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.
So, I’m not sure if putting disposable cameras on the reception tables is a dated trend or not. I never hear about anyone doing them on blogs anymore, but I still see the cheesy wedding decorated ones for sale online everywhere. Well, either way, I decided I wanted to do them! I’m also planning to ask everyone to upload their digital pictures for us, but I think enough of my family members still don’t have digital cameras to warrant the disposable ones on the table. Plus, I’ve had some fun with them myself at weddings, and I’m hoping to get some interesting candids that we wouldn’t get otherwise.
After making this decision though, I simply couldn’t find a disposable wedding camera that I liked, and I didn’t want to put ugly undecorated ones on our tables. So, it was time for another DIY template!
I started by buying a 10 pack of Fuji 400 speed cameras with the built in flash from Amazon, for $34.75 before shipping, plus 1 extra camera from the drug store. We’re hoping to have a total of 12 tables, and the head table doesn’t need one, so 11 cameras should be just fine. The worst case scenario is that we’ll have 13 tables, and then the parents’ table can sacrifice their camera!
After receiving my cameras, I carefully took the green cardboard sleeve off the camera, and taped it to my cutting mat, so I could photograph it with a reference to its dimensions. Read more…
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!
A couple weeks ago while Mr. Rainbow was at work, I was cleaning up around the loft. While putting away the massive amount of junk that had accumulated on our bar, I found what was left of the sculpting clay that I bought to make the bee on Mrs. Emerald’s ornament. In true Rainbow fashion, I decided it was the perfect excuse for a break.
I’ve talked about a few of the amazing cake toppers that can be found on Etsy, and although I’ve already made our bird cake topper that I still fully intend to use, I decided to try my hand at making a clay bride. I needed a distraction and I figured, “why not?” Basically, I had no expectations and just wanted to see if I could do it.
As I was making my clay bride it was, to my surprise, turning out half-way decently, so I decided to continue the project. I gave her curled hair, and a dress like mine, and even a bouquet. I baked her and painted her and named her “Rainbow Bride”:
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.)
We’ve hit a road block. Wedding planning is easy when you’re trying to decide cake flavors or floral varieties (the things that feel important but that, ultimately, are not very), but it’s hard when you’re fighting your family. The details are kind of personal, but the problem is probably somewhat universal: we’re out of space on the guest list, and that’s making some family members pretty angry. When someone as close as a grandmother (or, more precisely, the only living grandparent either of us has) threatens not to attend the wedding over it,* it makes you rethink some things (and also makes lining envelopes feel pretty irrelevant).
I’ve struggled with writing this post because it does touch on some really personal issues, but I know that many of us have hit road blocks just like this… and in the happy happy world of wedding planning, sometimes some of us can benefit from knowing that we’re not alone when the people we love can’t meet our expectations, and that there are others sailing in the same boat. At least, I know I could benefit from it.
I’m pretty lucky because it’s not affecting the most important thing: Read more…
Mrs. Nachos, Chicago/St. ThomasAge and Occupation: 33, Commercial Real Estate & HairstylistFiance's Age and Occupation: 36, Radio ProducerEngagement Date: May 22, 2009Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort, St. ThomasAbout Me: I'm a happy, laid back city girl that can find the silver lining in any situation. An optimist at heart, my motto is to turn your "what ifs?" into "so whats!". My fiance is a radio producer and the biggest Cubs fan you'll meet - our apartment decor definitely shows it. He and I grew up next door to each other and because of it, we have the best home videos and easiest holiday dinners. We are planning an intimate wedding in the Virgin Islands and a cocktail party in June for 150 of our closest friends.
That’s an actual photo from our hotel on TripAdvisor and, um, I could probably eat that thing by myself. We decided to save some money and take the cake out of the contract. When I called the coordinator to let him know, he responded with, “But the cake makes for some great photos, are you sure?” Yeah, I’m sure. His response: “You could always upgrade to a bigger cake.” Again, no thanks. The whole point of the phone call was to skip the cake and save some money, not upgrade and spend some more! Read more…
Mrs. Pug, New York City/Half Moon Bay, CAAge and Occupation: 33, LawyerFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, dittoEngagement Date: July 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon BayAbout Me: The Mr. and I are two 30-somethings who enjoy tasty sweets of all kinds, our neighborhood wine store, and cuddling with our pug. NYC is where we live and the city we love, but we’re doing the deed out in Northern California. We are trying to keep the affair small, intimate, and manageable. Our motto is: the less people, the better! (I’m kidding.)
I wrote last time about my descent into complete non-exercise and unfit-ness. I wanted to get back in shape, but without paying for a gym or leaving my apartment. I had just changed jobs to a much lower salary, and didn’t want to budget for a gym membership.
