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!
After we took our vows, we were all smiles. I mean, how could we NOT be? We were MARRIED! Eek!
However, we forgot one key thing. We were still in church, where you are supposed to pretty much be quiet and pay attention, but we were busting at the seams with happiness. So, what did we do?
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!
Our wedding photos!!! Really, this means I have little to no reason to put off recaps anymore, besides the writing… and resizing photos… and not getting sidetracked into reliving the day every time I look at the pictures. Read more…
Mrs. Frozen Yogurt, DallasAge and Occupation: 28, Special Projects CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Equity TraderEngagement Date: March 19, 2009Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: Marie Gabrielle, DallasAbout Me: I was born and raised in Texas, and have lived in several of the cities across the state, but I currently reside in Austin. I went to college in Boston and have a special place in my heart for the Northeast. I love reading, shopping, wine, reuniting with college friends that are scattered across the country, reality TV, trying out new recipes, and attempting all the DIY projects that come along with wedding planning. I'm a "bleeding heart, save the world type" and thankfully my job allows me to work on legislation and policy to help out those in need. I met Mr. Frozen Yogurt in a bar, though he doesn't even drink! And now we are planning a modern yet vintage wedding in Dallas while dealing with the trials and tribulations of first time homeownership.
I’ve been trying really hard to come up with a unique send off that people haven’t seen at weddings before, and I’ve been having a difficult time. I thought about doing dried flowers in a muslin sack, so people can shower us with some fragrant petals as we exit.
But at my cousin’s wedding, she had cutely wrapped birdseed, and people just chucked the whole thing at them rather than opening them up to sprinkle the birdseed. It looked a little painful, and I want to avoid a picture with a petal filled bag smacking my head. Read more…
Ms. Potato Chips, Boston/Narragansett RIAge and Occupation: 29, PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Personal Trainer/Business Owner/Physical Therapy AssistantEngagement Date: January 1, 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: The Narragansett TowersAbout Me: A semi-professional bookworm, if I could be a literary character I’d be a cross between Jo March and Jane Eyre, only better accessorized and much lazier. My hobbies include sleeping in, seasonal brews, running, Trader Joe’s, and watching Unwrapped and Good Eats with Mr. Potato Chips. I harbor an irrational fear of tulle, crafts, things that are fussy, and overuse of the phrase "Your Special Day". After a year or seven together, down the aisle we go, slouching toward adulthood and planning a Rhodie party with equal parts whimsy, cheer, and pizza.
I read Jane Eyre for the first time on the subway, during a two-week temp job at a law office. The work was tedious; as a recent college graduate my expectations were optimistic, but the job market was not. So for two weeks I commuted into the city and photocopied my days away. I picked up Jane Eyre because it was a classic I hadn’t read. I craved a literary tome to get me through my day as an errand-runner and toner-replacer. I appreciated its heft, its bulk, its heaviness in subject, bringing me back to a familiar place I hadn’t been able to access since my English department seminar days, a place that seemed distant and imaginary in this resume-sending, business-suit-wearing, serious world. I needed Jane and her sassiness, her quiet confidence, her stubbornness. When I finished my two week stint, so too did I finish the novel.
But not really. I didn’t stay in the corporate world for long, but I return to Jane at least once a year. I even have an e-text version on my iPod Touch so I can grab a virtual-page or two while waiting for an appointment or in a long line. I settle into the text and always find something new and something familiar.
What’s this got to do with weddings?
You may recall a scene when Jane and Mr. Rochester are first affianced. He wants to take her in his carriage and dress her up with the finest new gowns, baubles, jewels. She refuses, insisting on being married just as she is, in her clean, tidy, plain muslin dress. Read more…
Mrs. Lamb, NorfolkAge and Occupation: 25, Homeland Security ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: January 2009Wedding Date: January 2010Venue: Trinity Presbyterian Church/Harrison Opera HouseAbout Me: I’m a Homeland Security Consultant with a tendency towards pulling office pranks, taking lunch breaks, and drinking Wawa shakes. I’m also an English major with a serious obsession with alliteration and rhymes. While I’m not keeping America safe, I’m training for half marathons and the Escape from Alcatraz swim. Or moving for the third time this year. Or baking. Or wedding crafting. Or crying about wedding planning. All the while, I’m getting myself into Lucille Ball-esque scrapes and making Jim Carey-esque faces. Our big fat Czech/Baptist/Jewish/Italian wedding is a combination of vintage eclectic, DIY, and little spoonful of sugar from our Event Coordinator. It’s going to be a Norfolk flavored wedding with the verve of an only-daughter-blow-out bash!
