Mrs. Socks, Southern NJ/Philadelphia, PAAge and Occupation: 23, Web Developer/Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Systems EngineerEngagement Date: September 7, 2009
Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: Ladder 15 RestaurantAbout Me: I am originally from the Midwest, but I love being an East Coast transplant! Mr. Socks and I are foodies and winos to the core---give us a hunk of cheese, some charcuterie and a glass of wine and we could die happy. We have two mischievous Wire Fox Terriers with completely opposite personalities but with a shared love of uprooting anything in our garden. Our backyard garden includes everything from tomatoes and peppers to a fig tree, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries! I love cooking, indie music, and spending time in our wedding city of choice---Philly!
Since we spent such a long time looking at venues, and since I spent WAY too much time lamenting over some of the ones that didn’t work (R2L? The Lake House Inn? Hopewell Valley Vineyards?) I thought I’d go over all of the reasons why we LOVE the venue we ended up choosing:
It’s in the city, which means our guests don’t have to rent a car from the airport to get where they’re going! We know it’s a trek for everyone, so it was important to try to save them money anywhere we could.
We had very specific visions, including a custom wine menu and a custom gourmet food menu. Ladder 15 has been very accommodating of our preferences, so we’re getting EVERYTHING we want for the same price as other places we looked at, which is invaluable!
Jen, the event coordinator, answers all of our questions in a timely, thorough manner. We met with the chef and the GM as well, and everyone was on the same page in regards to what we want and how it’ll happen.
Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
Even though I’m a decrepit old bee, every once in a while a kind reader indulges me by pm-ing me a question. Recently, someone asked me how I went about “honoring relatives” at our wedding. Relatedly, a current post on the Judaism board asks for ways to involve more people in the ceremony. I’m sure many brides and grooms have this question, so I thought it’d be fun to invite the whole Weddingbee community, even those who aren’t Jewish, to share their suggestions.
I’ll kick it off by sharing what we did to involve our friends and family in our crazy Chewish wedding:
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.
Two weekends ago we were in Vegas for Bridesmaid H’s little white chapel wedding, the last of three weddings in four weeks. When we arrived home we tried to keep the momentum going but my body had another idea. I’m not sure what happened but I re-injured my neck and landed myself in a lot of pain and discomfort—just in time for the weekend. Despite muscle relaxers and pain medication I am unable to work on the projects I had planned.
I’m nursing my neck back to health and should be back to normal in a few days. In the meantime I am dreaming of our minimoon. To recap, I’m vacation poor, so we put our plans for Hawaii on hold, and toyed with the idea of a road trip with a tear-drop trailer. The trailer thing didn’t work out so I started my research again.
If you live on the West Coast, or if you are hoping to visit I highly recommend using the resources at Sunset Magazine. 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.
Right now I’m still (hopefully) enjoying sunny Kauai on our honeymoon, but I didn’t want you all to forget about me, so I’ve got another pre-written post for you!
And since I couldn’t show these before our wedding, now is the perfect time to reveal the gifts we got for our wedding party. First up are the bridesmaid gifts.
I already showed you a long time ago the hoodies I customized with each of my bridesmaids’ initials. Hopefully these made for some cute getting ready photos.
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!
FAIR WARNING: This post contains many, MANY photos.
After Mr. Pencils and I shared champagne with our nearest and dearest, we ventured out into the sweeping hills for a bit of alone time (that our wonderful photographers just happened to capture on film).
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)!
OK. So I had my beauty trials a couple weeks ago. I’d say they were pretty successful, at least in showing me what I do and don’t want on the day of. An old friend of mine from high school (who is also getting married!) did both and has been wonderful to work with. Although I wasn’t completely happy with the first run, she assured me we could go at it again and again ’til we get it right!
Before pics… eww. I can’t believe I’m sending this out into cyberspace…
Hi hive! Thank you for your continued suggestions for Weddingbee Spring Cleaning categories. To find out more about Spring Cleaning, click here!
