Virtual Engagement Party: Scarves And Headband From Scarves.com

This post is part of our Virtual Engagement Party. These items were sent to ABOAB for review.

At #BridalBabble last week, we were chatting about fall weddings and I asked if anyone changed up their attire for a fall wedding. See, they're colder than a summer wedding, but a long dress with long sleeves just isn't something I own. Personally, I just wear whatever I want and hope that Pete will lend me his suit jacket when I start to get cold.

But now, Scarves.com has given me a much better option. I received the black pocket knit scarf for review and it's seriously the best thing I've gotten in a long time. It's so brilliant and functional, I have no idea why I didn't own one when I lived in New York.

The items arrived in this super cute purple felt bag, which just made me feel like i was getting something special. These weren't just items thrown in a manila envelope. These were sent to me with care. And, since I decided I'm buying these knit scarves for pretty much everyone on my Christmas list, I'm super stoked. I don't have to wrap them. They will just arrive in these pretty felt bags.

And that's perfect if you're planning on using them as bridal party gifts. See, the Wednesday before our Saturday wedding, my mom and I were driving around town, trying to hunt down white bags that I had seen at the dollar store but hadn't seen enough of. We needed nine and found six, so we were four short. The last thing I wanted to be doing the day before the wedding activities started (because yes, we had four days worth of wedding) was look for bags. If I had gotten my bridesmaids items from Scarves.com, I wouldn't have to worry about packaging.

Inside was the aforementioned knit scarf and the Orchid Stretchy Headband. Believe it or not, I was more excited about the headband. The girl on the brand's website has multiple ways that she has styled this headband to look incredibly adorable. She looks boho; she looks gym ready; she sorta looks like a pirate in one, but a super trendy pirate.

I tried this on, and I had many looks too: Rambo, samuri, girl who has no idea how to wear a headband. So that's why there isn't a single photo of me with this headband on. I'm blaming the fact that I just cut a foot off my hair so it's a crazy length right now.

Even though I can't pull it off right now, I really still love it. It's so cute to give your bridesmaids for a fall wedding. I'm imagining a cool, outdoor rehearsal the day before wedding and all your bridesmaids wearing these so their ears don't freeze. So cute.

I did, however, take a photo with my new best friend, the knit scarf.

This is the photo you get when your only coworker is a cat who doesn't have opposable thumbs.

The scarf is so soft. It's not scratchy or itchy. It's just super soft. It wraps around your neck and the sides come down, like a typical scarf. But, there are pockets and the end so you can just stick your hands in them. It's brilliant, really.

Now, work with me for a minute.

Picture this outdoor wedding (the one you had used the headbands at the rehearsal of). For the ceremony, you can have all your bridesmaids in cute, light colored dresses and then this black scarf. It also comes in red and pink so you can play with those colors too. I just think it would be beautiful and much nicer than a fuzzy muff. Those things take away from the bridesmaids dresses always. This would definitely compliment them ... and would be something your bridesmaids would use later on too.

Scarves.com also has a bunch of other items you can buy, pashminas (which are such a common bridesmaid gift idea), gloves, hats, and more. But, don't lose sight of the scarves.

Connect with Scarves.com: Website | Twitter | Facebook

BRIDAL BABBLE: Head over to Scarves.com, then comment and let me know the item you think would make the best bridesmaid gift idea.

Virtual Engagement Party: Hallmark Wedding Items

This post is part of our Virtual Engagement Party. These items were sent to ABOAB for review.

When you get married, there's such typical stuff you expect to receive, even if you don't put it on your registry. Things like a recipe book, a picture album, and mugs.

I actually didn't get the first two at any point during my engagement ... but Hallmark so kindly send them to me after the wedding, so I'm set. I guess Hallmark didn't get the memo that I can't cook.


Hallmark sent over the: Snippets & Stories Recipe Binder; the Bachelorette Party Or Bridal Shower Instant Scrapbook; and a pair of His/Hers mugs. The Snippets & Stories Recipe Binder is gorgeous.

