Miss Kettle, Chicago, ILAge and Occupation: 26, Non-Profit Donor Resource CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Musician & TeacherEngagement Date: May 29, 2011Wedding Date: February 2012Venue: Patrick C. Haley Mansion, Joliet, ILAbout Me: I'm a city girl who loves a good escape, so I'm planning a Chicago wedding outside of the city. I've been described as a quirky yet down-to-earth drama queen who loves fiercely. I used to be a scientist, but now I'm learning to navigate the world of non-profit organizations. I love cooking, blogging, shopping, and music, and movies (Hans Zimmer is my favorite movie composer). Mr. Kettle and I had a short courtship and now we have a happy home with our cat-who-thinks-she's-people, Belle. We spend our days and nights with good food, live music, video games, family, and friends. Our wedding has become this wonderful excuse to bring together hundreds of people we can't bear to be without.
Mrs. Sunhat, Dyer, IN Age and Occupation: 32, Tax AccountantFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Landscape ForemanEngagement Date: September 25, 2010Wedding Date: December 2011Venues: St. Andrew the Apostle, Fiesta PalaceAbout Me: I'm a Midwest girl who grew up in the country and now works in the big city! I love cooking, entertaining, reading (addicted to my Kindle) and going to the movies. I don't miss an episode of Hoarders and I start cleaning every time I watch! My profession doesn't call for much creativity so wedding planning has been a great outlet. Mr. Sunhat and I met online three years ago, cheer for rival MLB teams and share a home with our dog, Wrigley. We are planning a traditional, Polish, Catholic wedding with lots of DIY elements and some fun surprises. I'm so excited to be married on New Year's Eve and we can't wait to ring in the new year as husband and wife!
As I’ve mentioned, I really wanted to try and save money in the flower department. I was thinking of alternatives for the bridesmaid bouquets but I’m not a big fan of the faux silk flower look so I didn’t really want to head in that direction. Then, at a bridal expo in Valparaiso in mid-January, I found this:
(Personal Photo)
One of the local vendors had this crystal bead bouquet on display. The more I looked at it, the more I thought it would fit in with our overall look and it would add a festive touch to the bridesmaids’ ensambles. But at around $100 a pop, there was no way this would be a cheaper alternative to flowers.
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.
Hive, I have to be honest; I finished our invitations and sent them out into the world weeks ago, but it wasn’t until recently that I stopped hating the process of making them so much that I could actually sit down and write about them. Now that I’ve had some time to reflect on our invitation process, I’m super excited to share the results with you.
But first, we’ll start with inspiration (who doesn’t love looking at gorgeous stationary?). I knew from the beginning I wanted to design and make our invitations myself. I blame this entirely on the other (and way more talented) bees before me. Since I have zero design experience, I focused on classic, simple designs that I could hopefully recreate with a little luck, tutorials, and rudimentary Illustrator skills.
Mrs. Teaspoon, Sydney, AustraliaAge and Occupation: 27, Medical ScientistFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, BankerEngagement Date: June 4, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: St Aloysius' College, Milson's PointAbout Me: I am a mad scientist who enjoys swimming at the beach in summer and skiing powder in winter. Our favourite times together are spent with the sand between our toes, cooking up a storm, re-watching and re-reading every Harry Potter ever made, and spending time with our dear friends and family! We have travelled the world together in our 6 years of dating, from Paris, to Thailand, to Las Vegas, and we are tackling the many challenges of planning our special day the best way we know how---together!
Recently a friend mentioned a small accessory that I am more than excited about—the borrowed bag!
I was so happy when my friend C offered to lend me the bag for our wedding. You see, it’s amazing how the small things mean so much. I was automatically the next bride to be able to use the bag; it was more of an “I’ll have to drop the bag off to you” statement.
