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!
There are so many ways to make the grand exit from your wedding. Mr. Dolphin and I have gone over several different ideas. This past summer I had to research our best budget-friendly options and report back to Mr. Dolphin (yes… we actually sat down and I presented my ideas and the prices for each). But before I reveal what we decided to go with, I thought I’d show off the grand exits of two of my very sweet bridesmaids at their weddings. Check them out:
A feather toss getaway? This would be Seminole Bridesmaid’s wedding (yes she went to FSU… but I still love her).
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!
Well, not completely. I don’t think Mr. Doxie could ever give up video games, and that’s okay. I enjoy them too. However, he did trade in a substantial amount of his games to Amazon.com for credit there. We had planned on doing this a few months ago. He was going to trade in everything that he no longer played, and buy the new games that he wanted. Well, we finally sent them in and he got the credit today. 34 games landed us just under $300.00. It’s a loss, yes, but not too bad if you consider they were just sitting on the shelf!
After a bit of light persuasion on my part, Mr. D agreed that it would be okay to see if Amazon sold anything we might need for the wedding. We still need a lot, and luckily Amazon sells everything! Our video game shelf is a little barer, but we definitely scored:
Mrs. Perfume, DCAge and Occupation: 36, Consultant (and Part-Time Professor)Fiance's Age and Occupation: 41, ConsultantEngagement Date: May 13, 2008Wedding Date: May, 2009Venue: The Homestead, Hot Springs, VirginiaAbout Me: I'd like to think that I'm a modern day Little Edie Beale. Only not as..."talented". More realistically, I'm a foodie who can't bake; a dancer and dilettente; an art collector with a penchant for the whimsical and subversive. I live in the city and adore the country, but not much in between. I like smart design, great craftmanship and good value. Most of all, I love the new vintage aesthetic: classic, sweet, delicate, bespoke. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go for a culinary arts degree rather than a PhD; but wouldn't trade Mr. P for the world.
Grrrr. Writing recaps is SO hard, especially when it’s much more interesting to read all the fresh ideas from all the fresh new bees and all the fabulous recent weddings in the hive! But, I’m determined to get this all done by our one year anniversary, which is fast approaching! I don’t think I’ll do a ton of recaps, just a handful of really long posts. So warning: this is tediously long! Sorry!
So we left off with that Wednesday before the wedding, where we gathered and packed everything for the trip down to Hot Springs/The Homestead. As I mentioned, to maximize efficiency for car travel, we packed a lot of things flat and un-assembled, which meant that there was to be assembly required!
Tip #1: If you’re planning a destination wedding or planning from afar, be sure to add at least an additional day and a half at your location to give yourself time to assemble your details, especially if you have a lot of them.
Mrs. Octopus, Boston, MA/Pittsburgh, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Grad StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Graphics Operator for TV NewsEngagement Date: May 6th, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Heinz Chapel Ceremony, Museum Reception
About Me: When my best friend dragged me to a toga party in our freshmen year of college, I was not expecting to meet my future husband; but seven years later, here we are. I'm a crazy-organized planner at heart, and I am a great lover of random trivia, books, chocolate, blogs, new and exciting adventures, mockumentary-style television, and anything heavily flavored with bright orange fake cheese powder. We're planning a festive and fun mini-destination wedding in the place where we met: fabulous Pittsburgh, PA! I can't wait to marry the man I love!
Sometimes I suspect that if a scientist looked at a cross-section of my brain, things might actually be divided up into neat, color-coded, size-ordered, alphabetized compartments in there. As I’ve said before, I am a compulsive organizer; it really helps me think, and keeps me from getting stressed. Wedding planning can be quite a beast when you think about aaaaalll the things that need to be planned, done, and coordinated, but I’ve had a pretty smooth time working through it all so far. The tools I’ve used to stay on track have been super-helpful, and I’ve felt mellow about the wedding about 90% of the time (which is a pretty good track record, I think!). So, I thought it might help anybody who’s getting a little bit swallowed up by all the STUFF involved in wedding planning if I shared some tips on the organizational things I do to keep myself sane.
Contracts Binder:
I only use my binder for information from and contracts of vendors we’ve already booked. I like having one place to keep all my set-in-stone, binding documents. You can prepare this way before you actually sign with anybody–I did! I bought a bunch of el cheapo dividers at Target, labeled them with the vendors I knew we would need to book, and have been filling them in with the contracts of the people we’ve chosen as things move along.
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)!
In this installment, you get to see the main floor of the log house at the ranch. It is seriously one of the most beautiful homes I’ve ever seen. I feel so incredibly honored to be able to have our wedding in such a beautiful place.
The groomsmen’s LEGO cuff links surround Evilalita’s stunning rings.
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. 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.
Flowers were not at the top of my list. With only one bouquet and nothing else, I was none too concerned. Until I totally began lusting over this flower.
When I finally started the hunt for the perfect florist, I searched high and low. And, even after a quick trip up to Grand Rapids and a chat with wonderful florist up there (Stems Event Design, in case you’re wondering), I knew I wanted ranunculus in my bouquet. The problem? They usually are not in season in September. But Natalie at Stems assured me they were not hard to get, and if no one in St. Louis would help me get them she would (kudos to her!!).
