For as long as I can remember, I have loved Victoria Magazine! When I was much younger, I can remember pouring over the whole issue and longing to live a life like the ones I saw in the pages of Victoria! I read every page and tried many recipes and, of course, I saved every single issue!

As that young girl, I never would have believed in a million years that I would be featured in the pages of Victoria Magazine, but last year in May…I boarded a plane with my friend Lisa Richey to be photographed for Victoria’s Entrepreneurial Women’s issue that was to come out in December!

Here’s a little backstory…

Lisa and I met through an email introduction! She had just moved to North Carolina and was looking for friends that were entrepreneurs. After some back and forth through email, we decided to meet for lunch. We immediately hit it off and have since become good friends! We have so much in common and she has introduced me to the ritual of afternoon tea. Lisa is an etiquette expert…you can read more about her here!

Since I am a lifestyle blogger and Lisa teaches etiquette, we decided we would be a good fit for an article in Victoria Magazine. I crafted an email in April of 2021 and we waited. We received an email back somewhat quickly saying that they loved our idea. We were very excited and then we waited…for about a year! One day, we got an email saying that they would love to feature us and the rest is history! Don’t ever give up because you never know!

Lisa and I were beyond excited to be going to Birmingham and knew it would be an amazing trip! While on the plane, we read the current issue of Victoria and anticipated what the photo shoot would be like! We had stressed a little over what we should wear because it was May and the issue would be out in December. We wanted to look appropriate for the season, but everything we found was too summery! Finally, I decided on a dress by Self Portrait, styled with white booties and my vintage fur shrug! Lisa looked very elegant in a beautiful sweater and skirt! I think we nailed it!

Shoot day started early with hair and makeup and much nervousness! We were picked up at the hotel and driven to a beautiful home in an historic part of Birmingham! I had so many pinch me moments on this trip and the biggest one was when we walked into the house and the photoshoot really started to happen! I was nervous but had a little talk with myself because I didn’t want my nerves to get in the way of having fun. I was able to relaxed and everything went well, mostly because we were working with such nice (and very professional) people!

The detail that goes into a photoshoot for a magazine is unbelievable! Every single thing was perfect from the flowers to the food to the beautiful table setting! Many pictures were taken to make sure they had just the right ones for the issue! After the photoshoot was over, we had lunch with everyone from the magazine and they interviewed Lisa and me about our businesses! It was a lovely day that I’ll never forget!

Everything was so beautifully arranged for the photo shoot right down to the pimento cheese sandwiches which were made by a local gourmet shop! When I say every detail was covered, it’s really true!

The flower arrangement in this stunning epergne was breathtaking as you can see! This beautiful setting has me thinking of hosting a Valentine’s Day Tea Party!

I really loved my outfit styled with this fabulous vintage fur!

Behind the scenes….

Be sure to pick up a copy of Victoria Magazine and you can subscribe here! The issue is filled with gorgeous pictures and as I said above, focuses on women entrepreneurs! I was particularly interested in Elisa Marshall who is featured in the issue. Elisa owns a bakery in New York called Maman that I cannot wait to visit on my next trip! She has written a gorgeous cookbook that I purchased and will be sharing recipes from soon! There is so much to love about this issue!

Dressed and ready for the shoot!

I want to thank Victoria Magazine from the bottom of my heart for making my dream a reality! It was a day I’ll never forget!