2010 March | Weddingbee

Mrs. Taco, San Francisco Age and Occupation: 29, writer/editor Fiance's Age and Occupation: 37, editor Engagement Date: May 13, 2009 Wedding Date: August 2010 Venue: The Green Room at the War Memorial Veterans Building About 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.

You Don’t Say?

March 26th, 2010 @ 10:22 am by Mrs. Taco

Bridepop crunched the numbers and broke down weddings by metro cost, engagement ring/wedding dress cost, who pays for the wedding, and more in a blog here:

You Don’t Say? : wedding san francisco Bridepo1 bridepo

statistics and graphic via Bridepop, check out the article here to see the larger image

Some things to consider:

Parents aren’t paying as much these days, which checks out based on the weddings for which I knew the back story. Your personal tab is inversely proportional to how much guilt you’re allowed, so it makes sense that more people are trying to foot their own bill.

Tags: san-francisco | 18 Comments

Mrs. Pudding, Greater Toronto Area/Vermont Age and Occupation: 26, High School Teacher Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Computer Engineer Engagement Date: August 2008 Wedding Date: July 2010 Venue: Catholic Ceremony, Cultural Hall Reception About 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.

Our “Wish Box”

March 26th, 2010 @ 9:49 am by Mrs. Pudding

One of the projects that I have been working on for the past couple of weeks is our “wish box”. What’s a “wish box”, you ask? Well, Miss Guinea Pig provided a great explanation of the concept here. Thanks, GP!

Wanna see my version? It makes me so freakin’ happy!

Our Wish Box : wedding decor diy reception vermont Img 02201 IMG_02201

TA DA!!!

Tags: decor, diy, reception, vermont | 42 Comments

Mrs. Turtle, Central California Age and Occupation: 21, Art Student/Teacher Fiance's Age and Occupation: 22, English Student Engagement Date: August 16, 2008 Wedding Date: July 2010 Venue: Mr. Turtle's Grandparents' backyard, Arroyo Grande, CA About 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!

Style Inspiration: Laduree Love

March 26th, 2010 @ 9:17 am by Mrs. Turtle

In yesterday’s post, I touched on my obsession with French style, especially all things Parisian. Today, I’ll be even more specific and share one of my very favorite sources of style inspiration: Ladurée.

Ladurée is a luxury French bakery and tea room founded in Paris in 1862. It is best known as the inventor of the double-decker French macaron. To some of you, I know a faraway bakery probably seems like a really random place to find wedding inspiration! But, as a graphic designer, I’ve always been inspired by vintage packaging, especially nineteenth century/early twentieth century advertising and ephemera. Before I was even engaged, I ran across a post about Ladurée packaging on a design blog. Once I got engaged, I decided that I wanted to incorporate elements inspired by Ladurée packing into our invitation suite! Imagine how obsessed I was when I stumbled across Mrs. Perfume and her gorgeous Parisian style invitations! Seriously, I was head over heels!

Here are some pictures of the bakery and its amazing packaging:
Read more…

Tags: central-ca, color schemes, food | 28 Comments

Mrs. Starfish, Boston/Newport Age and Occupation: 25, Operations Assistant Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Sales Engagement Date: October 8, 2008 Wedding Date: October 2010 Venue: The Atlantic Beach Club About 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.

Cake Inspiration

March 26th, 2010 @ 8:46 am by Mrs. Starfish

When we were thinking about our wedding cake, we had two criteria: all white, and it had to be simple.

After looking at numerous wedding magazines and blogs, I found many gorgeous and intricate cakes. I love cakes with texture and unique design elements, cakes with florals and fun shapes. But in the end, we kept coming back to one particular cake.

I found a picture in the early planning stages in the Knot Boston Magazine. I was drawn to the wedding because the couple had a similar color scheme of blue and white and used hydrangeas. As I was reading the article, I saw the cake and I knew it was it. I held on to the photo in my wedding planning binder. Over the following year, I kept searching for other designs, but always ended up back with this one.

Cake Inspiration : wedding cake newport Cakein

source

Tags: cake, newport | 23 Comments

Featured on Weddingbee

All-Inclusion Invitation Suites

“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

DIY Feature Launched: October 8, 2008 About: The best DIY projects from Bees and brides around the web.

DIY Friday

March 26th, 2010 @ 8:14 am by DIY

Check out these great projects hive members have uploaded to Weddingbee’s DIY section! Click on the title of each project for tutorials!

Jeweled Shoes by vfoster03

DIY Friday : wedding diy features DSC05016 DSC05016

Tags: diy, Features | 3 Comments

Beehive Feature Launched: Aug 31, 2006 About: A forum for readers to post questions and get feedback from the hive, aka the weddingbee community.

Phoenix Bee Meet Up This Sunday!

March 25th, 2010 @ 7:00 pm by Beehive

The hive is getting together for a Sunday brunch in Phoenix, and we’d love for you to join us!

Phoenix Bee Meet Up This Sunday! : wedding announcements phoenix 1706101 Height370 Width560 1706101_height370_width560

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Where: Postino Wine Cafe (Central)

When: THIS SUNDAY, March 28th at 12 noon

AZinAugust and the rest of the ladies have PROMISED us lots of pictures, so we’re holding them to it. Phoenix Bee Meet Up This Sunday! : wedding announcements phoenix Icon Wink ;) We hope you can make it! If you’d like to attend, check out the board thread for all the details!

