Mrs. Sunbeam, San Francisco/Grove City, PAAge and Occupation: 26, Grad Student & Office ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Motion DesignerEngagement Date: May 10, 2008Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: Harbison Chapel & The Maple Lane FarmAbout Me: Mr. Sunbeam and I are high school sweethearts. We both come from a small town in PA but are growing to love the California lifestyle. He loves wine and I love cheese... the perfect combination! When I'm not drooling over wedding blogs, I'm attending grad school, out being a foodie, or attempting to "walk" our cat at the park. Two things guaranteed to excite me are wedding cakes and breaking out my suitcase to travel. Mr. Sunbeam and I are personalizing our hometown wedding to celebrate our high school sweetheart status and PA roots with a few CA touches. After ten years of dating we couldn't be more excited to call each other husband and wife!
Mr Sunbeam and I are big fans of the Newlywed game. Okay, I am a big fan, and he is a good sport! Friends who were married recently brought it to NYE two years back, and all the couples played a few rounds. I will admit we didn’t do so well, but it’s so much fun to hear each other’s answers! Needless to say, when our pastor mentioned premarital counseling we were beaming (hee hee), and ready to get it started.
I know, I know, premarital counseling is not a game, but I feel it’s a means of exploring each other’s thoughts and perspective with a lot of Q&A, sprinkled with some pastor-ly guidance. Read more…
Patrick Moreau, TorontoVendor: CinematographerWebsite: Still MotionAbout Me: For far too long, wedding videography has been seen as a medium with debatable value and little artistic merit. I think a wedding film should be fun, quirky, romantic, and really reflect two people and their coming together. It should grab you in the first few seconds, shake you throughout, and leave you with a lingering impression. I am 1/3 of the cinematography team at StillMotion, along with Michael and Konrad. With a background in psychology and no formal training in film + video, I've been completely self taught and look to use my background to add more meaning to our films and the experience of creating them. I hope our art can inspire you like our brides inspire us.
I love just how expressive these two are - both with and without speaking. To me, that was a huge part of who Link + Ngoc are and that is what we really wanted to convey within their same-day edit. This piece is centered around their first meeting, during which they decided to say their vows to each other in private (well, almost private if you count us). Even without listening to what they had to say to each other, it seemed that these few moments they shared together really represented who they are together on a much larger scale.
Mrs. Poodle, Santiago, Chile/San Bernardino, CAAge and Occupation: 27, Industrial & Web DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Firefighter & Mountain PatrolEngagement Date: February 25, 2009Wedding Date: January 2010Venue: Mr. P's Grandparents’ RanchAbout Me: I’m a Chilean girl who's crazy about nature and swimming. I enjoy carving, drawing, reading and sewing; I drool over computers, fabric, pretty paper, purple and patterns. To me, chocolate should be one of the seven wonders, right next to lemon pie. I never thought an exchange work experience program was going to change my life forever, but while working in California, I met Mr. Poodle, and ever since my days are better and brighter. We are two goofy souls that, after finding each other, couldn’t help but want to be together forever. It has being a long and sometimes hard road, since we have to deal with such a long distance between us, but we are now facing the last stage of our Fiancé Visa, and soon we will be together. You know the best part? We will be married! So I’ll be blogging from Chile until just a few months before our “green and purple” wedding.
I already shared with the hive my obsession with using every single piece of purple paper I’ve gathered thought the years for our wedding. That way we can cut costs on the flowers and I’ll finally be using my entire paper stack.
I’ve been searching for pretty paper folding projects, and I thought I should share them. This is the list, so far—apart from the centerpieces and cherry blossoms I posted about earlier, here.
Mrs. Star, New York CityAge and Occupation: 22, ActressFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Casting AssistantWedding Date: October 2009Venue: Ceremony: The Kraine Theatre, Reception: Midtown Loft & TerraceAbout Me: I’m a professional actress who’s always had New York City in her blood and I'm finally getting the chance to make a home in Manhattan with my fiancé, my dog, and my big dreams! I love polka dots, craft projects, Dunkin’ Donuts’ iced coffee, and anything sparkly. I’m having a blast planning our elegant/dramatic/New York City/acting-themed/largely-DIY wedding and am thrilled to be the youngest current Miss Blogger!
