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!
When the wedding festivities start, they just don’t stop. First, the beautiful shower from Mr. Hot Wings’ Aunts, and now a fun Half-Bachelorette/Half-Going Away Party. My Chicago friends sent me off in fitting Chicago style. We started with hot dogs at Hot Doug’s. Very Bachelorette, right? On Fridays and Saturdays, Hot Doug’s serves Duck Fat Fries!!! Super score. I had a Jamaican Jerk Pork Sausage with gouda cheese and plantains, a corn dog (for only $1.50), and duck fat fries. White dress what? I’m eating hot dogs! Read more…
Mrs. Thimble, NYC/PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 26, Actress & Costume Designer (+ day job)Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Lawyer & Techie WizEngagement Date: August 22, 2008Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: The Pearl S. Buck HouseAbout Me: I’m an easily inspired over-thinker delighted with the process of designing, building, directing and {dare I say} co-starring in the early-autumn affair I’ve been dreaming up. I’m a sucker for trendied-up comfort foods and old family anecdotes; I have an affinity for adjectives, alliteration, eyelet and earl grey; and I live for quality time with family and friends. I never guessed I’d marry my “high school sweetheart", but when it turned out to be my funny, techie, loyal Mr. Thimble I was committed for life. We’re both mid-career transition and ready to move back to small-townish TBD, PA in a pre-wedding flurry of all-good life changes.
I admit, I talked a bighuge, full-of-myself game in my early post on wedding planning and I as soul mates. I was having a blast picking my game-day team who would help bring my vision to life and thinking up countless homespun projects. Bringing two families together has been easy as pie. These are not, at this time, the source of my stress—they are my solace in the storm.
Indecision is not the source of my stress either, but rather the result of handling my stress in inappropriate ways. It’s just the part of me that makes me hesitate when someone asks me how wedding plans are coming along because I’m not sure they really want to get into the benefits of letterpressed invitations or cardigans over shawls—but that’s where my mind usually is.
I am stressed because I’m a guilt-ridden people-pleaser. And I’m planning an interfaith ceremony.
We have done a disproportionately greater amount of work to prepare for the Catholic side of the wedding, but it is going to be a disproportionately more Jewish ceremony. I don’t have a problem with this, but my mother implies that she does. Read more…
Mrs. Knitting, TorontoAge and Occupation: 24, Student Recruitment Assistant
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Neuroscience PhD CandidateEngagement Date: October 2009Wedding Date: December 2010Venue: University of Toronto Faculty Club
About Me: I'm a pearl wearing, etiquette book reading Toronto girl who loves cooking and baking, museums, charm bracelets, and collecting books on Jackie Kennedy (a lot). I've been known to spend Sunday mornings at the antique market, Wednesday evenings at sister sushi dinners, and any bit of spare time reading. After six and a half years of many late night walks, watching DVDs together in bed, travelling to places like New York, and Tobermory, doing Sudokus together on the couch, lots of Indian food, the occasional yoga class, moving in together and so much more, Mr. Knitting and I are planning a cozy Christmasy (it's a word!), vintage wedding in Toronto complete with many DIY projects (eek!) and lots of help from our amazing group of family and friends.
Picking out what jewelry I plan to wear on my wedding day has been a relatively painless process so far. For me, the best jewelry has a lot of sentimental value, and that’s why I knew pretty much as soon as I found my dress that I would be wearing my locket. My locket is definitely one of my most treasured pieces of jewelry. Mr. Knitting bought it for me for my 19th birthday and I’ve worn it almost non-stop ever since.
For example,
Eating cheesecake in Grand Central Station in NYC:
Mrs. Frog, Phoenix, AZ/Chelan, WA
Age and Occupation: 29, Public Relations
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Online SalesEngagement Date: February 8, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Amy's ManorAbout Me: I'm an opinionated Midwestern girl now living in the Valley of the Sun marrying a laid back Northwestern guy. I'm equal parts sass, silly and sweet. I'm fiercely loyal with a strong devotion to my family and friends. I have a not-so-secret obsession with apple juice, a new obsession with DIY projects and I love a really good cheese plate...with lots of wine. After 7 blissful years of dating, I'm having the time of my life planning the destination wedding of my dreams to my Mr. Frog-turned-Prince Charming.
I was lucky to have been traveling there for work back in May of last year and having been somewhat newly engaged, I thought it could be great timing to take a look around for a dress. I mentioned the idea to my mom and she loved it… she loved it so much that she booked a ticket to come out at the end of my trip so I could stay a few extra days and we could do my dress shopping together!
I made quite a few appointments with some big bridal giants and after a grueling few days of work, I was excited to scour the city to find my dress.
My first appointment was at the home to TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress”—the one and only Kleinfeld.
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!
My most-anticipated moment of the ceremony had arrived—our vows! After the readers, the marriage address, and the sand ceremony, we poured our hearts out to each other in words.
Mr. Pencils’ and I had sat down one Saturday night and penned our vows together. We wanted them to be similar but not the same; different but in kind. We decided to keep the same structure for the first three “stanzas” and repeat the same words, vows, to each other in the last “stanza”.
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!
For the Buttons’ nuptials, I was given two wonderful showers. I’ll be honest, the first one took place a few months ago… so I’m way way way behind in telling you about it! Truthfully, my new camera was holding my photos captive until recently, so that is my (poor) excuse…
In early March, my Aunt S and Mommy Buttons’ friend Ms. Z threw me an absolutely wonderful bridal shower! It took place at my parents’ house, and we had quite a lovely turnout!
