Mrs. Powder Puff, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 25, Preschool TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Career ServicesEngagement Date: May, 2008Wedding Date: July, 2009Blogging Since: November 12, 2008Venue: Outdoor ceremony, banquet hall receptionAbout Me: I am your typical Midwestern girl attempting to plan a sane, budget-friendly, fun wedding to the man of my dreams. I love shoes, laughing at “Platinum Weddings”, crafts, inspiration boards, candy, and basically anything I can DIY. While weddings can certainly be all-consuming, I honestly can’t wait until the ceremony is over and I can finally call Mr. Powder Puff my husband!
I just stumbled upon a fabulous book, and I instantly knew I had to share it with you all - my equally fabulous readers!
Apparently, Miss Manners is a real person (who knew!), and she penned an awesome book about wedding planning; specifically, weddings that are “painfully proper.”
Judith Martin, aka Miss Manners. Doesn’t she just exude smartness?
Here’s a little quote. A sampling to whet your palate.…
Mrs. Bee, New YorkAge and Occupation: 29, Weddingbee PublisherFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, InternetEngagement Date: May 7, 2004Wedding Date: March 5, 2005Venue: Westside Loft, New YorkAbout Me: Yes, my name really is Bee! I love my blogging, wikis, and tabasco sauce!
Our recent trip to the Philippines was 10 days long - half that time was spent traveling to and from El Nido. And other than one scuba diving excursion, the only thing we did was hang out, eat, and read - just what the doctor ordered!
We didn’t buy any beach reads ahead of time, and just picked up a bunch of books at the airport before…
Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
Mrs. Jasmine, Chicago/LAAge and Occupation: 25, AttorneyFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 24, 2007Wedding Date: June 7, 2008Blogging Since: September 20, 2007Venue: Hotel on the westside of Los AngelesAbout Me: I'm a happy-go-lucky, imaginative spirit trapped in the body of a lawyer. I love reading, shopping, dining out, and exploring my beloved adopted city of Chicago with my fiance. We're planning the wedding of our dreams in my hometown of Los Angeles and we're excited to incorporate our cherished Indian/Pakistani customs and traditions.
Mr. Jasmine and I are back from our honeymoon, many pounds heavier and much tanner. We had an incredible time in Hawaii and I’m putting together a couple of recap posts for all of you, with lots of cringe-inducing pics of the Jasmines in swimwear.
Much of the honeymoon was spent lounging by the pool/beach with a good book. Mr. Jasmine and I love to read,…
Mrs. Pineapple, PittsburghAge and Occupation: 24, Graphic DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Student Affairs AdministrationEngagement Date: August 4, 2007Wedding Date: October, 2008Blogging Since: April 14, 2008Venue: The Rivers ClubAbout Me: Being a transplant from sunny south Florida I am learning to live with all four seasons while playing with our cat collective, line dancing, and doing a ton of DIY projects for our wedding (seriously, like a thousand)!
Okay, I’m going to flat out say it: you should read this book. Hana Schank writes about planning her own wedding and in the process really puts a lot into perspective. Her writing is quick witted and honest. She describes everything from searching, to the dress, to dealing with family drama. It is refreshing to read such honesty about guest list tug-of-wars and trying to…
Mrs. Pineapple, PittsburghAge and Occupation: 24, Graphic DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Student Affairs AdministrationEngagement Date: August 4, 2007Wedding Date: October, 2008Blogging Since: April 14, 2008Venue: The Rivers ClubAbout Me: Being a transplant from sunny south Florida I am learning to live with all four seasons while playing with our cat collective, line dancing, and doing a ton of DIY projects for our wedding (seriously, like a thousand)!
