Mrs. Quiche, Chicago/Montego BayAge and Occupation: 28, Interior DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 42, Telecom GuruEngagement Date: July 2, 2008Wedding Date: May, 2009Venue: Coyaba Resort, Montego BayAbout Me: I love Chicago and can’t imagine living anywhere else (Well, except Paris. Or anywhere in France, for that matter!). I’m a full-time worker, part-time student, soon-to-be-step-mom, indie music lovin’, architecture and design fanatic, macaroni and cheese addict, vegetarian, Francophile, Ohio State football obsessed, wedding planning girl. Mr. Quiche and I are “Partners-in-Crime” and cannot wait to celebrate our marriage surrounded by our family and closest friends. I plan on DIYing my little heart out (or as much as a suitcase to Jamaica will hold).
You may remember from my invitation quote post, Brian Andreas is one of my favorite artists/storytellers/whimsical geniuses. I subscribe to his “Story of the Day” emails and love getting a touch of his wisdom every day.
Today’s story was all too appropriate for me, and probably most of you as well:
To-Do List
“You seem very calm for a woman who’s getting married, I said & she nodded. It’s on my to-do list, she said, so there’s no point in agonizing about it.” source
Everyone needs time to decompress. Couples planning a wedding, even moreso. I have an appointment at the salon for tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. It’s what I’ve been looking forward to all week, so I’d say that yes, I have penciled in (no, SHARPIE’d in!) time to simply relax.
Have you scheduled “calm time” on your to-do list?
Mrs. Duckling, San DiegoAge and Occupation: 23, Psychology Grad Student, Youth Diversion Specialist/Marriage and Family Therapy Trainee and an Executive AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Marketing and PR CoordinatorEngagement Date: May 17, 2008Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: Rancho Bernardo InnAbout Me: I'm currently living in Orange County, but planning our wedding in my hometown of San Diego. We are a DIY wedding "2fer", as I'm the crafty one and Mr. Ducky is in charge of all of our graphic design and technical aspects. When not wedding planning or reading wedding blogs, I'm attending grad school and rotating between two different jobs to keep things exciting. My favorite things include shoes, Post-Its, Labrador Retrievers, traveling, psychology, delicious food, photography, reading, craft gadgets/supplies, and of course, my wonderful Mr. Ducky!
If you are just catching up, check out Part I to hear about the first store I went to for wedding dresses. The next store we went to just opened up in North County San Diego a few months ago.
The shop is called Bliss Bride, and the two owners, Jennifer and Anne, are so sweet. I had a lot of fun working with them. I really felt special and they close down the whole store just for you. If you are a San Diego bride looking for a smaller shop, then this one is wonderful. Their dresses are higher end, ranging from $2000-$12,000 with the majority being between $3000-$5000.
Once again: MR. DUCKY DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER! Read more…
Mrs. Apple Cider, New York/CharlotteAge and Occupation: 27, Corporate Communications ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Grad Student – Clinical Mental Health Engagement Date: September 13, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Banner Elk Winery & Blueberry VillaAbout Me: I am a North Carolina girl with a New York City spirit. I love crafting, blogging, laughing and dreaming. I know every word to the Anne of Green Gables and Little Women movies. I own every single Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine and have been dreaming of weddings since I was little. I believe life is about doing what makes you happy. If you aren't happy re-evaluate what you are doing. You should never look back on your life and not be proud of what you are doing. If you want to travel - travel. If you want to sing - sing. If you want to start a company - start a company. If you want to blog – blog!
Mrs. Kitten, Austin/Grand CaymanAge and Occupation: 25, Law StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Dental StudentEngagement Date: October 19, 2006Wedding Date: April, 2009Venue: The Grand Old House, Grand CaymanAbout Me: In 2009 I will get married (after a two and a half year engagement!), become an Army wife, graduate from law school, take the bar, move from Austin to Washington, D.C., and start my career as a lawyer! With all this going on, Mr. Kitten and I decided to have a tropical, "stress-free" destination wedding. Nevertheless, my micromanaging, detail-oriented, perfectionist side has prevailed---I am currently obsessed with every last detail of my "stress-free" destination wedding! But most of all, I'm beyond excited to become Mrs. Kitten on a fabulous Caribbean vacation surrounded by my friends and family!
I have a major procrastination problem. Our wedding is in about a month and a half and I JUST decided on bridesmaid dresses! I still haven’t set the dinner menu for our reception! Our wedding invitations haven’t been sent yet! I just started thinking about cake flavors! Eek! As you can see, I have A LOT to do in the next six weeks!