It's sturdy enough to stand, which actually shocked me. It's such a necessary part of a recipe organizer. You can just prop it up and read the recipe.
I had a bunch of recipes that weren't organized, so I just slid them in the appropriate pages. Yes, appropriate. There are tabs on the dividers, which tell you what section you're in (like appetizers or entrees). Each section has pages to add recipes. You can pull out each page, glue or tape a recipe card down, and slide in back into plastic, which is absolutely necessary because if something pops and splatters, you can just wipe it down. I would suggest doing that instead of trying to hand write the recipes since all the pages are dark.
The binder clasps open so if you need more pages than another, you can just move them around. And in the back, there's a huge pocket for loose recipes in case you run out of pages.
What's really cute is that pages all have chalkboard-type drawings on them. Chalkboard is super trendy right now, making this perfect for any upcoming showers you're going to. If you do want to grab this for a shower, just check with the bride's mom or maid of honor first. See, many shower invitations will actually come with a recipe card in them. Each guest sends them back to the maid of honor and she'll assemble a book of them for the bride to get her started in the kitchen.
If you're looking for recipe ideas, we actually have two on the blog that you can steal: Crock Pot Cheddar Potato Soup and Red Velvet Soda.

What I am good at, which is such a good wedding skill, is scrapbooking. I actually really like it, so I love the Bachelorette Party Or Bridal Shower Instant Scrapbook. It's a soft cover album with a beautiful "before the big I do" on the front in a pretty pink. And yes, there's a little bling because, well, this is all happening because of a little bling.

The pages come with other sheets of scrapbook paper cut and affixed to them (you would do this with scrapbook scissors if you had to do it on your own). It also comes with items like ribbon on the page. That's why it's an "instant" scrapbook. The majority of the work is already done for you.
What was great for me is the bachelorette party invitation that my maid of honor made fit perfectly into the book. It's already glittery and has a jewel on it, so it doesn't need any other embellishments. But if I wanted to, I could have added them.

There are pages of stickers that come with the book, though. There are many that are done up with glitter and written on, and then there are blank ones in case you want to add any of your own inside jokes.
Again, this is stuff you would do if you were putting together a scrapbook yourself, but this makes it so much easier. And if you actually receive this as a gift during your wedding planning, you don't really have time to cut paper and ribbon and add glitter to cut outs. You have just enough time to print photos, assemble souvenirs you picked up at your parties, and put together a great book (that didn't take up a ton of time).

And finally, at the end of this post (and the end of our night recently), we had a coffee party. It's something that Pete and I do together a few times a week. It's nice to just take a break and hang out together. And what fun it was to do this with brand new mugs.
In case you were wondering, yes, we did make sure to use the correct mugs for each other (they say, "His better half" and "Her better half" and that's just adorable). I absolutely love the designs on them too. Black and white is so classy. They are square mugs, which made us both a little confused about how to drink out of them at first. We went with the corners, but, we had an entire conversation about them, and that made me laugh. See, times like our coffee parties, they're time for us to connect. They're not time for us to sit and play Candy Crush or text people. It's time for us to sit and talk. And these mugs helped us do that -- even if a huge portion of our talk was about the mugs themselves.
Connect with Hallmark: Website | Pinterest | Instagram

BRIDAL BABBLE: Which of these Hallmark wedding items items would you like best?

Virtual Engagement Party: The Mrs. Crop Top From The House Of Bachelorette

This post is part of our Virtual Engagement Party. This top was sent to ABOAB for review.

We got married and a few weeks later, I had to RSVP to my friend's wedding. And it was one of those RSVP cards that already had the "M" there for you.

Pete wasn't able to make it with me, so I was bringing my mom as my guest. So of course, my name went first.

And I stopped for a minute.

What was my name?

Obviously, it's Lisa. And I didn't change my last name. So I know my name. But what I wasn't sure about was the salutation.

For the sake of this story, pretend my maiden (and current) last name is Smith. And we'll pretend Pete's last name is Jones. So Mrs. Jones, that's Pete's mom. And Mrs. Smith, that's my mom. But who was I?

According to the Google search I did, it's actually that I'm Ms., which means any Mr. and Mrs. stuff we got is technically incorrect.

Like this awesome The Mrs. crop top from The House of Bachelorette.

It was sent to me before I even thought about this whole salutation thing. Doesn't mean I'm gonna stop wearing this top because I'm already in love with it.

This Mrs. crop top looked large when I unfolded it. And it's one size fits all (although, if we're being honest, there's only one size of a person who is wearing a crop top). The shirt is really soft and fits me well, although it's a little bit baggy, so I kept pulling it so the majority of it hung in the back. You could probably style it off one shoulder and pull extra fabric that way to make it fit the way you want too (assuming you're okay with the one shoulder style of the '80s that are making a comeback).

