aquatalia booties $495 | treasure and bond bootie $79.90| free people dress $148 | goodnight macaroon dress $45| vince camuto purse $165 | rebecca minkoff purse $275

hello! and welcome to the new this or that series. shopping can be intimidating and sometimes we want to just buy the first thing we see so we can be done. well, by we i mean a group of people in which i’m not included. because i really do enjoy shopping and i enjoy finding a good deal. i’ll be the first to scoop up a dupe of something i want to give a try or, i will spend a good amount of time researching an item, reading reviews and checking on the quality before purchasing an investment piece. so if you’re one of those, “nope, don’t want to waste my time on shopping” kind of people, this will be your new favorite series.

every friday i’ll be rotating with a this or that or weekend sales post. so, get ready to save money!

first up we have the trending leopard print bootie. as you can see there is a whopping price difference. because this is a piece that would not be on an everyday rotation for me, i would hands down choose that. if leopard booties are something that you have had your eye on and will be your favorite purchase of the year, then make the splurge. but, before you do, make sure that if you’re going to drop some serious cash on these booties that they’re something you would wear next year during the season as well. i recommend only splurging on pieces that you know you will get good wear out of.

next on the docket we have the beloved free people dress that i’m sure you’ve seen many bloggers wearing vs a near identical dupe from goodnight macaroon. this one for me, is a toss up. i love free people. i love the oversized comfy fit, and i know my size in their product [ xs for reference ]. however, when you can cut the price more than half, i think when it comes down to it, i would again opt for the dupe. to be honest, i keep trying to find a significant difference to make me go for the free people dress because i love the brand that much, but i cannot. the sleeves are sinched the same way, the pattern is near identical and both are very similar lengths. the one thing i can say is this, the  free people dress does come in multiple colors, whereas the dupe only has 2 options. still, h e l lo savings!

use code “anniversary” to get the dupe down to $45. promotion ends 7/30. dress will go back to $75 after, which is still a huge savings in comparison.

last and certainly not least, we have two of my favorite brands, vince camuto and rebecca minkoff. i purchased this rebecca minkoff bag over a year ago and absolutely love it. i take it everywhere when traveling because i find crossbody bags to be most comfortable and easiest to tote around while on the go. that being said, vince camuto just came out with this near identical beauty. the major difference between the two would be the tassels. after looking at both bags, i would have to say i would choose that and go with the rebecca minkoff. i love how soft rebecca minkoff bags are, and the tassels are a huge draw for me. my style has always had a boho flair and this just fits me perfectly. [the tassels can be easily removed if they are not your things] for those that would choose the dupe, purchase quickly! it is currently a part of the nordstrom anniversary sale. the killer savings unfortunately disappear august 7th and this bag will go back up to $248.

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xoxo | jasmine

 

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i’m going to start this out by saying marriage is awesome. i’ve only been married for 7 months now so i am by no means an expert but i can and have looked back on my day with some major take aways. did everything go as planned? as far as i know, they did, but that’s because if they didn’t, i did not want to know. was it the happiest day of my life? you bet it was. did my dress stay in pristine condition? haha, 45 minutes into the reception + a little stumble resulted into the dumping of an entire cup of coffee on my gown. did it ruin my night? heck no! a little soda water ( and miraculously, white wine ) and i was good as new!

i had some amazing people by my side giving me tips throughout the process on how to make my wedding day the best day ever. at first i thought, yeah yeah… these are just things everyone says. but, let me tell you… you are in control on your day. if you make it the best day of your life it absolutely will be.

below are 5 tips that helped me make the most out of the most magical day of my life. i hope they can do the same for you, because memories on your wedding are some of the most special and treasured times.

1. don’t sweat the small stuff

when your big day comes around, don’t worry about everything working out. there are so many moving pieces to a wedding that it is inevitable that something goes wrong. and when it does, don’t sweat it. in fact, you probably won’t even know if something did go wrong. i put my maid of honor in charge of any issues or assistance needed. your friends ( especially bridesmaids ) are there to support you and make sure you have a great time. don’t be afraid to ask them for help. especially with communications or stresses that could take away from you enjoying every single moment.

 don’t let anything get in the way of having the best time of you life. in the end, you get to marry the man or woman of your dreams and you get to do life with them. y’all it’s an incredible journey. and let’s be real, you worked way too hard to make your day perfect for it to be anything less than that. so focus on the big picture. if there’s a hiccup, embrace it and move on.