Today’s featured item of the day is OOT bags!
Sellers: if you have out-of-town bags for sale, please post your item to the Weddingbee Classifieds by adding your item, and then return to this post and add the link to the item you’re selling in the comments, along with a quick description. Also pay attention to the comments in this ad to see if any buyers are searching for the item you’re selling by subscribing to the comments.
Buyers: if you’re looking for OOT/welcome bags for sale, you can do a couple things:
Identify yourself in the comments as LOOKING FOR (type of item you’re looking for, and quantity).
Subscribe to this thread, so you’re informed of OOT bags that are being listed for sale in the Weddingbee Classifieds. ***
Mrs. Earrings, Fresno, CA/ Nelson, New ZealandAge and Occupation: 20, Student, Wannabe Writer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 19, Photography StudentEngagement Date: February 14, 2010Wedding Date: January 2011Venue: Gardens of the WorldAbout Me: I'm a girl from down under who grew up in Indonesia and I'm marrying a California boy. I'm addicted to all things sweet, have never met a chocolate silk pie than can get the better of me, and have dreams of one day being a fulltime novelist. I go weak in the knees for lace, tea cups, and a beautifully crafted sentence. When I get excited about something (whether it is historical linguistics or the Beatles) I tend to go overboard in research, and planning this wedding is no different. Mr. Earrings is my high school sweetheart, my best friend, and somehow we combine all our quirks into one big happy mess.
I call her Ophelia because a) she is floaty (just like I wanted) and b) I feel kinda crazy (in a happy way) when I wear her. And, I love Hamlet.
Moving on. So, like I said in my last post about my dress, the wedding dress buying expedition was a kind of spur-of-the-moment thing but it ended up being a very good decision. Off we went: Mr E, his mother, and I. Yes, Mr E came and helped me choose my wedding dress. Some people may find that nontraditional but actually, my father helped my mother choose her dress 20-odd years ago so it was like we were continuing a tradition started by them. And because my own mother wasn’t there (we were sad about this but it couldn’t be helped and she has been amazing with everything to do with the wedding), I just couldn’t have made the decision without Mr E’s input.
We went to David’s Bridal. Now, you American brides are going to laugh at this… but I had never ever heard of David’s Bridal before that day. Read more…
Mrs. Knitting, TorontoAge and Occupation: 24, Student Recruitment Assistant
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Neuroscience PhD CandidateEngagement Date: October 2009Wedding Date: December 2010Venue: University of Toronto Faculty Club
About Me: I'm a pearl wearing, etiquette book reading Toronto girl who loves cooking and baking, museums, charm bracelets, and collecting books on Jackie Kennedy (a lot). I've been known to spend Sunday mornings at the antique market, Wednesday evenings at sister sushi dinners, and any bit of spare time reading. After six and a half years of many late night walks, watching DVDs together in bed, travelling to places like New York, and Tobermory, doing Sudokus together on the couch, lots of Indian food, the occasional yoga class, moving in together and so much more, Mr. Knitting and I are planning a cozy Christmasy (it's a word!), vintage wedding in Toronto complete with many DIY projects (eek!) and lots of help from our amazing group of family and friends.
Haha, that’s a pretty goofy title for a not so goofy post.
Anyway, despite us both being raised Catholic and meeting in Catholic school, I’m not religious and Mr. Knitting is even more not religious. One might say we’re adamantly not religious. As a result, we will be having a civil ceremony. While I’m very happy with this and know that it’s absolutely the right choice for us, occasionally I get a bit jealous of church brides.
Mrs. Pashmina, NYC/Catalina Island, CAAge and Occupation: 28, Arts EducationFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, IT AdministratorEngagement Date: April 26th, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Catalina Country Club, Catalina Island, CaliforniaAbout Me: I'm a laid-back Cali girl who moved to NYC for school, and ended up staying for love. My fiance is a quick-witted Jersey boy, a self-proclaimed Foodie and the funniest man I've ever met. Together we love exploring the city streets embarking on our next misadventure---and yes, this often involves eating off food carts and trying "the next big thing". I'm the girl in the sundress, snapping photos and collecting trinkets of memorabilia along the way. As a girly girl at heart, I am excited about our romantic natural island wedding incorporating our American & Filipino traditions.
