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!
So, my bridesmaids planned two wonderful events for the same day! This made my life very, very simple; all I had to do was turn up! We started at 3PM at my parents’ house. Luckily my dad was away at the time because there was a lot of pink going on and with my dad’s incredible sweet tooth, the cupcakes would never have survived!
I arrived, greeted by a beautiful long table for my kitchen tea. The teapots were put to good use! Mum got quite creative with theming up the champagne glasses. She also managed to find some gorgeous little blue wedding cake candles!
Then the food started coming out. All the photos still don’t do it justice! It was absolutely amazing—there was so much beautiful food, and that was just the start of it. You may also notice my Mum’s creativity showing through in some unusually shaped shortbread in there! 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.
A few weeks ago, the lovely ladies of my bridal party hosted a shower in my honor. I gave my girls very little guidance on what I was expecting from my shower, and they far exceeded anything I could have imagined. My shower included brunch (uh, yum), generously given gifts, and some of my favorite people:
Mrs. Thimble, NYC/PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 26, Actress & Costume Designer (+ day job)Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Lawyer & Techie WizEngagement Date: August 22, 2008Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: The Pearl S. Buck HouseAbout Me: I’m an easily inspired over-thinker delighted with the process of designing, building, directing and {dare I say} co-starring in the early-autumn affair I’ve been dreaming up. I’m a sucker for trendied-up comfort foods and old family anecdotes; I have an affinity for adjectives, alliteration, eyelet and earl grey; and I live for quality time with family and friends. I never guessed I’d marry my “high school sweetheart", but when it turned out to be my funny, techie, loyal Mr. Thimble I was committed for life. We’re both mid-career transition and ready to move back to small-townish TBD, PA in a pre-wedding flurry of all-good life changes.
Nearly a year ago already (yeesh!), I started getting nervous for my much-anticipated bridal shower. I shared with the hive my talented family’s hand-crafted shower invitations, my perfect bridal shower dress redesign, and I tapped Weddingbee’s incredible resources and hired the sweet Ms. Candy Corn to photograph the busy day.
My bridal shower combined all the women from both sides of the Thimble family and friends, which made for a large guest list. It would have been a beautiful outdoor affair, but it rained that day (so fitting for a shower! Err…). So NYMoH and I entered a jam-packed house. I had to shout out for anyone to realize we had arrived, but I spotted Candy Corn right away!
Despite the crowd, my mother’s (and godmother’s, and mother-in-law’s) decor details were not lost on me. I took it all in as I made my rounds and greeted my loved ones:
Mrs. Seal, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 25, Personal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Sales and Support SpecialistEngagement Date: December 12, 2009Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Sts Peter and Paul Church/The Bently ReserveAbout Me: I am a goofy, wannabe crafty, well-intentioned Renaissance Woman (OK, perhaps "aimless wanderer" is a more aptly suited term for me, but hopefully you get the point)—basically I dabble in just about everything and pride myself in such. Without warning, I occasionally breakout into soulful improvised songs and interpretive dances and there's just no stopping me! As so many others before me, planning our wedding has unearthed a deep, intense passion for all things bridal and I secretly fear the day it will come to an end. Mr. Seal and I are quite the pair and life with him by my side is extremely rewarding—I am so thankful to have found him. Together we are planning a black-tie San Francisco affair for 250—light on the stuffiness and with lots of extra Seal-y flair.
A while ago, I shared with you the adorable bridal shower invites that were carefully hand-crafted by MOH Brandi. Well, the amazing shower has since come and gone (in the blink of an eye), and is ready for recappin’! The event was hosted by Mama Seal and Brandi and I couldn’t be more grateful for their generosity and effort.
Anyhow, I’ll let the photos do most of the talking!
I was fortunate that my out-of-town bridesmaid Carina, despite being sick, was able to make it to the shower. I started the day by picking her up from the airport. After some breakfast and some gettin’ ready, we were all set to go!
