Miss Spaniel, Los Angeles
Age and Occupation: 28, Law Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Psychologist
Wedding Date: March 2010
Venue: Calamigos Ranch
About Me: I'm a third-year law student trying to balance graduating with starting my career, keeping up a relationship, and, oh yeah, planning an Old World, multi-cultural, "mountain lodge" wedding for 180 guests! A South Asian Jewish girl getting ready to marry my handsome Catholic Dane, I'm hoping to blend our cultures in our wedding just a bit more gently than by providing samosas as appetizers and offering æbleskiver for dessert. (Although that would also be awesome.)
One of (many) difficulties in planning such a long engagement (18 months when all is said and done) is committing to getting in shape for the wedding. Now I didn’t just want to lose weight because I want to look amazing in my wedding dress (although that is also a motivating factor)—I wanted to drop a few pounds because I met Mr. Spaniel in the…
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Miss Hamster, New York City
Age and Occupation: 28, Finance Gal
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Finance Guy
Engagement Date: March 9, 2009
Wedding Date: May 2010
Venue: The Pierre Hotel
About Me: I'm an original Jersey girl living it up in the big NYC! I love baking for others, hosting brunches, and exploring NYC with my mans. Besides Mr. Hamster (of course), I'm attracted to shiny things, bold colors, snacks, matching and coordination, pork and duck fats, miniature versions of things, corny jokes and puns. We are planning a swanky Spring wedding in the heart of NYC, followed by a second reception in Singapore. From one city that never sleeps to another - I can't imagine a more exciting ride!
I dread exercising. I know, that’s horrible - and to my credit, I like walking around the city, water sports, hiking, and the occasional run. But the Big E, which I define as getting up early to go to the gym, trying to figure out complicated machines at said gym, and getting frustrated at said gym, is not my idea of fun.
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Miss Trail Mix, New York
Age and Occupation: 26, PE Teacher
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, MBA Student
Engagement Date: March 2009
Wedding Date: June 2010
Venue: Tannery Pond at the Darrow School
About Me: I'm a country girl who somehow found herself living in the Big Apple and loving every minute of it. I'm planning a rustic, country-chic wedding in my hometown in upstate New York and it's going to be a Party with a capital P. White wine, flea markets and running keep me happy and my friends, family and fiance are my world. I'm a little bit crafty, a little bit crazy but mostly just crazy in love.
Sometimes, just straight-up running feels like too much. I have days where my legs feel like weights, my shins ache, my arms can barely move and even running for just 20 minutes sounds torturous and the very last thing in the world that I want to do. On days like these, I run-walk. And I’m not ashamed to admit it. :)
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Miss Frozen Yogurt, Dallas
Age and Occupation: 28, Special Projects Coordinator
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Equity Trader
Engagement Date: March 19, 2009
Wedding Date: April 2010
Venue: Marie Gabrielle, Dallas
About Me: I was born and raised in Texas, and have lived in several of the cities across the state, but I currently reside in Austin. I went to college in Boston and have a special place in my heart for the Northeast. I love reading, shopping, wine, reuniting with college friends that are scattered across the country, reality TV, trying out new recipes, and attempting all the DIY projects that come along with wedding planning. I'm a "bleeding heart, save the world type" and thankfully my job allows me to work on legislation and policy to help out those in need. I met Mr. Frozen Yogurt in a bar, though he doesn't even drink! And now we are planning a modern yet vintage wedding in Dallas while dealing with the trials and tribulations of first time homeownership.
