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 called me today to tell me a certain international package had come in the mail! (I usually have packages sent to her house since my apartment complex is prone to “misplacing” boxes.)
She went ahead and sent me a few pictures of the contents:
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!
So we’ve got our anniversary date and our wedding city picked out. How about some actual decisions that involve vendors? Indeed. A good place to start. Let’s start with some of the biggest and most expensive, shall we?
Dun dun dun (hear the musical notes?)
Venue! Wait, no! VenueS, with an “s”. At least it became Venues, in the end. (Now there’s a little foreshadowing for you. Onward, shall we?)
We knew what we wanted, the trick was to find it within a reasonable price point.
Location Criteria
We wanted something close to the beach. The whole point of having a San Diego wedding was to give our out of town guests a vacation.
We really wanted a location where guests could stay and we could have our civil ceremony. FSIL had her wedding at a hotel in Phoenix years ago and everyone loved it because it felt like a family reunion weekend. We really wanted to recreate this feeling.
Cost effective. A difficult task during peak summer months in a vacation hot spot.
Not too far from airport (and later, our reception location).
Mrs. Joey, SeattleAge and Occupation: 28, Project Administrator for Public Health NGOFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, High School History TeacherEngagement Date: June 24, 2008Wedding Date: August 2009Venue: Eastside Catholic Chapel and Lake Union CafeAbout Me: I'm a Seattle girl through and through except for the fact that I don't drink coffee. I love my job most of the time because I get to travel and work with brilliant people who are trying to prevent Malaria. I love DIY projects of all sorts, cooking, and watching sports. I'd wear anything at Anthropologie and could spend all day on Etsy. I love to travel but shouldn't because I always get myself into unbelievable situations!
Hi hive! I know I said was taking a break but then I realized yesterday was our 6 month anniversary and that I had something to share.
Yes, if you can believe it, Mr. Joey and I were married 6 months ago today. Some days I feel like we got married yesterday, and some days I feel like it’s been years since we walked down the aisle.
Now that I’ve had time to step back from the wedding and let the rest of my life (or rather, our house) take over, I can really appreciate the wedding.
Immediately after the wedding, all I could think about were all the things that went wrong and all the things I’d change (part 1, part 2, part 3). I regretted parts of it, wished I invested more, and asked for more help.
The funny thing is that I don’t feel that way about it now. I couldn’t remember most of what disappointed me about the wedding when I sat down to write this post. I actually had to read over my Heartbreaker post to revive my memory. 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!
Okay, now that I’ve indulged myself and made THREE inspiration boards for our ‘maids, I have a confession to make: I secretly like bright the best! I think the light board will have to be relegated to my “other” wedding (you know, the pretend one) because while I love the wispy, ethereal, just plain prettiness of it, it really isn’t us. Ditto on the B&W. Maybe half ditto? See, the thing with bright is that we definitely want it to be more bad-ass, a little rock & roll, and a little less saccharine. The recipe would look a little something like this:
4 parts colorfully patterned dresses
2 parts colorful solid dresses
8 parts black shoes/booties
6 parts black fascinators/birdcage veils
2 parts bad ass suits
2 parts colorful bow ties
add a dash of B&W stripes, a sash of black, a shot of Jack*, a little love, and eight girls with serious attitude and shake slightly. Serve up with a twist.
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!
Wedding magazine rehab, that is. Or Wedding Magazine Buyers Anonymous. WMBA.
The first step is admitting I have a problem, right?
In the past 13 months of being engaged, I have bought over 24 magazines. (I don’t know the exact count, because I know there are some stashed away somewhere.) For the purpose of this analysis of my crazy, let’s just say I’ve bought 24. 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. 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!
The other day, Mr. Chick and I were having lunch with Bestie M (of previous wedding venue). One of the many cool things about Bestie M is that she works at J.Crew and has excellent style. She excitedly pulled out the new spring collection catalog, and what do we see but a light color suit Mr. Chick has been wanting!
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.
Dad says “bong” -> baby laughs -> I fall out of my chair laughing -> chair goes flying -> hits computer -> computer starts smoking -> I get to go home because I can’t work without a computer = perfect world I don’t live in
You know how one little thing can cause a chain reaction and affect more than expected? Yeah, we were hit with one of those little things last week.
