Miss Lamb, Norfolk
Age and Occupation: 25, Homeland Security Consultant
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Graduate Student
Engagement Date: January 2009
Wedding Date: January 2010
Venue: Trinity Presbyterian Church/Harrison Opera House
About Me: I’m a Homeland Security Consultant with a tendency towards pulling office pranks, taking lunch breaks, and drinking Wawa shakes. I’m also an English major with a serious obsession with alliteration and rhymes. While I’m not keeping America safe, I’m training for half marathons and the Escape from Alcatraz swim. Or moving for the third time this year. Or baking. Or wedding crafting. Or crying about wedding planning. All the while, I’m getting myself into Lucille Ball-esque scrapes and making Jim Carey-esque faces. Our big fat Czech/Baptist/Jewish/Italian wedding is a combination of vintage eclectic, DIY, and little spoonful of sugar from our Event Coordinator. It’s going to be a Norfolk flavored wedding with the verve of an only-daughter-blow-out bash!
After seeing this gorgeous AND practical AND sentimental AND fun guestbook idea at Vintage Glam and then a million other places, my Lambalicious Planner convinced me that we could make this work at out more-early-20th-century vibed reception.
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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!
You will remember from this post that we really wanted a unique guest book. When I saw a bench used for another wedding, I knew that I wanted to go that route.
(image source)
Mr. AC and I are incredibly lucky, as our friend is an amazing wood worker (he owns Hill Country Woodworks) and he very generously made us a bench to use as our guestbook.…
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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.
We went through a million ideas for our guestbook - from an adorable "wish tree" to a typewriter tell-all, to everything in between. We finally settled on the Polaroid guestbook. It incorporates Mr. S’s love of photography and it’s an interactive element with our guests.
Since we knew we wanted to do one of these:
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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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I’m not sure that I want to go the traditional route with the guest book, but I have not really decided what I want to do either. Here are some things I’m considering for our guest book.
Using our engagement pictures as a photo book for guests to sign:
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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!
As much as I think our wedding is the next to last thing on Mr. Sunbeam’s mind at times, I was surprised one night to find that he bought a little something for our wedding without me even asking!
Alright, it’s not really a “little” something. This 1.5 L bottle of wine is our guestbook! I had been stressing over the fact that I hadn’t scanned…
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Mrs. Taffy, Ann Arbor
Age and Occupation: 28, Color and Materials Designer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Automotive Designer
Engagement Date: May 9, 2008
Wedding Date: May 2009
Blogging Since: September 14, 2008
Venue: University of Michigan Union
About Me: I’m a girl who is crazy about Mr. Taffy, sewing, dancing, almost all types of sweets, and our cute pet canaries. I dislike touching fuzzy fabric of any kind, eating somewhat squishy food, and Michigan winters. Mr. Taffy and I are having a blast planning our Ann Arbor wedding, and cannot wait to share our day with friends and family.
When we started to think about our guestbook set up, we agreed that making cards for the guests to sign was the best route for us. I wasn’t sure how I wanted the final guestbook to look, and I liked the idea of being able to assemble it after the wedding. A friend had already lent us a birdcage for our cards, so we purchased…
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Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
Mrs. Bruschetta, Philadelphia
Age and Occupation: 25, Communication Professional
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Physical Therapy Graduate Student
Engagement Date: November 30, 2007
Wedding Date: August 2009
Venue: St. Thomas of Villanova Church & the F.U.E.L. House
About Me: I’m a self-proclaimed grammar geek who loves singing (like, really belting it) in the car. My mister and I are planning a vibrant summer soiree celebrating our passions – including food and Philly – and when we make it official, we’ll have been together for eight years! Being super competitive is in my nature, and talking excessively is in my genes. I’ve got a terrible sense of direction, but can always easily find my way into Mr. Bruschetta’s arms.
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I was initially very resistant to theme our wedding. While I totally admired weddings that carried a cohesive “feel” from the paper products through the reception, I doubted I’d be able to mastermind something similar on my own. I was also hesitant to select an element — graphic or otherwise — on which to “build” the wedding; what if I tired of it in the…
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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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Mr. AC and I try to be different. When it comes to our wedding, we want people to think about some of the unique angles and want them to be impressed (who doesn’t right?!). Lately, guestbooks have been on my mind. I actually never really understood guestbooks. In 20 years, am I really going to forget who came to my wedding? I think guestbooks have…
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Mrs. Bruschetta, Philadelphia
Age and Occupation: 25, Communication Professional
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Physical Therapy Graduate Student
Engagement Date: November 30, 2007
Wedding Date: August 2009
Venue: St. Thomas of Villanova Church & the F.U.E.L. House
About Me: I’m a self-proclaimed grammar geek who loves singing (like, really belting it) in the car. My mister and I are planning a vibrant summer soiree celebrating our passions – including food and Philly – and when we make it official, we’ll have been together for eight years! Being super competitive is in my nature, and talking excessively is in my genes. I’ve got a terrible sense of direction, but can always easily find my way into Mr. Bruschetta’s arms.
