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.
Almost a year ago, my mom found this awesome idea for unique bridesmaid’s bouquets on Project Wedding—making purses to carry the bouquets in! I was in love with the idea, since I enjoy purses almost as much as I do shoes!
You can find the DIY tutorial here. For the longest time we planned on doing these purses, but in a lavender colored fabric and with green hydrangeas (we’ll be using real flowers, not silk as in the tutorial), to pop against the bridesmaids’ darker purple dresses.
But then my mom went and found even more inspiration for me to choose from! Read more…
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.
I will say that I was a little worried about the dancing portion of our reception. I’mma be real and say that I wasn’t worried about my friends and family not getting down, just some of our other guests. Then I just consoled myself by saying that at that point in the wedding it was going to be my job to make sure that I enjoyed myself and to not worry about whether other people would get out of their seats. I was going to make sure that I got my money’s worth out of our DJ, Rob, who we met through DJ Gaza. Rob did a great job mixing much of the music that we (okay, I) requested with some of his own choices. I had given him a detailed document of “suggestions” of the genres and types of songs we wanted to have played (really, they were “suggestions” not “must plays” although a few of those were thrown in). I was really glad to hear the things we wanted. I think everyone danced at some point during our wedding even if it was just for one song.
I thought I would post some pictures of Mr. Swan and me as we danced with each other and our guests.
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.
The hive seemed to have a lot of interest in the recipe that we used for our favor prototype. I must be honest—it is a great recipe. The only reason that we aren’t 100% decided to use this one is because Mr Pretzel is still trying to track down a family beer bread recipe–which we think would be more sentimental.
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!
Remember those awesome engagement pictures I shared here and here? I used them to create our guestbook. I played around with Blurb and MyPublisher. Ultimately, I used Blurb because I found it easier to create full bleeds like this one below. Read more…
Mrs. Beagle, AustinAge and Occupation: 26, Electrical EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, FinanceEngagement Date: July 12, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Church Ceremony/Reception at The Waterford HouseAbout Me: I am a true, but rare, Austinite---I was born, raised, and continue to live in this great city! Although
I am an engineer by day, I feed my inner creative side through crafting, sewing, and obsessing over Martha Stewart. I love coffee, my mister, NPR, and exploring all the nooks and crannies of Austin.
I can't wait to share my adventures in DIY and wedding planning with all of you!
For our wedding, it was super easy to decide on what we wanted to give away as favors. I, for one, am a huge fan of all things sweet and knew it would be the perfect food item to send home with our guests. (And you can read more about our choice here.)
So when I came across this site today, via this blog, I knew I had to share it with y’all because I think it would make the perfect addition to any wedding (or shower, or party, or really any occasion at my house). The idea? Individual pies in canning jars! I love, love, love this idea and if I wasn’t already married, I might throw my original idea out the window, just so I could incorporate these instead!!!
They are completely customizable with flavors, so you can make a variety if you so choose. Plus, who doesn’t love canning jars?
Still need more reasons? They’re super easy to make. Don’t believe me? Read more…
Mrs. Piglet, Virginia/OahuAge and Occupation: 28, ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Entrepreneur/Fashion Apparel Wholesale ImporterEngagement Date: June 22, 2008Wedding Date: August 2009Venue: Ceremony at the Lanikuhonua Phase II private estate, reception at a historic hotel in WaikikiAbout Me: I'm an East Coast gal with intense road rage and an addiction to romantic comedies, fast food, gadgets, Korean BBQ, and my wiener dog George aka Georgia May. I carry mustard packets in my purse and I love perusing the aisles at discount stores. A self proclaimed shopaholic, I impulsively buy electronics, software, and craft tools; none of which I know how to use. I'm excited to dust
these babies off and immerse myself in DIY projects galore in
preparation for our DW in paradise!
I can’t chew on a Starburst without thinking about Mr Piglet. Him down on one knee, both arms stretched out, his nervous ‘Ta-Da’s as he popped the question that one lazy Sunday in June. His ingenuity deserved recognition, yah? This made favors an easy decision for us.
I took our main invitation pattern and created two templates for the wrapper; one with our names, and the other with Mahalo to thank our guests. With 120 guests at 2 packs a person, that meant a whole lotta cutting, scoring, and packaging… for Jean (my roomie) and Mr Piglet.
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!
In preparation for our STDs, we went down to LA to take some pics with my bridesmaid Amy and her husband Andrew, who are just starting a photography business. We had a blast going around our alma mater taking photos. Here are a few of my favorites from the day:
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!
So we had milled, and filed, and now it was time to engrave and buff our wedding rings!
We began the day at 9:30 after an hour drive to very small town in Virginia. Within three hours, we had soldered our rings. We took a break to head to a local burger joint and indulged in a greasy, delicious cheeseburger and yummy fries, all paid for as a part of the overall expenses.
After that, we headed back to the shop to finish our rings! After the filing process I showed you, we were ready for the final steps!
