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!
I’ve told you all about the proposal, but I realized today that I’ve never told you the story of how we met. Mr. Jelly did a great job of writing about it for our wedding website, so here is his version of the story:
The first time I met Miss Jellyfish was the third day I was at college. It was the Sunday night prior to the week classes were set to begin and was historically the biggest partying night of the year at UCLA – “Black Sunday.” Almost the entire L.A. basin converged on Westwood and almost all of the fraternities were throwing parties. Of course, I couldn’t resist the opportunity for my first big party at UCLA, so I went out on the town and had a fun night.
Miss Jellyfish is going to have to take up the story from the point where I arrived back at the dorms that night, but I can describe to you what happened the following morning. After a long night of socializing I woke up for lunch and made my way down to the dining hall. After some quick food, a bunch of water and some bright lights, I made my way back toward my room. The elevators going up to the fifth floor were all packed and after waiting in line for a while, I was able to squeeze my way on as one of the last people in the sardine can.
Trying to mind my own business in the packed elevator, all of a sudden I heard an excited voice saying, “Hi Mr. Jellyfish!” As I looked up and did a quick scan of the elevator I realized that I didn’t recognize anyone. Read more…
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!
It’s official. I’ve blown my first bridal-gasket. I erupted with earth-shattering, high-pitched screams and wails. Veins, pumped full of blood, stood out at my temples. My fists curled into tightly-clenched weapons of pure rage. Mr. Sew cowered in the background, creating a low undercurrent of pleas to calm the catastrophic living room storm.
Can you guess what happened?
Italian soda. RED Italian soda. Bright red, read it—RED artificial coloring. Read more…
Mrs. Lamb, NorfolkAge and Occupation: 25, Homeland Security ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: January 2009Wedding Date: January 2010Venue: Trinity Presbyterian Church/Harrison Opera HouseAbout Me: I’m a Homeland Security Consultant with a tendency towards pulling office pranks, taking lunch breaks, and drinking Wawa shakes. I’m also an English major with a serious obsession with alliteration and rhymes. While I’m not keeping America safe, I’m training for half marathons and the Escape from Alcatraz swim. Or moving for the third time this year. Or baking. Or wedding crafting. Or crying about wedding planning. All the while, I’m getting myself into Lucille Ball-esque scrapes and making Jim Carey-esque faces. Our big fat Czech/Baptist/Jewish/Italian wedding is a combination of vintage eclectic, DIY, and little spoonful of sugar from our Event Coordinator. It’s going to be a Norfolk flavored wedding with the verve of an only-daughter-blow-out bash!
I had a ton of fun here in Durham at Foster’s Market, meeting some fellow brides and bloggers last month! Fun ladies/gents + delicious food + a sunny brilliant day = good times had by all.
Southern Weddings publishes out of Chapel Hill and Emily, one of the editors, suggested a meet-up. It was perfect timing with the turn of spring weather, and even more exciting, Mrs. Bunny and Mrs. Pineapple made the trip too! Read more…
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.
Alright, I chose the dress for the rehearsal dinner but it wasn’t the one you guys liked the best, for several reasons. Number one, even though I had given myself a generous budget for this dress, the Carmen Marc Valvo one far exceeded said budget. I just couldn’t pull the trigger.
I ended up with the Anthropologie dress that was a sleeper hit. I grabbed it at the last second off the sale rack, not expecting to give it real consideration. But I fell in love with it when I tried it on and the price was right.
I had to get it altered so I brought it along to my second dress fitting this past Saturday at Ellen’s Couture on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. The front of the shop is so pleasant and comfortable, which made it perfect to bring Trail Mix Mom and FMIL Trail Mix along.
Here’s a somewhat better picture of the dress (although I look like I need some makeup and diet coke stat. We were there relatively early in the morning for a Saturday).
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!
Ms. Potato Chips, Boston/Narragansett RIAge and Occupation: 29, PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Personal Trainer/Business Owner/Physical Therapy AssistantEngagement Date: January 1, 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: The Narragansett TowersAbout Me: A semi-professional bookworm, if I could be a literary character I’d be a cross between Jo March and Jane Eyre, only better accessorized and much lazier. My hobbies include sleeping in, seasonal brews, running, Trader Joe’s, and watching Unwrapped and Good Eats with Mr. Potato Chips. I harbor an irrational fear of tulle, crafts, things that are fussy, and overuse of the phrase "Your Special Day". After a year or seven together, down the aisle we go, slouching toward adulthood and planning a Rhodie party with equal parts whimsy, cheer, and pizza.
The other night my mom sent me an email: “Did you mean to register for two food processors? Because you did… and it looks like one of them was fulfilled!”
We definitely did not mean to register for two food processors, so I hopped online to delete one… and couldn’t help noticing that guests are already buying us gifts from our registry.
