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.
We’ve already received some of the RSVPs in the mail, so now I think it’s safe to show you the goods.
First up, our invitation:
This probably isn’t the best angle to see the whole invite, but I wanted to share it because it helps you to see the texture of the watercolor paper. Read more…
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.
While I don’t always think it’s necessary for bridesmaids to wear matching shoes, in the case of my own bridesmaids, this is the route we opted to go. I was worried that different color dresses along with different types of shoes would look a little too busy. Realizing that not all girls have the same taste in shoes, I determined my criteria for choosing a pair that all six girls would like:
They have to be black. As much as brides think that their girls are going to wear those purple heels again after the wedding, they probably won’t. Though still not guaranteed, there’s a much higher possibility they’ll wear the black ones again.
Simple design. Nothing with sparkles, patterns, etc. This also lends itself to wearability, and helps when you’re searching for a pair of shoes that six girls with very different styles are going to like.
Preferably leather, not satin. This goes back to that wearability thing. They’ll probably have more occasions where they can wear leather shoes over satin ones.
Affordable. My girls are not made of money, and even if they were, I wouldn’t expect them to be spending it on matching shoes for my wedding, anyway!
I sent out an email to my bridesmaids asking if they had any suggestions for black shoes (I did not give them all of the criteria, to see what kind of shoes they would choose). Here are a few of the options they had picked out.
After listing all of the options, the girls told me which were their favorites and we went from there. Can you guess which pair we ended up choosing? I’ll give you a hint…they follow all of the criteria listed above!
We’re so excited to see all the amazing and inspiring wedding pictures that bees and readers have uploaded to the Weddingbee gallery! This month as a thank you, every day we’ll feature a photo from the gallery, and at the end of the week, we’ll choose one random featured user, and send them a prize!
Today’s featured photo is from mdarrah’s barefoot wedding. She DIYed “shoes” for herself and her bridesmaids! Check it out!
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!
If you looked at the Joey budget, you’d have seen that we tried to budget for everything (except the thank you gifts). We have parking listed, the alcohol license accounted for, and even put a little money away for signs.
But it turns out we already have an unexpected cost. What is it? This…
Mrs. Gloss, Boston/MaineAge and Occupation: 24, Designer/soon-to-be ArchitectFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Systems EngineerEngagement Date: May 23, 2008Wedding Date: August 2009Venue: SS Katahdin/Lakeside TentAbout Me: I don't like nickels or the skin that forms on pudding when it's in the fridge for too long. I couldn't live without Pantone markers, fountain soda (3/4 diet, ¼ regular Coke), run-on sentences, or ridiculously oversized sunglasses. I will try to DIY almost anything and am just OCD enough to make most of it work. I am truly excited about having all my family and friends together, becoming Mrs. Gloss, and having amazing photos to prove it!
I abhor running, and going to the gym in general, but mostly running. So the whole ’getting in shape and toned-up’ for the wedding thing hasn’t really been working that well.
It’s not even just my mindset; my body hates running. So much so that my airway passages close up after running for a mile because my body knows it would rather deprive itself of oxygen and die rather than continue to run. Yes, my body physically rejects all forms of exercise.
I really enjoy pilates, but my schedule is generally too chaotic to attend regular classes at the gym. To top it off, I get really discouraged if the weight doesn’t come off quickly, which only compounds the issue, even though I understand that that’s not really how it works.
So, a few months ago I made Mr. Gloss join the gym with me.
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.
… trial and retrial again! After reading about Mrs. Cupcake’s awesome hair and makeup pros, I reached out to Natalie Pagano and Emily Aznavourian to inquire about their availability for my wedding day. Since I wanted to see how both aspects of my day-of look would come together, I asked Natalie and Emily if we could arrange for a joint trial.
Both happily agreed, and we planned to meet at Emily’s house. (They often work together for weddings, but this was the first time Natalie and Emily did back-to-back trials together!) Mama and Sister Bruschetta came along, and captured the trials on my camera.
