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.
No not those kind of mugshots. I am talking the “traditional” family photos taken at weddings. You know the ones, where everyone is standing shoulder to shoulder like they are in a police line up.
Mrs. Jaguar, SydneyAge and Occupation: 27, Primary School TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, IT ConsultantEngagement Date: August 8, 2009Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Curzon HallAbout Me: I'm an Australian girl who is a self-proclaimed nerd, loves all things stationery and would be lost without books, music and the internet. Mr. Jaguar and I have been together for the past eight years and he finally popped the question last August. Hurrah! We currently live in Sydney, Australia with our adorable cat who thinks he's a person. We're a couple who likes to multi-task: we've been planning a wedding abroad, a permanent move from London to Sydney, and preparing to build our own home all at the same time. Travelling makes me giddy...as does Mr. Jaguar, of course!
One of the hardest things that I’ve learned to come to grips with when it comes our ceremony, is the lack of freedom. A Catholic ceremony, while beautiful and traditional in its own right, is very rigid in terms of how it works. It’s still a wedding celebration, and it’s still about the couple, but it’s based on the principles of the church—so you work within their guidelines to enjoy your ceremony.
Since I’m still abroad at the moment, it’s made the DIY part of wedding planning more than a little tricky! As soon as we’re back in Sydney in early 2011, we’ll be having lots of meetings with the church and with our priest (who happens to be Mr. Jaguar’s first cousin!) and I’ll admit, I’ll be learning a lot as I go. I’m sure you’ll hear me talk about the ceremony details later on down the line, but for now? It’s all about the music. Now that’s something I can research without being there in person…fabulous!
Mrs. Mary Jane, Grand Forks, NDAge and Occupation: 26, Instructional DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Lead ProgrammerEngagement Date: February 28, 2009Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: City HallAbout Me: I'm a career woman on the surface and a homemaker at heart. I love fast cars and high heels, and my favorite food is cake. Mr. Mary Jane and I are both full-time employees and students, and we just bought our first house. We love to curl up on the couch with buttery popcorn, Sour Patch Kids, and the latest Netflix arrival -- whenever we can get a break from everyday life.
I love this post because it addresses something I see all too-often among ’waiting’ girlfriends. We get so impatient, so focused on that ring and that wedding day, that things get ugly. We might even have our beloved fiances-to-be wondering if they REALLY want to propose to such crazy women! Wedding days come and go, but your relationship is what matters. Stay solid!
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I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I may have gotten a little obsessed with the impending engagement between the time that I helped pick out the ring and when Mr. Mary Jane chose to give it to me.
It wasn’t the ring itself that I wanted. I mean, of course I wanted the ring, in its beautiful sparkly gorgeousness… but what I wanted more than anything was to be engaged (and then married) to Mr. Mary Jane. We were so close. Sooooo close. And I was SO ready for the next step.
I tried to be a mature, compassionate adult about the whole thing. I convinced myself that I found it sweet that Mr. MJ wanted to be traditional about the proposal. He is, after all, a door-opening, coat-taking, heavy-stuff-carrying gentleman. It was nice of him to include me in the ring-picking process, which I enjoyed very much. I would let him do this himself, on his own time. Read more…
Ms. Cheetah, Los Angeles/Palm Springs
Age and Occupation: 31, Artist, EducatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, TV FinanceEngagement Date: April 2010Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: The ViceroyAbout Me: I’m a silly, sassy lady with a compulsion to create. I love to sing and dance, despite the fact that I lack any talent doing either. I somehow manage to be messy and organized at the same time. I like to spend my days road tripping, watching '80s movies, reading true crime books, buying things on sale, sending postcards, playing board games, dining at food trucks, snuggling, and drinking ginger ale. I have a weak spot for all things sweet, especially Mr. Cheetah! I’m a Chicago girl and he’s a Nor Cal boy but we love living in the City of Angels. After 10 years as a couple we are planning a fun-filled semi-destination wedding in Palm Springs. Hope you enjoy the ride!
