Mrs. Husky, DenverAge and Occupation: 26, Systems AdministratorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Mechanical Engineer, recently laid offEngagement Date: August 14, 2009Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: Rancho San CarlosAbout Me: I am planning a quirky-crafty wedding with my recently out-of-work fiancé for a (fingers crossed!) warm October afternoon. We are two self-professed nerds with an affinity for all things outdoors---be it rain, snow or shine. Recently relocated from the drizzly Northwest, we're enjoying the many sun-soaked days in the mile high city. Our day will be filled with both of our large families and friends, a self-served Cajun feast, and a Zydeco-style jazz band rocking beneath the beams of a historic red barn.
At the end of the day, you’re just going to a big party. You have to remind yourself to wear the things you love. Sometimes your friends or a stylist will go, “Yeah…no.”
Okay, I realize she wasn’t referring to a wedding, but award shows. But so often in modern weddings, we brides try so very hard to avoid these typical faux pas.
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!
I’m not a Vegas girl. Whereas some girls’ ideal bachelorette weekend consists of Vegas, clubbing and, ahem, “specialty” straws, my ideal consists of amusement park rides, great food and Mickey ears. When my bridesmaids were beginning to plan my Bachelorette party, I not-so-subtly suggested one of my favorite places in the world, Disneyland. To my delight, the girls were on board.
How cute is the invite that Amy designed?
Due to various factors, including the difficulty of coordinating the schedules of 8 bridesmaids, we ended up scheduling my Bachelorette party for 2 weeks before the Bar exam. Read more…
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.
Good news! I found gorgeous shoes that are much cheaper than my dream pair! But the bad news is that they are still way over my budget.
Starfish Mom recommended Zappos because they have a large selection and free shipping both ways. So if I find a few I like, I can order them, try them on and ship them back if they don’t work out at no extra cost.
I did find a couple pairs I love, like the Kate Spade Lora (below) and the Kate Spade Lover (2 down). They both go absolutely perfectly with my dress. As much as I loved the Giuseppe Zannotti shoes, they wouldn’t really mesh well with my dress. These, on the other hand, look like they were made for it.
Mrs. Plaid, AustinAge and Occupation: 26, Pastry ChefFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, Cabinetry CarpenterEngagement Date: August 8, 2009Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: Kindred Oaks, GeorgetownAbout Me: I am a Jersey girl born and raised but have since migrated to Texas and embraced its twang and Tex-Mex. I could probably eat chips and queso every day but instead I eat popcorn. I use the word “awesome” way too much but I just can’t seem to stop myself. I am addicted to all things DIY and am planning what I call a Texas-Chic wedding. I love snuggling with my two adorable dogs and of course, my adorable fiance. I can’t wait 'til I can call him my husband some day! October 2010, here we come!
Mrs. Ribbons, Washington D.C./Bloomington, INAge and Occupation: 23, Research Associate for an international development firmFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Proposal Coordinator for contractor
Engagement Date: May 2, 2008Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Indiana Memorial UnionAbout Me: I'm an Indiana transplant living in DC with my fiance and our pretty kitty. I enjoy the color pink, I'm obsessed with the Dior New Look and tulle, and I heart my level 80 paladin. I'm a sucker for bad TV, literary theory, and cakes of all persuasion. I also happen to be marrying the cutest closet nerd around! It's all about Bloomington for us because it's where we met -- on the college paper. If there's a theme for our small summertime wedding, it's Dior meets Dorothy Draper on a lark in Bloomington; think poofy, plus graphic prints, bold colors, and a whole lot of prettiness.
I built in a lot of extra time for doing my makeup and getting dressed, so there was no frantic rush to put on the dress and race out the door to my next destination. Instead, I got to sit and relax until I finally decided I was ready to get dressed.
Getting into my gown was a bit of a challenge. I was trying to be modest in front of the photographers, but these fashion contraptions do not allow for that! After a short strategy session, I finally was in and the zipping began.
Mrs. Glasses, Tokyo/Los Angeles, CAAge and Occupation: 24, English teacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, English teacherEngagement Date: September 2008Wedding Date: October 2010 Venue: Parents' backyardAbout Me: I’m an expat living in Tokyo. I’ve been in Japan for almost three years now, where I met my fantastic English fiance. It’s time to leave Japan, so we are planning a fun, intimate, backyard ceremony back home in the suburbs of L.A. in October. Our wedding will be a mix of my love for food, beer, my Japanese culture, and Mr. G’s Englishness. We are on a tiny budget and DIYing almost everything!
