Mrs. Parasol, San Ramon, CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 25, Non-profit writer, editor, and bloggerFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Law school studentEngagement Date: December 19th, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Bent Creek Winery (Livermore, California); Reception: Family Residence (San Ramon, California) About Me: I am a California girl at heart. I love the outdoors, sunny days at the beach, and hiking in the woods and mountains. I also love good books and am fresh from completing my Master's degree in English and Comparative Literature in New York City. Living in NYC was an amazing experience, and while I'm glad to be back on the West Coast, I'm also thankful that my two years back East gave me an opportunity to explore new places, make new friends, and indulge my passion for Broadway shows. Oh, and I received a pretty awesome proposal from Mr. Parasol in Central Park. Above all else, Mr. Parasol is my biggest cheerleader and my best friend. But even though I'm thrilled to be marrying him, I wasn't always totally on board with this whole wedding thing and at first, I wanted to run off and elope. I've finally been convinced to throw the wedding I never thought I wanted, and so now I'm busy planning an intimate September wedding filled with DIY details. Along the way, I'm slowly learning to appreciate, perhaps even love the wedding planning process.
Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about our wedding decorations. I’ve been scouring websites like Style Me Pretty and Once Wed for ideas, and I love all the beautiful pictures and DIY projects. They really inspire me, and I can’t wait to get started on the Parasol wedding decorations.
At the same time, though, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the different ideas out there. There’s just so many amazing things you can do to make a space look and feel magical. How am I supposed to decide which ideas to use and which ideas to let fall by the wayside? It’s almost enough to drive this bride crazy!
Although I’m still flushing out many of the decoration details, Mr. Parasol and I have decided that we definitely want to use some vintage props and decor to make my parents’ house look amazing for our wedding day. I love the idea of using an old-fashioned wooden wagon to store drinks, decorating tables with vintage editions of our favorite books, and filling Mason jars and milk pitchers with wildflowers. I know that some of these ideas may not be possible, especially considering that vintage items can not only be difficult to find, but can also be quite expensive.
While looking for vintage props online, though, I found two websites that may very well solve both of my problems: Heritage & Craft and One True Love Vintage. I can’t even really explain how I stumbled across these amazing sites, but I’m so thankful I did! Both are Bay Area based companies (can you believe my luck?) that specialize in finding and renting out vintage props and decorations for weddings and other special events. Sounds perfect, right? I certainly think so. And just look at all the amazing things they have available:
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 know I have mentioned about 10,057 times how awesome our photographer is, but now she is just out of control. Mr. Cucumber Sammie even said that she is worth her weight in gold. Best wedding decision ever.
We got an early wedding present delivered to us the other day. What oh what could it 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!
I’ve been trying not to notice the time, but having typed out that sentence I just couldn’t help but steal a glance at the clock on my computer. It’s 3:24 AM and I’m wrapping up my wedding planning for the night. By my sleep-deprived estimation I’ve spent at least fourteen hours today on my computer—each and every one of those hours dedicated to brainstorming and drafting ideas for our invitations.
Luckily for me, we’ve finalized some of our other paper products and that gives me some stylistic direction for the invites. Unluckily for me is that I can’t visualize ideas. Either that, or I don’t trust my visualizations. Whatever it is, I’m a person who has to make a prototype or create a digital mock-up or *something* before I’ll have the slightest clue whether or not I like a particular idea. I don’t need it to be pretty—just something that gives me a rough idea of what the end product might look like. Also terribly unfortunate for me is my relative lack of skill with graphics programs, meaning that I’m constantly googling “how to do ____ in Photoshop Elements.”
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!
I keep meaning to make a quick visit to Crate&Barrel, where we’ve set up the bulk of our registry, just to feel our chosen silverware in my hands. Aside from that, however, we’ve bucked common wisdom and done all of our registries online, both at C&B and Bed Bath & Beyond.
Like many, we’d love money. Heh. But while I was going through the pages of each website, I did see many a thing we can use, mostly in the kitchen area. For one, we do not own a KitchenAid mixer (oh, for shame!!!) or a proper food processor (shame, shame). We could use a few more serving pieces, but we absolutely do not need any china—I inherited my grandmother’s semi-formal china that we use every day, and her formal-formal china for special occasions. Not to mention, we’re not inviting nearly enough guests to hope for more than a soup turren and a couple of saucers in our pattern.
The registry was super fun to set up—It’s like window shopping! That we don’t have to pay for!—so I thought I’d take a few minutes to introduce you to our Top 10 Favorite God-I-Hope-We-Get-It Registry Items.
1. Hamptons Serving Bowls (yellow, below, and green)
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!
Directly following our pronouncement as husband and wife, Mr. E and I walked a separate path than our bridal party to soak in those first married moments alone.
