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!
This Sunday, September 19th, there will be a super exciting open house in Austin at Hacienda Del Lago! It’s hosted by my amazing photographer, Melanie Grizzel (of She-N-He Photography and Design) and it’s going to be a blast. It’s a relatively small open house, so you won’t be overwhelmed with tons of vendors, but the ones who will be there are great!
If my weekend wasn’t already jam-packed I’d be making a trip to Austin just so I could go check it out!
Here’s all the info.
It’s going to be a great event! Please go if you get a chance, and if you do, be sure to come back here and let me know how it was!
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).
While my plan is to do my own makeup for the wedding, I will need someone do my hair. I know my limitations, and my hair is definitely one of them. Seriously. I can look passable for work or a night on the town, but for our wedding, not so much. It’s time to call in the professionals.
I’ve been growing my hair out since we got engaged, so I feel like it’s only appropriate to do an up-do. Not to mention that it would be a treat for me to see my hair pulled up in something other than a haphazardly tied hair rubber band. Here are the inspiration photos I plan to take to my hair trial:
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.
OK, I’m done with my wah wah wahs! Registering is f-u-n! Zeb and I have been incredibly busy recently, and this random Monday evening was one of our first alone together in a long time. I was riding a wave of euphoria because he didn’t give me too much trouble about going on this wedding-related task. I think he knew a scanner gun was in his future. We had a very helpful salesperson, Sarah; we’ll call her Pregnant Sarah. Pregnant Sarah told us that they go to demonstrations routinely to learn about the products they sell. She was full of helpful hints as to what to register for. For instance, she showed us the knife sets and told us we wanted to make sure the hilt extended from the handle throughout the blade.
Mrs. Scissors, LaGrange, GAAge and Occupation: 25, Photography & Graphic DesignFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 1, 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Ceremony - First United Methodist Church; Reception - My parents' house!About Me: I’m a six-foot-three bride with a fifty-foot personality! I love great art, fabulous design, intense color, tons of music, indie photography, watching movies on repeat, and being really awesome. This super-tall, Southern, loud, quirky, neurotic artist is marrying a German, quiet, silly, super-amazing roboticist in an eclectic, funky, fun, snazzy, technicolored June wedding. Anything is game for this shindig, for it is all about us! We’re bringing giant paper cranes, six-foot-tall portraits, fortune cookies, a photo booth, a club-circuit DJ, handcuffs, and possibly a kidnapping to this small Southern town. Watch out, y’all, and try to keep up!
There is a German tradition of having a Polterabend the night before a wedding. Polterabend literally translates to “rumbling evening,” and it’s basically a big ball of mischief and shenanigans. We knew it was coming, but weren’t exactly sure what we were in for. After the toasts, Mr. Scissors’ father called Mr. Scissors’ brother over to help him start the evening’s festivities. While Mr. Scissors’ father explained the concept of a Polterabend to those unfamiliar, he also pulled out what he’d been hinting around about for months: 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!
Well, to be truthful, I don’t exactly know what we will be eating at the reception yet since we haven’t had our tasting. But I have completed a mock-up for a menu so that the guests will know what they will be eating at the wedding.
At first, I wasn’t planning on doing a menu (thought it wasn’t necessary since we were having a buffet), but after meeting with my planner the other day we’ve decided to do one. It won’t be anything fancy, but it will add to the design idea my planner has for our table decor.
I checked out the Knot for some inspirational pictures and came out with this…
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.
I promised that I’d tell you about our crazy trip home, but I also realized that I forgot to share with you all the beautiful condo we stayed in. It was located in Princeville, the suburb on the north shore of Kaua’i. It definitely lived up to the pictures we saw online. It was a wonderful, peaceful place, and we could hear the ocean.
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 got off to a rough start the other day because I woke up at the time I should have beenarriving to work! I stayed up late the night before cleaning my room (which means organizing wedding stuff) and watching Girl Meets Gown. I watched three episodes (whew!) and was so inspired that I wrote a post about my dream wedding dress that I’ll share with you later on!
In the meantime, here are a few great images that will hopefully make today a bit more cheery for you all! I really want to have lounge furniture scattered throughout our venue. Through Wedding Chicks right here I found the company found, which specializes in supplying event planners and brides with vintage rentals. There are a ton of great workable pieces on their website!
I also discovered another rental service called Party Rental Ltd, which serves the Washington, D.C. area and has lots and lots of great items to fill your venue with style. They have a great inspiration gallery, called “Looks We Love,” that will excite the bride in you! Believe me, I’d totally snag this Pear Green and White Stripe look for my wedding.
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.
The first victory of the week is that we’ve been married 65 days, give or take a few, and we are slowly making room for my crap…or as Mr P lovingly calls it, “our crap.” The “stuff-that-needs-to-come-in-the-house-and-find-a-home” pile has gotten small enough to actually move it into the house. Woot woot! This small pile Piles in general causes me much anxiety (a whole post for another time) but I think I’m OK with our progress on the merging of two houses so far. Go team Pretzel!
The aforementioned pile, and what is that I spy? Why yes that is a hideous ballroom dancing trophy… another post for another day.
Last week I realized we were under 80 days away from our second reception in Indiana. Whoa…
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!
Just when the Aunties thought their hard work was complete, Mama Seashell kept things moving in Rhode Island! Next up, our pew leaves!
