us to FaceTime them, together, after our engagement. We finally got in the park, passed the Loeb Boathouse, saw the rowboats, and were in love with Central Park already!
I was trying to get us to the Bow Bridge, and we could see it but I didn’t think we were going to make it all the way over there, so we got to the Bethesda Fountain, and I decided that was the best spot. I was thinking about all the movies this Fountain was in, and how amazing it was. I told her I needed to get something out of her bag, so I quickly got it out and shoved the box down, in to my pocket and was holding it for dear life.
I kept telling her we needed to get someone to take our picture and for about 5 minutes we had no luck because no on around us seemed to speak English. Finally we saw two ladies walking through the area and we asked them to take our picture. They said of course, and we began to pose. The ladies are taking some photos and they were talking about how they preferred people taking photos up close versus far away, so they were taking them pretty close.
My heart was about to explode at this point and I was sweating so much from the heat and the nervousness and the death grip I had on the ring box. The ladies were about to hand the phone back to us and I was telling myself “don’t blow the chance” so I asked the ladies if they could take a couple more photos from further back, even though I knew they had just talked about close up photos being better…
I stepped back, behind Tiff and the two ladies gasp as they saw me pull out the box, and oh my God, all of these other people ran up and started taking pictures and Tiff turns around I am on a knee with the ring out (I had the box turned around, the wrong direction, true to my fashion, so I just left it there) and I just said “I love you with all my heart and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, will you marry me?”

Tiff was then shaking out of control at the shock of it all! She said yes, and I put the ring on! Everyone around us was looking at the ring and we had a mini celebration with complete strangers around the Bethesda Fountain admiring the ring and how everything played out. Tiff was still shaking and could not stop smiling! I was so excited and still trying to grasp how perfect it was! We FaceTimed our moms and they were just excited as us and we could not wait to celebrate with them when we got back! I kept thinking to myself “what a start to the trip! I just made the best decision of my life and now the trip for sure is going to be the best trip we could ever imagined!” A trip of a lifetime and a trip that will always be on my mind and in my heart!

Did you have a perfect engagement story too? I wanna hear about it! Leave me a comment with your engagement story!

The post Planning the Perfect Proposal [5 Tips & Our Engagement Story] appeared first on Tastebud Travels.

As a young 20 something enjoying fun, easy, and cheap date nights at home are so important! When my bestie told me she was moving 10 miles from me (versus the 55 she lived before) I knew we were going to soon be implementing a whole lot of movie/hang out nights together! 

When all four of us have crazy busy schedules and planning date nights out aren’t always possible, turning to a date night in with Coca-Cola and Tombstone pizza from Dollar General!

It’s not easy to make a group of four (or more) happy for under $5 but with the digital coupon for $1 off a Tombstone pizza and 1.25L Coca-Cola, it’s oh SO easy! Here’s a few of my favorite date night ideas for a small group that all involve a little Coca Cola and a delicious Tombstone pizza!

1. Doing a home project together while sharing a super easy meal
Bestie just get a new house that has a few at home projects that need to be done? Maybe one of you guys just moved and you need a night in to help the other unpack, or tackle a DIY project! This one is almost too perfect because you can bond, make lasting memories and enjoy some delicious drinks and bites!

2. Movies & Chill with a super easy dinner
Having movie night is one of my most favorite things to do. After a long day, or week, or month, being able to just hang out with friends and enjoy a movie in is fabulous. Alternating who brings the movie and who brings the food is always a good idea, variety is the spice of life!

3. Grabbing a coupon for a Local Adventure or other discount pass and eating pizza at home before going on the adventure
Hello! $5 dinners are the bomb. The only thing better is grabbing a discount pass for an adventurous night out for super cheap as well! After enjoying a Coke and Tombstone pizza from Dollar General, enjoying a fun escape room or other cheap outing with Groupon makes for an awesome date night.

4. Host a game night in with Coca-Cola and Tombstone
Who doesnt love a night of friendly competition, drinks, and pizza? Enough said!

