Miss Handbag, Smyrna, DE/JamaicaAge and Occupation: 25, AdministrationFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, SalesEngagement Date: Christmas Night 2008Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: Rosehall Resort, Montego Bay, JamaicaAbout Me: I am a Type A, emotional Italian fireball, who on a weekly basis must be brought back to reality by my level headed, calm, cool and collected fiance. We are planning an intimate, all white with hints of black, vintage inspired wedding on the old sugar aqueducts of Jamaica, with 30 of our closest friends and family flying in to witness the occasion. We are not traditional by any means and will be doing things very differently. :)
The past 19 months have been crazy to say the least. I can honestly say that a long engagement has helped in so many ways calm me (us) down. When our engagement journey started we had been dating for 4 1/2 years and it had been a little rocky. Rocky only because we weren’t in the “forever” mind frame yet, and we were very young when we started dating.
Once we made the commitment to make this forever and start the wedding process, things became very real for the both of us. We had bought a house, switched jobs, and moved an hour away from our families to start a new life together. We had been through a lot and we are starting to figure ourselves out and learn more about each other. He was very much a momma’s boy and I was very attached to my mom and 2 brothers. Over the years, we have learned that our role as partners are changing and we can no longer be so attached to our families, but should be attached to each other. I’m not saying that we cant be close to our families, because we are, just that there is a line of respect for our partner and we should take them as our number 1 priority at all times. He has had to stick up of for us to his mother and he has learned that I am his priority. In return I have had to let go a little bit of my brothers and dropping my whole life when they get home. Read more…
Mrs. Husky, DenverAge and Occupation: 26, Systems AdministratorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Mechanical Engineer, recently laid offEngagement Date: August 14, 2009Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: Rancho San CarlosAbout Me: I am planning a quirky-crafty wedding with my recently out-of-work fiancé for a (fingers crossed!) warm October afternoon. We are two self-professed nerds with an affinity for all things outdoors---be it rain, snow or shine. Recently relocated from the drizzly Northwest, we're enjoying the many sun-soaked days in the mile high city. Our day will be filled with both of our large families and friends, a self-served Cajun feast, and a Zydeco-style jazz band rocking beneath the beams of a historic red barn.
Due to the somewhat remote location of our wedding, my options for having my hair done by a professional are somewhat limited. Add to that our ever-decreasing budget, and you get DIY hair! I won’t claim to be very talented at creating beautiful updos with my strands, but I am fortunate enough to have several creative ladies in my bridal party who have all offered to help. Right now my hair sits just below my shoulders, and I still have another four months to grow it out. I definitely want some kind of updo, so I can use the fascinator I made:
(Yikes! Apologies for the lighting—florescent tubes do nothing for my complexion.)
Mrs. Glasses, Tokyo/Los Angeles, CAAge and Occupation: 24, English teacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, English teacherEngagement Date: September 2008Wedding Date: October 2010 Venue: Parents' backyardAbout Me: I’m an expat living in Tokyo. I’ve been in Japan for almost three years now, where I met my fantastic English fiance. It’s time to leave Japan, so we are planning a fun, intimate, backyard ceremony back home in the suburbs of L.A. in October. Our wedding will be a mix of my love for food, beer, my Japanese culture, and Mr. G’s Englishness. We are on a tiny budget and DIYing almost everything!
It’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty. Let’s talk about the actual ceremony portion of our wedding. I think this is the most wide-open detail of the day so I’ve really dreaded putting pen to paper, so to speak, and writing out what will go down. It’s also touchy for me because I know Mr. G’s parents won’t be there to celebrate with us which makes me want to cry! It would be really nice to have both of our parents there but Mr. G’s parents will be with us in spirit; I’ll leave it at that.
We won’t be having a religious ceremony as Mr. G is atheist and I’m Buddhist, but want to keep it as neutral as possible. And oh yeah, we’ll already be married! See what I mean by wide-open? All the traditional things that usually happen at a ceremony don’t need to happen at ours!
