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 sent a piece of our invitations to the printers this week, so it’s safe to reveal at least part of this process!
I started fiddling with invitations in June of last year. The style has stayed more or less the same, with minor tweaks over the months. The style of the invites was dictated by my chosen print method: letterpress. To keep costs down, I knew I had to keep it limited to one to two colors because each additional color means the invite needs to be run through the press another time, which equals more money. Since I designed the invite myself, I also knew I had to take stock of my talent — which does not include illustrations!
So I needed a simple design with minimal colors. To spice things up, I bought a font set and got to work.
The first attempt was a mix of calligraphy and typography.
I liked it enough and let that design sit for several months. Returning to it in December, though, I realized it wasn’t really capturing the high fashion look I wanted. I had to give up the calligraphy.
Back to InDesign I went. I experimented with things like all caps, small caps, and the leading (spacing between lines). I also toyed with bold colors. Read more…
Mrs. Espresso, Corona/Big BearAge and Occupation: 23, Community Services SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Maintenance TechnicianEngagement Date: December 21, 2007Wedding Date: October, 2008Blogging Since: June 25, 2008Venue: Outside a rustic b&b in Big Bear LakeAbout Me: I'm a lover of all things good: coffee, music, travel, rain, and of course- my handsome fiance! I'm a full believer in the "Life is Short," mantra - and therefore, eat lots of dark chocolate. I'm a Geographer by degree and nerd by choice. I cook to the sound of French and Portuguese music even though I speak neither. I love road trips, camping, hiking, and capturing life through the lens of my camera. Take me to Anthropologie and I may never leave. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, bargain finds, and old movies. Mr. Espresso and I are high school sweethearts and I am so blessed to be this amazing man's future wife.
Wow… I can’t believe that this is my last post for Weddingbee. I’ve been writing here since June 2008 but I can tell you it’s gone by fast… it zoomed by, actually.
Hive, I’ve been incredibly blessed by your company, by your words of advice and comfort, and by your comments. You definitely know how to make a girl feel like she’s a part of something special. You’ve encouraged me through tough times. You’ve been there and congratulated me on one of the absolute best days of my life. And then you listened to me write about it sporadically for the last year and a half. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I’ll still pop in from time to time, but for the most part I’ll now be focusing solely on our next Grand Adventure. I know some of you said you wanted to follow along with us—so go ahead and feel free to visit me often over at my personal blog: Silver Pencils. I’d love to see some familiar faces.
So, let’s get to it. My last Weekend Mountain Wedding Recap: The Grand Exit
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.
Thanks again to all of the lovely ladies that participated in the swap this year! I’ve had a few straggling emails, so this will not be the last post. If you still have not sent me your Valentine pictures, this is the last call. Email now, or forever hold your peace.
AZinAugust’s Valentines with homemade heart shaped crayons
Ms. Potato Chips, Boston/Narragansett RIAge and Occupation: 29, PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Personal Trainer/Business Owner/Physical Therapy AssistantEngagement Date: January 1, 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: The Narragansett TowersAbout Me: A semi-professional bookworm, if I could be a literary character I’d be a cross between Jo March and Jane Eyre, only better accessorized and much lazier. My hobbies include sleeping in, seasonal brews, running, Trader Joe’s, and watching Unwrapped and Good Eats with Mr. Potato Chips. I harbor an irrational fear of tulle, crafts, things that are fussy, and overuse of the phrase "Your Special Day". After a year or seven together, down the aisle we go, slouching toward adulthood and planning a Rhodie party with equal parts whimsy, cheer, and pizza.
We’ve been together seven years, have lived together for five, but have never been able to splurge on kitchen items. We manage with a hodge podge of hand-me-downs, cast-offs, and yard sale finds and it’s fine. It’s totally fine. We make do.
But. Oh my, there is nothing like the heft of a glossy Le Creuset cover or the smooth curved porcelain of matching mugs and saucers. I love the calm, ordered aura of a Williams-Sonoma store at noon on a Tuesday, when I can run my hands over their nubbly textiles and stroke the cool stainless steel espresso maker.
Ooof. Are you getting hot under the collar? Am I? (I am.)
The point is, it doesn’t even matter if no one buys us these gifts. The experience of yielding the scanner gun was unduly satisfying and climatic in and of itself.
