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!
When Mr. Guinea Pig and I first got engaged, we decided we would ask his local friend P to take some photos of us as ’engagement pictures’. Mr. GP stalled and stalled, never asking P, always saying, “he’s busy, I’ll ask him next time.” Finally August came around, and Mr. Guinea Pig had to move to California until the end of January (boooo). So now we don’t have engagement photos, and we don’t even live on the same side of the country!
A month or so ago, Mr. Guinea Pig came home for a visit, and I made him stand in front of the camera with me while I snapped a few photos with my remote trigger just for fun. I messed with a couple of the photos in Photoshop and loved the result of one in particular:
(you can actually sort of see the remote in my hand behind Mr. GP)
Mrs. Sprinkle, Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 26, Preschool Teacher
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Television Production/WriterEngagement Date: December 24, 2008Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: The Marvimon HouseAbout Me: I'm a Bay Area native trying to create a life for myself (and my fiance, and our three cats!) in the vast city of Los Angeles. I love vegan red velvet cupcakes, pilates ,and mid-century furniture. Mr. Sprinkle and I met when my band toured through his city (we bonded over cake and a mutual love of Morrissey) and we are getting married on the four year anniversary of our first date. When I am not teaching preschool (or blogging!) you can find me perfecting recipes, petting kittens, hiking in Griffith Park, and overusing exclamation points. We are planning a vegan, green-as-possible, DIY wedding, and I couldn't be more excited to share all of the details!
After our “first look”, we had an hour or so to dedicate to posed portraits, but we didn’t end up using all of that time (I think… the day was a blur!). While posing for photos may not be my strong point, I absolutely love how these turned out. The portraits below are probably my favorite pictures from the day, and some of my favorite memories as well.
We started out sitting on some of the benches in the outdoor ceremony area. (By the way, does anyone remember this great shoe debate?! I ended up going with #5 but I took off my shoes for the first dance and kept them off for the rest of the night. I was a half barefoot, half yellow shoe bride!)
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.)
I usually start thinking about Christmas gifts months early (yes, this girl with the Jewish and Muslim families gives gifts on Christmas), and the Ghost of Christmas Past visited me this morning and reminded me of a funny story from Christmas two years ago (pre-engagement, of course).
Now, Mr. Spaniel and I have a pretty egalitarian relationship, and I didn’t feel that the decision to get engaged was one that should be made unilaterally—I didn’t want the secret ring-buying and surprise proposal; it’s not my scene. But Mr. Spaniel has his old-fashioned moments, and he wasn’t totally on-board with picking out a ring together at first. (One might question why I needed a ring at all, but if one were to do that, I might stick my tongue out at one and talk to everyone else in the room instead.) So, although I didn’t hope for or expect it, I thought there might be a possibility of a proposal that Christmas.
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!
On my quest for my very own inspiration ornament, I headed straight to Polyvore and typed “ornament” into the search engine… novel idea… I know. I flipped through a few pages and found some viable options- including a cute little rainbow with puffy white clouds, just like me! However, I reeeeally wanted to find something with pink in it. What can I say? I’m your textbook girly-girl. I flipped through a few more pages and what did I see? Uhm…
Oh ma gah! It’s My Little Pony! And not just any old MLP, it’s a MLP with a RAINBOW! Uhm, hellooo? When destiny is knocking, you answer. Sure, it’s pink and glittery and might be a bit juvenile, but gimme a break, I’m Miss Rainbow! Plus, the colors are perfect for a late spring wedding, just like ours. So, this My Little Pony enthusiast went promptly to work.
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 talked about paper weight as one of the factors you may want to consider in choosing paper for your wedding stationery. Now I present factor #2, paper finishes. By that I mean the texture of the paper, the feel you get from running your fingers all over the paper–ooooh, aaaah… how indecent!
