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!
And another Chicago Bridal Market post. I saved the best one for now!
Last week, Mrs. Emerald and I got to attend the last day of the Chicago Bridal Market with Kate from Project Wedding. What a fun experience. Let me share some cool new trends and goodies we ran across.
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 decided pretty early I did not want to spend money on flowers, so deciding on our centerpieces took quite a bit of time. I mean, the original plan was to include tall cylinder vases with submerged callas or something similar (see: early in my planning). And, then our second idea was to some how hang them from wooden dowels - an idea we scrapped after finding some great options online.
The Mr. and I (yes, the both of us) immediately fell in love with these pictures when looking around for flower alternatives:
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.
A few weeks back I was organizing all of the glass candy jars that I had collected for our centerpieces. I patted myself on the back for being so organized, and for having things done so far ahead of time. I had about 12 jars total, and was in the process of determining which candy would go into which jars. I was sitting on my couch, working hard on the task at hand (…I was also watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians re-runs) when all of a sudden, our 40 pound ”puppy” Braeden jumped up onto the couch next to me.
Trust me, usually he’s flying around the house like the Road Runner.
The motion of him jumping up on the couch sent two of the jar lids crashing down to the floor…shattering three of my glass candy jars. Read more…
Mrs. Veggie, Raglan, New Zealand/Scranton, PAAge and Occupation: 27, Director of Small Non-ProfitFiance's Age and Occupation: 42, PhD Student & FarmerEngagement Date: June 13, 2009Wedding Date: August 2010Venue: Indian Head Camp, Honesdale Pennsylvania
About Me: I am a tree-huggin' farmer turned enthusiastic wedding-planner. I live in a house truck and wear flip-flops more often than shoes. In my old life I was a high school Spanish teacher in love with a crazy guy who lived off-the grid on a farm in New Hampshire. But, we decided to mix things up a bit, quit our jobs and move to New Zealand. My southern hemisphere lifestyle involves growing veggies, teaching, running our small non-profit, and surfing. I love laughing, singing, playing, and the inspirational Mr. Veggie (of course!). For our wedding, I am committed to throwing a killer party that celebrates our values without breaking the bank. Look forward to an eco-thrifty summer-campy weekend-long extravaganza.
We hit the 5 month countdown last week and it prompted me to get my butt in gear. So far my planning has mostly been inspiration boards, venue-ing, and more inspiration boards, but this week I’ve been a veggie with a mission (like a secular version of one of those Veggie-Tales characters).
Actually, in all honesty, it wasn’t the 5 month mark that prompted me into action, it was my first visit to an anonymous wedding site that offers a “wedding checklist”. After 8 months of wedding planning I had heard much about this site, but never logged on. Read more…
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.
I’ve mentioned a couple times before that we’re having several “satellite parties” surrounding our wedding: the Wedding Party Welcome Event, Rehearsal Dinner, After Party, and Sunday Luncheon, but I haven’t gone into much detail on any of these parties, except the rehearsal dinner.
So, I’ll start with the first one: the Thursday night get together for our wedding party, DJ/musician and officiant. Our officiant friend (and his girlfriend) are local, but the rest of our wedding party is spread across three different states, so we wanted to do something special for them to welcome them to town, and to thank them for standing up beside us on our big day. Annnnddd, it also might be a little bit of a bribe for some set up help on the afternoon of the wedding.
Our first thought had been to rent a box at a San Francisco Giants game, but since they’re not in town the Thursday before our wedding, instead we’re going to take everyone on a sunset cruise on the San Francisco Bay, with Adventure Cat Sailing.
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.
Ribs and I finished picking out the registry items by the time we sent out the save the dates, which has its pros and cons. One problem with registering early: our dishes and cordial glass designs at Crate and Barrel have been discontinued. They’re available online still, but in limited quantities and I have no idea if people will buy them. I’m almost convinced I should just buy those myself, in case they run out! Suffice it to say, you run the risk of discontinued items when you’re a little overeager about registering. 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!
