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!
Long time no speak. In fact, it’s been sooo long that I figured a holiday (Valentine’s Day is a holiday in wedding blog land, right?!) was an appropriately auspicious day to pop back in around here and get this recap party started!
Now some of you newbees (hi! hey! welcome!) are probably scratching your head and wondering who the hell this Stripey character is, and I don’t blame you one bit! I mean I wrote my last post here over three months ago! Whoops! Time flies when you’re an old married lady… Read more…
Mrs. Moonbeam, Los Angeles/San AntonioAge and Occupation: 26, Intern ArchitectFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Studio Analyst, aspiring ScreenwriterEngagement Date: May 20, 2009Wedding Date: November 2009Venue: Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church (LaCoste, TX) and Mary Gray Events Center (Castroville, TX)About Me: I was born and raised in Texas, but after college I moved to Seattle for a couple of years and loved it. Then I followed my beau out here to LA and we're getting settled in. I've been making things since I can remember. I was raised by crafters. I love to sew, draw, paint, build, cook, bake (anything with a tangible end result is fair game). In that same spirit, I've been hosting since I was old enough to cook and set a fancy table. I kind of take after my grandmother, who believes that your morning OJ always tastes better out of the good crystal.
Well hive, this whole wedding process has certainly had its ups and downs, but the positivity of this place (as ethereal as it may be) has helped me to focus on the ups.
Pictures taken by John & Whitney Canales, Aunt Annie & Uncle Chris, edited by me
So, thank you, hive, for forcing me to find the positives. It’s pretty embarrassing to put it all out there pre-game and then be too unhappy with the end result to put it up. Blogging forced me to focus on the stuff I was happy with, and since weddings are never perfect, it’s a great thing to focus on. Read more…
Mrs. Moonbeam, Los Angeles/San AntonioAge and Occupation: 26, Intern ArchitectFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Studio Analyst, aspiring ScreenwriterEngagement Date: May 20, 2009Wedding Date: November 2009Venue: Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church (LaCoste, TX) and Mary Gray Events Center (Castroville, TX)About Me: I was born and raised in Texas, but after college I moved to Seattle for a couple of years and loved it. Then I followed my beau out here to LA and we're getting settled in. I've been making things since I can remember. I was raised by crafters. I love to sew, draw, paint, build, cook, bake (anything with a tangible end result is fair game). In that same spirit, I've been hosting since I was old enough to cook and set a fancy table. I kind of take after my grandmother, who believes that your morning OJ always tastes better out of the good crystal.
Since I’ve got two weddings under my belt (both to the same man and within 6 months, in case some of you forgot, or never knew) I thought I’d do a little comparison of the two.
First, we had a small ceremony at Point Dume in Malibu. It was casual, quick and pretty inexpensive.
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!
Dinner was behind us and impromptu dancing had begun in the middle of the yard. People were demanding that Mr. G and I have a first dance so we looked at our iPod playlist and chose “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Elvis. It was a really awkward song to dance to and I wish we would’ve put a lot more thought into that spur-of-the-moment decision. We don’t have pictures either, except for this very blurry one taken by a guest.
(guest photo)
The big hit of the night was “Lucky” by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat. Go figure!
Our last wedding business of the night was dessert. Our caterers brought out our cupcake tower and I suddenly had a great desire for sweets. Read more…
Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout 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.
I’ve often thought I’d make a good cartoon: I have a cartoonish face (big eyes, smushy nose, buck teeth) and a cartoonish life (I swear an anvil* nearly dropped on my head the other day), and I’ve got all types of silly schemes I am looking forward to implementing against an evil nemesis.
* Ok, it was a hammer, but close enough.
But since Tom already has Jerry, and Jem the Misfits, I have to satisfy my desire for an illustrated life elsewhere. Our friend’s sister, Dina Kantor, made me this sweet illustration based on our favorite wedding photo after I fell in love with the whimsical illustration and photography work on her blog and website.
Mrs. Moonbeam, Los Angeles/San AntonioAge and Occupation: 26, Intern ArchitectFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Studio Analyst, aspiring ScreenwriterEngagement Date: May 20, 2009Wedding Date: November 2009Venue: Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church (LaCoste, TX) and Mary Gray Events Center (Castroville, TX)About Me: I was born and raised in Texas, but after college I moved to Seattle for a couple of years and loved it. Then I followed my beau out here to LA and we're getting settled in. I've been making things since I can remember. I was raised by crafters. I love to sew, draw, paint, build, cook, bake (anything with a tangible end result is fair game). In that same spirit, I've been hosting since I was old enough to cook and set a fancy table. I kind of take after my grandmother, who believes that your morning OJ always tastes better out of the good crystal.
