Mrs. Pencils, Washington DC/Frederick, MDAge and Occupation: 24, Program Director, Education Non ProfitFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Administrative Assistant, Ocean Conservation Non ProfitEngagement Date: July 26, 2008Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Morningside InnAbout Me: I'm a nerdy Northwestern girl who always knew she was meant to live in the East, harboring a deep love of ice cream, underwear, Diet Coke with a splash of Coca-Cola, pashminas, scrapbooking, stationery, wall calendars and books written for preteens. I think every day should include good thin crust pizza, chocolate, an obscure historical monument, lots of laughter, a dash of wedding planning and, of course, amazing Mr. Pencils! I'm loving the adventure of planning a Maryland wedding and Rocky Mountain reception, and most of all, I just love love!
The past few weekends, Mr. Pencils and I have been accumulating props for our fauxtobooth. After an hour in a party store, some time at my old standby Michaels, and many silly moments with fun hats later, we had this:
Mrs. Taco, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 29, writer/editorFiance's Age and Occupation: 37, editorEngagement Date: May 13, 2009Wedding Date: August 2010Venue: The Green Room at the War Memorial Veterans BuildingAbout Me: I like laughing and talking with good friends over good food and good drink, be it wine, cocktail, or brew. I write and edit things for fun and profit, but I rarely "write" these days without a keyboard and high-speed internets. Favorites include Mr. Taco, my Boston terrier, San Francisco, getting out of town, and the Roaring ’20s. I was kind-of planning a wedding since roughly 2006, when I discovered "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?" on the WE channel. I ran and didn't look back with a theme I called "urban vintage," and it culminated in the most magical day a taco could ask for.
I caught the bouquet at my girl M’s wedding in 2007. It was (and is) the only one I’ve ever caught, a million weddings into my wedding-guest career. It was also the first wedding I went to with my now-fiancé. I loved it, but I’ve always been into weddings.
Of course, that doesn’t mean everyone likes it.
Oct. 2007. I didn’t even have to move, really.
I do plan on throwing a tiny version of my bridal bouquet to all the single ladies, and I somehow have to find a way to get around the Beyoncé song everyone uses to accompany this task. (Cliché, no?) Read more…
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.
And I’m very proud of myself that I finally relented and allowed my family to help with something! Delegation is really hard for me, but since I’d scaled back the invites to something other than my original design, I was sort of over them, and welcomed the help. So I gathered the supplies and headed to my parents’ house, where my mom, two aunts and I assembled the invites, with even a little help from my dad and my parents’ dog.
Mrs. Sewing, San Mateo, CA/Honolulu, HIAge and Occupation: 24, Electrical EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Electrical EngineerEngagement Date: June 27, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Anela Garden Chapel & Japanese Cultural Center, HonoluluAbout Me: I'm an easily entertained, compulsive idea-scheming machine who loves good art, good food, and a good engineering challenge. I'm planning a half-destination wedding on the beautiful island of Oahu - imagine a plethora of movies, art and games; savory Hawaiian food; blended Chinese and Japanese cultural details; lush, fragrant tropical flowers and all the air conditioning a NorCal native could want! And once I marry the love of my life, we'll come back to the 'mainland' to party it up all over again in my hometown of Salinas, the salad-bowl capital of the world!
The one-inch button has enamored me for quite a long time now. A staple of any fanboy convention scene, they are used to proudly decorate and describe one’s self without the need for spoken words.
But are they out of place at a wedding? Read more…
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!
Our newest bee is planning a “Pink Broom” wedding in Dallas! To find out what that means… stay tuned! Please join me in welcoming Miss Oyster to the hive!
Miss Oyster, Dallas Age & Occupation: 30, Music Teacher Fiance’s Age & Occupation: 46, Art Teacher Engagement Date: January 9, 2009 Wedding Date: July 2010 Venue: The Tower Club About Me: I’m a Texa-Californian with a penchant for sparkly things and a tendency to think a lot. I’ve been known to sing random songs or dance when there is no music on. My fiance and I love world culture, we love to travel, and we have an incredibly eclectic taste in music. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate our marriage with our family & closest friends. We’re planning an “urban black-tie” wedding and hope to incorporate our personalities and some of our own interests. We look forward to a life of love, laughter, good music, beautiful art, and to creating our home together with our four (!) cats.
