Mrs. Starfish, Boston/NewportAge and Occupation: 25, Operations AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, SalesEngagement Date: October 8, 2008Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: The Atlantic Beach ClubAbout Me: I'm a perfectionist who is a planner at heart. I don't do well with surprises. I love planning, crafting, Newport RI, family and friends, and most importantly, Mr. Starfish---all of which will be big components in our October wedding in our favorite little city by the sea.
With the wedding approaching, I’m realizing how much needs to get done in a short period of time. So to get motivated, I’ve purchased quite a few new craft supplies in the past couple of weeks. My favorites?
I first saw this “THANKS” punch on one of my favorite personal wedding planning blogs, Honey My Heart, via Ellen Hutson.
I love the way she used the punch to embellish the envelope liners. I want to do something similar for our shower thank yous, but not sure if I’ll have enough time to write them all out and design the cards.
Mrs. Nachos, Chicago/St. ThomasAge and Occupation: 33, Commercial Real Estate & HairstylistFiance's Age and Occupation: 36, Radio ProducerEngagement Date: May 22, 2009Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort, St. ThomasAbout Me: I'm a happy, laid back city girl that can find the silver lining in any situation. An optimist at heart, my motto is to turn your "what ifs?" into "so whats!". My fiance is a radio producer and the biggest Cubs fan you'll meet - our apartment decor definitely shows it. He and I grew up next door to each other and because of it, we have the best home videos and easiest holiday dinners. We are planning an intimate wedding in the Virgin Islands and a cocktail party in June for 150 of our closest friends.
Well everyone, it seems all things wedding are over for us and if I could go back and do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. Our thank yous went out on Saturday, and to me, putting them in the mail marked the closing of the wedding chapter and the beginning of the rest of my life with my husband.
For those that came with us to St. Thomas, we sent pretty postcards that we bought on our trip:
And clearly not being one to worry about little details, I decided to finally use my old stamps, hee hee:
Mrs. Pin Cushion, Oakland, CAAge and Occupation: 25, Nurse Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, PhD StudentEngagement Date: November 23, 2008Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Radonich Ranch, Los GatosAbout Me: I'm the 3 Cs: crafty, creative and quirky (oh, that's not a C? Close enough!). I'm also a recycling fanatic, fluent in bad accents and I have the loudest laughter this side of the Mississippi. I have not just one sweet tooth, but a whole mouth full of sweet teeth. I cry at 97.4% of all movies I see, but my fiance's always there to hand me a tissue. My geek-chic fiance and I are planning a wedding full of color, cookies and handmade goodness and I can't wait to spill the beans on all of our crazy ideas!
I like getting mail. It’s one part of adult life that I look forward to (as opposed to 1) paying bills, 2) cleaning the refrigerator, 3) waking up at 5:15 am for work, 4) having no one to blame but myself for not having any clean socks to wear at 5:15 AM). I’d like to think that other adult-types like getting mail, too.
Going along with that theory, I like sending mail. It fills my thought bubbles with images of people jumping for joy at receiving non-junk-mail-mail. Which in turn makes me dance a little jig. My jig is a bit more exuberant when I know my outgoing mail is cute. And my most common outgoing mail at this point are my thank you cards. Thus, here are my handmade thank you cards [handmade because I a) am cheap, b) have been bringing a pile of construction paper through 3 moves, and enough is enough].
My bridal shower thank you cards; I wrote “Thanks for being so sweet” on the inside.
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.)
Before I wrap up my posts here, I had to mention the efforts of my sister during wedding planning and the day of. However, I don’t know what I can say about my sister that would begin to describe what she means to me, and her instrumental role in planning our wedding.
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!
Originally, I was going to wait until after the wedding to make our thank you cards. Maybe I could use a nice picture of us in wedding garb, or something.
However, with the advent of the humongous-second-reception and the fact that we’ve already started receiving a few gifts, I don’t think it’s something that should wait.
