Mrs. Blue Whale, College Park, MDAge and Occupation: 27, Graduate StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: March 10, 2012Wedding Date: May 2013Venue: Southern Tree Plantation in Blairsville, GAAbout Me: I love bright colors, glitter, sugar, cheese, tiny animals, talking in silly accents, dancing, and all things music. I love to plan things, but when it comes time to execute the plans, I tend to panic. My friends tell me that I remind them of a mix between a cartoon character and a Disney Princess. Mr. Blue Whale and I are Southerners at heart, but we’ve been transplanted to the East Coast for school. We both love barbecues, star-gazing, bonfires, music, making up nonsense words, and generally being silly. Our wedding will be a fun-filled destination wedding in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It will most certainly feature bright colors, '80s music, and glitter.
Mr. Whale happened to be out of town for an entire weekend recently. Le sigh… so to pass the time, I decided to work on wedding crafts!! So far, I’ve done a little more work on my bridesmaids’ hangers. And I started making a big statement necklace that I’m planning to wear to the reception. I’m still in the process of designing it, but here are some inspiration pics:
Mrs. Wallaby, Houston
Age and Occupation: 24, Environmental EngineerEngagement Date: January 1, 2012Wedding Date: November 2012Venue: Oak Tree ManorAbout Me: I'm a free-spirited, adventurous girl who loves anything active, reading, traveling, cooking up new dishes for my fiancé, and working on my budding garden. My fiancé is an athletic, intellectual, animal-loving guy with an obsession with basketball and who treats me with the deepest compassion and respect. We are both engineers, and we met at our workplace. Together we complement one another and make a great team, and we are excitedly counting down the days until our outdoor wedding in Houston in November. We're planning a green wedding with lots of Persian cultural touches, and I can't wait to share all of the before-and-after details of our special day
As the wedding got closer, I started to spend much more time thinking about the small details of the wedding: Did I buy enough cocktail napkins for the bar? Would people get lost on the way to the venue? How would people know what to do with our postcard guestbook? One Saturday, I set aside all of the crafts and sat down to make a list of all of the signs and decorations that I’d like to finish before the wedding. The list probably looked like chicken scratch to anyone else—even Mr. Wallaby—but I felt so. much. better. once I’d organized my ideas on paper. A big project that was at the back of my mind was making chalkboard signs in lieu of paper hand-outs—I am in love with the concept of chalkboard programs, chalkboard menus, etc.
Mrs. Mink, Charlottesville, VirginiaAge and Occupation: 34, College AdministratorFiance's Age and Occupation: 40, Craft Beer ConsultantEngagement Date: November 26, 2010Wedding Date: June 2012Venue: Pippin Hill Farm & VineyardsAbout Me: I left a pre-war brownstone in Boston six years ago to live in a funky, Southern city where Thomas Jefferson, Dave Matthews, and urban chicken keepers enjoy equal social standing. I still love my Patriots and Red Sox, but have fallen in love with Virginia. I work in education and specialize in integrating technology into my work to improve the student experience. I’m a diehard blogger, animal lover, jamband follower, and DIYer. I paint to relax and have transferred by energy from home projects to wedding projects in recent months. When Mr. Mink and I started talking about marriage, we knew our wedding would be outdoors, that my golden retriever would be part of the day, and that the music would be fantastic. We’ve taken a few risks during our planning process and we’ve been enjoying the process immensely!
The Mink recaps left off with a post in which I shared our first look and images of the ceremony space. The ceremony was moved indoors due to a storm blowing through our area earlier in the day. After our first look, we took portraits, but we did some more after the ceremony and I thought I’d save those pictures for a later post. Let’s move on, to the ceremony!
Just beforehand, word came that the venue was allowing our dog, Junior Mink, inside the building for our ceremony. We had originally been told that Junior Mink was not allowed inside, so we had thought the rain was the end of our outdoor ceremony and Junior Mink’s participation.
Moving the ceremony inside meant that we’ve process into the space from the side. I stayed up on a landing while most of our bridal party processed, so I didn’t get to see any of what took place before I got into the room.
All but one member of our wedding party were seasoned veterans of weddings, so the procession of the adults was pretty straightforward. Mr. Mink’s best man is his co-host on his radio show, so we’re calling him DJ Best Man. Then came GM Blue, who has been mentioned before. Last, was the rookie. Mr. Mink’s oldest nephew was a groomsman for the first time. He’s a Star Wars fan, so we’ll call him Luke Groomswalker. Read more…
Mrs. Castle, NYC/Southern CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 26, Actress/BabysitterFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Actor/Writer/Graphic DesignerEngagement Date: January 1, 2011Wedding Date: April 2012Venue: Padua Hills TheaterAbout Me: I am a Southern California girl living in the Big Apple. I moved here to put my degree in Musical Theater to work! My survival job is caregiver to an adorable 2 1/2 year old. When I'm not working, auditioning or rehearsing, I am hanging out at home with my FI and our two beloved cats. I love to read, sing, dance, hang with friends, and spend quality time with Mr. Castle watching our favorite TV shows (LOST, Big Bang Theory, and Mythbusters...to name a few). Mr Castle and I met while performing in college, so it is only fitting that our wedding take place at an old theater. We are planning a vintage, theater-inspired wedding with some DIY projects and plenty of personal touches thrown in. I love living in the city but I am excited to marry my man in the state where we fell in love.
