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.
Oh yeah, you guys, you know what this means? I’m jumping on the recap train all the way down to Chinatown. It might take me a while to get through everything but I want to show you every nitty gritty detail of our wedding weekend (if you can stand it. If not, just skim and ooh and ahh at the pics, it’s cool, I get it.).
Also, just for reference, the tag line “All My Love, All My Life” is Mr Trail Mix’s family saying. It was started by his grandparents way back in the day and everyone in the family (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) sign all their emails and birthday cards with it, it’s engraved on our wedding bands and we incorporated the phrase into our homemade vows. I love it to pieces and it’s a perfect way to set the stage for our rainy, crazy, lovely weekend.
Mrs. Gloss, Boston/MaineAge and Occupation: 24, Designer/soon-to-be ArchitectFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Systems EngineerEngagement Date: May 23, 2008Wedding Date: August 2009Venue: SS Katahdin/Lakeside TentAbout Me: I don't like nickels or the skin that forms on pudding when it's in the fridge for too long. I couldn't live without Pantone markers, fountain soda (3/4 diet, ¼ regular Coke), run-on sentences, or ridiculously oversized sunglasses. I will try to DIY almost anything and am just OCD enough to make most of it work. I am truly excited about having all my family and friends together, becoming Mrs. Gloss, and having amazing photos to prove it!
While we were making sure everything was legal, our guests were lining up to get some of this yumminess:
We hired Diane Bartley to cater our event. Her home is only a few minutes away from our tent location which was key since the tent had no kitchen or water. Our menu was carefully designed so that everything could travel well since it would be all made off-site. She, and the food, was absolutely fantastic. 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!
It’s been two days now since my bachelorette party, and I think I’ve recovered enough to recap it for all of you. Phew. Okay. Oh, also. This post contains photos of a few saucy images and some dirty words. You’ve been warned!
The events of the party were kept a giant secret from me, but I knew that there was lots of behind-the-scenes planning going on. I was instructed to arrive at a Marriott in a perfect, central downtown Boston location, and here’s what I found:
Mrs. Plaid, AustinAge and Occupation: 26, Pastry ChefFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, Cabinetry CarpenterEngagement Date: August 8, 2009Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: Kindred Oaks, GeorgetownAbout Me: I am a Jersey girl born and raised but have since migrated to Texas and embraced its twang and Tex-Mex. I could probably eat chips and queso every day but instead I eat popcorn. I use the word “awesome” way too much but I just can’t seem to stop myself. I am addicted to all things DIY and am planning what I call a Texas-Chic wedding. I love snuggling with my two adorable dogs and of course, my adorable fiance. I can’t wait 'til I can call him my husband some day! October 2010, here we come!
So I realized the other day that I have yet to write about how fabulous my girls will look on my wedding day. When I started planning I decided that I wanted each girl to have a dress that looked great on her and fit into their budgets. I wanted them to feel comfortable standing up in front of all those people (I know I sure as hell won’t…eek!).
Anyway, so I originally told them to start looking for medium blue (royal), knee-length dresses. I figured that was a pretty basic color they’d be able to find just about anywhere. And luck was on my side because as soon as stores started switching to their winter lines, lots of blue popped in!
However, concerns were expressed that the girls wouldn’t all be able to find shades of blue that went together (they didn’t need to match, but no clashing would be nice), and some weren’t exactly sure of the color blue I was talking about. So I changed gears. Read more…
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!
I’ve heard a lot of brides talk about their dress disappointment at their first dress fitting. It looks like I’m joining the masses. I literally had a “did I really pick this dress?” moment.
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!
I love my bridesmaids. Not only are they incredibly beautiful, but they are the sweetest gals a girl could have as friends. Not to mention, they look FABULOUS in light blue. Fabulous. I swear I’m not shallow, I just can’t get over how good they all look in those dresses and hair flowers. Amaze-balls.
Hello, hardest picture to pose for EVER. You wouldn’t think so. I was seriously cranking my neck around as hard as I could so I could see the camera, but it was sooo worth it. I needed at least ONE picture with my little “Bride” hoodie. BTW, I was totally rockin’ the Southern bump. You know you love it.
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!
As we all know, Mr. Cardy and I aren’t having the most traditional wedding ever. We’re wearing Converse, skipping Canon in D, writing our own vows, and there will be no bouquet or garter toss in sight.
But. There is one part of the ceremony that we will absolutely keep traditional, no matter what. My father is walking me down the aisle—giving me away, if you will.
(Source) I can’t wait to have photos like this one!
Every time I imagine my wedding day, I picture myself standing outside the ceremony room, nerves going crazy, and trying to calm myself down. Then I picture my dad coming up, linking arms with me, and giving me a reassuring smile with tears in his eyes. And then we begin our walk. I can’t picture it any other way, and I literally get teary-eyed just thinking about it.
I know this is a touchy subject with a lot of people - Read more…
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!
We still haven’t been able to put any action to our inspiration for our backyard wedding. It’s worrying for a type-A person like me, but it does have one advantage—I’m able to consider all aspects of the wedding from several different angles.
