Mrs. Lioness, AtlantaAge and Occupation: 25, Physical TherapistFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, AttorneyEngagement Date: August 29, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: Anthony’s Fine DiningAbout Me: I’m a Southern girl with New England roots. I say "wicked" and "y’all" in the same sentence and I like to drink sweet tea with my lobster. Mr. Lion and I are both former Floridians now living in Atlanta, which fortunately is still SEC country...Go Gators! We both love baseball, coffee, traveling, cooking, and playing Words with Friends with each other on our iPhones all day long. I’m very passionate about the things and the people I love, and I tend to plan things with all of my heart...our wedding, of course, is no different! Oh, and also Mr. Lion is a first generation American of Cuban descent. I may look more like Lucy than Ricky, but I’m doing my best to incorporate some Latin elements into our vintage-garden-Southern wedding!
I tried on a few different veils in stores. I liked some better than others, but none thrilled me more than the birdcage style. I loved the vintage look of it, and I loved the way it looked with my dress. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a huge Etsy fan. So when it came time to find a unique veil for a reasonable price, I looked no further!
I had read about different Etsy shops all over the ’Bee, but one post by Mrs. Dolphin really jumped out at me. Etsy seller Fine & Fleurie (formerly known as JMG Jewelry Design) features handmade jewelry and hair accessories perfect for weddings and other special occasions. I was immediately enamored with the shop. Everything was so romantic, so feminine, so PERFECT.
Something y’all should know about Mr. Lion: he does not want to know ANYTHING about my wedding day ensemble. Nothing. Not the dress, not the veil, not even the shoes (we’ll get to those in another post!)…so forgive me for interrupting this story to say, Mr. Lion, read no further! Read more…
Ms. Potato Chips, Boston/Narragansett RIAge and Occupation: 29, PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Personal Trainer/Business Owner/Physical Therapy AssistantEngagement Date: January 1, 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: The Narragansett TowersAbout Me: A semi-professional bookworm, if I could be a literary character I’d be a cross between Jo March and Jane Eyre, only better accessorized and much lazier. My hobbies include sleeping in, seasonal brews, running, Trader Joe’s, and watching Unwrapped and Good Eats with Mr. Potato Chips. I harbor an irrational fear of tulle, crafts, things that are fussy, and overuse of the phrase "Your Special Day". After a year or seven together, down the aisle we go, slouching toward adulthood and planning a Rhodie party with equal parts whimsy, cheer, and pizza.
Mrs. Meerkat, Kalamazoo, MI/Riviera MayaAge and Occupation: 30, Application EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, IT ConsultantEngagement Date: July 26, 2008Wedding Date: December 2010Venue: Al Cielo / La LagunaAbout Me: I’m a tech-savvy tomboy with an affinity for hot tea and good sushi. Us Meerkats are just a couple fun lovin’ geeks from Michigan. We love anything having to do with movies, books, video games or technology and we hold a special place in our hearts for our two very spoiled shih-tzus, Wicket and Bravo. We also LOVE to travel. We love it so much it only took us 12 hours after we got engaged to decide to have a destination wedding. We are working our little Meerkat tails off planning a rustic-chic, travel themed destination wedding in the Riviera Maya with a semi-formal, vintage-turned-modern, outdoor at home reception back here in Michigan.
I am so excited to have our ceremony on Al Cielo’s beach. It is basically a blank canvas to define any type of ceremony space we want. I spent over five months researching different styles of decor for the beach, but the inspiration I found online was the same thing over and over: chuppah, chairs with colored sashes, and a raffia aisle. That is, until I saw this…
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.
I went back and forth between making goody bags for our out of town guests. And, I finally decided to go for it when I had a grand idea. Instead of using gift bags from Target, why not put all of the goodies in reusable grocery bags so guests can take the bags home, rather than toss them. I bought 30 red reusable bags from One Bag One Earth and filled them with an array of goodies.
Momma Argyle was nice enough to pay for all of the stuff in the bags, and she surely didn’t want me to skimp. So, we ended up with: Read more…
Congrats to our winners, kaybee and angelicduckie!
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Picaboo has three incredible giveaways for us over the next three months! Each month, two lucky winners will win a Madison book from Picaboo, and today they’re giving away two Madison albums to two lucky Weddingbee readers!
Picaboo allows brides to create their own one-of-a-kind, customized photo books using their easy-to-use bookmaking application. The Madison album is a truly special book for your wedding photos. Heavyweight, archival quality lay-flat pages are ideal for highlighting panoramic, two-page spreads, and the paper’s pearlescent sheen coating adds a luminous glow to your photos. The elegant custom cover features a photo of your choice under a protective laminate and a full-grain glove leather wrap around the spine and back cover is available in five colors.