Mrs. Ballet Flat, New OrleansAge and Occupation: 24, Geographic Information Systems AnalystFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, IT AnalystEngagement Date: March 16, 2008Wedding Date: May, 2009Blogging Since: September 25, 2008Venue: St. Charles Borromeo Church/Jefferson-Orleans NorthAbout Me: I absolutely love wedding planning, spending time with Mr. Ballet Flat, various crafts, watching football, baking, pop music, bargain hunting and ice cream. My idea of a great date night is dinner and clearance shopping with Mr. Ballet Flat! I currently live below sea level in the suburbs near New Orleans, where I make maps all day, everyday for my job. I'm slowly becoming more and more obsessed with anything New Orleans related for our wedding, and I can't wait for the big day!
I haven’t updated you guys much lately on my progress with my diet/fitness plan. I got down to 247 lbs. last Thursday, bringing my weight loss to 18 lbs. However, I decided since last weekend was Valentine’s weekend, I wouldn’t sweat the calories so much and just enjoy it! After the Mexican food Friday night and the Beef Wellington that I made for V-day night, I gained two lbs back and am sitting at 249. Did I mention my lazy booty didn’t see the gym from last Wednesday to this Wednesday? I’m not bummed about this. I told myself to enjoy the weekend and I did! I can still stare at my paper clip chain holding 16 paper clips. (The one at work is spanning across my bulletin board! It feels awesome!!)
Now, this weekend is Mardi Gras weekend, and as you know, that stands for Fat Tuesday. This will be me over the weekend!!
Note: I wasn’t engaged at this point…the ring on my right hand is a $7 piece of costume jewelry that I would switch on my left finger in the rare event some weirdo hit on me.
Mrs. Bee, New YorkAge and Occupation: 29, Weddingbee PublisherFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, InternetEngagement Date: May 7, 2004Wedding Date: March 5, 2005Venue: Westside Loft, New YorkAbout Me: Yes, my name really is Bee! I love my blogging, wikis, and tabasco sauce!
I’d been helping my parents out for 3 1/2 years when I first met Mr. Bee. It was one of the most stressful and depressed times of my life. My parents own a couple of private postsecondary schools, and I had been running one of them. But after September 11th, all their schools were in crisis. Public programs our vocational school relied on were heavily cut because of the war; the rest of their schools had to go through a grueling renewal process. I oversaw every application, every contract, every site visit, everything for 4 schools during that time. It would be one thing if I were doing this for myself. Because I was doing it for my family, I took so much personal responsibility - I felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. Failure was not an option.
One day I just broke down and cried in front of my dad. I couldn’t take it anymore. My family felt immensely grateful for everything I’d done, but I was involved with everything from legal maintenance to finances to administration to day-to-day operations. They relied on me so much, there was never a good time for me to leave. I’d sacrificed a lot to help my family and I’d do it again in a heartbeat, but it was time for me to be a little selfish and think of my own happiness. I felt so guilty wanting to leave but if I stayed, I would have died. I told them I’d oversee a summer program that was coming up, and then I wanted to move to New York. My family agreed. Read more…
Miss Cherry Pie, Seattle/Polebridge, MontanaAge and Occupation: 25, Marketing Communications SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Nurse PractitionerEngagement Date: August 26, 2006Wedding Date: September 2008Blogging Since: April 1, 2008Venue: A tiny town just outside of Glacier National ParkAbout Me: I think of life as a journey and I love the places it's taking me! I went to school to study Magazine Journalism, ended up with a second major in Japanese language, and now work at a company that makes software for libraries. I love writing, computers, photography, and the great outdoors. I spend most of my time playing Guitar Hero and Rock Band or geeking out online with Mr. Cherry Pie. I'm happiest when I'm on the road, especially traveling abroad, or just nesting quietly at home with my sweetie, who is a fabulous cook and bakes a delicious rendition of a certain cherry-filled dessert!
Standing in a field with the mountains at our backs, we took a moment to look at each of our guests. Slowly and clearly, with the volume and dictation one could only hope to find in a seasoned professional, Cathy began to read the ceremony we had written.
