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 jumped quite quickly into wedding planning. I already had some ideas of what I wanted from discussions with Mr. Kettle and my mother. He and I discussed things like wedding size, bridal party, officiants, and of course, wedding date.
Momma Kettle and I had a special understanding about weddings. We’d been discussing what I might want for my wedding for years. This is, of course, without a groom in mind, but that’s how we roll. We do what we want.
Us at the White House Blue Room right before Christmas. See all that leg out? Yeah, we’re rebels.
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.
After the cocktail hour was over, everyone sat down at their tables and we got ready for our first dance. Months and months ago, we’d chosen I’ll Be There by the Jackson Five as our first dance song, so our awesome DJ Josh queued it up and we moved our booties to the dance floor.
So if you want the whole experience, listen to this while you scroll through the pics.
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.
After our wedding-invitation disaster, Mr. Parasol and I had to make a decision: Should we send out the invitations we had, mistakes and all, or go back to the drawing board, fix the invitation suite, and then reprint everything? Mr. Parasol ultimately made the decision for us: we were going to fix and reprint all of our invitations. We just couldn’t send out the invitations as they were. We’d worked too hard on our DIY invitations to send out something we weren’t happy with and, thankfully, there was room in the budget for us to “splurge” on this.
And as if (almost) starting from scratch wasn’t complicated enough, we had to decide who would take charge of bringing this DIY project to completion: me or Mr. Parasol. You see, we printed our first invitation suite the day before Mr. Parasol left for Southern California. The original plan was to print the invitations and assemble them together. Obviously this was no longer on option. Either the invitation supplies stayed with me, or Mr. Parasol took them with him and finished them on his own.
We went back and forth for a while. I was the driving force behind the invitations at the beginning. I designed them almost entirely by myself, and I had a very clear vision of how the entire suite would look. Mr. Parasol, on the other hand, handled a larger portion of the reformatting tasks because he’s much more tech savvy than I am.
We ultimately came to a sort of compromise: Mr. Parasol would take the invitations and all the supplies with him to Southern California and reprint and assemble the suite, but not without my approval via Skype. We were dead-set on not repeating our previous mistake, and Mr. Parasol would not reprint all the invitations until we had a mock-up we both approved. I also gave Mr. Parasol detailed instructions for how to assemble the invitations, and we crossed our fingers that this time things would actually work out.
Hive, I’m happy to report that they did! Mr. Parasol did several mock-ups, he showed each one to me, we continued to tweak, and then, finally, we had a mock-up we were totally and completely happy with. Commence printing of the greatest DIY invitations ever made!
OK, not really, but I do fancy them quite a bit.
But before the big Parasol invitations reveal, check out this sneak peek of Mr. Parasol assembling our awesome DIY invitations.
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.
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 establishing what I thought would be a clear vision for our centerpieces, I began collecting green vases and milk glass in haste. I set a limit of $2 for my vases (although I found most for $1 or less) and began collecting/hoarding.
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!
I may or may not have decided to rush into the task of ordering our save the dates; within a week of getting engaged it was all I could think about. I had convinced myself that it was logical. Mr. Ticket and I were planning a wedding with a guest list that was over 60% out-of-town guests, so it seemed only fair that we give them ample warning to plan for a trip or at the very least…save the date! With this skewed wedding-brain logic in mind (we were 11 months to the wedding at this point), I set out on the task of finding our save the dates. I loved the idea of magnets; I think they are adorable. My future in-laws’ (hereinafter referred to as FMIL and FFIL Ticket) refrigerator is covered with save-the-date magnets from all their sons’ friends, and I love it.
With this in mind, I began the hunt with sites like MagnetStreet, which have absolutely adorable magnets, might I add. Mr. Ticket and I were particularly fond of the following design:
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!
I’m interested to know if any of those who are married have ever sat down and read their guestbook? I’m guessing the answer is probably about 90% no…OK, maybe you read it once the day or two after the wedding, but after that? Shoved in a cupboard somewhere taking up space with all the other things you dont want to throw away, right?
That is why I think we need to rethink our guestbook. This is our current guestbook, all traditional and whatnot, which we received as a gift at our engagement party:
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.
After our couples’ portraits it was time for bridal party photos, which I’ll show you in a minute. But I couldn’t do that without briefly introducing you to my two closest and dearest friends.
