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.
Mr. Potato Head & I love a beach house. It is my dream to live, year-round, in a wee coastal cottage. If I were Robert Frost, I would say, “Something there is that doesn’t love a beach house.” Or something like that.
I love the colors, once-bright walls faded by the salt and sun. I love the smell of a beach house, like seaweed and ocean.…
Miss 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!
Babies giggling! The whole earth rejoicing! Other various fanfare up the wazoooooo!
Hear ye! Hear ye!
In what was the most momentous week of my life - other than the week I was born - my wooly counterpart and I secured a wedding venue and bought a house.
Miss 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!
Though I firmly believe that God is present everywhere, and I was quite happy with my thoughts on a small intimate wedding ceremony on the beach, planning our ceremony at our church has quickly becomes one of my favorite aspects of our wedding.
I am one of those poor pathetic girls who has visited churches since I started dating my Ramma-Lamma, and would think to myself,…
Miss Parfait, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 26, TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Senior Online ConsultantEngagement Date: February 14, 2009Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: Signature EventsAbout Me: I have a soft spot for all things sweet and romantic. Desserts, love songs, sappy movies? Yes, yes, and ohh yes. My fiance and I enjoy singing to our dogs, creating crazy ice cream sundaes, and generally being lovey dovey cuddle bunnies. We also do socially acceptable things like dancing, throwing Frisbees, playing high stakes board games, and taking unreasonably fun road-trips. We're planning a Korean/Serbian wedding with plenty of playful, personal touches!
Mr. Parfait and I started our search for the perfect venue online. We searched for museums, lofts, theaters, and other unique places to host a wedding reception. Amazingly, we have almost the exact same tastes. We like clean, modern spaces that are bare enough to personalize… which is why the River East Arts Center jumped out to us as the clear front-runner in the race…
Miss Chick, HoustonAge and Occupation: 28, Rights and Reproduction ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Computer ProgrammerEngagement Date: November 15, 2008Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: A farm outside of HoustonAbout Me: Mr. Chick and I met almost ten years ago at Baker Blues, a college jazz party. He was attracted to my intensity, and I was mesmerized by his trivia pursuit skills and his dorm furniture adorned with his initials. We've grown more sophisticated through the years, with our love of wine, owning a house together, and parenthood (of a cat), but we have not lost our silliness or childish sense of humor!
You may remember our adventures in trying to find a venue in this post. At first, we thought (okay, really, I thought) I would want an indoor wedding, because I’m not a very outdoorsy kind of gal. But after seeing all the beautiful pictures of farm/vineyard/barn weddings (and comparing the budget spreadsheets for indoor vs. outdoor weddings), we’ve decided on having a farm wedding! After…
Miss Ramen, PhoenixAge and Occupation: 26, Optometry StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Industrial DesignerEngagement Date: January 3, 2009Wedding Date: December 2009Venue: Phoenix Art MuseumAbout Me: I'm an SF-born, Seattle-raised girl, transplanted to Phoenix where I'll be getting married, and planning all the way from Orange County where I go to school (yes, it feels as crazy as it sounds). I loooooove Yogurtland, am slightly very obsessed with all things paper, am heavily addicted to wedding blogs, deeply desire a puppy, thoroughly enjoy cooking, cry when I watch (almost all) movies, thrive on solo car-karaoke, can't stop being sarcastic, am neurotic about taking pictures of almost everything I eat before I eat it, and aspire to travel the world. My super-talented fiance and I are attempting to DIY a majority of our massive (~350 guests) "clean & modern, yet romantic, but completely unexpected, with a teeny dash of vintage" wedding, stay within our not-so-massive budget, and somehow get a really luxe (but still fun!) look/feel at the same time. In music terms (since we're both really into music) think Coldplay meets Motown meets Kanye meets Sinatra.
I’m a PK (pastor’s kid). I grew up attending bajillions of weddings that my dad has officiated, and I’ve always imagined that I too would get married in a church. How quaintly traditional of me, I know. I never imagined I would get married outside, or on the beach, or on a mountainside, or in a courthouse, or anywhere else. Just a church.
