Mrs. Bacon, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 26, Digital Advertising ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, IT Client ServicesEngagement Date: June 17, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Ravenswood Billboard FactoryAbout Me: I'm a Midwestern girl that can't seem to commit to staying in one place for too long and is constantly daydreaming about my next adventure. I am an aspiring foodie with a weak spot for the unusual and I love semi-reality food television. My other loves easily include laughing as a form of exercise, a book that I can't put down, summer baseball games, espresso with whipped cream, couch potato days and nights with the ridiculous Mr. Bacon, and our two kitties, Lincoln and Sawyer. We're planning a faux-destination wedding for 150 of our closest friends and family in the city we've both adopted as home that has a modern, yet whimsical twist and as many personal touches as we can manage.
Haha. Gotcha. This is not an invitation post. Those babies have left the building and we’re waiting on those last few RSVPs before I can share the results. In the meantime, let’s talk about mailboxes.
Way back before I started heartily searching the wedding blogsphere, I had no idea that one needed a box specifically for cards at the wedding. I kinda assumed that cards would go in a pile on the gift table, then be stuck in a bag somewhere during the reception. Nope, apparently that’s not actually what’s done. So once I realized that the cards at our wedding would need a vessel, I became immediately obsessed with the idea of using a real mailbox to hold those babies. Of course my vision wasn’t just any mailbox, this one needed to be red and I’d LOVE to have our new last name written on the side.
Finding a plain red mailbox is much more difficult than you might think. Read more…
Mrs. Bacon, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 26, Digital Advertising ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, IT Client ServicesEngagement Date: June 17, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Ravenswood Billboard FactoryAbout Me: I'm a Midwestern girl that can't seem to commit to staying in one place for too long and is constantly daydreaming about my next adventure. I am an aspiring foodie with a weak spot for the unusual and I love semi-reality food television. My other loves easily include laughing as a form of exercise, a book that I can't put down, summer baseball games, espresso with whipped cream, couch potato days and nights with the ridiculous Mr. Bacon, and our two kitties, Lincoln and Sawyer. We're planning a faux-destination wedding for 150 of our closest friends and family in the city we've both adopted as home that has a modern, yet whimsical twist and as many personal touches as we can manage.
I’ve always envisioned the wedding as a candlelit dinner with really minimal floral decorations, but lately I’ve been wavering from that vision just a bit. I don’t suddenly want huge centerpieces, but I am worried that my candle-only approach is going to be boringtown.
A couple weeks ago we went to the wedding superstore, aka the local IKEA, and bought out their whole stash of candles, candle holders and big picture frames (along with a rug or two and a bed frame) to decorate the reception tables. We are going to end up with 16 rectangular tables pushed together to make eight long feasting tables with 18 people per table. That means we need LOTS of things to go on top of them.
We don’t pack light, but we do pack well!
Maybe it was all the hubbub from the possibility of being on TV or maybe it was the countdown letting me know that we are way under two months from the wedding, but suddenly my vision seemed really plain…and I realized I was in desperate need of a plan! Being the internet savvy lady I am, I searched the internets for non-flowery centerpiece options. I stumbled on a the bountiful-candle-laden-with-flowers-and-petals look that Mrs Lemon had at her wedding! Read more…
Mrs. Snow Cone, Pittsburgh/Johnstown, PAAge and Occupation: 23, Public Health Graduate StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, EngineerEngagement Date: April 9, 2010Wedding Date: August 2011Venue: OMOS Church ceremony/Sunnehanna Country Club receptionAbout Me: I’m one of the lucky ones---I met my future husband at the ripe old age of 13, started dating him as a mature woman of 15, and have been enjoying the ride ever since. Here we are, 8 years later, living in Pittsburgh, planning a "homestination" wedding in the place our school romance began---Johnstown, PA. I thrive on talking a mile a minute, eating my weight in chocolate, and internet shopping. I love a lengthy to-do list almost as much as I love a healthy amount of chaos in my life. Mr. Snow Cone and I watch countless episodes of Friends and The West Wing on repeat, root for rival college sports teams, and make each other laugh each and every day. We’re putting together a small-town wedding with a big personality and a classically modern (or modernly classic?) look for 250 of our closest family and friends. It’s been 8+ years in the making, and sometimes I still can’t believe I’m finally getting to marry my high school sweetheart!
