Ali Ties the Knot In Cabo

Photographer: Amy Bennett Photography // Wedding Planner: Infinity Weddings, Rachel Hansen

Venue: Hacienda Cocina y Cantina // Ali's Dress: Mariee Bridal // Hair & Makeup: Alan Torres @ Casa Dorada

Here comes the bride!  This past May (May 25th, to be exact) TSS Co-Founder Ali tied the knot to her hubby, Jon, in sunny Cabo San Lucas.  Ali & Jon dreamed of a wedding day on the sand with the ocean as their backdrop, and knew that Cabo was just the place to have it.  They always loved going to destination weddings for their friends' nuptials, because let's face it-- it's the perfect opportunity to take a vacation with all of your family and loved ones!  Not only was their wedding a fabulous night, but they also were able to turn the celebration into an entire weekend long fiesta.  Guests included immediate family and closest friends, for an intimate ceremony.

Ali chose a color scheme of shades of white & soft pink, accented with gold and hints of turquoise.  Guests were given locally handmade maracas (in both light pink & white) as favors... which ended up being a big hit in both pictures and on the dance floor!  Keeping close to their own personal style, Ali wore an elegant 2-piece dress, with a sparkly lace up corset top and a full skirt.  Ali loved the idea of a formal gown in the casual beach setting... not your typical beach ceremony wedding attire, which is exactly what she had in mind!  Jon opted for a more casual suit instead of a tuxedo, paired with his signature footwear of choice... white boating shoes.  Bridesmaids wore mix & match dresses from Nordstrom, each with their own personal touches for accessories.  

The wedding party walked down the aisle to live music.  A Spanish guitarist & violinist duo played to the crowd, and Jon's cousin Shae sang "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri as the couple met at the beachside altar.  Another special touch, Ali's father in law became ordained for the occasion, and conducted the wedding ceremony.  Once the ceremony concluded, a mariachi band led the guests into cocktail hour... it was time to party!

Wedding guests dined on dishes with local flavor.  Margaritas, guacamole, and churros (YUM) were all on the menu.  The wedding cake was classic vanilla buttercream (the couple's favorite) topped with fondant, a dusting of gold shimmer, and fresh flowers on top.  Everyone danced the night away to songs ranging from Rod Stewart to Calvin Harris.  Instead of a photo booth, Ali & Jon decided to have a video booth for guests to record personal messages... check out the video highlights here!

It was a night (and weekend) that Ali & Jon will cherish forever.  To anyone considering having a destination wedding-- their advice is go for it!!  With life's busy schedules, having an opportunity to get away with your loved ones is truly a once in a lifetime experience.  

Special thanks to our fabulous wedding planner, Rachel Hansen, for turning our dream 

wedding into a reality!  And thank you to Amy Bennett Photography for capturing 

each moment so beautifully.  You both were a joy to work with!

All American Apple Pie Crust Recipe

[Picture Source: Pinterest]

We're all about the patriotic spirit!  In honor of one of our favorite holidays, the 4th of July, we decided to get a head start on the festivities by whipping up some All American Apple Pie.  Instead of getting a store bought crust, we decided to go the homemade route for something extra good. Former TSS It Girl Avery shared her favorite apple pie crust recipe with us, and boy is it ever delicious.  The best part?  It's buttery and flakey... melt in your mouth good!  The secret?  A secret ingredient-- vodka!  (For our readers under 21, please be responsible and ask someone of age to help out.)

Foolproof Pie Dough for a Single-Crust Pie (from Cooks Illustrated)

Recipe yields one 9-inch single crust pie
*Vodka is essential to the texture of the crust and imparts no flavor- do not substitute.  The dough will be moister and more supple than most standard pie doughs, and will require more flour to roll out (up to 1/4 cup).

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6 1/4 ounces)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (3/4 stick), cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1/4 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into 2 pieces
• 2 tablespoons vodka, cold
• 2 tablespoons cold water

Instructions:

1. Process 3/4 cups flour, salt, and sugar together in food processor until combined-- about 2 one second pulses.  Add butter and shortening and process until homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 10 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds with some very small pieces of butter remaining, but there should be no uncoated flour).  Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula, and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade.  Add remaining 1/2 cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up (4-6 quick pulses).  Empty mixture into medium bowl.
2. Sprinkle water and vodka over mixture.  With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and and sticks together.  Flatten dough into 4-inch disk.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.  
3. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place in rimmed baking sheet on oven rack, and heat oven to 425 degrees.  Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on generously floured (up to 1/4 cup) work surface to a 12-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick.  Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll into pie plate, leaving at least 1-inch overhang on each side.  Working around circumference, ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand.  Leave overhanging dough in place; refrigerate until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.
4. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch beyond lip of pie plate.  Fold overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of pie plate.  Flute dough or press the tines of a fork against dough to flatten it against rim of pie plate.  Refrigerate dough-lined plate until firm, about 15 minutes.
5. Remove pie pan from refrigerator, line crust with foil, and fill with pie weights or pennies.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove foil and weights, rotate plate, and bake for 5-10 minutes additional until crust is golden brown and crisp.

Now for the other yummy part-- the filling!  This filling will help to cut the time in half when making the rest of the pie, plus it tastes just like homemade!

Enjoy your All American Apple Pie!

Cate McNabb Giveaway (Ended)

We're currently obsessing over Cate McNabb Cosmetics' products!  They have everything from skin products, lip products, to even amazing makeup brushes!  Cate's products are all cruelty-free & paraben-free.  We tested out their lip products and we're in love!

Ali chose the Wednesday Pink lip gloss for a perfect day look with a pop of color! Sakura on the other hand both went with bright, bold red with the Cherry Bomb lip lacquer to get more of the shiny, plump look.  Karen picked the Clementine Lipstick for a bright orange color to wear during the day or night!

With that said, Cate McNabb & The Sorority Secrets have teamed up to give 10 of our readers their choice of lip products!

Here's How to Enter:

• Email us at giveaway@thesororitysecrets.com and tell us which color you would like and how you would style it!
• Or go to our Instagram account (click here) and comment on our Cate McNabb picture and tell us which color is your favorite and tag your friends!
• Giveaway ends this Sunday, July 6th at 5:00PM

Happy Wednesday!

A Girl's Guide To A Gluten-Free Lifestyle

[Picture Source: Pinterest]

Okay, so we have all heard of the word "gluten" and even Jimmy Kimmel joked around here when he interviewed people and they really didn't know what it meant {haha}. But, in all seriousness, gluten has been something that negatively affects many, including Co-Founder, Karen. The affects can include IBS or extreme bloating that can last days or even weeks. According to WebMD, gluten is a protein found in anything made from wheat, rye, or barley. It can also be found in products less obvious like soy sauce and lunch meat. The best way to avoid gluten is to start by reading the labels of all the food you encounter. Look for trigger ingredients such as barley, wheat flour, rye bread or flour, oatmeal, semolina, malt flavoring and the list goes on. Check out a full list here! "Gluten-free" shouldn't sound daunting and a lot of grocery stores have many gluten-free and tasty selections. Karen reached out to some of her friends to get some tips on great foods to consume that are gluten free so here are some of the suggestions:

• Corn based pasta from Trader Joe's 
• Trader Joe's gluten free oatmeal 
• Fruits
• Vegetables (especially green and dark green veggies)
• Lean meats (like grilled chicken, fish, pork tenderloin and beef tenderloin)
• Ezekiel bread or sprouted grain bread
• Pure, plain Greek yogurt

Special tip from TSS Reader, Brynn: "Be careful with food labeled "gluten free" because for the gluten they've taken out, they've also added 5 crappy ingredients in it! It's definitely all carb based products too!!"

Stores like Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Udis have great gluten-free products. One suggestion that Karen received is to avoid Maltodextrin and Dextrose. Those are terrible preservatives that are in spices and a lot of foods. Again, LOOK AT THE LABELS.

At the end of the day, cooking at home is the best way to avoid processed food that can contain gluten so that is the best option when trying to live a gluten-free lifestyle. Above all else, consult with your doctor or nutritionist before you adopt any new change in food lifestyle. All of this is new to us so we want to hear from you! What are some of your favorite foods to eat that are gluten-free? Please share them below!

Bananas for Banana Leaves

clockwise from top left: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
{photo sources: 1, 2, 3}

We have a pattern crush on banana leaves!  The classic design-- originating from the 1940's-- is having a trendy moment this summer, and it's prettier than ever.  The tropical print looks fresh on everything from phone cases, to stationery, to bikinis.  The bikini is a total steal, found at Target!  Co-Founder Ali couldn't wait to get her hands on the iPhone case, and even showed it off on our Instagram the other day.

Banana leaf prints look great when styled simply; pair it with black, white, or tan/nude shades.  Or, take inspiration from the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel (where the walls are decorated with wallpaper in the pattern), and pair your print with a shade of light pink!  You can also add a taste of the trend to your home, with pillows in the print from Kate Spade.

We're totally bananas for banana leaves.  What's your favorite print for summer?

TSS Favorite Things {June}

Sakura- Book | Bangle | Lipgloss

Ali- Dress | Shoes | Lipgloss

Karen- Scrub | Speaker | Nail Polish

Oh boy, June is coming to an end already and our summer has been absolutely crazy!  Like every month, we gather our favorite things of the month and compile them just for our readers!  This month, we have a little bit of everything from books, lip glosses, to speakers!  Check them out and share with us what your favorite things of June are!

Happy Summer!

10 Ways To Make Traveling Easier

It's summa, summa, summa time! Time to sit back and unwind so what better way to do that than traveling?! But, wait. There is nothing more stressful than being an unprepared traveller. How many times have you made it to the airport and you've experienced every possible delay of things you could have controlled, from wearing better shoes so you're not struggling at TSA to having airline personnel tell you your carry on is too large/heavy and you have to go all the way back to check it? Whomp, whomp. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail, right? Well, we have come up with ten ways to make traveling easier. Take out a pen and paper!

1. Plan Out & Pack Your Outfits
2. Roll Your Clothes When Packing
3. Download Your Airline's Mobile App
4. Take a Picture Of Where You Parked
5. Use the Curbside Check-In
6. Wear Laceless Footwear
7. Pull Your Laptop Out Before You Get In the TSA Line
8. Just Check Your Luggage
9. Wear Comfortable Clothes To the Airport
10. Use the Restroom Before You Load Onto the Plane

Do you have some traveling tips? Share them below!

Happy Traveling!