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.
One thing you’ll probably hear me talk about a lot is bridesmaid’s dresses. Why? Well, like the situation with my dress (we’ll get there soon), I have no idea what I want. I’m indecisive and inspired by everything. This is not a good combination!
I’ve talked about liking brand-name dresses and mismatched styles, but there’s another type of dress that always seems to catch my attention: cocktail dresses. Short or knee-length styles in bright colors, such as green, yellow, or pink, with flirty designs like ruffles or a sweetheart neckline.
When I came across the image below, I fell even more in love with the short-dress style. Aren’t they gorgeous? Of course, the green struck me (because green is my favorite color), but the dress is adorable. It’s young and fun. It’s casual and sophisticated. Check out the girl on the far left, too. Her dress is a little different. Maybe she’s the MOH? Cute, huh?
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.
The OOT Bags are coming together! We’ve purchased most of the items we need. And, this past weekend, we made all of the DIY chocolates! When we start started, we realized it was time intensive, and I didn’t think it could be done in a weekend. But with tons of help from Starfish Mom, they are all done and packaged to go!
Here’s a glimpse into the process:
We had multiple molds. If you’re doing a ton of these, I recommend having more than one mold. It takes a lot of time for them to cool, so you have to do all the work, then wait, then do it all over again. It’s really messy, so getting more than one set done at a time helps. Read more…
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.
Like quite a number of couples before us, Mr E and I decided to use our engagement photos as part of a guestbook that we created through Blurb.
We were pleasantly surprised with the quality and the speed of delivery (considering it has to come all the way to NZ), and, even better, we got a 20% discount. Score!
It isn’t just a photo book, though. We wanted to combine Mr E’s love for photography with my love for words, so throughout the book we also placed some of our favourite quotes on love and marriage. Read more…
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 first time I heard the words ‘bridentity crisis’ was in the book Offbeat Bride:
When I read this I was like, AMEN SISTER!! You are taking the words right out my mouth! I felt like the faded-t-shirt-and-jeans-wearing-everyday-me was getting ready to take on the peep-toed-shoe-and-white-dress-wearing-bride-me in a knock-down drag-out fight. Read more…
Mrs. Turtle, Central CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 21, Art Student/TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, English StudentEngagement Date: August 16, 2008Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Mr. Turtle's Grandparents' backyard, Arroyo Grande, CAAbout Me: I am a California girl who loves the beach and the mountains, but is quite satisfied living right in the middle where I can enjoy the best of both worlds. I am happiest when traveling to faraway places, wandering through museums, watching old movies, or baking up a storm. Mr. Turtle and I are high school sweethearts and fellow book nerds who both drive Mini Coopers and are most likely to be found browsing in antique stores. We're having so much fun planning our European garden wedding with a vintage twist and can't wait to share more of life's adventures together!
Our photography package included having our photographer take photos of our rehearsal dinner. I would have never thought to hire a photographer for this night, but am so, so, sooo glad that we did! Much like our wedding photos, these are priceless to us! Thanks again, Chloe, from Mike Larson Photography Inc.!
When Mr. Turtle and I arrived at the banquet room, everyone was already seated and enjoying some delicious appetizers and Champagne. 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!
I’ve mentioned before that my mom is not your typical Mother of the Bride. After surviving breast cancer and a divorce, it’s safe to say that she has a fresh new outlook on life. Add that to her Latina background, along with living in one of the most dynamic areas in the nation…let’s just say she wasn’t planning on wearing this to our wedding:
Mrs. Barrettes, Tumon, Guam/Napa, CAAge and Occupation: 29, DancerFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Licensed Building ContractorEngagement Date: November 16, 2008Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: V. Sattui WineryAbout Me: I'm an East Coast girl, living on a tiny little island in the Pacific, twirling, leaping, and shimmy-ing my way through life, and now, wedding planning! I'm equal parts nerdy and cool... okay, mostly nerdy. I love satin bows, red lipstick, black & white graphic anything, the shine of sequins and the sound of a champagne "pop". My favorite books are The Portrait of a Lady, by Henry James, and Tender is the Night, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I can also conjure a pretty good Patronus Charm. I started my appreciation for good red wine while traveling on the high seas, and it's only fitting that my passion for wine drinking led me to my Napa-bred honey. We bonded over bottles of Cabernet on my oceanfront porch and haven't looked back since. We're sealing the deal at a winery in the Napa Valley on a 'perfect ten' of a day!
We finally finished our wine charm project! In part, thanks to the postponement of the Men’s Tennis Final. I can’t craft and pay attention to tennis at the same time. Also in part to Baby Barrettes—look how helpful he tried to be!
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.
