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.
When we were first told they were part of the venue rental I was actually kind of indifferent but I can’t tell how happy I am that we had them. They set the mood beautifully with happy, celebratory music. None of us speak Spanish so I have no idea what songs they played but it didn’t matter. I think anyone can enjoy a mariachi band regardless of language. Read more…
Mrs. Sparkler, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 27, Communications AficionadoFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, PublisherEngagement Date: July 21, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Chicago Illuminating CompanyAbout Me: I’m a Southern lady living in the big city of Chicago. Well, lady may be a stretch, but I’m working hard to keep some Virginia charm in our sleek, urban, wedding-palooza! I’m addicted to marathons, not-so-famous bands, Chicago restaurants, and Mark Twain. I cry during SPCA commercials, and I think LOST was the best show to ever hit television. Mr. S and I met at a classy college mixer and, 7 years later, he’s still by my side. He’s the only child, laid back, free spirit... I’m the oldest of five kids, type-A, organizer. It doesn’t work on paper, but we’ve never paid attention to that stuff anyway. Somehow it works. And like they say, sometimes when you know…you just know.
Yep. A dress. THE dress. You remember? The one I talked about searching for a really long time ago and then left you hanging? Yeah that one. I’m such a bad storyteller. Sorry, hive. But the good news is…
I DO HAVE A DRESS!
This is a big deal (obviously). There were times when I thought I’d be walking down the aisle in my white terry-cloth bath robe because I am so damn indecisive. Even after all my searching, I literally could not picture what I would be wearing on my wedding day until I swiped the credit card at the register and signed the papers for my order. Yeesh. But I have a DRESS! And I’m going to show it to you… soon.
Oh yeah… get outta here Sparks. This post is not for your eyes.
Mrs. Funnel Cake, Zürich, Switzerland/Columbus, OhioAge and Occupation: 24, Visual Communication DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Application EngineerEngagement Date: May 30, 2010Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Catholic church followed by a botanical conservatoryAbout Me: I'm an American designer who moved to Switzerland for love after a fairytale beginning at the top of the Eiffel Tower. I love travel, photography, museums, learning German so I can speak with my mother-in-law, cooking (eating), cuddling, and I'm not afraid to try something new even if it terrifies me. My Swiss/Brazilian man and I are both down to earth people planning a traditional Catholic wedding in my hometown with some quirky cultural exceptions to reflect our different backgrounds. We look forward to celebrating with friends and family from all over the world in a classic, sophisticated fusion of heritage and love.
I thought the priest was going to make me cry in the first 20 minutes of our interview. Not a good sign? I thought originally it would be a meeting, but in reality it really was more like an interview. Father John was tough, honest, and brutally frank.
Our first question as we sat down to talk was which parish did we go to, because it obviously isn’t the English mission. OK, next questions went something like this:
What is the name of the pastor at “our church”?
We don’t know, to be honest.
How many times had we been there in the last year? Be honest, was it less than ten?
Yes.
You know that there are 52 weeks a year, plus the holy days, advent, and Lent—that’s around 70 church days of the year, and you go to less than 10 of them.
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!
When we sat down to sort out our reception menu, one thing was very clear—no matter what side dishes, appetizers, beverages, and cake flavors we choose, there’s one dish that will be making an appearance on our guests’ plates. Here’s a hint: it’s one part chicken, one part ham, one part cheese, and all parts dee-licious. It’s chicken cordon bleu!
Here’s the story behind our love affair with this delectable dish. Alllllll the way back in January of 2003, Mr. Snow Cone and I got together with some friends to go to our high school’s winter formal. Instead of going out to dinner like most of our classmates did, the guys in our group decided to cook a multi-course dinner for the girls. The entree? Chicken cordon bleu. I’d never had it before, and I’m a picky eater, so the thought of mixing ham, cheese, and chicken was kind of unappealing. But, they’d worked and worked to make this big dinner, so obviously I was going to tough it out. Surprise, surprise—I love chicken cordon bleu!
Mrs. Penguin, Northern CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 27, Weddingbee Editor in ChiefFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Doctor of Physical TherapyEngagement Date: January 29, 2007Wedding Date: June 7, 2008Blogging Since: September 14, 2007Venue: Winery in the Gold CountryAbout Me: I love the Spice Girls, dogs with underbites, bean burritos, making messes, high fives, avoiding showers, crossword puzzles, blogs, weddings, and blogs about weddings!
Fun fact: Miss High Wire’s icon is the first icon to ever feature a person in it! Please join me in welcoming her to the hive!
Miss High Wire, Dallas
Age & Occupation: 23, Legal Assistant Fiance’s Age & Occupation: 25, Director of Communications Engagement Date: October 9, 2010 Wedding Date: September 2011 Venue: Clark Gardens About Me: My loves include yoga, anything spicy, our eccentric cat, our rambunctious dog, and Mr. High Wire, of course! Like the steadiness act of the tightrope walker, this gal is busy balancing life while planning a wedding to the man of her dreams. We’re hosting a laid-back, vintage-inspired, bird themed wedding with heavy doses of love, good eats (did someone say tacos and margaritas?), and endless Texas charm. Mr. High Wire and I are so happy to have you along for the walk across the tight rope.
