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!
Mr Hot Wings and I have a pretty strong history of doing a couple’s costume for Halloween. Our first year as a married couple in a new city meant that we didn’t have any invitations to big halloween events. So, we celebrated a different kind of Halloween this year. We got pumpkin beers, pumpkin desserts and made ourselves a fancy steak salad dinner. Not too shabby, right?
In honor of celebrating Halloween as a couple, I wanted to share some of my favorite couples’ costumes with the hive.
Mrs. Panther, Atlanta GA/Westport CTAge and Occupation: 24, Web WriterFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Music Recording EngineerEngagement Date: March 13, 2010Wedding Date: July 2011Venue: The Inn at LongshoreAbout Me: I'm a total goofball who goes through life at a breakneck pace, trying not to knock anything over. I tend to fall in love with everything I encounter, but more than anything, I love my two little kitties, Bela and Josie, and my big kitty, Mr. Panther! As a wannabe crafter, I'm still waiting for my artistic talents to emerge. (Any day now, really.) In the meantime, I spend my days eating anything put in front of me, buying every pair of shoes I see and absorbing wedding inspiration from every inch of my surroundings. Mr. Panther and I are hardcore New Englanders planning Connecticut nuptials from our new home in the Dirty South, and can't wait to mix our newfound love of classic Southern charm with some modern city touches.
I think my “bridal styling” will be among the last few things I choose, simply because when it comes to my looks, I change my mind a lot. I’ve been thinking for the past few weeks that I’d want to get temporary extensions—my stylist says he can dye them to match my hair exactly—and have them styled into relaxed curls/waves, like these:
Ms. Cheetah, Los Angeles/Palm Springs
Age and Occupation: 31, Artist, EducatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, TV FinanceEngagement Date: April 2010Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: The ViceroyAbout Me: I’m a silly, sassy lady with a compulsion to create. I love to sing and dance, despite the fact that I lack any talent doing either. I somehow manage to be messy and organized at the same time. I like to spend my days road tripping, watching '80s movies, reading true crime books, buying things on sale, sending postcards, playing board games, dining at food trucks, snuggling, and drinking ginger ale. I have a weak spot for all things sweet, especially Mr. Cheetah! I’m a Chicago girl and he’s a Nor Cal boy but we love living in the City of Angels. After 10 years as a couple we are planning a fun-filled semi-destination wedding in Palm Springs. Hope you enjoy the ride!
In honor of this great holiday, I sent out DIY Halloween postcards, and while this isn’t a wedding related project, you could very easily alter this extra-super-simple project in order to make quick save the dates or RSVP postcards.
First I designed a Halloween image at a 4” x 6” size for the front of the postcard:
To keep it simple, I left the back blank and just wrote in messages and addresses, but you could also add another printed design or more info on the back.I printed these with my home printer on 110lb cardstock.
Mrs. Giraffe, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 23, Graphic DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Music Student TeacherEngagement Date: October 23, 2008Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Trinity Lutheran Church & Idlewild Country ClubAbout Me: Coming from the suburbs of the Windy City, you'll often find me with my foot in my mouth while laughing for no reason or telling bad knock knock jokes. I've been crafty for as long as I can remember, and will DIY something twice over before I have someone do it for me. I'm a semi-awkward, typeface obsessed, design junkie and have been know to break out my dance moves for no reason as well as try my best to be ridiculous at all times. My love of pop culture, wordplay, and graph paper almost rivals my love of Mr. Giraffe (who is just the bee's knees). After a 2.5 year engagement, we're planning a modern-in-disguise traditional wedding, and cannot wait!
I don’t have much time to talk. Why? Well, because I’m meeting with our florist, Sandy, tomorrow morning! Tomorrow morning, you say?! That’s not very far away, you say?! No, no it isn’t. Freak out!
Sandy asked me to bring her inspiration photos for my bouquet and the BM bouquets…oh, and perhaps the centerpieces, too…so I was all, “Yeah, sure, no problem.” And have I gotten pictures together? Of course not.