To enter this contest, simply visit Picaboo’s wedding albums and let us know here in the comments which album style of theirs is your favorite. For a second chance to win, follow Weddingbee on Twitter and retweet this contest (if you’re already a follower, simply retweet by clicking here!). You have until Thursday, September 23 at 11:59 PM PST to enter. Good luck!
Ms. Sloth, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 35, Account Manager and Fashion BloggerFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Design AdminEngagement Date: December 25, 2009Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Bartram's GardenAbout Me: I'm an internet junkie and music snob with a good eye for a bargain. I couldn't live without thrift store shopping, cheeseburgers, sushi, Coke Zero, websites devoted to silly photos of baby animals, Photoshop, and Mr. Sloth. Speaking of which, he and I are a pair of goofball homebody nerds who love our beagle (the most ridiculously adorable dog EVER) to an embarrassing degree. We're planning a low-key and intimate yet festive and quirky outdoor wedding with DIY details and deeply personal touches, and it's all taking place in the city where we fell in love and call home: Philadelphia.
I have had bangs for about ten years now. Sometimes they’ve been wispy, sometimes they’ve been longer and brushed to the side, but most of the time they’ve been fairly blunt, thick, and straight down on my forehead. I change my hair up often and have been growing it out for several months, but the bangs have been there, through thick and thin.
I love bangs. They hide my terrible, jacked-up eyebrows (don’t get me started) and make me feel like I have a hairstyle when the rest of my hair is ratty and unruly. Which is most of the time, unfortunately.
But there’s not much inspiration for brides with bangs out there. Add to that the fact that I am adamantly going to avoid “bridal” hair. I just want it to look pretty. I never, ever, ever wear my hair up, so I won’t be wearing it up for the wedding. I want to look like myself, just better. And that means bangs, and my hair down around my shoulders.
Here are a handful of bangin’ styles I think are doable:
Mrs. Zebra, Providence, RIAge and Occupation: 24 Marketing/Costume DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26 Management/Firefighter Engagement Date: December 12, 2008Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: The Providence BiltmoreAbout Me: I'm a small town New England girl with an affinity for procrastination, crossing the proverbial line, and putting her foot in her mouth. I'm a lover of history, all seasons, sewing and Incubus. I design costumes on the side for my old high school's theatre department, which is where I met my sexy man. Our motto for our Big Fat Lebanese/Portuguese/Irish near-300 person wedding is "the more the merrier"! We are marrying in a Catholic ceremony and are hammering out the details of our Victorian-inspired reception.
When I met Sara Zarrella, I told her that I wanted her to capture moments, not make them. I’m not a huge fan of staged photographs. Maybe it is the high-school-yearbook editor in me, but I really love candid shots.
For the next set of shots, we walked behind our old junior high school on the paths Wamponoags used centuries before. The history of the area jumps up around you, and that day I was excited to put my own historical bearings on the paths.
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.
After Mr. Cola left our hotel suite on the morning of our wedding, so the ladies and I could getready, he met up with the guys in another room down the hall, and they spent the morning watching the World Cup and doing who knows what else.
Of course, there are no pictures of their morning, since “they had no cameras” (and my pointing out that if they had cell phones, they had cameras was apparently lost on them). All I know is that it was reported partway through the morning, when a bridesmaid ran down to their room to get something, that it smelled like “testosterone” in their room. Meaning lots of sweaty, stinky boys crammed in a room, getting riled up and yelling at the TV, no doubt.
At about 1PM I texted Mr. C that it was his half-hour warning until the photographers were arriving, so they should think about starting to get ready. And once the photographers arrived, they captured these photos of the studly guys putting on their own finishing touches! They sure clean up good, if I do say so myself!
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.
Hi, my name is Miss E and I suffer from DIY project commitment phobia.
I always start off with good intentions, I swear. Good intentions of sticking to my original ideas, starting early, and following each project through to the finish. But somewhere along the line those good intentions fall by the wayside…and I become a bad, bad bride.
You see, I will “discover” this great idea for some unique project and will get all excited about it. But then…I keep looking and finding new ideas, and then I decide I like those ideas better, but then something else comes along and…well, it is never ending. I put off buying supplies for my projects because I have this mindset of “what if I see something better/more unique?” So, without supplies, I obviously am putting off actually STARTING projects, and therefore the “to do” list grows and grows with a multitude of “great” ideas which are in grave danger of not coming to fruition just because I can’t snap out of this stage and get my butt into action.
I think that part of the problem is that the majority of these projects can only be done when I’m down at home in Nelson (try doing something elaborate in a tiny dorm room with no craft tools, no table space, and no mother to rescue you when you get covered in glue. Just. Not. Fun). The next time I am there will be exactly two months from our date, so I keep thinking, “oh I will start doing things then.” Right. What I avoid telling myself is that there are some things I CAN be doing during this time, things I have been conveniently ignoring.
