Miss Marmalade, Norwalk, CT/Raleigh, NCAge and Occupation: 27, Administrative AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Army OfficerEngagement Date: December 31, 2009Wedding Date: July 2011Venue: Old Cadet Chapel/Highlands Country ClubAbout Me: I'm a Tri-State area "lady," through and through. A big chunk of my life has been split between NYC and Connecticut, and I'm finally heading down south to live with Mr. Marmalade. Our long distance relationship has been one adventure after the next, we've spent time in Texas, Louisiana, Florida,and Georgia, thanks to his military career. Next to Mr. Marmalade, my loves include live music, useless trivia, shoes, design, and my crazy half-tiger kitty, Oliver. I have a passion for food and wine, and I've been known to travel long distances to get my hands on the best meals. I come from a tight-knit big fat Greek Ecuadorian family---we're loud, we talk with our hands, and we spend hours talking loudly with our hands over large meals. I'm going to miss them so much as I pack up and begin my life, far away from home. But with Mr. Marmalade by my side, I'm ready to take on whatever may come. Next up: our wedding!
After my incredibly disappointing experience at Lovely, I was tempted to call up Priscilla of Boston to cancel my appointment. My already fragile ego had taken all the blows that it could bear. But it was too late to cancel, and I’m too cheap to let anyone charge me $50 for not showing up to an appointment. So I dragged myself to Priscilla of Boston.
Plus, POB is the home of a gown that I’d been pining after, and there was no guarantee I’d find it in another salon—it was JL202, from the Jewel line.
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.
When it came to our wedding budget we had one goal: To not go into debt! Which, for us (both college students), meant sticking to a wedding budget of $10,000 NZD ($8134 USD, according to the current exchange rate). Given that the average New Zealand costs around $30,000, we knew we would have our work cut out for us.
Staying within budget definitely involved a bit of compromise in some areas, but we were also not afraid to splurge in other areas that were important to us. Below I have broken down the costs into major categories. In some cases where I thought it might be helpful, I have broken down the costs further within each category. I have written the $$s in New Zealand dollars, with the US equivalent in brackets beside each amount.
Here’s how it all worked out in the end, down to the last cent (thanks to my obsessive Excel tracking!):
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.
Hive, I haven’t intended to be so elusive in regards to our favors and I fear I have unintentionally amped them up to be a bit more groundbreaking than they are. They’re not quite as unique as Mrs. Tartlet’s book charity favors or maybe not as fun as Mrs. Ostrich’s CDs, but they come from an important place nonetheless.
And it’s partly because of this beautiful lady:
My Grandma Mary
I never had the privilege of knowing my Grandma Mary—she passed at the young age of 56 from pancreatic cancer long before I was born. I can’t tell you how weird it has been not knowing this woman—a woman who has touched the lives of so many in my family. Being that I am so very close to Mama Seal, it’s strange not knowing the person who brought her into this world and shaped her into everything I aspire to be. Even now, referring to her as “grandma” feels strange to me—as if it’s an amazing honor I never earned.
But despite not ever having met her—I feel an intangible closeness to her. Read more…
Mrs. Cucumber Sandwich, Washington, DC/Cape May, NJAge and Occupation: 28, School CounselorFiance's Age and Occupation: 40, Collegiate AthleticsEngagement Date: March 27, 2010Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Congress Hall HotelAbout Me: I am a school counselor who spends my day wrangling children and my nights attempting to be creative with wedding projects. My enthusiasm for each of these activities far surpasses my skill. Thank goodness Mr. Cucumber Sandwich is there to pick up the pieces and be the voice of reason about my DIY tries. I have an obsession with terrible romantic comedies (‘From Justin to Kelly’ anyone?, anyone?!?), competitive Scrabble play, and hot dogs. I could eat astronaut ice cream for every meal and can’t seem to resist buying more shoes. Our wedding is going to be a true hodge podge of semi-destination, tradition, Yuengling, New England charm, with just a dash of ‘Jersey Shore’ thrown in. It has been six years in the making and I can’t wait to marry my best friend.
Picking our wedding date turned out to be a happy accident. Originally when Mr. Cuc Sandwich and I first thought about getting engaged (many, many, many, many years ago), we imagined a fall of 2010 wedding. Sadly, the time frame we talked about for him to propose came and went. He did not put a ring on it.
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.
My favorite part of the wedding was having all of our friends and family in the same place for just one day. Some couples are lucky and grow up in the same town and get to join their families for lots of fun events. Mr. Starfish and I grew up in different states, so the chances of ever having a day with everyone we love together again is not even a possibility.
