Seaside, Destin, Jewelry

Our whirlwind weekend in Destin was quick but wonderful. The weather was mostly humid (no surprise) and rainy, but the rain held on Saturday for the beach wedding and the reception afterwards, though we were dying at the rooftop reception from the exceptionally humid air. We did manage to eat, drink, and dance our way through it however.  :)

I wore this skirt on Friday night to the rehearsal dinner (it was a small wedding, and the bride and groom invited everyone to the rehearsal dinner) and also most of the day Saturday for shopping:

source

I bought it from Macy's earlier this year and this was its first outing. (Sold out,, unfortunately). It's a bit more blue / cool-hued than the photo shows, and Friday night I wore it with a coral tank and my leopard flips. For Saturday, I wore a black tank and rhinestone flips. It's 100% rayon so I was a little worried about wrinkling, but really had no trouble. And it was perfect for a very humid Saturday - lightweight and with the slits up the sides to just above the knee, it was breezy and comfortable. One of my favorite summer purchases so far.

Seaside, where we went on Saturday, was about 30 minutes from our hotel in Destin, and well worth the visit. Cute, charming, not too crowded (even though we got there around noon on Saturday during the summer season), easy parking and shopping and dining. We wandered around all sorts of fun shops - note, though, that Seaside is not for the inexpensive shopper, necessarily - and fell in love with a few. And one in particular, the Fusion Art Glass gallery.

When you enter, be prepared to be knocked over by the beauty of not only the items for sale, but the gallery itself. It was by far my favorite of the retailers we visited. And I'm not necessarily a glass girl (though my husband loves art glass). The owner himself is a glass blower, and carries items from artisans at the top of their game, and they are LOVELY. Affordable? Depends on your budget. But it's easy to lose yourself in all the gorgeous colors, shapes, vessels, etc in this glorious shop.

We did come away with these:

patricia locke earrings

That I wore to the wedding that night. And on the drive home.  :)  They're by Patricia Locke, whose work I really enjoy. I showed you the only other piece of hers that I own, this necklace. It's a much older design, and the metal treatment is different, but I wouldn't wear them together anyway. The necklace is more subtle and the earrings are good-fun bling.  :)

We bought nothing else, but truly enjoyed ourselves just wandering around the main shopping district (right off of 30-A; their main drag). It's a tiny town:

of not quite 1300 people. But jam-packed with beauty and charm.

Also, there was this:

Which is unaltered, from my iphone. Such a gorgeous sunset! From the night before the wedding.

And this:

Part of the row of (I can only assume) multimilliondollarhomes right on the beach. All with rooftop decks and balconies on every floor. We didn't stay on the beach, but the bride and groom did, and let me tell you - that house had everything. Movie screening room. Hot tub. Beautifully appointed kitchen with every indulgence you can imagine. Sumptuous bed- and bathrooms...it was amazing.

Here's the only shot I (sort of) got of the house where we partied:

The furthest to the right. Just to the right of the photo (unseen) is the deck/path to the beach where the bride and groom walked out for the ceremony. We were all barefoot with the fabulous white sand between our toes and the surf gently crashing...it was a very quick getaway but well worth the effort!