Mrs. Cloud, RichmondAge and Occupation: 25, Sales RepFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Customer Service Manager/DJEngagement Date: February 14, 2008Wedding Date: November 2009Venue: Cathedral of the Sacred Heart & The Jefferson HotelAbout Me: Mr. Cloud and I are Yankees planning a Southern wedding to show our families from Boston and New York our fabulous city. We are complete opposites, resulting in a wedding to include bridesmaids in pearls and groomsmen in Adidas shell toes. I’m a sorority girl at heart with strong addictions to my blackberry, cherry Chapstick, Coach purses, the Boston Red Sox and our fur baby, Bella. I can’t wait to the throw the party of our lives and of course, marry my best friend!
I would just like to go ahead and put this on record right now: shopping for boys is hard. I started shopping for the bridesmaids not long after we got engaged, but the groomsmen were an entirely different story. Both Mr. Cloud and I were stuck for a long time.
So, we started with the basic groomsmen gift: the flask. We got ours from Things Remembered, and while we got a good deal (I believe we ended up paying about twenty bucks a pop on sale with monogram) I wouldn’t recommend them. The quality was less than I would have liked and we had a lot of drama getting the correct monograms done. As in, we had to go back three times. Granted, it could have just been the location we were dealing with, but the experience left a bad taste in my mouth.
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!
I know that I’m not the only one that lusts, has lusted, or will lust over fabulous calligraphy. The swirls, curls, swells, hairlines, terminals, and flourishes are enough to do pretty much anyone in. After getting engaged, it was only a matter of time before I would fall for the siren song of calligraphy-adorned envelopes, cards, paper goods, what-have-you. Rather than continuing to yammer on about calligraphy, and blah blah blah, words words words, and obsess, obsess, obsess, I think I’ll just go through the major points in my calligraphy (love) affair. Read more…
Mrs. Veggie, Raglan, New Zealand/Scranton, PAAge and Occupation: 27, Director of Small Non-ProfitFiance's Age and Occupation: 42, PhD Student & FarmerEngagement Date: June 13, 2009Wedding Date: August 2010Venue: Indian Head Camp, Honesdale Pennsylvania
About Me: I am a tree-huggin' farmer turned enthusiastic wedding-planner. I live in a house truck and wear flip-flops more often than shoes. In my old life I was a high school Spanish teacher in love with a crazy guy who lived off-the grid on a farm in New Hampshire. But, we decided to mix things up a bit, quit our jobs and move to New Zealand. My southern hemisphere lifestyle involves growing veggies, teaching, running our small non-profit, and surfing. I love laughing, singing, playing, and the inspirational Mr. Veggie (of course!). For our wedding, I am committed to throwing a killer party that celebrates our values without breaking the bank. Look forward to an eco-thrifty summer-campy weekend-long extravaganza.
Things to be aware of when sending out electronic save the dates:
If the file name attached to your email includes “STD”, non-wedding-savvy folks on the guest list may be a bit hesitant to open it. And you will be the butt of many family jokes.
Yahoo will actually freeze your account for a few hours if you try to send an email to too many people (apparently 300 is too many).
We hemmed and hawed about sending e-STDs, but in the end it fit with the overall feel of our wedding. No frills, budget-friendly, and most important, a low environmental footprint.
Our STDs were designed by our good friend Shari Amos, a graphic designer who does wedding invites (lucky us!). I am in love with them. I couldn’t fall asleep last night because the 18 hour time difference meant that people might open our email as early as 1AM our time. I might even sacrifice a small tree and print a few up as keepsakes… that’s how much I love them. Read more…
Mrs. Frozen Yogurt, DallasAge and Occupation: 28, Special Projects CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Equity TraderEngagement Date: March 19, 2009Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: Marie Gabrielle, DallasAbout 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.
So, after we left the yogurt shop, my photographer from Modern Life Studios, floral designer Kristen, bridesmaid Kim and I decided to go rustic. Sadly, I had to leave the Manolos in the car because I did not want them to face the elements before the big day. I switched quickly into sneakers and trekked through the woods. I imagine that a bride running around in sneakers with full hair and makeup was a sight, but hey, I was comfy and not stressed about ruining my shoes. We started out near a dam with greenery all around us.
We switched bouquets from the fro yo inspired one to something more appropriate for the outdoors: Read more…
Mrs. Jellyfish, Pleasanton, CAAge and Occupation: 27, Law StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Air Force PilotEngagement Date: February 21, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Casa Real at Ruby Hill WineryAbout Me: In a nutshell, I’m the most optimistic worrywart you’ll ever meet. My family emigrated from Romania to San Jose, CA when I was 8, and I've been a Nor Cal girl ever since! My fiancé is also a Bay Area native, so it’s funny that we met at UCLA, as college freshmen living on the same floor (go Bruins!). Between his career as an Air Force pilot and my path to becoming a lawyer, our relationship has been anything but typical. We currently live together in Berkeley with our puppy Stinson. In addition to spending time with the loves of my life, I enjoy crafting, attempting complicated recipes, environmental law and non-law school reading (Us Weekly, anyone?). Follow along as I plan an elegant 200-person winery wedding, graduate law school, take the Bar exam, get married and get used to the always unpredictable but never boring life of a military spouse!
Once the postcards were ordered, I started looking for stamps. Well, I quickly realized that the USPS only has 1 design for their 28-cent postcard stamps…the polar bear.