We need to pick an “officiant” of sorts who can at least MC what’s going to happen. We want our ceremony to be silly and fun and emotional and meaningful. Just how will we accomplish this? Read more…
Mrs. Locket, Ithaca, NYAge and Occupation: 25, Research TechnicianFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, former Banker hoping to become an Officer of the LawEngagement Date: June 15, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Heron Hill WineryAbout Me: I am a little bit of everything all rolled into one: A girly gal with rough edges---I love to get dolled up just as much as I enjoy throwing on some sneaks to toss a ball with Mr. Locket. My love for crafting and creating is quite apparent and I've been referred to as a Wonder Woman/Martha Stewart/Stepford Wife hybrid (yup, I'll take that as a compliment). I adore sewing, photography, sculpture, good eats (mmm tapas), baking, snugging and oh, pretty much everything in between (there's not much I dislike). I am super excited to be planning our vineyard wedding and couldn't be happier to be marrying Mr. Locket. We are a quirky, fun-loving couple residing in our college town with our two pups Maple and Molly. We love to go on hikes, visit our local dog park and to bask in the beauty of many of the local falls and gorges. We are an indecisive pair, but together we somehow manage to make up our minds (it's the easy stuff that's tricky).
Like many gals, I have a minor obsession with shoes and am constantly drawn in by their cutesy, frilly, and oh-so-pretty qualities. Believe me, if I could I would fill my closet with as many jeweled, heeled, and satin pretties as possible, but I have a very unfortunate problem. I am not one of those gals that can try on every pretty shoe and have it fit, and I often feel like the ugly step-sister from Cinderella with the big toes and huge feet.
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!
After spending 2 hours this morning trying to figure out the best way to make our wedding album with Adorama, I decided to forget about trying to use their online software. The easiest way to make our album to all my type A wants/needs is to make it from scratch, via Adobe InDesign.
InDesign and I became BFF this past year when I was putting together my thesis book, so it was only natural that we rekindle our friendship and make a fantastical wedding album to give to our parents/grandparents and for ourselves.
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.
T minus one month till the wedding and I’m having some pretty weird wedding-related dreams. OK, maybe they’re more like wedding nightmares.
Want to know how you can tell this is a dream? 1) That is the kind of perkiness you can only get in dreams. I mean let’s be serious, my boobs haven’t looked like that since 10th grade ever. 2) There is a giant dream bubble above my head.
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.
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.
Although we gladly would have stayed another week relaxing on the beautiful beaches of Los Roques, adventure was calling our name and so we embarked on the second half of our Venezuelan trip.
It took us three different planes to get to Canaima, the tiny indigenous village in the southern part of the country. The village is only accessible by plane; there are no roads because it is too remote and it would be too dangerous to try and drive from the nearest big city, even if there were roads.
We’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading real Weddingbee brides’ experiences with their vendors via the Weddingbee Vendors section! A while back, we launched Featured Reviews from the Hive, a new feature that allows you to share your favorite vendors right here on the front page! We’ve loved all of the great vendor reviews coming at us, so today we’re launching a weekly giveaway from Zazzle for those of you who create and submit vendor reviews to be featured right here on the blog.
Currently, we’re regularly featuring your favorite vendor reviews that you write and submit to us. Every Friday we’ll randomly select a featured reviewer that week to win a custom Avery binder on Zazzle.com!
After the wedding there may be a lot of little odds and ends that you’d like to retain as keepsakes (Wedding dress receipts? Bridesmaid dress color swatches? Sweet RSVP response cards?), and these binders make the perfect place to store it all. Keep the memories alive with a custom Avery binder on Zazzle.com, the world’s leading platform for quality custom products.
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’ ceremony is making its way toward the finish line. The process has been difficult. We originally started with discussion. I followed by scouring the internet for possible readings and ways to saying things. I emailed these to Mr. Hot wings. He worked on it and emailed it back. It wasn’t feeling as collaborated as I had hoped. 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!
