Despite Bonneville Salt Flats being EXTREMELY salty, Sarah Meyer did capture some incredible photographs for Gedis and my engagement photos. This was quite the adventure, and totally worth it!
Author: Alecsy Christensen
Our Honeymoon Suite in Salt Lake City
We’re married! Finally! As we drove off in our car, we made our way to our honeymoon suite at the Grand America. The Grand America gave us an incredible Executive Suite with a view in exchange for a modeling project I did for them.
The King Executive Suite at the Grand America could not have been more perfect. The size of the room was like a small apartment, and we felt like royalty. There was even a sweet card congratulating us on our marriage, and chocolate strawberries that were left for us as we entered the hotel room.
The next morning, we woke up and went down to the Garden Cafe for the most incredible Sunday brunch filled with crepes, seafood, dessert, omelets, ice cream, and all the coffee and orange juice we could manage to drink. It was perfect.
When we left, they gave us a complimentary bottle of sparkling champagne to set us on our way, and a certificate for our next anniversary for a free upgraded room if we book a room at the Grand America next year.
Totally spoiled.
Thank you Grand America!
Love,
Alecsy and Gediminas Rusteika
5 Must-Know Travel Tips for Plitvice Lakes, Croatia
Plitvice Lakes, Croatia was one of my favorite destinations I have traveled to. I want to share some tips we discovered that will make your journey that much more enjoyable. I highly recommend visiting if you are planning a travel trip to Croatia!
(1) Fly into Zagreb and take a one day trip to Plitvice Lakes
On our Croatia journey, we flew into Zagreb, spent one day exploring, then made our way to Plitvice Lakes National Park. One day in Plitvice Lakes is a perfect amount of time to see all the sites and enjoy everything Plitvice has to offer.
(2) Start your journey early in the morning!
The earlier you get to Plitvice Lakes, the better! By the time we got to the national park, mid-afternoon, the parking lots were packed! We did not think we would be able to find anywhere to park!
(3) If you cannot find parking, park on the road
If you do end up getting to Plitvice Lakes mid-afternoon, do not fret! Park on the road—you will see many other cars parallel parked all along the road and up the canyon. You might have to drive quite a ways away from the park to find a spot, and walk down to the park, but when you find a nook to park in, do it! Do not worry about getting towed, that is what our biggest worry was, but we were fine!
(4) Find an Airbnb, hostel, or hotel in Split
Instead of staying the night close to Plitvice Lakes, where prices can get a little outrageous because there is more demand in that area for places to stay, carefully venture to Split for the night, and explore the beautiful town in the morning for a full day of activities! Try not to leave the park too late so you do not have to drive in the dark. The roads are a little scary!
(5) Take your time, enjoy the sites!
Because Gedis and I had limited time at Plitvice lakes, we rushed through the park in four hours. If you are to take your time, stop, and enjoy, I am sure it would take you 6-8 hours. Plan for that if you would like to enjoy everything!
Here are some awesome pictures of our trip, and some ideas for you to take pictures at these sites!
XOXO
Miss Utah International & Supranational 2016
Photo for Miss Utah International & Miss Utah Supranational 2016
Headshot for Miss Utah USA 2016
My headshot for Miss Utah USA 2016 where I won Miss Photogenic Utah USA 2016.
Faux Utah Wedding Photoshoot
A faux Utah wedding photoshoot wearing Maggie Sottero.
Miss Utah USA 2016 Competition Swimsuit
The swimsuit portion of the Miss Utah USA 2016 competition.
Miss Utah International 2016
An Ad for Miss Utah US International 2016 featured in the Miss US International 2016 magazine.
5 James Bond Theme Party Ideas
Creating the ultimate James Bond themed party for adults on a budget can be simple and easy, it just takes a few decorations, props, and great friends.
This year for New Years my friends and I created the ULTIMATE James Bond Themed 007 New Years party that turned out extremely fun, and it was not even that expensive to create!
1) How to Setup your Photo Booth
For our photo booth, we used two different setups. With one setup we used gold shiny fabric from Wal Mart for our backdrop, this was inexpensive and looked great! We secured the material to the wall with thumbtacks. With the other setup, we used two of Zurcher’s red metallic table covers and lined the wall with them, and then put awesome decorations on top!
2) What Decorations to Buy
For the decorations on the photo booth, and for decorations around the house, we bought a few pack of foil star cutouts from Zurchers, in both gold and silver, and bought 16″ gold number balloons to create the “007” in the background (keep in mind these balloons cannot be filled with helium, so we blew them up with air and taped them to our backdrop). We also got about 10 gold balloons, and 10 black balloons and blew them up with helium.
3) What Photo Booth Props to Get
For photo booth props, we used fun cone party hats, a felt top hat, and feather hats all from Zurchers, glitter, and a couple of toy guns that we got from the grocery store to add more of a 007 feel. These were great props that everyone had a fun time with!
4) What Beverages to Get
We wanted the party to have some great drinks, so we got supplies to make jungle juice! Others I have seen have made martinis, or simple virgin drinks if you do not drink alcohol!
What to Wear
I wore a gold cocktail dress from Sherri Hill, and a lot of other girls wore sparkly sequin dresses as well. We told the men to dress up in a nice button up shirt, tie (bow-tie preferably) and nice dress pants. The more dressed up, the better!
Feel free to comment your best James Bond party find or tip!!!
5 Things You Should Know about Hair Painting/Balayage
Hair painting and balayage highlights, where do I begin? They are the new hair coloring style that I am obsessed with, so let me share with you my hair painting wisdom. 
Little did I know, when I found her on Instagram, all of my favorite hair photos of her clients were using a “hair painting” technique, something I have seen a ton but I never knew the name for the style. Thank you Britny for your amazing hair painting, and for sharing your balayage highlighting wisdom!
I wanted to share with you an intro to hair painting, and some things you should know about the technique before you decide to get it done on your hair!
Hair Painting
What is Hair Painting?
Hair painting, or balayage highlights, is a sun-kissed natural looking hair color technique with softer, less noticeable regrowth lines. Think of the look as someone getting highlights by sitting and laying out in the sun.
Misconception:
As Britny explained, a lot of people are nervous about hair painting because they are used to having their hair in a bunch of foil.
What are the Costs?
The initial cost of hair painting is more expensive than foil because there is a very specific technique that goes into it, but in the long run you do not have to get your hair done as much.
Can I Do it Myself?
As Britny was doing my hair, I realized how easy it would have been for someone with little experience to make this look come out extremely bad. Hair painting is not something that you should do on your own. Not everyone knows how to hair paint and it takes a lot of training and mastering techniques to do it correctly.
Where do I find a Stylist that Specializes in Hair Painting/Balayage?
Britny suggested that people always find a hairdresser on Instagram. This way you can look at their portfolio and what they have done. And this fits perfectly with where I found her to do my hair… on Instagram! Instagram is really a great tool to find someone that fits your style.
I hope you enjoyed this quick hair painting guide! Feel free to add your thoughts/tips/comments below!