We couldn’t stop laughing at me being Mr. E’s “lawfully wedded life.” Read more…
Mrs. Knitting, TorontoAge and Occupation: 24, Student Recruitment Assistant
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Neuroscience PhD CandidateEngagement Date: October 2009Wedding Date: December 2010Venue: University of Toronto Faculty Club
About Me: I'm a pearl wearing, etiquette book reading Toronto girl who loves cooking and baking, museums, charm bracelets, and collecting books on Jackie Kennedy (a lot). I've been known to spend Sunday mornings at the antique market, Wednesday evenings at sister sushi dinners, and any bit of spare time reading. After six and a half years of many late night walks, watching DVDs together in bed, travelling to places like New York, and Tobermory, doing Sudokus together on the couch, lots of Indian food, the occasional yoga class, moving in together and so much more, Mr. Knitting and I are planning a cozy Christmasy (it's a word!), vintage wedding in Toronto complete with many DIY projects (eek!) and lots of help from our amazing group of family and friends.
Before I got engaged I thought that women never removed their wedding or engagement rings. Both my mother and my sister never take off their rings and I thought that was the norm. As a result when I realized that I can’t stand wearing my ring around the house I thought I was super weird, especially since my ring (it’s an engagement/wedding ring) is a very wearable ring.
Here’s the thing: when I get home I’m pretty much always wearing something pajama-like, so wearing my pjs along with the most valuable thing I own (financially and sentimentally) felt really weird. To be honest it bothered me to the extent that I sometimes found it difficult to sleep while I was wearing it (obviously, I’m very easy going!).
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.
A wee piece of advice from the other (OMG) side of the wedding ceremony:
Don’t be afraid to do things last minute. I know you want to get all your DIYs done before the week of the wedding, and I think that is indeed the best way to plan. I’m talking about if, for instance, you are two weeks from your wedding and suddenly decide that you and your fiance should take dance lessons. You might have been thinking about it previously, and wondering if you should. Don’t let the fact that you’re two weeks out stop you from looking into it!
You might have guessed that the above was not an entirely theoretical example…I searched the internet and found a few dance studios that offered dance lessons to help with first dances and things. In the process of looking for reviews, I found a studio that had a note in their WeddingWire profile saying, “last minute bookings OK!”
I stopped looking for reviews at that moment and sent an email. Read more…
Mrs. Teacup, Santa CruzAge and Occupation: 34, Pharmaceutical SalesFiance's Age and Occupation: 41, Ditto! (For a different company)Engagement Date: October 1, 2010Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: ceremony in our family's Catholic church in Watsonville; reception at the Santa Cruz Beach BoardwalkAbout Me: I’m learning to embrace my true spirit as GIRLY GIRL after previous careers in the Navy and consulting for the government. My favorite hobby is SLEEP, with dancing HULA a close second. An INTROVERT in extrovert clothing, I’m questing to UNDO 34 years of TYPE A conditioning. Constantly processing the details of our upcoming nuptials, peek into this late blooming bride & groom's roller coaster ride to the altar. Giant Dipper required, sold separately.
Hello again, hive. I’d first like to introduce you to my amazing fiancé. A self-proclaimed surf junkie, Mr. Hot Tea feels most at home in the water. While on vacay, locals and tourists alike are impressed with his surf-ability. Check him out at one of his favorite spots in Cabo:
Ms. Sloth, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 35, Account Manager and Fashion BloggerFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Design AdminEngagement Date: December 25, 2009Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Bartram's GardenAbout Me: I'm an internet junkie and music snob with a good eye for a bargain. I couldn't live without thrift store shopping, cheeseburgers, sushi, Coke Zero, websites devoted to silly photos of baby animals, Photoshop, and Mr. Sloth. Speaking of which, he and I are a pair of goofball homebody nerds who love our beagle (the most ridiculously adorable dog EVER) to an embarrassing degree. We're planning a low-key and intimate yet festive and quirky outdoor wedding with DIY details and deeply personal touches, and it's all taking place in the city where we fell in love and call home: Philadelphia.
There’s just one more set of portraits to get through before the main event, y’all, so hang in there!
We posed by ourselves and with our attendants, and now it was time for a couple of family shots.
Me with my little sister:
Mr. S and me with my sister, her fiance, and my mom. (Side note: my sister’s fiance’s crazy jacket and pants were apparently a huge issue beforehand, because my sister wanted him to wear something more “normal” and he refused. His outfit was a big topic of conversation that night. Everyone was talking about it. And then they were like “Ooooohhhhh, he’s European. That explains it!” Whatever that’s supposed to mean. I think he looked pretty rad. Anyway, I can’t wait to see what he wears to their own wedding next summer!)
