Mrs. French Toast, Pleasanton, CAAge and Occupation: 29, Marketing & PRFiance's Age and Occupation: IT geek by day, self-proclaimed handyman by nightEngagement Date: October 2009Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: Palm Event CenterAbout Me: I’m a city girl at heart who moved to the suburbs a year ago. Now I’m adjusting to life with a front lawn, nosy neighbors, cooking attempts, and making sure the garbage pail is pulled out on time every week! When I’m not traveling, Mr. FT and I enjoy marathon sessions of Law & Order: SVU, snowboarding, photography, spoiling our 3-year old yorkie-poodle Mokka and disagreeing over what music to listen to in the car. We’re planning a small winery wedding while incorporating some cultural elements into the day as a nod to our Chinese backgrounds.
Alas, I am bringing you the final installment of our proposal.
*Cue dramatic music*
After Mokka came into our lives, our weekends were filled with walks in the park. Our favorite off leash dog park is Fort Funston, a stretch of the coastline that lies between San Francisco and Daly City, boasting gorgeous views of the ocean. We call it Mokka’s heaven, because he can run freely and sniff as many dogs’ behinds as he wants.
We treasure the time spent at Fort Funston and always told each other that we’d never trade it for the world.
One particular Saturday morning, when yours truly was not in any particular mood to dress up for the dog park, we headed to Fort Funston. Without showering, I threw on a hoodie with jeans and my nerdy glasses and headed for the park—yes oily hair and all.
Mrs. Socks, Southern NJ/Philadelphia, PAAge and Occupation: 23, Web Developer/Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Systems EngineerEngagement Date: September 7, 2009
Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: Ladder 15 RestaurantAbout Me: I am originally from the Midwest, but I love being an East Coast transplant! Mr. Socks and I are foodies and winos to the core---give us a hunk of cheese, some charcuterie and a glass of wine and we could die happy. We have two mischievous Wire Fox Terriers with completely opposite personalities but with a shared love of uprooting anything in our garden. Our backyard garden includes everything from tomatoes and peppers to a fig tree, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries! I love cooking, indie music, and spending time in our wedding city of choice---Philly!
When we left Seneca Lake, Mr. Socks and I traveled to Buffalo, NY to spend the night before crossing the bridge to Canada in the morning. I had never been to Canada before, and I was super excited to spend two nights there!
We went directly to our hotel at Niagara on the Lake, but our room wasn’t ready yet so we headed to our spa appointment. We had booked a side-by-side massage, and then chocolate body wraps. I’ve only had a handful of massages in my life, and always enjoyed them on vacations, but $600 later, I walked out of the spa with some pretty big developing bruises and smelling of chocolate and butter (the latter of which isn’t so bad, but I don’t know why the dude massaged my lower back to the point of becoming purple). Overall, I don’t think we’ll shell out the dough for spa treatments in the future. Live and learn, right?
After our spa treatments, our room STILL wasn’t ready, so we decided to hit up some of the local wineries. Also, I’m sorry for how horrible I looked in the following photos…it was because of that darned chocolate wrap and I could do nothing with my hair afterward since I couldn’t shower yet.
Mrs. Pancakes, New York/Costa RicaAge and Occupation: 26, Law School StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Latin American Policy AnalystEngagement Date: March 12, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Casa Punto de VistaAbout Me: I’m a perfectionist with a big heart. I love a good laugh and firmly believe no one has ever regretted being prepared! My motto is “go big or go home.” I am incapable of doing anything in moderation, especially when it comes to shopping, TV, food and travel, and some would say wedding planning! The other half of this nearlywed team is a laid-back, adventure-loving, accident prone, sweetie from LA. He makes me laugh, is always down for an impromptu dance party, and totally indulges most of my hare-brained schemes. Now, in my final year of law school, we’ll be spending the spring abroad in Amsterdam and planning a DIY, whimsical, detail-filled destination wedding in Costa Rica!
I am not sure when you are “supposed” to register, but people keep asking us where we are registered. Through a process of faulty logic, I have decided that meant I should register ASAP!
If only it were that simple.
Unfortunately, we are planning on moving four or more times in the next year, so the prospect of starting a large collection of “things” isn’t that appealing, even though I LOVE household items. I could spend hours at Crate & Barrel or Ikea. Additionally, Mr. Pancakes and I have lived together for over three years, so we don’t need that many things. So, despite my love for gourmet goodies, I decided to start looking for nontraditional registry ideas.
The first website I found was Traveler’s Joy, and I thought it was a great place to start. If only I knew I had opened Pandora’s box. Shortly after that I found:
According to CNN, the main difference between one of these registries and a hotel-chain registry is that the couple can register for more items and usually has more control over the way the money is spent. Sounds good to me!
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!
With everyone seated with cake and champagne, my very first college friend and Mr. Sew’s roommate for two years stepped up to the microphone.
