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.
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.
Shortly after telling my parents that Mr. Knitting and I were engaged, my father (one of my very best wedding co-conspirators) and I celebrated by watching the episode of Friends that featured Phoebe’s wedding. While I will probably concede that Pam and Jim’s wedding is the ultimate TV wedding (for now, anyway!), I love Phoebe’s wedding because it had so many elements about it that I love.
Ms. Stripes, Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 29, Costume Designer/StylistFiancee's Age and Occupation: 29, ChefEngagement Date: June 23, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Heritage Square MuseumAbout Me: I’m a type A creative with a messy streak, a loud mouth, and an uncanny knack for combining clashing patterns. I can usually be found with my nose in a book, my feet (or at least my toes) on the ground, my head in the clouds, and my arm around the prettiest girl you ever saw- aka
Fiancee Stripes. Together we’re planning a FUN vintage/modern French carnival wedding extravaganza and rockin’ dance party on a dime. (Say that three times fast!) Good coffee, long lists, Uniball pens, and my iPhone keep me sane, and making art, making trouble, and making out keep me happy! I love urban adventures, bike rides that end with afternoon drinks, breakfast for dinner, beautiful light, photography, travel, my furry family, and of course, my beautiful fiancee! I’m super excited to be here and can’t wait to share all our adventures as we craft a joyful, budget-friendly, design-savvy and all-around AWESOME wedding!
At Barney’s the other day I saw them. My perfect wedding earrings. Yup. I didn’t even know such a thing existed, but there they were. Cool, vintage, colorful and just wonderful. Kinda like these:
For the record these are not the exact ones that caught my eye at Barney’s (damn Flash sites!) but some similar ones from the same todiefor jeweler, Larkspur and Hawk.
Anyhoo I noted the brand and hopped in the elevator. Read more…
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.
So where will we be going this October? In case it wasn’t obvious… and no, it’s not the island from Lost… although that picture of ruins could be that spot where—oh, waiting for the DVDs? I’ll shush…
Anyway… we booked our honeymoon! And we’ve made a compromise for ourselves. We’ll be spending 9 nights in Riviera Maya, Mexico, just 1 mile outside of the Bohemian, artsy fishing town Puerto Morelos at Excellence Riviera Cancun. Longer than a week, better than just any ol’ all-inclusive Caribbean destination. Por que? Riviera Maya satisfies my need to explore: formerly I longed for ancient Greek theaters and the Acropolis, now we’ll be Indiana Jonesing our hearts out through Mayan ruins:
Ms Seahorse, BostonAge and Occupation: 25, Veterinary Jane-of-all-tradesFiancee's Age and Occupation: 36, former non-profit fundraiser in search of something betterEngagement Date: October 17, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Fort Pond LodgeAbout Me: By day I'm a cat-wrangler, vet tech assistant, pet-sitter, receptionist, and pre-vet student, but the rest of the time, I'm a former-roller-derby girl turned dedicated-wedding planner. I love reading, writing, bicycles, animals, roller skating, and antique-y things of all sorts. I'm a vegetarian who likes spicy foods, while Fiancee Seahorse is a meat eater who does not like spices. We live outside Boston with our menagerie: a fifty pound dog, a one-eyed, seventeen-toed, toothless cat, and a perfectly put together cat who has a penchant for pooping near rather than in her litter box. In addition to planning our small lake-side wedding, we enjoy running around with the puppy, playing board games (Scrabble, anyone?), having little adventures, talking about how we should really clean the house more, and maintaining our little garden of vegetables and wedding flowers.
Hello, there, Hive. Sorry I disappeared for the weekend. I swear it was for a really good reason.
If by good reason, I mean I hit my wedding wall. How did I hit my wedding wall?
Miss Seahorse, post-meeting with Wedding Wall
It may have had something to do with the stupid wedding map I spent two hours trying to make and am still not happy with. What would make this happier? Someone suggest something, please. 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.
A while ago, I posted about the gifts I bought for my bridesmaids from Satya Jewelry. The pieces arrived in the mail shortly thereafter and I promptly buried them in our storage unit in the basement of our building and forgot about them.
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.
When I first decided to blog about our wedding, I titled my blog Eco-Thrifty Bride. Lately I’ve been despairing about why it is so hard to find products, services, and vendors that can accomplish both. Just like “wedding”; “eco”, “organic”, and “green” are words that, once mentioned, throw up a red flag that signals a substantial price increase is impending, whether it is warranted or not. These price increases stem from a classist, elitist sentiment that “eco” products are desired by and produced for the wealthy, an assumption that self-perpetuates when such products are priced at a premium, thus denying a vast segment of the population access to products and services that are healthy for both people and planet.
Well let me tell you a secret, hive. You don’t have to be rich to be green. You just need to be a little creative.
Case in point: lighting for our venue.
What I was after was unique and beautiful lighting option. I found Eco (at a cost of $379 NZD) and Thrifty (made of plastic and shipped many miles).
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!