~~~ Now entering a NO MR. BRUSCHETTA ZONE ~~~ Read more…
Mrs. Mary Jane, Grand Forks, NDAge and Occupation: 26, Instructional DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Lead ProgrammerEngagement Date: February 28, 2009Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: City HallAbout Me: I'm a career woman on the surface and a homemaker at heart. I love fast cars and high heels, and my favorite food is cake. Mr. Mary Jane and I are both full-time employees and students, and we just bought our first house. We love to curl up on the couch with buttery popcorn, Sour Patch Kids, and the latest Netflix arrival -- whenever we can get a break from everyday life.
I’m a 26-year-old Instructional Designer (basically, I work with instructors and technology every day). I grew up in northern Minnesota, went to college out west, and now I’m working, schooling, living, and wedding planning in Grand Forks, North Dakota. I chose to be “Mary Jane” because I love me some heels! Living in ND means I have to forgo fashion in favor of warmth for a good portion of the year, but now that the snow is melting, I can rock my Mary Janes once again!
Some of my loves include photography, Photoshopping (it’s a verb, swear!), reading, scrapbooking, sewing, and cooking. I don’t do any of those things very often because I am a grad student. I also love cars, and come summer I’ll spend hours waxing mine (yes, really).
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?).
One of the things that prompted me to design our invitations was the cost. Those booklet-style invites I loved cost 7 pounds each! I’m not sure of the exchange rate, but OUCH!
I spent a lot of time researching paper and printing for our invitations. Here’s the final tally.
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.
Why was last Thursday night different from all other nights?
Mr. HC and I hosted our first Passover seder as a married couple… like the real grown-ups that we are now. What made this Passover so meaningful is that not only was it the first event we collaborated on as part of our newly Chewish household, it also was the first Jewish holiday I have celebrated since my conversion to Judaism in March. 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.
So, like many bees, I don’t want to wear white bridal shoes. They’re not very re-wearable (I know, neither is the dress, but that’s a different story).
Mrs. Beagle, AustinAge and Occupation: 26, Electrical EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, FinanceEngagement Date: July 12, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Church Ceremony/Reception at The Waterford HouseAbout Me: I am a true, but rare, Austinite---I was born, raised, and continue to live in this great city! Although
I am an engineer by day, I feed my inner creative side through crafting, sewing, and obsessing over Martha Stewart. I love coffee, my mister, NPR, and exploring all the nooks and crannies of Austin.
I can't wait to share my adventures in DIY and wedding planning with all of you!
After this post by Anne Ruthmann, I was inspired (and in awe of her awesome photos). So I played around with my Canon Powershot and some props… and this is what I came up with:
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.
The day after our wedding, the Stilettos will be taking off for sunny, hot, and south-of-the-hurricane-zone, Aruba. We’re excited to enjoy lazy days on the beach with icy cold beers and no agenda. By the time of our wedding, we will have been in planning mode for a year and half. Relaxation will be a must. I, of course, will not feel blissfully happy unless I love what I’m wearing and how I look in it.
One big hold in the process is the fact that this little lady has not been in swimming shape for quite a few years, and therefore has zero comfort in a bathing suit. After a year and a half of intense working out and healthy eating, I’ve managed to lose 30 pounds and feel great. Dropping 6 sizes has been amazing… you have no idea! Being in bikini shape for the honeymoon would make me so incredibly happy. But despite dropping the pounds, I’m far from being ready to picking up a collection of string bikinis.
Despite dropping the pounds, I’ve never actually worn a bikini (in my mind it’s the equivalent of walking down the street in my underwear), and I’m absolutely not toned.
