Mrs. Biscuit, Morgantown, WVAge and Occupation: 24, Dental StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Chemist at a pharmaceutical companyEngagement Date: April 2010Wedding Date: July 2011Venue: Catholic Church, Lakeview Golf Resort and SpaAbout Me: I'm an engineer who decided to trek back to my hometown three years ago to become skilled in the arts of drilling and filling. I'm engaged to a pretty awesome guy who tests your assorted benzodiazepines by day and home brews by night. Together we have two fur children, Tsali and Tobias N. Fünkat. I'm a lazy perfectionist and eternal sorority girl who enjoys running, crafting, string cheese, good beer, and bad reality TV. We are planning a Big Fat Italian/Sicilian/Polish wedding filled with DIY details and are expecting 300 +/- 50 guests. Our whimsical summer affair is themed "Alice attends the Mad Hatter Vintage Garden Tea Party in a Ballroom. She Thinks That The Venue is Odd for a Vintage Garden Party, but is Tripping on LSD, so She Doesn't Really Care." Yes, I am the Dickens of themes.
Sometime in August I got the BEST news ever! One of my BMs is getting married next summer as well. Almost exactly one month before I am. Well, we went out to lunch together at my favorite hippie burrito joint where I shared my first date with Mr. B, and I received a pretty cool envelope.
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.
Planning a wedding can be a messy job. I thought I’d organize our wedding the same way I organize everything else—by stuffing it into a corner and ignoring it—but one day, I looked around and noticed that my wedding binder was busting at the seams, the shoe boxes full of rubber stamps were taking over my bedroom and my guest room had been completely eaten by mercury glass and packing materials. I’m not generally a super neat person, but a mess of this magnitude can make a person go loco. Fourloko, even!
Gas station image courtesy of my dear friend Katie
By the way, that Fourloko stuff is not everything it’s cracked up to be. I drank a bunch, danced around a little bit and then fell asleep. *shrug*
Anywho, we decided to get things under control, and it has helped my sanity level SO much. This is what my guest room looked like as of last week:
If you’re offering personalized favors to your guests, check out some of our favorite stylish ways to wrap it all up! The Weddingbee Favors Shop has a great selection of favor boxes, the perfect touch to add to your handmade or candy favors.
Mrs. Bacon, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 26, Digital Advertising ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, IT Client ServicesEngagement Date: June 17, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Ravenswood Billboard FactoryAbout Me: I'm a Midwestern girl that can't seem to commit to staying in one place for too long and is constantly daydreaming about my next adventure. I am an aspiring foodie with a weak spot for the unusual and I love semi-reality food television. My other loves easily include laughing as a form of exercise, a book that I can't put down, summer baseball games, espresso with whipped cream, couch potato days and nights with the ridiculous Mr. Bacon, and our two kitties, Lincoln and Sawyer. We're planning a faux-destination wedding for 150 of our closest friends and family in the city we've both adopted as home that has a modern, yet whimsical twist and as many personal touches as we can manage.
Now that I’ve whet your appetite with those amazing photos, let’s remember that I am pretty fabulous and creative, but without David Tutera at my side to make these photos come to life, we will be having a much less intricate evening. The table will likely be set with scattered petals, framed photos, and candles. No luscious pink peonies or overflowing vases with blooming orchids, or any of that jazz since I hate the idea of all those flowers going to waste for the event…and (gulp) I’m just not that into flowers…
Anyway, I digress. Now back to these tables. Mr Bacon is an analyst so, taking after him, I thought I’d create a chart weighing the pros and cons of long tables versus round tables.
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.
“Any man can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a dad.”
{The babe with the awful rice bowl cut? Yep, that’s me. }
Batting practice. Forehands with topspin. Free throws. Filipino breakfast recipes. How to be a leader of others. How to never ever give up on your dreams.
