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.
Selecting our wedding officiant was pretty easy for us, although I know many couples that find this process difficult. But for us, it came down to figuring out which friend of ours, who isn’t in the wedding, would be good at it!
We never even considered a pastor/priest/religious figure, since we aren’t religious ourselves. And even the justices of the peace and other non-church affiliated officiants in the area were pretty expensive—the lowest I found was around $400. For an approximately 16 minute ceremony, that was pretty steep. So, we decided to ask one of our good friends to do it, and I know we will be very happy with our decision. He’s totally cool with us writing everything he has to say, he’s great at public speaking, and he’s a really fun, entertaining guy. He even took the initiative to get ordained online right after we asked him to be our officiant (even though it appears in our county they don’t actually verify if your officiant has been ordained or not)!
AliciaF’s fiance surprised her with this stunning ring from a local jeweler.
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. Buttons, Clearwater, FLAge and Occupation: 24, "Working on it"Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Financial ServicesEngagement Date: June 13, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Carlouel Yacht ClubAbout Me: I'm a self proclaimed perfectionist and a professional nomad (seriously, I've lived in TX, WI, MI, FL, NC, and now VA!). I love wine, cooking, curling up with a good book (nerd alert!), spoiling the furbaby, and of course, the wonderful Mr. Buttons! We are planning a lighthearted and whimsical wedding (with a good deal of DIY projects) in Clearwater, Florida, but from a distance of 800 miles away! We are looking forward to sharing our day with our family and friends, and most importantly, starting our lives together as husband and wife!
So… all of my bridesmaids are from out of state (I like to make my life complicated). I honestly tear up when I think about how far away I always am from my best friends! As the time came to ask them the big question, I was pondering the best way to do it! A phone call is nice, but I was hesitant to do it. Then, as I was out running some errands at Target, I wandered into the card section. It was there that I came upon the most wonderful card… and a light bulb went on! Check it out!
Mrs. Deviled Egg, PittsburghAge and Occupation: 27, Public RelationsFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, AccountingEngagement Date: December 24, 2007Wedding Date: May, 2009Blogging Since: October 21, 2008Venue: Historic auditorium and meeting hall in one of Pittsburgh's commuter citiesAbout Me: I am obsessed with all things crafty, especially scrapbooking, knitting, jewelry-making & cake decorating. I also love being an aunt, wrapping presents, watching football (Go Steelers!), shopping at yard sales and consignment stores, procrastinating, singing and learning to play the guitar. When it comes to wedding planning, I'm excited about working on DIY projects and finding creative ways to stay under budget. Of course, nothing is more exciting to me than knowing that the wonderful Mr. Deviled Egg will be my husband.
I’m not one to make New Year’s resolutions. I usually set goals for myself throughout the year and do my best to achieve them. But as 2009 comes to a close, I’ve spent a little time reflecting on how great this past year has been for me and what steps I can take to make it a year where I’ll remember the good things. Not every second was perfect. Some moments were down right impossible. But the magical moments overshadow the negative. Ultimately, my resolution is to cherish the positive moments that made up this past year and focus on moving forward into a lifetime of love and happiness. As a 2009 bride, there may have been a few little things I regret about our wedding, but, in an effort to move on, here are my resolutions:
While it’s easy to get hung up on the people who didn’t show at our wedding, RSVP or not, I will focus on those who were there. Lucky and loved is the couple surrounded by people who would travel near and far to be there to celebrate one of the most important days of your life.
Instead of focusing on what pictures of moments I think are missing from our photographer’s coverage (even though it’s probably only one or two—I understand that she couldn’t have be everywhere at all times), I’m going to be thankful for all of the photos I do have. I have only ever seen one picture from each of my grandparents’ weddings, so I know that even a single photo can tell a story.
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!
This week I found out some news about two friends of mine (a couple) that left me incredibly disappointed, and made me think about relationships, trust, and what it means to make a commitment to someone. My friends Jake & Sally *(names changed to protect the innocent and not-so-innocent) had been dating for 9 years. 9 years! When Mr. Guinea Pig and I will have known each other for 9 years we’ll have been married for 6.5 years already! Of course I say had been, because they broke up this weekend.