I played around with a couple different ideas - one of my favorites included a three panel comic with Mr. Sew yelling at the end, “No, we do not intend on having kids yet!” But ultimately I drew up this option instead:
Mrs. Starfish, Boston/NewportAge and Occupation: 25, Operations AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, SalesEngagement Date: October 8, 2008Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: The Atlantic Beach ClubAbout Me: I'm a perfectionist who is a planner at heart. I don't do well with surprises. I love planning, crafting, Newport RI, family and friends, and most importantly, Mr. Starfish---all of which will be big components in our October wedding in our favorite little city by the sea.
One of my favorite engagement gifts was a book on writing notes, which conveniently included thank yous, from Sister Starfish. It’s from the Hallmark “Gift Books” collection called On a Personal Note: A Guide to Writing Notes with Style, by Angela Ensminger and Keely Chace.
I like the authors’ attitudes towards thank yous. In the chapter introduction they explain that “great thank you notes tell people what they did—as well as how and why they did it—matters to us.” It’s a great way to view them as many people think of the thank yous as a daunting task. To be honest, I love writing notes, but I think after such a huge occasion that has taken quite some time to plan, writing notes is probably the last thing I’ll want to do.
Mrs. Pretzel, SeattleAge and Occupation: 32 Learning, Training, and Development SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 28 Manufacturing EngineerEngagement Date: September 2, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Catholic Church & The Engine Room at Georgetown StudiosAbout Me: I’m just a thirty-something girl who never dreamed of weddings, poofy dresses, or ritzy receptions. I am a rabid knitter, except recently, wedding projects have replaced my yarn and needles. I’ve been fiercely independent since the age of 2 and 30 years later I think my family and friends had given up on me settling down and getting married.
Ironically, I had to go all the way to Seattle to find a boy from Purdue. We fell in love over Seattle Beers and cooking together. I love NASCAR, he loves Legos. I can talk like a Muppet and he can fit a whole McDonald’s cheeseburger in his mouth. We are a two reception couple, currently planning a brewery inspired bash.
I swear I like writing thank you notes more than I like receiving gifts.
*blink, blink* “Did Pretzel just say what I think she said?”
Damn straight I did! No, your mother didn’t pay me to say that. And although I would certainly enjoy one, no I don’t have a cold beer in my hand right now. I’m dead serious—I love thank you notes. My Mom started us early; I can’t remember not writing thank yous for gifts or nice gestures. Usually it meant getting pretty paper or cards. Oh, how I love pretty paper. I always have a stock of cute thank you cards around the house, just in case.
Pretty paper is a perk, but really I think my love affair with thank yous stems more from the act of writing. Sitting down to hand-write why I appreciated a gift or thoughtful gesture makes me reflect on the person doing the giving and my appreciation of the gift. I know that I don’t always take time for reflection and the practice of writing thank yous helps me carve out time for this. There are times when I feel like this practice is dwindling in use. Read more…
Mrs. Jellyfish, Pleasanton, CAAge and Occupation: 27, Law StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Air Force PilotEngagement Date: February 21, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Casa Real at Ruby Hill WineryAbout Me: In a nutshell, I’m the most optimistic worrywart you’ll ever meet. My family emigrated from Romania to San Jose, CA when I was 8, and I've been a Nor Cal girl ever since! My fiancé is also a Bay Area native, so it’s funny that we met at UCLA, as college freshmen living on the same floor (go Bruins!). Between his career as an Air Force pilot and my path to becoming a lawyer, our relationship has been anything but typical. We currently live together in Berkeley with our puppy Stinson. In addition to spending time with the loves of my life, I enjoy crafting, attempting complicated recipes, environmental law and non-law school reading (Us Weekly, anyone?). Follow along as I plan an elegant 200-person winery wedding, graduate law school, take the Bar exam, get married and get used to the always unpredictable but never boring life of a military spouse!
