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.

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?

BHLDN On A Budget!

Like many women, my heart swoons whenever I step inside Anthropologie. Sadly, I cannot afford to shop there regularly, especially on a grad student budget in the middle of a recession! However, I was thrilled to recently learn that the team behind Anthropologie decided to venture into another one of my passions, the wedding world, with their new store, BHLDN.

A great feature of the BHLDN website is that it offers more than just a shopping experience for brides. It includes free interactive experiences to help inspire you while planning your wedding, and provide another great way to procrastinate ;-) For example, I took a fun quiz called "What Kind of Bride Are You?" and discovered that I am a Romantic Nostalgic bride, which was a very accurate portrayal of my vintage Cape Cod wedding. The website also offers MoodBoards, aka inspiration boards, where you can view their products based on themes or color palettes, or even create your own board!

Disclaimer: I guarantee you will love everything BHLDN offers, but like it's sister store Anthropologie, products from here do not come cheap. Since one of my goals is to provide wedding inspiration for brides on a budget, I have scoured the site and chosen the best wedding attire and accessories for budget-minded brides.

Here are 2 boards featuring my favorite dresses, that are all an amazing steal at $1600 or less!

Finally, another great way to incorporate the romantic, unique, and vintage products BHLDN offers while not breaking the bank is to carefully choose more affordable accessories for your big day. Here are my top picks:

Images from center, then clockwise from top left: Choose a lovely silk hat/birdcage veil for a vintage vibe ($120); Love coasters provide a romantic touch ($14 for 10); Don polka dot gloves for a unique look ($40); Brighten up your fete with colorful straws ($6 a pack); Eat your cake with a pair of engraved love forks ($24 a pair); Serve treats on lovely pedestals ($68-$88); Statement earrings are great bridesmaid's gifts ($66); Accessorize your cocktail hour with love stirrers ($22 for 24); Use adorable mini teapots as escort card holders ($52 for 6); Glam a simple pair of shoes with colorful pom poms! ($25 per pair); Choose simple but sophisticated letterpress invites ($26 for 8); Chalkboard vases make unforgettable table numbers ($18); Faux flowers are a great way to save money without compromising on style ($32 for 5).

Vendor I Heart: Origami Bijou

With all the recaps of my wedding and my recent giveaway, it's been awhile since I've had a post about a featured vendor that I love.  I decided it was finally time for one again when I was contacted by Origami Bijou, who wanted to know what I thought of their line of modern jewelry and was interested in offering a special discount to my readers!

I immediately headed over to their website and was enthralled with their work. They create really unique, modern pieces of jewelry (earrings and necklaces) that are perfect for special occasions or everyday wear. 

I love their heart collection, which is much more subtle and creative than your traditional Tiffany's heart line.  The earrings and necklace set would be lovely for bridesmaids or a bride looking to add a romantic touch to her wedding.

Another one of my favorites was their modern alphabet collection, which would be great to customize for a bridal party. I should also note that they offer most of their pieces in silver and gold. Here is a gold necklace with my initial:
 

For someone looking for a more dressy or classic look, they also sell a pearl collection.  One of my favorites is the lotus flower necklace pictured below, which I could totally picture wearing to an outdoor garden wedding:

And last but certainly not least, no Cape Cod Bride would be complete without wearing something from their nautical line! Preppy brides having a coastal wedding (like me) will adore their sail boat collection, which features pieces such as this:

The best news is that the company is offering an exclusive discount for readers of Cape Cod Bride.  From now until April 5th, enter capecodbride as the coupon code during checkout and get 15% off all orders! Enjoy :-)

Engagement Session Outfit

I am getting super excited to have my engagement photos (finally) taken next weekend with the great Seth Kammueller. Amidst the anticipation of the event and the process of narrowing down a place to hold our engagement session, I didn't leave much time for planning what Cape Cod Groom and I were going to wear.  Thus, we went shopping for my fiance and easily found a nice button down shirt and sweater at Express to wear with his Seven jeans and converse (he insisted), but I was a bit more difficult.  I knew I wanted a look that was classic and feminine, so I headed to my favorite store for all things girly: J. Crew. Because it's fall here in Chicago, I needed something that would keep me warm without looking bulky, so I also wanted a sleek layered look. I found this pretty blouse at J. Crew, and then a gorgeous long cardigan at Martin and Osa, another one of my favorite stores.