This is something that’s been in the back of my mind for a while. In Japanese, we’d call it mendokusai—annoying, a pain in the ass. My parents’ backyard has no lighting scheme to speak of at the moment, so we’ll have to start from scratch. I’ve been researching our options in terms of how to light up our wedding.
First up is these bad boys. Big quartz lights on poles. They’d probably do the best job for a well-lit backyard at night, but I don’t want florescent, harsh lighting. I’m looking for a soft glow, and I think these will provide too much light. Plus, a local rental company priced them at $40 a pop! No thanks. Next!
Tiki torches. Fire would definitely give the wedding that charming glow we’re looking for. Coupled with paper lanterns and white string lights, I think these would adequately light up the backyard to safety standards. But the thought of an open flame makes me wary, and tiki torches don’t really flow with the aesthetics of our wedding. Still, the price is right at $40 for two poles (via Home Depot). I’ll have to think about them.
I almost screamed when I found these solar-powered white string lights. As I’ve mentioned, my parents’ house doesn’t have a back door (which always freaked me out growing up—ONE fire exit?…I thought about weird things as a child), so we can’t easily run power cords into the house. We could put up wooden poles and run them overhead across our backyard a la this backyard wedding from Once Wed:
The solar-powered lights store up energy in their panels during the day and come on after dark. We’d conserve energy and money, as these run a mere $23. Awesome, right?
What Asian-inspired wedding wouldn’t be complete without paper lanterns? We’ll have them in our wedding colors of red, white, and pink (and black, but black lanterns=morbid?). One tiiiiiiny problem—my backyard doesn’t actually have any trees to hang them from. But we’ve got shrubs. Lots and lots of shrubs. So we’ll buy LED paper lanterns and stick ’em in and around the shrubs. This wedding is getting lit one way or another, and who knows, it might make them look pretty!
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 were in Napa last year, specifically to look for wedding venues, and V. Sattui was our very first stop. Accompanying us were my parents, Mr. Barrette’s parents, my best friend (Man of Honor), and his partner. We loved this first winery instantly and were able to meet with a coordinator right away for a brief tour. I was sold. But in the spirit of keeping an open mind, we made our way through the Valley, stopping at wineries that looked wedding appropriate. (And some just for the fun of it.) All afternoon, nothing could compare to that first heartbeat at V. Sattui. Read more…
Mrs. Dolphin, Gainesville, FLAge and Occupation: 24, Graduate Architecture StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Interactive Interface DeveloperEngagement Date: February 14, 2008Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Plantation Bay Country ClubAbout Me: I’m currently a Graduate Student at the University of Florida studying Architecture. I enjoy playing Scrabble with my Fiance, rooting for the Florida Gators, making any drink that involves a blender, cleaning (yes... I’m crazy), design... GOOD design that is, the new Pepsi with natural sugar, taking pictures, discovering new places in the U.S., and obsessing over doing (and designing) everything myself for our upcoming wedding!
That is the only word I have to describe the amazingness of our wedding video. I love every second of it, every frame, every moment… everything. Watching it takes me right back to our wedding day. Since y’all weren’t invited to the wedding (I’m sorry, but it just wasn’t in the budget), here’s a taste of what you missed.
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. :)
So, I have already told you about the way Mr Handy proposed… but I didn’t show you the pictures (so rude, I know!). That night was so amazing and such a whirlwind of emotions. Being with him for 4+ years and having just bought a house together, I was more then ready to be with him forever but our pockets were quite light at that time in our lives, so a ring was the last thing that I was thinking of. I remember sitting in the kitchen with his cousin when he asked Mr Handy the infamous questions: “So, when are you going to propose?” I remember looking at Mr Handy and seeing him get red in the face and say, “When you pay for it.” This was his same reply, as always. Little did I know, my precious was in the living room.
I also noticed that he had been drinking… and we don’t drink. Ever, really. He was drinking so much, I even had to tell him to relax because his mom was getting visibly upset. That should have been my second red flag, but again, it was the last thing on my mind.
Mr Handy watched as I opened my little box… 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!
Yeah, we’re two months out from the wedding and still haven’t had our e-pics taken… procrastinate much?
I finally decided that we should do this thing or we’d miss out on our engagement photos completely! I contacted our photographer, Georgi Anastasov and set up our shoot for next Friday!
Oh, I haven’t told you about Georgi, have I? Well…pictures speak louder than words in my opinion!
Some of the things I love most about his work is his ability to capture moments and emotions.
