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!
[This post is kinda long, and relatively picture-less, so I apologize in advance. It won’t happen again, I promise.]
The week before our winery wedding managed to be fairly stress-free, in large part because Mr. Jelly made me pinky swear promise to finish all of our DIY projects the Wednesday before the wedding, and not add any more. This was easier said than done (my request for last-minute bottle labels got denied), but I kept to my promise and we finished all of our lingering DIY projects on Wednesday. Here is what the rest of the week looked like:
Mrs. Cinnamon Bun, Calgary, AlbertaAge and Occupation: 26, Stage ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Theatre TechnicianEngagement Date: June 22, 2010Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Calgary Opera CentreAbout Me: I'm a life-long crafter and bookworm living in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. Some of my loves include Lord of the Rings, Sherlock Holmes, knitting, opera, musicals, Etsy, baking, and of course, Mr. Cinnamon Buns. We're keeping our wedding close to home---the venue isn't very far from our house, and we live within walking distance of 6 bridal salons. I'm using the wedding as an excuse to try out every craft project I possibly can, with the endless help and support of my fiance.
Cinnamum came out to visit about a month after I got engaged. She lives only an hour and a half’s flight away, but about a 18-hour drive/ferry, so we don’t visit too often. So, we planned a good long weekend of dress-shopping and talking non-stop about wedding things.
Mum doesn’t live near an IKEA—the nearest one is a ferry ride and a drive away. I, on the other hand, live 20 minutes from an IKEA (on a semi-related note, the IKEA is next door to ‘my’ Michaels), so we planned a trip there as well, for the morning of the day she was leaving.
At that point, we still had no idea of theme or colours or anything that we wanted.
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 cry at movies, I cry at TV shows. I cry when I’m sad, I cry when I’m angry, I cry when I’m happy, sometimes I cry for no discernible reason at all.
But one place I never cried before was at weddings. I suppose that it was because I’d never put too much thought into wedding ceremonies. While I always enjoyed them, a wedding for me was more about the party.
And then we got engaged, and I started realizing that a wedding ceremony is a BIG DEAL. And when I went to my first wedding after I got engaged, guess what happened? Read more…
Mrs. Sea Breeze, Vancouver/Dominican RepublicAge in 2008 and Occupation: 30, Communications ManagerFiance's Age in 2008 and Occupation: 29, Experiential Marketing DirectorEngagement Date: October 6, 2007Wedding Date: November, 2008Blogging Since: July 17, 2008Venue: Majestic Colonial Resort, Punta CanaAbout Me: Planning a destination wedding by the sea should be (oh no she di-in't…) a breeze (…*sigh* yep, she did) but when you've never been to the Caribbean, your powers of imagination are really put to the test. Luckily, I'm 90% resourceful, creative optimist (and kooky, neurotic practicalist-if-that's-a-word for the other ten). Other than writing about our week-long celebration of family, friends, laughter and love, I adore books, shoes and… you guessed it… long walks on the beach.
When the subject of our destination wedding in Punta Cana comes up, one of the things our family and friends still talk about is the dinner. And no, not for the food (which was awesome) nor for the cake (which was hideous). Nope, they talk about how my groom carried me around the restaurant on his shoulders and how we did the chicken dance while they (and everyone else in the vicinity, random vacationers and staff alike) hooted and hollered.
That’s how we know that we achieved what we wanted most for our wedding: for our guests to feel like they were a part of it and, most importantly, that they have an insanely fun time Breezy-style…that is to say, with oodles of goofiness.
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Once we had determined that Mr Breezy was the head of the household forevermore, it was time to head into the restaurant to drink my sorrows away eat our scrumptious dinner.
For a few different reasons (including one big one that started with 17 and ended with 000) we chose to forgo a private reception in favor of dinner in the public restaurant by the beach followed by a speeches and dancing at the disco. DW BRIDES, TAKE NOTE: it turned out to be one of the best decisions we ever made. The staff set up two long tables of thirty for us and you know what? All that time I spent stressing about how it might be weird to be surrounded by other resort guests during dinner? Big fat waste of time. We didn’t even notice they were there!
Of course, that might be partly due to the fact we were all so distracted. By our awesomedinner game, that is. 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.
You have read all about our venues and the ceremony decor but I have not talked at all about the reception decor. Well, there is a good reason for that. Up until a couple days ago I had no idea what it was going to look like. Total fail, I know. Isn’t this one of the things you should figure out at the beginning of your planning?
I think my problem started when all the photos I found while researching were elaborate, flower filled tables. We are not into flowers. We wanted something simple. Then a few days ago, I came across this photo:
Mrs. Hot Wings, Chicago/San DiegoAge and Occupation: 28, ProfessorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, InstructorEngagement Date: December 20, 2008Wedding Date: August 2010Venue: Ocean View Villas/Jasmine Seafood RestaurantAbout Me: I am a psychology grad student living in Chicago and planning my wedding to a fellow psych grad student. I am a Sunny So-Cal bred gal who trudged across the country to follow her love of psychology and ended up finding a partner in the process. I am overly passionate about anything I involve myself with. I am an activist, a foodie, a reality TV watching junkie, an over-analyzer, a photography obsesser, and am utterly cheesy to the core. This is a story of what happens when a boy and a girl meet, fall in love over academic dorkiness, and a shared love for life. We (mostly I) are planning our semi-destination wedding in my hometown of San Diego. We are excited to bring our families and friends together from across our lifespans to celebrate our future in a grand 400+ person culturally blended affair!
I’m going to go a bit out of order for the next couple posts as I get us all through the formals. We did formals at 2 different times: before and after the civil ceremony. Even though we didn’t take all these photos at the same time or in this order, I would like to keep the family portraits to one post. Here’s the timing we used, for those of you working on your photography schedule.