A little back story: Jake is one of the most straightforward, blunt, funny, hardworking guys I know. I knew him for 2.5 years without ever meeting Sally, because she was in the Peace Corps during that time. Even though she was 7,000 miles away, they made a commitment to stay together while she was gone, and Jake went over several times to vacation with Sally in Asia. In April, Sally came back from the Peace Corps and moved to Baltimore to be with Jake, at which point she and I became friends, as well. Things seemed to be going relatively fine as they got back into the swing of living in the same city (not to mention the same country, finally).
Then last week out of the blue, Sally got an email from a girl saying (I’m paraphrasing) ’Just wanted to let you know I had an emotional and physical affair with Jake from 2006 until earlier this year.’ Sally thought it was a joke - this girl said she lived on the opposite coast of Canada, for goodness sake… why would Jake have a long distance affair?! 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!
For Mr. S’s wedding threads, he’s gonna need a tux. A super hot black tux. I’m pretty excited about seeing him in a tux, and that’s an understatement. He is tall and slender with great shoulders, so I think that a more slim-fitting tux would look best on him. I prefer a tux with a bow tie and lots of white shirt showing.
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!
While ’naughty’ and ’nice’ don’t quite figure into the equation, making our guest list has proven to be one of our more difficult tasks.
Our total number of invitees was something that I wanted to estimate early. Like, within a month of our engagement early. You see, I knew we would have quite a large number, and I figured that it might restrict our reception location search (it did - we only had two options, one of which was out of budget). So when I asked our parents to start working on a rough number right away, I think they were taken a bit by surprise. Read more…
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.
We’re not having any sort of bridal party which is totally what we wanted. But every time I read a bee’s post on finding the perfect bridesmaid’s dress, I kinda feel like I’m missing out a little. So I thought I’d share a little story that kinda falls under the same category. Kinda.
There once was a girl named Nachos. Her mom, naturally Momma Nachos, was a determined shopper all of little Miss Nachos’ life. If Momma saw something she wanted in the Sunday paper, online, or wherever, Momma would get it, no matter what lengths it took to do so. The day little Nachos called up Momma and told her she was engaged and getting married in a far away tropical land, Momma went on the hunt for her own perfect dress. Keep in mind, this was a full month before little Nachos tried on her first wedding dress. Momma went online and searched and searched, and within a couple of hours, knew which dress was the one for her. It was a Macy’s maxi dress full of wonderful colors and perfect for the beach. Momma went to the Macy’s down the street and only found the dress in a size too big. Rather than ordering it from the store, Momma wanted to see the dress on her the right way and have it in hand by the time she got home. So, she hopped back in the car and drove to the next nearest Macy’s. 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.)
My last two posts described what would turn out to be a 72-hour flirtation with the idea of hiring a DOC. I went from not even considering a DOC to exuberantly calling a dozen DOCs. Even though we had a venue coordinator, I didn’t think the venue staff would provide everything that a DOC would and I didn’t want to bother the venue coordinator with tasks that she may find inappropriate or overstepping bounds.
From all my conversations with the DOCs, these are the general services that they provide:
Meeting anywhere from 1 month to 3 months out to discuss overall vision of wedding
Unlimited emails and phone calls until wedding day (I didn’t call any DOCs who indicated on their website that there was a limit to email and phone contact)
Collection of vendor contracts and confirming schedule with vendors, making sure they are paid/tipped, etc.
Collect and set up escort cards, menus, programs, any other DIY or decor
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!
I never once doubted that I would be a veiled bride. I always thought they were beautiful, and a very necessary part of being “bridal”, at least from my perspective. Plus, how many times in your life do you get to wear a veil? Exactly.
Not only did I immediately know that I was without a doubt a veiled bride, but I always saw myself wearing a mantilla. A fingertip length, fancy, lacy little number like this:
Mrs. Pudding, Greater Toronto Area/VermontAge and Occupation: 26, High School TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Computer EngineerEngagement Date: August 2008Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Catholic Ceremony, Cultural Hall ReceptionAbout Me: Quite literally a citizen of the world, I was born in Poland, grew up in Canada, and now live in the beautiful state of Vermont. I love reading historical biographies, multi-tasking, teasing my hair, and, despite my height, wearing high heeled shoes. I am the ultimate klutz with an uncanny ability to put on a graceful front. Mr. Pudding and I have been dating for over six years, and are very excited to finally merge our (very large) families. We are planning a traditional Polish-Catholic wedding that is anything but predictable.