Sometimes it feels almost impossible to make your wedding stand out from the pack. Magazines, websites, books, and blogs offer a lot of the same ideas over and over again, making the weddings look almost cookie-cutter. With thousands of brides looking at the same sources for inspiration, it’s inevitable that some new idea will become common practice in no time. This clone-like aspect of weddings, combined with my relative lack of creativity and crafting skills, kind of sends shivers down my spine when I let my mind wander in an attempt to come up with a flair of personality and individuality for our upcoming wedding festivities. With that being said, just try to imagine the sheer ecstasy I experienced when I finally conjured up an idea that I didn’t beg, borrow, or steal from anyone or anywhere else. It’s allllll mine!
(OK, realistically, I’m sure I’m not the first bride to do this project. However, I’ve not seen it in any of my wedding materials, so I’m going to keep up my delusion that I actually am the first person to experience such a stroke of genius to result in this creation. Humor me, mmkay?)
Mrs. Pony, Bloomington, ILAge and Occupation: 25, AttorneyFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 22, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Mackinaw Valley Vineyard; Bloomington Center for the Performing ArtsAbout Me: I found my Southern counterpart in law school and since he popped the question last March, we have been busy graduating, job searching, bar taking, and wedding planning. My loves include must see TV, magnets, quotes, anything green, my car, fun socks, the Cubs, and my Mr. Together we love wine, playing outside, and exploring the world together. Stay tuned to see our Midwest wedding full of Southern charm, vintage flair, lots of DIY details, and a whole lot o’ wine.
Even though we are not planning on doing a formal ’send-off’ at the end of our reception (we can’t do sparklers, so what’s the point really, right? That, and I’ve never been to a wedding with an end of festivities send off, so I highly doubt the absence will be missed by our guests). But, I’m thinking that having something tossed, thrown, or shaken at us on our way back down the aisle right after we are pronounced husband and wife might be a fun celebratory gesture.
Plus there are so many options for such an occasion. First, there is the traditional birdseed. It’s inexpensive, doesn’t hurt birds, and gives the couple a nice shower.
There’s also bubbles. I actually bought a crapload of bubbles from a garage sale last year for a dollar hoping to use them for this very purpose, but I am terrified that these iridescent beauties will leave stains on my silk gown, so I am not sure these are the best choice for us.
Ms. Ferris Wheel, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 29, PsychologistFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, PsychologistEngagement Date: May 23 and 28, 2010 (one for each of us!)Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Parc55 Hotel (city lights ceremony, ballroom reception)About Me: Born in the Southeast, educated in the Northeast, and over-educated on the West Coast, I finally earned my city-girl credentials and have put down roots in gorgeous San Francisco. I’m a raging perfectionist with a lightning quick wit and a terrible sense of both time and direction. Our wedding task list is endlessly growing because of my predilection to think that DIY projects I can make = DIY projects I should make (so not true!). I always go to bed wishing there were more hours in the day to enjoy all the things I adore, whether that be hobbies, friends, my career, our two dogs, or Mr. Ferris Wheel. Ours is a story of a non-traditional couple living an oddly traditional life planning a not-so-traditional wedding in this city we adore. Together we are bustin’ out all of our best skills (and some of our worst ones) to plan a laid-back-chic DIY-craftastic love-alicious affair!
And in true Ms. Ferris Wheel fashion, I have decided to make this infinitely more difficult for myself. Would you believe me if I told you that white or ivory floor-length tablecloths AND chair covers are INCLUDED in our wedding package?! Of course you’d believe me. Why would I lie to you about something like that? I wouldn’t.
