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 love how our Mini Moo cards promoting our wedding website turned out. We did not incorporate pictures in our save-the-dates because my parents had already sent a photo in their engagement party invitations… aaand we didn’t have our e-session yet. But I had to show off our new engagement pictures somehow…
Miss Handbag, Smyrna, DE/JamaicaAge and Occupation: 25, AdministrationFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, SalesEngagement Date: Christmas Night 2008Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: Rosehall Resort, Montego Bay, JamaicaAbout Me: I am a Type A, emotional Italian fireball, who on a weekly basis must be brought back to reality by my level headed, calm, cool and collected fiance. We are planning an intimate, all white with hints of black, vintage inspired wedding on the old sugar aqueducts of Jamaica, with 30 of our closest friends and family flying in to witness the occasion. We are not traditional by any means and will be doing things very differently. :)
I have been going back and forth on the idea of a wedding favor. The way I see it is that we are not having a traditional wedding, so why should we follow all the traditions of a wedding?
Pros
They can be so cute
Cons
How will I get them there along with everything else?
What would we have as a favor?
Who would actually like/use them?
Is this even in our tiny budget?
I would be really, really upset if I spent all that money to pick them, purchase them, and get them there, only for no one to even notice them or use them. I would probably cry. True story. Read more…
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!
While shopping for a wedding band, I was initially hesitant about getting an eternity-style band because most eternity bands are not engraveable. I’m pretty sentimental, so engraving was a must (plus, how else is Mr. Jelly supposed to remember our anniversary each year??). Even though I ultimately decided on an eternity band, I still wanted to have it engraved. My wedding band has about 5 mm of engraveable space on the inside—enough to fit 3–4 characters. One day, I was brainstorming what I could engrave into my band (Maybe my new initials? Maybe M+G?) when Papa Jelly jokingly said, “maybe you should just put an asterisk in there, and then continue the thought on Mr. Jelly’s band.”
(Pause) “Wait a second…that’s perfect! I’m going to do that.”
“Um, I was just joking…” said Papa Jelly. But it was too late; I had already fallen in love with the idea. Read more…
Mrs. Hippo, New York City/Dallas, TXAge and Occupation: 34, Event Planner for a Non-Profit Fiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Finance ITEngagement Date: August 8, 2009Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: Samuel Lynne Galleries and Marc EventsAbout Me: I’m a thirty-something bride living in New York City and planning a modern-ish wedding in Dallas, Texas. I love trashy reality television (Jersey Shore, anyone?), online shopping, Sunday brunch, Central Park, and random celebrity spottings on the streets of Manhattan. While I love NYC, I miss good Tex-Mex, my college friends, central A/C, and being in close proximity to a Target. I’m thrilled to finally be planning an event that’s not work-related and to be marrying my best friend in what I hope will be a unique and personal ceremony followed by a reception with plenty of good food, good drinks, and dancing (regardless if it’s good or not).
After ordering paper sample after paper sample, testing things out on my printer, and doing a million and one mock-ups, I finally committed to my invitation design and placed an order online for all the paper for my wedding—STDs, invitations, programs, and thank you notes. Even though I won’t need much of it for quite some time, I decided to order everything together to save money on shipping. I’m just thrifty that way!
Everything just arrived, and I am thrilled to pieces. Wanna see?
Sorry about the glare. I don’t want to unwrap it all yet!
Can’t you just imagine how all that paper might make something fabulous?!? After much research and comparison shopping, I ordered from two places—Paper and More and Cards and Pockets. 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!
Next week, I’ll be heading to our second reception in Singapore, where most of Mr. Hamster’s family still resides. I’ve got my outfit planned out, but MIL Hamster is taking care of the reception details. It will be interesting to attend a reception in our honor that I had no part in planning. Although I admit, after planning our New York shindig, it’s a bit of a relief! Here’s what I do know:
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.
I went to visit my parents last weekend and while going through some old photos to find family wedding photos to display at our wedding, I found this gem:
It’s a guest photo from my parents’ wedding and I kind of think it’s the funniest thing ever. In the middle of the photo you can see my parents’ fabulous 1970s style cake, complete with plastic columns and Styrofoam tiers, and then just to the right you can see that they also displayed a whiskey bottle of THE EXACT SAME SIZE (if you ignore the cake topper). Read more…
Mrs. Elephant, Dallas, TXAge and Occupation: 27, Financial Operations AnalystFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, IT Student/Store ManagerEngagement Date: March 29, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: The Tribute Golf ClubAbout Me: I'm a Philly native creating roots deep in the heart of Texas. I might be a little obsessed capturing those Kodak moments of anything and everything (mainly on vacations). I've become more of a gamer thanks to Mr. Elephant, who I met online and can't wait to spend the rest of my life with. We are planning a wedding based on our favorite colors, blue and green, with a travel theme for 150 of our closest friends and family. Hopefully our long (2-year) engagement won't kill me!
Once we decided on the venue and the outdoor ceremony, I started to think about cute ways to line the aisle. We’re trying to cut down on the flower budget, so that cuts down a many of the aisle options. While doing my normal “lurking” on the Knot boards, I saw some pictures of tissue-paper pomanders that looked interesting, but I thought to myself “that looks a little hard.” Thankfully, I came across the wedding planning bio of FutureMrsDudley55 on the DIY boards of the Knot, and she gave awesome step-by-step picture instructions for tissue-paper pomanders. Here is the picture detail of my first attempt.
Materials needed:
Styrofoam ball (I used a five-inch ball, with a 40%-off coupon at Michaels)
Ribbon (left over from other DIY projects)
Tissue paper (For the trial run, I just used tissue paper found at the front of Michaels.)
