Mrs. Husky, DenverAge and Occupation: 26, Systems AdministratorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Mechanical Engineer, recently laid offEngagement Date: August 14, 2009Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: Rancho San CarlosAbout Me: I am planning a quirky-crafty wedding with my recently out-of-work fiancé for a (fingers crossed!) warm October afternoon. We are two self-professed nerds with an affinity for all things outdoors---be it rain, snow or shine. Recently relocated from the drizzly Northwest, we're enjoying the many sun-soaked days in the mile high city. Our day will be filled with both of our large families and friends, a self-served Cajun feast, and a Zydeco-style jazz band rocking beneath the beams of a historic red barn.
We ladies know that there is one week out of every month that we should not wear white. But what if your wedding day happens to fall right smack in the middle?
I’ve been on the pill for years, and my cycle is pretty regular, which is how I know that it’s due to start the day of our wedding. I was horrified when I realized this, and made a beeline for the doctor’s office. I asked her if there was a safe way to delay or skip that cycle, and she had two suggestions:
Mrs. Sand Dollar, HoustonAge and Occupation: 24, Graphic DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Electrical TechnicianEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: MacLean ParkAbout Me: I'm a domestic diva down to the core. I heart cooking, sewing, baking, decorating and making sure we have a hand-crafted home. The best part about the wedding is I get to incorporate it all! I make sure I put my art degree to good use by screen printing, craft knife cutting, and a whole lotta graphic design. We're having a big-time party on a small-time budget, and I promise to show you a boot-scootin', barbecue-eatin', finger-lickin' good time! Mr. Sand Dollar and I spend most of our time on DIY projects or traipsing around the outdoors with our two pooches Rory and Juno. I'm looking forward to sharing our journey with all of you!
A Coca-Cola addict! I’ve been chugging this stuff since pre-k, and it’s only gotten worse with age. I’m talking a four-a-day habit, guys. I’m a hardcore user. One thing that really burns my biscuits about the wedding machine is how they almost force brides to try to be their thinnest on their wedding day. Now, I have no problems with presenting a healthy, beautiful you, but since when do we have to hit the gym five days a week for just one day? I don’t think it’s fair, and though I thoroughly applaud those of you who have the discipline and commitment to achieve those goals, I’m 100% fine with the way I look. It’s the exact same way I looked when Mr. SD proposed, and that’s who he’ll see walking down the aisle.
Mrs. Earrings, Fresno, CA/ Nelson, New ZealandAge and Occupation: 20, Student, Wannabe Writer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 19, Photography StudentEngagement Date: February 14, 2010Wedding Date: January 2011Venue: Gardens of the WorldAbout Me: I'm a girl from down under who grew up in Indonesia and I'm marrying a California boy. I'm addicted to all things sweet, have never met a chocolate silk pie than can get the better of me, and have dreams of one day being a fulltime novelist. I go weak in the knees for lace, tea cups, and a beautifully crafted sentence. When I get excited about something (whether it is historical linguistics or the Beatles) I tend to go overboard in research, and planning this wedding is no different. Mr. Earrings is my high school sweetheart, my best friend, and somehow we combine all our quirks into one big happy mess.
Note: The following post discusses the subject of eating disorders. For some people who are struggling with an eating disorder now, or who have a loved one who is struggling in this area, parts of this may be hard to read. So, this is just a heads up.
One thing our pre-marital counselor emphasised to us is that the best gift we can give each other when beginning our marriage is a healthy Miss E, and a healthy Mr E. “Healthy” in this sense encompassing physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. In this way, when we ourselves are healthy, we are free to be the best person we can be for our partner, to care for their needs and start off life together on a more stable footing.
This has had me thinking a lot. Now, I know good physical health is a luxury some of us just don’t have, myself included, for no fault of our own. What I’m talking about is not that we all must be the epitome of healthiness or we are bad spouses, instead I am focusing on our respect for our own bodies and respect for our health (in all areas). This strikes a chord inside me in a very uncomfortable place.
See, for the last few years I have not been very caring or respectful towards myself. Read more…
Mrs. Octopus, Boston, MA/Pittsburgh, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Grad StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Graphics Operator for TV NewsEngagement Date: May 6th, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Heinz Chapel Ceremony, Museum Reception
About Me: When my best friend dragged me to a toga party in our freshmen year of college, I was not expecting to meet my future husband; but seven years later, here we are. I'm a crazy-organized planner at heart, and I am a great lover of random trivia, books, chocolate, blogs, new and exciting adventures, mockumentary-style television, and anything heavily flavored with bright orange fake cheese powder. We're planning a festive and fun mini-destination wedding in the place where we met: fabulous Pittsburgh, PA! I can't wait to marry the man I love!