Mrs. Cowboy Boot, Santa FeAge and Occupation: 25, Magazine EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Artist and Whitewater Rafting GuideEngagement Date: April 28th, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Devil's Thumb Ranch, ColoradoAbout Me: I grew up in Los Angeles and have since lived in San Diego, Boston, Italy, Hawaii, New York City, and Santa Fe. I speak Italian and love pasta. My real passion is the outdoors, though. When I'm not at work, I'm snowboarding, hiking with my two dogs, mountain biking, surfing, cross-country-skiing, or boating New Mexico's rivers. Despite my boyish love for adventure, I'm a girly-girl at heart and am overly-excited to pull off the romantic, vintage-inspired, country wedding of my dreams.
I just learned that I have a serious thing for ruffly, girly flowers called (you guessed it) peonies. I started sending my florist images of my bouquet inspiration. Beautiful, overflowing, loose, garden-y bouquets full of, yup, peonies. It was then I found out that peonies just weren’t interested in loving me back.
I’m an October bride, and apparently, peonies have a very strict schedule–about a five-week window that exists a solid four months before my wedding. The closest I’m going to get? The ever-expensive and elusive garden rose. Luckily, I have a very talented florist, Erin Hornstein from Plum Sage Flowers, to recreate the just-rolled-out-of-bed-but-perfectly-designed loose, ruffly look I’m going for. And, in fact, she got married at Devil’s Thumb Ranch recently with a gorgeous yellow blooming umbrella.
So, I’ve been hunting for bouquets that don’t involve peonies.
Mrs. Labrador Retriever, Athens/SavannahAge and Occupation: 24, Student/Sports ReporterFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Physical Therapy Assistant Student/Future Dr. of PT
Engagement Date: December 31, 2008Wedding Date: November 2009Venue: Whitfield Square/Savannah StationAbout Me: I'm working on my second degree from UGA (Go Dawgs!). I'm a self-proclaimed attention-w****. If it involves a camera, I'm in front of it! You'll never meet a girlier tomboy than me. I can go toe to toe with any guy on the subject of college football, and lift more than any girl in my gym, all without chipping a nail. I hope to someday be the only person you want delivering your sports news. My FI and I are the loving parents of three Labrador Retrievers (one of each color) and are planning a "Southern Romantic Charm" wedding in the beautiful, historic city of Savannah. I'm not extreme in anything except moderation... and wedding planning.
I have gone back and forth, and back again when it comes to ideas for table numbers. I started out thinking I’d want to do something with wine bottles, for instance, we’d name every table after a different type of wine. Then I thought about incorporating our engagement photos, but ultimately decided that I’d use those for our guest book.
Then I came across the cutest idea from another wedding blogger! I could incorporate 3 of the most important things in our lives into the table numbers: our dogs! Mr. Lav and I have 3 Labrador Retrievers that are our “babies”. We seriously consider them our children.
Dixie, the golden lab, is about 11 years old, and Chris got her back in high school. He found her after keeping an eye on a box of puppies left behind in a park by someone. He came back at the end of the day to find only one left walking around all by herself, and decided to take her home. He initially had to hide Dixie from his mom until she “warmed up” to the idea of having a dog. She grew up to be the perfect dog that basically takes care of herself. You’d be hard pressed to find her doing anything wrong.
Here’s Dixie ready for Christmas gifts! She had already gotten a sniff of the Milk-Bones awaiting her!
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!
Good morning hive! We’re thrilled to announce our newest bee! She’s is having a unique city hall wedding, and I can’t wait follow along with her journey. Say hello to Miss Mary Jane!
Miss Mary Jane, Grand Forks, North Dakota Age & Occupation: 26, Instructional Designer Fiance’s Age & Occupation: 26, Lead Programmer Engagement Date: February 28, 2009 Wedding Date: September 2009 Venue: City Hall About Me: I’m a career woman on the surface and a homemaker at heart. I love fast cars and high heels, and my favorite food is cake. Mr. Mary Jane and I are both full-time employees and students, and we just bought our first house. We love to curl up on the couch with buttery popcorn, Sour Patch Kids, and the latest Netflix arrival—whenever we can get a break from everyday life.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
Source: Victoria’s Secret, $36.50
