ACL SURVIVAL GUIDE

IDK who we think we are, but we are no longer spring chickens! We bought 3-Day wristbands for Weekend 1 of Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL), and I’m already regretting my poor, FOMO-driven decisions.

This will be my fourth year attending the festival, and I’m already tired. If you’ve been following along on Instagram Stories, you know I’ve been a hamster on a wheel lately. But, I digress. We’re going. All three days. Let’s make it happen!

I thought there no better time than the present to share the knowledge I’ve picked up over the years, and what my top picks and hangs will be for this time around.

Let’s get into it!

FOOD

Here’s the thing. You NEED to eat at festivals. Duh, right? But, when you’re hopping from stage to stage, it’s easy to forget. If it’s like years past, we’re all going to be baking in the hot sun for hours on end. You need to keep your body fueled (and hydrated). Basically, you need to eat a filling meal, so that you’re not standing in line every hour for a snack - missing valuable music time!

Below are my top picks for meals and snacks this year.

MEALS

• FLYRITE - I’m SURE they’ll have some of their DELICIOUS chicken sandwiches - which are perfect, handheld food items. Snag your sammy and find some shade!

• FRANK - Again! Quick, easy, delicious hot dogs perfect for bouncing from stage to stage. I hope they have their pretzels too because they are a must-have snack!

• CHI’LANTRO - THE KIMCHI FRIES! You’ve heard about them, and YES you must try them. They are totally a meal themselves because they are so filling. Their website describes them as “your choice of protein, caramelized kimchi, cheddar + monterey jack, onions, cilantro, magic sauce, sesame seeds, sriracha on a crispy bed of french fries”.

AFTERNOON PICK-ME-UP

• JUICELAND - An Austin staple. Also, juice keeps you hydrated when the sun has no mercy! Not sure which ones they will have available, but for me, as long as there are no beets - it’s considered a winner.

• HIGHBREW - This is hands down my favorite canned cold brew made right here in Austin. I love the “Black & Bold” variety. No sugar. Just caffeine, baby!

• MMMPANADAS - Portable deliciousness wrapped in dough. They even will be offering gluten-freen and vegan options. Empanadas make a perfect snack.

DRINKS

There will be drink stations all around the festival. But, here are some fun places to check out. Also, don’t forget the H2O - especially if you’re traveling from out-of-state. The quickest way to ruin your festival experience is dehydration.

• ACL WINE LOUNGE - This setup will be located right behind the Homeaway stage for reference. It is sponsored by Campo Viejo and will feature lots of fun drinks like frose and spritzes all under some shady delicious oak trees. BLESS!

• BARTON SPRINGS BEER HALL - Love sports and music? Not to fear. Between sets you can catch your favorite teams play on the jumbo screen and wash down the win with a cold brewski.

FUN THINGS

There is actually a ton of fun things to do within ACL beyond the main stages. Lots of brands will be out repping and doing giveaways and handing out free swag.

• SILENT DISCO - Sometimes you just wanna dance. Each day of the festival head to the Tito’s Handmade Vodka Stage from 8-10pm. You’ll be given a special ACL Fest-supplied pair of headphones and can groove to three DJs.

• AMERICAN EXPRESS EXPERIENCE - Last year, we had a great time cooling off in this area. The ground floor is GA, but the top floor was not. However, it hosted some killer views of the American Express stage and we escaped the sun and charged our phones. To get into the top floor, we had to show our American Express card. You may have to register the card for cashless spending this year according to the ACL website. I’m hoping I can just flash the card like last year because my AMEX is through work and I don’t think my company would appreciate sponsoring my food and drinks all weekend! Haha :)

• ART MARKET - Separate from the ACL Merch tent, this area offers goods and wares from artisans from all over the world. Some merchants to check out are Austin Art Garage and Teysha.

WHAT TO WEAR

Rain is in the forecast for Weekend 1, and it’s usually HOT! My best piece of advice is to wear comfortable shoes you don’t care about getting dirty. The dust or mud is sure to happen and you might as well be prepared to get gross.

A rain poncho can’t hurt if it does rain. Usually they fold up really small, so they can fit in your bag easily. Speaking of bags, KNOW THE RULES - which you can find HERE. Not all bags are permitted, so don’t be that person at the gate! Lockers are available near the front of the festival if you want to pay to stash your stuff and not haul it around.

Don’t forget a hat and sunscreen! Otherwise, I’m no fashion blogger. Wear what makes you feel happy, mmkay?

The sunscreen I’ll be wearing this weekend is Coola Sport Face SPF 50 White Tea Organic Sunscreen Lotion. Pricey, but your skin is ALWAYS worth it.