What's super fun about the very sheer top is that you can customize it with the year. "The Mrs. Est." is spelled out with rhinestones and that's set. But you can change the year to whatever year you (or the bride) is getting married. Right now, you can pick from 2014, 2015, or 2016. Plus, it's white. I think anything bridal should be white. This is perfect to pack for your honeymoon. You can throw it on top of a bathing suit and wear this to head out to relax and lounge at the resort's pool. Sounds perfect to me. Plus, throwing this over a wet bikini top at the end of the day will allow the suit to pop through, and that's my favorite post-beach look.

There are a ton of items you can buy at The House Of Bachelorette. You can pick up bridal sashes, tumblers, boas ... and the "risque" bachelorette party items (the ones that show up at bachelorette parties but not in photos on Facebook).

Connect with The House Of Bachelorette: Website | Twitter | Facebook

BRIDAL BABBLE: Check out The House Of Bachelorette and let me know what your favorite item sold by the site is.

Virtual Engagement Party: Photo Books From Collage.com

This post is part of our Virtual Engagement Party. This book was sent to ABOAB for review.

When we got out wedding photos from our photographer, we received all the proofs in a book. It was so nice to look at them that way. And it was so helpful when my mom was choosing the photos that she wanted for her photo book.

But as easy as that was, making her photo book at Collage.com was even easier.

How to make a photo book at Collage.com:

I decided to put together a step by step tutorial for you, just to show you how incredibly easy it is.

Step 1:

Log onto Collage.com and pick the third tab at the top ("Projects").

Step 2:

Choose where your photos are stored and upload. You can also text to upload. You'll have a specific code for that but I deleted mine for the sake of this tutorial.

Step 3:

Let your photos upload.

Step 4:

The second icon from the left is a drop down. Choose photo books (or whatever project you'd prefer).

Step 5:

You can keep things super easy and let Collage.com auto-arrange your photos. After that, you can change around the size or order of any photos.

Step 6:

Add the book to your cart, pay, and wait for it to come in the mail.

When it does, it's gorgeous.

We got a chance to check out an 8.5x11 photo book, which had a hardcover, and a 6x8 softcover book. The pictures came out gorgeous. They were really crisp and clear.

Okay ... let's back up for a minute. Originally, I ordered the book and the photos were bad. You couldn't see anyone's face because they were blurry. And the stones on the church looked like they were currently experiencing an earthquake. Every line was wobbly and the faces look mangled. That was not the book I could give to my mom.

So I sent an email over to Collage.com. See, the thing about the Collage.com is that there is a 100% satisfaction guarantee. I was so unhappy with the book, so I told them. Well, turns out it was poor timing for me. I just happened to have uploaded my photos during a time when something went awry on the website. They sent me a code for a free book and one-day shipping, and I created a new photo book. The new one came out absolutely perfect. I loved it. It was definitely one that my mom would love and could be proud to display.

I loved it so much that I made a smaller book for my grandma.

My grandma picked 99 photos for her book, which was a little much for a 20-page book. I made them fit, though. She was happy with how many of the photos were large, although a few photos were a little small so it was hard to see faces. But this book is the perfect size for her to carry with her when she goes to Florida and sees her friends.

You can make a ton of other items at Collage.com, like photo blankets, canvas prints, mugs, shower curtains, and more. I used Collage.com a long time ago to make a canvas print for our apartment, and I love it. So do all our guests. Everyone looks at it and comments on it. So I definitely have faith that you will be happy with anything you order.

Connect with Collage.com: Website | Twitter | Facebook

BRIDAL BABBLE: Check out Collage.com and let me know what your favorite item is.

Virtual Engagement Party: Picture Frames From Reed & Barton

This post is part of our Virtual Engagement Party. These frames were sent to ABOAB for review.

I have boxes and boxes of photos I took when I was a kid. I had an old school Fisher-Price/Kodak camera when it was modern and not old school. I won bingo on a family camping trip and used that to buy an up-to-date (at the time) camera when I was in middle school (although my friend Allison, who was actually one of my bridesmaids, tried to convince me to use the money to buy a gecko).

