Mrs. Pretzel, SeattleAge and Occupation: 32 Learning, Training, and Development SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 28 Manufacturing EngineerEngagement Date: September 2, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Catholic Church & The Engine Room at Georgetown StudiosAbout Me: I’m just a thirty-something girl who never dreamed of weddings, poofy dresses, or ritzy receptions. I am a rabid knitter, except recently, wedding projects have replaced my yarn and needles. I’ve been fiercely independent since the age of 2 and 30 years later I think my family and friends had given up on me settling down and getting married.
Ironically, I had to go all the way to Seattle to find a boy from Purdue. We fell in love over Seattle Beers and cooking together. I love NASCAR, he loves Legos. I can talk like a Muppet and he can fit a whole McDonald’s cheeseburger in his mouth. We are a two reception couple, currently planning a brewery inspired bash.
The following is a conversation between Miss Pretzel and friend pre-engagement.
“I bet you are so excited to go dress shopping!” says the well meaning friend.
‘Ummm, No,’ Pretzel thinks to herself.
After an awkward silence, Miss Pretzel cracks a phony smile and nods her head while murmuring “un hun” through closed teeth. She quickly change the subject to another wedding-y topic that she is interested in, like DIY or invitations or photobooths, or venues… anything except the dress!
Hit a nerve you ask? For me to mask my feelings with a cheesy smile and a vague response was completely uncharacteristic. What had me acting this way? 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.
OK, so this weekend I decided to do a little searching for some bridal accessories. Not that I don’t do this most weekends, but this time I succeeded in finding some great stuff! Recently, a giant Forever 21 opened not too far from my house (if you live in Austin, it’s at the Domain, and holy crap is it huge). I never thought to look for bridal accessories there, but why not? It’s super affordable and trendy. Are you ready to see what I got?
First up, a bracelet:
I love that it looks vintage; I think it will go so well with my dress and the overall feel of the wedding. Best of all, it was about $5. Read more…
Mrs. Labrador Retriever, Athens/SavannahAge and Occupation: 24, Student/Sports ReporterFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Physical Therapy Assistant Student/Future Dr. of PT
Engagement Date: December 31, 2008Wedding Date: November 2009Venue: Whitfield Square/Savannah StationAbout Me: I'm working on my second degree from UGA (Go Dawgs!). I'm a self-proclaimed attention-w****. If it involves a camera, I'm in front of it! You'll never meet a girlier tomboy than me. I can go toe to toe with any guy on the subject of college football, and lift more than any girl in my gym, all without chipping a nail. I hope to someday be the only person you want delivering your sports news. My FI and I are the loving parents of three Labrador Retrievers (one of each color) and are planning a "Southern Romantic Charm" wedding in the beautiful, historic city of Savannah. I'm not extreme in anything except moderation... and wedding planning.
When I first heard about this new series the bees were doing, I immediately knew I wanted a pink and gold ornament to work with. Why? (Confession alert!) Because I sorta kinda wish I had made our wedding colors rosy pink, gold, and champagne. Making this board was really fun, but now I’m kinda jealous of my own creation!
This ornament is SO me. I LOVE LOVE LOVE anything pink and glitzy and (as Carrie said to Samantha in the Sex and the City movie) “a little too much”. Working off that sentiment, I decided to make a wedding inspiration board fit for a princess.
Mrs. Nachos, Chicago/St. ThomasAge and Occupation: 33, Commercial Real Estate & HairstylistFiance's Age and Occupation: 36, Radio ProducerEngagement Date: May 22, 2009Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort, St. ThomasAbout Me: I'm a happy, laid back city girl that can find the silver lining in any situation. An optimist at heart, my motto is to turn your "what ifs?" into "so whats!". My fiance is a radio producer and the biggest Cubs fan you'll meet - our apartment decor definitely shows it. He and I grew up next door to each other and because of it, we have the best home videos and easiest holiday dinners. We are planning an intimate wedding in the Virgin Islands and a cocktail party in June for 150 of our closest friends.
