Miss Blue Whale, College Park, MDAge and Occupation: 27, Graduate StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: March 10, 2012Wedding Date: May 2013Venue: Southern Tree Plantation in Blairsville, GAAbout Me: I love bright colors, glitter, sugar, cheese, tiny animals, talking in silly accents, dancing, and all things music. I love to plan things, but when it comes time to execute the plans, I tend to panic. My friends tell me that I remind them of a mix between a cartoon character and a Disney Princess. Mr. Blue Whale and I are Southerners at heart, but we’ve been transplanted to the East Coast for school. We both love barbecues, star-gazing, bonfires, music, making up nonsense words, and generally being silly. Our wedding will be a fun-filled destination wedding in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It will most certainly feature bright colors, '80s music, and glitter.
Let me ask you a question. What do you actually need in order to get married? You need two people who want to marry each other and a person who will perform the ceremony. And in most cases in the US, you need rings. We have all those things.
But…when we bought the rings, we didn’t have them resized because it was winter. (Do you see where this is going?)
Cut to Wednesday. Mr. Whale and I have been meaning to go get our rings resized for a few weeks now. But we didn’t think it was a big deal, because we thought it would just take a few hours to get it done, a few days maximum. (This does happen, right? I’ve known plenty of people who got their ring resized right in the shop!) So we had big plans to go see Iron Man 3, and we were going take our rings in before the movie. In order to decide on a movie time, I called up Zales and asked how long it usually takes to get a ring resized. The response? Two weeks.
We don’t have two weeks. Cue panic. My ring is currently a size 7. It needs to be a size 4.5…
Miss Road Trip, TallahasseeAge and Occupation: 36, Writer, Artist & BookkeeperFiance's Age and Occupation: 47, AccountantEngagement Date: September 30, 2011Wedding Date: November, 2013Venue: Honey Lake PlantationAbout Me: Born in Louisiana (I share my birthday with the state, which I think is pretty cool), I'm a Florida transplant who has (mostly) stopped trying to escape the state and surrendered to its particular charms. I believe in the power of creativity, cocktails, (parenthetical asides), and laughter (usually at my own expense). Riding shotgun, Mr. Road Trip is a Nebraska native who still hasn't gotten used to the Florida version of "winter" but loves woodworking as much as I love paper and paints. We're a couple of sci-fi and gaming geeks who always break for wine tastings. Our wine-a-plenty morning wedding will be small with lots of DIY touches. And lots of bacon.
The great thing about knowing (or at least supposing) that a proposal is on its way is that it gives you a chance to prepare for it. And if I learned anything from my early years as a Girl Scout, it’s that being prepared rocks!
I was kind of lucky in this regard. Not only did I know that the ring was due back from being sized at pretty much any moment, but I’d recently been brushing up on my manicure skills in preparation for showing off my new something blue. Because, let’s face it, your hands are never on display as much as when you first get engaged. Even if you’re not wearing a ring people are going to look, just in case, because we’re all but programmed to do it!
So swing into the nearest nail place at your local strip mall and pay $20 to get a basic manicure. Or stop by the local drugstore and pick up some cuticle oil, orange sticks, and a nail file and DIY it. This doesn’t mean that you have to go out and get acrylic nails if you’ve never wanted them before. Nor does it mean you even have to get a colored polish if you prefer the low maintenance au naturel look.
But smoothing out the edges, maybe evening up the lengths, and trimming your cuticles (at least push them back) will give you a nice, clean look that won’t have you hiding your hands from curious congratulators. And if you don’t want polish but do like a little bit of shine, try a four step nail buffer and buff your natural nails to a serious shine without a drop of polish required. I also really recommend a paraffin dip (either at the salon or at home) for extra smooth hands.
Miss Road Trip, TallahasseeAge and Occupation: 36, Writer, Artist & BookkeeperFiance's Age and Occupation: 47, AccountantEngagement Date: September 30, 2011Wedding Date: November, 2013Venue: Honey Lake PlantationAbout Me: Born in Louisiana (I share my birthday with the state, which I think is pretty cool), I'm a Florida transplant who has (mostly) stopped trying to escape the state and surrendered to its particular charms. I believe in the power of creativity, cocktails, (parenthetical asides), and laughter (usually at my own expense). Riding shotgun, Mr. Road Trip is a Nebraska native who still hasn't gotten used to the Florida version of "winter" but loves woodworking as much as I love paper and paints. We're a couple of sci-fi and gaming geeks who always break for wine tastings. Our wine-a-plenty morning wedding will be small with lots of DIY touches. And lots of bacon.
