Mrs. Quiche, Chicago/Montego BayAge and Occupation: 28, Interior DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 42, Telecom GuruEngagement Date: July 2, 2008Wedding Date: May, 2009Venue: Coyaba Resort, Montego BayAbout Me: I love Chicago and can’t imagine living anywhere else (Well, except Paris. Or anywhere in France, for that matter!). I’m a full-time worker, part-time student, soon-to-be-step-mom, indie music lovin’, architecture and design fanatic, macaroni and cheese addict, vegetarian, Francophile, Ohio State football obsessed, wedding planning girl. Mr. Quiche and I are “Partners-in-Crime” and cannot wait to celebrate our marriage surrounded by our family and closest friends. I plan on DIYing my little heart out (or as much as a suitcase to Jamaica will hold).
I am a lover of quotes. I want to find a way to incorporate quotes into our wedding day, but I am not exactly sure how to accomplish this.
A first place to start would be with our invitations. I’d like to have a short quote by one of my favorite authors, poets, songwriters (oh songwriters…you truly are magic), etc. at the top of our invitations. I love Paulo Coelho and can find inspiration in so many of his books. I also love Brian Andreas, one of my favorite whimsical storytellers and artists.
Here are a few that I have in mind:
“The moment we begin to seek love, love begins to seek us.” - Paulo Coelho
“One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.” - Paulo Coelho
“We sat side by side in the morning light and looked out at the future together.” - Brian Andreas Read more…
Mrs. Peony, New YorkAge and Occupation: 27, Marketing CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, QA EngineerEngagement Date: June 28, 2007Wedding Date: April 18, 2008Venue: The FountainheadBlogging Since: August 7, 2007About Me: Both Mr. Peony and I are huge computer nerds, and our conversations usually consist of the latest gadgets, programming languages, and video games. At the same time, I can also be very girly with an obsession with handbags, makeup, and high heels. And art! I've studied studio art extensively, almost majored in art history, and freelance as a web and graphics designer. Mr. Peony and I are having a ball of a time planning a wedding for 250(!) guests, doing our best to infuse our personalities (geeky chic) with the wishes of our very traditional Asian parents.
(Disclaimer: as I am not Chinese, some of the things I write below may be incorrect. Please correct me if I’m wrong! And, as always, all photos are courtesy of our wonderful photographer Danny Weiss.)
The Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony between the couple and the groom’s family is designed to formally introduce the bride to the groom’s family. It is probably, if not, the most significant part of a modern Chinese wedding.
Traditionally, the tea ceremony takes place early in the morning of the wedding. Although the ceremony is usually performed at the groom’s home, we decided that shuttling everyone to and from New Jersey would take up too much time and money. As a result, Mr Peony’s family set shop in a suite in the same hotel where the bridal party got ready.
Mr Peony’s uncle, waiting patiently for the ceremony to begin:
Mrs. Sushi, Hershey/HawaiiAge and Occupation: 27, Air Force PhotographerFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Laborer/Aspiring Hip Hop ProducerEngagement Date: December 25, 2007Wedding Date: March 2009Blogging Since: October 9, 2006Venue: Byodo-In Temple, Luau ReceptionAbout Me: I’m a notorious people-watcher who loves all things paper, food, traveling, grubbin’ on food, gossip magazines, food, sock monkeys…did I mention food?! Mr. Sushi and I are both haolepinos (half Filipino, half Caucasian) and hope to be able to somehow incorporate our cultures at our destination wedding in Hawaii. All while planning from the sweetest place in earth, Hershey!
I’m in limbo with our planning right now while waiting for our RSVPs to make it back to us (that’s a hint for our family and friends!!). Since a few of our guests have called with some inquiries, I thought I would list a few of my favorite “touristy” things to do on Oahu.
