Bridal Shower - What to Wear On a Budget

I'm lucky enough to be spoiled with two bridal showers before my August wedding.

1. Memphis Bridal Shower: In June - hosted by my sister
2. Cincinnati Bridal Shower: In July - hosted by my mother-in-law and two cousin-in-laws

I'm so happy that I get to have one in each place I call "home", as I have lots of loved ones in each location that I can't wait to spend the day with. And I'm so excited that my MIL is coming in town from North Carolina to throw me a shower in Cincinnati. What a sweetheart! :)

Okay, so lets get on to the important things:

WHAT TO WEAR.

I kinda like the idea of wearing white and standing out from the rest of the girls. I mean, I'm only a bride once, might as well wear as much white or light colored girly dresses as I can! 

I'm a budget shopping kind of gal, so I thought I would share a few "bridal shower" dresses under $100.

Kensie Eyelet dress $99             Eliza J Lace Dress $89                   

C. Luce Lace Dress $79                Skies are Blue Dress $79

Tinley Road Tank Dress $69                Suzi Chin Lace Dress $50



Jarlo Billie Dress $79                                 Lulus Lace Dress $79

     

P.S. I'm sneaky and included the two dresses I bought for my showers.

Can you guess which two I picked???

What did you wear to your bridal shower??
Any bridal shower tips for brides???

I've Got Answers

Thanks for the questions I received from my Ask Me Anything post.

Here are my answers!

Caroline asked...If you could have any job in the world, what would you do?

Okay, this is the hardest question ever, and I'm not really sure I even have an answer.

I guess to be completely unrealistic, I'd have to say a professional hotel reviewer. You know, the person who travels from one extravagent place to the next, staying in five star resorts for weeks at a time, and writes a lengthy review + takes photographs of their experience for travel magazines.
I'm sure this job exists, and I will take it.

Lauren asked...When I visit Ohio will we go on a blate? haha!

Real question: What are some of your favorite stores to shop at?

YES!! Want to visit this weekend??? :)

My favorite stores to shop at change from year to year. I used to be the biggest Forever 21 fan a few years ago, but I haven't purchased anything from F21 in a while.

Right now, my go-to shops are:

Online: Piperlime, ASOS, Dorothy Perkins

In Person: I love outlet malls or any discount stores like TJ Maxx. Otherwise, you can find me at Dillards or Macys browsing the BCBG and clearance sections. Or Gap/Banana Republic for my basics!

Allison asked...Favorite thing to do on a date night?

I'm someone who enjoys the little things in life. I love getting dressed up, going to a nice dinner at a new restaurant and seeing a movie or a show at the Aronoff. But I also love being in my sweatpants making homemade pizzas together and renting a movie from the Redbox.
I'm pretty much a happy camper any time it's just me + CV.
When we first met, our "date nights" included playing cards on my couch in our sweats.

I just enjoy good-ole-fashion one-on-one time. :)

Thanks again for the questions ladies!
Have any more questions? Ask away!!

The Bridal Purse

I've never seen a bride carrying a purse before. Have you?

But for some reason, us "brides" have to add another item to our "must do" list

as if our list wasn't long enough

and buy a "bridal purse".

Even though it hides under the table and noone will ever see it.

 Mariell Satin Bridal Purse with Ruffle & Rhinestone

I thought buying a purse would take little to no effort.

My to-do list even read: "Buy a small white purse."

But apparently there are more than 1 type of small white purse.

And way more than 1 type of "bridal purse".

Making the decision a little harder than I felt necessary.

Mariell Bridal Bag with Beads, Sequins & Gems 

And then I came across Mariell, who pretty much makes a bridal bag for any type of bride.
Whether you are looking for a plain white one, one with beading, one with tulle, one with satin, one in different colors. They pretty much had a purse for every style.

Making my decision process a little easier.  Shew!

Mariell Soft Floral Bridal Bag

Now for my decision making process I only considered two things: 

Do I want it to be white and match my dress??

Do I want it to match my shoes or any other accessories??

Mariell Beaded Vintage Evening Bag with Antique Frame 

And the answer was "no".

I don't care if it matches my dress.

And I don't care if it matches my shoes.

I don't care if it matches anything and looks completely out of place.

I just wanted it to be "pretty".

And it is!

Sorry...I'm not revealing any juicy wedding details until after the wedding.