Mrs. Snow Cone, Pittsburgh/Johnstown, PAAge and Occupation: 23, Public Health Graduate StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, EngineerEngagement Date: April 9, 2010Wedding Date: August 2011Venue: OMOS Church ceremony/Sunnehanna Country Club receptionAbout Me: I’m one of the lucky ones---I met my future husband at the ripe old age of 13, started dating him as a mature woman of 15, and have been enjoying the ride ever since. Here we are, 8 years later, living in Pittsburgh, planning a "homestination" wedding in the place our school romance began---Johnstown, PA. I thrive on talking a mile a minute, eating my weight in chocolate, and internet shopping. I love a lengthy to-do list almost as much as I love a healthy amount of chaos in my life. Mr. Snow Cone and I watch countless episodes of Friends and The West Wing on repeat, root for rival college sports teams, and make each other laugh each and every day. We’re putting together a small-town wedding with a big personality and a classically modern (or modernly classic?) look for 250 of our closest family and friends. It’s been 8+ years in the making, and sometimes I still can’t believe I’m finally getting to marry my high school sweetheart!
We’re starting to get into crunch time, which means that miniscule details are starting to make their way to the top of the to-do list. One such example is the card box. I considered a few different options that are pretty standard at weddings nowadays, like the fabric- or paper-covered box and the birdcage. I wasn’t interested in buying something that screamed “wedding” and would be an antiquated relic mere hours after our vows; I also wasn’t interested in crafting something that would require a lot of time, energy, or skill. In addition to knowing what I didn’t want, I knew that I’d like to use the card box as an opportunity to infuse some fun, color, and personality.
After stalling on this decision for quite some time, I finally realized that there was one option I really wanted; I had seen a creative idea from Mrs. Lioness and couldn’t get it out of my head—the mailbox from Disney’s Up!
Mrs. Crepe, Queens, NY/Nashville, TNAge and Occupation: 28, Jewelry DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Animation DirectorEngagement Date: September 28, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: A church in downtown NashvilleAbout Me: I'm a native New Yorker who has always been a DIY kind of girl and loves tackling creative projects while getting the most out of a dollar. I'm marrying my college sweetheart and we love frequenting antique stores, exploring together, and playing with kittens. We're planning a fun, "us" wedding in his hometown---with as many handmade touches as we can pack into a day!
I get that this is pretty much beating a dead horse at this point…but I thought I’d share the individual photos of each table number, in the off chance that you wanted to do this yourselves and wanted to see a reference!
If you’re on the fence AT ALL about this, here’s my obvious answer: Read more…
Ms. Gazelle, Calgary/VancouverAge and Occupation: 32, EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Technology AnalystEngagement Date: September 3, 2010Wedding Date: July 2011Venue: Brock House Restaurant, VancouverAbout Me: I am a marathon runner, cyclist, Ironman triathlete and beautiful shoe fiend who also loves kicking back and watching Glee. I grew up a bit of a nomad as I traveled around the world with my family, living everywhere from Australia to England to South America and Indonesia. I finally settled in Calgary a few years ago and met Mr. Gazelle who loves me even though we cheer for different hockey teams. We are planning a bit of a destination wedding in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia and we can’t wait to share the day with our close family and friends.
How to incorporate letters instead of numbers? I thought about picking a letter from different cities we visited together, but then we’d end up with a random mish mash after the fact. It would be better if we could pick some letters that would be fun to display afterward.
And oh yeah, we will have six tables at our reception, so we needed six letters that don’t repeat. We decided to go with “ME & YOU.” Read more…
Mrs. Crepe, Queens, NY/Nashville, TNAge and Occupation: 28, Jewelry DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Animation DirectorEngagement Date: September 28, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: A church in downtown NashvilleAbout Me: I'm a native New Yorker who has always been a DIY kind of girl and loves tackling creative projects while getting the most out of a dollar. I'm marrying my college sweetheart and we love frequenting antique stores, exploring together, and playing with kittens. We're planning a fun, "us" wedding in his hometown---with as many handmade touches as we can pack into a day!
I knew there were tons of little things to get done as soon as I was in town, so as soon as the plane touched down, I started fluffing those tissue poms. I would have loved to have fabric napkins (there are so many cute options!) but we were getting to the point where the budget was getting pushed closer and closer to the limit every day and paper napkins meant one more thing we could take off the checklist. We picked up a couple packs of royal blue dinner napkins from Party City and started tying the tissue poms on quickly.