I work in a field of never ending acronyms. The government unceasingly confers long monikers onto agencies, processes, and people, then proceeds to refer to them by some sort of shortened version that inevitably is more of a hassle than some simple naming convention that could have been used in the first place. President becomes POTUS. Naval Network Warfare Command does not become NNWC, but rather NAVNETWARCOM. In the previous two examples, the acronym is pronounced as a word - po-tus and nav-net-war-com, whereas other times it merely is a combination of letters such as the EPA - e.p.a. …
The bridal world is full of them as well. The first startling one when I starting to read the blogs is STD. Did you just double take as well? I first thought that maybe I really was a fuddy duddy and then I thought, ‘what’s the matter with kids these days?’ (Bye, Bye Birdie anyone?) Turns out, a few sentences more and the whole thing is cleared up - Save-The-Date… STD…
AnySTD, ONBB is not, as far as I can tell, an accepted acronym for Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue - but it seems to fit to me, and all the extra Ss that I would have incurred seemed superfluous. So hang with me on the ONBB. 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.
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.
Today could not have gone better. In Denver, pre-wedding, I made it to Saks Fifth Avenue with all of my bridesmaids in tow to pick up my gown. Yeah, three days out. I was nervous for all sorts of reasons—it had been four months since I’d tried the dress on, I hadn’t seen it with its final alterations, and there was a lot of pressure with my girls there to make sure it looked perfect!
Mrs. Parfait, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 26, TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Senior Online ConsultantEngagement Date: February 14, 2009Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: Signature EventsAbout Me: I have a soft spot for all things sweet and romantic. Desserts, love songs, sappy movies? Yes, yes, and ohh yes. My fiance and I enjoy singing to our dogs, creating crazy ice cream sundaes, and generally being lovey dovey cuddle bunnies. We also do socially acceptable things like dancing, throwing Frisbees, playing high stakes board games, and taking unreasonably fun road-trips. We're planning a Korean/Serbian wedding with plenty of playful, personal touches!
After visiting many, MANY places in the Chicago suburbs, we finally decided on a reception venue! We chose Signature Events for its proximity to home, good food, and reasonable prices. As for the aesthetics? Well, I have a bit of an issue there…
I am really uncomfortable with the walls of our ballroom. The room is handsome, and I can totally see it working for another couple… but it’s much too dark for the bright, cheery wedding we’re planning! Happy colors against all-white walls, tables, and chairs? Not gonna happen here. By the way, Mr. Parfait and I recently decided on a new, bright color palette—more on that soon! Here is a picture of the space decorated for a wedding:
Because of the deep, dark walls and decor of our venue, I’ve been doing a ton of brainstorming on how to brighten up the place! Read more…
Kimberly Canale, Brooklyn, NYVendor: Event DesignerWebsite: Inspired GoodnessAbout Me: From the moment the engagement ring was slipped onto my finger, I've been in love with all-things-wedding. I still get teary eyed reading proposal stories in magazines and love sneaking a peek at a bride and groom glancing at one another for the first time, as the ceremony is about to begin. With each of my clients, I get to know their personality, family background and hear the story of how they met and fell in love. Each piece becomes another element from which I use to build the overall vision for their wedding day.
As the Creative Director at Inspired Goodness, my job is to create the various details that makes each of our weddings come to life. My work incorporates classic elements; engraving, hand calligraphy and vintage typography. Using a mix of found objects and flea market pieces lends a rich history to my work and challenges me to find creative ways to use mass-produced elements, each with a chic and timeless result.
With every new client, I get to explore avenues I've yet to pass and love knowing that the next adventure is just around the corner!
Without a doubt, one of the best desk accessories I have is a custom made address embosser. I originally purchased it for stamping my return address on my wedding invitations, and ever since it has left a beautiful mark and lasting impression on any correspondence I send.
I actually have two embossers in my arsenal - one rectangular and the other is round. Since we recently moved into a new apartment, it has now come time to update my plates.
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.
