Mrs. Mary Jane, Grand Forks, ND
Age and Occupation: 26, Instructional Designer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Lead Programmer
Engagement Date: February 28, 2009
Wedding Date: September 2009
Venue: City Hall
About 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.
Not everyone lives in L.A., Chicago or New York City. Some of us also don’t live in Atlanta, Tucson or Colorado Springs. Hell, Mr. Mary Jane and I don’t live in Knoxville, Syracuse, or even Fargo.
We live in Grand Forks. It’s a decent, small city. A college town, too. We’ve got access to all of the basic stores: Office Max, Michaels, Target, Walmart, JCPenney, Sears… you get the picture.
We do not have a Saks, a Nordstrom, or a Neiman’s. There’s no PaperSource. No David’s or Men’s Wearhouse. No Trader Joe’s and no Whole Foods. No Costco, either. And that’s not because the town’s already satisfactorily filled with independent boutiques and crafters’ havens. It’s got a few, but mostly: there just isn’t the market for that stuff here.
This post is for the gals who live in places like mine. I bet you look at a lot of the awesome things other women have done for their weddings and you think: “I could do that too, if I only had a _________ store in my locale.”
I’m here to tell you: don’t sell yourself short!
Read more…
Mrs. Frozen Yogurt, Dallas
Age and Occupation: 28, Special Projects Coordinator
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Equity Trader
Engagement Date: March 19, 2009
Wedding Date: April 2010
Venue: Marie Gabrielle, Dallas
About 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.
Why was I stressed about the save the dates? I’ll tell you why: because I had no clue what I wanted. With everything else, I saw it, knew I had to have it, and it was done. One example of this was the wedding invitations. I ordered a sample, the first and only. I got the sample and I absolutely LOVED it. I seriously almost wanted to cry when I opened them. They are gorgeous. I’m still trying to figure out how to package them, what to include, and all that, but I will save it for another post.
But for save the dates, I have no clue! One idea I had was a photobooth save the date. Here’s one I like from Magnet Street:
Read more…
Weddingbee Gallery
Feature Launched: April 10, 2009
About: A collection of inspirational wedding pictures from readers and bees.
Spraguebride’s sister-in-law created their dog out of Fimo as a delightful cake topper.
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. Quiche, Chicago/Montego Bay
Age and Occupation: 28, Interior Designer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 42, Telecom Guru
Engagement Date: July 2, 2008
Wedding Date: May, 2009
Venue: Coyaba Resort, Montego Bay
About Me: I love Chicago and can’t imagine living anywhere else (Well, except Paris. Or anywhere in France, for that matter!). I’m a full-time worker, part-time student, soon-to-be-step-mom, indie music lovin’, architecture and design fanatic, macaroni and cheese addict, vegetarian, Francophile, Ohio State football obsessed, wedding planning girl. Mr. Quiche and I are “Partners-in-Crime” and cannot wait to celebrate our marriage surrounded by our family and closest friends. I plan on DIYing my little heart out (or as much as a suitcase to Jamaica will hold).
Early on in our photography meetings, our awesome photographer and I both professed love for photobooths, lovingly dubbed the “Faux”-to Booth. 
We went back and forth on whether to hang fabric or use a white screen, but we ended up with something better!
The Caribbean! When the sun sets in Jamaica, it gets dark. Fast. There isn’t ambient light, which in Chicago makes me feel like the sun never sets. Pure black - a perfect “backdrop” for our faux-to booth.
Read more…
Featured on Weddingbee
“Make an elegant invitation statement without the fuss. Stylish invitation sets with matching envelopes, reception and response cards included.”
Featured Product: Laura Ashley Delicate Damask Invitation
Mrs. Ramen, Phoenix
Age and Occupation: 26, Optometry Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Industrial Designer
Engagement Date: January 3, 2009
Wedding Date: December 19, 2009
Venue: Phoenix Art Museum
About 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.
How it all happened…
The proposal story, in all of its glory. Unabridged.
Soooo, once upon a time, Mr. Ramen and I went hiking on Camelback Mountain. We like to hike when it’s cool enough in Arizona and we actually have free time. So… uh, not a lot, but we like it. Annnyways, we were hiking, and Mr. Ramen mentioned that we should return and watch the sunset from this one rock overlooking the city.
