Italian Honeymoon : Part 3 : Positano

When I talk to couples who plan on going on their honeymoon a year or so after their wedding, I really try to encourage them to think twice. Even if it isn't across the world, a week spent together after the long planning of your wedding is nothing but amazing! I have LOVED sharing our time near Sorrento and at Cooking Class in Ravello  and have loved editing these photos to share today from my favorite spot, Positano. I have a major crush on this city in Italy! It certainly charmed both of us, we truly fell in love with this spot on the Amalfi Coast. Walks around the town built on the cliffs, gelato, fresh pasta at outdoor restaurants, boat trips, sunshine, yes, this little place is a slice of heaven. 

I Fancy Friday v. 32

How did this week FLY by?!?! I think I had such a hectic week last week that I am still unwinding from and well, it is FRIDAY again, yippee! I'm looking forward to a little quiet relaxing time this weekend full of starting planning for a sweet fall couple and planning some stylish projects coming up…and, yes, packing for my trip to the States on Wednesday. Wow, what a year it has been! Through all the busy and fun, I found so many great things I fancied this week. Enjoy your Friday! 

1. Midi Pleated Skirt - I've been wanting a midi pleated skirt for months now, and this one is only £22l

2. I've totally been craving something sweet in the morning, I think I will be making this gluten free zucchini bread this weekend for sure! 

3. The perfect pony, I think so! 

4. There is something so simple and so beautiful about these roses. Maybe I will make my way to the flower market this weekend and add these to our table. 

5. Who wants to have a party and serve an ombre doughnut cake? Isn't it fabulous! 

6. I'm heading to the States on Wednesday for one of my besties weddings, isn't this a cute and stylish casual flight outfit!

xoxo- Becca

*If you like this post you might like HERE, HERE & HERE.

Italian Honeymoon : Part 2 : Ravello, Mamma Agata Cooking School

When we asked a few friends that had been to the Amalfi Coast what they wish they would have done while on their honeymoon in Italy, attending Mamma Agata's Cooking School came up a few times. Mr. Beau and I both love to cook and what a better thing to do then cook Italian food in Italy, by the ocean, with wine, in the sunshine, all day, OK! So we booked our spot and only a one and half drive from our hotel we woke up early and drove to Ravello. Mamma Agata's Cooking Class was truly one of the most memorable days ever!  

 The drive to Ravello is certainly a curvy one, but once you arrive it is absolutely STUNNING. The small Italian town is perched on the cliffs looking over the ocean and finding Mamma Agata's was pretty easy. Pretty much everyone in town knows Mamma Agata's and was so friendly to point us in the right direction. Down a small old street, a lady popped her head out of the doorway and knew we were part of class, she so kindly welcomed us into the magical spot that was behind the street, the 250 year old home, farm and cooking school of Mamma Agata. 

 We were greeted with homemade lemon cake and cappuccinos, not a bad way to start the day, could this be every morning? Class runs from 10:00am - 4:00pm, and it was full of relaxing, eating and learning about basic Italian cooking. After watching what I ate so close to the wedding, it was amazing to indulge in a full day of fresh and delicious Italian food! Do not eat a big breakfast, come prepared, ready to eat!

 The view from Mamma Agata's kitchen is AMAZING, right? I do not think I would ever leave the kitchen with a view like this!

Italian Honeymoon : Part 1 : Amalfi Coast

What a better way to start out my day then by looking through beautiful, sunny photos from our Italian honeymoon! I have received a lot of questions about where we went, where we stayed, where we ate and what we did during our Italian honeymoon, so I thought I would share all of it in a few parts over the next week. We spent ten days on the Amalfi Coast and it truly was a holiday we will never forget!

Where We Went: The Amalfi Coast {the southern coast of Italy}

Travel Time From London: 2 1/2 hours. Direct flights from Gatwick to Naples. 