Miss Sweet Cream, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 26, Public Relations Account ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Outside SalesEngagement Date: July 4, 2010Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church / Rosebank WineryAbout Me: Born in the ‘burbs of Philly, it took some time living in the Big Apple to realize that I’m a girl who likes her roots. That’s why the mister and I bought a 1950s house on a charming street not too far from our childhood stompin’ grounds. This could also be the reason why our hometown is the scene where we are planning our super sweet, totally charming, BBQ-for-supper wedding that I never knew I always wanted. I DIE over DIY projects and live for vintage, heartfelt inspiration. I obsess over all things mid-century (from forks to furniture). Love is… cartoons and flea markets, and I am known to whip up a mean banana cream pie. I met the Mr. in grade school and after that boy took me for a spin on the handle bars of his BMX, I knew that things would never be the same again. Besides lovin’ my Mr., I also love to plan, sew and create, and that’s just what I’m doing as I navigate through the details, creating a laid-back day that oozes charm; one that will go down in (at least our) history as the Best. Day. Of all time.
I know that I haven’t been here for a week or so. And I feel truly terrible for those of you (even if it’s just one) who anxiously awaited seeing more of the engage sesh that I teased you with last week.
I guess just life came full force at me all at once and the wedding planning—and sharing it with you dear hive—came to almost a full halt.
In one week, so many things have happened that I’m just beginning to catch my balance from it all. Last week, there were tears of joy, tears of sadness and all kinds of emotions battling each other like the 15 round match between Rocky & Apollo Creed in the infamous movie that Philly is known for. Read more…
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.
Mr. Funnel Cake and I had walked to the Restaurant Rigiblick on a very sunny day in July ’10 when we decided it was where we would like to have our intimate Zivilstand dinner. As we sipped 20CHF smoothies in the broiling sun, we asked them if we could reserve a table at the edge of the balcony to enjoy the view over Zürich.
Mrs. Honey, Durango, COAge and Occupation: 28, Financial AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Lab Tech/PhlebotomistEngagement Date: August 1, 2010Wedding Date: January 2012Venue: Vallecito LakeAbout Me: I am a Colorado girl through and through, marrying an adrenaline-fueled Alabama boy. We love the outdoors just about as much as we love spoiling our dog and three cats. On any given weekend you can find us being adventurous, doing anything from rafting to snowboarding, and everything in between. We live in an outdoor mecca and truly believe in "Work Hard, Play Harder." I'm an optimist to the core, a crafter wannabe, a Southern food cook-in-training and a big time believer in girls nights. We met, fell in love and got engaged in eight short months and are now knee-deep in planning what we hope to be a super-fun, very us wedding celebration. Join us as we plan a rustic meets whimsical, Colorado winter wedding with loads of personal touches and good food!
I’m hoping I was like all some newly engaged gals when I say that, even though I had only been engaged for a mere couple hours, my mind was instantly in wedding mode.
For me, setting the date the night we got engaged was priority onetwo three. I called my parents (priority one), and called my best friend (priority two), MOH Honey. After asking how Mr. H proposed, and then of course congratulating us, the first question my parents and MOH Honey asked us was when…when will we get married?! The date is so important; everything revolves around the date. I know that is the first question I ask newly engaged peeps. I guess it’s an attempt to know how soon (or far away) the date is. Are we talking next month or next year? The date is a pretty big deal.
So, we sat down after drinking our celebratory champagne and discussed the date, very very lightheartedly. I knew this: we already had four friends getting married in summer 2011. These four ladies were engaged before me, and I did not feel comfortable tromping in and squeezing our wedding in between ones that had already been set. We wanted to be different, provide something different. And that’s when decision one was made: we will have a winter wedding!
Let’s indulge in some winter and snowy wedding goodness.
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 must have a reputation for being hard to please because when it came time to make plans for the bachelorette party, BM R asked me what I wanted to do. (Uhm, I didn’t think it worked that way.) After some careful consideration and collaboration, we came up with three options, each with their own pros and cons:
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.
…everything we wanted. That’s what our cake tasting was made of.
Sparks and I just had a really big planning weekend. Our parents were in town and the big items on our “To-Do” list were the menu and cake tastings. Not a bad list to tackle. So on Friday afternoon, my mom and I hurried over to Amy Beck Cake Design and met Sparks and his dad for a little sugar-fest.
Sparkler Mom and FIL Sparkler patiently waiting for Sparks
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.
I’ve seen some pretty amazing invitations in the bridal blogsphere and each time I bookmarked them for a detail here and there that I LOVED and had to have. Details like a real life balloon attached to paper to make the most inventive save the date I’ve ever seen. Details like Mrs Thimble’s heart punched Moo card and baker’s twine tied invitations suite. Details like Mrs Gloss’ vellum envelopes lovingly wrapped and sealed with wax. Details like a custom wax seal with adorable seersucker details.
I tried three or four different variations on our final invitations to figure out how to incorporate mini Moo cards with a heart shaped hole punch into our suite. I have a twice used heart shaped hole punch just hanging out at the bottom of a craft box in the living room…
Once I thoroughly gave up on the mini Moos, I mooved on to figuring out other ways to bind my babies together. Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