For the most part, I am not self-conscious about the way I look, despite how badly Facebook and its advertisers apparently wish that I were. No lie, I just opened the site, and today’s warning is that my teeth need to be whiter than my wedding dress. Thanks guys.
However, I do have a slight hang-up about one physical aspect of myself that, curiously, Facebook has yet to threaten me about. I think I have really crappy posture, and I often have to remind myself to drag my slumping shoulders upright. I tend to think I look like these photos that earned Miley a bunch of criticism for her posture, although I also think I’m self-conscious enough that I’m probably overexaggerating it to myself:
Mrs. Hot Wings, Chicago/San DiegoAge and Occupation: 28, ProfessorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, InstructorEngagement Date: December 20, 2008Wedding Date: August 2010Venue: Ocean View Villas/Jasmine Seafood RestaurantAbout Me: I am a psychology grad student living in Chicago and planning my wedding to a fellow psych grad student. I am a Sunny So-Cal bred gal who trudged across the country to follow her love of psychology and ended up finding a partner in the process. I am overly passionate about anything I involve myself with. I am an activist, a foodie, a reality TV watching junkie, an over-analyzer, a photography obsesser, and am utterly cheesy to the core. This is a story of what happens when a boy and a girl meet, fall in love over academic dorkiness, and a shared love for life. We (mostly I) are planning our semi-destination wedding in my hometown of San Diego. We are excited to bring our families and friends together from across our lifespans to celebrate our future in a grand 400+ person culturally blended affair!
I fear summer for one major reason! Les Mosquitoes!!! They find me, they eat me, and they leave a mess of destruction behind them. It’s sad because I rarely feel them on my skin. So I can’t ward them off before they eat me. I have tried everything: the belt clip that fans repellent around me, citronella candles, deet sprays, etc. I won’t even start itching until the next day. About 12 hours after a bite, I see these…
Mrs. Socks, Southern NJ/Philadelphia, PAAge and Occupation: 23, Web Developer/Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Systems EngineerEngagement Date: September 7, 2009
Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: Ladder 15 RestaurantAbout Me: I am originally from the Midwest, but I love being an East Coast transplant! Mr. Socks and I are foodies and winos to the core---give us a hunk of cheese, some charcuterie and a glass of wine and we could die happy. We have two mischievous Wire Fox Terriers with completely opposite personalities but with a shared love of uprooting anything in our garden. Our backyard garden includes everything from tomatoes and peppers to a fig tree, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries! I love cooking, indie music, and spending time in our wedding city of choice---Philly!
You wanna know why I picked the little Socks icon? It’s actually very poignant to not only my wedding planning, but my day-to-day life.
I sweat.
No, but really. I sweat a LOT.
I was born with what’s called hyperhidrosis, and it’s an overactive nervous system that causes sweating in my hands and feet (some people have it on the face and underarms as well).
Mrs. Dolphin, Gainesville, FLAge and Occupation: 24, Graduate Architecture StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Interactive Interface DeveloperEngagement Date: February 14, 2008Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Plantation Bay Country ClubAbout Me: I’m currently a Graduate Student at the University of Florida studying Architecture. I enjoy playing Scrabble with my Fiance, rooting for the Florida Gators, making any drink that involves a blender, cleaning (yes... I’m crazy), design... GOOD design that is, the new Pepsi with natural sugar, taking pictures, discovering new places in the U.S., and obsessing over doing (and designing) everything myself for our upcoming wedding!
Last week, we found out that our cousin Brandon (little B who walked his little sister, KK, down the aisle at our wedding) was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
Brandon and his Sister, KK, at our wedding. Aren’t they adorable? Serious cuteness overload!
photo by Brandon and KK’s Momma
We were completely shocked and heartbroken when we found out. Read more…
Mrs. Guinea Pig, Baltimore, MD Age and Occupation: 26, PhD student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Operations Director at a non-profit Engagement Date: December 25, 2008 Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: The Chesapeake Bay Beach Club About Me: I'm a tomboy science nerd whose girly side has made a startling appearance thanks to wedding planning! I love to bake, knit and sew but I also ride a motorcycle (that Mr. Guinea Pig wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole). We live with our three crazy cats and love to read, travel, watch movies, and do home improvement projects together! My parents/family are Canadian but I'm definitely American, although I've lived in 5 different countries, 6 different states, and speak Russian fluently. Mr. GP and I met online (did I mention I'm a scientist?) and had a whirlwind romance - now we can't wait to get married & celebrate with all our friends and family in a blue and yellow waterfront affair!
