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Wedding, Lifestyle Elizabeth Turnbull Wedding, Lifestyle Elizabeth Turnbull

The Minute (Wedding) Guest List!

Weddings are exciting.  But deciding who gets to come?  Less so.  How can you possibly decide between both of your families and friends?  How do you choose who deserves an invite?  Well, I've made a handy infographic that will allow you to draft your guest list in 60 seconds, flat! 

Weddings are exciting.  But deciding who gets to come?  Less so.  How can you possibly decide between both of your families and friends?  How do you choose who deserves an invite?  Well, I've made a handy infographic that will allow you to draft your guest list in 60 seconds, flat! 

Use this handy guide to draft your wedding guest list in 60 seconds flat!  From plantbasedbride.com

Easy peezy, lemon squeezy! 

Until next time,

Plan your wedding's guest list in 60 seconds flat!

How many guests did you have/do you plan on having at your wedding?  Don't forget to subscribe to the weekly Plant Based Bride newsletter!

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Minimalism, Lifestyle, Fashion Elizabeth Turnbull Minimalism, Lifestyle, Fashion Elizabeth Turnbull

How To Build A Capsule Wardrobe

Have you ever woken up, looked at your closet full to bursting and thought: "I have absolutely nothing to wear."?  Me too.  How is it that you can own so many pieces and still feel this way?  Maybe you're like me, surrounding yourself with mediocre pieces and wearing your few favourites over and over again while avoiding the rest.  Well, enough is enough!  I am finally creating a capsule wardrobe and I couldn't be more excited to share my journey with you.  Read on to learn how you can create the perfect, concise, wardrobe for you; full of clothing you love and want to wear every single day!

Have you ever woken up, looked at your closet full to bursting and thought: "I have absolutely nothing to wear."?  Me too.  How is it that you can own so many pieces and still feel this way?  Maybe you're like me, surrounding yourself with mediocre pieces and wearing your few favourites over and over again while avoiding the rest.  Well, enough is enough!  I am finally creating a capsule wardrobe and I couldn't be more excited to share my journey with you (and hopefully inspire you to follow suit).  Read on to learn how you can create the perfect, concise, wardrobe; full of clothing you love and want to wear every single day!

What is a capsule wardrobe?

A capsule wardrobe is a small, intentional, daily wardrobe made up of pieces you love, fit you and your lifestyle, and all work together.  For me it is comprised of 40 pieces (but you can pick whatever number works for you!) including tops, bottoms, dresses, rompers, shoes and outerwear.  It does not include workout clothing, audition and special occasion wear, accessories, and loungewear for around the house.  A capsule wardrobe is intended for a specific season (like fall) and is worn for 3 months, without any new clothing purchases!

The idea behind a capsule wardrobe is to...

  • Simplify your life.
  • Reduce the amount of time spent deciding what to wear and increase the time available for doing the things you truly love.  
  • Cut down on spending and get the full value out of your clothes.  
  • Find your style and revel in it.

Sound good?  Then keep reading to learn how to create yours!

How to create a capsule wardrobe of your own.

ONE Get inspired.

Head over to your style board on Pinterest (I know you have one!) and take a look at the pins.  Is there a style that sticks out at you?  Which are your favourite looks?  What pieces show up again and again?  As you scroll through and analyze you will begin to get a sense of what your style aesthetic is.  It may be far from how you dress right now, or look exactly like your current wardrobe.  Either way, this is the style you're drawn to and what you should base your capsule wardrobe on, just so long as it fits your lifestyle!  You could even start a new board and pin all of your absolute favourite that fit the season you're working on to have all of your inspiration in one, easy to find, place.

Don't have a style board?  Feel free to look through mine!

Also feel free to take a look at my Fall and Winter capsule wardrobes!

TWO Come up with 3 words that describe your style.

Or five, or twelve.  The number of words isn't important.  What is important is that you can describe your ideal style in a clear and concise way.  This will only help you as you build your capsule!  Try looking at the list below for some inspiration:

Now get out a pen and some paper and write down the words that describe your dream (yet practical) style.  Seriously, do it!  

THREE 'Tis the season.

Think about the season you're building your wardrobe for.  Is it winter in Canada?  Then you probably won't need any shorts.  Think about temperatures, weather like rain or snow, and the colours that you like to wear during that season.  Keep these things in mind as you choose your pieces!

FOUR Pick a number.

Next you want to pick your number of pieces.  I decided to go with 40.  This breaks down to:

  • 17 tops;
  • 9 bottoms;
  • 3 dresses and rompers;
  • 7 pairs of shoes, and;
  • 4 pieces of outerwear.

Your numbers don't have to be the same as mine, and they may change slightly as you go, but I find it really helps to have a structure to work in while selecting your pieces. 

FIVE Go through your wardrobe.

Now it's time to go through the clothes you already own and make 5 piles:

  • Capsule (love it, in season);
  • Seasonal (love it, out of season);
  • Maybe (unsure due to style, fit, cost, etc.);
  • Donate or Sell (don't love it or wear it), and;
  • Trash (too worn to be donated).

Go ahead and throw out your trash pile, separate your donate and sell pile, and store your seasonal clothing in a box under the bed or in a closet.  Then, collect your capsule pile and write down what you have by category.  How many items do you have?  What are you missing?  Is there something you need for your capsule hiding in your maybe pile that could do the trick?  If not, add the item to your shopping list.

Need more help sorting through your clothes?  Check out Marie Kondo's book on decluttering your life! (Click on the book cover to buy it on Amazon! This is an affiliate link.)

 

SIX Plan your capsule.

