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Carly Totten

@carlyisinspired

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👩🏻‍💻 Writer & Editor
👰🏻 Wedding Planner & Stylist
📍Bucks County, PA
✨ Better Homes & Gardens, Real Simple, Southern Living, and more

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It’s been 3,652 days without Poppy.

10 years.

At times, that feels like forever. But at other times, I cry like it’s just happened.

I always say that my grandparents were magic. My Nana was my best friend. But it was Poppy who had a zest for life, always with a twinkle in his eye.

It’s impossible to try to memorize someone.

But boy did I try.

His brilliant blue eyes. His voice and how he called everyone he thought was kind “Love”. His hugs. His love of tennis and bridge and opera and his organ and church and his friends. The one time he broke into speaking Cockney, and how happy I felt to be absolutely shocked that he knew a dialect he had never mentioned before. Our lunches, always with an Italian hoagie split between us. How he critiqued my driving on the way to one of his macular degeneration doctor’s appointments, which made me laugh. I was driving because he wasn’t supposed to be able to see. Our final Valentine’s Day together; I asked him to be my Valentine, and he hesitated, asking if I was sure I didn’t have something else to do (anything with him was always my favorite). But when I picked him up at his house for dinner, his still booming voice with his English accent that I will miss for all of my days called out, “Hello, Valentine!” from his bedroom. He called me “my Carly” to his friends and so carefully and proudly shared details about my life and my jobs with them—little things I cherished that I also knew weren’t that little at all. How much he loved Nana (and how impossible it must have been to live without her). How he said my name (“Cahhly”). How he always said, “Give me two rings when you get home.”

I knew he loved me and saw me as someone who was always “enough”, and I adored him. There was never anything unsaid, except silently desperately wanting more time (he was 95; no amount of time with magic is ever enough). And 10 years later, I pull his tennis racket out of my bag and play matches with it and revel in having a piece of him with me. For as much as it pains me to miss him, it’ll forever be one of the greatest honors of my life to love and to have been loved by my Poppy. by @carlyisinspired

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16 days ago

I officially joined the Kiawah Island Turtle Patrol!!! 🥰🐢

Loggerhead sea turtles nest every year on Kiawah, and there are volunteers in 8 zones who meet every morning at sunrise from May through October to search their 1-mile zone for new crawls, new nests, and turtle tracks that signal that a nest has hatched. Each team does nest inventories too where a nest is uncovered, hatched and unhatched eggs are counted, and hatchlings that are at the bottom of the nest and haven’t quite made their way to the ocean are brought down for a release to help them have the best chance at survival.

Every day, I never knew what I would experience and see. And one morning I even staged a rescue to guide a hatchling beyond the breakers (I’m soaked from my surprise 7 a.m. fully clothed swim in the first photo 😂)! Beyond the turtles, I loved the people I met on the beach every morning at 6:15 who love Kiawah and this incredible program as much as I do. ❤️

This has been the best and most gratifying experience of my summer, and I can’t wait to be back at it in 3 weeks. 🌅💕🌊🐢 taken in Kiawah Island Golf Resort by @carlyisinspired

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2 months ago

Sarah & Dan, 3.28.26

A beautiful beach wedding day @clarkslandingyachtclub for these two which was nothing short of perfect.

Gorgeously captured by @russophotoandfilm
Florals: @little_missdelilah
Planning & Events: @carlyisinspired

#njwedding #beachwedding #dustybluewedding #weddingflowers #weddingflorist taken in Clarks Landing Yacht Club Weddings by @carlyisinspired

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3 months ago

I love trips out west! We went to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks at the beginning of June, and it was one of the best weeks of my life.

First, we spent 3 nights in Grand Teton. Jackson is every bit as beautiful as everyone else says it is! We drove through the park, hiked on the trails, rode the boat across Jenny Lake (a highlight!), and saw so much wildlife (3 moose!!!, bison, antelope, mule deer, a bear on the trail we all could have done without 😂, a bald eagle, and tons of elk). We floated on a raft down the Snake River (our favorite excursion of all time), and one morning I watched the sunrise at Schwabacher Landing. It was so beautiful, I didn’t want to leave. I also didn’t think Yellowstone could top it. Boy was I wrong!

Then we spent 4 nights in Yellowstone, and the topography shocked us. We were expecting valleys and plenty of wildlife (we hoped!). There were plenty of valleys, but we were wowed by huge mountains, a beautiful lake, and so many geothermal features that made us feel like we were on another planet entirely. Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and its incredible views was everything I hoped it might be. Old Faithful was beautiful, and we caught two more geyser eruptions while we were there! I also loved seeing Old Faithful Inn, the inspiration for Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. Grand Prismatic Spring and its incredible colors that we could see thanks to a hike to the overlook was my favorite stop of them all! We lost count of how many hundreds of bison we saw, and we spotted two black bears and a grizzly bear (!!!), elk, and a wolf just before we left the park on our last day.

