Mrs. Cola, Mountain View, CAAge and Occupation: 27, Product Communications and PromotionsFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Managing Partner and Senior DesignerEngagement Date: March 5, 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: The Mountain Terrace, Woodside, CAAbout Me: I’m a Washington State native, enjoying life in Silicon Valley California with my fiancé, our three kitties and one leopard gecko. I like reading wedding blogs, Photoshopping wedding design mock ups, making lists, and planning, planning, planning! I’m a bit of an anomaly, on one side I’m a very girlie girl, I collect shoes, I lay out my outfits 4-6 weeks in advance, and I’d never leave the house without my hair curled and makeup on. But on the other side, I’m a total tomboy, I love to go camping and hiking, play drinking games (hey, I’m Irish!) and most of my closest friends are guys. My fiancé and I are planning a DIY-focused wedding with a balance between easygoing (what he wants) and chic and stylish (what I want), and are tying it all together with elements in lavender, sage, butter cream and chocolate.
I’m hoping I haven’t bitten off more than I can chew. I mean, I’m crafty, right? I always used to ace school projects—just give me poster board, some markers and some glue, and I could whip out a project like nothing. But that was in elementary school…
And I’ve been sewing since about 6th grade, when my mom got me a pattern to make a snappy vest (and who knew vests would be back in style now!). Over the years I’ve made skirts, Halloween costumes, and more recently, a slipcover for my couch.
But that’s about it. I haven’t really been crafty for years. And I’m wondering, is it like riding a bike, or did I lose some of my skills over the years?
I started wondering this when I went to Michaels this past weekend.
‘Hi! I’m a bride and I’m ready to DIY anything I can get my hands on!’ I thought to myself as I walked in the door. Read more…
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!
To avoid forest animal overload, we’re keeping the bunny theme subtle. Small. In the details.
You see, I would really love to have an elegant wedding. Pretty, sophisticated, and formal. And that’s the plan so far! But my heart lives for cuteness. And the one detail that I can go crazy-freaking-cute with is the favors! We have no idea what we’re going to do for our favors, but I’ll use this time to propose some ideas.
1. First up, silhouette tea tins. Pretty classy, right? I’m not big on tea, but one of my favorite childhood candies came in a tin like this. I think it’s still available at Asian grocery stores. We could easily wrap up the candy tins with any pictures and text we want.
Mrs. Avocado, SeattleAge and Occupation: 23, StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, ConsultantEngagement Date: July 27, 2008Wedding Date: October, 2008Blogging Since: June 30, 2008Venue: LDS Seattle Temple & Hotel 1000About 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.
I’ve had our wedding album in hand for a few months now and finally got around to taking some photos so you can see how gorgeous the finished product is. The album was designed by the company Albumesque, and assembled by the company KISS wedding books. Both are companies that work exclusively with photographers. I wanted an album that focused on clean and simple design elements that allowed the photos to really remain the focal point. All photos by Kelli Nicole Photography.
The album came with this lovely floral case. I store it inside whenever I don’t have it out to show it off to protect our big investment from accidental damage.
Mrs. Ramen, PhoenixAge and Occupation: 26, Optometry StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Industrial DesignerEngagement Date: January 3, 2009Wedding Date: December 19, 2009Venue: Phoenix Art MuseumAbout Me: I'm an SF-born, Seattle-raised girl, transplanted to Phoenix where I'll be getting married, and planning all the way from Orange County where I go to school (yes, it feels as crazy as it sounds). I loooooove Yogurtland, am slightly very obsessed with all things paper, am heavily addicted to wedding blogs, deeply desire a puppy, thoroughly enjoy cooking, cry when I watch (almost all) movies, thrive on solo car-karaoke, can't stop being sarcastic, am neurotic about taking pictures of almost everything I eat before I eat it, and aspire to travel the world. My super-talented fiance and I are attempting to DIY a majority of our massive (~350 guests) "clean & modern, yet romantic, but completely unexpected, with a teeny dash of vintage" wedding, stay within our not-so-massive budget, and somehow get a really luxe (but still fun!) look/feel at the same time. In music terms (since we're both really into music) think Coldplay meets Motown meets Kanye meets Sinatra.
So I’ve got to warn you - this post contains some pretty downright frightening picture of me. Now, I’m not saying that I’m some kind of beauty queen, because I’m not - but I look very much not like myself in these pictures. Really. So… uhhhhh, don’t judge me? I could be the poster child for what NOT to do for your wedding makeup in the following pictures. And don’t any of you lie to me and tell me I look good - because I don’t!!! At any rate, let’s just look back on these pictures and laugh at the fact that this could possibly only happen to Miss Ramen. I still need someone to make this bowl of Ramen look delish!