And then, for one of my birthdays many years later, my mom bought me a digital camera. And since then, the majority of my photos have lived in social media only.

It's a sad turn we've taken, kind of like how we all just text instead of call each other. I made it a point to make three phone calls in the morning before I sat down to write this post. I also made it a point to print and display our wedding photos because they deserve a home outside of Facebook and Instagram.


We were sent two gorgeous frames from Reed & Barton for our wedding photos.

The one above is the Carson 4x6 frame. I anticipated that it would hold my 4x6 photos nicely and had one specifically picked out for the frame, which boasts that it can be displayed horizontally and vertically.  When it arrived, though, I realized that the border of the frame was actually almost 2.5 inches wide -- making it too large to fit vertically in the bookcase in our living room. Of course, the photo I wanted was vertical, so I had to pick a new photo. No worries. Our photographers edited and sent us almost 1,500 wedding photos. I had another to choose.


The frame fits perfectly on the shelf I picked. And the photo I picked is a bit more animated than any of the other groomsmen photos. I actually have this huge canvas print of me and my bridesmaids making funny faces at our engagement party. It's on our "funny face wall" (a wall filled with animated photos of our family and friends that just makes my heart so happy when I walk past it). This photo of Pete, his groomsmen, and our ring bearer being animated is the perfect compliment to my bridesmaids photo.

If you look through our wedding photos, you'll crack up. There are so many photos that are just filled with -- oh, what's the word. I want to say happiness, but all weddings are happy. Our photos, they're very candid and just capture everyone having fun. I mean, our wedding photos are probably the only ones that feature the groom posing in a port-a-potty.

We do have a bunch of very romantic photos to choose from too. And that's what I picked for the Kasbah 4x6 frame from Reed & Barton.


The Kasbah frame comes in a trio of colors: chai, mocha, and espresso. I originally wanted the chai (which makes me laugh because I can't stand chai tea) because it was the lightest of the colors. I wanted one where the colors on the photo would pop and the frame would disappear.

Unfortunately, though, the chai frame was out of stock. So I decided, instead, to pick the espresso. It arrived and was absolutely stunning. I was so happy that the chai was out of stock when the espresso arrived.


This photo of the frame and photo doesn't even do it justice. It has a nice weight to it, which Pete noticed right away. And it is just beautiful. The light catches the silver and it shimmers. The silver catches your eye and the dark espresso color seems to fade, enhancing the photo. I'm kinda bummed because in the photo above, the colors of the photo look dulled and muted, but in the actual photo itself, they're super vibrant -- and extra so because of the frame.
The way these are set up, one is to my left and one is to my right. I can see them both from my desk, which is a nice way to smile through the workday. That's something that photos existing online-only just can't do.
BRIDAL BABBLE: Which frame is your favorite?

RSVP For Our Virtual Engagement Party

Update: This has ended, but come back in October for this year's party.

It's that time of year again. Time for our annual Virtual Engagement Party.

On October 18, 2014, we had a huge list of giveaways you could enter. Then, throughout the week, there was reviews and bonus entries. 

We showcased items from Reed & Barton, Hallmark, House of Bachelorette, and more.

In order to win a prize, you must RSVP on this post and say, "I'm attending the party" (or your version of that).

BRIDAL BABBLE: Are you coming to the Virtual Engagement Party?

Virtual Engagement Party: Wood Wedding Collection From Night Owl Paper Goods

A Bride On A Budget was provided these cards for this review. All thoughts and opinions belong to ABOAB.

I went to a wedding last weekend and the table cards were so cute. They had leaves cut from card stock and each person's name and table number on them.

The leaves were a variety of colors and were either on a table or hung on strings with mini clothespins.

So cute. That's the kind of stuff that really makes a difference at your wedding. All the small details add up. Night Owl Paper Goods has an easy way to bring small details into your wedding.

At Night Owl Paper Goods, you can order a sample pack of the Wood Wedding Collection items, which arrives with a thank you card, invitation, RSVP card, and table card sample.

The table cards are my favorite.

There are a variety of images to choose from for the place cards. For me, personally, I was most excited about the starfish and sand dollar cards, since we are having a beach wedding. This small touch will make a huge difference. Plus, these are made of wood, which is sustainable, and it just makes me feel a lot better.

