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.
I went to Catholic school for almost ten years. We wore plaid skirts, collared white shirts, and penny loafers every day (pre-Britney Spears’ “Hit Me Baby One More Time”. So, it wasn’t sexy or cool to dress like that at the time). But I guess you can say, I have always been a tad bit preppy. Our wedding will not reflect much of my preppy beginnings, but if it did, I might include elements such as these:
Mrs. Apple Cider, New York/CharlotteAge and Occupation: 27, Corporate Communications ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Grad Student – Clinical Mental Health Engagement Date: September 13, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Banner Elk Winery & Blueberry VillaAbout Me: I am a North Carolina girl with a New York City spirit. I love crafting, blogging, laughing and dreaming. I know every word to the Anne of Green Gables and Little Women movies. I own every single Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine and have been dreaming of weddings since I was little. I believe life is about doing what makes you happy. If you aren't happy re-evaluate what you are doing. You should never look back on your life and not be proud of what you are doing. If you want to travel - travel. If you want to sing - sing. If you want to start a company - start a company. If you want to blog – blog!
Fashion week in NYC has made me crazy with ideas for dresses. I am loving this dress that Danielle Panabaker wore to the Rebecca Taylor show. The color is great. It would totally go with our color scheme.
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!
If I look in my inbox for emails from Mr. D, I’ll find about 50+ emails all with the subject line “Andrew Bird”. This is because on our first date we exchanged a few of our favorite artists, and Andrew Bird was one of mine. So, after he went back to England and I headed back to Arizona I sent him an email to this YouTube video, hence the subject title.
Fast-forward to the present. Mr. D was working in the kitchen while I was making lunch. The song came on on iTunes, and I had a realization:
Mrs. Penguin, Northern CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 27, Weddingbee Editor in ChiefFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Doctor of Physical TherapyEngagement Date: January 29, 2007Wedding Date: June 7, 2008Blogging Since: September 14, 2007Venue: Winery in the Gold CountryAbout Me: I love the Spice Girls, dogs with underbites, bean burritos, making messes, high fives, avoiding showers, crossword puzzles, blogs, weddings, and blogs about weddings!
I’m sure you city folk by now are really thrilled that I keep calling it “The NYC”, but I promise this will only go on for a few more posts. New York City was a complete blast. The best part, by far, was getting to meet so many East Coast bees. Mr. Pengy was so amazed that I actually “knew” that many people on the East Coast, and what’s more, keeps raving about how much he loved hanging out with everyone! (Enter my smug face. The Bees ARE awesome. Now I don’t have to keep explaining it to him.) But before I get ahead of myself, I thought I’d post a rundown of our days in New York, as several people expressed an interest in our itinerary, as they’re planning to head to New York themselves for their honeymoons! New York is an awesome place to have a honeymoon/minimoon. We were there for only a short 4 days, but each day was filled with amazing food and sights.
First off, I have to applaud NYC for its easy to navigate and CHEAP subway system! All the New Yorkers we know in San Francisco complain about the public transportation here, and we will no longer roll their eyes at them when they complain how hard it is to get from one neighborhood to another in San Francisco. It’s true… while the subway in New York is absolutely FILTHY in appearance (Purell! Purell! Stock up on Purell!), I would trade it any day for the (albeit, much, much cleaner) BART and bus/Muni system in San Francisco.
Thanks to all your awesome suggestions, we really crammed in as much tourism as possible! It was actually pretty relaxing… we concentrated on neighborhoods and most of the sights were so close to each other!
We stayed in Greenwich Village, a few blocks from where Mr. and Mrs. Bee live, at the Village Guest House. Rates are very reasonable, and we thought our room was HUGE, especially after hearing about how tiny apartments are in NYC. I highly recommend it!