As our friend who knew us before we knew each other—he shared a short, sweet, and slightly silly sentiment before delivering his Japanese toast, which was written on a piece of paper by Mr. Sew’s dad the day before. Read more…
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!
Picture this, if you will—your average Australian bride-to-be, moving home from the UK and in the middle of a whirlwind of travel plans. I’d been on the lookout for dress inspiration for months but my plan had always been to wait and shop around, and to make my final dress decision after I’d returned home for good. Imagine my surprise when, amidst all that craziness, I found my dress. In Canada.
I was in Vancouver, and was lucky enough to meet up with one of my favourite blogging friends, who is also a Weddingbee hive member: toothfairyb. B and I got engaged at the same time last year, and she created the most beautiful wedding this past summer—le sigh. During one of our days in Vancouver, I left Mr. Jaguar in the city and headed into New Westminster with B for a whole day of wedding gown goodness.
I won’t lie: I was terrified of going. I was worried I would’ve gained weight while travelling, or that they wouldn’t have any dresses that would fit me—I was basically a bundle of nerves the whole time. Luckily, B put up with my craziness, and herded me into our first store: The Bridal Gallery.
Mrs. Ostrich, San Francisco/HawaiiAge and Occupation: 30, Fashion Buyer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 38, CopywriterEngagement Date: October 4, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: Sweet ceremony by the sea and sunset celebration on the North Shore of HawaiiAbout Me: Born in the city of angels and residing in the city by the bay, I’m a fearless fashion buyer by day, a passionate blog author by night and a dreamy bride-to-be in between. I thank my lucky stars to live in such a stunning city that gives me gifts like organic honey lavender ice cream, movie nights in the park, tucked away beaches, legendary record stores, '80s dance parties, awesome sports teams, stellar flea markets, and vintage bookshops. Oh, and I love to dance! We always find every excuse to escape to the beach, and decided a little seaside wedding in Hawaii is our idea of bliss. Full of our favorite people, music, food and sparkly lights, this is one sunset celebration we will always remember.
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!
We semi-DIYed our wine box for our Love Letter and Wine Box Ceremony. We searched high and low for an affordable box. Remember, we’re cheap. I kept thinking that someone handy and crafty would offer to make a box for us, but it just never happened. A wood box…how hard could it be? Well, it turns out that this box produced more stress for Mr Hot Wings than just about anything else. Believe it. I personally blame it on the fact that he and Papa Hot Wings decided to cut corners instead of doing it the way I had originally asked them to do it. If you’re planning on dong this too, learn from Mr Hot Wings’ mistakes.
The wood box originally belonged to Sister in Law. Someone had given it to her, and she never used it. So, she re-gifted it to us. My one complaint about the box was the lid. The box had a hinged lid and a latch to close it, similar to these below.
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.
After the Wine Box ceremony, Mr. Husky read his vows to me:
(guest photo)
From this moment forward, I promise to give my best efforts to being the best husband I can be.
Though I won’t be perfect,
I promise to make you soup when you are sick.
To eat hot peppers with you when you quit smoking. [Mr. Husky & I quit smoking together, over 4 years ago, by setting our mouths on fire with the hottest peppers we could find any time we had a craving. Turns out, a cigarette is the last thing you want with a mouth full of fire.]
Lambsears is selling a set of large lanterns from Pottery Barn. She’s asking $45 for each of the four lanterns, for pick-up only in the Baltimore area.
Have a wedding item for sale? Post it with pictures in the Weddingbee Classifieds, and you might see it featured on the blog!
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.
To join in on the fun in this series of bee posts, I’m going to let you in on a deep, dark secret: I’m a geek. Not surprised? Most people aren’t when I just say that.
Let me just preface this by saying that I’m geeky for many things: knitting, Harry Potter, craft supplies, Sherlock Holmes, but nothing, NOTHING as much as my first true love (sorry, Cinnamon Buns), Lord of the Rings. It is well known among my friends that I have a passion for all things hobbity. The thing is, very few people know how deep the geekiness actually goes. I always kept some of the geekier stuff private, just so people wouldn’t think I was too insane. Now I’m embracing it by telling you the story, hive!
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!
The post-ceremony portraits were kind of a crazy blur. As soon as we finished our recessional down the aisle, the Heinz Chapel coordinators whisked us back downstairs with the rest of the bridal party. Have I mentioned Heinz Chapel has a policy or two? One of them is no receiving lines allowed (which I was actually thrilled about—receiving lines are not my jam). Anyway, we had to be sequestered away for about ten minutes as our guests cleared out of the Chapel, lest an impromptu receiving line form.
Then, we were whooshed back up to the altar for a round of family formals. I will not show you all of them, because there are LOTS!
