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.
Confession: I bought my wedding shoes before the wedding dress. I think I also might have bought the wedding shoes before we got engaged, but the timeline is a bit fuzzy in my memory on that one…
At first I had visions of some pretty fancy shoes on my wedding day. Maybe this would be the perfect excuse for some Manolos??? (I may have been slightly influenced by Carrie Bradshaw…)
Mrs. Mary Jane, Grand Forks, NDAge and Occupation: 26, Instructional DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Lead ProgrammerEngagement Date: February 28, 2009Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: City HallAbout Me: I'm a career woman on the surface and a homemaker at heart. I love fast cars and high heels, and my favorite food is cake. Mr. Mary Jane and I are both full-time employees and students, and we just bought our first house. We love to curl up on the couch with buttery popcorn, Sour Patch Kids, and the latest Netflix arrival -- whenever we can get a break from everyday life.
Mrs. Jaguar, SydneyAge and Occupation: 27, Primary School TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, IT ConsultantEngagement Date: August 8, 2009Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Curzon HallAbout Me: I'm an Australian girl who is a self-proclaimed nerd, loves all things stationery and would be lost without books, music and the internet. Mr. Jaguar and I have been together for the past eight years and he finally popped the question last August. Hurrah! We currently live in Sydney, Australia with our adorable cat who thinks he's a person. We're a couple who likes to multi-task: we've been planning a wedding abroad, a permanent move from London to Sydney, and preparing to build our own home all at the same time. Travelling makes me giddy...as does Mr. Jaguar, of course!
A month has passed since Mr. Jaguar received the email from his friend, pulling out of our wedding and I’m happy to announce that the £500 has finally been returned to us. Unfortunately, aside from the money showing up in our bank account, there’s been no other contact: no emails, no messages, no nothing. I think it’s fairly safe to say that whatever friendship may have been hanging in the balance is now officially scrapped.
For the most part, my husband-to-be has handled the whole thing beautifully. That’s not to say that he hasn’t been completely gutted by it all—oh, he has. There was even talk about wishing we’d never bothered with this kind of wedding at all, instead wishing we had simply got married in a tiny, intimate ceremony while we both lived in the UK. But he’s been a great sport, and I’ve left the decision about his groomsman completely in his court, to leave them as just two (his best man and brother, and my little brother) or to ask someone else as a stand-in.
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.
When prioritizing our budgets, the number one thing after reception was photography, so I knew that was where we needed to begin the vendor selection process. There are so many talented photographers in Chicago with price ranges all over the board that I was so thrilled to know that quite a few of them fall into our budget sweet spot. Sure, there was the one that I loved from the get go that was not doable in our budget (whose blog I still frequent), but the majority of the names I got from the boards were spot on. Some of the popular ones, like the great Miller + Miller that Miss Giraffe is spending her wedding day with was already booked for our day. So, it seemed like we were off and running again with more than a year to the wedding in a race against all other brides in Chicago for 9.10.11.
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).
To be honest, I didn’t really care so much about the something old, something new, blah, blah. I just didn’t think it was that big of a deal. Uber-traditional I am not. But during the planning process, I had several people (mostly married women) ask what my old, new, borrowed and blue items were. I would say something like, “Well….my dress is new. And my shoes are blue. And…ummmm…er…well…” I got nothin’. I’m not sure if at some point I really wanted to have something old, new, borrowed, blue or I just gave up trying to fight the establishment, but a couple of months before the wedding I figured it was time to get serious if I was going to follow through with the tradition.
I have one living grandmother, but she isn’t able to travel much anymore so I knew for quite some time that she wasn’t going to be able to make it to the wedding. Hoping that she might be able to supply something for the festivities and hence be there in spirit, I sent her a handwritten letter asking if she might have something I could borrow that could fall into the old category. I had no idea that just by asking, an amazing family heirloom would be unveiled. Read more…
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.
Tomorrow is my first dress fitting! What I’m feeling tonight is a mix of excitement and hesitation. Excited, of course, because it’s my dress. (We’re getting close, hive!) Hesitant because of the what ifs. Off the rack, the dress fits… in the loosest definition of the word. Taking it in at the waist and bust will surely help but will it create the desired curves?
Undergarments, oh my. They’re something I’d like to avoid, if at all possible. June will be hot and sticky. Does the bride have to be hot and sticky too? Less layers, happier me.
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 honestly have no opinion on the whole name-change debate. I like my current name. I like Mr. Hyena’s last name. Both are difficult to pronounce, and they’re both about the same length. I think my main attachment to my current name is that I’m used to it. And, you know, change is always bad. ^_~
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.