It was a Friday and the second day of my week-long stay-cation I’d scheduled to use up some vacation hours and get some work done on a personal project. T had called to check on the ring, and it was in—he would pick it up on the way home.
And I? Was starting to feel a little bit silly. Knowing the ring was on its way home, I had no idea how to act. Obviously I was excited but, really, expecting him to what? Get down on one knee? Be serious? That wasn’t really us.
I saw him pull up in the driveway from my office window and *bam* butterflies. OK, knowing it’s coming does not make it any less special, check!
In his hand was the burgundy bag from the jewelry store, and this was how the proposal went.
“Here’s the bag…
“…and here’s the box… [pulling out each part as he speaks]
Miss Road Trip, TallahasseeAge and Occupation: 36, Writer, Artist & BookkeeperFiance's Age and Occupation: 47, AccountantEngagement Date: September 30, 2011Wedding Date: November, 2013Venue: Honey Lake PlantationAbout Me: Born in Louisiana (I share my birthday with the state, which I think is pretty cool), I'm a Florida transplant who has (mostly) stopped trying to escape the state and surrendered to its particular charms. I believe in the power of creativity, cocktails, (parenthetical asides), and laughter (usually at my own expense). Riding shotgun, Mr. Road Trip is a Nebraska native who still hasn't gotten used to the Florida version of "winter" but loves woodworking as much as I love paper and paints. We're a couple of sci-fi and gaming geeks who always break for wine tastings. Our wine-a-plenty morning wedding will be small with lots of DIY touches. And lots of bacon.
By fall of 2011, the Road Trips were firmly in the “we have an understanding” period of pre-engagement. We easily talked about ideas for the wedding and laughed at the antics of the Bridezillas on WE’s “Wedding Sunday” shows. I was devouring wedding-planning books and magazines like they were going out of style—after so many years of thatain’tevergonnahappenagain I was intent on making up for lost time, apparently.
We’d seen a commercial for a bridal show in mid-September, but I was in the middle of something and didn’t catch the URL to order tickets. Mr. RT had, though, and ended up ordering the tickets for us that week.
(Now, we’re not the type to really keep score or anything, but if we were, T would have earned major brownie points on that one. I’m still grateful and amazed at his enthusiasm for wedding planning.)
Miss Campfire, Seattle, WAAge and Occupation: 26, Researcher, Counselor, StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Software Developer ManagerEngagement Date: January 14, 2012Wedding Date: September 2013Venue: Sodo ParkAbout Me: I'm currently a graduate student in mental health counseling, and I work at two super-awesome jobs. I love dinosaurs, shoes, macaroni and cheese, and fancy dresses. I love to cook and bake, and I'm very excited about getting crafty. Mr. Campfire and I met totally by chance at a party of a mutual friend, and the rest is history. Together we're planning a wedding that is lighthearted and sweet, featuring a ridiculous amount of lights/lanterns and some delicious food!
OK hive, the proposal story is the next post, I swear. But first I want to tell you about my ring!
A lot goes into a relationship in order to bring it to the stage of an engagement, but an engagement really starts with a ring (or at the very least, a question). I mean, I’m open to opinions if you have a different one, but this was definitely true as far as our relationship went.
The story of our ring starts in June of 2011 when I went out of town for a friend’s bachelorette party. I spent the weekend in Napa with some lovely ladies while Sparky hung out at home with the dog. It was during this weekend that Sparky realized he really didn’t like it when I wasn’t around. He felt lonely and it was really something he didn’t want for a weekend, much less the rest of his life. So he decided to look for a ring.
