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!
Yay for more diamonds! What girl doesn’t love a little more bling?
When it came to looking for a wedding band, I was actually the easy shopper. I’m a sucker for matching, so my band will be princess cut diamonds to match those in the band of my engagement ring. Here’s a little refresher on my e-ring:
Mrs. Frozen Yogurt, DallasAge and Occupation: 28, Special Projects CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Equity TraderEngagement Date: March 19, 2009Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: Marie Gabrielle, DallasAbout Me: I was born and raised in Texas, and have lived in several of the cities across the state, but I currently reside in Austin. I went to college in Boston and have a special place in my heart for the Northeast. I love reading, shopping, wine, reuniting with college friends that are scattered across the country, reality TV, trying out new recipes, and attempting all the DIY projects that come along with wedding planning. I'm a "bleeding heart, save the world type" and thankfully my job allows me to work on legislation and policy to help out those in need. I met Mr. Frozen Yogurt in a bar, though he doesn't even drink! And now we are planning a modern yet vintage wedding in Dallas while dealing with the trials and tribulations of first time homeownership.
Now that everyone else was ready, it was my turn to slip on my dress. My stomach was all fluttery and I couldn’t wait to put it on. I felt like my hands were shaky and my heart was racing, but it was all because of the excitement. It was our wedding day!!
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.
Our engagement will be, altogether, about eighteen months long. And one of the first things I thought as soon as the ring was on my finger was, “Crap. I’ve got to grow my hair out again.”
See, I have some wild, unruly hair. It doesn’t look that bad in photos, but it’s thick, gets knotty and tangled like crazy, and is just generally a pain in the ass.
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.
Mrs. Lioness, AtlantaAge and Occupation: 25, Physical TherapistFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, AttorneyEngagement Date: August 29, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: Anthony’s Fine DiningAbout Me: I’m a Southern girl with New England roots. I say "wicked" and "y’all" in the same sentence and I like to drink sweet tea with my lobster. Mr. Lion and I are both former Floridians now living in Atlanta, which fortunately is still SEC country...Go Gators! We both love baseball, coffee, traveling, cooking, and playing Words with Friends with each other on our iPhones all day long. I’m very passionate about the things and the people I love, and I tend to plan things with all of my heart...our wedding, of course, is no different! Oh, and also Mr. Lion is a first generation American of Cuban descent. I may look more like Lucy than Ricky, but I’m doing my best to incorporate some Latin elements into our vintage-garden-Southern wedding!
I told Mr. Lion early on that I wanted him to lead the way with the rehearsal dinner. My lovely FMIL was generous enough to offer to host it, so I thought it would be nice for them to plan it together. Unfortunately, my FMIL lives in Miami and the rehearsal dinner will be in Atlanta, so it looks like I’ll be helping Mr. Lion with the planning instead of her. We’ve kept her in the loop every step of the way, so she’s definitely still involved.
Mr. Lion decided that he wanted to do a traditional Cuban pig roast, using a caja china. A caja china is a box designed for barbecuing a pig. It looks something like this:
Mrs. Turtle, Central CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 21, Art Student/TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, English StudentEngagement Date: August 16, 2008Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Mr. Turtle's Grandparents' backyard, Arroyo Grande, CAAbout Me: I am a California girl who loves the beach and the mountains, but is quite satisfied living right in the middle where I can enjoy the best of both worlds. I am happiest when traveling to faraway places, wandering through museums, watching old movies, or baking up a storm. Mr. Turtle and I are high school sweethearts and fellow book nerds who both drive Mini Coopers and are most likely to be found browsing in antique stores. We're having so much fun planning our European garden wedding with a vintage twist and can't wait to share more of life's adventures together!
Late the night before the wedding, I decided to move from my hotel room with the girls into the room my parents were staying in. How traditional and precious. It was funny, because my brother ended up getting locked out of his house that night so he showed up at our hotel after midnight needing a place to stay, too. It was the most surreal thing going to bed on the night before my wedding day, in a room with just the four of us, just like the old days. It felt like back when we would go on vacation when we were kids. We stayed up just talking for a while, and before I knew it, the alarm was going off. It was finally July 10, this mysterious day all of our lives had been building up to ever since Mr. Turtle and I had gotten engaged almost two years before.
I laid in bed for just a minute, in a simple attempt to savor the moment, to let the fact that I was getting married that evening really settle in. I felt calm and collected, happy, just how I wanted to feel on my wedding day! I jumped in the shower, threw on some sweats, and headed over to Mr. Turtle’s grandparents’ house with my mom, the place where I’d be getting ready… and later, where I’d be getting married!
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.
Hello, hive! Did you miss me? Did you wonder where I was?
I was in CRAZY BRIDE TOWN. And now I am back. And by back, I mean poking my head in to say hello to the people who faithfully visit me on the interwebs. Hello!
