Dinner Party with A Few Bloggers I Admire

Have you ever followed a blogger on Instagram or subscribed to their blog or YouTube channel, and thought to yourself, “Man, oh man! We would totally be friends!” And for this reason, I have decided to throw a dinner party {albeit, imaginary, but maybe one day…}, and invite some of my favorite bloggers, all of whom I admire for different reasons, for a gab-fest!

There are over 150 million blogs around the world! That’s a lot, right? But I have my “favorites”, and if you’re not familiar with these bloggers, then here’s an introduction. I thought it would be fun to invite a few bloggers I admire to my imaginary dinner party. I can tell you one thing for sure – it will be the most stylishly attended blogger dinner party. {If you follow any of these people on IG, then you understand why I made that statement, as all of them are uber-chic, fashionable, and dazzling!}

Welcome to my dinner party!

If you don’t know who Courtney Kerr is, then you’re missing out on one of the funniest ladies. Her blog, KERRently by Courtney Kerr, is definitely one of my faves. She is a Texas blogger, and appeared in her own show on Bravo!, “Courtney Loves Dallas”. I just love her larger-than-life personality, her witty one-liners, and the fact that she loves her rescue dog, Fancy {who also happens to have her own IG account}. She shares her Texas-sized love of fashion, beauty, and travel with her followers. I have watched a few of her live videos on Instagram, and asked a couple of questions during those sessions, and she responded. I was so excited when she said my name! Anyhoo, if you follow her and like her too, then you understand my girl-crush on this blonde beauty. {Instagram: @KERRently by Courtney Kerr}

I met Kimberly Kong through the BlogHer community last summer. Her blog, Sensible Stylista, showcases her awesome style as she gives tips to help you know when to save and when to splurge. I love that she plays {and even teaches} piano {like me, although I haven’t tinkled any ivories in quite some time}. She is working on her DMA {doctorate} in Piano Performance and a second Master’s in Musicology. And if that’s not enough, she already has a Master’s from Juilliard! {Impressive, yes?} She also works on a second blog, Nomtastic Food, with a {man} friend. They post the some of the most mouth-watering pics of their food adventures. Although she and I haven’t met IRL, she is a supportive blogger friend who is beautiful on the inside and the outside. {Instagram: @sensiblestylista}

I have included Grace Atwood‘s blog, The Stripe, on several of my “Links I Love” posts. Her blog has something for everyone — personal style, DIY projects, the best of beauty, travel guides, wellness tips, and her monthly reading list. She has an every-girl quality about her, stays authentic to herself, and writes about things she loves. {Sidebar: Her sister is textile-designer, Rebecca Atwood.} Grace has impeccable style, as evident in her fashion posts. She also just seems so down-to-earth, which is one reason why I’m just obsessed with her! {Instagram: @graceatwood (The Stripe)}

Ashley Wilson is a London mother-of-two, who I discovered through someone else’s IG feed. Her blog, A Mothers Edit, draws inspiration from her life, including what she wears, beauty, travel, family, and fitness. She is just so personable on IG, and has responded to a few of my comments to her posts. And like me, she loves fancy scrunchies. She is a mum, but she doesn’t have a “mumsy” style. Having working in the fashion industry for 12 years, she has fantastic perspective on fashion and mixes classic style with high-street trends with such ease. She is the cool girl from high school that you wanted to be friends with, and exudes a confidence that is magnetic. {Instagram: @amothersedit}

Jessica is a theatre teacher in New Jersey, who I instantly connected with since I was in theatre in high school and was president of my high school’s drama club my senior year. This Latina mother showcases her stunning style on her blog, This Season’s Gold, which she started in 2015 as a way to honor her daughter, who was stillborn at 33 weeks. This lady… I can’t say enough kind words about her beauty and her strength. She is truly a role model. {Instagram: @thisseasonsgold}

You may know Katie Sturino as being the fur-mom of Toast Meets World, who was a puppy mill rescue and an Instagram star is her own right. In fact, Katie has featured her all three of her rescue pups in many of her photos. Her blog, The 12ish Style, shows size 12ish-18ish girls how to be stylish is a size 2 world. She is not shy, nor is she afraid to hike up her leg and apply a layer of her Megababe Thigh Rescue anti-chafe stick. Yes, she is a New Yorker {which I love about her} who believes that women can be stylish at any size. She is my body-positive hero! {Instagram: @the12ishstyle}

Kat Tanita is your quintessential California girl who loves to share her musings on her blog, With Love From Kat, with topics related to fashion, beauty, wellness, and travel. I am also obsessed with how down-to-earth she is on her YouTube channel. I’ve watched some of her live IG videos, even commenting on a couple of times, and trust me, she reads those comments because she actually responded to my question. She is one of the few bloggers I really trust when it comes to a product review or recommendation. {Instagram: @kattanita}

Treating these ladies like the queens they are would require some delicious treats. I know Kat adheres to a gluten-free lifestyle, but that shouldn’t limit what I would serve. So I’m leaning towards a build-your-own pizza party, with gluten-free pizza dough. The topping options are limitless, and that way, these ladies wouldn’t be restricted with a set menu. I would have salad to go with the pizzas, and have some Gigi’s cupcakes for dessert {as they are also gluten-free}.

Once dinner was underway, I would begin my ritual of dinner party questions.

1. How did you first get into blogging?
2. How do you manage your time, working full-time and blogging?
3. And if you blog full-time, how do you stay on track?
4. What was your proudest achievement?
5. Who are your biggest influences?
6. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
7. Who are some bloggers you follow {and why}?
8. What’s your biggest style challenge?
9. Since becoming a blogger, what surprising lessons have you learned along the way?
10. What your best advice for handling criticism?
11. What are your favorite books or movies?
12. Where is the one place you love to travel?
13. What are some beauty must-haves?
14. If you could only wear clothes {including shoes and accessories} from three designers, who would they be and why?
15. Have you ever posted something and then wished you hadn’t?
16. If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take five things with you, what would we find in your bag?

I would want to learn as much I could from these ladies, as they are some of the biggest influences in my blogging life.

{Images borrowed from Pinterest, with links to original source: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12 // 13 // 14}

Who are some of your favorite bloggers? I love discovering new bloggers, so leave their name and a link to their blog {or Instagram account} in the comments below so I can go check them out.

Yours Truly,
Vanessa

P.S. If you’re looking for some other bloggers to follow, check out this post or this post about some of my favorite IG bloggers.