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!
When it came time to think about our seating arrangement for the reception, I had some pretty firm ideas.
I knew I wanted to forgo the traditional head table, as I’d like for our bridal party to be able to sit with their dates. The sweetheart table has become extremely popular option lately. While I think it’s a lovely way to spend some alone time with your new spouse, I also feel that they can make the bride and groom slightly unapproachable (which some people probably want during dinner!). I also knew that some couples choose to sit with their parents and/or grandparents at the reception, an idea that I really liked.
And so our Family Table was born.
Seated together during dinner will be Burger and myself, my parents, his parents, Cheeseburger SisterMOH & date, Cheeseburger Brother & date, Burger Brother (Best Man) & date, Burger Sister & date, my grandparents (3 of them) and his grandparents (3 also), or a grand total of 20 people! I know it’s going to be quite a large table, but being surrounded by those we love the most is so important to us, that we couldn’t pass this idea up! 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!
True story. Wedding cake is another thing I am strangely, weirdly, and, well, very opinionated about. There are a few things on my list of requirements, and they are as follows (in no particular order):
Delicious, white buttercream frosting. I don’t want fondant to even be in the same room.
No wet fillings. The filling that I like best is no filling at all. I’ll take more buttercream in the center, thanks. (I have a serious phobia of wet bread, and wet cake filling STRONGLY borders on being too close for comfort.)
Mrs. Swan, New York CityAge and Occupation: 31, Legislative RepresentativeFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Finance GuyEngagement Date: August 9, 2008Wedding Date: August 2009Venue: Battery GardensAbout Me: I am an un-crafty but resourceful, Caribbean-born but New York-raised woman who's been known to analyze "Dancing with the Stars" and “So You Think You Can Dance”, buy stinky cheese, and use way too many parentheses. I keep lists for fun, am constantly daydreaming of my next international travel adventure (four continents down, three to go), debating sports (let’s Got Mets/Giants!) and dancing around my apartment to stay sane. I am excited to share our wedding planning journey as I hope to plan a streamlined, personal, and fun wedding with the greatest life partner I could ever imagine, Mr. Swan.
And away we go! Let the Swan wedding recaps begin!
The night before the wedding I couldn’t sleep. I’m not talking about some tossing and turning here; I mean I really couldn’t sleep a wink. After a pretty quick and efficient rehearsal, a nice family-only dinner and drinks with many of our guests that night, I thought I would be totally zonked out. I was initially, but about 1AM my mind was racing and I couldn’t go back to sleep. Yikes!!!
I knew that I wanted some personal alone time before my very early beauty appointments starting at 7AM (one of the downsides to having a daytime wedding, I guess). I really wanted some time to wrap my mind around what was about to happen and to make sure that I had some time for some prayer/meditation with my friend, Big Mitts (not her real name) who was staying with me that night in my hotel room. Big Mitts and I do a lot of prayer and reflection together, and I really liked the idea of being able to do that with her before all of the craziness of the day started. The problem was that I woke up four hours before I wanted to do that!
After lying in bed for what seemed like forever, I tried my best not to wake up Big Mitts, and I snuck down to the hotel lobby. I tried to journal but apparently the hotel thinks it’s cool to blast music in the lobby at 5AM!! A completely vacant hotel lobby was not the quiet, relaxing retreat that I thought it would be. After being way too annoyed by the music, I rushed back upstairs and tried to not wake up Big Mitts, which didn’t work.
Big Mitts and I ended up talking a lot, I cried quite a bit (A GOOD cry, not a sad cry, more like a releasing cry) and we had some nice peaceful moments together. Read more…
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!
My hairstyle has never been on the long side. As a baby, I was bald for quite some time, so my hair was naturally short for the first few years of my life.
Mrs. Cherry Pie is offering three free engagement photography sessions to brides in the Seattle/Portland area. Check out her classified ad for more information!
Have a wedding item for sale? Post it with pictures in the Weddingbee classifieds and you might see it featured on the blog!
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.)
I know I’ve previously posted about our pugs and the wedding, but I am posting again because I love dogs (and I’m not alone, if youlookthroughWeddingbee archives). All of ’em. Big, small, furry, fur-less (yes, even those), rescue, mutt, purebred—you name it, I love them. Mr. Pug gets so tired of me fawning after every dog we see on the street that he grabs my hand and pulls me forward in order to save ourselves some embarrassment. Dogs just make me happy.
Okay, there was *one* dog that I hated, and I use that word understanding the full force and extremity behind it. I dog-sat for this small, obnoxious, ill-trained, super-alpha dog once and we had a battle of wills.
Mrs. Cupcake, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 27, Graphic DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Construction Project ManagerEngagement Date: February 10, 2007Wedding Date: September, 2008Blogging Since: December 7, 2007Venue: The Desmond Hotel in Malvern, PAAbout Me: Mr. Cupcake and I hit it off at a Halloween party and immediately began a long-distance relationship. After two years, he moved to my neck of the woods, and a year and a half after that, he proposed at the “place we fell in love.” I am a true perfectionist who enjoys designing and creating more work for myself, so wedding planning is my perfect outlet. Mr. Cupcake and I are both old souls, and we hope to weave that aspect of our personalities into our wedding day.
Ever since we got our wedding photos back from our photographers last February, I have had a very big to-do hanging over my head:
Mrs. Cupcake’s to-do list 1. Create wedding albums for parents
Finally I was able to cross this biggie off of my list this Christmas (with glee, might I add). In early December, I hunkered down and designed 12″ x 12″, 50-page hardcover albums, which I had printed by Blurb. I had never used Blurb before so I was quite nervous for the outcome, but after reading so many rave reviews from the hive, I took the chance… and I am pleased to say that I am extremely satisfied with the final result.