So after a little gentle persuasion from a friend and my future mother-in-law, we bit the bullet and registered. I had mentioned it to Mr. N a few times in the last month and I always got the same response - a change of subject. Before, neither of us saw the point of us registering because really, truly, we have everything we need like I mentioned in my previous post. In the end though, I decided that we should register for things to update the apartment, especially considering I have a shower coming up.
I wanted to register in person so we could both have fun with the scanning gun and see everything in person, but I finally realized that would only happen with a rag and some chloroform. So instead, I logged onto my computer and went on the Bed Bath and Beyond website and signed us up for a new registry!
My FMIL suggested that we have everything shipped to her house. At first I thought, ‘well we’re just gonna have to bring it home and put everything away so why not just have it sent to us?’ But Mr. Nachos brought up a good point… we probably wouldn’t be home to sign for anything, plus we don’t have a working doorbell so even if we were home, we wouldn’t know they were there. I also realized I was thinking that we would be opening gifts as they come, but we’re going to wait to open them once we get home from St. Thomas. Read more…
Mrs. Guinea Pig, Baltimore, MD Age and Occupation: 26, PhD student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Operations Director at a non-profit Engagement Date: December 25, 2008 Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: The Chesapeake Bay Beach Club About Me: I'm a tomboy science nerd whose girly side has made a startling appearance thanks to wedding planning! I love to bake, knit and sew but I also ride a motorcycle (that Mr. Guinea Pig wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole). We live with our three crazy cats and love to read, travel, watch movies, and do home improvement projects together! My parents/family are Canadian but I'm definitely American, although I've lived in 5 different countries, 6 different states, and speak Russian fluently. Mr. GP and I met online (did I mention I'm a scientist?) and had a whirlwind romance - now we can't wait to get married & celebrate with all our friends and family in a blue and yellow waterfront affair!
Lest you think I simply sat around and did nothing in between my first dress shopping experience and the Filene’s attempt, let me assure you - I did plenty of ’research’! I can’t even count the number of dresses I tried on - is that bad? Since we all know I already found my dress and you’re probably plenty annoyed that I haven’t shown you the dress I actually bought, here’s a quick photo tour of the numerous other dresses I tried on in my quest. Read more…
ClassifiedsFeature Launched: April 30, 2008About: A roundup of the best Weddingbee Classified listings.
Stephzamora is selling a gorgeous Pronovias white styled gown. The A-line dress has a cathedral train and is a size 6. A tiara and veil with white pearls is included. She’s asking $800.
Have a wedding item for sale? Post it with pictures in the Weddingbee classifieds and you might see it featured on the blog!
Mrs. Crab Cake, Columbus, GAAge and Occupation: 25, Registered NurseFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Director of Education and Living History for a museumEngagement Date: April 6, 2008Wedding Date: June, 2009Blogging Since: November 26, 2008Venue: Holy Family Catholic Church, reception: National Infantry MuseumAbout Me: I'm a perfectionist trying to balance two jobs, motherhood, my craft obsession, and wedding planning. I am obsessed with all things wedding, especially creative ideas for saving money and DIY projects. A Southern Belle at heart, I love anything southern, especially sweet tea, grits, afternoon thunder storms, crab cakes, and good old Southern hospitality. Mr. Crab Cake and I are planning a vintage inspired wedding with tons of Southern flare (can y'all say that with a thick Southern drawl?).
Because there was a Mass at 5, and there would be throngs of people milling around the church when Mass let out, we decided to play it safe and get back to the church just before 6 and hide. We tried once to get out and take some pictures, but our guests were already starting to arrive, so I ran back into the Bride’s room and took cover.