This bag has been used by four brides (that I know about—I should definitely check on that) and here she is in all her glory being sported by none other than our best man’s nearest and dearest, E:
Personal photo
The owner of the borrowed item was the first to use it, and she was married 5 years ago. Read more…
Mrs. Crepe, Queens, NY/Nashville, TNAge and Occupation: 28, Jewelry DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Animation DirectorEngagement Date: September 28, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: A church in downtown NashvilleAbout Me: I'm a native New Yorker who has always been a DIY kind of girl and loves tackling creative projects while getting the most out of a dollar. I'm marrying my college sweetheart and we love frequenting antique stores, exploring together, and playing with kittens. We're planning a fun, "us" wedding in his hometown---with as many handmade touches as we can pack into a day!
When Mr. Crepe and I were starting to plan our wedding, I had thought that it wasn’t necessary to have a cake topper, especially since we weren’t going to have a traditional cake. But I realized that this was the perfect project for the mister because he has always liked sculpting characters out of clay and had done this a few times while we were in art school.
When I brought up the idea, he was pretty excited about this responsibility! He came up with the idea that he would make old people versions of us, which I thought was a very sweet and cute concept. So months later, we were on video chat and he showed me what he had worked on so far:
Yes.. I realize this is a decapitated head. Read more…
Mrs. Oyster, DallasAge and Occupation: 30, Music TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 46, Art TeacherEngagement Date: January 9, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: The Tower ClubAbout Me: I'm a Texa-Californian with a penchant for sparkly things and a tendency to think a lot. I've been known to sing random songs or dance when there is no music on. My fiance and I love world culture, we love to travel, and we have an incredibly eclectic taste in music. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate our marriage with our family & closest friends. We're planning an “urban black-tie” wedding and hope to incorporate our personalities and some of our own interests. We look forward to a life of love, laughter, good music, beautiful art, and to creating our home together with our four (!) cats.
While I didn’t want them to be the focus of the wedding day, like most people, I believe portraits are important. There is something historical and timeless about seeing your family, dressed formally, arranged just so, looking right into the camera. And of course, the sentimental part of me imagines going through them many years from now with my kids, saying, “And this is your aunt so & so, and this is your cousin, and this person and this person, etc. etc…”
We didn’t have a long list of portraits. We requested bridal party shots, some creative portraits of my husband and I, and of course, family. My husband and I also took photos with each set of parents. After the ceremony, we only had two large family portraits: one with my family, one with his.
For the few family portraits required in advance, we just asked our immediate family members to be there a few minutes early (if they’re your immediate family, they were probably planning to be there early anyway). This worked out well, especially for my grandmother, who wasn’t up to being around for the entire wedding day (helping with my dress, early photos, etc.). All she would have to do was take a photo or two, and then wait a few minutes for the ceremony.
We got around to the family photos, and Grandmother hadn’t been feeling well. Read more…
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.
After the dress was on, the girls and I just chilled for a few minutes. I drank some water. And some prosecco sangria. And we all kind of just enjoyed the moment. As with the rest of the morning, no one was feeling particularly rushed or nervous. We were just hanging out and looking especially pretty, you know? We were having a blast and enjoying each other.
Then the event coordinator came back into the room to get me. It was time for our first look.
That’s when things got real. All of a sudden, everything seemed so fast. The year I’d spent planning was nothing. The awful week leading up to the wedding was forgotten. The hours we had just spent getting ready were just a blink of the eye. This was really happening.
We walked along the sidewalk to the main house. Then up the stairs. Then inside. The parlor doors were closed and I knew Mr. Lox was waiting behind them. Waiting for me. Read more…
Ms. Gazelle, Calgary/VancouverAge and Occupation: 32, EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Technology AnalystEngagement Date: September 3, 2010Wedding Date: July 2011Venue: Brock House Restaurant, VancouverAbout Me: I am a marathon runner, cyclist, Ironman triathlete and beautiful shoe fiend who also loves kicking back and watching Glee. I grew up a bit of a nomad as I traveled around the world with my family, living everywhere from Australia to England to South America and Indonesia. I finally settled in Calgary a few years ago and met Mr. Gazelle who loves me even though we cheer for different hockey teams. We are planning a bit of a destination wedding in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia and we can’t wait to share the day with our close family and friends.
