Who says you can't have fun in Florida without visiting a beach or theme park? We recently took our first mini-vacation of the year to Orlando, filled with some work and all play! The perks of being a wedding photographer! I've been to Orlando a handful of times but they were all theme park focused: Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World, Discovery Cove. So, for our first time in Orlando sans kids, we decided to explore other areas of this bustling city.
What I packed:
Target "Do Not Disturb" Floppy Hat, Dollar Spot
Target Xhilaration Swim Top and Swim Bottom in Blue Stone Floral
Day 1: National Donut Day
As most of you already know, per my National Donut Day post, Scott and I spent the first day in Orlando getting a taste of Voodoo Doughnut. If you are in the area (or close to any of their west coast locations in Oregon, California, Texas or Colorado) and haven't been, you must go! There are more than 50 weird types of doughnuts to choose from and all are delicious! The Orlando location is at Universal CityWalk which is where we spent most of our time.
Before we got to play, I did a family mini session with the Velte family in downtown Orlando. I have been fortunate enough to photograph both Liana and Elyse's wedding days and love getting to be a part of their milestones. Check out more photos from their session here.
After doughnuts we grabbed some lunch at Hard Rock Cafe and chose VIVO Italian Kitchen for dinner. Since my good eating habits are typically flushed down the drain while on vacation (I'm sure you can clearly see), I usually choose high-carb meals, such as Italian cuisine. Plus we all know what goes well with Italian, vino! We enjoyed lasagna, pasta and lots and lots of bread! Then I had another doughnut for dessert when we arrived back at the hotel. And that's a wrap on day one.
What I'm wearing:
Zara Mustard Flats (no longer available), similar options here and here.
Anthropologie Monogram Pendant Necklace, Letter A (one of my all-time favorite accessories and an affordable Anthro piece)
Day 2: Wedding Day
The second day of our trip was wedding day. Although it was our full work day, we had a blast with Elyse + Declan. Their ceremony was held at the beautiful St. James Cathedral followed by a reception at The Ballroom at Church Street. While I had a camera (or two) in my hand the majority of the day, we made some time to jump in the photo booth and get our Disney fix!
Stay tuned! I'll be sharing more photos from their big day soon.
Day 3: Relaxation Day
Pool time! Day three we chilled by our hotel's pool. We had an enjoyable stay at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel at the Entrance to Universal Orlando. There are multiple restaurants on site including the American Grill and Starbucks, a pool, baggage storage (a must for those who are flying out after check-out like us) and the hotel is within walking distance of Universal Studios and the CityWalk. However, my favorite part about the stay was that upon arrival (at 11:00 p.m.) we were given free, warm cookies! We skipped dinner due to flight delays so this was a sweet surprise! It's the little things right?
What I'm wearing:
Abercrombie One Shoulder One Piece Swimsuit in Olive Green and Light Lime (currently on sale and lots of color choices!)
After we had our fun in the sun, we headed back to the CityWalk for dinner at one of the coolest places I've ever eaten: The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen. Prepare for photo overload!
The backstory of the Steampunk-themed restaurant is centered around Professor Doctor Penelope Tibeaux-Tinker Toothsome, who took everything she knew and created an emporium to share her love of chocolate with the world. Penelope and her robot Jacques walk around and talk to tables while you dine and both characters are very entertaining. We even snagged a selfie with Jacques (see below). The full story of the factory can be found on the inside of the menu.
Once we were seated we started off with an appetizer called Totchos. They consisted of fried tator tots, spicy green chili, crispy pork belly, and andouille sausage cheddar cheese sauce. For the main dish Scott chose steak and I picked fettuccine alfredo. I regretted my choice almost immediately, not because it wasn't tasty, but because I quickly learned they serve all-day brunch! I plan to indulge in the Berries and Cream Waffle on our next visit in January.
On the second floor of the restaurant is a bar that sells a wide-range of drinks. Scott tried the Too Chocolate Stout, a Toothsome exclusive brew!
Then it was time for the main event — dessert! Scott had the one-of-a-kind May Contain Nuts sundae. With peanut butter ice cream, peanut brittle, Reese’s peanut butter cups, a whole piece of chocolate peanut butter pie, fresh whipped cream, peanut butter sauce, and Reese’s Pieces, it's perfect for peanut butter lovers everywhere. I chose the Expresso Buzzzz (yes four z's!) specialty milkshake because of my coffee addiction and because it's completely instagram-worthy! Containing coffee ice cream, espresso, chocolate espresso beans, fresh whipped cream, and a cherry, and packaged in a cute little mason jar, it did not disappoint!
Following dinner we took a look around the the gift shop that is located on the first floor. It was full of candy, sweets and treats of all sorts, with an emphasis on, you guessed it...chocolate! I really wanted to purchase the Candy Floss or Bourbon Marshmellows but Scott said no, ha! We will definitely be back to the (now) most popular restaurant at the CityWalk.
What I'm wearing:
Old Navy Jersey-Knit Swing Dress for Women in Navy Palm Print
Anthropologie Monogram Pendant Necklace, Letter A
Zara Mustard Flats (no longer available), similar options here and here.
NYX Professional Makeup Soft Matte Lip Cream in Istanbul
Forever21 Pineapple Earrings (no longer available online), similar option here.
Day 4: The Final Day
Room service, anyone? Our final day started off with breakfast in bed! The chocolate chip pancakes you see here were ordered off the kids menu — can you imagine how large the adult pancakes are? I saved my "All I Want in Life is Pancakes" graphic t-shirt just for this occasion. I paired the crop top with some hi-rise buttoned shorts, both from Zara, in a floral print.
After eating breakfast I had to Uber us back to downtown Orlando to get photos in front of the Greetings from Orlando mural I stumbled upon on earlier in the week. It's located on the corner of Colonial Drive and Orange Avenue. And it was worth it!
Our last stop before heading home was Disney Springs! We discovered Disney Springs on our last trip to Orlando in November and I fell instantly in love (and not just because they have a Zara, though that helps). It's full of high-end places to shop and decadent dining and visitors can choose from a plethora of activities. On our last visit, we only had time to visit T-REX, a dinosaur-themed cafe, so I was pumped to get to explore this area a bit more this go-around.
We decided to try a new establishment, Wine Bar George. It's exactly what it sounds like — a wine bar owned by a guy named George. They have been uncorking wines since mid-May and have over 130 different wines to choose from, all handpicked by Master Sommelier George Miliotes (who we even met as we were leaving the new hot spot). We decided to expand our wine game just a bit and shared a bottle of Carmenere. I would definitely recommend for the price as well as the House-Made Meatballs. Since kids are welcome and they are open almost anytime (11:00 - 2:00 a.m.) we may visit Wine Bar George again in January.
Other spots I hope to try in January include:
Sprinkles (who doesn't want to get a cupcake from an ATM machine?)
I also hope we can do Aerophile and Star Wars Secrets of the Empire.
Before this post comes to an end, I want to give a special shoutout to my stud of a husband who is learning how to take photos of me via portrait mode, ha! It was fun, Orlando! Until next time...
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Love that blog. That was awesome. Thanks:)