If you know us, you know we try to reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible. And we try to incorporate bamboo into our lives because of its sustainability. Bamboo can grow at rates of 98 inches in 24 hours. So using it, it makes us feel better.

So it's nice to incorporate this small bit of our lifestyle into our wedding.I mean, your wedding should be a reflection of you, after all.

You can write directly onto the cards, but I prefer to affix something onto it. If you're looking to save a little, you can just use clear tape. If you have a few extra dollars, you can purchase clear address labels, print on them, and affix those to the cards. That's actually what we did when we used them.

What's good about not writing directly on the card is that if you realize everyone at one table has a sand dollar card and you just stuck someone at that table with a starfish, you can just lift the tape ...

... and stick it on a different card. Simple.

My plan is to use these for our wedding and stand them in a mini sandbox. We could lay them out on their own, but they would do well standing up since they are quite thick. I'm planning on burying their bottomsin the sand so they stand, and organizing them alphabetically by last name rather than arbitrarily standing them up. Makes it a lot easier for people to find them. Plus, standing takes less room than laying flat.

Night Owl Paper Goods makes a ton of items, including wedding cards. That wedding I referenced above, I actually gave them a wedding congratulations card from Night Owl Paper Goods.

I want to give you a heads up about ordering, though. If you head to the site and look at the prices for the table cards, it says $1. However, that is an arbitrary price. The price starts at $3.95 if you order 25 cards and only drops to $1 if you order 200 cards. The price will drop again to $.69 if you order 1,000. Since the main page says $1, I thought they were all $1 no matter what, but that is not the case. I actually discussed this with Night Owl Paper Goods and the pricing was to be removed from the main page, but since it hasn't happened yet, I wanted to let you know so you are not shocked at checkout.

BRIDAL BABBLE: How are you planning on doing your place cards?

Virtual Engagement Party: Brix Chocolate For Wine

A Bride On A Budget received this for review. All thoughts and opinions belong to ABOAB.
I'm obsessed with chocolate. My dad is always eating the chocolate my grandma puts out in her room, so I figured my sweet tooth came from him. And then I found Brix Chocolate for Wine. I shared it with my mom and she was obsessed so I gave her a piece to take home over the summer. She did and shared with my grandma. And then my grandma became obsessed. So when Brix Chocolate was amazing and sent a gift box with four 4oz. bars, I gave it to my grandma.

The Brix Collection 4 variety gift box set come in a gorgeous "book" containing milk, smooth dark, medium dark, and extra dark 4oz. bars. The box is closed with a Brix Chocolate for Wine wax stamp. 

When you open the box, you're greeted with four chocolate bricks and a bit of an explanation of each. You are told what wine pairs with each bar and a few tasting notes.

The sweeter chocolate pairs with sweeter wines (like milk chocolate with a riesling).

My 92-year-old grandma opened the box and was so excited. She couldn't wait to tear into it.

You're supposed to cut into it. You can pick up a gift set that comes with a cutting board and knife or you can just use what you have at home. The four-piece gift set comes with an explanation about how to cut the block (basically shove a knife into a bar that is resting on a cutting board.

My grandma had another idea. She unwrapped the chocolate, held it in her hands, and ate it.

Do you want me to chop it up for you? I asked her, once I started to notice that she had chocolate all down her shirt and all over her face.

No, she said. If you chop it, you're going to waste the crumbs.

Point grandma.

So she put on a bib and stopped herself after she had finished an ounce.

Yes, my love of chocolate must have come from her -- who, mind you, is diabetic. She checked her sugar after eating it and her sugar wasn't high, since she was noshing on the dark chocolate. I'm not a doctor so I can't tell you anything about this chocolate's health benefits but I wanted to add that.

The chocolate is meant to be paired with wine, although my grandma ate hers without any. Brix was incredible and sent a box for my parents as well -- and my mom decided it was too pretty to enjoy herself and has plans to give it away for a gift.

Although I tried to explain to her that it was a gift for her, she wasn't listening. But I definitely get it. The boxes are gorgeous. They are one pound worth of chocolate, but they definitely feel heavier. The boxes are $25.99 and you can purchase them on Amazon.

The presentation of the box is amazing. It looks like you spent more than $26, that's for sure.

And that's why I'm so excited that A Bride On A Budget is giving these away to you. We are giving away five boxes in our final Virtual Engagement Party giveaway.

