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!
Me and Martha Stewart are like so totally on the same page. Today she sent me an email (we’re tight like that) all about how you can use buttons in your ceremony. And I was all like “Thanks Martha, but I’m totally one step ahead of you.”
OK, I’m not gonna lie. I think buttons are cute, I guess, but normally I just throw away the extra ones that come with a blouse. Because if I don’t throw them away, they just end up all lonely in their tiny plastic bags, lost in the bottom of some drawer. So now I just toss them, and find solace in the fact that allllllllll the buttons are ending up in the same spot—erm, the landfill.
Hmm. That’s depressing.
Anyway, recently I was literally freaking OUT over napkins. It turned into this big existential crisis where I drank too much red wine, beat my head against the worn couch pillows, and wondered what “it” all meant. “It” being wedding planning, tsunamis, poverty, autism, circuses, Black Swan, hot and cold water molecules, and that whole Elder Wand thing in Harry Potter.
One Google search later for “wedding DIY napkin rings” and I was back to normal and completing perhaps the best, OK, most easiest DIY wedding project EV-ER.
Steps to making ridiculously simply easy & fun fabric covered buttons Read more…
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!
I love reading about how others found Weddingbee but thought I’d save my own story for a rainy day, or at least a day when I’d been around for a little longer than oh, immediately.
How did I find Weddingbee?
I found it via Mrs Avocado—I was a follower of her personal blog and wandered my way over to Weddingbee from there. When I first found the site, I was in a long-term relationship with Mr. Jaguar but there was no engagement in sight; so I stalked for a while, but ended up throwing in the towel after those familiar niggling feelings of frustration (and envy!) started coming back.
When we (finally) got engaged in August 2009, I found myself back here again, only this time for inspiration. Since we were having a super long engagement, the idea of applying to blog hadn’t really crossed my mind yet, so I visited quite sporadically. In the lead-up to my application, I had Weddingbee added to my feed reader, and was actively following along with the Sea Creatures generation, particularly Mrs Dolphin, Mrs Sand Dollar, Mrs Octopus and Mrs Seashell.
It was reading their stories, and watching the new Accessories generation get announced and begin blogging, that really prompted me to consider putting in an application. In particular, when Mrs Earrings began blogging, I got incredibly excited—a Kiwi Bee! Yes! I’d never seen an Australian blogger here before, and I was really keen to try out and give it a go.
Mrs. Earrings, Fresno, CA/ Nelson, New ZealandAge and Occupation: 20, Student, Wannabe Writer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 19, Photography StudentEngagement Date: February 14, 2010Wedding Date: January 2011Venue: Gardens of the WorldAbout Me: I'm a girl from down under who grew up in Indonesia and I'm marrying a California boy. I'm addicted to all things sweet, have never met a chocolate silk pie than can get the better of me, and have dreams of one day being a fulltime novelist. I go weak in the knees for lace, tea cups, and a beautifully crafted sentence. When I get excited about something (whether it is historical linguistics or the Beatles) I tend to go overboard in research, and planning this wedding is no different. Mr. Earrings is my high school sweetheart, my best friend, and somehow we combine all our quirks into one big happy mess.
You’ve seen our Tea and Cupcake Hour details, now I want to share the rest of our reception details with you. My favourite comment from guests about the details?: “It’s like a treasure hunt!”
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.
I could end this post by simply saying: don’t do it. Save yourself (and your loved ones) the time and sanity right now and walk away. But, I clearly didn’t listen to the wisdom and warnings of other brides before me, either. So if you are relentless about making your own napkins, here’s some tips and advice I learned in the process.
1. Find a good tutorial. This was one of my biggest mistakes. I just started sewing, thinking I would magically figure it out. Not so much. I suggest these tutorials: here or here.
2. If you don’t know how to sew or don’t want to sew all your napkins, invest in pinking shears. They allow you to cut your fabric without it fraying all over the place, and it makes a cute zig-zag border:
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.
In honor of the upcoming Mother’s Day, I’ve been thinkin’ a lot about my own mama and I need your help! So I’ve blogged a bit about Daddy Seal and our F/D dance. It seems very strange to me, however, that (other than her expressed disapproval of our cigar bar) I’ve yet to truly introduce you to Mama Seal—and given how very much she means to Mr. Seal and me, this is just totally unacceptable. Though at first it may appear otherwise, I swear this post has everything to do with our wedding. Plus I really do need some advice.
Mrs. Prairie Dog, Cincinnati
Age and Occupation: 24, Program CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, PhD/Biomedical EngineerEngagement Date: December 18, 2009Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Glendale LyceumAbout Me: I'm a pilgrim soul of a girl with a house full of books and a coffee addiction that could slay Juan Valdez. My life is a whirl of grammar correction, good music, glue-gunning, and two pets named Hazel and Winston Churchill. I'm marrying my high school boyfriend in a formal-ish spring affair, roughly themed: "Elizabeth Bennet crashes a party co-hosted by Jay Gatsby and Cath Kidston, and loves it."
I’d like to take a moment to campaign for imperfection.
First, I should tell you that I expected myself to be way more neurotic and controlling about this wedding of ours. So did Pdog, who refers to my relative calm as “a pleasant surprise.” So did my friends and basically everyone who knows me. Oh sure, I still have my moments, but they’re quick, contained, and rational. I think I could fairly describe my bridal attitude as: non-obsessive. This is a shock, even to me.