It was April 26, 2009. That was the day that I knew something was up. Mr. Pashmina woke up at 7 AM and announced that it was a beautiful day and that they should get an early start. I thought to myself, “he usually sleeps until 10 AM. Weird.” I told him, “I don’t feel well. Do you think you could get me some Tylenol? Let’s just get a little more sleep.” Then I quickly went back to my dream. (Mr. Pashmina keeps saying: “I can’t believe you made me go back to sleep!”) When we woke up we decided to go on a picnic-breakfast in the park and a visit to the Apple store to fix Mr. Pashmina’s “faulty” phone. It was a seemingly happenstance, last-minute decision to go to “our” lookout spot because “it was on the way” instead of the regular park.
Mrs. Cardigan, AustinAge and Occupation: 21, Student/Soon-to-be Special Education TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 20, Student/Soon-to-be Accounting Systems AnalystEngagement Date: August 16, 2009Wedding Date: January 2011Venue: Vintage VillasAbout Me: I'm a native Austinite who was raised as a die-hard Aggie. Luckily, I'm a pretty persuasive girl because I managed to convince my high school boyfriend (now fiance!), Mr. Cardigan, to ditch his hardcore Longhorn ways and join me up at A&M, where we currently reside with our adorable dogs, Cullen & Ranger. We're currently planning a bright, cheery wedding with a ridiculous amount of DIY projects that I can't wait to tackle! I love crafting in any form, reading, and margaritas (I think I love them the most!). Organization is what keeps me sane and I love helping others, which is probably why I ended up as an education major. It gets a little chaotic sometimes when you're planning a wedding among all of the papers, projects, finals, and certification exams, but we're having the time of our lives and we can't wait to get started on our journey as husband and wife - and we're so excited to share our wedding with the hive!
At the end of part two, I had found a ring that I loved, but I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to size it. You see, the problem is that I have tiny fingers. Like… size 4. So, a lot of people kept telling me that there was no way the jeweler could size my half eternity that small without completely destroying the setting. But, I had faith in him!
Mr. Cardigan and I had a weekend trip to Austin planned right after we bought the band, so on our way home we stopped by the jeweler to talk to him and see what he could do. I literally had butterflies in my stomach when we were going into the shop, because I was so nervous he’d laugh in my face for even thinking it could be done. After all, my past experience with jewelers were less than pleasant. So, I was incredibly happy when he seemed 100% confident that he’d have NO PROBLEM sizing the ring for me. Really? YES! I practically danced out of the store and wouldn’t shut up about how excited I was the entire way home.
We had to wait a few days before he finished sizing the ring, and let me tell you – I was so. freaking. antsy.
Mrs. Thimble, NYC/PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 26, Actress & Costume Designer (+ day job)Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Lawyer & Techie WizEngagement Date: August 22, 2008Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: The Pearl S. Buck HouseAbout Me: I’m an easily inspired over-thinker delighted with the process of designing, building, directing and {dare I say} co-starring in the early-autumn affair I’ve been dreaming up. I’m a sucker for trendied-up comfort foods and old family anecdotes; I have an affinity for adjectives, alliteration, eyelet and earl grey; and I live for quality time with family and friends. I never guessed I’d marry my “high school sweetheart", but when it turned out to be my funny, techie, loyal Mr. Thimble I was committed for life. We’re both mid-career transition and ready to move back to small-townish TBD, PA in a pre-wedding flurry of all-good life changes.
I have lots of ideas for reception decor floating around my imagination that reflect that reflect our wedding “theme”, if you can call it that:
(Yeah, I brought it back. Read it as a sentence or separate ideas… either way you get the picture. It started with the vintage harvest and lightened up into the nostalgic picnic, but I didn’t want to let go of the formality… anyway, I digress.)
