Touring Vera Bradley with my blogger babes! 

Three weekends ago you may have been wondering why I went to Fort Wayne, Indiana. Let alone on a blogging trip. Seems random, right? Well, it wasn’t in fact random at all. Our trip was centered around visiting Vera Bradley’s headquarters. Morgan, Sarah, Brittany, Courtney, and myself all packed up our {Vera Bradley} suitcases and headed west to visit one of our favorite brands and check out a brand new city. Today, I’m sharing our a little about our time at Vera Bradley.

c/o suitcase // coat // denim // socks // boots // sunglasses

Friday morning it was off to Vera Bradley’s headquarters. We spent a good two-three hours with the various Vera Bradley team members exploring their office. As if this will be a shock to any of you, the office was beautiful, vibrant, and fun! Full of patterns, bright colors, and lots of busy people.

One of the first things we did {and one of my favorites} was check out their Vera Bradley fabric wall. This wall wraps around the center of their office and is the home of swatches from each fabric they have carried. All of us had a blast pointing out our first Vera Bradley pattern and working our way down the line to where we are now. Walking along this wall was truly like walking down memory lane. I saw the pattern I first received in seventh or eighth grade, the one that was my high school tote for sophomore to junior year, my college oversized bag for junior year, the duffle bags that still sit on a shelf in my closet, and the patterns that I carry today.

Following that joyful little “ride” we made our way photo studio. All of us bloggers were of course dying over the photography equipment and set up of the “scenes”. Seeing what goes into a product photo makes you appreciate those images SO much more! They also push you to be more creative with yours. Think out side of the box!

From there we met with creatives to see what goes on to create their patterns and handbag styles. Y’all this was any fashion lovers dream! Seeing what goes on to create the items to wear is incredible. Especially for me as I originally wanted to be a fashion designer. Don’t ask me why I didn’t pursue that. I can’t spill any details but what is coming from Vera Bradley is going to blow your mind!! Just be prepared.

After that we toured their distribution center. Which truly blew my mind. Every. Single. Item. passes through this building. They have 12 miles of equipment that carries products around the distribution center and sends them to their correct destination. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes to get you that bag or notebook or scarf. Trust me, it’s crazy!

c/o handbag // c/o scarf // turtleneck // jeans // loafers

After the full Vera Bradley tour we headed off to lunch at a local farm to table restaurant. If we ate there for every meal while in Fort Wayne, I would not have been upset. Not one bit. The food was incredible and the atmosphere was adorable. The owners of the restaurant own a massive farm/homestead not far from the restaurant where weddings and events are held. Additionally, they have a bed and breakfast. How cute!

Once our bellies were full it was time to snap pics and shop! Where we ate was in an adorable little area called Roanoke. Think adorable little downtown with boutiques, restaurants, a bank, and antique shops. There were two really great boutiques in Roanoke that had us all swooning. If you’re in the area, I highly recommend you stop by Trouve and NE. You’re bound to find something!

After shopping we were a bit whipped so it was back to the hotel for us. We all climbed in our Vera Bradley pajamas and had a little lounge session. It’s so good to be a girl!

sunglasses // clutch // iPhone cover // lipstick

Does anyone else absolutely love girls weekends away? They are so good for the soul. Catching up with girl friends, talking about girly stuff, getting a break from the men in your life {love you hubs}, and shopping + drinking champagne until your hearts content is kind of amazing. And trust me, we did all of this. If you follow any of us on Instagram you saw we had a great gals night in one evening with rose and a lip sync battle. HILARIOUS!! Morgan luckily {or unluckily} filmed the whole thing so be on the look out for her trip recap which will include our craziness.

I hope y’all enjoyed this little {okay pretty long} recap of our day. If you want to hear more about Fort Wayne please let me know. I’d be happy to put a full travel guide together for the city.

c/o scarf // turtleneck // jeans // c/o coat {last seen here}

Since this post was all about Vera Bradley I obviously have to share some of my favorite items from them right now. I do have to tell you, I use this laptop cover regularly and could not be more obsessed with it. If you don’t have a laptop cover {or looking to upgrade} this one is perfect! Also, all about this backpack. Perfect for travel or weekends full of running around. Another VB item I cannot get enough of is their throw blankets. They’re the softest! Joshua and I have one in our living room, bedroom, and guest room. You can say we’re hooked.

Special thank you to Vera Bradley & Visit Fort Wayne for our awesome gals getaway!