Mrs. Penguin, Northern CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 27, Weddingbee Editor in ChiefFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Doctor of Physical TherapyEngagement Date: January 29, 2007Wedding Date: June 7, 2008Blogging Since: September 14, 2007Venue: Winery in the Gold CountryAbout Me: I love the Spice Girls, dogs with underbites, bean burritos, making messes, high fives, avoiding showers, crossword puzzles, blogs, weddings, and blogs about weddings!
Our newest bee comes to us all the way from The Land of the Rising Sun! Please join me in welcoming Miss Glasses to the hive!
Miss Glasses, Tokyo/Los Angeles, CA Age & Occupation: 24, English teacher Fiance’s Age & Occupation: 27, English teacher Engagement Date: September 2008 Wedding Date: October 2010 Venue: Parents’ backyard About 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!
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!
Whew! It’s been an expensive week. A VERY expensive week. With less than 2.5 months to go, I guess I should have expected purchases to start adding up, but it feels like waaay too many dollars left my bank account this week. It started with Mr. Socks’ wedding band last Saturday and then…
I got in a very minor car accident—my fault—and now have an unexpected $500 bill to pay to the guy I bumped into. The humiliation over the ordeal is almost worse than coughing up the money. Almost.
But yeah, $500 is most of our flower budget, and I was feeling pretty down about it, so to show me that he wasn’t upset and that he was just glad I was okay, Mr. Socks brought home some beautiful yellow roses to make me smile:
He might have also brought me a smiley face cookie, a chocolate mousse dome, and a card with fuzzy puppies on it. What can I say? I love this man!
Mrs. Sand Dollar, HoustonAge and Occupation: 24, Graphic DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Electrical TechnicianEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: MacLean ParkAbout Me: I'm a domestic diva down to the core. I heart cooking, sewing, baking, decorating and making sure we have a hand-crafted home. The best part about the wedding is I get to incorporate it all! I make sure I put my art degree to good use by screen printing, craft knife cutting, and a whole lotta graphic design. We're having a big-time party on a small-time budget, and I promise to show you a boot-scootin', barbecue-eatin', finger-lickin' good time! Mr. Sand Dollar and I spend most of our time on DIY projects or traipsing around the outdoors with our two pooches Rory and Juno. I'm looking forward to sharing our journey with all of you!
Before Mr. SD proposed, I made sure to prime him with ring styles that I loved. I searched exclusively on Etsy and found the perfect seller, Single B jewelry. I loved how unique everything was, and organic. She uses recycled silver and conflict-free gemstones. They may not be traditional bling, but they fit my style perfectly! Here’s the one Mr. SD chose for me.
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 no idea what the weather will be like in southeastern PA in early October. We could have an Indian Summer, a hurricane, or it could be downright chilly. I plan to be prepared for anything, and to brave the elements with style and grace. What better way to keep fashionably warm than cardigans for my bridesmaids?
I’m not the first bee to incorporate a preppy, cozy cardigan into my wedding day look, but I am proudly hopping on to the button-down bandwagon.
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. :)
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.
But yeah, my box is sealed. The card box, that is.
People tend to bring cards to weddings, many of which include generous items like gift cards, cash, and checks. Ideally, these lovely items go in a box, of course. And many of you bees, including Mrs. Cola, have been very creative with your card boxes, it turns out! A September ‘09 bride pal used an old mailbox, and, true to her DIY nature, added special touches like a “special delivery” sign on it. A friend’s sis used a little white birdcage from the craft store. Kinda like these:
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. 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 fell for our reception venue, the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, pretty much as soon as I walked in. The funny thing is, though, that I almost didn’t go visit it at all! When I was touring wedding venues with my mom, my sister, and Mr. O, we popped into the museum on a whim because we had a few free minutes, and ended up loving it. It wasn’t on the original “To Tour” list because when I was first searching for reception venues, the museum had almost no visibility. I was only aware that they hosted events at all because references to it popped up occasionally in various forums I was searching.
