2008 June | Weddingbee

Mrs. Coconut, Tallahassee Age and Occupation: 27, Lawyer Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, phD Computer Science Engagement Date: March 2007 Wedding Date: November 2008 Blogging Since: May 20, 2008 Venue: 1930s Historic Building in Lakeland, FL About Me: I never thought about weddings until I got engaged. Now, I can't stop thinking about them! Planning the wedding has really opened the floodgates to my DIY side. If there's anything I can do to avoid hiring someone else, I will do it! Mr. Coconut is my financial advisor, he tries to keep me budget-conscious! We've tried to make wedding planning a team effort!

We’ve Got STDs!

June 27th, 2008 @ 2:40 pm by Mrs. Coconut

I know that’s an old joke, but I just couldn’t resist.

We made our Save-the-Dates in early March to give our guests plenty of time to make arrangements for our November wedding! Here are the print-outs I used for the main save-the-date. I used the ink blocker to make the calendar green, but everything else was in brown. In retrospect, I should have used brighter colors, but hindsight is 20/20, right?!

Tags: gocco, save-the-dates, tallahassee | 8 Comments

Mrs. Lime, Los Angeles Age and Occupation in 06: 25, Design Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, IT Engagement Date: July 7, 2006 Wedding Date: August 5, 2007 Venue: An historic estate About Me: Between work and wedding planning, I try to squeeze in napping, drawing, random spurts of craftiness, tennis, and eating lots of Sprinkles cupcakes, dark chocolate, and noodles of all kinds. Mr. Lime and I have spent our adult lives growing up together, and we're very excited to finally be getting married!

[13] The Events: Reception [Party Time]

June 27th, 2008 @ 2:15 pm by Mrs. Lime

Kicking off the party right.

[Please ignore the plastic cups. The caterer provided the wrong ones. However, I didn’t end up caring much since most guests really didn’t notice, especially after a drink or two or more.]
Read more…

Tags: los-angeles, pictures, recap | 12 Comments

Mrs. Jasmine, Chicago/LA Age and Occupation: 25, Attorney Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Attorney Engagement Date: March 24, 2007 Wedding Date: June 7, 2008 Blogging Since: September 20, 2007 Venue: Hotel on the westside of Los Angeles About Me: I'm a happy-go-lucky, imaginative spirit trapped in the body of a lawyer. I love reading, shopping, dining out, and exploring my beloved adopted city of Chicago with my fiance. We're planning the wedding of our dreams in my hometown of Los Angeles and we're excited to incorporate our cherished Indian/Pakistani customs and traditions.

Vendor Review: For the Love of Sugar

June 27th, 2008 @ 1:24 pm by Mrs. Jasmine

I have a major sweet tooth. During dinner, Mr. J will notice me pushing the food around on my plate. It doesn’t take him long to realize I’m saving room for dessert So naturally, I was very excited about the prospect of a delicious wedding cake. But, I didn’t want to blow the bank on something super ornate and detailed. A pretty, delicious, affordable cake was all I wanted and I’m ecstatic to report that our wedding cake was all that and more.

We ended up going with the first baker we tried, For the Love of Sugar. Sarah Witt operates For the Love of Sugar out of her home and while she mainly concentrates on her delicious cupcakes, she also creates completely lovely wedding cakes as well (Sarah created Mrs. Lime’s cake!). During a visit to LA, Sarah packaged up four cupcakes for Mr. J and I so we could sample cake flavors — they were all so delicious that we battled over every last crumb. In the end, we chose my absolute favorite flavor: red velvet with cream cheese frosting.
Read more…

Tags: cake, los-angeles, vendor-reviews | 7 Comments

Mrs. Sundae, Chicago/Lake Geneva, WI Age and Occupation: 28, Knowledge Manager Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Investment Advisor Engagement Date: July 20, 2007 Wedding Date: September 2008 Blogging Since: February 5, 2008 Venue: The Abbey Resort About Me: It’s hard to believe that by the time Mr. Sundae and I get married we will have been together for almost ten years. When we first met in college we split dollar pitchers and now we share the mortgage payments. Despite our love for the city we are looking forward to tying the knot in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

Pearls for the Furry One, Part II

June 27th, 2008 @ 12:58 pm by Mrs. Sundae

Part One

I didn’t intend for there to be a part two to this post, but I wanted to pass along something I learned after attempting to have Lola actually wear the collar. But first, a brief refresher for those of you that might have missed the first post and like me, don’t want to go back and read the whole thing. I made Lola a pearl collar so she’ll be stylish for the wedding pictures (she’s not behaved well enough to be in the actual weddding but I refuse to miss a photo op).