Being the youngest sibling to two very protective brothers, I always wanted a sister who could share the spotlight. I would routinely check my birth certificate hoping that I was secretly a twin. My mother still displays the Christmas list I wrote asking for a baby sister complete with “all her things.” I never did think that I would inherit a sister and a best friend via either my brothers, but that is sure as heck what I got. We became really close when she got pregnant with my twin nephews.
She even gave me the privilege of being Maid of Honor at their wedding. Read more…
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!
All four of my wonderful bridesmaids were in town the last weekend in March and we really made good use of our time.
On Saturday we were out bright and early to our first stop, Bridal Boutique, where I tried on my favorite three dresses. Of course, I left my favorite for last and the emotion of having all of my bridesmaids, my mom and my aunt there to see the dress really hit me. There were tears all around and we all knew it was the one. Too bad they don’t let you take pictures in the store. MOH Navy tried to sneak an iPhone pic, but the consultant came back around.
Once we left the shop I let the girls in on a little secret: mom and I had ordered the dress 2 weekends ago at a trunk show! I really was planning on buying it with the girls all there, but when I received a card in the mail letting me know that there was going to be a Mori Lee trunk show at the Terry Costa dress store and I could get 20% off, there was no way I could turn that down! Read more…
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!
I’d heard lots of bees gushing about their wedding videos, and choosing their videographers. And I have to admit, I was jealous. Very jealous. We didn’t have any wiggle room left in our budget, and have been facing financial hardship left and right on the home front, so it’s definitely not been something I thought we could swing. Mama SD offered to pay for one, but I couldn’t ask her to spend more than $1k on one and still feel good about getting Christmas presents this year! Besides, everything I found in that budget was super cheese. ’90s music, horrible montages, and grainy videos. Not something I would spend money on myself, so I didn’t want my mama to either. Yet, she was adamant that I have some kind of video documentation of our day, and that we would want to watch it someday down the line. So, that’s where this baby came in.
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!
Since our civil ceremony is this weekend and I’m campaigning hard to get Wrigley and Zoe involved in the ceremony, we decided that they needed to be spiffed up and groomed for the big day! Plus, with FMIL and FFIL coming into town for the ceremony, we wanted the pups to make a good impression.
Clockwise from top left: 1. Wrigley, before the grooming 2. Wrigley and Zoe after the grooming 3. Zoe’s new “wonderdog” collar 4. Wrigley’s new “wonderdog” collar
Mrs. Toucan, BostonAge and Occupation: 25, Full-time Research Assistant, Part-time Graduate StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, ActuaryEngagement Date: February 18, 2007Wedding Date: June 7, 2008Blogging Since: November 07, 2007Venue: St. Catherine of Genoa, Jin Asian Cuisine RestaurantAbout Me: I’m a Gemini to the extreme. On one side, I’m a girly girl. I read countless bridal and fashion magazines, and have an obsession with keeping up with the latest Hollywood gossip. On the other side, I’m a sports fanatic. Despite being a full-time bride-to be, full-time research assistant, and part-time student, I’m also a full-time Red Sox fan from spring training to October, and a full-time Patriots fan from mini-camp to February. I devote almost as much time researching my for fantasy football team as researching for our wedding!
So, I was going to write this whole coming-out-from-under-my-shell/hello-I’m-coming-back-to-my-internet world post. Except I got scared. It’s weird to not write for so long and then try to get back into it. Or maybe I was just being lazy. Either way, I had to skip all my excuses because the Mister and I had our anniversary shoot yesterday (yes, a few months late) with the fantastic Agnieszka Wormus from A Brilliant Photo.
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.
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.
From the beginning, I’ve had it in my head that I’ll just order some wholesale flowers and do the arrangements myself the day before the wedding, with the help of the bridesmaids, my sister, my mom and Mr. S’s mom. I just imagine that we’ll set up somewhere with some champagne and snacks and have a neat little assembly line. We’ll only have 8-10 tables or so, so there’ll be that many centerpieces, my bouquet, the bridesmaids’ bouquets, and maybe a few other arrangements for the cake table, etc. And I want to keep them simple and small, AND, I’m considering alternate options for bouquets so there might be even less flowers to take care of. It can’t be that hard, right? Right?
And yet.
I don’t know the first thing about flowers. I know that they’re pretty and that I want to have them at my wedding, but with the exception of the easy ones (roses, carnations, tulips, daisies, etc.), I don’t even know what any of them are called! Read more…
Weddingbee GalleryFeature Launched: April 10, 2009About: A collection of inspirational wedding pictures from readers and bees.
Blueeyedgirl11’s wedding cake featured a pop of yellow orchids.
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.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