I’ve been trying to figure out how I found my way to this place of pre-wedding zen. Here’s what I landed on. A few years ago, in a design internship, my boss would scrutinize my first go at a project and say, “Make it less perfect.” Throw it off a little—make it interesting. She was right, every time.
We see these more-perfect blogs and magazines, don’t we? With perfect details in perfect lighting, of brides with impossibly sculpted arms and what appears to be no pores on their face, at all. For awhile, I almost thought I cared if my wedding measured up to these carefully-chosen 10-picture spreads. But you know what? I don’t.
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!
After devoting a couple (hundred) hours to looking at invitations, I wasn’t really finding anything that fit my price point and style. Someone suggested looking at Etsy, which seemed like a terrifying prospect. That website, to me, just had too many options, too many colors, too many things to consider. I figured it would drive my indecisive self up a wall. Just as I was about to write Etsy off, I learned of this magical system called Alchemy.* Here’s the simplest way I know to describe it: it’s a craft want ad. You describe the item you’re looking for and the price you’re looking to spend, and crafters who have accounts on Etsy can submit bids and proposals for your approval. In your initial description, you can be as specific or as generic as you want, including or excluding details such as size, medium, colors, and quantity, among others.
I decided I’d put out a request and see what happened. I kind of expected this function to be neglected on the website; for some reason, I assumed the majority of the traffic centered on shoppers buying preexisting items, and only occasionally did the artisans glance at these pleas for help. I also expected that most of the requests went unanswered unless they were for big cash-cow items, which I didn’t consider our wedding invitations to be.
Ms. Ferris Wheel, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 29, PsychologistFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, PsychologistEngagement Date: May 23 and 28, 2010 (one for each of us!)Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Parc55 Hotel (city lights ceremony, ballroom reception)About Me: Born in the Southeast, educated in the Northeast, and over-educated on the West Coast, I finally earned my city-girl credentials and have put down roots in gorgeous San Francisco. I’m a raging perfectionist with a lightning quick wit and a terrible sense of both time and direction. Our wedding task list is endlessly growing because of my predilection to think that DIY projects I can make = DIY projects I should make (so not true!). I always go to bed wishing there were more hours in the day to enjoy all the things I adore, whether that be hobbies, friends, my career, our two dogs, or Mr. Ferris Wheel. Ours is a story of a non-traditional couple living an oddly traditional life planning a not-so-traditional wedding in this city we adore. Together we are bustin’ out all of our best skills (and some of our worst ones) to plan a laid-back-chic DIY-craftastic love-alicious affair!
Our engagement shoot is almost exactly one month away, and one pressing question we need to answer is whether or not to use props in some of the photos. Like many of you fellow wedding-blog readers, I’m always amazed by picnic or random-furniture-in-a-field engagement shoots.
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’m so excited, you guys—I’ve been invited! My super-awesome maid of honour and bridesmaid are planning my bridal shower. The girls know that I love tea. This is my shelf at work, full of a ridiculous amount of loose-leaf tea.
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!
As you all know, we’ll be cruisin’ around the Caribbean for our honeymoon. Last week we finally booked our excursions, so now I can tell you about all the grand adventures we’re going to have! I am super pumped!
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.
Sorry y’all, I’m too frazzled now for cute titles. But I did want to not leave you hanging on the monogrammed totes. So cute title or not, we have spotted a tutorial!
First, you should gather all of your supplies. Here are mine:
Okay, there are some freeloaders in that shot, so let’s focus on the real supplies. Those are: 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!
Split zippers are by far the worst of the zipper malfunctions one can have. Yuck! In my previous post, I wrote about zippers that won’t go up and one’s that get fabric stuck in them. Today, we tackle the splitters.
There are three ways to handle your split zippers…basic, intermediate and advanced. I highly suggest you take a look at all three methods. Just because advanced says “advanced” doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a shot. It’s actually easier than you would think.
The basic method involves using the tagger or safety pins and is pretty self explanatory.
Mrs. Starfish, Boston/NewportAge and Occupation: 25, Operations AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, SalesEngagement Date: October 8, 2008Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: The Atlantic Beach ClubAbout Me: I'm a perfectionist who is a planner at heart. I don't do well with surprises. I love planning, crafting, Newport RI, family and friends, and most importantly, Mr. Starfish---all of which will be big components in our October wedding in our favorite little city by the sea.
Our guestbook is slowly being delivered…one postcard at a time. I was so in love with the idea of a postcard guestbook as you’ll see here and here. It is amazing!
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.
After presenting the napkin options I had considered to a couple of my bridesmaids, they tried to knock some sense into my napkin-saturated brain by rationally evaluating each option I presented to them.
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.
And most exciting of all: We get mail EVERY SINGLE DAY full of RSVPs! I scream and ignore all other mail (full of junk or bills, so who can really blame me?), scare the pets and run around the house maniacally with hands full of guest confirmations.
Thanks to the man of many titles (AKA the man of honor/best friend/graphic designer/adult ring bearer/party planner extraordinaire), we were able to make and send 100 invitations for about $175, which includes all postage, the perfect paper, sturdy envelopes in the most delightful shade of chartreuse, and—since everything was pretty much DIY—refill inkjet printer cartridges. These suckers use up a lot of ink, you know?
Enough of my blathering about the invitations of our dreams…take a peek for yourself (and be warned, all of these images were scanned from a contraption older than dinosaurs; they look so much stinkin’ better in real life):
Our guestbook is slowly being delivered…one postcard at a time. I was so in love with the idea of a postcard guestbook as you’ll see 
