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Mrs. Parfait, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 26, TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Senior Online ConsultantEngagement Date: February 14, 2009Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: Signature EventsAbout Me: I have a soft spot for all things sweet and romantic. Desserts, love songs, sappy movies? Yes, yes, and ohh yes. My fiance and I enjoy singing to our dogs, creating crazy ice cream sundaes, and generally being lovey dovey cuddle bunnies. We also do socially acceptable things like dancing, throwing Frisbees, playing high stakes board games, and taking unreasonably fun road-trips. We're planning a Korean/Serbian wedding with plenty of playful, personal touches!
During our honeymoon, Mr. Parfait and I wanted to see all there was to see, hike all there was to hike, and learn all there was to learn. Needless to say, we couldn’t leave Oahu without a few touristy adventures! Here are the highlights of our last days in Hawaii:
The Polynesian Cultural Center. We went to a luau and a post-dinner show called Ha: Breath of Life. We preferred the Royal Lahaina Luau to the Polynesian Luau, but the post-dinner show was beautiful. I especially loved the part about the wedding.
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 have a friend who was recently adding up the number of times she’s been a bridesmaid. The tally: 14. FOURTEEN! I literally don’t understand how this is even possible. She claims that it’s partially because she went to a Christian college and a lot of her friends married young (including her) and had huge wedding parties. The other part, not to be underestimated, is that she is a fabulous friend. But still - 14?! She said she’s one part honored, and one part broke from buying all those dresses. Poor thing.
I’ve been a bridesmaid three times. Each time I was totally spoiled with laid back brides who treated me nothing like a “maid”. (Side note: If anyone has come up with a more user friendly term I’d love to hear it. I keep calling them “my girls” because the implication of “bride’s maid” gets me every time. For example, I say “my girls are each in different dresses in different shades of aubergine”, or “my girls are spread all over the country - it’s crazy!”) Read more…
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.
Have you ever been super, duper surprised by a wedding quote? Well, now I have!
I normally know what price to expect. Of course there will be extras, yet I roughly know the price. But those linens just surprised me! Equipped with my calculator, knowing how much per tablecloth cost, I thought I had it in the bag… pretty much. Of course there were going to be shipping costs, tax, perhaps those extras that make “linens”. But when I received the quote my jaw literally dropped. It was the first time.
It was like way more than paid for my dress! More than my flower budget. I could invite and feed like 10 more people! That, well, is a lot for something guests will rest their elbows on and spill coffee on! Read more…
Mrs. Locket, Ithaca, NYAge and Occupation: 25, Research TechnicianFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, former Banker hoping to become an Officer of the LawEngagement Date: June 15, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Heron Hill WineryAbout Me: I am a little bit of everything all rolled into one: A girly gal with rough edges---I love to get dolled up just as much as I enjoy throwing on some sneaks to toss a ball with Mr. Locket. My love for crafting and creating is quite apparent and I've been referred to as a Wonder Woman/Martha Stewart/Stepford Wife hybrid (yup, I'll take that as a compliment). I adore sewing, photography, sculpture, good eats (mmm tapas), baking, snugging and oh, pretty much everything in between (there's not much I dislike). I am super excited to be planning our vineyard wedding and couldn't be happier to be marrying Mr. Locket. We are a quirky, fun-loving couple residing in our college town with our two pups Maple and Molly. We love to go on hikes, visit our local dog park and to bask in the beauty of many of the local falls and gorges. We are an indecisive pair, but together we somehow manage to make up our minds (it's the easy stuff that's tricky).
I like our engagement pics, LIKE being the key word. Unfortunately, I don’t love them.
It’s been ages since we had them taken (way back in October 2009) and I have had my ups and downs with the outcome. I could sit here and criticize them and tell you what I don’t like and why, but I won’t waste my breath.
I think a lot of my let down came from how I looked in some of the photos. I was in the process of losing some of the extra pounds I had packed on over the past year and a half and I wished I had made more progress by the time of the shoot. There is a happy ending… I was not completely disappointed and do like a select group of them and am pleased with how these few turned out.
Mrs. Taco, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 29, writer/editorFiance's Age and Occupation: 37, editorEngagement Date: May 13, 2009Wedding Date: August 2010Venue: The Green Room at the War Memorial Veterans BuildingAbout Me: I like laughing and talking with good friends over good food and good drink, be it wine, cocktail, or brew. I write and edit things for fun and profit, but I rarely "write" these days without a keyboard and high-speed internets. Favorites include Mr. Taco, my Boston terrier, San Francisco, getting out of town, and the Roaring ’20s. I was kind-of planning a wedding since roughly 2006, when I discovered "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?" on the WE channel. I ran and didn't look back with a theme I called "urban vintage," and it culminated in the most magical day a taco could ask for.
With only 30-something days to go (eek!), I started thinking about life once we’re settled back home, post-honeymoon. So, I decided to make a list; not of fantasies, but of full-on plans with legs. This almost-Mrs. is on a mission.
I was also spurred by some married friends who described a post-wedding malaise, once the big project and girly parties are over. This apparently manifests itself in competing, inexplicable bad attitudes. Whatever its roots, or however likely or unlikely we are to “get” this, I’d like to do whatever I can to prevent it. In addition to what will surely remain a feelings-sharing household, activities away from the couch and TV seem like a nice way to do this. 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, Mr. Sew and team-table-tent-card won the place card war. We’re just too out of time for anything more complicated at this point. But we can still make them pretty, no?