This is what I imagine Sparky’s life to be like when I’m out of town. / Via Extra Fabulous Comics
Miss Bicycle, Tallahassee, FL/Savannah, GAAge and Occupation: 30, Staff Director for Florida LegislatureFiance's Age and Occupation: 46, Government AffairsEngagement Date: August 16, 2012Wedding Date: October 2013Venue: Trinity United Methodist Church/GaribaldiAbout Me: I'm a Northerner by birth and a Southerner at heart, rooting for the New York Yankees all summer and the New Orleans Saints in the fall. Mr. Bicycle is a born-and-raised Floridian who lives for Gator football. We are political junkies and triathletes who love to travel and enjoy good food and wine. We have 16 years between us, and I am excited about becoming a step-mom to two great children. Our fleur de lis-filled wedding will be held one magical October evening in Savannah, Georgia, and we cannot wait!
I got so many sweet compliments on my ring, so I thought everyone might appreciate hearing the story of how it ended up on my hand.
FYI, polish color is OPI “Mod About You.” / Personal photo
About a year before we got engaged, a friend of mine asked if I would go ring shopping with her. She and her boyfriend had been together a few years and Mr. B and I were getting pretty serious, so I agreed. We thought each guy would most likely ask us what their girlfriend liked in a ring, so it would be helpful if we knew what we liked.
Mrs. Lemur, Greenville, South CarolinaAge and Occupation: 22, Graduate StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Security OfficerEngagement Date: October 9, 2012Wedding Date: May 2013Venue: Pleasant Ridge Camp & Retreat CenterAbout Me: I may fancy myself a doctor after too many episodes of House—but in reality I'm finally almost done with my degree in business administration (less than three months left!). My fiance and I met at school in undergrad hundreds of miles away from either of our hometowns and have been happily running and hiking together ever since. We're undertaking a long distance relationship as I finish school and we plan our casual wedding for a day after graduation—needless to say, it will be the busiest and most exciting weekend of our lives so far!
So. We’re just over two weeks out from the wedding (whoa), and we don’t exactly have wedding bands yet. This is kind of weird for me because usually I’m really on top of these things—but I delegated this to Mr. Lemur who delegated it to our officiant/jeweler, and we’re still waiting on a decision.
We did finally go try on rings last weekend. I’ve known all along what I wanted—just a simple band matching the band of my engagement ring.
Personal photo
As soon as I tried on rings, I knew I was right, and quickly landed on a 2mm band in 14-karat white gold, just like my engagement ring band. Granted, I wouldn’t be opposed to getting an eternity band to wear between the wedding band and engagement ring someday—but I can wait! The ring I’m getting looks something like this. Pretty self-explanatory.
Miss Bracelet, Frankfurt, Germany/Rapid City, SDAge and Occupation: 26, Post-Graduate StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Electrical Engineering Student/ Ex-Navy Cal TechEngagement Date: May 11, 2011Wedding Date: September 2012Venue: Schloss Heiligenberg/ Spearfish Canyon LodgeAbout Me: I'm a half-American from Germany who fell in love with a wonderful guy from Montana. We met in Japan and have been in a LDR for most of our relationship. I love organizing so much that it could be my middle name (Post-Its, anyone?). I have a serious addiction to paper products and milk chocolate. My fiancé totally gets my tomboy-princess-combo personality and will bring me chocolate when I need a pick-me-up. After a legal ceremony in Germany, we're planning a down-to-earth (semi-destination) wedding with our friends and family in the US.
When our photographer Amy arrived the morning of our wedding, the first order of business was to capture the little details. So, less talking, more pictures!
The Rings
Despite having talked about which rings I tried on and ideas for engravings, I never actually shared our final choices with y’all. Mr. Bracelet chose a 5.5mm white gold band. My wedding band is a thin 2mm with a sprinkling of channel-set diamonds which align perfectly with the diamonds on my engagement ring.
We exchanged rings at our civil ceremony in Germany and have been wearing them since then. Mr. Bracelet really wanted us to wear our rings from the start, and we agreed to wear them on our right hand “German-style” until our September wedding. Thus, when we exchanged rings in September, we started wearing them on our left hand “American-style.”