You can either keep them for yourself, give them with a bottle of wine for an engaged couple, or pair it with wine as a thank you gift for your parents (or whoever else helps you with your wedding).

BRIDAL BABBLE: Which of the four variants would you like to try most?

Virtual Engagement Party: Bridesmaid Dresses From Shabby Apple

A Bride On A Budget received this dress for review. All thoughts and opinions belong to ABOAB.

I haven't gone bridesmaid dress shopping with my girls yet. To be honest, I haven't even brainstormed them yet. I want them to wear something nice but still be comfortable. I want them to look special and stand out, but still be comfortable.

And that's exactly what Shabby Apple sells.

In fact, I got a chance to browse Shabby Apple's collection and pick my favorite for review. It was hard. Shabby Apple, which sells gorgeous retro clothing, has a fantastic line of bridesmaid dresses. I was in love with a bunch of them, but my favorite was the Alice.

The Tiffany blue is stunning, and the bit of lace that peeps out the bottom is so fun and romantic. If I was having my girls wear this, I would probably suggest a belt and have them get it sewn in when they got their dresses altered, just to give it a little more pop because the one on it just fades in. The dress is really soft and flowy, and it's constructed really well. The fabric is thick and not see-through, which is important. This dress says it has a snug fit and to order one size up. My other Shabby Apple dress is an XS and it fits perfectly, so I ordered a 4 for this dress (as opposed to a 0/2, which would be equivalent to the XS of the other dress) ... but it doesn't fit. It seems to fit, but I can't get it to zip in the back, and I'm scared to pull it because I don't want to tear the lace. I should have ordered two sizes larger. That's the only thing I would caution you about it you order your bridesmaid dresses online. Tell your girls to order two sizes larger because they can easily be altered down but it's very hard to alter and make the dress larger.
Most of the dresses are around $100, which is half of what I paid for the last two weddings I was in, so it's almost a steal. There are a few with higher price tags, so just keep an eye on that.
BRIDAL BABBLE: Which of Shabby Apple's dresses is your fave?

Virtual Engagement Party: Party Time (& Prizes time ... win one of five prizes)

UPDATE: This has now ended.

Did you get your invitation to the Virtual Engagement Party?

It's here.

All week, I've been posting reviews to products that we have found to really help out with your wedding.

We featured a review on Glass With A Twist, which is a great  gift idea for the new couple. We have reviews from eFavorMart, Oriental Trading, Shabby Apple, and Night Owl Paper Goods. We also featured a veil from Simply Bridal, a personalized Blushbox from BlushBox, and a sixpence in her shoe from Waldo Sluggo and ME.

Five of those brands (Simply Bridal, eFavorMart, BlushBox, Oriental Trading, and Waldo Sluggo & Me) have generously donated prizes for the Virtual Engagement Party. Feel free to enter all the giveaways because you could sweep and win all the prizes.

The giveaways are all live now but bonus entries will be added during the giveaways. There will be two #BridalBabble Twitter chats (Wednesdays at 4pm EST) and a secret word will be announced. For the rest of the day, you can enter the secret word to get a bonus entry (the word will be the same for all giveaways). There will be other bonus entries too, so stay tuned.

The giveaways start now and end at 11:59pm EST on October 31, 2013. All entrants must be US residents who are 18 or older. The winners will be selected and contacted via the email address left in the Rafflecopter. The winners will have 24 hours to respond before another winner will be selected.

*NEW* Win a Brix Collection 4-pack of wine paring chocolate (five winners)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win a veil from Simply Bridal

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win a centerpiece prize pack (put together by Lisa at A Bride On  Budget) from eFavorMart (two winners)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win the A Bride On A Budget curated BlushBox

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win a $50 Oriental Trading certificate

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win a sixpence in her shoe from Waldo Sluggo & Me (two winners)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Virtual Engagement Party: BlushBox Review

A Bride On A Budget received this BlushBox for review. All thoughts and opinions belong to ABOAB.

I'm going to get this right out of the way at the beginning.

A Bride On A Budget is a family-friendly, as PG-13 as it can be, site. However, I really liked the concept of BlushBox and wanted to feature the brand on A Bride On A Budget. BlushBox was fantastic and actually curated a personalized box for A Bride On A Budget, which is as PG as possible, however not all the other boxes on the site are as innocent (so keep that in mind when you check out BlushBox's website. Depending on how open-minded you are, it may make you, well, blush).

