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.
Since we decided on envelopes, we had to figure out a way to address these puppies. There was no way I was handwriting anything. And, I surely did not want a boring label. So I searched for ways to create a wraparound label. I mean, they are all over the place, but considering we wanted to mail these out pretty soon, I was working with a short timeline. Which, in turn, left me with very few choices.
My mom had purchased what she thought were Avery 5160 labels (you know, the traditional, 3 across, 10 down labels). When she opened the box, they were the 2 across, 10 down type. So basically, longer that the 5160 labels. How convenient? I picked them up from home one night, and downloaded the Avery DesignPro program. I was not about to figure out if Photoshop could do a mail merge of about 200 addresses, and Word only gives you so many options in terms of design. DesignPro, is like the easy, free version of Photoshop with a mail merge.
So, with a little magic and inspiration from our Save the Dates design, I crafted a wrap around:
Boy, did this make the addressing process entirely too easy.
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.
About a month before our engagement shoot, we still didn’t know what to wear. We were hoping to use the pictures for a few different DIY projects related to the wedding, so the one thing we knew for sure was the color of our outfits. We wanted to stick with our white and navy color scheme to coordinate with the wedding.
My dream dress for the downtown pictures was the navy Betsey Dress from Lilly Pulitzer’s Spring 2009 collection.
Another option was J.Crew’sPique V-Neck Ruffle Dress. I love it in Navy! It is cheaper than my dream Lilly dress, so I was leaning more towards the J. Crew option. 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.
Now that we have a venue, it is definitely time to send out Save The Dates. I had wanted to do this in December, but it took longer than I thought to firm up a camp, and then we got really busy during our southern hemisphere summer season, and then oops! We have a wedding date and it was only 8 1/2 months away!
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’m not really sure whether I should be proud or ashamed - but I am no longer an Etsy virgin.
Remember those shoe hats I was experimenting with before? Well, you all voted for the feather, so I figured I should get to town.
But it didn’t work out. I could not produce a matching pair. It’s like every feather in the bunch was completely different. And being cheap feathers to start with, they had an annoying habit of falling apart. It didn’t look good. It also didn’t help that the shedding feather-fluff was flying all over the place, making a gigantic down mess all over the place.
So I thought maybe I’d just go with the single-wing-per-shoe idea. It was my own personal favorite, after all. But I was afraid that it would snag on my dress since it kind of hung off the shoe. Read more…
Mrs. Dachshund, Fresno, CAAge and Occupation: 24, Legal Office AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Computer TechnicianEngagement Date: April 18, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Victorian Gardens of Two SistersAbout Me: I’m a 24-year-old Californian bride-to-be who found love in the most unlikely of places - an online video game! I’m a farmer’s daughter living in rural Central California, but will always have a special place in my heart for the city. My future husband is a 27-year-old extraordinarily tall, exceptionally cute, and undoubtedly Canadian boy who was able to sweep me off my feet and take me for his bride. I love color, folksy songs that make me smile, interior design, kettle corn, my one-year-old puppy, Juno, and my fiance, of course! We’re planning a DIY garden wedding with a laundry-list of projects, all while dealing with the bureaucracy that is American Immigration!
The other day I emailed Mr. Doxie and casually mentioned that it might look nice to use balloons as ceremony decoration. He couldn’t picture what I was talking about, so I responded with this photo so that he could get a feel for what I was imagining:
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!
Our invitations make me smile for three main reasons:
They have bunnies on them.
They are pink and white, my two favorite colors!
Other people made them. And they made them awesome!
I did not have to lift a finger to work on these until we received them in the mail—designed, printed, and cut to perfection. Here’s what arrived at our doorstep!
The main invitation, all dotted and swirled:
I asked for a variety of thick and thin swirls but never would’ve imagined them looking (and feeling!) this amazing.
Mrs. Hot Dog, Cheyenne, WYAge and Occupation: 23, Health Information SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Personal Trainer
Engagement Date: March 2009Wedding Date: August 2010Venue: Family Ranch outside Glenrock, WYAbout Me: I'm a city girl by birth and rural girl by choice. I'm ready to take on the world with a big heart and a big smile! I love all things crafty and DIY. I live in Cheyenne, WY with Mr. HD and our 2 fur babies, our dachshunds, Ollie and Mia. I love travel, adventure, Finding Nemo, '90s music, animals, and laughing. He is the cheese to my macaroni and together we spend more time watching movies than we probably should! I'm an old soul who is super duper excited to pull off our down home-rustic-chic-country wedding (on the cheap)!