Where We Stayed: Capo La Gala. located between Sorrento and Pompei. We booked our hotel through Mr. & Mrs. Smith Honeymoon Specialists and couldn't have been happier about our choice! We were recommended the hotel through friends who spent time on their honeymoon there and being such a relaxing location, we are so glad we spent the first few days of our honeymoon at Capo La Gala. 

How To Get There: My adventurous husband rented a small little Fiat and drove around the curvy roads of Italy throughout the week. The drive from Naples was surprisingly quiet easy and only about 30 minutes from the airport. 

 We spent three days at the hotel, and stayed in a lovely room with a balcony overlooking the ocean. The entire hotel is built into the cliffside and the sea is seriously, all around you. We spent most of our time sleeping, drinking prosecco and aperol spritzers, going to the spa, eating lots of fresh Italian food and indulging in gossip magazines and books that have been our bed side tables for months. It was such a lovely spot to relax after an amazing week of wedding activities! 

The breakfast at the hotel restaurant is seriously amazing! Every day there are tables overflowing with homemade Italian desserts, fresh fruits, quiches, cheeses and well, just about anything else you can dream of for breakfast. I consumed a ridiculous amount of fresh mozzarella on our honeymoon, and I think, most was consumed at breakfast! If you head to Capo La Gala, make sure breakfast is included in your room, as it is quite amazing and the hotel is very much by itself, you would want to enjoy breakfast with the view!  

Nominated for International Wedding Blogger!

Thank you so much for all of your nominations for this years Wedding Blog Awards! It was so exciting to attend the event last year and be nominated for best International wedding blogger, and again this year, I am so thankful for all of your nominations, thank you! 

I have been writing my blog for the past five years, full of event inspiration, wedding planning ideas, traditions and so much more. I love seeing that you are enjoying reading my site, thank you! Please feel free to pass along the link HERE to VOTE! WISH ME LUCK! 

VOTE HERE FOR URBAN FLIP FLOPS BLOG - BEST INTERNATIONAL WEDDING BLOGGER. 

xoxo - Becca

*If you like this post you would like this post about last years awards here. 

What's in the Name? - Urban Flip Flops

I get this question quiet often, "Urban Flip Flops, oh what is that about?". So if you are a new reader, you have been reading my blog since my move across the pond or you have been reading my blog since the beginning, I thought I would give a quick catch up on what is Urban Flip Flops and what it is all about ?

I've been wanting to do a little FAQ's post for awhile but I thought, hey, no time then the better! After FIVE years writing this blog, I thought it would be fun to catch up So here goes…..

Why Urban Flip Flops? 

I started this blog back in 2009 {OH MY! Check out my first post, eeeeek} After thinking of many names for a travel blog, food blog, fashion blog, wedding blog, my sister had a great idea with Urban Flip Flops. I was in the middle of moving from Washington D.C., a city I had loved for years, and moving to Florida near the beach with my Beau. The name of the blog stuck with me and after living in Florida for two years and moving back to the city, to London, I felt it was only right to keep it. The flip flops from the city to the beach and back to the city. Urban Flip Flops. 

What do I write about? 

In the last two years I have written mainly about weddings and events. The blog is truly a little place for me to share things I love; things I love to do, recipes, style, travel ideas, items I have found around the web, wedding tips & traditions, DIY projects and everything in between. I am an event planner professionally and when living in Florida I started a Florida wedding blog {check it out, their amazing}.  When I moved to London it was a bit natural that my blog turned more into my event ideas and wedding inspiration corner of the world with a little splash of my life sprinkled in. A little bit weddings, a little bit lifestyle.

Is your husband's name Beau? 
No. My husbands name is not Beau, but that is what I have referred to him for years on my blog. Not wanting to use his name on the site, I started referring to him as "Beau", and well, it has stuck!

Why do we live in London? 
My husband was offered a job in London two years ago. I studied abroad here during university and completely loved this city. Excited about the opportunity to live abroad, we packed up our house and moved across the pond.

