Shop
 Explore 

Bride knits her own gorgeous wedding dress and it only cost $300

This bride saved tons of money and has something that is truly one-of-a-kind.

diy wedding dress, wedding dress inspo, knit, crochet

Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

The ultimate DIY.

Sometimes, getting creatively frugal can make a wedding moment all the more special and unique. We’ve seen a growing trend of cost-effective, yet totally cool wedding ideas lately—from brides hitting up thrift stores instead of buying luxury items to couples taking engagement photos in completely unexpected locations. There’s an added thrill of being able to pull off romance and glamor without breaking the bank.

And thanks to the internet, by seeing others go viral for their budget-friendly choices, people might feel less pressure to spend tons of money on their big day. Because really, a celebration of two people coming together in love and partnership should be just that—not a financial obligation.

One bride has recently been wowing the internet with her DIY wedding dress, which she completely knitted and crocheted in just 45 days, and spent less than $300 on. Considering the average wedding dress costs around $1,800 … yeah, I’d say she saved big time. And the result was gorgeous.

Veronika Lindberg Heino, aka Kika, has been knitting since the age of 5. Her Instagram and YouTube channel are filled with tips, patterns and inspo, along with her book, “Knit This! 21 Gorgeous Everyday Knit Patterns.” Considering her prowess with needles and yarn, it might not be surprising that Kika immediately had the idea to create her own dress.

However, since Kika and her fiance wanted to double dip on the celebrations—they had only just moved into their new home and wanted to throw a housewarming party and wedding at the same time—she went back on the idea, thinking it might be too stressful.

Then, the more she tried to look online for a dress, the more it became clear that her initial instinct was the way to go. So she took a leap of faith.

“This might be the most crazy thing I will ever attempt to knit, and/or crochet … we’ll just have to see,” she can be heard saying in a 46-minute video chronicling her knitting journey from start to finish.

Fifty skeins of pure silk yarn were purchased, design sketches were drawn and tears of frustration were shed, but Kika succeeded in her mission. She met her wedding day with an absolutely stunning, handmade, truly one-of-a-kind dress that would turn heads.

Kika posted pictures on her Instagram, thanking her followers for showing support. Her caption read, “Every comment, dm and like has given me the energy to keep knitting all throughout moving homes and planning this wedding in only 1.5 months time, thank you ❤️.”

See on Instagram

To say that folks were floored would be an understatement.

“This may in fact be the most beautiful wedding I have ever seen. Proves you don't have to spend a fortune to have a beautiful, meaningful and enjoyable wedding day. Your dress is an absolute treasure,” one person commented on YouTube.

Granted, not everyone has been devoted to a craft since they were a wee toddler, like Kika. But still, a little resourcefulness often goes a long way. In my own experience, one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever seen was held beachside at a recreation center with all galaxy-themed decorations made by the bride. The whole day oozed of the bride and groom’s lovely personalities, rather than feeling like something out of a bridal magazine. Conversely, I was a caterer in my 20s and boy did I see a lot of dull, lifeless weddings that cost people's entire life savings.

Most people want to look back on their wedding day and see themselves looking beautiful, surrounded by loved ones, having one of the best moments of their lives. There are so many ways to accomplish that feeling. Congrats to Kika on your wedding, your dress and, perhaps most of all, your happy day.

From Your Site Articles

Women are cheering on a mom who left her husband after he refused to clean the house for 6 days

Her video highlights a big problem women face.

via @5kids5catssomedogstoo/TikTok

Lynalice Bandy shares what her home looks like after working six 10-hour days and getting no help from her husband.

A viral TikTok video highlights an extreme version of inequality that many wives and mothers in heterosexual relationships face. However, the mom in this story hit her limit and won’t deal with it anymore.

Lynalice Bandy, who goes by @5kids5catssomedogstoo on TikTok, posted a video that showed her home looking like a disaster after she worked six 10-hour days straight while her husband did nothing to help.

Her time-lapse video shows every room in the house completely trashed, with toys, food and laundry scattered everywhere. "Shampoo on the carpets in the girls' room, nail polish all over Nugget covers, hair, and carpet. Scissors were used to cut hair, the down comforter, the mattress cover, and two Nugget covers," wrote the mom.

Keep ReadingShow less

Tori Roloff shares how she talks to her 5-year-old son with dwarfism about being different

The “Little People, Big World" mama says, "I WANT him to know he’s different.”

via Instagram/TLC

The Roloff family from "Little People, Big World"

It isn’t easy having to explain to a child who is different that they aren’t quite like other children. Most parents would probably prefer to downplay the situation, saying "It's no big deal. You aren’t quite the same as the other children, but everyone is different.”

However, Tori Roloff, 31, star of the TLC’s long-running “Little People, Big World,” has decided to go the other route. She’s asking her 5-year-old son, Jackson, to lean into his uniqueness and use it to help others.