As far as the flower girls and ring bearers (3 of each!) go, I’m not particularly picky as to what they wear down the aisle. I told all the mommies and daddies to just pick something something cute and comfortable for the little ones. That’s the thing about kids; they look cute no matter WHAT you put them in!
But, for some reason, I’ve been dwelling on what they will carry down the aisle. For the boys, it’s obvious that they’ll carry a pillow. And I happen to have one that I made myself. The girls, however, are undecided. Of course my first thought was baskets of flower petals. I mean, how adorable is this?!
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!
So… have you heard of the newest beauty craze sweeping the nation???
Hive… it is called VAJAZZLING… aka bedazzling your… well… um… va-jay-jay. Apparently even the celebs are doing it; Jennifer Love Hewitt raved about it on the George Lopez show back in January…
Do you want to see the process in action???
Here is the “tame version” for those of you who just want to hear about it…
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.
A couple weeks ago we were starting to fizzle. We were in the messy stage of deciding on typefaces for invitations, invitation design, and music. The last thing that I wanted to do was pick up my glue gun. But we had committed ourselves to a weekend of crafting with friends. That’s right—social crafting. Mr Pretzel’s friend J invited us to a craft night at her house.
Mrs. Paisley, Orange County, CAAge and Occupation: 25, JournalistFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Spanish ProfessorEngagement Date: September 2008Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Family Lake HouseAbout Me: From my earliest days I attracted attention, as much for my intelligence as for beauty. I display an originality, a perspicacity, a certain je ne sais quoi that sets me apart. I posses a mysterious authority which compels people to do my bidding. I am a regal blonde with classic features and the daintiness of Dresden porcelain. I am poised, soft-spoken, and well educated... Okay, now that enough eyebrows have sufficiently shot through the roof, everybody can relax---I kid! I'm just a sarcastic NorCal-turned-SoCal girl who loves outdoor activities, books, letterpress printing and of course, Professor Paisley.
Yup, that’s what’s on the to-do list with Papa Paisley this weekend. In other words, I’m crazy! I’m heading up to wine country to my grandma’s house tonight, where the wedding will be. There, the plan is to build a driftwood arbor, drink bar, wine bar. We have a couple of other projects in the works, as well. I hope brother Paisley helps us out, too. That would be awesome, because we’ll need all the help we can get!
That should take up one day pretty sufficiently! It takes a long time to collect pretty driftwood from around the lake. Read more…
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!
A while back, I wrote about wanting colored shoes to wear on my wedding day, and I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled. About a month ago, I found these cute Caparros on Zappos and ordered them right away:
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.
You wake up and hit the bathroom, ready to hop in the shower. And uh oh, is that the guy upstairs you hear walking into his bathroom? Um, yes, it sounds like he’s wearing lead shoes and you’re happy for him as you actually hear his content sigh as he is having his morning pee. And fart. Which you can hear, too. Not kidding. As soon as you turn on the shower, you realize you will be taking another arctic splash as he is getting in the shower at the same time you are and stealing all the hot water. You tell yourself, ‘hey, it’s refreshing!’ as you cry on the inside as you get in. Once you’re ready to leave, you walk out to your car only to find that the guys downstairs parked like assholes. Again. And you have an SUV…
You want to throw something through their bedroom window and yell, “those white lines are there for a reason, people!” But no, you take the high road and you crawl into your car through the trunk. Read more…
Mrs. Pug, New York City/Half Moon Bay, CAAge and Occupation: 33, LawyerFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, dittoEngagement Date: July 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon BayAbout Me: The Mr. and I are two 30-somethings who enjoy tasty sweets of all kinds, our neighborhood wine store, and cuddling with our pug. NYC is where we live and the city we love, but we’re doing the deed out in Northern California. We are trying to keep the affair small, intimate, and manageable. Our motto is: the less people, the better! (I’m kidding.)
Wow, I didn’t realize that so many of you shared my feelings about a train. Which leads us to… Wedding-Related Decision #5466: So my dress is going to spend the whole wedding day in a bustle (minus a pic or two of the full train for prosperity). But what kind of bustle?
Under bustles, aka French bustles, are quite popular now, and for good reason.
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.
After months of searching camp websites and Skyping with camp directors at obscenely early hours of the morning (NZ time), we found a venue. This means that I also know our wedding/anniversary date. Hooray! Even just typing it I get giddy.
Drum roll please…
Here is the lake.
And the cute little cabins people will stay in. Read more…
Another option was J.Crew’s Pique V-Neck Ruffle Dress. I love it in Navy! It is cheaper than my dream Lilly dress, so I was leaning more towards the J. Crew option.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