Well, no more of this sitting on my backside, idly scrolling through inspirational photo after photo. Read more…
Mrs. Cheeseburger, Baltimore, MD/State College, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentEngagement Date: June 28, 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Catholic Church Ceremony & Hotel ReceptionAbout Me: I'm a passionate girl from Pittsburgh, currently living in Baltimore for school, who loves Penn State, seeing movies, football, thunderstorms, black and white photos, Christmas, good beer, my amazing friends and family, and of course, my mister! We met, fell in love, got engaged, and will be married at our alma mater (go lions!) in a traditional Catholic ceremony followed by a hotel reception with lots of DIY details. It means so much to have our families and friends meet at our favorite place on earth to celebrate our love for one another - I truly couldn't ask for anything more!
When searching for wedding day makeup inspiration, I found myself drawn to dark exotic beauties with smoky eyes and blonde bombshells with bright red lips. Unfortunately, I am neither dark and exotic nor blonde and fabulous, so it’s probably no surprise that neither of these looks worked for me (but I’m so jealous if they work for you!).
After a failed makeup trial with said smoky eyes and red lips, I went back to the drawing board and reached for the last thing I ever thought I would—my own makeup bag! Here is the end result:
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.
Last week, the state of Colorado granted permission for the Huskies to get hitched!
(personal photo)
And while we’re all set on the marriage license front, we’ve had some changes to the roster regarding who will be marrying us.
I mentioned that Step-Husky would be performing our ceremony for us. But, I was hesitant. See, Step-Husky came down with a severe case of Shingles. Generally, folks can recover from this illness in 3-5 weeks. Step-Husky has been battling it for nearly 5 months.
Keep on loading your inspirational wedding pics to the Weddingbee Gallery to see them featured here on the blog! Remember, your images must be under 1MB in size, or they won’t load.
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.
In the past year, I’ve been to two amazingly beautiful non-religious ceremonies. I loved how personal they were. Having a non-religious ceremony can open the door to so many possibilities where the couple’s love can really shine through. I’ve seen it done through non-traditional readings, song choices and vows.
In the Catholic Church, you just don’t have as many options. You need to pick a reading from the old testament, a reading from the new testament, a reading from the gospel, and Catholic hymns. The one place we have been able to personalize is in the prayers of the faithful. Because we have to choose from approved lists, it makes for less personalization. I don’t want this to sound negative against the Catholic Church, because we chose to get married in the Church knowing this. Having our ceremony in the church was our top priority and meant more to us than having the option of total personalization. It actually means a lot to me to follow my Church’s traditions and repeat the same vows that many others have used before. I don’t want to take the ceremony lightly. While I want the ceremony to be about our faith, I want it to also represent us as a couple.
When it came time to choose the reading from the Old Testament, I struggled with many of the readings in the Old Testament related to men and women. I ended up finding a reading from the book of Ruth. Read more…
Mrs. Frozen Yogurt, DallasAge and Occupation: 28, Special Projects CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Equity TraderEngagement Date: March 19, 2009Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: Marie Gabrielle, DallasAbout Me: I was born and raised in Texas, and have lived in several of the cities across the state, but I currently reside in Austin. I went to college in Boston and have a special place in my heart for the Northeast. I love reading, shopping, wine, reuniting with college friends that are scattered across the country, reality TV, trying out new recipes, and attempting all the DIY projects that come along with wedding planning. I'm a "bleeding heart, save the world type" and thankfully my job allows me to work on legislation and policy to help out those in need. I met Mr. Frozen Yogurt in a bar, though he doesn't even drink! And now we are planning a modern yet vintage wedding in Dallas while dealing with the trials and tribulations of first time homeownership.
So, the girls got dressed, I slipped on my dress and Mr. Fro Yo and I had our moment together. After that, I knew I wanted to do things a little differently when it came to our bridal party. No, there’s nothing wrong with tradition, but I just figured that I probably wouldn’t print out and hang prom-type photos of my bridal party around my house. And why else do you have pictures?
We started with some photos in the area where the wedding was supposed to take place (did you see I said supposed to? Don’t let that sunshine fool you):
Jim Hunt Illustration creates adorable, one-of-a-kind “Save the Date” cartoon maps for brides and grooms who want to share something special with their guests. He can include any details the couple requests, from cities you’ve visited together to your childhood home to your wedding venue! His illustrations look great in black and white and in color, and today we’re giving away a custom black and white “Save the Date” map, comparable in detail to the black and white “Nicole and David” illustration below, from Jim Hunt Illustration!
You have two chances to enter this contest!
To enter, visit Jim Hunt Illustration and then come back here tell us a few things you’d include in your custom map if you won! For a second chance to win, follow Weddingbee on Twitter and retweet this contest (if you’re already a follower, simply retweet by clicking here!). Then come back here and let us know that you followed/retweeted. You have until Wednesday, September 22 2010 at 11:59 PM PST to enter. Good luck!