Enter the world of home exercise DVDs. I had to pick something quiet, though, as not to disturb my neighbors (dammit, when will I get a free-standing house?). Yoga seemed like a great choice, especially since I had liked doing it before the big downward spiral.
So, these are the DVDs that I purchased to get myself back in the game:
Kundalini Yoga for Beginners & Beyond
I don’t really know what Kundalini yoga is, but this DVD is great for the beginner, someone getting back into yoga and wanting something gentle, or even for an intermediate/experienced person who wants to have a more easygoing workout once in a while. The first part of the DVD is mostly in a seated position and works on loosening up the core and back, which also helps work your muscles as well. The second part of the DVD is a bit more advanced, with the tabletop position (basically a crab pose), double leg lifts (basically stomach workouts), downward dogs and upward dogs, and some serious back/flexibility/strength exercises. The DVD is about 45-60 minutes but I skip some exercises and interminable meditations so that it’s about 30 minutes.
Mrs. Buttons, Clearwater, FLAge and Occupation: 24, "Working on it"Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Financial ServicesEngagement Date: June 13, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Carlouel Yacht ClubAbout Me: I'm a self proclaimed perfectionist and a professional nomad (seriously, I've lived in TX, WI, MI, FL, NC, and now VA!). I love wine, cooking, curling up with a good book (nerd alert!), spoiling the furbaby, and of course, the wonderful Mr. Buttons! We are planning a lighthearted and whimsical wedding (with a good deal of DIY projects) in Clearwater, Florida, but from a distance of 800 miles away! We are looking forward to sharing our day with our family and friends, and most importantly, starting our lives together as husband and wife!
Every good love story has to start somewhere, right? For me (and Mr. Buttons), it began at the beach.
It was September of 2008. I was living in with my parents in Florida at the time. I don’t have many friends in that area, so I had made it a custom to take my Morkie (maltese-yorkie) Theodore to the pet beach with me every weekend. He’s pretty much my best bud, and we always had a fun time amazing all of the onlookers with his swimming skills. This little dude is 10 lbs and he is fearless in the water; he swims with the big dogs!
There are always regulars at the pet beach, and you know who they are. So, it was no surprise that one week I spotted a newbie. 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!
Enough ho-hum! Enough with the Murphster! I just got a big W on my scoreboard in the series of Wedding vs. Lambers! Amidst curling and flooding, I finished making my bouquet, bridesmaids’ pomanders, and grandmothers’ corsages. If you remember the bouts that I made, you’ll know that I’m a trigger happy DIY feather fiend. The ladies of the wedding party will not be left out of the feathery, wintery goodness!
For my bouquet, I used white silk lilies for some va-va-voom, along with hand sewn flowers and vintage brooches. I wrapped the dowel rod handle with some quilt lining to add extra width and comfort, then I secured silk ribbon with pearl headed corsage pins and hot glue.
Mrs. Guinea Pig, Baltimore, MD Age and Occupation: 26, PhD student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Operations Director at a non-profit Engagement Date: December 25, 2008 Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: The Chesapeake Bay Beach Club About Me: I'm a tomboy science nerd whose girly side has made a startling appearance thanks to wedding planning! I love to bake, knit and sew but I also ride a motorcycle (that Mr. Guinea Pig wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole). We live with our three crazy cats and love to read, travel, watch movies, and do home improvement projects together! My parents/family are Canadian but I'm definitely American, although I've lived in 5 different countries, 6 different states, and speak Russian fluently. Mr. GP and I met online (did I mention I'm a scientist?) and had a whirlwind romance - now we can't wait to get married & celebrate with all our friends and family in a blue and yellow waterfront affair!
Our Save-the-Dates are finally designed, printed, cut, stuffed, stamped, and out the door into our lovely guests’ hands! These babies were a looong time comin’. Way back in September, we made the first decision, which was to use plantable paper. Then I thought I’d found inspiration in a calendar type save the date. When Mr. Guinea Pig and I couldn’t agree on what font to use for that, we scrapped the whole thing (that was a frustrating experience to say the least!). Finally we both came up with the same idea independently and were thrilled when the other was just as enthusiastic about it. Since we weren’t going to include a photo of ourselves, we would put cartoon versions of us on the card!
