Author: Sarah

Wedding Season Checklist

- Sarah Leave a comment
Celebrating with my friends Liz and Mike this weekend!

As summer hits its halfway point, I’m mentally preparing for the peak of wedding season – two weddings down, five to go, plus the bachelorettes and showers on my calendar.

I’m not complaining – every time I get invited to a wedding, I’m touched that my friends thought to include me on their special day. Still, without being in any of the bridal parties, it’s a lot to keep track of between dates, locations, gifts and outfits. (Honestly, I’m surprised that I’ve only lost one RSVP card so far.)

To stay on top of everything, I’ve relied on a spreadsheet. I’m not exactly known for my organizational skills, so this is a big deal to me. You can even download it here, because no one wants to be that friend who forgets a wedding gift, or worse, the actual wedding.

I keep my spreadsheet organized by date, instead of events related to a couple. For me, the key to actually using a checklist or spreadsheet is not having too many categories. Here are some of the ones I’ve found most helpful:

  • Website: because no one has time to figure out if a couple is registered on The Knot, Zola or elsewhere every single time they need to look up wedding info.
  • Where: this will help determine if you need to book accommodations, transportation and other details.
  • Gift Purchase & Value: If you’re looking for advice on how to determine how much to spend on wedding gifts, I can’t help you with that. Sometimes I do write out a check, but when I buy off a registry, it can happen months in advance. I mark this down, along with the value of a gift. I find this important in case you buy something on sale, you’re buying multiple, smaller gifts or even gifting a service.
  • Dress Code: When you have three black-tie optional weddings in a row, you might want to make sure you’re not wearing the same dress back-to-back. Or maybe that’s just me 🙃

Download the wedding season checklist here.

Next up, I have a bridal shower and then two weddings in August! There is some constant spreadsheet updating happening. I hope it was helpful for someone – you can download it here, no email address required! Tell me, are there a lot of weddings and celebrations on your social calendar?

~ Sarah

Organic Spring Clothing Under $50

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If you’re anything like me, you understand the importance of shopping sustainably but sometimes struggle to justify the higher price tags of eco-friendly clothing. Of course, the most sustainable shopping is no shopping at all, but that’s not always fun or realistic.

This is where Pact comes in: for prices similar to full price-Old Navy, you can buy comfy staples made with organic cotton. Although Pact manufactures outside of the U.S., the brand is committed to sweatshop-free labor. Sounds pretty good right?

Pact Organic Clothing Under $50 Pact Organic Clothing Under $50 Pact Organic Clothing Under $50 Pact Organic Clothing Under $50

Shop: Button Back Tank Dress | Wrap Dress | Cropped Pocket Leggings | Strappy Back Tank

And their clothing is cute and classic too! I picked out pieces that would be perfect for spring and summer, and everything shown above costs less than $50. (Pact offers free shipping on orders above $75, and free returns too!)

You can never go wrong with a classic striped dress, and between a shift and wrap dress, you’re guaranteed to find a silhouette that suits you. Colorful tanks are another summer staple. Finally, as someone who WFH, I’m devoted to leggings and I refuse to buy any that don’t include pockets for my phone.

Any other eco-friendly but affordable brands I should know about? I’m also a fan of United By Blue, which is based in Philly! If/when I order from Pact, I’ll be sure to share my thoughts!

~ Sarah

Photo Pop Philly Tips & Tricks

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Photo Pop Philly

Photo Pop Philly, the city’s first and only interactive pop-up exhibit, is back for its second season! It’s curated by my friends at Philly PR Girl, and I had more fun than I expected when I checked out last summer’s Photo Pop. I’m excited to check out this year’s “Sweet Paradise” at The Bourse later this week.

Don’t know what to expect? I’m sharing some tips I learned last year!

1. Coordinate your outfit.

This is by no means a requirement (wear whatever you makes you happy!), but I’m glad I stayed on-theme last summer. The theme was classic Philly — red, white and blue — so I wore my favorite cherry red dress from Smak Parlour (also seen here). Each installation was pretty colorful, but by wearing coordinating colors my outfit either popped or matched the decor, instead of clashing. Coincidentally, my friends Chelsea and Cortney also ended up matching the theme, so it worked out even better!

Sweet Paradise looks to be even more bright and colorful (sneak a peek on Instagram), so I’m still debating what to wear. Maybe a white dress? Send help!

Photo Pop Philly

2. Bring your friends.

Most of the fun at Photo Pop is taking lots of cute pictures for the ‘gram. Personally, I think friends make the best “Instagram Boyfriends,” so make it a girls’ night. Plus, then you can take a mix of group photos and solo shots, without having to worry about asking too many strangers. To make things that much easier, unlock your phone so you don’t have to constantly use Touch ID.

Photo Pop Philly

3. Credit the artists.

Besides Philly PR Girl, many local artists work hard to bring Photo Pop Philly to life. So credit where credit is due! Tag your selfies and Insta posts so other people can find these talented individuals. Some of my favorite installments last summer were by @nero_one and @amberellaxo.

Photo Pop Philly

Photo Pop also hosts occasional special events (we went on a girls’ night themed-event) which is another great way to get more bang for your buck. Have you been to Photo Pop Philly or similar exhibits? They’re not for everyone, but I had so much fun snapping pictures with my friends. I’m looking forward to checking out Sweet Paradise soon, and I’ll definitely be sharing on my Instagram.

~ Sarah