Owlbride’s dyed-green peep-toes sparkle with the help of shoe clips from absoluteaudrey.com.
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. 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!
Sewing-Mom is the sports photographer for the local high school district. And while she’s great at capturing those quick action shots, and even the occasional senior portrait, she’ll need a little help to transition to wedding photography. And while she will not be our main wedding photographer, she’ll be shooting our engagement pictures and has promised to wear her camera around her neck as she proceeds us down the aisle.
Since she expressed a big interest in learning about it, and I of course wanted all her pictures to come out marvelously, I gave her some self-serving presents:
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.
In my last cupcake post I discussed how our tasting went well, although we had to come up with a new plan for the quantity we’d order and new decorations that wouldn’t be an added charge.
So, it was back at the drawing board that is Adobe Illustrator. I took out our “bird’s eye view” drawing of the shelves of our cupcake tower, which I’d originally created to see how many cupcakes we would need to fill the tower. I’d thought 18 dozen mini and 9 dozen regular sized cupcakes would be perfect, but we learned from Sibby’s Cupcakery that using a mix of minis and regulars, we’d likely only go through 8 dozen and 7 dozen, respectively.
So I switched things up, and laid the shelves out again, this time with all mini cupcakes! They looked great too, and we were even able to cut some out, since we decided we didn’t need ones on the back side of the bottom levels, as it would be up against a wall, anyway. (For those of you who missed it the first time, here are the links to part 1 , 2 and 3 of my posts about Mr. Cola and me building our 6 foot tall cupcake stand.)
Here is the new layout of where the mini cupcakes will go on each shelf, with room left at the corners for flowers: Read more…
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.
Oh yes, I know what you’re waiting for—the e-ring. You’re curious to know what Mr. Gingham got me, right? Of course you are, everyone always wants to know what the e-Ring looks like! I’ll end the suspense now… here you go. My lovely trellis setting, princess cut solitaire with a super-thick band (note - the band thickness was very important to me).
I picked this puppy out long before Mr. Gingham and I had ever talked about marriage. I don’t have the most dainty of fingers and I’ve always chosen rings with thick bands, and my e-ring wants were no different. I found the ring I wanted a long time ago on Tiffany’s website (who doesn’t browse there, right?). Anyway, I fell in love with the Lucida ring, but not the price tag. 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!
Previously I showed you my pinwheel inspiration, and my first attempts at the project. Today, the tutorial!
First, I searched high and low for the paper I wanted to use. Ideally, I would use scrapbook paper because of its thickness/sturdiness. At first, with 300+ pinwheels to make, purchasing scrapbook paper at 60 cents a sheet (or buying one sheet a week with a 40% off Michael’s coupon), seemed too costly AND time consuming. It seemed like I was on an endless search for paper, and originally found one solution in the least likely of places…THE DOLLAR STORE! 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!
Hokay, so, I know I promised to talk programs, but I have to interrupt that story to tell this one first.
The title of the post pretty much gives it away, but it’s true. I really. really. really. love. fonts.
To be fair, I never even KNEW fonts outside of those offered in Word and PowerPoint (my design programs of choice, remember) existed until I started reading Weddingbee. It was then that I was inundated with gorgeous DIY projects that had bright and shiny neat-o fonts, and I was immediately intrigued. Imagine my surprise to learn that these fonts could be mine too (most of them for F.R.E.E. - I use dafont.com), all with the simple click of a button!
As I near closer to my big day and look back at my many DIY projects, I realize that I’ve really been all over the font map. I think that most design-savvy brides tend to pick a font and stick with it, so that all of their projects relate to one another. Some brides have even got a paper suitethat all goes together!
Mrs. Swan, New York CityAge and Occupation: 31, Legislative RepresentativeFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Finance GuyEngagement Date: August 9, 2008Wedding Date: August 2009Venue: Battery GardensAbout Me: I am an un-crafty but resourceful, Caribbean-born but New York-raised woman who's been known to analyze "Dancing with the Stars" and “So You Think You Can Dance”, buy stinky cheese, and use way too many parentheses. I keep lists for fun, am constantly daydreaming of my next international travel adventure (four continents down, three to go), debating sports (let’s Got Mets/Giants!) and dancing around my apartment to stay sane. I am excited to share our wedding planning journey as I hope to plan a streamlined, personal, and fun wedding with the greatest life partner I could ever imagine, Mr. Swan.
After our wonderfully productive and fun cocktail hour, our guests proceeded upstairs so that we could finally start the reception.