Well, that’s probably because it’s been forever since I talked about them (more like just over a month - that is called a hyperbole - consider this a “teachable moment”). I am ashamed to tell you this, hive, but our STDs are still not finished. I have been making a major push to get them done before the year is up, but I am unsure if I will succeed. With our wedding being in July, this really is “do or die” time. If I don’t get them done in the next week or so, I might as well forget them and move on to the invitations.
So, I am begging you to help me stop procrastinating and finish these puppies up! I give you permission to call me a slacker, a dead-beat bride, or any other insult you can come up with until I write that triumphant “they’re in the mail” post. And as a reward for your troubles, here is a sneak peek of the finished product: Read more…
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.
Last week Groomsman Will invited us over to his place because he had tons of wood that he wanted to split (for us and himself) to use as firewood and also (from my previous requests) for wedding crafts!!!
So, I carefully picked all of the pieces I thought we could use for some of the many wood-related projects I have in mind. They tried to teach me how to split wood the old way, as you can see:
{ Mr Poodle didn’t know what was coming! Muah ha ha ha! }
Mrs. Mary Jane, Grand Forks, NDAge and Occupation: 26, Instructional DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Lead ProgrammerEngagement Date: February 28, 2009Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: City HallAbout 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.
I got married about four months ago, finished my recaps, and have been blogging pretty erratically since then. It’ll be another 4-6 months before Mr. Mary Jane and I think taking about our belated honeymoon, and I’m pretty much out of stuff to say, wedding-wise.
But I’m here to Not Say Goodbye.
I do still have a few more posts up my sleeve (wedding-card scrapbooking, anyone?), but I do not know exactly when I’ll be getting to those. And when we do plan our honeymoon (and go on it), I will be back to post about that, too. Right now, Mr. Mary Jane and I are both focusing on school and our careers, working on our house, and trudging through another butt-cold upper-Midwestern winter. Read more…
Mrs. D'orsay, Baltimore/Lancaster UKAge and Occupation: 24, nonprofit communications Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Web site developer and designer; co-owner of men's skincare shopEngagement Date: August 10, 2008Wedding Date: August, 2009Venue: Oakland ManorAbout Me: I'm a Maryland raised environmental policy wonk/activist/organizer and communications aficionado. In the past year I've lived in Baltimore, MD, Tucson, AZ, Miami, FL and Lancaster, England. In my not so spare time I enjoy planning trips with Mr. D' Orsay, visiting friends and family and crafting like a mo-fo. I also enjoy modern dance classes, rugby and soccer but have been banned by my mother, MOHs, and Mr. D' Orsay from playing till after the wedding. I have an unnatural addiction to cheese and shoes, but love Mr. D' Orsay more than either and can't wait to become Mrs. D' Orsay!
Do you know what today is? It’s my Weddingbee One Year Anniversary! It’s true!
On this day, 365 days ago, I began to blog along with the hive. I was engaged 5 months and had moved to England 15 days earlier. Looking at back at my first post I couldn’t stop laughing—if only I had known! I joked about folding a million paper flowers, and cutting wine bottles, and creating place holder corks; all projects that would become miniature labors of love. Not to mention all the invitationrelated projects that I can’t believe I added in along the way!
Looking back from that first post, I had so much to learn and share about immigration, name changes, and ultimately deciding what country we’ll reside in (we’re still working on a few all of those). A year ago I had no idea I’d be celebrating our union without my Grandmother, or the profound effect her passing would have on me. Who could have imagined I’d “meet” such wonderful women to invite to our wedding?
I’d also like to confess that it wasn’t for lack of pro pics that I’m starting my recaps now. Read more…
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.
As an undergraduate, I took a literature class on Robert Frost.
It was one of those straight-from-the-glossy-school-catalogs kind of class. A real O-Captain-My-Captain sort of semester. The professor—he was about 100—was tiny and wore tweed vests and bow ties and spoke in a gravelly voice. About eight or nine of us would sit around a small conference table, gesticulating wildly with used, dog-eared copies of The Poetry of Robert Frost: The Collected Poems, Complete and Unabridged. One weekend we all caravaned to our professor’s pastoral home, a sprawling rustic charmer amid a clearing, backed by shady woods. His wife served us sandwiches, he showed us how to fashion and use a divining rod, and we wandered around his mending wall. When the sun got too hot, we all spontaneously jumped into a nearby brook and splashed around.
Spring Wedding Favors