A few months ago I was out to dinner with my friend L, and we got to talking about how much time we spend with our significant others. At the time, Mr. Cheetah and I had similar schedules and we were able to spend quite a bit of time together (it was awesome).L was on the other end of the spectrum; her husband’s work schedule had him out of town for weeks at a time.It got me thinking about how much the amount of time spent together varies greatly from couple to couple, and even year to year.Some couples are able to be with each other all day, and may even work together (like Jim & Pam below).While many other couples are in long distance relationships and may only get to see each other every couple months or so.
Recently the Cheetahs’ schedules have changed and even though we live together we only get to see each other a couple hours a day.In 10+ years together, our schedules, and thus the amount of time we spend together, has changed many times.
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).
One thing that I don’t particularly love about our wedding city is the lack of public transportation. Dallas is really a city you have to have a car in. Not only is everything super spread out, but it definitely does not have the phenomenal subway system I’ve learned to rely on everyday in the Big Apple. Don’t get me wrong, D-town has made some huge strides with its light rail system and there are certainly buses in the city, but it’s not a city where you can basically get from any point A to any point B relatively easily without a car. The city is way too big to be very pedestrian friendly, and taxis aren’t just roaming around waiting for someone to step off the curb and raise their hand up for a ride. I guess I’ve been spoiled living in New York.
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.
One of the things I didn’t worry about at our Seattle reception was linens. The bright accents of pink, orange, aqua, and green worked nicely with (no cost!) white linens and our venue was so unique and pretty it didn’t need much. The venue for our hometown reception is very nice, but it’s a banquet hall and thus it is a neutral space. Its style leans towards Art Deco; there are lots of grays and blacks with sleek lines. This space doesn’t naturally lend itself to a rustic fall themed event. Not without a little help, anyways.
We decided to invest in colored linens to help set the mood. Our guests will be seated at your standard round tables. Instead of a bridal table (it’s not a wedding, remember!) we will have a family table with our immediate family in the middle of the room.
Mrs. Duckling, San DiegoAge and Occupation: 23, Psychology Grad Student, Youth Diversion Specialist/Marriage and Family Therapy Trainee and an Executive AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Marketing and PR CoordinatorEngagement Date: May 17, 2008Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: Rancho Bernardo InnAbout Me: I'm currently living in Orange County, but planning our wedding in my hometown of San Diego. We are a DIY wedding "2fer", as I'm the crafty one and Mr. Ducky is in charge of all of our graphic design and technical aspects. When not wedding planning or reading wedding blogs, I'm attending grad school and rotating between two different jobs to keep things exciting. My favorite things include shoes, Post-Its, Labrador Retrievers, traveling, psychology, delicious food, photography, reading, craft gadgets/supplies, and of course, my wonderful Mr. Ducky!
Our Save the Dates were a labor of love but one of my favorite things about the wedding process. When I think of them, I remember our family and friends coming together to help us out with each step. It reminds me of how blessed we are that people would go out their way just to love us and help make our vision and ideas come together. Even if they thought I was a little crazy to cut out individual numbers with my crazy craft gadgets, it didn’t stop them from supporting us in every way they could.
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Well, first I must apologize for the delay of this post and my absence. I know I promised you the tutorial long ago, and I figure I should probably finish that before I show you all my invitations. In the middle of my wedding craziness, my computer hard drive crashed and I lost a whole bunch of blog pictures and posts along with address spreadsheets, contracts, and all sorts of other stuff that stresses you out. Not to worry, I think I’ve pieced a lot of it back together in the last few weeks.
Ready for the tutorial for the Duckling save the dates? I’m warning you ahead of time that there were quite a few steps. So stay with me and let me know if it stops making sense.
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!