Mrs. Martini, New JerseyAge and Occupation: 30, Telecom by day, Superhero by nightFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Investments & Finance by day, Hip hop dancer by nightEngagement Date: May 24, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: August 18, 2008Venue: The VenetianAbout Me: Things that make me happy: Haribo Happy Cola gummies, TV shows on DVD, buying books although I never read them, 80’s rock ballads, ramen, and of course Mr. Martini! He is the calm, logical and number crunching finance guy. I can’t even multiply double digit numbers in my head and I am so indecisive that trying to choose between light green or slightly lighter green paper stresses me out (Wedding planning is going to be soooo much fun). We both find great joy in nabbing great seats at the movie theater for a blockbuster movie on opening weekend, and we are both absolutely crazy about snowboarding. And he loves to cook, I love to eat!
I have to admit, after Mr. Martini dropped off my shoes for me at T.O. Dey to dye them from white to an aubergine color, I couldn’t stop thinking about them for days. I spent more money on those shoes than any other shoes I’ve ever owned, and I was terrified of ruining them because I had no experience with dyeing anything. What if the color came out wrong? I don’t think I would’ve minded much if the color was similar, but what if it was completely off and not wearable? I started having second thoughts. Maybe I should’ve just listened to my mom and left the shoes alone.
It didn’t help when we called them a few weeks later to confirm pick up, and they informed us that the shoes weren’t ready because the particular dye was back-ordered. All of a sudden the color was the least of my worries. If the shoes weren’t done in time for the wedding, I’d be walking down the aisle barefoot!
Luckily when they found out how important it was for my shoes to be completed by a certain deadline, they called us back not long after to let us know that they were ready. Since I’m in NJ, I had to rely on Mr. Martini to pick them up for me, and then I had to wait until the weekend to see them.
When the weekend finally came and I saw Mr. Martini, I barely gave him a kiss hello before I asked in a squeaky voice about my shoes. He handed me the shoebox, and I only paused slightly before pretty much tearing apart the lid. And then when I saw them… Read more…
Mrs. Stiletto, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 26, Non-Profit/FundraisingFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Engineer and PhotographerEngagement Date: March 2, 2008Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: The 19th Century ClubAbout Me: My fiance and I love living in the city of Chicago with our cats Basil and Linus, and vow to never move to the suburbs if we can possibly avoid it! We’ve poured ourselves into planning a wedding that reflects our personal style - modern and high contrast with a vintage twist. Blogging keeps me creative, baking keeps me happy, and grande nonfat no foam sugar free vanilla lattes keep me sane.
I’ve been trying to think of different things I can add to our candy buffet for the wedding that will have a “wow factor” without being crazy expensive. Mr. S and I used to share big black and white cookies from a local ’yuppy’ grocery store in our old neighborhood. It was always a great treat and an easy way for one of us to surprise the other. We’d share the cookie, each biting directly down the middle to get the best of both worlds.Back in November I played around with making mini black and whites.
Mrs. Kiwi, Los AngelesAge and Occupation in 06: 27, BookkeeperFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, P.E. Teach/Coach @ private schools in LAEngagement Date: March 31, 2006Wedding Date: November 3, 2007Venue: Radisson HotelAbout Me: I'm a bookkeeper who failed high school algebra. I'm currently living in Los Angeles, literally a street over from where I grew up with Mr. Kiwi, my honey of three years. We have a jumbo mini-dachshund (seriously, he's huuuuge), and we're planning an autumn themed wedding on a shoestring, paid for by ourselves. The wedding date is my late grandma's birthday, I needed her there somehow, and that seemed like the best way for us. I can't believe I'm a Bee! I couldn't be more proud!
I’m going waaaay back here, to November of 2008 - The Secret Life of Bees, Weddingbee edition, version Kiwi.
Here are some things you don’t know about me:
1. I still count on my fingers. Sure, most of the time I can figure it out without it, but then I count on my fingers to make sure my guess was correct. And yes, I AM a bookkeeper, and work with numbers all day.
2. The other night I tried on my old Jamba Juice hat and tried to seduce Mr. Kiwi. He was not biting. I don’t know why I thought it’d be sexy to wear the hat we met in. Especially when it was covered in old fruit crap.
3. I admit it. I love Twilight. No, it’s not because I love Edward. I love Jacob. So perhaps that’s confession appendix A) I AM TEAM JACOB. That’s right, I said it. Mr. Kiwi tries to bite me on the neck and goes, “I’m a Vampire… Raawwwwr.” To which I reply, “Uh, he’s a teenager.” To which he replies, “I’m a werewolf… Rawwwwr…” To which I again reply, “And he’s an even younger teenager—ergo NOT SEXY.”
