Mrs. Beagle, AustinAge and Occupation: 26, Electrical EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, FinanceEngagement Date: July 12, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Church Ceremony/Reception at The Waterford HouseAbout Me: I am a true, but rare, Austinite---I was born, raised, and continue to live in this great city! Although
I am an engineer by day, I feed my inner creative side through crafting, sewing, and obsessing over Martha Stewart. I love coffee, my mister, NPR, and exploring all the nooks and crannies of Austin.
I can't wait to share my adventures in DIY and wedding planning with all of you!
After I got married, I assumed I would give up my obsession with wedding blogs. Even in the weeks leading up to our wedding I refused to look at wedding inspiration sites because 1) I had no time or, more importantly, 2) I was fearful I would end up seeing some detail or project that I would fall in love with and need to incorporate into our event or, even worse, 3) that I would see a gorgeous wedding and then regret the entire theme of our wedding and proceed to sulk.
Last week, after seeing our wedding pictures for the first time, I let down my guard and revisited the wedding sites whose posts had piled up in my Google Reader. I immediately regretted it. The wonderful memories for our wedding day were clouded by so many things I wish I had done. I wish we had taken more pictures with our wedding party, I wish I had remembered to bring our invitations to be photographed, I wish we had hired a videographer, I wish I had made enough time to make signs for our chairs, I may have even regretted not carrying real flowers, and the list could go on and on. Read more…
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.)
Prada graphite metallic leather rose detail peep toe pumps, $556 at Bluefly
At least, the bride would like to wear Prada. Maybe if I bought them now and wore them a few times first they could be my something old? (Ha!) And it would reduce the per-wear cost? Or even better! You could buy them in a size 8 and lend them to me on my wedding day, and they could be my something borrowed? I swear, I would even give them back… eventually… !
Who is your dream shoe designer? Do you have a particular style that you absolutely love?
Mrs. Sunbeam, San Francisco/Grove City, PAAge and Occupation: 26, Grad Student & Office ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Motion DesignerEngagement Date: May 10, 2008Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: Harbison Chapel & The Maple Lane FarmAbout Me: Mr. Sunbeam and I are high school sweethearts. We both come from a small town in PA but are growing to love the California lifestyle. He loves wine and I love cheese... the perfect combination! When I'm not drooling over wedding blogs, I'm attending grad school, out being a foodie, or attempting to "walk" our cat at the park. Two things guaranteed to excite me are wedding cakes and breaking out my suitcase to travel. Mr. Sunbeam and I are personalizing our hometown wedding to celebrate our high school sweetheart status and PA roots with a few CA touches. After ten years of dating we couldn't be more excited to call each other husband and wife!
The ladies and I had been getting ready for two hours, starting at 10 AM, when the men gathered to start getting ready at noon.
We put up our OOT groomsmen at a local B&B not 5 minutes from Mr. Sunbeam’s parents’ house and this is where they all gathered to get dressed and get Mr. Sunbeam ready to say “I do”. Unfortunately our photographer’s assistant didn’t take many pictures of the men getting ready because I guess he didn’t like the lighting, but I’ll share the few he did take. Read more…
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!
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 like thinking philosophically about what marriage means to me. I like critiquing the wedding industry and avoiding the black hole of unrealistic expectations (even though I sometimes fail at this). I like smart women. That’s why I read A Practical Wedding.
As I was catching up with last week’s posts, I ran across Michelle and Josh’s story. Michelle’s words reached out of the computer and gave me an empathetic back rub:
What made our wedding sane was that we got married. I was really good at having the occasional ’let’s just elope’ freak out, but thankfully Josh was even better at the ’at the end of this, you will be my wife’ speech.
It’s been a rough few weeks as we’ve headed into the homestretch and have found the million loose ends that need to be tied. I had a ’let’s just elope freak out’ recently (a 5 page email melt down about how nothing seemed to coming together and everyone was against me) and this is what the future Mr. Lamb wrote to me: Read more…
Mrs. Hamster, New York CityAge and Occupation: 28, Finance GalFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Finance GuyEngagement Date: March 9, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: The Pierre HotelAbout Me: I'm an original Jersey girl living it up in the big NYC! I love baking for others, hosting brunches, and exploring NYC with my mans. Besides Mr. Hamster (of course), I'm attracted to shiny things, bold colors, snacks, matching and coordination, pork and duck fats, miniature versions of things, corny jokes and puns. We are planning a swanky Spring wedding in the heart of NYC, followed by a second reception in Singapore. From one city that never sleeps to another - I can't imagine a more exciting ride!
I check them twice, re-organize them, and do a little Hammy “High 5!” when I cross things off. Itineraries? Love ’em . I like to know exactly where I’m going and when I’m going to be there. Checklists and worksheets? Up there with cookies (Okay, maybe not, but what really *is* up there with cookies?). So when it came time for my final dress search I wanted it to be just as logical and organized. The result?
The Hammy Dress Worksheet
(*Okay, so I don’t really want people to cry when they see me walk down the aisle, but I would be really touched if they did!)
Mrs. Rainbow, TampaAge and Occupation: 22, Makeup ArtistFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Electrical Engineer/ProgrammerEngagement Date: November 27, 2008Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: The Gamble PlantationAbout Me: I'm a quirky (and slightly Type-A) freelance makeup artist who was born in Washington State, raised in Alabama, and now living with my one and only in sunny Florida. I'm fashion and beauty obsessed, and have recently discovered my inner domestic diva extraordinaire. I'm a wannabe chef, decorating addict, and trying desperately to be as crafty as possible---albeit only with a glue gun. I'm hopelessly in love with my fiance, and all things sparkly and feathery. Despite the glittery exterior, I'm a total hippie on the inside. When I'm not making up pretty faces, I love doing what I can to help people, animals, and the environment. Someday the FI and I will change the world, but first we're tackling our modern-vintage-Marie-Antoinette-meets-Alice-in-Wonderland inspired wedding. I just can't wait to be Mrs. Rainbow!
