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!
Well, it’s been over a month since our wedding. And while I talked about my name change decision earlier, I haven’t yet done anything to start the process. I haven’t ordered the certified copies of our marriage license, which means that I also haven’t been able to do anything else. I haven’t even changed my name on Facebook! (Though I did think that Gmail had changed my name…)
Why haven’t I started this process yet? Read more…
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.
While the girls were getting some pictures taken, the guys were over at the White Sands lobby with our guests waiting for the vans to arrive to take them to Al Cielo. Read more…
Mrs. Cotton Candy, Riverside, CAAge and Occupation: 29, Field CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, Process ServerEngagement Date: July 5, 2007Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Riverside Art MuseumAbout Me: I’m a girl in love with her best friend planning a small mid-century modern inspired wedding that’s been a long time coming. I love all things design, sewing, flea markets, and a good book. I’ve been known to swoon over a well-designed chair and often find myself craving a new addition to my chair collection regardless of the lack square footage in our home. I’m Mexican American girl who hates all things spicy but loves her rowdy Mexican family and her Latin roots. My wedding muses may not be your typical wedding superstars, but with a lot of DIY, a dash of offbeat style, and lots of love and laughs, Mr. Cotton and I plan to create a day that is unmistakably us.
Mr CCandy and I don’t have a “song.” If pressed we’d probably say Why Can’t We Be Friends by War but more for comedic reasons than sentimental. Couple our lack of song with our taste in music that tends to favor rock, and we have a potential case of inappropriate first dance songs.
The first song we considered for our first dance was You Really Got a Hold of Me by She & Him (also considered by the lovely Mrs Ribbons). It’s truly a beautiful song and the length is perfect for a first dance but I’m not sure the lyrics “I don’t like you but I love you” and “Oh ho ho you treat me badly” are the message we want to send during our dance.
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!
Today we’re going to chat about edge painting—that lovely final touch to add a pop of color to your invites or really any paper project. We edged our invitations in gold, but the juicy color possibilities are endless—check out Miss Panther’s sneak peek to her sexy, aqua-edged invites!
I spent a lot of time digging on the internet for techniques and tips, but for the most part came up empty since professional edge painting appears to be a closely guarded secret. I’m actually a little worried that ninjas are going to shimmy down ropes and whisk me away to printing purgatory once I complete this post. Read more…
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!
I have realized that my true calling is to not be a florist. I was attempting to put together my bouquet and failing miserably. Hyena Sis asked how it could be that hard, when I did the bridesmaids’ bouquets and they looked so good.
Well, I have a deep, dark secret…
As I have mentioned, we decided to go the artificial route for our flowers. I found these flowers at a little tchotchke store next door to our venue. Mom Hyena was in town and she noticed them first. I fell in love with the beautiful ranunculus. (The white-ish ones are actually a very pale green.) So cute!
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.
I thought I’d interrupt my regularly scheduled wedding recaps (haha, riiight) to post about various lessons learned from my own wedding. Keep in mind: the wedding was the shiz-nit. An amazing, fun, without-a-care-in-the-world day and all-round hootenanny of hilarity with most everybody pitching in to get ‘er done! The following is just some information I personally could have used before the big day. Just nitpicky things. Not huge regrets. So hold on to your wedding hats, hive, cuz I’m about to get all up in the nitpick-pickety.
(Tip: scroll allll the way down to read the super short version of this post.)
All photos unless otherwise noted are by the lovely and amazing Tanja Lippert.
Here’s what I learned:
1. It’s sometimes easier to say you’re sorry than ask for permission. I know, I know, shouldn’t I be a tad bit more ethical, being a journalist and all?
I’m not talking anything illegal, but when it came to my at-home wedding, it was definitely easiest to just go for it, rather than ask, when it came to things like our parking-in-the-meadow-across-the-street-situation:
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!
…for agreeing to buy this dress that you will never, ever wear again.
That’s what I told my bridesmaids when we went to David’s Bridal the other day. I had looked at the David’s Bridal website and saw that they had a dress similar to the cute pocket dress I blogged about here…and David’s Bridal had it for $99!
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 was really anxious to start this, but I didn’t have a lot of ribbon. I bought wire and hung it in a large walkway in our house and pretty much hung what I had at the time.
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!
A few weekends ago, Mr. Candy Apple and I went to our Pre-Cana. We are now officially able to get married in the Church! For those of you who don’t know, Pre-Cana is the required marriage-prep course for all couples getting married in the Catholic Church. Some programs are an entire weekend; ours was Saturday from 2PM to 10PM. In all honesty, I kind of wish we had done the full-weekend version!
I actually really enjoyed the program, but Mr. Candy Apple said he didn’t get much out of it. We were separated into small groups (about six couples to a group), and each group included a host couple. Essentially, there were lots of presentations by the host couples—men and women who are married (some for over 35 years) and were volunteering to share their experiences with us. It was really nice to hear from these people and listen to what helps keep their relationships strong. It sort of reminds me of the “After I Do” series! You get to hear about what marriage is really like.
There were also lots of exercises that we did—individually, as couples, and as a group. I liked these because they asked the big questions about marriage and helped get us thinking about how our lives will change when we are married, when we have kids, etc. Fun stuff to think about!
