Wedding Wednesday: The Proposal
The time has finally come to start the series I’ve been dying to create forever…Wedding Wednesdays! Steven and I got engaged on December 18th and have started to completely dive into all things wedding-related. I wanted the first post in the series to be all about the proposal because it was the best day!
How we met:
Steven and I both worked for an after school program. One summer, he was actually my boss. We became good friends throughout our time working together and after weeks of talking all the time and hanging out, he finally told me he liked me. We officially started dating on August 6th, 2017 after spending the day at an art museum and the best Italian lunch. Fast forward almost 4.5 years….
He proposed!!
December 18th, 2021… I started the morning off with a nail appointment. I have always told Steven that I wanted my nails to look nice when we get engaged because I did not want to post pictures of my hand with terrible nails. Luckily for him, I had scheduled this appointment without even knowing we were getting engaged! That afternoon, my mom’s friend had asked me to do her hair and makeup for some photos she needed taken. I don’t know why, but something made me change from my leggings into some jeans before heading over (SO happy I did lol). After a few hours of doing hair and makeup, my mom and I headed back home to meet the whole family for dinner. As we were pulling in the driveway, my mom started pulling her phone out and acting a little weird, but I STILL had no idea what was going on.
I opened the door and saw rose petals scattered from the door, all the way to the backyard. I was so confused until I saw Steven standing in the kitchen waiting for me. He took my hand and walked me out to the backyard. There was a ballon arch, tons of pictures of us over the years, rose petals, and candles. My entire family was outside, as well. As soon as we walked outside, I heard one of my favorite wedding songs (It’s Your Love-Tim McGraw), and saw a big sign that said “Will you marry me?”. I was in complete shock and my hands were shaking the entire time. As we made our way to the sign, Steven got down on one knee and asked me to marry him with the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen! We spent the rest of the evening celebrating with our family and discussing all of our future plans. The whole night was perfect in every single way and a day that I’ll never forget. I cannot wait to be Mrs. Iosca soon!
xoxo, Mackenzie
Small Shop Holiday Gift Guide
It’s officially my favorite month of the year! I’m so excited to share all of my favorite small shops and my favorite products of theirs with you. Through all the COVID craziness of 2020, I did a lot of shopping online and found so many small shops that deserve ALL the recognition.
Some of my favorite small shop products are straw toppers and cup cozies. It’s amazing how much happiness a little sparkle on your cup can bring you! I have 3 cozies (and more on their way!) from Once Upon a Cozy (ig + etsy: @onceuponacozy). All of her cozies are so well made and came in the nicest packaging to preserve them in the mail. They’re perfect for iced or hot drinks! I have too many straw toppers to count. As silly as it sounds, they make me so happy when I see them on top of my pink drink! I grab all of mine from The Fawn Doe (ig: @thefawndoe // www.shoptfd.com) and Dainty Daydreams Co (ig: @daintydaydreamsco // etsy: daintydaydreamsstore).
I have been buying Knotties for years now and don’t plan on stopping any time soon! I have over 40 and wear them almost daily. They’re the perfect addition to any outfit and are the best for keeping your hair out of your face during a good workout. There are always new patterns coming out and you can even customize a bulk order with your own fabric! Alyssa started making her headbands with buttons on the sides so that your mask can hook onto them and give your ears a break. If you plan on buying any knotties, make sure to join her rewards program! Once you get 100 reward points, you get a free knottie! // (ig: @knotties // www.shopknotties.com)
Last, but not least, you NEED a custom headband from Shop She’s American. Robin customizes every piece of the headbands, from the color of the fabric, all the way to the beads/pearls that you want on top. If you love Lele Sadoughi headbands, you’ll love these (plus they’re a lot more budget friendly!). I ordered the most beautiful pink headband with pearls for my birthday and I seriously never want to take it off! I have my eye on her hazelnut cozy headband next :) // (ig: @shopshesamerican - dm to order).
xoxo, Mackenzie
24th birthday
Friday was my 24th birthday! This post is a little late because I spent the weekend being spoiled by my wonderful friends, family, and boyfriend. I worked Friday (insert 25 third graders all yelling happy birthday through their computer screens on Zoom lol) and then spent the evening with family celebrating with pizza and the most beautiful pink drink cake (@somethingsweetbakeshop). On Saturday, Steven and I had the most fabulous + delicious dinner date at Ruth’s Chris steak house. We finished off the evening with Christmas lights and a ferris wheel ride at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. It was such a fun weekend of birthday celebrations and I felt like a princess all weekend!
photos by Steven Iosca (@siphotography91)
As my first official post on SPS, I felt like I should really share my goal for this blog with you. Let me start by sharing that I’ve always struggled with my body image and loving what I see in the mirror. When I was younger, I remember seeing ads and commercials with super thin models and always felt like I needed to look like that to look beautiful and eventually find someone that loved me for me. Over the years, I’ve come across so many blogs and instagrams of influencers that are curvy and look more like me. It’s such an empowering feeling to see curvy women sharing size inclusive clothing brands and being given the attention and spotlight that they deserve. I realized that I wanted to be that person for another woman. I want to share my favorite curvy girl outfits, swimsuits, and everything in between. If I can inspire even one person to love themselves, curves and all, I’ll feel successful here!
dress: nordstrom | necklace: the sis kiss | headband: shop she’s american
I have to also share my own inspiration over the years. While scrolling through instagram, I came across Sarah Tripp (@sassyredlipstick). I saw her consistently posting her fabulous outfits, her swimsuits, and her own love story with her husband, Robbie (@tripp). I’ve bought my fair share of outfits inspired by Sarah, but I feel the most inspired by her self-love and confidence in her curves. She was the first influencer I ever came across that looked like me and inspired me to love my own curves. After years of watching Sarah advocate and inspire, I’m finally ready to start my own journey. I hope you’ll continue to follow along and hopefully find some inspiration of your own to love yourself, too!
xoxo, Mackenzie
Here Comes the Sparkle…
I started blogging in June as Elementary Fairytales, but since being displaced and teaching online, I started to feel stuck behind my teaching career. I started to see myself as just a teacher. While this is still one of my proudest accomplishments, I’m really starting to feel more joy by focusing on other things I love, like fashion, Disney, etc. After many hours of consideration, along came A Sprinkle of Pink Sparkle! I can’t wait to share more outfits, shoes, beauty products, and all things pink and sparkly with you!
Now, I give you… A Sprinkle of Pink Sparkle
xoxo, Mackenzie
