JewelMint Giveaway Winner!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I'm excited to announce that the winner of the JewelMint giveaway is . . .

Sayuri (AKA @atychiphobiax)

Congratulations!!! Please contact me at capecodbride@gmail.com to claim the JewelMint piece of your choice!

Don't forget that if you didn't win but are new to JewelMint, you can use the discount code FASHION70 on your first purchase to buy one, get one at 70% off!

Is anyone else as excited as I am that the new December JewelMint pieces arrive tomorrow?? I'm loving this December sneak peek:

December JewelMint Bracelet

Happy shopping everyone!

JewelMint Giveaway!

I'm so excited that November is all about giveaways on my blog! I recently joined JewelMint and have been obsessed with their chic jewelry designs ever since. Back in October, I wrote a blog post about my recommendations for brides on a budget looking for affordable jewelry for their wedding day. Now, I'm thrilled to announce that I've partnered with JewelMint to do a product review and host a giveaway!

In case you missed my prior post, here are the details on JewelMint: For $29.99 per month, you can purchase a piece from their exclusive collection, designed by Kate Bosworth and stylist Cher. They introduce new pieces each month, and provide recommendations based on your personal preferences after you take their style quiz. Here are some examples of the products they offer:

As you can see, they offer a variety of pieces to suit any personality. The site is free to join, but the only catch is that once you purchase a piece of jewelry, you become automatically enrolled in their club. They charge you $29.99 at the beginning of the month, and you get a credit that can be used towards any pieces of jewelry, or saved for up to a year. If you don't find any pieces you like in a given month, or need to save dough, you can skip being charged $29.99 for that month as long as you select to do so within the first 5 days of the month. Needless to say, this club is best suited for those with good memories (or iPhone alerts), to ensure you don't get charged each month unless you intend to purchase a piece!

Next, onto the product reviews! JewelMint sent me the Mesh Marvel bracelet and Screen Siren earrings, each of which came packaged in a cute mint green box with a black bow.

I chose the Screen Siren earrings because they are simply gorgeous, and thought they would look great during the holidays. I have to say, the pictures do not do them justice. They are super sparkly in person, and although long and a good size, they are not too heavy to wear for the entire evening.

The Mesh Marvel bracelet seems really well-made, and I love how simple and versatile it is. This is a piece that I chose because I am able to wear it to work for a polished look, and then dress it up for an evening out with the hubby or friends.

Finally, onto the best part: the giveaway! First, I have an exclusive code for Cape Cod Bride readers. Buy one piece, get one at 70% off using the code FASHION70.

I'm also really excited to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a JewelMint piece of your choice! Here are the details on how to enter the giveaway: You get 1 entry per item. Make sure you leave a blog comment below for each entry!

1. Go to JewelMint, take the style quiz, and tell me which piece you would choose if you are the winner.
2. Follow A Cape Cod Bride blog with Google Friend Connect.
3. Subscribe to A Cape Cod Bride's RSS feed (on the right side of the page)
4. Follow A Cape Cod Bride by email (enter your email on the right side of the page)
5. Follow @CapeCodBride on Twitter.
6. Follow @jewelmint on Twitter.
7. Like JewelMint on facebook.
8. Tweet about this giveaway using the following statement: I just entered to win @CapeCodBride's #giveaway to #win free jewelry from @jewelmint! Enter here:http://acapecodbride.blogspot.com/2011/11/jewelmint-giveaway.html

You have until 11:59pm CST on Tuesday, November 29th to enter, and the winner will be announced on Wednesday, November 30th. This contest is open to U.S. residents only.

Shabby Apple Giveaway Winner!

Thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway to win this gorgeous dress from Shabby Apple! I had lots of entries here, as well as on my post on Get Married, where I am a featured bridal blogger!

Spanish Steps Dress

The winner was chosen randomly (using the site Random.org), and came from an entry on this blog. So without further ado, here's a a big congratulations to:

L.O.A.H. 

Thank you to everyone who entered! If you found a dress you absolutely must have at Shabby Apple, don't forget to use the code capecodbride10off to receive a 10% discount on your purchase! Hurry, because the code expires at the end of November!

I have more giveaways coming up this month and next, so please check back soon :-)

Wedding Recap: Our Cake!

Chicago had it's first snow of the season today, and this event is making me nostalgic for my winter wedding! It's hard to believe that our 2 year anniversary is quickly approaching! I have yet to share pictures of our lovely wedding cake, and decided it was high time to do so, in case any other winter brides are looking for inspiration.

My husband and I knew we wanted a traditional round cake, though square was our second choice, and even that minor detail was a tough decision! We met with Dottie Lovely, aka "The Cake Lady," and she helped turn my vision of a winter-themed cake into reality. I loved that she used snowflakes and pearls, while combining the gorgeous silver, blue, and white flowers we had in our wedding.

I could not have been happier with the final result, but the best part was that the cake tasted amazing! We chose buttercream because it tastes far superior to fondant, and had layers of red velvet, marble, and carrot cake, so there was something to please everyone.