Mrs. Pony, Bloomington, ILAge and Occupation: 25, AttorneyFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 22, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Mackinaw Valley Vineyard; Bloomington Center for the Performing ArtsAbout Me: I found my Southern counterpart in law school and since he popped the question last March, we have been busy graduating, job searching, bar taking, and wedding planning. My loves include must see TV, magnets, quotes, anything green, my car, fun socks, the Cubs, and my Mr. Together we love wine, playing outside, and exploring the world together. Stay tuned to see our Midwest wedding full of Southern charm, vintage flair, lots of DIY details, and a whole lot o’ wine.
We have all been warned about the awesome power of STDs*. They are the first impression guests get of your wedding, they can set the tone of the event, they can share the theme of your event with guests, blah blah blah. Does anyone else think this is a lot of pressure to put on one little piece of paper?!
This pressure alone gave me a good excuse to procrastinate working on our STDs for a few months. But, I eventually got my rear in gear and started thinking about how to announce our wedding to our guests.
I had no clue what I wanted, so I set out just searching for things that caught my eye. Here are a few STDs that I liked after my first few searches:
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 mentioned a while back that the project I was looking forward to the least is our DIY bar. I was so looking forward to having someone else take care of this, but once we hired our bartender, I found out it was significantly cheaper to provide our own alcohol than to purchase it through him. This also means we have to provide our own mini-fridges and coolers, but we’ve already planned to borrow some from family members.
The wine we chose for our wedding is not very expensive, but HEB runs specials on it pretty often, so over the past few months, Mr. Hyena and I have been on the lookout for any sales, and then cleared the shelves of whatever was available. Then, recently FSIL Hyena told me they were having a blow-out “Texas Wine Week” sale, and the time had come to round out the rest of the bottles.
We estimated about 48 bottles of wine for the afternoon, and finally have them all. Now, neither of us really has the means to store this much wine, but I made it work.
The rest are over at Mr. H’s. Thank goodness I’ve been packing up my apartment and therefore haven’t had people over in a while, because this totally makes me look like I have a problem.
For those of you who are purchasing your own wine before your wedding, I learned something interesting from FMIL Hyena: 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.
I haz no dancing skillz. I’m a lefty with two left feet! Dancing is one of the few things that can turn this confident, outgoing bride into a reluctant wallflower. Confession: I’ve never really gone dancing. That whole part of young adulthood… I missed the memo. Merengue? Tried it while studying abroad in the Dominican Republic; never took, my hips don’t move like that.
Do these diagrams confuse anyone else??
This whole “dancing thing” (because it is now a thing for me) was brought to the forefront quite recently as I watched our newly married friends kicking up their well-choreographed heels at their wedding in Mexico. Read more…
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.
Welp, like Miss Cotton Candy’s, our wedding invitations are late, late, late. Just how late they are depends on what you consider the Must-Send-Them-Out deadline, but I’ve also been getting some Facebook questioning, so I figure I must be tardy. Our wedding is seven weeks from Saturday. They’ll probably go out by then, so it’s not TOO bad, but our RSVP deadline is June 1. Oh, well.
Anywho, while I finish these suckers up, I thought I should start talking about the road that led to them. I have been absolutely obsessed with wedding stationery since before I got engaged, so I can’t even tell you how many inspiration photos I have saved on my computer. It’s a lot.
Before I knew that I was going to tackle the stationery on my own, I wanted these:
I loved the colors, and thought digital printing seemed like a great option. I really didn’t care about letterpress and didn’t understand why anyone would pay so much for something that limited your color options.
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!
When we brought the wine home after bottling it there were two more steps that we had to do before our wedding wine was complete: labeling and sealing the bottles. We planned to label all of the bottles, but we only wanted to seal the bottles that we were giving as favors and the ones that we would keep after the wedding. And all of the wine that we planned to serve at the wedding didn’t need a seal since we would be opening it soon.
Dad set up an assembly line as he labeled the wine while the wax melted and Mr. EB, Mom EB and I got ready to help him seal the bottles. Read more…
Mrs. Balloons, Aspen, COAge and Occupation: 24, Mass Communications graduate, Web Design student, & winery workerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, EngineerEngagement Date: July 10, 2009Wedding Date: August 2011Venue: The Sundeck at The Little NellAbout Me: I'm a small-town Midwest girl planning an intimate mountaintop destination wedding complete with a huge DIY at-home reception. As an honors graduate fallen victim to the worst job market in history in my area, we're doing everything we can to still have the wedding of our dreams on a tighter budget. I currently enjoy working at a winery, but I'm lonnng overdue for a day job! I am: a big-time daydreamer, one of the pickiest eaters you'll ever meet, and a lover of pretty paper and awesome fonts. I'm a girly girl who loves to get dolled up, but also a country girl who loves to get muddy and go 4-wheeler riding. I also enjoy singing in the car, boating, going to concerts, the History Channel, carnival food, and going to watch St. Louis Cardinals baseball with my handsome engineer.