Did you get Sir Oliver in London or bring him from the States? 
Sir Oliver {our three year old Australian Shepard puppy #siroliveruk} came over with us from the States, I wrote a post about the moving experience here. It was not an easy thing to bring a dog from the US to the UK, but being that he is like our child, we couldn't leave him behind. I get a lot of emails about bringing our dog over and well, it is hard to find a flat that allows them and it is like having a child with finding dog walkers and daycare, however, we love him and couldn't imagine it here without him.

Are you available for wedding planning assistance?
Yes! I love assisting couples with their wedding planning! If you are looking for help the week of your big day, with design ideas, venue ideas or do not even know where to start with the whole idea, send me a note and lets connect!

Did you get married in London? 
Yes. We got married in Fulham and had our beautiful reception at Fulham Palace in June. I will post photos as soon as the professional photographs are ready, for now I am saving them.

Can I post a guest post on your blog? 
I do enjoy sharing other bloggers and creative companies with my readers. Please do reach out to me if you think you could be a good fit. I post only brands, companies and ideas that I truly think are a good fit for Urban Flip Flop readers.

Thank you so much for reading Urban Flip Flops over the past few years! I have met an amazing group of people through my site and look forward to growing more and more. Please do feel free to reach out to me with any questions and if you want to do any projects together, I am always up for a little flip flop of inspirations and ideas!

xoxo - Becca

Afternoon Blog Break

This is a BUSY week for me at work. I have a big event tomorrow that snuck up in planning a week after we came back from our honeymoon {yes, that was only 2 weeks ago}. While I sit at my desk being a busy bee during the last few days, it is always nice to take a few minutes out of the day for a break and catch up on what is going on in the blog world. Whether you find it inspiring, educational or just pretty to look at, I hope you enjoy what I've found. 

{Image by Joel Serrato for Style Me Pretty}

This is such a beautiful 80th birthday party! I hope when I'm 80, I am still celebrating in style like this.

Healthy Desserts? Do those two words go together? Well these mixed berry crisp cups sound deicious and healthy so maybe the two words do go together!

This Bastille Day party has me dreaming of a backyard bash dinner part…if only we had a backyard!

I'm a bit obsessed with this skirt that Cardigan Empire is wearing. hhmmmm, if only I knew where it was from. 

Whose birthday is next? Let's plan a party and all wear cute headbands!

Wow, the invites and the flower backdrop in this wedding are gorgeous! Let's not discuss the backdrop of Naples, FL…it is gorgeous as well. 

yay! What a cute and easy way to decorate a present, have guests wear to your party….make prize ribbons for best karaoke song?

Oh how I wish I had this lemon dress on our honeymoon.

Did I mention I became an auntie to an adorable little boy named Maxwell {I'm in LOVE!}. My sister shared her favorite things to bring to the hospital and if your a mama to be…take notes! 

I'm loving this new feature on Floridian Weddings catching up with some of Florida's finest wedding pros. 

Hope your week is going well! xoxo - Becca

Simple Soiree: Ice Cream Sunday Party!

Did you know that July is officially Ice Cream month? Yep, it is! I have been a bit out of the loop these past couple of months with meeting up with friends {wedding planning can take over a bit the last couple months!}, so what better thing to do then invite friends over for a night of catch up and….ice cream! 

Let's be honest however, I wouldn't just put out chocolate and vanilla ice cream, nope. Jazz up your party with these ideas below! 