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. Ladyfingers, Saint Petersburg, FLAge and Occupation: 30, Marketing ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Sports WriterEngagement Date: December 24, 2010Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Palma Sola Botanical ParkAbout Me: I hail from Oklahoma, he was born and raised in Long Island. Fate brought us together, and now we live in a cute little rental house with our nutty dog, and our aloof cat. We both love to read, watch movies, explore our town, and laugh like hyenas. When I’m not obsessively wedding crafting, I enjoy stalking style and decorating blogs, making collages and painting, napping, thrifting, rearranging our bookshelves, and being a total weirdo with my friends. Hi!
Close on the heels of choosing a venue, we started looking for caterers. We knew this would be the next difficult price point—with an initial budget of $10,000 for 80 guests, that meant our caterer bill would need to fall somewhere in the $3,000 range, including rentals since our venue only comes with round tables and a bunch of plastic lawn chairs.
Luckily, I’m awful good at doing homework, and I’d already searched all the major wedding sites and blogs for a list of caterers in the area where we’re getting married. I started firing off emails, and had the following responses and impressions:
Mattison’s was one of the first to respond, and offered an unbelievably extensive menu. We knew we wanted a buffet, we knew we wanted to provide our own beer and wine (and no liquor), and we knew we were providing our own cake from a third-party vendor. Their food and beverage fell to about $4,000 after the chef reduced the price of some items, but with rentals and labor and service charges, the proposed total was more than $7,000—and that would be before gratuity. Time to keep looking.
A rep from Milan called me to go over some details, and followed up with an email containing a link to their Facebook page. I never heard anything after that.
Nellie’s Deli was the next to respond—and they’re the ones we went with.
Why we booked our caterer at the first tasting we went to: Read more…
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!
Hive, oh dearest Hive, I have so much to tell you. I’ve been away for the last few days completely and utterly consumed by this crazy dress hunt, but at the end of all that I do have good news to share.
I made a final FINAL dress decision!!!
OMG, the stress and heartache involved in this process was something I didn’t foresee in the slightest. I’ve learned so much about myself and had so many revelations about things I wish I’d done differently, so I’m going to try and put those thoughts together eventually. But before I get to that, I know y’all wanna see pictures and I think you’ve earned it for standing by me through this all of this.
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.
So we left off at cake. What good cake it was, but we had two great options to pick from: Amy Beck or Luscious Layers. Both great cakes, both great flavors, both great people in charge, so how to decide? Time to take a look at what else they had to offer,
After looking at the sketches from each place, we were swayed by the varied tiers that Luscious Layers offered and some clever interpretations of our idea. We wanted a skyline cake with each layer representing a part of our past, present or future. The first tier would be London to represent where we met, Chicago in the middle to represent where we live and South Africa to represent our future and honeymoon. They had a great portfolio of Chicago skyline cakes and put together a dynamite mock up of what our cake would look like.
Chicago Skyline Cake at the Planetarium - There are Lights to sparkle like stars!!
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).
Shortly after getting engaged, my BFFs started talking about hosting something for our wedding. While a shower is typical, one of my smart and financially savvy bridesmaids said, “We could host a shower, or we could help you with your rehearsal dinner.” See, King Hippo and I were planning on footing the majority of the bill for the rehearsal dinner, and being 30-somethings, we already had a lot of “stuff.” While a shower would have been lovely, help with the rehearsal dinner was practical. And to be honest, I had put all my time and energy into the wedding. Planning the rehearsal dinner was honestly last on my list, so when my girls volunteered to take that project on, it was huge. And awesome.
We wanted our rehearsal dinner to be more laid back than stuffy. After narrowing the choices down a bit, the girls proposed having the rehearsal dinner at Ozona Grill & Bar, one of our college hangouts, and I jumped on it. It had the Tex-Mex vibe that we were desperately missing in New York, plus I wanted our out-of-town guests to get a taste for Texas.
After putting in my two cents about the venue, the party hostesses took over in the planning department. Read more…
Miss Marmalade, Norwalk, CT/Raleigh, NCAge and Occupation: 27, Administrative AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Army OfficerEngagement Date: December 31, 2009Wedding Date: July 2011Venue: Old Cadet Chapel/Highlands Country ClubAbout Me: I'm a Tri-State area "lady," through and through. A big chunk of my life has been split between NYC and Connecticut, and I'm finally heading down south to live with Mr. Marmalade. Our long distance relationship has been one adventure after the next, we've spent time in Texas, Louisiana, Florida,and Georgia, thanks to his military career. Next to Mr. Marmalade, my loves include live music, useless trivia, shoes, design, and my crazy half-tiger kitty, Oliver. I have a passion for food and wine, and I've been known to travel long distances to get my hands on the best meals. I come from a tight-knit big fat Greek Ecuadorian family---we're loud, we talk with our hands, and we spend hours talking loudly with our hands over large meals. I'm going to miss them so much as I pack up and begin my life, far away from home. But with Mr. Marmalade by my side, I'm ready to take on whatever may come. Next up: our wedding!