I’ve always wanted an outside wedding. Always. This was a problem because:
a.) Mr. Balloon’s family is Catholic. Catholic weddings happen inside of the church, nowhere else. Their church is really gorgeous—it’s just that I really wanted my dream of an outdoor venue.
b.) The area that I’m from offered nothing of the dream outdoor venue I’d always hoped for. The few outdoor places that I did actually like were nowhere big enough to accommodate our huge guest list. The places that were big enough came with nothing, so the rental costs of chairs, tables, etc. would be ridiculously expensive.
OK, so I knew that weddings were expensive…but until we started researching and planning, I had no idea that they were quite as expensive as I started to find out! The national average is something like $28,000?! That’s a lot of freakin money for one day! A very important day, don’t get me wrong…but still ONE day! Now hearing me say that, you’d probably think that I’m the sane one who has the finances under control and doesn’t care about frivolous details that people probably won’t remember in a few years anyway…but that would be an incorrect assumption. I definitely don’t think it’s necessary to go over the top (AKA over budget) by any means, BUT like I told Mr. Balloons (who, by the way,is the one with the finances under control and wants to cut every cost possible), out of all the “parties” that we will ever host, this is THE party. THE party that is representative of who we are and the one time that we will have all of our family and friends, those most important to us, together to celebrate with and show them a good time! He understands, yet still insists many of my ideas aren’t necessary…good thing I’m a good convincer.
As the search continued, I kept hearing more and more about destination weddings. I was intrigued, so I researched more into it. Turns out, people can save a LOT of money on tropical-destination weddings in places like Jamaica!
Mrs. Funnel Cake, Zürich, Switzerland/Columbus, OhioAge and Occupation: 24, Visual Communication DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Application EngineerEngagement Date: May 30, 2010Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Catholic church followed by a botanical conservatoryAbout Me: I'm an American designer who moved to Switzerland for love after a fairytale beginning at the top of the Eiffel Tower. I love travel, photography, museums, learning German so I can speak with my mother-in-law, cooking (eating), cuddling, and I'm not afraid to try something new even if it terrifies me. My Swiss/Brazilian man and I are both down to earth people planning a traditional Catholic wedding in my hometown with some quirky cultural exceptions to reflect our different backgrounds. We look forward to celebrating with friends and family from all over the world in a classic, sophisticated fusion of heritage and love.
Amidst my introduction to Mr. Funnel Cake, I was actually going through a rough spot in relationships. I was confused, lonesome, hurt, angry, and generally fed up with most of the men I’d been involved with, or who I was still partially involved with. I went to Europe leaving most of my male relationships and friendships a mess and with a definite pessimistic attitude toward the opposite sex. While I was happy I wasn’t shackled down with a boyfriend while I was abroad, I was jealous of my friends and family back home in committed relationships because my love life seemed such a hopeless mess.
It was because of this that I was cautious about the men I met in Europe, and much too shy to ever initiate anything. I had some vague crushes here and there, but I had imposed a rule on myself that the next time I would lose my heart to a man, I wanted him to be the one to make the first move. So while I was happy to meet new people, I was not about to be promiscuous. Read more…
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!
Now that we’ve blown past the 100-day mark, I decided to take a mental inventory of the decisions we’ve made in our planning. I wanted to make sure we weren’t making haphazard choices that would result in a horribly uncoordinated affair. I guess it makes sense to first tell you about the type of wedding we’re gunning for.
Once we had a date secured, Mr. Snow Cone and I sat down to map out what we wanted our wedding to look and feel like. We never entertained the idea of a theme, per se. Instead, following advice my SIL gave me, we tried to decide on a two-word phrase that would guide our decisions, describing a general style for the wedding. In a perfect world, this style would be the commonality among all of our details, apparel, decor, and the like, resulting in one impressive finished product.
We ultimately decided on “updated classics.” We’re both pretty traditional people. We like things that are familiar and comfortable. They’re traditions for a reason, after all! At the same time, though, we didn’t want our wedding day to look and feel like it could have occurred 10, 20, or 30 years ago. We wanted a little flair to show off our personalities, making it a personal affair for the two of us. We’ve decided our goal is to take traditional elements and maintain their predictability for the most part, but with a dose of originality and individuality, making them our traditions instead of wedding-world traditions in general. Ideally, I don’t want people to see something and ponder, “What was that?!” Instead, I’d love for them to think, “That was so cool!” We’re using personalization to attempt to push people an inch out of their comfort zones instead of a mile.
So, without further ado, here’s our six-month checkup in inspiration-board form.
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!
With only a month left before the wedding, there’s been a whirlwind of activity around these parts. Most of the big things are done, but we’re getting into crunch time now. I decided to steal away with Mama Jaguar for the day, and try to cross a few things off our to-do list. First on the agenda was paying a visit to our little sandstone chapel.
Ah, our church. Have I mentioned how much I’m in love with this beautiful building? I’m sure I’ve raved about it once or twice before. Yep, I definitely have! They’ve just done some refurbishment around the chapel, putting in matching sandstone paving stones and re-doing the concrete driveways and parking areas, and it looks just as stunning as ever.
Sorry, hive. But the good news is…