My mom and I took some really fake, posed shots: Read more…
Mrs. Scissors, LaGrange, GAAge and Occupation: 25, Photography & Graphic DesignFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 1, 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Ceremony - First United Methodist Church; Reception - My parents' house!About Me: I’m a six-foot-three bride with a fifty-foot personality! I love great art, fabulous design, intense color, tons of music, indie photography, watching movies on repeat, and being really awesome. This super-tall, Southern, loud, quirky, neurotic artist is marrying a German, quiet, silly, super-amazing roboticist in an eclectic, funky, fun, snazzy, technicolored June wedding. Anything is game for this shindig, for it is all about us! We’re bringing giant paper cranes, six-foot-tall portraits, fortune cookies, a photo booth, a club-circuit DJ, handcuffs, and possibly a kidnapping to this small Southern town. Watch out, y’all, and try to keep up!
Or: Why I’m glad Matron of Honor Scissors tells me what to do and has a set.
Or: The story of how we met.
Gather ’round, children, and I’ll tell you the story of how Mr. S and I met.
On New Year’s Eve in 2007, I was pissed off. Really pissed off. A few days prior, the largest d-bag on the planet, also known as my ex-boyfriend, told me that he was going to Las Vegas with his frat brothers and blowing off our plans for NYE. MaOH Scissors told me that we were going to a party that night, and I didn’t have a choice. I did not want to go. At all. I whined and tried to make up excuses, but she’s pretty good at standing her ground. Read more…
Mrs. Spaniel, Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 28, Law StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, PsychologistWedding Date: March 2010Venue: Calamigos RanchAbout Me: I'm a third-year law student trying to balance graduating with starting my career, keeping up a relationship, and, oh yeah, planning an Old World, multi-cultural, "mountain lodge" wedding for 180 guests! A South Asian Jewish girl getting ready to marry my handsome Catholic Dane, I'm hoping to blend our cultures in our wedding just a bit more gently than by providing samosas as appetizers and offering æbleskiver for dessert. (Although that would also be awesome.)
One of the really fun things about having a rehearsal dinner is that it’s almost like a chance to throw your “other wedding“–the wedding you almost had! Our guest list is about 35-40 people, so it really is a little like a small wedding. We plan to take full advantage by throwing a party that will be very little like the wedding itself. We did briefly consider a rehearsal dinner at the venue’s separate restaurant, but they only had an outdoor space available. We weren’t really comfortable with that for a March evening–there was no established rain plan!–and we wanted a little more gastronomic variety, so we decided to keep looking.
As an aside, I really love doing my planning primarily online. I didn’t even look at venues for our wedding that didn’t have a banquet menu (and prices!) available on their website. Choosing a rehearsal dinner venue for a much smaller party and trying to score a deal was a lot more work! We called and ate at restaurants all over Malibu and the San Fernando Valley before we finally found The One–in fact, I’m sure we did more research for the rehearsal dinner venue than we did for the wedding venue! But once we ate there, we knew it was it! Read more…
Mrs. Cheeseburger, Baltimore, MD/State College, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentEngagement Date: June 28, 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Catholic Church Ceremony & Hotel ReceptionAbout Me: I'm a passionate girl from Pittsburgh, currently living in Baltimore for school, who loves Penn State, seeing movies, football, thunderstorms, black and white photos, Christmas, good beer, my amazing friends and family, and of course, my mister! We met, fell in love, got engaged, and will be married at our alma mater (go lions!) in a traditional Catholic ceremony followed by a hotel reception with lots of DIY details. It means so much to have our families and friends meet at our favorite place on earth to celebrate our love for one another - I truly couldn't ask for anything more!
You know when you’re having a bride moment and you HAVE to have something completely useless? Even after you SWORE you wouldn’t ever buy something so ridiculous? Yeah. That. Well, the following items are things that are totally unnecessary, and yet I wanted to have them anyway. Guests probably won’t even notice them, but I will! Here goes:
Custom cocktail napkins
Custom golf tees
Custom guitar picks
I know, right? 3 TOTALLY NECESSARY ITEMS, obviously. Luckily, Burger Man and Cheeseburger Mom just smile and laugh at my insanity.
Custom Cocktail Napkins - this is not exactly a novel idea, as lots of couples have been personalizing napkins with things like their names, wedding date, monogram, cute pictures, etc. I wanted to take this trend and kick it up a notch. Read more…
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!
