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!
Hello hive! It feels like I’ve been gone for a while now - even though I may have been sneaking around the WB all along. Tee hee. I can truly say the weeks of our wedding and honeymoon were some of the best days of my life. Our wedding was wonderful despite the occasional rain shower, our friends really came out for us in the preparation and kept the dance floor alive during the reception, and we had a fantastic honeymoon! Read more…
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.
So remember when I was struggling with what to do for the wedding card holder? Well, all of you had amazing ideas, but there was one in particular that stuck with me. It was Mrs. Bruschetta’s idea about a paper mache tree that they did for her brother’s wedding. Now, I knew there was no way I could create a paper mache tree that I would want anyone to see, but the tree idea stuck with me.
You see, we are getting married under trees, and we have some manzanita branch centerpieces, so I thought it was fitting, but I couldn’t figure out how to make this idea work. And then I saw this:
Ms. Potato Chips, Boston/Narragansett RIAge and Occupation: 29, PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Personal Trainer/Business Owner/Physical Therapy AssistantEngagement Date: January 1, 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: The Narragansett TowersAbout Me: A semi-professional bookworm, if I could be a literary character I’d be a cross between Jo March and Jane Eyre, only better accessorized and much lazier. My hobbies include sleeping in, seasonal brews, running, Trader Joe’s, and watching Unwrapped and Good Eats with Mr. Potato Chips. I harbor an irrational fear of tulle, crafts, things that are fussy, and overuse of the phrase "Your Special Day". After a year or seven together, down the aisle we go, slouching toward adulthood and planning a Rhodie party with equal parts whimsy, cheer, and pizza.
Mr. Potato Head is my bestie. He makes me laugh, he built a bar in our living room and labored over constructing shelves for my many books in our office. He cooks us pancakes on Sunday mornings and leaves fresh brewed coffee for me on the weekdays. He lets me cheat at mini-golf but doesn’t let me give up at the important stuff. He encouraged me to run my first half-marathon and was literally with me every (slow, painful) step of the way. Later, when I ran a full marathon, he was there at the finish line, cheering me on. I love that we shared the bulk of our twenties together and will enter the next decade as a team. By then, we’ll have been together for seven and a half years!
How did we meet? Potato Head’s brother was engaged (is now married) to SistahChip’s best friend (got that?). Let’s take the WayBack Machine to 2002. Our siblings conspired to get us together one night, watching us like hawks after a group outing to dinner and a walk along a Rhode Island beach. But we were shy and nothing came of it. Months later on New Year’s Eve I attended a party at Brother Potato’s house. The ball fell, we danced. We kissed. It was 2003.
He called me the next day and we met up for Indian food and Lord of the Rings. The next week we duked it out at Dave ‘n’ Buster’s arcade, won a plastic airplane and sent it soaring from the roof of a parking garage. We talked on the phone all week. I said to my friends, “Wow, I’ve met a great guy!”
Two weeks after we met, he called and broke the news that his Marine Corps unit was being deployed to New Carolina. Read more…
BeehiveFeature Launched: Aug 31, 2006About: A forum for readers to post questions and get feedback from the hive, aka the weddingbee community.
Be sure to check out all the posts in our Relationship Series here!
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In what ways are you and your FI total opposites?
Mrs. Bear Cub - Thankfully, Mr. BC is outgoing. I’m such a shy person, especially in groups of people I haven’t met! Mr BC is fantastic with talking to a crowd, and he brings me into the conversation.
The other thing is that he’s a bit more… unorganized than I am. He likens this to being like a Sims character - when he’s done with something, he just drops it on the floor and immediately forgets about it! He does clean sometimes, but when cleaning involves putting stuff away, he just opens the nearest drawer or closet, and shoves stuff in there, with no rhyme or reason! It’s a little challenging to find the shampoo sometimes (once I found it in the fridge!). Read more…
Agentrv007 is selling a beautiful pair of Maria Elena chandelier earrings from her 2007 collection. They have only been worn once, and she’s asking $150.
Have a wedding item for sale? Post it with pictures in the Weddingbee classifieds and you might see it featured on the blog!
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.
Remember that little Manzanita forest I have going on back home? Yes… the nekkid branches, that’s right. I promised to tell you how we decided to decorate the branches, right? Well…
We’re approximately 50% decided on what to do with them.
And that 50% would be to make a little army of hanging votives. If you remember, I was a bit disgruntled at the beginning since we couldn’t use real candles at the Art Museum. So, these votives are really more like hanging vases. The plan is to put about 3 on each tree, and a teeny bit of water (maybe), and 1 white dendrobium orchid blossom inside. I have high hopes for these! I *COULD* use some LED votives, but… for now, we’ll just use orchids. Read more…
Mrs. French Fries, MilwaukeeAge and Occupation: 27, ParalegalFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Investments AdvisorEngagement Date: September 20, 2008Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Ceremony: Catholic Church, Reception: Hotel BallroomAbout Me: I'm a Midwestern girl who longs to live in a warmer climate (my feet would be happy in flip flops any day!). I love travel, impromptu napping, grilled cheese sandwiches, my iPhone, singing with reckless abandon in my car, and Mr. French Fries.
I’ve already outlined how we’re doing somewhat alternative arrangements for the tables at our wedding — apothecary jars full of candy — but I haven’t yet described what I had in mind for our flowers. I’ve mentioned how I was a little let down by the first florist we talked to, so I was hoping that the next meeting would go better than the first (and that our meager flower budget would stretch a little further after subtracting the centerpieces).