Mrs. Star, New York CityAge and Occupation: 22, ActressFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Casting AssistantWedding Date: October 2009Venue: Ceremony: The Kraine Theatre, Reception: Midtown Loft & TerraceAbout Me: I’m a professional actress who’s always had New York City in her blood and I'm finally getting the chance to make a home in Manhattan with my fiancé, my dog, and my big dreams! I love polka dots, craft projects, Dunkin’ Donuts’ iced coffee, and anything sparkly. I’m having a blast planning our elegant/dramatic/New York City/acting-themed/largely-DIY wedding and am thrilled to be the youngest current Miss Blogger!
Hive, do me a favor and play this song while you read this post. It’s the song that played during our bridal party processional and I think it really helped set the mood we were going for:
Thank you, Amy Seeley…
And so we had an “audience” full of our nearest and dearest friends and family, who were all gathered there in this edgy little Lower East Side theater, waiting to see us get hitched.
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.
Thanks to the fabulous Stephanie James Couture, I finally found my wedding dress groove: retro 1950s styling. YAY! I quickly researched how much a SJC dress would put a dent in the Pretzel purse, and YAY became NAY. Remember, I have a list of things I vowed not to do during wedding planning and “I won’t spend an arm and a leg on a wedding dress” was on the list. I guess I should qualify that over 1K = an arm and a leg (or two) to me. So Stephanie James Couture was out.
But I was still feeling good. I knew what I wanted (finally!) – a tea length 1950s party dress. I was feeling a little Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face.
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!
If we had moves like Lady Gaga, maybe I wouldn’t have to worry about our first dance? On second thought, I think that would probably be serious cause for concern.
A long time ago I found a song that would be perfect for our first dance, but it has sort of a quick beat, so I figured maybe we should take dance lessons. When I brought this up to Mr. Guinea Pig, he said, “Why would we need dance lessons, aren’t we just going to sway in place?” Uhhh… curses. Mr GP hates dancing, and I fully understood that, but somehow I never pictured standing in place swaying as my first dance. Otherwise it would be called your First Sway?! Plus, Mr. GP is not enthused by the song - he doesn’t dislike it, he just doesn’t looooove it.
And yet, I can’t let go of this song. I have listened to it probably 50 times (or more, who’s counting?), picturing us dancing to it. I have even been known to dance around lab late at night, sashaying to the song on repeat on my iPod. Yes, I just admitted that. The only song that remotely has any meaning to us is Oh! Darling, by the Beatles, but it’s not great first dance material. So there are no songs that jump out at us as perfect but I have been obsessing over this song for so long that I think Mr. GP will eventually cave (right Mr. GP, right?!). But we would have to find a compromise - it’s too fast for swaying but we’re not exactly graceful, so how would we pull this off?
So, what is this great fantabulous song? 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 Chicago radio station, 93.9 LITE FM, plays Christmas music every year before any other station that I know of. I start listening to the station the day Christmas music takes over. And this season, they played the most gorgeous version of Pachelbel Canon in D with a children’s choir singing. How is this wedding related, you ask? The song in any version gives me chills every time I hear it, and hearing this version almost every day on my way home from work for 2 months before Christmas had me swaying my decision from a tropical song to walk down the aisle to, to Canon in D.
It is just the most beautiful song and I had a total moment of peace and clarity in my car a little while back when I was driving to Mr. N’s mom’s house for Christmas breakfast. The song came on, the sun came out, I closed the car windows, and turned the volume all the way up. I seriously almost cried at how beautiful it was.
I think this song has so much meaning for me because it has been played at almost every wedding and every Christmas mass I’ve been to, and it was one of the first songs I learned on the piano.
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!
Soon after getting engaged, I told Burger that the honeymoon would be totally his call.
You see, I’m a huge beach person - I could lay in the sun all day long with a drink in my hand and be perfectly content to call that my honeymoon. Burger however, being the Irishman that he is, turns into a lobster in the sun. Once, he was under an umbrella wearing a shirt and he still got burned from the sun’s reflection off of the sand!
So I wasn’t at all surprised when he started suggesting non-beach honeymoons. When he originally mentioned Disney, I was so excited! We are both huge Disney fans, and I haven’t been there in years, so it seemed perfect.
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!
Paper cranes and I are like BFFs. When I was little, my father brought back an origami book from Japan, and I learned how to fold every piece of origami in the book by heart. I’ve since forgotten how to fold most of them, but not the cranes. I fold them when I’m bored, when I have random scraps of paper laying around, when I want an awesome engagement shoot (heh!), or just anytime. 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. 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!
I love a deal. I love shopping. I will admit, I am a hopeless bargain store shopper (give me a TJ Maxx or Marshall’s and I am a happy girl).
I was out shopping for a shower curtain, and on a whim I decided to look in Burlington Coat Factory, since I knew they had a home goods section.
Well, little did I know that my trip would quickly turn wedding-related, as when I stepped through the door, what did I see but a jewelry rack chock full of brooches!
I have grown quite fond of the idea of attaching a brooch to my bouquet (and to those of my bridesmaids)!
Burger however, being the Irishman that he is, turns into a lobster in the sun. Once, he was under an umbrella wearing a shirt and he still got burned from the sun’s reflection off of the sand!
