Mrs. Lamb, NorfolkAge and Occupation: 25, Homeland Security ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: January 2009Wedding Date: January 2010Venue: Trinity Presbyterian Church/Harrison Opera HouseAbout Me: I’m a Homeland Security Consultant with a tendency towards pulling office pranks, taking lunch breaks, and drinking Wawa shakes. I’m also an English major with a serious obsession with alliteration and rhymes. While I’m not keeping America safe, I’m training for half marathons and the Escape from Alcatraz swim. Or moving for the third time this year. Or baking. Or wedding crafting. Or crying about wedding planning. All the while, I’m getting myself into Lucille Ball-esque scrapes and making Jim Carey-esque faces. Our big fat Czech/Baptist/Jewish/Italian wedding is a combination of vintage eclectic, DIY, and little spoonful of sugar from our Event Coordinator. It’s going to be a Norfolk flavored wedding with the verve of an only-daughter-blow-out bash!
Lighting seemed like one of those frou-frou unnecessary expenses to me, until Pavaune showed me pictures of the differences between unlit rooms and uplit rooms. Pavaune found Blue Steel through recommendations from some of our other vendors and handled all of the contract negotiations. My mom really loved the idea of a personalized gobo (seen during the father daughter dance in the picture below), so we ordered that and the amber uplighting seen in the dance picture below.
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.
Sorry about that, Frogger and I have decided to start watching the show Lost now that it’s completely over. We’re freaks. Read more…
Mrs. Cowboy Boot, Santa FeAge and Occupation: 25, Magazine EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Artist and Whitewater Rafting GuideEngagement Date: April 28th, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Devil's Thumb Ranch, ColoradoAbout Me: I grew up in Los Angeles and have since lived in San Diego, Boston, Italy, Hawaii, New York City, and Santa Fe. I speak Italian and love pasta. My real passion is the outdoors, though. When I'm not at work, I'm snowboarding, hiking with my two dogs, mountain biking, surfing, cross-country-skiing, or boating New Mexico's rivers. Despite my boyish love for adventure, I'm a girly-girl at heart and am overly-excited to pull off the romantic, vintage-inspired, country wedding of my dreams.
Nine months. Can you believe it’s been nine months since our wedding? It feels like yesterday I was still stamping out-of-town bags and collecting jars for our centerpieces. No matter that married life has taken a hold of us, I can’t stop noticing wedding-related goodies—and I’m feeling the need to share. Here are a few things I kinda, sorta wish I had when I was in the planning process.
For the decor…
A wedding planner. Not just a day-of-coordinator, but someone to design the event for you. I had fun DIYing, don’t get me wrong, but it would’ve been fun to have had a life the summer before our wedding, too. Who would I have chosen? More than likely, local Santa Fean Jessie Abrams Baca. Just get a look at this eye candy.
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!
I’ll be honest: I’ve been thinking about this day almost as long as I was planning the wedding.
I’m talking about the PWC. Oh, the glorious PWC… how I’ve dreamed about it longingly. I started growing my hair out in February of 2009; around the time when the chatter of engagement began with Mr. Buttons. I knew I’d want to sport an updo of some sort on the wedding day, and I knew that I’d need to start early to get the length necessary. This is how my hair looked after my last REAL haircut… a chin length inverted bob with long bangs:
This is how it looked about one year after that (in November 2009) - my bangs had grown out, and my hair was at shoulder level: 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!
Mr. Sew, as you may have noticed, can’t see. He needs glasses, and strong ones. Though he has contacts, he just doesn’t look like himself without the rims. So naturally, he decided it would be best for him to wear them on our wedding day.
However, there was a problem (isn’t there always?). His glasses have transition lenses, meaning they change into dark sunglasses when hit with UV rays.
I’m pretty sure I want to be able to look my future husband in the eye when he says his vows to me. No rock star indoor sunglasses, please!
The solution was simple - have Mr. Sew get some new glasses without transition lenses. He was due for an appointment anyway.
But somehow it didn’t turn out quite like I had pictured. Read more…
Mrs. Pudding, Greater Toronto Area/VermontAge and Occupation: 26, High School TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Computer EngineerEngagement Date: August 2008Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Catholic Ceremony, Cultural Hall ReceptionAbout Me: Quite literally a citizen of the world, I was born in Poland, grew up in Canada, and now live in the beautiful state of Vermont. I love reading historical biographies, multi-tasking, teasing my hair, and, despite my height, wearing high heeled shoes. I am the ultimate klutz with an uncanny ability to put on a graceful front. Mr. Pudding and I have been dating for over six years, and are very excited to finally merge our (very large) families. We are planning a traditional Polish-Catholic wedding that is anything but predictable.
Despite being engaged for over a year and a half, Mr. Pudding and I just recently had our engagement pictures taken. Mr. Pudding was a little bit confused as to why we even needed engagement pictures, but was persuaded to go along with the whole thing when I explained that it would be good practice for our wedding (he’s such a good sport).
I really wanted our engagement pictures to have a more “artsy” theme. I wanted them to be utterly romantic, and interesting to look at. I had the idea to do a shoot that involved a field with hanging laundry. I have always thought that linens blowing in the wind were terribly romantic. They remind me of my grandparents’ farm in Poland, where my Babcia would hang linens to dry amongst cattle grazing on the dandelion fields. In fact, Mama Pudding to this day hangs all of her laundry outside in the summertime (she did this even when it was illegal… what can I say, Mama P is a bad ass). The visual just reminds me of a simpler time in my life.
