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!
Leaving Hiroshima, we headed to Fukuoka to meet up with Mr. Sew’s parents. They live in Sasebo, which is near Nagasaki, and decided to bus up to visit with us for a day.
Mr. Sew’s dad wanted to check out a nearby park (Ohori), which had a traditional Japanese garden and the fastest-swimming koi I have ever seen.
Ms. Stripes, Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 29, Costume Designer/StylistFiancee's Age and Occupation: 29, ChefEngagement Date: June 23, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Heritage Square MuseumAbout Me: I’m a type A creative with a messy streak, a loud mouth, and an uncanny knack for combining clashing patterns. I can usually be found with my nose in a book, my feet (or at least my toes) on the ground, my head in the clouds, and my arm around the prettiest girl you ever saw- aka
Fiancee Stripes. Together we’re planning a FUN vintage/modern French carnival wedding extravaganza and rockin’ dance party on a dime. (Say that three times fast!) Good coffee, long lists, Uniball pens, and my iPhone keep me sane, and making art, making trouble, and making out keep me happy! I love urban adventures, bike rides that end with afternoon drinks, breakfast for dinner, beautiful light, photography, travel, my furry family, and of course, my beautiful fiancee! I’m super excited to be here and can’t wait to share all our adventures as we craft a joyful, budget-friendly, design-savvy and all-around AWESOME wedding!
It’s moving week here in Stripe world. Sigh. As I sit on my couch writing this post I’m surrounded by half-finished STDs and an ever increasing sea of boxes that make my heart race. And not in a good way. And then there’s the wedding crap.
Have you ever looked around at the fast accumulating wedding crap that’s taking over your house/apartment/life and wondered, ‘what the hell am I gonna do with this stuff after the wedding?’
In attempting to have a green (ish) wedding I like to think about where this stuff is going after our wedding and not just rejoice in my initial discovery. Read more…
Mrs. Glasses, Tokyo/Los Angeles, CAAge and Occupation: 24, English teacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, English teacherEngagement Date: September 2008Wedding Date: October 2010 Venue: Parents' backyardAbout Me: I’m an expat living in Tokyo. I’ve been in Japan for almost three years now, where I met my fantastic English fiance. It’s time to leave Japan, so we are planning a fun, intimate, backyard ceremony back home in the suburbs of L.A. in October. Our wedding will be a mix of my love for food, beer, my Japanese culture, and Mr. G’s Englishness. We are on a tiny budget and DIYing almost everything!
I loooooove to play tour guide. I love it when my friends come visit me so I can have a sense of renewed appreciation for Tokyo. I’ve become a bit jaded and everything that was once cool and exciting is now banal. Well, dear readers, I get to do what I love to do now. I’m gonna let you in on some romantic and interesting places to visit in and around Tokyo! Hopefully you’ll consider a honeymoon here! I’ve got a lot of advice to give but this is just one location that is special to my heart.
First up, you can’t miss Hakone, located in Kanagawa prefecture to the west of Tokyo. This is a mountainous area famous for Lake Ashi and spectacular views of Mount Fuji. The most economical way to get there is the Odakyu Line Romance car (reserved seating), which takes 85 minutes and costs roughly $20. A regular express train (non-reserved seating) costs about $11 and takes about 2 hours. I’ve been to Hakone many times, including our 2 year anniversary, so I’ll use my personal pictures to give you a peek:
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!
As we left Tokyo on the shinkansen that Saturday morning, we traveled back in time to a more traditional, more historical Japan: Kyoto.
I cannot say enough about how awesome the Capsule Ryokan we stayed at was. The owner greeted us at the door (in very good English, I might add), and showed us how our room worked. Yes, the room required explanation. It even came with a binder of instructions! Every Sew’s dream room! Read more…
Mrs. Piglet, Virginia/OahuAge and Occupation: 28, ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Entrepreneur/Fashion Apparel Wholesale ImporterEngagement Date: June 22, 2008Wedding Date: August 2009Venue: Ceremony at the Lanikuhonua Phase II private estate, reception at a historic hotel in WaikikiAbout Me: I'm an East Coast gal with intense road rage and an addiction to romantic comedies, fast food, gadgets, Korean BBQ, and my wiener dog George aka Georgia May. I carry mustard packets in my purse and I love perusing the aisles at discount stores. A self proclaimed shopaholic, I impulsively buy electronics, software, and craft tools; none of which I know how to use. I'm excited to dust
these babies off and immerse myself in DIY projects galore in
preparation for our DW in paradise!
This post was originally published on July 22nd, 2009
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After printing and cutting the cardstock for our programs, the lingering question was how we would bind it all together. Initially, we were going to punch an eyelet in the corner to allow the sheets to cascade out and act as a fan, but… I dunno… I just changed my mind. I’m sick of eyelets (kinda sorta). These days, I can’t take a step in the apartment without finding an eyelet stuck to the bottom of my foot, and that bugs me to no end! My hand is a bit cramped, too.
