Mrs. Brooch, Arlington, VAAge and Occupation: 25, Writer/EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Front Desk ManagerEngagement Date: October 3, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: Oxon Hill ManorAbout Me: I’m an indecisive girlie-girl with a motor mouth, can-do attitude, and knack for making others laugh. I dream of becoming a best selling novelist like Elizabeth Gilbert or Julie Powell (a girl can dream, right?), and love long road trips, a beautiful countryside, music, blogs, books, and all things vintage/thrift/antique/or homemade. I’m a Virgo, i.e. overly sensitive, emotional, and critical, and there’s no such thing as short and sweet in my world. I want to say and do it all. Mr. Brooch grounds me. I point where to go and he figures out the way. He’s a pragmatic fancy-pants who enjoys video games and movies. We both adore our mutt, Rocky, and spending time with our amazingly supportive family and friends. We’re planning a garden wedding with a formal reception with lots of whimsy and unique, Southern-inspired details.
Has it really been a week since my last post? Geez! Sorry everyone! It’s slow moving over here being a “Mrs.” now! We’re settling into our new apartment, adjusting to new schedules, coordinating dinners with family, and busy catching up with friends! Who knew post-wedding life would be so busy? I haven’t forgotten about you all, though or my mini-series myth vs. fact!
Up next, a huge revelation…
Myth: You can do it all alone and remember everything yourself!
Fact: Bah! What?
This one might seem obvious to some, but in hindsight, I wish I would have delegated a lot more than I actually did. I was worried about burdening other people with our wedding and I never wanted to talk about it too much. As a result, some things fell by the wayside.
Be specific:
I’m serious about this! Are you planning a wedding for six months from now? A year? Do yourself a favor and write your “must take” photo list RIGHT now. Don’t wait until the last minute, because I can guarantee you’re not going to have the brain power. I didn’t, but luckily for us, our photographer was amazing and got pictures of almost everything I wanted. I still wish I would have written the list, though!
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.
Video via YouTube (The behind the scenes video is amazing, too)
I love Baconator’s family; they know that I love them. They have also taught us some very good lessons in wedding planning/activating. It’s no fun to be the loving family member that drives in for the wedding and spends every moment doing last minute wedding activities like steaming tablecloths with one corner in your mouth or decorating a reception hall an hour before the reception starts with no input from the bride or groom. It’s just not fun, and you end up sweaty, cranky or both. Read more…
Mrs. Hyena, College Station, TXAge and Occupation: 23, Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Aerospace Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Downtown 202About Me: I'm a Texas girl who met my future hubby in high school, then headed up to Oklahoma for a college education (BOOMER SOONER!) before moving back to the Lone Star State to be with him. I love reading and recycling, Photoshop and reality TV, making lame jokes and then laughing at them, quoting movies, and Mr. Hyena most of all. I'm perpetually early and I like to get things accomplished. When my cat meows at me, I meow back. We're planning a laid-back, unintentionally DIY wedding with a cocktail-party vibe, and can't wait to celebrate our nuptials with our nearest and dearest!
I recently had a major meltdown. We were trying to figure out who we needed to invite to the rehearsal dinner. While we’d love to invite everyone coming from out of town, about three-fourths of our guests are coming from at least two hours away, and we unfortunately can’t accommodate everyone. The rehearsal dinner was not the reason for the meltdown, but rather the breaking point.
My bridesmaids are all really far away, and I feel like I’m doing the bulk of planning on my own. I think I’m doing all right so far, and everyone keeps commenting on how on top of things I am. But because I’m alone in planning today, I’m assuming—incorrectly—that I’ll be alone the day of. We’re not going to have a day-of coordinator other than the one provided at the church. For the reception, we’re on our own.
People! I’m only going to say this once! (Image via Up North Live)
Mrs. Magic, Chapel Hill, NCAge and Occupation: 30, Licensed Clinical Social WorkerFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, ResearcherEngagement Date: December 1, 2009Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Barn at ValhallaAbout Me: I’m a tall drink of water (5’10”!) and a Southern bride with an enormous appetite for Mexican food, good deals, anything French, and all things wedding! By day I am lucky enough to work with individuals with autism and their families. By night, I’m even luckier to be able to spend time hanging out with awesome friends, crafting, shopping, thinking about exercising, and kicking it with Mr. Magic and our two cats. I tend to have sudden, intense cravings that will not be denied (seafood enchiladas! new jeans!) and I’m prone to being a disorganized mess of anxiety and stress. After waiting (and waiting!) to get engaged, I am finally planning the colorful, fun, fabulously awesome Fall wedding of our dreams. In an effort to share the fun and craziness that is wedding planning, I’m gonna blog about it for y’all---the good, the bad, and the pretty!
I love organizational devices and strategies, and I really, truly love the idea of being organized. It’s just not for me. It’s not in the cards. The fates are against me. And so on and so forth.
Mrs. Magic, Chapel Hill, NCAge and Occupation: 30, Licensed Clinical Social WorkerFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, ResearcherEngagement Date: December 1, 2009Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Barn at ValhallaAbout Me: I’m a tall drink of water (5’10”!) and a Southern bride with an enormous appetite for Mexican food, good deals, anything French, and all things wedding! By day I am lucky enough to work with individuals with autism and their families. By night, I’m even luckier to be able to spend time hanging out with awesome friends, crafting, shopping, thinking about exercising, and kicking it with Mr. Magic and our two cats. I tend to have sudden, intense cravings that will not be denied (seafood enchiladas! new jeans!) and I’m prone to being a disorganized mess of anxiety and stress. After waiting (and waiting!) to get engaged, I am finally planning the colorful, fun, fabulously awesome Fall wedding of our dreams. In an effort to share the fun and craziness that is wedding planning, I’m gonna blog about it for y’all---the good, the bad, and the pretty!
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.
When Mr. S and I hired a month-of coordinator, our goal was to get someone reliable and dependable to execute the details of the wedding so that we could relax and have a good time. We were paying for peace of mind.
Unfortunately, recent events have shown me that we might have made a mistake. We might not get that peace of mind. And guys? I don’t know what to do. Read more…
Mrs. Brooch, Arlington, VAAge and Occupation: 25, Writer/EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Front Desk ManagerEngagement Date: October 3, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: Oxon Hill ManorAbout Me: I’m an indecisive girlie-girl with a motor mouth, can-do attitude, and knack for making others laugh. I dream of becoming a best selling novelist like Elizabeth Gilbert or Julie Powell (a girl can dream, right?), and love long road trips, a beautiful countryside, music, blogs, books, and all things vintage/thrift/antique/or homemade. I’m a Virgo, i.e. overly sensitive, emotional, and critical, and there’s no such thing as short and sweet in my world. I want to say and do it all. Mr. Brooch grounds me. I point where to go and he figures out the way. He’s a pragmatic fancy-pants who enjoys video games and movies. We both adore our mutt, Rocky, and spending time with our amazingly supportive family and friends. We’re planning a garden wedding with a formal reception with lots of whimsy and unique, Southern-inspired details.
Miss Pancakes’ post “Wedding Planners are your Friends” inspired me to share our process for finding a planner! It look a lot of research, a few interviews, and a couple of budget conversations, but we can already say that hiring a planner was ultimately the best wedding-related decision we’ve made!
How we knew we needed a planner:
We always knew we wanted a day of coordinator, but I also really wanted someone to help us choose our vendors. Living in the Washington, DC area there are a lot of vendors, and making a wise decision can be difficult. We figured it was better to pay a planner, rather than overpay two or three vendors we knew nothing about.
We also knew we needed someone to help us pull off a wedding ourselves. We realized this when we postponed our wedding after being engaged for more than 6 months due in part to a lack of planning.
Mrs. Pancakes, New York/Costa RicaAge and Occupation: 26, Law School StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Latin American Policy AnalystEngagement Date: March 12, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Casa Punto de VistaAbout Me: I’m a perfectionist with a big heart. I love a good laugh and firmly believe no one has ever regretted being prepared! My motto is “go big or go home.” I am incapable of doing anything in moderation, especially when it comes to shopping, TV, food and travel, and some would say wedding planning! The other half of this nearlywed team is a laid-back, adventure-loving, accident prone, sweetie from LA. He makes me laugh, is always down for an impromptu dance party, and totally indulges most of my hare-brained schemes. Now, in my final year of law school, we’ll be spending the spring abroad in Amsterdam and planning a DIY, whimsical, detail-filled destination wedding in Costa Rica!
Once Mr. Pancakes and I decided that we didn’t want a resort wedding, it became clear that we would need a wedding planner. I think there are a lot of reasons to get a wedding planner:
if you can’t/don’t want to plan
if you don’t know the area where you are getting married
if you don’t know the language of the area where you are getting married
if you don’t have people to help you in the planning process
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.
After I started getting frustrated with my search for wedding flowers, I put the feelers out on Facebook and asked if anyone could recommend a good, reliable, creative, and affordable florist. I know so many people who have been married in or near Philly recently that I figured at least one of my friends would be able to recommend someone.
Well, I did get several suggestions from local friends, but the suggestion that ended up being the best was one from a friend of mine who lives in Oklahoma! T was one of my best friends in high school but we haven’t seen each other in about ten years. We reconnected through Facebook a few years back.
Well, T sent me a private message to let me know that not only is her aunt a wedding florist, but her mother is now a wedding planner! I was really excited to hear this, because the more I thought about it, the more I longed for a Day-Of Coordinator. It wasn’t in the cards or in the budget, but I figured I could speak to T’s mom to see if she could put together a simple a la carte package that we would afford. And when I spoke to her, she said she’d figure out a way to fit into the budget. After all, I spent practically every day at her house after school in the early ’90s!
When I finally met with T’s aunt and mother, I could feel everything falling into place. Read more…
Mrs. Elephant, Dallas, TXAge and Occupation: 27, Financial Operations AnalystFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, IT Student/Store ManagerEngagement Date: March 29, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: The Tribute Golf ClubAbout Me: I'm a Philly native creating roots deep in the heart of Texas. I might be a little obsessed capturing those Kodak moments of anything and everything (mainly on vacations). I've become more of a gamer thanks to Mr. Elephant, who I met online and can't wait to spend the rest of my life with. We are planning a wedding based on our favorite colors, blue and green, with a travel theme for 150 of our closest friends and family. Hopefully our long (2-year) engagement won't kill me!
Half-way through our engagement (almost a year after booking our venue) we were notified that the event coordinator at our venue had resigned. I have heard of other instances when event coordinators have left a venue after a bride has booked her wedding, but I didn’t think that it was going to happen to us.
The main reason I did not freak out upon hearing this news? Read more…
Mrs. Cardigan, AustinAge and Occupation: 21, Student/Soon-to-be Special Education TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 20, Student/Soon-to-be Accounting Systems AnalystEngagement Date: August 16, 2009Wedding Date: January 2011Venue: Vintage VillasAbout Me: I'm a native Austinite who was raised as a die-hard Aggie. Luckily, I'm a pretty persuasive girl because I managed to convince my high school boyfriend (now fiance!), Mr. Cardigan, to ditch his hardcore Longhorn ways and join me up at A&M, where we currently reside with our adorable dogs, Cullen & Ranger. We're currently planning a bright, cheery wedding with a ridiculous amount of DIY projects that I can't wait to tackle! I love crafting in any form, reading, and margaritas (I think I love them the most!). Organization is what keeps me sane and I love helping others, which is probably why I ended up as an education major. It gets a little chaotic sometimes when you're planning a wedding among all of the papers, projects, finals, and certification exams, but we're having the time of our lives and we can't wait to get started on our journey as husband and wife - and we're so excited to share our wedding with the hive!
