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Weddingbee Blog
With less than 30 days to go, I could no longer ignore the “what time?” questions: “What time should I be there?” “What time will they be there?” “What time will it end?” “How long will it take?” Nothing makes me feel less in control than not knowing where the pieces fit into the big picture, so during an interminable conference call, I half-*ssed a wedding day overview slide in PowerPoint. Yes, PowerPoint. Yes, a Wedding Day Slide. Shut up, it made me feel better.
I started with Mrs. Daffodil’s wedding work plan file, then customized away. Now I can see who will be where and for how long all day long… and then maybe I won’t have to answer questions on our wedding day.
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… and a passion for punctuation. I (proudly) wear my word-nerd dorkiness on my sleeve!
train conductor
-noun
the person responsible for fluffing, spreading and eventually bustling the bride’s train
As the bride prepared to exit the limo, her train conductor carefully lifted the luscious satin material so it wouldn’t drag in the street.
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It’s the most dreaded word in wedding planning: BUDGET. The word is sometimes used to describe weddings that are not as expensive as others, as well as a financial plan for the wedding. In the wedding world, you often hear of planning “on a budget” or of “budget” weddings. Our wedding is somewhere in between. 
Honestly, do you know anyone who can just spend without consequences? I don’t. So aren’t we all really on a budget, to some extent? I am sure that there are many people who do not have to worry about prices, but I would venture to say that most of us are NOT included in that group.
Sadly, I did not luck out in the “I’m going to have an inexpensive wedding” lottery because:
Also I am not sure I would want them to do some of the things related to the wedding. I just want them to show up and enjoy the day with me. Maybe a few will help me get ready.
I was lucky to spend the weekend with my beautiful grandmother. She has been a huge part of my life and seems to be very excited about our upcoming wedding. While I was perusing the house, I came across something amazing. Someone took my grandmother’s wedding invitation and created this gorgeous drawing on top of it.
Featured on Weddingbee
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
“Make an elegant invitation statement without the fuss. Stylish invitation sets with matching envelopes, reception and response cards included.”
One big struggle for me in our city hall wedding planning process has been figuring out what to call the darn thing! Is it traditional, or is it off-beat? And is it even a wedding at all? Ack!
The debate about tradition.
In a previous post, I referenced the “traditional roots” of the wedding I’m planning, and some commenters called me on it. Everyone has different backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs, so tradition is different for everyone. What defines a traditional North American Caucasian/non-ethnic wedding? Is it a Christian celebration in a church with 4 bridesmaids and 4 groomsmen, followed by a sit-down meal and a dance with a DJ? Or is it a trip to the court house with family and friends in tow? Is it a Vegas elopement, or a Florida beach wedding followed by a chic cocktail hour?
While I’m willing to concede that a semi-casual civil ceremony may not fit many people’s definition of “traditional”, I am still unsure of where it actually DOES fit! I follow Offbeat Bride, and I would hardly dare to call my wedding “Offbeat”. It seems like many of the weddings and couples featured there are much more eccentric and unique than ours is going to be. So, what the heck is my wedding?
…And is it even a wedding?
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Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
The Weddingbee Gallery has been a big hit, and we’ve been enjoying the almost two thousand photos uploaded by brides.
We’ve been noticing though, that there’s a good number of gallery photos from vendors. We’d like the gallery itself to focus on brides — but it gave us the idea to create a separate gallery just for vendors. So without further ado, we’d like to introduce the PRO Folio - a place where photographers and other vendors can share photos of their portfolios!
We emailed all our PROs and a number of the most talented vendors in the wedding industry, and asked if they’d be willing to share their photos in Folio. Check out the portfolios of Anna Kuperberg, Becker, April Reed, Cheree Berry, Twigs and Honey and much more for inspiration galore!
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Last weekend, my friend Miss K came over to help me make this DIY backdrop for the portrait booth at our reception. This project was so much quicker than I ever thought it would be, and was really fun to make. Here is a cropped picture of the top… don’t mind the brush strokes showing through the sunlight… our photographer’s lights should not show any brush strokes.
To make this project, I used:
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For some reason (that I will never fully understand), when I asked Mr. Peep about a ceremony musician, he instantly said he wanted a cellist. I didn’t have strong feelings on the subject, but I said that I would think about it. Right about that time, The Secret Life of Bees came out, and lo and behold, Alicia Keys was playing the cello—solo. It sounded beautiful!! I made my decision while watching the movie.
