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Fall Staycation Guide with Lisa Harris Boyd

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If you live in Birmingham, I’m sure you’ve noticed it. The cool air entering the conversation like a bouquet of long-stemmed flowers on your doorstep. Unexpected and timely. As the daylight hours seem to shrink a few sizes, this weather has me wishing I could spend every second outside. A little extra time to watch the leaves descend to their new homes on the sidewalk, begging to be crunched and photographed. 

This is the season for afternoon wine on a patio with friends while Birmingham lingers in the background. The ideal time for a get-away in my favorite little city.

Whether you’re planning a local honeymoon or a last minute autumnal staycation, our lovely friend and longtime luxury travel expert, Lisa Harris Boyd, is here with her tips for a fool-proof fall escape for two.

Lisa is a Samford grad and has called Vestavia home for 20 years. As a wonderful mother to three teenage daughters and a self proclaimed animal lover, one of her biggest passions is traveling.

““I always have at least one personal trip booked and another that I’m planning so that I have things to look forward to.””
— Lisa Harris Boyd

Growing up, her family valued the ability to travel and encounter fresh experiences. After years of devoted wandering with her parents, it was only right that she continue that tradition with her own family.

““In my travels, I have been to all 50 states and experienced 27 countries so far.””
— Lisa Harris Boyd

Lisa was dedicated to her long career in advertising. After losing her first husband to cancer, she realized we are not promised tomorrow and felt it was only natural to begin a career in something that always gave her life fulfillment; the art of travel. With that sentiment in mind, she started Life Is Short Adventures.

““I wanted to make a career change that would allow me to spend more time with my daughters and would help others spend more time with the people they love.””
— Lisa Harris Boyd

With the weather and atmosphere begging for a local retreat, I asked Lisa to share her expertise with us and plan a couple Birmingham staycations. Enjoy reading her personal recommendations below. 

STAYCATION 1 - DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM

LODGING

Couples looking for a more private escape in the city will love the John Hand Club Hotel. I’ve found that most Birminghamians don’t even know it exists AND it only has six suites—very intimate. Personally, my favorite rooms are the:

The Cobblestone Suite -  This room has a large balcony overlooking the charming Morris Avenue.

The Heaviest Corner Suite - a breathtaking room with captivating downtown views right from your bed.

DINING

If you choose to stay at this hotel, you have access to The Welton, a private bar and restaurant for John Hand Club members, where you can enjoy a deliberately crafted culinary experience without leaving the building.

If you feel like a little stroll with your sweetheart, you are only two short blocks away from Birmingham-beloved restaurants Helen and The Essential. 

ACTIVITIES

If you are staycationing Tuesday through Saturday, Total on 1st offers an 80-minute (yes..we said that right. EIGHTY MINUTE) couple’s massage. This gorgeous luxury spa is across the street from your hotel, steps away from relaxation. 

A romantic morning or sunset walk down Morris Avenue is a fun and easy outing. With brunch options like The Essential, Bar Le Fete, and Trattoria Zaza all in walking distance, you will absolutely never be in short supply of amazing food. 

BUSTLE TIP: It’s also worth mentioning that you are steps away from Bham’s biggest bar scene with some of the city’s elite establishments for phenomenally crafted cocktails and a captivating atmosphere. 

STAYCATION 2 - MOUNTAIN BROOK

LODGING

The Grand Bohemian Hotel in Mountain Brook provides the best full-service hotel experience in Birmingham and is perfectly located for a honeymoon staycation. 

Their Deluxe King rooms have a soaking tub and all reservations made by Life Is Short Adventures includes complimentary breakfast, a special welcome surprise, VIP status and a complimentary room upgrade, if available.

DINING

My favorite staycation evening at The Grand Bohemian starts off with dinner and margaritas at Sol Y Luna followed by cocktails under the stars at the Grand Bohemian rooftop bar.

BUSTLE TIP: If you are a big fan of morning coffee and sweets, we highly recommend taking a stroll through Mountain Brook Village and trying Santos for coffee and crepes. For a wonderful lunch, we highly recommend Olexa’s and stopping by Daughters Baking for cake cups on your way back to the hotel.

ACTIVITIES

The hotel provides a plethora of onsite activities including: 

  • An outdoor pool

  • Rooftop Bar

  • Onsite Art Gallery

  • Onsite Spa offering couples massages

  • Cooking Classes

  • Wine Blending Classes

Couples who love the natural beauty of being outdoors will appreciate being across the street from Birmingham Botanical Gardens and having a variety of walkable shops, bars and restaurants in Mountain Brook Village.

If you would like to talk to Lisa about your next trip, you can contact her here or visit her website.

