Mrs. Candy Apple, Princeton Junction, NJ/ Seattle, WAAge and Occupation: 26, Project EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, AttorneyEngagement Date: May 9, 2010Wedding Date: August 2011Venue: St. Joseph's Parish, Seattle Tennis ClubAbout Me: I am a Pacific Northwesterner, born and bred. I have lived in many cities---Santa Clara, Durham (England); Florence; Boston; Princeton Junction---but my heart will always be nestled up near the Cascades and Olympics, which is why we are holding our wedding there. I am a bookworm and a History nerd: I love that my life consists of books, books, and more books, since I work in Publishing! Recently, all waking time not consumed by work and my daily commute has been overtaken by wedding planning. Well, that, and watching Premier-League soccer. There is nothing I love more than a good Tana French mystery, traveling to new places, Anthropologie shopping sprees, Iittala dishware, Kate Spade shoes, impeccable typefaces (think: Archer), and a nice English ale (hellooo, Old Speckled Hen!). Oh, and did I mention my obsession with wedding blogs? Yeah, there’s that too. Join Mr. Candy Apple and me as we prep for our wedding, and, more importantly, our marriage!
I suppose our engagement story goes back to the fall of 2009, when I realizeddecidedI wanted to set my mind on marrying Mr. Candy Apple. Apparently around that time he also decided he wanted to marry me. Unlike me, however, he did not make me aware of his feelings. I was quite vocal about the fact that I was, indeed, ready to be a Mrs. On the contrary, being the sneaky son-of-a-gun that he is, once Mr. Candy Apple decided he was going to propose, he wanted me to be absolutely surprised when it happened. Which clearly meant he had to throw me off the scent and act completely noncommittal for the next eight months. Believe me, I was not pleased about this.
At The Nutcracker that winter. Please excuse the darkness/blurriness.
Mrs. Tartlet, Rochester, MIAge and Occupation: Age & Occupation: 27, Post-Doctoral Research FellowFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 2, 2009Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: The Royal Park HotelAbout Me: I'm an exuberant gal from the Midwest with a penchant for Neuroscience and anything sparkly. I'm not afraid to poke fun at myself, and I'm a believer that given the right pair of shoes, a girl can conquer the world. While an interest in the sciences threw Mr. Tartlet and me together (again, and again, until it finally stuck), we share a love for many things---food, video games, car dancing, food, bad puns, travel, did I mention food?---that ultimately led us to where we are now, less than five months from becoming Mr. and Mrs. We're planning a laid-back, romantic, garden-inspired affair with organic and quirky touches that reflect our love for the unexpected!
I confess that I’ve been in a long-term love affair with paper. Ever since grade school I remember enthusiastically awaiting the arrival of September, because that meant new. notebooks. I drove my poor mother up the wall scuttling up and down the aisles of various supply stores looking for just the right one. Don’t even get me started on pens. Fast forward two decades, and it’s no surprise that our wedding stationery must be just so. I scoured the internet for inspiration, and found a plethora of stationery with elements that I adored, starting with the layers of pink used for these gorgeous letterpress invitations:
Mrs. Magic, Chapel Hill, NCAge and Occupation: 30, Licensed Clinical Social WorkerFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, ResearcherEngagement Date: December 1, 2009Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Barn at ValhallaAbout Me: I’m a tall drink of water (5’10”!) and a Southern bride with an enormous appetite for Mexican food, good deals, anything French, and all things wedding! By day I am lucky enough to work with individuals with autism and their families. By night, I’m even luckier to be able to spend time hanging out with awesome friends, crafting, shopping, thinking about exercising, and kicking it with Mr. Magic and our two cats. I tend to have sudden, intense cravings that will not be denied (seafood enchiladas! new jeans!) and I’m prone to being a disorganized mess of anxiety and stress. After waiting (and waiting!) to get engaged, I am finally planning the colorful, fun, fabulously awesome Fall wedding of our dreams. In an effort to share the fun and craziness that is wedding planning, I’m gonna blog about it for y’all---the good, the bad, and the pretty!
In Part One of this, um, two-part series, I thought I had come up with an original idea in my own head, and it turned out that it wasn’t so original after all.
In this part, though, well…I am basically shamelessly stealing other brides’ ideas. OK, it’s not exactly like that. I do have a little shame.
Actually, I don’t have quite as much shame as this dog.
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!
I was totally antsy and ready to get the show on the road. It was nice having a very relaxing wedding day, but the downfall was that I didn’t have much to keep me busy and I was a bit anxious to just get married already.
However, there wasn’t much I could do about that until our photographer got there. I was determined to have some getting ready photos, so I was just sitting around twiddling my thumbs until Melanie arrived. When she first got there, she stopped by the guys’ room to snap a few shots of them, prolonging my wait even further. I seriously thought my head might explode if I had to sit there and just wait any longer. I think this was the point where I took to just pacing around the room to let out some of my extra energy.
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.
