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.
Zeb and I booked the coolest tuxedo service this side of the Mississippi. The company delivers the tuxes before and picks them up after the wedding. They pick things up and they put them down.Tuxedos to You has stores in both Taunton, MA and Brockton, MA. They also have a warehouse with tuxes. This is great news in the event a tux doesn’t fit a GM. They will be able to get us a new tuxedo very quickly because of their supply.
The other great service they offer is coming to your house to fit your groomsmen. Zeb and I took the opportunity to throw together a little party for our men. I invited the girls over to for some pre-wedding meet-and-greet action. Our parents and even Zeb’s Aunt and Uncle came over for some delicious Sangria, tasty keg beer, minestrone soup, sweet and sour meatballs, buffalo chicken chili, and lasagna. The only things left over in the morning were a mess and a hangover.
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!
I’ve told you about the second love of my life—my furbaby Cody. It’s no secret that I treat him like a child—he’s the one who lets me give him all the cuddles I want, and his kisses always help cheer me up after a bad day. (Not to mention when Mr. EB brings Cody to pick me up he goes nuts like he hasn’t seen me for years. How can you not love something like that??) And he’s especially adorable when he’s all curled up and cozy, looking like this:
Mrs. Paisley, Orange County, CAAge and Occupation: 25, JournalistFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Spanish ProfessorEngagement Date: September 2008Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Family Lake HouseAbout Me: From my earliest days I attracted attention, as much for my intelligence as for beauty. I display an originality, a perspicacity, a certain je ne sais quoi that sets me apart. I posses a mysterious authority which compels people to do my bidding. I am a regal blonde with classic features and the daintiness of Dresden porcelain. I am poised, soft-spoken, and well educated... Okay, now that enough eyebrows have sufficiently shot through the roof, everybody can relax---I kid! I'm just a sarcastic NorCal-turned-SoCal girl who loves outdoor activities, books, letterpress printing and of course, Professor Paisley.
Hello ladies, I’m back to formally introduce A Lakeside Storybook Wedding and unfurl the carpet for my RECAPS! Can we get a woo to the hoo, an amen sistah and an audible sigh of “fiiiiiiiiinally” up in he’ah?!?!
Today when the mister burst through the door with the news that the oh-so-longed-for CD of professional wedding photos had just arrived in our mailbox, I felt overcome with happiness to return to the hive.
So let’s start at the beginning of the Big Day.
Professor Paisley and I awoke together after a pretty good night’s sleep. Thank goodness insomnia-girl (yours truly) actually slept like a babe due to pre-wedding exhaustion … remember, our wedding was completely DIY and an at-home, backyard hootenanny. There was a LOT to do in the week leading up! I’m pretty sure the day before I was running from task to task and didn’t even stop to eat. Mama Paisley made a sandwich and chased after me to shove it in my mouth so I could eat. True story.
Anyway, on the morning of we stopped for breakfast and coffee on our way to drop me off at the hair salon at 11. Once there, I learned they were short-staffed and only had two girls for our group of six. Not all the ‘maids were arrived yet, and since there wasn’t much I could do about any of that, I decided to “let it roll off my shoulders” like mom always advises, and join my maid of honor at a nail salon next door for some luxurious pampering.
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!
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.
Hi guys! Guess what? I’m finally making some progress with the table numbers! Hooray!I bought the fabric I mentioned in my last table number post, and was thrilled to find that fabric.com ships from Atlanta. My fabric came overnight! Meanwhile, Mr. Panther and I were searching the state for flourishy, ornate picture frames. We bought a mix of 4″x6″ and 5″x7″ frames from TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, HomeGoods and Goodwill. And, I even got most of my wooden numbers from Michaels. Unfortunately, 1s and 2s are very tough to find—I still need to hunt down a few more!
I already had a bunch of metallic acrylic paint from my failed attempt at using Mrs. Gloss’ edge painting technique on some test invitations, so I busted it out and tested it on some extras 6s and 7s. I only had four extras, so I used two colors per number. I will NOT be using more than one color per number for the final product!
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.
Yep, exactly like these, but with keg beer and wine inside instead of lights. Wine in a plastic cup? Bet you didn’t think you’d see that again once you left college…especially at a wedding! (Note: This will be entirely unlike college because we’re not serving Boone’s Farm to our guests.) Read more…
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.
