Mrs. Elephant, Dallas, TXAge and Occupation: 27, Financial Operations AnalystFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, IT Student/Store ManagerEngagement Date: March 29, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: The Tribute Golf ClubAbout Me: I'm a Philly native creating roots deep in the heart of Texas. I might be a little obsessed capturing those Kodak moments of anything and everything (mainly on vacations). I've become more of a gamer thanks to Mr. Elephant, who I met online and can't wait to spend the rest of my life with. We are planning a wedding based on our favorite colors, blue and green, with a travel theme for 150 of our closest friends and family. Hopefully our long (2-year) engagement won't kill me!
…is what Old Navy called it. I called it an early Saturday morning braving the crazies and bribing my family and Mr. E with breakfast to stock up on flip flops for the wedding. Well, really, Dad paid for breakfast, so it was a win-win for me.
The weekend before Memorial Day weekend, we (Mr. E, Elephant Bro, and I) rolled out of bed (and I do mean rolled out of bed—look at some of those outfits below) and were in line at Old Navy before the doors opened at 7am. Mom and Dad Elephant were in line at the Old Navy closest to them (you know, to divide and conquer).
There were some interesting sights in the store, but I was happy to see that most people there were going for various different colors—they must not have been brides looking to fill flip-flop baskets in colors that coordinate with their weddings. The manager at our store was very strict on the five-per-person rule, so we went through once and then came back for a second spin, just to be on the safe side.
Mr. E in line the first go round. Doesn’t he look excited?
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.
I realized the other day that our wedding is about three months away. I then also realized that in the next three months I will be working my full time job, applying for grad school, planning a wedding, trying to find a new job (Did I mention my contract ends a week before my wedding? No? Well now you know), volunteering at two museums, writing for Weddingbee (which I love, but it does take time), and spending time with my friends and family. Sadly, spending time with friends and family is often the first thing to get cut. Unsurprisingly, I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed and tired. Even little things like filling out forms so I can be put on Mr. Knitting’s health insurance seem really difficult. Clearly I need to relax. Here are a few of my favourite ways.
I do this pretty much every night and I love it. One of my requirements when Mr. Knitting and I moved in together was that I really wanted a deep bathtub with a “slanty back.” Yes, that is a direct quote. Read more…
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.
…which is why I had no problem trying on the dress I bought and showing Mr. S—I wanted him to see it. And it’s not like he won’t be surprised; when I showed him, I was barefoot and braless with a makeup-free face and dirty hair. I’ll definitely look totally different when I’m all done up and the dress actually fits.
And since I’m not superstitious, I have zero problems posting some photos from my parents’ wedding, even though they had a terrible marriage and an ugly, messy divorce. The boy and I are not my parents, so I’m not worried about it. And these photos are awesome. My mom was so beautiful, and the style is so ’70s fabulous that I think it would be a crime not to share.
Mrs. Pretzel is selling a bunch of leftover decor items from her Technicolor wedding. Paper lanterns, birdcages, table-number frames, ribbon placemats…those are just some of the items she’s selling!
Have a wedding item for sale? Post it with a picture in the Weddingbee Classifieds, and you might see it featured on the blog!
Mrs. Hamster, New York CityAge and Occupation: 28, Finance GalFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Finance GuyEngagement Date: March 9, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: The Pierre HotelAbout Me: I'm an original Jersey girl living it up in the big NYC! I love baking for others, hosting brunches, and exploring NYC with my mans. Besides Mr. Hamster (of course), I'm attracted to shiny things, bold colors, snacks, matching and coordination, pork and duck fats, miniature versions of things, corny jokes and puns. We are planning a swanky Spring wedding in the heart of NYC, followed by a second reception in Singapore. From one city that never sleeps to another - I can't imagine a more exciting ride!
Hello hello! We are back from our Singapore reception! We are still waiting for our pro-pics from that fantabulous party, but I just wanted to leave you with a decidedly non-pro pic of the evening:
Us with our families and Mr. Hamster’s Singapore friends.
Yes, that’s Daddy and FIL Hamster giving shaka signs.