Ms Seahorse, BostonAge and Occupation: 25, Veterinary Jane-of-all-tradesFiancee's Age and Occupation: 36, former non-profit fundraiser in search of something betterEngagement Date: October 17, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Fort Pond LodgeAbout Me: By day I'm a cat-wrangler, vet tech assistant, pet-sitter, receptionist, and pre-vet student, but the rest of the time, I'm a former-roller-derby girl turned dedicated-wedding planner. I love reading, writing, bicycles, animals, roller skating, and antique-y things of all sorts. I'm a vegetarian who likes spicy foods, while Fiancee Seahorse is a meat eater who does not like spices. We live outside Boston with our menagerie: a fifty pound dog, a one-eyed, seventeen-toed, toothless cat, and a perfectly put together cat who has a penchant for pooping near rather than in her litter box. In addition to planning our small lake-side wedding, we enjoy running around with the puppy, playing board games (Scrabble, anyone?), having little adventures, talking about how we should really clean the house more, and maintaining our little garden of vegetables and wedding flowers.
Yes, some people wait until they have everything all together to tell you about it. “Look, my invitations are done! Here are the pictures I took while logging the entire experience over the past four months carefully organized and showing you the whole process! I am so organized and nice and my invitations are pretty!”
I have concluded that am not one of those people. I am way to excited about each little step to hold off, especially since by the time things are done I am damn sick of them. I sent the bulk of our invitations yesterday, and as I was standing in line I was remembering other peoples’ posts saying things like, “I was sad to see them go! Goodbye invitations, I’ll miss you!”
Guys, I was like, “Invitations, you sure are pretty, but GO AWAY!” Read more…
Mrs. Husky, DenverAge and Occupation: 26, Systems AdministratorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Mechanical Engineer, recently laid offEngagement Date: August 14, 2009Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: Rancho San CarlosAbout Me: I am planning a quirky-crafty wedding with my recently out-of-work fiancé for a (fingers crossed!) warm October afternoon. We are two self-professed nerds with an affinity for all things outdoors---be it rain, snow or shine. Recently relocated from the drizzly Northwest, we're enjoying the many sun-soaked days in the mile high city. Our day will be filled with both of our large families and friends, a self-served Cajun feast, and a Zydeco-style jazz band rocking beneath the beams of a historic red barn.
Of the many things I’ve learned from my stepfather, the most useful has been preparedness. There is always a blanket and first aid kit in my trunk. I always have hand sanitizer and tissues in my purse, and have often found myself in need of the items I would have least expected. So when I started hearing about the wedding preparedness kits, I decided to make one for Mr. Husky as a small token of my paranoia affection. And so long as I was at it, I decided to make one for myself as well:
(personal photo)
No joke, Dollar Tree became my very best friend. In case you are considering a DIY emergency kit, here is what I included in mine:
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. 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).
…these words have been echoing in my head since last night. Lil’ Bro Locket is going through a serious breakup and is having a very difficult time dealing with it. And, since he is staying with us at the moment we are doing our best to support him in his time of sadness.
“Heartbreak and Healing” by yours truly:
personal photo
Last night was a rough one and the gravity of the finality of the breakup hit him like a bus. Read more…
Mrs. Plaid, AustinAge and Occupation: 26, Pastry ChefFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, Cabinetry CarpenterEngagement Date: August 8, 2009Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: Kindred Oaks, GeorgetownAbout Me: I am a Jersey girl born and raised but have since migrated to Texas and embraced its twang and Tex-Mex. I could probably eat chips and queso every day but instead I eat popcorn. I use the word “awesome” way too much but I just can’t seem to stop myself. I am addicted to all things DIY and am planning what I call a Texas-Chic wedding. I love snuggling with my two adorable dogs and of course, my adorable fiance. I can’t wait 'til I can call him my husband some day! October 2010, here we come!
I love the idea of a sweetheart table and we’re planning on having one at our wedding. I haven’t thought much about decor for the table yet except for one thing that I knew I had to have.
A couple months ago I think I was perusing Martha Stewart Weddings online and saw a picture of the couple’s initials carved inside a heart on a white birch tree stump. How adorable is that?
Well, I live in the South so we don’t have white birch trees down here… bummer. A couple days ago I was flipping through the Pottery Barn catalog at work and saw white birch tree stump candles. Fate? I think so!
I was planning on picking one up until yesterday, when I went to Target in search of a wallet and found the exact same candle for half the price. Heck yeah! I bought it!
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
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A couple days ago I was flipping through the Pottery Barn catalog at work and saw white birch tree stump candles. Fate? I think so!