(The cartoon we had Etsy seller CopperOrchid do for us)
Mrs. Poodle, Santiago, Chile/San Bernardino, CAAge and Occupation: 27, Industrial & Web DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Firefighter & Mountain PatrolEngagement Date: February 25, 2009Wedding Date: January 2010Venue: Mr. P's Grandparents’ RanchAbout Me: I’m a Chilean girl who's crazy about nature and swimming. I enjoy carving, drawing, reading and sewing; I drool over computers, fabric, pretty paper, purple and patterns. To me, chocolate should be one of the seven wonders, right next to lemon pie. I never thought an exchange work experience program was going to change my life forever, but while working in California, I met Mr. Poodle, and ever since my days are better and brighter. We are two goofy souls that, after finding each other, couldn’t help but want to be together forever. It has being a long and sometimes hard road, since we have to deal with such a long distance between us, but we are now facing the last stage of our Fiancé Visa, and soon we will be together. You know the best part? We will be married! So I’ll be blogging from Chile until just a few months before our “green and purple” wedding.
The first time I saw this guestbook over at the Classic Bride blog, I fell in love with the Tree Guest Book with thumbprints idea! How cool would it be to have such a personal stamp from every one of our guests?
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!
Wedding planning can be a crazy, crazy experience. There is inspiration coming in from a million different directions, 100 different things to remember at a time, and so, so, so much to execute all in one DAY. It’s easy to feel like this sometimes:
I’ve learned that the more organized I am, the less scatter-brained I become. Well, obviously. But staying organized as a bride can be difficult! Photos, contracts, pages from countless wedding magazines, color and fabric swatches, business cards, websites, bookmarks, wedding blogs, Knottie bios, photography blogs, and on and on and on!
In order to maintain bridal sanity, you’ve got to avoid this situation like the plague: Read more…
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.
My engagement ring is nearly always not at its sparkliest. I try to clean it at least once a week with a soft brush and cleaning solution, but I have these little pests in my house that keep dirtying it up:
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!
When I first imagined what my bachelorette party would be, I assumed it’d be a low-key, pajama and game night with a scavenger hunt. But my friends had other plans, and they were brilliant!
A friend of my MD-MOH let us use her house in Federal Hill for the night, so anyone who wanted to sleep over could. We went to dinner around the corner and then, my OZ-MOH organized a fantastic scavenger hunt complete with props—who doesn’t love props? Read more…
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.
Remember our fabulous photographer? I was so happy that I was able to find and book one that had an amazing portfolio and offered his services for a reasonable price.
Lately, the business of our amazing photographer has been booming. And why not? He is talented, professional, and affordable. A couple of months after we booked him, his prices went up by almost 50%. Sister Pudding (who interviewed the photog with me) and I both agreed that this was a good move - he really was a steal at what we paid. I was super happy that I managed to nab him before he got really popular.
Just the other day, I was stalking our photographer’s blog (totally normal, right?) and discovered that his studio is growing. When I hired him, the studio consisted of him and another shooter. Well, he recently hired 10 more photographers! Talk about expansion!
This made me a little worried about who would actually shoot our wedding. I wrote the photog a quick email, asking what these changes meant for our wedding. He replied that he would no longer be shooting it. Two other photographers on his team would be.
This worried me big time. We hired him because we really clicked with him. Read more…
Mrs. Scissors, LaGrange, GAAge and Occupation: 25, Photography & Graphic DesignFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 1, 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Ceremony - First United Methodist Church; Reception - My parents' house!About Me: I’m a six-foot-three bride with a fifty-foot personality! I love great art, fabulous design, intense color, tons of music, indie photography, watching movies on repeat, and being really awesome. This super-tall, Southern, loud, quirky, neurotic artist is marrying a German, quiet, silly, super-amazing roboticist in an eclectic, funky, fun, snazzy, technicolored June wedding. Anything is game for this shindig, for it is all about us! We’re bringing giant paper cranes, six-foot-tall portraits, fortune cookies, a photo booth, a club-circuit DJ, handcuffs, and possibly a kidnapping to this small Southern town. Watch out, y’all, and try to keep up!
When our disc came in the mail, I screamed. Squeal-screamed, to be more correct. Matt Miller, the photographer full of win, sent our disc of engagement pictures. I made sure to document the opening process, because it was packaged beautifully, there was a sweet card, and plus, Mr. Scissors was in Hotlanta and I was in LaGrange. I am impatient. This way, he could open them with me! (And now so can you guys! Playing pretend is fun.)
Mrs. Pug, New York City/Half Moon Bay, CAAge and Occupation: 33, LawyerFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, dittoEngagement Date: July 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon BayAbout Me: The Mr. and I are two 30-somethings who enjoy tasty sweets of all kinds, our neighborhood wine store, and cuddling with our pug. NYC is where we live and the city we love, but we’re doing the deed out in Northern California. We are trying to keep the affair small, intimate, and manageable. Our motto is: the less people, the better! (I’m kidding.)
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
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