Mrs. Pudding, Greater Toronto Area/VermontAge and Occupation: 26, High School TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Computer EngineerEngagement Date: August 2008Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Catholic Ceremony, Cultural Hall ReceptionAbout 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.
***First, a disclaimer: So much has been happening as we are approaching W-Day, that I barely have time to breathe, let alone blog. Sister Pudding has been on my case about it, but I hope that the hive will be a little more understanding. I have tried really hard in the past couple of weeks to check in at least once every few days, and will continue to do so until the wedding. ***
This post is about SHOES. Judging by the comments on past shoe posts like this one and this one, this topic gets the hive buzzing. And despite the fact that this post should have been written about a month ago, who am I to rob you of a good shoegasm?
Like many, many brides before me, I have recently become a two-shoe bride. I really couldn’t afford to be a two-dress bride, so the shoe dilemma had to suffice to fuel my need to be indecisive and paranoid.
Remember my original shoes? They were these lovelies from Badgley Mischka:
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!
It’s adorable, no? Well, as much as I loved the look of it, and as much as I knew it was what I would want our cake to look like, I really just couldn’t get excited about cake. And, I realize that this sounds crazy coming from someone who loves dessert as much as I do, but I’m really just not a fan of cake. Especially wedding cake. I’ve never had one that I liked, so I guess I’m just biased against it.
Mrs. Ribbons, Washington D.C./Bloomington, INAge and Occupation: 23, Research Associate for an international development firmFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Proposal Coordinator for contractor
Engagement Date: May 2, 2008Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Indiana Memorial UnionAbout Me: I'm an Indiana transplant living in DC with my fiance and our pretty kitty. I enjoy the color pink, I'm obsessed with the Dior New Look and tulle, and I heart my level 80 paladin. I'm a sucker for bad TV, literary theory, and cakes of all persuasion. I also happen to be marrying the cutest closet nerd around! It's all about Bloomington for us because it's where we met -- on the college paper. If there's a theme for our small summertime wedding, it's Dior meets Dorothy Draper on a lark in Bloomington; think poofy, plus graphic prints, bold colors, and a whole lot of prettiness.
Whether you’re going to the desert, Europe, or just the next town over for your honeymoon, I have a few tips to make your trip fantabulous.
1. Tell people you’re on your honeymoon.
We almost didn’t do this. When we arrived at our hotel, it was still three hours before their usual check-in time. We had been traveling for six hours; we felt super gross and just wanted to get in a room. So Ribs very politely mentioned to the woman at the front desk that we were on our honeymoon and if there was any flexibility, we’d appreciate it. She told him he should always note if it’s a honeymoon or anniversary (FYI!), gave us a card for two free cocktails at the bar, and asked us to wait a little longer.
We waited about twenty minutes with our cocktails in hand when the woman came back and said we had been upgraded to a suite and the room was ready. Booyah!
2. A point and shoot can take good pictures. 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!
The week before the wedding was an absolute blur, and I mean it! The amount of appointments and tasks on my to do list was staggering, but somehow the Button clan was able to pull it together in the end!
I wanted to share a few of my last minute projects that were pulled together before the wedding! Let’s begin with… OOT bags! Our guests were staying at a suite-style hotel, so each of their rooms was equipped with a full kitchen! This definitely allowed for us to provide some yummy snacks for them!
I’ll be honest; I didn’t take photos of the contents of the bags, but here is what each of them included:
2 water bottles with monogrammed sticker label (this one):
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.
I love Dillard’s. Even though Dillard’s isn’t in my neck of the woods (the closest one is in Virginia), I love the store. They have a HUGE dress section—in the Women’s Department as well as in Junior’s. This is the spot that an entire wedding could select dresses from the kids to the moms. When I’m visiting my mom in Phoenix we always go and browse. Since wedding dresses are on the top of my to do list, I found one dress that I thought was great!
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.
I know I wrote a morning after post, letting you all know we tied the knot successfully, but we just got a few teaser pictures from our photographers, so now I can show you the proof that we actually did it (click the pictures for a larger view)!
(From left to right: in the rose petal aisle after our ceremony, my fabulous shoes on a lamp in our hotel suite, lying on a brick wall after our first look, my something old bear with our wedding bands, and chillin’ on a bench at our first look shoot location)
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!
In case you didn’t already know, we have two Wire Fox Terriers and they are insanely cute. Need some evidence?
Need I say more?
So when we started planning the wedding, we naturally wanted to include our pups in one way or another. When we were looking at vineyards, this wasn’t much of a problem as most of it was outside, and for the indoor areas, they just wouldn’t be allowed. Read more…
ContestsFeature Launched: Oct 5, 2006About: Weddingbee contests and giveaways.