Miss Camera, Charlotte, NC/Charleston, SCAge and Occupation: 27 & Emergency Room Physician Assistant
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 31 & Newspaper Editor/Designer
Engagement Date: October 7, 2012Wedding Date: September 2013Venue: The Island House, Charleston, SCAbout Me: I'm a north-to-south transplant, currently living in Charlotte, North Carolina, but still representing all things Pittsburgh, PA. One month after I moved to NC, I went on a date with a guy I met on Match.com, and now we're getting married! I work in a busy Emergency Room as a Physician Assistant and while the hours are sometimes difficult, I can't see myself doing anything else. I live with my fiance in uptown Charlotte. We have an opinionated 5 year old tabby cat named Milo and a sweet, but rambunctious 8 month old mutt named Charlie (short for Charlotte - she's a girl!). I've embraced Southern culture, and our wedding is no exception---what better location than Charleston, SC? I watch too much TV and know every word to every episode of Friends (I've watched The One With Monica and Chandler's Wedding at least a hundred times...hope I have enough money for Wedding Scenario A!). I love baking cupcakes, cheering for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Penn State Nittany Lions and am openly addicted to celebrity gossip and pop culture.
Hive, I have five months to go. Well, four months and three weeks. OK, 144 days. Which is a decent enough amount of time, I admit, but that’s without being super duper busy in the next few months.
Personal photo via Big Day Lite app for iPhone
We have four…FOUR…weddings between now and then. Two of which I am in for two of my lovely bridesmaids, and one of those Cam is in as well. One is out of state. Which adds up to a ton of time and money that would otherwise be going to the wedding.
Plus there’s holidays, summer stuff, parties, etc. There’s a lot going on between now and becoming Mr. & Mrs.
Miss Panda, Boston, MAAge and Occupation: 26, Graduate StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: June 27, 2011Wedding Date: June 2013About Me: I love window shopping, cute animals, crafting, baking, and most forms of procrastination. I tend to be overly meticulous with choices to a point of complete and total indecision. Mr. PBear and I met and live in the amazing city of Boston. We are big nerds who love trying new foods, playing video games, and cuddling with our adorable hamster. After 5 years together, we are planning an intimate, DIY-heavy, vintage garden themed, nonreligious wedding in the city where we fell in love.
My band came in the mail today and I am so excited to show you.
Ooooh, shiny.
I am completely in love with it now, but it wasn’t an easy choice.
I originally wanted a mismatched band, so it was much more obvious that there was a wedding band, instead of just one larger engagement band. Furthermore, I’m not as fond of the asymmetric look with matching bands (something about my slight OCD nature) and it was a little out of our price range to get two bands.
Miss Jackrabbit, Brighton, UKAge and Occupation: 26, Office ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, SongwriterEngagement Date: October 5, 2012Wedding Date: September 2013Venue: Fabrica Gallery, BrightonAbout Me: I honestly thought I'd go all Monica Geller when I started planning our wedding, but in truth, things couldn't have gone much differently. I am working my way through this venture, figuring things out as I go, and adopting a 'Que Sera, Sera,' approach to making decisions. When I'm not organising the biggest day of my life, I can usually be found drinking a glass of wine, crafting up one thing or another, or stopping my cat from head-butting me in the face.
But after thinking about it, he thought that it would take a lot of care and maintenance. Although this might seem OK now—was he still going to moisturise the ring often in 25–30 years? Probably not. It was a shame, but we had to think of something else.
Miss Airplane, Plymouth, MichiganAge and Occupation: 26, Fundraising Project CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Food & Beverage ManagerEngagement Date: March 31, 2012Wedding Date: September 2013Venue: Fox Hills Golf Club & Banquet CenterAbout Me: I'm a true Michigander (born and raised) and a die-hard Wolverine. I am the definition of a multi-tasker and like to believe I am also a perfectionist, but my horrible short-term memory likes to prove otherwise. I'm an English major and a pretty punny girl, so get ready for some really horrible plays on words! When I'm not consumed with wedding planning, I enjoy copious amounts of television and an equally unhealthy addiction to bacon.
About a week and a half after our initial consult with Chris at C.W. Petersen, Mr. Plane and I returned to his store to check out the molds he had made for Mr. Plane’s ring. He showed us three different wax molds, all with the general shape of the original ring Mr. Plane had liked originally.
(All photos personal.)
