The St. John’s Town Center Inaugural VIP Influencer Dinner

Hi Dolls, 

A couple of weeks ago, I had the distinct honor of attending the inaugural VIP Influencer dinner at the

St. John’s Town Center.  I’ve been blogging for quite some time now and I absolutely love what I do.    Though blogging is fun, it’s also hard work so to be honored in such a way, at the town center, a place that can easily be coined a “fashionistas dream”, was very special and quite the honor!    I caught up with fellow bloggers, met new ones,  and had an overall amazing time.   We mingled, we networked, we talked fashion, we laughed, we danced, and of course, we ate!  Fashion and food are two things I will always love and be passionate about so this was an event right up my alley!

Before I get into the evenings festivities, I would be remiss if I didn’t share the deets on my look!  

I purchased this adorable jumpsuit from the Ross Dress for Less store at the St. John’s Town Center last summer so I was happy to finally wear it to this event.  I fell in love with the bold and bright colors as soon as I saw it on the rack!  It’s also off the shoulder which is always a plus!  One thing I love about jumpsuits is that you can dress them up or down by making simple adjustments!

I wanted to keep my look fun for the event so I added a trendy sun hat which completely changed the entire feel of my outfit!  My favorite oxblood Sam Edelman Circus heels were the perfect accompaniment!  Since there was such a bold and busy pattern in the jumpsuit, I kept accessories minimal.  

Shop Similar Looks Below!

The St. John’s Town Center was an extremely gracious host this evening!  They put up a fancy tent for the Influencer event in between Tory Burch and Lush and it was nice and air conditioned!  Listen, we live in Florida and sometimes, the fact that it’s fall and sometimes even winter, means nothing in terms of heat so we were grateful for the AC!  They also provided complimentary valet and shuttling to the event location which was greatly appreciated.  When you’ve got a group of fashionistas coming together for the love of style and fashion, high heels are guaranteed to be the shoe of choice!  Walking to any parking lot at the town center from the event location would’ve definitely posed a challenge.

Inside of the event, everyone was dressed to impress!  We had a live band playing the perfect tunes for mingling and sing-alongs, an open bar with endless Rose, and representatives from different retailers at the town center, there to network with us!  We were able to build working relationships, shop, and later on that evening preview some of the latest trends and fall fashions from some of our favorite stores at the town center. 

It goes without saying that all of the Influencers were excited to see each other (and what everyone was wearing)!  One thing I love about blogging events like these is the relationship building! 
 Now-a-days it seems like the world of blogging has become supersaturated with individuals trying to do the same thing, but the beauty of it, is that no one can do something the same way you do it so there’s room for everyone to win!  You can see that just by looking at the pictures below.  We’re all fashion bloggers, we all have different styles, but we’re all fabulous! (Insert hair flip emoji here) 

It was great running into old blogger buddies and making new ones.  

I started blogging a little over 5 years ago and Prissy was probably the only other fashion bloggers I knew of who lived in the same city as me.  We met at a really small blogger meet-up my first year and I hadn’t seen her anymore until this evening at the Influencer dinner!  Needless to say, we were pretty excited to see each other again!

I met these 4 ladies at another Influencer event last summer and they are all fabulous and so much fun! You’ve got to check their blogs out for yourself!    From left to right, Stephanie from The Borrowed Babes is a “Rent The Runway” slayer and will give you side-stitching laughs if you stick around long enough!  She was rocking this red number too, might I add!  Aubrey from Hello Alley is a fellow FSU alum so I loved her from day one!  She’s super down to Earth, and has the cutest style!  Tasha from Moody Girl In Style can flat lay an outfit with the best of them!  She is super cool and always has the deets on a good Nordstrom deal!  Sasha, @theblondeconfetti on IG,  shows you the day to day of a  Florida girl and she may not know this yet, but I’m coming to her next house party!  Her instapics and instastories make you want to be where ever she is!  I got to meet some of the other Influencers there that evening but with everything going on, we didn’t get pictures together.  They’re all equally fab!

After mingling whilst sipping cocktails, we enjoyed an exquisite dinner catered by The Capital Grille.  During dinner, we got a preview of the latest fall looks from Dillards and Brooks Brothers, both retailers at The St. John’s Town Center.  Aubrey was the lovely hostess during the preview.  She provided us with detailed descriptions of each look and gave us fashion tips and the inside scoop on trends and up coming looks for fall.  After seeing the preview, I now know there are a pair of red booties and a gold velvet skirts in my future!  Representatives from Omega and Apple spoke as well about their products.   I’m definitely in need of a new watch and a luMee case for my iPhone!

So you all know, I’m your fashion AND food girl, so when I heard dinner would be catered by The Capital Grille, I was over the moon.  As expected, every course was perfection.

Soup: 
 ~Butternut Squash Bisque and Curried Fuji Apples~
If I had to describe fall as a soup, this would be it.  All of the flavors were complimentary and the fuji apples added a nice sweetness with out being over powering.

Salad
~Main Lobster Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette~
This delicious salad was made with chilled Maine lobster tossed in citrus vinaigrette over arugula and avocado.  

They say you eat with your eyes first and I would have to agree because I took at least 20 pictures of this lobster salad.  It was beautiful to look at and equally delectable!  My smile is the stamp of approval!

~Center Cut Filet Mignon~
This is most definitely a timeless entree.  It was bursting with flavor and perfectly prepared at medium.  

 Accompaniments 
~French Green Beans w/ Heirloom Tomatoes~
These had a nice crunch and were equally savory and sweet.

~Sam’s Mashed Potatoes~
These were easily the best mashed potatoes I have ever eaten.  They had a luscious and creamy consistency and were incredibly delicious!  Definitely lick the bowl worthy!

~Lobster Mac ‘N’ Cheese~

As a foodie who doesn’t care for mac and cheese (I know, I know, how is this possible?) this is a mac and cheese dish I could eat every day.  It was delicious!

Dessert
~Berries and Vanilla Bean Cream Angliase~
This was a perfect dessert.  With such a rich and heavy dinner, it was nice and light.  It was still sweet so I didn’t feel like I was missing out on dessert.  Also if you peep The Capital Grille writing on the plate….that’s chocolate!  I know right!

The Capital Grille definitely takes pride in the dishes they prepare.  They aim to please and it shows.  Everything we ate was indulgent and presented beautifully.  I would’ve expected nothing less.  They are also located in The St. John’s Town Center so if ever you’re in the mood for an incredible meal and don’t mind a bit of a splurge, this is where you want to go.
  I was thoroughly impressed with the inaugural VIP Influencer Dinner the St. John’s Town Center put on for us.  It made perfect sense because I can guarantee, us Influencers spend a lot of time there!  There is a consensus that we all love the town center so an evening spent there was that much more special!  I can only imagine how much better this event will get from one year to the next!  Just when you thought the evening couldn’t get anymore exciting, they gifted us with A Simon Mall swag bag and perfume from Louis Vuitton!  Now that’s the way you end an already fabulous evening in the name of fashion! A huge thanks goes out to all the retailers involved, St. John’s Town Center, The Capital Grille, and everyone who played a part in making this inaugural event a success!  Kudos!!! 
As always, thanks so much for stopping by!
XOXO