2. remember it is your wedding

well yours and your spouses of course. whatever you do, do not feel pressured to make everyone happy at your wedding. that is never going to happen. make sure your day is a reflection of you and your spouse. remember, that is who is being celebrated. weddings can bring out all kinds of emotions in people and sometimes even a little crazy. as a bride, you want to make sure everyone enjoys themselves fully, but you must always keep the bigger picture in mind and do what’s best for the majority. in every wedding there is always someone with an opinion. listen to all suggestions, but take them with a grain of salt. you don’t have to do anything by the book. there are no rules and no regulations. if you want to serve dessert first, because that’s the way you and your spouse do it, eat dessert first! your guests are there to celebrate and support you. not the other way around.

3. be in the moment

on your big day, take a deep breath. in fact, take lots of deep breaths. i’m sure you’ve heard a million times before, but your day will go by so quickly. make sure to soak up every single moment you can. when else do you get to be surrounded by all the people you love most just to celebrate your love? it is such a special time.

i remember just stopping to look around and take mental pictures because everything felt so surreal. it felt as if i was walking through a dream that i never want to wake up from. it’s a feeling i will never forget and forever cherish.

4. hire a good photographer

memories last a lifetime but so do photos. hiring a photographer that you enjoy being around and are able to honestly communicate your expectations with is key. you cannot go back and replicate the moments in time, so be sure to hire someone to capture them for you. going back and looking through wedding photos still gives me butterflies, as i hope it always does.

these pictures are ones that i will forever treasure and cannot wait to someday look through all of them again with my children and grandchildren and tell them about the most magical day of my life.

5. be thankful

this one doesn’t need much of an explanation. for all things, be thankful. be thankful you get to marry your best friend. be thankful the people you love most are all in one room, because you brought them together. be thankful for the memories. be thankful for all the love in the room. and be thankful all the planning is over!

my husband and i asked our wedding planner to make sure to pull us aside so we could have a moment to ourselves to take it all in at our wedding. this moment was incredible. david and i went for a walk and found a bench and just sat next to one another feeling blessed beyond measure and so thankful for everything.

your wedding day may not go exactly as planned, but if you find the beauty in the imperfections you will have the most perfect day.

shop some of my favorite bridal pieces

shop little white dresses

shop wedding shoes

xoxo | jasmine

 

photography by: chelsea q white photgraphy
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i’m sure you have heard about the nordstrom sale from 1238979384579 other bloggers by this point. but let me tell you, there’s a reason for that. it’s the perfect time to stock up on great fall pieces and staple items. all items are new fall pieces and prices go back up august 6th. before shopping the sale i always:

1.  set a budget. no need to go broke over here!

2.  write down what fall pieces you need and shop those first. allocate the bulk of your budget to necessities. jeans, basic pieces like white t-shirts and purses are usually my go-to’s. make sure to leave a little budget  wiggle room for number 3.

3.  try something new. find a piece or style that you have been wanting to try and step out of your comfort zone. allocate the remainder of your budget to steals you find that would go great with the pieces you found on your necessities list.

tip: building outfits will go a long way. by doing this you won’t buy a top, skirt or pair of shoes that you will never wear because you have nothing to match them with. that only results in additional purchases. so find versatile pieces that go with things already in your closet and statement pieces that you can easily pair with a nice pair of denim or heels that you already own.

the above collage is made of my favorite pieces in the sale and are ones that will sell out fast! i ordered all except for the lamp and drybar sprays because sadly they would not ship to an APO. [i’m currently living overseas with my husband who is serving in the military]. but had they shipped, i would have gotten two of those beautiful lamps for my nightstands and had 3 day old hair look fresh and smelling great. [i guess a girl can dream].

with that being said, there sadly is no overnight ship option and nordstrom has not made it’s way over to south korea yet, so for sizing and full details on all products check back in 10 days or head over to my instagram [click to follow me if you aren’t already 🙂 ] stories around for a try on haul where i can assure you, i will be brutally honest. the pieces i love stay and the pieces i don’t go! i’ll have everything just in time for the sale to open up to the public so hold tight. until then, shop my favorite picks above by clicking on the pictures or the coordinating numbers below and/or way way below where i’ve categorized items by $50 and under and $100 and under. you can also shop by going to “nordstrom sale 2017″ found on the top menu bar of my blog. and last but most definitely not least, be sure to check the bottom of the page for the awesome giveaway happening now!