Tags: announcements, phoenix | 3 Comments

Create the honeymoon of your dreams.

Mrs. Hot Wings, Chicago/San Diego Age and Occupation: 28, Professor Fiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Instructor Engagement Date: December 20, 2008 Wedding Date: August 2010 Venue: Ocean View Villas/Jasmine Seafood Restaurant About 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!

Napkin Rings a Billion and One Ways

March 25th, 2010 @ 6:45 pm by Mrs. Hot Wings

Our colors are ocean blues, white, with a hint of gold. We’re using white linens and napkins and mostly white flowers. To add a hint of color to our tables, I decided we needed a flower on each place setting. It turns out putting a single blue orchid at each setting isn’t THAT expensive at about 30 cents, but with a large guest list, every little penny adds up fast. So .30 X 400 guests = $120. Next, please.

It was time to turn back to faux flowers. This time I went with tissue paper just as Miss Snow had done. Nashville Wraps has awesome wholesale tissue paper prices. Yup, wholesale. I registered the Hot Wing Wedding as a company. At this point, it might as well be a company (that makes no money, that is).

I wanted to make crepe paper roses and bubble petal flowers.

Napkin Rings a Billion and One Ways : wedding decor diy san diego 11 3275628694_92d997a49a_o[1]

source

Tags: decor, diy, san diego | 25 Comments

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.

Pretzel and Mom Day O’ Fun

March 25th, 2010 @ 6:16 pm by Mrs. Pretzel

You guys are the best! When I expressed my concerns about getting my mom more involving and connected to the wedding planning you came through with lots of ideas. Some of you suggested veil or shoe shopping. My mom’s ears had perked up at discussion of veils so I decided to pounce on this glimmer of interest and see if she would like to go shopping. Veil shopping started what became my favorite day to date for wedding planning. Let’s begin Pretzel and mom’s day o’ fun.

Before we even set off for shopping some fun began. I like to call it the great veil war of 2010, Mr Pretzel vs Momma Pretzel. You know how your vision can be upset by the introduction of a new item or idea? Well, in the weeks following up to our shopping excursion, I was kicking around the idea of a short double blusher veil instead of the birdcage veil that had been my vision from the start. Mr Pretzel and Momma Pretzel took opposite sides and I was completely undecided. He loves the birdcage and she loves the double blusher. We had our work cut out for us when we set out for our local wedding dress boutique.

I made a “bee” line for the veils and armed Momma Pretzel with my digital camera.
Read more…

Tags: seattle, veil | 24 Comments

Mrs. Jellyfish, Pleasanton, CA Age and Occupation: 27, Law Student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Air Force Pilot Engagement Date: February 21, 2009 Wedding Date: September 2010 Venue: Casa Real at Ruby Hill Winery About 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!

Wanted: A Cohesive Look

March 25th, 2010 @ 5:48 pm by Mrs. Jellyfish

When it comes to planning our wedding, one of the things that I’m most worried about is creating a cohesive look. I guess most people accomplish this by choosing a theme or color palette and then sticking to it. Since vendors and others keep asking me what our theme is, I’ve started articulating it as “Tuscan Romance”. Basically, our venue is a Mediterranean inspired villa next to a winery, and I like warm, autumn colors, so “Tuscan Romance” seems to fairly describe that. I’ve had a harder time, however, narrowing that vision down to the customary 2-3 color palette. So far, the colors I like are Cranberry, Chocolate Brown, Burnt Orange, Eggplant and Yellow. Is that too many? I don’t know. My biggest fear about the wedding is that it will look like a mish-mash of well-intentioned ideas gone awry.

I’ve never been very good at seeing “the big picture” or making anything look cohesive and coordinated. For example, when buying things for my apartment, I seldom think of the bigger picture and buy impulsively based on what I like. This results in my apartment looking decently nice, but it never looks what I call “Pottery Barn” nice. Now before you tell me that only Pottery Barn catalog homes look Pottery Barn nice, I’m going to have to disagree. I’ve been in more than one home that is so well-coordinated that it looks like it came out of a PB catalog. So why am I taking about PB right now? I’m basically convinced that since I don’t have a PB type home, I am incapable of planning a wedding with a cohesive look to it.
Read more…

Tags: color schemes, pleasanton | 39 Comments

Mrs. Oyster, Dallas Age and Occupation: 30, Music Teacher Fiance's Age and 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.

Black Tie Territory

March 25th, 2010 @ 5:25 pm by Mrs. Oyster

My fiancé & I looked at venues for months! I began by casting a wide net online, and eliminating venues that were simply too expensive or had shoddy customer service. I initially loved the outdoor garden idea, but we decided against it — mostly because I remembered that I positively melt in the summer Texas heat. With that, we toured six venues and fell in love with two of them!