While I’m still mulling over the possibility of shelling out the big bucks for letterpress invites*, I’ve decided that other stationery items—like Thank You cards—are less of a priority for me. And as much as I’d love to have personalized Thank You cards, even the digital offset ones on Wedding Paper Divas cost around $1.63 each. Of course, I could just DIY these, but … I’m too lazy? Luckily for me, I found the most adorable Thank You cards online the other day. Behold! Affordable, adorable letterpress Thank You cards from Target:
Mrs. Veggie, Raglan, New Zealand/Scranton, PAAge and Occupation: 27, Director of Small Non-ProfitFiance's Age and Occupation: 42, PhD Student & FarmerEngagement Date: June 13, 2009Wedding Date: August 2010Venue: Indian Head Camp, Honesdale Pennsylvania
About Me: I am a tree-huggin' farmer turned enthusiastic wedding-planner. I live in a house truck and wear flip-flops more often than shoes. In my old life I was a high school Spanish teacher in love with a crazy guy who lived off-the grid on a farm in New Hampshire. But, we decided to mix things up a bit, quit our jobs and move to New Zealand. My southern hemisphere lifestyle involves growing veggies, teaching, running our small non-profit, and surfing. I love laughing, singing, playing, and the inspirational Mr. Veggie (of course!). For our wedding, I am committed to throwing a killer party that celebrates our values without breaking the bank. Look forward to an eco-thrifty summer-campy weekend-long extravaganza.
MIL Veggie - knitter and sewer. She makes us each something warm and cozy every Christmas and has taken on the flower girl dresses as her special wedding project. Read more…
Mrs. Spaniel, Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 28, Law StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, PsychologistWedding Date: March 2010Venue: Calamigos RanchAbout Me: I'm a third-year law student trying to balance graduating with starting my career, keeping up a relationship, and, oh yeah, planning an Old World, multi-cultural, "mountain lodge" wedding for 180 guests! A South Asian Jewish girl getting ready to marry my handsome Catholic Dane, I'm hoping to blend our cultures in our wedding just a bit more gently than by providing samosas as appetizers and offering æbleskiver for dessert. (Although that would also be awesome.)
I asked most of my ladies in person, and one over the phone. Luckily they all said yes, despite my lack of effort. Speaking of which, if any of my bridesmaids are reading this, shoo! Read more…
Mrs. Starfish, Boston/NewportAge and Occupation: 25, Operations AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, SalesEngagement Date: October 8, 2008Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: The Atlantic Beach ClubAbout Me: I'm a perfectionist who is a planner at heart. I don't do well with surprises. I love planning, crafting, Newport RI, family and friends, and most importantly, Mr. Starfish---all of which will be big components in our October wedding in our favorite little city by the sea.
Right after we got engaged, we started to receive a few beautiful and really thoughtful gifts from some of our closest friends and family. I think engagement gifts aren’t necessary, so we really appreciated the thoughtfulness of the gift givers. I like making thank yous really personal and special, because if someone went out of their way to do something nice for me, I want to give them a personal thank you.
That being said, I think we came up with the most perfect idea for thank yous!
Mrs. Green Tea, SacramentoAge and Occupation: 30, Tea AnalystFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Coffee CriticEngagement Date: November 17, 2006Wedding Date: August 23, 2008Blogging Since: June 10, 2008Venue: Vineyard on the DeltaAbout Me: I'm just your average obsessive compulsive, arts & crafts loving, funky-on-the-inside/boring-on-the-outside girl, who dares to say 'Hey! I can make that!' Nerdy professional by day, goofy won-ton by night. The won-ton sometimes comes out during the day when I'm fed the dollar breakfast at Ikea. Since our engagement, wedding planning has put me on high alert for bargains and I've been pushing my nimble fingers through callous building experiments!