Okay, no not a real tent. Though that would be awesome. (source)
We printed out a sheet of names on white card stock, cut, and rounded the corners of each card. Read more…
Mrs. Sand Dollar, HoustonAge and Occupation: 24, Graphic DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Electrical TechnicianEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: MacLean ParkAbout Me: I'm a domestic diva down to the core. I heart cooking, sewing, baking, decorating and making sure we have a hand-crafted home. The best part about the wedding is I get to incorporate it all! I make sure I put my art degree to good use by screen printing, craft knife cutting, and a whole lotta graphic design. We're having a big-time party on a small-time budget, and I promise to show you a boot-scootin', barbecue-eatin', finger-lickin' good time! Mr. Sand Dollar and I spend most of our time on DIY projects or traipsing around the outdoors with our two pooches Rory and Juno. I'm looking forward to sharing our journey with all of you!
I love this cake as seen in Martha Stewart Weddings. In fact, I’ve decided to use it for our wedding! And that topper is so crazy cute, instead of the flower offering, I plan to create a silhouette of me twirling with the boy. Won’t that be adorable? And I already have the wire, I can use some pearls and beads from my DIY combs instead of the little flowers, and find an old lid to cover for the base. Boom, done!
As for the cake, my mom and I have a master plan. Read more…
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!
I’ve been spending a lot of time lately thinking about what I’m going to do with my hair. I’ve done a lot of looking around at various Etsy shops for headbands, flowers, etc. I’ve been trying to find something for myself, but I can’t make up my mind about ANYTHING for myself, so that hasn’t worked out too well. I did, however, have a brilliant idea for my flower girl and junior bridesmaid (aka: my nieces). I have been seeing a ton of super cute yellow flowers, and while I love them, I really want to stick with white for myself - but why not get something for the girls to wear in their hair? It’d be totally cute, and I think they’d be excited to get it as part of their bridal party gift.
Now it’s just a matter of deciding which one to get them! I think I’ve narrowed it down to two options, but there’s a bit of a dilemma. One is a flower and one is a headband. And for some reason, when I come to this particular choice, my brain freezes up and cannot. make. an. effing. decision. I’ve been going back and forth for weeks now about which one I’ll be wearing, and now I’m facing the same dilemma in choosing one for my girls.
I mean, how can you choose between these two adorable accessories? 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.
Okay, so this is admittedly random, but it’s what I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, so all of you get to hear about it! I can not figure out who Mr. Knitting and I should sit with for dinner at the wedding. I realize at six months out this is maybe a bit early to be thinking about it, but here I am.
It basically comes down to I have issues with every possible configuration. Here they are:
1) Sitting with the wedding party. I suspect this would be the most fun for Mr. K and I, but I’m not really in love with splitting up couples. I realize it’s just for the duration of dinner and that certainly none of our wedding party would be upset about this, but I just think they might all have more fun if they could sit with their dates.
2) Sitting with our wedding party and their dates. That would basically be the longest head table ever, and probably not much fun for anyone.
3) Sitting with our families. Despite us being together for six years, our families, while friendly with each other, barely know each other. I think everyone would have a lot more fun with their own people. Read more…
Mrs. Oyster, DallasAge and Occupation: 30, Music TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 46, Art TeacherEngagement Date: January 9, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: The Tower ClubAbout Me: I'm a Texa-Californian with a penchant for sparkly things and a tendency to think a lot. I've been known to sing random songs or dance when there is no music on. My fiance and I love world culture, we love to travel, and we have an incredibly eclectic taste in music. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate our marriage with our family & closest friends. We're planning an “urban black-tie” wedding and hope to incorporate our personalities and some of our own interests. We look forward to a life of love, laughter, good music, beautiful art, and to creating our home together with our four (!) cats.
When I got engaged, hardly anyone asked, “When’s your date?” like they do most girls. Instead, my friends and family, aware of my inherited interest in photography, asked me, “Who will be your photographer?”
For the first half of our engagement, I couldn’t answer them.
Here’s my confession, and the reason I’m writing on this particular subject with very little time left before the wedding: For the first half of our engagement, I couldn’t even envision our wedding. I’d been independent for so long, and making a concerted effort not to hope for marriage with every boyfriend that came along (lest I be disappointed), that now it was real and I couldn’t picture it.
Oh sure, I could picture it in the abstract; I’d been secretly dreaming about it for years. I could imagine dancing with my husband, imagine walking down the aisle, seeing the smiling faces of my family and friends. But it was hazy; blurry; unreal. I couldn’t choose a person whose eyes I wanted to see my wedding through, because I couldn’t see it myself. Finally, I stepped back and decided to think about what my wedding really meant to me, and then the decision was easy. 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, on a 13 hour flight you have a few options. You can watch 7 movies, listen to one of 12 pre-programmed airline radio stations repeat the one hour playlist 13 times, play a few thousand rounds of video games, or make maps for your wedding guests.
What would you choose?
Before my NZ-LAX flight I went on Mapquest and downloaded some maps that I thought would be useful to our guests. Then I did a little MS Word artistry at 30,000 feet and this is what I came up with.
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.
According to the New York Daily News, the USPS plans to raise postage rates for regular mail to 46 cents (an increase of 2 cents) and make increases for other mail as well. Postcards, which many brides use for Save the Dates will increase to 30 cents per card, also a 2 cent increase. It may not sound like a lot, but when planning a wedding, every penny adds up.
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!
I don’t want to wear my hair up for our wedding. I never wear my hair up. Well, I shouldn’t say never. I rarely wear my hair up. So, I’m not going to change that just for the wedding. Instead, I’m going to wear it down, and probably a bit curly! This is my hair right about now:
This was taken right before Sister Socks’ rehearsal dinner a few weeks ago. My hair is getting pretty long, and I blow it straight every day.
The first dance. Junebride25 and her husband have eyes only for each other.
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All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
