Sorority sweethearts Julie & Stacey share their waterfront proposal story that ended with a surprise engagement party. The Scheming: Julie: In June 2014, after an amazing two-week European adventure through Spain and France, I realized I was ready to pop the question. The thought of an engagement crossed my mind in the past but it was after this two-week journey that I realized a proposal would come sooner rather than later. I started thinking about when and how I could it. Stacey: We’d been together for about six years and I was thinking about the next step. I knew Julie would propose bec ..read more

Brittany and Michele met while they were both students at Columbia College. Although they were both in relationships with other people at the time, when they started talking, they both say there was an instant connection. Brittany proposed to Michele in Asheville, North Carolina in October 2015. Says Brittany, “We took a short hike to the top of a mountain and I gave Michele a little book. Each page included a picture of us and a lyric from one of our favorite songs. The last page had a picture of the ring. When she got to that page, I pulled out the ring. She was so surprised.” The couple wer ..read more

August 29, 2014 Middletown, CT. Betsy & Jenna met at ESPN in 2011 after both working there since 2008.  They didn’t work in the same department but met by chance, when Jenna was scheduled to train Betsy on a job function. They bonded over their love for the Boston Celtics. Coincidentally, they both lived on the same street, only a few houses apart in Betsy’s hometown. A friendship grew, and since they both worked nights with unusual days off they spent more and more time together. When they started dating, their first date was—fittingly—a Celtics game. Betsy & Jenna knew almo ..read more

It’s December! Winter is upon us. I was chatting with Sarah Peterson, founder of Sincerely Pete, a creative and inclusive company that specializes in wedding and event planning, and we both agreed that winter weddings are an under-appreciated and often missed opportunity for charm, romance and whimsy, not to mention gorgeous fashion and design opportunities and extra-cozy elements. Being the visually creative one in this conversation, Sarah created a set of story boards that will, without a doubt, turn you into a winter wedding believer. Her stunning results, after the jump. Says Sar ..read more

June 13th 2016 Murrieta, California Melissa & Jamie describe themselves as a couple who are “pretty out of the box, and like to do things differently.” So, Jamie says, when it came time to plan their wedding, they knew it would be unique. “We both like to talk (a lot) and laugh (a lot), and we value finding the meaning and authenticity in everything we do. So first and foremost we wanted our special day to be a really good time and feel like us every step of the way.” Melissa is not comfortable being vulnerable in front of people, so the brides thought it would be fun—and necessary—to open ..read more

March 26th, 2016 Saratoga Springs, New York Carter and Jo play on competing teams in the Prospect Park Women’s Softball League during summer and love to travel to tropical locations in winter. They live in New York where Carter works for a “trendy start-up” that lets her bring their dog Austin to work. Jo is an industrial designer who builds custom chandeliers for a living. She also builds cardboard costumes for fun and can also bring their very lucky dog Austin to work. Jo adds that Carter “is a social media addict with a prolific Instagram presence featuring mostly pictures of Brooklyn sunse ..read more

Bianca and Sara met in grad school in 2008. The two became best friends while roommates during a month-long backpacking trip in Europe. The friendship grew romantic and the couple started dating on New year’s Eve 2009. Their wedding day was also their sixth anniversary. Both brides wanted the other to have the experience of a proposal. First, Sara flew Bianca’s best friend into town and planned a day of activities. She even made sure that Bianca got a manicure and had her hair done before the proposal. Their house was under construction at the time so Sara filled the house with balloons that l ..read more

August 5th 2016 Manchester, UK Sarah is a Business Studies Teacher from Wales and Anna is a Business Manager from Wirral. They live in Manchester with their two cats, Kat & Alfie, or “the babies,” as Sarah calls them. They met working for a recruitment firm and became best friends. When it came time to propose, Anna contacted Sarah’s manager at work and secretly booked time off, then planned a trip to Milan and Venice. Anna proposed in Venice near the Rialto Bridge. “I had written everything down but got too emotional to speak, so Sarah read my proposal herself.” The brides planned a “femi ..read more

My answers to most wedding questions begin with, However the heck you want! But I also know that the wording on wedding invitations really set a tone for the event itself. Is it a formal affair? Do you want to keep it low-key or playful? Or maybe you’re artsy or eccentric and want that conveyed with your invites. Here are a few guidelines to get you started. If you wanna go the traditional route, then go ahead, request the honor of their presence. Are your parents paying – because then you can stop reading now and let them handle this part. Kidding. Kind of … although they probably want some i ..read more