Mrs. Espresso, Corona/Big BearAge and Occupation: 23, Community Services SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Maintenance TechnicianEngagement Date: December 21, 2007Wedding Date: October, 2008Blogging Since: June 25, 2008Venue: Outside a rustic b&b in Big Bear LakeAbout Me: I'm a lover of all things good: coffee, music, travel, rain, and of course- my handsome fiance! I'm a full believer in the "Life is Short," mantra - and therefore, eat lots of dark chocolate. I'm a Geographer by degree and nerd by choice. I cook to the sound of French and Portuguese music even though I speak neither. I love road trips, camping, hiking, and capturing life through the lens of my camera. Take me to Anthropologie and I may never leave. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, bargain finds, and old movies. Mr. Espresso and I are high school sweethearts and I am so blessed to be this amazing man's future wife.
“Lucky Man” by The Verve began to play as we were pronounced man and wife. Press play above to listen to it as you scroll through the pictures.
In addition to the music, it also began to sprinkle little drops of rain. It was wonderful. We walked through our friends and family as husband and wife for the first time. 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!
Even though it felt like time was going by in light speed, I threw in a last minute project to do something fun for the gals who are working hard to plan my bachelorette and for those coming into town early to be a part of it! You’ll notice all the photos are yellow from taking the pictures at night - it was the only spare time I could find.
*Bridesmaids and all attending the Sunbeam bachelorette, don’t read any further!* Read more…
Mrs. Apple Cider, New York/CharlotteAge and Occupation: 27, Corporate Communications ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Grad Student – Clinical Mental Health Engagement Date: September 13, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Banner Elk Winery & Blueberry VillaAbout Me: I am a North Carolina girl with a New York City spirit. I love crafting, blogging, laughing and dreaming. I know every word to the Anne of Green Gables and Little Women movies. I own every single Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine and have been dreaming of weddings since I was little. I believe life is about doing what makes you happy. If you aren't happy re-evaluate what you are doing. You should never look back on your life and not be proud of what you are doing. If you want to travel - travel. If you want to sing - sing. If you want to start a company - start a company. If you want to blog – blog!
I designed our programs a few weeks ago. I knew I wanted to use the wood grain paper and incorporate many different images from the wedding theme (birds, branches, etc). I started designing and came up with a plan.
I would use the wood grain paper for the covers and cream paper for the pages (I still used a thick cardstock because I wanted it to have a hefty feel). I decided to make them 5X7 with 5 pages. Read more…
Mrs. Lovebird, New York/CancunAge and Occupation: 25, AttorneyFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentEngagement Date: September 22, 2006Wedding Date: July, 2008Venue: Dreams Cancun Resort & SpaAbout Me: Born and raised New Yorker planning a destination wedding in Cancun, Mexico. Got proposed to in Cancun, so it’s only fitting we are going back to get married. I love trivia, board games, bargain shopping, asian dramas and eating yummy food!
After we took formal portraits with each and every one of our guests, it was time for some alone time with just me and Mr. Lovebird (and the two photographers and videographer, of course).
So while our guests were enjoying a lovely cocktail hour on the terrace with the mariachi band, we sneaked away for some pictures. Read more…
Mrs. Moonbeam, Los Angeles/San AntonioAge and Occupation: 26, Intern ArchitectFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Studio Analyst, aspiring ScreenwriterEngagement Date: May 20, 2009Wedding Date: November 2009Venue: Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church (LaCoste, TX) and Mary Gray Events Center (Castroville, TX)About Me: I was born and raised in Texas, but after college I moved to Seattle for a couple of years and loved it. Then I followed my beau out here to LA and we're getting settled in. I've been making things since I can remember. I was raised by crafters. I love to sew, draw, paint, build, cook, bake (anything with a tangible end result is fair game). In that same spirit, I've been hosting since I was old enough to cook and set a fancy table. I kind of take after my grandmother, who believes that your morning OJ always tastes better out of the good crystal.
I don’t have a decent picture of them, but our pews have a 6″ wide side piece that extends above the backrest of the pew, which leaves them perfect for tying a ribbon around. So, I decided to incorporate some of those fabric flowers into this ribbon project.
Cut the ribbon to length, about 3’, and tack it down at the neck of the ’knot’. Read more…
Mrs. Lamb, NorfolkAge and Occupation: 25, Homeland Security ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: January 2009Wedding Date: January 2010Venue: Trinity Presbyterian Church/Harrison Opera HouseAbout Me: I’m a Homeland Security Consultant with a tendency towards pulling office pranks, taking lunch breaks, and drinking Wawa shakes. I’m also an English major with a serious obsession with alliteration and rhymes. While I’m not keeping America safe, I’m training for half marathons and the Escape from Alcatraz swim. Or moving for the third time this year. Or baking. Or wedding crafting. Or crying about wedding planning. All the while, I’m getting myself into Lucille Ball-esque scrapes and making Jim Carey-esque faces. Our big fat Czech/Baptist/Jewish/Italian wedding is a combination of vintage eclectic, DIY, and little spoonful of sugar from our Event Coordinator. It’s going to be a Norfolk flavored wedding with the verve of an only-daughter-blow-out bash!