Father Geoff began our ceremony with an opening reflection.
“What greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they joined together to strengthen each other in all labor, to comfort each other in all sorrow, to share with each other in all gladness, to be one with each other in the silent unspoken memories?”
Mrs. Dragon, Sioux Lookout/Brockville, ONAge and Occupation: 24, JournalistFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Graphic DesignerEngagement Date: August 22, 2011Wedding Date: September 2012Venue: Mother of the Bride’s ResidenceAbout Me: I moved to Northern Ontario for a job, expecting to be single for the year I'd be there. Within one month I was dating a co-worker, and now, more than two years later, we’re planning a wedding and I’m still a Northern girl. I’m a reporter and a photographer for a small-town newspaper, and I get to do all kinds of fun, exciting, and sometimes weird things at work. When I’m not getting the scoop, I’m cooking, adventuring, playing with our three black cats, or blogging.
I made my inspiration board after we had a lot of our details in mind, so I’m not surprised that it matches up quite well. Here’s my original, pre-wedding board:
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.
After the speeches and dinner, our guests stormed the photo booth. There was a wait most of the night. Imagine my surprise when my grandfather was the first to hop into the photo booth AND rock the bee hat. I think my fun-loving sister and cousins had something to do with it. I always knew I had cool grandparents, but this just confirms it.
Miss Cauldron, New York City/AustinAge and Occupation: 33, Human ResourcesFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, TechnologyEngagement Date: October 8, 2011Wedding Date: September 2012Venue: Pecan Grove at the Salt LickAbout Me: I grew up in the Lone Star State, but moved to NYC after college to get a taste of the Big Apple, and never left. I love baking, yoga, Mr. C, and sunshine (not necessarily in that order)! Mr. C and I met on Match.com back in 2007, and our second date was at a Texas barbecue restaurant in Manhattan. It’s only fitting that after almost five years together, we are getting married at an iconic Texas barbecue joint. (Shiner Bock and brisket, anyone?) I’m proud of the life we have built together around our love for each other, Mr. C’s crazy dog Bosley, and fun sailing adventures on our boat, and I’m looking forward to celebrating our marriage at one seriously awesome party in September.
Day seven of our honeymoon sailing adventure found us still anchored outside St. Michael’s. Another grey and rainy day dawned, so we decided to check out the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in town. The museum had many sights to see—indoor exhibits about the history of sailing and fishing on the bay, businesses on the bay (oystering, crabbing, etc), and all sorts of cool boats and machinery on display. We hit the restoration shop area first, where they were working on rebuilding an old skipjack.
This is a skipjack they were restoring with period tools.
Mrs. Scepter, Dallas/AmarilloAge and Occupation: 23, Social Media DirectorFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Aerospace Engineering Doctoral CandidateEngagement Date: July 18, 2011Wedding Date: July 2012Venue: Country Home WeddingsAbout Me: I am a born and raised Texan who bleeds burnt orange. (Hook 'em!) I moved to Dallas after college to be near my fiance while he works on his doctorate degree. In my free time I love eating, video chatting with friends, watching every trashy reality show I can find, and playing with our adorable basset hound, Sherlock. My fiance and I have been dating since we were 14 and we are so excited to plan our relaxed, hometown wedding. After a decade of dating, that included three city moves, and four years of long distance, we are ready to get this show on the road!
We wanted the rehearsal dinner to be a small thank you to our bridal party, so we chose to give each of them their gifts between dinner and dessert.
My brother (our minister) and his friend, Tanner, (who played guitar during our processional) were leaving on a month long mission trip to Slovenia two days after our wedding, so we gave each of them a funny card with some cash inside for their trip.
Mrs. Penguin, Northern CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 27, Weddingbee Editor in ChiefFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Doctor of Physical TherapyEngagement Date: January 29, 2007Wedding Date: June 7, 2008Blogging Since: September 14, 2007Venue: Winery in the Gold CountryAbout Me: I love the Spice Girls, dogs with underbites, bean burritos, making messes, high fives, avoiding showers, crossword puzzles, blogs, weddings, and blogs about weddings!Follow Me: | Google+
Old-school glamour came back in a big way on the spring runway at this years Bridal Market. Portrait Backs, too. And are they ever a fabulous surprise!
Their unexpected attention to detail is captivating—at once classic and yet thoroughly modern. Not to mention practical, because you will likely spend a fair amount of time at your wedding with your back to your guests. Truly. There’s the big walk down the aisle, all the dancing, and the delightful doling out of giant hugs willy-nilly, leaving your beautiful back on display for everyone else.
So when they’re not basking in your bright-eyed bridal glow, you might as well give your guests something to look at right?
