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 2010
Venue: 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!
Ever since I went to a friend’s wedding and arrived at the hotel late and starving, to discover the most delightful basket full of delicious baked goods, snacks, candies, water and Advil, I knew I had to have OOT (Out Of Town) guest bags. Of course her basket also included a welcome note, directions to the ceremony and reception, a shuttle schedule, important info, etc. - but I was mostly (ecstatically) happy about the food. What can I say, I’m easy to please. Although her goodies were in an cool galvanized bucket, I really want to stick with something that will be easily transportable for our guests (something that can fit in a suitcase) so I’m thinking about something more along the lines of a bag.
One example I’ve seen that I immediately bookmarked were these from Mrs. Lemon (whose blue & gold wedding I absolutely love):
(a look into how she decorated & filled these here)
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Mrs. Trail Mix, New York
Age and Occupation: 26, PE Teacher
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, MBA Student
Engagement Date: March 2009
Wedding Date: June 2010
Venue: Tannery Pond at the Darrow School
About Me: I'm a country girl who somehow found herself living in the Big Apple and loving every minute of it. I'm planning a rustic, country-chic wedding in my hometown in upstate New York and it's going to be a Party with a capital P. White wine, flea markets and running keep me happy and my friends, family and fiance are my world. I'm a little bit crafty, a little bit crazy but mostly just crazy in love.
I’ve mentioned before about my love of round, clear string lights (often called cafe lights, although the actual light bulb is a G40). They look like this:
(Source)
I decided I had to have them to decorate the tent for the wedding. The only problem was, those suckers are expensive! One lighting quote from a rental company we were considering was well over $500, just to line the perimeter. Yeah, not so much.
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Beehive
Feature Launched: Aug 31, 2006
About: A forum for readers to post questions and get feedback from the hive, aka the weddingbee community.
December 30th, 2009 @ 12:14 pm by Beehive
Join us for a Post a Thon tonight from 3PM PST to 10PM PST. Post a Thons are a great opportunity for the entire hive to gather on the boards for chat, advice, and discussion. It’s an especially great time to get lots of feedback on your current projects and ideas!
Please join us tonight for another great Post a Thon. We look forward to seeing you on the boards!
Mrs. Cheeseburger, Baltimore, MD/State College, PA
Age and Occupation: 25, Medical Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Medical Student
Engagement Date: June 28, 2008
Wedding Date: March 2010
Venue: Catholic Church Ceremony & Hotel Reception
About 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 went shopping for wedding bands fairly early in our planning process because I was apprehensive about finding a band that would go with my ring. You see, my engagement ring has a different sort of setting. In addition to the halo around the diamond, there is also another circle that sits flush against my finger. It’s hard to describe, so maybe this will help:
I love, love, love this feature of the ring! It was actually one of my favorite things about it when I got it. However, because of this design element, a wedding band cannot sit flush against it. Hence, I wanted to get this band situation sorted out early.
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Featured on Weddingbee
“Make an elegant invitation statement without the fuss. Stylish invitation sets with matching envelopes, reception and response cards included.”
Featured Product: Laura Ashley Delicate Damask Invitation
Mrs. Scissors, LaGrange, GA
Age and Occupation: 25, Photography & Graphic Design
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Engineering Grad 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!
So by now you all know how we met, how I seduced him with my potato-masher-fan skillz, and how we decided on my ballin’ engagement ring. Now I’m gonna tell y’all about the proposal. Pull up a chair, grab a drink, and get your excited pants on, because this one’s long. And awesome.
I knew it was coming… at some point. It was December, and we had the ring. It was in the closet, staring at me every day in its pretty blue Tiffany’s bag. “Hey, Miss Scissors! Look at me! I’m all wrapped up and you can’t see me yet!” My ring was a tease.
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Mrs. Pug, New York City/Half Moon Bay, CA
Age and Occupation: 33, Lawyer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 32, ditto
Engagement Date: July 2008
Wedding Date: March 2010
Venue: Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay
About 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.)
December 30th, 2009 @ 11:10 am by Mrs. Pug
The First 180 Degrees
I never considered hiring a day-of-coordinator (DOC) during the first year of wedding planning. After all, we were only having 60 people, all in one location, no formal ceremony, no bridal party procession, no grand entrance into reception, no first dance, no father-daughter dance… you name it, we weren’t having it.