Pre-Civil Ceremony
Groom & Groomsmen
Groom’s family
First Look
Bride & Groom
Bridals
Bride & Brideswomen
Couple & Wedding Party
After Civil Ceremony
Family Formals with Bride & Groom
Pre-Reception (cocktail hour time)
More Couple Shots
We started with Mr Hot Wings and his familia. Don’t the in laws look picture perfect? Sometimes I think they look like the picture of the model family that comes in frames. They’re so pretty!
Mr Hot Wings looks like the perfect blend of his mama and papa, doesn’t he? And Mama In Law looks gorgeous, right? That teal looks so great on her!
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!
10 points if you can name the movie reference in the title! One thing that I love about our antebellum-home-turned-restaurant venue is that it has a lot of the original accents: paintings that belonged to the original owners line the walls, while first edition novels fill the shelves. Some rooms even have antique pieces of furniture, though many of them are refinished. For our outdoor, vintage-garden ceremony, I prefer something a little less polished. You know…that distressed, old but beautiful look. What if we set up something like this for our ceremony?
I love the idea of a statement piece of furniture as ceremony decor. For example, look how these dressers bring together a tabletop display: Read more…
Mrs. Earrings, Fresno, CA/ Nelson, New ZealandAge and Occupation: 20, Student, Wannabe Writer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 19, Photography StudentEngagement Date: February 14, 2010Wedding Date: January 2011Venue: Gardens of the WorldAbout Me: I'm a girl from down under who grew up in Indonesia and I'm marrying a California boy. I'm addicted to all things sweet, have never met a chocolate silk pie than can get the better of me, and have dreams of one day being a fulltime novelist. I go weak in the knees for lace, tea cups, and a beautifully crafted sentence. When I get excited about something (whether it is historical linguistics or the Beatles) I tend to go overboard in research, and planning this wedding is no different. Mr. Earrings is my high school sweetheart, my best friend, and somehow we combine all our quirks into one big happy mess.
I think I will sneak it in with Mr E’s other wedding day gifts to remind him what he is getting himself into, as well as make him smile. But besides giving me a bit of a giggle, this chocolate bar also got me thinking about the after-wedding budget and how we are going to manage our income(s) together.
Issues over finances have been cited as some of the main causes of conflict within marriage. So, it would make sense to plan out how to handle our finances before we take the plunge in a way that makes both parties happy. This is easier said than done. Read more…
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.
We turned to Moo Cards to give us a jump-start on the invites for our hometown reception. I ordered four different styles of postcards and 200 mini-moos and left the back blank.
Mrs. Penguin, Northern CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 27, Weddingbee Editor in ChiefFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Doctor of Physical TherapyEngagement Date: January 29, 2007Wedding Date: June 7, 2008Blogging Since: September 14, 2007Venue: Winery in the Gold CountryAbout Me: I love the Spice Girls, dogs with underbites, bean burritos, making messes, high fives, avoiding showers, crossword puzzles, blogs, weddings, and blogs about weddings!
Our newest bee is oh-so-creative and comes to us from Austin! Please join me in welcoming Miss Waffle to the hive!
Miss Waffle, Austin Age & Occupation: 31, Costumer/Artist Fiance’s Age & Occupation: 33, Animator Engagement Date: July 27, 2010 Wedding Date: June 2011 Venue: Hummingbird House About Me: My life is pretty much spent in a sea of fabric, paint, sequins and drama. When I’m not working, I play on a trivia team, take Broadway dance classes, read, buy shoes, and occasionally geek out on video games. I am an American girl who loves all things British and Mr. Waffle is a Brit who loves all things American…I guess it was meant to be!
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 days ago I told you about my bridesmaid BA’s recent wedding in Argentina, now I want to tell you just a tad more about BA.Aside from being a beautiful bride and uncanny remember-er of song lyrics, BA is also a great friend and has been a part of my family since we were kids.In fact my sister and I often refer to BA as our “fake sister.”BA even accompanies us on many of our family vacations.Here we are in the Caribbean a few years ago:
Me, Sister Cheetah, & BA
And just because I love this picture so much, here is BA with Baby Brother Cheetah in Wisconsin, just before BA moved to Argentina to be with her (now) husband:
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. French Fries, MilwaukeeAge and Occupation: 27, ParalegalFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Investments AdvisorEngagement Date: September 20, 2008Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Ceremony: Catholic Church, Reception: Hotel BallroomAbout Me: I'm a Midwestern girl who longs to live in a warmer climate (my feet would be happy in flip flops any day!). I love travel, impromptu napping, grilled cheese sandwiches, my iPhone, singing with reckless abandon in my car, and Mr. French Fries.
This post goes out to all of the DIY-brides out there who have spent way too many evenings with glue gun burns on their fingertips and craft paint in their hair (seriously…how does paint get all the way up to your hair?). Take heart, ladies … it’s worth it in the end!
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1. See something cute and wedding-y in one of the following places: Etsy, one of the 50 wedding blogs in your reader, or in Martha Stewart Weddings magazine.
2. Decide that you absolutelymusthaveitOMGitistooperfect.
3. Google it like it’s your job, trying to find pictures of it in any capacity.
3 (a). Fall in love with said item even more.
4. Congratulate self on finding something so unique/”you”/kitschy/awesome.
5. Look to see what vendors are charging for said item.
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 talked about wanting a side pony (see my vision here), but there’s the issue of the veil, and well, I kind of want a flower, too. That’s way too much going on my head, I know, but I’ve always loved wearing a flower in my hair!
Isn’t it the perfect subtle touch for a garden wedding, too? I know I’ve got to narrow that down all these wants and go with something practical, but what if i did it all?
This bride totally pulled it off (see the veil and flower):
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
