Wedding Guest Dresses Under $350

I have a friend's wedding next month, and the search is on to find something fabulous to wear! I have been looking around quite a bit lately and thought I'd share all of the wedding guest dresses I've come across so far, at a reasonable price range (in my opinion, under $350). 

Shop them below!

Easter / Spring Dresses (All Under $250!)

Growing up, Easter was always one of my favorite holidays. I grew up in a family that went to church every single Sunday together, so we took Easter pretty seriously! It usually meant a new dress, an Easter egg hunt, brunch, and sometimes even seeing my grandparents (which, of course, was always special). I have such happy memories with my family on Easter Sunday; I always think of a sunny, spring day, with tulips, easter baskets, and dressing up for church before coming home and enjoying a delicious spread by my mom. It's a nostalgic holiday for me, and a day that I really look forward to celebrating when I have my own family.

Anyway, as I've gotten older, I feel like it's lost a bit of its sparkle... in college, and even now, it's not necessarily a "big enough" holiday to "go home" for, so I don't feel like I properly celebrate it how I used to, although I really wish I did!

This year, I am heading to Paris for Easter, *hopefully*. Since Easter is next weekend, it's creeping up quickly, and with all of the unrest in Paris right now, I'm just hoping we won't need to cancel our trip last minute. If we do make it, we have plans for mass, followed by brunch. I'm going with my friend Katie whose birthday is actually on Easter Sunday this year, too, so we of course have some fun evening plans as well!

While I'm not spending a traditional Easter with my family this year, I couldn't help but round up some pretty spring dresses for the occasion. I picked a variety of price points (including options under $100), but all of them are under $250. 

Summer Dresses Under $200

I'm back again today with some light shopping content. After the news of Roe v Wade being overturned last week, I know we have all been inundated with heavy, heartbreaking news. I completely believe in a woman's right to choose, and I find it infuriating to see our country take a million steps backward in woman's and human rights by making this senseless decision. If you're interested in supporting this cause, Planned Parenthood is matching all gifts made by June 30, $1-for-$1, up to a total of $250,000.

This post is completely unrelated, but I wanted to share that statement above before talking about something as silly as dresses during a time like this. I just feel it's still important to stay positive and share lighthearted content. I know many people don't look to me or my platform for political conversations, but I do feel that it is my responsibility as someone with a platform to share resources and contribute to the conversations and issues going on in our country and our world.

With that said- let's get into the post, but I highly encourage making a donation, however small, at the link above.

This weekend I exclusively wore dresses, and it made my life so much easier! Throwing on a dress is the easiest outfit for me, but up until recently, I really didn't have many casual dresses in my closet for weekend/weeknight wear. I wore specifically this dress and this dress, and it got me realizing how many cute, affordable dresses I've seen recently. I've rounded them all up here and hope you find something you love!

Spring Dresses for Any Occassion

Whether you have a wedding, graduation, bachelorette party, or any other event coming up in the next few months, you're bound to find a spring dress in this round-up perfect for the occasion! I did a Q&A recently over on Instagram and I received so many questions about where to find dresses for special occasions this season. I actually found it so much harder than usual to put this particular assortment together, so I totally understand the difficulty! Everything was either $600+ or a little off... but the dresses I've included here are exceptions to that, and each one is as fabulous as the next in my opinion! I tried to keep the majority of the dresses around $200, which is usually a fair price point, at least for me.

This Week's Top 10: Podcasts, Apartment Updates, Summer Dresses

image via pinterest

1. If you follow me on Instagram or Tik Tok, you already know this and are probably annoyed with my (LOL sorry), but this week I elevated my morning routine to a whole new level and was truly thriving as a result. I've been waking up at 6AM, doing a 15-20 minute at-home workout (I like Mad Fit on Youtube!), and then walking for about an hour. 

2. I've switched up the podcasts I listen to on those morning walks and have been enjoying the super motivating Mindset Mentor (especially loved this episode) followed by The New York Times Daily to get caught up on what's happening in the world. Highly recommend both podcasts if you don't listen to them already!

3. Speaking of what's going on in our world, more specifically, our country, the Daily episode on Derek Chauvin's charges that came out this week was a great listen. I found it particularly interesting and engaging to hear about how things felt and went down (or up, honestly) in Minnesota on Wednesday.

Graduation Dress Roundup

I got a DM from one of you asking me to share a round-up of graduation dress ideas, and I absolutely loved the suggestion! I actually shared a similar post last year when I picked out my graduation dress that I never wore (lol... bought for graduation that didn't happen and then never even did grad pics but it's fine I'm over it) but I'm back again with this year's edition because I am excited and happy for all of you getting to graduate this year-- even though your celebration might look different than expected, you have accomplished so much and it's fun to dress up and take photos no matter how you're celebrating! I just love doing round-ups like these and I am so happy to help. 

Graduation Dresses (All Under $200!)

