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.
Phew! It’s been a really tiring past few days. We got in Sunday night and were chatting it up with my parents for a bit before heading back to the apartment. (And later found, in the fridge, that Mama Bruschetta had cared for and maintained a portion of my bridal bouquet — sooooo cute! We also saw the first bit of evidence that Mama and Daddy Bru DID in fact have a dowry for their younger daughter… a fresh gallon of milk [though we’re still waiting for the rest of the cow] — and a carton of OJ, too — which made our initial American breakfast much easier, thanks again to the parental units.) Heads hit pillows that night at what — to our bodies — was about 4:15 AM Roman time. Exhausting.
We’re still not totally back to a normal sleep schedule. Mornings are easiest (though they start between 3:00 and 4:00 AM when my eyes just refuse to keep closed any longer!) and we’re tired by 7:30-8:00 at night (crazy, I know!). Espresso (hiya, girl! — loving the recaps!) has been playing a pretty key role in our days so far to keep us going, and keep me from caffeine withdrawal after one doppio too many in Italy. Mr. Bruschetta is in the midst of trying to jump through all the hoops to ensure he can take his PT certification exam (um, why does he need a brand new passport photo?) and be working by about this time next month (give or take), so for us, it’s sorta back to life as normal. 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!
7 months ago, I didn’t know Weddingbee existed. 6 months ago, Weddingbee became my life. One week ago, my eyes nearly bugged out of my head when I received the email from Pengy welcoming me to the hive as a blogger! I’m excited to be a bride, to be a blogger, and most importantly, to be a comrade in arms with all members of the hive as we plan, craft, and rejoice together!
I knew well before I was accepted as a bee which character I loved the most. I had it all logically laid out:
I was born in March – In like a lion, out like a… LAMB!
I love the symbolism that a lamb represents in Christianity
I grew up watching Lamb Chop; gosh, I miss that puppet!
You are Lamb Rogan Josh! Get in my belly! Yumm-o.
Dick Lamb and the Morning Wave! Yeah, for the 757ers, you know the best DJ for your morning commute!
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.
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!
With time flying by, we are rushing to get all the details for our wedding day lined up and in order. At this point, we are still trying to figure out what we want to do after the reception. We will be making our grand exit around 10:30, so it won’t be too late. At this point, we have no set plans for a day-after brunch and we won’t be leaving for our honeymoon until the following week. Taking all this in to consideration, I’m wondering how tired we are going to be, and whether we want to hang out with each other or enjoy the company of our friends and family from out of town. Then, if we do plan a little “after party”, where do we have it?
Mr. Beagle and I are pretty laid back, so I think we can pretty much agree that the downtown scene is out, but I wouldn’t mind have a little gathering at our home or the neighborhood bar. A casual, relaxed atmosphere seems fitting.
Then, today, I read this excerpt from A Practical Wedding, about the pros of having a morning wedding:
Afterwards. The strange thing is that when people voice concern about morning weddings, they normally ask you, “Well, what did you do afterwards?” Here is the scoop. Afterwards is *the best part.* We drove away from our venue, waving like crazy, at 2:45 pm. You know what we did? We went back to the hotel room we’d splurged on. We lounged around. We talked about the wedding. We giggled. We looked at our wedding rings. We blissed out. We went shopping at a used bookstore and bought books for our honeymoon flight. We went out to a really nice dinner, and I wore my wedding hair flower. We drank mojitos. We went to sleep. We woke up not-hung over. The after-the-wedding is the best part of getting married in the morning. Think about it this way: you’re marrying your partner because you like spending time with them.Morning weddings give you lots of time to hang out together, married, on your wedding day. And then you wake up sober and happy. What could feel better than that?
Princess Lasertron, OmahaVendor: Flowers made of felt, vintage buttons and other ephemeraWebsite: Princess LasertronAbout Me: I started Princess Lasertron in 2005 creating custom bouquets out of
felt, vintage buttons, and other ephemera. I give each bride an
heirloom-quality piece that will bring a personal dimension to their
wedding and everyday lives. What I love most is meeting and
collaborating with unique women whose weddings are a true
representation of them and their partners. As for me...I live
nocturnally, I'm an INTP, I play Dungeons and Dragons every other
Saturday, and I'm a perpetual student.
I loved working with Amy and Phil on their August wedding in the UK–I love my international brides! Amy and Phil look so happy together and paid so much attention to every detail. Amy did an awesome job with the decor and even made an adorable little felt boutonniere for each of her groomsmen (and she sent me one, too!). I’ll let Amy say more about her big day in her own words…
Mrs. Lollipop, PittsburghAge and Occupation: 26, Computational LinguistFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Project ManagerEngagement Date: August 2, 2006Wedding Date: September 2, 2007Blogging Since: July 17, 2007Venue: The PPG Aquarium at the Pittsburgh ZooAbout Me: I'm a Pittsburgh transplant who grew up in the deep south. I have a weakness for exotic alphabets, DIY projects, mobster movies and international travel. My fiance and I are both non-native Japanese speakers and we have a bullfrog named Skinny.
