Mrs. Pumpkin, Saskatchewan, CanadaBlogger Since: April 10, 2007Age and Occupation: 28, LawyerFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, FarmerEngagement Date: July 14, 2006Wedding Date: June, 2007About Me: I love movies, music and I am addicted to TV. When I have some spare time I also love scrapbooking and making personalized greeting cards and above all playing Hide & Seek or Duck, Duck, Goose with my two adorable nieces!
There was absolutely no question as to whether we would be having flower girls at our wedding since I have the two most adorable nieces in the whole world. Even though the rest of our wedding was child-free, there was no way that my girls weren’t going to be there and be front and centre with me. At least that was the master plan. I had completely prepared myself for the possibility that one or both of the girls may get spooked and refuse to go down the aisle. If this happened I was fine - I did NOT want them to go through anything like this!
Miss Peppermint, LA/Palm SpringsAge and Occupation: 23, ActressFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Web ProducerEngagement Date: October 21, 2006Wedding Date: December 2007Blogging Since: July 2, 2007Venue: historic estate overlooking the heart of Palm SpringsAbout Me: I am a Southern California native who enjoys cooking, writing, travel and all things in the arts. Mr. Peppermint and I met in college and he proposed on our four year anniversary in one of our most special places, Joshua Tree National Park. We're having a destination wedding in Palms Springs that will incorporate tradition as well as reflect our personalities!
Last summer the Peppermint Family went to my (second) cousin’s wedding in the UK (just outside of Ipswich, where the bride’s family is from). Prior to going on the trip, Mama Peppermint did some online research to make sure we dressed appropriately and didn’t stick out like the Americans we are. Among the many interesting tid bits she picked up, she learned that it is proper to wear a hat to an English wedding. When my mom told me this, I mostly dismissed it. Perhaps the older women wear hats, but young twenty-somethings definitely do not…
Well, upon attending I learned that not only was I mistaken, but perhaps more twenty-somethings wore hats than the older women! I was one of the only people who didn’t have a hat or hair piece of some sort. Many of them were elaborate and had feathers of all colors. Very festive! I don’t think I’ve seen any hats at American weddings other than those worn by the bride (and that’s rare). After all this hat talk, I stumbled upon this article on Martha Stewart Wedding about bridal hats.
I think I’ll be sticking to a veil, but I have to say, some of them are pretty cute…
Mrs. Bee, New YorkAge and Occupation: 29, Weddingbee PublisherFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, InternetEngagement Date: May 7, 2004Wedding Date: March 5, 2005Venue: Westside Loft, New YorkAbout Me: Yes, my name really is Bee! I love my blogging, wikis, and tabasco sauce!
Mrs. Lollipop, PittsburghAge and Occupation: 26, Computational LinguistFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Project ManagerEngagement Date: August 2, 2006Wedding Date: September 2, 2007Blogging Since: July 17, 2007Venue: The PPG Aquarium at the Pittsburgh ZooAbout Me: I'm a Pittsburgh transplant who grew up in the deep south. I have a weakness for exotic alphabets, DIY projects, mobster movies and international travel. My fiance and I are both non-native Japanese speakers and we have a bullfrog named Skinny.
Mr. Lollipop’s favorite animal is the duck. For his birthday one year ago I rented two ducks from a nearby farm and he spent the evening following them around the yard and smiling.
Lots ofwork went into our invitations, so I wanted to try and draw some creativity of our guests in return. Other than real ducks, what could be better for the water fowl obsessed man than armfuls of paper ducks from our loved ones? Plus, the paper kind don’t poop everywhere or gorge themselves on our our garden herbs like the real thing.
Mrs. Emerald, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 26, Wedding PlannerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, ParalegalEngagement Date: October 8, 2006Wedding Date: September 2007Blogging Since: November 29, 2006Venue: Hyatt Lodge, Oak Brook ILAbout Me: I have been dreaming about my wedding forever, and flipping through bridal magazines since high school, so I am in my element! I am calling our theme "Vintage Inspired French/Asian Fusion." Mr. Emerald is very involved in the planning process, but of course he generally defers to me cuz I have a strong opinion of how I want everything to be :-).
I really, really, REALLY want a group picture of everyone that attends our wedding! Maybe something like this, but I’d like to be able to see everyone a little better:
(pic from knottie Mrs. Julia Goolia - amazing bio by the way - love the Wedding Singer reference!)