Miss Frozen Yogurt, DallasAge and Occupation: 28, Special Projects CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Equity TraderEngagement Date: March 19, 2009Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: Marie Gabrielle, DallasAbout Me: I was born and raised in Texas, and have lived in several of the cities across the state, but I currently reside in Austin. I went to college in Boston and have a special place in my heart for the Northeast. I love reading, shopping, wine, reuniting with college friends that are scattered across the country, reality TV, trying out new recipes, and attempting all the DIY projects that come along with wedding planning. I'm a "bleeding heart, save the world type" and thankfully my job allows me to work on legislation and policy to help out those in need. I met Mr. Frozen Yogurt in a bar, though he doesn't even drink! And now we are planning a modern yet vintage wedding in Dallas while dealing with the trials and tribulations of first time homeownership.
I was recently telling a friend of mine that if we were to do a more casual wedding, I would want to do it in a barn. A barn? Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, but I’ve seen some amazing photos of peoples’ weddings in barns. I’m from Texas, so it’s not totally random for me to think of a barn. I really want to…
Miss Ramen, PhoenixAge and Occupation: 26, Optometry StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Industrial DesignerEngagement Date: January 3, 2009Wedding Date: December 2009Venue: Phoenix Art MuseumAbout Me: I'm an SF-born, Seattle-raised girl, transplanted to Phoenix where I'll be getting married, and planning all the way from Orange County where I go to school (yes, it feels as crazy as it sounds). I loooooove Yogurtland, am slightly very obsessed with all things paper, am heavily addicted to wedding blogs, deeply desire a puppy, thoroughly enjoy cooking, cry when I watch (almost all) movies, thrive on solo car-karaoke, can't stop being sarcastic, am neurotic about taking pictures of almost everything I eat before I eat it, and aspire to travel the world. My super-talented fiance and I are attempting to DIY a majority of our massive (~350 guests) "clean & modern, yet romantic, but completely unexpected, with a teeny dash of vintage" wedding, stay within our not-so-massive budget, and somehow get a really luxe (but still fun!) look/feel at the same time. In music terms (since we're both really into music) think Coldplay meets Motown meets Kanye meets Sinatra.
We were leaning towards the Bentley Projects, but there was the issue with parking, possibly having to split our guests between two rooms, the issue of some unruly children that might be in attendance (Bentley Projects has a strict policy that kids have to be suuuuper well behaved and essentially micromanaged the entire time they are there - or they will be kicked out!), and…
Miss Ramen, PhoenixAge and Occupation: 26, Optometry StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Industrial DesignerEngagement Date: January 3, 2009Wedding Date: December 2009Venue: Phoenix Art MuseumAbout Me: I'm an SF-born, Seattle-raised girl, transplanted to Phoenix where I'll be getting married, and planning all the way from Orange County where I go to school (yes, it feels as crazy as it sounds). I loooooove Yogurtland, am slightly very obsessed with all things paper, am heavily addicted to wedding blogs, deeply desire a puppy, thoroughly enjoy cooking, cry when I watch (almost all) movies, thrive on solo car-karaoke, can't stop being sarcastic, am neurotic about taking pictures of almost everything I eat before I eat it, and aspire to travel the world. My super-talented fiance and I are attempting to DIY a majority of our massive (~350 guests) "clean & modern, yet romantic, but completely unexpected, with a teeny dash of vintage" wedding, stay within our not-so-massive budget, and somehow get a really luxe (but still fun!) look/feel at the same time. In music terms (since we're both really into music) think Coldplay meets Motown meets Kanye meets Sinatra.
We did it! We booked our sites! OK, I lied. we didn’t really book them officially, as in sent-in-our-deposits-signed-the-contracts-official. BUT we have our date reserved and the contracts/deposits are in the works - WOO HOO!
God has some seriously good timing. Everything came together literally at the last minute. God was really gracious, as I was honestly SO stressed because I essentially had 1 week to…
Miss Frozen Yogurt, DallasAge and Occupation: 28, Special Projects CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Equity TraderEngagement Date: March 19, 2009Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: Marie Gabrielle, DallasAbout Me: I was born and raised in Texas, and have lived in several of the cities across the state, but I currently reside in Austin. I went to college in Boston and have a special place in my heart for the Northeast. I love reading, shopping, wine, reuniting with college friends that are scattered across the country, reality TV, trying out new recipes, and attempting all the DIY projects that come along with wedding planning. I'm a "bleeding heart, save the world type" and thankfully my job allows me to work on legislation and policy to help out those in need. I met Mr. Frozen Yogurt in a bar, though he doesn't even drink! And now we are planning a modern yet vintage wedding in Dallas while dealing with the trials and tribulations of first time homeownership.
When I walked into Marie Gabrielle I knew it was the place. *cue angels singing* It was absolutely gorgeous, and perfectly suited for the type of wedding we were hoping to have.
I’d always said I wanted it all to be very open and flowy; people moving from inside to outside with ease. Well, Marie Gabrielle has exactly that:
Mrs. Bruschetta, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 25, Communication ProfessionalFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Physical Therapy Graduate StudentEngagement Date: November 30, 2007Wedding Date: August 2009Venue: St. Thomas of Villanova Church & the F.U.E.L. HouseAbout Me: I’m a self-proclaimed grammar geek who loves singing (like, really belting it) in the car. My mister and I are planning a vibrant summer soiree celebrating our passions – including food and Philly – and when we make it official, we’ll have been together for eight years! Being super competitive is in my nature, and talking excessively is in my genes. I’ve got a terrible sense of direction, but can always easily find my way into Mr. Bruschetta’s arms.
The mister and I recently revisited our church (on the beautiful Villanova University campus) and reception neighborhood (in the Old City section of Philadelphia) to scout out the most “photogenic” areas for our post-ceremony pictures.
Since we’re crossing off the formals and posed pictures in the morning, this portion of the wedding day will focus much more on photojournalism — and perhaps will include a bit…
Miss Chick, HoustonAge and Occupation: 28, Rights and Reproduction ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Computer ProgrammerEngagement Date: November 15, 2008Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: A farm outside of HoustonAbout Me: Mr. Chick and I met almost ten years ago at Baker Blues, a college jazz party. He was attracted to my intensity, and I was mesmerized by his trivia pursuit skills and his dorm furniture adorned with his initials. We've grown more sophisticated through the years, with our love of wine, owning a house together, and parenthood (of a cat), but we have not lost our silliness or childish sense of humor!
Today was a very exciting morning. I woke up, did pilates, had McDonald's to cancel out calories lost during pilates, and discovered the amazingness of farm weddings.
Get ready for a visual overload. These dinners are done by a group named Outstanding in the Field. They tour around the world, working with chefs, setting up meals in natural settings, with their signature long white linen washed tables. They did one near Houston just outside of Brenham at Jolie Vue Farms. Unfortunately, Jolie Vue does not host weddings unless it’s for their own family members.
Miss Dew Drop, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 31, AttorneyFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Managerial Type at an Internet CompanyEngagement Date: December 12, 2008
Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: Ralston Hall MansionAbout Me: I'm a food-and-baking-obsessed, occasionally sword wielding Bay Area native who is quickly becoming overwhelmed with planning a wedding and opening a law practice at the same time. (Brilliant move, that one.) I love reading, online shopping, ice cream, my Macbook, Bollywood movies, hoodies, the UCLA Bruins, and of course, Mr. Dew Drop.
Mr. Dew Drop and I got engaged in December, and we made our first wedding-related decision right away. Actually, we made a few wedding-related decisions (but only because they sort of went together).
It was a good thing too, because after that I went back to being my indecisive self immediately. It may have been months until I made another useful decision.
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.
Have you done this? Have you searched for pictures of weddings that were held at your venue? For some reason, I never have. Until today.
Coming across images of weddings before ours at Devil’s Thumb Ranch is making me excited. Really, super, duper excited. It’s also making me nervous (there are quite a few of brides and grooms holding umbrellas and of foreboding skies). That said,…
Mrs. Lightning, Cape Town Age and Occupation: 22, Journalist and Graphic DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Computer ScientistEngagement Date: December 27, 2008
Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: Hout Bay ManorAbout Me: I'm a young American living abroad in the beautiful city of Cape Town with a wonderful South African fiance and our crazy kitty Zeus. We're young, driven and madly in love. Together we're pursuing our wildest dreams including our biggest undertaking yet, a vintage retrospective wedding filled to the brim with DIY madness. I have an unnatural attraction to cake, a passion for blogging and a love of good design. While I might be an overly obsessive creative with too many ideas and nowhere to put them, Mr Lightning is my biggest fan and I can't wait to make my true love mine.
We chose our beautiful venue after my parents lunched at Pure, a refurbished restaurant in Hout Bay, one summer’s day back in February (the hottest month of the year here). They had been talking about it ever since it was featured in a local leisure magazine and were therefore convinced it would be the best place for our future nuptials. In fact, they were so…