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.
As our wedding was approaching and the ten day forecast became available, people started asking what the weather would be like on the day of our wedding. I told them I didn’t know. I was refusing to check it until we got closer in. Although, I did a lot of praying the weeks leading up to our wedding. I said over and over I didn’t care if it rained every day surrounding our wedding, all I wanted was a nice wedding day—actually, at some point, I even hoped for “decent.”
At about the five day mark, I caved and looked at the forecast. I couldn’t believe what I saw. I felt like it was a cruel joke to get my hopes up.
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.
I have a secret to share with you that only our parents know. We are planning an adults-only wedding.
The flower girl and ring bearer are going to be the only kids in attendance…and Mr. Bacon’s little brother, but he’s going to be 17 and in the wedding party, so he hardly counts. You see, we LOVE kids. Adore them. Can’t wait to have a gaggle of them when we’re in our 30s. In fact, I have to refrain from waving at toddlers in restaurants and baby-talking to our cats. So why not have them at the wedding?
The wedding is just not that kid friendly. There are going to be tons of candles, lots of breakable things, really loud music, and an open bar (and all of the adult debauchery that comes with that), and the kids will get BORED. I’m also going to sound like a terrible person here, but I really hate the possibility of crying kids ruining the ceremony. I know that it might happen with the FG and RB, but that’s only two kids. If all our friends and family brought their little ones, there’s an 85% chance of someone screaming during a reading or our vows.
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.
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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.
Well, I was officially confused with dress prospects, so it was time to actually try a few on. Some were good, some were bad, and some were just, well, ugly. Look and laugh with me. We quickly realized that since I’m super short-waisted, I needed to shy away from anything without a dropped waist. I won’t even show you those pictures because I’m not putting pics that bad of me on the Interwebz.
I’ll start with the ones that definitely didn’t make the cut…please don’t laugh at me too much!
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.
If there’s one thing I wish brides would chew up, spit out and squash forever, it’s the word “MY.” Grammar mistakes? I’ll deal with it if I must. But completely taking over something meant for two? It’s like riding a tandem bicycle by yourself in a the world’s tightest jeans and spike heels with one flat tire.
In other words, it’s completely opposite from this adorbs picture:
Because unless you’re Dennis Rodman circa-1996 and you’re really, truly setting out to marry yourself, there are two people involved. OK, unless you’re going to be a sister wife, because then there would be more than two people involved. But I think this is getting a bit too technical. 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!
If you remember, I was trying to decide what pair of blue shoes would be my “something blue.” I decided to go with the Caparros Italia because I loved the deep blue satin and thought they’d be the most elegant peeking out under my dress. Even better? They were $40 on sale at Endless! Yes, please! I’m actually really happy that I ordered them when I did because when I looked again a couple of weeks later, they were completely out of my size.
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!
I always loved the idea of Mr. Socks and I writing letters to each other on our wedding day, just so we could keep them and remember how excited and happy we were on our wedding day. Plus, I was kinda just in love with the idea of getting a love letter on my wedding day, so I told Mr. Socks to write me a letter.
A few days before the wedding, here’s how that conversation went:
Mrs. Socks: Honey, have you gotten stationery for the letter you’re going to write me on our wedding day?
Mr. Socks: What letter? What’s stationery?
Mrs. Socks: I told you about how awesome it is to have love letters for each other on our wedding day! It just has to be a nice piece of paper.
Mr. Socks: Do I have, like, a minimum word requirement?
Mrs. Socks: Sigh.
Sooo…Mr. Socks didn’t really get it. But I pressed on with the plans anyway because darn it, I was determined to get lovely pictures of us opening letters and getting emotional, saving them for our grandchildren, etc, etc.
I got a fresh box of stationery for my letter to Mr. Socks and got to writing the morning of our wedding. I had Sister Socks deliver the letter to Mr. Socks: 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.
After the colors were picked, I realized many people talk about wedding themes. To be honest, I never understood why I would have to have one. I mean, I get why people who do have a theme use it and carry it through their event. I just never really thought that would be me.
So I took our colors and gleefully started buying things for the wedding. We picked our STDs (*giggle*) and our cake topper. I was having fun. Then I noticed something. My favorite purchases so far all had something in common. Let’s see if you can figure it out…
Our lovely save the dates (just couldn’t type that acronym again!)
