Mrs. Pineapple, PittsburghAge and Occupation: 24, Graphic DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Student Affairs AdministrationEngagement Date: August 4, 2007Wedding Date: October, 2008Blogging Since: April 14, 2008Venue: The Rivers ClubAbout Me: Being a transplant from sunny south Florida I am learning to live with all four seasons while playing with our cat collective, line dancing, and doing a ton of DIY projects for our wedding (seriously, like a thousand)!
When I began my recaps for Weddingbee, Mr. Pineapple asked me if I would be able to mention his mom, even though she would not be in any of the photographs. I have never explained our reason for getting married early to the hive. It just never seemed like the right time. Well, now is as good as any, I suppose.
Mr. Pineapple’s mom was very sick last September, so Mr. P and I decided to get married early, just in case she wouldn’t be able to make it to our October wedding. 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.
I got the price proposal and linen rental samples from our florist the other day. In a word:
WHAT???
We’re not planning on having a lot of flowers at our wedding. First, since the ceremony will take place in a garden—which will be in full bloom this spring—only altar arrangements will be necessary.
Spa Garden
Second, the reception ballroom has plenty of interesting architectural details, chandeliers, and old Southern charm, so it also doesn’t need that much embellishment. Read more…
Mrs. Meatball, HollywoodAge and Occupation: 30, Actor/Writer/Office MavenFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Actor/WriterEngagement Date: October 7, 2007Wedding Date: May, 2009Blogging Since: September 16, 2008Venue: Private Garden/The Bungalow ClubAbout Me: I love melty cheese and diet coke almost as much as I love my man. I'm from Chicago, he's from NYC, and we both miss public transit and great pizza. We have an adorable muppet dog called Paco. I'm part hippie with a healthy dash of hip hop superstar, have excessive empathy for animals, and have not one, but two bionic eyes (long story). We're broke and it ain't no joke. It can't stop us from planning the bold and whimsical wedding of our dreams, but we've had to get pretty creative to make it work, yo!
Tomorrow I’m headed home on a whirlwind weekend trip to Chicago for my cousin’s schmancy wedding at the Ritz Carlton! I think I’ve mentioned before that I’ve not been to more than a handful of weddings in my day, and most of them were uber-budgety (and lovely) affairs… so the idea of attending a platinum wedding is very exciting to me.
The bride comes from a huge Italian family, and she’s had to fight to limit her guest list because her dad would like for it to be over 300 guests. I wonder how many people one must invite to end up with a party of 300 people?
We’ve been in the process of finalizing our own guest list, as we’re nearing time to distribute invitations (eeeep!), and we’re completely at a loss for anticipating the actual attendance vs. the amount of people we invite. It’s generally a leap of faith, it seems.
We’re hoping to keep the head count to 105, per our arrangement with The Bungalow Club. Family is all included by default, but deciding who to invite and who to leave out among friends is a decidedly un-fun, yet sadly necessary part of wedding planning. Right now our invite list consists of about 180 folks. I’d heard of creating a ’likelihood to attend report’, in which you rate each guest’s likelihood to attend by assigning them a percentage, and then you average those percentages out by dividing this number by the number of invitees. Read more…
ClassifiedsFeature Launched: April 30, 2008About: A roundup of the best Weddingbee Classified listings.
Reader nada122 is selling black and white damask table runners from her wedding. She has 10 runners and 1 place card table cover. She is also including some extra leftover fabric. She is asking for $150 for the lot.
Have a wedding item for sale? Post it with pictures in the Weddingbee classifieds and you might see it featured on the blog!
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.
I’ve shared a few of the bargains I’ve scored with the hive, but now I have a super cute one to show you. Yesterday, I took a walk on my lunch hour and stopped in at the Burlington Coat Factory downtown on 6th Avenue. As soon as you walk in, the entryway is always stocked with seasonal items. This time, spring coats and Easter dresses were hanging on the walls. My sister and I were talking about getting a flower girl dress for my adorable four-year-old niece, Aidyn only the day before this little shopping trip. So seeing the dresses reminded me to check out the rest of the dresses in the children’s department.
As soon as I went to the lower level, I saw tons of cute Easter and spring dresses. Most were pink, purple, or white with embroidered flowers. They also had a decent selection of white and ivory dresses, and I quickly scanned the racks for something that would make a perfect flower girl dress. I saw plenty of possibilities in an in-between-white-and-ivory shade, so I called my sis to confirm the size. We needed a 4, and most of the selections in the right color were size 6 or bigger, or in toddlers sizes.