Mrs. Latte, Boston/NYCAge and Occupation: 29, College Admissions CounselorFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Elementary School TeacherEngagement Date: August 23, 2008Wedding Date: July 2009Venue: Stage 6 at Steiner StudiosAbout Me: I am an East Coast girl marrying a West Coast boy. After 2 years of over 3,000 miles between us, Mr. Latte and I are looking forward to finally living in the same time zone/coast/city/home and living “normal couple” lives. I am a crafter at heart and enjoy dragging my friends into new craft projects. I love my Mac, baking cupcakes, wrapping presents, my BlackBerry, naps, good NY style pizza, Jack Bauer and of course, Mr. Latte. I love him a latte. :)
Choosing the ladies to stand next to me on my big day was easy. How to ask them, however, was not. These ladies mean a lot to me and have contributed in different ways to my life, so I wanted to do something special and memorable for them. But even after hours of surfing the web, was at a complete loss for a unique idea. So, I did as I always do when I’m online and have nowhere to go (after Weddingbee, of course) and headed to www.paper-source.com.
As I clicked through their collection of Gocco inks and new rubber stamps, I found this:
Mrs. Deviled Egg, PittsburghAge and Occupation: 27, Public RelationsFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, AccountingEngagement Date: December 24, 2007Wedding Date: May, 2009Blogging Since: October 21, 2008Venue: Historic auditorium and meeting hall in one of Pittsburgh's commuter citiesAbout Me: I am obsessed with all things crafty, especially scrapbooking, knitting, jewelry-making & cake decorating. I also love being an aunt, wrapping presents, watching football (Go Steelers!), shopping at yard sales and consignment stores, procrastinating, singing and learning to play the guitar. When it comes to wedding planning, I'm excited about working on DIY projects and finding creative ways to stay under budget. Of course, nothing is more exciting to me than knowing that the wonderful Mr. Deviled Egg will be my husband.
It’s time for a toast and I’m raising my glass to eBay!
Here’s to searching and scouring for great deals! Here’s to placing a bid and waiting for the auction to end! Here’s to obsessively refreshing your web browser during the last few minutes to either confirm you’re still the highest bidder or to sneak in a last second bid! And here’s to winning, especially if you are able to score Vera Wang’s Love Knots toasting flutes for $5!
Mrs. Crab Cake, Columbus, GAAge and Occupation: 25, Registered NurseFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Director of Education and Living History for a museumEngagement Date: April 6, 2008Wedding Date: June, 2009Blogging Since: November 26, 2008Venue: Holy Family Catholic Church, reception: National Infantry MuseumAbout Me: I'm a perfectionist trying to balance two jobs, motherhood, my craft obsession, and wedding planning. I am obsessed with all things wedding, especially creative ideas for saving money and DIY projects. A Southern Belle at heart, I love anything southern, especially sweet tea, grits, afternoon thunder storms, crab cakes, and good old Southern hospitality. Mr. Crab Cake and I are planning a vintage inspired wedding with tons of Southern flare (can y'all say that with a thick Southern drawl?).
Mrs. Taffy, Ann ArborAge and Occupation: 28, Color and Materials DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Automotive DesignerEngagement Date: May 9, 2008Wedding Date: May 2009Blogging Since: September 14, 2008Venue: University of Michigan UnionAbout Me: I’m a girl who is crazy about Mr. Taffy, sewing, dancing, almost all types of sweets, and our cute pet canaries. I dislike touching fuzzy fabric of any kind, eating somewhat squishy food, and Michigan winters. Mr. Taffy and I are having a blast planning our Ann Arbor wedding, and cannot wait to share our day with friends and family.
Mr. Taffy and I are looking forward to January 20th for two reasons. We will celebrate the inauguration of our new president, and we will celebrate our second anniversary. Last year, we celebrated our anniversary by going to the French-American restaurant Cuisine in Detroit for a lovely dinner. Before we got all dressed up to go out, I drew a quick sketch of Mr. Taffy while he read the paper.
