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.
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Miss Ticket, Riverside, CAAge and Occupation: 25, Executive AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, HVAC TechnicianEngagement Date: November 14, 2010Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Crestmore ManorAbout Me: I'm a lifelong So Cal gal, a chocoholic, a closet gamer, and a television enthusiast (love me some Vampire Diaries!) who adores playing in the kitchen and lives in flip flops. Mr. Ticket and I are best known for singing and dancing in the car, our World of Warcraft addiction, adoring food, crane game playing, and our general homebody ways. Oh, and GO STEELERS!
We had soooooo much fun shooting our engagement photos! We met our photographers (Carrie & Jim) at Knotts Berry Farm at 5:00 PM on a Sunday (yay for twilight tickets—only $28.50!), and we started walking around the park. At first we were a little bit awkward. Mr. Ticket hadn’t met our photographers before (though he had seen them at work at Sister Ticket’s wedding), and we weren’t sure what to do. After walking around and talking for about 20 minutes, we got much more comfortable and just started being ourselves and not worrying so much about the camera. We had a few awkward shots where Carrie or Jim tried to pose us (we aren’t very good posers, darn us), but generally we just had a LOT of fun. Our photographers are totally awesome people and we love them. I can’t wait to work with them again on our wedding day, and I’m relieved to know that Mr. Ticket loved them, too, so hopefully he won’t be nervous around the camera on our wedding day.
But that’s enough talk…want to see some pictures?!
Mrs. Zebra, Providence, RIAge and Occupation: 24 Marketing/Costume DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26 Management/Firefighter Engagement Date: December 12, 2008Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: The Providence BiltmoreAbout Me: I'm a small town New England girl with an affinity for procrastination, crossing the proverbial line, and putting her foot in her mouth. I'm a lover of history, all seasons, sewing and Incubus. I design costumes on the side for my old high school's theatre department, which is where I met my sexy man. Our motto for our Big Fat Lebanese/Portuguese/Irish near-300 person wedding is "the more the merrier"! We are marrying in a Catholic ceremony and are hammering out the details of our Victorian-inspired reception.
It was the day after Christmas last year that I received a hesitant phone call. I think Bridesmaid Happy was a little nervous to tell me that she was expecting. I was ecstatic. It was the best news I had heard in a while. Although I was a little upset that she didn’t wait for me because we were totally supposed to have our babies at the same time. (BTW, Congratulations BM Happy on your new bundle of joy! He’s perfect!)
I didn’t worry about the pictures or the dress or the implications her joy would have on mine. I knew Happy had unknowingly picked a comfortable dress for a growing bump. I was excited to welcome another member of our wedding party. Oh yeah, and I LOVE BABIES!
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.
As part of our trip package, Mr. PaC and I were treated to a sunset dinner on the beach. We had so many awesome things on the itinerary that I really never gave it a second thought. Until we walked out onto the beach and saw this…
Mrs. High Wire, DallasAge and Occupation: 23, Legal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Director of CommunicationsEngagement Date: October 9, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Clark GardensAbout 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.
Once the girls had selected their dresses, it was time to move on to accessories. Since they all were in different dresses, I decided it would look best if they all wore matching shoes. Bridesmaid Sara joined me on a Monday night shoe search and we struck gold.
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."
In the thick of wedding planning, I had this idea. An idea that involved blues and your-grandma’s-favorite-floral tablecloths and mismatched black wrought iron. Also: big, rectangular tables. And round tables too. And all sorts of other stuff that made sense in my head. Some people questioned my garbled ideas, and, really, I can’t blame them. This post is the amalgam of Cath Kidston-inspired fabric, bibliophilia, and…well, basically this is what the fanciest part of my brain looks like.
Though I do enjoy narrating, I think I’ll mostly just grand marshal my own little picture parade. Cue trombones.
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 bought my wedding day shoes, and they cost $16. Mmmhmm… True story. Well, at least that’s the true gist of the story, although it was a smidge more complicated than all that. (When is that not the case for me? Seriously.)
Sometime around the fall or winter of 2009 I decided that I really liked shoes from Aldo and I was planning to purchase a couple of pairs online. As I always do, I checked the clearance section before I placed my order - you know, just in case there were any not-to-be-missed deals. Now, you’ll recall that we’d already finalized our wedding colors by then, which is why the sapphire blue flats caught my eye. I always knew I’d wear flats for the wedding because, as much as I love heels and even find they can be comfortable for limited periods of time, there’s no way I wanted to risk having aching feet on our wedding day.
Okay, so… these shoes caught my eye, they seemed like they’d be the right color, and the price was certainly right - so I bought them. I figured I could return them if the color was off. Or, if I eventually decided not to wear them for the wedding, then I’d just have some cute blue flats for everyday wear.
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.
… with my little eye something that starts with “I”
Need a hint about what all that brown could be?!? Read more…
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 collecting a bunch of green vases and milk glass pieces I was really content with myself, but I knew I didn’t have a clear plan. I needed a way to pull everything together and add some dimension to our tables. I wanted to include a mirror not only to hold our components, but to reflect the romantic glow of the candles on our tables. I figured I could go to a craft store, pick up some of craft mirrors and be done.
But, this 8″ x 10″ mirror was the largest I could find (I needed something larger for a vase, two pieces of milk glass and candles) and the beveled edges were doing nothing for me.
Out of this dilemma, I took a fugly dresser mirror that I have had for a long time but rarely use due to its looks and decided to spruce it up with some pretty silver spray paint that is more in line with our colors. Read more…
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!
As we drove back to the Great Hall after pictures with our bridal party, I finally started to get the teensiest bit nervous. It was time! Time to say the vows in front of my family and friends that would make Mr. EB my husband. Time to listen to him say those same vows. Time to declare in front of our community that we were a family.
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.
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!
Now that Australia Post has had plenty of time to get all our invites out, I am finally able to reveal to you our invitation suite! Our dear friend is responsible for the stunning design of the invites, with a little help from the wonderful Alison and Martin at Fine Invitations, who did a few colour adjustments and changed some of the font to make it look more like a wedding invitation!
Now, we are not particularly crafty kids, so we were lucky enough to find an invitation place that could do the entire invitation suite without any DIY required from us, and they were still under our budget! Whilst we had a thousand choices for different elements, we really had a pretty good idea about what I—whoops, I mean we—wanted! I think that the mister had a little trouble envisioning exactly what I was going on about, because we didn’t exactly have a complete sample. Now that we have the invites, though, they look amazing and we both absolutely love them!
So, without further ado, I know you just want to see the pictures!!!
Of course we have invited the VIPs—Mickey and Minnie, Pope Benedict XVI, Bryan Adams, and our wonderful Queen Elizabeth II.
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.
I’ve been trying to be clever and think of tea-themed post titles. Maybe I’m not so clever…but I know that a kettle belongs in the cupboard with other tea items, so I think of our wedding venue as our cupboard, especially since the ceremony and reception will be in one spot.
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!
We’ve been engaged for 229 days, and I’ve only just begun thinking about the ceremony.
This should be shameful, but really, it’s not because I’ve found cupcake choices and belly bands to be of more importance. It’s just because our ceremony is relatively straightforward – no readings, ring warming, hand fasting, high masses or moments of silence. Our goal is 20 minutes, end to end.
However. This past weekend we had our first meeting with the Reverend who will be marrying us, and he’s given us just a bit to think about.
For one thing, Mr. Ladyfingers has recently revealed to me that, all this time, he was under the impression that we were writing our own vows. Cue freak out.
I didn’t freak out because I’m against it. Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
