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.
Don’t worry, Cinnamon Buns. You’ll find out eventually. Just don’t ruin the surprise, please? This is probably the first post in a series about the same thing, so keep watching for this banner!
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.
This is a little note to the gals nearest and dearest to our hearts: Our five bridesmaids. God love them.
You know, when Mr. Jam and I started wedding planning, he only really wanted one thing: A wedding party. And I wanted nothing to do with one thing: A wedding party.
We quickly learned the meaning of compromise because one can only threaten to call off a wedding so many times before it gets a little tiring. And yes, we decided to have a wedding party. And YES, I’m actually so excited about it now I want to scream in their faces every second.
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.
Although we were able to wriggle ourselves out of a big fat Chinese wedding, Mr. French Toast and I will honor our Chinese roots with certain traditions of the culture by incorporating it into the planning, as well as the big day.
For starters, it was important that we choose an auspicious day for the wedding. In Chinese culture, when it comes to choosing a date, there are several routes to take:
1) Find a sifu (“master”—and no, not the Jackie Chan type of martial-arts master) in Hong Kong/China to choose it for us based on our birthdates, time of birth, zodiac sign, and our parents’ date of birth. I went to a wedding mall in Hong Kong that specializes in weddings, and one store quoted me HKD 600 (USD $78) to calculate a date for us based on the Chinese calendar.
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.
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!
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.
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.
Like Miss Cheetah, I’ve got a major thing for non-rectangular wedding stationery. I’m particularly fond of any and all variants on the “bracket square.” (Not to be a punctuation nerd, but aren’t the curvy ones “braces”? Or is that just an American thing? I forget.) When I came across a downloadable Martha Stewart place card template featuring a particularly pretty version, I snagged that PDF before you can say “Miss Panther is a total weirdo.”
When it came time to get our Save the Dates in action, I assumed that cutting out these fancy shapes with my Cricut would be a cinch. I was only half wrong. Cutting shapes from plain paper? Totally easy. Cutting shapes that are lined up to a previously printed project? Not so much. As a reminder, here’s what our save the dates ended up like:
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!
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!
First I designed a million save the dates, and then we finally decided on one, meaning we officially had a magnet, which made me just about as happy as a clam (or giraffe).
Now that we got that out of the way (finally!), we needed a way to package or send off that little guy. I went back to my inspiration pics and remember the STD I saw that came with a post card. Read more…
Mrs. Taco, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 29, writer/editorFiance's Age and Occupation: 37, editorEngagement Date: May 13, 2009Wedding Date: August 2010Venue: The Green Room at the War Memorial Veterans BuildingAbout Me: I like laughing and talking with good friends over good food and good drink, be it wine, cocktail, or brew. I write and edit things for fun and profit, but I rarely "write" these days without a keyboard and high-speed internets. Favorites include Mr. Taco, my Boston terrier, San Francisco, getting out of town, and the Roaring ’20s. I was kind-of planning a wedding since roughly 2006, when I discovered "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?" on the WE channel. I ran and didn't look back with a theme I called "urban vintage," and it culminated in the most magical day a taco could ask for.
After cocktail hour, we reconvened outside the now-reception room for our grand entrances. Full glasses in hand, we waited for our friend/DJ to announce the bridal party, then us. About the DJ/emcee: he’s a pal and he doesn’t do this for a living. Given our “meh” on wedding DJs (mentioned in a previous post about playlist scuffles), we opted instead for a laptop and a friend who’s done it before. He controlled our ceremony music, too. Thanks, Chris! <3 More on him and dancing hours later.
Everyone knew where to sit thanks to this handy-dandy seating chart, designed in the same style as our invites by stationery maven Good on Paper. No place cards; we didn’t have any bright ideas for what to do, and we didn’t want to put them together, having already poked plenty of holes and tied ribbons for the programs. People sat wherever they wanted once at their tables, all of which were named after SF streets. Details on those in the details post, coming soon.
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.
A couple of days ago Mr P and I realized we had been married 5 months already—whoa! I decided to celebrate this milestone by freeing my husband from the thing he proclaims to be the only downside of marrying me—having to deal with my hair.
My poor husband was being attacked by my hair. I kid you not. My locks had grown out of control post wedding, reaching down to the small of my back. I never really set out to grow my hair long, it just sort of grew out of my laziness. I tend to be a person who “sheds” a fair amount and at that length it was a wee bit out of control.
“Oh don’t mind that tumbleweed of Pretzel’s locks blowing across the living room floor.” Eww gross!
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!
This past weekend Sister Cardy threw me what I am certain was the most amazing showers ever thrown. She is a MASTER party thrower, and she didn’t hold back at all on this one. I’ve been so excited for this shower for months, and now I’m super excited to share photos!
Since BM Audrey was going to be in town for the shower, we planned to have my bachelorette party on the same night. So, not only did I have a super awesome shower, but we left right afterwards for my super awesome bachelorette party! Talk about a great day!
When I first got to Sister Cardy’s house, I was blown away by all that she did to decorate for the shower. She had obviously been working on decorations for a very long time, and it totally paid off.
The drink table, where she had orange-infused tea and some amazing bellinis.
Mrs. Waffle, AustinAge and Occupation: 31, Costumer/ArtistFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, AnimatorEngagement Date: July 27, 2010Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Hummingbird HouseAbout 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!
I am loving this series, so I thought I would join in the fun and share some of the secret oddities that make up Miss Waffle and help her “Keep Austin Weird.”
I hate writing with blue ink. Other people can write with it, but not me. It is for this very reason that I always carry a black fine-point Sharpie or a black pen in my purse. If someone hands me a blue pen I say, “No thank you” and hand it right back.
I prefer to do things by hand. I handwrite all my notes and lists (I like to make lists, too, and each entry is marked by a star) and keep them in spiral sketch books. I would rather write with a pencil or Sharpie than type it all out on the computer. Same goes for drawing. Mr Waffle gave me a Wacom tablet for my computer, and it pretty much collects dust. I gave it a try for a solid month and ended up hopelessly frustrated. Blogging for Weddingbee is, obviously, an exception to the rule.
Mrs. Starfish, Boston/NewportAge and Occupation: 25, Operations AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, SalesEngagement Date: October 8, 2008Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: The Atlantic Beach ClubAbout Me: I'm a perfectionist who is a planner at heart. I don't do well with surprises. I love planning, crafting, Newport RI, family and friends, and most importantly, Mr. Starfish---all of which will be big components in our October wedding in our favorite little city by the sea.
After some time basking in newly-wedded photo bliss, I’m finally ready to officially start the Starfish recaps!!! Our wonderful photographer sent us our photos a short six weeks after the wedding. He also posted about 40 photos within 12 hours of the reception end time to hold me over, which I greatly appreciated.
I’ve been putting off the recaps for a while, partly because this is my favorite season and I’m busy enjoying all this new free time with my husband (I still love saying that), family and friends. But, I also put it off because it’s really hard to put all of those emotions into words. Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
After some time basking in newly-wedded photo bliss, I’m finally ready to officially start the Starfish recaps!!! Our wonderful photographer sent us our photos a short six weeks after the wedding. He also posted about 40 photos within 12 hours of the reception end time to hold me over, which I greatly appreciated. 