Last week I innocently checked my Google calendar: first I looked through April, making note of commitments and generally estimating free time vs. wedding to-do list length (not lookin’ good, folks). Then, I hit ’next month’, and WHAT?! Our wedding! Oh man is that thing speeding towards us.
After I got over the initial shock of ohmigoditsalmosthere, I took a closer look at the date. See, Mr. Guinea Pig and I share our Google calendars with each other (which we only recently started, and has been immensely helpful), and I laughed out loud at the different ways we’d entered our wedding into our calendars. I even took a screen shot so I could show you all
(My entry is in green, Mr. Guinea Pig’s is in blue)
What did I notice? My calendar entry about our wedding required ALL CAPS and several exclamation marks - not only that, but it’s noted as an ALL-DAY affair! Read more…
Mrs. Dolphin, Gainesville, FLAge and Occupation: 24, Graduate Architecture StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Interactive Interface DeveloperEngagement Date: February 14, 2008Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Plantation Bay Country ClubAbout Me: I’m currently a Graduate Student at the University of Florida studying Architecture. I enjoy playing Scrabble with my Fiance, rooting for the Florida Gators, making any drink that involves a blender, cleaning (yes... I’m crazy), design... GOOD design that is, the new Pepsi with natural sugar, taking pictures, discovering new places in the U.S., and obsessing over doing (and designing) everything myself for our upcoming wedding!
When trying to come up with the perfect place to have our long awaited* engagement shoot (*more on the “long awaited-ness” later), my fiance and I racked our brains for a location that would be meaningful for both of us. We figured we could always do the ’typical’ engagement shoot… you know… shoots involving train tracks, beaches, or downtown buildings. Then we thought, ‘hey, why not the University of Florida Campus!?’
Both of our fathers are alumni (and so am I!) of the University of Florida. So, Mr. Dolphin and I practically grew up around the Florida Gators. What a perfect place. I mean… it is the decade of the Gator, am I right? For those who didn’t know that it was the decade of the Gator, feel free to Google Tim Tebow (my second love).
So, on we searched for the perfect (and affordable) photographers. After searching for months, we came across the very talented Ben and Amy Starks of Starks Photography (love them!). They were seriously awesome to work with and did an awesome job (if I do say so myself). But better to show you then to just talk about how awesome they are…
One of my favorites. The stadium was just about empty (thanks to me scheduling the shoot over Spring Break). Smart Miss Dolphin. I tend to commend myself in the third person quite often, so you best get used to it.
Mrs. Taco, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 29, writer/editorFiance's Age and Occupation: 37, editorEngagement Date: May 13, 2009Wedding Date: August 2010Venue: The Green Room at the War Memorial Veterans BuildingAbout Me: I like laughing and talking with good friends over good food and good drink, be it wine, cocktail, or brew. I write and edit things for fun and profit, but I rarely "write" these days without a keyboard and high-speed internets. Favorites include Mr. Taco, my Boston terrier, San Francisco, getting out of town, and the Roaring ’20s. I was kind-of planning a wedding since roughly 2006, when I discovered "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?" on the WE channel. I ran and didn't look back with a theme I called "urban vintage," and it culminated in the most magical day a taco could ask for.
They say we’re “city married.” “They” say that this means we have all the semblances of marriage (including a shared household, day jobs, and a dog) without the actual marriage part… yet. And we even do that annoying thing where we compare our dog to your kids when either acts up. (In our defense, they’re surprisingly similar at times!)
Tiny Taco is a Boston terrier and she’ll be 9 years old in September. People either think she’s a French bulldog, a puppy (she’s a wee one at 12 pounds), or both. She loves the p-a-r-k, her b-o-n-e, and the b-a-l-l. A true terrier at heart, she will play in/with all of the above and never tire or take a sip of the water we brought just for her. A sometimes-cranky, middle-aged gal, she not-so-humbly eats up attention paid to her by adoring fans across the country (I’m not sure it’s reached past the U.S.).
(Pics by Devin Carraway. She normally has a knack for avoiding the camera, so we’re especially happy to have these.)