To capture the vibe I’m going for (and to accommodate my ever-changing mind) I asked for—and received—a big ol’ blank slate to do with whatever I may please.
Mrs. Oyster, DallasAge and Occupation: 30, Music TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 46, Art TeacherEngagement Date: January 9, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: The Tower ClubAbout 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.
I have so much to look forward to in the coming weeks. I’m getting married (married!) to a wonderful man whose family loves and embraces me. Family will be coming from all over the place and both of us will be so busy and things will be celebratory and happy, and we will look forward to starting our lives together. But as many other bees have written, even something as happy as a wedding can be tinged with a sense of loss for those no longer with us.
A little while ago, Mr. Oyster and I attended a wedding. It was lovely; the bride was beautiful, there were lots of happy, supportive family members, and a lot of cute little dancing kids. Everything was just fine until the father/daughter dance. When the bride and her dad took the dance floor, I was watching quietly with everyone else, when—surprise!—I burst into tears and actually had to leave the room for a few minutes (luckily no one noticed).
Hadn’t I grieved for my father already? Read more…
Mrs. Socks, Southern NJ/Philadelphia, PAAge and Occupation: 23, Web Developer/Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Systems EngineerEngagement Date: September 7, 2009
Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: Ladder 15 RestaurantAbout Me: I am originally from the Midwest, but I love being an East Coast transplant! Mr. Socks and I are foodies and winos to the core---give us a hunk of cheese, some charcuterie and a glass of wine and we could die happy. We have two mischievous Wire Fox Terriers with completely opposite personalities but with a shared love of uprooting anything in our garden. Our backyard garden includes everything from tomatoes and peppers to a fig tree, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries! I love cooking, indie music, and spending time in our wedding city of choice---Philly!
Note: I wrote this back in March, but decided not to edit it too much––you get to see more of my bride fury this way!
If you think hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, don’t even think about the fury unleashed by a bride scorned. In this case, scorned not by the groom, but by the venue: R2L restaurant & lounge in Philadelphia. Buddy, get ready because this bride scorned will take you through all the streets of fury-town.
Here’s the breakdown: after a long search through area venues including vineyards, parks & museums and restaurants, our sights were set on brand-spanking-new R2L restaurant on the 37th floor of 2 Liberty Place.
We approached them the day after their grand opening, spoke with the event coordinator Brenda Mendte, and were giddy with excitement over the prospect of saying our vows at the top of the city we love. Their space is beautiful for events and it would make our wedding incredibly special.
When negotiating time came around, we were ready: Nineteen Restaurant down the street had offered us a package worth $11,450, all inclusive of tax, gratuity, food and beverage, so that was an excellent starting point for us. R2L, originally saying their minimum was $15,000, came down to a $12,500 minimum. Read more…
Mrs. Nachos, Chicago/St. ThomasAge and Occupation: 33, Commercial Real Estate & HairstylistFiance's Age and Occupation: 36, Radio ProducerEngagement Date: May 22, 2009Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort, St. ThomasAbout Me: I'm a happy, laid back city girl that can find the silver lining in any situation. An optimist at heart, my motto is to turn your "what ifs?" into "so whats!". My fiance is a radio producer and the biggest Cubs fan you'll meet - our apartment decor definitely shows it. He and I grew up next door to each other and because of it, we have the best home videos and easiest holiday dinners. We are planning an intimate wedding in the Virgin Islands and a cocktail party in June for 150 of our closest friends.
Well everyone, it seems all things wedding are over for us and if I could go back and do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. Our thank yous went out on Saturday, and to me, putting them in the mail marked the closing of the wedding chapter and the beginning of the rest of my life with my husband.
For those that came with us to St. Thomas, we sent pretty postcards that we bought on our trip:
And clearly not being one to worry about little details, I decided to finally use my old stamps, hee hee:
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
