Weddingbee Blog

The Spaniel-in-laws have been really supportive throughout the wedding planning process, and are throwing us this awesome rehearsal dinner to boot. So last night, Mr. Spaniel and I decided to help them out a bit by throwing together some invitations.

I really wanted to keep the rehearsal dinner vibe fun and festive and colorful, which means I tried to resist the draw to my usual clean, simple aesthetic and not just copy these invitations.

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Even though I really, really wanted to.

Instead, I focused more on invites like these.
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I did a lot of research when trying to pick out places to take engagement photos. I went back to all potential photographer websites and combed through their engagement sessions. I asked all of our friends who were married and had taken photos already. It was overwhelming. You only have a few hours with your photographer so you want to make it count! So, here’s how we planned our engagement photo session. It turned out to take a lot more preparation than I thought.

Mr. L and I first talked about what we did NOT want for our engagement photos. We did not want to wear khakis and white shirts and take pictures on the beach. Okay, so that’s really the only thing we didn’t want.

Then we talked about what we DID want.

1. We wanted interesting backgrounds. We’re not terribly photogenic people so we thought that if the backgrounds were interesting, it might take some of the attention off of us.
2. We wanted to use some of our photos at our wedding, for our guestbook (possibly) and on our website.
3. We wanted our clothes, style and location to reflect our styles. On the one hand, we’re young, casual and stylin’ and on the other, we’re refined and sophisticated.

So my suggestions are:
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Assembling these programs has turned out to be quite the time suck - good thing we’ve had two blizzards and lots of snow days this week! There are a lot of steps. They’re not hard to complete, but when you’ve got to do each step 200+ times, things get old - fast.

But I dare not abandon you, hive. Here you are, the final steps to complete the Cheeseburger Programs!

1. Cut out your program covers. Remember how the dots were hanging over the edge of the circle? This is why it doesn’t matter - you cut them away! I chose to use scalloped scissors - I think they add visual interest and also give you a little wiggle room in the event that you screw up (though remember, you are following along a circle)

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I was doing some very deep* thinking the other day after watching The Wedding Planner on cable.

Do you know that scene where Maria’s father reveals that his marriage was actually an arranged marriage? And he said that their respect for each other eventually grew to love?

There is a deep history that exists around arranged marriage. The custom still exists in certain areas of Asia, Europe, and Africa, and in cultures everywhere, including in the United States. (I’m not talking about child brides or forced marriage— though, such things do exist.)

All politics and cultural implications aside, I’ve been thinking about arranged marriage. More specifically, the WHO in the arranging aspect.
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I left you last with the first wedding photo checklist of people. Now we move on to some detail shots. Again, I’ll remind you that this is not your ordinary list; these are “extra” shots. These shots showcase a little bit more than the traditional shots that most experienced wedding photographers will remember to shoot.

(1) Ring shots with personality. These ring shots give you a bit more information than just the beauty of the wedding rings.

Source: Mrs. Sea Breeze

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Laur1230 is selling a Monique Lhullier “Elle” gown. A latte lining lies beneath layers of ivory lace; the ivory tulle skirt meets the bodice at its drop waist. The size 10 sample dress has never been worn or altered. Inquire as to price.

Have a wedding item for sale? Post it with pictures in the Weddingbee classifieds and you might see it featured on the blog!

Other great items for sale:

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Lots of people collect something, are obsessed with something, or have something that is their “thing”.

For me, it’s shoes.

I have a shoe problem. It’s undeniable. I obsess over, online stalk and collect shoes. It’s even mentioned in my blog profile!

I’ve always enjoyed shoes, but my like turned into love after graduating from college and entering the world of pumps and peep toes to wear to work. There are so many more possibilities when you go from wearing flats to walk around campus to 3+ inch heels because you sit at a desk all day! Steadily, my collection has grown, and I now have quite a store of cute shoes (all purchased on sale and for low prices too, I’m proud to say! I love to shop around for sales, since about the most expensive range I’ll pay is Steve Madden or Nine West prices, but prefer under $30.).

So, now that I’ve set the stage for my obsession, let’s take a look, shall we?
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= Frazzilicious Nachos

I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder oh, about 10 years ago. It started when I was in cosmetology school and it got to the point where I wouldn’t get in a car ’cause I knew I’d have a panic attack if I did. I saw a therapist for a while who would condition his patients by exposing them to the thing they feared most, using baby steps, of course. So for one hour a few times a week, he got paid $100 to sit in my passenger seat while I drove around the neighborhood and freaked out on the inside. I have to say over time, it worked wonders and I pretty much have anxiety under control. I wouldn’t be able to sit in the hour-long Chicago rush hour to and from work everyday if I didn’t! However, you never get rid of it, you learn how to control it, and the panic monster still has a tendency to sneak up on me at random unexpected times, usually when I’m stressed. The problem is, I don’t always know that I’m stressed until I panic. It’s my body’s way of relieving stress since I don’t do it on my own. Hence the disorder.

OK, now that you’re all caught up on how my silly brain works, I’ll tell you how this relates to now. I had my first wedding-related anxiety attack yesterday on my way home when I was sitting in this…

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Yep, that’s the highway I take, and yep, it looks like that my whole drive home. It would probably provoke anxiety in anyone, but I’m OK most days.

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I wanted to remind you all of our meet up scheduled for TOMORROW (Friday, Feb. 19)!!!! YAY!

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Location: Bahama Breeze situated on the Courtney Campbell Causeway. After consulting the weather, I see there is only a high of 63 for tomorrow, so perhaps we should stay inside! If you don’t see us right away, ask for the Weddingbee table.

Time: 7:00PM (please note the time change, as per your requests!)

PLEASE respond here, or on this board thread to tell me if we can expect you there, and we’ll make sure there is a seat saved! I’m looking forward to meeting everyone tomorrow - see you there!

In addition to our chair-cover-bag-favors, I think we need some more things to force upon our guests.

Why, you ask? Isn’t the bag enough? Sure it is, but if you give a mouse a cookie… he’s going to want to put something in that bag, no?

I admit, I’m one of those free-stuff-snagging-hoarders. I used to go to job fairs just to get the free stuff off the tables (not just the junky pencils and keychains, but you know, the good stuff, the laser pointers and interesting gadgets). When I go to a wedding, I keep the program, the escort card, the placecard, heck, even the menu card - and of course, the favor. Usually I have no where to put said items, since bringing a giant “stuff” bag to a wedding would probably fall under the no-no-you-crazy-woman list.

So I’m solving the problem for people like me by supplying the stuff bag. Let’s stuff it, shall we?

While sifting through my Oriental Trading catalog for said undesirable knick knacks, I happened upon this:

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Eons ago, weeks after getting engaged, I had come across this post by Mrs. Apple and not only was I bawlin’ by the end of the post, but I knew one thing was for certain when my wedding came around. I didn’t have a date, let alone a venue, but I knew what song I was going to dance to with my father at my wedding… “I Loved Her First” by Heartland.
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Yesterday I had the opportunity to do something I’ve been holding back on lately: Shopping. I’ll fully admit, I do love to get my shop on. But thanks to burgeoning wedding costs, I’ve restrained myself for the last year or so. (And by restrained I mean “shopped less”. You didn’t think I gave it up altogether now, did ya?)

However, I had the day off (holla for a teacher’s schedule!) and decided to pay a visit to my beloved mecca of discounted fashion merchandise. I told myself I was just scouting out rehearsal dinner dresses with no intention to buy… don’t worry, I didn’t actually come home with a dress but I did fall in love with one.

Anyways, have I mentioned how much I love Loehmann’s? I’m pretty sure I have but in case you missed it, there it is. I love Loehmann’s. It’s gotten to the point where Mr Trail Mix knows the drill whenever I enter the apartment with a Loehmann’s shopping bag. It varies by item but usually involves me making him guess how much I paid for said item and how much it retailed for originally. Some of my finds include my gorgeous Beth Bowley engagement dress, Seven for All Mankind jeans, a Cynthia Steffe sundress, Missoni sunglasses, Kate Spade flats…

Good stuff, all well below the retail price.
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I’ve had some interest from friends and fellow brides on my wedding spending and finding good deals. I’ve scored big time on the classifieds here on Weddingbee, The Knot’s Trash-to-Treasure board, and Craigslist. Why, just last weekend, my dear cousin and bridesmaid picked up another 40 cylinder vases (I have about 200 more!) for my centerpieces that I found for a steal on Weddingbee.

Some of my favorite finds?

Antique Spanish-style candelabra, with six LED flickering candles, Craigslist $35. Photo: Personal photo

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Check out Starbright333’s stunning radiant-cut vintage-inspired canary diamond! Gorgeous.

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.

There once was a bride from the City
Who thought birdcage veils were so pretty
But one look at her back
And she exclaimed - “Ackk!”
So she gave up that veil, what a pity!

Okay, so I failed limericks class. Anyhoo, the message is there. My choice of veil was somewhat dictated by my back.

Sadly, my back will never look like this.

Let’s back it up for a sec (groan). When I first contemplated my wedding day look, I immediately turned to the birdcage veil. Look how pretty! I was going for a ’40s glam look, and it fit perfectly. I thought - WWDD? (What Would Dita Do?). And the answer was clear - she’d rock the birdcage.

This was before I saw my back in a 3-way mirror.
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