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.
Like Miss Peep Toe, I have been having quite the time finding shoes for the big day. In a perfect world, I would love to find a pair of shoes that are the exact blue that I have fallen in love with, has ankle straps, a 3 to 3 and a half inch heel, and for them to be comfortable. Since I am very sensitive to color, the obvious choice would be to find a dyeable shoe. I have searched far and wide for dyeable shoes, and was not thrilled with any of the styles. Besides the ankle strap and heel height, I really wasn’t even that picky!
When dyeables weren’t looking promising, I scoured the internet for cute blue or ivory shoes, all to no avail. I have spent way, way too much time searching, and was about to give up and buy an ivory pair that I wasn’t really into. I have already started dress fittings and have been using black heels as a surrogate. Time was not on my side!
There was one place that I didn’t look during my crazy search- Payless. They just unveiled a new line of dyeable shoes by Lela Rose called Unforgettable Moments. The styles that I viewed online were super cute, but I was a little wary of the quality, so today I went to a store to see them in person. Read more…
Mrs. Perfume, DCAge and Occupation: 36, Consultant (and Part-Time Professor)Fiance's Age and Occupation: 41, ConsultantEngagement Date: May 13, 2008Wedding Date: May, 2009Venue: The Homestead, Hot Springs, VirginiaAbout Me: I'd like to think that I'm a modern day Little Edie Beale. Only not as..."talented". More realistically, I'm a foodie who can't bake; a dancer and dilettente; an art collector with a penchant for the whimsical and subversive. I live in the city and adore the country, but not much in between. I like smart design, great craftmanship and good value. Most of all, I love the new vintage aesthetic: classic, sweet, delicate, bespoke. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go for a culinary arts degree rather than a PhD; but wouldn't trade Mr. P for the world.
What you see here is not an old picture from a ’70s wedding. No, it’s a quality camera phone photo of one of my BM dresses. I think my bridesmaids are going to hate me. I hate me. I had good intentions with their dresses. As you may recall, I’m having my mother make the BM dresses using this pattern, and even found (what I thought was) the perfect fabric: Read more…
Mrs. Caramel, Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 24, Art Gallery/MuseumsFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, EngineerEngagement Date: January 8, 2007Wedding Date: October 6, 2007Venue: a beautiful church and hotel receptionAbout Me: I love dancing, singing, eating out, eating in, surfing on the net, and brainstorming fantastic ideas. I also love cats, coffee, and know every quote written on Sex & the City. I'm known to laugh really loud and have really crazy hand gestures while I talk. My fiance writes songs and I take pictures. What else? We're just a crazy young couple in love, trying to make a fabulous wedding!
I think this story should be funny by now, but I still can’t seem to shrug off this one very important, crucial part of our wedding…
The one moment of the wedding day that I was most nervous about was walking down the aisle. Don’t trip, don’t walk too fast, don’t take your eyes off the groom, and most importantly—try not to ugly-cry. And I remember it all too clearly. I took my dad’s arm and waited in front of the doors. It was the moment when the doors opened and everyone started to rise… and then… someone started clapping. LOUDLY. Read more…
ContestsFeature Launched: Oct 5, 2006About: Weddingbee contests and giveaways.
Our sister site, Project Wedding, is hosting a DIY Project Contest! The first place winner will receive a $500 gift card, and the second place winner will receive a $250 gift card that you can use towards your wedding, or anything your heart desires.
Check out the beautiful and cost effective Flower Purse Bouquet entry that Margaret posted on their blog today for inspiration. Good luck and stay tuned for our own big contest later today!
Mrs. Green Tea, SacramentoAge and Occupation: 30, Tea AnalystFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Coffee CriticEngagement Date: November 17, 2006Wedding Date: August 23, 2008Blogging Since: June 10, 2008Venue: Vineyard on the DeltaAbout 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!