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.)
We sort of fancy ourselves as (future) DIY-ers: he has a little herb and vegetable garden growing outside of our apartment door, and I like to make things (both for fun and to save money—mostly we make a lot of our own household cleaners and usually cook from scratch). We also are both really into healthy living, but not because it’s always pleasurable—sometimes we have to find little hacks to make doing what’s good for us into something we like doing. Read more…
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.
In preparation for the engagement party our friends had planned, we thought we should probably start a registry. We went to one of our favorite stores. We were so excited about walking around the store and registering for whatever we wanted. Then we got there and reality set in. We live at home with my mom and are planning on being here until the wedding nears, to save money for the wedding and a home. We realized that picking out registry items when you don’t have a home or apartment yet is pretty hard!
I am a visual person and I couldn’t pick anything up and visualize it in our future home because I have no idea what that home will look like. What if the kitchen is tiled a certain color and we can’t use plates we picked out? What if the bathroom has the same issue? I know the logical thing to do is buy basic colors, but that is no fun to me!
We thought this may be somewhat of a problem, but it was worse than we expected. When we get a home, we are going into it with pretty much nothing. We have always lived in apartments fully furnished and equipped with everything from the TV, microwave, utensils, dishes, measuring cups, you name it. So we don’t really have anything other than two beautiful bedroom sets given to us by Mr. Starfish’s parents (they moved last year and gave us two sets).
We set one criterion only: Items have to be practical and really needed.
Mrs. Lace, Pasadena, CAAge and Occupation: 29, Elementary school teacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, EngineerEngagement Date: September 6, 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Orange County Performing Arts CenterAbout Me: Born and raised in Southern California, my fiance and I are marrying in Orange County. We're planning a vintage wedding with a modern twist. I am an elementary school teacher by day and a wedding planner by night. I love reading, blogging, scrapbooking, trying out new DIY projects, buying awesome finds at incredible deals and spending time with friends and family. Trying new restaurants, traveling and shopping also top my hobby list. I'm anxious to share my wedding ideas and planning with the hive!
Have you been super close to finishing a wedding project and itched to cross that item off your to-do list? That’s me, so I need your help. A while back, I blogged about how I was going to make my own sash here and here. I have been working on it here and there and wanted to give the hive an update and get some feedback.
I quickly fell in love with the black sash (the dress ain’t bad either!).
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!
In my previous shoe post, I found the perfect red shoes - perfect for anyone but me, that is. I love the look of brightly colored shoes under a poufy wedding dress; however, my dress isn’t poufy, so those shoes would be peeking out every. single. step. Perhaps it might be a little distracting as I traipse down the aisle. Sad - I’m so in love with these shoes! Let’s take another look at them, shall we?
The Louboutin Ernesta Bow in Red
So, after a period of post break-up bumming, I accepted the fact that these red shoes wouldn’t be walking me down the aisle. So, what shoes will take their place? After some intense Zappos searching, here are the contenders: 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.
So, it turns out that Mr. Veggie’s fashion insight is stronger than I give him credit for - apparently vests are very in these days. After a short round of internetting I quickly lost any doubts I had about the vest concept. Heck, I’d marry one of these dudes. They look great!
Mrs. Deviled Egg, PittsburghAge and Occupation: 27, Public RelationsFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, AccountingEngagement Date: December 24, 2007Wedding Date: May, 2009Blogging Since: October 21, 2008Venue: Historic auditorium and meeting hall in one of Pittsburgh's commuter citiesAbout Me: I am obsessed with all things crafty, especially scrapbooking, knitting, jewelry-making & cake decorating. I also love being an aunt, wrapping presents, watching football (Go Steelers!), shopping at yard sales and consignment stores, procrastinating, singing and learning to play the guitar. When it comes to wedding planning, I'm excited about working on DIY projects and finding creative ways to stay under budget. Of course, nothing is more exciting to me than knowing that the wonderful Mr. Deviled Egg will be my husband.
Here it was, the morning of our wedding day, and there were a few things that needed to be done before we could get down to the business of becoming bridal. First on the agenda was getting the reception room ready to go.
With our wedding taking place on a Sunday, we were aware that there would be a chance that an event could take place in our venue the night before. When we learned a Saturday wedding had been booked, that just meant we, bridesmaids, my mother, Mr. DE’s mother and I, would have to get up a little earlier on the wedding day to deliver all of the reception decorations and take care of some set up. While I would have loved to have everything taken care of the day before, we rolled with the punches and arrived early, prepared to take care of business before heading off to the salon to relax and get pretty.
The main tasks that morning were preparing the centerpieces, arranging the seating cards/favors, putting on the chair covers and setting up the cake.
The cake! The centerpiece of any wedding reception and the DIY masterpiece that was in the works for months.
In case you forgot, I was the crazy bee who, with the help of her sister, decided to make her own wedding cake. How did it turn out? See for yourself: Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