Now that our out-of-towners have officially begun RSVPing (hooray!), I think it’s probably pretty safe to share these babies with you! Though they were not Goccoed and were certainly far from being perfect, they were a labor of extreme love and dedication and I’m pleased with how they came out.
I do have a confession to make: I’ve been super nervous about sharing these with the hive, but only because of the beautiful creations of somanyverytalentedbees that have come before me. So go easy on me, ladies! My running joke has been that my engagement ring did not come with a degree in graphic design (or floral arrangements, or tuxedo styles, or the like!).
What our guests saw when they opened their envelopes!
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!
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.
As I mentioned last week, my bachelorette party was this past weekend! I drove up to Milwaukee on Friday, and picked up my bridesmaid Anna at the airport on the way. We started with a dinner of fish and chips and Summer Shandy at the Miller Time Pub and waited for the rest of the girls to arrive. Everyone joined us at the hotel as they got into town and we just chilled out, drank a few beers, chatted, and went to bed relatively early. We had a big day ahead of us!!
In the morning we got up and took our time getting ready before heading to The Wicked Hop to start the day off right. I began the day with a delicious mimosa, while my matron of honor Dona opted for the “liquid brunch”—aka, the sickest looking Bloody Mary I had ever seen.
Reader futurejet went to the laundromat to take this vibrant photo!
We are currently hosting a Gallery contest where we are giving away 10, $40 coupon codes for My Publisher photo books. To enter the contest all you have to do upload your wedding pictures on the gallery and if we feature your picture on the blog, you will receive a photo book! Remember, your images must be under 1MB in size, or they won’t load.
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.
Now that I’ve given you the basic idea of our escort cards or place cards (whichever you prefer to call them), I’m still struggling to figure out how to display them. I’m pretty stuck on two options, but please, expand my horizons.
Tied to horseshoes? Believe it or not, a woman in my office donated a bucket of horseshoes to me, knowing I wanted to use them in my decor somehow. She has horses and, unfortunately, this bucket is full of used horseshoes, so I’ll be doing some hosing off.
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.
We’re having a full bar at our cocktail hour and reception and thought it would be fun to have drinks that represent the entire wedding party. There will be a total of three signature drinks: one for the bridesmaids, one for the groomsmen, and then one in honor of Mr. Lab and me.
Our matron of honor and best man will be in charge of creating their respective signature drinks. The only rule they have is that the ladies’ drink must be a pink concoction… Read more…
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!
When we last left off talking about centerpieces it was waaaay back in the day. Waaaaaaaaaay, back in the day. So it isn’t that surprising, after a color scheme change, and multiple flower posts, that our centerpieces have changed too!
Before I even started blogging, we were shooting for potted succulents or terrariums:
Mrs. French Bulldog, Orange CountyAge and Occupation: 28, Administrative Assistant & Interior Design StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Purchasing AnalystEngagement Date: November 8, 2008Wedding Date: August 2009Venue: Bernardo WineryAbout Me: I've lived in Atlanta, Dallas and Laguna Niguel; although I've lived in Orange County, CA most my life, I'm a Southerner at heart. I work full time for a Commercial General Contractor (aka my father) and I go to school for Interior Design at night. I love modern design, music, wine, crafting, DMailing, my family, my Westies, and of course, Mr Frenchie! Mr Frenchie and I met 3 years ago on Match.com and have been best friends ever since. I love his "old soul" and how he laughs with his whole body, among many other things. We are planning our summer wedding at the winery near his hometown, just 45 minutes south of Orange County.
The topic of children at a wedding is a controversial one. Some people believe strongly that children should be part of the day, while other believe they should stay at home. We’ve been to weddings where we couldn’t imagine what it would have been like not seeing the adorable flower girl forget to line the aisle with petals, or the ring bearer swinging the pillow around by the ribbon tied tightly around the rings. However, we’ve also been to weddings where an uncomfortable baby has cried in the middle the vows, or a bored toddler talked loudly throughout the ceremony.