This is like, ridiculous Obvious City, because… duh, we registered. And the point of registering is so that people will buy us gifts. But honest-to-blog, I was honestly surprised and a bit flabbergasted to see that… wow, people are actually buying us gifts.
I cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die when I say that the experience of registering was satisfying in and of itself. I know that sounds crazy, but I am a person who routinely adds items to online carts and then closes the whole page. I get my jollies from window-shopping because I’m on a graduate stipend that barely covers groceries. Read more…
Mrs. Octopus, Boston, MA/Pittsburgh, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Grad StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Graphics Operator for TV NewsEngagement Date: May 6th, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Heinz Chapel Ceremony, Museum Reception
About Me: When my best friend dragged me to a toga party in our freshmen year of college, I was not expecting to meet my future husband; but seven years later, here we are. I'm a crazy-organized planner at heart, and I am a great lover of random trivia, books, chocolate, blogs, new and exciting adventures, mockumentary-style television, and anything heavily flavored with bright orange fake cheese powder. We're planning a festive and fun mini-destination wedding in the place where we met: fabulous Pittsburgh, PA! I can't wait to marry the man I love!
Let me tell you something: I am PALE. How pale? The only makeup I use has names like “lightest ivory” and “alabaster”. Once, when I was wearing a skirt, my friend asked me where I had gotten my tights—she thought I was wearing white stockings (ha ha, NOPE! Just my natural skin tone, girlfriend!). I have never in my life gotten a tan, partially because I am basically incapable and partially because I hide from the sun for fear of burns. I could give the Cullen family a run for their money.
Don’t believe me? Check out this photographic evidence of myself, Mr. O, and Groomsman/Brother Adam, in which it is clear that I am literally a different color than the two of them:
Or this one of Bridesmaid Clara and me (I choose not to explain anything else about this picture): Read more…
Mrs. Dolphin, Gainesville, FLAge and Occupation: 24, Graduate Architecture StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Interactive Interface DeveloperEngagement Date: February 14, 2008Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Plantation Bay Country ClubAbout Me: I’m currently a Graduate Student at the University of Florida studying Architecture. I enjoy playing Scrabble with my Fiance, rooting for the Florida Gators, making any drink that involves a blender, cleaning (yes... I’m crazy), design... GOOD design that is, the new Pepsi with natural sugar, taking pictures, discovering new places in the U.S., and obsessing over doing (and designing) everything myself for our upcoming wedding!
I’m incredibly busy today (that’s what happens when you’re in grad school… your recreational life stops!), but I just wanted to give you all an update on my veil situation. On Tuesday I went and met with Jacquelyn of Jacquelyn Brooks Design. I was there to see my veil she has been making, and to drop of the Alencon lace I had tea dyed.
She has a cute little studio right on University Ave (above Ben and Jerry’s) in Gainesville.
Mrs. Hamster, New York CityAge and Occupation: 28, Finance GalFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Finance GuyEngagement Date: March 9, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: The Pierre HotelAbout Me: I'm an original Jersey girl living it up in the big NYC! I love baking for others, hosting brunches, and exploring NYC with my mans. Besides Mr. Hamster (of course), I'm attracted to shiny things, bold colors, snacks, matching and coordination, pork and duck fats, miniature versions of things, corny jokes and puns. We are planning a swanky Spring wedding in the heart of NYC, followed by a second reception in Singapore. From one city that never sleeps to another - I can't imagine a more exciting ride!
Last week, I told you about my fantabulous shower, hosted by MOH/sister and my bridesmaids. I had the easiest responsibility - just show up (I aced that one). But a lot of preparation took place beforehand, the details of which I thought might be helpful for you bridesmaids, brides and interested friends. So keep reading for Sister Hamster’s behind-the-scenes glimpse into planning a ham-tastic shower!
Sis Hamster: Hey, can we play toilet paper bride at my baby shower?
Miss Hamster: Um, if you want, but why?
Sis Hamster: Wouldn’t it be awesome to have five extremely pregnant toilet paper brides? And we’d get such good use out of those balloons we ordered!
Miss Hamster: **polite pause** I’ll think about it…
Thus began my planning for Miss Hamster’s own bridal shower, though 1) She wasn’t yet engaged, 2) I wasn’t assured the MOH position, and 3) I was due to deliver a baby in mere weeks. 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!
When it comes to food, I guess you could say that I am a little bit picky. I am that annoying person who orders salads with dressing on the side and entrees without heavy sauce. I ask for my pizza to be cooked “well done”, and I don’t eat red meat. Yikes; I am a waiter/waitress’ nightmare. So, when it came to menu selection for our wedding, I knew from the start that it might be somewhat of a challenge. On one hand, we want all of our guests to be happy with the food available at our reception. But, on the other hand, I don’t want to offer items that didn’t represent foods that Mr. Buttons and I would eat ourselves.