I’ve learned a lot of good stuff from my dad. Read more…
Mrs. Eggs Benedict, SeattleAge and Occupation: 29, AttorneyFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, AttorneyEngagement Date: December 5, 2009Wedding Date: February 2011Venue: IslandWoodAbout Me: I'm a Northwest girl who spends my time goofing around with Mr. Eggs Benedict and our dog, hiking, traveling, drinking wine and planning a wedding that will showcase the best of what the Pacific Northwest has to offer. I also love photography, beating Mr. Eggs Bene at Mario Kart, and watching the most ridiculous natural disaster flicks you can think of (seriously, how can you deny the awesomeness that is The Core or 2012?? That's right, you can't). We are planning our weekend wedding adventure at an environmental educational center, and I can't wait for the fun to begin!
As we plan our wedding day, we know that we are in need of a [venue], [caterer], [florist], [photographer], [insert other vendor here]. While we’re on a budget and will be doing some things ourselves, I know that we’ll need and want professional help in many areas in order to ensure that I don’t go crazy by the big day. However, there are also some things that I need from you if we’re going to be able to work together. Read more…
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!
My daily commute into Chi-City is about an hour and fifteen minutes. I pass a Illinois Lottery billboard every day, so I daydream about what I’ll do with my millions when I win them, but I also listen to the radio to help pass the time.
Eric & Kathy on 101.9 is my go-to every morning, but during commercials or when it gets slow, I tend to flip to other morning shows.
I got really offended recently, because I heard that other morning show bring up what they thought was an interesting story. The radio hosts mentioned that there’s strange new trend going around, as a direct result of the royal engagement and Prince passing on Princess’s Di’s sapphire e-ring. Apparently, more and more people are now receiving gemstone rings for their engagement ring.
The three hosts then went on to talk about how awful and weird that trend is. One host said, “No way. Even if my girl said that’s what she wanted, I wouldn’t get that for her. It’s got to be a diamond ring.” Read more…
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.
During my first semester of college I was required for class to attended a seminar about Feminism and Art. At the beginning the speaker said, “Everyone who is a feminist, raise your hand.” All of my female professors raised their hands immediately, and I remember with quite a vigor. A couple of students also raised their hands. I did not.
You see, at the time, I believed that a Feminist was an angry woman who could find male domination in any unfair card she was ever dealt. She lead protests and didn’t shave. She basically encompassed this unrealistic, annoying, caricature I had built up in my head. Read more…
Mrs. Lox, BaltimoreAge and Occupation: 33, Government WorkerFiance's Age and Occupation: 35. IT ConsultantEngagement Date: May 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Vandiver InnAbout Me: I’m an East Coast gal born and bred and a suburban brat turned city rat for the last year. Now Mr. Lox and I enjoy walking all kinds of places, having the coolest things around in our backyard, and especially our garage parking. I love gadgets, toys, Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby ice cream, monkeys, and our insane cats. I’m a blonde by birth and a redhead by choice. I’m that girl in the cubicle farm with all the cool toys and the file cabinet covered in magnetic poetry. I still use smiley faces in my emails, whether people like it or not. This is not the first rodeo for Mr. Lox nor me. And together, we are planning an intimate afternoon wedding on a budget we can afford by ourselves.
I remember some of the first wedding discussions Mr. Lox and I had. First we talked about what kind of wedding we wanted. After we decided on a small-ish, less formal affair for our small family and mostly friends, he thought we were done. My next question was, “What colors do you think we should have?” And Mr. Lox just kind of blinked at me. “Does our wedding really need to have colors?” he asked me. I looked at his kind of annoyed face and said I supposed they didn’t. And we didn’t discuss the wedding for a couple of weeks.
The thing is, planning a wedding without any idea of colors is…well…hard. How do you know what kinds of invitations to buy? What do your flowers look like? How do you coordinate things? I mean, I’m sure there’s a way to do it all beautifully, but I’m simply not that cool. We needed colors. This time, I approached Mr. Lox with the reasons our wedding needed colors. He seemed to agree. So I went off in search of inspiration. I came up with things like this:
Mrs. Hermit Crab, New York, NYAge and Occupation: 24, Youth Director soon to be Grad StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Medical Student - soon to be Surgery ResidentEngagement Date: October 11, 2008Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: New York Botanical GardenAbout Me: I love all things food, books, our furbaby, Rashi, and adventures with my amazing fiance (oh, and saving the world!). This summer I will not only be a bride, but a bridesmaid, officiant, and attendee as well---it's all about weddings in my life right now, full of so many exciting moments and projects. We're planning a fab New York City wedding weekend full of family, love and lots of color!
