Wedding Wednesday: Brides who Budget

Today I'm coming at you with the nitty gritty details of creating a bridal look for less. To be honest... this was the easiest part of my planning process. I was extremely stressed at first because Luke and I had to use a lot of our own money to pay for the wedding... so the beginning process of looking at dresses was VERY overwhelming. So here goes my bridal look breakdown and how I stretched my budget to the limit... and still left room to splurge on shoes.

1. I bought my dress from the J Crew Warehouse Clearance store in Lynchburg, VA. If you are located within driving distance to this place... GO! The staff was so incredibly helpful and kept an eye out for dresses I was in search of. I could not have been more pleased! This also helped to calm my nerves about the feelings I would have about buying a dress without my mom. I was very lucky to catch a sale at the store and received an extra 25% off the price... my dress was $200+ tax! WHAT?? I know! Best score ever!

2. Shoes were a splurge item for me... and I know what some of you are thinking... no one sees them! I realize that, but shoes are my vice... so sans fancy shoes on my wedding day was not optional. I purchased these gems back in November and didn't look back. They were different, had a bow on them, served as my blue item, and were Tory Burch. Did I miss anything there... nope! These shoes are my obsession! 

3. Gems were a last minute decision for me. I was obviously a J Crew bride... so I decided to pop in the week of the wedding and see if they had any options that would work for the big day. The sales girl at Tyson's actually pulled the earrings out for me... she had been hiding them for herself and when I showed her my dress she said I had a better reason to buy them than her! What a gem! I adore them! I also went with the pearl hammock bracelet to match the necklace I've already had in my collection for a couple years. I knew I would wear it on the daily so it didn't seem like a splurge. 

4. My veil was special made for for me by my seamstress. She charged me a very minimal fee ($27)!!! That was a major steal!

5. I did my own makeup. I went to sephora about a week before the wedding to do a little product testing. I used some products I was already using, but if you added up the product list I invested about $200 total on all my makeup and brushes.

6. Hair was a no-go for DIY! I went to a salon for a trial earlier in the week and then the day of. Total for hair was $125.

Total investment for my Wedding Look: 

-Dress: $200

-Shoes:$325

-Jewelry:$125

-Veil: $27

-Makeup:$200

-Hair: $125

_____________

Total: $1,002.00!!!!!!!!!!

I really debated whether or not to share the entire breakdown of my wedding day look... to be honest it's a little personal... but I know that there are a million girls out there who are in the same boat I was in! Ladies, you can look like a million bucks on your wedding day and not break the bank!

Please let me know if you have any questions about where I found great deals and ways to cut corners! I would love to share! It is so much easier than you would think!

Thanks for stopping by!

Wedding Wednesday: Wedding Reception (take 2)

Welcome back to Wedding Wednesday! As I've stated before, my wedding planning situation hasn't been that of a "normal" bride. (whatever that is, right?) For that reason I've decided to share some details on yet another thing that sets us apart from the typical soon-to-be couples out there planning weddings right now... 

Luke and I are both from Tennessee. His family is also from Tennessee... for that reason we tend to spend most holidays with that side of the family. Just like every other gal out there though... I love my grandparents. They have always been my steadfast and what has always been there to keep me grounded. So having the wedding anywhere, but close to them would make absolutely no sense to me. 

My Nana and Pop are from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, but in the last few years made the move to Dover, DE for their permanent retirement spot. That is where we will be hosting our wedding and I am so excited I can barely contain myself. I know that may seem crazy, but my Nana and Pop are my home... I feel so much more at home in that area than I do in Tennessee... always have.

We do have an amazing support system here in Tennessee though, and asking them all to travel the crazy long distance to the wedding would be selfish. So we have decided to hold a welcome reception a few weeks after the wedding to allow a celebration with our loved ones here who cannot make it to the actual wedding.

Here comes the fun part: pictures! Our wedding is extremely nautical inspired, but that's not really going to work with what we are doing for the reception. We decided to have a backyard BBQ theme and needed something to coordinate for our invitations for the event.

My best friend Lori was kind enough to lend her services and snap these photos... she is kind of amazing despite not being a "professional"... you'd never know it by looking at the photos though! Rockstar I tell ya!

These photos also have some sentimental meaning. The truck we used is actually Luke's Dad's. It's a 1952 Chevrolet. He bought it went Luke was little and it wouldn't even run... he restored everything including the mechanics and here it is today a couple decades later. Fun fact: Luke can't drive it until he is 35... papa G is a little bit of a control freak with the Chev. 

We are still planning for this event and it will be even more DIY heavy than the actual wedding. I plan to continue these posts with decor details and how-to's leading up to the event. Stay Tuned!

Thanks for stopping by!

XO-L

Look details:

Lacey: 

Dress: Cynthia Rowley via TJ Maxx (amazing find!)
Watch: Michael Kors
Bracelet: J Crew Factory

Luke: 
Button Down: Polo Ralph Lauren
Denim: 7FAM 

Wedding Wednesday: Skin Prep Part 1.