Cinnamon Buns and I were out running errands the other day and our travels took us near a Value Village, a prolific chain of second-hand stores. It was super-easy to convince him to stop (yay!), just to see what we’d find. I was hoping for a cake stand. Well, look what we found:
A stand and dome for $9.99, new in box! I don’t have one with a dome yet, so we decided to add it to our collection. My favourite find though, was this:
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!
Yes indeed! You may remember our first cake topper, which is perfect for our travel themed cake, but I couldn’t stop there.
When I first came across the Etsy shop Mud Cards to create our suitcase topper, I was pulled in by the customization of her toppers to resemble the bride and groom as well as their interests. After receiving our other topper, I thought to myself, “how cute would it be to get one made of us to go next to our groom’s cake?” This would be one that we could display after the wedding in a cute shadow box in our home. I ran it by Mr. E (who was all for it) and placed the order.
Working with Keren again was amazing! She asked for pictures of us and our wedding attire to really execute the details and was quick to make any changes that I requested. I LOVE the final product! I still can’t believe how well she did on the details to truly make this us!
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’m taking a break from discussing our journey to finding the perfect invitations to announce an exciting project checked off of our to do list! Remember those old dusty frames we got for really cheap? Well, we finally had our way with them!
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.
Well you could have knocked me over with a feather when I got requests for a tutorial on these. I mean after I saw them in action at the wedding I loved them but back when I wrote that post I was in the “yea they look good enough” mindset. So it kind of floored me that other people liked them enough to want to make their own.
As requested here is the step-by-step of how I did it. And by the way, they were SOOOOO easy and cheap to make.
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!
This is what I use for almost everything I do. I always feel that I’m doing a better job when nobody is watching me or paying attention. Here are some examples.
Dance as if no one is watching.
Sing as if no one is listening.
Write as if no one was reading.
Writing as if nobody will read my posts is what helps me write freer and with my own voice. Obviously, I know people are reading and commenting, but when I sit down at my laptop I zone everything out and just let the words flow. 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!
I love my mother. And my grandmother. And my best friend’s mom who is my second mother. And now with Mr. EB’s mom, I get a third mother. And his grandmother as well. And I’d really like to honor them in some way at the ceremony, but I’m not really sure how.
See, from what I understand, the traditional way that those women who are special to the bride and groom are honored is by gifting them with corsages. And I don’t think we’ll be doing that. Both because we’re only planning on having fresh flowers in the bouquets (which means no flower boutonnieres or corsages), and because I asked my mom about it and she didn’t particularly want one. Which is fine with me because whenever I see them (particularly wrist corsages) I can only think of prom. And I’d really rather not compare our wedding to prom!
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.
We’ve been talking about attire for a while now. Are you tired of it yet? Yeah, me too. So let’s talk about something else. Let’s talk about hobbies!
What do hobbies have to do with wedding planning? Gosh, I’m so glad you asked me that. As I’ve said in the past, I am not a crafty person. Never have been. But with wedding planning, I have developed a sudden urge to make stuff. Some of it is to save money, but a lot of it is to make this day our own. While there are still a whole lot of things we will buy, I feel like the craft projects I’m taking on are making this day more personal to us. And I like that. So I guess it’s my thing now.
It’s also a lovely excuse to learn all about something I’ve always been curious about: scrapbooking.
Paper crafts have proved to be my new favorite thing, so scrapbooking is a natural progression for me. And since I’m really quite clueless, I’ve done what any clueless crafting wannabe does. That’s right, folks. I’m taking a scrapbooking class!
I swear, this is wedding related. See, I’m starting off with a vacation scrapbook. But after I learn more, I’m going to apply my newfound knowledge to scrapbooking the wedding and maybe even the honeymoon. And then I have this idea about a guestbook, but that’s a post for another day.
In the meantime, want to see my first layout?
These were taken on our trip to Seattle this summer at the Seattle Aquarium. Personal photo of personal photos.
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.
I don’t have too much to say in this post, other than I loved all the little details that helped make me a bride. Well, almost all of them. I absolutely hated my shoes. They were totally not me and they were painful. I forgot to have my back ups for my photographer, which I ended up wearing for about 99% of the day. They were flats and they were amazing, if only for the simple fact that I could walk in them.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