Our final full day in New York dawned and Mr. Gazelle and I were at a bit of a loss. We had a few things we were keen on seeing and doing but we weren’t really sure how to spend our entire day. So instead we decided to play things by ear!
We figured we’d need a bit of a snack to get us going. A friend of mine suggested a visit to the Doughnut Plant since apparently their doughnuts are delicious! We weren’t able to make it to the actual Doughnut Plant so instead we grabbed one of their chocolate doughnuts at the Dean & Deluca near our hotel.
With the rumble in our stomachs settled we hopped on the subway and made our way to our next destination, Katz’s Deli. 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!
My thoughts about wedding day earrings were along the same lines as everything else when it comes to this wedding: “I’m not sure what I’m looking for, but I don’t think this is it. I’m certain I’ll know it when I see it.” I’ve concocted a fuzzy mental image of the earrings I’m looking for, but as far as I can tell they’re not anything that’s ever been manufactured in the history of the world. Freaking out that my indecision would result in bare lobes, I sucked it up and bought some earrings that I knew weren’t “perfect” but would probably be “perfectly suitable.” Today they came in, and they’re quite lovely.
Generally jewelry isn’t really my thing, but I love earrings and I like them BIG. So I’m just not sure these baubles are as… ostentatious? distinctive? statement-y? as I want them to be. Read more…
Mrs. Tiramisu, Annapolis, MD/MaineAge and Occupation: 26, HealthcareFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Project Manager/Real Estate Management grad studentEngagement Date: May 15, 2007Wedding Date: July, 2008Blogging Since: March 4, 2008Venue: Oceanfront lawn and tentAbout Me: I was born and raised in Maine, now living in Annapolis, Maryland and planning a hometown wedding from afar. I’m nothing short of obsessed with wedding planning, and am loving the do-it-yourself madness that has now taken over my life! As for me, I’m a craft-loving, martini-drinking, girly-girl who loves traveling, photography, my schnauzer, and above all, spending time with Mr. Tiramisu.
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.
Miss Kettle, Chicago, ILAge and Occupation: 26, Non-Profit Donor Resource CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Musician & TeacherEngagement Date: May 29, 2011Wedding Date: February 2012Venue: Patrick C. Haley Mansion, Joliet, ILAbout Me: I'm a city girl who loves a good escape, so I'm planning a Chicago wedding outside of the city. I've been described as a quirky yet down-to-earth drama queen who loves fiercely. I used to be a scientist, but now I'm learning to navigate the world of non-profit organizations. I love cooking, blogging, shopping, and music, and movies (Hans Zimmer is my favorite movie composer). Mr. Kettle and I had a short courtship and now we have a happy home with our cat-who-thinks-she's-people, Belle. We spend our days and nights with good food, live music, video games, family, and friends. Our wedding has become this wonderful excuse to bring together hundreds of people we can't bear to be without.
Okay, so maybe I’ve been dying to include all the lyrics from I’m A Little Teapot somewhere. I’m Miss Kettle, and I’m quirky. Forgive me hive, I just can’t help myself. So, what is a shouting-and-steamed-up teapot referring to? Music, of course!
One of the best things about marrying a musician is the direct benefits to my ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. We are having, wait for it, threedifferent sets of musicians. We’re going to have a string trio for our ceremony, a jazz trio for our cocktail hour, and a DJ for our reception. It’s going to be amazing.
The day Mr. Kettle announced our engagement on Facebook, he asked who would play at our wedding for free and several people responded. He was joking, but he definitely took them up on their offer.