To guide us in our registry-choosing, we sought the help of our buddy Alton Brown, via his book Gear For Your Kitchen. 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.)
What’s all that buzzing I hear? Probably just the traffic outside my window, but next weekend it could be the gathering of Los Angeles area bees!
Join us on Sunday, February 21 at 5:00 PM at La Grande Orange Café in lovely Pasadena for food, drinks and awesomeness. RSVP here—don’t leave a Spaniel hanging!
La Grande Orange Café
260 S. Raymond Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 356-4444
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!
I suffer from an ailment that is all too common in wedding world. Hell, it’s all too common in general. What is this ailment you ask? What causes to-be-weds far and wide to want to rip out their hair, burn their wedding dresses, and cancel their weddings in one fell swoop? I’ll tell you what it is, it’s a disease that is commonly referred to as “Monster in Law”.
Being that you are a more than likely a to-be-wed yourself, you’re probably pretty familiar with this particular ailment, and if you’re not familiar with it, well, I am supremely jealous of you. This weekend, yes, Valentine’s weekend of all weekends, I had an extremely bad case of Monster-In-Law.
Miss Gingham, Portland, ORAge and Occupation: 27, Creative ProducerFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, MerchantEngagement Date: September 10, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: The Barn at Neocoxie CreekAbout Me: I grew up in Washington State and moved to Portland, OR after college (Go Cougs). I work for a rather large sport and fitness company as a Creative Producer where I spend my days bringing stories, athletes and products to life in the digital arena. It was at this company (and actually in the same department), that I met my fiance. We’ve been happily together as a couple for almost 2 years and friends for almost 3. We have a 2 year old Yellow Lab/German Sheppard Mix (he’s gigantic), and live together in our 1940s house that we bought together a little over a year ago. When not at work, you can find me in the gym or on the trails, reading a good book, enjoying Oregon Microbrews, learning how to remodel an old house, trying to acquire a green thumb, figuring out how to cook, watching football and basketball, or doing anything “outdoorsy” – camping, hiking, boating. By the way, I absolutely love country music, cowboy boots, bon fires, small towns, and in general, anything "country", which is why we're planning a down-home, casual, country-themed wedding in an 100 year old barn in the small coastal town where my fiance grew up.
My favorite color is orange. It’s been many colors throughout the years - purple when I was little, pink in high school (way too much pink when I look back in pics), red in college, and then at some point it just became orange. I’m not sure what it is - if it’s that I like wearing it when I’m tan, or that orange eye shadow tends to look pretty good with my blue eyes… I couldn’t really tell you how I began to like orange. But I did. Then I met Mr. Gingham whose collection of orange and black Beaver gear is larger than my entire closet and voila - a match made in heaven.
So when it came down to picking our colors, it was a pretty easy choice since both of us liked orange. I love the color but besides that, I wanted something that would pop in pictures. With the iffy weather of the beach and the chance for rain or grey skies, I think having a bold color will help everything stand out more. And Mr. Gingham is excited that all his buddies get to wear Beaver colors (including his best man, who’s a duck).
As far as coordinating colors, I still go back and forth. 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.
As I’ve mentioned before, Mr. Pudding and I attended three back-to-back weddings on two different continents last summer. We were guests at two weddings in Poland (my cousins’) and one in Chicago (Mr. P’s cousin) in the course of three weeks - exhausting, to say the least!
Mr. Pudding and I have a sort of agreement that when there is an event in my family, I take care of figuring out and financing our gift, and vice versa. We do this with the assumption that it’s easier for us to know what type of gift is appropriate for our own family members. This will change once we are married and share a bank account, but for the time being, it seems more than fair.
Because these events were back to back, they really drew my attention to how different my gift giving is from Mr. P’s. You see, in my community there is only one gift acceptable for a wedding:
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.
I was doing so well – I had collected the crystals, vases, votives and votive holders, and all I needed at this point were the branches. Mr. N and I were planning on gathering branches ourselves from our parents’ backyards, until I stumbled upon this little beauty… Read more…
Mrs. Argyle, St. LouisAge and Occupation: 24, Project CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, PilotEngagement Date: February 15, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Jewel Box in Forest Park and Windows on WashingtonAbout Me: I'm a true Midwestern girl (born and raised), lover of red wine, reality TV and the entire J.Crew catalog. I love to dance regardless of who is watching, and enjoy a good laugh with my girls. I have a soft spot in my heart for planet Earth, my two dogs and my fiance. Fall is my favorite season (which is why we are marrying in September), but I love a warm summer day and the Colorado mountains in the winter. We are planning a modern soiree downtown, with lots of bold colors, and fun, eco-friendly elements.