One question that came up was the idea of traditions and practices. What traditions do our families have? What do we want to bring into our new family? A lot of the host families talked about how they integrated their old traditions and practices into their new families, particularly when they started having children, and what new traditions they have started.
Mrs. Knitting, TorontoAge and Occupation: 24, Student Recruitment Assistant
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Neuroscience PhD CandidateEngagement Date: October 2009Wedding Date: December 2010Venue: University of Toronto Faculty Club
About Me: I'm a pearl wearing, etiquette book reading Toronto girl who loves cooking and baking, museums, charm bracelets, and collecting books on Jackie Kennedy (a lot). I've been known to spend Sunday mornings at the antique market, Wednesday evenings at sister sushi dinners, and any bit of spare time reading. After six and a half years of many late night walks, watching DVDs together in bed, travelling to places like New York, and Tobermory, doing Sudokus together on the couch, lots of Indian food, the occasional yoga class, moving in together and so much more, Mr. Knitting and I are planning a cozy Christmasy (it's a word!), vintage wedding in Toronto complete with many DIY projects (eek!) and lots of help from our amazing group of family and friends.
Despite brainstorming ways to keep warm during our outdoor shoot, ultimately I just told people to dress as warmly as they could and left it at that. I’m not going to lie, it was cold and painful, BUT it was also so much fun and I absolutely love the photos we have from it.
With a backless dress with cap sleeves, there wasn’t much chance of me being able to keep warm, but I made an effort by wearing my trusty Lululemon Groove Pants under my dress. I also kept my feet dry and warm-ish by wearing my Wellies.
Glamour shot of the Wellies:
After our first look we started by taking some more pictures of Mr. Knitting and I around the gardens.
I love how you would never know we’re in the middle of downtown Toronto in these photos: Read more…
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!
I should begin by saying that I’m writing this post several months before our wedding, but I’m scheduling it to post just before the big day. I’m doing so to remind myself to keep things in perspective as inevitable chaos ensues in the final days of preparation.
Wedding planning is a very involved process. No matter how big or how small your wedding is, there’s a lot to think about. It’s so easy to get caught up in the details, to the point where sometimes you get lost in them. Something will inevitably deviate away from your original plans. Something will inevitably go wrong, usually more than once. With one element out of place, stress and frustration replace the joy and bliss that you should feel during this hectic time. You try to cover all of your bases and plan for every possible inconvenience that could occur, but it’s never enough. You put forth tireless effort to plan out every detail, to create every piece of decor, and to coordinate with every guest. But those things aren’t important.
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!
This past weekend, Mr. Giraffe and I sat down with Jen, the catering manager (whom I’ve been emailing with forever!) of our reception venue.
Today, I want to introduce you to our lovely reception venue. I haven’t really blogged about our awesome venue at all, simply because you have to book it a year and a half out, and when I started blogging in October, the decision had already been made months before. We had booked it and hadn’t had to get back to it for a while, so I really didn’t have anything to say about it.
To get you guys caught up, we’re receptioning at a magical place called Idlewild Country Club. Idlewild is about 20 minutes from our ceremony venue, but in the suburbs everything is 20 minutes apart so it works out perfectly.
The first time I visited Idlewild was at about 4:00 on New Year’s Eve back in 2008 (holy cow). Mama Giraffe warned me not to fall in love with it simply because it was all decorated for the holiday, but I did just that. It is such a pretty venue. I have a bunch of pictures I took of the venue all empty, but who wants those?! Read more…
Ms. Gazelle, Calgary/VancouverAge and Occupation: 32, EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Technology AnalystEngagement Date: September 3, 2010Wedding Date: July 2011Venue: Brock House Restaurant, VancouverAbout Me: I am a marathon runner, cyclist, Ironman triathlete and beautiful shoe fiend who also loves kicking back and watching Glee. I grew up a bit of a nomad as I traveled around the world with my family, living everywhere from Australia to England to South America and Indonesia. I finally settled in Calgary a few years ago and met Mr. Gazelle who loves me even though we cheer for different hockey teams. We are planning a bit of a destination wedding in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia and we can’t wait to share the day with our close family and friends.
I raced in Ironman Canada in Penticton, British Columbia on August 29th, 2010. What exactly is an Ironman? It is a long-distance triathlon consisting of a 2.4 mi (3.8 km) swim and a 112 mi (180 km) bike ride, followed by a full marathon (26.2 mi or 42.2 km). It requires a ton of preparation in the months leading up to the race. Mr. Gazelle was really supportive throughout my crazy training, and he was my biggest cheerleader on the day. He drove me to the start line at 4:30 AM, was on the course throughout the day, and was at the finish line when I crossed shortly after 11 PM.
Keep on loading your inspirational wedding pics to the Weddingbee Gallery to see them featured here on the blog! Remember, your images must be under 1MB in size, or they won’t load.
Mrs. Taffy, Ann ArborAge and Occupation: 28, Color and Materials DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Automotive DesignerEngagement Date: May 9, 2008Wedding Date: May 2009Blogging Since: September 14, 2008Venue: University of Michigan UnionAbout Me: I’m a girl who is crazy about Mr. Taffy, sewing, dancing, almost all types of sweets, and our cute pet canaries. I dislike touching fuzzy fabric of any kind, eating somewhat squishy food, and Michigan winters. Mr. Taffy and I are having a blast planning our Ann Arbor wedding, and cannot wait to share our day with friends and family.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