I don’t know if I have mentioned this to you guys or not, but I am a very stubborn and independent person. I like to do things for myself, even if it takes twice as long. I refuse to ask for directions anywhere, and if I’m in a store and can’t find something, I’ll keep wandering around like a crazy person for forever before I finally give in and ask someone where it is.
So, when I saw all these posts from bloggers saying that everyone “needs” a day of coordinator, I was skeptical, to say the least. I mean, why? I don’t need help! Read more…
Mrs. Zebra, Providence, RIAge and Occupation: 24 Marketing/Costume DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26 Management/Firefighter Engagement Date: December 12, 2008Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: The Providence BiltmoreAbout Me: I'm a small town New England girl with an affinity for procrastination, crossing the proverbial line, and putting her foot in her mouth. I'm a lover of history, all seasons, sewing and Incubus. I design costumes on the side for my old high school's theatre department, which is where I met my sexy man. Our motto for our Big Fat Lebanese/Portuguese/Irish near-300 person wedding is "the more the merrier"! We are marrying in a Catholic ceremony and are hammering out the details of our Victorian-inspired reception.
I really can’t go any further into my wedding-world plans with you until I talk to you about my savior. No, not Jesus…the utter hilarity of my Catholic ceremony will be a little later. (Get your seatbelts ready, folks! We’re in for a bumpy ride!) My savior is Sara! OMG, did I just use somebody’s real name? Yessum, and I will tell you why. She is in college majoring in event planning. She wants to be a wedding planner and is using my wedding as a portfolio piece. Sara, being a part of my own pro-bono-college-portfolio piece, was happy to return the favor. She is also a great dumping ground for all those brochures from vendors I decided not to go with.
**We almost died in Dorchester, MA trying to find this fabric. Any one of you ever driven the wrong way down a one way?
Miss Handbag, Smyrna, DE/JamaicaAge and Occupation: 25, AdministrationFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, SalesEngagement Date: Christmas Night 2008Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: Rosehall Resort, Montego Bay, JamaicaAbout Me: I am a Type A, emotional Italian fireball, who on a weekly basis must be brought back to reality by my level headed, calm, cool and collected fiance. We are planning an intimate, all white with hints of black, vintage inspired wedding on the old sugar aqueducts of Jamaica, with 30 of our closest friends and family flying in to witness the occasion. We are not traditional by any means and will be doing things very differently. :)
I don’t like to spend money. There I said it! Whew! It makes me cringe. I tend to over-think things and over-analyze my decisions after I’ve made a purchase. I always seem to try to justify it somehow. Now that I am in the throws of the planning process, I find myself over-analyzing things that I shouldn’t.
Miss Handbag, Smyrna, DE/JamaicaAge and Occupation: 25, AdministrationFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, SalesEngagement Date: Christmas Night 2008Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: Rosehall Resort, Montego Bay, JamaicaAbout Me: I am a Type A, emotional Italian fireball, who on a weekly basis must be brought back to reality by my level headed, calm, cool and collected fiance. We are planning an intimate, all white with hints of black, vintage inspired wedding on the old sugar aqueducts of Jamaica, with 30 of our closest friends and family flying in to witness the occasion. We are not traditional by any means and will be doing things very differently. :)
Our wedding coordinator in Jamaica, that is… when she gets a peek at all the questions I have for her! Since I am an overly-organized and a type A personality, and the fact that our wedding is taking place in another country, I need to know what’s going on! I like to be prepared with no surprises. When we met in April, I brought my handy dandy list of questions! If I am going to be sending 30 of my closest family and friends, and spending thousands of dollars, I want to know what to expect. Wouldn’t you?
SO without further ado… these were my questions… Read more…
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.
Mr Pretzel and I are very “We can do” kind of people. Our wedding planning has been very “we can do it” centered. Together we have planned, crafted, and toiled. Outsiders look at he work and think it’s a burden but to us it is just more time we get to spend together strengthening the foundations of our relationship.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
When we met in April, I brought my handy dandy list of questions! 
If I am going to be sending 30 of my closest family and friends, and spending thousands of dollars, I want to know what to expect. Wouldn’t you?
