New Traditions: A Magical Night at The Nutcracker

Christmas is a little different this year. Matt and I are staying in Orlando instead of traveling to South Carolina and Georgia to be with our families. Although I miss spending time with family, we have truly enjoyed creating new traditions here in Florida. Earlier this month, Matt surprised me with tickets to The Nutcracker performed by the Orlando Ballet at the Dr. Phillips Center. Not only is The Nutcracker one of my all-time favorite Christmas shows, it holds a very special place in my heart.

Jacquard-weave Black Skirt with Pink Flowers / Black Lace Bodysuit: Zara (similar here) / Black Bralette / Rose Gold Sandals (currently on sale!) / Rose Gold Garden Garland Earrings (currently 30% off) / Nails / Lipstick / Lipgloss

Each year, on Christmas Eve Eve (yes, that is a thing in our family), my cousins and I would perform our own version of The Nutcracker for our families and friends. It is one of my most cherished memories from childhood. We would choreograph each dance routine and spend months rehearsing, making costumes and props, and putting together handmade programs in anticipation. Thankfully, our families were supportive and encouraged our efforts – agreeing to spend a couple of hours watching us dance around my aunts small living room. This was an ongoing tradition for us and continued until all of us girls became more interested in spending time with our high school boyfriends than playing dress-up.

When Matt surprised me with tickets, it just so happened to be on Christmas Eve Eve! My childhood memories are now making room for a new tradition – a grown up, adult version I guess you could say… {complete with cocktails during the show}

For my outfit, I ended up finding the perfect jacquard-weave skirt with pink flowers. Classy, elegant, and romantic – which is exactly what I was going for. I paired it with a black lace bodysuit, triangle bralette, rose gold sandals, rose gold garden garland earrings, and a black faux fur stole {which didn’t last long in 80 degree weather}. The black lace bodysuit is from Zara and I’m unable to link it here so I found a few similar ones I’ll link below instead. 

My rose gold earrings were my favorite part of the whole look. I had been eyeing them for awhile and when I saw they went on sale during Black Friday I knew it was meant to be. 😉 The rose gold metal paired perfectly with my sandals and pink flowers on the skirt.

I also changed up my hair for this look and went with a side-part. For most of my life, this was the only way I would wear my hair, but it’s been about six years since I’ve worn it like this. I’m not good with change when it comes to my hair haha, but I feel like this added a soft romantic, old Hollywood vibe. 

We had dinner at The Boheme at The Grand Bohemian Hotel before the show and this was probably one of my top three meals we’ve had since moving to Orlando. It. was. AMAZING. The design of the restaurant is very modern – a lot of black and red decor with touches of Old World inspired artwork. A huge grand piano is located in the front near the lounge where a pianist played a combination of Christmas classics and pop music. If you’re ever headed to the Dr. Phillips Center for an event, The Grand Bohemian Hotel is located right next door making it a great spot to grab a pre-show meal! {and if you do, get the sea bass..trust me.}

Although Christmas is a little different this year, I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to make new traditions with Matt here in Florida.

Thank you taking time out of your day to read my post. I hope you have a wonderful and blessed holiday season. Sending you all my love, hugs, and {gluten free} Christmas cookies!