The countdown to my little sister’s wedding is on: less than two months to go! Can you believe it’s been more than nine months since her Charleston engagement?

Speaking of Charleston, we all just returned from there late last night after five glorious days in the Holy City. Let’s be honest: Is there a more beautiful town in the US? I’m going to go with no.

Kari is a very lucky gal as she’s getting a second set of parents plus three new siblings, along with their three spouses, out of this whole marriage deal. Not to mention, four nephews who couldn’t be cuter and a pre-teen, Taylor Swift-loving niece, who obviously is my new best friend.

Since he was already planning his own getaway to Charleston, Kari’s Nashville wedding photographer Joe Hendricks kindly offered to coordinate the timing of his trip with ours in order to shoot her bridal portraits on the family plantation. Obviously, I can’t share them with you now, but boy do I wish I could! That Joe, he’s a wizard with a camera. Tennessee brides, HIRE HIM.

And seriously, could there be a more perfect spot for bridal portraits than this little slice of heaven?

All the girls, the kids and SVV came out for the fun—more than 15 in total—and it very much felt like being on the set of a major editorial shoot—even funnier since my sister hates being the center of attention.

Can’t you tell? The bridal shower on Saturday was a lot of fun; so many people showed up to celebrate Kari and I got to meet so much of Josh’s extended family. They also all reside on James Island along streets that look like this.

Dreamy, right? I’m sure I’d be just fine living there, cloaked in Spanish moss! After that was all said and done, we all got to go out on the boat and cruise the Charleston harbor.

And that night was a big ol’ family dinner with everyone (kids excluded) nearby at Fat Hen.

SVV and I also had plenty of time on our own to do what we do best: explore a city through its restaurant scene. We split our stays between a pair of stellar boutique hotels, the Vendue and Zero George, both of which were perfect bases for wandering.

Let’s just say, as far as vacations go, this one definitely ranked up there as one for the books. The weather was beautiful; save a brief thunderstorm, we had no rain in five days, and the temps were lower than usual, in the 80s mostly. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t 10,000 percent humidity, but still pleasant nonetheless.

I’ve got plenty of Charleston coverage to come in the next few weeks for those of you who might be planning a South Carolina getaway in the near future. But for now, I’m gearing up to be in (another) wedding, here in Nashville this weekend, then am jetting off to the Caribbean bright before dawn the following morning! (Eek!)

Now, your turn. What have you all been up to this very steamy, humid July?