shop my favorites under $50

shop my favorites under $100

*special giveaway*

in the spirit of the sale, i have teamed up with same amazing blogger babes to give one lucky reader an incredible gucci bag. y’all… can i win my own giveaway? it’s as timeless as it gets and is a bag that the lucky winner will treasure forever. scroll down below to enter. best of luck <3

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Use the widget below to enter the giveaway. The more “tasks” you complete, the more entries you will receive. The winner will be announced (on the widget) within 2 weeks of the giveaway ending. The giveaway is open worldwide.

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xoxo | jasmine

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after a mini hiatus, i am officially back. if you have not been following along on snapchat or instagram stories, here’s a little recap: i have spent the last year and a half moving from one place to the other [10 moves total… so much packing and unpacking, then packing and more unpacking. i’m basically a pro these days. have they added this to olympic sports yet? ] throw a wedding [mine] in the mix and a whopping international move to south korea and you have one exhausted lady!

however, we are finally settled into our new 13th floor apartment [13 is not an unlucky number in south korea. 4 on the other hand… ] our lucky 13th floor apartment [that’s what i have decided to call it] was not an easy find. after 7 apartments slipped through our fingers we finally snagged our new lovely home. i’ll be honest, it was not my first choice. the location is amazing and probably the best that we’ve seen, but the interior was definitely not my first choice.

at first, the apartment hunt was exciting. i was bright-eyed and ready to make a home with my husband. then, it quickly became daunting. south korean homes are quite different than the american home. but we kept going, searching for the right one. and then, we found it. and someone else got it before us. so the search continued. more homes, more colorful and intricate wallpaper. and finally, the perfect home was found. and became a home for someone else. this went on and on. until we found our lucky 13th floor apartment.

i had envisioned my first house with my husband [this is the first time for us to be living together]. it was beautiful. it had a large white kitchen and an open living area where we would cuddle up on our oversized couch to a good movie after enjoying a delicious homemade dinner and a bottle of merlot in the dining area. there were accents of gold decor and pictures hung on the walls. i had been decorating it in my mind through all our many moves and i could not wait to call it home. our lucky 13th floor apartment, is not quite what i originally had in mind.

to say i was initially bummed is an understatement. after living out of suitcases and sleeping on one bed one night and another the next, the idea of a home was slipping away. but as we started to unpack into our 8th choice apartment, i realized i had it all wrong. i was getting upset over something that i had no control over. instead of choosing to give thanks in all circumstances, i was bitter that i missed out on what i thought was the best apartment for me. ultimately, i wasn’t trusting in God. the apartments that i thought were great are all serving a better purpose as a home for others.  and our lucky 13th floor apartment is turning out perfect. as my husband and i ate our favorite home cooked meal then cuddled up to watch 30 rock re-runs [ i never finished the series so we started from the beginning] i realized i’m right where i’m supposed to be. i have a roof over my head and a man whom i love and he loves me right by my side. [sappy alert]. what more could a girl want?

my sweet photog husband shot this outfit in our new courtyard. and y’all this off-the-shoulder tassel top is under $20. yup. under $20. don’t let it get away, sizes are going fast! the summer weather in south korea can be scorching hot with a heavy dose of humidity. this top + denim shorts have been a life saver in keeping me cool. i pair them with flats for a more casual day look and throw on a pair of wedges for a more dressed up evening look.

shop the look

shop similar top options

 

xoxo | jasmine

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purse: kate spade | shoes: steve madden | jeans: joe’s jeans | sunnies: westward leaning

kate spade is at it again with another surprise sale, gotta love it! below are some of my favorite picks. purses, jewelry, accessories and even clothes are up to 75% off and shipping is only $5. it’s a great opportunity to stock up your gift drawer with some amazing goodies. i always keep some things on hand! there are only 2 days to shop the sale and things go quickly! you do need an e-mail address and zip code to enter. if you don’t have one you’re welcome to use mine 🙂

[contactjasmineelias@gmailcom]

[75219]

xo jasmine

 

 

 

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