The DJ is a friend of his who’s soooo good down in St. Louis. He’ll be coming in for our wedding. He’s spinning for us as a wedding gift. Also, we’re having three musician friends of Mr. Kettle’s playing live jazz music during our cocktail hour. They also offered to play as a wedding gift.
The string quartet for the ceremony didn’t offer to pay for free, but they are doing a reduced price for us. Winning!
Music is something that’s very important to me for our big day and I feel so blessed that I am able to have these things that are a high priority for me while still having budget money available for other things, like flowers!
This is what I imagine for our wedding music: Read more…
Miss Petit Four, San Antonio/Isla MujeresAge and Occupation: 25, Technology teacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Math Teacher and Football CoachEngagement Date: Feb 13, 2010Wedding Date: March 2012Venue: Zama Beach Club, Isla Mujeres, MexicoAbout Me: I am a polka-dot obsessed, destination wedding diva living and loving in the great state of Texas. I am an island girl at heart and I visit the beach as often as I can. I am a wannabe DIY goddess, but that doesn’t mean I won’t give it my best shot. I love pearl earrings, the color pink, and ruffles are a part of my everyday wardrobe. My wonderful fiance and I are planning a destination wedding with our closest family and friends and we’re leaving a trail of glitter in our path!
So you must be thinking…this girl is straight up cray cray! Yep, it’s true: I went dress shopping over a year before my wedding! Granted I didn’t buy anything, but I got a really great idea of what I love…and what I didn’t love so much. One lovely Saturday morning, MOH Petit Four and I set out on a wedding dress adventure. Now, without further adieu…The dresses!
Mrs. Sunhat, Dyer, IN Age and Occupation: 32, Tax AccountantFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Landscape ForemanEngagement Date: September 25, 2010Wedding Date: December 2011Venues: St. Andrew the Apostle, Fiesta PalaceAbout Me: I'm a Midwest girl who grew up in the country and now works in the big city! I love cooking, entertaining, reading (addicted to my Kindle) and going to the movies. I don't miss an episode of Hoarders and I start cleaning every time I watch! My profession doesn't call for much creativity so wedding planning has been a great outlet. Mr. Sunhat and I met online three years ago, cheer for rival MLB teams and share a home with our dog, Wrigley. We are planning a traditional, Polish, Catholic wedding with lots of DIY elements and some fun surprises. I'm so excited to be married on New Year's Eve and we can't wait to ring in the new year as husband and wife!
Mrs. Teaspoon, Sydney, AustraliaAge and Occupation: 27, Medical ScientistFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, BankerEngagement Date: June 4, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: St Aloysius' College, Milson's PointAbout Me: I am a mad scientist who enjoys swimming at the beach in summer and skiing powder in winter. Our favourite times together are spent with the sand between our toes, cooking up a storm, re-watching and re-reading every Harry Potter ever made, and spending time with our dear friends and family! We have travelled the world together in our 6 years of dating, from Paris, to Thailand, to Las Vegas, and we are tackling the many challenges of planning our special day the best way we know how---together!
In theory, on our wedding day we will be spending some time sitting—driving to the church, driving to the reception, on the golf buggies going to take photos, eating dinner, listening to speeches, driving to our hotel. However, I am guessing that I will not want to sit down all day, judging from our engagement party when I spent the entire evening chatting away with all our friends and family. I was not used to knowing so many people in a small area; I didn’t have a clue who to talk to! All that equals a lot of time on my tootsies, so I’ll want some super comfy shoes!
I already have my official wedding shoes: the ones I will wear down the aisle, for our first dance, for pictures and for the majority of the day. However, when I was out the other night standing around I realised that my feet often get sore in high heels. My wedding shoes are high heels. I intend on doing a lot more dancing after our first dance. Do you see where im going with this? Flats are required, STAT. Even if I don’t wear them, it will be good to have an alternative in case of sore footsies.
Now, there is the problem: they will look a little less special than my fancy blue wedding shoes! Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
