Miss Petit Four, San Antonio/Isla MujeresAge and Occupation: 25, Technology teacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Math Teacher and Football CoachEngagement Date: Feb 13, 2010Wedding Date: March 2012Venue: Zama Beach Club, Isla Mujeres, MexicoAbout Me: I am a polka-dot obsessed, destination wedding diva living and loving in the great state of Texas. I am an island girl at heart and I visit the beach as often as I can. I am a wannabe DIY goddess, but that doesn’t mean I won’t give it my best shot. I love pearl earrings, the color pink, and ruffles are a part of my everyday wardrobe. My wonderful fiance and I are planning a destination wedding with our closest family and friends and we’re leaving a trail of glitter in our path!
One of the best things about this time in our lives is that more than likely, some of our friends are getting married, too. I had the pleasure of going to a friend’s wedding last weekend and had to struggle through the age old question of what to wear.
Mrs. Funnel Cake, Zürich, Switzerland/Columbus, OhioAge and Occupation: 24, Visual Communication DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Application EngineerEngagement Date: May 30, 2010Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Catholic church followed by a botanical conservatoryAbout Me: I'm an American designer who moved to Switzerland for love after a fairytale beginning at the top of the Eiffel Tower. I love travel, photography, museums, learning German so I can speak with my mother-in-law, cooking (eating), cuddling, and I'm not afraid to try something new even if it terrifies me. My Swiss/Brazilian man and I are both down to earth people planning a traditional Catholic wedding in my hometown with some quirky cultural exceptions to reflect our different backgrounds. We look forward to celebrating with friends and family from all over the world in a classic, sophisticated fusion of heritage and love.
For months I sewed fabric flowers at work every day and my colleagues had started asking, “When’s the wedding again?” or “Do you think you’ll get them done in time?” or the ever-popular, “How many flowers left now?” which I never had an answer for.
I was never stressed about getting this project done, though. I started in June and our wedding is in October. (Cough… next week…) So I took my sweet time sewing those flowers as slowly as I wanted to. I sewed them while talking to friends at lunch and did not worry about working on them in the evening or on weekends if I had better things to do. It took so long to get them done because I did this project about as slow as one possibly can.
But you can bet I was happy when I finished these babies and marched them to the post office! Read more…
Mrs. Funnel Cake, Zürich, Switzerland/Columbus, OhioAge and Occupation: 24, Visual Communication DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Application EngineerEngagement Date: May 30, 2010Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Catholic church followed by a botanical conservatoryAbout Me: I'm an American designer who moved to Switzerland for love after a fairytale beginning at the top of the Eiffel Tower. I love travel, photography, museums, learning German so I can speak with my mother-in-law, cooking (eating), cuddling, and I'm not afraid to try something new even if it terrifies me. My Swiss/Brazilian man and I are both down to earth people planning a traditional Catholic wedding in my hometown with some quirky cultural exceptions to reflect our different backgrounds. We look forward to celebrating with friends and family from all over the world in a classic, sophisticated fusion of heritage and love.
After finding afewflowertutorials on Google, I was playing with my newly purchased (extremely expensive) Swiss fabric. Before I knew it, I had crafted this little beauty:
Ohh bees, I fell for this adorable little flower and wanted to make more. My fingers craved the tactile comfort found in sewing and I opened up to a craft I haven’t been able to undertake since I moved to Switzerland. The most sewing I’ve done in the last three years was when I made curtains for our flat on an old secondhand sewing machine. (And that was mainly done to avoid buying expensive Swiss curtains!) Read more…
Mrs. Raccoon, IndianapolisAge and Occupation: 22, StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: Christmas 2010Wedding Date: January 2012Venue: Catholic Church, Chateau Thomas WineryAbout Me: I'm a wholesome Midwestern girl, TV series junkie, professional shower singer, and Anglophile. I love my fiance, crock pot cooking, my cat Heepo, going for the gusto, and all things wedding. Mr. Raccoon is pretty sweet, too! He’s a mad scientist that loves to travel. We met my first night on campus and have been inseparable since.
I didn’t have too many opinions or guidelines about how the mothers should dress. Anything I had to say kind of went without saying. They were things like “please don’t wear all white or fire-truck-flashy red,” “please nothing that is a centimeter from a wardrobe malfunction” (think Nicole at any formal event—if you don’t know Nicole, you know THAT girl), and pretty helps.
I stumbled across a mother-of-the-bride attire etiquette article on The Knot. All I could think about was how impractical this would be for us. My mother can’t commit to an outfit for anything. I can show you the latest selection, but chances are you won’t see it at the wedding. If Mr. Raccoon’s mom had to wait until my mother chooses (probably two hours before the ceremony), she wouldn’t make it to the church on time.