Mrs. Cinnamon Bun, Calgary, AlbertaAge and Occupation: 26, Stage ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Theatre TechnicianEngagement Date: June 22, 2010Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Calgary Opera CentreAbout Me: I'm a life-long crafter and bookworm living in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. Some of my loves include Lord of the Rings, Sherlock Holmes, knitting, opera, musicals, Etsy, baking, and of course, Mr. Cinnamon Buns. We're keeping our wedding close to home---the venue isn't very far from our house, and we live within walking distance of 6 bridal salons. I'm using the wedding as an excuse to try out every craft project I possibly can, with the endless help and support of my fiance.
I’ve slowly been getting over that hump that stopped me in my tracks, mostly because Cinnamon Buns sat down and started doing the ‘set design’ for our wedding. We have a CAD drawing of our space, and Cinnamon Buns has the know-how (and the computer program) to do it all digitally! This is what the reception half of the building is looking like currently:
The ceremony will be on the other side of the red lines marked ‘Air Wall’, but we’re talking about reception today. Note:
Mrs. Cinnamon Bun, Calgary, AlbertaAge and Occupation: 26, Stage ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Theatre TechnicianEngagement Date: June 22, 2010Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Calgary Opera CentreAbout Me: I'm a life-long crafter and bookworm living in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. Some of my loves include Lord of the Rings, Sherlock Holmes, knitting, opera, musicals, Etsy, baking, and of course, Mr. Cinnamon Buns. We're keeping our wedding close to home---the venue isn't very far from our house, and we live within walking distance of 6 bridal salons. I'm using the wedding as an excuse to try out every craft project I possibly can, with the endless help and support of my fiance.
We’re closing in on the wedding, and I’m getting just a little panicky about all those little details. Like, you know, tables.
Our venue is a blank slate so we need to bring tables in. Our caterer said in our meeting that he could source, bring in, and set up tables for us, which sounds awesome. Until I get all crazy and want to set it up myself. We have the venue on the Friday night before the wedding, and we will be in to set up the ceremony space and as much decor as possible then. It really bugs me that I will not be there to set it all up. I won’t get to place centrepieces, tweak table cloths, or fiddle with the tables until they look just right. It will be in the hands of someone else, and sometimes I think that I won’t be able to handle that.
We do have a day-of coordinator (we’ve booked a stage manager friend for the day) so between her and the catering team I’m sure they’ll be more than capable. I just get a little twitchy worry about the room being not quite right.
The other option is that we source the tables ourselves, set them up Friday night, and tear them down on the Sunday. That way I get to be Controlly McControlingpants, and set everything up “perfectly” on Friday night. This also involves us tearing everything down on Sunday, plus transporting said tables somehow somewhere. I am now car-less, thanks to a hit-and-run of my PARKED car, not that many tables would have fit in my hatchback anyway, but it makes me feel that much more helpless.
Mrs. Ostrich, San Francisco/HawaiiAge and Occupation: 30, Fashion Buyer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 38, CopywriterEngagement Date: October 4, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: Sweet ceremony by the sea and sunset celebration on the North Shore of HawaiiAbout Me: Born in the city of angels and residing in the city by the bay, I’m a fearless fashion buyer by day, a passionate blog author by night and a dreamy bride-to-be in between. I thank my lucky stars to live in such a stunning city that gives me gifts like organic honey lavender ice cream, movie nights in the park, tucked away beaches, legendary record stores, '80s dance parties, awesome sports teams, stellar flea markets, and vintage bookshops. Oh, and I love to dance! We always find every excuse to escape to the beach, and decided a little seaside wedding in Hawaii is our idea of bliss. Full of our favorite people, music, food and sparkly lights, this is one sunset celebration we will always remember.
Like many a bride, I, too, have a penchant for pretty bottles. This is my favorite inspiration photo, right up here.
Whimsical, but not too vintagey. And a whimsical wedding? That was what me and Mr. O were all about for our wedding day.