Pearls for the Furry One, Part II : wedding diy lake geneva 60201 Read more…

Tags: diy, lake geneva | 11 Comments

Featured on Weddingbee

All-Inclusion Invitation Suites

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Featured Product: Laura Ashley Delicate Damask Invitation

Mrs. Espresso, Corona/Big Bear Age and Occupation: 23, Community Services Specialist Fiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Maintenance Technician Engagement Date: December 21, 2007 Wedding Date: October, 2008 Blogging Since: June 25, 2008 Venue: Outside a rustic b&b in Big Bear Lake About Me: I'm a lover of all things good: coffee, music, travel, rain, and of course- my handsome fiance! I'm a full believer in the "Life is Short," mantra - and therefore, eat lots of dark chocolate. I'm a Geographer by degree and nerd by choice. I cook to the sound of French and Portuguese music even though I speak neither. I love road trips, camping, hiking, and capturing life through the lens of my camera. Take me to Anthropologie and I may never leave. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, bargain finds, and old movies. Mr. Espresso and I are high school sweethearts and I am so blessed to be this amazing man's future wife.

Venue Shopping Part II

June 27th, 2008 @ 12:28 pm by Mrs. Espresso

Ding Ding! Round 2! I enjoyed reading all of your comments from yesterday’s post and couldn’t wait to get started on today’s. So let’s keep the love flowing! Today I’m going to focus on more AFFORDABLE venues in the So Cal region. Also, I’ve realized with many of these affordable venues, rentals are not included- so always make sure and ask. Now- let’s get to it!

Our first stop on the Espresso Bus: Cafe Mozart

Tags: big bear, los-angeles, Venues | 12 Comments

Mrs. Margarita, Boston/Los Angeles Age and Occupation: 26, Healthcare Consultant Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Doctor Engagement Date: March 21, 2007 Wedding Date: August, 2008 Blogging Since: June 18, 2008 Venue: Saddlerock Ranch About Me: I grew up in Southern California, moved to Boston for college, New York for grad school, back to Boston and now I travel the northeast every week for work. When I'm not on the go, I love to read, draw, shop, sleep and spend quality time with my fiancé, family and friends. We're long-distance planning for our "big fat brown wedding" in California and are excited to unite our Sri Lankan and Indian cultures and Buddhist and Hindu religions in a unique and modern way.

Choosing STDs and Team Margarita

June 27th, 2008 @ 11:28 am by Mrs. Margarita

I’ve also been MIA and I’m so sorry for the delay in posts. I’m in California right now with Mr. Margarita doing a crazy amount of wedding things in a short amount of time. I really can’t believe we are two months away!

So, I introduced my color scheme and invitation mood board in my last post. With my color scheme in mind, the first thing Saima designed was our save the dates. I didn’t give Saima much direction initially except that I wanted to include lotus flowers somewhere in the invitation suite (save the dates, invitations or both). I grew up Buddhist and I was an eastern religion major in college, so lotus flowers hold special meaning to me. There are many interpretations of what they can mean, but the one I like the best describes the lotus flower as the progression of the soul. The roots of the flower start in the mud of materialism and suffering, the stem travels through the water representing experience and growth in life, and finally the pristine flower lies above the water signifying enlightenment.

Here are the beautiful designs she came back with:

Option 1:

Tags: los-angeles, save-the-dates | 8 Comments

Create the honeymoon of your dreams.

Mrs. Toucan, Boston Age and Occupation: 25, Full-time Research Assistant, Part-time Graduate Student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Actuary Engagement Date: February 18, 2007 Wedding Date: June 7, 2008 Blogging Since: November 07, 2007 Venue: St. Catherine of Genoa, Jin Asian Cuisine Restaurant About Me: I’m a Gemini to the extreme. On one side, I’m a girly girl. I read countless bridal and fashion magazines, and have an obsession with keeping up with the latest Hollywood gossip. On the other side, I’m a sports fanatic. Despite being a full-time bride-to be, full-time research assistant, and part-time student, I’m also a full-time Red Sox fan from spring training to October, and a full-time Patriots fan from mini-camp to February. I devote almost as much time researching my for fantasy football team as researching for our wedding!

When Do Things Get “Normal” Again?

June 27th, 2008 @ 10:57 am by Mrs. Toucan

Ok, I’m not going to lie. This is a complete cop out post. I know I promised recaps of our honeymoon and other pre-wedding stuff that I never posted, but truth of the matter is that I just haven’t had the time!

