Mrs. Sprinkle, Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 26, Preschool Teacher
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Television Production/WriterEngagement Date: December 24, 2008Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: The Marvimon HouseAbout Me: I'm a Bay Area native trying to create a life for myself (and my fiance, and our three cats!) in the vast city of Los Angeles. I love vegan red velvet cupcakes, pilates ,and mid-century furniture. Mr. Sprinkle and I met when my band toured through his city (we bonded over cake and a mutual love of Morrissey) and we are getting married on the four year anniversary of our first date. When I am not teaching preschool (or blogging!) you can find me perfecting recipes, petting kittens, hiking in Griffith Park, and overusing exclamation points. We are planning a vegan, green-as-possible, DIY wedding, and I couldn't be more excited to share all of the details!
Our first dessert related decision was to serve cupcakes instead of the traditional wedding cake. We have since added a few small cakes back into our plans (we will be having a homemade dessert buffet!), but we are keeping the cupcakes as the main attraction. I even made a cake topper to fit on two cupcakes!
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!
When we talked about hiring a photographer we were certain we’d go the friendor route. Since Mr. Sunbeam works in advertising, he has no lack of friends with sick photography skills. For instance, here is a photo by a coworker, Jess, taken on a random boating trip.
I love it! With friendors in mind, our photographer was checked off the list. Fast-forward to February, 7 months until the wedding. I ask Mr. Sunbeam when he’s going to workout the friendor thing. Suddenly, he had a change of heart and thought we should hire someone. After restraining myself from shaking him wildly, I did too. Read more…
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?).
Mrs. Lightning, Cape Town Age and Occupation: 22, Journalist and Graphic DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Computer ScientistEngagement Date: December 27, 2008
Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: Hout Bay ManorAbout Me: I'm a young American living abroad in the beautiful city of Cape Town with a wonderful South African fiance and our crazy kitty Zeus. We're young, driven and madly in love. Together we're pursuing our wildest dreams including our biggest undertaking yet, a vintage retrospective wedding filled to the brim with DIY madness. I have an unnatural attraction to cake, a passion for blogging and a love of good design. While I might be an overly obsessive creative with too many ideas and nowhere to put them, Mr Lightning is my biggest fan and I can't wait to make my true love mine.
I am an avid follower of the blog Vintage Glam Weddings. It’s been a great inspiration thus far, and has recently calmed my wedding related concerns. With my vintage style invitations already in progress, I have decided to incorporate a little more of the 1930s in my overall theme. I love the style of the 1950s but with a black tie affair to consider, I believe the 1930s and 1940s vintage glam will be more suitable. I’m thinking an evening inspired by star such as Humphrey Bogart, Marlene Dietrich and Katharine Hepburn. The retrospective will culminate in my beloved 1950s and 1960s music.
My favourite part of incorporating a little of the “dirty thirties”? Read more…
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.
Some of you may know that I’m a Spanish speaker and I’ve never had real English classes. So I’ve learned from music, movies and the internet. Back in 2006, I knew only some words and the basics, like “where’s the bathroom” and “can I have one?” to survive in California.
My goal for getting into the exchange program then was to learn English the tough way; to just go there all by myself and live the experience . I never thought I would find the love of my life there… yay!
I’ve managed to learn enough to understand everything people say to me and start conversations, BUT it was really hard for me to not do the “translate everything in my head” process before speaking or writing.
Because I lack all the English grammar lessons, and because sometimes it’s REALLY different than the way we normally do it in Spanish, I was really scared about actually working in California and communicating ALL DAY in English (I even had nightmares ). Read more…
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.
I’m here writing my last blog post as a single woman, and all I can think about is being thankful. I have so much to be thankful for, and I really appreciate it all so much.
I first want to thank you, Weddingbee. I’ll tell you a secret now: I almost didn’t apply to be a bee. I blogged for months before even applying. I wasn’t sure how if at all that I would fit in here with my “different” hair and non-DIYness. Even after being chosen to be a bee, I was unsure about how you all would react to some of my posts. Yet, each time I put myself out there, I found such wonderfully thoughtful and sincere responses and support. I want to thank Mrs. Bee, Mr. Bee, Pengy, my fellow bloggers, and you dear Weddingbee readers for creating such a vibrant and accepting community. I have been amazed and overwhelmed by your talents and kind words throughout my wedding planning process. Read more…
Mrs. Peep Toe, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 29, Policy AnalystFiance's Age and Occupation: 36, Olive Oil Production ManagerEngagement Date: December 16, 2007Wedding Date: May, 2009Blogging Since: November 26, 2008Venue: Hotel VitaleAbout Me: I am a west coast lady who loves the San Francisco Bay Area. I love living with Mr. Peep and our animals: Huck the Dog and Ferris the Cat. I work to save the environment in San Francisco, while Mr. Peep makes ridiculously delicious Olive Oil. On any day you can find me reading the latest book I have gotten my hands on, eating Swedish Fish, and perusing wedding blogs! We are both champagne drinking foodies on a Bud Light budget. We are planning an eco-chic, intimate, and interfaith San Francisco City wedding.
It’s finally time to show you a few other last minute details that tied everything together.
First up, my Goodwill frame project. Much like the fabuMiss Mouse and the newly crowned Mrs. Joey, I purchased some frames at Goodwill and spray painted them a nice green color.
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.
1) The train was so long that it took GUESTS more than three hours to lay out the gown. (And to think all we entertained our guests with before the ceremony were our programs.)
