Fascinators/festive hats, men and women dressed to the nines, champagne, mint juleps, Kentucky Oaks Lily cocktails, and bow ties; the Kentucky Derby is known as the most exciting two minutes in sports for a reason! Sadly, it was announced that no fans would be able to attend the Kentucky Derby this year due to COVID (I do agree they made the right call), but that doesn’t mean you can’t still celebrate at home. Jake and I went 2 years ago (the rainiest Derby in history) and cannot wait to go back again someday. You can see my blog post about attending the Derby here. Since the only way to experience it this year is from home, I wanted to share some fun ways to still celebrate at home.
How to Celebrate the Kentucky Derby At Home:
Dressing up: The Derby is easily one of the best dressed events of the year. Women are decked out in stylish fascinators or festive hats that match their outfits, while the men are in southern style hats and bow ties. One of my favorite parts of the Derby is dressing up (no surprise). I love a good theme and always took dressing up for date parties in college seriously. There are not many times that you have an excuse to dress up like this, so I take advantage every year. With us just being at home I didn’t want to go all out and spend a lot of money on supplies for making a fun hat. I picked up this cute fascinator on Amazon to style with one of my favorite dresses lately. The fascinator came so quick, so if you have Amazon Prime it should arrive in time. I love the colors on this Chicwish dress and the flattering design. I’m wearing a small and love how it’s fitted in the waist and the ruffled details.
Festive Drinks: One of my other favorite parts of the Derby is the traditions like mint juleps. The Kentucky Oaks Lily cocktail was our favorite at the Derby when we attended. I found a recipe on on Southern Living and plan to make it this weekend. You can find the recipe here or the Derby website has a slightly different version, but it basically tastes like a Cosmo. I’m not a huge fan of whiskey, so mint juleps are not my favorite, but you can find the Derby recipe here. G.H. Mumm was named the Official Champagne of the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs, and we visited their champagne house in Reims This is a great option for a Derby drink too.
Southern Snacks: When I think of the Derby, these are some of my favorite southern snacks: pimento cheese, deviled eggs, and chicken salad. Here are some recommendations from the Kentucky Derby too.
Are you dressing up for the Derby this year?
Shop Our Outfits:
Courtney’s Dress Sold Out C/O | Similar Dress | Similar | Courtney’s fascinator | Scarlett’s outfit
You and Scarlett both look gorgeous! It’s my dream to get to attend the Derby someday!!
xoxo A
http://www.southernbelleintraining.com
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Aww thanks, friend! Yesss you should visit, so fun!
You look beautiful and Scarlett looks so cute!
Jennifer
Curated by Jennifer
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Aw thanks, Jennifer!
Aww this is so cute! And what a fun way to spice up life at home! love Scarlett’s outfit 🙂
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Thanks, Katherine 🙂 We have to find fun ways to celebrate at home.
Happy Derby from Louisville, Courtney! When y’all get to come to the Derby again, we will have to meet up!
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Thank you so much, friend! Yes, absolutely 🙂
I am so glad you are getting into the festivities from a distance Courtney. It shows you are a true fan! Your outfit is gorgeous , I like the fascinator but the dress is truly beautiful on you. What can I say about Miss Scarlett? they dont come much cuter than this little Lady!! Love her little outfit. Have a great Labor day weekend, Terri xo.
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Thank you so much, Terri!
I love your fascinator!! Beautiful dress too! I want to celebrate the Kentucky Derby next year. We missed it this year, but my friend has a really fun yearly party at her home for it. It’s such a great time to make mint juleps and get all dressed up!
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Thanks, Lindsey! It’s such a fun event. I love the dressing up and mint juleps too.