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!
As the Elephant wedding planning train begins to slow down with less than a month to go, I find myself asking what’s left to do. I’m trying to reduce the stress but also want to make sure everything is accounted for.
We have paid off all vendors with the exception of the venue and hotel send off brunch, which we decided to hold off on until their due dates because some guests are backing out of their “yes” responses. If we can save some money, you bet we will! We finally saw our steel drummer in action and dropped off our cake topper with the baker. We completed our final walk through at the venue with the coordinator, our planner and our DJ/lighting guy. I hope we aren’t tempting mother nature as we decided to extend the cocktail hour from the inside foyer to the outdoor patio. Our planner Kathie made the great point that if the steel drums are outside, our guests will gravitate outdoors as well. We went over all of the little details that weren’t really on my radar before, like the order of the processional, the timing of the cake cutting and toasts, and how we would like the ceremony set up if we have to resort to plan B (knock on wood, no rain!).
I’ve been on the hunt for some cute blue flats to change into for the reception, but wasn’t finding anything that I loved. After expanding my Zappos search, I went for fun and ordered these: 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.
So…we had a wedding-dress emergency, so to speak. I had found a dress I really liked, I had put it on hold, but I hadn’t had an opportunity to go dress shopping with my mom. It was really important to me that we have that opportunity together, yet I also didn’t want to miss out on the amazing dress I found. There was no way that I could keep the dress on hold long enough for my mom’s scheduled trip out to Calgary several weeks later.
My mom also wanted a chance to go dress shopping, and luckily she and Dad were able to make the seven-hour drive out to Calgary the next weekend. I didn’t want to just show her the one dress, so I took Friday afternoon off of work so we could pop by a few other bridal salons. We started off at Ethos Bridal. We walked in without an appointment, and I had an amazing consultant all to myself. She let us peruse the dresses and pull some, plus she grabbed some dresses herself. Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures, as we weren’t allowed to take pictures of gowns we didn’t purchase. I tried on a ton of gowns, but ultimately there wasn’t anything that I liked as much as the dress in Airdrie, so we moved on as soon as our parking expired.
From there we went to Belezza Bridals. Another very different shopping experience! The store was run by a little European lady. I showed her my pictures, she let me pull out some dresses I liked, and then it was time to get dressed up. I could tell if she didn’t like a dress that much, as she wouldn’t do it up nearly as well as the dresses she really liked. There was one gown that was completely different from anything I had tried on. It was an oyster coloured satin with some major pick ups, a bit of pleating in the front, a little bit of bling, and some rosettes. There were some embellishments hiding underneath the pick ups in places. It was somewhat similar to this Maggie Sottero.
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!
Mrs. Crepe, Queens, NY/Nashville, TNAge and Occupation: 28, Jewelry DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Animation DirectorEngagement Date: September 28, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: A church in downtown NashvilleAbout Me: I'm a native New Yorker who has always been a DIY kind of girl and loves tackling creative projects while getting the most out of a dollar. I'm marrying my college sweetheart and we love frequenting antique stores, exploring together, and playing with kittens. We're planning a fun, "us" wedding in his hometown---with as many handmade touches as we can pack into a day!
I posted earlier that I wanted to use fun drinks to use with our oh so cute stripe-y straws. A couple of Weddingbee-ers suggested that I look into Jarritos, a brand of sodas that I hadn’t ever heard of before. While I was in Nashville, I found them at a local supermarket and the cost was GOOD. If you buy a case, it ends up about 70 cents per bottle! We grabbed a couple to try first.
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!
One of the largest things left on my wedding ‘to-do’ list has been sorting out wedding day transportation. Researching this has been ongoing, and very time consuming. I don’t know about cars for hire in your local area, but in the Sydney region? They are insanely expensive. Like, eyeballs-popping-out-of-head expensive.
You see, at first I wanted to hire classic cars. I’ve been to a few weddings where I’ve seen two-toned cars (like my namesake, the Jaguar Mark V) as bridal cars, and I’ve been coveting them ever since. But after getting quotes from practically every vendor in my local area, the average has been around $1200-$1500 to hire two vehicles for 3.5 hours.
Say WHAT? That’s half of our photography budget for a few measly hours—and the bridal party will really be the only ones up close and personal with the cars. I decided to try out a different approach and see what other vehicles were available for hire.
Our next option: a classic limousine, like this Chrysler Stretch. It’d fit the whole bridal party in it, so only one car, but the downside? It’s the go-to car for school formals and parties, and still costs a pretty penny. The quote for this baby for 4 hours? $1000.
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.
You know you have an amazing mother-in-law when she insists on throwing you a bridal shower! I didn’t think anything could top my first shower, but the second was just as beautiful. There was a delicious sorbet punch and great food including chicken wings, and pasta salad (a few of my personal favorites). I felt wonderful and supported by family and friends. And there were gifts, and well, more gifts!
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.
Let me tell you a little-known secret about Mr. PAC. Back in the day, he and his friends may have attended large urban dance parties where there may have been a few glow sticks. So as a nod to his footloose and fancy-free days, I thought it’d be a hoot to bring out the glow sticks one more time for our reception.
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.
In our initial meeting with our officiant, she asked us a series of questions so she could learn a little bit about us to help her customize our ceremony. There weren’t very many questions in that she learned how much Mr. Lox and I love wine. In fact, I would wager that it is our most prominent shared hobby. We frequent wine tastings and wine dinners. The owner of the best local wine shop knows us by name. We just really enjoy learning more about wine, and well, drinking it!