I’m not exactly sure when Save-the-Dates (STDs hehehehe) came into vogue, but ever since I received my first one, I knew I wanted to send them. In some ways, I think they’re on the narcissistic side of weddings where those little magnets say: “Look at me! Put me on your fridge! Think of me every day for the rest of your lives!” But on the other hand, they’re so darn cute! And convenient when trying to remember which weekend dates between May and October you will be out of town. It’s like I don’t need a day timer, I just need to look at my fridge.
Seriously. Making Save-the-Dates could be my full time job. Here’s the routine: Read more…
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.
This is a question we’re hoping our guests won’t have to ask as they’re making their way to our ceremony site or our reception location. Thanks to Mr. CB, who once again pulled out his skills, we now have signs that should hopefully point guests in the right direction.
Mrs. Ramen, PhoenixAge and Occupation: 26, Optometry StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Industrial DesignerEngagement Date: January 3, 2009Wedding Date: December 19, 2009Venue: Phoenix Art MuseumAbout Me: I'm an SF-born, Seattle-raised girl, transplanted to Phoenix where I'll be getting married, and planning all the way from Orange County where I go to school (yes, it feels as crazy as it sounds). I loooooove Yogurtland, am slightly very obsessed with all things paper, am heavily addicted to wedding blogs, deeply desire a puppy, thoroughly enjoy cooking, cry when I watch (almost all) movies, thrive on solo car-karaoke, can't stop being sarcastic, am neurotic about taking pictures of almost everything I eat before I eat it, and aspire to travel the world. My super-talented fiance and I are attempting to DIY a majority of our massive (~350 guests) "clean & modern, yet romantic, but completely unexpected, with a teeny dash of vintage" wedding, stay within our not-so-massive budget, and somehow get a really luxe (but still fun!) look/feel at the same time. In music terms (since we're both really into music) think Coldplay meets Motown meets Kanye meets Sinatra.
Actually, in my case, I’ll be wearing ivory (which highlights my lovely golden-yellow skin tone, as one bridal assistant informed me). I received permission from Mr. Ramen to post pictures of my dress under one condition: that I am not in them. So, here is my dress! I love her so so so so verrrrrrrrry much. At this point, the alterations I need are very minimal - I ordered the length custom-cut, since it was cheaper to do that then pay for alterations, since my dress is LACE. This is another reason why I chose ivory - I think that lace just looks richer and antiqued in that more yellow shade. And let’s be honest: I looked really bad in the white dresses.
Mrs. Hydrangea, DallasAge and Occupation: 26, Administrative AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Network AnalystEngagement Date: June 2007Wedding Date: September 2008Blogging Since: January 14, 2008Venue: Catholic Church and Reception at The W HotelAbout Me: Mr. H and I come from very different cultures and backgrounds so I'm excited to plan our wedding with a balance of both traditions. My mom has always been a DIY queen, and I'm just now starting to get into it with a new house and a wedding to plan!
Details, details, details. I love the little things. Here is the last peek at some special things we had for our guests, and the last details of our reception before we get to the theme of the night - P A R T Y! While this takes the events a little out of order from the way they ran in the evening, I thought it best to leave the party to its own post.
Out in the pre-function space, where our guests originally had cocktails, we setup a gelato cart from a popular, local shop. Of course, this led to me find somewhere to have personalized ice cream cups printed.
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!
I’ve been prepping for a shower that I’m co-hosting this weekend at my place. I’ve never thrown a shower before, and it’s actually a total blast! It’s almost like planning a mini-wedding… but rather than taking a year to plan, it only takes a week! When my friend Emily asked if we could co-host at my place, I was a bit overwhelmed. We didn’t register for a lot of entertaining-ware, so I was worried that I’d have to buy a lot of stuff to make the shower look presentable. While I was willing to buy more serving platters, the truth is that we have nowhere to store anything. But I put my thinking cap on, and have figured out ways to make do with what I have, while still keeping the setup cute, potentially saving me lots of $$$!