Mrs. Hyena, College Station, TXAge and Occupation: 23, Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Aerospace Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Downtown 202About Me: I'm a Texas girl who met my future hubby in high school, then headed up to Oklahoma for a college education (BOOMER SOONER!) before moving back to the Lone Star State to be with him. I love reading and recycling, Photoshop and reality TV, making lame jokes and then laughing at them, quoting movies, and Mr. Hyena most of all. I'm perpetually early and I like to get things accomplished. When my cat meows at me, I meow back. We're planning a laid-back, unintentionally DIY wedding with a cocktail-party vibe, and can't wait to celebrate our nuptials with our nearest and dearest!
Long ago, I thought it would be adorable to use potted plants as our centerpieces. Flower pots are so cute, and I hate the idea of using cut flowers that are just going to die in a few days. With potted plants, the flowers could thrive long after the wedding!
While wandering around Wal-Mart one evening, Mr. Hyena and I stopped in the gardening section to take a look at what types of plants were available. I was undecided about whether actual potted plants were a good idea, especially because I was so underwhelmed with the quality of the flowers. (But then again, it’s Wal-Mart. I did look at Home Depot and HEB as well, and was still a little disappointed.) They didn’t have much variety, and the ones they did have weren’t the best quality.
Here are some cute pictures I’m using as inspiration:
Mrs. Pain au Chocolat, Wilmington, DEAge and Occupation: 29, RealtorFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, RealtorEngagement Date: November 21, 2009Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Greenville Country ClubAbout Me: An ENFJ with an artistic streak who loves backgammon, sailing, graphic design, and sleeping in. Travel (near or far), good wine, and tasty food makes my heart sing. I'm a compulsive list-maker who lives to plan and organize. Mr. P and I have lived together for 4 years, all the while renovating our city townhome bit by bit. We're planning a whimsical, Anthropologie-inspired garden wedding in June 2011.
Whimsical. Bold. Hand lettered. Vivid. Cut paper. Preppy patterns. Negative space. Unusual. The invitations I like are no shrinking violets.
In preparation for designing our invitation suite, I gathered all the images I’d pooled during our long engagement in search of similarities in style and color. Anything to help synthesize what felt like disjointed ideas into something coherent!
Here’s a collection of inspiring invitations that speak to my artistic soul:
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!
And it opened up my eyes, I saw the sign. Life is demanding without understanding…
I hope I’m not the only one thinking about that classic Ace of Base song right now.
Some of the easiest DIY projects have been the signs for our various decor elements. Being able to cross anything off of the to-do list puts a huge smile on my face!
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. 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!
On Saturday we celebrated our one month-aversary! Now, Mr. EB and I have never really been big on celebrating anniversaries. I think the first one that we really celebrated was our engage-aversary last December (this is what happens when you aren’t entirely certain when you started dating so there was no real date to pin it on).
This was actually us a month ago on our mini-moon. We forgot to take a picture on our month-aversary. Whoops.
But we wanted to do something special for one month, because hey, we could! Read more…
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.
This is a little late. I meant to post it on Saturday morning, but the day got away from me! It was such a fabulous party, though! Pics are on the way!
My bachelorette party is tonight and I’m so so so so excited!!
I have a lot of friends coming out and you know how that is… I LOVE my girlfriends! I know every woman probably says this, but I have the best friends! They are all so fabulous and I adore each of them for different reasons! Knowing they are all coming out together to support me is so awesome and way beyond words! *Tear*
Now, on to the fun stuff! I got a new outfit! Woo hoo!
This is me* in the dressing room at Forever 21 I got this dress for such a steal (>$25)!
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!
Nope. Not a typo. Pi. I’m at the stage of wedding planning where we’re SO close to the big day that I’m basically becoming delirious. Remember my plan to use a cupcake tree to display our wedding cupcakes? I ordered one from Save on Crafts for only $26. It was relatively inexpensive because it’s basically just pieces of cardboard. Unfortunately, that means the edges looked like this:
I decided to purchase some ribbon to line the outside of each tier. When I got to the store, I found some lovely green grosgrain ribbon, sold in spools of 18 feet. 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.
(If you haven’t seen Parts 1 and 2 of this sales series, check them out right now!)
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DISCLAIMER: What goes on in this post may gross you out just a teeny-tiny bit and make you question why I was even allowed to become a Weddingbee blogger in the first place. Yes, my friends, today we are talking about trash picking and why you should memorize local garbage routes and pick-up schedules. I promise this is not going to turn into an episode of “Hoarders.” Maybe.
PHOTO: Our guest bed, which is actually an antique sleigh bed that my dad dumpster-dove for. Let me just say that this is an UNBELIEVABLE FIND. Thanks for taking one for the team, dad. (And it’s not every day you find your dog looking incredibly precious on a bed she’s not supposed to hang out on, hence why the photo quality is so poor. Document cute moment on cell phone, then tell the dog to get off the bed.)
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.
Let me start out this post with a disclaimer. The story below is my interpretation of what happened while the guys got ready. I have gotten snippets of the story from the guys but when I asked Mr. Meerkat to add in some thoughts he said, “I was hungry but really excited and happy.” Gotta love a man of few words.
So here goes nothing. While all us girls were in Sister-In-Law Meerkat’s room getting ready, Mr. Meerkat and the guys were getting ready over in our cabana. Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
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