When we sat down with the manager at Carlouel (Chuck) to discuss our menu, we started off by determining the style in which we wanted the food served. Like some other bees, we decided to go the tasting station route for our reception, as it would provide our guests with a variety of options. We will feature 5-6 tasting stations for our guests to choose from.
For our first tasting (yes, I said first… as in there will be another one… most likely because I’m crazy), we worked with Chuck to create what we thought would be a delicious set of stations. Carlouel does an awesome job with their tastings; both my parents and Mr. Buttons’ parents were allowed to attend to help us ponder the menu. Read more…
Mrs. Lobster, BrooklynAge and Occupation: 29, Finance GirlFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Finance BoyEngagement Date: July 25, 2009Wedding Date: August 2010Venue: Stage 6 Steiner StudiosAbout Me: I'm a New York-born, Virginia-bred girl who's found her way back to the big city. Mr. Lobster and I met in grad school and have been together ever since. I'm clueless about DIY but am an avid online shopper and love all things polka dots, stripes, and ruffles! When I'm not making wedding lists, you can find me looking for snacks, watching Gilmore Girls, or hanging out with Mr. Lobster and our new puppy Buddy! We are planning a fancy-pantsy Brooklyn wedding for a hot New York summer night which is sure to be a misadventure in the making.
You know what they say: nothing is more relaxing on July 4th weekend than bringing your fiancé home to ask your parents for your hand in marriage.
Wait, no one says that.
Like many things in life, third time was a charm for my lovely Mr. Lobster when he asked my parents permission to marry me. As many of my stories go, nothing went as planned…
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.
Ssshhhh! Don’t let Mr Pretzel hear you call it that. To him it is still an office/guest bedroom, but between you and me it’s become the Wedding Room.
I noticed a fair amount of interest in the concept of a Wedding Room when I merely mentioned it in another post. Let’s be honest, it was destined to be a Wedding Room from the start. Right before Mr Pretzel and I got engaged we bought a house. The guest bedroom was extremely empty, with just Mr Pretzel’s desk in it. He and I both knew that it would remain empty like this until I moved in after the wedding. As I started to accumulate wedding stuff (i.e. the boxes started arriving from my online shopping) I tried hard to keep all of it corralled at the duplex that I rent. Soon the boxes and Rubbermaid tubs of crafting supplies started to grow into an obstacle. Plus there was the problem that when I as at our townhouse I never had the supplies I needed to do a project. Without a word, I started to move all the boxes over to our townhouse and up into the guest bedroom.
I’m the first to admit that there was absolutely no organization going on. Read more…
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’m a fail bride blogger. I feel like I have very little original to say to everyone in this amazing community. With three weeks left until the wedding, I feel like I’ve run out of projects and posts. I could show you the dorky photos of our first gift… but other bees have shown us the fun feeling this creates. I could talk about how when the RSVP date arrived, we were still missing about 30 RSVPs… including our own grandmothers’ (though we assumed they’d be there). Or I could explain how the process of dividing up and creating the table assignments/seating chart was a lot easier than we thought it’d be (so much so that I feel like we did something wrong because it only took us an hour).
I’m sorry- I wish I were more creative and inventive. A few days ago, Mr. Pencils and I had dinner with Mr. and Miss Guinea Pig, and we lamented—remember all those DIY posts about cool things we’re making? Well, now we actually have to finish the remaining 100 that we left after we made the 20 we needed to write the post… Read more…
ClassifiedsFeature Launched: April 30, 2008About: A roundup of the best Weddingbee Classified listings.
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!
Now that our rehearsal dinner is booked, I moved on to making some thank you cards for some of our helpers that aren’t in the bridal party.
Officiant: Mr. Lace’s pastor is officiating our wedding. He’s such a warm and caring person and we’re so glad to have him not only providing our premarital counseling, but also officiating our wedding. He’s spent hours with us in premarital counseling, giving us advice, listening to our stories and just being there for us.
Music: Our friend Mike is an awesome musician. He’s played in local coffeehouses and bars and he seriously ROCKS at Rock Band! We’ve asked him to play some music for us at our wedding and we just KNOW he’s going to be awesome.
Coordinators: Two of my awesome friends, Pris and Nancy are our day of coordinators. I don’t need to hire professionals because these two girls have coordinated dozens of weddings for friends and family and do an awesome job! When we were considering who to do this for us, these two girls popped into my head. I feel good that this day will be in their hands.
Flowers: Mr. Lace’s aunt and uncle run a modest flower shop specializing in flowers for the Thai culture and they volunteered their services for our wedding day as our wedding gift. What a gift, huh?! This weekend, we plan on going with them to the Flower Mart to figure out flowers. We’re so grateful that they’ll be helping us and gives our reception a personal touch.
So, to say thank you, I decided to make thank you cards for these special helpers. Read more…
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