Come back in August! :)

My First Newborn Photo Shoot + "Like" Me!

Hello my lovelys! I just wanted to share a few pictures of a newborn shoot I did a few weeks back!

This was my FIRST newborn gig.  The mother saw one of my pictures on facebook and contacted me to get her sons pictures taken! I was soooo thrilled that I had a new customer!!

But I was also terrified.  What do I know about newborns???

Lucas was only 8 days old, and I can't say I wasn't nervous about positioning him. 

He was sooo tiny and I didn't want to break him!

Luckily, he slept the entire time, which made my job alot easier. 

He did wake up for a few yawns...and then went back to sleep.

He was by far the sweetest thing that's ever met my lens.

Isn't he precious?

If you liked these pictures, then I hope you will like my facebook page!!

My photography page went live on Friday!

Please stop by and "like" it!!

www.facebook.com/JVPcincinnati

*My website is in the works but will be up soon!*

All of the above

I've been a busy little bee lately and have been deglecting the ole blog.

So in an effort to catch up, here are all the things I've been doing in the past few weeks.

My friend Jessie and I drove up to Columbus a few weekends ago to visit my friend Emily.

We spent the whole weekend eating and drinking.

Typical.

Eating at Jeni's was a MUST DO! Luckily it was in walking distance from Emily's amazing townhouse, so we walked over and I treated myself to Wildberry Lavender Ice Cream. In a cone, ofcourse.

 

We also dined at The Pearl for brunch and Betty's for dinner. 

This was the door to the inside of the women's bathroom at Betty's. Well, hello kind sir. 

 

I stayed in Columbus one extra night so I could attend a financial conference early that Monday morning.  Not exactly how I like to spend my Mondays, but fortunately the outlet malls were on my drive back so I made a quick stop into Banana and picked up a few things....like this scarf!

 

I also ate an entire box of Puffins cereal in one day.  Have you ever tried Puffins???

This was my first time and I was addicted.

CV and I attended the Building Blocks for Kids (BB4K) Art & Wine Gala last Saturday night to support the kids and to support my boss, who is the planner/host of the entire event.

  

And I've also had several photo sessions almost every weekend! I'm super excited that people are trusting me with capturing their special moments!!

If you are in Cincinnati and want pictures, let me know. I'm running a 1/2 price special all summer long!

Okay, that is enough random news for one day.

Especially about the Puffins, that was very random. :)

One Month Closer to my Wedding

Another month has passed and we are 1 month closer to my wedding. Ahhhh.

I've been slacking off lately on wedding stuff but I really need to make sure I stay on track from here on out.

Sure does make it hard planning a wedding ALL BY YOURSELF.

Does anyone want to be my wedding planner???

Had to post this funny outtake from our engagement pictures. I made really bad prop coffee. Can you tell?

Here was my April Wedding To Do List.

Did I do everything on my list?

1. CV Apply for a passport (CV) FAIL. Apparently you can't have a notorized copy of your birth certificate NOR can you wear a coat in your passport picture. So he's back to the drawing board. Should be done in the next few weeks.

2. Purchase Bridal Shoes - SCORE. I purchased my shoes and they are FABULOUS. I can't wait to wear them (and share them with you..since they are a secret right now)....but I do need to buy some backup shoes for dancing. These puppies are a little too tall for dancing all night.

3. Buy CV's Wedding Band - SCORE. We purchased his band a few weeks ago and it's already in! All we need to do is pick it up from the jeweler!

4. Research Honeymoon Options - Fail. Another month of not looking. Crap!

5. Book a Videographer - Fail. Although if we do decide to hire one, I already have it narrowed down to the one I want and have already negotiated the price.

6. Taste Test Wedding Cakes - Fail. I haven't even thought of cake.

7. Confirm with bridesmaids all dresses are ordered - SCORE. All dresses are ordered!!! Shew!!

8. Buy Bridal Party Gifts -1/2 SCORE. I've bought them 2 things so far, but I still need to buy them a few more things!! I need jewelry recommendations please!! 

9. Pick out groom & groomsmen attire (CV) - Fail. We put a deposit down at the place, but none were picked out yet.

10. Purchase Bridal Bracelet - SCORE. It's fabulous and matches my earrings perfectly!!

4.5 out of 10...that's another F!

Here are some things I did that weren't on my list yet.