As you go through your items think about the overall cohesiveness of your wardrobe.  The aim is to have items that work with as many other pieces in your wardrobe as possible.  This can be achieved through colour palette or style.  I like to keep the majority of my wardrobe neutral, consisting of black and white, to allow for easier mix and matching.  Analyze your items for holes:  is there a sweater you need to pull together multiple outfits?  What about a pair of shoes that would make that dress and those jeans really pop?  Continue adding to your shopping list until you reach your golden number and have each piece you need to make your wardrobe work.  This step requires a bit of shuffling around to find the perfect combination of items that gives you the most bang (and outfits) for your buck!

SEVEN Shop.

Once you're happy with your list, it's time to shop!  Make a budget before you go to ensure well thought out purchases.  You're looking for items that are high quality, fit well, and radiate the style you're going for with your capsule.  Bring inspiration images with you and remind yourself of your style words each time you pick up an item.  Does it say what you want it to say?  Will it merge seamlessly with the wardrobe you're building?  Will it last through repeated wear for at least the next 3 months?

EIGHT Wear.

Hang up your capsule wardrobe and get the rest of your clothing out of sight.  You will feel a calmness descend over you (I guarantee it!).  Welcome to your new life!  Now comes the fun part: styling outfits!  You can take photos of the items you chose for reference or to upload to apps like stylebook to help with outfit building, or just wing it.  You can also take photos of each outfit you build to keep track of the ones you really love for reference as you build next season's wardrobe.  Enjoy your pieces for the next 3 months, then start planning for capsule #2 in the last couple weeks of the third month.

Be sure to check back to see my fall capsule wardrobe on the blog next week!

Until next time,

plantbasedbride.com/blog

How do you feel about capsule wardrobes?  Would you ever try one?

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How To Choose The Perfect Wedding Date!

So you're engaged.  Congratulations!  Let the planning begin.  But how much time do you have to check everything off your list?  Choosing the wedding date is one of the very first things you and your fiancé should do.  But how do you decide?  Read on for the 5 things you can do to narrow the options down to a single, perfect, day!

So you're engaged.  Congratulations!  Let the planning begin.  But how much time do you have to check everything off your list?  Choosing the wedding date is one of the very first things you and your fiancé should do.  But how do you decide?  Read on for the 5 things you can do to narrow the options down to a single, perfect, day!

Are you and your partner having trouble choosing your wedding date?  Check out this post for 5 easy, actionable steps to pick the perfect day from plantbasedbride.com!

ONE Make a list of special dates in your relationship.

When was your first date?  The day you became "official"?  The first time you said I love you?  Any of these dates (and so more!) would be wonderful to commemorate by holding your wedding on the same day, x years later!

TWO Take your budget into account.  

Keep in mind how much you need to save up for your big day.  Is it doable in 6 months?  Or is a year and a half more realistic?  Don't let your excitement outweigh practicallity - it's very hard to throw a wedding without any money!  Don't stress yourself out by giving yourself too little time to save. The wedding planning process is already intense enough!

Not sure what your budget is yet?  Read my article on setting a realistic wedding budget here!

Wedding Paper Divas - Free Shipping

THREE Rate the seasons from your favourite to least favourite.

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Do you share a favourite season? Great!  If not, try a little math. Rate your favourite season a 1, next favourite a 2, and so on. Have your partner do the same. Then, add the numbers for summer together, the numbers for winter together, and so on again. It should look something like this:

Spring: 1 + 2 = 3

Summer: 2 + 3 = 5

Fall: 3 + 1 = 4

Winter : 4 + 4 = 8

The smallest number is a great choice!  You could also just compromise, of course, but no married couple ever has to do that, so there's really no need.  (Hopefully you detected all of the sarcasm is that statement.)  If you both really have no season preference, or are really bad at compromising, it may be easier to come at it from a design perspective first.  Think about your ideal colour scheme, venue, photos, decor, mood, attire, food, everything!  Does a theme emerge?  If you were to pick one time of year that fit with all of the aspects you both love, which would it be?

Not sure what you want your wedding to look like?  I suggest starting a Pinterest board and pinning images that jump out at you!  Check out one of my four (yeah, four!) wedding boards below for an idea:

Regardless of how you come to an agreement, knowing which season you'd like to get married in is a great help!

FOUR Where will your wedding take place?

The location of your wedding will, of course, have a big impact on which date you choose.  Getting married in Greece?  You probably won't pick the same day as if you were getting married in Northern Canada.  If you're planning on getting married or taking photographs outdoors, you'll want to pick a time in your preferred season that is likely to have favourable weather.  If you're planning on staying inside, you have a bit more leeway!

FIVE Think of your guests.

Are your guests coming from out of town?  Are you inviting children who are in school?  Is your best friend going away for 3 months?  Keep the people you care about most in mind when choosing the date.  Not only will they be thankful, but you will be too when more of your loved ones can RSVP yes!


Jason and I loved the idea of getting married on a day that was special to us, and what could be more special than our first date?  Since we had our first date at the beginning of September, and we both wanted an outdoor wedding and LOVE summer, it was a perfect fit!  We checked the date in our preferred year (about 15 months after our engagement to give us time to save!) and it fell on a Sunday.  Absolutely ideal for our dream brunch wedding!  I hope that these tips help you and your partner find your perfect wedding date, and wish you all the best with the exciting changes to come :)

Until next time,

plantbasedbride.com/blog

How did you choose YOUR wedding date?  I'd love to hear about it!  Let me know in the comments below.  Don't forget to subscribe to the Plant Based Bride newsletter for updates on new posts about wedding planning!  Scroll down to find the form below the comments section!

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