Mrs. Shortcake, VancouverAge and Occupation: 24, Marketing Manager/Children's Lit WriterFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Master's Student/Personal TrainerEngagement Date: August 7, 2007Wedding Date: October 2008Blogging Since: Venue: Ceremony in a historic church, tented lawn reception at a golf and country clubAbout Me: 1950's housewife sent to the future, reborn as crafting-obsessed, jill of all trades. I enjoy decorating, writing, baking sweet things, singing show tunes/dancing in public, wearing pearls, and knitting sweaters for my furbaby, Harvey, to chew upon. I heart pink, and believe that sparkles are the new black.
DIY-ing the calligraphy the invitation envelopes was no easy feat. In all, it took over 50 hours to complete the calligraphy - and that’s not including the 20-odd hours I put into learning how to do it properly. With that in mind, calligraphy is NOT for the the faint of heart, but can be replicated with many different script fonts on your printer, and can…
Mrs. Coconut, TallahasseeAge and Occupation: 27, LawyerFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, phD Computer ScienceEngagement Date: March 2007Wedding Date: November 2008Blogging Since: May 20, 2008Venue: 1930s Historic Building in Lakeland, FLAbout Me: I never thought about weddings until I got engaged. Now, I can't stop thinking about them! Planning the wedding has really opened the floodgates to my DIY side. If there's anything I can do to avoid hiring someone else, I will do it! Mr. Coconut is my financial advisor, he tries to keep me budget-conscious! We've tried to make wedding planning a team effort!
Let me preface the joy of receiving our envelopes from oh-so-fab calligrapher, Michele Clark that collecting addresses is near impossible! I’m not joking. I think 25 addresses changed between sending our save the dates in March and now. Stop moving people!
The envelopes are absolutely beautiful. I think Mr. Coconut was a bit skeptical about paying someone to address our envelopes. Yes, he was totally…
Miss Peacock, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 26, PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Internet WhizEngagement Date: December 5, 2006Wedding Date: September, 2008Blogging Since: December 13, 2007Venue: St. Clement Church, Cafe Brauer (or a big church wedding and a fancy party at a cafe in Lincoln Park.About Me: I am a grad student with a secret obsession for all things wedding related. I also love to read, travel, drink champagne and go for walks with our dog, Maisy, and Mr. Peacock. We are planning our very vintage wedding in the greatest city in the world, our hometown of Chicago. I am so proud to be a Bee!
I decided long ago that I was going to teach myself calligraphy and that I was going to use said skills on my wedding invitations. I have always wanted to learn and now would be a good time. So I bought a book, studied it, practiced it and became slightly confident in my skills. Then my invitations came- my beautiful, meticulously designed and carefully crafted…
Mrs. Sundae, Chicago/Lake Geneva, WIAge and Occupation: 28, Knowledge ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Investment AdvisorEngagement Date: July 20, 2007Wedding Date: September 2008Blogging Since: February 5, 2008Venue: The Abbey ResortAbout Me: It’s hard to believe that by the time Mr. Sundae and I get married we will have been together for almost ten years. When we first met in college we split dollar pitchers and now we share the mortgage payments. Despite our love for the city we are looking forward to tying the knot in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
I arrived home to a package last week…our envelopes are back from the calligrapher! As you all know, the past few weeks haven’t been the easiest in terms of wedding plans, so having the envelopes in my hot little hands was better than Christmas.
Mrs. Candy Corn, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 24, Senior Editor/Writer & Freelance IllustratorFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Inventory Manager for a Music PublisherEngagement Date: September 1, 2004Wedding Date: October, 2008Blogging Since: May 6, 2008Venue: Pennsylvania Museum of Archaelogy and AnthropologyAbout Me: I enjoy people watching (especially in New Jersey malls), obsessive collecting, drooling over contemporary art, browsing flea markets for vintage finds and eating an absurd amount of cheese. In my Philadelphia abode, I create mixed media artwork and one-of-a-kind home accessories in the company of my farmer-tanned husband, our Westiepoo (Betty White), our three rabbits (Cadbury, Willie Nelson and Applesauce) and our two frisky chinchillas (Ethel Funk and Maude).
I recently realized that I never gave calligraphy a second thought. I always figured I’d be devoting several weeknights to mastering curlicues while clutching a bottle of Wite-Out. Then, I started obsessing.
Miss Peacock, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 26, PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Internet WhizEngagement Date: December 5, 2006Wedding Date: September, 2008Blogging Since: December 13, 2007Venue: St. Clement Church, Cafe Brauer (or a big church wedding and a fancy party at a cafe in Lincoln Park.About Me: I am a grad student with a secret obsession for all things wedding related. I also love to read, travel, drink champagne and go for walks with our dog, Maisy, and Mr. Peacock. We are planning our very vintage wedding in the greatest city in the world, our hometown of Chicago. I am so proud to be a Bee!