Remember my first, disastrous hair trial? Where the stylist informed me that there was nothing she could do with my “too short” hair, put it in a ponytail, and charged me $35 for twenty minutes in the pleasure of her company?
The ONE good thing that came out of that experience was getting lots and lots and lots of recommendations from Pittsburgh hive members for more talented (and more ethical–yes I’m still bitter) stylists. Read more…
Miss Handbag, Smyrna, DE/JamaicaAge and Occupation: 25, AdministrationFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, SalesEngagement Date: Christmas Night 2008Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: Rosehall Resort, Montego Bay, JamaicaAbout Me: I am a Type A, emotional Italian fireball, who on a weekly basis must be brought back to reality by my level headed, calm, cool and collected fiance. We are planning an intimate, all white with hints of black, vintage inspired wedding on the old sugar aqueducts of Jamaica, with 30 of our closest friends and family flying in to witness the occasion. We are not traditional by any means and will be doing things very differently. :)
I consider myself a very honest and real person. I am not a good liar, I am not an actress, and my emotions are always apparent. (I tried to warn you!) Whenever I read other brides’ blogs, I always wonder, are their lives really that perfect or are they just not telling it how it is?
Planning this wedding, there have been a lot of ups and downs, and a lot of hurt feelings and shed tears, but there have also been a lot of very exciting moments and happy times. The truth is, no one is excited about your wedding as you are and no one is going to freak out over flowers or simple details like you will. Being with Mr Handy for almost 6 years and having an engagement that was 2 1/2 yrs long made people think we weren’t serious, I guess. There were many factors that led us to have a long engagement. For one, we bought a house. Buying a house is a very big investment, and it took lots of patience, time and money. Since we had the house built, it took a lot longer then just picking one and settling on it. We really wanted to be stable before we got married. We didn’t want to set an unrealistic budget, drown in wedding debt and then not be able to buy a house. Plus, we are paying for the entire wedding ourselves with not a dime from anyone else. This is completely OK with us, as we are very independent and would rather make our own decisions without opinions from anyone else. (That sounds bossy, huh?)
With that being said, I can honestly say that never again will I want to plan a wedding that is my own. Read more…
Mrs. Husky, DenverAge and Occupation: 26, Systems AdministratorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Mechanical Engineer, recently laid offEngagement Date: August 14, 2009Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: Rancho San CarlosAbout Me: I am planning a quirky-crafty wedding with my recently out-of-work fiancé for a (fingers crossed!) warm October afternoon. We are two self-professed nerds with an affinity for all things outdoors---be it rain, snow or shine. Recently relocated from the drizzly Northwest, we're enjoying the many sun-soaked days in the mile high city. Our day will be filled with both of our large families and friends, a self-served Cajun feast, and a Zydeco-style jazz band rocking beneath the beams of a historic red barn.
I’ve always hated the humiliation of being herded up to the dance floor as a single woman to fight for a bouquet. All of us “singles”—which often meant those of us who had a date to bring, but weren’t offered a Plus-One on our invitation—would awkwardly stand around, waiting for the bride to chuck the flowers over her shoulder. One of two things usually happened:
The toss would be short, and the bouquet would crash to the floor, petals breaking from the blooms. None of the waiting maidens would want to rush up and grab it, in fear of looking like the desperate wannabe bride. Eventually, one would venture up and retrieve it.
The bride would have a recipient in mind, and intentionally toss the bouquet in that general direction. Usually the other ladies would know who this intended recipient was, and would avoid her like the plague so as not to accidentally catch the bouquet. As an involved-but-not-engaged woman, this was sometimes me. Even more awkward than standing around in the company of other embarrassed ladies is being called out as the one who is taking too long.
I had all but decided not to have a bouquet toss. 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.
Recently, we received our venue’s wedding menu packet in the mail. I was out of town at the time but when I came home, I saw that Mr. Lobster had gone through the entire menu and ticked off his likes (checks) and dislikes (big slashes). Ohhh, so *now* you want be all involved, do you, Mr. Lobster?
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