After a few more minutes of searching, I found one. Read more…
Mrs. Joey, SeattleAge and Occupation: 28, Project Administrator for Public Health NGOFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, High School History TeacherEngagement Date: June 24, 2008Wedding Date: August 2009Venue: Eastside Catholic Chapel and Lake Union CafeAbout Me: I'm a Seattle girl through and through except for the fact that I don't drink coffee. I love my job most of the time because I get to travel and work with brilliant people who are trying to prevent Malaria. I love DIY projects of all sorts, cooking, and watching sports. I'd wear anything at Anthropologie and could spend all day on Etsy. I love to travel but shouldn't because I always get myself into unbelievable situations!
We’ve been going back and forth about favors for a while. Even though we’ve started making Limoncello, we’re not sure that we have enough time to make enough for everyone. We’ve come up with a list of ideas, but we need help deciding.
Limoncello - Our original choice, but getting bottles can be pricey and we’d need to come up with an alternative for non-drinkers and for those that are underage.
Sri-Lankan trail mix and Mr. Joey’s family’s special Chex mix - We’d need to order this yummy trail mix from Sri-Lanka, and we’d need to package it right before the wedding to insure freshness.
Recipe cards - We thought about designing recipe cards with instructions on how to make special dishes from our reception.
A greatest hits mixed CD - We could make a few versions, so a couple wouldn’t go home with the two of the same CD.
Custom made luggage tags - We could come up with a few templates and personalize them for each guest.
Mini puzzle - We thought of taking pictures of us and turning them into mini puzzles, but we’re not sure anyone would really want a mini puzzle of us. This option could also be a little too expensive for us.
We’re not sure which to pick, but we’re leaning toward the luggage tags or the limoncello.
What do you think? Which option would you choose? Are you deciding between a few favor options?
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!
Okay. I’ve asked all my BMs, my FSIL, and Mr. Martini for their opinions. I even almost gave up and asked Cly Creations to “surprise us”, because I can’t seem to be able to decide on a picture for our guest signing board. I need to choose one picture by tomorrow, and of course I’m going nuts… because since when was I ever capable of making a decision?
I thought I’d ask the bees for your opinion once again. I may or may not listen to the majority, but please humor me and help me choose!
Here are some tips offered to me by various people in regards to choosing a signing board:
Try to choose a picture that features a lot of background. You don’t want people writing all over your faces.
Try not to choose a close up. Guests might think it’s a little strange if they walk into your home and there is a huge 20 X 30 larger-than-life-sized picture of your heads hanging smack in the middle of your living room.
Try to choose a picture that does not have anyone else in the picture but the two you. Do you really want to have a random person in your picture for the rest of your life?
Pictures that show you doing something, rather than looking dead straight at the camera, might be more appealing and interesting.
I think we were able to narrow down the list to five favorites.
Mrs. Bruschetta, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 25, Communication ProfessionalFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Physical Therapy Graduate StudentEngagement Date: November 30, 2007Wedding Date: August 2009Venue: St. Thomas of Villanova Church & the F.U.E.L. HouseAbout Me: I’m a self-proclaimed grammar geek who loves singing (like, really belting it) in the car. My mister and I are planning a vibrant summer soiree celebrating our passions – including food and Philly – and when we make it official, we’ll have been together for eight years! Being super competitive is in my nature, and talking excessively is in my genes. I’ve got a terrible sense of direction, but can always easily find my way into Mr. Bruschetta’s arms.
The five recipes — Toasted Coconut Cherry Cake, Pineapple Spice Cake, Lemon Poppy Seed Cake, Mocha Chip Cake, and Orange Almond Cake — all require the same wet ingredients (which won’t be layered into the jars):
3 large eggs
3/4 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into tablespoons
Mrs. Mascara, Chicago/Upper MichiganAge and Occupation: 25, Biomedical EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Process EngineerEngagement Date: July 27, 2008Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: Catholic ceremony, reception at local armoryAbout Me: A lover of Mr. Mascara, crafting, baking, Gossip Girl, diet soda, and all things wedding. A Yooper girl somehow displaced in the Chicago suburbs, planning a wedding from a distance, and counting down the days until I marry my best friend.
Tonight I made my ring pillows! They turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself. Here’s a tutorial in case any of you other brides out there feel like taking on yet another crafty project.
