Although Mr. Jet is my very best friend AND lovah - I'd be nowhere without my girls.  They're my sounding boards, my shopping mates, my fellow-PMSers, my rocks.  I've got 6 super amazing friends from different stages in my life, I'm even lucky enough to call one of them my sister! 

Without further ado...my lovely ladies:
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Oddly enough, I only have glasses on in one of these photos, but I really wear them almost every day! / Collage via Photovisi / Photos personal
TOP: B'Maid E (with special photobomb by Mr. Jet!), MOH J, B'Maid V
BOTTOM: MOH K, B'Maid C, B'Maid M
  • B'Maid E is my fashion-forward friend who makes heels always look easy and shares my love of travel, Target and travelling to Target.  She lives just a town over from me which makes for great, last-minute shopping trips.

  • MOH J is my sister and first friend.  We went through our awful "I hate you" stage like most sisters do, but she's my one and only sibling and best advice-giver.  She lives in Atlanta now, previously Seattle and who-knows-where-next - Hawaii perhaps with her Hawaiian-born hubs? ;)

  • B'Maid V was my middle school friend, high school friend, 4-year college roommate and otherwise my twin.  She lives in Jacksonville - perfect for when I need to escape the cold NE winters.

  • MOH K has been my bestie since high school - our parents even live across the street from each other! (We may or may not have started a gang in high school called the "Main Street Heat").  She lives a town over from me as well, in the other direction from B'Maid E!

  • B'Maid C I've known since she was a wee little lass and we've grown so close over the past 6-7 years.  She lives close-by too and I call on her whenever I need tips on how to apply liquid eyeliner or properly curl my hair.

  • B'Maid M has been my musical soulmate for years and a total trivia junkie like yours truly.  She lives in Western Mass - I often hop out there in the fall when I want to visit my alma mater, UMass Amherst!

I'm very fortunate that all of these ladies have agreed to be a part of our day and all the twine tying, envelope licking, dress bustling, crisis averting stuff that comes along with it!

Rounding out the crew, Mr. Jet has asked his brother (BM P), his best friend (BM K), and two other friends and bandmates (GM K and GM M) to stand up for him.  

We also asked Mr. Jet's niece and nephew (JBM A and JGM R) to join the junior ranks.  And finally, as our dog-bearer, my little cousin L (DB L)!!  

We've got a fantastic crew behind us, can't wait to party with these guys!


 
Oh shoes.

I've got to say, I'm more of a handbag girl myself (working for a handbag company and all), but a great shoe is never lost on me.  My issue is the heel.  (I actually typed "hell" by accident just now.  Freudian slip?)  I HATE WEARING HEELS.  I KNOW they make my legs look great, I stand up straighter and generally look more "womanly", but damn are those things uncomfortable.  And with a floor-length gown I'll need to be strapped into, do I really want to go this route and be doubly-uncomfortable?
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gorgeous, but me feet hurt just look at these! / Image via Seychelles
I could go the two-shoe route, but I can seem to justify buying shoes for a 20-minute ceremony IN THE GRASS.  Hive, I think I'm going to be a flat-wearing bride.

I've found some really cute options out there, including Miss Palm Tree's awesome Toms idea!  Miss Campfire even jumped in and sent me some great options!!!
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I told her I was playing with the idea of having my shoe be my "something blue". / Image via Zappos
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A cute neutral. / Image via 6pm
I had lots of great options in the flat-world at that point, then another friend sent me a link to these by Dessy Group:
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These caught my eye - love me some shoe bling! / Image via Dessy
As I was clicking through the Dessy Accessories page, I saw that they had these shoes in 14 different colors and that the bling was also a removable shoe clip!  "Oooooo", I said to myself, eyes widening!

I clicked around and ended up finding a great Art Deco-inspired shoe clip and a cute chiffon flower clip as well!
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Chiffon Flower Clip & Art Deco Clip. / Images via Dessy
This got me thinking, I can mix and match and have the girls' dress color as my shoe!  Or perhaps go ahead with my "something blue" idea since I found the Art Deco clip on a Navy shoe!  Or have the Art Deco clip on a basic Ivory shoe! One thing led to another, and I ended up with this:
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Cue the shoe montage!! / Image via Dessy
I really love all nine of these options - le sigh!  Help me out hive!  Which one is your favorite??
 