I have always had a fascination with nice handwriting. I think it began in third grade when I saw my friend Melissa dot the “i” in her name with a little heart. Fortunately for me, there is also an “i” in my name. This led to good grades in handwriting- until I decided to write my name in entirely lowercase letters because I thought it…
Mrs. Shortcake, VancouverAge and Occupation: 24, Marketing Manager/Children's Lit WriterFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Master's Student/Personal TrainerEngagement Date: August 7, 2007Wedding Date: October 2008Blogging Since: Venue: Ceremony in a historic church, tented lawn reception at a golf and country clubAbout Me: 1950's housewife sent to the future, reborn as crafting-obsessed, jill of all trades. I enjoy decorating, writing, baking sweet things, singing show tunes/dancing in public, wearing pearls, and knitting sweaters for my furbaby, Harvey, to chew upon. I heart pink, and believe that sparkles are the new black.
Mrs. Daffodil, San Francisco/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 26, Nonprofit Strategy ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Resident PhysicianEngagement Date: December 29, 2006Wedding Date: May, 2008Blogging Since: August, 2007Venue: Church w/ floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Valley; Westin in downtown LAAbout Me: I moved around a lot growing up, but consider myself a Southerner at heart. I love scrapbooking, dancing, doggies, and diet coke. I am all about personalizing everything and hence, I'm a DIY bride who is just loving the entire wedding planning process! Mr. Daffodil and I met in our college fellowship group and were "just friends" for three years before we started dating. We've been together for four years now and can't wait to get married in sunny SoCal, Mr. Daffodil's hometown.
…not to mention just simply classic and darn pretty! When I began designing the game plan for our invitations, I figured we were going the functional computer-printed address label route. Though I loved the personal touch of beautifully hand-addressed envelopes, I just didn’t know where I would find the time. That was when I discovered a secret…that our very own Mrs. Snow Pea was a…
Mrs. Canary, New YorkAge and Occupation: 24, MarketingFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Journalist/EditorEngagement Date: February 16, 2007Wedding Date: July, 2008Blogging Since: October 19, 2007Venue: Pier Sixty, Chelsea PiersAbout Me: I'm a born and raised New Yorker who loves all things crafty and artsy, food (cheese and dessert!), magazines, and shoes. I'm a power shopper always on the lookout for good deals or great quality-- sometimes I'm lucky and I find both! I love to dance and "shake what my momma gave me" but can also really enjoy a quiet night in with Mr. Canary and a good episode of Seinfeld or curl up with a good book.
In college, I took a Chinese calligraphy course that was great when I could focus, but my biggest hurdle was patience. Mama Canary had told me that older Chinese folks practice calligraphy for peace and tranquility– a Zen sort of thing. I found it quite frustrating! My fatal flaw is perfectionism and with calligraphy it’s hard to get there when you’re a novice.
Mrs. Donut, Singapore/Natchez, MSAge and Occupation: 31, Classical SingerFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, AttorneyEngagement Date: January 28, 2007Wedding Date: May, 2008Blogging Since: November 27, 2006Venue: St. Mary Basilica & the historic Eola Hotel, NatchezAbout Me: I am a displaced Southern belle trying to orchestrate our big day with my sweetie while living in a land far far away. When not planning for our classic Southern celebration, I love to read, travel, explore my artistic side, and bake brownies for Mr. Donut, who happens to love eating them. It works out well.
Thanks to all of you out there who offered so many great suggestions and helpful hints about how to do my calligraphy. I went out and bought all kinds of pens and markers and other tools of scribal warfare. I hunted them down, got them home, and set to work practicing to get a sense of what kind of writing I could do with them.…
Mrs. Donut, Singapore/Natchez, MSAge and Occupation: 31, Classical SingerFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, AttorneyEngagement Date: January 28, 2007Wedding Date: May, 2008Blogging Since: November 27, 2006Venue: St. Mary Basilica & the historic Eola Hotel, NatchezAbout Me: I am a displaced Southern belle trying to orchestrate our big day with my sweetie while living in a land far far away. When not planning for our classic Southern celebration, I love to read, travel, explore my artistic side, and bake brownies for Mr. Donut, who happens to love eating them. It works out well.
Mrs. Milkshake, Seattle/Vancouver, BCAge and Occupation: 23, PharmacistFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, PharmacistEngagement Date: May 2007Wedding Date: August 2008Blogging Since: December 6, 2007Venue: Victorian MansionAbout Me: Despite the fact that I’ve invested many long years of my life studying the sciences in college, I’m glad to be out of there and I would never do it again! I’m super artsy at heart - I run an indie craft site, I grew up shooting and developing my own film, doing jazz and ballet, and the whole gamut of art classes. I’ve been called a Jane of all Trades… but I was also told many years ago not to make my passion my career because it’d suck the fun out of it. Hence my choice of day job. We live in Seattle but are having our wedding in Canada to be fair to all our family and friends.
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.
I heart Betsy Dunlap. I’ve never met the woman in person, but I can’t help feeling that if I lived in the same city as she does, we’d be friends — that’s how personable she comes across in email alone. If not, I’d at least like to be her neighbor, and then I’d bake her cupcakes so I could bribe her into writing out everything…
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