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.)
I’m a weather wimp. To be fair, it’s not really my fault! I grew up in Southern California, where we don’t really have weather—50° F is pretty much freezing in my book.
(A funny story: I visited a law school in NYC during the spring one year, and it was 60° out that day. People all over the campus were out in their shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops; I wore a turtleneck sweater, my big wool pea coat and Uggs. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d had to face actual winter weather when I was still cold in my warmest clothing! I guess that—and Mr. Spaniel!—is why I’m still in L.A.! ).
Luckily—since our ceremony will be outdoors—March weather in Malibu should be fairly mild (unless it rains—a bridge we will cross in another post!). Here’s what I’m looking at:
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!
… to encourage you with what could be a New Year’s resolution! Do you remember this post? Probably not - but it made a huge difference in my life!
This is what I looked like when I began training with Robert. In fact, that’s a week or two in, so imagine me larger than that. In fact, imagine me 20-30 pounds heavier like I was in England - but I’m not showing that picture.
Then, after two months of 3x weekly sweat sessions with Robert and my cousin Rachel, plus a pretty clean, mostly vegetarian diet (okay, I admit it, it wasn’t that clean—I stress ate way too often), and extra running/Jillian Michaels sessions I came to look like this: Read more…
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!
On a normal day I don’t really think about my hair - I’ll wash it (usually), dry it (sometimes) and style it (ha! Never). It’s stick straight, it’s long, and it’s almost always some shade of brown… except for that time in college when I dyed it blue. Then added purple streaks. Which bleached to hot pink.
Soooo anyway. Inspired by the otherhairposts that have been going on in the hive right now, I realized: hmm, maybe I should think about my hair? For the last 5 years, my hair has either been its natural shade of mousy brown, or a slightly darker, reddish version of that.
My hair is currently my natural color, which you saw in our engagement photos:
However this is mostly out of laziness and an unwillingness to dye it myself, combined with the inability to afford to pay someone else to dye it for me. 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!
Hello, hive! I hope everyone had a beautiful, joyous holiday season! I’ve spent the last few weeks playing in sunny Florida. Our family of ten slept in three bedrooms, strolled on the beach on Christmas, and road-tripped to Disney World on New Year’s! I’ve spent any free time playing with my puppy Luxi and reading the stack of books I picked up from the library. Weddings? Vendors? Important things I have to do in reality? Meh, phoo, and lolli-loo. It feels like that life was ages ago!
That is, until this morning, when I found the How Long Until Calculator. I punched in our wedding date, and out came the result: We have 101 days until we’re newlyweds!
Part of me thinks, ‘Hurry up already! I’m ready to get married and move on with my life!’
But my Eeyore-like split personality thinks, ‘Um. I probably should’ve gotten on that MASSIVE to-do list a few hundred days ago. I might need more time.’
So I sent Mr. Parfait, who flew back to Chicago early, our 70-bullet-points-and-growing To Do list. 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.
It’s coming time to start thinking about the invitations to our home party. I’d like to get them in the mail about a month before, but that’s right around when we’ll be coming home from St. Thomas. So, my options are:
Send them out before we leave, which would put us at the 6 week mark. This leaves plenty of time for our guests to save the date, but we can’t use a picture from the wedding on them.
Wait until we get home and hope 3 weeks gives our guests enough time to clear their schedules. This way, we could include a photo from the wedding, but we’d be printing them out right when we get home, plus I’m not sure if that’s too short of notice.
Have my friend add a pic from the wedding and mail them while we’re gone. She’ll be home a week before us so she’ll have pics, and I can do all the prep work by addressing and stamping the envelopes. But then she’s left with the not-so-fun task of printing and stuffing. Plus, would a week really make that much difference?
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.
It might be nontraditional, but Mr Pretzel did indeed pick out my wedding dress design. I had three equally amazing versions of my dress in my brain. No matter how I tried I could not pick one over the others. Lucky for me, Mr Pretzel didn’t have the same indecision—he loved one design in particular.
You weighed in and thought that Mr Pretzel chose Option 3.