Mrs. Pretzel, SeattleAge and Occupation: 32 Learning, Training, and Development SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 28 Manufacturing EngineerEngagement Date: September 2, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Catholic Church & The Engine Room at Georgetown StudiosAbout Me: I’m just a thirty-something girl who never dreamed of weddings, poofy dresses, or ritzy receptions. I am a rabid knitter, except recently, wedding projects have replaced my yarn and needles. I’ve been fiercely independent since the age of 2 and 30 years later I think my family and friends had given up on me settling down and getting married.
Ironically, I had to go all the way to Seattle to find a boy from Purdue. We fell in love over Seattle Beers and cooking together. I love NASCAR, he loves Legos. I can talk like a Muppet and he can fit a whole McDonald’s cheeseburger in his mouth. We are a two reception couple, currently planning a brewery inspired bash.
I know what you are thinking… “It’s garter time!” Except we weren’t doing a garter toss. Sure, I rigged up a bouquet toss for my cousin but i couldn’t produce a garter out of thin air. So why was I sitting on a chair in the middle of the dance floor? Read more…
Mrs. Cannon, Toledo, OHAge and Occupation: 27, Financial AnalystFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, AssemblerEngagement Date: February 28, 2011Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Epworth UMC & Ward PavilionAbout Me: I'm the curious combination of being a go-with-the-flow, laid back, obsessive planner. I try desperately to stay as busy as possible at all times (and am succeeding big time right now!) My biggest loves in life are Law & Order: SVU, Community (the show, not the concept, although I like that, too), ice cream, white cheddar popcorn, beer, hiking, knitting, decorating, writing, being outside, spending time with friends and family and musical theater. Mr. Cannon is pretty sweet, too. We've had a lot of fun traveling and having adventures all over the country, but have finally moved back near our hometown to settle down. We're planning a low-key, colorful, fun wedding and an awesome-to-the-max reception.
There was no argument about our first dance. The song is a favorite around this house. You may know Jonathan Richman as the lead singer of The Modern Lovers. You may know him from his long solo career. You may know him as the acoustic guitar guy in There’s Something About Mary. Maybe you don’t know him at all. All I know is if you don’t know this song, you’re really missing out.
When Mr. Cannon and I started dating, I couldn’t believe that I had found someone so unbelievable perfect for me. I had never met someone who held so many of the same beliefs and values that I did.
Mrs. Cucumber Sandwich, Washington, DC/Cape May, NJAge and Occupation: 28, School CounselorFiance's Age and Occupation: 40, Collegiate AthleticsEngagement Date: March 27, 2010Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Congress Hall HotelAbout Me: I am a school counselor who spends my day wrangling children and my nights attempting to be creative with wedding projects. My enthusiasm for each of these activities far surpasses my skill. Thank goodness Mr. Cucumber Sandwich is there to pick up the pieces and be the voice of reason about my DIY tries. I have an obsession with terrible romantic comedies (‘From Justin to Kelly’ anyone?, anyone?!?), competitive Scrabble play, and hot dogs. I could eat astronaut ice cream for every meal and can’t seem to resist buying more shoes. Our wedding is going to be a true hodge podge of semi-destination, tradition, Yuengling, New England charm, with just a dash of ‘Jersey Shore’ thrown in. It has been six years in the making and I can’t wait to marry my best friend.
I have two Sammie sisters, so I knew I would always have at least two bridesmaids. Of course, I asked them immediately after getting engaged. This was before I discovered DIY wedding crafts and the hive. Now I have seen so many adorable and crafty ways to ask your ladies. I wish I could have a do-over.
I wanted to ask them in a cute way instead of just blurting it out over the phone, but the cards I DIY’ed were atrocious. Thank God I don’t have any photographic evidence of the cards, but even if I did I would be too embarrassed to show you. I sent them a card (let’s just say it was on computer paper folded a couple of times and handwritten) and two different books on being a bridesmaid.
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!
I stared vacantly out the window of Mr. Tartlet’s car, watching the power lines hypnotically swoop by as I listened to the purr of the engine. The 21-minute drive over to his home was spent mostly in silence as we unwound after our emotionally charged rehearsal. Inside, a billion thoughts flew through our heads.
Me: “Holy crap, I hope everyone finds their way to the dinner OK. Should I call to check? Will traffic be that bad tomorrow? That person looked so. bored! at the rehearsal. What if everyone looks that disinterested? Will anyone make it (because of aforementioned traffic)? I should have worn different shoes. Global warming is a problem.”
Mr. Tartlet: “Mmm…food.”
…So perhaps I was the only one with a jumble of worries zinging around my cranium! Before long, though, there was no time for such thoughts: as one of the last to arrive, we found that the welcoming dinner was already buzzing with activity. Our stomachs made a beeline for the food (catered from Penna’s in Sterling Heights), served buffet-style in keeping with the casual and relaxed atmosphere:
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