Mrs. Pudding, Greater Toronto Area/VermontAge and Occupation: 26, High School TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Computer EngineerEngagement Date: August 2008Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Catholic Ceremony, Cultural Hall ReceptionAbout Me: Quite literally a citizen of the world, I was born in Poland, grew up in Canada, and now live in the beautiful state of Vermont. I love reading historical biographies, multi-tasking, teasing my hair, and, despite my height, wearing high heeled shoes. I am the ultimate klutz with an uncanny ability to put on a graceful front. Mr. Pudding and I have been dating for over six years, and are very excited to finally merge our (very large) families. We are planning a traditional Polish-Catholic wedding that is anything but predictable.
Our STDs are a labour of love. They went through several stages before they were perfect. They started off like this:
Since our invitations are going to be a very formal navy and white (with maybe a hint of yellow), I wanted our STDs to be mostly yellow, and more playful. I liked the overall design, and I enjoyed the yellow envelope, but I was not sure what to do about the backing on the card. I did try the material backing with some scrap fabric, and here is what it looked like: Read more…
Mrs. Mary Jane, Grand Forks, NDAge and Occupation: 26, Instructional DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Lead ProgrammerEngagement Date: February 28, 2009Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: City HallAbout Me: I'm a career woman on the surface and a homemaker at heart. I love fast cars and high heels, and my favorite food is cake. Mr. Mary Jane and I are both full-time employees and students, and we just bought our first house. We love to curl up on the couch with buttery popcorn, Sour Patch Kids, and the latest Netflix arrival -- whenever we can get a break from everyday life.
You’ve seen our announcements, but what about our Thank You cards?
We decided to use photos for those too, but this time, I opted to order them from Shutterfly.
I chose the blank photo note cards. They come in boxes of 12 and are blank (duh) inside. Because of this, I used Photoshop to just write our sentiment on the pictures themselves. The cost was about $40 for 4 boxes of 12, so 48 note cards with envelopes. They’re small cards, too - perfect for Thank Yous and juuuust big enough for mailing. (Unfortunately though, they still require a 0.42 stamp!)
Here they are, from afar.
I chose four different pictures, as you can see. Read more…
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Mrs. Spaniel, Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 28, Law StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, PsychologistWedding Date: March 2010Venue: Calamigos RanchAbout Me: I'm a third-year law student trying to balance graduating with starting my career, keeping up a relationship, and, oh yeah, planning an Old World, multi-cultural, "mountain lodge" wedding for 180 guests! A South Asian Jewish girl getting ready to marry my handsome Catholic Dane, I'm hoping to blend our cultures in our wedding just a bit more gently than by providing samosas as appetizers and offering æbleskiver for dessert. (Although that would also be awesome.)
Though I will most likely go with a more traditional western/American style look on my wedding day in the end, I’ve found myself thinking more lately about how I might incorporate Pakistani elements and wondering if maybe a bridal lehenga might be the way to go, after all.
Dusty Gold Aurang shirt and lehenga, $2,000 from Bargello. Purple calla lilies, image from The Knot. Tejani bridal jewelry, image from Maharani. Bridal hair image from Maharani. Brian Atwood gold strappy leather ’Katie’ sandals, $636 from BlueFly.
Mrs. Trail Mix, New YorkAge and Occupation: 26, PE TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, MBA StudentEngagement Date: March 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Tannery Pond at the Darrow SchoolAbout Me: I'm a country girl who somehow found herself living in the Big Apple and loving every minute of it. I'm planning a rustic, country-chic wedding in my hometown in upstate New York and it's going to be a Party with a capital P. White wine, flea markets and running keep me happy and my friends, family and fiance are my world. I'm a little bit crafty, a little bit crazy but mostly just crazy in love.
Remember my organza flower DIY craftiness? I mentioned that I wasn’t 100% sure what I was going to end up using the flowers for. Here’s one idea (inspired by bunting flags!):
Mrs. Cheeseburger, Baltimore, MD/State College, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentEngagement Date: June 28, 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Catholic Church Ceremony & Hotel ReceptionAbout Me: I'm a passionate girl from Pittsburgh, currently living in Baltimore for school, who loves Penn State, seeing movies, football, thunderstorms, black and white photos, Christmas, good beer, my amazing friends and family, and of course, my mister! We met, fell in love, got engaged, and will be married at our alma mater (go lions!) in a traditional Catholic ceremony followed by a hotel reception with lots of DIY details. It means so much to have our families and friends meet at our favorite place on earth to celebrate our love for one another - I truly couldn't ask for anything more!