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!
Being an art kid who has done her fair share of sculpture and installations means that I have a whole lot of random stuff laying around. Until a few weeks ago, I never thought to tap into these things to use for the wedding. I already knew that we would have my fairly ginormous paintings and drawings of the two of us all around the place, but I forgot about the other things I’ve accrued over the years. Read more…
Mrs. Argyle, St. LouisAge and Occupation: 24, Project CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, PilotEngagement Date: February 15, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Jewel Box in Forest Park and Windows on WashingtonAbout Me: I'm a true Midwestern girl (born and raised), lover of red wine, reality TV and the entire J.Crew catalog. I love to dance regardless of who is watching, and enjoy a good laugh with my girls. I have a soft spot in my heart for planet Earth, my two dogs and my fiance. Fall is my favorite season (which is why we are marrying in September), but I love a warm summer day and the Colorado mountains in the winter. We are planning a modern soiree downtown, with lots of bold colors, and fun, eco-friendly elements.
Since the moment Mr. A and I got engaged, we have been racking our brains to find the perfect rehearsal dinner venue. Now, to most couples, this is probably the least of their worries, but we really wanted to find a spot that is unique and/or different, and something very “St. Louis”. There are a lot of places in town where many couples have their rehearsal dinners, but we were looking for something unique.
Choice #1:
The first and obvious choice for us was Sage.
This particular restaurant is a big favorite of mine and Mr. Argyle’s. And, a big plus? They have a large private space on their second level, which is devoted entirely to private events. We loved the idea that we would sort of have our own little party area. Sage was opened a few years ago in the historic Soulard neighborhood in downtown Saint Louis. It looks over the same location where Lynch Street Bistro was housed. The restaurant is literally a 5 minute walk from the front doors of the Anheuser-Busch Tour Center (and, you can trust me—I used to be a tour guide there). Read more…
Mrs. Hot Dog, Cheyenne, WYAge and Occupation: 23, Health Information SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Personal Trainer
Engagement Date: March 2009Wedding Date: August 2010Venue: Family Ranch outside Glenrock, WYAbout Me: I'm a city girl by birth and rural girl by choice. I'm ready to take on the world with a big heart and a big smile! I love all things crafty and DIY. I live in Cheyenne, WY with Mr. HD and our 2 fur babies, our dachshunds, Ollie and Mia. I love travel, adventure, Finding Nemo, '90s music, animals, and laughing. He is the cheese to my macaroni and together we spend more time watching movies than we probably should! I'm an old soul who is super duper excited to pull off our down home-rustic-chic-country wedding (on the cheap)!
For me, ALL music is important. It’s the fuel for my day. My mood can change in an instant just by hearing my favorite song. So obviously, this is an important part of the planning process for the mister and me.
We have a song. “This Year’s Love” by David Gray. Never heard it? Have a listen.
I get goose bumps every time I hear it. Every tender emotion I have for Mr. HD comes pouring out of me. *swoon* I knew this song would have to be an important part of the wedding. We just couldn’t decide whether to use it for the processional or for our first dance.
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!
Dressing up the smaller members of our bridal party is so much fun! Every time I walk into a store that has a children’s department, I find myself veering toward the girls’ dresses… and promptly oohing and ahhing over them! What is even better is that with Easter quickly approaching, the amount of dresses available is amazing!
Well… one day Mommy Buttons and I were walking through Marshall’s (one of our favorite stores), and we struck gold! Hanging on the rack was an adorable ivory dress that appeared to be a great match to the details on my own gown!
Hey all! The Weddingbee team has spent the last few weeks working out the kinks, and we’re thrilled to announce that the Weddingbee Vendor Directory is finally a reality! Now you can view and save listings of over 100,000 wedding vendors, view their work, and if you’ve worked with them, rate their services, and add your own feedback on vendors you’ve used for your wedding. If you look up at the main tabs for the site, you’ll see the brand new VENDORS tab.
