Why I Chose to Buy My Wedding Dress Online

There's a discount code and free giveaway at the end of this post, so read on!

It was a cold and windy day in Southern California when Ryan proposed to me.  About a month before, he suggested the idea of us getting married and I thought he was crazy.  In fact, in talking about our dating history today in the kitchen, Ryan didn't think of us as dating when I thought we were dating (this is totally Girl Code material).  So if we used Ryan's terms of being "chill," then we went from being chill to getting married.  Yep, just us two crazy kids getting hitched.

Following his random stream of conscious thoughts and ideas of getting married, I started to warm up to the concept.  We were madly in love in our chill state of being.  I was going to spend spring break in Oceanside, California where Ryan was stationed and was thinking that he might propose.  I spent most of my spring break having to entertain myself in a small chain hotel across the street from a trailer park.  I would go off on my own adventures with purse and camera in hand.  I walked to the pier and got a shake at Ruby's and visited the surf museum.  I also explored the road that the hotel was located on.  There wasn't much besides nail salons, a McDonald's and a grocery store.  When Ryan would get off work, we would simply enjoy the time together, go for drives, and just check out Southern California.  We didn't have a lot of money and I had spent most of it buying plane tickets.  One day he texted me asking if I wanted to walk on the beach after he got off of work.  That was so unlike him and my cue to get my nails done.  Like I said, where that street lacked entertainment value, it made up for the number of nail salons it had.

After we became engaged, I was swept up in the process of finishing my junior year of college, announcing the exciting news to friends and family and planning a wedding.  I was met with a lot of resistance from family and some friends.  This was during a large hit from the recession and my dad had lost his job.  It was not the most ideal of times for a wedding but like I said, us crazy kids were getting hitched.  My family didn't have any money to contribute and neither did Ryan's.  Due to his difficulties of getting leave, we decided to get married in California.

I was obsessed with weddings while I was growing up.  While little girls dreamed of their weddings, I could actually plan one.  I knew tips, tricks, and money savers by the age of 10.  I adored the wedding planning issues that would come out in the summer newspapers and magazines.  I'm weird like that.  However, it definitely came in handy when dealing with an insanely small budget.  Ryan basically told me that we had like $800 for the entire thing and besides the rings, we did spend less than that.

I knew it was going to be small and that our families were going to have a difficult time affording plane tickets and hotel accommodations so it was probably going to be just me and him and whoever else could make it.  We decided to get married on the beach on Coronado and it would be some family and friends.  I ended up spending hours on Etsy finding military and beach-themed items.  Ryan's father passed away the week of our wedding, so we flew back home and ended up getting married there.  Weddings can be tricky like that but I could only imagine if we had spent more and had to cancel, that would have been really hard on our budget and our families.

I knew that I would have to buy my wedding dress with my wages and on a college budget, that was going to be tricky.  That's when I remembered reading about the cost benefits of purchasing your dress online.  So the hunt began with me Googling wedding dress sites and comparing that to store costs.  The difference was in hundreds, even thousands, of dollars.  It was a stressful time for me because I felt like the expectations seen on Pinterest, Say Yes to the Dress which was always on in my sorority house, and every dream wedding out there was making it difficult to work with our budget.  While creating this post, I actually looked back at old Facebook messages I sent my best-friend Emily.  I was venting to her about wedding costs, going to bridal shows where I could absolutely not afford the $1,000 photobooths and cupcakes, and my fiance (hubby now) feeling terrible about us not having a "dream" wedding.  Saving on the dress was a major aspect of my budget and online shopping helped tremendously.

That's why when SimplyBridal contacted me, I knew this would be a great opportunity to share with all of you.  The only thing that I'm getting through this sponsorship is an opportunity to share with you a great business that will not only save you money but they have offered a discount code and a giveaway of a product from their jewelery line.  Not only does this website have wedding gowns, but also bridesmaid dresses, so if you're looking for something for a wedding coming up soon, this is a great stop.  What's great about them is that they're based in the U.S. and can customize your gown through tailoring and embroidery to fit what you want for your special occasion.  Just because of your budget, doesn't mean that you have to sacrifice on the dress you want or its quality.  I ordered my dress from a website that had its factory/store overseas and was stressed about having it arrive on time.  You don't have to worry about international shipping here.  They have their own seamstresses, sample makers, and designers so that the dresses are finished in 20 days and you get the best cost possible!

I went through and chose some great gowns that caught my eye and thought I'd share their prices below to give you an idea of what to expect from your browsing experience.

SimplyBridal: $233.99 Retail: $1,403.99

SimplyBridal: $99.99  Retail: $599.99

SimplyBridal: $215.99  Retail: $1,295.99

These dresses are incredibly gorgeous and at great prices.  If you're nervous about sizing, try a local store first and get a good idea of what your size is in gowns and long dresses.  Don't be afraid to call SimplyBridal's customer service and ask questions.  They have some really great sales going on and you're getting quality dresses for a great price.  I know some ladies out there may be looking for that Say Yes to the Dress Experience but if you're also looking to save on cost, think about alternatives.  Maybe have a dress reveal party for your friends and turn it into a girl's night or even brunch.  When budgeting for your wedding,  certain things will definitely cost more than others.  For me, I wanted a beautiful dress but I didn't want to break the bank and this is a great solution for that. 

SimplyBridal has offered a great opportunity with a 15% discount to their site that lasts until July 5th.

This will only last for the first 10 users and if for some reason it doesn't work for you, send me an e-mail.

Code: SBL176TS

Discount: 15% (shipping not included)

Expiration: 07/05/2013

Not only that but they're also hosting a giveaway for a 

free piece from their jewelry line, up to $20.  