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 knew that I wanted to walk down the aisle to Canon in D. Zero points for creativity, but I just knew that’s what I wanted. In my search for the perfect version, I came across George Winston’s Variations on Canon. George Winston’s music holds a lot of meaning to me. The string quartet agreed to play it; and even though it sounded different than the piano, it was absolutely amazing!
Listen to the George Winston version to capture how it felt to really be there. (If/when you have the time, I suggest listening to the whole track. It’s so beautiful!)
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!
I’ve already mentioned how cold it’s likely to be on our wedding day. Sure, it might be nice, but the chances are pretty high that it won’t be. You all know about my ideas for cold or rainy weather prophylaxis, and you gave some great feedback on the coats, especially!
I finally pulled the trigger and purchased this coat. It’s too adorable, and I’ve had trouble waiting to wear it ’til after the wedding. Here, check it out:
I love the buttons and ruffles on the sleeves! Whimsical Read more…
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!
The process of selecting our venue was relatively short lived. In an ideal world, I wanted to hold the ceremony and the reception at the same location for the ease of our guests. After some discussion with Mr. Buttons, we decided that we wanted to include the beach in some way, whether it would be to have the ceremony on the beach itself, or to simply find a venue that is nearby/on the beach. Read more…
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.
Much to my delight, there is a general decor theme that is becoming prominent in our wedding decor: birch trees! I didn’t plan on this but it just kind of happened all organic-like. And I think it’s a perfect summer touch to our rustic, outdoor June wedding (god, I’m such a wedding world cliche, throwing around words like rustic, but I don’t care, teehee!).
Birch trees make a naturally gorgeous backdrop for wedding photos too… we will have to scout locations to see if there are any on the premises… (Source)
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.
There were two things we really wanted to include in our wedding that didn’t happen: 1) our dogs and 2) our “thank you” signs, done in calligraphy. The reasons we didn’t include our precious pups as ring bearers? Debated here.
Our “thank you” signage, penned by Pretty Pen Jen, never made it out of the cabin where all of the ladies got ready on the morning of the wedding. There was too much going on and they simply got left behind. Halfway through the night, our photographer, Tec, asked if I wanted someone to go grab them, but I declined his offer saying, “We’ll shoot them when we get home.” And that’s just how our thank you cards came to be.
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!
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.)
After I not only accepted but also started to embrace the fact that we were going to have a more traditional ceremony, it brought a key question, on the minds of many, to smack front and center: Why marriage?
I am certainly not the first person to think about, mull over, and expound and this question. So let me do a quick rundown of the common points on each side.
Reasons for marriage: making a solemn commitment; celebration with friends and family, legal benefits; recognition by public of societally and legally accepted form of union; going with the flow; you get a big white dress and it’s fun; etc.
Reasons not for marriage: can do most of the above without artificial legal accoutrement created by the government to validate what should already be considered a valid union; participating in institution in which not everyone can choose to participate; etc.
For me, while I believe the “nay” reasons, I also believe the “yay” reasons and am therefore going forward with the marriage. Read more…
Mrs. Peep Toe, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 29, Policy AnalystFiance's Age and Occupation: 36, Olive Oil Production ManagerEngagement Date: December 16, 2007Wedding Date: May, 2009Blogging Since: November 26, 2008Venue: Hotel VitaleAbout Me: I am a west coast lady who loves the San Francisco Bay Area. I love living with Mr. Peep and our animals: Huck the Dog and Ferris the Cat. I work to save the environment in San Francisco, while Mr. Peep makes ridiculously delicious Olive Oil. On any day you can find me reading the latest book I have gotten my hands on, eating Swedish Fish, and perusing wedding blogs! We are both champagne drinking foodies on a Bud Light budget. We are planning an eco-chic, intimate, and interfaith San Francisco City wedding.
I’m so, so sorry for the long absence. Eek. It’s been two months. Does anyone remember little old me?
I have been inspired to start (and finish) our honeymoon recaps by the new year, and the fact that a year ago today I wrote this, and eight months ago today, I was here:
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.
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All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
You all know about my ideas for cold or rainy weather prophylaxis, and you gave some great feedback on the coats, especially!