We made a mistake. There ya go, plain and simple. We made a mistake that we (unfortunately) can’t go back and fix. About a year ago, Thanksgiving 2008 to be exact, Mr. Rainbow and I got engaged. We quickly set a date, late May of 2010. That’s right, a year-and-a-half long engagement. I thought it would be perfect, that it would give us and our families plenty of time to get our finances in order and it would give me plenty of time to research and plan. I was excited and gung-ho and so ready to go DIY crazy.
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.
Since we have had a looooooooong engagement, I have been so frustrated by the fact that I couldn’t actually plan anything for certain, in fear of changing my mind. Now that we are less than 8 months out and it’s time to get started, I am finding that I have no idea what I want!
FMIL Pudding has been asking me to think about sending Save the Dates, since her family is spread out all across the USA, and will be traveling to the Greater Toronto Area for the wedding. I hadn’t really thought about sending these out, because they are not customary for Polish weddings. Actually, I have never received one myself!
Nevertheless, I realized the importance of getting the word out ahead of time so that people could plan their vacations appropriately, so I started searching for inspiration (anyone else out there believe that searching the internet for ideas is the hardest and most complicated element of DIY?).
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.
My favorite part of most recaps is seeing what the boys are up to when the girls are running around getting pretty and taking pictures. In most cases the bride has to wake up earlier because it takes us ladies so much longer to get ready. Heck, I had to be laced into my dress! That alone takes longer than putting a suit on, right?
Although, I have no clue how long it takes to get a pocket square just right.
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.
Alright, I admit it, I’m a Photoshop dork. I taught myself how to use it about 5 years ago for a job, and have been obsessed ever since! It really helps me visualize my projects to lay them out in two dimensions, and will (hopefully!) serve as a blueprint for our DOC (when we pick one) to set up everything as we envision. I will be doing real life mock ups of most of these, which I will share with you over the next few months, but in the meantime I wanted to show you all some of my Photoshop designs, to give you a little preview of what to expect. (I know, I’m such a tease!)
This is a sample invitations suite mock up (note, some of this will be changing, but it gives you a good idea of our color scheme. I will definitely be using the stylized flower and vine with flowers motif throughout):
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!
Take five girls, add two dressing rooms, one baby, hundreds of dresses, and subtract one consultant, and you’ll have a pretty good snapshot of my Saturday afternoon! More specifically, it was my bridesmaids’ fun-filled, slightly-chaotic day of dress shopping.
That’s my sis-in-law on the left and my BFFs to the right. I asked the girls to choose and try on any dresses they liked, so they started hunting through the racks!
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.
Our wedding reception is set to end at 11:30 PM. While 6 or so hours of drinking, dining and dancing may be enough for most, it’s the only wedding we’re having, so we’re a-gonna prolong the fun for as long as we can (and we will have spent 14 months planning this thing so gosh darn it, it’s going to last as long as we want it to!).
Enter the concept of the after party. Excessive? Perhaps slightly. Majorly fun? Hell yes! All the weddings I’ve been to have had some sort of after party, be it an actual party in a different room of the venue or an informal gathering at a local bar or even a hotel room!
I would love to do something at a dive bar (can you picture me in a wedding dress at some grimy, hole-in-the-wall bar? I can!!!!). But sadly, my town is so stupidly small that there is no bar for us to go to. There’s one restaurant that also has a bar, but things are usually shut down by midnight.
So that leaves us with the few bed and breakfasts that all of our friends will be staying at. Unfortunately, most of the rooms are not big enough to accommodate a party of more than 2 (and THAT type of party won’t be happening until waaaaaaay later in the evening.
Enter the idea of a late-night bonfire. Read more…
Mrs. Pretzel, SeattleAge and Occupation: 32 Learning, Training, and Development SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 28 Manufacturing EngineerEngagement Date: September 2, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Catholic Church & The Engine Room at Georgetown StudiosAbout Me: I’m just a thirty-something girl who never dreamed of weddings, poofy dresses, or ritzy receptions. I am a rabid knitter, except recently, wedding projects have replaced my yarn and needles. I’ve been fiercely independent since the age of 2 and 30 years later I think my family and friends had given up on me settling down and getting married.
Ironically, I had to go all the way to Seattle to find a boy from Purdue. We fell in love over Seattle Beers and cooking together. I love NASCAR, he loves Legos. I can talk like a Muppet and he can fit a whole McDonald’s cheeseburger in his mouth. We are a two reception couple, currently planning a brewery inspired bash.
Don’t let the weather get you down! Come enjoy some craft beer and bridal babble. Elysian Fields is one of the brew pubs of Elysian Brewing – a favorite in the Pretzel house. Feel free to bring your SO, too. Rumor is that Mrs Joey and Mrs Cherry Pie might stop by, too. Can’t wait to meet all the FABULOUS Seattle Weddingbee members!
When: 6:30-ish to whenever (it’s a “school night” ya know)
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’m still having a hard time making up my mind about the type of headpiece I want to wear. No, not the veil, the hair flower vs. the headband. I was partially going to make my decision based on budget. Which meant that the hair flower was going to win, because I couldn’t find a headband I loved for under $100. And $100 for a headband just can’t happen in this Fro Yo’s budget.
Well, apparently the bridal gods heard me because ban.do created an entire new line called heart dedicated to brides like me on a budget. None of the pieces in this collection are over $50. So, are you ready to see what they have?
Prada graphite metallic leather rose detail peep toe pumps, $556 at Bluefly
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