Twenty-four-gauge floral wire
Scissors
Hot glue and glue gun
1) First off, I punched a hole through the styrofoam ball to insert the ribbon (similar to what I did with the silk-flower pomander for our flower girl). I knotted the ribbon at the bottom, which would later be covered up with flowers.
2) I cut the tissue paper into little 4″ x 3.75″ sections, and used stacks of six sheets for each flower
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.
Our wedding planning was relatively drama-free. The one bit of pre-wedding drama that we encountered had to do with whether or not my brother would wear a tie while escorting my mom down the aisle. Admittedly it was a silly fight to pick—there were tears shed and feelings bruised, but in the end, this silly bit of drama uncovered something that stopped me dead in my tracks.
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!
Once we dusted off our work clothes, it was time to chow down! Since all my ladies had to travel upwards of 3 hours, we decided to keep things simple and cook for ourselves. And oh my goodness, what a good choice that was! We ate Bestie C’s homemade lasagna and salad…
and then Bridesmaid N made what was possibly the best dessert ever. Read more…
Mrs. Brooch, Arlington, VAAge and Occupation: 25, Writer/EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Front Desk ManagerEngagement Date: October 3, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: Oxon Hill ManorAbout Me: I’m an indecisive girlie-girl with a motor mouth, can-do attitude, and knack for making others laugh. I dream of becoming a best selling novelist like Elizabeth Gilbert or Julie Powell (a girl can dream, right?), and love long road trips, a beautiful countryside, music, blogs, books, and all things vintage/thrift/antique/or homemade. I’m a Virgo, i.e. overly sensitive, emotional, and critical, and there’s no such thing as short and sweet in my world. I want to say and do it all. Mr. Brooch grounds me. I point where to go and he figures out the way. He’s a pragmatic fancy-pants who enjoys video games and movies. We both adore our mutt, Rocky, and spending time with our amazingly supportive family and friends. We’re planning a garden wedding with a formal reception with lots of whimsy and unique, Southern-inspired details.
I was absolutely overwhelmed by the wide variety of reception venues there are to choose from in the D.C., Virginia, and Maryland (often referred to as DMV) area. What kind of wedding did we want?
With so many choices, I thought I’d never be able to decide, but I found visiting the venues really helpful. It’s one thing to look at places online, but it’s a whole different ballgame to see them in person. By going to a venue, we were able to find out the details (like cost and space), which sometimes completely eliminated a choice from our list because of our budget and size.
Ironically, we did not find out venue looking at venues!
We found it attending a bridal show! After checking out various venues one Saturday, we headed to our first ever bridal show. I was so excited, because I had never been to one and was dying to see what they were all about!
When we pulled into the parking lot of Oxon Hill Manor, I told Mr. Brooch, “By the way, this place is a venue. People have weddings here!” I spoke those words with no sort of motive or inkling that we were going to fall in love with the place… 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.
After the scramble to get everything set up for our rehearsal dinner, we could finally relax as our guests started arriving. Since we had invited all of our out of town guests, and knew not everyone was familiar with the area, we’d planned to have drinks and appetizers from 6:30-7:15 PM, to make sure anyone running late didn’t miss dinner.
This time to mingle was a great opportunity for both of our families to meet each other. Our parents had met once over dinner about 6 years ago, but hadn’t seen each other since. And I’d hardly met any of Mr. Cola’s family before our rehearsal dinner, since most live on the East Coast.
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.
Mr. Starfish and I got our license! We’re legally ready to get married. I thought I’d add in one of my favorite songs for fun. It’s been stuck in my head since the bachelorette party and probably will be there until we actually go to the chapel.
We took a Friday off and headed to Middletown, RI to pick up our marriage license. It’s a little early, but they are valid for 90 days from issuance, and I was a little antsy.
Mrs. Zebra, Providence, RIAge and Occupation: 24 Marketing/Costume DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26 Management/Firefighter Engagement Date: December 12, 2008Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: The Providence BiltmoreAbout Me: I'm a small town New England girl with an affinity for procrastination, crossing the proverbial line, and putting her foot in her mouth. I'm a lover of history, all seasons, sewing and Incubus. I design costumes on the side for my old high school's theatre department, which is where I met my sexy man. Our motto for our Big Fat Lebanese/Portuguese/Irish near-300 person wedding is "the more the merrier"! We are marrying in a Catholic ceremony and are hammering out the details of our Victorian-inspired reception.
Mrs. Barrettes, Tumon, Guam/Napa, CAAge and Occupation: 29, DancerFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Licensed Building ContractorEngagement Date: November 16, 2008Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: V. Sattui WineryAbout Me: I'm an East Coast girl, living on a tiny little island in the Pacific, twirling, leaping, and shimmy-ing my way through life, and now, wedding planning! I'm equal parts nerdy and cool... okay, mostly nerdy. I love satin bows, red lipstick, black & white graphic anything, the shine of sequins and the sound of a champagne "pop". My favorite books are The Portrait of a Lady, by Henry James, and Tender is the Night, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I can also conjure a pretty good Patronus Charm. I started my appreciation for good red wine while traveling on the high seas, and it's only fitting that my passion for wine drinking led me to my Napa-bred honey. We bonded over bottles of Cabernet on my oceanfront porch and haven't looked back since. We're sealing the deal at a winery in the Napa Valley on a 'perfect ten' of a day!
We leave Guam today at 10AM and land in Baltimore at 7:30PM the same day. How is that possible, you ask? Easy—we’re flying back in time! Here in Guam, we are 14 hours ahead of EST. Our flight is broken up by a layover in Japan, but our total air-time is roughly 19 hours. It’s not “fun” by any means, but now with the addition of Baby Barrettes flying under the seat in front of me, things should be very interesting…
I have been waiting for these days for weeks…months…years. Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