What do I want in a bouquet? That’s a hard question to answer because, honestly, I’m so excited at the idea of my bouquet that I can barely decide. I have all kinds of bouquet dreams swimming in my head. I love flowers—I mean, love love love flowers—so how could anybody expect me to narrow down my love into one perfectly shaped and sized bouquet? But what I told Sandy, although I’m pretty sure I didn’t sound too confident, is a white and green bouquet. There should be white flowers, lots of greenery, and plenty of texture. Oh, and no roses. Word. Wait, and no calla lilies. Well, maybe calla lilies. Wait again! Maybe add some blue hydrangeas, too. There aren’t a whole lot of blue flowers, which kind of messes with our color scheme, but I looove hydrangeas!
I’m not sure that makes sense, and that’s why photos are needed. So get outta my way—I have inspiration to collect. I’m going to share like a billion images, so get ready for a photo-heavy post!
Mrs. Jaguar, SydneyAge and Occupation: 27, Primary School TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, IT ConsultantEngagement Date: August 8, 2009Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Curzon HallAbout Me: I'm an Australian girl who is a self-proclaimed nerd, loves all things stationery and would be lost without books, music and the internet. Mr. Jaguar and I have been together for the past eight years and he finally popped the question last August. Hurrah! We currently live in Sydney, Australia with our adorable cat who thinks he's a person. We're a couple who likes to multi-task: we've been planning a wedding abroad, a permanent move from London to Sydney, and preparing to build our own home all at the same time. Travelling makes me giddy...as does Mr. Jaguar, of course!
So, I’m going to let you in on a little-known secret from the Southern Hemisphere: we don’t really celebrate Halloween in Australia.
Gasp! I KNOW. It’s something I’ve always been really sad about. I suppose it makes sense and all, since Halloween=autumn weather, and that’s spring for us down under, but still. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that reading about my American & Canadian friends’ escapades on Halloween makes me the tiniest bit envious. I want candy! I want parties! I want pumpkins!
Being on a wedding countdown has brought out the scavenger in me. Every shop I go into lately, I’m looking for things I could potentially use somehow on the big day. I’m guessing that most of the things I look at and occasionally purchase won’t be useful—but I’m thrifty, so I never spend a lot. I was wandering around London the other day, and happened to come across a store that’s always a little dangerous for me: Poundland. {Really – everything in the store is on sale for one pound. The mind boggles.} Okay, so there wasn’t really much there in terms of weddings, except for some very er, creative, hen party decorations, but I did come across these:
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.
Mr. Starfish and I were college freshman when we met. We were introduced by a mutual friend. I had a huge crush on him from the moment we met. It turned out that the feeling was mutual. About two weeks after we were introduced, Mr. Starfish asked me out on Halloween, and the rest is history.
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. Labrador Retriever, Athens/SavannahAge and Occupation: 24, Student/Sports ReporterFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Physical Therapy Assistant Student/Future Dr. of PT
Engagement Date: December 31, 2008Wedding Date: November 2009Venue: Whitfield Square/Savannah StationAbout Me: I'm working on my second degree from UGA (Go Dawgs!). I'm a self-proclaimed attention-w****. If it involves a camera, I'm in front of it! You'll never meet a girlier tomboy than me. I can go toe to toe with any guy on the subject of college football, and lift more than any girl in my gym, all without chipping a nail. I hope to someday be the only person you want delivering your sports news. My FI and I are the loving parents of three Labrador Retrievers (one of each color) and are planning a "Southern Romantic Charm" wedding in the beautiful, historic city of Savannah. I'm not extreme in anything except moderation... and wedding planning.
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 did not want a cake. In fact, I still don’t really care either way. Cakes are really expensive and I haven’t been to many weddings where the cake was something to shake a stick about. I’ve noticed most guests don’t even eat the cake because they are too busy cutting a rug. I’d be a happy girl if all our guests were too busy boogieing down to notice the small slice of delight on their plate. Don’t get me wrong, I love cake—almost as much as I love lamp.
In order to save money I wanted to cut the cake. No not cut cut the cake—I wanted to not purchase one. Part of my decision making process might have also been that I was worried someone was going to bump into the cake and knock it over.