 

In order to enter, you need to do 3 things

1. Like SimplyBridal's Facebook Page  

2. Like The Simplicity's Facebook Page

3. Leave a comment below letting me know what your favorite wedding detail is from Pinterest, from your own wedding, or what is your favorite dress from the site.  Leave a link, I totally want to see :)

   

DIY Bachelorette Sassy Veil Tutorial

As the bachelorette party series continues, I'm sharing my next DIY tuorial on how to make a fun and sassy bachelorette veil.  Now this is ideal for bar crawling, taking shots, playing games, and taking fabulous pictures.  You laugh, but I seriously had to take some of the tulle off because I knew it would get in the way of the bride- ain't nobody got time for that.

In the original picture, you can see many of the supplies you'll need.  I recommend a sewing machine, tape measure, spools of tulle, a sewing needle, thread, a hair comb to hold it in place and some creative touches.

 The first step is to cut the tulle to your desired lengths.  I've seen tutorials use two lengths and some use three.  I used two.  Initially I used 18 inches and then 30 but that was too long.  I ended up trimming the 30 to make it shorter, sassier veil.  I would recommend creating various lengths to build up the volume of the veil and experimenting with what you like.  Remember, you can always cut it down if you don't like the length but you can't add to it once it's cut.

I created three different sections of tulle, of various sizes, to be sewn together.  One section was all pink and the other two were a combination of silver and purple.  You'll gather the tulle by the ends and sew the first section together a few inches down and creating a horizontal seam.  Do this with the other three sections.  Create whatever sections that you feel look best.  I recommend mixing and blending the colors because it looks really neat and with shades of pink, silver, and purple- it's very bachelorette party-esque.

Now that you've sewn the ends of those three sections of tulle, trim off the excess.  You'll want a shorter end to work with as you'll be wrapping that smaller section around the end of the comb.



Wrap the shorter end of a sewn section of tulle onto the middle portion of the comb.  You'll be hand sewing this part through the tulle and through the ends of the comb. 

It will look a little something like that where the stitches go horizontally and not over the top.  Be sure to play with the tulle and adjust accordingly.  Remember to keep in mind where the comb will sit in the bride's hair and how the tulle will be placed around her head.  Sew the other two sections on either side of that middle piece.  Now you have a veil!

Did I try on the veil 50x to make sure Emily could rock it? Absolutely! I also got glitter on every square foot of my house and so I highly recommend having a vacuum nearby for this project.  I had my hair up for this and I actually did readjust my hairstyle a few times to see what would fit best and to make sure it was secure.  You don't want to use too much tulle otherwise the comb will become impossible to have it stay in place, so adding variations of tulle at different lengths helps to create that volume.  Like I said earlier, I started off with too much tulle in terms of how long it was but was able to trim it and you can see that it's at shoulder length.  It won't get in her way of bachelorette shenanigans and it also won't become a nuisance throughout the night.

I'm hoping that if you have a bachelorette party coming up for yourself soon or for a friend that you all can enjoy this tutorial.  It's perfect for birthday parties as well! Thanks again for reading and enjoy the bachelorette party!

Wire BirdNest Necklace Tutorial

I saw wire bird nest style necklaces all over Instagram and on mommy blogs.

They're definitely a popular necklace choice and are really easy to make if you're looking for an afternoon crafting project.

Materials Needed:

Jewelry wire

Beads

Jewelry tool for cutting and bending the wire

I chose a silver colored wire at 22 gauge because it seemed thin and pliable enough for this project.  I also chose light pink beads to compliment the color of the wire.  

Start off by cutting five to six feet of wire.  You can definitely go with seven, but five or six feet should suffice.  Take whatever number of beads you would like to use and  place them on one end of the wire, anywhere from three to five inches down.  I eye-balled this because this is the section you will use to to create the "eye-hole" for the necklace.

Loosely start wrapping the long end of the wire around all three beads.  This doesn't require you to go through them, just around.  I would wrap around five times.  To secure the five loops (they are loose at this point), you will feed the wire between one section of the beads.  This will be one connecting point of your nest.  Wrap it around this section two to three times to secure the circumference of the nest.  To this at least two more times for the other points in between the beads.  Once you have the circumference secured, you will no longer have to hold it all together, it looks more like a solid piece at this point. 

Flip it over and start making loops with the long end of the wire.  These also be loose, almost accordion-like, and I chose to make figure-eights.  These will help create the bottom of your nest.

Once you have a good number of figure-eights or loops created (I usually had six done at this point), start feeding the wire through these loops and back around through the points you made earlier.  These points are the spaces between the beads.  Once you have those secured, keep building your nest.  Wrap the wire around the circumference and continue making figure-eights, whatever helps to build your nest.  You have a lot of creative freedom with this part.

Here you can see that I made a fourth "point" but you also see three major points between the beads.  I added a lot of wiring to the sides of the nest by wrapping the wire around.  I chose to add another point to give it more stability.  You know you're just about done when you have about six inches left on the longer end of the wire.  Connect the tail and what's left of the wire at the top and then twist.

Either by using your fingers or your jewelry tool, curve the wire around to create a loop. I used my jewelry tool to hold and stabilize the loop as I twisted the excess wire around the base of the loop to secure it.

There you go! You know have a birdnest pendant and you can either swap out a necklace chain or you can purchase one from any crafting shop.

I think these would be perfect gifts for a bridal party or for the guests of a baby shower.  They're simple to make, inexpensive, and can symbolize so many different things.  I usually see them with new moms and the "eggs" are different colors.  Be creative and add different numbers of beads, different colored wire, and other types of beads.  It's a fun project and perfect for completing while watching a movie.  Now I'm off to give these to friends.

Have a great weekend!

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