I’m sure everything will work out fine.
Mr. Raccoon’s mother picked out a beautiful dress!
Empire waist dress with bolero jacket from JCPenney
Miss Kettle, Chicago, ILAge and Occupation: 26, Non-Profit Donor Resource CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Musician & TeacherEngagement Date: May 29, 2011Wedding Date: February 2012Venue: Patrick C. Haley Mansion, Joliet, ILAbout Me: I'm a city girl who loves a good escape, so I'm planning a Chicago wedding outside of the city. I've been described as a quirky yet down-to-earth drama queen who loves fiercely. I used to be a scientist, but now I'm learning to navigate the world of non-profit organizations. I love cooking, blogging, shopping, and music, and movies (Hans Zimmer is my favorite movie composer). Mr. Kettle and I had a short courtship and now we have a happy home with our cat-who-thinks-she's-people, Belle. We spend our days and nights with good food, live music, video games, family, and friends. Our wedding has become this wonderful excuse to bring together hundreds of people we can't bear to be without.
My dress is already ordered. The bridesmaids’ dresses are already ordered. If you read my last post though, you’d know there are still a number of women involved with this wedding who aren’t yet dressed.
When I talked about Momma Kettle’s wedding clothes options, I thought she might be leaning more towards getting a suit, like what Grandmother Kettle got. But, I was completely off. When I mentioned that I figured she’d look best in something similar to what she wore for my cotillion, she seemed a bit un-enthused.
Turns out, she definitely had an evening gown in mind, but not one like she wore at the cotillion. The cotillion had all these rules about what had to be covered and her dress had long sleeves. For the wedding, she had something a little less…covered in mind.
Off we went to West 95th street, in search of a bridal shop. I’m not sure whether or not we ended up at the same place Mima Kettle got her dress from or not. We just stopped at the first store we saw. We went inside and met a lovely young woman who got us started on finding the perfect mother-of-the-bride gown.
I showed her some pictures Momma Kettle and I brought from a magazine to give her an idea of what we were looking for. Read more…
Ms. Sloth, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 35, Account Manager and Fashion BloggerFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Design AdminEngagement Date: December 25, 2009Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Bartram's GardenAbout Me: I'm an internet junkie and music snob with a good eye for a bargain. I couldn't live without thrift store shopping, cheeseburgers, sushi, Coke Zero, websites devoted to silly photos of baby animals, Photoshop, and Mr. Sloth. Speaking of which, he and I are a pair of goofball homebody nerds who love our beagle (the most ridiculously adorable dog EVER) to an embarrassing degree. We're planning a low-key and intimate yet festive and quirky outdoor wedding with DIY details and deeply personal touches, and it's all taking place in the city where we fell in love and call home: Philadelphia.
Miss Warbler, Long Beach/MalibuAge and Occupation: 24, Quality Assurance EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Handheld AdministratorEngagement Date: December 7, 2010Wedding Date: April 2012Venue: Calamigos Ranch MalibuAbout Me: I’m a Korean BBQ loving, cheesecake enthusiast bride living in the LBC! By day I write and edit for an online search engine marketing company. By night I am a volunteer food taster of all that is delicious. I am fortunate to be marrying an amazing man who loves me and my quirky ways. I love food, books, indie music, and Harry Potter. We are planning a small, intimate wedding up in the Malibu Hills with our closest family and friends. With the help of my wonderful fiance, our loved ones, and red velvet cheesecake, our wedding will be glorious!
Now that I have a dress and my bridesmaids have their dresses, it’s time to talk about the other two women: Mama Warbler and MIL Warbs! Both of these lovely ladies have been way too indecisive in regard to the dress. Every time I see one of them I get the same questions: “What color dress do I have to wear?” “What style should I wear?” “What do you want me to wear?” Even though my answer each time is basically: “IDK. Wear whatever you feel comfortable in, I guess?” they inevitably ask me again. I think it’s the same situation as the bridesmaids’-dress search—even though they may want the freedom to choose, they want guidance more.
Last weekend, Mama Warbler came to town so we could shop for her dress. I quickly realized that our ideas of how the day was going to turn out were completely different. I thought we would browse a few stores, she would try on a few dresses in each store, and it would be an easy decision. And at the end of the day we’d both feel like this:
Fun and flirty we were not. / Image via Health.com
Mrs. Sunhat, Dyer, IN Age and Occupation: 32, Tax AccountantFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Landscape ForemanEngagement Date: September 25, 2010Wedding Date: December 2011Venues: St. Andrew the Apostle, Fiesta PalaceAbout Me: I'm a Midwest girl who grew up in the country and now works in the big city! I love cooking, entertaining, reading (addicted to my Kindle) and going to the movies. I don't miss an episode of Hoarders and I start cleaning every time I watch! My profession doesn't call for much creativity so wedding planning has been a great outlet. Mr. Sunhat and I met online three years ago, cheer for rival MLB teams and share a home with our dog, Wrigley. We are planning a traditional, Polish, Catholic wedding with lots of DIY elements and some fun surprises. I'm so excited to be married on New Year's Eve and we can't wait to ring in the new year as husband and wife!