Now you can save a list of vendors you’re currently considering to your Weddingbee profile. Any reviews you write will also show up in your profile, making your reviews easy to access! Read more…
Mrs. Starfish, Boston/NewportAge and Occupation: 25, Operations AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, SalesEngagement Date: October 8, 2008Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: The Atlantic Beach ClubAbout Me: I'm a perfectionist who is a planner at heart. I don't do well with surprises. I love planning, crafting, Newport RI, family and friends, and most importantly, Mr. Starfish---all of which will be big components in our October wedding in our favorite little city by the sea.
Mr. Starfish and I are in love with our venue, The Atlantic Beach Club. Since our engagement, we have gone to visit at least 5 times. Our wedding coordinator probably thinks we’re crazy. I apologize every time I ask for another visit and assure her it is the last time, and she tells me to come as often as I’d like. So I do!
Mrs. Turtle, Central CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 21, Art Student/TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, English StudentEngagement Date: August 16, 2008Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Mr. Turtle's Grandparents' backyard, Arroyo Grande, CAAbout Me: I am a California girl who loves the beach and the mountains, but is quite satisfied living right in the middle where I can enjoy the best of both worlds. I am happiest when traveling to faraway places, wandering through museums, watching old movies, or baking up a storm. Mr. Turtle and I are high school sweethearts and fellow book nerds who both drive Mini Coopers and are most likely to be found browsing in antique stores. We're having so much fun planning our European garden wedding with a vintage twist and can't wait to share more of life's adventures together!
As promised, I will not torture you by dragging out the bridesmaid’s dress saga, like I am doing with my wedding dress search! Like many of you guessed, I chose the first dress I posted, designed by Watters.
This dress was the first one I fell in love with after becoming engaged, but don’t think that means it was an easy decision! I over-researched and over-analyzed as much as ever.
First, I visited the dress in person and tried it on myself.
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!
So remember all the crap you saw in my parents’ house here? Guess what I did this week? I made it worse.
120 9″ gable boxes worth of worse.
You see, I’ve been pretty stoked about our Out of Town Boxes for quite some time, and while we originally thought that we would be assembling the boxes on-site at Penn State, we recently had a change of heart. I’ve been in go, go, go mode ever since arriving in Pittsburgh, and I just couldn’t let them sit.
So, I got to work, slowly filling each box (side note, reaching in and out of gable boxes 1,000 times can really scratch up your arms)…
Mrs. Sushi, Hershey/HawaiiAge and Occupation: 27, Air Force PhotographerFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Laborer/Aspiring Hip Hop ProducerEngagement Date: December 25, 2007Wedding Date: March 2009Blogging Since: October 9, 2006Venue: Byodo-In Temple, Luau ReceptionAbout Me: I’m a notorious people-watcher who loves all things paper, food, traveling, grubbin’ on food, gossip magazines, food, sock monkeys…did I mention food?! Mr. Sushi and I are both haolepinos (half Filipino, half Caucasian) and hope to be able to somehow incorporate our cultures at our destination wedding in Hawaii. All while planning from the sweetest place in earth, Hershey!
A lil’ over a year ago, I surprised the hive (and my ’rents) with my… um… massive (?) piece of art. I’ve had quite a few of bees ask me how it’s been going, if it’s done yet, etc., so here’s an update. My tattoo is definitely not done yet, but I have had much done since last time you saw it.
Just a quick recap…
My first session: Say goodbye to the ol’ tramp stamp.
Last time you saw my tattoo, it looked like this: Read more…
Mrs. Lace, Pasadena, CAAge and Occupation: 29, Elementary school teacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, EngineerEngagement Date: September 6, 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Orange County Performing Arts CenterAbout Me: Born and raised in Southern California, my fiance and I are marrying in Orange County. We're planning a vintage wedding with a modern twist. I am an elementary school teacher by day and a wedding planner by night. I love reading, blogging, scrapbooking, trying out new DIY projects, buying awesome finds at incredible deals and spending time with friends and family. Trying new restaurants, traveling and shopping also top my hobby list. I'm anxious to share my wedding ideas and planning with the hive!
(OK, Darby didn’t really help, but he wanted to!)
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