Before her passing, Mr. Seashell’s mom had hand-cut each and every pew leaf we needed to decorate our wedding chapel. She was planning on completing their assembly closer to the wedding. Knowing the significance of this project, and wanting to ensure Justine’s strong presence on our wedding day, my “Aunties” and Mama Seashell eagerly volunteered to help tie the pew bows and leaves together.
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!
Oh, James Taylor. I got showered with lots of love this past weekend.
My bridesmaids decided to throw me a bridal shower/bachelorette party extravaganza all crammed into one day of delightfulness. BM Jenna even flew in from San Francisco for the weekend to party with us!
It was a very intimate affair. Four out of five of my fabulous BMs were able to make it and a few friends joined the party, too. I can’t get over how generous everyone was. I felt so loved!
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!
Leaving Hiroshima, we headed to Fukuoka to meet up with Mr. Sew’s parents. They live in Sasebo, which is near Nagasaki, and decided to bus up to visit with us for a day.
Mr. Sew’s dad wanted to check out a nearby park (Ohori), which had a traditional Japanese garden and the fastest-swimming koi I have ever seen. 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).
On my long list of things to do for the big Dallas wedding planning extravaganza next month is tasting cakes and selecting a baker. I can’t wait for this! I love cake. Love. Cake. It’s glorious. And to be honest, if our wedding cake tastes amazing and looks decent, I’ll be happy. Honestly, I don’t need anything over-the-top.
Even though the cake design isn’t a huge priority for me, I did find these lovelies in my online search for ideas: Read more…
Mrs. Meerkat, Kalamazoo, MI/Riviera MayaAge and Occupation: 30, Application EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, IT ConsultantEngagement Date: July 26, 2008Wedding Date: December 2010Venue: Al Cielo / La LagunaAbout Me: I’m a tech-savvy tomboy with an affinity for hot tea and good sushi. Us Meerkats are just a couple fun lovin’ geeks from Michigan. We love anything having to do with movies, books, video games or technology and we hold a special place in our hearts for our two very spoiled shih-tzus, Wicket and Bravo. We also LOVE to travel. We love it so much it only took us 12 hours after we got engaged to decide to have a destination wedding. We are working our little Meerkat tails off planning a rustic-chic, travel themed destination wedding in the Riviera Maya with a semi-formal, vintage-turned-modern, outdoor at home reception back here in Michigan.
For me, a diet was an essential part of my wedding planning. It’s not about looking like a super-skinny model; it’s about feeling good about my body again. During senior year of my undergraduate program, I gained about 15 pounds. For some people that isn’t a lot, but for me it was a more-than-10% weight gain. It has made me feel blah.
In order to lose these extra 15 pounds I am hauling around, I have to reduce my calorie intake to about 1200 per day. At home, Mr. Meerkat makes sure all our meals are lean and low cal, but lunches with my coworkers…well, that’s a different story. Can you say KFC, Taco Bell, and Wendy’s??
So over the last couple weeks, I have radically changed my eating habits. No more lunches out with the guys. No more amazing, grease-laden fast food. Instead, I have changed everything I eat from the time I get up to the time I get home for dinner. There are three things that are making this diet work for me:
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.
I was immediately inspired when I saw some adorable napkin rings over on maya*made. It took some time for me to get on board with the project, because we’re using compostable tableware – including napkins. Wasn’t it kind of silly to make napkin rings for disposable napkins? No. No it was not:
Cute, right? The link above will give you some great instructions, but I modified them just a bit. Here’s how I made them: Read more…
Ms. Sloth, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 35, Account Manager and Fashion BloggerFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Design AdminEngagement Date: December 25, 2009Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Bartram's GardenAbout Me: I'm an internet junkie and music snob with a good eye for a bargain. I couldn't live without thrift store shopping, cheeseburgers, sushi, Coke Zero, websites devoted to silly photos of baby animals, Photoshop, and Mr. Sloth. Speaking of which, he and I are a pair of goofball homebody nerds who love our beagle (the most ridiculously adorable dog EVER) to an embarrassing degree. We're planning a low-key and intimate yet festive and quirky outdoor wedding with DIY details and deeply personal touches, and it's all taking place in the city where we fell in love and call home: Philadelphia.
Allow me to set up the story: most of Mr. S’s family lives in the midwestern U.S. His parents live in northeastern Indiana, and his brother, sister-in-law, and both of his grandmothers live in northwestern Ohio. We make the 10-hour drive every year to spend Christmas with them. We planned to leave on Wednesday, December 23rd.
About a week before that, Mr. S’s dad called to tell us that his 87-year-old grandmother, who is very independent despite many health problems, fell in her garage, broke her hip, and spent almost 24 hours on the floor until Mr. S’s dad decided to take a drive to check on her, found her, and called 911. Poor, poor Grandma G.
She had her hip surgery a few days later, but the shock of the surgery combined with the breathing and heart problems she’d been suffering from for several years left her almost completely unable to breathe. She was hooked up to a lot of machines to help her breathe, but it was looking like she could stop breathing at any time. Grandma G’s living will stated that she didn’t want to be hooked up to a ventilator. Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
MB Tiffani, Co-MOH/Sis Sarah, me, Co-MOH Leesa, BM Jenna
