Mrs. Lollipop, PittsburghAge and Occupation: 26, Computational LinguistFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Project ManagerEngagement Date: August 2, 2006Wedding Date: September 2, 2007Blogging Since: July 17, 2007Venue: The PPG Aquarium at the Pittsburgh ZooAbout Me: I'm a Pittsburgh transplant who grew up in the deep south. I have a weakness for exotic alphabets, DIY projects, mobster movies and international travel. My fiance and I are both non-native Japanese speakers and we have a bullfrog named Skinny.
My last post was about burning a screen using the power of the sun. Today we’ll talk about using that screen to print on some fabric. Read more…
Mrs. Bruschetta, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 25, Communication ProfessionalFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Physical Therapy Graduate StudentEngagement Date: November 30, 2007Wedding Date: August 2009Venue: St. Thomas of Villanova Church & the F.U.E.L. HouseAbout Me: I’m a self-proclaimed grammar geek who loves singing (like, really belting it) in the car. My mister and I are planning a vibrant summer soiree celebrating our passions – including food and Philly – and when we make it official, we’ll have been together for eight years! Being super competitive is in my nature, and talking excessively is in my genes. I’ve got a terrible sense of direction, but can always easily find my way into Mr. Bruschetta’s arms.
Mr. Bruschetta and I are phila-Philadelphians. Although we don’t live in the city, we have a strong affinity for its culture and cuisine, and we visit often since we’re just a quick hop over the bridge.
Once I embraced the idea of a wedding reception in the city, my vision for the day finally made sense. The timeline — including a 1:30 nuptial mass, and 5:30 cocktail hour start — will give us a cushion, and with our formal pictures scheduled in the morning, I hope we can use the afternoon gap to capture candid photos incorporating Philly’s iconic structures and settings.
Originally, my day-of plans included traveling into the city with our bridal party (before returning to the Main Line reception location of my dreams), and running around Center City — a bustling section of the metropolis where restaurants, businesses and the arts intersect — with our photographers and videographer.
Mrs. Green Tea, SacramentoAge and Occupation: 30, Tea AnalystFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Coffee CriticEngagement Date: November 17, 2006Wedding Date: August 23, 2008Blogging Since: June 10, 2008Venue: Vineyard on the DeltaAbout 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!
Even though I planned ahead to reuse / recycle as much wedding stuff as I could, inevitably there were leftovers. So here I am, with a friggin’ couple lifetime supplies of various teas in my pantry (mostly from the tea buffet, which I knew I had purchased too much tea for. But I needed variety!), so I figure that I better get creative.
I love the scent of tea; it’s pleasant and subtle. I decided to make a little tea sachet for my dear friend to include in the package returning my borrowed veil. She was unfortunately not able to attend the main event, even though she was the most involved female in my planning. I really wanted to thank her with a piece of the wedding.
I have nearly no sewing skillz*, so this project had to be simple and forgiving. I decided to make a little fortune cookie-shaped sachet:
Mrs. Joey, SeattleAge and Occupation: 28, Project Administrator for Public Health NGOFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, High School History TeacherEngagement Date: June 24, 2008Wedding Date: August 2009Venue: Eastside Catholic Chapel and Lake Union CafeAbout Me: I'm a Seattle girl through and through except for the fact that I don't drink coffee. I love my job most of the time because I get to travel and work with brilliant people who are trying to prevent Malaria. I love DIY projects of all sorts, cooking, and watching sports. I'd wear anything at Anthropologie and could spend all day on Etsy. I love to travel but shouldn't because I always get myself into unbelievable situations!
I’ve been going back and forth for weeks about my wedding veil/hair piece. I decided that because I’m not wearing a long traditional dress, and because the dress has a high neckline, that I don’t want to do a veil. Now, the question is the hair piece. These are the ones I was going back and forth about.
I bought this beautiful brooch (circa 1920) to use as a hair piece (maybe as a clip or as part of a veil), but now I really want to wear it on my winter coat. I won’t really see my dress in person until late May, so I won’t know if it will work with the dress until then. What’s a girl to do? It may be a little too much for the dress, though.
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!
Happy Monday hive! I’m so excited to introduce you to our newest bee. She’s got some amazing DIY projects in the works for you all! Please join me in giving a warm welcome to our newest bee, Miss Gloss!