This is how my sister and I have learned to start conversations on the phone with our mom that might otherwise cause her to freak out and book emergency plane tickets across the country. We’ve both learned this from experience - me, from the time I called her in college, sobbing and incoherent after taking my friend to the hospital, and all I could get out was, “I’m at the hospital.” Let’s just say panic ensued until she realized I personally was not injured or in danger. From then on, I have been instructed to always start a conversation where I am not in danger, but could sound like it, with “I’m fine.”
Earlier this week, I drove to work(/school - same thing for me) at about the same time I usually do, the same route I always take. I was 30 seconds from the parking garage, and needed to make one last left turn from a one-way street to be on the garage street. The left hand turn lane was open in front of me, I flipped on my signal. As I approached the light turned green, so I started to turn.
Then I noticed that the school bus that was in the middle lane (to my right, with no turn signal on) had also decided to turn left. At that moment all I thought was, ‘You have got to be kidding me.’
(Lumbering school bus vs. my regular old car (not my actual car, but the same make/model))
Mrs. Scissors, LaGrange, GAAge and Occupation: 25, Photography & Graphic DesignFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 1, 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Ceremony - First United Methodist Church; Reception - My parents' house!About Me: I’m a six-foot-three bride with a fifty-foot personality! I love great art, fabulous design, intense color, tons of music, indie photography, watching movies on repeat, and being really awesome. This super-tall, Southern, loud, quirky, neurotic artist is marrying a German, quiet, silly, super-amazing roboticist in an eclectic, funky, fun, snazzy, technicolored June wedding. Anything is game for this shindig, for it is all about us! We’re bringing giant paper cranes, six-foot-tall portraits, fortune cookies, a photo booth, a club-circuit DJ, handcuffs, and possibly a kidnapping to this small Southern town. Watch out, y’all, and try to keep up!
On Friday morning, I was sitting outside for around two hours in a cardigan. No big deal, right? It’s still early-ish spring, and thinking about body sunscreen wasn’t really high on my list of priorities. Read more…
Mrs. Frozen Yogurt, DallasAge and Occupation: 28, Special Projects CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Equity TraderEngagement Date: March 19, 2009Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: Marie Gabrielle, DallasAbout 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.
But for some reason I’m not worried about falling at the ceremony or tripping during the first dance, though maybe I should be.
However, I am terrified that I’m going to hurt myself in some unsuspecting way in the next 2 weeks. I’ve managed to make it this far with only a broken finger (which has healed nicely, by the way), but every day that we go hiking, I envision myself tripping over rocks or tree roots. Read more…
Ms. Potato Chips, Boston/Narragansett RIAge and Occupation: 29, PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Personal Trainer/Business Owner/Physical Therapy AssistantEngagement Date: January 1, 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: The Narragansett TowersAbout Me: A semi-professional bookworm, if I could be a literary character I’d be a cross between Jo March and Jane Eyre, only better accessorized and much lazier. My hobbies include sleeping in, seasonal brews, running, Trader Joe’s, and watching Unwrapped and Good Eats with Mr. Potato Chips. I harbor an irrational fear of tulle, crafts, things that are fussy, and overuse of the phrase "Your Special Day". After a year or seven together, down the aisle we go, slouching toward adulthood and planning a Rhodie party with equal parts whimsy, cheer, and pizza.
Oh spring. Harbinger of bunnies and butterflies and blue bonnets. This is the time of year that I like to go outside, stretch my limbs up to the sun, and go back inside until November.
I’ve mentioned my allergy to fragrances. But I’m also allergic to trees, weeds, pollen, mold, dust, dust mites, cats, dogs, horses, and hay. An outdoorswoman I am not. Nature and I have a bit of a tumultuous relationship. Although my allergies stay with me year-round, they’re always the worst during spring and early summer.
Who’s ready for a spring/early summer wedding?!
If you are a fellow allergy-sufferer, you know too well the havoc an attack can wreak on your body. It is terrible. The puffy face, the leaking nose, the red, itchy eyes. The day after an allergy attack I experience what I call an allergy hangover. My body is exhausted and I feel drained and loopy.
I used to suffer full-blown allergy attacks monthly, if not weekly (daily in April/May). Luckily, I rarely have allergy attacks anymore, maybe a few a year. Still, my dress doesn’t have pockets to hold my tissues so let’s review some anti-allergy strategies. Read more…
Mrs. Pug, New York City/Half Moon Bay, CAAge and Occupation: 33, LawyerFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, dittoEngagement Date: July 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon BayAbout Me: The Mr. and I are two 30-somethings who enjoy tasty sweets of all kinds, our neighborhood wine store, and cuddling with our pug. NYC is where we live and the city we love, but we’re doing the deed out in Northern California. We are trying to keep the affair small, intimate, and manageable. Our motto is: the less people, the better! (I’m kidding.)