I knew going into the meeting what I wanted — sort of. I knew I wanted peonies. And, well, that’s about it. Oh, and I decided to nix the bouts for the guys; we’re doing pocket squares instead. And I wanted the girls to have similar flowers to me, but a darker shade of pink. So, I had pretty open parameters. I was worried going into this meeting that the florist would tell me that peonies wouldn’t fit within our budget, or that the season was just shy of when we’d be getting married. You see, my dream bouquet was this one:
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!
If you recall this post, you may remember my trial run Lambaid (aka bridesmaid) pomanders. If not, this should refresh your memory:
The test was going remarkably well. I was convinced this was a success. Then one day, sometime around move day actually, I took the pomander out of the closet, took it off its hanger and held it in front of a mirror to admire it.
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 an HEB Plus while I was down in Texas. It’s like the Super Target of Texas. They have a floral department, so I took a look around and saw these gorgeous wildflower looking bouquets. They had celosia, sunflowers, mums, thistle and some other things. There were oranges, deep pinks, yellows, the brown centers of the sunflowers, and basically most of our large color palette. There were loads of different textures as well, and I was smitten.
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!
I am very wary of non-re-wearable, uncomfortable bridesmaids’ dresses. I wouldn’t want to wear them, and I don’t want my bridal party to wear them! So far, I know their dresses will be floor-length. I’m not sure what they’ll be like in terms of color, style, or fabric, but I do hope their dresses will be:
Flattering: All my girls should feel like they look their best!
Dance-friendly: Mr. Parfait and I want to see our troops getting loose on the dance floor.
Feminine: They should wear the kind of dresses that make women, young and old, exclaim, “Ooh, that’s so pretty!” and “Oh, how lovely!” as they walk by.
Here’s some floor-length inspiration to get me and my ladies started:
Mrs. Rainbow, TampaAge and Occupation: 22, Makeup ArtistFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Electrical Engineer/ProgrammerEngagement Date: November 27, 2008Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: The Gamble PlantationAbout Me: I'm a quirky (and slightly Type-A) freelance makeup artist who was born in Washington State, raised in Alabama, and now living with my one and only in sunny Florida. I'm fashion and beauty obsessed, and have recently discovered my inner domestic diva extraordinaire. I'm a wannabe chef, decorating addict, and trying desperately to be as crafty as possible---albeit only with a glue gun. I'm hopelessly in love with my fiance, and all things sparkly and feathery. Despite the glittery exterior, I'm a total hippie on the inside. When I'm not making up pretty faces, I love doing what I can to help people, animals, and the environment. Someday the FI and I will change the world, but first we're tackling our modern-vintage-Marie-Antoinette-meets-Alice-in-Wonderland inspired wedding. I just can't wait to be Mrs. Rainbow!
So, I’ve given you some pretty prime details about the wedding, but I haven’t spoken much to the wonderful man that set all this into motion—my fiance. I promised you in my first post that I would tell you all about him, so here it is! I apologize in advance if I start to gush; it’s just so hard not to!
Mr. R & I met during Christmas at my aunt’s house in Florida. He was my cousin’s best friend and I was instantly smitten. He was so different than anyone I’d ever met. He was hilarious, sarcastic, extremely intelligent, and had the most amazing stormy blue eyes you’ve ever seen. He chased me around my aunt’s back yard with markers—I guess that meant he liked me, too. After the holidays, I went back to Alabama with my family, but he never left my mind. That was in 1998, and I was 11.
We saw each other every other Christmas for the next few years—only 4 times between 1998 and 2003. We spent the time between, chatting on Instant Messenger, sending ridiculously long emails, and occasionally talking on the phone. We never fully came out and said that we liked each other, but it was obvious. We’d go months without speaking, and then pick up right where we left off. Despite the distance, there was something that just kept drawing us back to each other. The last time we came to Florida for the holidays was in 2005. I was so excited to see him. I had just turned 18, I had grown up a little, and I just knew that if he was there that Christmas, I would finally tell him how I felt after all those years. He didn’t show. I was 16 the last time I saw Mr. R.
When I was 19, I got engaged to my then-boyfriend, J. Soon after he proposed, we moved to Florida so he could pursue his education. I hate to admit this, but as soon as my then-fiance decided to move to Florida, Mr. R crossed my mind. Read more…
Wedding BiosFeature Launched: September 12, 2008About: Wedding bios of real brides.
Start your own Weddingbee Bio and you could be featured on the blog!
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.
I LOVED planning our wedding. Sure, there were moments when I’d start crying out of nowhere… or when under eye circles became the norm for a while :). But for the most part, I really did love it. And that was because the details, the food, the location, everything- represented our ideal wedding- and not someone else’s.
This detail especially embodies how we felt on that day.
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.
Has anyone else become obsessed with all the little intricacies they can include in their invitation suite? No? It’s just me? Seriously, before I started wedding planning I just considered the actual invitation and the response card. Now? There are phrases such as envelope liners, hang tags, and Gocco that I never thought I would mutter just flying out of my mouth with reckless abandon. It continues to shock me. So what’s my latest must have?
Mrs. Bear Cub - Thankfully, Mr. BC is outgoing. I’m such a shy person, especially in groups of people I haven’t met! Mr BC is fantastic with talking to a crowd, and he brings me into the conversation.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
