Want an easy, cheap, non-slutty, but cute and clever Halloween costume? Try this one on for a grand total of $12 – using mostly what I already had around the house and office. Halloween costumes can be so pricey! And for what? One day? It’s not like you can always resort to the same thing year after year. Plus, Halloween costumes are often made from the cheapest material and very little material in most cases. Here is what I did for Halloween this year.
Mail Order Bride Costume:
1. White dress or white top that you already own (I wore a white sun dress I already had from Macy’s)
2. White table cloth – the one I used was a 90″ round from home (I’m also short, 5’3″ so it could affect the look depending on how tall you are). The table cloth was needed to make the dress appear to be floor length.
3. FedEx envelopes (or Postal Service envelopes) – I already had a bunch in my office that I used for free. To purchase the amount needed is about $10 worth.
4. Flowers (optional) – I purchased a pretty bouquet at my local grocery store for $12.99 and wrapped them in my homemade pleated FedEx envelope. Used some wire and a hole punch to string the wire through and secure it at the bottom. Wrapped the flower stems in a wet paper towel and foil and tucked them inside the FedEx envelope sleeve I created.
5. White apron – I already owned one – Or purchase fabric (very cheap and very easy to make, without a sewing machine).
To make it, be sure to have enough fabric to wrap around your waist and have extra left over so you can tie a bow. Cut into the fabric on both ends to create the ties of the apron and voila. No sewing necessary. Plus, it’s for a Halloween costume, so unless you already have a white apron like I did or you feel like purchasing one just to have at home, no sense in making a fancy looking one. You will be covering the apron with FedEx envelopes.
6. Veil headband – $2.00 at Claire’s boutique
Steps to Put it Together:
The steps were simple – Fold the round table cloth in half and wrap it around the waist. I secured it with a heavy duty hair elastic.
Next, I used the apron and attached FedEx envelopes to it using Scotch double sided tape. Of course, I had to make it a little cute but adding a scallop trim at the bottom. The FedEx paper easily peeled off the apron at the end of the day but stayed nice and secure the whole time I had it on.
Then, I tied the apron underneath the hair elastic holding the table cloth together behind my back, at my waist. The tying of the apron underneath it helped to secure the tablecloth and kept the elastic from popping off.
To make it extra secure, and extra cute, I used a large ribbon leftover from a present and tied it into a big bow. I wrapped it around the apron and around the part securing the elastic band so that it would all stay together. The bow covered the fabric bunched together in the elastic.
You can see above the little bustle created in the back from the side view.
Below are the FedEx flowers to go along with my Mail Order Bride ensemble. Keep in mind these beauties were only $12.99!
The flowers made for a lovely scented office for about a full week after Halloween too!
Hope this helps inspire you to think creatively and think THRIFTY!
Emily's Enchantments 