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Two months before Sister Bruschetta’s November 2007 wedding, I decided she needed a fun card box. I still don’t know what inspired that thought; I just woke up one day and told her I’d take over this detail, if she trusted me with it.
Crafty Miss Bruschetta emerged — remember her? — and despite the fact that she (um, I) had no idea how to go about…
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Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los Angeles
Age and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical Student
Engagement Date: May 30, 2008
Wedding Date: March, 2009
Blogging Since: April, 2008
Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del Rey
About Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
Here’s a Hot Cocoa-ism: Craptastic (adj.) = full of awesomely cheap knick knacks.
Craptastic is one of the highest honors I can bestow on a place of shopping. Hong Kong: craptastic. Bangkok: craptasticler. Saigon: craptasticest.
Today, I bestow this adjective on the Christmas Tree Store, where I bought the items for our guestbook vignette.
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Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los Angeles
Age and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical Student
Engagement Date: May 30, 2008
Wedding Date: March, 2009
Blogging Since: April, 2008
Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del Rey
About Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
For Valentine’s Day, I gave Mr. HC a Blurb book, entitled The Hot Cocoas: The First Fifteen Years. But lest you get the misimpression that I’m such the loving fiancee, devoting endless hours to doing romantic gestures for Mr. HC, I should tell you that the book is actually our guestbook. (I’m all about 2-for-1 deals.)
I scanned in ephemera from our relationship, including notes we…
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Mrs. Penguin, Northern California
Age and Occupation: 27, Weddingbee Editor in Chief
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Doctor of Physical Therapy
Engagement Date: January 29, 2007
Wedding Date: June 7, 2008
Blogging Since: September 14, 2007
Venue: Winery in the Gold Country
About Me: I love the Spice Girls, dogs with underbites, bean burritos, making messes, high fives, avoiding showers, crossword puzzles, blogs, weddings, and blogs about weddings!
Hey you! I see you over there, hoarding all that Polaroid film! Well, breathe a sigh of relief… your Polaroid cameras won’t remain empty for long!
Sarah K. Chen (left photo)
I got an email in my inbox this morning from the maker of our Polaroid guestbook, Adesso Albums. Apparently, a Dutch company has picked up production of Polaroid film!
ENSCHEDE, Netherlands—A new company based in the Netherlands…
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Mrs. Milkshake, Seattle/Vancouver, BC
Age and Occupation: 23, Pharmacist
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Pharmacist
Engagement Date: May 2007
Wedding Date: August 2008
Blogging Since: December 6, 2007
Venue: Victorian Mansion
About 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.
When I posted photos of the MyPublisher album I made for my cousin, someone asked me to post pictures of our MyPublisher wedding guestbook, so here it is. I have a little more insight on the process and the end result at the end of this post. It involved a lot of scanning by me, Mr. Milkshake, and my dad.
I coerced our best man into…
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Mrs. Crab Cake, Columbus, GA
Age and Occupation: 25, Registered Nurse
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Director of Education and Living History for a museum
Engagement Date: April 6, 2008
Wedding Date: June, 2009
Blogging Since: November 26, 2008
Venue: Holy Family Catholic Church, reception: National Infantry Museum
About Me: I'm a perfectionist trying to balance two jobs, motherhood, my craft obsession, and wedding planning. I am obsessed with all things wedding, especially creative ideas for saving money and DIY projects. A Southern Belle at heart, I love anything southern, especially sweet tea, grits, afternoon thunder storms, crab cakes, and good old Southern hospitality. Mr. Crab Cake and I are planning a vintage inspired wedding with tons of Southern flare (can y'all say that with a thick Southern drawl?).
I am doing a quilt guestbook. I want something we can hang in our house and enjoy daily as a sweet reminder of our special day. We have decided that an actual quilt is probably a bad idea, for several reasons. Reason numero uno, bed get used and abused. Small children pee in them. People get sick. Mr. Crab Cake has bloody noses when he is over tired.…
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Mrs. Powder Puff, Chicago
Age and Occupation: 25, Preschool Teacher
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Career Services
Engagement Date: May, 2008
Wedding Date: July, 2009
Blogging Since: November 12, 2008
Venue: Outdoor ceremony, banquet hall reception
About Me: I am your typical Midwestern girl attempting to plan a sane, budget-friendly, fun wedding to the man of my dreams. I love shoes, laughing at “Platinum Weddings”, crafts, inspiration boards, candy, and basically anything I can DIY. While weddings can certainly be all-consuming, I honestly can’t wait until the ceremony is over and I can finally call Mr. Powder Puff my husband!
I have a confession.
I am completely insecure… when it comes to my projects. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love crafting. But halfway through the project I end up second guessing myself and quit. Or, if I do keep going, I end up hating it when I’m finished.
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