Besides hammy-ing it up for the camera, we ate lots of food: Read more…
Mrs. Brooch, Arlington, VAAge and Occupation: 25, Writer/EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Front Desk ManagerEngagement Date: October 3, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: Oxon Hill ManorAbout Me: I’m an indecisive girlie-girl with a motor mouth, can-do attitude, and knack for making others laugh. I dream of becoming a best selling novelist like Elizabeth Gilbert or Julie Powell (a girl can dream, right?), and love long road trips, a beautiful countryside, music, blogs, books, and all things vintage/thrift/antique/or homemade. I’m a Virgo, i.e. overly sensitive, emotional, and critical, and there’s no such thing as short and sweet in my world. I want to say and do it all. Mr. Brooch grounds me. I point where to go and he figures out the way. He’s a pragmatic fancy-pants who enjoys video games and movies. We both adore our mutt, Rocky, and spending time with our amazingly supportive family and friends. We’re planning a garden wedding with a formal reception with lots of whimsy and unique, Southern-inspired details.
You already know I’m obsessed with having beautiful invitations. Did I mention they have to read well, too?
As you know, we’ve been thinking a whole lot about our invitations lately. Probably over-thinking them, to be honest. I am really torn about what we want and what we should do (DIY, store bought, online printables, big money, custom suites!). There are just way to many choices and…Wait. Huh? It’s not that serious.
I know! I know! Somebody shoot me already. I never thought I’d be this obsessed over words on paper. Sheesh.
Truth is, I am this obsessed. I’m hellbent on having beautiful, cohesive, color-coordinated, and unique invitations, and it’s made me somewhat of an invite connoisseur…Well, not really, but I’ve discovered quite a few awesome sets of stationery. My most recent find is a company called Wink: Rediscover the Value of Invitations, based in—you’re not going to believe this—the Phillippines!
Wink has really pretty invitations, and they are a lot less expensive than those I’ve seen here in America. We probably won’t get our invitations from Wink, simply because the shipping costs would be outrageous, but nevertheless, their ridiculously pretty and well-put-together invites have been great eye candy. Read more…
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!
The thing about a 20-month engagement is that life goes on. The world does not revolve around my wedding planning; in fact, it keeps on spinnin’ on its own! Crazy, huh? Well, life did go on…and it has included other proposals. Lots and LOTS of proposals. Prior to our engagement, I had been to seven weddings, two of which I was old enough to drink during. Mr. Lion had been to even fewer. Since our engagement, seven more couples among our circles of friends have gotten engaged. Yep, I will soon be doubling the number of weddings I’ve been to. As the news of each of these new engagements reached us, my first emotion was utter excitement. Of course I was happy for our friends! The second feeling was a tinge of anxiety. Many people, especially brides, have the tendency to compete. I feared that sharing engagements would result in “one-upping” and “keeping up with the Joneses.” You know what I’m talking about:
Mrs. Cloud, RichmondAge and Occupation: 25, Sales RepFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Customer Service Manager/DJEngagement Date: February 14, 2008Wedding Date: November 2009Venue: Cathedral of the Sacred Heart & The Jefferson HotelAbout Me: Mr. Cloud and I are Yankees planning a Southern wedding to show our families from Boston and New York our fabulous city. We are complete opposites, resulting in a wedding to include bridesmaids in pearls and groomsmen in Adidas shell toes. I’m a sorority girl at heart with strong addictions to my blackberry, cherry Chapstick, Coach purses, the Boston Red Sox and our fur baby, Bella. I can’t wait to the throw the party of our lives and of course, marry my best friend!
Arriving at the church was surreal. I could hear the bagpiper that we had hired to play in front of the church from blocks away. Daddy Cloud and I had rode the short ten-block ride in the limo alone, and we laughed the whole way. I was nervous and giggly and I think he was trying to do anything he could to keep both of our nerves under control.
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.
The great veil debate has finally ended in the Meerkat household. The debate onlylasted six months. It seems like a long time to decide on something so simple, but when tradition is involved, things get a bit more complicated.
Back when we first got engaged, Mama-In-Law Meerkat offered to let me wear the veil that had belonged to both her and her mother. Including myself, that would make three generations of the Meerkat family who would have worn it. I was pretty well set on wearing it until I started thinking about hairstyles. I knew right away the kind of style I wanted:
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.
I know, I know. I promised you a good “Adventures with Sara” story, but I just can’t. wait. any. longer. AHHH! My e-pics (epics), save for a calendar I made, have yet to see the light of day, mostly. I only posted one or two on Facebook. I didn’t want to ruin the deliciousity (that’s a word…I swear!) of them by sticking them up online so quickly. These are precious, and they deserve a worthy domain, like, say that of a very special blog.
We hired Sara Zarrella in October of last year because we love her (and, if you remember, because of my slight narcissism). We decided to get ’er done right away because I just couldn’t wait. I wanted to do something wedding related, as everything seemed so far away at that point. We decided the fall foliage would be pretty, but where, oh where, would we take these beauties? In a complete “out of left field” moment, Zeb suggested Main Street in our home town. It makes sense: high school sweethearts, addicted to their hometown, taking their epics in a very historical place. It was perfect.
The day didn’t start all that wonderfully. I got a bit stressed when my hair wasn’t exactly how I envisioned, so I cried. Wah wah wah, big baby. Zeb reminded me that is was “just pictures.” So I tucked my lip back in and fixed the issue. All those tears over approximately 15 seconds of fixing. Idiot.
Ask me why I’m not worried about not having a first look. Go ahead, I’m waiting. Oh? What’s that you ask? Why am I not worried? Oh, right. That’s because all of these beauties were taken in AN HOUR. ONE HOUR! Sara Z, you are amazeballs! All pictures are courtesy of Sara Zarrella Photography. OK, without further fanfare, here is part one of the epics!
Mrs. Sewing, San Mateo, CA/Honolulu, HIAge and Occupation: 24, Electrical EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Electrical EngineerEngagement Date: June 27, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Anela Garden Chapel & Japanese Cultural Center, HonoluluAbout Me: I'm an easily entertained, compulsive idea-scheming machine who loves good art, good food, and a good engineering challenge. I'm planning a half-destination wedding on the beautiful island of Oahu - imagine a plethora of movies, art and games; savory Hawaiian food; blended Chinese and Japanese cultural details; lush, fragrant tropical flowers and all the air conditioning a NorCal native could want! And once I marry the love of my life, we'll come back to the 'mainland' to party it up all over again in my hometown of Salinas, the salad-bowl capital of the world!
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 I started researching inspiration for our wedding programs, I had one thing in mind: keep it simple. As much as I love a beautiful, intricate, interesting programs, I couldn’t help but feel heartbroken by the idea that most people throw them away after leafing through them during the ceremony. I searched the Weddingbee Gallery and I found this lovely one by hive member Joie De Vie:
Mrs. French Bulldog, Orange CountyAge and Occupation: 28, Administrative Assistant & Interior Design StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Purchasing AnalystEngagement Date: November 8, 2008Wedding Date: August 2009Venue: Bernardo WineryAbout Me: I've lived in Atlanta, Dallas and Laguna Niguel; although I've lived in Orange County, CA most my life, I'm a Southerner at heart. I work full time for a Commercial General Contractor (aka my father) and I go to school for Interior Design at night. I love modern design, music, wine, crafting, DMailing, my family, my Westies, and of course, Mr Frenchie! Mr Frenchie and I met 3 years ago on Match.com and have been best friends ever since. I love his "old soul" and how he laughs with his whole body, among many other things. We are planning our summer wedding at the winery near his hometown, just 45 minutes south of Orange County.
This past Saturday, five Weddingbee lovers drove from all over Southern California to the beautiful Mission Inn in Riverside for lunch, girl talk and cupcakes…sexy cupcakes. 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 was debriefing the wedding the other day with my Hottie of Honor. I told her that the wedding DIY-ness was far beyond me and what I could handle. I went on to say, what now sounds ridiculous, that I would even recommend to future brides to consider having a full-on coordinator. GASP! You remember all that stuff I had going on in my life?
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