Then I read a veritable cornucopia of posts regarding the absolute necessity of having a DOC. Bride after bride after bride said that it was the best decision they had made. Oh crap, have I misled myself? Would I regret having to make any of my family members work? Would they not enjoy themselves? Now in a tizzy, I decided to call around and see exactly what this DOC thing was about and whether it was necessary for our relatively small wedding.
Source
(Jennifer Lopez from The Wedding Planner, although hopefully your planner won’t steal your husband)
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Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
Mrs. Buttons, Clearwater, FL
Age and Occupation: 24, "Working on it"
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Financial Services
Engagement Date: June 13, 2009
Wedding Date: May 2010
Venue: Carlouel Yacht Club
About 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!
Ah yes, the ring. The tiny little bauble that so many girls dream of. Once the topic of marriage came into the conversation, I decided that we should start to “browse” through some ring options. Because, well… Mr. Buttons had an adorable, yet old fashioned idea about engagement rings (in my opinion)! When I suggested that we go shopping so that I could give him hints about what styles I liked, he was slightly confused.
“I thought the ring was supposed to be a surprise, and that I have to buy it by myself…???”
Hmmm. Albeit an incredibly romantic gesture, I knew that I would have some very specific opinions on what ring I ultimately wanted, and my desire was to point him in the right direction.
So, I asked him if he would feel comfortable walking into jewelry stores and picking something out.
“Nope.”
And this, dear hive, is how our engagement ring journey began.
Read more…
Mrs. Hamster, New York City
Age and Occupation: 28, Finance Gal
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Finance Guy
Engagement Date: March 9, 2009
Wedding Date: May 2010
Venue: The Pierre Hotel
About 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!
Source
“It’s a pretty good zoo,”
Said young Gerald McGrew,
“And the fellow who runs it
seems proud of it too.”
“But if I ran the zoo,”
Said young Gerald McGrew,
“I’d make a few changes.
That’s just what I’d do…”
-If I Ran the Zoo, by Dr. Seuss
The Mister and I have what you might call a “give and take” approach to wedding planning - he gives me suggestions, and I take them with a grain of salt.
Read more…
Mrs. Rainbow, Tampa
Age and Occupation: 22, Makeup Artist
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Electrical Engineer/Programmer
Engagement Date: November 27, 2008
Wedding Date: May 2010
Venue: The Gamble Plantation
About 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 shared with you my big fat FAIL, or “maca(w)ron(g)” as I like to call it. I also told you that, with some tweaking of Mrs. Perfume’s macaron recipe, my macaron making trials and tribulations ended in success. Well, rejoice hive, because now I’m here to share what worked for me. But first, another random picture of pretty macarons.
source
Okay then, here goes:
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Mrs. Spaniel, Los Angeles
Age and Occupation: 28, Law Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Psychologist
Wedding Date: March 2010
Venue: Calamigos Ranch
About 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.)
(source)
Have you ever heard of the Japanese tradition where a bride who folds a thousand origami cranes before her wedding ensures a prosperous and happy marriage? There’s no way I’ll have time to fold a thousand cranes before March (remember that law school thing?), but I’ve always thought this was a cute idea. But that’s not why I’d attempt it. I would attempt it because it was my aunt who taught me how to make paper cranes when I was younger, because I know this is something she would have loved to have helped us to do for the wedding, and because she won’t be able to be with us after a battle with ovarian cancer that ended two and a half years ago. I’m missing her a bit these last few weeks, and when this popped into my head, it seemed an appropriate way to remember her.
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Wedding Bios
Feature Launched: September 12, 2008
About: Wedding bios of real brides.
brena80
Start your own Weddingbee Bio and you could be featured on the blog!
Mrs. Pretzel, Seattle
Age and Occupation: 32 Learning, Training, and Development Specialist
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28 Manufacturing Engineer
Engagement Date: September 2, 2009
Wedding Date: July 2010
Venue: Catholic Church & The Engine Room at Georgetown Studios
About 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.