With surgery approaching I assumed that I would have a lot of free time to lay around and not move my right arm. So, I decided to look for some new reading material. Since I love reading wedding blogs so much I thought that wedding memoirs would be right up my alley. I searched amazon and ordered two, both were less than $1.50, brand new…
Mrs. Petunia, Ft. LauderdaleAge and Occupation: 31, College ProfessorFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Engineering Student/Part-time BaristaEngagement Date: December 8, 2006Wedding Date: March 2, 2008Venue: Riverside HotelBlogging Since: August 6, 2007About Me: Our original idea of running off to get married quickly turned into an event with 100+ guests once other people got involved and I, too, got swept away in the lovely madness that is wedding planning. Mr. Petunia and I are obsessed with all things World of Warcraft, Monopoly, and Nintendo, so we’re planning on including some fun “game-y” details into our wedding.
The writer in each of us just sometimes goes missing. You want to piece together the most beautiful ceremony, but don’t know where to start. Don’t worry: we weren’t creative cats either. We were only able to do it with the help of Judith Johnson’s book, The Wedding Ceremony Planner, which I believe Miss Penguin too has referenced before.
Ms. Dahlia, Detroit/ClevelandAge and Occupation: 24, PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, IT System AdministratorEngagement Date: December 31, 2006Wedding Date: May 2008Blogging Since: September 19, 2007Venue: United Methodist Cathedral & historic downtown hotel in ClevelandAbout Me: I enjoy cooking, dancing and swimming. I am a geek and apply game theory to my everyday life. Winter is my favorite time of year, especially when spent curled up with good coffee and a book by Madeleine L'Engle.
In the process of designing our invitations (more on that to come, I promise!), I had some difficulties figuring out colors. I mean, I knew what colors I wanted, but was having a hard time getting what I saw on my computer screen to match with what came from the offset printer.Cue The New Big Book of Color, which provides numerous designs along with the…
Mrs. Corn, Newport, RIAge and Occupation in '07: 31, HR for public accounting firmFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Consultant for public accounting firmEngagement Date: October 7, 2006Wedding Date: September, 2007Blogging Since: June 1, 2007Venue: North Lawn of Fort Adams State ParkAbout Me: I am a lazy scrapbooker who loves the instant gratification of making cards and I am very easily distracted by all things shiny. In honor of my childhood nights spent hibachi BBQing on the beach with my family, we are hosting a traditional New England Clambake for our reception.
Last week, Mrs Onion blogged about the Real Simple Weddings book that just came out. I was able to get a copy and have just finished pouring through it.
I highly recommend this book if you are at the beginning of your planning for your wedding. The information in it is mostly the same as what you see in most wedding magazines… I mean, let’s face…
Miss Onion, NYC/Burlington, VTAge and Occupation: 27, PR & Marketing and Jazz SingerFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Data AnalystEngagement Date: April 2, 2006Wedding Date: September 2007Blogging Since: July 11, 2007Venue: Restaurant in BurlingtonAbout Me: I didn't think I'd be "that girl," but I am having so much fun planning our wedding (mostly by myself). I'm a PR and Marketing Director for a major jazz festival and camp by day, and by night, a romantic jazz singer and bride-to-be! I hope all my research can help other brides in their planning.
Real Simple Magazine is releasing their first “Real Simple Weddings.” Advanced copies are on sale at Crate & Barrel stores and on-line starting today. It’s $12.95 and I’m looking forward to stopping by Crate and Barrel to check it out (yes, I know, my wedding is over…but a friend might need my help, right)? It’s 160 pages of tips and there are bound to be…
Mrs. Tulip, DCAge and Occupation: 36, RetiredFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Counsel/DOO for Small Gov't ContractorEngagement Date: August 8, 2007Wedding Date: March, 2008Venue: Still Looking!About Me: In all my dreams of the man I'd someday marry, I never pictured anyone as perfect for me as Mr. Tulip. So now we just have to make it through the craziness of the wedding and the moving in together! I love crafts, sewing, jewelry making, and photography, so am looking forward to this chance for DIY fun. When not wedding planning, I'm playing with our dog and 4 cats, Ebay shopping, or watching too much TV (often simultaneously!).