When I thought about the people I’d like standing by me on my wedding day, I knew that it would likely be a very short list. I don’t have any sisters, but I’m the oldest of 7 girl-cousins! However, they all live far away and are in various stages of college/early career (in fact, only one would make it to the wedding) and I was thinking it would have been a hassle for them to deal with being bridesmaids. Also, our wedding was pretty small, and if I’d had my family up there with me, no one would have been left to be in the audience!
So I immediately thought of my two best friends: My friend E, whom I’ve known since graduate school (the one whose bridal shower I showed you a while back):
Indigo Album Design offers affordable handmade flush albums, coffee table books, and photo plate albums, all featuring personalized design layouts. In search of truly unique albums that would cater to the diverse tastes of their photography clients, the duo behind Indigo Album Design teamed up with local bookbinding artisans to develop the Indigo album collection. The result is a selection of top quality, hand crafted albums at a remarkably affordable price.
To celebrate the halfway point of the summer wedding season, Indigo Album Design has generously agreed to give away three (3) gift cards, each a $100 value. Three winners will be chosen for this giveaway!
Also, be sure to check out the August issue of Brides Magazine (on newsstands now!), as Indigo Album Design will be featured as on of the “Editor’s Picks”!
You have two chances to enter this contest!
To enter to win one of the three $100 gift cards, simply leave a comment below. For a second chance to win, follow Weddingbee on Twitter and retweet this contest (if you’re already a follower, simply retweet by clicking here)! Then come back here and let us know that you followed/retweeted. You have until Tuesday, August 9, 2011 at 11:59 PM PST to enter. Good luck!
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.
Nothing was set in stone at this early stage, but Mr. Funnel Cake was positive that he wanted to wear a red tie, so it formed the base of our colour palette.
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.
Mr. Kettle and I were freshly in love when I last left off. I was spending a lot of time in St. Louis where he worked. I was unemployed and making the most of my free time. I went to a lot of Mr. Kettle’s gigs.
Mrs. Trail Mix, New YorkAge and Occupation: 26, PE TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, MBA StudentEngagement Date: March 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Tannery Pond at the Darrow SchoolAbout Me: I'm a country girl who somehow found herself living in the Big Apple and loving every minute of it. I'm planning a rustic, country-chic wedding in my hometown in upstate New York and it's going to be a Party with a capital P. White wine, flea markets and running keep me happy and my friends, family and fiance are my world. I'm a little bit crafty, a little bit crazy but mostly just crazy in love.
I recently attended a friend’s wedding on the coast of Italy (the town was called Rodi Garganico) and really wanted to share the photos as it was stunningly gorgeous and just so much fun! My friend married an Italian (they met in New York City on a co-ed soccer team…cue the collective ‘Awww’ here) and believe me when I tell you: Italians know how to party in the best way.
*A lot of these photos are courtesy of our friend Arvind, who is kindly letting me use them here. You can tell when they’re his using this simple equation: Good photos = Arvind’s, Bad photos = mine.
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.
Hive, do you remember when I showed you my first attempt at DIY wedding invitations? You all had such wonderful things to say about what I whipped up in PowerPoint. Well, after I put this working template together, I didn’t touch our invitations for quite a few months. In fact, I almost completely forgot about them.
Then, as we quickly approached our due date for sending out the Parasol wedding invitations, I decided I should probably look at our invitations again—just to make sure I still liked them—and work on any final edits. For any of you who forgot, here’s what they looked like:
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!
Now that the 100-day mark has come and gone, I find myself more motivated than ever to complete the mound of DIY projects to which I have committed myself. Yeah, that’s right: Hi, my name is Miss Ladyfingers, and I am a procrastinator.
The one project I promised myself we’d have done by 100 days—the invitations—is, hallelujah, complete. But there are many others that are half-done, and still more to be started.
So how do I look at a long to-do list and not freak out? Short answer: Impossible—Freak out is my middle name. Long answer: But! I can refrain from having a total nervous breakdown, thanks to some simple organizational tactics. I’m not professing to have some revolutionary “Getting Things Done”-caliber technique. Many of my ideas are lifted from other bees. Others are just plain commonsense. But personally, I love these kinds of posts. I have a whole file of “how I got organized” posts. So in case you’re like me, here you go: How I plan to keep my wits about me in these final months.
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 recently talked about our trial run with the yarn spheres. A few weekends ago Mama Honey and I met in my kitchen for round two. We stuck to pretty much the same tutorial from my last post, but we changed one thing: we didn’t use cornstarch. This made the process much cleaner. We weren’t covered in head to toe with the sticky mixture, which also made everything easier and quicker. We set up, and of course, the Honey kittens were more than excited about something new and noisy on the floor:
