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.
I absolutely love Christmas ornaments. I’ve also been playing around with inspiration boards lately because I’m trying to come up with a color scheme for our June cocktail party. I found this ornament…
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!
Even though I knew I had found a dress I loved, countless friends had been dragged to the salon to see it and reassure me that it was beautiful despite being far from what I had originally set out for, and my mom and sister had seen it and approved, I still didn’t buy the dress. Why?? Because I was waiting to see if I could get an awesome deal at Filene’s Running of the Brides (RotB)! The thrifty gal in me couldn’t spend so much money on one article of clothing without at least trying to find a better deal! Luckily there was a RotB in DC in late July, which was still enough time to check it out and if nothing worked out, go back and buy my dress (I should have taken it as a sign when I started referring to it as ’my’ dress, but I was so set on going to RotB).
I wavered in the weeks leading up to the event whether I wanted to be super hardcore (camp out and be one of the first into the store) or more laid back (show up later without all the people, running and screaming). I could see the benefits of both:
Camping out - I had heard stories of the typical dresses found at Filene’s and knew that if I wanted an A-line, all-lace, ivory dress in my size, I would probably need to be in the first wave of people.
Laid Back - I hate shopping. I hate crowds. This seemed like a pretty good argument against camping out. If I went later, I could leisurely look through the dresses and not be harassed.
Fortunately for my sanity, the laid back side won out - I decided that if I wanted a lace dress, I wanted ’my’ lace dress. If I was going to go to Filene’s, it would be to find an awesome deal in a completely different type of dress or to strike it incredibly lucky with a lace one that looked a lot like ’mine’. If it was meant to be, it was meant to be. And thus, the Sauntering of the Bride and her two adventurous friends! 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.
You might remember my ring from this post, but here’s Mr. MB’s ring (with mine) on a handkerchief gifted to us at the rehearsal dinner with our names and wedding date embroidered on it for posterity.
We also found this jeweler on Etsy, but then just ordered it over email since it was a special (cheaper) order. We switched out the metal to 10K white gold to get this ring within our reach. Jim Dailing (the jeweler) couldn’t have been better to work with, he was lightning fast and didn’t make us feel lame about downgrading his beautiful design. Read more…
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.
Finding a venue in an old brewery couldn’t have been more perfect! With that out-of-the-way my Pretzel brain got working on some of the more minute wedding details. First up: monograms!
It seems like weddings and monograms are attached at the hip these days. I found no lack of inspiration on the interwebs, but it all seemed elegant, sophisticated, and refined… and oh so not “us”.
Not that Mr Pretzel and I can’t be these things… but come on- my moniker is a freakin’ Pretzel. That should tell you what kind of folks we are—Beer and Pretzel folks.
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!
So, I like to write things down. A lot. I may be a super computer person, but I also find comfort in the act of writing things down. Also, I need something to keep me occupied at all times for fear of bouncing through windows or climbing into cabinets. I always keep 2 Moleskines on me at all times, which is another whole post a’ comin’, but yeah. I doodle, I sketch. I write stuff down or I won’t remember it. I think I’ve made my “I need something to write on” point clear.
In comes the idea of a wedding planner. Not the human kind, but the paper kind. 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.)
On a Sunday not too long ago, Mr. Spaniel and I had the meeting we had ever-so-eagerly awaited since we’d booked our venue: it was the day that Mr. Spaniel and I selected our menu!
We decided to go with an hour of unlimited passed hors d’oeuvres, including melon-wrapped prosciutto, crab stuffed mushrooms, teriyaki beef skewers, and potato pancakes with apple sauce. Prosciutto e melone is Mr. Spaniel’s all-time favorite appetizer (so it was an easy choice, even though I don’t eat pork), and we are both pretty happy with the stuffed mushrooms and beef skewers, but we’re not totally crazy about the vegetarian option… we might still switch it out for the spinach and feta puffs or the vegetarian spring rolls. But my grandma will love the pancakes, so they’re staying on the menu for now. As for the entrée, we already knew what we were selecting as dinner options (chicken with artichoke and prime rib) so that was relatively uneventful, but the vegetarian option turned out to be a happy surprise: egg noodle goat cheese ravioli! It sounds so good, Mr. Spaniel and I will probably both end up ordering it!
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!
I was on the fence about getting a limo for a long time. You see, our church and hotel/reception site are only about 2 miles apart, or a 5 minute drive - not exactly a compelling reason for needing group transportation.
However, the alternative to not having a limo was asking our (rather large) bridal party to haul themselves back and forth. There are 8 groomsmen, 9 bridesmaids, 2 flower girls and 4 parents (and us, too!) who would have to drive - meaning we would need roughly 6-7 cars! That would have been quite the caravan, right? That fact, along with picturing our bridal party huddled in their cars in between our photos (because it’s probably going to be freezing or raining!), led me to do some research.