And on to the best part: Cutting the cake!

All photos by Seth Kammueller

Shabby Apple Giveaway

November is a very exciting month for me because I have more giveaways to host! I love using this blog to gift free merchandise to my readers, so I'm excited to announce that I have partnered with Shabby Apple to give away a free dress!

Shabby Apple is an online boutique that specializes in vintage-inspired women's dresses. They also sell adorable frocks for infants and little girls, and flattering maternity wear at their Mama Apple store. I love that their dresses offer a modern spin on the vintage dresses of the 1950's and 60's. Their conservative style makes the dresses appropriate for work or play, yet their very feminine shape shows the world that you do not have to bare all to be sexy. Finally, I like that the website offers a quiz to learn about your body shape and provides recommendations to suit your figure!

 Without further ado, here is the dress that one lucky reader will win:

I love this dress because it is elegant and feminine, while still being fun and flirty. The flower applique detailing is gorgeous, and makes it unique from many other dresses. I also like that the dress appears to be two separate pieces, since I think that makes it very versatile. This is a dress that could easily be dressed up to attend a bridal shower, for example, or dressed down to attend a weekend brunch.

Here are the details on how to enter the giveaway: You get 1 entry per item. Make sure you leave a blog comment below for each entry!

1. Leave a comment stating where you would wear this dress if you are the winner.
2. Follow A Cape Cod Bride blog with Google Friend Connect.
3. Subscribe to A Cape Cod Bride's RSS feed (on the right side of the page)
4. Follow A Cape Cod Bride by email (enter your email on the right side of the page)
5. Follow @CapeCodBride on Twitter.
6. Follow @shabbyapple on Twitter.
7. Like Shabby Apple on facebook.
8. Tweet this giveaway using the following statement: I just entered to win @CapeCodBride's #giveaway to #win a gorgeous dress from @shabbyapple! Enter here: http://acapecodbride.blogspot.com/2011/11/shabby-apple-giveaway.html

You have until 11:59pm CST on Monday November 14th to enter, and the winner will be announced on Tuesday. This contest is open to U.S. residents only. 

Finally, while there can only be one contest winner, Shabby Apple is offering an exclusive discount to all Cape Cod Bride readers! Simply enter capecodbride10off at checkout and you will receive 10% off your purchase. 


Happy shopping!

Wedding Inspiration: Love Birds!

Lately, I've been obsessing with love birds as a wedding theme. The great thing about this idea is it can be customized to your wedding colors, and offers so many different decorating ideas. Plus, the birds are simply adorable!

Since this theme is becoming more popular, there are plenty of affordable ways to incorporate love birds into your big day. From customizable artwork (top left), to cake toppers (center), to personalized stamps for your invites (top right), there are tons of creative ways to use this theme. Searching the term "love birds" on Etsy will offer you a slew of ideas, or come up with your own!

What do you think of love birds as a wedding theme? Would you considering using this for your big day?

Wedding Jewelry on a Budget: JewelMint

Since I started this blog while planning a recessionista wedding, I wanted to get back to my roots with this post and focus on wedding jewelry that is truly budget beautiful. I love browsing JewelMint, which recently celebrated it's 1st anniversary bringing you fab accessories. In case you live under a rock, JewelMint is an online jewelry club. For $29.99 per month, you can purchase a piece from their exclusive collection, designed by Kate Bosworth and stylist Cher. They introduce new pieces each month, and provide recommendations based on your personal preferences after you take their style quiz.

It's free to join, but the only catch is that once you purchase a piece of jewelry, you become automatically enrolled in their club. So if you are making a one-time purchase (like for your wedding) make sure to cancel your account immediately afterwards. If you want to remain a member, you can skip being charged $29.99 for that month as long as you select to do so within the first 5 days of the month. Needless to say, this club is best suited for those with good memories (or iPhone alerts), to ensure you don't get charged each month unless you intend to purchase a piece!

While some may find it to be too much of a hassle, I guarantee that it is worth the effort if you want a piece of statement wedding jewelry for a bargain. So without further ado, here are my top picks this month, based your your bridal style (categories created by me!).

Join JewelMint through my personal link by clicking here!

For the classic bride, I love the Forever Audrey earrings, which are glamorous yet simple:



Forever Audrey Earrings



A romantic bride would look wonderful adorned with the nostalgic Gatsby bracelet:

Gatsby Bracelet

I absolutely adore the Versailles earrings, which are perfect for the bride who loves to be the center of attention, and wants to look like a princess on her wedding day!

Versailles Earrings

For the retro bride, my pick is the Savoy bracelet, inspired by the art deco designs of the 1920's.

Savoy Bracelet

Finally, for the outdoor bride looking to incorporate the beauty of nature into her ensemble, my pick is the pearl Calla Lilly earrings.

Calla Lilly Earrings

What type of bride do you identify as, and which piece would you choose to wear on your big day?