You will need:
Two 8″ x 8″ square pieces of the fabric of your choice (I used teal taffeta)
Mrs. Kitten, Austin/Grand CaymanAge and Occupation: 25, Law StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Dental StudentEngagement Date: October 19, 2006Wedding Date: April, 2009Venue: The Grand Old House, Grand CaymanAbout Me: In 2009 I will get married (after a two and a half year engagement!), become an Army wife, graduate from law school, take the bar, move from Austin to Washington, D.C., and start my career as a lawyer! With all this going on, Mr. Kitten and I decided to have a tropical, "stress-free" destination wedding. Nevertheless, my micromanaging, detail-oriented, perfectionist side has prevailed---I am currently obsessed with every last detail of my "stress-free" destination wedding! But most of all, I'm beyond excited to become Mrs. Kitten on a fabulous Caribbean vacation surrounded by my friends and family!
I love sweet, fruity snacks. I also love weddings filled with personal touches. So, imagine my excitement when Miss Spring Roll brought these customizable Fruit Roll-Ups to my attention! A combination of my two loves! It doesn’t get much better than that!Well, now these delicious custom items are on sale! Just in time for the Kitten wedding! Read more…
Weddingbee PROFeature Launched: January 29, 2009About: A roundup of great Weddingbee PRO posts
We launched the Weddingbee Ideas Suggestion Box last Friday, and we’ve already been flooded with almost 30 great ideas! It’s been a lot of fun to see the ideas and comments flying back and forth.
One of the ideas caught our eye, because we’ve been meaning to do it for years (and because it was a quick and fun project!):
Add Share Icons for Social Media
I’d love to see Weddingbee posts have icons at the bottom of each post where we could easily share that idea through social media, be it DIGG, StubleUpon, Kirtsy, Facebook, or Twitter. - Mrs. Lemon
Thanks, Mrs. Lemon!! We went ahead and added links to share Weddingbee posts on most of those sites.
Sadly though, we’re not cool enough to have accounts on all of these services. We could use the Hive’s help in testing it out… do you guys mind Facebooking, Stumbling, Kirstying, or Digging this DIY post by Mrs. Lovebird? The links to do so should be at the end of the post…
Mrs. Cookie, DenverAge and Occupation: 25, Nonprofit Fundraiser/Theatre DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Financial AnalystEngagement Date: September 2007Wedding Date: September 2008Blogging Since: May 8, 2008Venue: Ten Mile StationAbout Me: With a degree in Theatre I never realized that planning a wedding was a lot like Theatre Management, until I started planning my own. I am a coffee addict, especially Starbucks' Grande Mochas, yummy! I love to cook (especially chocolate chip cookies for my honey), travel to exotic places, and be creative. As a couple, Mr. Cookie and I are extremely practical, down to earth, and children at heart. We live in a cozy abode with our adorable Pomeranian, and love to play board games and watch movies into the evening.
It was that point in the evening when the reception was drawing to a close. Most of the older folks had retired for the evening, leaving us young’uns to our shenanigans and debauchery. After all, the night was still young at 10 o’clock, and we had a food and beverage minimum we had yet to meet, dang it!
Mr. Cookie and I took a moment in between dances to step outside, catch our breath, grab some water, and gaze at the stars. Isn’t the photo of the stars stunning? Our dear friend took this shot of the night sky on our wedding day. Sigh.
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!
Sort of. Last night I received one of the best emails of my life, and it was from the US Government!
This is what it said:
The last processing action taken on your case:
Application Type: I129F , PETITION FOR FIANCE(E)
Current Status: Approval notice sent.
On March 10, 2009, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I129F PETITION FOR FIANCE(E). Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service.
Woohooo!!!!!!! I have no idea what this means, because I only vaguely remember the rest of the steps we need to take. I’ve been so focused on worrying whether or not we’d receive notice in time that I’ve completely forgotten the rest of it! I know we need to go to London for an interview, and Mr. D needs to go to a US Embassy-approved physician, but I couldn’t care less right now.
I can’t begin to describe the worry that Mr. D and I have been feeling since October when we sent in our application (and $455) to USCIS (aka US Immigration peeps). Read more…
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!
We’re excited to welcome the latest PROS to join the hive, Bella Figura! Bella Figura is known not only for their beautiful letterpress stationery, but also for their big commitment to being green. Please click on over to Weddingbee PRO and help us give them a warm hive welcome!
I may or may not listen to the majority, but please humor me and help me choose!