But then, just then, I saw it, the most divine miracle that could have ever occurred:
Ms. Cheetah, Los Angeles/Palm Springs
Age and Occupation: 31, Artist, EducatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, TV FinanceEngagement Date: April 2010Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: The ViceroyAbout Me: I’m a silly, sassy lady with a compulsion to create. I love to sing and dance, despite the fact that I lack any talent doing either. I somehow manage to be messy and organized at the same time. I like to spend my days road tripping, watching '80s movies, reading true crime books, buying things on sale, sending postcards, playing board games, dining at food trucks, snuggling, and drinking ginger ale. I have a weak spot for all things sweet, especially Mr. Cheetah! I’m a Chicago girl and he’s a Nor Cal boy but we love living in the City of Angels. After 10 years as a couple we are planning a fun-filled semi-destination wedding in Palm Springs. Hope you enjoy the ride!
Alternate title: I Decide to Build Our Wedding Website.
There are plenty of websites that provide easy, nice-looking templates for your own wedding website; they range from very customizable to fairly basic. (Check out Miss Panther’s post here for more info.) Many have fees and costs involved (often in the $25–100+ range), but there are also free ones out there such as eWedding and WeddingChannel.Yet, I decided that free and easy was too good for me.I wanted a challenge!So I decided to build our own wedding website.I did this for two reasons: 1) I wanted it to be completely custom, and 2) I wanted to learn how to make my own website.Armed with Dreamweaver CS4 and this book, I set to work.
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).
Now that I’ve shown off my beloved florals it’s time to share some gratuitous shots of my wedding day apparel. Showcasing nearly everything I had envisioned for my look, these truly are some of my favorites to look at (and drool over).
While I was busy getting my hair and makeup done, Anna (our photographer) got busy with the details.
My shoes made their modeling debut outdoors…
(Photos by Anna Simonak Photography (I put the board put together)
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’ve already shared our mini-moon options, but we’re hoping to take a big honkin’ REAL honeymoon about four to six months after the wedding. And fantasizing about that is much more fun than planning a close weekend trip.
As I said before, Mr. S hates the beach. I don’t mind the beach, but I can think of many places I’d rather go. And while we’re big fans of the idea of all-inclusive, we’d much rather make our own lodging plans and then be able to explore wherever we go for food, drink, and recreation.
So tropical resorts are out. We are just not resort people. We might consider going on a tropical vacation if we can get a private rental (i.e., a villa in the islands or a jungle hut in Costa Rica), but that’s not even really at the top of our list.
Here is the list of places we’re considering for our honeymoon. Read more…
WatercoolerFeature Launched: July 1, 2007About: The most discussed posts of the week.
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!
I’m signing off for a while. I’ve got this thing I need to do—a couple of dozen people are showing up, I’m wearing something special.
For us folks who had to get married before the Big Day (and there are a lot of us out there—insurance reasons, military reasons, and in our case visa reasons!) it’s sort of like being in limbo, huh?
I’m already a Mrs. My name’s been changed and I’ve had the title of “wife” for several months now. Our day isn’t about two souls and two families coming together for the first time in lawfully wedded bliss. Been there, done that, got the certificate, right? It’s been terrific.
But I want everyone important to me to hear how much I love Mr. G and how I promise to have and to hold him from this day forward. It really is about the white dress and the rings, the family and friends, the drinks and the dinner and the cake—it’s a celebration, heyoooo! All these months of stressful planning have finally culminated into ultimate closure. Wedding limbo is almost over, and soon we’ll be laughing the night away. I hope I don’t drink too much, I wanna remember the fun we had and the things we said!
I really loved sharing this time with you. 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.
All I wanted at our wedding was pizza. That’s all I wanted! I wanted Wedding Pizza. Not 2 a.m. Sidewalk Pizza or 12 p.m. Pool Party Pizza or 8 a.m. Shouldn’t-Eat-This-for-Breakfast-But-I-Will cold pizza. Wedding Pizza. (See, I wrote about it here.)
I also wanted ice cream. And, thrilled with the POWER and RESPONSIBILITY of choosing the vegetarian entree, I also decided that I wanted sandwiches. With sweet potato fries. (Mr. PH, the meat-eater, chose the meat entrees.)
Solution: the Wedding Pizza cocktail hour. Our plan was to have a pizza buffet table, featuring four varieties:
margarita (vegetarian)
buffalo chicken
Mediterranean (vegetarian)
BBQ chicken
Since our cocktail hour was inside due to rain (and the space couldn’t accommodate the Wedding Pizza Table), the pizza was passed with the other hors d’oeuvres, charmingly cut into small slices and delivered on pizza peels. Um, no photos. Too busy eating. How embarrassing. But not really, just really delicious.