Miss Gloss, Boston/Maine Age and Occupation: 24, Designer/soon-to-be Architect Fiance’s Age and Occupation: 26, Systems Engineer Engagement Date: May 23, 2008 Wedding Date: August 2009 Venue: SS Katahdin/Lakeside Tent About Me: I don’t like nickels or the skin that forms on pudding when it’s in the fridge for too long. I couldn’t live without Pantone markers, fountain soda (3/4 diet, ¼ regular Coke), run-on sentences, or ridiculously oversized sunglasses. I will try to DIY almost anything and am just OCD enough to make most of it work. I am truly excited about having all my family and friends together, becoming Mrs. Gloss, and having amazing photos to prove it!
Mrs. Cowboy Boot, Santa FeAge and Occupation: 25, Magazine EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Artist and Whitewater Rafting GuideEngagement Date: April 28th, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Devil's Thumb Ranch, ColoradoAbout Me: I grew up in Los Angeles and have since lived in San Diego, Boston, Italy, Hawaii, New York City, and Santa Fe. I speak Italian and love pasta. My real passion is the outdoors, though. When I'm not at work, I'm snowboarding, hiking with my two dogs, mountain biking, surfing, cross-country-skiing, or boating New Mexico's rivers. Despite my boyish love for adventure, I'm a girly-girl at heart and am overly-excited to pull off the romantic, vintage-inspired, country wedding of my dreams.
Two months and three states. That is what it took to finally find the barn for our reception. Because Mr. Cowboy Boot and I come from opposite sides of the country, we had to come up with a solution for who would travel. Would my family go from Los Angeles to New York? Would his go from New York to California? Would they meet somewhere in the middle? Neither of us has a family that is particularly larger than the other’s. For monetary reasons, it would be easier for my family to travel from California to the East Coast. Thus, my Google search from New Mexico was kicked off to find the perfect barn on the East Coast.
I combed through New York’s resources and abused the terms “New York”, “Barn”, and “Wedding” in search engines. But nothing I came across felt right. Read more…
Mrs. Milkshake, Seattle/Vancouver, BCAge and Occupation: 23, PharmacistFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, PharmacistEngagement Date: May 2007Wedding Date: August 2008Blogging Since: December 6, 2007Venue: Victorian MansionAbout Me: Despite the fact that I’ve invested many long years of my life studying the sciences in college, I’m glad to be out of there and I would never do it again! I’m super artsy at heart - I run an indie craft site, I grew up shooting and developing my own film, doing jazz and ballet, and the whole gamut of art classes. I’ve been called a Jane of all Trades… but I was also told many years ago not to make my passion my career because it’d suck the fun out of it. Hence my choice of day job. We live in Seattle but are having our wedding in Canada to be fair to all our family and friends.
I volunteered to shoot my girlfriend’s wedding as a favor this summer, so this is the first of four free weddings that I’m shooting this spring in preparation for her wedding. The bride loves this song, and I figured that putting this together for her would turn out a lot more fun than a typical slideshow (despite its somewhat anti-wedding lyrics).
Mrs. D'orsay, Baltimore/Lancaster UKAge and Occupation: 24, nonprofit communications Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Web site developer and designer; co-owner of men's skincare shopEngagement Date: August 10, 2008Wedding Date: August, 2009Venue: Oakland ManorAbout Me: I'm a Maryland raised environmental policy wonk/activist/organizer and communications aficionado. In the past year I've lived in Baltimore, MD, Tucson, AZ, Miami, FL and Lancaster, England. In my not so spare time I enjoy planning trips with Mr. D' Orsay, visiting friends and family and crafting like a mo-fo. I also enjoy modern dance classes, rugby and soccer but have been banned by my mother, MOHs, and Mr. D' Orsay from playing till after the wedding. I have an unnatural addiction to cheese and shoes, but love Mr. D' Orsay more than either and can't wait to become Mrs. D' Orsay!
Sometimes with wedding planning, life gets in the way. You forget about things, put them off, and occasionally shirk responsibility. In our planning, sometimes it has been the vendor, and sometimes it has been me who has dropped the ball.
I’m juggling a lot, although I’m not juggling hearts or money (well, maybe money).
I’m finally getting around to selling some stuff from the wedding. I posted about these here and here.
(18) - 9 inch cylinder glass vases originally purchased from Sav-On-Crafts - $30 for the lot**
(46_ - 2.5 inch ’flower pot’ glass votive holders originally purchased from Sav-On-Crafts - $15 for the lot**
Small box of driftwood pieces - 18 pieces in all (15 of which are approx 4-6 inches and three of which are approx 2 inches - $5
6 large apple green floating candles and 12 small aqua blue floating candles - Large are approximately 2.25 inches in diameter and burn for 8 hours; small are approximately 1.5 inches in diameter and burn for 3.5 hours. Originally purchased at illuminations.com - $5 for the lot
** for pickup/meet up in Boston area only to cut down on shipping issues
Mrs. Mascara, Chicago/Upper MichiganAge and Occupation: 25, Biomedical EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Process EngineerEngagement Date: July 27, 2008Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: Catholic ceremony, reception at local armoryAbout Me: A lover of Mr. Mascara, crafting, baking, Gossip Girl, diet soda, and all things wedding. A Yooper girl somehow displaced in the Chicago suburbs, planning a wedding from a distance, and counting down the days until I marry my best friend.