Let me start from the beginning. I do not have a desire to have my wedding covered in flowers. They just are not that appealing to me (yes, I can hear brides out there gasping right now). Flowers are beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but I really did not have any intention of incorporating a lot of flowers into the wedding in any way other than the bouquets. I’m not opposed to beautiful and extravagant centerpieces, and after some brainstorming, they just did not really fit the feel of the wedding. And, let’s be honest, Mr. Argyle really couldn’t care less. I have other ideas on how to incorporate color into the wedding reception, which are equally as beautiful, and just plain fun (if I do say so myself)! Plus, when your wedding ceremony site is practically a huge greenhouse with a ton of flowers, it doesn’t seem necessary to overdo it in flowers.
HOWEVER, in the past few weeks I have fallen. Hard. Over these:
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.
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!
I’ve shared with the hive that Mr. Pencils’ father passed away when Mr. P was just 14 years old. He is incredibly grateful for the time, albeit short, that he had with his dad. When we sat down to plan our ceremony with his Uncle J, our officiant, we knew we wanted to find a way to remember and honor his father.
I went on the hunt for the perfect way for Mr. Pencils to acknowledge his father in a way that he would find meaningful and appropriate. There are a lot of beautiful ways to remember a loved one, and some really jumped out at me.
The first idea is traditional and heartfelt: lighting a memorial candle and observing a moment of silence.
Mrs. Hot Wings, Chicago/San DiegoAge and Occupation: 28, ProfessorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, InstructorEngagement Date: December 20, 2008Wedding Date: August 2010Venue: Ocean View Villas/Jasmine Seafood RestaurantAbout Me: I am a psychology grad student living in Chicago and planning my wedding to a fellow psych grad student. I am a Sunny So-Cal bred gal who trudged across the country to follow her love of psychology and ended up finding a partner in the process. I am overly passionate about anything I involve myself with. I am an activist, a foodie, a reality TV watching junkie, an over-analyzer, a photography obsesser, and am utterly cheesy to the core. This is a story of what happens when a boy and a girl meet, fall in love over academic dorkiness, and a shared love for life. We (mostly I) are planning our semi-destination wedding in my hometown of San Diego. We are excited to bring our families and friends together from across our lifespans to celebrate our future in a grand 400+ person culturally blended affair!
Yeah, you read that right. Bridesmaid’s dresses for under 50 buck-er-roos! A girl’s gotta dream and set goals for herself, right? As the saying goes, I like to shoot for the moon and if I don’t succeed, at least I’ll land among the stars. First off, on a total side note, I love the sentiment of this saying but it doesn’t make any logical sense to me. If you don’t make it to the moon, you would fall back down to earth because the stars are much further than the moon. But shhhhh. Don’t tell anyone. I still have this saying sitting on my desk.
So here are my finds of the day from a couple of my favorite places to window-’net-shop, also known as shopping online, loading up my cart, then closing my browser.
Let’s start with Lulu’s. I am always shocked by their prices. I haven’t actually bought clothes from this site, but I think their selection is great. They typically only carry dresses in small, medium, and large. If you have a large bridal party with lots of varying body types like I do, this is a problem. But here are some of my recent faves.
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!
I am so thrilled to announce that my shoes are here, and they’re more fabulous than I could have ever imagined.
On Thursday evening, while I was hurrying up to Atlanta before the snowstorm hit, my mother was heading back down to LaGrange from a hair appointment with Luke in the ATL.
“Hey Mom. I’m on the way up right now. Just letting you know…”
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!
I’ve talked a little bit about overall cake designs, but today let’s just concentrate on the fun part - the topper.
Pretty much anything you can think of can be made into a cake topper. Here’s my short list:
-Custom wooden people
I picked these little guys up at Michaels for about a dollar or so. It would be simple enough to paint them into us Sewings, and might end up looking something like this: Read more…
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
