Halloween: The First 3 Years!

Something you should know about Michael and I - we love dressing up.  And not just in October, though our first 3 Halloween costumes as a married couple have been pretty awesome if I do say so myself.

Here's the lineup from the past 3 years!

2012 - Beauty and the Beast

The Story: We rented Michael's prince costume from the Scera Theater in Orem, UT.  He looked so dashing. :)  I already owned my costume.  How?  Well, my family used to live in Thailand and we knew a lady who owned her own tailoring business.  The prices were so reasonable compared to what you'd pay for something like that in the US that my mom and sisters and I decided to take advantage of this chance-of-a-lifetime and get the costumes of our dreams!  Belle's ballgown was my first choice. 

2013 - Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner

The Story: Elizabeth Swann's gown from the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie was my next choice of costume made in Thailand.  I must say, this one came out really nice.  Fits like a glove.  Sometimes I really think I should have been born in the 18th century, if only for the fashion!  Michael's costume was pieced together from clothes that he already had, plus some pirate accessories that I purposely borrowed from my family's dress-up stash in Utah when we moved.

2014 - Mary Poppins and Bert

The Story:  This year's costumes have probably been the most fun so far because they are the most homemade!  There's something really satisfying about being creative and making things from scratch.  All Michael had to do was wear all black, smudge his face with grease from a wheel rim he just bought at the junkyard (no joke), don his Newsies-style hat that he already owned, and wear a red scarf that I made out of a $2 sweater from Goodwill.  His chimney sweeper was relatively cheap and easy to make too.  I found the instructions here!  (Check it out, this lady is seriously a genius.)  My costume consisted of a skirt, nylons, and shoes that I already owned, a borrowed blouse, pinned-on ruffles cut off of another Goodwill shirt, a bowtie and cumberbund from Michael's 8th grade band uniform (haha - bet he never thought his wife would find use for them!), a borrowed Mary Poppins umbrella, and a Goodwill hat (conveniently of the correct color and size) which I then embellished with hot-glued daisies and cherries.  I had about 4 people ask me where my bag was though, so I guess I'll add that next year! :)

A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down - especially at Halloween!

(Get it?  Heh heh...)

What has been your favorite Halloween costume?  Did you always buy yours from the store or make 'em from scratch?