Mrs. Meatball, HollywoodAge and Occupation: 30, Actor/Writer/Office MavenFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Actor/WriterEngagement Date: October 7, 2007Wedding Date: May, 2009Blogging Since: September 16, 2008Venue: Private Garden/The Bungalow ClubAbout Me: I love melty cheese and diet coke almost as much as I love my man. I'm from Chicago, he's from NYC, and we both miss public transit and great pizza. We have an adorable muppet dog called Paco. I'm part hippie with a healthy dash of hip hop superstar, have excessive empathy for animals, and have not one, but two bionic eyes (long story). We're broke and it ain't no joke. It can't stop us from planning the bold and whimsical wedding of our dreams, but we've had to get pretty creative to make it work, yo!
I couldn’t believe it. Yes, I’ve been kicking it up a couple notches since I got back on the horse after being away from working out for a couple of weeks. Yes, I’ve been absolutely killin’ it on the healthy eating tip. But one is never quite prepared for success, is one?
I’m also quite pleased to report that my dress fitting was MAGICAL. When I tried on the sample last May, it was like squeezing a sausage into a casing. I was spilling out all over the place. No bueno. But Saturday, it went on like a glove! I was so thrilled, because it’s very difficult to keep perspective of my body from one week to the next, let alone from May 2008 to February 09! I still love my dress beyond expression, and can’t quite believe that it’s being built as I type!
While I looked much better in the dress, seeing my bare areas really helped kick in my “now or never” instinct about getting SSS (slim, straight and strong) before May. It was just the added pressure I needed, and when mixed with the confidence boost I got from trying on the sample again, I’ve been really feeling in charge of my body and loving it.
The Workouts:
Tues, Thurs, Mon - sessions with Tiger, my fitness goddess.
Saturday - danced my ass off at a funk party, and walked a mile home.
The weather in LA has been touch and go, and my new job is right down the street from Tiger’s condo, so we’ve been working out there. I’ve completely fallen in love with her Pilates Reformer machine!
Mrs. Cheese, KnoxvilleAge and Occupation: 29, Engineering ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, CAD DesignerEngagement Date: July 31, 2008Wedding Date: May, 2009Blogging Since: October 16, 2008Venue: Our home and the two acres it sits onAbout Me: I’m an emotional girl who loves sentimental things, parenthetical asides, and trying to do things herself. I can cook, sew, am a whiz at planning, terrible at delegating, and totally in love with my fiancé (who will be my second husband but first love of the rest of my life). For our home/ garden/ DIY wedding, we’ll be moonlighting as interior designers, home improvers, and gardeners with the help of our fabulous friends and neighbors. We can’t wait to be married, and are learning how fun getting married can be.
Mrs. Stiletto, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 26, Non-Profit/FundraisingFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Engineer and PhotographerEngagement Date: March 2, 2008Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: The 19th Century ClubAbout Me: My fiance and I love living in the city of Chicago with our cats Basil and Linus, and vow to never move to the suburbs if we can possibly avoid it! We’ve poured ourselves into planning a wedding that reflects our personal style - modern and high contrast with a vintage twist. Blogging keeps me creative, baking keeps me happy, and grande nonfat no foam sugar free vanilla lattes keep me sane.
I know that you can’t make everyone in your bridal party happy. As accommodating as you try to be, at the end of the day, the decisions you make are going to culminate in what you think looks the best/fits your vision/makes you the prettiest lady in the room (yeah, I said it).However, I still have kept a lot of important things in mind when choosing the “look” for my five bridesmaids. Most important has been affordability of the dresses. Since three of my bridesmaids live out of state, I didn’t want to pile on a lot of costs beyond hotel, airfare, and hair. Secondly, I focused on dresses that could potentially be worn again, or at least that I would want to wear again.
With a black and white color scheme it was a no-brainer that I was going to pick out black and white dresses for the girls. Fresh, fun, and high contrast. Fortunately, there’s a store that caters exactly to our color scheme - White House Black Market. Their dresses are fun, flirty, and always incorporate a great twist on black and white, since that’s all they do. On top of that, they always have sales and send me coupons! Love it.
Mrs. Duckling, San DiegoAge and Occupation: 23, Psychology Grad Student, Youth Diversion Specialist/Marriage and Family Therapy Trainee and an Executive AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Marketing and PR CoordinatorEngagement Date: May 17, 2008Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: Rancho Bernardo InnAbout Me: I'm currently living in Orange County, but planning our wedding in my hometown of San Diego. We are a DIY wedding "2fer", as I'm the crafty one and Mr. Ducky is in charge of all of our graphic design and technical aspects. When not wedding planning or reading wedding blogs, I'm attending grad school and rotating between two different jobs to keep things exciting. My favorite things include shoes, Post-Its, Labrador Retrievers, traveling, psychology, delicious food, photography, reading, craft gadgets/supplies, and of course, my wonderful Mr. Ducky!