Not. a. fan. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing against polar bears, but it’s just a “meh” design in my opinion. Last year’s 27 cent tropical fruit postcard stamps were so much cuter!!
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!
Etsy lovers rejoice! PicClick.com has launched its Etsy Browser, making it easier than ever to find the handmade products you’re looking for. You can adjust the thumbnail size of the pictures you want to see, and see ALL THE PRODUCTS that contain your search specifications on one page (rather than Etsy’s 33 results per page)! Just check out what a quick search for “Penguin Cake Toppers” provides…
Check it out, and happy Etsy surfing! You’ll thank me, your wallet won’t.
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 thought about writing this post as part of my recaps, but, truth? I don’t want to think about these “dark days” again after the wedding, so it’s now or never!
When I first started blogging for the ’Bee, I got a few comments from engaged and married ladies trying to balance wedding planning with law school (or who had already done it), asking me how I was juggling them. The truth is, I am a very bad juggler, and one ball or the other is just about always getting dropped (I’ll give you one guess as to which one!). 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.
Things didn’t really go as planned… at all. When I booked our photographer for the session, I thought I had plenty of time to prepare and somehow it snuck up on us (even though I had months to plan). I spent the day before the shoot scrambling to find outfits I liked. I was a mess the day of, deciding whether or not to curl my hair, I didn’t have time for a manicure, I never made an appointment to get my makeup done, and I never put together a real schedule. Sure, I had lots of ideas over the past few months and I made tentative schedules, but when it came down to it, we kind of just went with the flow.
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!
Hey there hive! Sorry about the mini hiatus, but I’m baaaack and ready to share our FINAL PUSH! People, we are less than two weeks out. HELLO?! Can you say EXCITING?!
So where have I been? Temporarily relocating. I’ve moved back to the ’Burgh until the big day! While that means being apart from Burger, which is sad :(, it also means reuniting with this:
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!
I went on a wedding binge this weekend. No lie, a binge. Luckily, this binge produced some real wedding progress. With seven weeks to go, the clock is ticking and I am entirely terrified but mostly excited for our wedding day to arrive!
I took an hour or so this Sunday to create our card box. It was so incredibly easy, I won’t even tease you with the thought that it is nearly amazing as many of the card boxes we’ve seen here on Weddingbee. This is a card box for us non crafty gals. Here’s what I ended up with:
A travel themed card box, made from two photo storage boxes from Michaels.
I suck at DIY photo-logging; please forgive me. I started with a photo box that looks similar to this one: 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. Trail Mix, New YorkAge and Occupation: 26, PE TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, MBA StudentEngagement Date: March 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Tannery Pond at the Darrow SchoolAbout 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.
Yesterday, in spite of gale-force winds and driving rain (I think anyone in the Northeast knows what I am talking about!) I completed the longest run of my training program. The weather was pretty much horrendous but it had to be done so I donned my best water-resistant running wear and set off with the goal of 21 miles. Two hours and forty minutes, five blisters, 16 ounces of Cytomax and many a tear later, I was finished. And damn, I felt proud of myself, although I very closely resembled this cat afterwards…
Even though I didn’t want to go, I forced myself to do the run anyways, for several reasons. Read more…
Mrs. Hot Wings, Chicago/San DiegoAge and Occupation: 28, ProfessorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, InstructorEngagement Date: December 20, 2008Wedding Date: August 2010Venue: Ocean View Villas/Jasmine Seafood RestaurantAbout Me: I am a psychology grad student living in Chicago and planning my wedding to a fellow psych grad student. I am a Sunny So-Cal bred gal who trudged across the country to follow her love of psychology and ended up finding a partner in the process. I am overly passionate about anything I involve myself with. I am an activist, a foodie, a reality TV watching junkie, an over-analyzer, a photography obsesser, and am utterly cheesy to the core. This is a story of what happens when a boy and a girl meet, fall in love over academic dorkiness, and a shared love for life. We (mostly I) are planning our semi-destination wedding in my hometown of San Diego. We are excited to bring our families and friends together from across our lifespans to celebrate our future in a grand 400+ person culturally blended affair!
Mr. Hot Wings and I decided to start our registry at Crate & Barrel. I told him to take a deep breath and be prepared for it. He said he was a big boy and that he could handle it. Uh… wrong. He became the biggest baby almost immediately. He couldn’t handle it. Oh no, he just kept asking why we needed any of this. I asked him to just pick stuff and start scanning.
We had a really tough time finding things because Crate & Barrel is set up almost by style more than by type of item, and it wasn’t logical enough for us. Long story short, he wasn’t pleased with the selection, the store layout, and we were out. But before leaving, we got a little gift for starting our registry.
Pretty. A present!
It looks promising… maybe it’s some wine glasses? Read more…
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.
With the BM dresses ordered, it was time to move on to choosing the accessories for my beautiful ladies. Even though I toyed with the idea of blinging out the girls with coloured stones, in the end I decided that classic pearls were probably the way to go.
I was imagining long strands of pearls. Something that the girls could each wear in their own distinctive way. Something like this:
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!
The Weddingbee team has been hard at work making this a reality, and soon the Weddingbee Vendor Directory will go live! You’ll be able to read and write up vendor reviews, 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, all right here on Weddingbee.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
Here’s what I ended up with:
