It’s no secret that your average wedding looks very different than it did 12 months ago. Goodbye, cavernous venues, triple-digit guest-lists, and weekend-long itineraries; hello, livestreamed ceremonies, lace-adorned face coverings, and seated dinner for fewer than 10 people. Whether you’re just beginning to wedding-plan or you’ve had to re-think a ceremony planned pre-COVID, your wedding budget poses a stark contrast to the one you would have whipped up at the beginning of 2020.
There’s also the matter of the dress. Brides are still hankering to walk down the aisle in fabulous white frocks — even if it’s just in their own backyards — but are trading in floor-sweeping, princess-y confections in favor of stunningly simple getups. The Washington Post recently reported that bridal retailers are revamping their offerings, serving up affordable and pared-down dresses to suit the intimate mini-monies that have become more common since the onset of the pandemic.
If you find yourself among the growing number of brides in search of a dress that’s both pretty and pretty affordable to wear at your scaled-down ceremony, look no further. We rounded up the sweetest white dresses on the internet, both from the ranks of traditional bridal retailers and reader-favorite shops alike. Don’t worry, you’ll still find plenty of tulle, chiffon, and lace in the slides ahead — you just won’t have to break the bank to obtain it.
At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.
The first day of spring is just one day away and with it comes the season for single layers. A simple sweater is all that’s needed on our early morning walks. I’ve been just a bit obsessed with collecting spring styles for Clementine- soft, comfortable pullovers and cardigans with embroidered details in colorful knits. I put together an assortment of sweet spring styles below – perfect for beach days, play days and everyday at home.
I’ve bought more than one letter sweater for C this year, and especially love the classic style and primary colors on this pullover for the littles in your life.
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 24: Chrissy Teigen out on a shopping trip on February 24, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rachpoot/MEGA/GC Images)
If you’ve been considering a delicate hand or finger tattoo, Chrissy Teigen’s latest Instagram might be the push you need to go for it. If nothing else, the visual of Teigen’s fresh ink — teeny-tiny dots lined down the center of each finger — might serve as food for thought.
Teigen posted a black-and-white photo debuting her new hand art, crediting the design to L.A.-based tattoo artist Daniel Winter, aka Winter Stone. In the caption, she shared more context behind the ink, which she says is just an aesthetically pleasing configuration of pinpoint-sized dots, and holds no deeper meaning. “Please don’t tell me this means something in morse code, I just like dots,” Teigen writes.
While the tattoo design does bear resemblance to a line of morse code with the separation between the dots at the knuckle, Stone himself echoes the sentiment that the the freehand tattoo was just for fun. “Got the pleasure of drawing this little design on her hands last night,” Stone wrote in his own Instagram caption of Teigen’s hand closeup. “Always fun always and full of laughs at these sessions.”
Serving her tiny tattoo with a trendy manicure (which looks like it might be a press-on situation), Teigen’s Instagram photo is a work of art in and of itself — and a low-key reminder to not sleep on hand cream.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
LOWELL – MARCH 17: Children carry “stop the hate” and “Asian lives matter” as they walk around Clemente Park in Lowell, Mass. during a vigil held for the victims of the shooting spree in Atlanta at Clemente Park Lowell, MA on March 17, 2021. Eight people including six Asian women were killed in the massage parlor shootings. The event was hosted by the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association. (Photo by Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
On Tuesday, Delaina Ashley Yaun, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, and two others were killed after a 21-year-old white man opened fire at three Asian spas in Georgia. Of the eight victims, six were Asian women. Sheriffs said that they weren’t “ruling out” racism as a motivating factor in Robert Aaron Long’s series of attacks, even though they believed his primary motive was a “sex addiction” that caused him to lash out. No matter what he (or law enforcement officials, or even our president) want to call the shootings, Long targeted Asian women in an attempt to “eliminate” a “temptation,” per the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. His actions were a hate crime.
And they were only the latest in a heartbreaking trend of targeted attacks against Asian Americans. One woman reported that a man called her a slur, coughed in her face, and physically threatened her at a metro station in Washington, D.C. In February, a man was slashed across the face while riding the subway. Just last week, 75-year-old Pak Ho died after he was attacked and punched by a suspect with “a history of victimizing elderly Asian people.” According to a new study, anti-Asian hate crimes in major cities surged by around 150% in the past year.
“I think that the coronavirus and the way it has been racialized by our previous administration has aggravated and given an alibi to a racism that is always not quite gone but now surging forth,” Anne A. Cheng, a comparative race scholar and professor at Princeton University, told CBS News.
If you have any time or money to give, there are a lot of organizations, mutual aid funds, and nonprofits fighting to end anti-Asian violence and support Asian Americans as hate crimes continue to rise. Here are some ways to help and places to donate, with a focus on supporting vulnerable groups including women, elders, sex workers, and survivors of violence.
As the nonprofit Red Canary Song noted in a statement, whether or not the victims of Tuesday’s shootings were sex workers, they were attacked due to sexualized violence and hatred towards sex workers, Asian women, and working-class people. You can donate to Red Canary Song’s fund in support of dinners, educational events, and programs led by self-identified Asian American sex workers and allies, or sign up to help with community organizing. Many advocates are also encouraging donors to look into the Butterfly Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Network, which helps support and protect sex workers and fight for their rights.
Support survivors of gendered violence
Both domestic violence cases and instances of anti-Asian hate crimes have risen with the pandemic. Womankind offers a 24/7 multilingual hotline, safe and confidential emergency housing, legal assistance, support groups, and therapy services for survivors, particularly Asian immigrant women. The Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project offers resources and one-on-one services to survivors in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.
Help victims of anti-Asian violence
GoFundMe has compiled a collection of fundraisers for victims of racist hate crimes, vandalized restaurants, and families directly impacted by anti-Asian violence. (Warning: some graphic images.)
Donate meals
The nonprofit Heart of Dinner helps deliver warm meals and fresh produce and ingredients to Asian American elders within New York. You can donate money or, if you live in New York City, volunteer to deliver food or even decorate grocery bags and write notes to cheer up recipients.
Shop small local businesses, especially in Chinatown
Alessandra Ambrosio comes through with a fresh take on transitional pieces that we love! Her effortlessly chic sweater is a neutral basic that works so well with relaxed lightweight pants.
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Police arrested a man outside of Vice President Kamala Harris’ official residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, according to CNN. Officers arrested and charged 31-year-old Paul Murray of San Antonio, TX, and a rifle and ammunition were recovered from his vehicle.
Officers responded “at approximately 12:12 p.m., to the 3400 block of Massachusetts Avenue, NW, in reference to a suspicious person based on an intelligence bulletin that originated from Texas, who was detained by U.S. Secret Service,” a spokesperson for D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department said.
According to police, Murray was a former Army drone operator who was experiencing “paranoid delusions,” and said he was going to D.C. “to take care of his problem.” Murray had an “AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, 113 rounds of unregistered ammunition, and five 30 round magazines.” He has been charged with carrying a dangerous weapon, carrying a rifle or shotgun outside of a business, possession of unregistered ammunition, and possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device. The U.S. Secret Service detained the man before police arrived, the Secret Service told CNN.
A new intelligence report the Biden administration delivered to Congress on Wednesday warned about the rising threat of white supremacy and domestic terrorism, according to The New York Times. In light of the January 6 riot by pro-Trump extremists at the U.S. Capitol, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security are on high alert. The FBI has charged more than 300 people in connection with the riots, including members of far-right groups like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers. The Capitol Police has extended National Guard deployment on Capitol Hill as a result of continued threats.
This is also far from the first time Harris has faced threats of violence and intimidation — as a Black and South Asian woman, she faces an inordinate amount. While Murray’s political affiliation is as-of-yet unclear, both former President Donald Trump and his supporters have lobbed plenty of insults her way, with him calling her “nasty,” “horrible,” and a “disaster,” among other things. She is also a top target of online harassment. And in October 2020, a Maryland man was charged with threatening to kidnap and kill her and then-President Elect Joe Biden.
BREAKING: new details on man arrested by @SecretService outside the Naval Observatory.