After figuring this out, she suggested we add a wine toast to our ceremony. A what now? I mean, that’s what we thought, at least. Please bear in mind, this is before wedding blog land entered my life. Right, so back to how this works. On a table near us during the ceremony, there will be a glass of red wine. At some point, the officiant will say something like this:
Mr. & Miss Lox, because you have pledged your love to one another through the exchange of vows and rings, it is appropriate on this joyous occasion that you make a toast—to life and love!
This wine represents the sweetness and bitterness of life. Throughout your lives, may you find life’s joys heightened, it’s bitterness sweetened and all things hallowed by true companionship and love. As you share the wine together from this cup, so too may you share joy and fulfillment from the cup of life. Drink now, and may the cup of your lives be sweet and full to overflowing!
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!
Photography is going to be one of my splurges. I love artistic photographs. And I intend to look at them a lot. I’m big into scrapbooking and photo albums. Naturally, to get the best photographer you start early, right? Besides looking for a venue, the photographer was the first thing I started looking for.
The first meeting I set up, Mr. Hyena couldn’t make it. I met the photographer and we talked for a while, and I flipped happily through a gorgeously printed album. I knew before meeting him that he was out of our price range, even for a splurge, and I told him so before we’d even met. But he said I should come meet him anyway. What happened next…well, I wasn’t sure if this was a ploy to book him RIGHT THEN, or not. Read more…
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.
Hive, I’ve been having some trouble finding vintage china tea cups and milk glass in my town. We have a few thrift stores in the area, each of which have pretty slim pickings.
So, I was pretty excited when I took my monthly swing by one of the thrift stores and saw a woman holding a beautiful gold rimmed, floral tea cup. I thought about my options for a moment, then I realized that I had no common decency so I went right up to her and asked her where she found it, and if she had any more.
She told me where she found the gorgeous cup, but then let me know it was the only one they had. My face fell and I proceeded to tell her that it was a shame as I was collecting cups for my wedding and was having issues finding them. She just kind of shrugged and I went on my way.
I won’t lie to you. I may have thought some not so nice things about this person. I mean, I had a legitimate reason for these cups and I overheard her telling her friend earlier that she didn’t even know if she wanted said cup. I also may have been acting like a brat. At least I was only acting like one in my head though.
I sulked for a while by the other china that didn’t hold a candle to aforementioned cup, but I eventually decided to let it go and started to leave as I saw the woman checking out. Read more…
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!
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.
Here is the mock-up band I made to see how the cunning plan in my brain translated into real, actual paper:
As it was a mock-up, I just stuck some double-sided tape on both short ends of the book paper, then stuck it down. This means it is only attached with two vertical lines, one just past the H and one just past the P. As you can see, everything else is popping up, especially the two flaps that make the H shape.
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.
So how did Mr. Seal and I meet? It’s not an overwhelmingly amazing story, but it’s our story nonetheless.
It all started in the Big Apple. Well, kind of. Mr. Seal and I didn’t actually meet IN New York, but you’ll see what I mean.
In April of 2008, I took a week-long vacation with Mama Seal to New York. We did lots of bargain shopping (Century 21? Yes please!) and ate lots and lots and lots of pizza. Prior to leaving California, I was in a noncommittal dating situation with a guy who had just moved from Manhattan—we’ll refer to him as NY#2. This is really only important to note my accidental affinity for all things New York.
Here’s a photo of yours truly on the plane ride back home—completely unaware that only a few hours later I’d be meeting the New-York-born-and-raised man that I would marry!
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!
And by cake, I mean wine. Sorry, I get alcohol and baked goods confused sometimes.
Remember that time we overdosedon cake? The day didn’t end there, in the halls of Wallingford Center, with flocks of children pointing their sticky little fingers at our abundance of cupcakes and our food-baby bellies. Oh no, we weren’t finished. After the second tasting, we rolled our way to the car and drove over to Bellevue. At this point, I was in such a sugar coma that the road looked like this:
Mrs. Barrettes, Tumon, Guam/Napa, CAAge and Occupation: 29, DancerFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Licensed Building ContractorEngagement Date: November 16, 2008Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: V. Sattui WineryAbout Me: I'm an East Coast girl, living on a tiny little island in the Pacific, twirling, leaping, and shimmy-ing my way through life, and now, wedding planning! I'm equal parts nerdy and cool... okay, mostly nerdy. I love satin bows, red lipstick, black & white graphic anything, the shine of sequins and the sound of a champagne "pop". My favorite books are The Portrait of a Lady, by Henry James, and Tender is the Night, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I can also conjure a pretty good Patronus Charm. I started my appreciation for good red wine while traveling on the high seas, and it's only fitting that my passion for wine drinking led me to my Napa-bred honey. We bonded over bottles of Cabernet on my oceanfront porch and haven't looked back since. We're sealing the deal at a winery in the Napa Valley on a 'perfect ten' of a day!
With my recaps written, it’s time to step aside. *sniff, sniff*
I’d almost plan another wedding just to keep blogging for Weddingbee, but then again, I’m happily wedding-ed out. I’m pretty sure Miss Sparkler is planning my dream city-wedding, so I’ll live vicariously through her and all the newbees with their gorgeous and unique weddings.