Even though graduation is postponed, I am still on the lookout for a white dress to wear for graduation photos! I love the tradition of wearing a white dress for special occasions. Obviously, I could mix up the colors, but it just feels right... we had to wear white dresses for my high school graduation, so it seems appropriate to wear one for college graduation, too! 

A Pretty Red Dress with Rent The Runway

Happy Valentine's Day! Tonight my best friends and I are planning do to our usual Thursday rounds, which means going out on campus and hanging out. Although I don't have any fancy plans, this pretty red dress is perfect to share on this day that celebrates everything red and pink! I actually wore this dress for Christmas, but I never got around to sharing the photos. I wanted to share it today before it was too late.

White Dresses for Summer

Who doesn't love a white dress for summer? I rarely find myself choosing a piece in any color if it also comes in white... does anyone else do the same thing? Like I mentioned yesterday in my outfit post, I am neutral lover; white and light blue are definitely my favorite colors to wear. I feel like the summer offers the only few months when it's truly appropriate to wear an all white outfit or a white dress. I wear my favorite white t-shirts throughout the year and keep my white jeans in rotation late into fall or pull them out early in the spring, but white dresses... now's the time to get the most out of them!

Spring Dress Round-Up

Being in college, I always forget how many new dresses I used to "need" each spring in high school. Last year I went to my fair share of date parties and formals being in a sorority and having a handful of guy friends in fraternities, but it's not really the same when you live in a dorm and have 30 sorority sisters with dresses to borrow at a moment's notice! This year I am in the market for a pretty dress to wear in London on Easter Sunday, but I've already started getting a few questions from girls looking for prom dresses, wedding guest dresses (jealous!) and other fun events coming this spring. Although this round-up of dresses is majority geared towards Easter frocks, I plan to do another installment of dresses suitable for prom or fancier events later this week or next!

Unique Homecoming Dresses Under $200

With homecoming season (and wedding season!) in full action, I thought it would be fun to share 12 unique dresses that are sure to stand out. I love the dresses above because each one is fun and different in it's own way but would totally work for a nice occasion (even that emerald jumpsuit is definitely appropriate for homecoming!). I think my favorite is that striped off-shoulder number or this white statement romper.

Off-Shoulder Ruffle Dress

Okay, so I know I said it's been 40's and rainy since I've been home, but if you're new around here you might not be completely aware yet that I'm kind of a big complainer ;) Last week before the weather went downhill, it was actually pretty hot (like, almost 90 degrees! A big deal for Wisconsin in May!) and sunny. I wore this off-shoulder ruffle dress, which is only $15 (also love this embroidered version, and this maxi version) one afternoon and paired it with my new silver Palm Beach Sandals. (Stay tuned, there may or may not be a giveaway coming soon to a blog near you ;)

15 Graduation/Occasion Dresses

tbt to my grad party!

I talked about graduation party invitations and graduation gift ideas a few weeks ago, but before all else, the most essential part of graduation is securing the perfect dress! I went to a Catholic, all-girls high school, so for graduation we wore long white dresses and white gloves to our elbows. I loved the traditional look and I thought it made our graduation ceremony so special. In general, I do believe that white dresses are the perfect choice for graduation ceremonies, and I feel like most private schools ask that girls wear some sort of white dress. However, if you're graduating this year and not feeling the all-white look, I personally find seersucker dresses, Lilly Pulitzer dresses, and really any other pretty dresses of that sort fabulous for the occasion as well.

Honestly, I think these dresses are all gorgeous, and they would work well for any nice occasion you might have on your calendar for this summer.

1: Lace // 2: Ruffle // 3: Scalloped Off-Shoulder // 4: One-Shoulder // 5: Daisy-Patterned Lace

6: Lace Overlay // 7: Eyelet // 8: Tea Length // 9: Periwinkle // 10: Off-Shoulder Bow-Ties

11: Gold Detail // 12: Eyelet // 13: Tiered Scallop // 14: Pink Crepe // 15: Lilac Lace

Do you have your graduation dress picked out already? Or if you're not a graduate, where did you find your dress?

xoxo

30 Dresses Under $100

Hello, hello and HAPPY APRIL! I apologize for not getting a post up yesterday; I had two midterms back-to-back yesterday morning that I studied for all weekend (not kidding, nonstop studying is so necessary when you have two exams on the same day), but I think they went well :)

Can we also talk about how this year is flying by?! I, for one, couldn't be more excited to finally have some good spring weather. Moving from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania definitely didn't free me from snowy, cold winters, but I am lucky that I got to miss out on the tail end of winter still lurking in the Midwest....

That said, what better way to stock up on new spring wardrobe essentials than by picking up a few fun spring dresses and preparing for all the white we get to wear in the coming season! I wrote this post last spring on 10 white dresses under $100, this post over the summer all about shirt-dresses, and this post a few months ago on red dresses for the Alpha Phi red dress gala. Dress round-ups are some of my favorites, because no matter how hard I try to narrow down the list there are always so many good options sure to please everyone.