I know the big chunk of A Bee’s Life posts happened quite a few months ago, but I loved this series when I was a WB reader, and I just really wanted to write one myself! Here goes nothing…
My history with blogs:
I have always loved to write, ever since I was very, very little, and I’ve been into blogs for a long, loooooong time. I started my first-ever blog when I was maybe fifteen or so, using the site DiaryLand. It was really popular at the time (and was totally intended for teenage girls like myself… the website was decked out in pastel colors and daisies and kittens), but has now been far eclipsed by Blogger and WordPress and whatnot. I loved blogging even way back then, and made “blog friends” with a bunch of other teenage girls (and one boy) who also had sites there. I found it really rewarding and fun.
That doesn’t mean I wasn’t super-dumb about it, though.
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 2010Venue: 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!
Similar to Ms. Snow and her solution to having extra fabric, after making the ties for the groomsmen and Mr. GP, as well as the blue sash for my dress, I had a fair bit of our blue and yellow fabrics left over. Because of the odd shapes the tie pattern had cut out of the fabric, I knew it couldn’t really be used for anything that required large sections of fabric, and I decided to make fabric flags with the leftovers! I wanted to use this to decorate the railing that was at the front of our ceremony space, behind our ’altar’ to add a little more splash of color.
If you remember from my programs post, I had an awesome team of women helping me out the last few days before the wedding, and we tackled this project with the same quick intensity as the programs (and this is definitely not the last you’ll see of their help - have I mentioned how deeply indebted I am to them?)!
Friend DB cut out all the flags from the fabric and sewed the foldover section at the top that the rope would eventually go through:
(I’m beginning to wonder if I have a photo of friend DB NOT at the sewing machine?)
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!
For the last few years, I’ve complained mentioned my strong desire to learn something new. A new language, a new sport, a new instrument. For his entire life, one thing that Mr. Pencils has done well is listen—even when you think he has stopped.
Thus begins the story of Mr. Pencils’ wedding gift to me. A simple story, of love and a desire to learn something new.
Uncle J, Best Man AH, Best Bro SM and Bro of Honor CW
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.
As wedding season is coming up, I started thinking of all the weddings I’ve attended in the past. The past couple years have been a huge source of inspiration, wedding-wise. Mr. Starfish and I have attended quite a few weddings. At each wedding, I find there is always something that sticks out to me. It could be a first dance, a new trend, a unique favor, the vibe of the wedding, the band—anything at all really.
After we got engaged, I found myself sort of judging weddings. Not in a negative way, but I became more tuned in to those little details that really make a wedding unique. I found myself looking for these items and assessing what the most wonderful thing is about each wedding.
Last October, we attended Mr. Starfish’s childhood friend’s wedding. We’ll call him Mr. Villanova. Mr. Villanova and his wife met in college. They held their ceremony at their alma mater’s chapel. The ceremony was given by their college pastor. They had grown close with him, which made the wedding more personal. They truly made their wedding about their relationship. Read more…
Mrs. Hermit Crab, New York, NYAge and Occupation: 24, Youth Director soon to be Grad StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Medical Student - soon to be Surgery ResidentEngagement Date: October 11, 2008Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: New York Botanical GardenAbout Me: I love all things food, books, our furbaby, Rashi, and adventures with my amazing fiance (oh, and saving the world!). This summer I will not only be a bride, but a bridesmaid, officiant, and attendee as well---it's all about weddings in my life right now, full of so many exciting moments and projects. We're planning a fab New York City wedding weekend full of family, love and lots of color!
Well, ’Hive, it’s finally here. After five years of dating, including nearly 20 months of being engaged, Mr. Hermit Crab and I are just about to get married. I can hardly believe that it’s actually here - somehow, I never thought it would actually come! We’ve had a wonderful Shabbat Dinner on Friday night with our families, welcomed our out of town guests and extended family with a delicious dinner, and now, here we go!
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.
Just kidding. I do not have an exciting proposal story. We’re just not that kind of couple. Mr. Knitting and I have been together for six years and planned to eventually get married for probably about the last four. Actually taking the step of being officially engaged was a matter of me deciding that December would be a nice time to get married and since December 2009 was too close, it would be December 2010.
Why December? The month of December is probably my favourite time of year. I get this really cozy feeling and an intense desire to bake lots of treats for the whole month. Okay, to be honest I pretty much always want to bake lots of treats (see photo of my devilish looking baby sister and yummy peanut butter chunk cookies), but this is especially true during December. Anyway, since it’s my favourite time of year it seemed like an excellent time to get married. To me (and probably many people) it’s also very much a time of year that’s about family, and what is more about family than a wedding?
I ran my plan by Mr. Knitting and being the easy going agreeable guy that he is, he agreed that that would be a lovely time to get married. Read more…
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.
For reals, like in a manic excited way. Like, climb the walls giddy I can’t wait! (I am my mother’s daughter. She always does get ferociously excited over vacay).
I spent two weeks in April OBSESSIVELY researching where the heck to honeymoon. During the two months prior, our honeymoon dreams got knocked down from 2 weeks in Greece and Spain or France to 1 week somewhere all inclusive and tropical due to newly self-induced budget restraints. But here’s some eye candy to share! Let it take you to a happy place like it does for me… 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.