Since Mr. Jet and I wil be doing a first look, we needed a single mode of transportation that will round up our crew, including fur-baby Bruce!

Ideally, we wanted a 4-5 hour rental that would pick up all of the bridal party and our photographer (Uncle J) and bring us to a few local places we wanted to take pictures at before the ceremony and have a final drop-off at our ceremony/reception location before our 5pm ceremony start.  I immediately crossed out the limo idea, as I am about as graceful as a St. Bernard on a slip and slide - nevermind when tied up into a wedding gown.  Something I can step up into was preferable, if not mandatory.

I looked into trolley rentals in our area, I figured they weren't quite as popular as the limo and maybe not as expensive.  WOW, was I ever wrong!  The trolley rentals I found were almost 50% MORE expensive than the limos and most required a 6-8 hour rental minimum.  It was way outside the (completely arbitrary) $500 budget I seem to set for everything, but I was determined to find something more affordable.  

In our small-ish city, we have a few city trolleys which operate in the summer months doing tours of museums and "famous" locations around town.  I inquired with the city to see if they rented it for private events.  They don't.

Never fear, a similar small-ish city is only 20 minutes away.  I shot off an e-mail to their parks and rec. department...
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TOTALLY hoped that she'd respond!! / Image via NBC
GOOD NEWS!  This small-ish city rented out their trolley for a song!  Only $100/hr. with a 4hr. minimum rental.  My penny-pinching inner-self was shouting from the rooftops!  I booked a meeting with Tammy and the trolley at the city bus depot to check out the trolley to make sure it wasn't a hot city mess. (All photos are personal)
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she's vintage, she's rustic - she's all ours!
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love the original wooden benches!
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plenty of room for the whole crew and will make for some great photos!
I showed Mr. Jet the photos and we both agreed to book the trolley that night for our date.  The city employee we met with told us the driver even comes in a tuxedo!  Also, we can eat and drink on the trolley and head up and decorate it the night before!  A lot of private companies veto all the freedom - and for way more cash.

We are really excited to not only support a local city, as all of the money they take in on these private events is set aside for road and city vehicle repairs, but also to have a really cool trolley for an amazing price!

For those brides still looking for transportation, check with your local small-ish cities - you may be surprised at what they have to offer!

 
Food is something that's always been important to Mr. Jet and me - we both grew up with parents who could REALLY cook and love to try new recipes and funky restaurants in our area.  (I even used to "mentor" some of my friends who were learning how to cook on their own - NO, you can not substitute vanilla pudding for plain yogurt.)  Needless to say, we would not accept crap banquet wedding food.
One of the major reasons Mr. Jet and I chose Bittersweet Farm was for their menu.  Since they're a restaurant operating year-round for the public as well as for private events, we were confident in their ability to help us create a really great menu for our wedding guests.  For a per plate price, they offer:

- Homemade Dinner Rolls with Honey Butter (uh-mazing) or Homemade Corn Bread with Red Pepper Jam - We opted for the rolls and butter since the corn bread was an upcharge we couldn't justify.
- A Mesclun Green salad with Balsamic Dressing or Caesar Salad - Mesclun Salad for us, a lighter option and more accessible to everyone.
- Award-Winning Clam Chowder or Seasonal Soup - We didn't add a soup course since we're doing the Chowder as a passed appetizer.
- Choice of 2-3 entrees for guests to choose from - This was a tough choice, but we chose the Roasted Pork Loin with Cranberry Glaze and Apple-Raisin Stuffing, Baked Stuffed Sole with Lobster Crabmeat Stuffing and Cardinal Sauce, and for the vegetarians in the crowd, the Mushroom Ravioli with a Sherry-Asparagus Cream Sauce.  Okay, I am literally dreaming of these meals.
- Cake Service with Coffee - I can't believe venues will charge you for cake-cutting - that's crazy!