I arrived to find lots of my family and friends hanging in the main hall of my aunt’s community center (the location of the shower)-they were all laughing and enjoying some yummy food. Read more…
Mrs. Cannon, Toledo, OHAge and Occupation: 27, Financial AnalystFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, AssemblerEngagement Date: February 28, 2011Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Epworth UMC & Ward PavilionAbout Me: I'm the curious combination of being a go-with-the-flow, laid back, obsessive planner. I try desperately to stay as busy as possible at all times (and am succeeding big time right now!) My biggest loves in life are Law & Order: SVU, Community (the show, not the concept, although I like that, too), ice cream, white cheddar popcorn, beer, hiking, knitting, decorating, writing, being outside, spending time with friends and family and musical theater. Mr. Cannon is pretty sweet, too. We've had a lot of fun traveling and having adventures all over the country, but have finally moved back near our hometown to settle down. We're planning a low-key, colorful, fun wedding and an awesome-to-the-max reception.
Mr. Cannon and I had a joint wedding shower with our friends and family back in my hometown recently. It was fiesta themed, which is a fancy way of saying there was Mexican food. We also had margaritas and my sister made us wear sombreros. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a pinata. But it was nice to get everyone together even though I was a complete wreck during the whole thing. My final project and final exam for school were due the day of my shower, so I was not focused on the party aspect.
We arrived at the same time as my grandma, her husband, and some of our friends. One of my sisters had decorated with bright colors and my other sister was making margaritas. My mom was getting all the food set up, and we got situated and started talking to our guests. It didn’t take long before Cherry Bomb grabbed my margarita off the table when I was distracted and dumped it all over both of us. (In her defense, the margaritas were in pretty hot pink glasses, so I can see why she was so excited about grabbing one.) Luckily, my cousin had some extra clothes for her daughter that I could put Cherry Bomb in, and my grandma had brought up a dress she made for me that I could change into. Then my mom went to her house and got Cherry Bomb a dress she had bought for Cherry Bomb so we were able to give my cousin back her daughter’s extra outfit. So, Cherry Bomb went through three costume changes over the course of this 2.5 hour party. Apparently she didn’t want the paparazzi catching her in the same outfit twice.
My sister claims to have invented the game she had us play first. Read more…
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.
A bridal shower, that is! Several posts back, I told you what little I knew about the bridal shower Sister Parasol was planning for me. You may also remember that I said I was feeling nervous about my shower. To be perfectly honest, a lot of my fears were completely irrational. For instance, I was worried that no one would come, and I would feel like a total loser. Yeah, I have no idea where that fear came from because I have the most awesome family and friends ever. For real. They made me feel so incredibly loved, and I am immensely grateful to have each and every one of them in my life.
Mrs. Macarons, TampaAge and Occupation: 26, Graphic DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, Renaissance ManEngagement Date: September 12, 2009Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Lange FarmAbout Me: I'm creative at heart and a graphic designer with an unhealthy obsession with type. I love roller coasters, spicy foods, and a good glass of Crianza. We’re planning a soft and lovely vintage-meets-modern wedding in a state that’s known for its beaches, glitz and glam. I have a ton of DIY projects and lots of little details I’m dying to share and can't wait to celebrate with our closest friends and family.
Let’s be real for a second; weddings are expensive and not just for those hosting it. From plane tickets and hotels, to rental cars and some new duds, guests can end up spending a chunk of change well before they’ve even bought a gift. It’s precisely why I told Macs, my mom and Sassy not to throw me a shower. So many of our friends live far away I’d feel horrible having them make a special trip. I also didn’t want to burden anyone with the planning or the added expense a few months or weeks before the wedding.
As time went by and our wedding date got closer I started to have second thoughts. Am I missing out on the ‘bridal experience’? Would it be something I’d regret? I wished I didn’t vehemently object to a shower but with two months to go it was far too late to say anything.
A few weeks passed and my birthday was just around the corner. Much like this past Christmas, Valentine’s Day and anniversary, I told Macs I didn’t want to do anything given the wedding expenses. He insisted we do something, even if it was just going out for breakfast. So I agreed and on Saturday afternoon we made our way to what I thought was a new place for brunch.
As I walked in I saw a group of people to my right but it didn’t realize who they were until they shouted “Surprise!” I was in shock. Read more…
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.