Now has anyone done this? When is the best time, and how do you round up your guests? I was thinking of including a line in the program booklet, probably at the end of the order of the ceremony which says, “Please remain in your seats for a group picture!” What do you think? This will certainly be a test of my photographer’s skill and swiftfulness!
Mrs. Plum, DallasAge and Occupation in 06: 22, Accountant by day/Floral and Event Designer by night and weekendsFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Security AdminEngagement Date: December 31, 2004Wedding Date: June 29, 2007Venue: Marie Gabrielle Restaurant and GardensAbout Me: I have been engaged for about two years now - yes, a long engagement, because my fiance and I wanted to wait until I graduated college, which I did this past summer! He proposed after dating just two months - crazy, I know, but 2 years later, here we are, still crazy in love :-). We are having not one, but TWO weddings and TWO receptions in one weekend - American-style and Vietnamese-style - in Dallas, Texas, where I was born and raised!
Mrs. Corn, Newport, RIAge and Occupation in '07: 31, HR for public accounting firmFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Consultant for public accounting firmEngagement Date: October 7, 2006Wedding Date: September, 2007Blogging Since: June 1, 2007Venue: North Lawn of Fort Adams State ParkAbout Me: I am a lazy scrapbooker who loves the instant gratification of making cards and I am very easily distracted by all things shiny. In honor of my childhood nights spent hibachi BBQing on the beach with my family, we are hosting a traditional New England Clambake for our reception.
So, I have to admit, I am a desk jockey and most, if not all, of our vendors were found via the good old fashioned internet. This isn’t to say that I didn’t research the people that I hired, but for the most part, booking our vendors has been a testament to the powers of the World Wide Web.
Mrs. Licorice, AtlantaAge and Occupation: 25, Full-time Interior Design StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, PilotEngagement Date: February 6, 2006Wedding Date: September 1, 2007Blogging Since: July 18, 2007Venue: John Oliver Michael, a historic farm house and barn replicaAbout Me: I love artistic pursuits of all sorts! I'm creative and organized, but my downfall is obsessing over details. I enjoy running outdoors, trying new restaurants, and staring at décor and wedding magazines for hours on end. I hope to one day design a hotel in a foreign country, preferably France, Greece, Japan, or Australia. I am elated to marry Mr. Licorice and experience life’s adventures with him!
I’m having a dilemma. I cannot decide how to thank my beautiful bridesmaids for, well, being my bridesmaids. The brightest ideas I’ve had so far consist of two options:
1) A tea party at Vintage Tea in Alpharetta, GA. I’ve attended tea there before. The food was so good (and cute, due to it’s teeny, tiny size). The decor is shabby chic and very southern. Old hats and furs line the walls for patrons to wear during their meal. And yes, everyone does try them on! What’s not to love?
Mrs. Pearl, Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 26, High school history teacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 37, Software engineerEngagement Date: No official date, we just decided :-)Wedding Date: July 2007Venue: St. Anthony's Greek Orthodox Church, Ritz Carlton Huntington HotelAbout Me: Mr. Pearl and I have been together for about four and a half years now. We've been "engaged" since 2004 and were originally supposed to get married in June 2006, but postponed the wedding to July 2007. I love shopping for housewares and office supplies, music, reading chick lit, football, and the diverse world of Los Angeles dining.
Just checking in quickly to say that we are officially married!!!
Some people say their wedding day was stressful. I’m in the opposite camp. I had the best possible day I could imagine. I don’t think I’ve smiled more, laughed harder, or felt happier than I did on Saturday. I would go so far as to say it was the best wedding EVER, but of course that’s my personal bias.
Here are a couple of pictures shamelessly stolen from a friend in attendance.
Today we’re giving away a premium package from LifeOnRecord, a new service which allows your guests to create an audio keepsake for your wedding. (Read a full description of the service below.) To win, just leave a comment using the words “life”, “on”, or “record”! Contest ends 8:00 pm Tuesday.
LifeOnRecord is also offering a 15% discount for Weddingbee readers through the end of August; just enter code “weddingbee” at checkout!
Mrs. Lemon, Los Angeles/MontereyAge and Occupation in 2006: 26, Graduate Student (Public Policy)Fiance's Age and Occupation in 2006: 29, Environmental ConsultantEngagement Date: April 7, 2006Wedding Date: July 7, 2007Venue: Rosary Chapel & Monterey Marriott, Monterey, CAAbout Me: My FI and I met online, but we like to tell people that we met at a "cookie shop" which is the technical location of our first encounter. He proposed exactly 1 year, 1 month and 6 days after our first date (it's the only part of his proposal speech that I remember), and we're planning long-distance from Los Angeles for a July wedding in my hometown of Monterey, CA. I have a passion for all things "cool, cute and quirky" and I enjoy video games, reading blogs (WeddingBee, trashy celeb, consumer & political) and crafting in my spare time, if I have any!
