Miss Seashell, Chicago, IL / Providence, RIAge and Occupation: 28, Marriage and Family TherapistFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Electrical EngineerEngagement Date: September 3, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: The Glen Manor HouseAbout Me: Fonts and fashion, stationery and Sundays, photography and french toast... the beauty is in the details for this fun-loving Chicagoan who loves to plan plan plan! The soon-to-be hubs plays "Mr. Fix-It" in our new condo while I swoon over beautiful, personalized stationery and choose shades of aubergine for my bridesmaids' dresses... and thus begins my new fairy tale! Skirting to the East Coast for our September nuptials where my home state of Rhode Island awaits with fall foliage, I'm just a few dress fittings and bachelorette party away from saying "I Do" to a very happy ending!
I am proud to say that we have braved a few projects with our Cricut! (Honestly, the thing still scares me a little, but we’re slowly becoming friends. Notice who’s operating it in the photo below.) Most recently, we have begun creating our escort cards. Here’s how our process works: I am the visionary, Mr. Seashell is the engineer. I do the organizational work, and then Mr. Seashell executes the details involving patience and precision. Yay teamwork!
The Idea:
Create golden leaves with our guests’ names and table numbers printed on them.
The Problem:
How to get printed information on a cut-out shape?
Mrs. Firefly, New YorkAge and Occupation in 06: 31, AttorneyFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, FinanceEngagement Date: April 11, 2004Wedding Date: June, 2006Venue: Battery GardensAbout Me: I was born in the city of Donetsk in the former Soviet Union (now the Ukraine) and grew up in Brooklyn. Many of my parent's friends are from Russia and the Ukraine as well. We want all of our guests to have a great time and hit the dance floor so we've hired a band that can play both Russian and American music; not to mention a mean rendition of the Gypsy Kings and chair-raising hora!
Many moons ago, I promised an update on when/if I ever put a wedding album together. Well, I did it and I love the result!
Our wedding photos were shot in film by the wonderful Leah McCormick. While Leah gave me DVDs with the digital images, they weren’t the best resolution and the black & white images just didn’t scan right. I had always assumed that I’d need to get a “traditional” album. My sister’s photographer had gone through Cypress and the album was stunning, but it cost more than $5,000 and is so, so delicate. It seemed like a great idea 4 years ago after getting married, but not so much after 2 kids with sticky fingers and expenses up the…
For 4 years—during which many family, birthday party, and vacation albums were put together—I ignored the issue. Then, this past spring, a work colleague shamed me. Read more…
Miss Zebra, Providence, RIAge and Occupation: 24 Marketing/Costume DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26 Management/Firefighter Engagement Date: December 12, 2008Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: The Providence BiltmoreAbout Me: I'm a small town New England girl with an affinity for procrastination, crossing the proverbial line, and putting her foot in her mouth. I'm a lover of history, all seasons, sewing and Incubus. I design costumes on the side for my old high school's theatre department, which is where I met my sexy man. Our motto for our Big Fat Lebanese/Portuguese/Irish near-300 person wedding is "the more the merrier"! We are marrying in a Catholic ceremony and are hammering out the details of our Victorian-inspired reception.
It almost didn’t happen. It was kind of sort of not really like those movies where the girl falls in love with the perfect guy, only to settle for the d-bag, but then at the end realizes there is something way better in the other. Of course, there are some bumps along the way, and it seems like the universe is against that perfect pairing. That’s how I’d kind of sort of not really, though, describe us stumbling upon our painfully perfect, smile-and-literally-say-hello-every-time-I-drive-by-it wedding reception venue.
Mrs. Lemonade, Austin/San AntonioAge and Occupation: 28, BureaucratFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Music ManagementEngagement Date: December 21, 2007Wedding Date: April, 2009Blogging Since: August 22, 2008Venue: Country Club ceremony, ballroom receptionAbout Me: I’m a total wonkette who is lucky enough to be surrounded by her favorite things on a daily basis – awesome music, the great State of Texas and of course, Mr. Lemonade! I find any excuse I can to craft something and am completely infatuated with the 1950’s, all things Kennedy, and my furbaby Vida.
Miss Brooch, Arlington, VAAge and Occupation: 25, Writer/EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Front Desk ManagerEngagement Date: October 3, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: Oxon Hill ManorAbout Me: I’m an indecisive girlie-girl with a motor mouth, can-do attitude, and knack for making others laugh. I dream of becoming a best selling novelist like Elizabeth Gilbert or Julie Powell (a girl can dream, right?), and love long road trips, a beautiful countryside, music, blogs, books, and all things vintage/thrift/antique/or homemade. I’m a Virgo, i.e. overly sensitive, emotional, and critical, and there’s no such thing as short and sweet in my world. I want to say and do it all. Mr. Brooch grounds me. I point where to go and he figures out the way. He’s a pragmatic fancy-pants who enjoys video games and movies. We both adore our mutt, Rocky, and spending time with our amazingly supportive family and friends. We’re planning a garden wedding with a formal reception with lots of whimsy and unique, Southern-inspired details.
Well, one of the very exciting and wonderful things that took place not long after we found our venue was our engagement shoot! It was such a fun experience, and we fell in love with our photographer, Kelly J. Mihacole. Not only did she make us feel comfortable in front of the camera, which we usually would not be (at all), she did some amazing artwork that really brought our pictures to life!