I’m going to withhold the name of our first choice, but it was a relatively undiscovered ballroom near downtown, and it’s beautiful! No garden, for sure, but it was even better: plenty of windows for beautiful light, formal décor, and oh yeah - AIR CONDITIONING. Eventually, negotiations with this venue didn’t work out, but the venue we eventually chose could be described identically.

With the selection of this venue, I’ve suddenly realized we are heading into Black Tie territory—suddenly, it looks like the “black tie” wedding I’d really wanted could become a reality! Most importantly, my fiancé is on board with the idea. I couldn’t be happier.
Read more…

Tags: color schemes, dallas | 25 Comments

Contests Feature Launched: Oct 5, 2006 About: Weddingbee contests and giveaways.

Gracious Bridal Mindy Weiss Bride’s Package Giveaway!

March 25th, 2010 @ 5:16 pm by Contests

Congratulations to our winner, PirateJenn!

~~~

Today we have a fabulous giveaway from Gracious Bridal! Gracious Bridal is a great source for personalized wedding party gifts and elegant favors that all come with lots of options for free personalization and packaging. They also carry Save the Date invitations, beautiful edible wedding favors, place cards, hotel welcome baskets, and reception decor! Today they’re giving away a Mindy Weiss Bride’s Package to one lucky Weddingbee reader! The package includes a honeymoon travel kit, luxury jewelry roll, groom’s survival kit, wedding shoe bag and sachets, lovebirds door hanger, bride’s cosmetic bag, and a door hanger memo pad. This giveaway is valued at over $200!

Gracious Bridal Mindy Weiss Bride's Package Giveaway! : wedding features Graciousbridal graciousbridal

To enter this contest, visit Gracious Bridal and let us know what your favorite item is on their website. You have until Friday, March 26 at midnight PST to enter. Good luck!

Tags: Features | 287 Comments

Mrs. Hot Dog, Cheyenne, WY Age and Occupation: 23, Health Information Specialist Fiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Personal Trainer Engagement Date: March 2009 Wedding Date: August 2010 Venue: Family Ranch outside Glenrock, WY About 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)!

Photo Shoot with My Lovely

March 25th, 2010 @ 5:00 pm by Mrs. Hot Dog

Today I realized that I haven’t given the hive a proper introduction to my Lovely. That’s what I call her. I used to call her Precious but people were getting freaked…

Anywho, I decided to do a little photo shoot with her. Now, I only have a point-and-shoot and VERY limited photographic skills, so please don’t judge! Here it goes!

Photo Shoot with My Lovely : wedding cheyenne rings Cimg082 A little blurry and over-exposed… NEXT!

Tags: cheyenne, rings | 21 Comments

Mrs. Veggie, Raglan, New Zealand/Scranton, PA Age and Occupation: 27, Director of Small Non-Profit Fiance's Age and Occupation: 42, PhD Student & Farmer Engagement Date: June 13, 2009 Wedding Date: August 2010 Venue: 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.

Inspiration 2.0

March 25th, 2010 @ 4:39 pm by Mrs. Veggie

I have a problem. I really like inspiration boards.

That was an understatement.

I love them.

Well, let my addiction and source of hours of procrastination be your eye candy. I unveil Veggie Weddin-spiration Version 2.0.

Inspiration 2.0 : wedding color schemes scranton 11111 11111

Sources: Background Fabric: Amy Butler Park Fountains Yellow; Center: Our Venue; Circumference: Mismatched china, Vintagey Groomsmen, Wildflower Bouquet, Amy Butler Morning Glory, Amy Butler Cilantro, Amy Butler Wallflower, Flowergirl in Chucks, Sweet Tea, Nicole Miller IK0004, Bike for Two, Outdoor Ceremony, Wedding Sign, Tablescape, Cakes, Invites.

Tags: color schemes, scranton | 26 Comments

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!

The Guinea Pig Invitations Do a Photo Shoot

March 25th, 2010 @ 4:19 pm by Mrs. Guinea Pig

I have a confession. I’ve had our invitations since October, and I haven’t shown them to you! And considering I love them SO much, it was a hard secret to keep. But I wanted them to be a surprise when everyone got them in the mail!

I could do an entire post filled with the hundreds of invitation suites we considered (read: disagreed on - let’s just say, Mr. Guinea Pig and I have completely different design aesthetics!)… but I will spare you all that and jump straight to the beautiful invitations we chose and both love!

(the Dogwood suite by Paisley Tree Press)

Tags: baltimore, invitations, stationery | 38 Comments

Searching for Shoes Part 2: The Wedding Shoes That Almost Were…

March 25th, 2010 @ 4:01 pm by Mrs. Turtle

In Part 1 of my shoe search saga, I got the call that my wedding dress had arrived, giving me a sudden sense of urgency in my search for the perfect pink pair of shoes. After “my” petaled Louboutins disappeared off the face of the planet, I expanded my search. There weren’t as many pink pairs out as I’d expected, but I was not ready to give up hope!

My shoe search got even better when Mr. Turtle’s parents volunteered to buy me any pair of wedding shoes I wanted for my birthday! (I know, I am one lucky girl!) I finally zeroed in on these beauties:

Searching for Shoes Part 2: The Wedding Shoes That Almost Were... : wedding central ca shoes Bournem011 Photobucket