1. Bought a flowergirl basket

2. Picked up my veil from European Bridal

3. Picked out ONE SONG for our ceremony. It's the song that my wedding party will walk to and it is amazing!! I can't wait for people to "guess that song".

Uhm...that's it.

THREE MONTHS TO GO, SO I 100% NEED TO GET ALL MY MAY TO DOS ACCOMPLISHED!

May To Do List:

1. CV Apply for a passport (CV) - 100% MUST DO

2. Book a Videographer

3. Research & Book photo booth rentals

4. Research Honeymoon Options

5. Taste Test Wedding Cakes & Place an Order

6. Buy Bridal Party Gift

7. Pick out groom & Groomsmen Attire

8. Address Invitations - 100% MUST DO

9. Confirm reception menu

10. Create & order dinner menus

11. Order thank you cards

12. Order place cards

13. Figure out table numbers

14. Take wedding dress to alterations place - 100% MUST DO

15. Take other dresses for my bridal showers to alterations place - 100% MUST DO

16. Pick out ceremony music.

I need help. :(

The Time I Photographed My Friends Proposal

About three weeks ago, I got an email from my friend Sara's boyfriend telling me he was planning to propose and asked if I would be a part of the special moment by capturing it on camera.

I happily responded with "I DO."

He picked me up at work that week and we went ON LOCATION to scout out a good place for me to hide with my camera.

But there was NO good place to hide.

So Plan B, was to convince Sara that I needed practice with my photography (which was still true) and I wanted to take pictures of her and Andy, and her new house (where the proposal was taking place). 

If she didn't go for it, I would have hid inside a small childs playhouse in the backyard.

Luckily she went for it...

I arrive at their new home and totally play it cool.

I instruct her and Andy to hold hands in front of their super cool garage door.

Then, I suggest going on top of the hill in her backyard to get a good skyline picture of Cincinnati.

But little did she know the REAL reason I was there...

...was to capture THIS MOMENT!

THIS is why I LOVE taking candid shots. I love natural expressions and love seeing genuine reactions.

You can look at these pictures and instantly feel the love and joy they shared at that exact moment.

Hopefully these pictures gave Sara + Andy a lasting memory of their special day.

 And finally...a picture of the photographer with the new bride-to-be. =)

Congratulations to Sara + Andy!

I love you guys and am so happy for you!!

[Photography] Sneak Peeks: Super Ryan

This past weekend I had a photo session with the super fabulous, Ryan.

We can definitely use more super heros in the world.

He's pretty adorable in his sweater and matching hat! (and matching blue eyes!)

And absolutely loved playing with bubbles!

He had about 12 little cars to play with, but he liked the orange one the best.

And for being a great model, he was rewarded with some fruit snacks.

[mouth currently stuffed with fruit snacks]

A special thanks to Ryan for being my model for the day!

More photography on the blog soon.

{Giveaway} Carolee Earrings

Hello. My name is Jax and I have an online shopping addiction.
I seriously have bought everything from clothing and shoes to electronics and furniture online.
I mean, what's better than shopping for everything you need in the comfort of your own home...or in my case, during my lunch break at work. No wonder I eat at my desk so much...

Well, I did it again while browsing online for some statement jewelry pieces, I stumbled upon Carolee's website and found some amazing things that I just HAD to order right away.

Here are some of my most favorites!

I'm absolutely loving all these colorful, statement pieces. Perfect for spring time!
Can you guess which one is now the property of me???

Wouldn't you want to own your own Carolee Statement piece?
If you said yes, you are in luck!!
Because today I'm giving away a best selling pair of Carolee earrings!

Want to know what's hiding in this cute little brown leather bag and box?
These Miranda Crystal Chandelier Earrings (Retail: $65.00)

These are also perfect for all my fellow brides-to-be out there, or all the wedding guests out there!
So sparkly and they definitely make a statement!

All you have to do to win is follow the rules below.
Good luck everyone!! :)

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Giveaway Rules:

Mandatory: Follow According to Jax on GFC (+1)
Mandatory: Follow According to Jax on Bloglovin (+1)



Bonus Entries:

1. Leave a comment telling me your favorite Carolee statement piece (+2)

2. Follow Carolee on Facebook (+3)

3. Tweet about this giveaway (+4)

4. Blog about this giveaway (+5)

(Please leave a comment for each entry.)

(Include links for tweets and blog entries)

Giveaway ends April 23rd!