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.
Early on in our wedding planning, Mr. Cola and I spent hours looking online for unique guestbook ideas (OK, OK, really I looked online for hours while he watched TV, and I’d just tell him what I was finding). We really wanted something different, not just a book that would sit on a shelf somewhere in our home after the wedding. So we looked at a ton of options, including something similar to what Miss Poodle is doing with a tree, platters that could be signed by our guests, and we even considered a wine bottle, like Mrs. Sunbeam used.
But the unconventional guestbook idea that really stuck out to us was a bride who decided to take rocks from her backyard fountain, and have guests sign the rocks. I thought this was about the coolest idea ever, and so we decided to borrow it, with a little modification!
Before heading to the bridal fair earlier this month, my mom and I stopped at Lyngso Garden Materials to scope out some rocks. The ones I liked best were the 2 x 3 inch La Paz:
Ms. Stripes, Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 29, Costume Designer/StylistFiancee's Age and Occupation: 29, ChefEngagement Date: June 23, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Heritage Square MuseumAbout Me: I’m a type A creative with a messy streak, a loud mouth, and an uncanny knack for combining clashing patterns. I can usually be found with my nose in a book, my feet (or at least my toes) on the ground, my head in the clouds, and my arm around the prettiest girl you ever saw- aka
Fiancee Stripes. Together we’re planning a FUN vintage/modern French carnival wedding extravaganza and rockin’ dance party on a dime. (Say that three times fast!) Good coffee, long lists, Uniball pens, and my iPhone keep me sane, and making art, making trouble, and making out keep me happy! I love urban adventures, bike rides that end with afternoon drinks, breakfast for dinner, beautiful light, photography, travel, my furry family, and of course, my beautiful fiancee! I’m super excited to be here and can’t wait to share all our adventures as we craft a joyful, budget-friendly, design-savvy and all-around AWESOME wedding!
Remember Oscar, the ubiquitous e-ring eater from this post? Yup that’s him. Don’t let his cute face, innocent expression, or messy I-just-woke-up-with-perfect-hair hair fool you either! The little thief has made off with two rings and one pair of earrings to date and he’s always got his eye on the (next) sparkly prize! Not this time though. Whew.
To make a long story short, yup I GOT A RING! Read more…
Mrs. Ribbons, Washington D.C./Bloomington, INAge and Occupation: 23, Research Associate for an international development firmFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Proposal Coordinator for contractor
Engagement Date: May 2, 2008Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Indiana Memorial UnionAbout Me: I'm an Indiana transplant living in DC with my fiance and our pretty kitty. I enjoy the color pink, I'm obsessed with the Dior New Look and tulle, and I heart my level 80 paladin. I'm a sucker for bad TV, literary theory, and cakes of all persuasion. I also happen to be marrying the cutest closet nerd around! It's all about Bloomington for us because it's where we met -- on the college paper. If there's a theme for our small summertime wedding, it's Dior meets Dorothy Draper on a lark in Bloomington; think poofy, plus graphic prints, bold colors, and a whole lot of prettiness.
We mailed the first batch of save the dates a few weeks ago, which oddly made the wedding feel very real. Oh sure, I have a wedding dress in my closet and thousands of dollars floating around in the form of deposits. But for some reason, these little cards printed at Kinko’s feel like the most official thing we’ve done. 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!
Originally, I looked into having a Quaker Marriage Certificate made. While the options were beautiful and very stress-free, I couldn’t justify the cost - the quotes I received were anywhere from $150-300.
So, I decided I would try to DIY our QMC. I’m creative enough, and I know my way around a paint brush - or so I thought. My first two attempts were just, well, blah. I wanted our QMC to be beautiful and colorful and something we would enjoy looking at for years to come.
A few months passed, and with the wedding day countdown ticking down, I knew I needed to revisit this project - and pronto. Since my hand-painted florals weren’t working out in a way that I liked, I started to think outside the box a bit - and here’s what I came up with:
Mrs. Sewing, San Mateo, CA/Honolulu, HIAge and Occupation: 24, Electrical EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Electrical EngineerEngagement Date: June 27, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Anela Garden Chapel & Japanese Cultural Center, HonoluluAbout Me: I'm an easily entertained, compulsive idea-scheming machine who loves good art, good food, and a good engineering challenge. I'm planning a half-destination wedding on the beautiful island of Oahu - imagine a plethora of movies, art and games; savory Hawaiian food; blended Chinese and Japanese cultural details; lush, fragrant tropical flowers and all the air conditioning a NorCal native could want! And once I marry the love of my life, we'll come back to the 'mainland' to party it up all over again in my hometown of Salinas, the salad-bowl capital of the world!
After seeing how well-received our save-the-dates were with our future guests, I got the go-ahead from Mr. Sewing to return to Photoshop!
“No Mr. Sew, you may NOT use the computer right now, I is BUSY.”
The idea, this time, is a little more ambitious. Wonder why I haven’t given you the story of how us Sewings met? Well, it’s because I’m drawing it out - into a 4-5 page manga to put into our programs!
