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!
For whatever reason, boutonnieres are one of the wedding items that I’m most excited about. I love looking at them, I love thinking about cute bouts for different themes, and I’m quite happy that I get to make them for my groom, for his 5 groomsmen, our fathers, our grandfathers, and our ushers - that’s 14 total! And they’ll each be slightly different.
Until I can get my act together and write up a tutorial for the ones I’ve created, I wanted to share this amazing Etsian and her work. Elle F Designs has been featured on quite a few sites, including in the hive, for her cake toppers. Now she does bouts as well.
Click here for her shop link, and check out these beaut bouts!
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.
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.
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!
One sunny Saturday, I was having an all-out brawl with our budget. Meanwhile, Adam was having a Super Soakers war with his little cousins. I think that means we were pretty much in sync that day.
That morning, I created a budget worksheet to keep track of our wedding expenses. I made four columns: Item, Percentage of Budget, Expected Cost, and Actual Cost. I put in the numbers for catering (food, drinks, cake), and it came out to 70% of our budget! That basically left tiddlywinks for the dress, suit, photographer, DJ, florist, invites, gifts, rings, ceremony, and the 20+ other items on the sheet.
So I asked myself, while typing intently at my laptop, Carrie Bradshaw-style:
Is it possible to have a weekend evening reception for 200 guests
on a reasonable budget?
Mrs. Dachshund, Fresno, CAAge and Occupation: 24, Legal Office AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Computer TechnicianEngagement Date: April 18, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Victorian Gardens of Two SistersAbout Me: I’m a 24-year-old Californian bride-to-be who found love in the most unlikely of places - an online video game! I’m a farmer’s daughter living in rural Central California, but will always have a special place in my heart for the city. My future husband is a 27-year-old extraordinarily tall, exceptionally cute, and undoubtedly Canadian boy who was able to sweep me off my feet and take me for his bride. I love color, folksy songs that make me smile, interior design, kettle corn, my one-year-old puppy, Juno, and my fiance, of course! We’re planning a DIY garden wedding with a laundry-list of projects, all while dealing with the bureaucracy that is American Immigration!
MOH Erin is visiting this week after her return from a month-long European vacation (jealous? So am I!). I haven’t seen her in over a year due to crazy schedules in both of our lives and a 200 mile stretch of freeway between us. Although I am beyond excited to see her, her upcoming visit has really turned up the pressure to get all of my wedding thoughts and ideas organized. I want to make the most out of her few days here because I’m not sure when we’ll be able to get together next. Our first order of business was figuring out the bridesmaids’ dress situation.
Just the phrase, “bridesmaid’s dress” is off-putting, isn’t it? I didn’t want to put my bridesmaids through that. After all, they’re my nearest and dearest! I want them to love me after the wedding’s over!
So, I began my search. I found this first dress back in April, right after Mr. Doxie and I got engaged:
It’s by Charsa, whose website no longer works. (Have they gone out of business? Does anyone know?) 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 went to Ritual Adornment in Santa Monica this past weekend, and fell in love all over again with beads. It’s such a pricey habit. I was trying to avoid finding a place in LA, but I needed to make some gifts for my hostesses and ’maids.
Below is my haul. I already had some of the freshwater pearls and a few larger stones, but the bulk of this was purchased at Ritual Adornments on Sunday. All of their strands were half off, and the chain and findings were also discounted. Hooray! 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.
And so the time has finally come to share our very special portraits. Mr Lightning and I live in the heart of downtown Cape Town and we could think of nowhere better for our photographs. Less than a minute away is Long Street, one of the most vibrant and culturally diverse streets the city has to offer. It’s home to a number of nightclubs, markets, vintage stores, and some of our favorite restaurants. When our original photo venue options were unavailable to us, we headed to two quirky establishments as a backdrop to our portraits.
Mrs. Stiletto, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 26, Non-Profit/FundraisingFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Engineer and PhotographerEngagement Date: March 2, 2008Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: The 19th Century ClubAbout Me: My fiance and I love living in the city of Chicago with our cats Basil and Linus, and vow to never move to the suburbs if we can possibly avoid it! We’ve poured ourselves into planning a wedding that reflects our personal style - modern and high contrast with a vintage twist. Blogging keeps me creative, baking keeps me happy, and grande nonfat no foam sugar free vanilla lattes keep me sane.