Ew. I am like a magnet for mosquito bites. I will get bitten to death while Mr. Pug, in the same environment, will be bite free. Jerk. Just kidding. But really, I hate mosquitoes.
There are theories as to why this happens, including something about people like me emitting chemical compounds like uric acid/urea (great, I am *peeing* out of my pores), but no one knows for sure.
Unfortunately, Bali is full of these little f&*kers. Read more…
Mrs. Sewing, San Mateo, CA/Honolulu, HIAge and Occupation: 24, Electrical EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Electrical EngineerEngagement Date: June 27, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Anela Garden Chapel & Japanese Cultural Center, HonoluluAbout Me: I'm an easily entertained, compulsive idea-scheming machine who loves good art, good food, and a good engineering challenge. I'm planning a half-destination wedding on the beautiful island of Oahu - imagine a plethora of movies, art and games; savory Hawaiian food; blended Chinese and Japanese cultural details; lush, fragrant tropical flowers and all the air conditioning a NorCal native could want! And once I marry the love of my life, we'll come back to the 'mainland' to party it up all over again in my hometown of Salinas, the salad-bowl capital of the world!
Friends, Mr. Sew has a problem. Actually, he has two problems.
First, he gets sick when he travels. Every. Single. Time. For example, on our planning trip a couple months ago, he was sick upon arrival—fever, snot, the works. By the end of the week it had petered down to a cough, but he was still miserable for a while.
Secondly, he gets sick when he’s nervous. Well, I think most people do, but he gets REALLY sick. He was sick for an entire month when we first started dating. I think it’s really sweet now, but at for a while all I could remember is him throwing up on my roommate’s rug and her being seriously mad. He even went to the doctor, who (like any good college doctor) tested him for mono, and then sent him home with the pronouncement that there was nothing wrong with him. Uh, other than the fact that he was vomiting at least once a day. But eventually I stopped scaring him or something, because the stomach lurches luckily ended.
I think you can see the problem here. Wedding = travel & nerves.
The last thing I want is a sick husband the day-of. And we definitely don’t need his illnesses keeping us from enjoying our limited honeymoon vacation.
Mrs. Parfait, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 26, TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Senior Online ConsultantEngagement Date: February 14, 2009Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: Signature EventsAbout Me: I have a soft spot for all things sweet and romantic. Desserts, love songs, sappy movies? Yes, yes, and ohh yes. My fiance and I enjoy singing to our dogs, creating crazy ice cream sundaes, and generally being lovey dovey cuddle bunnies. We also do socially acceptable things like dancing, throwing Frisbees, playing high stakes board games, and taking unreasonably fun road-trips. We're planning a Korean/Serbian wedding with plenty of playful, personal touches!
The mister and I knew we wanted to live in the heart of Chicago after we got married, so we decided to start looking around. On our first and only day of apartment-hunting, we came across THE perfect condo. Mr. Parfait made an offer. They accepted; he signed the papers; we started packing.
“Packing?!” you say? Yep, we decided to move in right away—it was way too beautiful and exciting to ignore until April. It was a two-week process from choosing the place to moving in. It’s been a whirlwind, and it’s not over yet!
Wanna see our new place? This is one of my favorite parts:
Chef Bear approves of our kitchen
As mentioned in the title, moving was an adventure. The two of us took turns in ambulances and emergency rooms for injuries that were out of our control. Don’t worry—we’re doing just fine! Here’s the short version: Read more…
Mrs. Pug, New York City/Half Moon Bay, CAAge and Occupation: 33, LawyerFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, dittoEngagement Date: July 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon BayAbout Me: The Mr. and I are two 30-somethings who enjoy tasty sweets of all kinds, our neighborhood wine store, and cuddling with our pug. NYC is where we live and the city we love, but we’re doing the deed out in Northern California. We are trying to keep the affair small, intimate, and manageable. Our motto is: the less people, the better! (I’m kidding.)
I have a few ideas on things not to do right before your wedding. I learned these from the aftermath of my “pre-wedding celebration” (i.e. bridal shower/bachelorette party) last week, and the lessons generally fit into the theme of “Safety First”.
Thing Not to Do Right Before Your Wedding #1: Dance on a Stripper Pole
Yes, you heard it, I made out with a stripper pole. Dancing on a stripper pole is hard work, people. I didn’t know this, and neither did I consider this in my inebriated state during the festivities. Two things happened the next day which weren’t so pleasant, and things that I would not want to happen on the wedding day: Read more…
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