Now, back to your regularly scheduled program, “The Adventures of Feather Freak”… I mean… Miss Rainbow .
I’ve documented my need for feather lovers anonymous, I’ve shown you my very feathery fascinator, and now it’s onto the next fluffy-fied accessory. Don’t you worry, this will be my last… I might love feathers, but I also believe that in some cases, feathers being one of them, less really is more. I’ll save the Vegas Showgirl get up for Halloween.
Anyway, as soon as I started thinking about flowers for our wedding, namely my bouquet, I knew I had to have feathers. Someway, somehow, they had to be in there. I didn’t want to go totally nontraditional and do an all feather bouquet, but a few feathers mingling amongst the flowers, or a feather collar, would be the perfect mix of sweet and sassy. While I’m still rustling up some feathers, let’s check out some inspiration, shall we?
Mrs. Cola, Mountain View, CAAge and Occupation: 27, Product Communications and PromotionsFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Managing Partner and Senior DesignerEngagement Date: March 5, 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: The Mountain Terrace, Woodside, CAAbout Me: I’m a Washington State native, enjoying life in Silicon Valley California with my fiancé, our three kitties and one leopard gecko. I like reading wedding blogs, Photoshopping wedding design mock ups, making lists, and planning, planning, planning! I’m a bit of an anomaly, on one side I’m a very girlie girl, I collect shoes, I lay out my outfits 4-6 weeks in advance, and I’d never leave the house without my hair curled and makeup on. But on the other side, I’m a total tomboy, I love to go camping and hiking, play drinking games (hey, I’m Irish!) and most of my closest friends are guys. My fiancé and I are planning a DIY-focused wedding with a balance between easygoing (what he wants) and chic and stylish (what I want), and are tying it all together with elements in lavender, sage, butter cream and chocolate.
So, on to what will go in our decorated favor boxes: San Francisco treats (and no, not Rice-A-Roni!).
At first I thought we’d do “SF Bay Area” favors, so we could incorporate something from Gilroy, CA, the garlic capital of the world, since garlic is my favorite food. I even ordered garlic almonds, garlic pistachios and garlic sesame sticks to try them, but none were that good, and they were pretty expensive. And the packaging wasn’t that cute either, as you can see in these pictures I took. I not only wanted cute outer boxes, but a nice logo on the inner packaging, too.
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.
Drill Instructor Mr. Potato Head is here to help us get in tip top shape for our big day! Follow these exercises 5 – 7 days with 30 – 45 minutes of solid cardio fun and you will see results in no time flat. Don’t think of this as a workout, but more as funning-out. Challenge yourself and give yourself credit when you complete each funning-out session. Carry on bees!
Perform each cycle 3 times.
Cycle 1: Planks, Side Planks, Push-ups
Planks: 45 seconds-1 minute each
Starting on your toes and elbows, bring your chin over your hands and draw your belly button in tight. Don’t let your lower back sag! Hold for 45 sec-1 min.
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. Pug, New York City/Half Moon Bay, CAAge and Occupation: 33, LawyerFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, dittoEngagement Date: July 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon BayAbout Me: The Mr. and I are two 30-somethings who enjoy tasty sweets of all kinds, our neighborhood wine store, and cuddling with our pug. NYC is where we live and the city we love, but we’re doing the deed out in Northern California. We are trying to keep the affair small, intimate, and manageable. Our motto is: the less people, the better! (I’m kidding.)
However, I found a subtle way of getting a lower price. I used to always appreciate when vendors posted their prices on their website since I didn’t have to get off my ass and call or email (which, granted, I could still do sitting on my ass but I would have to exert more movement in my fingers and arms). In general I still appreciate website prices, but I found a benefit to unlisted prices during my search for a photographer.
![Un-[dress]-inspired : wedding wedding dress 4195702](http://www-static.weddingbee.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/19/4195702.jpg "195702679_8ec0cbc9eb.jpg")
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