Mrs. Brooch, Arlington, VAAge and Occupation: 25, Writer/EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Front Desk ManagerEngagement Date: October 3, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: Oxon Hill ManorAbout Me: I’m an indecisive girlie-girl with a motor mouth, can-do attitude, and knack for making others laugh. I dream of becoming a best selling novelist like Elizabeth Gilbert or Julie Powell (a girl can dream, right?), and love long road trips, a beautiful countryside, music, blogs, books, and all things vintage/thrift/antique/or homemade. I’m a Virgo, i.e. overly sensitive, emotional, and critical, and there’s no such thing as short and sweet in my world. I want to say and do it all. Mr. Brooch grounds me. I point where to go and he figures out the way. He’s a pragmatic fancy-pants who enjoys video games and movies. We both adore our mutt, Rocky, and spending time with our amazingly supportive family and friends. We’re planning a garden wedding with a formal reception with lots of whimsy and unique, Southern-inspired details.
Hey DC, MD, and VA bees…we would have loved a few more at our area meet up Friday, January 7th at Pentagon City! We need to quickly plan another one! Maybe before my April wedding? Please!
The whole thing was kind of planned on a whim so if you didn’t hear it was happening, don’t feel bad! I don’t know about everyone else, but I really, really enjoyed getting together with other 2011 brides! This was my first meet up and actually my first time meeting anyone through Weddingbee! Read more…
Mrs. Perfume, DCAge and Occupation: 36, Consultant (and Part-Time Professor)Fiance's Age and Occupation: 41, ConsultantEngagement Date: May 13, 2008Wedding Date: May, 2009Venue: The Homestead, Hot Springs, VirginiaAbout Me: I'd like to think that I'm a modern day Little Edie Beale. Only not as..."talented". More realistically, I'm a foodie who can't bake; a dancer and dilettente; an art collector with a penchant for the whimsical and subversive. I live in the city and adore the country, but not much in between. I like smart design, great craftmanship and good value. Most of all, I love the new vintage aesthetic: classic, sweet, delicate, bespoke. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go for a culinary arts degree rather than a PhD; but wouldn't trade Mr. P for the world.
The lovely Mrs. Perfume shares her favorite posts! Here they are, rolled into one!
~~~
Tonight we finally finished putting together our invitations. We (okay mostly I) really love them! But they were a pain. A real pain. And they weren’t even DIY. Well, they were partly DIY in that I wanted to use boxes instead of outer envelopes. Little did I know I was in for such a maddening experience…
Our finished invitation boxes. (If the Sheraton ever needs gift boxes…)
Midway through our planning, I became obsessed with confectionary colored elements (as is well documented here, here, and here), especially Laduree packaging.
Mrs. Veggie, Raglan, New Zealand/Scranton, PAAge and Occupation: 27, Director of Small Non-ProfitFiance's Age and Occupation: 42, PhD Student & FarmerEngagement Date: June 13, 2009Wedding Date: August 2010Venue: Indian Head Camp, Honesdale Pennsylvania
About Me: I am a tree-huggin' farmer turned enthusiastic wedding-planner. I live in a house truck and wear flip-flops more often than shoes. In my old life I was a high school Spanish teacher in love with a crazy guy who lived off-the grid on a farm in New Hampshire. But, we decided to mix things up a bit, quit our jobs and move to New Zealand. My southern hemisphere lifestyle involves growing veggies, teaching, running our small non-profit, and surfing. I love laughing, singing, playing, and the inspirational Mr. Veggie (of course!). For our wedding, I am committed to throwing a killer party that celebrates our values without breaking the bank. Look forward to an eco-thrifty summer-campy weekend-long extravaganza.
Two weeks ago some fabulous D.C. bees organized a nice quaint get-together for a few readers and bloggers. You know, just a small gathering to share wedding ideas and advice. A few girls thought it would be a good idea, and then a few more, and then I hopped on the bandwagon as a D.C. summer resident, and by last week it morphed into this:
Look out D.C., the bees are taking over! Yep, that’s right. All those gorgeous gals are bees. Read more…
Mrs. Pencils, Washington DC/Frederick, MDAge and Occupation: 24, Program Director, Education Non ProfitFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Administrative Assistant, Ocean Conservation Non ProfitEngagement Date: July 26, 2008Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Morningside InnAbout Me: I'm a nerdy Northwestern girl who always knew she was meant to live in the East, harboring a deep love of ice cream, underwear, Diet Coke with a splash of Coca-Cola, pashminas, scrapbooking, stationery, wall calendars and books written for preteens. I think every day should include good thin crust pizza, chocolate, an obscure historical monument, lots of laughter, a dash of wedding planning and, of course, amazing Mr. Pencils! I'm loving the adventure of planning a Maryland wedding and Rocky Mountain reception, and most of all, I just love love!
