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.
I have a confession. I’m not the most delicate or gentle person when it comes to things I own and unfortunately my engagement ring is no exception. I can’t help it if I like to get my hands dirty and only remember to take off the ring AFTER the fact. Bad me. Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I was admiring the sparkles in class (*cough* and paying attention to the lecture *cough*) when I noticed a couple of the prongs were completely lifted up and one of the stones was just waiting to fall out of its setting. Eeek! I don’t think Mr E would have been too happy with that scenario…
So I took it to the jewelers and now after two weeks it is finally back on my finger (it is like getting it for the first time all over again… so shiny and new looking because they cleaned all my messiness off it and got it re-rhodium plated). To remind myself to keep on looking after it I thought I might share some ring care tips and tricks that I have learned from those in the know. Many of these were suggested by very helpful brides in an NZ forum I frequent, so kudos to them for helping me out: Read more…
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!
So, as much as I love wedding planning, I also love marriage planning. And one of the things Mr. O and I have been doing to plan for our marriage is attending couples’ counseling. I have always thought that going to counseling was a good, proactive, helpful thing to do. Before our pre-marital therapy sessions, I hadn’t ever been to see a therapist myself, but I knew how well it worked for people in my life who wanted to work through some stuff. Also, in my career, I interact with a lot of social workers and mental health clinicians, and I see firsthand the good work that they do. So, I felt very positively about the benefits of counseling… but the thing was, I had no idea how counseling actually worked. I basically imagined it like taking a multivitamin. Take this pill, and through some kind of magical body chemistry process, you get healthier.
And then Mr. Octopus and I started going to counseling, and I realized I had been missing a key aspect of the process: Read more…
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!
Since we’re getting married in the fall, and we have an oh-so-original color palate of… wait for it… fall colors… I decided on making yellow the color of most of our accents. My shoes will be yellow, my BM’s shoes will be yellow, our bouquets will be yellow. So what will go with all that yellow once the reception picks up and my bouquet is set down?
The Kate Spade Preston Hollow Constantine Clutch in a sunny yellow.
I had been eyeing this sucker on Bag Borrow or Steal for quite some time, but for $175, it was too much to spend on a tiny handbag. Read more…
Mrs. Star, New York CityAge and Occupation: 22, ActressFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Casting AssistantWedding Date: October 2009Venue: Ceremony: The Kraine Theatre, Reception: Midtown Loft & TerraceAbout Me: I’m a professional actress who’s always had New York City in her blood and I'm finally getting the chance to make a home in Manhattan with my fiancé, my dog, and my big dreams! I love polka dots, craft projects, Dunkin’ Donuts’ iced coffee, and anything sparkly. I’m having a blast planning our elegant/dramatic/New York City/acting-themed/largely-DIY wedding and am thrilled to be the youngest current Miss Blogger!
So I know I’ve kind’ve left you hanging on the Reception pictures. My bad. Please forgive me?
I’ve already written before about how one of our incredibly generous friends gifted us his professional DJ services (thank you, thank you, thank you, Rob!). He pretty much saved our butts on that front, because I didn’t think I could deal with much more planning by the time choosing what to do about music came around.
He did a great job of mixing in his DJ expertise with our carefully crafted “please play!” list. I mean, who wouldn’t want to dance along to stuff like this:
Mrs. Cheeseburger, Baltimore, MD/State College, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentEngagement Date: June 28, 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Catholic Church Ceremony & Hotel ReceptionAbout Me: I'm a passionate girl from Pittsburgh, currently living in Baltimore for school, who loves Penn State, seeing movies, football, thunderstorms, black and white photos, Christmas, good beer, my amazing friends and family, and of course, my mister! We met, fell in love, got engaged, and will be married at our alma mater (go lions!) in a traditional Catholic ceremony followed by a hotel reception with lots of DIY details. It means so much to have our families and friends meet at our favorite place on earth to celebrate our love for one another - I truly couldn't ask for anything more!
I woke up on March 27th at 7:00 AM, quietly, so as not to disturb my sister, and snuck into the living room of my suite. The sun was beaming through the curtains and filling the room with perfect light. It was my wedding day.
I met everyone in the hotel lobby and we started the short, 2 block walk to Looks Hair Design. It was chilly, about 40 degrees, but I was in flip flops soaking up the gorgeous sunshine! Once at Looks, I realized that the salon’s manager Anita had come in on her day off to make sure that everything went smoothly for us - it was seriously the sweetest gesture.
Since we were on a strict timeline, we got started right away!
Mrs. Lobster, BrooklynAge and Occupation: 29, Finance GirlFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Finance BoyEngagement Date: July 25, 2009Wedding Date: August 2010Venue: Stage 6 Steiner StudiosAbout Me: I'm a New York-born, Virginia-bred girl who's found her way back to the big city. Mr. Lobster and I met in grad school and have been together ever since. I'm clueless about DIY but am an avid online shopper and love all things polka dots, stripes, and ruffles! When I'm not making wedding lists, you can find me looking for snacks, watching Gilmore Girls, or hanging out with Mr. Lobster and our new puppy Buddy! We are planning a fancy-pantsy Brooklyn wedding for a hot New York summer night which is sure to be a misadventure in the making.