Mr. Plane’s choices
Mr. Plane liked elements of two of the three molds, and Chris told us it would be no problem to make the changes and have a new mold by the end of the week. Now it was my turn.
Miss Jackrabbit, Brighton, UKAge and Occupation: 26, Office ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, SongwriterEngagement Date: October 5, 2012Wedding Date: September 2013Venue: Fabrica Gallery, BrightonAbout Me: I honestly thought I'd go all Monica Geller when I started planning our wedding, but in truth, things couldn't have gone much differently. I am working my way through this venture, figuring things out as I go, and adopting a 'Que Sera, Sera,' approach to making decisions. When I'm not organising the biggest day of my life, I can usually be found drinking a glass of wine, crafting up one thing or another, or stopping my cat from head-butting me in the face.
For me, the wedding ring was the easiest thing out of the entire wedding planning. My mum had a simple plain gold band, as did both my grandmothers. I never thought for a second that I would want something different.
My engagement ring was made with the primary focus to fit a straight plain gold band next to it, and it was one of the first things I ordered when I got engaged!
For me, a plain band doesn’t distract from the e-ring, is classic enough on its own should I ever not wear my e-ring, screams “wedding band” to me, and is the classic symbol that I think of when I think of one.
Miss Airplane, Plymouth, MichiganAge and Occupation: 26, Fundraising Project CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Food & Beverage ManagerEngagement Date: March 31, 2012Wedding Date: September 2013Venue: Fox Hills Golf Club & Banquet CenterAbout Me: I'm a true Michigander (born and raised) and a die-hard Wolverine. I am the definition of a multi-tasker and like to believe I am also a perfectionist, but my horrible short-term memory likes to prove otherwise. I'm an English major and a pretty punny girl, so get ready for some really horrible plays on words! When I'm not consumed with wedding planning, I enjoy copious amounts of television and an equally unhealthy addiction to bacon.
My engagement ring was designed by Mr. Plane and custom made by our jeweler, Chris Petersen of C. W. Petersen Jewelry in Ann Arbor. It was no question that we would be getting our wedding bands from Chris as well, and this past weekend we started the process by visiting Chris’s store and perusing some rings.
Miss Camel, Athens, GAAge and Occupation: 29, high school teacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, high school teacherEngagement Date: March 2012Wedding Date: May 2013Venue: Cloverleaf FarmAbout Me: I'm a high school social studies teacher who started her career teaching English in Japan with the JET Program. I love photography and history. I also like to travel and take naps---two things that you would think contradict each other, but somehow they don't. My heroes are Dwight Schrute, Liz Lemon, the Dude, and T.E. Lawrence. I traveled the world throughout my 20s only to fall in love with the social studies teacher in the classroom next door to mine. He just happened to be the kindest, most compassionate, and selfless person I had ever met and each day I'm so thankful to have him in my life. We are planning a whimsical, relaxed countryside wedding with a little Marie Antoinette flair thrown in for good measure. Please join us on our wedding planning adventures!
Hey guys! I’m here to happily report that February was a month of extreme wedding progress for the Camels. We got a lot of the big wedding to-dos crossed off the list, and I know you ladies realize what a relief that can be!
So what have we been up to? Well, we booked our honeymoon flights and hotels. We also bought Mr. C a suit and gave suit instructions to the groomsmen. I finally found some bridal accessories that I can envision wearing on the big day, and so I’ve picked out a hairpiece and possibly a pair of shoes. I booked an appointment to discuss wedding hair and makeup at a local salon. I purchased my rehearsal-dinner dress and I can’t wait to share it with you guys! I’ve also booked my first wedding-dress fitting at the end of March. Oh, and my favorite completed task thus far? I bought my wedding ring!
Finding a wedding ring to match my 1920s engagement ring has not been easy. I’ve been scouring the internet for several weeks now. I looked into purchasing a thin 1.5 mm platinum wedding band from a local jeweler, and they quoted me at $1,200! I know that the price of platinum has been rising, but that was particularly high when you can often find beautiful antique wedding rings in the $300–$700 range online. I knew that finding the right size was important too because re-sizing an engraved band without interrupting the design can be difficult. Plus I didn’t want to spend the extra money (if possible) for re-sizing.