Mrs. Lobster, BrooklynAge and Occupation: 29, Finance GirlFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Finance BoyEngagement Date: July 25, 2009Wedding Date: August 2010Venue: Stage 6 Steiner StudiosAbout Me: I'm a New York-born, Virginia-bred girl who's found her way back to the big city. Mr. Lobster and I met in grad school and have been together ever since. I'm clueless about DIY but am an avid online shopper and love all things polka dots, stripes, and ruffles! When I'm not making wedding lists, you can find me looking for snacks, watching Gilmore Girls, or hanging out with Mr. Lobster and our new puppy Buddy! We are planning a fancy-pantsy Brooklyn wedding for a hot New York summer night which is sure to be a misadventure in the making.
With our guests riled up from cocktail hour, they headed to the top floor. The sun had set, and you could clearly see the New York City skyline in the distance. Tealight candles and amber lighting warmed the room. Mr. Lobster and I were introduced as an officially married couple as we led ourselves onto the dance floor for our first dance. I held it (the tears) together during the pre-ceremony and ceremony. As luck would have it, I burst into tears on the dance floor. Was it because I’m such a bad dancer? Maybe.
Mostly, I was overwhelmed with emotion from the whole day and finally let it all go as I heard our band play the first dance song, Always and Forever by Luther Vandross. Read more…
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!
When I got engaged back in March, I knew right away that I had to have the best photographer (my very limited) money could buy. On the other hand, I had never thought about getting a cinematographer. The reality is that I hadn’t seen that many wedding videos. When I thought about it, I just figured that our wedding video was just going to be that video that my husband would accidentally tape over in 10 years, leading to a huge fight that would quite conveniently be resolved in 22 minutes…Yes, I watch a LOT of sitcoms and, yes, I recognize that we do not have (and will never again have) a VCR.
Moving on…I don’t really have a TV so I miss out on a lot, but eventually I did stumble across this Subaru Outback honeymoon commercial:
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).
This weekend, we knocked another huge thing off of our to do list…booking our honeymoon! We were looking for a location that fit our top requirements:
Warm weather: Since it is currently 20-something degrees in New York, we are jonesing for some sun. And it will still be pretty chilly in New York when our March wedding rolls around, so a honeymoon in a cooler location just doesn’t sound like that much fun. A warm locale is a must.
Amazing scuba diving: King Hippo and I got certified to dive right before we got engaged, and we loved it! We definitely wanted a honeymoon where we could have an awesome diving experience. This also meant we would be looking for a beach location. Diving during the day then relaxing beachside in the late afternoon? Sign me up.
Not a huge college Spring Break destination: Since our March wedding date is smack in the middle of some schools’ spring break, we definitely didn’t want to have to compete with college craziness. Vacationing families would be OK, but anyplace where MTV could possibly film was off of our list.
Relatively easy to get to from New York: We decided to fly from New York to Dallas for the wedding and then come back to New York before leaving for the honeymoon two days later. That way, we wouldn’t have to worry about packing for both the wedding and honeymoon at the same time and would give us a couple of days post-wedding to relax and regroup. We will be vacationing for 7 days, so we don’t want to spend a ton of time getting to our destination, and extra long flights or multiple transfers were less desirable.
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 came across something a few months ago that just made my heart melt, and I instantly knew we had to incorporate this into our wedding. It’s called the Anniversary Box and can be found at Happily Ever AfterWords. Here is a description of it, taken from the website:
The keepsake box contains cards and envelopes labeled with the anniversary years 1 through 50. Given to friends and loved ones at any event surrounding the wedding ceremony, each piece of this fine stationery becomes a place for their thoughts — preserving a special written message to be kept in the box and read by a couple on the anniversary year indicated.
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 shared my first attempt at DIY invitations for our engagement party because this was such an exciting time for me. I was so elated that I had finally stepped foot inside an AC Moore for a wedding project because it felt like I was finally embarking upon all that I had read about online.
I was finally taking a stab at creating something for my wedding, which I had daydreamed about doing for such a long time. Here I was, beginning my journey as a real DIY bride! Ahh! I had so much hope from all the wonderful stuff I’d seen here on Weddingbee and felt as if all those brides that had gone before me were by my side saying, “You can do it! Go for it!”
Here are the supplies I bought for this project:
One package of 50 invitations and envelopes (from Staples)
One very pretty “Love in Bloom,” rubber stamp (from ACMoore)
One pad of silver ink (from AC Moore)
Pretty cardstock (from AC Moore)
Double-sided tape (also purchased from Staples)
Scissors
There are a lot of tutorials on how to line envelopes online. There are instructions from Martha Stewart here and videos here; but I found the most helpful tutorial was obviously right here on Weddingbee by Mrs. Pineapple. I don’t know what it was about the way she explained her methods, but it wasn’t until I read her instructions that I finally got it.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
