I have so much to share from the past few months (more on the wedding and honeymoon to come!) but I do want to post some photos from our last Whaling Club event with Simon Ford of The Eighty Six Company. Dan took things a little tiki with his Cana Brava rum cocktail menu this round, serving drinks that sometimes get a bad rap for being too sweet or processed. But when Dan served up these fresh and perfectly balanced cherry and strawberry daiquiris, mojitos, and pina coladas in frozen pineapples, everyone was rethinking what they thought they knew about these classic tiki drinks! Not only were they delicious, they were beautiful. I must say, a good looking cocktail might be the perfect accessory. Thank you to Simon Ford and all of our lovely guests! This was such a fun night. I keep opening the ice chest and hoping to find rows on rows of cored pineapples ready for sipping out of…
For more on The Whaling Club, please visit our website or follow us on instagram @thewhalingclub. If you’d like to be added to our event email list, shoot us a line at reservation@thewhalingclub.com.
Category Archives: LIFESTYLE
venice shoot with chelsea briggs
Today I’m excited to share this lifestyle session with Chelsea Briggs in Venice. Chelsea is a host and executive producer for the entertainment site Hollywire and has a huge online and social media following–spend a little time with Chelsea and it’s easy to see why! Her energy and smile is infectious, and she’s the kind of client who instantly feels like a long time girlfriend. Capturing Chelsea’s goofy and adorable personality is a breeze–she doesn’t hold back and is willing to try anything (like ask a skater if he will let her hope on his skateboard)! And her sense of style certainly doesn’t hurt. We chatted about a few potential locations for the shoot, and Chelsea settled on Venice for its rad colorful walls and beachy vibes.
bar cart
For the past year, we’ve been looking for a cool and classic bar cart for the apartment. We really wanted something with a gold or brass detail–they’re surprisingly hard to find! We have a couple of wood bars from Ikea that we’ve stained and hold a lot of our glassware and alcohol, but the bar cart we were looking for was to display our nicer bottles and the gorgeous decanter and rocks glasses we had received as an engagement gift. We had an eye out every time we went to the flea market or thrift store over the past year, and most new bar carts are going to cost you a pretty penny. We were planning on buying this one for a while, but even that seemed a little pricey for what it was. Then Cupcakes and Cashmere recently posted a link to this Wood and Brass Bar Cart from Target. I knew as soon as I saw it and read the reviews online that it was a steal for the look. I called Target, put it on hold, and picked it up at 10:30pm right before they closed. It’s so rare of me to pull the trigger like that (can’t decide what prints to frame for the life of me), but I just had this feeling it would sell out. Nothing like a little fear of missing out to get you going! 
Dan filled the cart with all his favorite cocktail books the night I brought it home. The whale migrated over from the mantel for the time being, as well as our beloved Heath vase (another thoughtful engagement gift). 
I didn’t even realize until I was processing these photos that the fourth rocks glass was in the kitchen sink and not on the bar cart. Oh well! Bar carts are pretty trendy right now, but I have a feeling we’ll always have one (or three) in our home…
groomsman
Dan wanted to put together a special way to ask his brothers and my brother to be his groomsmen. He’s always liked the idea of going to his barbershop with them the morning of the wedding, and everyone getting a shave or a cut, so he came up with this sweet idea to send them each a bottle of Bay Rum aftershave named “Groomsman”. 
I helped him design the labels, and then we stuck them on these matching bottles and filled them with the aftershave. I love the little detail of No. 1, No. 2, No. 3–Dan’s idea. He wrote them each a note, and sent them off to Florida, Colorado, and NYC. 
I think they turned out so well! Oh, and they said yes!
pumpkin carving
Our friends hosted the most adorable pumpkin carving party last week on their awesome patio. They made delicious turkey burgers and mulled wine, and everyone brought snacks, pumpkins, and carving tools–it was so fun and festive! And you guys, my fiance is a master pumpkin carver. Yes, he follows a pattern we purchased at Target, but he perfectly executes the five pumpkin level pattern because he’s soooo patient! That Scott family of his taught him well. My ghost pattern was a two pumpkin level in difficulty, and I almost gave up half way through scooping out the goop, but once that part was over I was on my way. We preserved them in our fridge to simulate east coast weather so they would last until the weekend for The Whaling Club. Smart, right? Thanks, Google. 
Also, I just did a little digging and found these impressive pumpkin carvings Dan and I did sophomore year of college. I think that may be the last pumpkin I carved until now! 
margot & marie
I’ve been working on this new comedy series, Margot & Marie, and today we launched one of my favorite episodes! I’d love hear what you think.
(p.s. get ready for an adorable baby)
be kind
Last week, A Cup of Jo shared a graduation speech by George Saunders at Syracuse University (my alma mater) in which he advises that, “as a goal in life, you could do worse than: Try to be kinder.” As Saunders says in his speech, being kind isn’t a particularly revelatory piece of advice, but it’s a reminder we could all use sometimes. I think as we become adults, it’s very easy to become dismissive of strangers, and perhaps amusing to be judgmental of those we know. I’m particularly guilty of being the hardest on the ones I love.
p.s. Have you seen The Way Way Back? Sam Rockwell is a water park manager, who takes this lonely kid under his wing for a summer. It’s so sweet and funny. So many of my favs are in it: Allison Janney, Maya Rudolph, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, and Toni Collette. I loved it!
weekends
A few weeks ago, the day before my birthday to be exact, I left my day job to pursue my photography and general happiness full time. It’s a leap of faith, and I’m figuring out whether it’s really going to all be possible, but you have no idea the joy that sweeps over me around 4pm every day when I realize I can keep working on what I’m doing at that moment! Again, I must emphasize that I don’t know if this can continue forever, but for the time being, I’ve given myself some creative space. That means more blogging, more photography, and more acting for pleasure and growth. So if you know anyone who is looking for a photographer, I’m available for headshots, portraits, food press, engagements, and parties! One of the best parts of making my own schedule, is being able to match my days off with Dan’s, and have a real weekend together. We spent Saturday exploring our neighborhood by bike. I’m in love with Rolling Greens Nursery. The store is so well curated and styled! Can I move in? Slash, can I have my wedding there? Not kidding, I’ve inquired. Just down the street, Jonathan Wright & Co. was having a sidewalk sale, and we picked up these cute cocktails notecards for half off. They’ll be perfect for The Whaling Club thank you notes. 
Have any of you ever left your day job to go freelance or start a totally new career path? I’d love to hear your story! Some great blog posts and inspiration about taking the leap here, here, and here!
the whaling club
This weekend, Dan and I hosted a cocktail event at our apartment that we named The Whaling Club. We had the best time! Thank you to all who came out for the first run. We hope it was the beginning of many social evenings, enjoying fine cocktails with old and new friends. How cool is that ice? Dan hand cut it all himself out of twenty-five pound blocks! He’s a dedicated gentleman, that’s for sure.
Perhaps you’ll join us for the next one? Leave a comment if you’d like to be added to our mailing list. Cheers!
*special thanks to our friends Sarah + Noah for helping us plan and fine tune everything.
*whaling club logo and menu artwork by Sarah Mullin
the coupe
Dan and I have been prepping for an intimate cocktail event we’re hosting at our place this weekend, and it’s got me romanticizing about Speakeasys and classic cocktails. There really is something so special about sipping a well made drink, the weight or delicacy of the glass in your hand, while surrounded by friends, interesting strangers, or just that certain someone. My favorite end of summer drink was a shaken fresh mint daiquiri served in a coupe glass…and lots of champagne!
(all photos found on Pinterest)
a cozy boat 