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!
When Mr. Seashell and I began the process of creating our registries, there was one thing I was admittedly nutty about. Straight up anal. In fact, even before we got engaged, I declared that I’d be happy registering for this one thing and nothing else. What was it, you ask? Our wedding china.
Here’s my logic: of all the things you register for, your wedding china stands the possibility of becoming a family heirloom. Ever dreamed of getting passed down Grandma’s cookie sheets? Her cheese grater? Probably not. But wedding china likely seems a little more meaningful. Thus, I was determined (like, crazy determined) to choose exceptionally beautiful china. Additionally, I love the sentiment of having a beautiful set of china, assembled by loved ones, that you can use year after year, holiday after holiday, to feed those that mean the most to you.
Mr. Seashell and I began the search for our wedding china soon after we got engaged. More specifically, I casually mentioned we meet at Bloomingdale’s one evening after work to “look at some registry stuff”. The part I didn’t anticipate was that Mr. Seashell would be so opinionated. Read more…
ClassifiedsFeature Launched: April 30, 2008About: A roundup of the best Weddingbee Classified listings.
NancyB is selling 22 natural color burlap table runners: 12 to 24 inches wide by eight feet long and 10 to 24 inches wide by ten feet long. They are all fringed about three inches on the ends. She is asking $185 plus shipping for the lot.
Have a wedding item for sale? Post it with pictures in the Weddingbee classifieds and you might see it featured on the blog!
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 can honestly say that planning this wedding has become a hobby. I drool over websites and beautifully articulated weddings, parties, and events all day long. I see a pretty pattern and I’m on that website for hours. I am sure that everyone can relate. I have a million things bookmarked and tagged for inspiration, from weddings to bridal showers to parties. Wanna see some drool-worthy events?
Mrs. Oyster, DallasAge and Occupation: 30, Music TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 46, Art TeacherEngagement Date: January 9, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: The Tower ClubAbout Me: I'm a Texa-Californian with a penchant for sparkly things and a tendency to think a lot. I've been known to sing random songs or dance when there is no music on. My fiance and I love world culture, we love to travel, and we have an incredibly eclectic taste in music. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate our marriage with our family & closest friends. We're planning an “urban black-tie” wedding and hope to incorporate our personalities and some of our own interests. We look forward to a life of love, laughter, good music, beautiful art, and to creating our home together with our four (!) cats.
It took me about two weeks to come out of the “wedding fog” we experienced after the wedding, and the parties, and the honeymoon. So much joy packed into a few short weeks can take quite a toll!
The full set of professional pictures won’t be in for another few weeks, but in the meantime I hope to share some images from our honeymoon, tell you about the last few weeks of wedding planning (including a project or two) and some other things.
As I began writing this post I got an email from our photographer, letting me know that he has a few images up for us to preview! How exciting, and how perfect that I received this on our one month-aversary (when we were already reminiscing anyway).
I keep staring at these images and cannot wait to see the rest of them! It’s like… the wedding, all over again.
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 am having a major dress dilemma. No, I haven’t fallen out of love with my wedding dress—but I have fallen in love with a dress for a different wedding-related occasion:
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.
What do you do when you’re feeling a bit flat? Well, we listen to music. This week I have been going back to the songs from our first tumbling-into-love days and feeling nostalgic.
Mr E is the one to thank for my music education (what there is of it, anyway). Before him I was pretty much ignorant of, well… anything to do with music. I liked it, sure. But I didn’t have strong opinions of what I liked or didn’t like. Mr E was the opposite. In high school his MP3/ iPod/ whatever he had at the time was always firmly glued to his ears. Music is crack to him, and slowly he dragged me over to the dark (and blissful) side as well.
Us, in high school. We’re in one of our favourite listening to music and getting up to mischief spots. (Personal pic)
Mrs. Argyle, St. LouisAge and Occupation: 24, Project CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, PilotEngagement Date: February 15, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Jewel Box in Forest Park and Windows on WashingtonAbout Me: I'm a true Midwestern girl (born and raised), lover of red wine, reality TV and the entire J.Crew catalog. I love to dance regardless of who is watching, and enjoy a good laugh with my girls. I have a soft spot in my heart for planet Earth, my two dogs and my fiance. Fall is my favorite season (which is why we are marrying in September), but I love a warm summer day and the Colorado mountains in the winter. We are planning a modern soiree downtown, with lots of bold colors, and fun, eco-friendly elements.
Postcards were the only option we wanted. For one, postage is cheaper (although, we ended up buying regular stamps), and there were no envelopes needed (which equals less paper waste).
Neither of us wanted the traditional “Accepts with pleasure” or “Declines with regret” anywhere on that RSVP. I managed to stumble upon some great wording a while back, and it stuck with us since the very first time I mocked up an invitation.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
BTW, I was totally rockin’ the Southern bump. You know you love it.
I have a million things bookmarked and tagged for inspiration, from weddings to bridal showers to parties. Wanna see some drool-worthy events?