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Mrs. Jellyfish, Pleasanton, CAAge and Occupation: 27, Law StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Air Force PilotEngagement Date: February 21, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Casa Real at Ruby Hill WineryAbout Me: In a nutshell, I’m the most optimistic worrywart you’ll ever meet. My family emigrated from Romania to San Jose, CA when I was 8, and I've been a Nor Cal girl ever since! My fiancé is also a Bay Area native, so it’s funny that we met at UCLA, as college freshmen living on the same floor (go Bruins!). Between his career as an Air Force pilot and my path to becoming a lawyer, our relationship has been anything but typical. We currently live together in Berkeley with our puppy Stinson. In addition to spending time with the loves of my life, I enjoy crafting, attempting complicated recipes, environmental law and non-law school reading (Us Weekly, anyone?). Follow along as I plan an elegant 200-person winery wedding, graduate law school, take the Bar exam, get married and get used to the always unpredictable but never boring life of a military spouse!
You’ve been introduced to our Flower Dog, and today I wanted to introduce you to our adorable ring bearers! They are Mr. Jelly’s adorable nephews, who are 3 and 1. Even though I’ve known they would be our ring bearers for a while, I recently called them to ask them officially. I had wanted to ask them in person, but totally neglected to do so last time I saw them.
So, I just did it over the phone when I was talking to their mom (my bridesmaid and Mr. Jelly’s sister-in-law). Ring bearer #1 said yes, and graciously accepted on behalf of his little brother, too. It was really cute. I don’t even think he knows what being a ring bearer means but I am very excited to have these beautiful boys as part of our wedding! We love them so much!
Here we are at Thanksgiving. Uncle Jelly, Ring bearer #1, Ring bearer #2, and me
Mrs. Hamster, New York CityAge and Occupation: 28, Finance GalFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Finance GuyEngagement Date: March 9, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: The Pierre HotelAbout Me: I'm an original Jersey girl living it up in the big NYC! I love baking for others, hosting brunches, and exploring NYC with my mans. Besides Mr. Hamster (of course), I'm attracted to shiny things, bold colors, snacks, matching and coordination, pork and duck fats, miniature versions of things, corny jokes and puns. We are planning a swanky Spring wedding in the heart of NYC, followed by a second reception in Singapore. From one city that never sleeps to another - I can't imagine a more exciting ride!
So I was walking to work the other day, in the middle of what might be considered the grossest, rainiest weather NYC has seen in a while. I’m standing at a street corner, waiting with 20 other people for the walk signal to turn (it’s a busy crosswalk). I’m assuming the “defensive position” when it comes to umbrella maneuvering - hunched back, ’brella against the wind. I think I’ve got things covered, and I get complacent.
Mrs. Starfish, Boston/NewportAge and Occupation: 25, Operations AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, SalesEngagement Date: October 8, 2008Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: The Atlantic Beach ClubAbout Me: I'm a perfectionist who is a planner at heart. I don't do well with surprises. I love planning, crafting, Newport RI, family and friends, and most importantly, Mr. Starfish---all of which will be big components in our October wedding in our favorite little city by the sea.
Has anyone ever noticed that there are a ton of wedding magazines and wedding websites, but there really aren’t any sites that are great references for bridesmaids? Most sites have bridesmaid sections, but I’d like more.
Being a first time bridesmaid in Sister Starfish’s wedding last October, I had a really hard time finding resources. I ended up using typical wedding resources, but there just isn’t much geared specifically towards bridesmaids. It would be awesome to have a place to go and chat with other bridesmaids and have shower and bachelorette ideas and inspiration. I wonder if something like that would actually work? Do you think a lot of bridesmaids actually put a lot of time and effort into researching ideas for these events? Have you done a lot of research when you were a bridesmaid?
Well, while I think of that, I thought I’d share some of the places I went to for bridesmaid inspiration: 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.
Step 1: Add in a healthy heaping (138, to be exact) of Trail Mix’s lovely, hand-cut, far-too-time-consuming directions insert for the invitation suite.
Step 2: Insert direction slip into invitation envelope, only to find that said slip is too long. Read more…
Weddingbee GalleryFeature Launched: April 10, 2009About: A collection of inspirational wedding pictures from readers and bees.
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.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