If you remember, we picked a possible date for our home party in June based on the tentative Cubs schedule a few months ago and now that the official schedule is confirmed, we know that our date is available. Weeeeeeee! It had to be on a non-Cubs game day, otherwise it would be pure mayhem. 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!
Holy crap. Is it seriously February 1st already?! My, how time flies! With exactly 8 months until the wedding, it’s time for my first official hive check-in! If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can catch up on my New Years Resolution here.
Now, I generally give up on New Year’s Resolutions a few weeks in (as do most people), so I devised a way to keep myself accountable - sharing my journey with the hive! If that won’t keep me honest, nothing will! Plus, I’m hoping it’ll inspire some of you ladies to stick with your resolutions as well. We need all the support we can get, right? Right!
Okay, here goes!
Here’s my very first chart from my starting point:
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.
Check out the board thread and let us know if you’ll “BEE” there. See you then!
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!
Mr. Pencils and I have contradictory-opposite-side-of-the-sea-not-even-on-the-same-continent ideas of the ideal wedding morning (it’s that dramatic). In our final hours as single people(it always sounds so weighty and profound to say such phrases) we envision scenes that could not be more different.
This slightly obscure topic of conversation came up because I suck at surprises—receiving them and planning them. In this case, it was planning one. I was considering gifting Mr. Pencils a skydiving adventure with FBIL for my wedding day gift to him and I wanted to be sure that he wanted to do it with someone, rather than alone. (And for fellow children of the ’80s, I do immediately think of Uncle Jesse getting stuck in a tree while skydiving the morning of his wedding to Aunt Becky and arriving to his wedding covered in tomato stains and I do slightly fear this ending, including the three blonde girls of varying sizes.)
Mr. Pencils told me he actually preferred that I give him something he could hold and remember our wedding day by, and that he planned on spending the morning of our wedding (aka, the final hours) alone, in thought, chilling, relaxing all cool (how many TBS reruns can I reference in one post?) at our house.
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.)
UPS delivery is always a race against time ’round these parts. We’ve had the delivery person walk away in the amount of time it took me to run from my living room couch to the front door (a distance of a whopping four feet). Since I got the notice from Ketubah Ketubah that my order was on its way, when I heard the knock on the door I was on my feet and running like a bat out of hell (in my bathrobe and sweatpants, no less) hoping that would be it.
I hadn’t ordered anything else poster-shaped, so I knew what I was looking at, and I patiently waited for Mr. Spaniel to get home from work to rabidly tear into it to see the goods. Just kidding; I did wait for him to get home, but I opened it without him when he left for the gym. Read more…
Mrs. Sprinkle, Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 26, Preschool Teacher
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Television Production/WriterEngagement Date: December 24, 2008Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: The Marvimon HouseAbout Me: I'm a Bay Area native trying to create a life for myself (and my fiance, and our three cats!) in the vast city of Los Angeles. I love vegan red velvet cupcakes, pilates ,and mid-century furniture. Mr. Sprinkle and I met when my band toured through his city (we bonded over cake and a mutual love of Morrissey) and we are getting married on the four year anniversary of our first date. When I am not teaching preschool (or blogging!) you can find me perfecting recipes, petting kittens, hiking in Griffith Park, and overusing exclamation points. We are planning a vegan, green-as-possible, DIY wedding, and I couldn't be more excited to share all of the details!
Way back when we first started wedding planning, I knew we needed a photobooth at our reception. Hours of entertainment and souvenir strips? Yes, please. Also, Mr. Sprinkle and I love photobooths! We have a collection of at least 50 strips, and we prefer the old fashioned black-and-white ones. And if that wasn’t enough photobooth love, the person that introduced us to each other happens to be a photo booth artist. So naturally, we really wanted a photobooth.
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!
How did you pick your anniversary date? Did you ever think of it that way? I mean, it is right? Sure, it’s your wedding date, too. But really, you won’t be celebrating your wedding each year. You’ll be celebrating your anniversary, or marriage age, so to speak. This is how Mr. Hot Wings wanted to think about it, at least.
At first, I thought it would be fun to be married and always celebrate our anniversary on New Year’s Eve. Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
(a couple of our favorite old strips)
