Mrs. Frog, Phoenix, AZ/Chelan, WA
Age and Occupation: 29, Public Relations
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Online SalesEngagement Date: February 8, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Amy's ManorAbout Me: I'm an opinionated Midwestern girl now living in the Valley of the Sun marrying a laid back Northwestern guy. I'm equal parts sass, silly and sweet. I'm fiercely loyal with a strong devotion to my family and friends. I have a not-so-secret obsession with apple juice, a new obsession with DIY projects and I love a really good cheese plate...with lots of wine. After 7 blissful years of dating, I'm having the time of my life planning the destination wedding of my dreams to my Mr. Frog-turned-Prince Charming.
Usually when you think about music for the wedding, you immediately think of the reception. You know, your uncle doing the white man’s overbite, your drunk friend waving her arms and shaking her rump (yep, I said it…hello 1994) and who can overlook the ambitious family friend starting an infamous dance circle?
And all of those things are fine and good… but before there can be a reception, there must be a ceremony. So let’s talk ceremony music.
For the most part, Frogger left the processional music up to me. He definitely wanted to hear it and have a final say but he trusted my judgment to come up with ideas that would fit for the mood of our big day. One thing we both wanted was for the songs to have meaning, either words that said what we felt or songs that reminded us of moments we’ve shared together.
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!
After we had composed ourselves from our vows and my Uncle Mark’s ring presentation, we had to exchange rings. We stood patiently, waiting for the final two caps on the ceremony.
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’m a huge fan of using old/pre-used things for brand new purposes. Not that the purposes we have come up for our wedding haven’t already been done before, as I found most of my ideas through reading blogs. But still, you get the idea.
How are we re-purposing/ re-using/ recycling elements to use in our wedding? Well, here is what we have come up with so far:
using old mason and sauce jars as vases for the centerpieces and *possibly* lanterns for tealights
collecting mismatched dessert plates from thrift shops for our cheesecake buffet (mmm… cheesecake)
using scraps of trim and fabric that my mother and I have stashed for ages for use in things like the favors and decorations (ooh, and my garter!)
collecting baskets for food and such from thrift shops
possibly using old wine bottles for water and sweet tea
Mrs. Perfume, DCAge and Occupation: 36, Consultant (and Part-Time Professor)Fiance's Age and Occupation: 41, ConsultantEngagement Date: May 13, 2008Wedding Date: May, 2009Venue: The Homestead, Hot Springs, VirginiaAbout Me: I'd like to think that I'm a modern day Little Edie Beale. Only not as..."talented". More realistically, I'm a foodie who can't bake; a dancer and dilettente; an art collector with a penchant for the whimsical and subversive. I live in the city and adore the country, but not much in between. I like smart design, great craftmanship and good value. Most of all, I love the new vintage aesthetic: classic, sweet, delicate, bespoke. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go for a culinary arts degree rather than a PhD; but wouldn't trade Mr. P for the world.
Over Memorial Day weekend we celebrated our one year anniversary! My, how time flies. We headed back down to the Homestead for the weekend, and it was a fantastic time full of great moments and nostalgia (is it nostalgia if it’s memories of just a year ago?). We kept saying “A year ago at this moment we were…” and then would recount what we were doing at that time. It was fitting because some of our activities of this weekend paralleled those of our wedding weekend (unplanned and totally cheesy, but sweet)!
Esme, our wedding coordinator, arranged to have us in an upgraded suite in the tower, the tallest part of the hotel with the best view, for our stay. And as I got ready for dinner, Mr. P called me out to the living room to look at something…
Mrs. Pin Cushion, Oakland, CAAge and Occupation: 25, Nurse Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, PhD StudentEngagement Date: November 23, 2008Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Radonich Ranch, Los GatosAbout Me: I'm the 3 Cs: crafty, creative and quirky (oh, that's not a C? Close enough!). I'm also a recycling fanatic, fluent in bad accents and I have the loudest laughter this side of the Mississippi. I have not just one sweet tooth, but a whole mouth full of sweet teeth. I cry at 97.4% of all movies I see, but my fiance's always there to hand me a tissue. My geek-chic fiance and I are planning a wedding full of color, cookies and handmade goodness and I can't wait to spill the beans on all of our crazy ideas!