So you thought I was gone… but really, I’m just gearing up for a fantastic bee meet up for the DC area bees! We’re going to be enjoying the Dim Sum and Happy Hour at Ping Pong next Thursday with some drinks, food and ample wedding talk!
The idea originated by those on the boards, so please head over to the boards here to RSVP if you haven’t already!
Date: Thursday, July 22nd Time: 6:00 PM (or whenever you can get there!) Location: Ping Pong (900 7th Street NW)
Head here for menu and metro directions. We hope to see all DC/MD/VA bees there!
Mrs. Perfume, DCAge and Occupation: 36, Consultant (and Part-Time Professor)Fiance's Age and Occupation: 41, ConsultantEngagement Date: May 13, 2008Wedding Date: May, 2009Venue: The Homestead, Hot Springs, VirginiaAbout Me: I'd like to think that I'm a modern day Little Edie Beale. Only not as..."talented". More realistically, I'm a foodie who can't bake; a dancer and dilettente; an art collector with a penchant for the whimsical and subversive. I live in the city and adore the country, but not much in between. I like smart design, great craftmanship and good value. Most of all, I love the new vintage aesthetic: classic, sweet, delicate, bespoke. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go for a culinary arts degree rather than a PhD; but wouldn't trade Mr. P for the world.
Over Memorial Day weekend we celebrated our one year anniversary! My, how time flies. We headed back down to the Homestead for the weekend, and it was a fantastic time full of great moments and nostalgia (is it nostalgia if it’s memories of just a year ago?). We kept saying “A year ago at this moment we were…” and then would recount what we were doing at that time. It was fitting because some of our activities of this weekend paralleled those of our wedding weekend (unplanned and totally cheesy, but sweet)!
Esme, our wedding coordinator, arranged to have us in an upgraded suite in the tower, the tallest part of the hotel with the best view, for our stay. And as I got ready for dinner, Mr. P called me out to the living room to look at something…
Mrs. Perfume, DCAge and Occupation: 36, Consultant (and Part-Time Professor)Fiance's Age and Occupation: 41, ConsultantEngagement Date: May 13, 2008Wedding Date: May, 2009Venue: The Homestead, Hot Springs, VirginiaAbout Me: I'd like to think that I'm a modern day Little Edie Beale. Only not as..."talented". More realistically, I'm a foodie who can't bake; a dancer and dilettente; an art collector with a penchant for the whimsical and subversive. I live in the city and adore the country, but not much in between. I like smart design, great craftmanship and good value. Most of all, I love the new vintage aesthetic: classic, sweet, delicate, bespoke. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go for a culinary arts degree rather than a PhD; but wouldn't trade Mr. P for the world.
We woke up really early (like 6:30 AM) Sunday morning to do the remaining prep work for our friends Michelle and Graham’s brunch. It was worth it. Everything turned out well and the happy couple was ecstatic. They were also pleasantly surprised by the slight nod to Spain (Michelle studied in Spain for a year, and also brought along her friends visiting from Galicia).
Mrs. Perfume, DCAge and Occupation: 36, Consultant (and Part-Time Professor)Fiance's Age and Occupation: 41, ConsultantEngagement Date: May 13, 2008Wedding Date: May, 2009Venue: The Homestead, Hot Springs, VirginiaAbout Me: I'd like to think that I'm a modern day Little Edie Beale. Only not as..."talented". More realistically, I'm a foodie who can't bake; a dancer and dilettente; an art collector with a penchant for the whimsical and subversive. I live in the city and adore the country, but not much in between. I like smart design, great craftmanship and good value. Most of all, I love the new vintage aesthetic: classic, sweet, delicate, bespoke. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go for a culinary arts degree rather than a PhD; but wouldn't trade Mr. P for the world.
Then there was dancing, dancing, dancing!!!! I danced with FIL as Mr. P danced with his mom. My mom is not a dancer and refused all invitations to do so. She had a great time watching us. I spent the entire night on the dance floor, forgetting to get pictures of me in the photobooth!! I literally had the time of my life. We were soooooo happy to be surrounded by our friends and family and it was so AMAZING and wonderful to be husband and wife! Hours-newly weds. It is such a fabulous time, ladies. Please savor your hours and minutes during your big day.