I found two great resources in the Bay Area for cellos to hire: the music department at UC Berkeley, and the San Francisco Conservancy of Music. Yet, I immediately hit a road block: both only book about three months in advance. I think it has to do with the fact that both programs offer students for hire, and the students don’t know their schedules that far in advance.
So, I patiently waited. When the three month mark hit, I immediately booked a cellist for two hours through the SF Music To Go program. The prices are really reasonable, and the program itself has great ratings on Project Wedding!
After talking to our fabulous cellist about classical versus contemporary, I did some research and put together a mixed list that we are actually really excited about.
Mr. Peep and the rest of the bridal party will be walking out to the Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun.
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One very rainy morning, Mama Frenchie, Sister Frenchie, and I met BM F for my appointment with Lynn at Jinny’s Bridal in Huntington Beach. Knowing in advance that Jinny’s didn’t have Anastasia, printed out a couple dresses I liked and brought them with me.
At times throughout our planning process, I have felt like I am on a little island alone emailing vendors, researching details, scheduling appointments, trying to adhere to our budget and timeline, worrying about everything. Ready.to.pull.out.my.hair. Understandably, I have gotten tired and frustrated.
A few times I have hit the wall and lost it. My fits (I’ll call them “bridal tirades”) haven’t been too severe, but let’s just say they don’t paint me in the most attractive light. I’ve noticed that I usually manage to utter lovely sentiments similar to, “Why am I the only one that cares about this wedding?” Mr. G, my mom, and others have been lucky enough to hear this a few times since we got engaged. Apparently no one understands what I am going through. Riiight, because no one in history has ever been married before. My feelings are completely unique. Uh-huh.
Despite my sometimes jaded perception of reality, I am definitely not the only person who “cares” about this wedding. A lot of people care. They just have their own lives. And their own lives don’t revolve around my wedding. It’s no offense to me or the wedding, but while I sit and deal with wedding-related business, life goes on all around me. Who knew?
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Reader ilee is selling a pair of Hale Bob “Kelsey” wedges. They are oyster-colored, and size 7.5. They are brand new, but one of the gemstones on the buckle fell off. Make her an offer!
Have a wedding item for sale? Post it with pictures in the Weddingbee classifieds and you might see it featured on the blog!
Other great items for sale:
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Mr. Cheese and I took a break from the heavy stuff to peruse the web for program ideas. Turns out he has champagne tastes in paper (I had to say, “No custom laser cutting for us, honey”) but we did come across a fun idea - a “get to know us better” crossword puzzle!
I had not really thought about what my wedding dress would look like until I got engaged. At that point, I envisioned a dress that was not too form fitting, but not too “poofy”. With this in mind, I began casually browsing through dress sites online. I guess I should also add that the thought of dress shopping scared the living daylights out of me. I really don’t like attention brought to me. at. all. So, the vision of somebody waiting on me hand and foot while I dressed and undressed, and then proceeding to stand in front of a mirror in front of other shoppers, made me a tad uncomfortable.
Finally, after my mom, sister, FMIL, and I attended a bridal show in September, I bit the bullet and made an appointment here. So when the day of my appointment arrived, I expected only the worse. However, I was actually pleasantly surprised that it really was not so bad to go shopping for a dress. My mom, sister/MOH, and I had an appointment on a Friday afternoon, so there wasn’t anyone else in the store at the time, and the woman who helped me (Amy) was the sweetest person ever. I highly recommend her to anyone shopping at the south Austin location.
I think I tried on about 12 dresses that afternoon—which took a total of three hours (I can’t believe it took this long, so FYI to all future brides who are about to dress shop: make sure you have lots of time!). There was one dress that everyone agreed on. I liked it best out of all that I had tried on, and since I hadn’t planned on shopping elsewhere, I thought it was “the one”.
(Mr. Beagle, close your browser, NOW)
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I finally got around to making the flowers that will go on our cakes! I was originally going to make them out of gum paste, but worried that if it was warm on our wedding day, they would get all soft and wilty. Inspired by the Weddingbee PRO interview with the talented Diane of DK Designs, I decided I would give clay a try. During our crafting session, BM Dana and I tried first to make a dahlia, but with all the little petals, it just wasn’t working for us (I should’ve taken a picture, it was bad!). I was just about to give up and use real flowers (or possibly consult a professional) when I was messing around and came up with one of these. I liked it enough to make a couple more! One small flower will be on each of the smaller cakes, and the biggest flower will go on the center cake.
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