Every couple decides what is best for their wedding based on their venue, their guests, the time of day, etc. Mr Frenchie and I made the unpopular decision, early on, that we are not going to have children in our wedding and we were not going to invite children under a certain age. As you know, our wedding will take place at a winery, and will take place completely outside. In our opinion, our venue does not lend itself to young children.
We have a few friends with babies (whom we absolutely adore) that have shared with us how excited they are to have a night/weekend for just the two of them. However, we also have a few friends who really want to bring their children along. Read more…
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.
This post’s about my groom-to-be. And his inspiration photo.
Yup, you read that right. It’s been a long engagement — almost 20 months! — so the mister was bound to pick up on the lingo. And several months ago, Mr. Bruschetta showed me a picture he’d saved on his computer featuring a tie — and showcasing his Entourage fan status.
His focus? Well, not the color. We agreed he’d don ivory to match my gown, and the mister had therefore selected a subtly-striped design from Nordstrom. But after that purchase, my (at times) fashion-focused guy started obsessing over the knot. (Just like Mr. Onion, which I discovered after a quick Weddingbee search!)
Mrs. Swan, New York CityAge and Occupation: 31, Legislative RepresentativeFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Finance GuyEngagement Date: August 9, 2008Wedding Date: August 2009Venue: Battery GardensAbout Me: I am an un-crafty but resourceful, Caribbean-born but New York-raised woman who's been known to analyze "Dancing with the Stars" and “So You Think You Can Dance”, buy stinky cheese, and use way too many parentheses. I keep lists for fun, am constantly daydreaming of my next international travel adventure (four continents down, three to go), debating sports (let’s Got Mets/Giants!) and dancing around my apartment to stay sane. I am excited to share our wedding planning journey as I hope to plan a streamlined, personal, and fun wedding with the greatest life partner I could ever imagine, Mr. Swan.
Steve Martin is not my dad, but he’s seems like such a sweetie in this movie.
I’ve never seen “Father of the Bride”, and I should not be admitting that as a wedding blogger, should I?
I don’t really know how to begin this post, as it is intensely personal for me. My relationship with my dad is not really a strong one. While my dad is a nice guy, we are not close. He has not played a major role in my life. He and Mommy Swan never got married, and Mommy Swan has been my parent, both mother and father.
I have always been pretty nonchalant about my dad and our relationship. Read more…
Mrs. Sunbeam, San Francisco/Grove City, PAAge and Occupation: 26, Grad Student & Office ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Motion DesignerEngagement Date: May 10, 2008Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: Harbison Chapel & The Maple Lane FarmAbout Me: Mr. Sunbeam and I are high school sweethearts. We both come from a small town in PA but are growing to love the California lifestyle. He loves wine and I love cheese... the perfect combination! When I'm not drooling over wedding blogs, I'm attending grad school, out being a foodie, or attempting to "walk" our cat at the park. Two things guaranteed to excite me are wedding cakes and breaking out my suitcase to travel. Mr. Sunbeam and I are personalizing our hometown wedding to celebrate our high school sweetheart status and PA roots with a few CA touches. After ten years of dating we couldn't be more excited to call each other husband and wife!
If you saw me on any given day, a glance at my feet would tell you I’m pretty clueless about shoes. I own… maybe 12 pairs of shoes? Five that I wear regularly. Shoes just never spoke to me, until recently… when I saw these beauties and was so unexpectedly SMITTEN!!
*Heart flutters* I had no idea how to get my hands on these, or if I could even afford to be in the same room as them, so I called on the hive for help. Well girls, you came through! I found out these Giuseppe Zanotti 3″ dyeable satin shoes were a limited edition in a previous year’s collection. At the time, I scoured the internet looking for them to no avail, and moved on. Today though, it’s a different story! You can get them here in ivory for $590! Ahk!
So, what does a hopeless shoe girl do when it comes to wedding shoes? Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
