One of the best things we did during our wedding weekend (aside from getting hitched!) was to take a little time for ourselves the morning of our rehearsal. It might sound crazy, but we woke up at five a.m. and it was totally worth it. We had the most amazing hot air balloon Napa experience with the team at Napa Valley Aloft. Of course, I completely overdressed with my Topshop dress (similar here and here) and fur shrug (I’d read it was cold in the morning!). Since we went on a Thursday, I was thinking the turnout would be low. I was wrong! There were around 50 people total and four balloons that morning!
Shop the Look
Dress: Topshop (new style here; similar here; also love this, this, and this) // Fur Jacket: BCBG // Sandals: Vince Camuto // Hat: Rag and Bone (also here) // Bag: Miu Miu // Sunglasses: Bobbi Brown // Eye makeup: Makeup Forever
After planning the wedding for nearly nine months and putting so much consideration into all of the details, we decided to do something just the two of us before all our guests got into town. I had seen that another blogger I follow and her husband had recently taken a hot air balloon ride and knew it would be a romantic adventure. Prior to our trip we went online, read some reviews about Napa Valley hot air balloon rides and booked our tickets.
The night before our tour, I lamented over what to wear and decided to go the “cute” route. In retrospect, it was not the best idea. However, the pictures came out great! I had gotten a cute poplin bow dress from Topshop (new color here and LOVE this one) and was determined to wear it. I also wore these sandals and while they were comfy, flats or cute loafers probably would have been a better choice.
When the day came, I was a little concerned the fog would delay or cancel our tour. Instead, they simply redirected us about 30 minutes from Downtown Napa Valley to an area with beautiful views and less wind. We were up in the air for about 45 minutes to an hour which was a good amount of time. While we didn’t cover a huge distance, we got high enough up to see the Valley and take some wineries from overhead. They offered a breakfast option after the tour at the little restaurant just outside their offices and we were not disappointed. When I was chatting with one of the managers it came out that we were getting married the following day and he surprised us with a treat from Bouchon Bakery for dessert!
Our hot air balloon Napa experience could not have gone better.
