The Azalea Festival

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the North Carolina Azalea Festival in Wilmington. It’s the largest festival of its kind in the state, and serves to invite visitors to see the charm of the beautiful town and enjoy concerts, fairs, parties, and the Festival Parade.

Being a southern girl myself (born in Georgia and having lived a short time in North Carolina) I jumped at the opportunity to attend the festival with Belk. If you’re from Texas, chances are you might not have heard of Belk because we only have 1 or 2 here, but it’s one of the main department stores of the South. My mom used to take me and my sister there to shop when we were growing up, it’s always where we got our Easter dresses from! I was so excited because my mom was able to come with me to Wilmington, and we just had a blast together!

The first event we attended was the Airlie Luncheon Garden Party. As soon as I heard the words “hat recommended”, I knew I was going to like it. We arrived early and after a quick photoshoot, I was off to explore the beautiful gardens, sip on a mint julep, and watch the Citadel Summerall Guards performance. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect for this little blue shift dress.

After the Garden Party, I was off to Belk to shop for my concert look for the night. It was going to be a bit chilly, so I decided to go with some wide-leg pants and a ruffled, off-the-shoulder top. I had to try to look cool because we weren’t just going to any concert, we were seeing Snoop Dogg!! No big deal, just living the dream of every millennial over here. We snapped some photos before the concert started, then had a blast listening to a DJ battle, Doug E. Fresh, and of course, Snooooop. I might have dropped it like it’s hot, idk.

The next day it was time for the Festival Parade! We got to see the Azalea Belles, the Azalea Queen and her court, and the Azalea Princess. Over 100,000 people come to see the parade every year and it definitely didn’t disappoint. I love a good parade, it reminds me of my hometown because our 4th of July parade is a big deal there. After that, we were off to snap some more photos. I picked out some Crown and Ivy separates that were perfect for the sunny day.

After the parade, my mom and I went off to explore on our own. We went to the Street Fair, had dinner at a local brewery, shopped around at the boutiques, and had some delicious ice cream. It was so great to spend the whole weekend with my mom, just the two of us.

 Thanks for reading, and I hope you had fun following along with my trip! It was definitely an experience to remember and I’m so thankful. I also want to thank everyone for your support and helping me reach 50K followers on Instagram! Ah, it seems surreal. Even though it’s been over a year since I started my blog, it sometimes feels like yesterday and I can’t believe how much fun I’ve had.

Blue Shift Dress: Crown and Ivy | Hat: Nine West | White Blouse: Free People (similar) | Floral Pants: Jessica Simpson | Wedges: Lauren Ralph Lauren | Pink Blouse: Crown and Ivy | White Skirt: Crown and Ivy 

Photos by: Chris Brehmer Photography

*This post is sponsored by Belk, but all opinions are my own. #ad