5. A couples picnic with pizza, drinks and games in a fun park.
Are there actually people in this world who don’t enjoy picnics? Just curious. Because I am so not one of those people. I always opt for the non-traditional picnic meal options, and try to find the craziest park possible! Especially during warmer months, there are so many fun festivals or concerts in the park. Consider packing your pizza up in cute tupperware, pouring a nice cold glass of Coke in your tumbler and heading to listen to some live music. Sometimes, getting out of the house can totally change the mood!

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The post Cheap Double Date Night Ideas appeared first on Tastebud Travels.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 cup softened butter
1 package white chocolate pudding mix (3.3oz)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2.5 cups flour (less if you like your cookies more flat)
1 tsp baking powder
Peppermints & white chocolate chips to taste

What kind of Christmas Cookie will you be leaving for Santa? Have an awesome recipe? Leave me the link in the comments!

The post White Chocolate Peppermint Pudding Cookies appeared first on Tastebud Travels.

^Clickable^

Keurig K250 | Simple Studio Lighting | iPhone Camera Add On | Fun to do list pad | Marble Phone Case | Wireless SD card | Battery pack | Cute Camera Strap | Editing Day Mug

New Keurig – I know a lot of people are all about if it isn’t broke don’t fix it, but as bloggers, I think a lot (not all) of us really enjoy having the newest technology and gadgets. Keurigs have come a long way from what they once were. You can make tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and so many other yummy drinks! Definitely something lots of bloggers would love, especially for the late nights or the early mornings cranking out blog posts!

Simple studio Lighting – This is a big one for me, and at the top of my list! So many bloggers shoot all of their own photos, and it’s kinda hard to do this at 7pm when the sun has already set and you just need 10 minutes of at least semi-natural lighting! Studio lights or a lighting cube like this one are the perfect gift for a blogger, because it allows them to shoot pictures at any time of the day, and definitely won’t break the budget! 

iPhone camera add on – Sometimes, it’s just not convenient to pull out that big old DSLR camera, so having a handy, but small add on like this makes things so much easier. These make the perfect stocking stuffers and come in so handy for getting the perfect shot of that Starbucks cup!

Fun to do list pad – Having some form of formal to-do list is so important, whether you use the notes app on your phone or use an actual to-do list, they can be so beneficial! This colorful & fun to-do list pad is perfect to keep all of your to-dos organized.
Marble Phone Case – It’s no secret, marble is so in this year. And this marble phone case is everything! This brand has so many fun combinations of marble cases with fun colored bumpers around the case! Seriously, such a perfect stocking stuffer for a blogger, or really anyone!
Wireless SD Card – I’ve had my eye on this little guy for a while now! I get so frustrated having to take my SD card out of my camera, finding my adapter and then inserting it in to my computer #FirstWorldProblems This wireless SD is a real game changer for anyone who uses a camera with an SD card!

Extra Battery pack – There are always those days where social media takes over and our phones hit 1% quicker than we even realize. It happens to me at least once a week, but having extra battery packs stashed in my purse or car can seriously help me avoid the dreaded 1%! This one is Apple certified and comes with a lighting cable already build in- no carrying around your long charger!

Cute Camera strap – Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice of the camera companies to send a generic, boring, black strap with all of their incredibly expensive cameras, but having one that shows off your style is just a little more fun. With 5 different colors and designs, these camera straps are perfect for everyone. I think this one and the wireless SD card would make any DSLR camera owner very happy!
Editing Day Mug – Now that you have that shiny new Keurig, I think we all need a new mug! This mug is so perfect, because we all know bloggers spend tons of time editing photos, and posts and social shares! And we all love sharing cute pics of our adorable mugs!

What gifts are on your blogger wish list this year? Do you have a blogger in your life you’re buying one of these for?

This post contains affiliate links. To read about Savvy Southern Belle’s affiliates please click here.

The post Gifts for the Blogger appeared first on Tastebud Travels.