So, Mr. L and I had penguin cake toppers on our wedding cake, but I know that if Mr. L had been in charge, we would have had hamburger cake toppers. On a hamburger shaped cake. Scratch that, they would have been on top of a giant pile of hamburgers, because the man does not really care for cake. Read more…
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!
Well, I threw my first bridal shower and lived to tell the tale. Special thanks to my co-host/slave Emily, who once again suffered through a Japanese food dinner (the bride and I are obsessed with Japanese food, Emily is not), and hamburger grease stains to make the shower happen!
When the first guests showed up (on time), I was still in my pajamas. Oops. This particular circle of friends I run in is notorious for being late to EVERYTHING, so having her coworkers show up on time was a bit shocking to us. Bad hostess.
Anyhoo, I took some great advice from reader cbgg who suggested we turn regular bowls over and place our platters on top to create a little height and free up more room on the food table. Genius! That’s exactly what we did (and I would have never thought of it!). Lien at the Crazy Cake Company also suggested using regular household items, like large coffee cans or storage tins, wrapping them in paper, and doing the same. Geniuses. All of you.
Mrs. Dachshund, Fresno, CAAge and Occupation: 24, Legal Office AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Computer TechnicianEngagement Date: April 18, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Victorian Gardens of Two SistersAbout Me: I’m a 24-year-old Californian bride-to-be who found love in the most unlikely of places - an online video game! I’m a farmer’s daughter living in rural Central California, but will always have a special place in my heart for the city. My future husband is a 27-year-old extraordinarily tall, exceptionally cute, and undoubtedly Canadian boy who was able to sweep me off my feet and take me for his bride. I love color, folksy songs that make me smile, interior design, kettle corn, my one-year-old puppy, Juno, and my fiance, of course! We’re planning a DIY garden wedding with a laundry-list of projects, all while dealing with the bureaucracy that is American Immigration!
On my way home from work last night I was thinking about all of the alternative floral options about which I’ve recentlyblogged, and I realized that I had the materials in my house to make most of them. Or, at least make a mock-up of most of them!
My first attempt at our prospective DIY flowers was a slight variation of these:
Keep on loading your inspirational wedding pics to the gallery to see them featured here on the blog! Remember, your images must be under 1MB in size, or they won’t load.
Mrs. Frozen Yogurt, DallasAge and Occupation: 28, Special Projects CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Equity TraderEngagement Date: March 19, 2009Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: Marie Gabrielle, DallasAbout Me: I was born and raised in Texas, and have lived in several of the cities across the state, but I currently reside in Austin. I went to college in Boston and have a special place in my heart for the Northeast. I love reading, shopping, wine, reuniting with college friends that are scattered across the country, reality TV, trying out new recipes, and attempting all the DIY projects that come along with wedding planning. I'm a "bleeding heart, save the world type" and thankfully my job allows me to work on legislation and policy to help out those in need. I met Mr. Frozen Yogurt in a bar, though he doesn't even drink! And now we are planning a modern yet vintage wedding in Dallas while dealing with the trials and tribulations of first time homeownership.
Don’t get me wrong; I love having this creative outlet, but sometimes it can be overwhelming and a little lonely. The reason I actually started blogging was because I didn’t want to bore my friends with all the details of our wedding. Not that people were acting bored, really (okay, maybe one was), but I just don’t like to be a burden on people.
Mrs. Star, New York CityAge and Occupation: 22, ActressFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Casting AssistantWedding Date: October 2009Venue: Ceremony: The Kraine Theatre, Reception: Midtown Loft & TerraceAbout Me: I’m a professional actress who’s always had New York City in her blood and I'm finally getting the chance to make a home in Manhattan with my fiancé, my dog, and my big dreams! I love polka dots, craft projects, Dunkin’ Donuts’ iced coffee, and anything sparkly. I’m having a blast planning our elegant/dramatic/New York City/acting-themed/largely-DIY wedding and am thrilled to be the youngest current Miss Blogger!
One of the other little DIY projects that I really had my heart set on getting done was the idea of having wedding wands for our parade:
I love how festive they look, and guests always look like they’re having fun in pictures with wedding wands in them!
So, I got Sassy Bridesmaid and Fairy Bridesmaid together last week, and in just a couple of hours, and without spending more than ten extra dollars, we were on our way to having fabulous Star Wedding Wands (are you noticing a trend with the quick and dirty DIY going on over here at the Star household?!?).
Guess what arrived in my mail today?
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