Since we’re short on time, I would’ve been content with ribbon holding it all together, but a YouTube tutorial on Japanese stab binding kept creeping into my head. I first discovered it when looking for invitation ideas. At the time, my obsession was booklet-style invitations. But since we never went down the booklet route, I dismissed the idea altogether. Now, with our programs totaling 7 pages, this idea was perfect.
The tutorial itself is a very basic technique. But if you’re looking for a more intricate design, it can be done!
Mrs. Glasses, Tokyo/Los Angeles, CAAge and Occupation: 24, English teacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, English teacherEngagement Date: September 2008Wedding Date: October 2010 Venue: Parents' backyardAbout Me: I’m an expat living in Tokyo. I’ve been in Japan for almost three years now, where I met my fantastic English fiance. It’s time to leave Japan, so we are planning a fun, intimate, backyard ceremony back home in the suburbs of L.A. in October. Our wedding will be a mix of my love for food, beer, my Japanese culture, and Mr. G’s Englishness. We are on a tiny budget and DIYing almost everything!
I can’t imagine a more perfect place to take engagement photos. I know there are lots of great places out there in the U.S. of A., but Tokyo really is an awesome place. Let’s take a look at some of the areas we hope to be shooting at and some inspiration!
If it’s a clear day, a perfect view of the Tokyo skyline can be seen from the Odaiba islands.
Miss Cherry Pie, Seattle/Polebridge, MontanaAge and Occupation: 25, Marketing Communications SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Nurse PractitionerEngagement Date: August 26, 2006Wedding Date: September 2008Blogging Since: April 1, 2008Venue: A tiny town just outside of Glacier National ParkAbout Me: I think of life as a journey and I love the places it's taking me! I went to school to study Magazine Journalism, ended up with a second major in Japanese language, and now work at a company that makes software for libraries. I love writing, computers, photography, and the great outdoors. I spend most of my time playing Guitar Hero and Rock Band or geeking out online with Mr. Cherry Pie. I'm happiest when I'm on the road, especially traveling abroad, or just nesting quietly at home with my sweetie, who is a fabulous cook and bakes a delicious rendition of a certain cherry-filled dessert!
Mrs. Glasses, Tokyo/Los Angeles, CAAge and Occupation: 24, English teacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, English teacherEngagement Date: September 2008Wedding Date: October 2010 Venue: Parents' backyardAbout Me: I’m an expat living in Tokyo. I’ve been in Japan for almost three years now, where I met my fantastic English fiance. It’s time to leave Japan, so we are planning a fun, intimate, backyard ceremony back home in the suburbs of L.A. in October. Our wedding will be a mix of my love for food, beer, my Japanese culture, and Mr. G’s Englishness. We are on a tiny budget and DIYing almost everything!
It’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty. Let’s talk about the actual ceremony portion of our wedding. I think this is the most wide-open detail of the day so I’ve really dreaded putting pen to paper, so to speak, and writing out what will go down. It’s also touchy for me because I know Mr. G’s parents won’t be there to celebrate with us which makes me want to cry! It would be really nice to have both of our parents there but Mr. G’s parents will be with us in spirit; I’ll leave it at that.
We won’t be having a religious ceremony as Mr. G is atheist and I’m Buddhist, but want to keep it as neutral as possible. And oh yeah, we’ll already be married! See what I mean by wide-open? All the traditional things that usually happen at a ceremony don’t need to happen at ours!
We need to pick an “officiant” of sorts who can at least MC what’s going to happen. We want our ceremony to be silly and fun and emotional and meaningful. Just how will we accomplish this? 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!
After we traipsed around Tokyo with animals, the Glasses and more anime than I’ve ever seen in one place, it was time to get into full-tourist-mode.
We bought a one day free pass for the Tokyo subway, and off we went. Our first stop was the Ginza.
After about five seconds we realized we were way too poor and frumpy to actually do anything in the high-end shopping district. So we bought an $8 dollar salad (with pumpkin in it!) and considered our journey there essentially over. Read more…
Mrs. Canary, New YorkAge and Occupation: 24, MarketingFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Journalist/EditorEngagement Date: February 16, 2007Wedding Date: July, 2008Blogging Since: October 19, 2007Venue: Pier Sixty, Chelsea PiersAbout Me: I'm a born and raised New Yorker who loves all things crafty and artsy, food (cheese and dessert!), magazines, and shoes. I'm a power shopper always on the lookout for good deals or great quality-- sometimes I'm lucky and I find both! I love to dance and "shake what my momma gave me" but can also really enjoy a quiet night in with Mr. Canary and a good episode of Seinfeld or curl up with a good book.