Mrs. Powder Puff, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 25, Preschool TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Career ServicesEngagement Date: May, 2008Wedding Date: July, 2009Blogging Since: November 12, 2008Venue: Outdoor ceremony, banquet hall receptionAbout Me: I am your typical Midwestern girl attempting to plan a sane, budget-friendly, fun wedding to the man of my dreams. I love shoes, laughing at “Platinum Weddings”, crafts, inspiration boards, candy, and basically anything I can DIY. While weddings can certainly be all-consuming, I honestly can’t wait until the ceremony is over and I can finally call Mr. Powder Puff my husband!
Watching the trailer for Bride Wars the other day got me thinking. I know, I know, Bride Wars and thinking don’t really go hand in hand, but hear me out.
At the beginning of the trailer, Anne Hathaway’s character (as a child), dreams aloud that her wedding will be the happiest day of her life. Now, I love me some mindless chick flicks, but this comment bothered me.
Mrs. D'orsay, Baltimore/Lancaster UKAge and Occupation: 24, nonprofit communications Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Web site developer and designer; co-owner of men's skincare shopEngagement Date: August 10, 2008Wedding Date: August, 2009Venue: Oakland ManorAbout Me: I'm a Maryland raised environmental policy wonk/activist/organizer and communications aficionado. In the past year I've lived in Baltimore, MD, Tucson, AZ, Miami, FL and Lancaster, England. In my not so spare time I enjoy planning trips with Mr. D' Orsay, visiting friends and family and crafting like a mo-fo. I also enjoy modern dance classes, rugby and soccer but have been banned by my mother, MOHs, and Mr. D' Orsay from playing till after the wedding. I have an unnatural addiction to cheese and shoes, but love Mr. D' Orsay more than either and can't wait to become Mrs. D' Orsay!
I am a grade A procrastinator. Right before I hopped on a plane to come to England I thought I should pack as many DIY projects I could. So I ordered feather fans. I planned on sanding down the handles and repainting them a darker color for bridesmaid “bouquets”. Then I ordered purple/lavender tissue paper for our tissue paper pomanders. I ordered them online. Online. Onliiiiine. Can any computer-type people spot my mistake?
I made another rookie mistake. I ordered recycled tissue paper from the internets. In the interest of full disclosure, they do tell you that the colors may appear different from the paper’s true color. With that warning safely out of my head I ordered two colors in the lavender family (or so I thought).
The fans arrived the day before we flew out, and to my dismay they were too tiny. Read more…
Mrs. Champagne, DC/Vail/ColoradoAge and Occupation: 26, Eye DoctorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 13, 2006Wedding Date: February 2009Blogging Since: July 30, 2008Venue: Small church ceremony with mountain-view log cabin receptionAbout Me: I'm a small town mountain girl with a city heart. Found my way to the east coast, and Mr. Champagne kept me here so we're planning a wedding from afar in my hometown Vail, Colorado. I'm secretly obsessed with reality TV, Wii games where I can shoot a gun, country music, and Caesar: Dog Whisperer. I also spend time pretending to golf, backseat driving, having one way conversations with our MinPin Maxwell, loving champagne, and wedding perfecting… I mean, planning. I use way too many repeated symbols and letters when I write, and I'll love Mr. Champagne endlessly…
I always knew we would end up with a pocketfold invite, but I guess I never considered that they would be significantly heavier than your average invitation and would require a lot more postage. The invitations Champ and I have received were usually delivered with two stamps, and I figured ours would be no different. Just to make sure, I decided to go to the post office to get them weighed (which I highly suggest you do if you’re unsure). The first post office I went to quoted me 76 cents per invitation—a hefty price tag, but one I was expecting. The second post office I went to told me that our invitations were too stiff for their machine and we would have to send them at the package rate of $1.51 per invitation. Um whaaaaa? At nearly twice the original quoted price, I took my chance at an eighty-cent stamp and mailed them out at the post office where I was quoted the lesser amount. Risky? Perhaps, but I saved a good chunk of change.