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Ouch. That’s all I have to say. Mr. Fro Yo and I have stated doing the ab ripper, which is one of the exercises in the P90X group. I’m pretty sure the “p” stands for painful. We do it every other day for about 15-20 minutes, and the first week I was so sore I thought people at work were going to ask me what…
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Miss Ramen, Phoenix
Age and Occupation: 26, Optometry Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Industrial Designer
Engagement Date: January 3, 2009
Wedding Date: December 2009
Venue: Phoenix Art Museum
About Me: I'm an SF-born, Seattle-raised girl, transplanted to Phoenix where I'll be getting married, and planning all the way from Orange County where I go to school (yes, it feels as crazy as it sounds). I loooooove Yogurtland, am slightly very obsessed with all things paper, am heavily addicted to wedding blogs, deeply desire a puppy, thoroughly enjoy cooking, cry when I watch (almost all) movies, thrive on solo car-karaoke, can't stop being sarcastic, am neurotic about taking pictures of almost everything I eat before I eat it, and aspire to travel the world. My super-talented fiance and I are attempting to DIY a majority of our massive (~350 guests) "clean & modern, yet romantic, but completely unexpected, with a teeny dash of vintage" wedding, stay within our not-so-massive budget, and somehow get a really luxe (but still fun!) look/feel at the same time. In music terms (since we're both really into music) think Coldplay meets Motown meets Kanye meets Sinatra.
Lately I’ve been finding myself SO caught up with wedding stuff, work (I work for a department office at my school), and school, that I never get around to working out.
Now, I’m not the kind of girl that will starve herself. For anything. Especially not a dress. My dress already fits me, but I’m also not the most naturally slim chick, either. I’ve always…
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Mrs. D'orsay, Baltimore/Lancaster UK
Age and Occupation: 24, Stay at home fiance (formerly in nonprofit communications)
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Web site developer and designer; co-owner of men's skincare shop
Engagement Date: August 10, 2008
Wedding Date: August, 2009
Venue: Oakland Manor
About Me: I'm a Maryland raised environmental policy wonk/activist/organizer and communications aficionado. In the past year I've lived in Baltimore, MD, Tucson, AZ, Miami, FL and Lancaster, England. In my not so spare time I enjoy planning trips with Mr. D' Orsay, visiting friends and family and crafting like a mo-fo. I also enjoy modern dance classes, rugby and soccer but have been banned by my mother, MOHs, and Mr. D' Orsay from playing till after the wedding. I have an unnatural addiction to cheese and shoes, but love Mr. D' Orsay more than either and can't wait to become Mrs. D' Orsay!
I’m finding with the wedding drawing closer and closer each day, my fitness goals seem harder to reach. I had been constantly trying to figure out how to add more cardio to my workouts to supplement my personal training sessions. Go to a class you might say? I don’t belong to a gym, and sadly, I’ve worked my JM Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism DVD into the ground.
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Create the honeymoon of your dreams.

Mrs. Stiletto, Chicago
Age and Occupation: 26, Non-Profit/Fundraising
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Engineer and Photographer
Engagement Date: March 2, 2008
Wedding Date: September 2009
Venue: The 19th Century Club
About Me: My fiance and I love living in the city of Chicago with our cats Basil and Linus, and vow to never move to the suburbs if we can possibly avoid it! We’ve poured ourselves into planning a wedding that reflects our personal style - modern and high contrast with a vintage twist. Blogging keeps me creative, baking keeps me happy, and grande nonfat no foam sugar free vanilla lattes keep me sane.
The countdown to the wedding is hanging precariously over my head, ticking away as the 30-day mark looms closer and closer... which will, of course, only speed toward the 15, 10, and 5 day markers! And before you know it, we’ll be at the night-before-the-wedding-point. Eeh.
I think Mr. S is starting to feel it too, however he’s not feeling the need to get a jump start on DIY projects or plan out the timeline. He’s instituted "two a days" in the Stiletto household.
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Mrs. Sunbeam, San Francisco/Grove City, PA
Age and Occupation: 26, Grad Student & Office Manager
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Motion Designer
Engagement Date: May 10, 2008
Wedding Date: September 2009
Venue: Harbison Chapel & The Maple Lane Farm
About Me: Mr. Sunbeam and I are high school sweethearts. We both come from a small town in PA but are growing to love the California lifestyle. He loves wine and I love cheese... the perfect combination! When I'm not drooling over wedding blogs, I'm attending grad school, out being a foodie, or attempting to "walk" our cat at the park. Two things guaranteed to excite me are wedding cakes and breaking out my suitcase to travel. Mr. Sunbeam and I are personalizing our hometown wedding to celebrate our high school sweetheart status and PA roots with a few CA touches. After ten years of dating we couldn't be more excited to call each other husband and wife!
