My Trip to The Woman's Day Red Dress Awards

I'm a sponsored CocoaVia® brand influencer, but all opinions are my own. Please see below for additional disclosure.

 I am honored to have attended the Woman’s Day Magazine Red Dress Awards, which was a night of awards and legendary performances for those that are helping raise awareness about heart disease.

What a night! I was so excited when the CocoaVia® brand invited me (and a date!) to the Woman’s Day Red Dress Awards! They were the lead sponsor of the event, which was a perfect fit because they are committed to helping people live healthier lifestyles. CocoaVia^® supplement delivers the highest concentration of cocoa flavanols (the beneficial plant-based nutrients found naturally in cocoa) in a cocoa extract supplement today, and numerous scientific studies have demonstrated that these flavanols promote healthy blood flow from head to toe.^†   And I have great news,  If you would like to try the CocoaVia® supplement use this promo code*** to get 25% off when you make a purchase: RDA25

My first thought when I got the invitation…who could I bring with me? I knew my husband would have to be on carpool duty for my kids. I just so happened to be with my friend Kelly at her Bar Method studio in Montclair, NJ where I work as their nutritionist. She was more than happy to come with me!

My second thought…what in the world am I going to wear? I know, obviously a red dress, but which one? I ran over to my laptop and immediately started searching. How hard could this be? There probably aren’t even that may red dresses out there. Boy, was I wrong!

I ordered 4 and couldn’t wait for them to arrive! They were all so gorgeous, but different. I was stumped. Each of my 3 kids liked a different dress and of course my husband liked the 4^th option. So naturally, my first thought was to post a picture on my page and get all of my friends’ opinions.

Great idea, Lauren. Now I will figure out which dress to wear! Right?

Wrong.

Everyone had different opinions.

What’s a girl to do?

I ended up wearing dress “B” because it was extermemly comfortable and easy to wear. I also liked the neckline and thought it was different than the others, But let’s be honest, comfort always wins!

Kelly and I got ready and all glammed up for the event, we are typically in yoga pants and workout clothes, so this was a big deal for us. We were so excited to go this amazing event.

We walked in to a sea of gorgeous red capreting, beautiful red drapes, sparkling red cocktails and a whole lot of unbelivabley magnificent red-dressed women.

The energy in the room was contagious. Each woman was even more breathtaking than the next. We even recognized some of the attendees, like Hota Kotb from The Today Show ( I have a total girl crush on Hoda!), Laila Ali (gorgeous daughter of the late champion, Mohommed Ali), Carson Kressley (from Queer Eye), Kym Johnson (Dancing With The Stars) and husband Robert Herjavec (Shark Tank) but wait, is that MELISSA ETHERIDGE????

Whoa. I have LOVED Melissa Etheridge for like, my entire life and I was completely star struck. Note: The picture is indeed blurry because my hands we shaking. Total fangirl moment.

The food was heavenly. Decadent passed hors d'oeuvres and an amazing spread of salads, pastas, cheeses and grilled vegetables.

The bar had all different red and white wines and of course the signature drink was a sparkling red wine!

Before we went in to watch the award ceremony and performances, we wanted to show off our red dresses and pose in front of the gorgeous background. Look how beautiful the place was!

 

Right before we entered the ceremony, we noticed a photo booth and ran over. I mean, come on, who doesn’t love a good photo booth with all of those fun props?

We walked in to find our seats for the ceremony. How in the world did I not know that Jane Lynch (from Glee) was hosting this event?? She is one of my favorites and I love her sense of humor! She is vibrant, charismatic and so engaging. What a wonderful, strong woman.

Woman’s Day honored brilliant, strong women for all of their significant contributions to raising awareness for heart disease. One of my favorite nutritionists, Joy Bauer (from The Today Show) also honored 5 women who collectively lost over 200 pounds while simultaneously lowering their risk for heart disease. True inspirations.

And last but certainly, not least….Melissa Etheridge performed almost all of her classics. “Come to My Window,” “I Wanna Be In Love,” “I Run For Life,” and “I’m the Only One.” I don’t think anyone was singing louder than Kelly and me and yes, we both got choked up when she sang “I Run For Life” after Melissa spoke of her personal battle with cancer. Here we are watching Melissa…

To say that this night was inspirational and uplifting would be an understatement. The energy surrounding the event was all encompassing and I am so honored to have been invited. Thank you again, CocoaVia^®!

I am participating in a VN campaign. This is a sponsored post by CocoaVia^®. The content and opinions expressed below are my own. I am in no way affiliated with CocoaVia^® and do not earn a commission or percent of sales.

^†This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

I am participating in a VN campaign.

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