Early in planning, I really thought I would be a DIY invitation bride. After DIYing our Save the Dates, however (more to come on that!), I started looking into other options.
That’s when I came across one of my favorite vendors to date - our invitation designer! Her work may look familiar; I’ll try to let you figure it out!
Here’s a little sneak peek (that will hopefully leave you wanting 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!
After drooling over some gorgeous vintage inspired engagement shoots, I knew that I had to incorporate some vintage styled clothing into a few of the Lamba-bop-shoo-bop’s e-shoot pics. I combed through Etsy trying to find a dress with the right measurements and the right price tag. Here are some of the dresses I tagged along the way:
Mrs. Cola, Mountain View, CAAge and Occupation: 27, Product Communications and PromotionsFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Managing Partner and Senior DesignerEngagement Date: March 5, 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: The Mountain Terrace, Woodside, CAAbout Me: I’m a Washington State native, enjoying life in Silicon Valley California with my fiancé, our three kitties and one leopard gecko. I like reading wedding blogs, Photoshopping wedding design mock ups, making lists, and planning, planning, planning! I’m a bit of an anomaly, on one side I’m a very girlie girl, I collect shoes, I lay out my outfits 4-6 weeks in advance, and I’d never leave the house without my hair curled and makeup on. But on the other side, I’m a total tomboy, I love to go camping and hiking, play drinking games (hey, I’m Irish!) and most of my closest friends are guys. My fiancé and I are planning a DIY-focused wedding with a balance between easygoing (what he wants) and chic and stylish (what I want), and are tying it all together with elements in lavender, sage, butter cream and chocolate.
While I was procrastinating on my Save The Dates, I came across this great site with some easy DIY wedding projects, called Do It Yourself Weddings. And since I think there’s nothing better than finding a great project and making it your own, I promptly bookmarked the site and ordered my fabric to make a custom card box. (For those of you that need explanation, a card box is used to store cards on the gift table, so they don’t go missing if they were just placed on the table. Plus, it makes a cute centerpiece for the table, too!)
To start this project, I ordered some fabric from Joann.com and FashionFabricsClub.com, and headed to Michaels (yet again, I swear, since this wedding planning began it hasn’t been more than 2 weeks between trips there… but I’ve finally figured out where most things are in the store!). There wasn’t much in the way of paper mache boxes at Michaels, but they did have a whole aisle of expensive-ish hat boxes. So I only bought one round hat box and headed back home to scour our garage, which is about 1/4th full of random empty boxes. I was looking for a second, smaller, round box, and two square boxes, since my plan was to do a 4 tier box that resembled a cake. You might remember this Photoshop mock up from an earlier post: Read more…
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!
Of course, when you’re as obsessed with weddings as I am, even though you’re on vacation (and already married!), you can’t stop thinking about weddings.
The Greeks love their weddings every bit as much as we do, if not more. While we were on Santorini, we saw THREE separate weddings! I love how they do weddings there, with practically the whole island getting involved. They drive a parade of cars carrying the bridal party and family members through the streets of the villages, honking and making a huge, celebratory ruckus. Then they end the night with a good round of fireworks. I love how they make everyone on the island know that someone is marrying the love of their life that night.
I happened to snap a few pictures of one of the weddings that we stumbled upon, because their receiving line was so long that it ran into the public square in Oia and we happened to accidentally walk right through it. They had at least 300 guests; the whole village was overtaken!
Fiftyfootbride’s stunning ring sits atop a stack of wedding-related reading material.
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.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
Since our invitations are going to be a very formal navy and white (with maybe a hint of yellow), I wanted our STDs to be mostly yellow, and more playful. I liked the overall design, and I enjoyed the yellow envelope, but I was not sure what to do about the backing on the card. I did try the material backing with some scrap fabric, and here is what it looked like:
Dusty Gold Aurang shirt and lehenga, $2,000 from Bargello. Purple calla lilies, image from The Knot. Tejani bridal jewelry, image from Maharani. Bridal hair image from Maharani. Brian Atwood gold strappy leather ’Katie’ sandals, $636 from BlueFly.