First, I started with my pencil draft, which I scanned into the computer so I could draw over it in Photoshop. Read more…
Wedding BiosFeature Launched: September 12, 2008About: Wedding bios of real brides.
Mrs. Dumpling, Las VegasAge and Occupation: 27, FinanceFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, Real EstateEngagement Date: March, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: August 26, 2008Venue: Catholic church ceremony & golf course receptionAbout Me: I grew up in the Deep South, and while most people say I have a thick southern accent, I tend to think it only comes out when I need to use it. Living in Las Vegas has definitely been an adventure and Mr. Dumpling and I are loving every minute of it! We are planning a traditional Catholic wedding ceremony and a reception with lots of DIY! We might even get Elvis to show up! I'm a HUGE Beatles fan, love The Office and can't wait to become a Mrs.!
You MUST press play and listen to this while you read my post today. I promise it will make it so much more fun!
OMG it’s been too long. How has everyone been? I’ve been busy being a mom. It’s a lot of work but I really want to get back into blogging. We last left off right before the reception, where we were striking a pose. Now it was time for our grand entrance as Mr. & Mrs. Dumpling! Did I tell you that I tried to have a Beatles-themed wedding? Well, Mr. Dumpling wouldn’t let me get that yellow submarine cake, but he did give me free rein over all of the music selections. HAHA sucka.
Mrs. French Fries, MilwaukeeAge and Occupation: 27, ParalegalFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Investments AdvisorEngagement Date: September 20, 2008Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Ceremony: Catholic Church, Reception: Hotel BallroomAbout Me: I'm a Midwestern girl who longs to live in a warmer climate (my feet would be happy in flip flops any day!). I love travel, impromptu napping, grilled cheese sandwiches, my iPhone, singing with reckless abandon in my car, and Mr. French Fries.
I have Sirius XM radio in my car, and it’s the one thing that I can count on to get me through my long commute day after day. Well, that and being able to check Twitter at stoplights. (At stoplight, you hear me! I’m not Twittering and driving at the same time, yo. Consider that your Public Service Announcement for the day.) My radio presets include Alt Nation, The Coffee House, The Loft, and their ’80s and ’90s devoted stations. (What? I’m sure you know all the words to Ice, Ice Baby by heart, too.)
But there’s one station that I find myself flipping to more and more as the wedding draws near. XM – Love. That’s right, a station completely devoted (no pun intended) to love songs.
It’s not that I’m in a lovey dovey mood more than usual; it’s that for the past six months or so Mr. FF and I have searched (in vain) for our first dance song. XM – Love actually isn’t helping very much, since they have “hits” by Celine Dion and Barry Manilow on heavy rotation. So why do I listen to it? I guess because I have a glimmer of hope that they’ll play something that fits Mr. FF’s and my “first dance standards”. (Please note: this glimmer is fading quickly.) 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!
The perfect words to describe our honeymoon. Post-wedding, we will be in Hawaii for 12 sunny, beachy, pretty days! My future in-laws, who also honeymooned in Hawaii, did a great job of convincing us to go. Here was their reasoning:
“It’s the perfect excuse to go! And you may never have another excuse.”
“Don’t you want to relax after all the wedding excitement?”
“We wanted to stay there. To live forever. We’re serious.”
As if I needed convincing—any vacation with water, sun, and sand works for me!
Mr. Parfait and I decided to spend half of our time in Maui and half in Oahu, to get a taste of more than one island. I chose a low-key, cost-effective resort for our days in Maui and left Oahu up to Mr. P.
Before you think I am the most self-controlled honeymoon-planner ever, please know that this was a strategic move in my “Yes to Turtle Bay!” campaign. Read more…
Mrs. Mouse, AustinAge and Occupation: 25, Weddingbee Editor/AttorneyFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Civil EngineerEngagement Date: December 19, 2007Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: Barr MansionAbout Me: I just graduated from law school and will be taking the bar, getting married, going on a honeymoon with my guy, and then trying to figure out what I'm going to do with the rest of my life. I was born and raised in a small East Texas town, but I'm no country girl! I'm obsessed with British accents, fantasy (including Harry Potter, of course), and classic rock. My fiance and I consider ourselves both music and beer snobs--but every once in awhile we love to hear a crappy band and drink a cheap brew or two. We're planning an eco-friendly, casual, English garden affair for the end of summer, and we can't wait for it to get here!
After the handfasting, our officiant, Spike, read the following poem, by Alice Walker.
“Beyond What”
We reach for destinies beyond what we have come to know and in the romantic hush of promises perceive each the other’s life as known mystery. Shared. But inviolate. No melting. No squeezing into One. We swing our eyes around as well as side to side to see the world.
To choose, renounce, this, or that– call it a council between equals call it love.
