Mrs. Crab Cake, Columbus, GAAge and Occupation: 25, Registered NurseFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Director of Education and Living History for a museumEngagement Date: April 6, 2008Wedding Date: June, 2009Blogging Since: November 26, 2008Venue: Holy Family Catholic Church, reception: National Infantry MuseumAbout Me: I'm a perfectionist trying to balance two jobs, motherhood, my craft obsession, and wedding planning. I am obsessed with all things wedding, especially creative ideas for saving money and DIY projects. A Southern Belle at heart, I love anything southern, especially sweet tea, grits, afternoon thunder storms, crab cakes, and good old Southern hospitality. Mr. Crab Cake and I are planning a vintage inspired wedding with tons of Southern flare (can y'all say that with a thick Southern drawl?).
Inspired by this post by Miss Glitter, I took on the arduous task of creating my own thank you cards.
This tiny snapshot does not do this map justice. It’s so gorgeous. I really want to incorporate it into our home, as well.
I used the same map from our invitations, but I decided to use the whole map. Isn’t it gorgeous? I scaled it down to roughly 4×6 and printed 2 to a page. 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.
Among my many wedding panics, a couple of months ago I started fretting about all of the tealights that were going to be on the reception tables. Wouldn’t the room look awful if all of them weren’t twinkling? Especially since we bought all of these pretty “bubble” tea lights from Crate & Barrel. They wouldn’t be nearly as cute if weren’t lit up! I’d heard that most tealights burn for around 4 hours on average… not ideal for our 6 hour reception.
I started researching tealights like crazy, and did find some websites that had “super tealights” that lasted for 8 or 10 hours. But they didn’t come cheap, and I struggled to find the ones that came in the clear cups (vs. silver).
Of course, I ended up doing what I always do, and checked out Etsy. I started finding different sellers with soy tea lights and learned that not only do they burn cleaner (better for the environment!), they also burn longer. I saw somewhere in the ballpark of 7 or 8 hours (depending on conditions - sheltered from a lot of breezes and burning all in one sitting are optimal).
Etsy seller Worthy Soy Candles had an amazing deal on these tealights, and I snagged 75 unscented white soy tea lights (in clear cups!) for $32.85 - that included shipping. This was much cheaper than I’d been pricing out other places. But… once they arrived, I had to put them to the test! Read more…
Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
This weekend the Hot Cocoas racked up 500 miles on a rental car, squeezed our butts into two very uncomfortably seats on one wee little plane, got about 8 hours of sleep, attended two weddings in two countries, and picked up one diploma.
And I’m glad to report that we’re still married!
We started our adventure in Far Hills, New Jersey, where we celebrated the wedding of our friends Kim and Dan. They were wed under a gorgeous, rustic dogwood chuppah, which was set up along the banks of a babbling brook on the grounds of Kim’s family farm. The scene was straight out of Anne of Green Gables; the meadow couldn’t be any greener, the waters more sparkling, and the bride and groom more radiant.
My favorite wedding detail was their paper goods: Read more…
ClassifiedsFeature Launched: April 30, 2008About: A roundup of the best Weddingbee Classified listings.
Mrs. Swan, New York CityAge and Occupation: 31, Legislative RepresentativeFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Finance GuyEngagement Date: August 9, 2008Wedding Date: August 2009Venue: Battery GardensAbout Me: I am an un-crafty but resourceful, Caribbean-born but New York-raised woman who's been known to analyze "Dancing with the Stars" and “So You Think You Can Dance”, buy stinky cheese, and use way too many parentheses. I keep lists for fun, am constantly daydreaming of my next international travel adventure (four continents down, three to go), debating sports (let’s Got Mets/Giants!) and dancing around my apartment to stay sane. I am excited to share our wedding planning journey as I hope to plan a streamlined, personal, and fun wedding with the greatest life partner I could ever imagine, Mr. Swan.
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!
The little bees were much loved, so I made them some friends to join the party. The instructions for making the rest of the crew are very similar to that of the original bee magnets. Variations are illustrated here in photos:
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!