Mrs. Perfume, DCAge and Occupation: 36, Consultant (and Part-Time Professor)Fiance's Age and Occupation: 41, ConsultantEngagement Date: May 13, 2008Wedding Date: May, 2009Venue: The Homestead, Hot Springs, VirginiaAbout Me: I'd like to think that I'm a modern day Little Edie Beale. Only not as..."talented". More realistically, I'm a foodie who can't bake; a dancer and dilettente; an art collector with a penchant for the whimsical and subversive. I live in the city and adore the country, but not much in between. I like smart design, great craftmanship and good value. Most of all, I love the new vintage aesthetic: classic, sweet, delicate, bespoke. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go for a culinary arts degree rather than a PhD; but wouldn't trade Mr. P for the world.
Mrs. Perfume, DCAge and Occupation: 36, Consultant (and Part-Time Professor)Fiance's Age and Occupation: 41, ConsultantEngagement Date: May 13, 2008Wedding Date: May, 2009Venue: The Homestead, Hot Springs, VirginiaAbout Me: I'd like to think that I'm a modern day Little Edie Beale. Only not as..."talented". More realistically, I'm a foodie who can't bake; a dancer and dilettente; an art collector with a penchant for the whimsical and subversive. I live in the city and adore the country, but not much in between. I like smart design, great craftmanship and good value. Most of all, I love the new vintage aesthetic: classic, sweet, delicate, bespoke. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go for a culinary arts degree rather than a PhD; but wouldn't trade Mr. P for the world.
Here we are moments after the ceremony: hugging, just the two of us, in disbelief, taking it all in. Then our family and friends poured out of the garden. There were congratulations and hugs by close family members. These are my very favorite moments…
Mrs. Perfume, DCAge and Occupation: 36, Consultant (and Part-Time Professor)Fiance's Age and Occupation: 41, ConsultantEngagement Date: May 13, 2008Wedding Date: May, 2009Venue: The Homestead, Hot Springs, VirginiaAbout Me: I'd like to think that I'm a modern day Little Edie Beale. Only not as..."talented". More realistically, I'm a foodie who can't bake; a dancer and dilettente; an art collector with a penchant for the whimsical and subversive. I live in the city and adore the country, but not much in between. I like smart design, great craftmanship and good value. Most of all, I love the new vintage aesthetic: classic, sweet, delicate, bespoke. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go for a culinary arts degree rather than a PhD; but wouldn't trade Mr. P for the world.
And we walked, slowly, I was smiling an uncontrollable smile…
Mr. P looked nervous and shy—he could barely look at me…
And there we were. Finally, at the altar… Read more…
Mrs. Perfume, DCAge and Occupation: 36, Consultant (and Part-Time Professor)Fiance's Age and Occupation: 41, ConsultantEngagement Date: May 13, 2008Wedding Date: May, 2009Venue: The Homestead, Hot Springs, VirginiaAbout Me: I'd like to think that I'm a modern day Little Edie Beale. Only not as..."talented". More realistically, I'm a foodie who can't bake; a dancer and dilettente; an art collector with a penchant for the whimsical and subversive. I live in the city and adore the country, but not much in between. I like smart design, great craftmanship and good value. Most of all, I love the new vintage aesthetic: classic, sweet, delicate, bespoke. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go for a culinary arts degree rather than a PhD; but wouldn't trade Mr. P for the world.
After we got ready, we headed to the front of the resort for the first look. Mr. P was waiting there with his brother and the photographers. My BMs and I stumbled out of Abby’s car (which we had to drive the short distance up the hill because there was no way we could walk with all our dresses, flowers, and gear)!
Mrs. Perfume, DCAge and Occupation: 36, Consultant (and Part-Time Professor)Fiance's Age and Occupation: 41, ConsultantEngagement Date: May 13, 2008Wedding Date: May, 2009Venue: The Homestead, Hot Springs, VirginiaAbout Me: I'd like to think that I'm a modern day Little Edie Beale. Only not as..."talented". More realistically, I'm a foodie who can't bake; a dancer and dilettente; an art collector with a penchant for the whimsical and subversive. I live in the city and adore the country, but not much in between. I like smart design, great craftmanship and good value. Most of all, I love the new vintage aesthetic: classic, sweet, delicate, bespoke. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go for a culinary arts degree rather than a PhD; but wouldn't trade Mr. P for the world.
One year ago this very weekend, we were married on a sunny and beautiful spring day. I thought the most fitting way to end my recaps would be of that day. (Happy Anniversary, Mr. P!)
So here goes: Our day to remember!
I woke up very early, around 7 AM. Despite staying up until 2 AM the night before, I was too excited to sleep. Looking down from our suite, I could see our wedding venue, and it got me so excited. It was such a beautiful, serene sight to behold.