I designed several back options for MOH-Ho to choose from. My favorite was the cleaner looking centered print… Read more…
Mrs. Cheeseburger, Baltimore, MD/State College, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentEngagement Date: June 28, 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Catholic Church Ceremony & Hotel ReceptionAbout Me: I'm a passionate girl from Pittsburgh, currently living in Baltimore for school, who loves Penn State, seeing movies, football, thunderstorms, black and white photos, Christmas, good beer, my amazing friends and family, and of course, my mister! We met, fell in love, got engaged, and will be married at our alma mater (go lions!) in a traditional Catholic ceremony followed by a hotel reception with lots of DIY details. It means so much to have our families and friends meet at our favorite place on earth to celebrate our love for one another - I truly couldn't ask for anything more!
Unless you live under a rock or, OK, anywhere not in the Northeast, you probably know about the enormous snow storm that hit us this weekend. While Burger and I were lucky in that we did not lose power, had nowhere to go this weekend, and live within walking distance of lots of bars, restaurants, hotels, stores and hospitals, a lot of other people were not so lucky. We were able to have fun with this weekend of snow, but for those without power and who are stranded and getting cabin fever (like my poor parents in the ’Burgh), we’re praying for you!
Take a look at what we woke up to Saturday morning:
Not our car, but I feel terrible for whoever owns it!
Mrs. Cowboy Boot, Santa FeAge and Occupation: 25, Magazine EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Artist and Whitewater Rafting GuideEngagement Date: April 28th, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Devil's Thumb Ranch, ColoradoAbout Me: I grew up in Los Angeles and have since lived in San Diego, Boston, Italy, Hawaii, New York City, and Santa Fe. I speak Italian and love pasta. My real passion is the outdoors, though. When I'm not at work, I'm snowboarding, hiking with my two dogs, mountain biking, surfing, cross-country-skiing, or boating New Mexico's rivers. Despite my boyish love for adventure, I'm a girly-girl at heart and am overly-excited to pull off the romantic, vintage-inspired, country wedding of my dreams.
There were two things we really wanted to include in our wedding that didn’t happen: 1) our dogs and 2) our “thank you” signs, done in calligraphy. The reasons we didn’t include our precious pups as ring bearers? Debated here.
Our “thank you” signage, penned by Pretty Pen Jen, never made it out of the cabin where all of the ladies got ready on the morning of the wedding. There was too much going on and they simply got left behind. Halfway through the night, our photographer, Tec, asked if I wanted someone to go grab them, but I declined his offer saying, “We’ll shoot them when we get home.” And that’s just how our thank you cards came to be.
Mrs. Lamb, NorfolkAge and Occupation: 25, Homeland Security ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: January 2009Wedding Date: January 2010Venue: Trinity Presbyterian Church/Harrison Opera HouseAbout Me: I’m a Homeland Security Consultant with a tendency towards pulling office pranks, taking lunch breaks, and drinking Wawa shakes. I’m also an English major with a serious obsession with alliteration and rhymes. While I’m not keeping America safe, I’m training for half marathons and the Escape from Alcatraz swim. Or moving for the third time this year. Or baking. Or wedding crafting. Or crying about wedding planning. All the while, I’m getting myself into Lucille Ball-esque scrapes and making Jim Carey-esque faces. Our big fat Czech/Baptist/Jewish/Italian wedding is a combination of vintage eclectic, DIY, and little spoonful of sugar from our Event Coordinator. It’s going to be a Norfolk flavored wedding with the verve of an only-daughter-blow-out bash!
Having these bad boys at the ready, will save you heartache, pain, agony, ulcers, and appendicitis. OK, well maybe not appendicitis.
If you plan on buying them, no problemo. Just order a bunch (like the same number of invitations you ordered plus extras if you’re having a shower) a few months out. If you’re a glutton for crafting punishment like me, then get those magic fingers a cuttin’ and a stampin’! Here, I’ve turned my kitchen table into a Thank You card workshop. After stamping and arranging cards to dry all over the table, I promptly started cursing that I had run out of horizontal drying surfaces. “Dagnabbit! I’ve stamped myself into a 2 foot square space and can’t reach the bathroom!”
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
Speaking of which, if any of my bridesmaids are reading this, shoo!
Not our car, but I feel terrible for whoever owns it!