I really thought things would get back to “normal” after the wedding was over. You know, the part when I stop running around like a crazy mad-woman. But, when I got back from our honeymoon there was just so. much. stuff. I’m totally slammed at work and catching up on with all my projects (I guess they missed me?). We’re still not fully moved into our new place, never mind being unpacked and settled in. And soon, I’ll be starting up summer courses again! I’m starting to feel like I’m more stressed now than before the wedding!

When do things get “normal” again? Does life ever slow down?

| 12 Comments

Mrs. Green Tea, Sacramento Age and Occupation: 30, Tea Analyst Fiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Coffee Critic Engagement Date: November 17, 2006 Wedding Date: August 23, 2008 Blogging Since: June 10, 2008 Venue: Vineyard on the Delta About Me: I'm just your average obsessive compulsive, arts & crafts loving, funky-on-the-inside/boring-on-the-outside girl, who dares to say 'Hey! I can make that!' Nerdy professional by day, goofy won-ton by night. The won-ton sometimes comes out during the day when I'm fed the dollar breakfast at Ikea. Since our engagement, wedding planning has put me on high alert for bargains and I've been pushing my nimble fingers through callous building experiments!

Key Ingredients

June 27th, 2008 @ 10:30 am by Mrs. Green Tea

Katie and Darren’s wedding (seen HERE), captured by Matt Mendelsohn, gives off the most fantastic vibe. From beginning to end, the couple seem to be filled to the brim with joy, which obviously spilled over to the guests. Key Ingredients : wedding sacramento Clipboa03 Read more…

Tags: sacramento | 13 Comments

Miss Candy Corn, Philadelphia Age and Occupation: 27, Freelance Writer, Photographer and Illustrator Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Front End Web Developer Blogging Since: May 6, 2008 Engagement Date: November 10, 2011 Wedding Date: September 2012 Venue: Our backyard! About Me: I’m a 27-year-old photographer, writer and illustrator who enjoys shooting weddings, catching typos in magazines, geeking out with Google Reader, watching Wonder Years marathons with my fiancé, and hanging out with our menagerie of pets. I’m an encore bride planning an intimate, offbeat backyard wedding with my fiancé (known around these parts as “The Ginger”), as we explore our adventures of homeownership.

The Invites are Done!!

June 27th, 2008 @ 9:26 am by Miss Candy Corn

The Invites are Done!! : wedding invitations philadelphia Invites021 invites02

I couldn’t be more thrilled with our invitations! I knew from the start I wouldn’t be able to tackle DIY-ing our invites on my own, due to my totally OCD behavior and the fact that I have a habit of changing my designs as soon as I grow tired of looking at them. As a result, I headed on over to Etsy one year ago and found a lovely woman by the name of Cindi, aka BrassPaperclip. Cindi specializes in cards, gifts and custom creations and she is a goddess when it comes to customer support. I was showing Mr. CC how much I have babbled to her via Etsy and it seriously took me forrrrrreeeeeeepaever to scroll through all of our past conversations. She has put up with me chatting her ear off about the details and I’m so grateful for her hard work and super fantabulous personality.
Read more…

Tags: invitations, philadelphia | 15 Comments

Mrs. Hummingbird, Toronto Age and Occupation: 25, Publishing Coordinator Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Videogame Designer/Cartoonist Engagement Date: May 4, 2007 Wedding Date: June 28, 2008 Blogging Since: September 18, 2007 Venue: A garden wedding followed by a tented reception on Mr. Hummingbird's father's property. About Me: I’m a pop culture loving, vintage obsessed foodie living in Canada’s biggest city with my fantastic fiancé and our lovable fluffy cat Bettie. I’m stoked to marry my best friend and to throw what I hope will be the most fun and colourful party of our lives.

Dreaming My Dreams With You

June 27th, 2008 @ 8:31 am by Mrs. Hummingbird

Dreaming My Dreams With You : wedding toronto Z151282 z151282

What I am about to write will probably make me sound like more of a Loon than a Hummingbird (ha ha bird joke), but two years before I met Mr. Hum, I had a dream about him.

Now normally I pay no attention to dreams, but this particular one was so clear and the sensations were so strong, that I wrote it down when I woke up.
Read more…

Tags: toronto | 59 Comments

Mrs. Cream Puff, San Francisco Bay Area Age and Occupation: 25, Illustrator Fiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Merchandise Planner Engagement Date: May 27, 2007 Wedding Date: August, 2008 Blogging Since: February 7, 2008 Venue: Ceremony at Crissy Field and Reception at the Green Room About Me: I never dreamed about my wedding as a little girl because I was too busy playing in the mud or pretending to be Martha Stewart–but now that it's here, I'm having a fabulous time DIYing everything in sight! We’re planning a very fun multicultural wedding (I'm Jewish and Mr. Cream Puff is Chinese), filled with as many personal details as I can muster.