This trip overwhelmed me while I was planning it because it felt more remote than anywhere else we’ve been. Yellowstone, especially, is also HUGE. But we had the best time, and I got to be my favorite adventurous, photo taking, hiking version of myself too. 🫎🌄🦬🏔️❤️ by @carlyisinspired

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3 months ago

A long weekend that I needed to be in Charleston turned into 3 weeks in North Carolina and South Carolina with some very high highs and some very vertigo lows. I would relive it all again and again (just maybe not the spinning)!

Getting to celebrate @kmevents at her law school graduation party and ceremony were the most special. Katherine is the epitome of “do the damn thing,” and I’m so proud and so lucky to get to call her one of my best friends. ❤️

My mom and I took two long walks in Pinehurst. I read a lot and worked a lot in pretty spots. The magnolias and roses were in bloom!!! I watched the sunrise on Kiawah. And I took one final beach walk to wrap up our time away. I already miss it all. 🌸🌊💕 by @carlyisinspired

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5 months ago

While I was recovering from my injury last year, running another 10K at Disney became a big goal. My physical therapist thought I was nuts when I signed up (I could barely run at all at that point), but I felt that training for a distance race and crossing another finish line at my favorite place would help me to feel like I was back. What I didn’t know last summer was that I would go through a nightmare of a breast cancer scare in December and January, and my trip to Disney was what would keep me going.

And then the race almost didn’t happen. 😅

The forecast said it might storm on Friday night, which meant the RunDisney team wouldn’t be able to set the course. Thankfully, the call was made at 8 p.m. to move ahead. I cried. My redemption tour was back on track.

I got to Epcot at 3:45 a.m. to line up at 5 a.m. At that point, I was still praying we would get to run because it was raining with storm threats. But my group was on the course just before 6 a.m., and that’s when I leaned into the fact that I thought I would get to run with joy (my motto while I trained) to the finish line.

Throughout Epcot and along the resort route, there was Disney music, a drum line, a jazz band, a marching band, and Cast Members and guests cheering us on. The lights throughout the park looked so cool, and I had also never sweat more in my life (thank you, 94% humidity 🫠😂).

When I saw the finish line, I started to cry (again). Social media doesn’t show the absolute battle that last year and the beginning of this year was. So, crossing that finish line felt like the biggest win, especially because the sun had peeked out too—an exact metaphor for how I felt.

RunDisney forever. 💖

P.S. My water bottle was a whole character on race day. It also prevented me from passing out. Again, HOT. 😅

P.P.S. I’m injured again. I love running, but I worry it doesn’t love me. 🙃 taken in EPCOT by @carlyisinspired

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6 months ago

Remember when I said I might share a December update before February? I lied. 😂😅

What I didn’t share when I wrote that caption is I was in the middle of a breast cancer scare. It started the week before Christmas, continued through both holidays and a vacation, and finally came to a benign end in the middle of January. What a long year that month was!

Through it all, I tried my best to soak up Longwood Gardens, Christmas, and Kiawah. And then I basked in the relief of being well—there’s no feeling quite like it.

So, a few legit happy moments and a whole
lot of frames where I was pretending to be fine even though I wasn’t fine at all. 🥹

ONWARD!!! 💕 by @carlyisinspired

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8 months ago

The end of December feels like a great time to share a few favorites from November. 😂

Seeing “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” on Broadway with @ltaylor__ was such a highlight! I didn’t want to see the show until I had finished reading Harry Potter, and this was the perfect way to cap off accomplishing such a fun goal. I’m still thinking about all of the special effects!!! Also, Lauren is a great time! I’m so lucky to have coworkers who have turned into fun friends. 💕

Before the show, I walked about 80 blocks of NYC (because of course I would). 🤣 I really wanted to see the NYC Marathon’s finish line! The views in Central Park never disappoint. My favorite city. ✨

The weekend after, my parents and I went back to Broadway to see one of the final preview shows of “The Queen of Versailles” for my birthday and their anniversary. The show was…a weird one. But! Getting to witness Kristin Chenoweth onstage was INCREDIBLE. My god, can she sing! 🤯

We also went to the National Dog Show where I MADE FRIENDS, and I finally got to see the Northern Lights…from my deck!

Next up, December—and I might just share those before February! 🙃 by @carlyisinspired

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10 months ago

This year, I was determined to love fall, a season I have a tricky relationship with because I really hate winter. And I think I met my goal! So much of that is thanks to a trip my parents and I took to Charlottesville, Shenandoah National Park (our first repeat park visit!), New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia, and Winston-Salem and Pinehurst, N.C.

We were supposed to go to New York and Vermont, but the nor’easter made us change our plans four days before we left. I pulled up my notes about Charlottesville and West Virginia, and we went with a rough outline of plans and hopes for sun and warmer weather. Spoiler: We had a GREAT time.