Mrs. Taco, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 29, writer/editorFiance's Age and Occupation: 37, editorEngagement Date: May 13, 2009Wedding Date: August 2010Venue: The Green Room at the War Memorial Veterans BuildingAbout 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.
Look at me, talking about rehearsal-dinner invites before sharing the real-deal invites, which went out last week.
Three pieces and two colors, printed via letterpress. We’ve got a map of the immediate area, printed on lighter-stock paper, the actual 5×7 invite, and a double-sided postcard response. Don’t mind my napkins.
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!
There’s this debate about the rituals of wedding receptions. A debate I had no idea existed until I ventured into the online wedding community. The pros and cons of bouquet tosses, garter tosses and other customs are beyond me; I just know that they ended being some of the most ridiculous, hilarious, wonderful moments of our reception. Just look:
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!
The Hot Wings’ time in Chicago is done. Our relationship started, grew, and blossomed in Chicago. It’s been 6 wonderful years in this city. Chicago became my home. Today, we begin our journey to our new home, Boston. There, we will start our lives together. Chicago is such a rich and vibrant city. It’s full of life. As a Southern Cali born and raised gal, Chicago taught me about seasons and snow. I learned to appreciate the coming of spring an the beauty of public transportation. I strengthened my love for food and the hunt for hole-in-the-wall, mom ‘n’ pop restaurants. I will miss you dear Chicago. You have treated me well.
While Chicago is where we met, it is Boston that will be “our” town. Help me give a proper Weddingbee farewell to Chicago with these lovely photos that capture both my love of Chicago and my love for Weddingbee.
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.
Mrs. Seashell, Chicago, IL / Providence, RIAge and Occupation: 28, Marriage and Family TherapistFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Electrical EngineerEngagement Date: September 3, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: The Glen Manor HouseAbout Me: Fonts and fashion, stationery and Sundays, photography and french toast... the beauty is in the details for this fun-loving Chicagoan who loves to plan plan plan! The soon-to-be hubs plays "Mr. Fix-It" in our new condo while I swoon over beautiful, personalized stationery and choose shades of aubergine for my bridesmaids' dresses... and thus begins my new fairy tale! Skirting to the East Coast for our September nuptials where my home state of Rhode Island awaits with fall foliage, I'm just a few dress fittings and bachelorette party away from saying "I Do" to a very happy ending!
You know the scene where the bride is stuffing the very last invitation into the very last envelope and notices a word is spelled wrong? Or the time is incorrect? Or the date is mistaken? She freaks out and calls her invitation designer in a desperate panic begging for a reprint. My story isn’t quite that dramatic, but our wedding invitations had a major set back last week. At 11:23 PM Saturday night I received this email from our invitation designer as she was assembling the invites:
Hi Miss Seashell,
I am sorry to report this news to you, but I was just looking over the invitation and there is a spelling error that was apparently overlooked. The “thirty” in one-thirty is spelled wrong. And now, well now, we will have to reprint. I have to discuss this with my printer first thing Monday morning if I can get on his schedule. I am really at a loss for words at the moment.
Mrs. D'orsay, Baltimore/Lancaster UKAge and Occupation: 24, nonprofit communications Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Web site developer and designer; co-owner of men's skincare shopEngagement Date: August 10, 2008Wedding Date: August, 2009Venue: Oakland ManorAbout Me: I'm a Maryland raised environmental policy wonk/activist/organizer and communications aficionado. In the past year I've lived in Baltimore, MD, Tucson, AZ, Miami, FL and Lancaster, England. In my not so spare time I enjoy planning trips with Mr. D' Orsay, visiting friends and family and crafting like a mo-fo. I also enjoy modern dance classes, rugby and soccer but have been banned by my mother, MOHs, and Mr. D' Orsay from playing till after the wedding. I have an unnatural addiction to cheese and shoes, but love Mr. D' Orsay more than either and can't wait to become Mrs. D' Orsay!
Maybe a wedding is a teensy (teensy weensy) bit like childbirth. By that, I mean that what comes after the wedding can be so wonderful that fast forward eight months and I’m already beginning to forget the not so great things.
That said, I figured I should hop on my recaps before I forgot the stark reality of wedding stress. Read more…
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!
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
(From left to right: in the rose petal aisle after our ceremony, my fabulous shoes on a lamp in our hotel suite, lying on a brick wall after our first look, my something old bear with our wedding bands, and chillin’ on a bench at our first look shoot location)
Good luck!
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