Once we booked our reception at the Children’s Museum, I sometimes felt a little frustrated, because as much as I loved the space, I could find virtually no photos of it set up for a wedding reception. If you go back and check out my posts on our venue, you’ll notice that the only photos of our reception space are random, crappy shots I pulled from various Flickr streams here and there, and there’s absolutely nothing that might give you an idea of how the site looks when prepared for an event.
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.
Have you ever been shocked to find out that you don’t have many pictures of you and your fiance together? I had only a handful of recent pictures that were just the two of us that didn’t have my hand in front of the camera taking the photo of us. I really wanted a few nice photos to set up near the entry way table at the wedding. But my photos were not going to cut it! So, I would have to figure out a way to make that happen.
My first line of action was to hit the Weddingbee Classifieds Boards to see if anyone was offering free services for an e-photo shoot. Read more…
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!
I LOVE (love love love!) to dance. It’s one of my favorite things in the world. If you walk by my apartment on a day when I am cleaning, you will often hear two very excited dogs barking at me over the melody of Lady Gaga, because they think I’ve gone crazy with all of my jumping around while I dust. Dancing makes me happy.
But, you know what does NOT make me happy? Sore feet! Dancing in heels is fun, but by the end of the night, it often feels like your shoes are out to get you.
Usually when I’m dancing and my feet start to hurt, I’ll simply kick off my shoes and go at it barefoot. Much less painful! But for the wedding? Somehow the idea of running around our reception in bare feet just doesn’t appeal to me.
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 mentioned that my father is walking me down the aisle, yes? What I didn’t mention is that he has a lung condition that forces him to stop and rest after walking short distances. Add to this the fact that Daddy Husky lives in Texas, and the wedding is in Colorado—a 5,000′ elevation change—and we’ve had some aisle-escorting complications to deal with.
Our solution was to create a very short aisle to walk down:
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).
After hours (who am I kidding, days and weeks) of scouring the web and finding visions of beautiful vintage-inspired bouquets, I began to realize the traditional bouquet might not be my best option.
I love the idea of having something that can be cherished as a keepsake, holding the potential to be passed down a generation or two (fresh flowers don’t have this).
I don’t like the idea of spending uber $$$$ on something that will wilt and eventually decay. This put me in a mini-predicament because, unfortunately, I am not a huge fan of faux flowers attempting to be real flowers (you can almost always tell a fake).
Well…that was until I stumbled across Hapitat, where I found the most gorgeous looking fabric flower bridal bouquets. Read more…
WatercoolerFeature Launched: July 1, 2007About: The most discussed posts of the week.
Mrs. Penguin, Northern CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 27, Weddingbee Editor in ChiefFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Doctor of Physical TherapyEngagement Date: January 29, 2007Wedding Date: June 7, 2008Blogging Since: September 14, 2007Venue: Winery in the Gold CountryAbout Me: I love the Spice Girls, dogs with underbites, bean burritos, making messes, high fives, avoiding showers, crossword puzzles, blogs, weddings, and blogs about weddings!
The finalists are in, and with over 100 entries this year into the Project Wedding Budget Savvy Bride contest, it was nearly impossible to narrow down the throngs of awesome budget-saving tips from brides around the globe.
I was honored to be included in the panel of judges this year, including the well-loved wedding bloggers: Emily from Once Wed, Kathryn from Snippet and Ink, Jen from Green Wedding Shoes, and Amanda from Ruffled.
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!
I knew from the moment I started thinking about bridesmaids’ gifts, that I wanted to make something for my friends. Since I had already contributed $100 to each girl towards the purchase of her bridesmaid dress (I had promised myself a dress cost limit, and if it went over I would cover that out of my wedding budget), I had a pretty tight money restriction for gifts, plus I liked the idea of spending time making something for them.
I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to make until I saw this tutorial on how to make a clutch with a purse frame. Lightbulb! I knew this was perfect, and I immediately went on the hunt to find purse frames. My goal was to make a cute, elegant clutch that would go with lots of colors, and really had nothing to do with our actual wedding colors/scheme (because hard as it is for me to imagine, not everyone loves blue and yellow as much as I do).
I found some great frames on Etsy through the seller 3DPatternPaper: 8 x 3 inch frames in gunmetal!
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