Tori is married to Zach Roloff, 32, who’s been a star of “Little People, Big World” for 24 seasons. Zach and Tori have three children: Josiah and Lilah, 3, and Jackson, 5. All three of them have achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism.

Keep ReadingShow less

Gay choir teacher breaks down when his class gives a surprise performance at his wedding

Christopher Landis had kept his marriage secret because he wasn't sure how students or parents would react.

via Pexels

Two men exchanging rings in a wedding ceremony.

Christopher Landis, a choir director at Hingham Middle School in Massachusetts, didn’t tell his students he was engaged to Joe Michienzie three years ago. According to Inside Edition, whenever they asked who Michienzie was, Christopher would say, "That's Joe. He's my friend."

Landis kept his relationship a secret in front of his students because he wasn’t sure how their parents would react. Sadly, even today, LGBTQ people still have to be discreet about their personal lives in some professions.

This is sad for the teachers who have to stay closeted and also for the LGBTQ students who miss out on having a positive role model.

Keep ReadingShow less

Sun City Poms is a cheer squad for women over 55 and they're not slowing down

"Inspire before we expire."

You're never too old to cheer with the Sun City Poms.

Age is just a number if you ask some people. Once you pass all of the milestone birthdays, time just seems to zoom right on by. You still feel like you're 32, but your birth year is saying you need to add a decade or two. But if you don't feel old, are you actually old or is society trying to put you in an age-shaped box?

If you ask the ladies of Sun City Poms, a cheerleading squad in Arizona for women over 55 years old, age really is just a number. That's right, these ladies, some of whom are well past retirement age, have a cheer squad and man, are they active. Not only do the ladies perform, but they also march, and their practices would be a lot for people half their age.

According to People, the seniors practice three times a week for three hours at a time. That's pretty intense, but it doesn't stop these women from sticking it out, even the ones who are in their 80s.

Keep ReadingShow less

Legendary organist Garth Hudson, 85, makes his first performance ‘in years’ at a low-key show

The backbone of The Band may be frail, but he still stunned the crowd with his soulful playing.

via Heinrich Klaffs/WikimediaCommons

Garth Hudson performing with The Band. Hamburg, May 1971.

Garth Hudson, 85, made a name for himself being a quiet presence in a raucous band ... The Band, that is. Hudson played organ, accordion, and the occasional saxophone in an outfit initially known as The Hawks, which became known as The Band after backing Bob Dylan in the mid-'60s when he controversially went electric.

The Band would also back Dylan on his famous “Basement Tapes” sessions in 1967 that were eventually released in 1975.

After being introduced to the world through Dylan, The Band made a name for itself as one of the most talented ensembles in rock history, recording classic songs including "The Weight," “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," and "Up on Cripple Creek."

Hudson changed rock history by being one of the first few to play a Hammond organ on stage. He was known as the “mad scientist” in the band who joined only if he could give music lessons to fellow members Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Robbie Robertson.

\u201cOn this day in 1976, The Band played their final concert at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. It was filmed by Martin Scorsese for The Last Waltz, including this phenomenal version of The Weight with The Staple Singers\u201d
— Birmingham 81 (@Birmingham 81) 1669363601

Hudson also composed music that appeared in Martin Scorsese's masterpieces “Raging Bull” and “The King of Comedy.”

Today, Hudson lives in an assisted living facility, and recently fans started an online campaign to show appreciation by sending him cards. But even though Hudson is in the last chapter of his life, he recently revealed that he’s far from finished. On Sunday, April 16, he surprised the rock world by performing at a house show hosted by musician Sarah Perrotta in Kingston, New York.

He performed Duke Ellington’s “Sophisticated Lady” on piano during the show. The footage shows that although Hudson is frail, the music in him is still as strong as ever.

\u201cGarth Hudson played a surprise set last night at a house concert in Kingston, NY, hosted by the musician Sarah Perrotta. It was his first public performance in many years, and Perrotta has kindly shared the video. Beautiful.\u201d
— HarryHew (@HarryHew) 1681766284

From Your Site Articles

Hardware store employee builds parallel bars so a boy with cerebral palsy can learn to walk

"Just go the extra mile. And it just may reward you 100 times back.”

via Mike Mozart/Flickr

A sunny day at Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse.

A story first shared by Fox 29 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the epitome of customer service that goes above and beyond.

Jessica Getty and her husband, Mark, went to a Lowe’s hardware store in Brookhaven, Pennsylvania, earlier this month to buy materials to help their 5-year-old son, Will, make a significant leap in his development. They were looking to buy PVC pipes to build parallel bars so he could learn to walk.

"He was born very prematurely, just 23 weeks, so as a result, he has quadriplegic spastic cerebral palsy," Jessica told Fox 29. People with spastic cerebral palsy have difficulty controlling muscles in their arms, legs, trunk and face, making walking difficult.

The Gettys hoped their son could learn to walk by training on a set of parallel bars that would help him safely remain upright while he moved his legs and feet. “One of our goals for William is to get him walking,” Jessica told Fox 29.

Keep ReadingShow less