We’ve talked about my feelings of “Bride FAIL” when initially looking at wedding dresses. I told you that I felt little better when I found sleek, modern, build-it-yourself dresses. But I’ve gotta admit I still felt like a bridal fraud because it was the God’s-honest-truth that I could still care less about the dress—not just the process of shopping for the dress—I could care less about THE DRESS.
I don’t like wedding dresses. There I said it. Please don’t disown me… I love every other aspect of wedding planning – I even like wedding dresses on other people. But when I look at wedding dresses for me, all I felt was “meh”.
I was conflicted. I knew I wanted to be a bride with a white wedding dress, but really I just wished that my fairy godmother would say, “Pretzel, here you go—this is your dress, wear it and be bridal.”
Source
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Mrs. Frozen Yogurt, Dallas
Age and Occupation: 28, Special Projects Coordinator
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Equity Trader
Engagement Date: March 19, 2009
Wedding Date: April 2010
Venue: Marie Gabrielle, Dallas
About 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.
Source
I’ve found myself focusing a lot on the wedding and not as much on the whole reason behind it all. Not that I don’t realize that I’m marrying this person, but it’s so easy to get caught up in the little details like what shade of green I want a font to be, and not focus on the important thing like why I decided to spend the rest of my life with this wonderful person. So for now, I am going to stop and reflect on why I love Mr. Fro Yo.
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Mrs. Glitter, Los Angeles
Age and Occupation: 27, Research Consultant/Writer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Accounting
Engagement Date: May 6, 2007
Wedding Date: June, 2009
Venue: Millenium Biltmore Hotel
About Me: I was born and raised in West Los Angeles, California. I spent eight years in the Northeast working and completing my education. Having split time between two sides of the country has given me a true appreciation for both coasts. It has also provided an overabundance of cross country drives, flights and long distance relationship fun/misery! I love my family, my doggy Emma, fabulous wine, Anthropologie, politics, reading, being outdoors, exploring new cities, and good movies! My fiance and I are complete opposites, but somehow we have managed to fall completely and hopelessly in love.
I’ve never seen Mad Men, not because I’m not interested, but because there are only so many hours in a day, and I already watch way too much TV. Guilty as charged. But I’m thinking that I may need to cave and finally add Mad Men to my ridiculously long DVR wish list - if only to drool over all the retro fashion goodness.
Christina Hendricks of Mad Men recently got married in real life, and please note her awesome vintage-clad bridal party.
Source: InStyle Weddings via Once Wed
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Mrs. Beagle, Austin
Age and Occupation: 26, Electrical Engineer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Finance
Engagement Date: July 12, 2008
Wedding Date: October 2009
Venue: Church Ceremony/Reception at The Waterford House
About Me: I am a true, but rare, Austinite---I was born, raised, and continue to live in this great city! Although
I am an engineer by day, I feed my inner creative side through crafting, sewing, and obsessing over Martha Stewart. I love coffee, my mister, NPR, and exploring all the nooks and crannies of Austin.
I can't wait to share my adventures in DIY and wedding planning with all of you!
Since I’m still sorting through and organizing our wedding pics (!!!), I decided to start recapping our honeymoon in the meantime.
We had originally considered postponing our honeymoon to sometime in 2010, but I am so glad we decided to go soon after the wedding (we left the following week). We were in dire need of some rest and relaxation and it was nice to take a break from “real life”, even if it was just for a week.
If you remember (or if you don’t), Mr. Beagle’s parents graciously gifted us the use of their timeshare in San Jose del Cabo (about 30 minutes away from Cabo San Lucas). We left Austin on the Saturday after our wedding (Halloween). Arriving at the airport in San Jose del Cabo was very overwhelming for me. As soon as we left the customs area, we were I was immediately bombarded by timeshare salesmen trying to coax us into stopping to talk to them. I assume this because they target Americans/non Spanish speakers/women… so after several confusing moments where I thought they were persons we needed to meet, I latched on to Mr. Beagle’s arm and we walked quickly to the airport exit. We were aware that salesmen were aggressive in the airport, but I had no idea they would be so pushy and persuasive! Fortunately this was the only location where we encountered this behavior and once we exited the airport, it was relatively easy to find our prearranged transportation to our hotel.
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All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
(source)
Source: InStyle Weddings via Once Wed