Another of my pastimes in Mr. T’s absence last weekend was to read one of the many wedding-related library books I’ve checked out recently. Namely, Well Groomed: A Wedding Planner for What’s-His-Name (And His Bride), by Peter Scott.
Simply put, the book is hilarious! I was reading at a restaurant (note to DC library users — if you check this out and happen to notice blotches…
Mrs. Radish, Chicago/SyracuseAge and Occupation: 27, Executive Assistant/Journalism Student/MusicianFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Anthropologist/MusicianEngagement Date: December 20, 2005Wedding Date: August 18, 2007Blogging Since: June 26, 2007Venue: The Wellington House in Fayetteville, NYAbout Me: Mr. Radish and I are both from upstate New York, so we are planning a wedding in Syracuse from about 700 miles away. When I’m not obsessing about our wedding I play the cello in my band (which Mr. Radish is in too), read as much as I can, sleep even more, travel whenever possible, and try to find time to have fun with my friends. I’m also working on finishing up my journalism degree with a concentration in environmental reporting and I’m the VP of my campus Amnesty International chapter… so I’m a pretty busy bee.
As I mentioned a few months ago, we did our best to make our wedding as as environmentally (and socially) responsible as possible. Now that the wedding is over, I will post a “report card” on how we did later on, but for now I wanted to share a few of my favorite green planning books with you.
Mrs. Peony, New YorkAge and Occupation: 27, Marketing CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, QA EngineerEngagement Date: June 28, 2007Wedding Date: April 18, 2008Venue: The FountainheadBlogging Since: August 7, 2007About Me: Both Mr. Peony and I are huge computer nerds, and our conversations usually consist of the latest gadgets, programming languages, and video games. At the same time, I can also be very girly with an obsession with handbags, makeup, and high heels. And art! I've studied studio art extensively, almost majored in art history, and freelance as a web and graphics designer. Mr. Peony and I are having a ball of a time planning a wedding for 250(!) guests, doing our best to infuse our personalities (geeky chic) with the wishes of our very traditional Asian parents.
I am having 4 bridesmaids: my younger sister (my maid of honor), my two best friends from high school, and my little sister from my sorority. I love each one of them to death and when it came time to choose my attendants, there really was no contest.
However, as much as I love them, none of them are really into weddings. I myself was never…
Mrs. Petunia, Ft. LauderdaleAge and Occupation: 31, College ProfessorFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Engineering Student/Part-time BaristaEngagement Date: December 8, 2006Wedding Date: March 2, 2008Venue: Riverside HotelBlogging Since: August 6, 2007About Me: Our original idea of running off to get married quickly turned into an event with 100+ guests once other people got involved and I, too, got swept away in the lovely madness that is wedding planning. Mr. Petunia and I are obsessed with all things World of Warcraft, Monopoly, and Nintendo, so we’re planning on including some fun “game-y” details into our wedding.
There is something incredibly narcissistic about taking great delight in reading anything and everything on weddings when one herself is a bride, but I justify it as a subtler and more private way of being a bridezilla.
I just finished reading May’s release of Collen Curran’s edited collection of essays, Altared: Bridezillas, Bewilderment, Big Love, Breakups, and What Women Really Think About Contemporary Weddings.
Mrs. Tomato, Napa ValleyAge and Occupation: 25, Technology Project ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, EngineerEngagement Date: October 22, 2006Wedding Date: July 1, 2007Blogging Since: May 1, 2006Venue: Auberge du Soleil About Me: I love all things beautiful. From handmade stationery, feminine fashion and delicate flowers to the little moments in your life treasured with your loved one. I am also notorious among my friends to be a deal hunter! My best deal was perhaps my Monique Lhuillier dress for $1100 (orig. $5000). I also tend to use a lot of exclamation marks! =)
Among my many confessions in life, I am a self-help book whore. Or should I say “couple-help” book whore. This is not to say Mr. Tomato and I have a troubled relationship, but I never understood why people wait until they are on the brinks of divorce before they evaluate their relationship and communication skills. I think most of us could benefit from a little…