So, I contacted a few local florists, and was up front that I was only going to have my bouquet made. A total turn off for most, seeing as how they would love to take a larger floral job (I don’t blame them). And, a few local florists told me ranunculus were not possible. Sigh.
In one of my many late nights (let’s face it, I’m up late every night), I stumbled upon Belli Fiori. I sent her a quick note, and within 24 hours, she had emailed me back and we set up time to meet back in early November. I brought a photo of my dress, my bridesmaid’s dress, and samples of our wedding colors to help her out. Read more…
Mrs. Seashell, Chicago, IL / Providence, RIAge and Occupation: 28, Marriage and Family TherapistFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Electrical EngineerEngagement Date: September 3, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: The Glen Manor HouseAbout Me: Fonts and fashion, stationery and Sundays, photography and french toast... the beauty is in the details for this fun-loving Chicagoan who loves to plan plan plan! The soon-to-be hubs plays "Mr. Fix-It" in our new condo while I swoon over beautiful, personalized stationery and choose shades of aubergine for my bridesmaids' dresses... and thus begins my new fairy tale! Skirting to the East Coast for our September nuptials where my home state of Rhode Island awaits with fall foliage, I'm just a few dress fittings and bachelorette party away from saying "I Do" to a very happy ending!
I’ve officially been a bride-to-be for 7 months. But, I’ll be honest—I’ve been planning my wedding for quite some time before then.
I wasn’t ever one of those little girls who ran around with a makeshift veil or played “wedding” growing up. In fact, I wasn’t remotely interested in boys into well into high school. That’s not to say I wasn’t a girly girl. Oh, I was.
I didn’t get the wedding “bug” until my mid-twenties. I was in a relationship that was headed in the direction of marriage. During this time, I began to buy wedding magazines and was soon after hopelessly hooked… The blogs, vendor research, piles and piles of idea clippings began to accumulate. But then that relationship ended, and my wedding research went on hiatus.
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.
You know, the other wedding that I am planning in my head… the one with the barn and the straw bales covered with quilts. As if I didn’t have enough planning to do for my real wedding, I just found a great inspiration for overhead decorations. Check out these mobiles made from branches and magnolia-like flowers.
Yep, Mr Pretzel and I spied these at a nearby church. What you can’t see from the photo is that the branches each move separately. 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!
Well, I have no idea how many ladies (single or married, anything goes) will want to participate. And I won’t know until the emcee decides to call them up to the dance floor. Now, this rather fortunate uncertainty gives me the opportunity to buy a bunch of charms. If I have too many, guess who gets to keep them?
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!
I mentioned in my post on MUAs that after much searching, I finally found a reasonably-priced makeup artist. Her name is Vy of Exquisite Faces and she’s based in Fremont, pretty close to our wedding venue. Well, I booked a trial with her and here are the results!
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.
It’s started! The excitement of coming home from work every day to find little purple RSVP envelopes in our mailbox is so awesome. I had no idea how much I’d look forward to getting our responses back!
But then I realized that there is an annoying stamp on all of our RSVPs….which probably means it was also put on all our wedding invitations. Can’t see what I’m talking about? Here’s a closer look:
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!
This past weekend, Mr. Hamster and I went shopping for our wedding bands. We both entered this task with definite wants (me: diamonds, him: simple) and emerged successful. I now present you with some ring porn:
My band of prong set diamonds, coupled with my engagement ring.
Mrs. Ballet Flat, New OrleansAge and Occupation: 24, Geographic Information Systems AnalystFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, IT AnalystEngagement Date: March 16, 2008Wedding Date: May, 2009Blogging Since: September 25, 2008Venue: St. Charles Borromeo Church/Jefferson-Orleans NorthAbout Me: I absolutely love wedding planning, spending time with Mr. Ballet Flat, various crafts, watching football, baking, pop music, bargain hunting and ice cream. My idea of a great date night is dinner and clearance shopping with Mr. Ballet Flat! I currently live below sea level in the suburbs near New Orleans, where I make maps all day, everyday for my job. I'm slowly becoming more and more obsessed with anything New Orleans related for our wedding, and I can't wait for the big day!
After the girls finished laughing about the outcome from the cake pull, we had quite a crowd gather around to watch us cut into our wedding cake. I love this picture of Mr. Ballet Flat… just a great smile there! I think it’s because he likes me or something.
I really don’t like cutting into cakes. Maybe it’s because I decorate them for a hobby and can appreciate how much work goes into them. So, Mr. BF took the reins and made that first cut… poor cake! Read more…
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!
Recently, I have gotten very into shopping websites in the like of Gilt and Rue La La. In Rue La La’s last Final Sale: Act II, I bought some delicious, delicious brown knee high boots by Pour La Victoire. Mmmm yes. I am drooling just thinking about them. They are made in Brazil and are as soft as butter. So, when I found these babies also by Pour La Victoire, I was ecstatic and ordered four pairs!
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