I have finally sent out our Save the Dates and now that I’m sure everyone has received them, I can finally share them with the hive. We’ve seriously taken our sweet time getting these guys out due to delays from school, life, and just general procrastination. But, oh well, they are out and I’ve finally uploaded the pictures to share!
Without further ado, here are the Duckling save the dates!
Jessie Blum, New JerseyVendor: OfficiantWebsite: Eclectic UnionsAbout Me: I began writing & officiating wedding ceremonies in 2008, and love every single moment of it. It all started when my best friend asked me to officiate her Jewish/Lutheran/Pagan (but completely non-religious!) wedding - since then, I've found a love and passion for creating original wedding ceremonies that truly reflect the couples being married. Wedding ceremonies should be all about the bride & groom's love, relationship, and commitment, and I do my best to make sure everything is just perfect! I live in Northern New Jersey with my fiance and our two kitties, and, when I'm not meeting with my awesome couples or writing wedding ceremonies, I love to knit, obsessively check my email, and plan my own wedding (Oct 2010!).
If you’re not familiar with handfasting – it’s quite literally, “tying the knot.” Though “handfasting” is often used in Pagan circles as the term for the entire wedding ceremony, the handfasting I’m referring to is a unity ritual, often going after the ring vows and before the closing of the ceremony. The couple takes hands (like they’re shaking hands – right into right and left into left). Their hands are then wrapped with a cord, symbolizing the joining of their lives and hearts. Each wrap represents a step towards complete commitment to each other. At the end, the couple remains there, for a moment, and then the cord is removed before the end of the ceremony.
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!
Mrs. Gloss, Boston/MaineAge and Occupation: 24, Designer/soon-to-be ArchitectFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Systems EngineerEngagement Date: May 23, 2008Wedding Date: August 2009Venue: SS Katahdin/Lakeside TentAbout 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!
I have a hard time dropping the f-bomb (and obviously I mean fiancé)!I always thought I would relish in the days of fiancé-ness, but now that I’m here, I feel pretentious whenever I say it. Usually I can avoid it by simply saying ‘Mr. Gloss’ rather than ‘my fiance’, but for people who don’t know his name, it is hard to avoid!Mostly this happens in work/elevator conversations, when discussing weekend plans, etc. with coworkers who may not know my fiancé’s name. Read more…
Mrs. French Bulldog, Orange CountyAge and Occupation: 28, Administrative Assistant & Interior Design StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Purchasing AnalystEngagement Date: November 8, 2008Wedding Date: August 2009Venue: Bernardo WineryAbout Me: I've lived in Atlanta, Dallas and Laguna Niguel; although I've lived in Orange County, CA most my life, I'm a Southerner at heart. I work full time for a Commercial General Contractor (aka my father) and I go to school for Interior Design at night. I love modern design, music, wine, crafting, DMailing, my family, my Westies, and of course, Mr Frenchie! Mr Frenchie and I met 3 years ago on Match.com and have been best friends ever since. I love his "old soul" and how he laughs with his whole body, among many other things. We are planning our summer wedding at the winery near his hometown, just 45 minutes south of Orange County.
Boy, am I glad Mr Frenchie and I decided not to write our own vows. I started to write about our 3rd “You’re-the-One-aversary” and I’m finding it incredibly hard to put into words how I feel about Mr Frenchie. You see, three years ago on Memorial Day, Mr Frenchie and I drove down to San Diego for the day, and while sitting on the grass on Shelter Island, Mr Frenchie told me I was “The One”.
Mr Frenchie was the first boyfriend I had ever said “I love you” to, so the fact that we already knew this was “it” was a BIG DEAL to me. I (like I’m sure a lot of you) always wondered how I would know when I met the man I was going to marry. I heard from many a married (or engaged) friend, “you just know”. You don’t fully understand that until you meet him/her and you “just know”. That afternoon, hearing Mr Frenchie tell me he knew that I was the one he was going to spend the rest of his life with brought happy tears to my eyes and I will never forget that. Read more…
Mrs. Yorkie, Miami Age and Occupation: 30, Graduate Admissions CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 41, Asst. Professor Engagement Date: July 3, 2008Wedding Date: June 2009Venue: Red Fish GrillAbout Me: I’m an East Coast girl with a crafty streak who loves traveling, photography and being outdoors (barefoot, if possible). When I do have to wear shoes, I prefer Mizunos, and have worn out a few pairs running marathons. I have a thing for chai, crossword puzzles, Apples to Apples, The Office and my real-life Yorkie, Bella. My West Coast transplant, Mr. Yorkie, roots for the Buckeyes, loves baseball, and climbs mountains for fun. We’re planning a fun little seaside wedding filled with handmade details and vintage charm. I can hardly wait!