Here’s a tip from my photographer to me to you: before the wedding, list all the portraits that you want to have taken. Start with portraits including elderly people and children, whose stamina for picture-taking will wane the fastest. Also, start with the largest groups and work your way down by pulling people out, rather than putting people in and trying to re-arrange. Finally, nominate a person who is a) not your photographer and b) not in the majority of the portraits to be the wrangler and shot-caller. Bridesmaid/Cousin Katie’s mom, my aunt Cathy, did this job for us, and nailed it. She had our shot list, announced the people who should be in each photograph, and as a result, our formal portraits were breezy, painless, and finished twenty minutes ahead of schedule. Read more…
Mrs. Jam, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 25, Writer/Associate Wedding CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Structural EngineerEngagement Date: December 23, 2009Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Hunter’s Ridge, Princeton, ILAbout Me: I’m a penny-pinching cat lady getting ready to marry the frugal dog lover of my dreams. Our ideal Saturday morning includes rummaging around people’s junk at garage and estate sales followed by an afternoon date to our favorite café, where we only eat sandwiches that include the word “salad.” We actually love it so much, it’s sort of our unofficial wedding theme: Look at our delicious finds, eat homemade ham salad, and celebrate our love…barndance style. When we’re not obsessing over our love-fest shindig, we’re planning themed parties for our best friends and jamming to '90s music.
Remember my big flowers-are-too-expensive dilemma? Well, after talking incessantly about other options, I figured I would take matters into my own hands and whip up a test bouquet. Never mind the fact that I have zero floral training or experience. The catch? The flowers were all from my local Trader Joe’s and cost a whopping eight dollars. Not too shabby for a bridal bouquet, huh?
Because I really don’t know anything about what flowers go together in bouquets, I chose the two cheapest bunches of flowers and died of happiness when sunflowers were just four dollars! Don’t think for one second that I didn’t use to douse myself in Elizabeth Arden Sunflowers perfume while wearing a sweatshirt covered in hand-embroidered sunflowers.
Yes, I was that girl in junior high.
So this is what I started with: a hot-mess pile of flowers that I really had no clue what to do with.
Mrs. Giraffe, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 23, Graphic DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Music Student TeacherEngagement Date: October 23, 2008Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Trinity Lutheran Church & Idlewild Country ClubAbout Me: Coming from the suburbs of the Windy City, you'll often find me with my foot in my mouth while laughing for no reason or telling bad knock knock jokes. I've been crafty for as long as I can remember, and will DIY something twice over before I have someone do it for me. I'm a semi-awkward, typeface obsessed, design junkie and have been know to break out my dance moves for no reason as well as try my best to be ridiculous at all times. My love of pop culture, wordplay, and graph paper almost rivals my love of Mr. Giraffe (who is just the bee's knees). After a 2.5 year engagement, we're planning a modern-in-disguise traditional wedding, and cannot wait!
Things have been stressful as of late, and I’m sure everything will come together in the end, but right now I’m going to think of something else (anything aside from omgomg5monthsawaythrowupandwetmypants) and I encourage you guys to do the same! Sometimes the best way to plan a wedding, I think, is not to plan.
Here are my tips for not going crazy amidst this crazy planning process.
1) Make time for friends. Bonus points if you and said friend (or in my case best buddy/bridesmaid Mang) make time in a child’s size corn box…or you could go see a movie or something, either way works.
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.
Since we’re on the topic of wedding attire, I thought I’d go ahead and share my ideas for dressing the little ones, too! We’re not having children at our wedding, except for those in the bridal party, my brother’s young children, and my dad’s two young daughters, and I suspect all eyes will be on them!
Mrs. Canary, New YorkAge and Occupation: 24, MarketingFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Journalist/EditorEngagement Date: February 16, 2007Wedding Date: July, 2008Blogging Since: October 19, 2007Venue: Pier Sixty, Chelsea PiersAbout Me: I'm a born and raised New Yorker who loves all things crafty and artsy, food (cheese and dessert!), magazines, and shoes. I'm a power shopper always on the lookout for good deals or great quality-- sometimes I'm lucky and I find both! I love to dance and "shake what my momma gave me" but can also really enjoy a quiet night in with Mr. Canary and a good episode of Seinfeld or curl up with a good book.
All photos courtesy of the amazing Angelica Glass, unless otherwise noted. Please note that the photos have only been color-corrected and not fully retouched.
While we, with our parents and bridal party, were waiting behind the scenes to make our grand entrance, the guests were welcomed into the dining room (which had been transformed from our ceremony space) to find their seats for dinner.
One of the many reasons we loved having our wedding at Pier Sixty was the way the dining room was “unveiled” for the guests. The dining area was separated from the cocktail area by large, paneled, garage-like doors. While our guests were chowing down on hors d’oeuvres, the Pier Sixty team and our floral team, Atlas Floral Decorator was busy turning the room. When the room was ready, the doors slowly lifted up and we could see everyone just pausing and watching in anticipation as the room appeared in all its perfection…
Individual votives hung over the dance floor, so it seemed as if it was lit up by tiny blazing stars.