And then one day, in my early days of my wedding planning, Gilt had a sale that was too good to pass up— and gave me THE inspiration for our reception table decor:
Mrs. Bacon, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 26, Digital Advertising ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, IT Client ServicesEngagement Date: June 17, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Ravenswood Billboard FactoryAbout Me: I'm a Midwestern girl that can't seem to commit to staying in one place for too long and is constantly daydreaming about my next adventure. I am an aspiring foodie with a weak spot for the unusual and I love semi-reality food television. My other loves easily include laughing as a form of exercise, a book that I can't put down, summer baseball games, espresso with whipped cream, couch potato days and nights with the ridiculous Mr. Bacon, and our two kitties, Lincoln and Sawyer. We're planning a faux-destination wedding for 150 of our closest friends and family in the city we've both adopted as home that has a modern, yet whimsical twist and as many personal touches as we can manage.
Since before I had a sparkly ring on my left hand I wanted our tables to be designated by places we’ve traveled to together. Seeing that we met abroad and did the long distance thing I could just gather a bunch of photos and call it a day. We are going to have 8 feasting tables, each comprised of two tables put together, so we needed eight places. Easy peasy—we can have one half of the table called “London” and the other half called “England,” so that people would know which end of the long table they should sit down at. Mrs Elephant had the same idea for her wedding and they turned out awesome.
Then we started thinking about how our wedding is faux-destination for most of the guests, so it would be fun to do tables named after the various neighborhoods in Chicago. Read more…
Ms. Sloth, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 35, Account Manager and Fashion BloggerFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Design AdminEngagement Date: December 25, 2009Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Bartram's GardenAbout Me: I'm an internet junkie and music snob with a good eye for a bargain. I couldn't live without thrift store shopping, cheeseburgers, sushi, Coke Zero, websites devoted to silly photos of baby animals, Photoshop, and Mr. Sloth. Speaking of which, he and I are a pair of goofball homebody nerds who love our beagle (the most ridiculously adorable dog EVER) to an embarrassing degree. We're planning a low-key and intimate yet festive and quirky outdoor wedding with DIY details and deeply personal touches, and it's all taking place in the city where we fell in love and call home: Philadelphia.
In the countdown of days ’til the wedding, today is a special one, because we’ve hit two milestones.
First: we’re in single digits, y’all! Nine days away!
Secondly: our wedding day is finally showing up on the 10-day forecast (even though we’re only 9 days away. But the forecast includes today, so it’s really 9 days out too. Or something. Whatever).
Always sunny in Philadelphia? I wish. Image via BustedTees
Anyhoodle, I promised myself long ago that I wouldn’t stalk the 10-day forecast. Why? Read more…
Mrs. Giraffe, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 23, Graphic DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Music Student TeacherEngagement Date: October 23, 2008Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Trinity Lutheran Church & Idlewild Country ClubAbout Me: Coming from the suburbs of the Windy City, you'll often find me with my foot in my mouth while laughing for no reason or telling bad knock knock jokes. I've been crafty for as long as I can remember, and will DIY something twice over before I have someone do it for me. I'm a semi-awkward, typeface obsessed, design junkie and have been know to break out my dance moves for no reason as well as try my best to be ridiculous at all times. My love of pop culture, wordplay, and graph paper almost rivals my love of Mr. Giraffe (who is just the bee's knees). After a 2.5 year engagement, we're planning a modern-in-disguise traditional wedding, and cannot wait!
Okay hive, here’s a little new flash for you: a good toasting flute is hard to find. In the interest of full disclosure, that little tidbit should have read “an good toasting flute is hard to find a week and a half before your wedding” …but I digress.
Last weekend, Mama Giraffe and I hunted the mall, party stores, other stores for the perfect toasting flutes. For those of you on a hunt of your own, the a few places we looked (that typically carry a handful of styles) were Bed, Bath & Beyond, Party City, Carson’s, Hallmark, A different Hallmark, Macy’s, Another Carson’s, and a handful of other places. There’s also quite a few to be found online, but that would entail not waiting until the last minute.
Mama Giraffe had absolutely no idea what she was getting into when she told me she’d like to buy toasting flutes for us. I think it’s my style: I wanted something simple and classy that would remind me of our wedding. Tricky, eh?
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