Mrs. Blue Whale, College Park, MDAge and Occupation: 27, Graduate StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: March 10, 2012Wedding Date: May 2013Venue: Southern Tree Plantation in Blairsville, GAAbout Me: I love bright colors, glitter, sugar, cheese, tiny animals, talking in silly accents, dancing, and all things music. I love to plan things, but when it comes time to execute the plans, I tend to panic. My friends tell me that I remind them of a mix between a cartoon character and a Disney Princess. Mr. Blue Whale and I are Southerners at heart, but we’ve been transplanted to the East Coast for school. We both love barbecues, star-gazing, bonfires, music, making up nonsense words, and generally being silly. Our wedding will be a fun-filled destination wedding in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It will most certainly feature bright colors, '80s music, and glitter.
I’m finally getting down to business with my DIY projects! I started my hangers this weekend, and I’m so pleased. Here’s how the first round went.
Yes, that’s my shower curtain. Isn’t it lovely? So I just bought a pack of 5 hangers at Target for less than $5. I got some cheap acrylic paint at Michaels (the kind in the little squeeze bottles). Then I got to work. The blue hangers have two coats of paint on them, and that seems to be perfect. I found that the sponge brushes seem to work best for this.
The middle hanger (with the hearts) is my bride hanger. My plan so far is to paint the background in blue to match the bridesmaids’ hangers, and then I want to outline the hearts in silver. There will definitely be an update about that, because I have a funny feeling it might be a complete failure…
Mrs. Wallaby, Houston
Age and Occupation: 24, Environmental EngineerEngagement Date: January 1, 2012Wedding Date: November 2012Venue: Oak Tree ManorAbout Me: I'm a free-spirited, adventurous girl who loves anything active, reading, traveling, cooking up new dishes for my fiancé, and working on my budding garden. My fiancé is an athletic, intellectual, animal-loving guy with an obsession with basketball and who treats me with the deepest compassion and respect. We are both engineers, and we met at our workplace. Together we complement one another and make a great team, and we are excitedly counting down the days until our outdoor wedding in Houston in November. We're planning a green wedding with lots of Persian cultural touches, and I can't wait to share all of the before-and-after details of our special day
Mrs. Gray Wolf, Washington DCAge and Occupation: 26, Business Development ExecutiveFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Research ScientistEngagement Date: November 11, 2011Wedding Date: February 2013Venue: Whittemore HouseAbout Me: I'm an ultra-organized, pun-loving, list-making, cheese-enthusiast bride-to-be. Although my day job is in cubicle land, I'm happiest in the modern art wing of a museum, having recently earned my Masters in Museum Studies. Shortly after a chance meeting five years ago, I moved in with Wolfman and haven't looked back since. We love music, movies, TV, and all things pop culture; we have an unspoken competition to be the first to share the latest YouTube sensation or indie song. Together, we've filled quite a few pages in our passports, but also love quiet nights in with a Game of Thrones marathon and our French Bulldog, Tonks (Harry Potter, anyone?). I'm planning a small, cozy winter wedding---think mercury glass and candle light---in the heart of DC. Our venue is a historic home with a lot of political charm, but needs a bit of work to be wedding-ready.
Mrs. Camel, Athens, GAAge and Occupation: 29, high school teacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, high school teacherEngagement Date: March 2012Wedding Date: May 2013Venue: Cloverleaf FarmAbout Me: I'm a high school social studies teacher who started her career teaching English in Japan with the JET Program. I love photography and history. I also like to travel and take naps---two things that you would think contradict each other, but somehow they don't. My heroes are Dwight Schrute, Liz Lemon, the Dude, and T.E. Lawrence. I traveled the world throughout my 20s only to fall in love with the social studies teacher in the classroom next door to mine. He just happened to be the kindest, most compassionate, and selfless person I had ever met and each day I'm so thankful to have him in my life. We are planning a whimsical, relaxed countryside wedding with a little Marie Antoinette flair thrown in for good measure. Please join us on our wedding planning adventures!
Now that you know a little about the quirky Camels, I think it’s time to start talking about the wedding!
First of all, you should know that I’m a huge history nerd. One of my favorite time periods is 18th century France and the history of Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI—which of course includes Marie Antoinette and the palace of Versailles. Throw in Sophia Coppola’s stunning film (and not really accurate) Marie Antoinette, and you have a good idea of what has inspired many elements of our wedding.
I first visited Versailles over the summer of 2011 with my stepsister. We were on a whirlwind tour of Paris when she was on her way to study abroad in Madrid. As soon as I found out we were going to Paris together I knew we were going to have to visit Versailles.
Visiting Versailles for the first time and extremely happy to be there with my bag of macarons. (personal photo)
I was totally smitten by the palace and the history surrounding it. Take the famous Hall of Mirrors for instance—not only is it steeped in the history of the kings of queens of France, but this room also saw the end of the Franco-Prussian war in 1871 where William I was declared emperor of Germany. The Germans returned to the Hall of Mirrors in 1919 to sign the Treaty of Versailles which ended World War I. So much history in one place!
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