Mrs. Sand Dollar, HoustonAge and Occupation: 24, Graphic DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Electrical TechnicianEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: MacLean ParkAbout Me: I'm a domestic diva down to the core. I heart cooking, sewing, baking, decorating and making sure we have a hand-crafted home. The best part about the wedding is I get to incorporate it all! I make sure I put my art degree to good use by screen printing, craft knife cutting, and a whole lotta graphic design. We're having a big-time party on a small-time budget, and I promise to show you a boot-scootin', barbecue-eatin', finger-lickin' good time! Mr. Sand Dollar and I spend most of our time on DIY projects or traipsing around the outdoors with our two pooches Rory and Juno. I'm looking forward to sharing our journey with all of you!
Mr. SD and I want to exit with a bang. Since we’re on a super-crazy-mega-budget (I believe I’ve mentioned it before, in pretty much every post!), we have one of two options. First, let me set the scene. Indian-Summer night, twinkle lights, tin cans and mason jar candles, barbecue, and pie. Lots of drunk country folk. Which is the better choice?
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!
I was on the fence about getting a limo for a long time. You see, our church and hotel/reception site are only about 2 miles apart, or a 5 minute drive - not exactly a compelling reason for needing group transportation.
However, the alternative to not having a limo was asking our (rather large) bridal party to haul themselves back and forth. There are 8 groomsmen, 9 bridesmaids, 2 flower girls and 4 parents (and us, too!) who would have to drive - meaning we would need roughly 6-7 cars! That would have been quite the caravan, right? That fact, along with picturing our bridal party huddled in their cars in between our photos (because it’s probably going to be freezing or raining!), led me to do some research.
There weren’t a lot of options - two local companies and one in Johnstown (the next closest company). One of the local companies didn’t have a limo that could fit all of us. The company in Johnstown had a limo bus and some other stretches that may have been able to fit us if we squeezed. There was one big problem, though - Johnstown is about one and a half hours away from State College, and we would have to pay for the transport to and from their garage (or THREE HOURS of time we weren’t actually getting the vehicle!). No thanks. Read more…
Ms. Potato Chips, Boston/Narragansett RIAge and Occupation: 29, PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Personal Trainer/Business Owner/Physical Therapy AssistantEngagement Date: January 1, 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: The Narragansett TowersAbout Me: A semi-professional bookworm, if I could be a literary character I’d be a cross between Jo March and Jane Eyre, only better accessorized and much lazier. My hobbies include sleeping in, seasonal brews, running, Trader Joe’s, and watching Unwrapped and Good Eats with Mr. Potato Chips. I harbor an irrational fear of tulle, crafts, things that are fussy, and overuse of the phrase "Your Special Day". After a year or seven together, down the aisle we go, slouching toward adulthood and planning a Rhodie party with equal parts whimsy, cheer, and pizza.
When I grow up, I want to live in a little house in a quiet New England seaside town. I want a sun-drenched studio in which to write, a breakfast nook, and a really big tub. On mild fall and spring days, I’ll hop on a scooter and zoom down to my tenure-track job at the local university. And in the summertime, I’ll fill a backpack with snacks and a copy each of Us Weekly and The House of Seven Gables, and I’ll put on my flippy floppies and take my scooter down to the beach. And we’ll putter around, me and my scooter, and life will be grand.
Mrs. Meatball, HollywoodAge and Occupation: 30, Actor/Writer/Office MavenFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Actor/WriterEngagement Date: October 7, 2007Wedding Date: May, 2009Blogging Since: September 16, 2008Venue: Private Garden/The Bungalow ClubAbout Me: I love melty cheese and diet coke almost as much as I love my man. I'm from Chicago, he's from NYC, and we both miss public transit and great pizza. We have an adorable muppet dog called Paco. I'm part hippie with a healthy dash of hip hop superstar, have excessive empathy for animals, and have not one, but two bionic eyes (long story). We're broke and it ain't no joke. It can't stop us from planning the bold and whimsical wedding of our dreams, but we've had to get pretty creative to make it work, yo!
In Los Angeles, driving is a hazardous sport. For those who aren’t well trained at it (and often for those who are), disaster is lurking around every corner. Take it from us, who managed to total both of our cars within 2 days of each other, within 2 blocks of each other, last Christmas. Yep, it happened.
Roughly half of our wedding guests are out-of-towners, and we really didn’t want to subject them to unnecessary driving, especially given the mojito madness that we expect to ensue at our reception. We opted not to have our ceremony and reception in the same spot to allow us to realize our dream of marrying in nature, so that added yet another transportation hurdle to the game.