We have family in the Carolinas, so during a visit back in June, MOB and my aunt travelled to Bridal Mart in Burlington, North Carolina. MOB was on the hunt for her mother-of-the-bride dress. I was sad that I couldn’t be there to shop with her, but I knew she couldn’t pass up going to this huge Bridal Mart while she was in the area.
I made my mom and aunt promise that they would text me pictures as Mom tried dresses on. They kept their promise!
Miss Warbler, Long Beach/MalibuAge and Occupation: 24, Quality Assurance EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Handheld AdministratorEngagement Date: December 7, 2010Wedding Date: April 2012Venue: Calamigos Ranch MalibuAbout Me: I’m a Korean BBQ loving, cheesecake enthusiast bride living in the LBC! By day I write and edit for an online search engine marketing company. By night I am a volunteer food taster of all that is delicious. I am fortunate to be marrying an amazing man who loves me and my quirky ways. I love food, books, indie music, and Harry Potter. We are planning a small, intimate wedding up in the Malibu Hills with our closest family and friends. With the help of my wonderful fiance, our loved ones, and red velvet cheesecake, our wedding will be glorious!
It’s almost time for our long awaited engagement session! In two weeks, the Warblers will channel Madonna and strike a pose. Or snidely proclaim our hatred for hydrangeas. Not cool, Madonna! In case you missed it:
Of course, engagement sesh time gives me the excuse to run out and buy some new outfits. When I sat down with Mr. Warbs to discuss our “engagement look” Mr. Warbs shrugged and said, “I don’t know…jeans and a polo shirt?” Boys. Lately I’ve been getting anxious about our photos, because the plan is to use them in our invitations. Read more…
Mrs. Magic, Chapel Hill, NCAge and Occupation: 30, Licensed Clinical Social WorkerFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, ResearcherEngagement Date: December 1, 2009Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Barn at ValhallaAbout Me: I’m a tall drink of water (5’10”!) and a Southern bride with an enormous appetite for Mexican food, good deals, anything French, and all things wedding! By day I am lucky enough to work with individuals with autism and their families. By night, I’m even luckier to be able to spend time hanging out with awesome friends, crafting, shopping, thinking about exercising, and kicking it with Mr. Magic and our two cats. I tend to have sudden, intense cravings that will not be denied (seafood enchiladas! new jeans!) and I’m prone to being a disorganized mess of anxiety and stress. After waiting (and waiting!) to get engaged, I am finally planning the colorful, fun, fabulously awesome Fall wedding of our dreams. In an effort to share the fun and craziness that is wedding planning, I’m gonna blog about it for y’all---the good, the bad, and the pretty!
So, Mrs. Sloth said her goodbyes yesterday and I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little sad about it [sniff sniff]. I met her in real life, and I was all like “OMG, Mrs. Sloth, all my friends and I just think you are the coolest thing since sliced bread. They are all like so totally jealous that I am hanging out with you right now. Can I get a picture?”
In her other life, she provides some awesome fashion advice. I love to read her blog What The Frock for a number of reasons. 1. It’s a super cute blog design. 2. I always wanna look like a celebrity on the cheap. And 3. You (yes, you!) can write to her and get real live (OK, live over the internets) advice on your very own personal dilemma.
Mrs. Magic, Chapel Hill, NCAge and Occupation: 30, Licensed Clinical Social WorkerFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, ResearcherEngagement Date: December 1, 2009Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Barn at ValhallaAbout Me: I’m a tall drink of water (5’10”!) and a Southern bride with an enormous appetite for Mexican food, good deals, anything French, and all things wedding! By day I am lucky enough to work with individuals with autism and their families. By night, I’m even luckier to be able to spend time hanging out with awesome friends, crafting, shopping, thinking about exercising, and kicking it with Mr. Magic and our two cats. I tend to have sudden, intense cravings that will not be denied (seafood enchiladas! new jeans!) and I’m prone to being a disorganized mess of anxiety and stress. After waiting (and waiting!) to get engaged, I am finally planning the colorful, fun, fabulously awesome Fall wedding of our dreams. In an effort to share the fun and craziness that is wedding planning, I’m gonna blog about it for y’all---the good, the bad, and the pretty!
