Mrs. Canary, New York
Age and Occupation: 24, Marketing
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Journalist/Editor
Engagement Date: February 16, 2007
Wedding Date: July, 2008
Blogging Since: October 19, 2007
Venue: Pier Sixty, Chelsea Piers
About Me: I'm a born and raised New Yorker who loves all things crafty and artsy, food (cheese and dessert!), magazines, and shoes. I'm a power shopper always on the lookout for good deals or great quality-- sometimes I'm lucky and I find both! I love to dance and "shake what my momma gave me" but can also really enjoy a quiet night in with Mr. Canary and a good episode of Seinfeld or curl up with a good book.
Don’t you love weekends where you barrel through wedding projects and craft to your heart’s content? Seriously, I do. Crafting is a zen thing for me. It’s the only time when I’m not freaking out about logistics and can just focus on the task at hand whether that’s gluing stuff down or cutting perfect edges.
So this past weekend, with my sixteen year old cousin, C as a helper, I finished off the details for our guest sign-in table. Here is a general mockup (it’s missing another framed photo– same as the one on the left) and a digital photo frame that will include a slideshow of Mr. Canary and me through the years, as well as photos of other family members.
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Mrs. Green Tea, Sacramento
Age and Occupation: 30, Tea Analyst
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Coffee Critic
Engagement Date: November 17, 2006
Wedding Date: August 23, 2008
Blogging Since: June 10, 2008
Venue: Vineyard on the Delta
About Me: I'm just your average obsessive compulsive, arts & crafts loving, funky-on-the-inside/boring-on-the-outside girl, who dares to say 'Hey! I can make that!' Nerdy professional by day, goofy won-ton by night. The won-ton sometimes comes out during the day when I'm fed the dollar breakfast at Ikea. Since our engagement, wedding planning has put me on high alert for bargains and I've been pushing my nimble fingers through callous building experiments!
“It’s once in a lifetime…”
I hear this a lot. It’s what people tell me when I hesitate about making a wedding purchase due to cost. Sometimes people feel so passionately about what they think I deserve that I end up having to defend myself. These good intentioned debates usually halt completely when someone suggests involvement of my plastic buddy. I guess that’s where I draw the line.
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Miss Avocado, Seattle
Age and Occupation: 23, Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Consultant
Engagement Date: July 27, 2008
Wedding Date: October, 2008
Blogging Since: June 30, 2008
Venue: LDS Seattle Temple & Hotel 1000
About Me: Somehow this little farm girl found herself a genuine Pole to fall in love and eventually move away to Poland with. I am an LDS bride attempting to plan a private religious ceremony, ring ceremony, seated reception for 100, and an open house while coordinating for guests flying in from across the United States and as far away as Poland. I try to avoid fads, excess waste, and saturated fat. I strongly endorse photography, DDR, calorie counting, rss feeds, cooking, and utilizing your resources.
Czesc hive! I am thrilled to be the newest bee, Miss Avocado. I think when I got “the email” Mr. Avocado thought something terrible had happened. I was shaking and I just kept saying “Oh my, oh my.” Mr. Avocado has labeled me as an extrovert who would run around naked if possible, so displaying my every wedding related action for the world to see is pretty much the best thing ever.
Before we begin there is one thing we should clear up. I’m currently still waiting for an official proposal. Miss Avocado is my name, but you can also call me “The Ring-less Bride.” (But I am not, repeat, not groom-less.)
I’m assuming you would like to start by learning a little bit about this particular variety of Avocado. I grew up in a tiny farming town in Central Washington while on the other side of the world my future husband was unsuspectingly mushroom hunting his way around Poland.
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Miss Cookie, Denver
Age and Occupation: 25, Nonprofit Fundraiser/Theatre Designer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Financial Analyst
Engagement Date: September 2007
Wedding Date: September 2008
Blogging Since: May 8, 2008
Venue: Ten Mile Station
About Me: With a degree in Theatre I never realized that planning a wedding was a lot like Theatre Management, until I started planning my own. I am a coffee addict, especially Starbucks' Grande Mochas, yummy! I love to cook (especially chocolate chip cookies for my honey), travel to exotic places, and be creative. As a couple, Mr. Cookie and I are extremely practical, down to earth, and children at heart. We live in a cozy abode with our adorable Pomeranian, and love to play board games and watch movies into the evening.
From left to right: Row 1: Style Me Pretty, The Knot, Knottie Bio Vintageglam Row 2: Cymbidium Orchid? Row 3: Style Me Pretty, Couple?, Style Me Pretty, Row 4: The Knot, Martha Stewart Weddings, Heather Warska, The Knot, Martha Stewart Weddings
Since I am a very visual cookie, I did a floral inspiration board for my florist, to better understand the floral palette that I have envisioned for our wedding. (Sorry, my sources are a little incomplete because I didn’t write them down when I made this back in March). How did I decided on what flowers I wanted?
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Ms. Dahlia, Detroit/Cleveland
Age and Occupation: 24, PhD Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, IT System Administrator
Engagement Date: December 31, 2006
Wedding Date: May 2008
Blogging Since: September 19, 2007
Venue: United Methodist Cathedral & historic downtown hotel in Cleveland
About Me: I enjoy cooking, dancing and swimming. I am a geek and apply game theory to my everyday life. Winter is my favorite time of year, especially when spent curled up with good coffee and a book by Madeleine L'Engle.