I bought my cardigan in a dark grey color below, which I think is really flattering against the pale pink blouse.

I love the way the ruffles of the blouse peek out from the top of the cardigan against my neckline, which is also nice because I don't have to wear a necklace. Other than my engagement ring, however, I still wasn't sure what to wear for jewelry, until I saw an amazing champagne pink pearl bracelet at JCrew, which compliments my blouse perfectly.

I didn't get this exact bracelet, but one in the same color and similar style (they didn't have any pictures of the one I bough online), so you get the idea. I also remembered that I have a pair of champagne pink pearl earrings that my mother gave me for Christmas last year, which I think will coordinate exactly with this ensemble.

I'll be completing my look with a pair of Seven jeans and my dark brown Zara suede boots.

I know many couples wear two different outfits, and I debated about doing that as well, but I'm not sure if it's worth the effort, especially since I love this ensemble, though I do have another look I could change into, just in case. I also thought about wearing a LBD with heels, for something more dressy, but then decided I would probably freeze.

How did you decide what to wear for your engagement photos, and do you think it's worth it to do an outfit change halfway through for a different look, or just stick to one outfit you really love?

My Jewelry: Part 1

My love all of things vintage began with my engagement ring.  My engagement was not a surprise by any means, as my fiance and I had been talking for awhile about getting married.  My fiance was also hesitant to buy a ring without any guidance from me, worrying that he would not know what I would like, other than not to buy yellow gold as it is not as flattering on me.  I knew I wanted a vintage style and loved this halo ring that I saw at Tiffany & Co:

 

But I also knew that rings from those chain stores are greatly overpriced, so my fiance and I were referred by a friend to a local jeweler by the name of Edmund D. Schmelzle & Sons in the diamond district of Chicago. 
 

Long story short, my fiance choose a round diamond, which I actually prefer, and I ended up with the above ring and couldn't be happier.  My advice to ladies and gentlemen when ring shopping is to always go to a diamond district if possible and avoid chain jewelry stores, unless you have money to waste, because the diamond that my fiance bought is actually valued at practically double what he paid!  It is also much better because these jewelers tell you where your diamonds come from, so you can wear it with a clean conscious knowing that you are not getting a cruel "blood diamond."  Most of all, I like the idea that my fiance took the time to custom design something for me.  Everytime I glance down at it I think of him and smile. 

We of course decided to go back to the same jeweler to have our wedding bands made.  I had a band made that matches my engagement ring (though the picture below is taken from Tiffany's, but it looks identical).

 

But my biggest dilemma was what to do about a necklace.  I was not feeling any of the costume jewelry that the bridal store had put on me when I tried on my dress and veil.  It was too gawdy and I wanted something more classic and simple.  Then I remembered that when my grandmother passed away, she left me her engagement ring.  It was not something I could wear the way it was, so I decided to have the jeweler take the diamond from it and turn it into a necklace.  I found a setting I liked, also from Tiffany's, and he created it using my grandmother's stone. I'm happy that I found a way to have a more green wedding by upcycling an old piece of jewelry instead of buying something new.  Even more, I love that this can not only be my "something old," but that it is also a sentimental piece of jewelry that I can wear long after my wedding day!