Paper finish
The first time I ordered paper samples, I wanted really thick paper, so I got 200lb. There I was, all excited, ripping open the envelope, rubbing my grubby fingers all over the paper, only to be like eh? Errhh? It felt like posterboard. Because I think it was posterboard. It had a shiny, slick finish. I didn’t want our invitations to look like a 4th grade arts project.
If you’re ordering from a place that has a wide selection of paper, you will want to pay attention to finish.
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. 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!
We took our engagement pictures on PSU’s campus (surprise!). It just made sense. Jess is located in State College, we’re getting married there, and plus, we love any excuse to visit!
I was particularly excited to have campus as a dynamic and memorable backdrop to our pictures. We hoped for good weather so that we could get some good outdoor shots, but I had plenty of indoor possibilities in my mind as well!
For location inspiration I was thinking that I would love to get some shots outside of some of the buildings we used to have classes together in, like this couple did, outside of the Sackett Building:
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!
After our fun photo shoot at our old high school it was time to stop back at my parents’ house for some food and formal shots. At this point in the day it was drizzling outside, so my dream of having family pictures in the garden where we had our first look wasn’t going to come true. The plan had been to take pictures with family outside while the wedding party helped Heather, our DOC, decorate the church. However when we arrived at the house we were told Heather had it all under control, so we were able to take more pictures with our wedding party, as well.
It was actually really nice to meet at the house all dressed up and have a little family camaraderie before the ceremony.
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.
They might possibly be the greatest wedding invention ever. OK, well, maybe not THE greatest (and they’d work for any type of party, not just weddings…). But still, they’re pretty freakin’ awesome. What am I talking about? These little suckers:
Mrs. Penguin, Northern CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 27, Weddingbee Editor in ChiefFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Doctor of Physical TherapyEngagement Date: January 29, 2007Wedding Date: June 7, 2008Blogging Since: September 14, 2007Venue: Winery in the Gold CountryAbout Me: I love the Spice Girls, dogs with underbites, bean burritos, making messes, high fives, avoiding showers, crossword puzzles, blogs, weddings, and blogs about weddings!
We tried our best to throw everyone off as to who the newest bee is on the boards last night! Did it work? Our newest bee has been buzzing in and out of the hive for quite a while; can you guess her former moniker? We’re thrilled to welcome her as a blogger bee as the new Miss Scissors! Please join me in welcoming her into the hive!
Miss Scissors, LaGrange, GA
Age & Occupation: 24, Art Student
Fiance’s Age & Occupation: 23, Engineering Student
Engagement Date: January 1, 2009
Wedding Date: June 2010
Venue: 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!
Mrs. Sea Breeze, Vancouver/Dominican RepublicAge in 2008 and Occupation: 30, Communications ManagerFiance's Age in 2008 and Occupation: 29, Experiential Marketing DirectorEngagement Date: October 6, 2007Wedding Date: November, 2008Blogging Since: July 17, 2008Venue: Majestic Colonial Resort, Punta CanaAbout Me: Planning a destination wedding by the sea should be (oh no she di-in't…) a breeze (…*sigh* yep, she did) but when you've never been to the Caribbean, your powers of imagination are really put to the test. Luckily, I'm 90% resourceful, creative optimist (and kooky, neurotic practicalist-if-that's-a-word for the other ten). Other than writing about our week-long celebration of family, friends, laughter and love, I adore books, shoes and… you guessed it… long walks on the beach.
It’s hard to believe that it has been a year and a half since I joined Weddingbee and started blogging about our celebration of family, friends, laughter and love. Throughout my journey, there were many ups and downs but it was all worth it in the end – I wouldn’t have traded our destination wedding adventure for anything in the world.
But now it’s time for me to move on, or rather, time to say au revoir. I’ve always liked that French saying. Rather than the harsh I’m-going-and-I’m-shutting-the-door-behind-me kind of “goodbye”, au revoir is more like: until we meet again. It suggests the delightful possibility you’ll see the other person again and though you don’t know when or how, oh won’t it be a lovely reunion when you do? So this is not to say I won’t be popping back in to say hello and share some new wedding goodness from time to time. It will just be much less frequent.