Will someone please make 325 mini cardamom cakes for us to use as wedding favors? Even mini bundt cakes like these on Style Me Pretty would do.
I think people might think I’m crazy for taking on this project. Good thing my mom and future mom have graciously volunteered to put their ovens to use and help me with my baking extravaganza!
Mrs. Powder Puff, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 25, Preschool TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Career ServicesEngagement Date: May, 2008Wedding Date: July, 2009Blogging Since: November 12, 2008Venue: Outdoor ceremony, banquet hall receptionAbout Me: I am your typical Midwestern girl attempting to plan a sane, budget-friendly, fun wedding to the man of my dreams. I love shoes, laughing at “Platinum Weddings”, crafts, inspiration boards, candy, and basically anything I can DIY. While weddings can certainly be all-consuming, I honestly can’t wait until the ceremony is over and I can finally call Mr. Powder Puff my husband!
Well, folks. It was inevitable. Plans have been coming together too easily. Things were falling into place too neatly. It was only a matter of time until something major happened, and that time was this past Thursday.
On that fateful day, I was in the local drugstore, shopping for soap, when I got a call from the pastor who I had asked last May to perform our ceremony. Since I had been trying to get in touch with him about beginning our premarital counseling, I thought he was calling to set up our first session.
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’ve lived in Austin for almost three years now. Unfortunately for me, for most of that time I could be found at the UT Law Library, studying my little heart out and not at any of the fun-filled places below. I don’t recommend including a trip to the Law Library when visiting Austin, unless of course, the sight of over a million volumes of dusty law books and hundreds of terrified, over-caffeinated law students is your kind of thing. As I woefully count down the days until I am no longer an Austinite, I have promised myself that I will try to take full advantage of all of the fantastic activities this city has to offer! If Mr. K and I were going to have one final fling in Austin, this is how we would do it:
Mrs. Bruschetta, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 25, Communication ProfessionalFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Physical Therapy Graduate StudentEngagement Date: November 30, 2007Wedding Date: August 2009Venue: St. Thomas of Villanova Church & the F.U.E.L. HouseAbout Me: I’m a self-proclaimed grammar geek who loves singing (like, really belting it) in the car. My mister and I are planning a vibrant summer soiree celebrating our passions – including food and Philly – and when we make it official, we’ll have been together for eight years! Being super competitive is in my nature, and talking excessively is in my genes. I’ve got a terrible sense of direction, but can always easily find my way into Mr. Bruschetta’s arms.
Following our engagement, and a one month moratorium on wedding planning — because December is crazy enough, and goes way too quickly to not enjoy it! — Mr. Bruschetta and I began the search for our reception location.
Aided by Google (and the uber-useful Philly area event planning site PartySpace.com), we built a list of potential spots, and started to schedule visits. Dividing the work in half made the most sense, and helped each of us try to advance our own agendas. Yup, that’s right. One of our first major wedding decisions, and already the mister and I were at odds.
He favored the city: we frequent Philly, and so naturally, Mr. Bruschetta pictured us partying with family and friends into the late summer night in some hip, urban spot.
I, on the other hand, had my heart set on a Main Line reception: tucked away among the rolling hills of an estate in the suburbs, the newlyweds and their guests savoring an elegant evening celebration echoing the day’s stately church ceremony.
Prior to our first walk-through, we agreed on a few attributes of our ideal reception location:
It should allow for movement throughout the evening: cocktail hour in one location, dinner in another and dancing in a third area.
It must allow all our guests to dine together. (No surprise here, since food is *rather important* to us.)
We both had to love the spot. (Yes, we realized early on that one of our “visions” would have to win out in the end.)
I’m sure other fall- and winter-engaged brides will sympathize: working with minimal daylight made visiting reception sites a challenge! Read more…
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’ve already posted about the black and white candies I’ve found as possibilities for our candy buffet. I ended up at around $135.50 for 33 pounds of candy and 12 suckers (not factoring in shipping costs). I was also able to find many different flavors, from licorice to blackberry to dark chocolate. But of course, what would our candy buffet be like without great pops of green?
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
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Source: Candy Warehouse 