Vendor I Heart: Punky Jane

Wow, this is a crazy unique idea that I never would have thought of, but am totally loving (I guess this is why I'm a blogger, not an artist!).  Etsy seller Punky Jane makes custom sterling silver jewelry that commemorates or counts down to important dates in the lives of her clients.  I think these would make great presents for the holiday season, birthdays, anniversaries and, of course, weddings! One idea: give these as bridesmaids gifts, having each one mark a special day in their lives, such as the birth of their child.  After all, they always say the best gift you can give a bridesmaid is one that has nothing to do with your wedding!  While you're at it, how fun would it be to purchase one for yourself to count down to your wedding day, and then wear it afterward for sentimental value?  Lastly, don't think that Punky Jane's cute creations are just for ladies.  You can purchase calendar key chains for the men in your life too!  Bonus: he can never again claim to have forgotten your anniversary :)

Vendor I Heart: Designs by Krissy

I used to be a fan of classic, understated jewelry.  Lately, though, my tastes have evolved and I'm loving statement jewelry.  Especially since I'm planning a wedding with a vintage vibe, I also love jewelry that incorporates this theme by including antique pearls, brooches, cameos, etc.  Designs by Krissy creates jewelry that is perfect for your entire wedding party, and she will custom make pieces to suit your style and wedding theme.  Her jewelry is just so elegant and timeless, I could see everyone wearing this, regardless of age.  I've been looking for a bracelet to wear on my wedding day and I think I've found the perfect vendor!

The Cape Cod Bracelet

Today is such a gloomy, dreary day in Chicago that I was not feeling much wedding inspiration.  That is, until I happened to glance down at my wrist and noticed my Cape Cod bracelet.  I suddenly realized that I cannot have a blog about weddings on Cape Cod without including a post about this part of the area's culture!

If you are not familiar with Cape Cod, it is highly unlikely that you would recognize the fact that nearly all women there wear the same bracelet.  The Cape Cod Screwball bracelet was first designed by Eden Hand Arts in Dennis, Massachusetts.  Legend has it that the creator failed to get a patent on this great piece of jewelry, and now the Cape Cod bracelet has become so popular that there are tons of knockoffs at local jewelry stores.  The style of the Cape Cod bracelet has also been transformed into lots of other accessories, including rings, necklaces, earrings, and anklets.  The original bracelet was two-toned, with sterling silver and a 14k gold ball in the center.  They are now also available in all sterling or all gold.  I highly recommend that anyone having a New England (or beyond!) wedding incoporate these lovely accessories.  They are so timeless and classic that they would make great wedding gifts for bridesmaids and mothers.  Even more important is the fact that these are custom sized, so get them for the flower girls as well!

Locket Love

I've been on a locket kick lately, so I thought I'd share my newest accessory obsession with everyone out there.  Not only do I love the versatility with these, as they look great on the weekend to dress up boyfriend jeans and a t-shirt and to compliment skinny jeans and heels for date night, but I also adore their vintage vibe.  These would also be great as bridesmaids gifts for those of you going for a vintage glam or DIY wedding theme!  All of these lockets can be found on Etsy and my advice is to choose one (or more) that suit your style. The first two are great for girly girls, as they combine flowers, pears, and/or beads for a really feminine touch.  If you prefer a more delicate, simple style, opt for the third locket, on a classic lariat chain.  Lastly, adding charms to lockets is a great way to detail personal interests or remember special parts of your past, such as a pet horse :-)

Vendors listed from top to bottom: Cosmic Girl,  Mia Beads, Whimsical Treasures, and Talula.

Vendor I Heart: Julie the Fish Designs

It can be really challenging to find gifts for your bridesmaids, especially if you have a diverse group of girls with different personal tastes.  One vendor that is sure to be a hit among all your bridesmaids, however, is Julie the Fish Designs.  I found her Etsy shop and adored her custom jewelry.  I had silver necklaces custom made for my bridesmaids with their names engraved on them, and chose pearl accents to match my wedding theme (she can do any birth stone as well).  She also offers a variety of bracelets, necklaces, and key chains for any special occasion.  She was a great designer to work with and I know my bridesmaids will love their necklaces!  At only $22 per necklace, I highly recommend you hightail it on over to her shop.