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!
Unfortunately, Mr. Lion and I have both experienced loss and grief in our lives. We would both like to include those loved ones in our wedding somehow, so we started exploring some options. I’ve seen “In Memory” sections in programs, but that didn’t seem personal enough to me. I’ve always thought memorial candles are really beautiful, but I still had one reservation. These options seemed perfectly appropriate for grandparents, great aunts, older adults. What if one of the people missing from your wedding were younger people? It just didn’t seem to fit.
I’ve mentioned before that my cousins and I are close, almost like extended siblings, and my cousin Mark was the big brother to us all. I grew up worshiping him. He was hilarious, he was kind, and he was never too cool to play with his little cousins.
Personal photo, circa 1987 (I’m the one in the floaties!)
Mrs. Penguin, Northern CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 27, Weddingbee Editor in ChiefFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Doctor of Physical TherapyEngagement Date: January 29, 2007Wedding Date: June 7, 2008Blogging Since: September 14, 2007Venue: Winery in the Gold CountryAbout Me: I love the Spice Girls, dogs with underbites, bean burritos, making messes, high fives, avoiding showers, crossword puzzles, blogs, weddings, and blogs about weddings!
Spend an evening with The Wedding Bootcamp at Dylan’s Candy Bar in NYC on Monday, October 18th. Mingle and get great wedding advice from the team from Yves Saint Laurent at Bergdorf Goodman, enjoy yummy treats, and go home with a fun goody bag!
Tickets are $15, but Grazia from The Wedding Salon has sent us over a code for FREE tickets for Weddingbee readers! Simply check out with code WBNYC to redeem your free tickets.
Mrs. Pin Cushion, Oakland, CAAge and Occupation: 25, Nurse Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, PhD StudentEngagement Date: November 23, 2008Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Radonich Ranch, Los GatosAbout Me: I'm the 3 Cs: crafty, creative and quirky (oh, that's not a C? Close enough!). I'm also a recycling fanatic, fluent in bad accents and I have the loudest laughter this side of the Mississippi. I have not just one sweet tooth, but a whole mouth full of sweet teeth. I cry at 97.4% of all movies I see, but my fiance's always there to hand me a tissue. My geek-chic fiance and I are planning a wedding full of color, cookies and handmade goodness and I can't wait to spill the beans on all of our crazy ideas!
Break a record as the longest post in Weddingbee history.
Help insomniacs finally get some sleep, due to fact #1
Assist someone in writing their own ceremony (that’s my hope at least [though #2 would be nice too, since everybody needs to get some good sleep]).
When Mr. Pin Cushion and I set out to write out own ceremony, we were quite miffed with how to begin. We ended up relying on a variety of sources. We frequently looked to Mrs. Cherry Pie’s post on her ceremony wording. We endlessly googled for ideas. And we used this book:
It took quite a few hours-long sessions at coffee shops, and lots of revisions, but in the end, we were beyond thrilled with how the ceremony turned out. Many guests told us that the ceremony made them cry (which we took as a compliment!). Read more…
Mrs. Pashmina, NYC/Catalina Island, CAAge and Occupation: 28, Arts EducationFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, IT AdministratorEngagement Date: April 26th, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Catalina Country Club, Catalina Island, CaliforniaAbout Me: I'm a laid-back Cali girl who moved to NYC for school, and ended up staying for love. My fiance is a quick-witted Jersey boy, a self-proclaimed Foodie and the funniest man I've ever met. Together we love exploring the city streets embarking on our next misadventure---and yes, this often involves eating off food carts and trying "the next big thing". I'm the girl in the sundress, snapping photos and collecting trinkets of memorabilia along the way. As a girly girl at heart, I am excited about our romantic natural island wedding incorporating our American & Filipino traditions.
I returned my original wedding dress because my groom saw it. It wasn’t just because he was superstitious. I really wanted him to be surprised when he saw me, too. I think it adds to the fun of a wedding—him not knowing exactly what to expect when you enter the room. So, I was happy with my decision. And I knew my superstitious man would be happy with my decision!! So it all worked out in the end. And no, I didn’t take a picture of myself in my the new gown! I didn’t even try it on again when I went down to the store to make the switch. I just didn’t want to risk anything!!! Read more…
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.
As you may remember from this post, I was going to attempt to recreate a guestposter I had found on Martha, so that it would be more in keeping with our tastes and could incorporate the lovely silhouettes Mr. Knitting made for me.
Here’s what I came up with:
I “designed” this using a few of my favourite web resources. The font is my new favourite typewriter font from Dafont. The sprig of holly is from The Graphics Fairy, and the flourish is from Project Wedding. Finding websites with images like these has been essential to my DIY process. Read more…
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.
Two years ago today, Mr. Starfish proposed. A week ago, we said I do. I didn’t think I could possibly feel happier than the day Mr. Starfish proposed, but our wedding day blew that theory out of the water.