Mr. S and I have dropped back into real life after a wonderful wedding and honeymoon! Leaving for the honeymoon the day after the wedding was the best idea ever - while we were exhausted, it was so great to just escape for some fantastic relaxing in ARUBA!
Check out Mr. S at the airport while we had a quick bite before our flight:
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’ve been wanting to make bags for our out of town guests for a while now. And then I found these cheap tote bags from, where else? Cheap Totes. And at 89 cents each? I think I can handle that. Then I saw that you can use a stamp to decorate them, a la Mrs. Mascara.
I know a lot of couples tend to use their initials or monogram, but I think our guests would prefer something that they feel more comfortable reusing. Read more…
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!
We’re back! After two weeks in Europe, the Dude and I made it back to Austin! We haven’t even been home long enough to ditch the jet lag, but I’m almost ready to start blogging about our trip. First, though, is the obligatory bachelorette party post. I was holding out blogging about it until I got some more photos, but I think I’ve scrounged up enough at this point.
A few of the ladies who made it to the par-tay. Kelli, me, Anne, Abi, and Katie.
Ten days before the wedding, MOH Deniz flew down from Queens. We hadn’t seen each other in two years, so we had some serious catching up to do! She got right down to planning the bachelorette party, with a little feedback from me and some assistance from our friend, Amanda. 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!
I love slideshows! I love seeing baby pictures, the pictures of your awkward junior high days, the pictures of when you were the skinniest (typically in high school), and old family pictures. I knew exactly who was going to do our slideshow, because luckily, one of my friends is a very talented visual artist! I’ve seen him do slideshows in the past at friends’ weddings, and Mr. Caramel and I both agreed that he has this certain style and quality to his work that is very unique and amazing.
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 have about 20 pages of “favorited” items in my Etsy account. As I was browsing through them (I do daily to purge those items that have been sold or expired), I pieced together a wonderfully vintage outfit.
I liked it so much, and it seemed so wedding-y, that I thought it would work beautifully for a casual or courthouse wedding. Then I thought, “Why couldn’t it work for a rehearsal dinner?” Since our wedding is in the winter, the sleeves would be appropriate and I think it’s just so classy! Without further ado, here is my vintage outfit find:
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!
In lieu of a unity candle, Mr. Beagle and I have decided to incorporate an aspect of his culture into our ceremony. In Hispanic culture, there are three traditions during the ceremony that represent the couple’s new unity.
It is essentially a large rosary, usually beaded or made of satin, with two loops so that it can be placed around the bride and groom. The lasso forms the shape of a figure eight/infinity, which represents the couple’s unity. It is placed on the bride and groom after they say their vows and is taken off just before the end of the ceremony. A prayer and/or reading usually accompanies the lasso portion of the ceremony. Read more…
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!
We’re always brainstorming future bee generations—some in the works include patterns, sea creatures, condiments, and accessories! (And we’re always open to suggestions! Head on over to ideas to suggest a new generation.) In the meantime, we have some great icons still available in our current generations, and wanted to show them off!
As October approaches, we’ll be accepting bloggers marrying through June 2010, and as June is the most popular month to marry, it fills up fast! So if you’ve considered applying to be a bee, now is a great time! If you think you’d be a great addition to the hive, check out our guidelines, as well as the bees’ advice for blogging, and submit your application to wannabee (at) weddingbee (dot) com.
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!
Mr. Parfait and I started our search for the perfect venue online. We searched for museums, lofts, theaters, and other unique places to host a wedding reception. Amazingly, we have almost the exact same tastes. We like clean, modern spaces that are bare enough to personalize… which is why the River East Arts Center jumped out to us as the clear front-runner in the race to become our venue. I mean, honestly, take a look at these pictures!
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
And so the time has finally come to share our very special portraits. Mr Lightning and I live in the heart of downtown Cape Town and we could think of nowhere better for our photographs. Less than a minute away is Long Street, one of the most vibrant and culturally diverse streets the city has to offer. It’s home to a number of nightclubs, markets, vintage stores, and some of our favorite restaurants. When our original photo venue options were unavailable to us, we headed to two quirky establishments as a backdrop to our portraits.