Even though our budget is super slim, we decided that shuttle service was a must-do for our guests’ safety and sanity. I can only imagine how late our wedding would start if we unleashed 50 midwesterners, New Yorkers and Europeans onto the mad streets of Hollywood to fend for themselves!
We checked into several options, but the one that won, hands down, was a no-brainer. Meet our double-deckered beauty, in all her glory!
Mrs. Hydrangea, DallasAge and Occupation: 26, Administrative AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Network AnalystEngagement Date: June 2007Wedding Date: September 2008Blogging Since: January 14, 2008Venue: Catholic Church and Reception at The W HotelAbout Me: Mr. H and I come from very different cultures and backgrounds so I'm excited to plan our wedding with a balance of both traditions. My mom has always been a DIY queen, and I'm just now starting to get into it with a new house and a wedding to plan!
When we went to visit venues, they paid for our parking. When Mom H and I went to wedding events, we usually received a sticker to cover our parking. So why, I ask, do venues charge you for parking? I wouldn’t ever ask our guests to pay for their own parking at the event to which I invited them, even though our venue gives us a discounted rate on parking. Read more…
Mrs. Sundae, Chicago/Lake Geneva, WIAge and Occupation: 28, Knowledge ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Investment AdvisorEngagement Date: July 20, 2007Wedding Date: September 2008Blogging Since: February 5, 2008Venue: The Abbey ResortAbout Me: It’s hard to believe that by the time Mr. Sundae and I get married we will have been together for almost ten years. When we first met in college we split dollar pitchers and now we share the mortgage payments. Despite our love for the city we are looking forward to tying the knot in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
Our ceremony and reception sites are exactly 1.3 miles apart - about a 3 minute car ride. Because they’re so close, a mode of transportation for the wedding party never even crossed my mind. Of all people, Mr. Sundae is actually the one who thought of it ((stunned silence)).
My stance on the issue was that I really didn’t care, it seemed like an added expense we could do without. I had actually budgeted for some mode of transportation at the very beginning, but now that I realized it was there, it seemed like money that could be allocated to something else (a candy bar! mini hamburgers at midnight!). But Mr. Sundae wasn’t having it…he wanted his getaway. It must be a guy thing, the idea of renting a large vehicle with a big engine to take you somewhere. Read more…
Mrs. Shortcake, VancouverAge and Occupation: 24, Marketing Manager/Children's Lit WriterFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Master's Student/Personal TrainerEngagement Date: August 7, 2007Wedding Date: October 2008Blogging Since: Venue: Ceremony in a historic church, tented lawn reception at a golf and country clubAbout Me: 1950's housewife sent to the future, reborn as crafting-obsessed, jill of all trades. I enjoy decorating, writing, baking sweet things, singing show tunes/dancing in public, wearing pearls, and knitting sweaters for my furbaby, Harvey, to chew upon. I heart pink, and believe that sparkles are the new black.
Thanks, everyone for all your kind suggestions on how to lighten my finish-your-wedding-plans-in-a-month-load! The suggestions to delegate were especially useful - I just didn’t expect that people would delegate tasks upon themselves!
Exhibit A:
The lovely and uber-helpful Miss Gingerbread found a sweet ad in the Vancouver Craiglist, contacted the poster, and sent me the information she received.
Now, Mr. Shortcake and I will have this SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET 1952 black Chevrolet deluxe as our chariot-of-choice!
Ms. Dahlia, Detroit/ClevelandAge and Occupation: 24, PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, IT System AdministratorEngagement Date: December 31, 2006Wedding Date: May 2008Blogging Since: September 19, 2007Venue: United Methodist Cathedral & historic downtown hotel in ClevelandAbout Me: I enjoy cooking, dancing and swimming. I am a geek and apply game theory to my everyday life. Winter is my favorite time of year, especially when spent curled up with good coffee and a book by Madeleine L'Engle.
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!
As I mentioned in my post about the remoteness of our wedding, Mr. Cherry Pie and I have decided to rent a few vehicles to to shuttle guests from the hotels to and from the wedding site. Read more…
Mrs. Cream Puff, San Francisco Bay AreaAge and Occupation: 25, IllustratorFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Merchandise PlannerEngagement Date: May 27, 2007Wedding Date: August, 2008Blogging Since: February 7, 2008Venue: Ceremony at Crissy Field and Reception at the Green RoomAbout Me: I never dreamed about my wedding as a little girl because I was too busy playing in the mud or pretending to be Martha Stewart–but now that it's here, I'm having a fabulous time DIYing everything in sight! We’re planning a very fun multicultural wedding (I'm Jewish and Mr. Cream Puff is Chinese), filled with as many personal details as I can muster.