Mrs. Snow Cone, Pittsburgh/Johnstown, PAAge and Occupation: 23, Public Health Graduate StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, EngineerEngagement Date: April 9, 2010Wedding Date: August 2011Venue: OMOS Church ceremony/Sunnehanna Country Club receptionAbout Me: I’m one of the lucky ones---I met my future husband at the ripe old age of 13, started dating him as a mature woman of 15, and have been enjoying the ride ever since. Here we are, 8 years later, living in Pittsburgh, planning a "homestination" wedding in the place our school romance began---Johnstown, PA. I thrive on talking a mile a minute, eating my weight in chocolate, and internet shopping. I love a lengthy to-do list almost as much as I love a healthy amount of chaos in my life. Mr. Snow Cone and I watch countless episodes of Friends and The West Wing on repeat, root for rival college sports teams, and make each other laugh each and every day. We’re putting together a small-town wedding with a big personality and a classically modern (or modernly classic?) look for 250 of our closest family and friends. It’s been 8+ years in the making, and sometimes I still can’t believe I’m finally getting to marry my high school sweetheart!
Allow me to tell you the story of how the Snow Cones went and got themselves engaged.
The set-up: Mr. Snow Cone said he would be visiting me at Notre Dame on the weekend of April 16th…which I bought without a second of hesitation. He then told two of my best friends at ND about his plan to surprise me by visiting on April 9th and popping the question. (Admittedly, at this stage in our long-distance relationship, every time we saw each other could be proposal day, at least in my mind. With that being said, I was actively doing my best to not read too much into things and get my hopes up for no apparent reason. Fortunately, Mr. Snow Cone’s plan to come a week early gave me literally no reason to think that April 9th would be the day. Good work, Snow Cone!) He enlisted their help to pull the whole thing off, a request they gladly helped with—who doesn’t love an opportunity to sneak around and lie to a close friend?!
BM E concocted the surprise-proposal attack plan. The cover story was that my sophomore quad, which included BM E and BM B, would have a dinner date on April 9th, as one last big girls’ night out before graduation. We all agreed to make an effort to gussy ourselves up so we could take some pictures at dinner, too. During this whole “dress cute for pictures” conversation, I happily nodded along. I even made a mental note about the dinner date and the attire expectations. And then I promptly forgot about the whole plan…until BM B showed up at my door, ready for dinner. This is what she found when she swung open my door:
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.
Since I went to an engineering school for undergrad, I became quite deft in the ways of the engineer shuffle. You know, that super cool dance all the engineers know. What, you haven’t heard of it before? Well, let me illustrate it for you.
Mrs. Husky, DenverAge and Occupation: 26, Systems AdministratorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Mechanical Engineer, recently laid offEngagement Date: August 14, 2009Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: Rancho San CarlosAbout Me: I am planning a quirky-crafty wedding with my recently out-of-work fiancé for a (fingers crossed!) warm October afternoon. We are two self-professed nerds with an affinity for all things outdoors---be it rain, snow or shine. Recently relocated from the drizzly Northwest, we're enjoying the many sun-soaked days in the mile high city. Our day will be filled with both of our large families and friends, a self-served Cajun feast, and a Zydeco-style jazz band rocking beneath the beams of a historic red barn.
After the bouquet toss and a bit more barn-stompin’, Mr. Husky announced that he would be enjoying a bottle of Basil Hayden’s and an Ashton maduro cigar on the front porch, and welcomed any interested guests to join.
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.
When I was a little girl dreaming of my wedding (come on, you know you did it too), I used to imagine that my groom would look something like this on our big day:
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!
Are there any other bees out there that watched the geographical game show based on the computer game? Brother E and I used to love trying to outsmart the “gumshoes.”
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego theme song via You Tube
Since our tables are not numbered but instead named after places we have traveled to, Mr. E thought it would be smart to give the guests a little help finding their tables. Read more…
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!
A few weeks ago, I had this strange sensation at my first dress fitting.
“Wow. This is really happening. I am getting married.”
Things were starting to feel seriously real. The idea of our wedding was suddenly for real our wedding. Other happenings in the past two weeks confirmed what I felt. It all started to be very real when…
We bought our rings
The invites went out
RSVPs started trickling in
Putting the pieces of the ceremony together
Our friends are starting to get a funny, excited twinkle in their eye when they mention the wedding
What moment woke you up and made you realize things were getting real?
Mrs. Seal, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 25, Personal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Sales and Support SpecialistEngagement Date: December 12, 2009Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Sts Peter and Paul Church/The Bently ReserveAbout Me: I am a goofy, wannabe crafty, well-intentioned Renaissance Woman (OK, perhaps "aimless wanderer" is a more aptly suited term for me, but hopefully you get the point)—basically I dabble in just about everything and pride myself in such. Without warning, I occasionally breakout into soulful improvised songs and interpretive dances and there's just no stopping me! As so many others before me, planning our wedding has unearthed a deep, intense passion for all things bridal and I secretly fear the day it will come to an end. Mr. Seal and I are quite the pair and life with him by my side is extremely rewarding—I am so thankful to have found him. Together we are planning a black-tie San Francisco affair for 250—light on the stuffiness and with lots of extra Seal-y flair.
Hello, hive! When we last left off on my journey to finding my STD style, I had just recalled the 1999 wedding of Matchbox 20’s Rob Thomas. I will now explain what this has to do with my STDs.
In 1999, Rob Thomas collaborated with Santana on the biggest hit of the year, “Smooth.” As it so happens, Daddio Seal has been the percussionist for Santana since 1976 and was therefore involved with said song.