BlushBox is a subscription service, sending out boxes each quarter. You can choose your level of spice, which ranges from mild maven to foxy fashionista to daring diva. You will then choose your lingerie size ... and then you wait for your box to arrive.

BlushBox actually has a line of bridal Blushboxes. If you can't wait, you can actually just go through the Blushboxes and select one that fits you. Or your friend. Or your bride or bridesmaids.

The box will arrive in an inconspicuous box, so you don't have to worry about the post office knowing what you do at night. If these boxes pique your curiosity, but you want to keep that a secret, you're in luck. There's nothing on the outside that says, "Contains naughty nights."

When you open that box, you'll be greeted by a really pretty white box and glittery ribbon.

There's a card inside the box that explains to you a little more about the box. It "combines sensual and sexy with fun and fashionable to transform your intimate lifestyle."

Inside, you'll find your items wrapped in a pretty piece of non-see through tissue paper.

Inside the A Bride On A Budget box, we decided a the ruffle slip (which is perfect for laying around the house. Honest. It covers all your ladyparts and if it was a tad bit longer, might be something you could get away with wearing out of the house); a pair of  No-Rinse Lingerie wash pods; a "Petit BonBon Massage Candles" ... and then I was left to choose between a kissing gloss or a massage oil. Since we already had selected a massage candle for the box, I went with a kissing gloss. When the box arrived, you can imagine my surprise when the kissing gloss was, um, not exactly for the kissing I was thinking of. I called one of my bridesmaids to tell her about it. "This is not lip gloss," I told her. She offered to try it out with her imaginary boyfriend, but I wasn't sure how that was going to work. Instead, I'm going to hang onto it until I'm invited to another bridal shower and I'm going to stick it in the wishing well. Even though these boxes do make me blush, I absolutely love the concept of them. Too often you're invited to a bridal shower and your gift ideas are limited to what's on the registry. I'm tired of giving a four-pack of wine glasses as a shower gift (although we did put those on our registry). This is something new and refreshing. And it's something you can personalize. If you don't like the boxes (maybe they're too risque for you or, heck, maybe they're not risque enough), you can actually shop by product and curate your own box. BRIDAL BABBLE: What do you think about this? 

Virtual Engagement Party: Wedding Veil From Simply Bridal Review

Simply Bridal sent this veil to A Bride On A Budget for review. All thoughts and opinions belong to ABOAB.

Originally, I had the idea that I wasn't getting a wedding veil. To me, they just seemed so old and archaic. I didn't tell anyone this because, well, I didn't think it was topic for conversation.

After we picked our photographer, my mom said, "You better get at least one shot with you in your dress and veil for grandma."

My dreams of no veil went right out the window because my grandma wants a veil and whatever my 92-year-old grandma wants, she gets.

When I was trying on wedding gowns and would find one that I liked, the consultant would always bring over a veil to finish it off. And a veil just felt so classic and traditional ... and it completely changed my mind.

If you haven't ever thought of a veil, you definitely want to sit down and actually look through them to get an idea of what's out there. You can also head over to this post, which will give you information on the different names and lengths of veils. That will help you when you're shopping.

I spent a lot of time looking at the veils on Simply Bridal's website. Simply Bridal sells a lot more than just veils. The site sells everything from jewelry to dresses. Yup, you can buy your wedding dress online.

Now, I know. It sounds impossible. Personally, I tried on at least 50 dresses before I bought one, so it would take a lot of guesswork to pick a dress out online. At least, you'd think so. But really, you don't even have to guess. You can select two dresses and have them sent to you for $19.95. Try it for seven days and then return it to Simply Bridal. When you end up purchasing your dress, that $19.95 will be credited towards your dress purchase.

But back to wedding veils.
I was looking through, trying to find the most versatile ... and it was hard. There were just so many nice veils to pick from.
You can sort by price, and then by style, to help you narrow it down. You can choose the tiers as well (one, two, or three). I wanted to pick something right in the middle of everything, so I picked the two tier rolled satin edge veil. As the name states, it has two tiers. It's 27", which falls at my elbow. When it arrived, I was surprised. The wedding veil, made of netting, is really nice. It holds up well when you're wearing it. When it's on, it's on. You don't have to worry about the shape of it crumbling and looking messy behind you. It isn't very see through from the side, which means it won't get lost, but it is see through from the back, which means it won't take away from the back of your wedding dress.
It has a rolled satin edge, not a ribbon edge, which I chose deliberately. You can get a ribbon edge, if you like, but that edge is so thick that it takes away from any embellishments on the back of the dress. This is a softer option, so it just highlights what you've already got going on.

