Miss Cream Puff, San Francisco Bay Area
Age and Occupation: 25, Illustrator
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Merchandise Planner
Engagement Date: May 27, 2007
Wedding Date: August, 2008
Blogging Since: February 7, 2008
Venue: Ceremony at Crissy Field and Reception at the Green Room
About Me: I never dreamed about my wedding as a little girl because I was too busy playing in the mud or pretending to be Martha Stewart–but now that it's here, I'm having a fabulous time DIYing everything in sight! We’re planning a very fun multicultural wedding (I'm Jewish and Mr. Cream Puff is Chinese), filled with as many personal details as I can muster.
“Bride Friends”
May 9th, 2008 @ 8:54 am by Miss Cream Puff
Confession: I am a huge internet dork. I am the girl who immediately googles something if she doesn’t know the answer and doesn’t go out to dinner (or plan a wedding) without first consulting Yelp.com. I really wish I had an iphone or a blackberry (okay, who am I kidding, I just want the iphone–there is no substitute) so that I would be able to do these dorky things from anywhere. And, just to air out the rest of my dorky laundry before I get to the point, I will remind all of you that Mr. Cream Puff and I met on the internet.
Now. When we got engaged, my first thought was, “why would I buy the Knot magazine if they have a website with all of the same information on it?” A few weeks later, I discovered something that would change my life forever: the knot message boards. Specifically, my local board. In the beginning, I spent most of my time reading other people’s posts and asking the occasional question. I found almost all of my vendors because of the people on the knot, and tons of great ideas. But mostly, I found some truly amazing friends–friends who I will probably know for years and years and years.
Some of my friends from the Knot at the Bridal Soiree in San Francisco last month.
Last week, the NYTimes published an article on this very topic: brides who have found true, wonderful friends in their “knotties.” As is the case with a lot of modern brides, my bridesmaids are spread out all over the country: Los Angeles, my hometown near Sacramento, Pennsylvania, Utah and Kansas. None of them are here to help me with my wedding. But honestly, I’m not sure how much I would talk about it with them anyway–after all, I don’t want to bore the crap out of them with mundane details (”OMG does it matter if one of the tuxes has pockets and the others don’t?!”). In my friends from the knot, I have found people who truly care about me, and whom I care about in return. They have become some of my best friends as of late and I really feel blessed to have met them.
Every once in awhile, one of my friends from the knot would come into Paper Source (we are planning weddings, after all!). My co-workers would crinkle their noses at me and ask, “is that one of your bride friends?!” I would get a little shy and admit that yes, in fact, I did meet these girls on the internet.
The article in the Times made me feel a lot more normal. And you know what? I am officially done being embarassed. These girls are awesome. These girls believed in me and helped me get my business started. They laugh with me when ridiculous things happen and sympathize with me when I am stressed out. These girls truly want to throw me a bridal shower because none of my bridesmaids are in town. They are, in a word, awesome.
So, my weddingbee ladies: I know I am not alone out there! Who else loves their “bride friends”?!
33 Responses to ““Bride Friends””
I just have one comment: I love, love, love my Blackberry. I seriously could not plan the wedding, work, plan trips, or all those every day things you have to do in life without it. If you can swing it, my advice is to get one (or an iphone). It’s sooooo worth it!
I’m like you– I’m obsessed with checking reviews online. Mr. Jasmine will laugh because not only will I insist on reading Yelp reviews before we go out to eat, but if we go somewhere sponteanously, I have to come home and reviews of that place too!
I love all my Weddingbee friends– all the Weddingbee girls are so incredibly sweet, kind, and fun. I’ve met some of the Chicago bees in “real life” and they are just as wonderful and nice as they seem on the web.
While I haven’t found any “bride friends” online (my local Knot board seems to be filled with people who exemplify the worst of bridal behavior), I did meet one of my bridesmaids online way back in middle school! In fact, the first time we met “IRL” was last week when me and the other bridesmaids crashed at her apartment in Chicago for my bachelorette party.
I’m only asking this because your one of my favorite bees :] Whats your knottie name?!
Though not a proponent of the knot boards (I tried it when I first got engaged, it was just waaaay not my scene) I am hopelessly addicted to Kvetch over at Indiebride and all the fabulous regulars over there.
I love my bride friends too. I met a girl from my local knot board who was planning her wedding in our state but with no friends or family AND she had just moved to the area. We became really good friends and our husbands are good friends now too. Her whole family thought it was super weird that we met online and all through the wedding weekend they referred to me as her “internet girlfriend”. It was awesome. 
Whoot Whoot for the nor cal board! I feel the same way - I feel like I would bore everyone else in my life with the little questions I have about wedding stuff but the knot has been a great place to vent all my issues. I always look forward to your posts CreamPuff/Stinker!
Honestly, I would have had a hard time making sense of a lot of this wedding planning if it weren’t for the online bridal community I found on my local (and club) knot board. Plus, being friends with MissPenguin IRL is just about the best thing that happened to me during this process.
norcal LOVE!
I just recently jumped back into the knot boards…but this time I’m on the locals. Now I’m loaning out two of my galvanized tubs for an upcoming wedding.