I like getting mail. It’s one part of adult life that I look forward to (as opposed to 1) paying bills, 2) cleaning the refrigerator, 3) waking up at 5:15 am for work, 4) having no one to blame but myself for not having any clean socks to wear at 5:15 AM). I’d like to think that other adult-types like getting mail, too.
Going along with that theory, I like sending mail. It fills my thought bubbles with images of people jumping for joy at receiving non-junk-mail-mail. Which in turn makes me dance a little jig. My jig is a bit more exuberant when I know my outgoing mail is cute. And my most common outgoing mail at this point are my thank you cards. Thus, here are my handmade thank you cards [handmade because I a) am cheap, b) have been bringing a pile of construction paper through 3 moves, and enough is enough].
My bridal shower thank you cards; I wrote “Thanks for being so sweet” on the inside.
Mrs. Deviled Egg, PittsburghAge and Occupation: 27, Public RelationsFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, AccountingEngagement Date: December 24, 2007Wedding Date: May, 2009Blogging Since: October 21, 2008Venue: Historic auditorium and meeting hall in one of Pittsburgh's commuter citiesAbout Me: I am obsessed with all things crafty, especially scrapbooking, knitting, jewelry-making & cake decorating. I also love being an aunt, wrapping presents, watching football (Go Steelers!), shopping at yard sales and consignment stores, procrastinating, singing and learning to play the guitar. When it comes to wedding planning, I'm excited about working on DIY projects and finding creative ways to stay under budget. Of course, nothing is more exciting to me than knowing that the wonderful Mr. Deviled Egg will be my husband.
All dressed up and ready, it was time for the ceremony to start. We lined up outside and waited for the signal to enter. First up, the guys, along with our Pastor, emerged from a super secret room. I really have no idea where they were hiding while all the guests were filtering in. I was just happy that they were all there on time. 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.
I (like many other people) love the Met. I think it’s such an incredible museum and if I lived in New York, I’d be there at least once a month, although I’m pretty sure you could go once a day for a year and still find something new every day.
Me being my usual sophisticated and grown up self at the Met:
Anyway, this post isn’t actually about the Met’s collection, but instead their gift shop, or more specifically their jewelry. 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!
In our senior year of college, Mr. Octo and his two roommates (who are now both groomsmen) challenged each other to a Beard-Off, in order to determine who could grow the manliest and most luxurious beard in the shortest amount of time. This was a dumb contest for him to participate in, because his roommates were both far hairier than his baby face could ever be, and defeated him soundly. Ever since then, though, he’s taken a liking to experimenting with his facial hair, and he’s had a beard on and off for the past year or two. Since about February, the beard’s been on—until tonight!
We both agreed that he shouldn’t be bearded for the wedding, because it’s a fairly recent look for him, and he’d probably look more traditionally “himself” without one. Even though we’ve still got three months, he decided to shave it now, because he tans really easily. We worried that if he left the beard on for the summer, he could end up with a beard tan line come September, which would be hilarious, but tragic-looking.
Operation: Beard Removal progressed through a number of stages. Here’s Phase One:
Daffodil, who had previously been clamoring for me to pick her up so she could sit on the bed with me, was alarmed at what came next. Read more…
DIYFeature Launched: October 8, 2008About: The best DIY projects from Bees and brides around the web.
Mrs. Paisley, Orange County, CAAge and Occupation: 25, JournalistFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Spanish ProfessorEngagement Date: September 2008Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Family Lake HouseAbout Me: From my earliest days I attracted attention, as much for my intelligence as for beauty. I display an originality, a perspicacity, a certain je ne sais quoi that sets me apart. I posses a mysterious authority which compels people to do my bidding. I am a regal blonde with classic features and the daintiness of Dresden porcelain. I am poised, soft-spoken, and well educated... Okay, now that enough eyebrows have sufficiently shot through the roof, everybody can relax---I kid! I'm just a sarcastic NorCal-turned-SoCal girl who loves outdoor activities, books, letterpress printing and of course, Professor Paisley.
Wow! How did we get to ONE WEEK before the wedding SO. DAMN. QUICKLY?!? There are so many things left to do!