So here’s what’s happening, guys: the little countdown ticker dude on the side of my webpage is counting down. It’s a stubborn little thing, but luckily I caught on a few weeks ago that it was counting down ’til midnight on the day before our wedding, so it appeared to be a day ahead of time. I’m glad I realized that when I did because otherwise I would be FREAKING OUT right now. Not that I’m not already.
Mrs. Lemonade, Austin/San AntonioAge and Occupation: 28, BureaucratFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Music ManagementEngagement Date: December 21, 2007Wedding Date: April, 2009Blogging Since: August 22, 2008Venue: Country Club ceremony, ballroom receptionAbout Me: I’m a total wonkette who is lucky enough to be surrounded by her favorite things on a daily basis – awesome music, the great State of Texas and of course, Mr. Lemonade! I find any excuse I can to craft something and am completely infatuated with the 1950’s, all things Kennedy, and my furbaby Vida.
I know the photobooth has become a bit of a wedding cliche and I totally don’t care. We had a blast and our guests enjoyed a quasi-arts and crafts interactive activity. Read more…
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’m back from our faboo honeymoon in Tahiti and Bora Bora. It was wonderful. I am so happy I got to spend two full weeks with my sweetie. It is the first vacation we’ve taken alone since we got engaged last year and boy, we needed it.
Our days consisted of buffet breakfasts and a rotation of lying down—by the pool, in the pool cabana, by the beach, on our deck, on the couch, at the bar. Quite exhausting, if you ask me. But more on that later.
An afternoon game of Gin Rummy. Mr. Lobster looking very lobsterish (and sneaky) indeed in a sunburn.
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.
Following the lead of many a bee before me, I created a PowerPoint map to send out in our invitations:
I *love* how it turned out! I know, I know, I still need to show all of you the full invitation suite. But, honestly, I haven’t gotten around to a paper photo shoot yet. So for now, I’ll leave you with instructions on how to make your own:
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 had two requirements for my wedding gown: for it to make me feel beautiful and for it to cost $1500 or less. But I quickly realized that I didn’t want a typical gown. I liked the “bridal alternatives,” the “destination gowns,” and anything made from chiffon. They were ethereal and appealed to my Bohemian sensibility. So after seeing beautiful pictures for Saja gowns, I quickly made my appointment.
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!
Bridesmaid Clara and I have been BFFs since third grade. Our friendship spans a kind-of-unbelievable seventeen years; we went to elementary school, middle school, high school, and college together. She is also the wise soul who met Mr. Octo at university band camp, insisted that he was the perfect guy for me, and dragged me to that fateful toga party so she could introduce us. Over those many, many years, we have also gotten to know each other’s families very, very well. Due to our friendship with each other, our parents became friends as well, and it’s really just all pretty adorable.
Clara’s parents were able to retire fairly young, and felt that life in our small-town home in upstate New York just wasn’t going to be enough for them. They decided to retire to—of all places—Pittsburgh! They refurbished an old row house in a historic district of the city right near our reception location into a total dream home, and they have been unbelievably generous in opening up their home to the Family Octo every time we’ve needed to trek down to Pittsburgh for wedding planning sessions. They’ve hosted my mom, my sister, and me quite a few times over the course of our sixteen-month engagement, and they’ll be doing us one more epic favor before the wedding is over: hosting our rehearsal dinner. 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.
Music is extremely important to Mr. S and me. I’ve already spent considerable time on my massive (84GB and counting) iTunes playlist, determining which songs are ceremony-worthy, which are perfect for the cocktail hour and dinner, and which are best for the par-tay.
We’re thinking that, for the ceremony, we’ll play some soft, pretty instrumental music. When I actually walk down the aisle, I want “Victoria’s Secret” by Quiet Village to be playing. Here’s what it sounds like:
Mrs. Pin Cushion, Oakland, CAAge and Occupation: 25, Nurse Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, PhD StudentEngagement Date: November 23, 2008Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Radonich Ranch, Los GatosAbout Me: I'm the 3 Cs: crafty, creative and quirky (oh, that's not a C? Close enough!). I'm also a recycling fanatic, fluent in bad accents and I have the loudest laughter this side of the Mississippi. I have not just one sweet tooth, but a whole mouth full of sweet teeth. I cry at 97.4% of all movies I see, but my fiance's always there to hand me a tissue. My geek-chic fiance and I are planning a wedding full of color, cookies and handmade goodness and I can't wait to spill the beans on all of our crazy ideas!
Mr. Pin Cushion and I? We don’t like to feel clueless. We like answers. We like feeling like know-it-alls. Our thirst for knowledge runs nearly as deep as our thirst for chocolate.
My desire to feel smart extends all the way to my photography poses.
(I seriously have boatloads of photos like this.)
So we didn’t like it when we realized we were feeling clueless about our wedding officiant. We felt lost. Adrift. We brainstormed and created flow charts and acted out scenarios and set up computer algorithms to work out the problem.
One day, we finally got a break in the case. Our combined 41 years of education helped up come up with the perfect candidate: Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