SO. We’re having our ceremony in a different place than our reception. And unfortunately, there’s no parking at Crissy Field (the ceremony location). Which means… we have to provide transportation to and from the ceremony for our guests. Which means… TROLLEY CARS!!!!
Yes, that’s right, people: we have reserved four trolley cars to cart our guests around the city. How much more San Francisco can you get? I’m so excited! The trolley cars have a three-hour minimum charter, but our ceremony isn’t going to be that long. So we’re planning to take an hour-long mini-tour of the city after the ceremony, before we head back to the Green Room for the reception! I am so excited. We’re going to get off in random places to take fun pictures (and thanks to a bit of forethought, we have two “day of” coordinators who will be managing all the guests). Have I mentioned how excited I am? Read more…
Mrs. Hummingbird, TorontoAge and Occupation: 25, Publishing CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Videogame Designer/CartoonistEngagement Date: May 4, 2007Wedding Date: June 28, 2008Blogging Since: September 18, 2007Venue: A garden wedding followed by a tented reception on Mr. Hummingbird's father's property.About Me: I’m a pop culture loving, vintage obsessed foodie living in Canada’s biggest city with my fantastic fiancé and our lovable fluffy cat Bettie. I’m stoked to marry my best friend and to throw what I hope will be
the most fun and colourful party of our lives.
It’s funny. When we first started planning the wedding, I worked out a budget which allotted some transportation money that I imagined would go towards renting something like this:
Mrs. Flamingo, Montreal, CanadaAge and Occupation: 25, Graphic DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Nursing StudentEngagement Date: December 2004Wedding Date: June 21, 2008Venue: Imperia Hotel (modern chic hotel)About Me: I am a passionate designer who loves anything pretty. I heart all paper products (eco-friendly of course). My passion revolves around anything considered glamour; vintage and modern. In my free time, I love reading Martha mags, designing jewelry and making a pit-stop at Starbucks for a chai latte. I'm also a chocoholic at heart and my family drools over my homemade truffles.
Ever since the beginning of our wedding planning, there has been one thing we’ve known for sure - we wanted a limo. I’ve always envisioned myself in my dress stepping out of a limo… stepping out in style!
When Mr.Flamingo and I discussed what model interested us, we had no clue - modern or vintage? I personally wanted a vintage model… so perfect for our theme. But Mr Flamingo wanted to opt for a more modern one, for the convenience of having everyone ride together. After visiting a local bridal store last weekend… we both fell in love. I present to you our Vintage Bentley 1959.
Miss Peacock, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 26, PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Internet WhizEngagement Date: December 5, 2006Wedding Date: September, 2008Blogging Since: December 13, 2007Venue: St. Clement Church, Cafe Brauer (or a big church wedding and a fancy party at a cafe in Lincoln Park.About Me: I am a grad student with a secret obsession for all things wedding related. I also love to read, travel, drink champagne and go for walks with our dog, Maisy, and Mr. Peacock. We are planning our very vintage wedding in the greatest city in the world, our hometown of Chicago. I am so proud to be a Bee!
Hiring a trolley for your wedding day transport has become pretty ubiquitous in Chicago. All the knotties are talking about trolley rates, tipping your driver and whether or not to buy the “wedding decor” package which includes some tulle and a “Just Married” sign.
Mrs. Jasmine, Chicago/LAAge and Occupation: 25, AttorneyFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 24, 2007Wedding Date: June 7, 2008Blogging Since: September 20, 2007Venue: Hotel on the westside of Los AngelesAbout Me: I'm a happy-go-lucky, imaginative spirit trapped in the body of a lawyer. I love reading, shopping, dining out, and exploring my beloved adopted city of Chicago with my fiance. We're planning the wedding of our dreams in my hometown of Los Angeles and we're excited to incorporate our cherished Indian/Pakistani customs and traditions.
On the day of a traditional Indian wedding, the groom travels to the wedding site with a huge procession of his family and friends. This procession is called a baraat (pronounced bah-rath). It’s a festive and jubilant parade, complete with dhol (drum) players, bhangra dancing, and singing. Surrounded by his baraathi/entourage, the groom is either on foot, elephant, horse, or slow-moving sports car.
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.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
Image found here
Image source: John and Joseph Photography
photo from flickr
On the day of a traditional Indian wedding, the groom travels to the wedding site with a huge procession of his family and friends. This procession is called a baraat (pronounced bah-rath). It’s a festive and jubilant parade, complete with dhol (drum) players, bhangra dancing, and singing. Surrounded by his baraathi/entourage, the groom is either on foot, elephant, horse, or slow-moving sports car. 
image from filmcars.com