I live in a 700 square foot apartment. My kitchen has just enough room for me to turn around in and storage consists of the oven and 3 drawers next to it. So when we started registering for wedding gifts, I was befuddled. We should focus on my “must have” items for our current kitchen, not our dream kitchen, right?
One of the things on that must have list is a Le Creuset Dutch oven. I’ve been eyeing these since I don’t know how long. Of course, with many must haves come difficult decisions like what color to choose?
Mrs. Guinea Pig, Baltimore, MD Age and Occupation: 26, PhD student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Operations Director at a non-profit Engagement Date: December 25, 2008 Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: The Chesapeake Bay Beach Club About Me: I'm a tomboy science nerd whose girly side has made a startling appearance thanks to wedding planning! I love to bake, knit and sew but I also ride a motorcycle (that Mr. Guinea Pig wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole). We live with our three crazy cats and love to read, travel, watch movies, and do home improvement projects together! My parents/family are Canadian but I'm definitely American, although I've lived in 5 different countries, 6 different states, and speak Russian fluently. Mr. GP and I met online (did I mention I'm a scientist?) and had a whirlwind romance - now we can't wait to get married & celebrate with all our friends and family in a blue and yellow waterfront affair!
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’ve shared my research on the basics of how to make a blank tent feel like your own, so now it’s time to move on to how we’re going to soften-up the room and make it our own. You can do this with some ceiling treatments, of course—but in our case, the Thimble fam has all but threatened to strap me into my makeup chair if I try to DIY my own draping or paper lanterns.
Fortunately, our florists had an amazing solution that focuses on the tent walls, which is less labor-intensive and won’t bust the budget to commission them to make it happen:
We’re talkin’ branches and votives along the tent walls. 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.
Forgive me. I’m backtracking here. As I never really “formally” shared our wedding ceremony location, or our reason behind choosing it.
The day we got engaged I already knew where we were going to have our ceremony. I wasn’t one of those brides who had her wedding planned before the engagement. In fact, I was quite the opposite - I pretty much never thought about it, OTHER than a ceremony location.
I’m not a religious person, I did not attend church as a child, and although I attended a private, Catholic university for college, religion was honestly something that never came up. It was for that very reason, I knew I did not want to get married in a church (but trust me, I LOVE church weddings). So, what was the obvious choice? This gorgeous, greenhouse of a structure:
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!
I know you remember my discussion of the heart shaped dish that Mr. Hot Wings and I received from Crate & Barrel. Mr. Hot Wings and I clearly didn’t like it. What did we do with it you ask? No, we didn’t trash it or give it to the Salvation Army with our other goods. Even better… it became an excuse to go on a bee-date!
Mrs. Pashmina, NYC/Catalina Island, CAAge and Occupation: 28, Arts EducationFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, IT AdministratorEngagement Date: April 26th, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Catalina Country Club, Catalina Island, CaliforniaAbout Me: I'm a laid-back Cali girl who moved to NYC for school, and ended up staying for love. My fiance is a quick-witted Jersey boy, a self-proclaimed Foodie and the funniest man I've ever met. Together we love exploring the city streets embarking on our next misadventure---and yes, this often involves eating off food carts and trying "the next big thing". I'm the girl in the sundress, snapping photos and collecting trinkets of memorabilia along the way. As a girly girl at heart, I am excited about our romantic natural island wedding incorporating our American & Filipino traditions.
I love seeing pictures of weddings with the bridesmaid in shades of almost white - be it a darker, lighter, or in a soft color like shell pink. There is something so beautiful about a bunch of women in shades of white. One idea I am thinking about is telling the bridesmaids to come in a cream colored dress in a short style (so to stand out as a bride in a longer dress). Or how about one of these shades of white dresses?
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.
So after deciding that nudity is not allowed at the wedding, we finally decided on linens for the tables – as I discussed here.
After looking at a mock-up and knowing that we will have clear plastic plates (albeit very nice ones… but clear plastic all the same) I knew I wanted to have something to dress up the table a bit more. And so began the hunt for silver chargers.
At the end of my linen post, I posed a question about finding chargers and wouldn’t you know it…a superfab WB reader came to my rescue (thanks azwinelover)! 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.
My grandparents on my mother’s side are Ukrainian immigrants and my parents had a very traditional Ukrainian wedding. I identify more with being Canadian than with being half Ukrainian, but I’d still like to include a few Ukrainian wedding traditions in our wedding. However, the one I like the most is one that I actually have quite a few reservations about.
Note: This is my summary of the tradition based on what my mom has vaguely told me. I would appreciate any further details (like its name) or corrections to my version of it, as I’m having trouble finding any more info on it.
Near the end of a Ukrainian wedding reception the bride’s veil is removed and a kerchief is put on by her mother and godmother. The idea is that you’re no longer a bride, but a wife. I like this tradition and I love looking at the pictures of it from my parent’s wedding.
Here’s my grandmother putting on Mama Knitting’s kerchief: Read more…
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!
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!
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
My beautiful mother!
Mr. Sew, for some reason, seems to find them more creepy than romantic.