It was a hit with the guests long before we ever saw them: our OOT bags!
Most of our guests were travelling to reach our wedding… some from SoCal, others from the midwest and the east coast, and we wanted to make sure they made the most of their trip. For that exact reason, I made sure I bought reusable bags that people could keep… which was obviously a good idea since Mr. Lemon’s mom used hers throughout the entire trip!
Mrs. Emerald, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 26, Wedding PlannerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, ParalegalEngagement Date: October 8, 2006Wedding Date: September 2007Blogging Since: November 29, 2006Venue: Hyatt Lodge, Oak Brook ILAbout Me: I have been dreaming about my wedding forever, and flipping through bridal magazines since high school, so I am in my element! I am calling our theme "Vintage Inspired French/Asian Fusion." Mr. Emerald is very involved in the planning process, but of course he generally defers to me cuz I have a strong opinion of how I want everything to be :-).
Actually, no, I’m not a big drinker (in fact, I am a total light-weight) but I still love the idea of a signature drink! I’ve been scouring the web for some fun, fruity mixed drink ideas that will be easy for our venue to concoct (at no extra charge). So that means I must stick within the basic alcohol types/brands included in the package and the usual mixers. Nothing too fancy schmancy, but definitely tasty!
Mrs. Lollipop, PittsburghAge and Occupation: 26, Computational LinguistFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Project ManagerEngagement Date: August 2, 2006Wedding Date: September 2, 2007Blogging Since: July 17, 2007Venue: The PPG Aquarium at the Pittsburgh ZooAbout Me: I'm a Pittsburgh transplant who grew up in the deep south. I have a weakness for exotic alphabets, DIY projects, mobster movies and international travel. My fiance and I are both non-native Japanese speakers and we have a bullfrog named Skinny.
When I was a little girl I was obsessed with the Funk and Wagnalls science encyclopedias available in our supermarket. The first volume covering A-Aq sold for only 9 cents so it was easy to talk my mother into buying a copy. For months, it was my most prized possession and I read from ‘aardvark’ to ‘aquarium’ savoring each entry. By far, my favorite entry was ‘animal’. It contained a massive taxonomy tree covering two pages. I studied the chart like it was for a grade.
Miss Lollipop linked to a metafilter thread earlier today that asked, “Do you regret having spent all of that money and energy on your big, splash-out wedding?
Commenter aoedorothee wanted to hear weddingbee readers’ responses, so I’ll start!
I don’t regret any of the time that I put into planning our wedding (approx 6 months), because going through the process helped me a great deal in launching weddingbee. Being one of the first of my friends to get married, I really had no idea what I was doing back then… but now I live, eat, breathe, drink weddings. If I could do it again, sure there are things I would have done differently, spent less on, etc. But overall, I don’t really have regrets about our wedding.
For those of you that are already married - do you regret the time and money you invested into your wedding?
BeehiveFeature Launched: Aug 31, 2006About: A forum for readers to post questions and get feedback from the hive, aka the weddingbee community.
Can someone tell kelly the price range of Paloma Blanca and/or Anne Barge gowns?
Brooke is considering having a photobooth at her wedding, but she has a question for those who did: Did it add to or take away from guests’ enjoyment of the wedding? And did you have the booth inside the reception space? And finally, has anyone used Party Booths for their rental?
Annie came across this pic on the knot and wants to id the dress. Anyone know the designer or perhaps who the pic belongs to? She’s been looking for this style and loves the delicate halter neckline but can’t find anything similar. Suggestions?
tipperella wants to know what everyone does with the vases leftover from the wedding? She’s having a destination wedding so she’s not going to take them home with her.
hd wants to know, for those of you who chose photography packages, where did you get the digital pictures plus the rights? Any sort of official document? She’s heard that sometimes printing companies (snapfish etc.) will give you trouble if the photos are professional so she’s wondering if she needs some sort of proof if she runs into this.
Lindsey wants to know - for those of you diy’ing invites, could you please recommend a printer and programs you used? And if you used a printing company, was the process difficult?
To add your question to Beehive, please leave a comment below. Since many questions have already been answered previously (particularly regarding etiquette and gift ideas), please use the Google search box at the top of the page to see if you can’t find an answer there first. Also, you can check past Beehives here. Thanks!
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