1. Hang these amazing Ice Cream Tissue Cones from the ceiling for some fun and easy decor. 

2.  Let's not use plain white dishes, jazz it up with some pastels and yes, gold. Ice Cream Scoop | Miss Etoile Ceramic Bowls | Spoons 

3. These are amazing ideas to add to your ice cream station, sliced doughnuts and waffles for, ice cream sandwiches! Doughnut Ice Cream Sandwiches  | Waffle Ice Cream Sandwich

4. I am a HUGE ice cream fan, some of my favorites include:  Heston for Waitrose Salted Caramel Popcorn Ice Cream  | Judes Strawberry Tease Ice Cream |  Seriously Creamy Coffee Ice Cream 

5. Top it off with pretty sprinkles: Heston from Waitrose Chocolate Covered Popping Candy  | Pink Sprinkles  | Candy Confetti | Edible Gold Glitter

Have fun! Add some prosecco and make some ice cream floats while you are at it;) 

xoxo - Becca

*If you liked this post you may also like: Christmas Morning | Valentine's Day Brunch | Simple Birthday 

The Wedding Academy by Flourish and Prosper

I am excited to share this business with you today, Flourish & Prosper! Flourish & Prosper is a new unique business that offers training and development for wedding industry professionals with beautifully curated, inspirational events. As someone who has worked in the events business for years, has a new business in the works and new plans even after that, a business like this to hear advice from sounds wonderful!

If you are like me, a blogger, a full time job and one being created on the side, things can start to feel overwhelming and a little lost some days. It is sometimes hard working alone and finding encouragement to create the beautiful things that your clients are looking for. Welcome Flourish & Prosper! 

Created by two ladies in the industry that come from two different experiences {Louise from b.loved blog and Jessie from Jessie ThomsonWeddings } they are sharing their own experiences of running successful wedding businesses with others in the industry. Together the two of them want to encourage and inspire people that are just starting out or are already established in the wedding world. I love that they want to bring together like minded businesses and professionals  and help them grow as professionals and entrepreneurs. 

Each event will be hosted by Louise and Jessie but will also include top industry experts such as Pocketful of Dreams, Swash & Fold and Sweetpea PR, to name a few. 

The first event is The Wedding Academy,  a one-day event created for anyone wanting to set up a new wedding business, or who would like to take their existing wedding business to the next level. With expert advice on brand positioning, web creation, marketing materials, business acumen, and practical know how from established and successful business owners from within the world of weddings.

What's Included?

In addition to inspirational speakers, break out sessions, networking events, and super duper swag bags, the following topics (and so much more) will be covered:

• Finding your personal "WHY"
• Establishing your target market and spotting trends
• Marketing your business effectively
• SEO, blogging & social media
• Branding & creating a visual identity that sells
• Creating a website that works for your clients
• PR - online vs hardcopy coverage, writing press releases, advertising, creating relationships & generating hype
• Accounting tips and advice for creatives
• Making your wedding business profitable
• Creating and selling a product or service
• Time management & work-life balance
• Real business success story
• Business planning for 2015
  
  
  
  
  Tickets can be purchased at www.weareflourishandprosper.com. 
  For more information & image requests email info@weareflourishandprosper.com
  
  
  xoxo - Becca
  
  

*All Photos by Ashlee at Taylor Barnes Photography 

I Fancy Friday v. 31

This has been one of those long weeks that well, never seems to end. Needless to say…HELLO FRIDAY, welcome! I am excited for the weekend that is full of plans with catching up with friends, getting my hair cut at my favorite salon {they serve the best Elderflower cocktail!} and cleaning our flat post wedding DIY's! Along the way I have found a few things I fancied and wanted to share. Happy Friday! Hope you all find something to fancy! 

1. I'm still dreaming of holding my wedding bouquet every day {sigh}. I love this pretty pink and gold bouquet that Michelle Edgemont designed, right up my alley.

2. Hands down my new favorite beauty buy, Gimme Brow by Benefit . Crazy what a difference a small tube of gel can do to shape your face and make your eyes pop. Go out and get it! 

3. So I need an excuse to plan a party ASAP so that I can make these adorable macarons. Maybe as a thank you gift? Just because gift?

4. These new kate spade new york rose print jackie capri's need to find a place in my closet pronto. OK, they are not a basic necessity, but admit it, they are well, amazing.

5. We have some flat redecorating we want to get done in the next few months. One is the back room turning into both of our office. How AMAZING is this gold leaf DIY IKEA desk!