So, we all know how I felt about our wedding photography, and I’m not going to rehash all of that, but I did still have to make our parents photo books for Christmas (I used MyPublisher and the parents loved them), which meant I had to get some pictures done right. I found Peter Steinhoff on a photography forum and contacted him to see if he could work some magic. He did what he could to reduce some of the noise, remove the red lines and worked on correcting the color.
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!
When we had last left off, our cocktail hour was coming to a close, it was getting dark, and the tables were being set by servers for the salad course. Mr. G and I snapped some quick shots in natural light while everyone was seated and dined on Caesar salads.
After the salad, the buffet was opened up for the guests to feast on roast chicken, beef, new potatoes, stuffing, Yorkshire pudding, and vegetarian Indian curry and rice. We rented chafing dishes for the caterers to put the food in and keep the food warm in throughout the night. 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!
After our newlywed portraits and family portraits had been completed, it was time to schmooze. I turned to our make-shift bar to get the party started right when I came to a startling discovery.
“WHERE’S THE WINE?!?!”
My one bridezilla moment was when I realized no one had put out the wine. These people were trying to kill me!
My dad grabbed the wine that was chilling in buckets inside. We started out with one bottle of red and white at each table, and the guests could help themselves to hard alcohol, soft drinks, juice, and beer over by the food stations.
Meanwhile, the catering staff was passing out appetizers.
Mrs. Moonbeam, Los Angeles/San AntonioAge and Occupation: 26, Intern ArchitectFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Studio Analyst, aspiring ScreenwriterEngagement Date: May 20, 2009Wedding Date: November 2009Venue: Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church (LaCoste, TX) and Mary Gray Events Center (Castroville, TX)About Me: I was born and raised in Texas, but after college I moved to Seattle for a couple of years and loved it. Then I followed my beau out here to LA and we're getting settled in. I've been making things since I can remember. I was raised by crafters. I love to sew, draw, paint, build, cook, bake (anything with a tangible end result is fair game). In that same spirit, I've been hosting since I was old enough to cook and set a fancy table. I kind of take after my grandmother, who believes that your morning OJ always tastes better out of the good crystal.
Sorry about the hiatus! I had two whole weeks off for Christmas, so I fled to Texas for a whirlwind visit toSan Antonio, Austin, Houston, Galveston, and to eat breakfast tacos! They are so good. But anyway, I digress.
After the first dances, the reception slipped into that period of chatting, hanging out, photoboothing and some intermittent dancing.
I got to dance with flower girls and guest girls. This was my favorite part of weddings growing up, so I loved this part.
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!
Now that our backyard wedding is done and dusted I can look back and wonder, would I do it again? Absolutely! Here are some thoughts that I hope will help you if you are considering a backyard wedding.
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!
Mr. G and I had just said our vows, exchanged rings, and kissed. We had walked down the aisle together and it all happened in a flash. I couldn’t believe I finally had a wedding ring on my finger after a 2 year engagement and being married at a government office in Tokyo just a few months prior. It was a great feeling!
We walked to the entrance way to my parents’ backyard where no one could see us, our photographer following us the whole way. We took a moment to be alone and have a cuddle.
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 almost time. The impending New Year is coming, with the year of 2010 having come and gone ridiculously fast. With the New Year it’s time to make some resolutions. But more importantly, did you watch the premiere of I Used To Be Fat last night?
I can remember this time last year very clearly. It was 10 months before the wedding and I was convinced, “I’m never going to lose weight!”
I had been slightly overweight since high school. 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!
Like Mrs. Sewing’s wedding video, my best friend did our videography as a gift. I really like the look of Super 8 but the film was just too expensive, so I asked my friend to recreate the look of it for some shots. I thought the “homemade” look for our video trailer would be appropriate for our backyard wedding.
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 got off to a rocky start with our ceremony; lots of things were going wrong, including missing guests, yours truly almost face planting down the aisle, and Poppa G’s crazy antics. BIL, our officiant, started our ceremony with an introduction and a brief reading, then introduced each reader. Neither of us is deeply religious but we wanted to give a nod to our upbringings and backgrounds; we had Bible readings, Buddhist readings, a Shinto ceremony, and atheist selections.
BFF Trojan, our videographer, took time away from the camera to read 1 Corinthians 13:4.
BFF Cano read the ever popular “Union” by Robert Fulghum.
BFF Becky and Erika compiled Buddhist thoughts on love and marriage. 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!
It was five minutes before the ceremony was scheduled to begin. After getting ready and going downstairs, a friend told me, “Half the people aren’t here yet. The backyard is practically empty.”
My first thoughts were, “$(@!&!beeeeep@!!!#$&$%beeeeep*&@()$#!” Luckily the photographer and my soul sister, Tam T. Nguyen, is a pool of serenity. In the calmest, kindest voice, Tam turned to me and said, “Mrs. Glasses, you look beautiful. It’ll be okay. Why don’t we take some bridal portraits?”
(guest photo)
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
(source)