So, the flower arrangement from last week was a little bonkers, and not the easiest thing to arrange or maintain. So, in the spirit of giving out actual useful information, I’ll talk about some simpler flower arrangements made from the same bouquet.
This project would be good to note if you’re thinking about doing your own simple arrangements for your/anyone’s wedding. I could have saved myself a lot of money if I had some simple, accessible arrangements to crib from. Still, I carry with me some hard-won lessons. Leave flowers with multiple, large blossoms arranged vertically to the professionals.({Also, I will never be ready for floral foam.) Read more…
Mrs. Caramel, Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 24, Art Gallery/MuseumsFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, EngineerEngagement Date: January 8, 2007Wedding Date: October 6, 2007Venue: a beautiful church and hotel receptionAbout Me: I love dancing, singing, eating out, eating in, surfing on the net, and brainstorming fantastic ideas. I also love cats, coffee, and know every quote written on Sex & the City. I'm known to laugh really loud and have really crazy hand gestures while I talk. My fiance writes songs and I take pictures. What else? We're just a crazy young couple in love, trying to make a fabulous wedding!
Ed. note: This post contains pictures that may not be safe for work.
This past weekend I had the privilege of throwing a bridal shower and bachelorette party for a close girlfriend of mine! It’s been a while since I’ve actually been a part of the planning process, so it was really fun, even though half of us are sprawled all around the country! The thing I love about throwing showers is that all the bridesmaids are supposed to think about what the BRIDE would want. It’s not just about throwing a fun, elaborate party with cute favors—it’s about thinking about the bride’s taste, her quirks, favorite colors, favorite foods, and inside jokes. And that’s exactly what we did.
Some cute decor! We hung panties and pictures by the fireplace: Read more…
ClassifiedsFeature Launched: April 30, 2008About: A roundup of the best Weddingbee Classified listings.
Vevenator is selling a beautiful Renaissance-style custom-made gown. The size 10 dress has detached removable sleeves and has flowered embroidery and detailed beading. She’s asking $400 or best offer.
Have a wedding item for sale? Post it with pictures in the Weddingbee classifieds and you might see it featured on the blog!
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.
Picking up from part 1, the Lightnings ventured into a nearby mall to find things to wear before our half day pyramid tour the next day. I desperately needed a shawl and a long dress, as all I had with me was the black track suit I wore on the plane. We also needed to find some sun cream, as the sun beat down on us constantly while we walked the streets.
Mrs. Chick, HoustonAge and Occupation: 28, Rights and Reproduction ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Computer ProgrammerEngagement Date: November 15, 2008Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: A farm outside of HoustonAbout Me: Mr. Chick and I met almost ten years ago at Baker Blues, a college jazz party. He was attracted to my intensity, and I was mesmerized by his trivia pursuit skills and his dorm furniture adorned with his initials. We've grown more sophisticated through the years, with our love of wine, owning a house together, and parenthood (of a cat), but we have not lost our silliness or childish sense of humor!
I’ve always admired Lisa Ling’s looks, personality, and career. With the recent affairs of her sister’s involvement with the North Korean government, I am even more in awe of her entire family. When my friend and fellow soon-to-be-bride friend Synthia sent me these pictures, I just had to share them! Talk about Asian chic!
Hive Hostess Bellenga has an exciting update for the Atlanta bee GTG!
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Just to let you know, we’re going to have an amazing afternoon, hive! The Atlanta and GA bees (and of course, any neighbor bees in surrounding areas) are having the meet up this Sunday, September 20th, at Murphy’s Restaurant in the Virginia Highlands area of Atlanta. It’s a really unique and fun area of town, and after lunch, we’re going to visit PaperSource!
And have I got some fun planned for us at Paper Source! They will give us an exclusive tour of the store and we’ll experience several demonstrations to get our creativity flowing! 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.
Here’s a little collage I made in Photoshop to get an idea of what our centerpieces will be like. The weathered wood and teapot were just some images I found on the internet. The flowers and candle were pictures taken by me, and the doily image is from Martha. 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!
So, in my last post, I showed you the table/place cards that almost were. Sadly I had to leave that project in the dust due to time, but decided that our “Reserved” signs had to be rockin’! As usual, I turned to my handy MS Word to create a template.
I was trying to explain the project to Mr. AC. I said, “imagine a “Reserved” sign that is printed on our wood grain paper and has a bird sitting on top.” He didn’t get it, so I drew this little sketch to show him.
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.
I love shoes. That’s obvious, but I don’t want to be demanding of my girls and tell them what shoes they should wear. But, I would LOVE if my girls wore brightly colored shoes with their dresses. And seriously, any color; I think it would look so cute! It would really make the grey dress look great! J.Crew has some amazing options, as you can see above.
Take a look at past bridal parties that did this that I found on Elizabeth Anne Designs:
Keep on loading your inspirational wedding pics to the gallery to see them featured here on the blog! Remember, your images must be under 1MB in size, or they won’t load
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
Here’s a little collage I made in Photoshop to get an idea of what our centerpieces will be like. The weathered wood and teapot were just some images I found on the internet. The flowers and candle were pictures taken by me, and the doily image is from Martha.