Throughout the day, I could see the progress of the set-up for the wedding and cocktail hour. I was SO giddy! Read more…
Mrs. Perfume, DCAge and Occupation: 36, Consultant (and Part-Time Professor)Fiance's Age and Occupation: 41, ConsultantEngagement Date: May 13, 2008Wedding Date: May, 2009Venue: The Homestead, Hot Springs, VirginiaAbout Me: I'd like to think that I'm a modern day Little Edie Beale. Only not as..."talented". More realistically, I'm a foodie who can't bake; a dancer and dilettente; an art collector with a penchant for the whimsical and subversive. I live in the city and adore the country, but not much in between. I like smart design, great craftmanship and good value. Most of all, I love the new vintage aesthetic: classic, sweet, delicate, bespoke. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go for a culinary arts degree rather than a PhD; but wouldn't trade Mr. P for the world.
After our confusing(!) rehearsal, I was so ready for our welcome dinner. This would be the first opportunity for us to see most of our guests. I was a little nervous and excited all at once! But most of all, I couldn’t wait to eat and relax a little! We were in the home stretch; we had no more details to accomplish. We could just relax and look forward to the next day.
{Images via various friends, camera phones, and our impromptu documentarian, Graham}
Ah, relaxing a little… after the fun(ky) rehearsal!
Mrs. Perfume, DCAge and Occupation: 36, Consultant (and Part-Time Professor)Fiance's Age and Occupation: 41, ConsultantEngagement Date: May 13, 2008Wedding Date: May, 2009Venue: The Homestead, Hot Springs, VirginiaAbout Me: I'd like to think that I'm a modern day Little Edie Beale. Only not as..."talented". More realistically, I'm a foodie who can't bake; a dancer and dilettente; an art collector with a penchant for the whimsical and subversive. I live in the city and adore the country, but not much in between. I like smart design, great craftmanship and good value. Most of all, I love the new vintage aesthetic: classic, sweet, delicate, bespoke. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go for a culinary arts degree rather than a PhD; but wouldn't trade Mr. P for the world.
We left off with me and Mr. Perfume delivering the welcome bags and assembling the macaron favors. It’s still Friday and our tea ceremony (I’ll generically call it just a tea ceremony, as it was more confusion than a real Vietnamese dam hoi) was on for 3:00PM. A dam hoi is an ’asking’ or engagement ceremony. This is less a story about the ceremony and more about the give and take (and miscommunication) that comes with a mother’s involvement in wedding planning.
I don’t know where to start with this. Many of you won’t be able to identify with this tradition, but just as many will know what I’m talking about when I say my mother was totally frustrating! First, it was her strong desire to have something to honor this part of our heritage. That’s fine. But somewhere along the way, she just thought it would happen. On its own. Or that I’d figure it out—me, who barely speaks Vietnamese and is embarrassingly estranged from the culture (judge me not). Anyway, I didn’t want anything elaborate. I had asked my mother several times to explain how it works. Mind you, she is NOT good at explaining. ANYTHING. God love her, she is a great mom and a sweet woman, but hell, she cannot explain her way out of a bag! Anyway, I had asked her many times: Please tell me step-by-step what we need to do, what things we need to organize, what we need to purchase. I always got some meandering story and little bits of inconsistent details. Actually, I’m not even sure she really even knew what goes into it.
Mrs. Perfume, DCAge and Occupation: 36, Consultant (and Part-Time Professor)Fiance's Age and Occupation: 41, ConsultantEngagement Date: May 13, 2008Wedding Date: May, 2009Venue: The Homestead, Hot Springs, VirginiaAbout Me: I'd like to think that I'm a modern day Little Edie Beale. Only not as..."talented". More realistically, I'm a foodie who can't bake; a dancer and dilettente; an art collector with a penchant for the whimsical and subversive. I live in the city and adore the country, but not much in between. I like smart design, great craftmanship and good value. Most of all, I love the new vintage aesthetic: classic, sweet, delicate, bespoke. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go for a culinary arts degree rather than a PhD; but wouldn't trade Mr. P for the world.
I’ve had so many false starts and promises to you guys to start my recaps. I did the honeymoon and a sprinkling of this and that. And now it’s almost 10 months since our wedding, and I *still* haven’t done any recaps. Until now. I regret not doing them sooner, as some of my memories have faded. If you’re documenting your own wedding, do yourself a favor and don’t wait. Try to remember as much as you can and write it down. It goes by so fast!
If you don’t recall, I’m Mrs. Perfume, and I got married last May on the same day as the lovely Mrs. Taffy and Mrs. Peep Toe, who have been way more diligent with their recaps than I have. So, hi, again!
But before we get to the Big Day, I’ll start with the events of the days before the wedding. Read more…
Unique Wedding Favors