This post was originally published on March 24th, 2008.
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After returning from my brief trip to Tokyo and seeing Mrs. Ant’s fabulous guide to Japan… I’ve been missing Japan even more.I never realized what a huge DIY and craft culture existed in Japan, well at least, Tokyo. During my first trip last year, I was overwhelmed with all the craft and stationery choices available. I literally, did not know where to start! This time around, I had some experience and a goal: to find Gocco supplies.
Shibuya in Tokyo was one of the areas I frequented the most for craft supplies because most of the craft shops I wanted to visit were in close proximity to each other. My favorite place to hit up was Tokyu Hands which had the largest selection of Gocco machines as well as inks and other supplies.
Upon arrival at Tokyu Hands I immediately asked the nearest sales clerk where I could find a Gocco… (please note that Miss Canary does not know a lick of Japanese, but would attempt to communicate mostly with hand signals and drawings). Read more…
Mrs. Glasses, Tokyo/Los Angeles, CAAge and Occupation: 24, English teacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, English teacherEngagement Date: September 2008Wedding Date: October 2010 Venue: Parents' backyardAbout Me: I’m an expat living in Tokyo. I’ve been in Japan for almost three years now, where I met my fantastic English fiance. It’s time to leave Japan, so we are planning a fun, intimate, backyard ceremony back home in the suburbs of L.A. in October. Our wedding will be a mix of my love for food, beer, my Japanese culture, and Mr. G’s Englishness. We are on a tiny budget and DIYing almost everything!
This is a bamboo tree that displays peoples’ wishes on strips of paper (called tanzuku) once a year during the Tanabata Star Festival, on July 7th.
The story of this tree is a love story! 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!
Three of the last four weddings I have attended have involved Asian brides. And you know what that means, right? Dress changes!
Though I may only be half-Asian, I fully look forward to and embrace the tradition of changing one’s dress several times throughout the reception. Indeed, I had it all planned out. In addition to my traditional white gown and Chinese cheongsam, I would also wear a uchikake - the Japanese wedding kimono.
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!
This post was originally published on January 4th, 2010
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*Photograph by me
Paper cranes and I are like BFFs. When I was little, my father brought back an origami book from Japan, and I learned how to fold every piece of origami in the book by heart. I’ve since forgotten how to fold most of them, but not the cranes. I fold them when I’m bored, when I have random scraps of paper laying around, when I want an awesome engagement shoot (heh!), or just anytime. Read more…
Mrs. Glasses, Tokyo/Los Angeles, CAAge and Occupation: 24, English teacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, English teacherEngagement Date: September 2008Wedding Date: October 2010 Venue: Parents' backyardAbout Me: I’m an expat living in Tokyo. I’ve been in Japan for almost three years now, where I met my fantastic English fiance. It’s time to leave Japan, so we are planning a fun, intimate, backyard ceremony back home in the suburbs of L.A. in October. Our wedding will be a mix of my love for food, beer, my Japanese culture, and Mr. G’s Englishness. We are on a tiny budget and DIYing almost everything!
We are tackling the paper crane tradition. We’ll use the paper cranes to decorate our backyard. We’ll put them everywhere: hanging along the red brick wall that leads into our backyard, strung around our focal point/altar, hanging from trees and bushes, and scattered on the dessert, buffet, and guest book table. We’ll also leave some origami out on the tables along with instructions so guests can help us reach our thousand-crane goal.
Miss Peach, New Jersey/AtlantaAge and Occupation in 07: 25, Mechanical EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, StudentEngagement Date: January 27, 2006Wedding Date: March, 2007Venue: Korean Presbyterian Church of Atlanta + Flint HillAbout Me: Mr. Peach and I started dating our senior year of high school when we both lived in Georgia. Since then, we spent 6 years in a long distance relationship. And now by the grace of God, we've made it through; we are living in the same state again (NJ) and we are gettin' married! I was originally going to ask if I could be Miss Mango bc I loveee mangos sooo much, but in the end decided to be true to my GA peach roots! woot!
This post was originally published on October 31st, 2006.
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Anna Niponica custom designs beautiful dresses out of gorgeous silk kimonos — *sigh* They are based in Japan, however, they do accept orders from overseas via Paypal.
Spring Wedding Favors
![Love for Japan: The [Secret] Life of Pi(e) : wedding japan Chart The [Secret] Life of Pi(e) : wedding seattle Chart](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-LT1p8BKNrM/SRS-XBehd0I/AAAAAAAABWg/A2-iFlJLud0/s1600-h/chart.jpg)
After about five seconds we realized we were way too poor and frumpy to actually do anything in the high-end shopping district. So we bought an $8 dollar salad (with pumpkin in it!) and considered our journey there essentially over.