I need to buy my groom’s present, buy my makeup, floral supplies, do the candy buffet… I’ll spare you from the whole list, but, suffice it to say that I added up all the hours (of gardening plus projects) and they equal 60 total hours of work! Before you join me in a spine-chilling bridal scream, let me assure you that divided by the number of wonderful helpers we have this week, it all comes down to just three hours per person. Whew! That was close, guys, that was close!
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.
In light of my last post about stress, feelings and bridal breakdown—especially in regards to making everyone happy planning an interfaith ceremony, I want to lighten it up a bit with an interfaith detail that makes me hecka-happy: Chuppahs. I wouldn’t get this beautiful detail in my ceremony if I didn’t get to incorporate Mr. Thimble’s culture and be married by a Rabbi, right? So while I decompress, I thought I’d share some Chuppah, and general ceremony, decor inspiration:
Homespun quilts and flowing ribbons (and glowing bride):
Mrs. French Fries, MilwaukeeAge and Occupation: 27, ParalegalFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Investments AdvisorEngagement Date: September 20, 2008Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Ceremony: Catholic Church, Reception: Hotel BallroomAbout Me: I'm a Midwestern girl who longs to live in a warmer climate (my feet would be happy in flip flops any day!). I love travel, impromptu napping, grilled cheese sandwiches, my iPhone, singing with reckless abandon in my car, and Mr. French Fries.
Right now, I’m laying under a fluffy down comforter in the quiet stillness of my hotel room. It is the night before my wedding. (!!!) Tonight was our rehearsal, which… I’m not going to lie — was sort of like trying to herd cats. 9 groomsmen, 6 bridesmaids, 2 flower girls 1 ring bearer (and a partridge in a pear tree) will have that effect. But, we rehearsed… and then we ate and drank and had a ball at our rehearsal dinner, and now, as they say… it’s go time.
I’m so ready for tomorrow. I know it might sound trite, but I’ve never been as sure about something as I am about marrying Mr. FF. Ever since the 2nd week when we were dating and we talked about our “hypothetical wedding” and who would be there and how it would be… we’ve known that we would be together; that it would come to this point.
To Mr. FF: It’s here! It’s happening! It’s finally our turn, and I’m so ready to be your wife and to look all of life’s challenges (and excitement!) square in the face, together. I love you more than words can say. You and me, babe. 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!
Our venue search was exhaustive. And by exhaustive, I mean ridiculous. And by ridiculous, I mean certifiably insane. Mr. Socks and I went to over 80 venues in our search. And we didn’t just look them up online. We drove to every. single. place. Who knew we were so freakin’ picky?? It wasn’t that we didn’t know what we wanted, but it was VERY difficult to find not only a venue that suited us, but a staff that fit our style as well. Very few venues were right near us. Most were about a half an hour away or more. The most we traveled in one weekend on our venue hunt was 450 miles between 5 or 6 venues, I think.
Oh yeah. We were dedicated. There will definitely be an abridged rundown on those locations later.
But right now, I’ll tell you about our experience when we decided to look at restaurants as our potential venue space. It seems pretty standard in the Philadelphia area that $20,000 is needed to rent out a restaurant for a Saturday night and $10,000 (or a bit more, depending on the restaurant) for a Sunday night. That amount includes the facility for the night, the food, the staff, and the alcohol. If you don’t mind Sunday evenings, it’s not bad, huh?
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)!
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!
When we last left off, Mr. Cardigan and I were feeling pretty bummed because I was unhappy with my wedding band, and we had no idea what to do about it!
After we visited that first jewelry store, I was feeling pretty crappy about the entire idea of wedding band shopping. I was sick at looking at gorgeous bands online that I couldn’t afford and didn’t even want to step foot into another jewelry store ever again. I kept reading stories on boards here at Weddingbee about girls going to shop for their bands and spending two hours in the store and having so much fun… and I was jealous! Why couldn’t I have had an experience like that? The first time I ever went into a jewelry store seriously looking to purchase something, I had a horrible time… just my luck!
So, needless to say, I just ignored the whole thing for a month or so. Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
It’s finally our turn, and I’m so ready to be your wife and to look all of life’s challenges (and excitement!) square in the face, together. I love you more than words can say. You and me, babe.
