Ms. Dahlia, Detroit/ClevelandAge and Occupation: 24, PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, IT System AdministratorEngagement Date: December 31, 2006Wedding Date: May 2008Blogging Since: September 19, 2007Venue: United Methodist Cathedral & historic downtown hotel in ClevelandAbout Me: I enjoy cooking, dancing and swimming. I am a geek and apply game theory to my everyday life. Winter is my favorite time of year, especially when spent curled up with good coffee and a book by Madeleine L'Engle.
We’ve been married for almost a year and a half. In that time, we’ve found a lot of uses for some of the items for which we registered. The plates, glasses, cups, flatware - we use them every day. The pots and pans, most days in a week. The mixer, about once a week.
But none of those things really changed our lives. We did just fine without them; our lives aren’t any different because we got them. Prettier, perhaps, since everything matches, but it didn’t change things.
There is one gift that we got, however, that has really changed the way we do things around our house. It wasn’t on our registry, and was actually a shower gift.
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!
There are 2 things I knew when I started this wedding process. I wanted to wear a birdcage veil, and I wanted to wear some type of headpiece in my hair. I have seen SOOOO many amazing ones online, and even wrote about them here. This is another example of something I really wanted to do and was willing to pay for, but got roped into doing it DIY style. And this is how the finished product turned out:
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.
I’ve been coming to realize that when people say, “Do whatever makes you happy!” or “I don’t have any opinions on that” or “It’s up to you!” they are lying. YUP, that’s right - they are not telling the truth.
EVERYONE has an opinion on everyone else’s wedding - what dresses would look better, what colors/flowers/hairstyle/food/timing would be better. What THEY would do in YOUR situation. Not that you asked, thankyouverymuch. As a bride, you learn to be less and less critical of other brides’ decisions as you start to plan your own wedding (I hope!) and deal with the constant criticism. And it sure can be constant - and from people you least expect it from! 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.
I promise the day is progressing quickly and the wedding day recaps are almost* over. But I must say, we are finally at my very very very FAVORITE part of the day - joining the party.
Before I get ahead of myself, let’s set the scene. Our amazingly talented DJ started the music:
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.
I like being able to put flowers in unexpected places. Read more…
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!
Or I guess it would be four, if you count my other ring.
About a month or so ago, Mr. Beagle and I finally completed our shopping for wedding rings. His requests were simple: inexpensive, no diamonds. We browsed through some jewelry stores, but the white gold rings were more than he wanted to spend, and the tungsten/titanium rings seemed overpriced. After I saw Miss Lab’s post on online ring shopping, I decided to peek around on Amazon to see what I could find. Finally, after an hour of searching, I placed an order for a titanium ring. A few days later, Mr. Beagle’s (<$100) wedding ring arrived in the mail.
Unfortunately for Mr. Beagle, shopping for my wedding ring was a little more involved. I wanted a white gold ring to match my engagement ring. I was really unsure about what other requirements I was looking for in a ring. After many trips to jewelry stores, we finally ended up at the same store where we bought my engagement ring. An hour later, we left with my ring, and by the time we got in the car to drive home, I was pleading with Mr. Beagle to let me wear it. Alas, he said no.
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 officially passed my medical exam for the visa! YAY! Some of you may be wondering, ‘But didn’t you already tell us that your case was approved?’ Well, the visa process is looooong, and there’s a gazillion steps. What I was celebrating back then was getting our NOA2 (Second notice of action). After that, our case was sent to the US Embassy here in Chile, where they scheduled our interview. But before that, I needed to pass my medical exam, witch I officially DID yesterday! Now I’ll have to sit and wait patiently again until my interview, which is scheduled for the first week of October. So, cross your fingers for me!
Now, since we dont have one of those “aww…” proposal stories, I thought I should share the story of how we met instead. In my very first post I shared with you a little about how we actually met. It was while I was hitchhiking…
{ This is not a picture of me on the day that I met Mr. Poodle, but back then I thought it was SO FUNNY to get a picture of me hitchhiking, because I thought it was on of those things that I would never actually do! }
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.
Okay, for some reason I had a hard time finding inspiration for cakes that I like. I think that’s partially because I couldn’t decide if I wanted round or square tiers. I figured I would start searching and saving any that I thought appealed to me in some way.
Ferris Wheel is selling brand-new white and blue peep toes. These “Darcy” heels by Miss L-Fire are size 7.5/8 and come with a shoe bag in their original box. She’s asking for $140 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. 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.
My sister and I both got our dresses from Anthropologie, of course. I made my own little hair flower out of some fabric and lace I had lying around. I made my bouquet out of homemade crepe paper carnations and my mom finished it off with some ribbon. I got the beach mats and parasols down in L.A.’s Chinatown. I painted some little flourishes on the parasols using acrylic paint so that they would tie into our invites. The officiant was chosen for his ability to grant us a marriage license without having to go to the LA County Clerk’s office and wait in line.
Miss Dew Drop, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 31, AttorneyFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Managerial Type at an Internet CompanyEngagement Date: December 12, 2008
Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: Ralston Hall MansionAbout Me: I'm a food-and-baking-obsessed, occasionally sword wielding Bay Area native who is quickly becoming overwhelmed with planning a wedding and opening a law practice at the same time. (Brilliant move, that one.) I love reading, online shopping, ice cream, my Macbook, Bollywood movies, hoodies, the UCLA Bruins, and of course, Mr. Dew Drop.
You should probably acquire some small black frames from Target: 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 live in New York and all of my bridesmaids live in North Carolina. Most of my family is in North Carolina, and let’s be honest… my heart is in North Carolina. When my friends asked to throw a bachelorette party and shower for me, I knew that I couldn’t ask them all to come to New York. Plus, I love excuses to head down south. We settled on Labor Day weekend, and I have just returned from being “showered” with love by my family and friends.
Our 1st “event” was a lingerie shower on Friday night, and it was held at my mom’s house. I knew I wanted things to be laid back and relaxing, so we grilled out and had a cookie cake! My sister planned the event and did a great job. It was fun seeing her get excited. I am the first to get married, so both my mom and sister aren’t used to all of this “wedding” stuff. My sister did a great job (with some help from my FMIL’s leftover shower goods).
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. 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.
So, I like to think of myself as a creative chick. I like doing arts and crafts and that sort of deal. BUT, I also really want a high-end look for our wedding. A lot of friends have gotten married in recent years and I don’t want our wedding to just blend in with theirs. Knowing that we would have a limited budget (I’m in grad school, and Mr. Ramen just finished school…), I thought to myself, ‘OH! Paper lanterns and tons of candles should be very simple, chic, and inexpensive!’
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!
OK, this is the last in the mini-series about lessons I learned and things I’d do differently. Let’s talk about photography.
A lot of people have asked me what I thought about the photographer we used at our wedding, particularly since we paid so little ($300) and I found him on Craigslist. I know I’ve said this before, but I’ll just say it again for the record: we’re not picture people. We LOVE photography and love looking at other people’s pictures, but our own? Not so much. I don’t think either of us are really photogenic. Mr. Joey has this uncomfortable smile, and I just feel uncomfortable. I think we have 2 pictures of us up in our entire 3 bedroom apartment, and both were taken while we were on vacation. The idea of spending money on pictures of us we wouldn’t have displayed in our home seemed silly to us.
So, the thing about our line of thinking we didn’t consider were A) that our parents and relatives would want a billion pictures of us, B) we did want pictures of the wedding for a small coffee table book, and C) we really wanted pictures of everyone and everything else. Would these considerations change our minds about finding a photographer on Craigslist for $300? Read more…
