Weddingbee Blog

After we found the F.U.E.L. House, the mister and I quickly realized we were jazzed about almost everything a city reception had to offer. A counterpoint to the polished area surrounding our suburban ceremony site. A structure that’s on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, down the road from several significant sites connected to the birthplace of the United States and in close proximity to some our favorite restaurants — so we can celebrate in a neighborhood that’s special to us, and share this area with our family and friends.

The only thing we didn’t love? The parking situation.

We set the date, signed the contract to secure the F.U.E.L. House — and knew we wouldn’t be able to stretch the budget to include valet parking for our guests. (Given our estimated guest count, we’d have to pay two or three attendants, which would come to at least — but most likely more than — $1,000 for the night.) Instead, Mr. Bruschetta and I pounded the pavement in Old City to complete some parking research. (To help you get your bearings, our cocktail hour and reception locations are flagged on the map below in shades of blue. The hotels at which we’ve secured room blocks are in green.)

View City of Bruschetta-y Love in a larger map

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After seeing her work in several of Miss Cowboy Boot’s posts — and on Weddingbee PRO — I eagerly reached out to Sarah Parrott hoping she could create our rehearsal dinner invitations.

I loved the crisp, clean, monochromatic style Sarah had used for her sister’s bridal shower invitations, and envisioned capturing this same look and feel with a Gocco design featuring one of our main wedding colors in combination with summer produce like oranges, peaches, grapes or plums.

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Not one of these.

Or one of these.

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Okay, first let me remind you: I’m decidedly not well-endowed. This Bruschetta’s “tomatoes” are definitely cherry (not Beefsteak) sized.

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I was still surprised, though, at my most recent dress fitting, when one of my, um, tomatoes staged a successful escape over the top of my gown.

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Pretend you’re me for a minute.

For the past 26 years, you’ve heard your full name (first, middle and last) pronounced correctly only about 25 percent of the time — and spelled properly even less frequently than that! Childhood teasing has given way to puzzled looks from adults when you insist that, despite the Scottish surname, you’re more Italian than anything else.

I sound like the perfect candidate for a name change, right? But I’m not gonna do it. I’ve quipped that my walk down the aisle isn’t some “maiden voyage”, at the end of which I’m stripped of the identity I finally feel fits me. The mister supports my decision completely, but I’ve definitely met my fair share of raised eyebrows — even confusion with a tinge of anger — from people who don’t understand my reasoning. So here’s some more background…

When I was a child, I greatly disliked my name. I lamented the unique moniker my parents had chosen for me, and vowed to select much more mainstream ones for my kids. As I approached my 18th birthday, my parents suggested I consider legally changing how it’s spelled — to eliminate the pesky silent letter at the end of my first name.

By this time, however, I’d grown accustomed to coping with the challenging trio.
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This post’s about my groom-to-be. And his inspiration photo.

Yup, you read that right. It’s been a long engagement — almost 20 months! — so the mister was bound to pick up on the lingo. And several months ago, Mr. Bruschetta showed me a picture he’d saved on his computer featuring a tie — and showcasing his Entourage fan status.

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His focus? Well, not the color. We agreed he’d don ivory to match my gown, and the mister had therefore selected a subtly-striped design from Nordstrom. But after that purchase, my (at times) fashion-focused guy started obsessing over the knot. (Just like Mr. Onion, which I discovered after a quick Weddingbee search!)

Um, Double Windsor say what?
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Recently, foodgawker introduced craftgawker, a spin off gallery devoted to homemade goods. Most of the featured crafts link to another site from which you can make a purchase — Etsy, of course, is a popular one.

While the site’s still new, it currently boasts almost 50 pages of photographs featuring everything from jewelry to paper goods. Here’s a sampling of just some of the cute, wedding-appropriate items I spotted. (All images courtesy of craftgawker.)

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Something about pearls is just so… bridal. Chic and timeless, classic and romantic.

(image by MThree Studio Photography)

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We have a thing for turtles.

It all started when I was 10, and our summer vacation — to the coastal New Jersey town of Sea Isle City — coincided with the Diamondback terrapin nesting season. Daddy Bruschetta and I first encountered a turtle wandering through our yard, and after shuttling her to a more private location to lay her eggs, we were hooked. For the remainder of our vacation — and during our subsequent summers in Sea Isle City — Daddy Bruschetta’s euphoria grew exponentially with each turtle we transported to safety (often stopping cars from crushing the poor things in the middle of the town’s busy streets), and he made sure I stayed involved in these endeavors.

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The task at hand was “turtle hunting”, a misnomer we coined for our pastime — seeking out and assisting turtles in distress. After studying their nesting patterns, Daddy Bruschetta and I began an annual grassroots rescue effort.

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Take a cHill pill.

Around mid-May, despite my best efforts, planning snafus starting coming out of the woodwork. Our super cute cake toppers arrived, but the bridal birdie needed some TLC before she could stand up on her own again. Wording drama ensued after our late-to-mail invitations dropped. I developed the unfortunate habit of writing notes to myself, only to promptly misplace them. The successful second sangria recipe notwithstanding, my bad luck in the kitchen continued to haunt me with several disastrous attempts at wedding-related sweets. One step forward, two steps back. Panic ensued as I fretted how we’d ever be ready by the end of August. (Please tell me I’m not the only one feeling like this as the countdown continues!)

And some of my fellow bees really weren’t helping to ease my stress. (Sorry, ladies!)
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In mid-May, our reception venue hosted a networking evening for 300+ wedding professionals in partnership with Brides.com and Brides Philadelphia/South Jersey. No, I wasn’t in attendance. (I wish!) But our caterer — one of the event sponsors — recently sent me the link to an online photo gallery. And as I clicked through them, I realized my mouth was actually wide open. (All images courtesy of Brides.com.)

Seeing these photos has me even more excited for our wedding day feast — and soooo happy we’re going to be in attendance for the entire cocktail hour. How delish does this all look?!
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It’s been a festive — and hectic! — past few months for the Bruschettas.

My birthday follows closely on the heels of Mother’s Day. May ended with a bang, as we celebrated Mr. Bruschetta’s graduation. Next came our eight-year dating anniversary. Sister and BIL Bruschettas’ birthdays are in late June, and Mama Bruschetta’s is coming up in mid-July.*

And then there’s our wedding at the end of August. Phew!

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We selected our date knowing full well that the months leading up to it would be packed with these festive gatherings — most involving dinner out and ending in cake. And that’s not the most wedding-friendly schedule or diet, you know?

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There’s a new addition to my key chain. Jingling along with the keys to my car and our apartment is a copy of one* for our mailbox. I’m giddy** about this acquisition — and for good reason!

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On Friday, Mr. Bruschetta and I finally (finally!) dropped our invitations in the mail. We were both so relieved to cross this task off our to-do list — especially since we were a bit behind schedule — and now, we’re playing a waiting game, anticipating RSVPs from our family and friends.

You’ll hafta wait for pictures in a future post. (The picture below is not our invitation suite!) For now, though, here’s a question — and a little teaser.
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Pink and cheesy — what’s not to love? If I hadn’t already found some perfect potential purses, I totally would have taken the sweet and sage Mrs. Cheese up on her offer to borrow her silk wedding clutch.

Excited at the prospect of a custom clutch (possibly in one of our bright wedding colors, which are showing up on even the smallest details), I had turned to Etsy, and virtual window-shopped to my heart’s content. I definitely wanted something I’d use post-wedding, and was initially drawn to uniquely-shaped styles with bold details like floral embellishments and funky fabric pleats.

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