Mrs. Panther, Atlanta GA/Westport CTAge and Occupation: 24, Web WriterFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Music Recording EngineerEngagement Date: March 13, 2010Wedding Date: July 2011Venue: The Inn at LongshoreAbout Me: I'm a total goofball who goes through life at a breakneck pace, trying not to knock anything over. I tend to fall in love with everything I encounter, but more than anything, I love my two little kitties, Bela and Josie, and my big kitty, Mr. Panther! As a wannabe crafter, I'm still waiting for my artistic talents to emerge. (Any day now, really.) In the meantime, I spend my days eating anything put in front of me, buying every pair of shoes I see and absorbing wedding inspiration from every inch of my surroundings. Mr. Panther and I are hardcore New Englanders planning Connecticut nuptials from our new home in the Dirty South, and can't wait to mix our newfound love of classic Southern charm with some modern city touches.
You know, ladies, when you’ve got STDs, they’re all you can think about. They seem like such a pain in the you-know-what, and you just wish more than anything that you could get rid of them. Then, when it finally happens, you realize that you never knew how to appreciate your STDs until you didn’t have them anymore.
OK, OK, I’ll stop with the sexually transmitted disease jokes. Sheesh. SORRY. But seriously, the Save the Dates. They’re GONE, you guys. I finally found the stamina to get my Cricut back out to make new address labels for the last three, and now everything’s completely done, and they’re gone. I have all this time now. I get home from work, and I feel myself heading toward the closet to pull out my cardboard box of paper, and then I remember that I don’t need to. I call this the Save the Date time vacuum.
When we first finished these monsters, I did take the first evening to sit on the couch with my feet up. But after that, I just had to do something. So … here’s what I did.
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!
I’m almost embarrassed to even admit this, but I’m going to anyways.
I haven’t really felt excited about the wedding at all until, oh I don’t know, a few weeks ago.
Isn’t that terrible?!
Well, okay, I’ve felt excited. But in more of a, “oh yeah that will be awesome when it comes but it’s a million years away” sort of way. But over the past few weeks, the excitement really, truly hit me. The “OMG I have butterflies in my stomach just thinking about it and holy crap I CAN’T WAIT” kind of excited.
It’s an awesome feeling! What a novel thought—actually being excited about our wedding rather than just stressing over it. I’m at the point where I’m realizing that while details are important, they aren’t everything. The truly important part is that we’re getting married and it’s going to be amazing. I’m starting to let go of some of the details that don’t mean as much, and I feel like I’m starting to adopt a very zen-like “what happens will happen” attitude. And it feels damn good!
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!
The wedding industry wants us to think that engagements are filled with sunshine and rainbows. Despite all its fluff, the movie Bride Wars got it right during a montage scene comparing Anne Hathaway’s and Kate Hudson’s relationships. Sometimes engagements can bring all the gooey romantic fluff out in a couple, and sometimes it can bring all their conflicts to the forefront. Mr. SD and I were the latter, but instead of duking it out every chance we got, we had great discussions and resolved a lot of our fundamental differences. I love that even though times can get rough (and they always do, luckily we’re finally past all that crazy from earlier this year), you can still band together as a couple and support each other. This post reminds me of our hard times, and how we overcame them to become Mr. and Mrs. today.
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It seems that there come times in a relationship where everything becomes a struggle. Nothing works out your way, and normally simple tasks become ten times more difficult. This summer has been one of those times for Mr. SD and me.
Mr. SD has been a student for the past two years. His employer sent him to school to study up on electrical stuff (I have no earthly idea what he does), with the promise that he’ll come back to work with a hefty raise. How awesome is that? Unfortunately, Mr. SD is no financial planner.
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.
This is the most traditional option, and it’s a good one if you want to keep your dress, and perhaps pass it down to your future daughter. I’m not very sentimental, though, and I have no true desire to hang onto my dress after I’ve worn it.
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.
Growing up, my mom always put me in the best outfits, complete with a hair bow and pearl bracelet. I loved it! Dressing up was my thing.
How cute am I?
Here I am in my annual Christmas Day outfit (I told you I am a Tennessee Vols fan): Read more…
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.
After our first dance, dinner was served buffet style. I can’t say it was the most amazing meal—I can hardly say anything about it, actually, because I hardly ate!