Mr. Sunbeam and I used to belong to a gym. Strangely enough, about 5 months into our engagement we canceled our membership. Mr. Sunbeam’s job was no longer just down the road from our gym and I wasn’t motivated to go alone. Besides working full time and wedding planning, I am a part time student working on a Master’s degree, and there’s a lot of…
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Mrs. Labrador Retriever, Athens/Savannah
Age and Occupation: 24, Student/Sports Reporter
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Physical Therapy Assistant Student/Future Dr. of PT
Engagement Date: December 31, 2008
Wedding Date: November 2009
Venue: Whitfield Square/Savannah Station
About Me: I'm working on my second degree from UGA (Go Dawgs!). I'm a self-proclaimed attention-w****. If it involves a camera, I'm in front of it! You'll never meet a girlier tomboy than me. I can go toe to toe with any guy on the subject of college football, and lift more than any girl in my gym, all without chipping a nail. I hope to someday be the only person you want delivering your sports news. My FI and I are the loving parents of three Labrador Retrievers (one of each color) and are planning a "Southern Romantic Charm" wedding in the beautiful, historic city of Savannah. I'm not extreme in anything except moderation... and wedding planning.
I’m going to jump right into the gym stuff now that you’ve been introduced to a new way of looking at diets and food. Again, make sure you’ve had a recent physical and clearance from your doctor before starting any new exercise program. And certainly don’t start off too quickly! It took me a long time to work up to the weights I use. Just be patient. Pretty soon you’ll be challenging me to a lift-off! ;)
When it comes to cardio and weightlifting, you’ll need to determine a "split" that works with your schedule. A split just means how many days of the week you dedicate to working out all the muscle groups of your body. I currently have a 4-day lifting split.
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Mrs. Cub, Chile/Portland
Age and Occupation: 26, Astronomer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Astronomer
Engagement Date: May 10, 2008
Wedding Date: September 2009
Venue: Westwind YWCA camp
About Me: I'm a small-town girl who's making a living in Chile, with her heart in the Pacific Northwest. I grew up in Southern California, went to high school in Texas, grad school in New Mexico, and now I can't wait to settle down in Oregon! I love pears, hazelnuts,
knitting, traveling, running, baking, and long talks on the phone with
good friends. I'm planning my Oregon coast summer camp wedding while
abroad with my best friend - I'm always at home when I'm with him!
Sometimes I think I’m crazy. What was I thinking when I decided it’d be "great" to sign up for a marathon? While planning a wedding??
Oh right. I wanted to look like this.
Last weekend our long run was 14 miles. Let me tell you, that’s a lot of running. So. Much. Running. Every day - running. Get home from work - running. Plan some wedding on Saturday? Running. It really feels like I’m planning two marathons. Or running two weddings. I can’t remember.
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Mrs. Labrador Retriever, Athens/Savannah
Age and Occupation: 24, Student/Sports Reporter
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Physical Therapy Assistant Student/Future Dr. of PT
Engagement Date: December 31, 2008
Wedding Date: November 2009
Venue: Whitfield Square/Savannah Station
About Me: I'm working on my second degree from UGA (Go Dawgs!). I'm a self-proclaimed attention-w****. If it involves a camera, I'm in front of it! You'll never meet a girlier tomboy than me. I can go toe to toe with any guy on the subject of college football, and lift more than any girl in my gym, all without chipping a nail. I hope to someday be the only person you want delivering your sports news. My FI and I are the loving parents of three Labrador Retrievers (one of each color) and are planning a "Southern Romantic Charm" wedding in the beautiful, historic city of Savannah. I'm not extreme in anything except moderation... and wedding planning.
Official disclaimer: I’m no doctor, nutritionist, or personal trainer. Just a regular bride-to-BEE wanting to look smokin’ hot for her wedding day. ;) So what I’m basically trying to say is you should consult your physician before starting any diet or exercise program. I’m just sharing what’s worked for me because it would be selfish not to. It is certainly not to be taken too literally, as my goals are a lot different from the average person...