What really sold me on the veil was that it's comb attached. Definitely look for this. It's so much easier. You just stick the comb in your hairdo, and that's that. I know this because I actually tried it on the day it arrived. I was wearing a zip up, so totally not wedding wear, but I wanted to see how it would fit and hold up.
I even took a photo of myself in it, which I thought about posting. And then I didn't post because the more I looked at it, the more I actually fell in love with the style. I bought a wedding veil when I bought my wedding dress, but then I got this veil and now I'm torn. I could always wear one during the ceremony and one during the reception. That's an idea. I'm not sure what I'll choose yet, so I didn't want to post a photo of me in the veil and ruin the surprise.
BRIDAL BABBLE: What length wedding veil do you like best?

Virtual Engagement Party: Mugs From Glass With A Twist Review

A Bride On A Budget was sent these items for this Glass With A Twist Review. All thoughts and opinions belong to A Bride On A Budget.

When Pete and I moved to North Carolina, we didn't know anyone and I didn't drink coffee. We both had a multi-cup coffeemaker, but mine was for when guests came to visit me at my apartment so it was a cheap one I got at Target for $4.44 many Black Fridays ago.

I donated mine and we kept Pete's.

A few months later, when we still didn't know anyone and I still didn't drink coffee, Pete's dad sent us a single-cup Keurig. It was sitting on the counter, snuggling up to our multi-cup Mr. Coffee.

I said, "We don't need the Keurig and the coffee pot on the counter."

Pete's reply was: "Well maybe if we have people over for a party or something, then we'll need the pot." We both were silent and he adds, "Yeah, we don't have any friends. What am I thinking? Who is gonna come over for a coffee party? No one. We will never have a coffee party."

And I was crying because it was just the funniest and saddest thing in the whole entire world.

Fast forward to April. I started drinking coffee because the last sip tastes like hot chocolate, so on weekend mornings, before we have a cup together, we'll ask the other person, "Do you wanna have a coffee party?"

So when I got a chance to check out a pair of items from Glass With A Twist for A Bride On A Budget's Virtual Engagement Party, I knew exactly what to order.

I absolutely love the mugs. Glass With A Twist sells engraved beer mugs, coffee mugs, pint glasses, shot glasses, and more. You can get images, text, or both engraved onto your glasses.

For an engagement gift, you should definitely think about picking up a pair of engraved champagne flutes. You can engrave the actual flute, but personally, I would engrave the base of the flute. It just keeps it a little classier and a bit more subtle for when these are used post-wedding.

The majority of the glasses are clear, but I selected blue glass for ours. We have a curio for our glasses and everything on there is clear (except for a little color on the shot glasses). I loved that the blue of the mugs would just pop on our shelf.

I also love that I was sent a draft of the image before it was engraved. I told the brand exactly what I wanted and was able to select the font. I received the image below.

I was told: "The black areas of your proof will be engraved a frosted white on the glass, while the white areas of your proof will remain clear, un-etched glass."

It was exactly what I had in mind. I wanted it to be laid out in a rectangular-ish shape so it didn't look really messy on the mug. But, since the shape was so rigid, I wanted the font to be a bit more playful. This is exactly what I had in mind.

Pete and I have coffee parties all the time now, and we are always using these mugs. In fact, we just used them. They're fantastic.
If you wanted to order them for a gift, there's a fast turn around time. Plus, there are no set up charges. There are a bunch of websites that will personalize items for you, but you first must pay a plate fee. That kills the deal you can get on them. Glass With A Twist doesn't charge anything like that, which makes these a lot more cost effective.
If you want to order for your wedding (say, a shot glass saying, "Let's do a shot since he's tying the knot"), you can order in bulk and get a discount. You can also order a pitcher and beer glasses for a really personalized groomsmen gift.
BRIDAL BABBLE: Take a look at GlassWithATwist.com and let me know what item you would like to receive.