This spring, I have split it up into "spring dresses" and "white dresses," because you might be surprised how many times in your life you'll find yourself needing a good white dress, and a blog post dedicated to just that for help.

Shop the spring dresses using the widget here:

Shop the white dresses using the widget here:

Happy shopping!

xoxo

Red Dresses

As a member of Alpha Phi, who's philanthropy is women's heart health, we celebrate an annual Red Dress Gala in February, because this month is Cardiac Awareness month! It's fun too, because it's Valentine's Day in just a week, and of course we are all thinking of love, our hearts, and the like at the same time. How convenient ;)

The Red Dress Gala for my chapter at Lehigh is coming up in a few weeks, and I've been on the hunt for the perfect red dress! If you're making any Valentine's Day plans yourself, or getting a head start on prom dresses, maybe you'll find this round-up of reds useful as well...

I'm not huge into red, but it's fun to have an opportunity to wear something different from my typical black, navy, or other neutral-colored dress for once! I'm especially loving that velvet option, which is on major sale right now! Shop all of the dresses below:

xoxo

Pref Night Outfit

Because today is the second day of rush and I'm already a little excited for pref night, I wanted to share my dress/outfit with all of you! Today we will be visiting up to 7 houses, and up to 5 tomorrow, and then 2, 1, or none on Saturday for preference night. If I make it to pref round, which is cocktail attire, here's what I'm planning to wear:

The Shirtdress

After yesterday's Chicago recap I received a ton of questions about my shirtdress and shirt dresses in general for summer. I was never really a fan of the look until I found the one I wore in Chicago once I was actually already there, and since I was hot in my jeans I made the spontaneous decision to purchase the dress and wear it for the remainder of the day. I used to think shirt dresses were too "stuffy" or work-attire-esque, but since they are so popular right now there really are a ton of styles to suit almost anyone!

whites: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4

other: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

denim: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4

What are your thoughts on the shirtdress? I think these would all be so cute with sneakers or lace-up espadrilles or sandals to complete the look!

xoxo

10 White Dresses Under $100

Now that Easter has come and gone, there really aren't any holidays until Memorial Day, aka the official day when wearing white becomes socially acceptable. I'm not necessarily a firm believer that you must forbid yourself from donning any white-colored clothing before May 30, but I do get excited thinking about all of the cute white dresses out for the seasons ahead.

When the weather finally warms up and wardrobes switch over to the spring and summer selection, I think there is no better night out option, casual day dress or really anything more perfect for all kinds of events than a little white dress. For a lot of graduations too, I know girls are required to wear white dresses, so this round up of options (all under $100!) might be helpful if that's the case for you.

pom pom // slit front // mesh top // flowy drop hem

simple // deep-v back // off shoulder

lace cross back // lace overlay // short sleeve

Not pictured: I also love this open back ruffle option, and this classic a-line mini.

I think the high neck, slit front option above is an incredible deal... it looks so expensive but it's under $50. The same goes for the mesh top, off shoulder dress; I love that unique style! Definitely a great option for a graduation or any other formal event! And that short sleeve dress... paired with sneakers, sandals, wedges, oh my! You could style that frock with anything for an everyday look or dress it up for a dinner out.

What are your thoughts on the little white dress?

xoxo

Spring Break Dresses

We always book our spring break super late, so I have no idea where we will end up going this year (if anywhere!), but hopefully it'll be somewhere warm! However, whether I'm headed to a tropical destination or not, I know a ton of you are (if so, please share!) and I can't be the only one who loves wearing dresses all week long when I'm on vacation in the sun. I mean, there really is nothing easier and looking put together and stylish without any hassle is exactly what we're all going for when relaxing poolside and enjoying some sun... am I right?

white fringe open back // orange off shoulder (under $30!) // navy maxi

striped eyelet mini // v-back bell sleeve // hot pink cut-out // white bow front

Ahh, these pretty frocks (almost all of them are under $100, too!) have me dreaming of a warm destination! What are your spring break plans?

Are you doing anything fun today? I have service this morning and then my friend group's last indoor soccer game tonight, so it'll be a pretty low-key Saturday for me, just how I like it ;) maybe I'll even throw something productive in this afternoon, ya never know!

xoxo

Winter Formal Dresses

As I mentioned in my recap of Father Daughter, one of my worst habits when it comes to dances and social events is finding an outfit or dress ahead of time. I don't have the best luck when I order dresses, I usually find a dress after I've ordered a few different options, but that requires starting early.  Shopping in person is always an option too, but MKE doesn't exactly have the widest selection to choose from ;)

With my winter formal coming up at the end of February, I've begun dress shopping and picking out a few options for the event!

Blush strapless // Ivory off-shoulder

Classic LBD // Black bell sleeve // Navy backless

I love the strapless pale pink option.. it's so pretty and the perfect transition from the end of winter to spring. What's your favorite?

PS: If you have any sites suggestions for dress shopping, I'm all ears! Usually my favorites are ASOS, Revolve, and Urban Outfitters.

xoxo