The good news is, unlike the last bout of this disorder (which is apparently cyclic), the doubt is not about my wedding gown. That is amazing and beautiful and basically the best dress in the world. Insert sigh of relief here.
The bad news is, the doubt is back and I think it’s here for a legitimate reason this time. You see, as a church going little girl raised in the South, my grandma taught me that you cannot wear white after Labor Day. And what color is my rehearsal dinner dress? Read more…
Miss Petit Four, San Antonio/Isla MujeresAge and Occupation: 25, Technology teacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Math Teacher and Football CoachEngagement Date: Feb 13, 2010Wedding Date: March 2012Venue: Zama Beach Club, Isla Mujeres, MexicoAbout Me: I am a polka-dot obsessed, destination wedding diva living and loving in the great state of Texas. I am an island girl at heart and I visit the beach as often as I can. I am a wannabe DIY goddess, but that doesn’t mean I won’t give it my best shot. I love pearl earrings, the color pink, and ruffles are a part of my everyday wardrobe. My wonderful fiance and I are planning a destination wedding with our closest family and friends and we’re leaving a trail of glitter in our path!
So, one of the big things about having a beach wedding is that it’s going to be hot. Hopefully not too hot, but it will at least be humid! Now, don’t get me wrong, I love my wedding dress (which just came in, by the way!), but it’s not the most comfortable thing in the world.
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!
Originally my bridesmaids were planning on surprising me with a dress that I would wear for the entire evening of my kitchen tea/hens’ night, however, this was making me extremely nervous. I know how long it takes me to find a dress for myself, how possible would it be for someone to find me a dress that I was likely to like?
The only pre-requisite that I knew about the dress was that it would be appropriate for a floral themed event, so I would think it would look something like this:
However, I was fearful that I could also end up in a situation similar to this: Read more…
Mrs. Funnel Cake, Zürich, Switzerland/Columbus, OhioAge and Occupation: 24, Visual Communication DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Application EngineerEngagement Date: May 30, 2010Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Catholic church followed by a botanical conservatoryAbout Me: I'm an American designer who moved to Switzerland for love after a fairytale beginning at the top of the Eiffel Tower. I love travel, photography, museums, learning German so I can speak with my mother-in-law, cooking (eating), cuddling, and I'm not afraid to try something new even if it terrifies me. My Swiss/Brazilian man and I are both down to earth people planning a traditional Catholic wedding in my hometown with some quirky cultural exceptions to reflect our different backgrounds. We look forward to celebrating with friends and family from all over the world in a classic, sophisticated fusion of heritage and love.
After I took my “tampon” out of the washer and deemed that it was not adequately coloured, I literally ran out of the house to try and buy more dye. But as it were, there happened to be a parade in Zürich and things were closing down early, so by 4PM on Saturday all the shops and pharmacies were shutting down. I had to patiently wait until Monday to buy more dye so I could try to mend my fail.
Because I have good faith in my little eco front-loading washer, and because I am lazy, I chose to dye it the same way I did before. However, I did decide to thoroughly soak my skirt in a bucket of water beforehand to help the dying process.
Miss Kettle, Chicago, ILAge and Occupation: 26, Non-Profit Donor Resource CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Musician & TeacherEngagement Date: May 29, 2011Wedding Date: February 2012Venue: Patrick C. Haley Mansion, Joliet, ILAbout Me: I'm a city girl who loves a good escape, so I'm planning a Chicago wedding outside of the city. I've been described as a quirky yet down-to-earth drama queen who loves fiercely. I used to be a scientist, but now I'm learning to navigate the world of non-profit organizations. I love cooking, blogging, shopping, and music, and movies (Hans Zimmer is my favorite movie composer). Mr. Kettle and I had a short courtship and now we have a happy home with our cat-who-thinks-she's-people, Belle. We spend our days and nights with good food, live music, video games, family, and friends. Our wedding has become this wonderful excuse to bring together hundreds of people we can't bear to be without.
No matter how much you want to bury your head in the sand and try and forget about the million and one details of wedding planning, you must take time and find actual clothes to wear. Not doing that is against the law. At least in Illinois. With this in mind, I had to figure out something to wear to our engagement party. It was shaping up be a big party, so I had to be dressed impeccably.
Well, I think I put too much pressure on myself. I didn’t really have the time or money to shop the way I’d like. And I had the silly notion I should wear our wedding colors. There’s only one problem with that. “Regency” isn’t really in right now.
Personal photo of wedding color palette
Left to right: regency, black, taupe, ivory, gold
Color fail.
So I branched out. I found a great dress at Delia’s that I bought. Read more…
Picture via Nordstrom
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
Image via 1stweddingplanner.com