Hi there and welcome back to Wedding Wednesday! Today I wanted to share how I've been prepping my skin for the wedding. For starters... I feel like we need to backtrack a little to about a year ago when I made the first step in getting my skin to a good place. I have struggled with skin issues (oily skin, break outs, scarring, etc.) for years and finally just hit my breaking point after taking antibiotics and using harsh creams to try and fight it for years... Mind you my skin situation was never severe... it was just something that bothered me about myself. Your skin is the root of your appearance (makeup can only do so much) and having it in tip top shape is very important to me. When I finally hit that point where I had tried everything possible... I decided to take the plunge and begin taking an Accutane regimen. 

This was an 8 month journey for me... and while it created amazing results was not the easiest thing I have ever done. 

• Reason 1.: I have always been a tanner... and while using the medication could not be in the sun at all. Five minutes and I was red as a beet. That was super hard for me. 
• Reason 2.: I have always had super oily skin, but when I was taking this I felt like a piece of clay. My lips were so dry they began to bleed from all the cracking and peeling. I also found myself incredibly thirsty all the time. There wasn't enough water in the ocean ya'll. The struggle was real.
• Reason 3.: I already struggle with getting down and sad... and taking this medicine contributed significantly to me feeling really sad. I would cry for no reason and really had to push myself to continue engaging in activities I enjoyed normally.

Another point I want to make clear: Accutane changed my life because it changed my skin, but it did not make my skin perfect! After the medication was completely out of my system I began to have small breakouts here and there. At first this made me want to cry because I had gone through so much while taking accutane and felt like it was all a waste, but it wasn't. I do have breakouts, but the way that my skin heals is completely different than before. I no longer suffer from cystic acne places, just the general breakouts that all gals out there suffer from. That's the difference.

Since completing my treatment with Accutane, I have started a new skin care regimen that I've had to tweak until I really found what works for me. 

I really don't think I could survive without my Clarisonic. I went with the Mia2 since it helps better determine how long you need to spend cleaning each area of your face (it beeps when it's time to move on to a new place). I love that it is pink and especially love that I can use it in the shower. I often shower twice per day so having this little gem in there just helps to hold me accountable to really get my skin clean. I've never had smoother skin and because of that my makeup stays put so much longer. Clean, well-exfoliated skin is the key to lasting foundation ladies!

For cleansers, I've really tried just about everything. Since completing the Accutane... I really don't think my skin needs anything super fancy to do the trick. Pairing a good overall cleanser with the Clarisonic has been perfect and I don't feel the need to spend tons of money on facial cleansers anymore. This face wash from Bliss has been my go to the last couple months. I love that it is gentle, but doesn't have a weird putty smell to it. I love that it really just washes right off and doesn't leave a tacky residue that many often do. 

Following up with a witch hazel toner has been life changing. I'm not going to lie to you and say it doesn't have a harsh smell... because it does. I can justify that because it deep cleans my pores but doesn't sting like most others I've tried. I can really tell a difference in my skin tone since I started using this and it is super cheap. Less than $4 for the huge bottle! Can't beat that!

If there is one thing I could change about the last ten years of my life in terms of skin care: sunscreen! I could kick myself for using tanning beds and not treating my skin well in the sun. I have so much hyper-pigmentation and I know is largely due to my sun exposure. (Listen to Mom ladies, she is so so right!) I use this sunscreen everyday! I never leave without it on. I can't undue the damage I've already done, but I don't want to let it get any more out of control. No more sunspots for this lady!

Secondly, eye cream. I don't care if you are 16... get a good eye cream. We pull so much on our eye area through makeup application and really need to keep them well treated. Start early and reap the benefits later. This bliss eye cream is awesome. I feel like it really wakes my eyes up in the morning and isn't too tacky. I can use my concealer afterward and rest easy that it will stay put.

This mask is a major staple for me. I've been using Mario Badescu products for years and can't speak enough to their quality. I highly recommend this spot treatment as well if you are in the market (perfection!). The mask helps with the hyper-pigmentation I mentioned before. It is also moisturizing and helps to balance out my skin. The smell isn't half bad either. 

Not pictured is my prescription Retin-A cream. Out of every product I use... it is the one I could not survive without. My cell turnover is greatly related to this cream and It also helps to prevent wrinkles and fade marks. Like I stated, this is prescription which is why I didn't  picture... but if you are struggling with a similar skin situation I highly recommend discussing this with your dermatologist.

My journey to better skin has been a long one and doing it when I did has made me a much happier person. I don't want to be dealing with skin issues during the wedding planning process. 

Please let me know if you have any questions about my experience with the medication! I'd love to share with you guys. I have had several friends reach out to me after I started the medicine because my skin had really started to take on new form. I would hope for everyone to take the right steps toward better skin, whatever that looks like for you. Love the skin you're in.

Thanks for stopping by! Make sure to follow along via the links below and on Bloglovin!

Xo-L