Here’s the stamp we chose. It’s really the only 80-cent stamp I could find, but I thought it actually fit our winter wedding perfectly! Read more…
Mrs. Coconut, TallahasseeAge and Occupation: 27, LawyerFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, phD Computer ScienceEngagement Date: March 2007Wedding Date: November 2008Blogging Since: May 20, 2008Venue: 1930s Historic Building in Lakeland, FLAbout 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!
Here are some pictures of our “first sight” moment. Pardon my lack of captions, I just wanted to get these up quickly, but I think the pictures are self explanatory.
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.
My hair has grown very long and I wear it in a bun most of the time. I almost never have my hair down when I leave the house and certainly not while I eat. So I always have hair loops or hairpins at hand to keep it out of my way. Read more…
BeehiveFeature Launched: Aug 31, 2006About: A forum for readers to post questions and get feedback from the hive, aka the weddingbee community.
Last night I was on the phone with a very good friend (friends since first grade!). We were talking about a couple we knew from high school that was recently married and quickly divorced. She said she never liked that guy anyways, so I asked her jokingly if she liked my FI. There was a long pause and then she asked if I wanted her to be honest. This really caught me off guard. She pretty much told me she didn’t like my FI and said, “But I don’t have to marry him.” Ouch. After another awkward pause, I changed the subject and we hung up.
I’ve been engaged for seven months and have been feeling really guilty nearly that entire time because I had decided to try to keep my wedding party as small as possible, and I did not ask this friend to be a bridesmaid. Now, I guess I don’t feel so bad. I was planning on asking her to be a reader or give her another “job” to acknowledge our close friendship and to make sure she still felt like a part of the day. Now I don’t know if I feel comfortable doing that.
I guess this is more of a vent. I’m just feeling a little hurt. My FI is a great guy. He treats me so well and is always kind and respectful to my friends. I can’t imagine he’s done anything to give her a reason to feel this way. She probably has only seen him a handful of times in the last four years that we’ve been together anyway.
Would you ask a friend to be a part of your wedding if you knew she didn’t like your FI? Would you bring it up again with her the next time you hung out (she lives about three hours away so I don’t see her too often)? Or would you just act like that conversation never happened?
Mrs. Glitter, Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 27, Research Consultant/WriterFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, AccountingEngagement Date: May 6, 2007Wedding Date: June, 2009Venue: Millenium Biltmore HotelAbout Me: I was born and raised in West Los Angeles, California. I spent eight years in the Northeast working and completing my education. Having split time between two sides of the country has given me a true appreciation for both coasts. It has also provided an overabundance of cross country drives, flights and long distance relationship fun/misery! I love my family, my doggy Emma, fabulous wine, Anthropologie, politics, reading, being outdoors, exploring new cities, and good movies! My fiance and I are complete opposites, but somehow we have managed to fall completely and hopelessly in love.
My last post revealed the pretty, little thing that will serve as my official wedding headpiece! I’m so excited about it because it’s girly and sparkly, and I have never owned anything like it. So, on to the “voting”.
*****Mr. G, hit the road, buddy!**********
To refresh your memory…my selected Naugi.com headpiece:
Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
Once upon a time, there was a girl who grew up in the Valley.* All the coolest kids in her class had rad bar and bat mitzvahs, and she was like, totally jealous. She too wanted to have a huge party, with an awesome theme like “Dance!” or “Hollywood”, and to invite all the cute boys in her class to do the Electric Slide and drink Shirley Temples with her in a fancy ballroom. And she’d wear a super chic dress that was off-the-shoulder and made of taffeta and velvet. Oh, and there was going to be this huge posterboard with her picture on it, on which everyone who was anyone was going to write their deepest, most sincere thoughts, like “Stay kool!” or “Friends 4-eva”. It was going to be soooooo awesome!
That girl, of course, was me. I ended up getting the taffeta and velvet dress, which I wore to almost every one of the twenty or so bar and bat mitzvahs I attended. But I never got the rad bat mitzvah of my dreams… Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
At the beginning of the trailer, Anne Hathaway’s character (as a child), dreams aloud that her wedding will be the happiest day of her life. Now, I love me some mindless chick flicks, but this comment bothered me.