Remember how just the other day I was remarking about the phenomenon of brides with various twos? Well, I have a little announcement to make: my shoes are no longer my only twos. Nope, I can now officially be counted among the growing population of two-dress brides. Meet Delores…
I have to admit, I wasn’t terribly excited about this new development at first. Read more…
Mrs. Bunny, ColumbusAge and Occupation: 24, Associate Editor/ReporterFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, ReporterEngagement Date: September 23, 2008Wedding Date: July 2009Venue: Everal Barn, WestervilleAbout Me: Organized, but messy. I love art (all kinds). I don't have any secrets. I talk a lot and listen even more. I show love by baking. I'm timid by nature, but brave when it counts.
Mr. Bunny and I work at competing weekly newspapers, which makes it a little interesting trying to describe our work joys and frustrations without giving away too much before the paper comes out. In spite of that little hurdle, we've managed to build a pretty solid relationship in the short one-and-a-half years we will have been together when we tie the knot. I can't wait!
Back in December, I had a week of vacation to burn. I didn’t have anywhere to go or anything to do… except work on wedding plans.
I spent an entire day at a coffee shop creating these:
This is the back of our Save the Date card! The goal was for it to have the look of a handwritten vintage postcard. What do you think? I’ll show you the front of them in another post.
I spent several hours working the backs up in the trial version of Adobe InDesign that I downloaded.
I learned how to use InDesign in college — first for the school newspaper, of which I was the editor, then in a graphic design course I took during my final semester. Let me just say that taking that course, which was not required for my journalism major, was one of the best decisions I ever made, in spite of the fact that I took ridiculous amounts of time to complete every project. I just couldn’t let it go until I figured out how to make something look exactly how I envisioned it in my head!
In my opinion, Adobe software is the best out there for creating professional-looking projects.
Mrs. Cub, Chile/PortlandAge and Occupation: 26, AstronomerFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, AstronomerEngagement Date: May 10, 2008Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: Westwind YWCA campAbout Me: I'm a small-town girl who's making a living in Chile, with her heart in the Pacific Northwest. I grew up in Southern California, went to high school in Texas, grad school in New Mexico, and now I can't wait to settle down in Oregon! I love pears, hazelnuts,
knitting, traveling, running, baking, and long talks on the phone with
good friends. I'm planning my Oregon coast summer camp wedding while
abroad with my best friend - I'm always at home when I'm with him!
PHDComics saw me through many a bored/stressed afternoon at the office in grad school. I hope Jorge Cham continues this story arc for a while! There’s so much to deal with planning a wedding, not to mention planning a wedding in grad school.
Mrs. Glitter, Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 27, Research Consultant/WriterFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, AccountingEngagement Date: May 6, 2007Wedding Date: June, 2009Venue: Millenium Biltmore HotelAbout Me: I was born and raised in West Los Angeles, California. I spent eight years in the Northeast working and completing my education. Having split time between two sides of the country has given me a true appreciation for both coasts. It has also provided an overabundance of cross country drives, flights and long distance relationship fun/misery! I love my family, my doggy Emma, fabulous wine, Anthropologie, politics, reading, being outdoors, exploring new cities, and good movies! My fiance and I are complete opposites, but somehow we have managed to fall completely and hopelessly in love.
I couldn’t be more excited and grateful that guests are responding to our invites and sending in their RSVPs in a timely manner. In the past, I admit to some bad RSVP behavior, such as sending it in right at the deadline, or after. I think once I even forgot to send one back all together, and had to email my response to the bride-to-be. Terrible!! I was in college, and absent-minded… but still, that was no excuse.
Now that I am on the receiving end of the RSVPs, I have been bothered by something. Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
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