New Orleans Bachelorette Weekend

New Orleans Bachelorette

We’re nearing the end of our fashion blogger series with Chelsea from Hazel + Scout because her wedding is right around the corner! But before we share her wedding next month, we thought it would be fun to give you all a glimpse into her gorgeous bachelorette weekend in New Orleans!

Chelsea says, Getting away with my girls was one of my favorite parts of journeying down the aisle so far! The process of actually making it to the alter is full of so many tasks (however fun they may be) and different stressors. A weekend away is such a special way to re-focus and really celebrate everything that comes along with being engaged.

A few weeks ago a small group of my sweet bridesmaids and I loaded up the car with overflowing bunches of greenery, threw in a few wonderful smelling bottles of essential oil and hit the road for New Orleans. I’ve been to the Crescent City a few times this year (did you catch this fun editorial on GWS?) and have completely fallen in love with it’s magical energy and charm. Good vibes and pretty backdrops made it the perfect place to celebrate my last few weeks as a single lady!

New Orleans Bachelorette

New Orleans Bachelorette

New Orleans Bachelorette

New Orleans Bachelorette

New Orleans Bachelorette

New Orleans Bachelorette

New Orleans Bachelorette

While in NOLA, we strolled the humid-but-enchanting streets of the French Quarter (we stayed at the Dauphine Hotel and were so spoiled to be walking distance from all of the best spots), indulged in an hour long zen massage, ate our fill of fresh beignets overflowing with powdered sugar and (in true Hazel + Scout style) pulled together a fun DIY “luncheon”. Since I’m not a traditional party-girl, a relaxed afternoon of crafting and exploring was the perfect celebration.

New Orleans Bachelorette

New Orleans Bachelorette

New Orleans Bachelorette

New Orleans Bachelorette

New Orleans Bachelorette

New Orleans Bachelorette

New Orleans Bachelorette

Armed with a ton of inspiration and a beautiful rundown of each oils meaning by Linen & Leaf, we blended custom perfume (my favorite combination included almond, lavender, honeysuckle, lilac and rosebuds) and built beautiful smudge sticks in the stunning courtyard of the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum. The breeze was cool, the details were captivating and I couldn’t have dreamed up a more magical setting for our day of fun. Pistil & Stamen, a talented florist duo who grow and arrange their blooms on urban farms throughout the city, contributed the most vibrant and unique arrangements that totally made the occasion pop! Making potions atop a cool bohemian bridal throne (a vintage treasure from Pret-A-Fete Rentals) and laughing with my girls was just the thing to prepare me for the final countdown to our wedding.

New Orleans Bachelorette

New Orleans Bachelorette

New Orleans Bachelorette

DIY Smudge Sticks

Smudge sticks are tightly bound bundles of dried aromatic herbs. Generally, they are burned as a way to purify and cleanse the air but are also gorgeous boho accents. I always keep a couple on my bedside table (they smell so relaxing!) and was excited to experiment with my own creations while in NOLA with my friends. While the roots of burning a smudge stick, or smudging, come from North American Native purification ceremonies, they can be used by anyone to create good vibes and bring a calming scent into a space.

Supplies:

  • Dried or fresh herbs (we used white sage, cedar, lavender, eucalyptus and rosemary)
  • Rose petals
  • Organic string (make sure it’s nonflammable)
  • Scissors

Steps:

1. Gather your supplies. We found dried herbs online, fresh roses and rosemary at Whole Foods and a beautiful bundle of lavender at L’Occitane in the French Quarter. When deciding which herbs to use in your smudge sticks, consider their meaning (Linen & Leaf created the prettiest linen “menus” that we used as cheat sheets) and the way that they smell.

2. Begin layering everything together. Sturdier herbs (sage and cedar) can be used as a base and lighter, prettier elements can be layered on top. There is no right way to make a smudge stick so experiment until you like what you see!

3. Grasp your bundle in one hand and, starting at the base, wrap string tightly around the smudge stick and tie a knot to secure.

4. Twist the string all the way up and all the way back down (this should create a criss-cross pattern and act to hold everything together). Knot the sting again at the bottom and snip off any excess.
Hang your smudge sticks upside down or lay them flat in a dry and dark place to dry. Wait until bundles are completely dry (this can take up to a couple of weeks) before burning.

To burn a smudge stick light the tip, blow it out and either wave it in the air or place upright (you can use sand or salt to keep it steady) in a nonflammable vessel. Your stick should emit a lot of fragrant, calming smoke.

New Orleans Bachelorette

New Orleans Bachelorette

New Orleans Bachelorette

New Orleans Bachelorette

DIY Perfume Oils

Blending your own signature scent is a fun way to play with essential oils (which are quickly gaining popularity), make something pretty with your hands and spend time catching up with girlfriends. We got creative and whipped up roller balls and dropper vials of both sweet smelling scents and useful concoctions to battle wedding stress!

Supplies:

  • Amber glass bottles (we used 10ml roller ball style vials, 1oz roller ball bottles and 1 oz dropper bottles)
  • 16 oz sweet almond oil
  • Various essential oils + therapeutic oil blends
  • Dried rosebuds
  • Dried camomile flowers
  • Sprigs of lavender

Steps:

1. Remove the stoppers and/or roller ball inserts from your glass bottles and set them aside for later.

2. Fill the bottles 3/4 full with sweet almond oil. This acts as a “carrier” or base for your perfume, absorbs quickly and softens/re-conditions skin.

3. Begin composing your scent. Most perfumes have three “notes” (top, middle and base). The top note is meant to be a light, first impression. Citrus oils (grapefruit, lemongrass, etc), calming varieties (lavender, eucalyptus) and minty blends (peppermint, spearmint) work well here. The main scent of a perfume (something mellow) is known as the “middle”. Some great middle notes include: chamomile, jasmine, rose, rosemary and tea tree. Finally, the “base note” is the rich, often musky element and can include cedar wood, myrrh, vanilla or sandalwood. You can use an exacting formula when dreaming up your fragrance or be a little freer and simply add drops of oil until you reach a combination that smells good to you!

4. Add your desired amount of essential oil to your bottle of carrier to blend your scent. Mixing 3-7 drops of each oil is a good starting point but feel free to add more or less depending on personal preference.

5. To add some pretty shelf-appeal and subtle smell, add dried rosebuds, dried lavender and/or camomile flowers to your mixture.

6. Re-secure your bottles with their designated roller ball attachments or dropper lids. You can even write a pretty label to attach to your blend.

7. Wear your scent!

New Orleans Bachelorette

New Orleans Bachelorette

New Orleans Bachelorette

New Orleans Bachelorette

New Orleans Bachelorette

Such a fun girls’ day, right? We love this idea for gals who, like Chelsea, would rather spend a relaxing day crafting with their besties than partying all night long. Not that we don’t love both ideas! :)

We’ll be sharing Chelsea + Ainsworth’s wedding very soon, so keep an eye out! And to catch up on our past fashion blogger features, check out more from the series right here!

photography: Sleepy Fox Photography // planning: Wander & Whisk // florals: Pistil & Stamen // calligraphy: Linen & Leaf // styling: Hazel + Scout // location: New Orleans Pharmacy Museum // rentals: Pret A Fete

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