The beginning
Getting ready
The plan was that Mr. Dahlia would come up to the bridal suite at 12:45, where we would have 15 minutes or so to be alone together (and check each other out in our wedding finest.)
Truth be told, I was running a little bit late. About 2 minutes late, which isn’t too bad for a bride on her wedding day.
Mr. Dahlia, on the other hand, was running much further behind.
On the phone, trying to figure out what was going on.
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Miss Coconut, Tallahassee
Age and Occupation: 27, Soon-to-be Lawyer (once I pass the bar!)
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, phD Computer Science
Engagement Date: March 2007
Wedding Date: November 2008
Blogging Since: May 20, 2008
Venue: 1930s Historic Building in Lakeland, FL
About Me: I never thought about weddings until I got engaged. Now, I can't stop thinking about them! Planning the wedding has really opened the floodgates to my DIY side. If there's anything I can do to avoid hiring someone else, I will do it! Mr. Coconut is my financial advisor, he tries to keep me budget-conscious! We've tried to make wedding planning a team effort!
You know I love etsy, so let me share some of the things I’ve bought on there!
As many brides do, I’m fiddling around with the idea of doing a candy buffet. Now, this idea has sort of transformed into a popcorn or cookie buffet, but this sign would still apply. I regularly browse etsy, saw this sign, and loved it. I bought the sign from etsy seller OrangeBeautiful.
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Miss Pomegranate, Sacramento
Age and Occupation: 27, Technical Specialist
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Software Engineer
Engagement Date: August 23, 2007
Wedding Date: October, 2008
Blogging Since: June 5, 2008
Venue: R.H. Phillips Winery
About Me: Hi, I'm Miss Pomegranate and I'm a shopaholic. I have a weak spot for the chic cheap - especially anything I can re-create on the DIY. Shoes are my vice, music is my passion in life and technology is the medium by which I live and work. When I'm not scoping out a sale, I'm spending my quality time training for a marathon, playing Wii with my fiance and snuggling with my Silver Labrador and Teacup Panther - and oh yeah, planning my wedding!
Image courtesy of Southern Style Weddings, photographed by Woodward+Rick Photographers
Southern Style Weddings recently posted a really awesome Real Wedding photographed by Woodward+Rick Photographers featuring Alexandra & Jeremy who were recently married in the mountains of North Carolina. The image above is simply a snippet of the entire board chock full of amazingly gorgeous images. Of course you can get the full details of their fabulous barn encased soirée over at SSW, but I wanted to highlight an idea from the bride that was simply adorable: the Kissing Menu.
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Miss Espresso, Corona/Big Bear
Age and Occupation: 23, Recent Grad & Professional Interviewee
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Maintenance Technician
Engagement Date: December 21, 2007
Wedding Date: October, 2008
Blogging Since: June 25, 2008
Venue: Outside a rustic b&b in Big Bear Lake
About Me: I'm a lover of all things good: coffee, music, travel, rain, and of course- my handsome fiance! I'm a full believer in the "Life is Short," mantra - and therefore, eat lots of dark chocolate. I'm a Geographer by degree and nerd by choice. I cook to the sound of French and Portuguese music even though I speak neither. I love road trips, camping, hiking, and capturing life through the lens of my camera. Take me to Anthropologie and I may never leave. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, bargain finds, and old movies. Mr. Espresso and I are high school sweethearts and I am so blessed to be this amazing man's future wife.
This is what I picture when I think of our beautiful flower girl and handsome ring bearer. I want our flower girl to feel like she’s playing dress up! I put these outfits together using Polyvore- it makes my life so much easier.
Flower Girl Outfit and Ring Bearer’s vest from Monsoon, Jacket, Pants and Socks from J. Crew and converse from Nordstrom
How fancy are your little ones dressing up?
Mrs. Cherry Blossom, San Francisco
Age and Occupation: 27, Administrative Asst.
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, District Sales Manager
Engagement Date: December 23, 2006
Wedding Date: May 3, 2008
Venue: Zen Garden in the East Bay w/ reception in a floor-to-ceiling window Atrium with views of the Zen Garden
About Me: After 5 years of dating, we're finally ready to get hitched! I am a lovah of all things wedding, creative, crafty, and definitely DIY bc I love to add a personal touch to everything I gift or make. In my free time, I like to bake, spend time with our family, friends, and my doggies, read my guilty pleasure celebrity gossip and catch up on TV shows.
Vegas of course….
Here we are blasting off on a Friday afternoon flying Virgin America, where they set the mood with purple and red lights. The attendants were young and hip and wearing disco balls. It was a plane full of people headed for a weekend of debauchery. The best part of the landing was when they said “Welcome to Sin City… remember, we went to Cincinnati.” Hilarious! Read more…
Miss Sundae, Chicago/Lake Geneva, WI
Age and Occupation: 28, Knowledge Manager
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Investment Advisor
Engagement Date: July 20, 2007
Wedding Date: September 2008
Blogging Since: February 5, 2008
Venue: The Abbey Resort
About Me: It’s hard to believe that by the time Mr. Sundae and I get married we will have been together for almost ten years. When we first met in college we split dollar pitchers and now we share the mortgage payments. Despite our love for the city we are looking forward to tying the knot in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
I was so excited to get this in the mail - an invitation to my own shower! Mr. Sundae and I are almost the last of my friends to get married, so I’ve received a lot of shower invitations. I knew it was coming but was still clueless when I opened the envelope…it was completely surreal to see my name in print!
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