I feel so blessed by Sister Parasol in so many ways, and I am very lucky that she will be throwing me one heck of a bridal shower next month. She’s keeping most of the details under wraps (which I am totally fine with—it’s one less thing to worry about!), but she did make some pretty amazing bridal-shower invitations. Aren’t they lovely?
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.
My mom and aunt hosted a beautiful bridal shower for me last weekend. It was a total whirlwind! It gave me a small taste of what the wedding day is going to be like. And that is: over in the blink of an eye. I made sure to take a few mere seconds to appreciate having all of my close female friends and family all together in once space. But just like that, it was over! I couldn’t believe it.
But before it ended, there was LOTS to be enjoyed. How about we take a glimpse shall we?
Mrs. Seal, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 25, Personal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Sales and Support SpecialistEngagement Date: December 12, 2009Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Sts Peter and Paul Church/The Bently ReserveAbout Me: I am a goofy, wannabe crafty, well-intentioned Renaissance Woman (OK, perhaps "aimless wanderer" is a more aptly suited term for me, but hopefully you get the point)—basically I dabble in just about everything and pride myself in such. Without warning, I occasionally breakout into soulful improvised songs and interpretive dances and there's just no stopping me! As so many others before me, planning our wedding has unearthed a deep, intense passion for all things bridal and I secretly fear the day it will come to an end. Mr. Seal and I are quite the pair and life with him by my side is extremely rewarding—I am so thankful to have found him. Together we are planning a black-tie San Francisco affair for 250—light on the stuffiness and with lots of extra Seal-y flair.
I’m going to a bridal shower next month, kiddies. Oh, and not just any bridal shower—MY bridal shower! The other day, I got this lovely little thang in the mail and I squealed with joy.
Forgive the crappy iPhone photo!
How cute are those flowers?! MOH Brandi sure knows the way to my heart with those new “Love” stamps (she went to three different post offices before tracking them down). I hadn’t even opened the envelope and I adored the invitations already!
But don’t fret, hive—the actual invite is equally adorable.
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.
It’s my bridal shower invitation! The High Wires have kept it pretty old school in the invitation department with fill-in-the-blank invites for both our engagement party and now for the Dallas area bridal shower (I have another one scheduled in August in Mr. High Wire’s hometown). I love this invitation! It feels so special that my mom sat down and filled out each of these with her own beautiful handwriting. Read more…
Mrs. Snow Cone, Pittsburgh/Johnstown, PAAge and Occupation: 23, Public Health Graduate StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, EngineerEngagement Date: April 9, 2010Wedding Date: August 2011Venue: OMOS Church ceremony/Sunnehanna Country Club receptionAbout Me: I’m one of the lucky ones---I met my future husband at the ripe old age of 13, started dating him as a mature woman of 15, and have been enjoying the ride ever since. Here we are, 8 years later, living in Pittsburgh, planning a "homestination" wedding in the place our school romance began---Johnstown, PA. I thrive on talking a mile a minute, eating my weight in chocolate, and internet shopping. I love a lengthy to-do list almost as much as I love a healthy amount of chaos in my life. Mr. Snow Cone and I watch countless episodes of Friends and The West Wing on repeat, root for rival college sports teams, and make each other laugh each and every day. We’re putting together a small-town wedding with a big personality and a classically modern (or modernly classic?) look for 250 of our closest family and friends. It’s been 8+ years in the making, and sometimes I still can’t believe I’m finally getting to marry my high school sweetheart!
At the end of my bridal shower posts, I alluded to how the bridal shower really changed my thinking on my upcoming nuptials. I, like many other brides-to-be, am guilty of losing the forest for the trees in the world of wedding planning. I spaz out over transportation miscommunications instead of recognizing that if I didn’t have loved ones traveling from near and far to join me in my celebration, there simply wouldn’t be any car logistics to be figured out. I have fits of hand-wringing over the difficulties of having a sizable bunch of bridesmaids who live all over the country instead of taking the time to be grateful that I have such a large group of young women who I can lean on in times of happiness and difficulty. I groan and moan over guest lists and room capacity instead of taking the time to appreciate the dozens of people who are just as excited as we are to mark this new chapter in our adult lives. I grunt in frustration when people pepper me with questions about details and plans, labeling them as nosy or overbearing, rather than titling them as helpful and cooperative, eager to participate in this memorable journey.