I always envied those who didn’t have to pay, in part or in full, for their own weddings. Since I wanted to elope in the first place, thoughts of ’better uses’ often came to mind when I sent out wedding payments. So when MOH-Ho got engaged and her parents offered her basically a blank check to pay for her wedding, the first thing out of my mouth was something like “HolySeabiscuit! You best not take that shiz for granted!”
Last week over dinner, MOH-Ho told me about a bunch of wedding ideas that have been scratched off her list, ideas that she felt confident about just the week before. Turns out, her parents were less than thrilled about them. It surprised me because her parents are the most understanding and supportive parents I have ever met. But of course, if there is anything I’ve learned from planning my own, it is that weddings bring strong opinions out of da woodworks.
The objections were prefaced with, “You can do what you want, but…” And while we know they absolutely meant it, MOH-Ho conceded to everything her parents disagreed with so far. Read more…
Mrs. Daffodil, San Francisco/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 26, Nonprofit Strategy ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Resident PhysicianEngagement Date: December 29, 2006Wedding Date: May, 2008Blogging Since: August, 2007Venue: Church w/ floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Valley; Westin in downtown LAAbout 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.
It’s hard to believe, but Sister Daffodil’s wedding is in three months! As her big sister and MOH (and not to mention, ahem, a newlywed who misses the whole wedding planning process), how can I help myself but do everything I can to help make her day perfect! I’ve got some great DIY paper crafts that I made for her wedding that I will share once those go out, but today, I wanted to share with you all the perfect little “something blue” that I got her for her birthday .
I wanted to get her something blue because… get ready for this…*gasp* I forgot to wear something blue on my own wedding day. Inspired by the crystal heart that Mrs. Lovebug’s friend added to her necklace, I decided I was going to handcraft my sister a crystal bouquet charm. But believe it or not, I had the most difficult time finding a blue Swarovski crystal heart in the right size and shade of blue. I was determined, and started looking for pieces of jewelry that had the crystal heart in them, thinking I would take one apart to create the charm I had in mind. But after a few hours of research, I discovered there was no need to, for I stumbled upon exactly what I had envisioned!
Reader Valerie is selling 100 blooming tea buds from Rariteas. She was planning to use them as favors but changed her mind. The buds blossom into beautiful flowers when in hot water. All the buds are still sealed in their original packaging. Also included are 42 business cards that you can hand out to the guests that provide brewing instructions. She is asking for $160 plus shipping.
Have a wedding item for sale? Post it with pictures in the Weddingbee classifieds and you might see it featured on the blog!
Miss Cherry Pie, Seattle/Polebridge, MontanaAge and Occupation: 25, Marketing Communications SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Nurse PractitionerEngagement Date: August 26, 2006Wedding Date: September 2008Blogging Since: April 1, 2008Venue: A tiny town just outside of Glacier National ParkAbout Me: I think of life as a journey and I love the places it's taking me! I went to school to study Magazine Journalism, ended up with a second major in Japanese language, and now work at a company that makes software for libraries. I love writing, computers, photography, and the great outdoors. I spend most of my time playing Guitar Hero and Rock Band or geeking out online with Mr. Cherry Pie. I'm happiest when I'm on the road, especially traveling abroad, or just nesting quietly at home with my sweetie, who is a fabulous cook and bakes a delicious rendition of a certain cherry-filled dessert!
In one of my recent posts, I mentioned that we were taking photos with our wedding party during cocktail hour. Well, we did, but not before we took some formal portraits together. Nicole took a TON of photos that I absolutely love, and I can’t wait to share them with you. Of course it’s hard to edit them all down, so I’ve broken these portraits up into two categories: pictures of us together and individual “profile” shots.
First things first, I’ll present you with thirty of my favorite bride and groom pictures. Then, tomorrow, I’ll share thirty of our best profile photos. After that, we’ll move on to photos with our families and the wedding party before finally visiting the reception, cutting the cake, dancing, and detailing the little things. There’s a lot more to look forward to!
What you see here is not an old picture from a ’70s wedding. No, it’s a quality camera phone photo of one of my BM dresses. I think my bridesmaids are going to hate me. I hate me. I had good intentions with their dresses. As you may recall, I’m having my mother make the 
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