Thanks goodness for my fellow Portland knotties. I never would have been able to plan my wedding in 5 months and on $5k if it weren’t for their help. I can’t wait until I can impart my wedding wisdom on the next batch of summer brides.
@Emily: I am totally working on this iphone predicament. Rumor has it that the price will be going down over the next couple of months–but once July hits I’m going to get my grubby little hands on one!
@MsAnge: I have definitely found the knot boards to be hit or miss. It seems like some people are just horrible to each other. I was blessed with a very kind local board.
@Amber: Aw, thanks!!! I’m stinkerpants.
@lunapark: it totally depends on what board you are on. I never leave my local board. All the other boards kind of scare me!
@Sara: THANKS! I love the norcal board.
@Michelle: I know what you mean about Pengy. It’s really great to have met such wonderful people.
Love to the NorCal board! It is so awesome to have someplace to go for wedding talk where everyone doesn’t say “Can we please talk about something else?!”
The NorCal board is definitely a place where I can ask stupid questions without people being like, “WHO CARES?!” In fact, the Knotties on my local board always answer very earnestly and truthfully, no matter what. I love that we have that sense of community and can all help one another navigate through what is both a really exciting time and a really stressful one.
I lurve my Seattle knotties. They are some fantastic ladies. They are a great resource. I also lurve the friends I’v made via my own blog.
lol i dont go out to eat without consulting yelp either! haha.
Great post, Miss Creampuff! I feel really lucky to have found the NorCal board (AND weddingbee, of course) even if I did find everyone a little too late to apply things like DIY invites to my own wedding. I just read that article a couple days ago and had to forward it on to two of my BM’s — Over the weekend, I was mentioning, “one of my friends…” did such and such for her wedding and one of my BM’s said, “A friend-friend? Or one of your knottie friends??” I’m really very grateful for all the wonderful NorCal knotties
Another huge fan of Kvetch and the IBs! (I was really kind of surprised that the NYT article didn’t mention Indiebride and Kvetch or the Offbeat Bride tribe . . . .)
I haven’t been in the Knot message boards much but I am a moderator for 3 wedding related blog communities on Live Journal (2008_weddings, the_honeymoon, & bridal_wls). I haven’t actually met any of these ladies in person but I have befriended them over the net. It’s a great outlet, women who understand what I’m dealing with, who can give advice, and are caring. I’ve made a lot of friends through Live Journal, heck, that’s how we met our photographer (years before I met my fiancee). I think I might have to check out the Know message boards now. 
And if it wasn’t for the internet, I may have not met my fiancee. I became friends with a mutual friend of ours via the net. It was my friendship that led to me meeting my fiancee.
I am a huge internet dork too, I”ve met some friends on the net (even met some bees in person !) I haven’t met anyone from the knot boards… the knot kinda scares me… (I’ve heard horror stories ! LOL) but that is awesome you have found that there ! I may start venturing to the boards again !
I love all of you Bees because sometimes I wonder if my mom, my FH’s mom or my bridesmaids even want to hear the smallest detail of wedding talk. If I didn’t have somewhere to share, I’d go insane!
Hell yes I love my Bride Friends! I’ve met some wonderful, fabulous, amazing people through the knot and the blogging worlds. Love it!
Best post ever! Thanks for making me feel a little less dorky. You continue to rock.
Yay!
It’s always weird to explain to people the Internet friend thing when you haven’t met in real life! It’s good we’ve met in real life so you’ve graduated from Internet Knottie friend Sara to friend Sara.
I’m so happy I had the NorCal board, too. I’ve only had a several friends that got married locally but they weren’t the types to be obsessed with vendors and the minutiae of weddings, so the Knot really saved the day.
And I’d be interested in helping with a bridal shower, too!
I love you too
Seriously, every other sentence I say to FI starts with “one of my knottie friends…” I am forever grateful to have found such an incredible group of ladies that I can continue to share Sibby’s cupcakes with for years and years!
I don’t know what I’ll do after Oct. 4th. I’m the last one :\
I generally think people on the internet are weird.
I like to read yelp too, but then I always get annoyed because everyone spends so much time being witty and writing about how the waiter farted or something that you don’t find out how the food is from the review.
I had a similar experience with the local knot board….they’re all crazy, nasty people….JMHO. No friendly advice whatsoever…they’re all on Bridezilla mode…mine, me, me me!
Three of my bestest friends and I will all be engaged around the same time… we already email as a group all day long so they will be a big help :)@Miss Cream Puff: I met my FH online too! Match
i am blessed to have made some friends via my local knot board during my planning process, too. we are all married, no longer really post on the knot anymore (although a few of us have found a local nest home), some have already had babies and/or have them and their way, and some have even celebrated more than two anniversaries already. through that all, we still keep in touch, and these wonderful friendships have lasted.
one of my friends found that article last week, and we were all delighted to read it as well.
Represent Beantown! I love my local Boston Knot board! I haven’t had a chance to meet any of the knotties but I would love to someday! I dont think I could plan my wedding without the Knot!
i too wasn’t present (wah)! but you ladies are the ones that reassure my mentalness during the planning was normal. love my nor cal knotties! internet friends are a great mix. just like off the net. in the honor of one of my best friend.. her quote “being weird is just being different. so just be yourself and be weird.”