Don’t be me. Don’t wear a sweater! I think it was “kind of” cool, but the sun roasted me!

GENERAL INFO

• I highly recommend downloading this map of the festival to your phone before you go in: DOWNLOAD HERE  

• Screenshot the lineups / stages because it will save battery power on your phone if you’re just looking at your image gallery - versus loading up the page every time you need it.

• Bring a battery pack. Nothing is worse than walking home from ACL because you

• can’t hail a cab or call an Uber. Speaking from experience - unfortunately.

• Save your name and alternate number or contact information on your lock screen. If you lose your phone, you have a better chance of getting it back quickly this way.

• Bring an empty water bottle to refill with water once you’re inside the festival. You cannot enter with any liquids in your water container, but on the map linked above you’ll see Camelbak Hydration Stations scattered about the park.

• Register your wristbands, so you can go cashless! All your wristband questions can be answered HERE!

Who are you looking most forward to hearing at ACL?

I’m looking forward to hearing Paul McCartney and Khalid.

Low key one of my favorite parts of Austin City Limits is all the “unknown” (at least to me) artists because I’ve found some really great music just by listening to some of the lesser known acts. So, that’s what I’m looking forward to MOST. If you see me at ACL, please come say “hi”. I may barely be functioning or spazzing out on caffeine to keep me awake all weekend.  But, I promise you I’d love to meet ya!

Hope you have a fun, safe ACL Fest!

Xo,

Kimberly

WEDDING PLANNING WEDNESDAY: ENGAGED, NOW WHAT?!

When I look down at my hand and remember I’M ENGAGED the butterflies flood my stomach all over again. But, like a ton of bricks, it hit me last week, we’ve been engaged for four months…

I’ve done zero wedding planning! I guess ZERO isn’t fair. I’ve researched lots of venues. Emailed even more. We’ve settled on four that we agree on!
So, the next step is viewing them.

Tomorrow, we head to Florida for Kyle’s cousin’s wedding and we’ll officially kick off planning of our own big day.

If you’re planning an out-of-state wedding, nailing down your venue can be really tricky. But, honestly, it’s the first thing you have to check off you list before you can move on to hiring any other vendors.

I thought it might be helpful to share a few tips for those early days of your engagement.

Engagement is a short season of life. The most important part is to enjoy it to the fullest. Tell your waiter you just got engaged, and indulge in that free dessert, girl! ;)

YOU’RE ENGAGED, NOW WHAT?!

• DETERMINE YOUR GUEST LIST - The guest list is important is because different venues hold different size crowds. Sounds so obvious, right? But, you don’t want to fall in love with a venue that can’t hold your entire party! You can log everyone’s name and address by using The Knot’s online planning tool. Do this early - then you don’t have to worry about collecting addresses later when you select your invitations.

• STAY ORGANIZED - I am using The Knot’s online tool and a spreadsheet I found on Google Sheets to compare vendors and keep all my notes in one place! You’re going to want to keep all of your contracts and vendor information in one place, so that it’s easy to reference when you need it. Just search “Wedding Planner” on Google Sheets. Here’s what it looks like on the left.

• KNOW YOUR BUDGET - If something is outside your budget, it’s best to know upfront that way you can find other options. While some people may have an unlimited budget, I think that most do not! And, I do not. My friend Betsy gifted me this book from The Knot called The Knot Book of Wedding Lists! It’s so amazing. It helps you understand how you should break down your budget and gives you an idea of what to do in the months leading up to your wedding.

• RESEARCH VENUES - Everyone’s favorite question will be, “when’s the date?!”. But, honestly, I’ve been so hesitant to even lean towards a date without having my venue selected. Why? I feel like I can’t nail down a date until I’ve spoken to a venue about their available dates, and I’ve submitted my deposit to secure that date! But, “when’s the date?” will soon become your LEAST favorite question everyone asks you. Haha! Your venue will help determine your wedding style. So, it’s a big step in the process and will kick off the rest of vendor search! Tip: I searched venues by looking at local wedding photographer’s websites. That way I could get a better idea of weddings at the location.

• START A PINTEREST BOARD - I’ll be honest...I don’t really use Pinterest that often anymore. But, wedding planning has revived my love for the platform. It’s FULL of ideas and inspiration. It’s definitely helping me form ideas on what I want my wedding experience to be. You can also keep it private, and only invite your bridal party to help you plan!

Without a venue, you can’t book ANY other vendors - caterers, photographers, videographers, DJ, etc. Because, they need to be able to check their calendars to see if they are already booked on that date!

I hope these tips will help you as you begin to plan your wedding. If you have any other tips for early wedding planning, please share them with me in the comment below!

Xo,

Kimberly