It’s just too easy to let all of the little stuff in wedding planning get you down. The costs associated with DIY projects, the headaches regarding who needs to be where when and how they are getting there, the tug-of-war over guest lists and responsibilities. Read more…
Mrs. Snow Cone, Pittsburgh/Johnstown, PAAge and Occupation: 23, Public Health Graduate StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, EngineerEngagement Date: April 9, 2010Wedding Date: August 2011Venue: OMOS Church ceremony/Sunnehanna Country Club receptionAbout Me: I’m one of the lucky ones---I met my future husband at the ripe old age of 13, started dating him as a mature woman of 15, and have been enjoying the ride ever since. Here we are, 8 years later, living in Pittsburgh, planning a "homestination" wedding in the place our school romance began---Johnstown, PA. I thrive on talking a mile a minute, eating my weight in chocolate, and internet shopping. I love a lengthy to-do list almost as much as I love a healthy amount of chaos in my life. Mr. Snow Cone and I watch countless episodes of Friends and The West Wing on repeat, root for rival college sports teams, and make each other laugh each and every day. We’re putting together a small-town wedding with a big personality and a classically modern (or modernly classic?) look for 250 of our closest family and friends. It’s been 8+ years in the making, and sometimes I still can’t believe I’m finally getting to marry my high school sweetheart!
To kick the shower off, we had some delicious (non-chocolate) food and then launched into the lone shower game we played. (I’m not really into shower games, so I was happy to hear that we were only doing one.) One of my BMs had sent a list of questions to Mr. Snow Cone, and I was instructed to guess his answers. For every incorrect guess, I had to pop a piece of gum in my mouth. Unfortunately, I didn’t do nearly as well with this game as I expected, so I had a big ol’ blob of bubble gum when all was said and done.
(It looks kind of small in the photo, but the gum blob was HUGE. And gross. And neon blue.)
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.
I often I feel guilty that our wedding festivities are happening exclusively in Illinois, since the majority of Mr. Pony’s family lives in Tennessee. Not only does Mr. Pony’s family have to travel a long distance just to attend the wedding, it is also harder to involve them in the wedding plans.
But, we were fortunate enough to have our very first wedding celebration a few weeks ago hosted by FMIL Pony and FSIL Pony in Tennessee. And I am happy to report that it was fabulous and made me even more excited for our wedding in just a handful of weeks!
FSIL Pony, the decorator extraordinaire, coordinated the linens, decorated the tables, and arranged the flowers for the centerpieces. While FMIL Pony prepared enough food for a small nation, which we scarfed down so quickly I failed to get a proper picture. I did manage to capture a few shots of FSIL Pony’s handiwork:
Mrs. Sparkler, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 27, Communications AficionadoFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, PublisherEngagement Date: July 21, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Chicago Illuminating CompanyAbout Me: I’m a Southern lady living in the big city of Chicago. Well, lady may be a stretch, but I’m working hard to keep some Virginia charm in our sleek, urban, wedding-palooza! I’m addicted to marathons, not-so-famous bands, Chicago restaurants, and Mark Twain. I cry during SPCA commercials, and I think LOST was the best show to ever hit television. Mr. S and I met at a classy college mixer and, 7 years later, he’s still by my side. He’s the only child, laid back, free spirit... I’m the oldest of five kids, type-A, organizer. It doesn’t work on paper, but we’ve never paid attention to that stuff anyway. Somehow it works. And like they say, sometimes when you know…you just know.
When I last left you, I was eagerly awaiting my shower guests… and I didn’t have to wait long! I grabbed a mimosa, pulled up a chair, and suddenly everyone began to arrive! It was so nice outside that we decided to sit in the backyard and enjoy the sun.
Once everyone showed up and I said my hellos, we jumped into some fun shower games. First up: bridal shower Mad Libs! (Sparks and I have a serious love of Mad Libs.) Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