““To me, all trips are special, but honeymoons are the first time that the newlywed couple can travel together which provides them with a chance to relax and connect after an oftentimes stressful period of wedding planning. I love making honeymoons stress-free and as easy as possible whether couples want to relax or have a great adventure together.””
— Lisa Harris Boyd

We hope you spend this season planning your very own staycation with your sweetheart.

Expert Tips for a Tiny Wedding

How to Have a Meaningful & Minimalist Wedding

At Tiny Weddings Bham, we are passionate about celebrating romance in the simplest ways. We take the traditional wedding experience and distill it down to the most important and memorable parts. We love big weddings just as much as the next person, but we understand that elaborate celebrations aren’t for everyone. This is where we have found our niche—providing high-end, minimalist weddings full of meaningful details, with some of the top wedding professionals around. For couples working with a smaller budget, or those wanting to keep things peaceful and intimate, we would love to share some of our tips!

A Minimal Guest List

Guest lists can be one of the most painful and stressful aspects of wedding planning. It is important to decide at the beginning how many people you want to have attend your special day. It gets easy for others to tell you who “needs” to be at your wedding - from old family friends, to fourth cousins, to high school friends. But we suggest only inviting those who you have close and meaningful relationships with as a couple. At Tiny Weddings Bham, we limit our guest lists to under 30 people. If that number is too small, just make a list of your closest family members and your closest friends. Even if the number is higher than 30, chances are it will still be south of average guest list of 120.

Meaningful Details

We are here to tell you that your wedding can be upscale and minimalist at the same time. The key is to focus on having beautiful details without going overboard. We encourage you to pick a couple of key areas that you want to emphasize, and do them well. Pick a venue that’s already beautiful, such as an art gallery or historic home. Many smaller event spaces need very little help to be gorgeous. At Tiny Weddings, our efforts go into having a gorgeous altar, a pretty cake table and drink station, and personal flowers—that’s it! We take a few focal points, and we expertly design them so that they really shine. Share with your planner, florist, and photographer your vision for minimal but impactful, and ask them to work their magic in your key areas.

Minimal Food

Food and beverages can easily become the most complicated and expensive aspects of your wedding. The easiest way to keep it minimal is to have your wedding during non-meal hours. Consider having your wedding around 10:00 AM and serving light brunch food like a fruit tray, mini quiche, and mimosas, or having your wedding around 4:00 PM and simply celebrating with cake and champagne! You might be surprised how beautiful minimal food styling can be.

A Minimalist’s Wedding Day Timeline

At Tiny Weddings Bham, we aren’t afraid of hitting the highlights. Our couples have a ceremony, cut cake, toast champagne, mingle with their guests, and then have a photoshoot with the photographer. It’s a simple and relaxed experience that lasts around 2 hours. Some couples host after-parties and we love that idea, too! A wedding day does not have to be a long, marathon day, it can be short and sweet and equally (if not more) intimate and special.

We hope these suggestions for how to have a meaningful, minimalist wedding have been helpful. If having a Tiny Wedding sounds fun to you, we would love to chat! You can contact us or learn more about what we do at www.tinyweddingsbham.com.

 Tiny Weddings Bham is a collaboration of Birmingham’s best wedding professionals, curated to give you an exceptional experience without the huge wedding price tag. We come together once a quarter to provide a short and sweet experience for couples to get married in style.

Vendors:

Tres Beau Weddings

Photos by Heart

Jennifer Woodberry Photography

Gold Leaf Floral

Studio Flower

Swan Lindsey Lettering

Bustle

The Nest

Clubhouse on Highland

Décor to Adore

Bandit Baking Co.

Olexa’s

Pastry Art Bake Shoppe

Savoie Catering

Olexa's Cafe

Diane Olexa is the brilliant chef behind Olexa's Cafe, Cakes, and Catering, and from a young age she was introduced into the world of wedding cakes. She watched her mother create beautiful wedding cakes for brides on their big day. Diane, herself, created her first wedding cake in her early 20s as a gift for a college friend, and from that point on she fell in love with the creative art. That love blossomed into starting her own business in the kitchen of her alma mater, Southeastern Bible College right here in Birmingham, Alabama.

A few years later, she and her mother joined forces and expanded her business to include corporate and social event catering. Diane explains that she remembers one reception where a wedding guest approached her and complimented, "Everything is so delicious, where can we go to eat your food?" Thus, in 2004 Olexa's Cafe, Cakes, and Catering opened its doors.

Today, guests can enjoy everything from homemade quiche to panini sandwiches to their well-known buttercreme cakes all while dining in a european-style cafe setting.