6. Oh how I dream of decorating a room with Rifle Paper Co. wallpaper!

7. My oldest sister had a little boy less then two weeks ago and yes I am a very proud auntie! Max only be   11 days old, but it doesn't mean he doesn't need a star crown to celebrate, right?

8. Go! Luna Cinema is amazing. Mr. Beau and I went last year at Kensington Palace and there is nothing like sitting outside in an amazing historic place, drinking wine and watching a movie on a blanket under the stars. Highly recommend checking a location out! 

xoxo- Becca

Girl's Night Out: Benefit Gabbi's Head Pop Up Pub

Ladies if you are looking for some place to meet up for drinks tonight with your girlfriends, head over to Gabbi's Head! When I read about a PINK pub in Covent Garden that serves cocktails and offers makeovers, I sent an email to one of my London besties saying…I know it is last minute, but lets go! The pub is sponsored by Benefit Cosmetics and is located above The Prince of Wales Pub  near Covent Garden. When you walk up to the building, it is a normal pub….until you spot the pink sign to the left and follow the pink steps inside! 

I love seeing fun and interesting spaces like this, it inspires me for events and what to do with completely empty spaces in fun ways. Benefit COMPLETELY transformed this pub for the occasion! With pink tufted couches and pink flowers on the tables, you know this isn't any normal pub. The pun serves bubbly, specialty cocktails and has been an amazing space for girls to get together, and hey, if interested, watch some of the World Cup. 

For a donation, I got my eyes done and then fell in love with two new products as well, shocking, no! Gimme Brow and the new They're Real Gel Liner are my new favorite additions to my makeup case. 

Pink football tables and funny little pink pick up line coasters, this place is adorable. 

Gabbi's Head Pub is ONLY open until Monday, 13th of July. Find the pub at: 150-151 Dury Lane, 1st Floor, Covent Garden, London WC2B 5TD. Open 12pm - 12am every day! Brow treatments, brow shaping, makeup teaching, cocktail sipping, it was a fun night! 

Fingers crossed they keep it open longer, this place would be amazing for a hen do! 

xoxo - Becca 

Simple Honeymoon Makeup with Birchbox & Benefit

We headed to the Amalfi Coast two days after our wedding for a ten day honeymoon and when it came to packing for our trip, I wanted the simpler routine the better! I knew that we were going to be spending days in the sunshine, laying by the pool, and nights full of drinking wine and eating yummy Italian food. I was excited to simplfy my makeup routine for the nights out with my husband! Shorter time getting ready, more time in the sun and really all I needed for a pretty night out. 

I have long been a fan of Benefit Cosmetics multi use makeup; benetint for lips and cheeks and fakeup for hydrating and coverage. I wanted something to cover up blemishes and under eye circles {lack of sleep pre wedding!} and something to add a little color to my cheeks and lips; these two were perfect! 

 After receiving a sample of they're REAL mascara in my Birch Box  I fell in love with glossy mascara so I decided to order a full tube for our honeymoon. Did you know you could order full size products of your favorite samples from Birchbox? It is such a great idea and the best spot to get all your favorites from one website.

 Benetint on my cheeks, lips, a little makeup under my eyes, mascara and DONE, ready for dinner with husband in Italy! 

A simple makeup routine made more time eating pizza, drinking wine and hanging out my handsome Beau….should I now call him Mr. Beau;) 

xoxo -Becca 

*I was given these items from Birchbox.co.uk but all opinions are 100% my own! 

What Happened To Our Flowers? : Floral Angels

It is no secret that I am a HUGE lover of flowers; pretty, big, fluffy, romantic flowers! If you check out my Instagram feed, most likely you will find daily flower pics, I love them. So when it came to our wedding, it was pretty high up on the priority list to have pretty and a lot of, lovely flowers {THANK YOU JAY!!!} The question was not what to do with them on the day of, the question was, what do you do with all the pretty flowers AFTER our wedding day! 