I wanted to give you guys a sneak peek of what I’ve got going so far. First up, my inspiration, from the fabulous Hostess With the Mostess blog:
Mrs. Frozen Yogurt, DallasAge and Occupation: 28, Special Projects CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Equity TraderEngagement Date: March 19, 2009Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: Marie Gabrielle, DallasAbout Me: I was born and raised in Texas, and have lived in several of the cities across the state, but I currently reside in Austin. I went to college in Boston and have a special place in my heart for the Northeast. I love reading, shopping, wine, reuniting with college friends that are scattered across the country, reality TV, trying out new recipes, and attempting all the DIY projects that come along with wedding planning. I'm a "bleeding heart, save the world type" and thankfully my job allows me to work on legislation and policy to help out those in need. I met Mr. Frozen Yogurt in a bar, though he doesn't even drink! And now we are planning a modern yet vintage wedding in Dallas while dealing with the trials and tribulations of first time homeownership.
You’re probably wondering what the hell I’m going to talk about with that title, but I promise it connects to the wedding. When I was 18 I decided that I wanted a tattoo. It wouldn’t have mattered what anyone said to me, I was doing it. I even went alone to get it done because I didn’t want anyone to try to talk me out of it, which probably means on some level that I knew I might regret it one day. Well, fast forward 10 years, and I now HATE it. I’ve hated it for quite a while, too. It’s not that it’s gigantic, in fact, it’s probably about the size of a quarter, but that doesn’t change my disdain for it. Do you hear what I’m saying 18 year olds?? DON’T! I know it probably won’t matter what I’m saying, but everyone I know that got a tattoo at 18 regrets it, so if you decide to do it, just know that. Anyway, so this tattoo is a source of stress for me and the wedding. Why? Well it’s on my shoulder in plain view for everyone to see, and I imagine people being distracted from my gorgeous dress and sweet details and staring at my horrible tattoo.
Ugh. So what’s a girl to do? Well, I’ve thought about using tattoo cover up make up.
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.
Before my first wedding, I didn’t actually know that weddings were supposed to take place on Saturdays. It never really occurred to me at all. I picked a date that worked with our schedules, and thought nothing of it until the responses to the save-the-dates started coming back:
“Did you know that’s a Thursday?”
And then I found out that People Get Married On Saturdays. Oh well.
When Mr. Mary Jane and I got engaged and started thinking about a date, I was armed with the knowledge that Saturday = Wedding. And we thought about a lot of them. 10-10-09 was one. 12-11-10 was another. 5-15-10. 6-19-10 (my parents’ anniversary). So many Saturdays to pick! Which one would it be?
But then we started to evolve our plan, and we decided to get married at a city hall. Each of our sets of parents did it, so why not? Except, courthouses aren’t open on the weekends. So a weekday, it would have to be! With such a small wedding, the amount of guest conflicts would be minimal, at least. (And aside from convenience for guests, I’m not sure why weddings are always on Saturdays.) Read more…
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.
On our third day of our honeymoon adventure we left the busy city of Cairo for our flight to Aswan. We had purchased a small new bag for our new clothes (they barely filled the bag, of course) and took this with us to the airport. We phoned one last time to find out if our luggage had been found, but were given no answer other than the fact that another flight from Johannesburg had landed so it “might” be there.
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!
Mrs. Parfait, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 26, TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Senior Online ConsultantEngagement Date: February 14, 2009Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: Signature EventsAbout Me: I have a soft spot for all things sweet and romantic. Desserts, love songs, sappy movies? Yes, yes, and ohh yes. My fiance and I enjoy singing to our dogs, creating crazy ice cream sundaes, and generally being lovey dovey cuddle bunnies. We also do socially acceptable things like dancing, throwing Frisbees, playing high stakes board games, and taking unreasonably fun road-trips. We're planning a Korean/Serbian wedding with plenty of playful, personal touches!
Hello, everyone! My name is Miss Parfait, and I cannot believe I’m writing on Weddingbee! I’ve read and loved the site for the past three years, and I’m thrilled for the opportunity to give back to the hive!
Mr. Parfait and I became friends in high school but didn’t really get close until after college. We started with long emails, progressed to phone calls, then started dating while I was in New York for grad school and he was here in our hometown. After months of long distance, I moved back to our Chicago suburb, and we’ve been in relationship bliss ever since!
We’re planning a wedding for 200 of our closest relatives and a handful of friends. His family is accustomed to traditional Serbian Orthodox weddings with their breathtaking churches, crown ceremonies, and full choirs. Read more…
Even though it felt like time was going by in light speed, I threw in a last minute project to do something fun for the gals who are working hard to plan my bachelorette and for those coming into town early to be a part of it! You’ll notice all the photos are yellow from taking the pictures at night - it was the only spare time I could find.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
Out in the pre-function space, where our guests originally had cocktails, we setup a gelato cart from a popular, local shop. Of course, this led to me find somewhere to have personalized ice cream cups printed. 