But before we part for a little while, there’s one last Polish wedding tradition that I’ve never seen personally but that I’ve read about* that I’d like to share with you. I think this is sort of an old-school tradition but I think it’s quite funny and besides, isn’t everything retro cool again?
Mrs. Hamster, New York CityAge and Occupation: 28, Finance GalFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Finance GuyEngagement Date: March 9, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: The Pierre HotelAbout Me: I'm an original Jersey girl living it up in the big NYC! I love baking for others, hosting brunches, and exploring NYC with my mans. Besides Mr. Hamster (of course), I'm attracted to shiny things, bold colors, snacks, matching and coordination, pork and duck fats, miniature versions of things, corny jokes and puns. We are planning a swanky Spring wedding in the heart of NYC, followed by a second reception in Singapore. From one city that never sleeps to another - I can't imagine a more exciting ride!
I love makeup. Eyeshadows, lip glosses, shimmer powders—I’m a sucker for them all. Place me blindfolded in the middle of a Sephora, and I’ll immediately know where I am by the scent.
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!
As I mentioned in my last post, two of our groomsmen will be having babies soon. So, when are the wives of our guys due? One is due two weeks before our wedding. And our best man’s wife? The day after our wedding (Mother’s Day, coincidentally).
(photo from Abigail Seymour , a photographer I love, and blog-stalk)
This news comes as a mixed blessing for us because obviously we are SO excited for them to have their first child, but unfortunately it means Mr. Guinea Pig’s best man can no longer attend our wedding. They live in Florida, and there’s no way he’s flying to Maryland the day before his wife is due to have the baby! Even if she has the baby a few days early, he doesn’t want to leave her and the babe behind, which is completely understandable. 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.
The more I thought about it, the more I thought it wasn’t fair that I have this awesome sparkly thing on my finger that I get to show off wherever I go, and Mr. Nachos didn’t get anything of his own to show off (except for his shiny new fiance, of course). Granted, that’s pretty much the norm, but I absolutely love staring at my hand whenever I can sneak a peek, and I’m sad Mr. Nachos doesn’t have bling of his own to brag about.
I’m not gonna lie, I get mesmerized when I’m in the car and the sun hits it just right splaying little teeny rainbows all over the dashboard.
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.
Last I left you, Mama Pudding’s partner, M, had just ruined a perfect and meticulously planned surprise. I received the forwarded email from my mom at around 10:30PM. I called her right away (using Skype, of course), foolishly hoping that perhaps she hadn’t read it. As soon as her beaming face appeared on my computer screen and I saw her smiling from ear to ear, I knew that the surprise was truly blown. She ecstatically apologized for ruining the surprise, but was so happy that he was coming that I couldn’t stay disappointed for long. She asked that we not tell M about his mistake; she was worried that his mood on the journey would be ruined. Mama Pudding suggested that she could pick M up from the airport, and surprise him instead.
I called Sister P to tell her of the change in plans. Poor Sister P: As many of you students know, the beginning of December is kind of crunch time at school. She was busy writing papers and studying for midterms all while working two jobs and recovering from the flu. Organizing Mama Pudding’s surprise was time consuming, but it was also the only glimmer of happiness in her otherwise dreary life. When I called her to tell her the bad news, Sister Pudding’s carefully stacked world came crashing down. She started to cry, and, like any good big sister, I hate to see Sister P cry.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
(source)
They live in Florida, and there’s no way he’s flying to Maryland the day before his wife is due to have the baby! Even if she has the baby a few days early, he doesn’t want to leave her and the babe behind, which is completely understandable.
Granted, that’s pretty much the norm, but I absolutely love staring at my hand whenever I can sneak a peek, and I’m sad Mr. Nachos doesn’t have bling of his own to brag about.