My Sweet Shower!

June 26th, 2008 @ 5:57 pm by Mrs. Cream Puff

I have been MIA for days! I suck!! I’ve been waiting to post about my shower and bachelorette parties until I collected pictures from my friends. Luckily they are all super awesome and on top of it, and I got them less than a week later! Let’s start with my shower, which was hosted by my friends Amanda and Marianne, with help from Momma Puff.

First off, the decorations. Holy cute! All my favorite bright colors in one place, punctuated by lots and lots of candy!!

My Sweet Shower! : wedding bridal shower san francisco Picture01451.png
Read more…

Tags: bridal-shower, san-francisco | 14 Comments

Shutterbugz Feature Launched: May 15, 2007 About: A guest blog written by professional photographers. Shutterbugz contribute ideas, advice, stories, and of course, photos to the Weddingbee community to give readers a vendor's perspective.

The Wedding Portrait Session: Manage Your Anxiety and Ease Up With Three Simple Tips

June 26th, 2008 @ 5:30 pm by Shutterbugz

Today’s guest Shutterbug is Pasadena, CA based fine art wedding photojournalist, Aaron Gil of Fotonuova.

The Wedding Portrait Session: Manage Your Anxiety and Ease Up With Three Simple Tips : wedding photography Clip Image002.jpg

Let’s face it, most couples dread the notion of having to take their formal wedding portraits. Most are simply not accustomed to maintaining poses and smiles for so long. When the time comes to pose for the camera, we tend to tense up and become uncomfortable. The nerves start to take over, stirring butterflies in our stomachs and producing sweaty palms. Add in unfavorable factors such as unpleasant weather, thirst, and hunger, and it’s no wonder people feel anxious.

Tags: photography | 7 Comments

For the Love of Photography

June 26th, 2008 @ 5:06 pm by Mrs. Coconut

I’ve always loved taking pictures. I’m not particularly good at taking them, but I’m very good about pressing the snap button…A LOT. So you can imagine my delight when I discovered photography blogs! Jessica Claire, Susan Stripling, Chenin Boutwell…OH MY! Yes, these names are second nature to me now, it’s quite pathetic. I’m a super photography blogstalker, LOOK OUT!

Naturally, the first vendor we booked was our photographer and the search was quite difficult for us. For one, we had a budget and the photographers I had been drooling over were well beyond it. I will admit that I was skeptical I would find someone with great talent at a low cost, but after much diligent searching and cost comparisons I found one. His name is Jason Angelini. Jason is great for a lot of reasons. He and his wife, Lucia give me tons of feedback on vendors and random questions. They are my wedding analysts. Most importantly though, he was very reasonably priced. For two graduate students, that was essential.

Tags: engagement, pictures, recap, tallahassee | 18 Comments

Contests Feature Launched: Oct 5, 2006 About: Weddingbee contests and giveaways.

Ideal Favors Parasol Giveaway

June 26th, 2008 @ 5:00 pm by Contests

Congratulations to the winner cake!

~~~

Today we’re giving away 5 Rice Paper Parasols from Ideal Favors, purveyor of fine wedding favors, decor and gifts!

Ideal Favors Parasol Giveaway : wedding features Z151289.jpg

These parasols are available in 12 different colors and patterns. To enter, please tell us — what color parasols would you select, and how will you use them in your wedding?

You have until 8pm PST Thursday to enter. Good luck!

Tags: Features | 327 Comments

Mrs. Daffodil, San Francisco/Los Angeles Age and Occupation: 26, Nonprofit Strategy Consultant Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Resident Physician Engagement Date: December 29, 2006 Wedding Date: May, 2008 Blogging Since: August, 2007 Venue: Church w/ floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Valley; Westin in downtown LA About Me: I moved around a lot growing up, but consider myself a Southerner at heart. I love scrapbooking, dancing, doggies, and diet coke. I am all about personalizing everything and hence, I'm a DIY bride who is just loving the entire wedding planning process! Mr. Daffodil and I met in our college fellowship group and were "just friends" for three years before we started dating. We've been together for four years now and can't wait to get married in sunny SoCal, Mr. Daffodil's hometown.