Our wedding day was better than I could have ever dreamt. I had all these worries leading up to the wedding day of what could go wrong, and there was some stress the week leading up to the wedding, but when the day finally arrived, it was absolute perfection. 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.
Isn’t it funny how we tend to think of the smallest details, even 200 days out? I can’t stop thinking about the father daughter dance. It’s something I’m really, really looking forward to, and while some brides might opt for a funnier alternative, I’m going for the tear jerker.
Have you heard I loved her first by Heartland? I chose to post the video with lyrics, ’cause they’re just so so sweet and I don’t want you to miss any of the words! They’re perfect.
We don’t listen to country music on a regular basis, but we do have a few favorite songs.
We’re giving away one Opal Sonic Infusion System from Clarisonic®! As Clarisonic®’s newest product, the Opal is intended to revolutionize your eye routine. It keeps eyes refreshed and reduces the appearance of fine lines—perfect for any bride-to-be! The Opal retails for $245.
Opal is the second major product in the Clarisonic® skin care family. Building on the benefits of the sonic skin cleansing system, Opal extends Clarisonic® products from sonic cleansing to sonic infusion. According to Robb Akridge, PhD, Clarisonic®’s Vice President of Clinical Affairs, “Opal’s soothing, gentle vibrations infuse Anti-Aging Serum into the outermost layers of the epidermis where it begins to work immediately. In our clinical studies most women reported seeing an immediate reduction in fine lines and wrinkles and firmer, brighter, more hydrated skin in just one minute. The results typically last for hours and benefits improve over time.”
You have two chances to enter this contest!
Simply comment below for your first chance to win! 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 October 8, 2010 at 11:59 PM PST to enter. Good luck!
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!
Just like with our rings, I had a very successful dress trip. At David’s Bridal. GASP!
I guess my experience wasn’t a typical one; my BFF since elementary school happens to work at one, so the customer service was excellent. She knows my tastes to a tee and pulled great looking dresses for me. The particular store I went to is super big and in a ritzy area. And of course, with her, my other 3 best friends, and Mama Glasses, I got lots of focused attention. I will say that alterations were SHOCKINGLY expensive, but if it comes out pretty I guess it’s worth it. I got a beautiful dress for a great price. The Walmart of bridal gowns? I don’t think so! Every single gown I tried on was gorgeous and reasonably priced.
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!
So Mr. Giraffe and I will not be doing a unity-candle ceremony at our wedding, but I think what they stand for is very sweet and they can be a touching/memorable moment for the mister and almost-missus.
I’d seen a few different unity candles, but in my mind they were all pretty much the same. I think the reason for this is that I never really looked into them because we never planned to have one at our wedding.
Regardless, now I know that I am wrong and that there’s a whole looooooot of different kinds of unity candles, all the same in their purpose but all slightly different. How did I learn this? Well I was at WhereBridesGo.com, and after seeing a photo on their main page that made me curious, I clicked on it and it led me to their unity-candle section. OK, so now I’d seen a pretty large amount of unity candles, but what about the photo on their main page that piqued my interest originally?
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!
I have a giant folder saved with dozens of pictures, as well as hundreds of bookmarked websites in all of my browsers that help me to keep track of things I love. Sometimes I’ll revisit them all at a later date and either a) fall in love with them as inspiration all over again, or b) wonder what on earth I was thinking when I originally saved them.
Most of the time though, they leave me wishing we had a bigger budget so that I could blow it all on all sorts of pretties. I’ve had these babies in my inspiration folder for a while now—yep, the very same ones I noticed Miss Lioness blogged about a few weeks ago:
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!
I’m the last person to use the “tacky” word. If you like it, and it won’t cause physical pain to others, then do it.
But I’ve got to say, this one is really pushing my limits.
Why yes, I went to Wal-Mart in Hawaii, saw a pack of bubbles and said, “Cool. Bubbles would be fun!” And yes, I brought some ribbon with me to tie on the ends for a cute look. And yes, when I opened the package up in the hotel, there was a big fat bar code and Wal-Mart advertisement permanently printed to each and every tube. 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.
I’m one of those people who loves owning new stuff but hates shopping, so when I started really getting into online shopping a few years ago, it was both awesome and terrible. Awesome, because I don’t have to peel my lazy ass off of the sofa to buy whatever my heart desires. And terrible because I don’t have the willpower to not buy EVERYTHING I see.
Just in the past few weeks, I’ve bought the following stuff. Keep in mind that the wedding is still EIGHT MONTHS AWAY and it’s silly of me to be buying any wedding crap as of yet.
First, I bought these paper flags that I mentioned before, in our custom colors. (They’re still not here but should be arriving later this week.) I have no idea what the eff to do with them, but they are pretty and I desired them. Add to cart.
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.
Our wedding day was better than I could have ever dreamt. I had all these worries leading up to the wedding day of what could go wrong, and there was some stress the week leading up to the wedding, but when the day finally arrived, it was absolute perfection.