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Mrs. Labrador Retriever, Athens/Savannah
Age and Occupation: 24, Student/Sports Reporter
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Physical Therapy Assistant Student/Future Dr. of PT
Engagement Date: December 31, 2008
Wedding Date: November 2009
Venue: Whitfield Square/Savannah Station
About Me: I'm working on my second degree from UGA (Go Dawgs!). I'm a self-proclaimed attention-w****. If it involves a camera, I'm in front of it! You'll never meet a girlier tomboy than me. I can go toe to toe with any guy on the subject of college football, and lift more than any girl in my gym, all without chipping a nail. I hope to someday be the only person you want delivering your sports news. My FI and I are the loving parents of three Labrador Retrievers (one of each color) and are planning a "Southern Romantic Charm" wedding in the beautiful, historic city of Savannah. I'm not extreme in anything except moderation... and wedding planning.
I’m ashamed of myself. As I near the 100-day mark I’ve become more and more aware of one thing in this wedding planning process that I’ve completely neglected: my health.
I came to this (not-so-abrupt) realization yesterday when I had to call in sick to my internship. I had somehow forgotten to drink water/liquids the entire day before and was severely dehydrated. Desert-dehydrated. Nearly hospitalized-dehydrated. Dehydrated…
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Mrs. Mouse, Austin
Age and Occupation: 25, Attorney
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Civil Engineer
Engagement Date: December 19, 2007
Wedding Date: September 2009
Venue: Barr Mansion
About Me: I just graduated from law school and will be taking the bar, getting married, going on a honeymoon with my guy, and then trying to figure out what I'm going to do with the rest of my life. I was born and raised in a small East Texas town, but I'm no country girl! I'm obsessed with British accents, fantasy (including Harry Potter, of course), and classic rock. My fiance and I consider ourselves both music and beer snobs--but every once in awhile we love to hear a crappy band and drink a cheap brew or two. We're planning an eco-friendly, casual, English garden affair for the end of summer, and we can't wait for it to get here!
Hi hive! I’m now T-minus seven days until the first day of the bar exam. You probably won’t hear a lot from me over the next few days, but I don’t want you guys to forget about me!
While the majority of my time these last couple of weeks has been spent reading over volumes of notes, taking practice multiple choice tests, and writing practice essays,…
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Mrs. Apple Cider, New York/Charlotte
Age and Occupation: 27, Corporate Communications Manager
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Grad Student – Clinical Mental Health
Engagement Date: September 13, 2008
Wedding Date: October 2009
Venue: Banner Elk Winery & Blueberry Villa
About Me: I am a North Carolina girl with a New York City spirit. I love crafting, blogging, laughing and dreaming. I know every word to the Anne of Green Gables and Little Women movies. I own every single Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine and have been dreaming of weddings since I was little. I believe life is about doing what makes you happy. If you aren't happy re-evaluate what you are doing. You should never look back on your life and not be proud of what you are doing. If you want to travel - travel. If you want to sing - sing. If you want to start a company - start a company. If you want to blog – blog!
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As most brides are, I am trying to get in shape before the big day. I have been working at getting in shape for the last year. I have been working out more, I got a trainer at the gym, and have generally been trying to get healthy.
As most of you know, I had hip surgery in April that left me on crutches for 6…
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Mrs. Avocado, Seattle
Age and Occupation: 23, Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Consultant
Engagement Date: July 27, 2008
Wedding Date: October, 2008
Blogging Since: June 30, 2008
Venue: LDS Seattle Temple & Hotel 1000
About Me: Somehow this little farm girl found herself a genuine Pole to fall in love and eventually move away to Poland with. I am an LDS bride attempting to plan a private religious ceremony, ring ceremony, seated reception for 100, and an open house while coordinating for guests flying in from across the United States and as far away as Poland. I try to avoid fads, excess waste, and saturated fat. I strongly endorse photography, DDR, calorie counting, rss feeds, cooking, and utilizing your resources.
In 17 days, my little sister and I will be switching roles from the ones we had last October. I’ll be the MOH and she’ll be the bride! LDS girls tend to have short engagements (mine was quite long at 7 months), and she’s pulling this thing together in just over two months.
I’m so happy for her, and I’m very excited to be wearing the…
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