In addition to that, Mr. Jet and I will be offering the following:

- A Stationery Cheese and Cracker Display
- Passed Appetizers: A Clam Cake/Clam Chowder Shooter  - So freaking amazeballs, I can't even deal.  If you've never had a Clam Cake, you are missing out!, Bacon Wrapped Local Scallops with Soy Ginger Dipping Sauce and Spanikopita (mmm, feta).
- Our Wedding Cake, obvs.
- A Late-Night Snack - This was something I asked our coordinator, Corrie, about at our first meeting.  Bittersweet didn't have an official menu for this, but since many brides over the past few years have been asking about it - they were well-versed on the subject and could pretty much give us anything we thought of!  I turned down Mr. Jet's suggestion of "Beef Tongue Tacos" and we settled on Angus Sliders and French Fries.  All that dancing and drinking will definitely get people in the mood for tiny burger and cups of fries!

We did our tasting a few months ago, and since the restaurant was open to the public and we were seating in a dark area near the fireplace, flash photography probably would've been a bad idea!  Plus, Mr. Jet, FFIL Jet and I were SO hungry that nothing lasted long enough anyway.

I can't wait to share all that good food with everyone!  

Here's a sneak peek of the passed appetizers - Images via Bittersweet Farm (photos by Holly Haddad Photography):
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Bacon Wrapped Scallops.
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Spanikopita.
 
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No random JOP for me. / Image via MJPA
After Mr. Jet and I got engaged and settled on most of the major checklist items, we started thinking about the most important checklist item - who the hell is going to marry us?  

Most people who I've known get married, have known a Justice of the Peace or a Priest/Minister closely enough that it made sense to ask them to officiate.  Mr. Jet and I have no such luck, we're not affiliated with any church (shame on us lapsed Catholics) and we don't know anyone in our area that is ordained to perform wedding ceremonies.

I started doing some research on officiants in Massachusetts and came across this article: http://www.mass.gov/governor/getinvolved/onedaymarriage/ which states that a friend or family member may be designated as an "officiant for the day" through the Commonwealth with an application, letter of reference and a $25 fee.  

My grandmother (my dad's mother) immediately came to my mind.  She's been a huge part of my entire life and bonded with Mr. Jet when we first started dating over their mutual love of art and painting.  We've both been close to her and we had been looking for a way to involve Nana (pronounced NUH-nuh), as she's our only living grandparent.  She's also an avid writer and public speaker, so it seemed like a no-brainer to us.  She's supported our relationship since day one and was one of our first phone calls when we announced our engagement.   

I was positive she'd say yes, but still nervous to ask!  It seemed like a big undertaking for us to write and have her perform a wedding ceremony having never done it before, but we assured her we'd give her everything she needed and she gladly accepted!  Her only request was to be seen over the podium.  She is 4'11"....
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there she is, 80-years young. I hope I inherited her great skin! / Personal photo

So on our wedding day, my Nana will stand up there and read all of the words that Mr. Jet and I have written and laid out and legally bind us as husband and wife.  To say I can't wait for that moment is a tremendous understatement.  Having her officiate our ceremony is a wonderful and intimate way to tie her into our day and have someone up there who really knows us, and how much that day means to Mr. Jet and me.


Does your state allow for "officiants for the day"?  Would you ever ask a family member or friend to officiate?


 
Hey Hive!

Miss Jet Setter here, so excited to be writing my first post for the 'bee!  I've been lurking in the shadows since '09 when my best friend and MOH K was getting ready to tie the knot and have followed the stories of some great bees before me - I'm so glad to have been chosen as one of the hive!  I received my welcome e-mail from Mrs. Mouse last week just before bed and jumped out of bed (and my skin) to tell Mr. Jet the good news!  Speaking of Mr. Jet, let's see that gorgeous guy, shall we? (All photos personal)
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Spent my birthday last year with my favorite guys - Mr. Jet and the Red Sox. ;)
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The Jets atop the Space Needle back in 2010 - wicked windy up there!
I work in quality assurance (perfectionist much?) for a national leather handbag company based out of Massachusetts and Mr. Jet works in human services as a case manager.  He's also studying to become a licensed therapist.