Read more…
Wedding Bios
Feature Launched: September 12, 2008
About: Wedding bios of real brides.
whitesonnet
~~~
Keep those great bios coming! If you haven’t started yours yet, click on over here to get started! Your bio will appear at the address http://bios.weddingbee.com/profile/YourUserName.
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
Mrs. Margarita, Boston/Los Angeles
Age and Occupation: 26, Healthcare Consultant
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Doctor
Engagement Date: March 21, 2007
Wedding Date: August, 2008
Blogging Since: June 18, 2008
Venue: Saddlerock Ranch
About Me: I grew up in Southern California, moved to Boston for college, New York for grad school, back to Boston and now I travel the northeast every week for work. When I'm not on the go, I love to read, draw, shop, sleep and spend quality time with my fiancé, family and friends. We're long-distance planning for our "big fat brown wedding" in California and are excited to unite our Sri Lankan and Indian cultures and Buddhist and Hindu religions in a unique and modern way.
So the portraits had been taken and it was time to start. At least for everyone besides me and my bridesmaids. We sat waiting in the house/changing area while everyone got to see the groom’s procession on the elephant. I’m so sad I never even saw the elephant in real life and only through pictures. I heard she was very sweet and well mannered, though.
Here is Tai the sweet 8,800 pound elephant from Have Trunk Will Travel.
Isn’t she pretty?
Read more…
Mrs. French Bulldog, Orange County
Age and Occupation: 28, Administrative Assistant & Interior Design Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Purchasing Analyst
Engagement Date: November 8, 2008
Wedding Date: August 2009
Venue: Bernardo Winery
About 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.
Mr Frenchie and I left very early the Monday morning after our wedding. It was nice to have a complete day to relax by the pool at the Rancho Bernardo Inn. (Fun little fact about RB Inn: they have 3 pools - 1 is at the Spa, 1 is the “adult pool”, and the last is the “kids’ pool”. The bar is at the “kids’ pool”! But don’t worry, we stopped off at the kids’ pool and got drinks to take to the adult pool.) I would advise any couple to take a day after your wedding to relax before hopping on a plane (or in a car) to your honeymoon destination. I don’t care where you’re going, traveling can be stressful (especially if you’re flying). It was so nice to wake up at a reasonable time, go to our morning-after breakfast, relax by the pool, and go to dinner with some friends.
Okay, where was I? Oh, right! We left at the crack of dawn on Monday morning. Papa Frenchie dropped us off at the San Diego International Airport long before it was this light outside, and we were on our way.
Source
Read more…
Miss Onion, NYC/Burlington, VT
Age and Occupation: 27, PR & Marketing and Jazz Singer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Data Analyst
Engagement Date: April 2, 2006
Wedding Date: September 2007
Blogging Since: July 11, 2007
Venue: Restaurant in Burlington
About Me: I didn't think I'd be "that girl," but I am having so much fun planning our wedding (mostly by myself). I'm a PR and Marketing Director for a major jazz festival and camp by day, and by night, a romantic jazz singer and bride-to-be! I hope all my research can help other brides in their planning.
When you’re planning your wedding, the anticipation is hard to imagine. Some days the wedding can’t come soon enough, and some days you think, ‘wait, I have one more project!’ When the sun sets and the party comes to a close, you find yourself happily married. You giggle when you say “my husband” or he introduces you as “his wife” (that still hasn’t gotten old). After all the planning, you now get to start the “rest of your lives”!
Read more…
Mrs. Moonbeam, Los Angeles/San Antonio
Age and Occupation: 26, Intern Architect
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Studio Analyst, aspiring Screenwriter
Engagement Date: May 20, 2009
Wedding Date: November 2009
Venue: 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’ve been testing my fabric flower making skills, and I’m starting to like some of the results.
Here is the tutorial for the frayed fabric rosettes, and the tutorial for the yarn pom-pom flowers.
Read more…
Mrs. Frozen Yogurt, Dallas
Age and Occupation: 28, Special Projects Coordinator
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Equity Trader
Engagement Date: March 19, 2009
Wedding Date: April 2010
Venue: Marie Gabrielle, Dallas
About 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.
Source
I love cotton candy. Yes, I’m 28 and should never eat something so full of sugar (ok, it’s entirely sugar). For a while I felt like I couldn’t buy it because I was too old, and now I have nieces I can buy it for (or at least I can say I’m buying it for them). Which means that maybe I could have some cotton candy at the wedding… you know, for the kids.
Read more…
Mrs. Mary Jane, Grand Forks, ND
Age and Occupation: 26, Instructional Designer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Lead Programmer
Engagement Date: February 28, 2009
Wedding Date: September 2009
Venue: City Hall
About 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.
How’d you spend your Labor Day? I spent mine (or at least a small part of it) making a 3rd (and final) sash. See, on Monday morning, I tried on my dress to make sure my undergarments were fitting properly with it. They were, but I saw something else — something kind of bad: my sash was entirely the wrong color.
It was lime, and my shoes are “bamboo”. That’s somewhere between light green and grass green, but it’s definitely not lime. It was a very noticeable color difference. Too much of a difference to write off as an “almost”. It wasn’t even in the ballpark.
How did I not notice this before?
Crap.
With little time remaining until our wedding day, I decided that I needed a new sash. I didn’t want to take any chances, so I slipped in to my wedding day shoes and out the door I went. Thankfully, I easily found some better-matching ribbon at Micheals. It was wider too (which I’d originally wanted). Sweeeeeeet. I bought it, along with some more beads (since it’s a wider ribbon).
I apologize in advance for the bad photo: I had poor lighting, but no other opportunity to correct it. Here, you can somewhat see the color difference (and widths) between the two ribbons.
Read more…
Mrs. Beagle, Austin
Age and Occupation: 26, Electrical Engineer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Finance
Engagement Date: July 12, 2008
Wedding Date: October 2009
Venue: Church Ceremony/Reception at The Waterford House
About 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!
Confession: I have a really hard time asking for help. I think I can do everything on my own (and by “everything”, I mean everything) and even when help is offered, I usually (politely) turn it down. I would like to think that this is because I don’t want to burden anyone with mindless wedding tasks that I’m scrambling to get done (thank you, procrastination). However, I think the underlying issue is this: somehow I think that my projects will only get done “right” if I do them myself. All by myself. Alone. (Now that I’ve put that out there, I’ll admit, I feel a tad bit embarrassed.)
Maybe I think they’ll be less DIY if I don’t actually do them alone; maybe it’s genetics (hehe… I’ve noticed Papa Beagle has the same tendencies 
), either way, if I don’t learn to “let go” ASAP, I’m going to enjoy many sleepless nights over the next 6 weeks. I’m working to get over the fact that not everything may come out perfectly (or at least, perfectly in my mind) because these people that are offering to help, my friends and my family, actually want to be a part of this big party we’re throwing next month. And when I think about it that way, it kind of softens my heart a little; it makes it just a tiny bit easier to hand over a project to someone else.
Read more…
Mrs. Peep Toe, San Francisco
Age and Occupation: 29, Policy Analyst
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 36, Olive Oil Production Manager
Engagement Date: December 16, 2007
Wedding Date: May, 2009
Blogging Since: November 26, 2008
Venue: Hotel Vitale
About 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.
After our sentimental vows, the Rabbi declared us man and wife, and Mr. Peep broke the glass.
We kissed.
Read more…
Mrs. Chick, Houston
Age and Occupation: 28, Rights and Reproduction Manager
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Computer Programmer
Engagement Date: November 15, 2008
Wedding Date: April 2010
Venue: A farm outside of Houston
About 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!
One of my biggest worries for our outdoor wedding is rain. Although I love rain, I don’t actually want it to rain on our wedding day. I’d much prefer not to have a tent, but I think we’re going to have to, unless… there’s some sort of tent insurance policy. So, I’ve been thinking about how to make tents cuter without spending a ton of money on Raj Tents:
Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
I’ve been testing my fabric flower making skills, and I’m starting to like some of the results.