There weren’t a lot of options - two local companies and one in Johnstown (the next closest company). One of the local companies didn’t have a limo that could fit all of us. The company in Johnstown had a limo bus and some other stretches that may have been able to fit us if we squeezed. There was one big problem, though - Johnstown is about one and a half hours away from State College, and we would have to pay for the transport to and from their garage (or THREE HOURS of time we weren’t actually getting the vehicle!). No thanks. Read more…
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!
“The big day is coming up! Are you nervous? Excited?”
At least once a day, if not multiple times in the same elevator ride, I am told the wedding is really close and asked about my emotional status. At first, I was so happy that people remembered and were kind enough to ask. I would nod enthusiastically or say that I was ready for it all to be over - which both seemed to be socially acceptable replies. Then I started to really think about how I felt, and those feelings have just grown stronger the past few days.
I’m sad. Even as I’m getting married and it’s a happy occasion, it also means that I’m moving to a different state and leaving behind a pretty nice life that I’ve invested in a lot over the past two years. I’m leaving good friends, a church that has ministered to me, an office that makes going to work fun. I’m leaving my running route and the footbridge. I’m leaving the familiar. This has been a more difficult process than I anticipated.
I’m sober. Some would call this nervous or tentative, but what I’ve really been feeling is sober about the weight of my decision to get married and all of its implications. Read more…
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.
Wouldn’t this color scheme of yellow, purple and hints of green make for a beautiful early spring wedding? You could even tie in a gold-colored dress to go with the background of the picture. Along with the other bees, I’ve made an inspiration board based off this ornament. Ahhh, yet another wedding I want! Read more…
Weddingbee GalleryFeature Launched: April 10, 2009About: A collection of inspirational wedding pictures from readers and bees.
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. 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!
After heading up the mountain to get some bridal portraits done, we brought the ladies and my bridesman Patrick up to shoot together. They were such troopers! It was so cold but it was so beautiful. I was thrilled to have the perfect day and the perfect scene!
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.
Growing up Catholic in a very Jewish neighborhood was kind of fun. I had my Confirmation as my neighbors were getting Bar Mitzvah’d, and I was able to learn about their traditions and they got to see mine. One of our family traditions was to put up Christmas lights every year on my dad’s birthday. And every year, my dad bought more and more strands of lights, so every year our house glowed a little more than the last. It was actually pretty funny being the only house on the block that had lights because we stood out like a sore thumb.
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!
I love reading photographers’ blogs. And not just wedding photographers! I love photographs of all people (and creatures!) - it makes me so happy seeing people smiling, in love, having fun. Especially when there are animals involved. In other words, I had no shortage of places to look when I needed inspiration for our engagement session (still so excited to write that)! After collecting what seems like hundreds of photos I love, I’ve discovered a few themes running through them. So I now present to you: a tour of photos I would like to Photoshop myself and Mr. Guinea Pig into (or, you know, take just as awesome photos with Sherman Chu):
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.
Every year for Christmas my mom used to let my sister and me pick out a new ornament for the tree. I look back at all the ornaments I chose when I was little and realize I was WAY more into the ’bling’ as a little girl. My Christmas Ornament inspiration board is in honor of that little girl, because she would have LOVED this ornament I found on Etsy by slvilov.
The current me loves this ornament because it’s made of re-purposed materials—old jewelry. A few semesters ago I took an Ecology class in school and made a lamp out of my mom’s old jewelry from the ’80s. I didn’t take a picture but this ornament looks a lot like my lamp. Read more…
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.)
Last time I posted about my search for shoes and my purchase of 3.5″ heels despite the fact that I swore off heels a few years ago. So you’re thinking, ‘you dumbass.’ But wait! I *did* learn a little something through my shoe trials and tribulations. I know it is almost a given that my Tahari slingbacks will hurt me after a few hours into the wedding. So I began a search for comfortable flip-flops that I could change into.
I wanted white flip flops (keep it simple) and a tall heel (at least 3″) so my dress hem wouldn’t drag on the ground. This search was a bit obstructed by inflated “wedding prices” (not many people besides brides want white flip flops with a heel above 1″) and a shape that did not do much for the comfort aspect.
For example, these following flips are cute, but the shape of the arch is still curved at an angle that I might as well be wearing regular heels. In addition, they cost $30 or more, whereas I was really hoping to find something around $20.
We also found this jeweler on Etsy, but then just ordered it over email since it was a special (cheaper) order. We switched out the metal to 10K white gold to get this ring within our reach. Jim Dailing (the jeweler) couldn’t have been better to work with, he was lightning fast and didn’t make us feel lame about downgrading his beautiful design.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
The current me loves this ornament because it’s made of re-purposed materials—old jewelry. A few semesters ago I took an Ecology class in school and made a lamp out of my mom’s old jewelry from the ’80s. I didn’t take a picture but this ornament looks a lot like my lamp.