I have a confession to make: I did not want to get announced as we entered the room. Whatcha talkin’ about, Mrs. Swan? I was kinda uncomfortable with the hoopla-esque feeling of it. In my ideal world, Mr. Swan and I would come upstairs, take a seat just like our guests did, and let things proceed from ther.
But we got announced anyway… yeah, I punked out on this one, too. It was one of those times where people were saying, “You’re not going to do THAT? You’ve got to do THAT!” Okay. We did it. It was another small thing I hadn’t expected to do, but it was actually fun.
We decided to do the first dance immediately. 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!
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.
Do you ever find yourself really listening to the words in a song, or listening to a monologue in a movie that you’ve seen a hundred times before, but never really heard heard? And you get goose bumps because you know exactly what they are talking about because it totally relates to you now? I caught myself watching one of my favorite movies, Never Been Kissed, and I caught a line that I never really noticed before but this time, I really ‘got’ it…
That thing, that moment, when you kiss someone and everything around you becomes hazy and the only thing in focus is you and this person, and you realize that this person is the only person that you’re supposed to kiss for the rest of your life. And for one moment you get this amazing gift, and you want to laugh, and you want to cry, because you feel so lucky that you found it and so scared that it will go away all at the same time.
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.
I started the dress search early. Like, over 18 months early. I wanted to make sure I really had a chance to look over and try on as much as I could, so I immediately made appointments at two shops in the area with Mom Argyle.
At my first appointment, I fell in love with a ruffled halter from Demetrios, which I was surprised to find in their inventory. It is quite a different dress than every other dress in their collections.
The second was a fitted, v-neck with a low back Marisa gown that I found at the Ultimiate Bride. It was simple and had great lines, with a great back, which I loved. 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.)
As the wedding barrels down on me (ZOMG, it’s coming SO SOON!!!), I’ve had to start thinking about things that never would have occurred to me to put on a big to-do list when we first got engaged… like my nail color! I mean, who would let themselves get caught up in their freaking fingernails when there are so many other things to take care of? This Spaniel would!
I first started thinking that this decision would be a little more complicated than walking into a nail salon and out with a simple French tip when I saw this at Maharani.
After totally creeping out Mr. Spaniel (”Is that a NAIL? By itself?“—he is also horrified by hair and eyelash extensions), I started to think that maybe some color wasn’t a bad idea. Read more…
Mrs. Star, New York CityAge and Occupation: 22, ActressFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Casting AssistantWedding Date: October 2009Venue: Ceremony: The Kraine Theatre, Reception: Midtown Loft & TerraceAbout Me: I’m a professional actress who’s always had New York City in her blood and I'm finally getting the chance to make a home in Manhattan with my fiancé, my dog, and my big dreams! I love polka dots, craft projects, Dunkin’ Donuts’ iced coffee, and anything sparkly. I’m having a blast planning our elegant/dramatic/New York City/acting-themed/largely-DIY wedding and am thrilled to be the youngest current Miss Blogger!
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!
So you know those Save the Date things? The ones that you’re supposed to send out, oh, roughly six months in advance of your wedding?
Holla, homegirl over here never made a decision, and it looks like it’s probably too late, or a moot point… at this point.
You see, I didn’t just not do them. (Double negative, ahoy!) I did a lot of them. Quite a lot, actually. My biggest problem is that I obsess and nitpick over any design work I do for myself. I can churn out stuff for other people—no problem! There is just some sort of roadblock for me when it comes to making decisions about our wedding, and the paper goods have had the biggest roadblock of all.
Let’s just take a look at a few, shall we? Read more…
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 the wedding, Mr. Sewing will move into my room, since it’s slightly bigger than his. (Because I’m slightly bigger than him, I need the extra space, yeah?)
This will be a big change for us, I think. I’m excited, but I’m also a little bit scared. Is that the right word? I don’t know, but I do know that I’m not looking forward to having to share my closet. It’s already packed as it is! Read more…
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!
Now, let’s talk about adding visual interest to a picture. I learned this trick in my high school photography class. When in doubt, make triangles. Yes, triangles. You’ll hear Tyra Banks say to create shapes with your body. Yes, this is true. Shapes are good. But the best shape of them all for photography is the triangle. All types of triangles… oblong, obtuse, equilateral, right triangle. In these images, they’re basically all created equal in my humble opinion. Again, I’m no expert. Did you notice I referenced my high school photography class? Yup… that’s all, folks. But here are some visually interesting pictures where triangles stand out. Can you count the number of triangles in each?
Left: Do you see the triangles created in the photo? Right: Check out her arms and her leg.
I’ll end the suspense now… here you go. My lovely trellis setting, princess cut solitaire with a super-thick band (note - the band thickness was very important to me).
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