I was worried that our photographers at Renaissance Studio Photography would laugh at the idea of me wanting to have our pics taken with dirty underwear or something. To my surprise, Clint was very receptive. He suggested that we add a basket of peaches to the equation, and what we got was the perfect vision of old world romance!
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.
The idea of spending money on a wedding dress always stressed me out a bit. Obviously, I want to look as good as possible for the wedding, but the thought of spending money on a dress that I was only going to wear once was not something I was excited about.
My grandmother generously gave me $1000 to find a dress, but I hoped I would be able to find something I loved for $600 (Canadian) max. I realize that spending $600 on a dress is really no small amount, but I was pretty much positive I would never be able to find something I liked for less. I wasn’t even sure I would be able to find something I liked for $600.
Anyway, I started looking at dresses on the Internet back in October to see what kinds of things I wanted for my dress. Here’s a selection of my favourites:
The Carolina Dress by Lea Ann Belter (a Toronto designer!)
This dress is pretty much the ideal for me. Lace, sweetheart neckline, cap sleeves. Sigh…
I actually think it’s possible that the back is even more gorgeous than the front: 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!
This past Saturday Mr. Seashell and I went to pick out/pick up our wedding bands. Mine had been in the works for a while, as I was having a simple eternity band made out of stones that belonged to my Grandmother. Mr. Seashell, on the other hand, had some work to do.
He had previously tried on several rings and had a general idea of what he liked, but he still needed to choose “the one”.
Mrs. Latte, Boston/NYCAge and Occupation: 29, College Admissions CounselorFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Elementary School TeacherEngagement Date: August 23, 2008Wedding Date: July 2009Venue: Stage 6 at Steiner StudiosAbout Me: I am an East Coast girl marrying a West Coast boy. After 2 years of over 3,000 miles between us, Mr. Latte and I are looking forward to finally living in the same time zone/coast/city/home and living “normal couple” lives. I am a crafter at heart and enjoy dragging my friends into new craft projects. I love my Mac, baking cupcakes, wrapping presents, my BlackBerry, naps, good NY style pizza, Jack Bauer and of course, Mr. Latte. I love him a latte. :)
… to a picture-perfect backdrop (Fenway Park!)? Read more…
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 love, love, love to wear my pearls. I at least always have my pearl earrings in everyday, and wear my pearl necklaces when I can. It’s pretty much a staple with my wardrobe. Shoes? Check. Pants? Check. Pearls? Check.
BUT, for the wedding day, I’m hanging up my pearls (well, laying them in my jewelry box).
Why?
Because I found the most awesomeist necklace to wear:
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. 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.
This Monday, we Thimbles have our pro-pic engagement session. I’m in excited disbelief that it’s our turn to pretty ourselves up and take some romantic sunset photos…
Any weight I hoped to lose before pictures? Still lingering. I haven’t had my hair highlighted or colored professionally in a year to save money. And outfits? I don’t even know where to begin! I can style my bridesmaids, or a cast of 11 actors on a 2-hour journey through the ’60s on a $300 budget {yeah, that happened}, but I’m starting to fear that I’m incapable of styling myself. Or I should confess: I just don’t have to funds for the beautiful clothes that I covet and imagine myself wearing in these dreamy photographs. I think this is really a perfect damn you beautiful, inspiring wedding blogs!!! moment, if I may.
What really gets me about this tightening of the money-belt is that I only go on shopping sprees for special occasions. I give myself a free pass. Usually the shopping is vacation-related, but I am dying to shopspree my heart out for this photo shoot. Therefore, I am trying to stay grounded by trusting past instincts and happy memories, and shopping my closet first. We all have some special frocks we frequently forget about, no? I present a few of my favorite pieces from my wardrobe: Read more…
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!
After making your 2 panel pocket folds, you’ll need to design your actual invitations and inserts. I designed using Adobe Illustrator. I printed 3 pages for each invitation.
Page 1: 2 invitation panels (1 English, 1 Vietnamese) on 32/80# Laser White Smooth
Page 2: Two reception cards printed double-sided with directions on back on 65# Cover Laser White
Page 3: 1 Ceremony card & 2 RSVP cards also printed double-sided on 65# Cover Laser White 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.
It’s early Wednesday morning, just a couple days until our wedding day!
Eeeeeeeee! I just got goose bumps from writing that!
In a little bit I’ll be heading to the SF Flower Mart to pick flowers for our wedding, and later tonight we’ll be hanging out with some of our wedding party who is already in town. Tomorrow morning we’ll head to my mom’s house to help with arranging all the flowers, and then we’re off for a sunset sail with our wedding party, followed by the rehearsal and dinner Friday, and then we’ll be married on Saturday! If I find the time, I might even post some getting ready pictures on mobile blog on our big day.
It’s thisclose now!
And I can hardly believe how fast the past 7 months of writing for Weddingbee has gone by. Read more…
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!
As I sit here watching the Lakers/Celtics game, I am thinking about the anticipation as I followed the Lakers through the season, watching their hard work culminate in entering the NBA Finals. Putting all rivalries aside, these two teams must have been so happy to make it to the Finals and the days and hours leading up to each game must be so exciting.
So, why is it, when I’m in the final days leading up to the wedding, I am hardly excited? When people ask how many days it is before the wedding and I give them the countdown, a fresh wave of adrenaline and stress runs through my body. I am super excited about getting married and going to Disney World, but no one prepares you for the stress level that comes with the final weeks leading up to the wedding!
Think about it. All those things you thought, ‘oh, we can do that closer to the wedding. It’s too early to start that.’ Or, all those times you half finished a project. Or, those times you put off a decision because you didn’t feel like making it or felt indecisive. Well, it all comes back and bites you in the butt. Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
