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 there we were: me, my new husband, a few cases of wine and beer, and a pickup truck. We were free to go and do as we chose, no obligations, no reservations, spontaneously deciding each evening where we would lay our heads.
Well, that’s about half true. There was, in fact, quite a bit of spontaneity in our travels. And we did, in fact, not make many plans on where we would sleep. We did, however have a lot of people to visit in a very short time who were inconveniently spread over 7 states. So we had a tight schedule to stick to as we wandered through the most perfect time of year in the Northeast.
There really is nothing better than New England in the late summer. If you haven’t had the pleasure, let me fill you in on this little piece of heaven.
Mrs. Guinea Pig, Baltimore, MD Age and Occupation: 26, PhD student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Operations Director at a non-profit Engagement Date: December 25, 2008 Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: The Chesapeake Bay Beach Club About Me: I'm a tomboy science nerd whose girly side has made a startling appearance thanks to wedding planning! I love to bake, knit and sew but I also ride a motorcycle (that Mr. Guinea Pig wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole). We live with our three crazy cats and love to read, travel, watch movies, and do home improvement projects together! My parents/family are Canadian but I'm definitely American, although I've lived in 5 different countries, 6 different states, and speak Russian fluently. Mr. GP and I met online (did I mention I'm a scientist?) and had a whirlwind romance - now we can't wait to get married & celebrate with all our friends and family in a blue and yellow waterfront affair!
Finally, it was reception time! Again we hid out in the bridal party suite while the venue’s staff ushered everyone through to pick up their escort flowers and take their seats. The wedding party entered to the first part of the Star Wars “Throne Room” theme!
(Yes that is Sister GP twirling Best Man J )
Mr. GP and I entered to the opening strains of Muse’s Starlight and I have to say, entering the reception was a little weird. Everyone was clapping and cheering for us, but I wasn’t sure what we were supposed to do! So Mr. GP and I smiled at our photogs, waved at folks, and made a beeline for our sweetheart table.
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.
One of the awesome things about being a bride blogger is connecting with other brides. I’ve seen more wedding inspiration than I knew existed. There’s a lot out there! And it’s not just brides coming up with exciting ideas, either; the wedding industry has jumped onboard, too, with places like The Knot and Brides magazine joining the ranks and providing innovative ways to personalize your wedding.
One of the not-so-awesome things about this wave of inspiration: overkill. Some girls might not have a problem with this because maybe they know what they want or know when to stop looking, but for a big-time procrastinator and personwholikestoobsess—like me—all of the inspiration can be overwhelming.
Let me rephrase: all of the inspiation can be paralyzing.
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.
We had an epic fail trying to buy our rings in Stratford-upon-Avon. It really is too bad because we were looking forward to having that specialness (totally a word) about them. C’est la vie. It goes to show you never can tell. The reason? Platinum rings were really expensive without the pounds-to-dollars conversion. I also couldn’t find anything I enjoyed. I had a backup ring already picked out at the store where he purchased the e-ring, so I wasn’t too brokenhearted.
We went to the store, and I handed the very nice salesman the business card with information regarding the ring I’d already picked out. This is yet another task that quickly became overwhelming. These jewelers, man, they can make a million. different. eternity bands. It’s quite amazing if you think about how many ways they can bend a single concept. Of course I no longer enjoyed the band that I’d picked out previously. So I had about 15 trays of rings in front of me—so many that it got to the point that my ring finger began to get raw and all hurty-like from trying them on.
Zeb? He had this covered. He already knew what he wanted, down to the comfort level. Oh yeah, they have “comfort” bands. He ended up picking out his and mine.
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.
My family and I traveled to Edmonton last weekend for my cousin’s wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and we all had so much fun. If our wedding is half as full of love and fun as theirs was, I’ll be thrilled.
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.
I know, I know. It’s another music post. Sorry, you guys. It’s just that music has always been really important to me.
Anyway, the other night, when I was out with friends in Dallas, we’d been drinking a bit and were talking about our favorite party songs. When we got back to our friend’s house, we played them for each other.
And I started thinking about how much it sucked that I wouldn’t get to play my favorite party songs at the wedding. I mean, of course I could play them, but hardly anyone would dance. My cardinal rule of party music is to know your audience, and I know that most of the people at the wedding reception won’t dance to what they don’t know.
But at the after party, well, those guests will be younger and will enjoy the party music more. So here are some songs I plan on featuring at our after party, wherever that may be.
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!
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!
When I left off, Mr. Dolphin and I were being attacked by rogue bubbles. Next up? A little venture into the woods near Plantation Bay for another sweet photo op before our ceremony.
Who knew a wooded area on the side of a parking lot could turn out such fabulous photos? Our photographers sure knew how to turn any situation into a good photo opportunity!
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!
Our RSVP date is here and I wish I could say it went off without a hitch. But out of the 38 households we sent invitations to there had to be some issues, right?
Our prospective guests committed some major invitation faux pas; they made what I’d like to refer to as “invitation sins.” Maybe you can relate? Read more…
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!
While we were doing a tasting (with our photographer—fun!) I spotted wine boxes for sale. Instantly, my brain went into DIY mode and I thought of our non-existent card box. This could do the trick!
Mr. Barrettes said he could cut a hole in the “top” of the box and screw it shut so the panel didn’t slide open. He’d also have to put some sort of bracket on the bottom so it could stand upright safely.
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!
Like somanybees before me, I have swooned over the Cricut. In my opinion, it’s just the mother of all crafting tools. For those of you who are unfamiliar, the Cricut allows you to “print” shapes. It basically cuts out special shapes for you with the touch of a button. They even make a special device for cakes. The possibilities are endless, and it can certainly make for some very creative DIY invitations, menus, programs, etc. Not to mention the fact that it makes it much easier to obtain the highly coveted “bracket.”
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!
As soon we’d all made our way up the aisle, it was time for cocktail hour! (Well, I guess technically it was a cocktail-less hour, since the only alcoholic beverages we served were wine and Champagne…but I still like to call it cocktail hour. It sounds classy that way!) Our guests spent the time in between our ceremony and reception mingling in the backyard and munching on some seriously delicious food.
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.
From the start, I liked the idea of a unity ceremony. Having a physical object symbolizing our union that we could take home after the ceremony just gave me the warm fuzzies. The most popular unity ceremony is the unity candle. You have probably all seen this at some point; it’s where the bride and groom light a candle together. Knowing that lighting a candle outdoors would present a challenge, the sand ceremony was a heaven-sent solution and TOTALLY fit in with our wedding on the beach.
Ms. Potato Chips, Boston/Narragansett RIAge and Occupation: 29, PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Personal Trainer/Business Owner/Physical Therapy AssistantEngagement Date: January 1, 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: The Narragansett TowersAbout Me: A semi-professional bookworm, if I could be a literary character I’d be a cross between Jo March and Jane Eyre, only better accessorized and much lazier. My hobbies include sleeping in, seasonal brews, running, Trader Joe’s, and watching Unwrapped and Good Eats with Mr. Potato Chips. I harbor an irrational fear of tulle, crafts, things that are fussy, and overuse of the phrase "Your Special Day". After a year or seven together, down the aisle we go, slouching toward adulthood and planning a Rhodie party with equal parts whimsy, cheer, and pizza.
Do you know how awesome you are? You are awesome. Collectively, you are awesome, and individually you are even more awesome. How is that even possible??
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All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