We are fun-loving, goofy people with a sentimental streak and deep roots in our Southcoast, MA area.  (shoutout to Miss Panda, Ms. P'Chips, Mrs. Zebra, Mrs. Corn, Mrs. Beanstalk, Mrs. Gloss and the rest of my fellow New England brides!)  I love musical theater, karaoke nights, Volkswagens, Harry Potter, quoting 90s Saturday Night Live, the trashiest television you can think of, celebrity gossip, a really great tinted moisturizer, whale boat rowing with my year-round rowing club, anything involving cheese and Elvis Costello.  Mr. Jet is a fantastic local musician and painter with more talent in his little toe than most in their whole bodies!  He loves growing a fabulous beard, the Vine video app, craft beer, vintage guitars, Portuguese food, painting in his little home studio and making me laugh until my sides hurt.  We’re an adventurous and creative couple who love each other to the moon…and back.  I seriously cannot wait to be this guy’s wife, you guys!

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As a bearded Beetlejuice ( Mr. Jet refused to shave it) and Lydia Deetz last Halloween.
We met at a mutual friend's wedding back in May 2007 and slowly found our way to each other by October of that same year.  We're getting married in October of this year, just two days after our 6th anniversary.

We've been co-habitating for almost 5 years with our darling chihuahua-mix, Bruce Banner:
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Bruce is thrilled that mom and dad are finally making it official!
We are planning a rustic barn wedding with modern twists in Westport, MA.  Our families, friends from all walks of life and co-workers make up our 160 guest celebration filled with good food, good wine, good music and good times!  I look forward to sharing all of our planning with the hive!

xo,

Miss Jet

P.S. Why Miss Jet Setter, you ask?  First of all, who doesn't love that cute little suitcase icon??  Secondly, my job ensures that my passport gets quite the workout, traveling at least once a year to Asia with some domestic travel peppered in from time to time to NYC and beyond.  I've also traveled to England (twice!), Hawaii, Seattle, Chicago, all up and down the East Coast and look forward to adding Mexico to the map for our honeymoon!


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Mr. Jet and I after a snorkel in Hanauma Bay on Oahu Island. Ulgh, can someone just transport me back there NOW?!
 
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Image via Someecards
My last name is very unique.  It's also very difficult to spell, pronounce or try to teach someone said spelling and pronunciation.  "D as in David...E as in elephant..."  Growing up, I couldn't stand my eccentric 7-letter last name because even *I* couldn't spell the damn thing at first!  It's even got a crazy accent on it!  When said in its true French pronunciation it sounds absolutely lovely, but unless I decide to defect to Canada or France it really does me no good here.  I always used to say that when I got married, I would be ditching my last name in favor of a married name.  However, the closer I got to marriage the more sentimental my last name became.  

It's the only last name I've ever had.  It's the last name of my father, my uncle, their parents and many other great aunts uncles and extended relatives.  For our little family unit though, my sister, one female cousin, one male cousin and I are the only ones that are able to take our name forward.  That is technically only one person (my male cousin) in my family that will conceivably keep our family name going after our generation. My sister (who got married last year) hyphenated our name with her husband's last name, so a piece of that will continue on with her.  M's last name is fairly common in our region (it's a very Portuguese last name!) and easy to pronounce and spell.  (BONUS: Taking Mr. Jet's last name pushes me to the beginning of the alphabet AND makes my name an alliteration, how cool?!)  I've thought long and hard about what I should do and with only 4+ months left, I keep going around in circles.  Maybe it'll help to see it all on paper...let's see, shall we?

Here are the scenarios I've thought up:

1. "The Feminist" (FIRSTNAME MIDDLENAME MAIDENNAME) - Keep my name entirely.
2. "The KEEP ALL THE NAMES!" (FIRSTNAME MIDDLENAME MAIDENNAME MARRIEDNAME) - Add my current last name as a second middle name.
3. "The Ol'Switcheroo" (FIRSTNAME MAIDENNAME MARRIEDNAME) - Ditch my middle name (which I happen to really love) and move my current last name into that spot.
4. "The Fancy Law Firm" (FIRSTNAME MIDDLENAME MAIDENNAME-MARRIEDNAME) - Keep my middle name and hyphenate two last names.
5. "The Fresh Start" (FIRSTNAME MIDDLENAME MARRIEDNAME) - Drop my maiden name entirely.