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!
I wrote about our problem-solving parade from the ceremony to the reception way back when I first got picked to be a bee! I’ve got to be honest, though, as our planning continues, I’m getting more and more excited about that part of the day! We’ll be floating on the rush of just having been married and interacting with our nearest and dearest for the first time that day! And oh, the pictures. The pictures! Our photographer has already expressed how excited he is for the subway shots. We’ll get some great pics like this:
Mrs. Mouse, AustinAge and Occupation: 25, Weddingbee Editor/AttorneyFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Civil EngineerEngagement Date: December 19, 2007Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: Barr MansionAbout Me: I just graduated from law school and will be taking the bar, getting married, going on a honeymoon with my guy, and then trying to figure out what I'm going to do with the rest of my life. I was born and raised in a small East Texas town, but I'm no country girl! I'm obsessed with British accents, fantasy (including Harry Potter, of course), and classic rock. My fiance and I consider ourselves both music and beer snobs--but every once in awhile we love to hear a crappy band and drink a cheap brew or two. We're planning an eco-friendly, casual, English garden affair for the end of summer, and we can't wait for it to get here!
So I haven’t revealed anything to you guys about our invitations yet. There are a couple of reasons. First, because I didn’t DIY them, there hasn’t been a whole lot to blog about in the process. Second, I chose our invitation designer because I fell in love with the invitation suite she created for Mrs. Perfume, and the Dude and I ended up choosing a very similar design. I wasn’t sure if I should share them with you guys, since y’all have already seen invitations like these before. Lucky for you, I decided that I had too much information I wanted to divulge, so I’m going for it. Props to you, Mrs. P, for inspiring me so much!
Lindsey Ryan Designs created our elegant, English-garden-with-a twist-of-whimsy invitation suite. (Lindsey is a stationery designer and printer with her own Etsy shop.) We wanted to keep the invites as simple as possible, using the minimum amount of paper. Originally I didn’t even want an inner envelope or a belly band, but Lindsey talked me into both. I’m glad she did, because the invitations wouldn’t have looked as beautiful otherwise. Read more…
Mrs. Lemonade, Austin/San AntonioAge and Occupation: 28, BureaucratFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Music ManagementEngagement Date: December 21, 2007Wedding Date: April, 2009Blogging Since: August 22, 2008Venue: Country Club ceremony, ballroom receptionAbout Me: I’m a total wonkette who is lucky enough to be surrounded by her favorite things on a daily basis – awesome music, the great State of Texas and of course, Mr. Lemonade! I find any excuse I can to craft something and am completely infatuated with the 1950’s, all things Kennedy, and my furbaby Vida.
So, I know that the reception usually gets tons of attention, what with the booze flowing and the fancy footwork on the dance floor. However, early on I identified our wedding ceremony as the most important part of our wedding day and tried mightily to ensure that we didn’t lose sight of the real reason we had all gathered together on the golf course that sunny afternoon. 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.
Mr. P’s cousin, Margo, wrote the following message to her family about her trip to rural Virginia for our wedding. I thought it a neat overview of the weekend.
“All weddings are beautiful, but Mr. P and Perfume’s was definitely an elegant affair! What I would call a “destination wedding”. It started the night before; all the guests were invited to the rehearsal dinner at a beautiful music center tucked into the side of a mountain. We went back to our cute B & B which had been converted from an old mill. They had even converted the old silo into guest rooms.
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 get it. I finally understand how wedding budgets spiral out of control. It’s the spending threshold. After you spend $180 on a pair of jeans (even if it was a special treat/just once kind-of-deal in your mind) $90 jeans just seem like a bargain. You’ve broken into another spending category and there is no turning back.
I mean what’s another $400 when you’ve already spent $10K? I have added a ton of ’extras’ because at the time they seemed like such a small amount of money for the added benefit.
Today’s Conversation: Oh yes, let’s upgrade those buffet plates to china since it’s more white. An off-white would ruin our table scheme. (Where is that little wedding angel that is supposed to be sitting on my shoulder saying ’NO ONE WILL NOTICE’?) It’s such a tiny fraction of the overall costs that there is no way all those extras could add up to be a lot in the end, right?
Oh yeah, and after I upgraded, I remembered our plates wont even be set on the tables, since we are having a buffet. $h*%! Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
. I never thought I would find the love of my life there… yay!
). Read more…
Even after being chosen to be a bee, I was unsure about how you all would react to some of my posts. Yet, each time I put myself out there, I found such wonderfully thoughtful and sincere responses and support. I want to thank Mrs. Bee, Mr. Bee, Pengy, my fellow bloggers, and you dear Weddingbee readers for creating such a vibrant and accepting community. I have been amazed and overwhelmed by your talents and kind words throughout my wedding planning process.
Lindsey Ryan Designs created our elegant, English-garden-with-a twist-of-whimsy invitation suite. (Lindsey is a stationery designer and printer with her own Etsy shop.) We wanted to keep the invites as simple as possible, using the minimum amount of paper. Originally I didn’t even want an inner envelope or a belly band, but Lindsey talked me into both. I’m glad she did, because the invitations wouldn’t have looked as beautiful otherwise.
So, I know that the reception usually gets tons of attention, what with the booze flowing and the fancy footwork on the dance floor. However, early on I identified our wedding ceremony as the most important part of our wedding day and tried mightily to ensure that we didn’t lose sight of the real reason we had all gathered together on the golf course that sunny afternoon.