Mrs. Ribbons, Washington D.C./Bloomington, INAge and Occupation: 23, Research Associate for an international development firmFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Proposal Coordinator for contractor
Engagement Date: May 2, 2008Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Indiana Memorial UnionAbout Me: I'm an Indiana transplant living in DC with my fiance and our pretty kitty. I enjoy the color pink, I'm obsessed with the Dior New Look and tulle, and I heart my level 80 paladin. I'm a sucker for bad TV, literary theory, and cakes of all persuasion. I also happen to be marrying the cutest closet nerd around! It's all about Bloomington for us because it's where we met -- on the college paper. If there's a theme for our small summertime wedding, it's Dior meets Dorothy Draper on a lark in Bloomington; think poofy, plus graphic prints, bold colors, and a whole lot of prettiness.
I know there’s this color trend out there and it’s really pretty and cool, but I don’t think it will work for me. I understand the motivation because nice shoes are expensive, especially bridal shoes, so why not spend mucho bucks on shoes you can wear again? Read more…
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.
Scene: It’s 2 AM on our double-decker 747 airplane. We’re two hours out of Los Angeles, somewhere over a dark Pacific Ocean. Mr. Cowboy Boot and I scored the bulkhead seats (front row with extra leg room) for letting the flight attendants know we were on our honeymoon. Mr. CB is snoozing away next to me while I read and combat heavy eyelids in hopes of beating jet lag. Three crew members, including the flight’s safety manager, are sitting facing us.
The phone rings and the safety manager answers it. She’s a Kiwi with a sweet smile and a primped outfit. Her face drops as she receives word from the person on the phone. She lowers her voice and turns her face into the wall, speaking softly into the receiver. My stomach drops, my palms sweat and I grab for my new husband. What’s happening?
She hangs up the phone and her accent comes over the loudspeaker, falling on the ears of passengers clad in eye masks and itchy blankets.
“It seems there’s been a little problem. Our pilots told me we hit what they think is a pelican. Unfortunately, the bird went straight into the nose of the plane,” she says statedly. “The bird has damaged our weather radar, prohibiting us from being able to see storms over the ocean. So, the safest thing for us to do is turn around and head back to Los Angeles.” Read more…
Ms. Stripes, Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 29, Costume Designer/StylistFiancee's Age and Occupation: 29, ChefEngagement Date: June 23, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Heritage Square MuseumAbout Me: I’m a type A creative with a messy streak, a loud mouth, and an uncanny knack for combining clashing patterns. I can usually be found with my nose in a book, my feet (or at least my toes) on the ground, my head in the clouds, and my arm around the prettiest girl you ever saw- aka
Fiancee Stripes. Together we’re planning a FUN vintage/modern French carnival wedding extravaganza and rockin’ dance party on a dime. (Say that three times fast!) Good coffee, long lists, Uniball pens, and my iPhone keep me sane, and making art, making trouble, and making out keep me happy! I love urban adventures, bike rides that end with afternoon drinks, breakfast for dinner, beautiful light, photography, travel, my furry family, and of course, my beautiful fiancee! I’m super excited to be here and can’t wait to share all our adventures as we craft a joyful, budget-friendly, design-savvy and all-around AWESOME wedding!
Mrs. Chick, HoustonAge and Occupation: 28, Rights and Reproduction ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Computer ProgrammerEngagement Date: November 15, 2008Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: A farm outside of HoustonAbout Me: Mr. Chick and I met almost ten years ago at Baker Blues, a college jazz party. He was attracted to my intensity, and I was mesmerized by his trivia pursuit skills and his dorm furniture adorned with his initials. We've grown more sophisticated through the years, with our love of wine, owning a house together, and parenthood (of a cat), but we have not lost our silliness or childish sense of humor!
Here are some I tried on with my dress. I knew I wanted my mom to make my veil for me, and after explaining this to Mia Couture (where I got my dress) owner Emily, she kindly suggested that I try on different veils with my dress so that I can send pictures to my mom.
Mrs. Pencils, Washington DC/Frederick, MDAge and Occupation: 24, Program Director, Education Non ProfitFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Administrative Assistant, Ocean Conservation Non ProfitEngagement Date: July 26, 2008Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Morningside InnAbout Me: I'm a nerdy Northwestern girl who always knew she was meant to live in the East, harboring a deep love of ice cream, underwear, Diet Coke with a splash of Coca-Cola, pashminas, scrapbooking, stationery, wall calendars and books written for preteens. I think every day should include good thin crust pizza, chocolate, an obscure historical monument, lots of laughter, a dash of wedding planning and, of course, amazing Mr. Pencils! I'm loving the adventure of planning a Maryland wedding and Rocky Mountain reception, and most of all, I just love love!
Bless your beautiful hide,
Wherever you may be.
We ain’t met yet
But I’m a willin’ to bet
You’re the gal for me.
Bless your beautiful hide
Prepare to bend your knee.
And take that vow
Cause I’m tellin’ you now,
You’re the gal for me.
She’s gotta be right to be the bride for me.
Bless her beautiful hide
Wherever she may be.
My hide was hiding indoors, far away from the two feet of snow that accumulated outside our house last December. What better way to spend that snowed in snow day than watching Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (the source of the lyrics above- am I the only person under 60 who likes this movie?!?! Yep, prolly) snuggled up next to my loverrrrrr?!?!
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