I think I've narrowed it down to "The Ol'Switcheroo" and "The Fresh Start" - but I'm not 100% sure yet.  I love the idea of taking Mr. Jet's last name and creating our little family unit, I'm just not sure I can let go of that horribly burdensome last name I've known for 29 years.  Hmm...





 
I've always loved art deco jewelry - clean lines, beautifully symmetrical stones and basic designs that don't overwhelm.
Although my dress is a tad romantic for the art deco genre, I plan on sneaking in some art deco jewelry as a nod to my love of the deco.  I'm thinking a multi-layer pearl necklace with an art deco clasp somewhat like this:
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Image via GeoGallery / Photo by Kenneth Larsen
I might add a smaller drop earring in a complementing pattern somewhat like these:
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Image via Amazon
Since my dress is pretty intricate and I will have a decorative sash on as well, I want to keep the jewelry as simple and elegant as possible - which is why the deco style really speaks to me.  Nothing is overly designed or too showy.  I'm still looking for the perfect jewelry at my local antique shops and estate sales.  I've seen quite a lot of art deco costume jewelry in my area, I think I can find the perfect jewelry for a great price!
 
I cannot even deal with my email account sometimes.  Between my personal email and my business one, I must receive nearly 200 messages every day.  And I have to open every. single. one.  Why?  Because I do.  Because I hate seeing "INBOX (3,468)" on my screen.  Most of them get a quick click and onto the next, and I really do try to unsubscribe to things I never look at, but that shit's hard, yo!

When it came time to plan the wedding, I was adamant about creating a separate email to catch all the inevitable mailing list messages I will be inadvertently signed up for.  I created another gmail account, "[email protected]" which has been a great catch-all for all of the wedding CRAP that has been sent my way from visiting bridal fairs, vendors and websites.

It's also been a really helpful tool to organize my thoughts and ideas.  Since I communicate almost entirely via email during my 9-5 (really 7:30-4) job, I keep a good record of all the communication I've had with our vendors in folders I've created for each.  

In addition, all those WeddingBee blog posts I starred in my Google Reader?  I started emailing them to this address so I could sort those into categories as well!  

I thank my lucky stars every day that someone in my family has passed down this hyper-organized gene to me.  Thank you, whoever you are, dear relative of mine....

I must say, it's been incredibly helpful to have all of our wedding messages in one place and not have to sift through messages touting the best limo service in ALL of New England, free* wedding photobooths, whiter teeth in 5 minutes, etc.

*Please, nothing is free.  ESPECIALLY for a wedding.  Gimme a break, I'm no amateur.

 
I grew up in an antique shop.  Not really, but my house always felt like one. I remember playing with old metal cars and trucks as a kid and a vintage Playskool barn that my grandmother kept in her attic.  

My family has always appreciated antiques and they've always taken really good care of their stuff.  A lesson I learned too well, as I freak out when I break a plate I bought for $3 at Ikea.

A few weeks ago, my dad and I went to the Brimfield Fair - the country's largest outdoor antique festival that runs for three weeks in May, July and September.  I, having wedding on the brain constantly, had a few ideas of things I could keep an eye out for - a card box, vintage wine bottles or crates, or some cool signage.

Brimfield is about an hour and half away from our town, so we hit the road at 6am to get a good parking spot and first dibs on the early bird deals. (All photos are personal)
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Brimfield at an ungodly hour. Hardly anyone there yet!
We trolled well over 100 vendor stalls over the next 5 hours or so and while my dad kept hitting the great deals, all I stumbled upon was crap like this:
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These frighten me to the depths of my soul.
I was feeling a little disheartened until I spotted a stall with vintage milk crates stacked to the top of the tent.  There were tons of beautiful wood and metal crates with old local business logos etched on the sides.  I sifted through a few, and spotted this guy filled with wooden frames:
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Moooo!
Ta-Da!  In the eleventh hour, I found our cardbox?  Not sure exactly how I'll set this up yet, but it's a great mix of modern and rustic with it's satin wood and galvanized steel frame.  I can't wait to incorporate this onto one of our tables, it'll add depth and character as our guests arrive to our reception spot!  What would you do with this guy?