Guests arrived, mingled, drank iced tea or homemade sangria, and proceeded to have their gifts attacked/inspected by Theo (he loves tissue paper). Read more…
Estilo Weddings is known for their great selection of wedding day decor and favors. From ring pillows to place cards, cupcake liners and favors, Estilo Weddings has everything you need for your wedding day, all in bold colors and styles. Recently, Estilo Weddings launched a new service called The Personal Shopper at Estilo! If your wedding to-do list keeps you from finding the time to find the perfect items for your wedding day, it’s Estilo to the rescue! Outsource the hours and hours of scouring the web and let Estilo Weddings find and suggest the perfect details for your wedding day, engagement party, bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, or day-after brunch. The Personal Shopper includes a long list of time-saving services, not limited to but including:
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Today, Estilo Weddings is giving away a free personal shopping experience ($150 value) plus 10% off from the Estilo Weddings store to one lucky Weddingbee reader! This prize includes a free initial one-on-one consultation, two hours of product research, and a personalized list of recommended products and sources.
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Mrs. Socks, Southern NJ/Philadelphia, PAAge and Occupation: 23, Web Developer/Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Systems EngineerEngagement Date: September 7, 2009
Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: Ladder 15 RestaurantAbout Me: I am originally from the Midwest, but I love being an East Coast transplant! Mr. Socks and I are foodies and winos to the core---give us a hunk of cheese, some charcuterie and a glass of wine and we could die happy. We have two mischievous Wire Fox Terriers with completely opposite personalities but with a shared love of uprooting anything in our garden. Our backyard garden includes everything from tomatoes and peppers to a fig tree, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries! I love cooking, indie music, and spending time in our wedding city of choice---Philly!
Something Blue Stylists was amazing to work with for our wedding. I worked with Andrea and Shayna and they were both fantastic. They came to me for the trial which I loved. Andrea was supposed to be on maternity leave for my wedding which I knew before I booked but after the trial with another hairstylist, she decided that she would be the hairstylist for me and the bridesmaids and I am so happy that she was!
Mrs. Earrings, Fresno, CA/ Nelson, New ZealandAge and Occupation: 20, Student, Wannabe Writer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 19, Photography StudentEngagement Date: February 14, 2010Wedding Date: January 2011Venue: Gardens of the WorldAbout Me: I'm a girl from down under who grew up in Indonesia and I'm marrying a California boy. I'm addicted to all things sweet, have never met a chocolate silk pie than can get the better of me, and have dreams of one day being a fulltime novelist. I go weak in the knees for lace, tea cups, and a beautifully crafted sentence. When I get excited about something (whether it is historical linguistics or the Beatles) I tend to go overboard in research, and planning this wedding is no different. Mr. Earrings is my high school sweetheart, my best friend, and somehow we combine all our quirks into one big happy mess.
This is the final part to this series, I swear. Anyway, as I left off in the last post of this series… Mr E and I had to live apart in different countries for quite a while. But we made it work. Somehow.
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!
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!
Last we left off on the calligraphy front, I told you about BM Lauren’s generous offer to do all our calligraphy. I also mentioned that I’d be taking a little road trip to LA to visit her and do calligraphy together. Well, it didn’t happen. Basically I had a “OMG-I-should-be studying-for-the-Bar-exam,-not-driving-to-LA-and-back” freak out and canceled. Lauren is a doll and was totally understanding about it, but I still wanted to help with the calligraphy, and to get our out-of-state and international invites out by mid-June. So I took it upon myself to calligraphy about half our envelopes, doing 10-20 per day (which believe me, was a welcome break from BarBri).
Instead of following through on my original plans to learn fancy Copperplate calligraphy (which involves an elbow nib and a bottle of ink!), I cheated and used one of those calligraphy fountain pens (much like this one). I actually found this pen, which I must have gotten sometime in middle school, in a box at my parents’ house. Luckily, there was one unopened ink cartridge with it! I was ecstatic to see how well it worked. While at my parents’ house, I also came across this:
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. Cardigan, AustinAge and Occupation: 21, Student/Soon-to-be Special Education TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 20, Student/Soon-to-be Accounting Systems AnalystEngagement Date: August 16, 2009Wedding Date: January 2011Venue: Vintage VillasAbout Me: I'm a native Austinite who was raised as a die-hard Aggie. Luckily, I'm a pretty persuasive girl because I managed to convince my high school boyfriend (now fiance!), Mr. Cardigan, to ditch his hardcore Longhorn ways and join me up at A&M, where we currently reside with our adorable dogs, Cullen & Ranger. We're currently planning a bright, cheery wedding with a ridiculous amount of DIY projects that I can't wait to tackle! I love crafting in any form, reading, and margaritas (I think I love them the most!). Organization is what keeps me sane and I love helping others, which is probably why I ended up as an education major. It gets a little chaotic sometimes when you're planning a wedding among all of the papers, projects, finals, and certification exams, but we're having the time of our lives and we can't wait to get started on our journey as husband and wife - and we're so excited to share our wedding with the hive!
This may be one of the most random things I’ve ever heard of, but here it goes:
I was getting my hair cut the other day, and I got to talking about weddings with my hair stylist. She told me that a few years ago her cousin (get ready for this) married herself.
Mrs. Thimble, NYC/PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 26, Actress & Costume Designer (+ day job)Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Lawyer & Techie WizEngagement Date: August 22, 2008Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: The Pearl S. Buck HouseAbout Me: I’m an easily inspired over-thinker delighted with the process of designing, building, directing and {dare I say} co-starring in the early-autumn affair I’ve been dreaming up. I’m a sucker for trendied-up comfort foods and old family anecdotes; I have an affinity for adjectives, alliteration, eyelet and earl grey; and I live for quality time with family and friends. I never guessed I’d marry my “high school sweetheart", but when it turned out to be my funny, techie, loyal Mr. Thimble I was committed for life. We’re both mid-career transition and ready to move back to small-townish TBD, PA in a pre-wedding flurry of all-good life changes.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