I asked our amazing florist, Jay Archer, if there was a local hospital or charity that we could donate our flowers to the day after our big day. We had a lot of beautiful peonies, sweet peas, roses and sigh, I just hated seeing them go in the trash. So many of our guests were from out of town, and I knew we could not take them home, so I didn't know what to do with them. I was excited when Jay introduced me to the Floral Angels, perfect name right, who would take our arrangements, rearrange them, and donate them for us! They are angels! 

The Floral Angels is truly a wonderful idea!  Having worked in the events industry throughout my entire professional career, I understand the amount of waste that can be produced after the event, with companies throwing flowers away. Flowers are meant to make people smile, and brighten their day, so I am glad to see these ladies started this charity.  The team consists of: Julie Ritter, Frances Hunter and Amanda Romain who all met at a floral design class in London and were amazed by the waste in the floral industry. They took their floral skills, along with other volunteers, and took donated event flowers and started to rearrange them to drop off at local charities. They deliver to hospices, palliative care homes, Maggie's Cancer Centre, Hestia Women's Shelters, Care Homes, Magic Me's Cocktails for the Elderly and to many other deserving beneficiaries within the Greater London community.

As you can see from Jay's Instagram picture above, we had a lot of romantic flower colors; pinks and peaches, glittery items and gold! Jay's team broke down our arrangements the day after the wedding and dropped off the stems to the ladies who put together new arrangements for the charity. 

The flowers were delivered them to Maggie’s Cancer Centre at Charing Cross Hospital. The centre is a day care centre for people suffering from cancer, their families and their friends. We were so glad to know that the flowers that will forever bring us smiles in photos, provided a little sunshine and happiness to the centre! 

I often hear people comment how so many flowers can be such a waste! Well, our wedding flowers brought me so much happiness! I kept asking Beau if we could sleep in the marquee surrounded by the flowers {hahaha, that did NOT happen!}, and I truly can't wait to share photos with you. If the flowers brought us so much happiness, I know they will bring others smiles too. I highly recommend contacting the Floral Angels if you are interested in donating your wedding flowers, contact here. Who doesn't smile and get some joy from a gift of flowers! Thank you Floral Angels! 

xoxo - Becca

Blushing Bride Event at Kate Spade Covent Garden

You may remember that right before our wedding, I was thrilled to be hosting a wedding event with the lovely bloggers Louise from b.loved at Nova from Nu Bride at the stylish and fun kate spade new york store in Covent Garden. It was such a fun and lovely evening meeting blog readers, brides to be and bridesmaids while sipping bubbly, talking about wedding planning and shopping for wedding gifts, shoes and baubles in one of my favorite stores! 

kate spade new york is a brand I have LOVED for years! The brand is known for fun and playful styles, bright colors and print and worn by ladies that are fun and sophisticated. I purchased a few kate spade new york items for my big day and was so excited to share with my readers the ways to incorporate some into their big day. Along with Bloomsbury Flowers who provided bright and colorful blooms, Cupcake Bakehouse who had delicious little sweets and the talented Jo Adams who provided the ladies with complimentary hair and makeup trials, I think everyone left with a little bit of fun bridal style inspiration! 

Some of my favorite items that you could use on your big day or as gifts during your wedding are: Bridesmaid Idiom Bangle, Skinny Mini Pave Bow Bangle, Structured Silk Mini Dress, Charm Heels, Say Yes Mrs. Necklace, Larabee Dot Flute Glasses, along with so many other items! The store is the perfect spot for a stop if you and your girls are in Covent Garden shopping around.  

Thank you SO much kate spade new york for having us in your beautiful Covent Garden store for the evening! I think all of our guests had a lovely and fun evening full of stylish kate spade new york inspiration for their big day. I think we should do it again….but this time I will be celebrating being a Mrs;) !!! And a BIG thank you for the lovely Kylee from Kytography for capturing the evening! 

xoxo - Becca

All images by Kytography  - Wedding Event and Portrait Photography