Mrs. Prairie Dog, Cincinnati
Age and Occupation: 24, Program CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, PhD/Biomedical EngineerEngagement Date: December 18, 2009Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Glendale LyceumAbout Me: I'm a pilgrim soul of a girl with a house full of books and a coffee addiction that could slay Juan Valdez. My life is a whirl of grammar correction, good music, glue-gunning, and two pets named Hazel and Winston Churchill. I'm marrying my high school boyfriend in a formal-ish spring affair, roughly themed: "Elizabeth Bennet crashes a party co-hosted by Jay Gatsby and Cath Kidston, and loves it."
Clearly, a regular wedding band won’t sit flush. But…I don’t want a band that curves to fit the ring. I want to wear my wedding band by itself sometimes because…well, sometimes I am a simple gal. In fact, I would have been totally content with just a wedding band. (PDog says: “NOW YOU TELL ME.”)
In fact, the idea of an unadorned wedding band appeals to me. I blame The Count of Monte Cristo movie, when Mercedes ties a piece of twine around her finger and says, “I don’t need a ring. I don’t.” Read more…
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!
We LOVE how our DIY invites turned out, but did we really save money doing them ourselves?
The pieces of our invites came from four different sources: Paperandmore.com, Michaels, Office Max and VistaPrint. I ordered supplies to make 150 invites, although we only sent out 109. Extra supplies (such as paper, ribbon and full sheet labels) have found their way into other projects for the wedding.
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!
Boy, oh boy! I am getting closer to the moment when my dress is supposed to be arriving. The bridal salon should be calling me sometime within the next two weeks to say, “Hello, Miss Waffle, your dress has arrived. Would you love to come down to the salon to try it on, drool all over it and squeal until you faint?”
AHHHHH! It’s killing me!
Honestly, I am having two types of dreams that are keeping me up at night in regards to all this dress excitement/anxiety.
In the awesome dream, I go to Alexia Gavela, put on my dress and I look super fierce. Blindingly fierce! No alterations need to be done because it is so darn perfect. I skip out of the store and take it home with a big smile on my face. Read more…
Miss Oatmeal, Fresno, CAAge and Occupation: 25, Medical Device Sales RepresentativeFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Police Officer/Captain in the US ArmyEngagement Date: February 16, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Private Residence, FresnoAbout Me: I am a toast-loving, list-making, occasionally crazy California girl getting dangerously close to marrying her crime-fighting, patient, man's man fiancé. I’ve never left our hometown of Clovis, CA, I love Anthropologie so much it almost hurts, appreciate promptness, love that our 4lb. Chihuahua, Murphy, smells like Fritos, am irritated by windshield wipers that move too fast for the amount of rain, love me some cold weather, have an unhealthy obsession with boots, and wholeheartedly think that my family is everything. Mr. Oatmeal is, oddly enough, my brother's best friend. He's also the best thing that's ever happened to me, and together we are planning a vintage chic, backyard, spring wedding with a few nontraditional touches while trying to keep up with our crazy lives.
I think wedding hair is one of the more important things to consider surrounding the big day, and I’m certainly not an up-do kinda gal.
Why?
First off, I have a small head. My brother used to call me kumquat head, probably because that’s the oddest thing he could think of. I also have a small face. Somehow it’s not that obvious to others, but I know the truth every time I try on a hat or take a picture with my face right next to someone else’s. Secondly, I have weird forehead hair, and it’s oddly shaped to boot. And lastly, my ears stick out a bit. It’s not ridiculous, but I notice it.
Please tell me you have little things about yourself that you, and probably no one else, would ever notice. I can’t be the only one.
So where does this leave me for wedding hair? Well, I came across this and thought it was so perfect.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
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Friend M and I struggled a little to get the dress off the hanger