The leaves weren’t quite at their peak, but the colors were beautiful; it rained only on our drive to Virginia, we hiked part of the Appalachian Trail (including my dad!!!); we happened upon the prettiest farm on the side of a mountain, @cartermountain; I finally visited @pippinhillfarm in person and ended up in a literal field of wildflowers (!!!); we stopped by the @the_greenbrier; we learned that West Virginia is BEAUTIFUL and has incredible waterfalls; we spent an afternoon in Winston-Salem (and found another waterfall!); and we revisited one of our favorites spots—Pinehurst—on a whim to extend our trip.

It turns out fall might not suck after all. 🍁❤️ by @carlyisinspired

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a year ago

This month has been a whirlwind, and I can’t think of a better way to end it than with Kyle and Casey’s wedding day.

So many of the best things involve @jillmagenta, so when she mentioned she was sending Kyle’s mom, @lpshoremom, my way, I had a feeling someone fun and wonderful was about to land in my inbox—and I was right…times three. Lisa helped Kyle and Casey create a complete vision for their wedding day filled with impeccable style, beautiful details, and an incredible team of pros. I was honored to join the group, and I was so excited to finally see everything come together at @linwood.weddings on Saturday.

The weather could not have been more beautiful for a beach first look, an outdoor ceremony on the golf course, a tented cocktail hour, and an indoor reception in the ballroom. @theflowercompanynj transformed the space with gorgeous arrangements; Lisa gathered linens, details, and candles together to add texture, pattern, and warmth; @jbprolive kept everyone on the dance floor; and the team from Linwood quickly became one of the best trios I’ve worked with in such a long time. @whenwedancephoto deserves her own shoutout—a wonderful photographer who is SO KIND with the best energy. And I loved working with calm Malin from @toastweddings, too.

At one point, Kyle and Casey said they wanted to relive their wedding day every weekend, which is the BEST compliment to hear. And with a crew this kind and fun working behind-the-scenes, I have to agree (just maybe without a redo of my 30 flights of stairs 😂).

Lisa, I’ll miss our calls and texts and emails. You are the most fun mom of the groom of all time, and you win the award for the most talented, too. ❤️

Jill, thank you for offering to come out of wedding planning assistant retirement, driving all the way from Pittsburgh, and being the very best person to have by myself for 12 hours straight. You are the greatest friend and behind-the-scenes photographer!

That’s a wrap on my 2025 wedding season.

Photos 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7 are by 👸🏻 Jill; I snapped 4 (the girls are looking at the photos and videos Jill captured at the first look! 🥰), 5, and 8.

P.S.: I wrote this on Sunday, and I cried. 😭❤️ taken in Linwood Country Club by @carlyisinspired

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a year ago

Summer is my favorite season, and I’m in denial that it came to a close. There’s just…nothing else like it.

This year, I tried to do all of my favorite things (or, at least, most of them). The highlights:

- Seeing @kristywharvey again. 💕
- Exploring @longwoodgardens with my mom on one of the hottest afternoons of the summer and having to wait out a tornado warning (😅).
- Finally finishing the Harry Potter series—reading book 5 turned into sobbing at the end of book 6 and feeling so proud at the end of book 7 (these are LONG, y’all).
- Spending a month on Kiawah thanks to two separate two week trips.
- Buying a boogie board again for the first time in YEARS because I wanted to and feeling so happy about it.
- Driving through a safari park with my mom.
- Going to two Phillies games! I don’t think I’ll ever recover from the second one.
- Enjoying high tea with my mom for her birthday at @atasteofbritain and having scones that tasted like my Nana’s (highly recommend!).
- Finally hugging @calliebealeharper again and wandering around Savannah.
- Watching the dolphins strand feed on Kiawah.
- Seeing lightning bugs.
- Taking walks after 7 because it doesn’t get dark until after 8 (this always feels like the sweet spot of the season to me).
- Playing tennis and running without pain because my calf has fully entered the chat again. I’m not myself without both, and I’m so grateful to be back. 😭🥰

Now I countdown until spring because spring means SUMMER. In between, I’ll try to like fall and crawl my way through winter as someone who needs SUN. 🙃

Summer, forever. ☀️🌊💕 by @carlyisinspired

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a year ago

Today was a life highlight. 🥰

Because I’m based outside of Philly and a clear Phillies fan (!), @bandaidbrand invited me to experience today’s game against Detroit in a SUITE. 🤯

We were welcomed with a balloon arch outside of our suite’s door, we got to try all of the best food (Manco & Manco! Shake Shack! Chickie & Pete’s!), and we had an incredible view right by left field. But all of this doesn’t come close to my favorite parts of the day: getting to hug PR friends in person, meeting the incredibly kind Philly-based Band-Aid team, and cheering on our Phillies, including Bryson Stott, Band-Aid’s newest spokesman, during the final at bat of the game.

I’ve used Band-Aid for my entire life, and it’s a MUST in every wedding day emergency kit. To learn about its latest product, Band-Aid Pro Heal, at Citizen’s Bank Park (my favorite spot in the city) is one of the COOLEST things I’ve ever been invited to do.

The Phillies may have lost, but today was still a 10/10. ❤️ by @carlyisinspired

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a year ago