When I was little I loved looking at my parents’ wedding pictures. Well, around Christmas time we were unloading boxes from the attic at my parents’ house and we came across my mom’s wedding dress. Immediately, Mr. Ducky and Daddy Duck were trying to convince me to try on the dress, while I kept saying no. This went on for a while before I gave in. My mom and I went to my old bedroom, opened up the dress that had been sealed for 26+ years, and I did another duck and dive.
You can tell the dress was from back in the eighties. My mom looked beautiful. I definitely did not. However, it made me laugh that some of my mom’s favorite dresses I tried on were modern versions of hers. She is a lace person. Anyway, I snapped a few pictures for your enjoyment. (Note: It was early in the morning when I took these, thus make-up and hair was not done. Maybe I’m getting too comfortable sharing awful pictures of myself with you guys!)
Mrs. Apple Cider, New York/CharlotteAge and Occupation: 27, Corporate Communications ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Grad Student – Clinical Mental Health Engagement Date: September 13, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Banner Elk Winery & Blueberry VillaAbout Me: I am a North Carolina girl with a New York City spirit. I love crafting, blogging, laughing and dreaming. I know every word to the Anne of Green Gables and Little Women movies. I own every single Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine and have been dreaming of weddings since I was little. I believe life is about doing what makes you happy. If you aren't happy re-evaluate what you are doing. You should never look back on your life and not be proud of what you are doing. If you want to travel - travel. If you want to sing - sing. If you want to start a company - start a company. If you want to blog – blog!
Are maps really necessary? Are they worth spending money on? My mother would say no, but I think they are a must! I have been thinking about our maps about as much as I think about our invitations, and many I’ve seen online have inspired me.
Mrs. Bee, New YorkAge and Occupation: 29, Weddingbee PublisherFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, InternetEngagement Date: May 7, 2004Wedding Date: March 5, 2005Venue: Westside Loft, New YorkAbout Me: Yes, my name really is Bee! I love my blogging, wikis, and tabasco sauce!
We’ve started thinking about our next generation of characters, and we think we’re going to go with dog breeds — pug, labrador, beagle, boston terrier, chihuahua, yorkie… there are so many, how do we decide?! Please comment below with your suggestions for the top 10 dog breeds!
(image via dailypuppy)
PS — Your wedding date and location now show up when you comment on boards, so it’s a lot easier to find your date and location twins! Go check it out!
Mrs. Perfume, DCAge and Occupation: 36, Consultant (and Part-Time Professor)Fiance's Age and Occupation: 41, ConsultantEngagement Date: May 13, 2008Wedding Date: May, 2009Venue: The Homestead, Hot Springs, VirginiaAbout Me: I'd like to think that I'm a modern day Little Edie Beale. Only not as..."talented". More realistically, I'm a foodie who can't bake; a dancer and dilettente; an art collector with a penchant for the whimsical and subversive. I live in the city and adore the country, but not much in between. I like smart design, great craftmanship and good value. Most of all, I love the new vintage aesthetic: classic, sweet, delicate, bespoke. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go for a culinary arts degree rather than a PhD; but wouldn't trade Mr. P for the world.
In separate exchanges last summer, I unceremoniously asked my bridesmaids to be my bridesmaids . The “requests” went something like this:
With my cousin at her graduation, I asked “You wanna be my bridesmaid?”
As we lay by the pool, sweating with sunglasses on (during a conversation about men, losing weight, and bathing suits), I asked my friend A, “Would you like to be in my wedding?”
And for my most special (only) sister over email I wrote, “I think mom would like you to be in the wedding.”
Nice, huh?
But I made ne’er a peep again about it until last night. I was really inspired by Miss Kitten’s idea of superimposing bridesmaids’ faces onto something ridiculous. I think my ladies will appreciate the cheekiness of it (I hope!). So, running with the Parisian flea market/Marie Antoinette theme, I took this:
And clumsily made this bit of hideous using (the poor man’s Photoshop) Paintbrush, and emailed a follow up message (does it matter that it went out eight months later?):
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!
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
Source: White House Black Market 
(map by Laura Hooper)