Miss Sand Dollar, HoustonAge and Occupation: 24, Graphic DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Electrical TechnicianEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: MacLean ParkAbout Me: I'm a domestic diva down to the core. I heart cooking, sewing, baking, decorating and making sure we have a hand-crafted home. The best part about the wedding is I get to incorporate it all! I make sure I put my art degree to good use by screen printing, craft knife cutting, and a whole lotta graphic design. We're having a big-time party on a small-time budget, and I promise to show you a boot-scootin', barbecue-eatin', finger-lickin' good time! Mr. Sand Dollar and I spend most of our time on DIY projects or traipsing around the outdoors with our two pooches Rory and Juno. I'm looking forward to sharing our journey with all of you!
One thing Mr. SD and I didn’t want to worry about was finding a minister. He attended a church all through high school, but the pastor has since left and been replaced. It’s pretty much the same story for me, and we didn’t really find a church home in Waco. So, who would we ask? We didn’t want a stranger to perform the ceremony, so we decided on a friend. Who? This guy.
This is basically the essence of Matty Reeves. Read more…
Mrs. Cola, Mountain View, CAAge and Occupation: 27, Product Communications and PromotionsFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Managing Partner and Senior DesignerEngagement Date: March 5, 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: The Mountain Terrace, Woodside, CAAbout Me: I’m a Washington State native, enjoying life in Silicon Valley California with my fiancé, our three kitties and one leopard gecko. I like reading wedding blogs, Photoshopping wedding design mock ups, making lists, and planning, planning, planning! I’m a bit of an anomaly, on one side I’m a very girlie girl, I collect shoes, I lay out my outfits 4-6 weeks in advance, and I’d never leave the house without my hair curled and makeup on. But on the other side, I’m a total tomboy, I love to go camping and hiking, play drinking games (hey, I’m Irish!) and most of my closest friends are guys. My fiancé and I are planning a DIY-focused wedding with a balance between easygoing (what he wants) and chic and stylish (what I want), and are tying it all together with elements in lavender, sage, butter cream and chocolate.
You already heard about the panic of getting everyone on the boat ride the Thursday before our wedding, my mini freak out with not being able to start setting up for the rehearsal dinner on time, and how my dress got dirty before the ceremony, but before I begin the actual wedding day recaps, let’s talk about what went awry on our big day, so the rest of my recaps can focus on the things that went right! No wedding goes 100% perfectly, ours included, no matter what we all see on TV or read about on blogs.
What went wrong: Running about 20 minutes late all day, starting with 2 of our 3 our hair and makeup artists showing up late, and made worse by our limo driver taking a wrong turn up the mountain on the way to our venue (he quickly figured it out, but turning around on a narrow and curvy mountain road wasn’t quick or easy, especially with one of our photogs following in his own car). Read more…
Mrs. Penguin, Northern CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 27, Weddingbee Editor in ChiefFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Doctor of Physical TherapyEngagement Date: January 29, 2007Wedding Date: June 7, 2008Blogging Since: September 14, 2007Venue: Winery in the Gold CountryAbout Me: I love the Spice Girls, dogs with underbites, bean burritos, making messes, high fives, avoiding showers, crossword puzzles, blogs, weddings, and blogs about weddings!
Spend an evening with The Wedding Bootcamp at Bridal Reflections in NYC on September 13th. Try on some luxurious wedding gowns while mingling with some of NY’s top wedding vendors, enjoy yummy treats, and go home with a fun goody bag!
Tickets are $15, but Grazia from The Wedding Salon has sent us over a code for FREE tickets for Weddingbee readers! Simply check out with code WBNC to redeem your free tickets.
Miss Hippo, New York City/Dallas, TXAge and Occupation: 34, Event Planner for a Non-Profit Fiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Finance ITEngagement Date: August 8, 2009Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: Art gallery ceremony/Modern event space receptionAbout Me: I’m a thirty-something bride living in New York City and planning a modern-ish wedding in Dallas, Texas. I love trashy reality television (Jersey Shore, anyone?), online shopping, Sunday brunch, Central Park, and random celebrity spottings on the streets of Manhattan. While I love NYC, I miss good Tex-Mex, my college friends, central A/C, and being in close proximity to a Target. I’m thrilled to finally be planning an event that’s not work-related and to be marrying my best friend in what I hope will be a unique and personal ceremony followed by a reception with plenty of good food, good drinks, and dancing (regardless if it’s good or not).
I’m relatively new to the world of Etsy, and I just discovered the Alchemy section of the site. OMG. If you don’t know about this, you should and I can’t believe no one told me about it earlier. Where was I?!? For those of you who are a little slow like I am, Alchemy is basically where you can request a custom item from Etsy sellers. It. Is. Awesome.
Now, we have yet to settle on a cake design, do a tasting, or find a baker, but I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect cake topper to match the rest of our wedding look. I was searching for someone who could make a custom topper with our wedding logo that I could embellish with crystals, but I couldn’t seem to find a place online that offered just what I was looking for. You would think it would be easy to find, but my Google search came up with some VERY pricey options, and on Etsy, I found pretty much every other kind of cake topper you could think of (bride on a horse with her snowboarding groom, anyone?), but didn’t see anything screaming, “Send me your logo. I’ll make you a cake topper.”
