Mrs. Jellyfish, Pleasanton, CAAge and Occupation: 27, Law StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Air Force PilotEngagement Date: February 21, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Casa Real at Ruby Hill WineryAbout Me: In a nutshell, I’m the most optimistic worrywart you’ll ever meet. My family emigrated from Romania to San Jose, CA when I was 8, and I've been a Nor Cal girl ever since! My fiancé is also a Bay Area native, so it’s funny that we met at UCLA, as college freshmen living on the same floor (go Bruins!). Between his career as an Air Force pilot and my path to becoming a lawyer, our relationship has been anything but typical. We currently live together in Berkeley with our puppy Stinson. In addition to spending time with the loves of my life, I enjoy crafting, attempting complicated recipes, environmental law and non-law school reading (Us Weekly, anyone?). Follow along as I plan an elegant 200-person winery wedding, graduate law school, take the Bar exam, get married and get used to the always unpredictable but never boring life of a military spouse!
After 3 beautiful, sunny days in Moorea, we headed back to the airport to go to our next stop: Bora Bora, where we would spend the remaining week of our trip.
Upon arriving at Le Meridien Bora Bora. Note the ominous sky in the background – a sign of things to come.
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.
About 45 minutes after dinner ended and we had our first dance, it was time for some wedding activities! First up was the bouquet toss.
I know lots of couples decide not to do the bouquet and garter tosses these days, but for us they were just fun traditions, that have been done at almost every wedding we’ve been to. So we figured, why not?
Our MC groomsman made the announcement, and ladies started gathering to one side of the bar. I surveyed my targets.
I finally spotted who I was going to aim for, and made sure she knew my eyes were on her! Read more…
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’m sure anyone who has planned or is currently attempting to plan a destination wedding, can tell you that it can be pretty freaking difficult. (I should probably start referring to our own as a semi-destination-wedding really, since I’m lucky and will actually be moving back to the home of our wedding a few months prior to the date.) But the initial stresses of planning from abroad were definitely not easy—props to all you destination divas out there!
Being a terrible decision maker, I thought that finding a venue wouldn’t be too difficult. I spent my days online, searching and bookmarking practically every wedding venue I could find in Sydney. I even went so far as searching for surrounding areas, like the gorgeous Hunter Valley vineyards a few hours out of the city. Suffice it to say that after just a few short weeks of planning, I had a lot of potentials to play with.
I started off doing what any bride-to-be from abroad would do: I looked at (and drooled over) images on their websites. I looked at the rooms available. I looked at the exterior of the buildings. I looked at the locations and the gardens. I went for aesthetics first, and weeded out any that didn’t quite fit what I was looking for.
Mrs. Buttons, Clearwater, FLAge and Occupation: 24, "Working on it"Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Financial ServicesEngagement Date: June 13, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Carlouel Yacht ClubAbout Me: I'm a self proclaimed perfectionist and a professional nomad (seriously, I've lived in TX, WI, MI, FL, NC, and now VA!). I love wine, cooking, curling up with a good book (nerd alert!), spoiling the furbaby, and of course, the wonderful Mr. Buttons! We are planning a lighthearted and whimsical wedding (with a good deal of DIY projects) in Clearwater, Florida, but from a distance of 800 miles away! We are looking forward to sharing our day with our family and friends, and most importantly, starting our lives together as husband and wife!
Boys have it so easy. As the girls and I spent hours getting pretty at the hotel, the guys were doing a little bit of this at the beach house:
They played cards, fired up the grill for lunch, and enjoyed the scenery. Oh, and eventually it was time for them to get ready. Each of the groomsmen were gifted one of the ties I had purchased…I’m biased, but I thought that the mixture of patterns looked great together.
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!
Mrs. Octopus, Boston, MA/Pittsburgh, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Grad StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Graphics Operator for TV NewsEngagement Date: May 6th, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Heinz Chapel Ceremony, Museum Reception
About Me: When my best friend dragged me to a toga party in our freshmen year of college, I was not expecting to meet my future husband; but seven years later, here we are. I'm a crazy-organized planner at heart, and I am a great lover of random trivia, books, chocolate, blogs, new and exciting adventures, mockumentary-style television, and anything heavily flavored with bright orange fake cheese powder. We're planning a festive and fun mini-destination wedding in the place where we met: fabulous Pittsburgh, PA! I can't wait to marry the man I love!
Mr. Octo and I were, in a word, overwhelmed by our wedding gifts. Our guests were incredibly generous and thoughtful, and we were really quite humbled by the kindness they showed to us. Mr. Octo was not at all familiar with the concept of a bridal shower before our engagement, and after our bridal shower in my hometown, I still remember how he looked at the pile of presents and said, “I just can’t believe that people did all this for us.” So, we have a lot to be grateful for.
However, there were a few wedding gifts that really stood out in how special they were. Want to see?
My friend Bonnie and I have been pals since our Teach for America days. She is well aware that two of my most crippling vices in life are beer and cheese. She is also an avid Weddingbee reader. She and her husband Richie combined their knowledge of two of my favorite foods and my post about our honeymoon destinations to order this:
Mrs. French Fries, MilwaukeeAge and Occupation: 27, ParalegalFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Investments AdvisorEngagement Date: September 20, 2008Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Ceremony: Catholic Church, Reception: Hotel BallroomAbout Me: I'm a Midwestern girl who longs to live in a warmer climate (my feet would be happy in flip flops any day!). I love travel, impromptu napping, grilled cheese sandwiches, my iPhone, singing with reckless abandon in my car, and Mr. French Fries.
Before our wedding, this was the one thing that we heard from so many of our friends that were already married. Thus, we were bound and determined to try some of the amazing food that we had selected for our reception. Us, not eat? Ha! You haven’t seen the damage I can do to a bowl of pasta. Or a quesadilla. Or mashed potatoes. Or really…any combination of cheese and carbs.
Once they opened, Mr. FF and I took the lead and visited our three food stations. For some reason, I remember exactly what I picked out: a mashed potato martini, some pasta, and a chicken quesadilla (uhm, see above comment re: cheese + carbs).
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.
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.
So, once we officially decide on our season, it will be time to look at location. There are four of us involved here, and location can be anything from a city shoot, a beach locale, a rustic field, or specific venues such as a brewery, a winery, a paint studio, or even our own home.
Sister Starfish is a city girl through and through. I can see her loving a fun city shoot, maybe including some cool architecture. I love the city and bridge lit up behind this bride. It’s especially cool with the mix of water and city.
I love the urban feel of this. I can see sister Starfish wanting to do some downtown city shots. Read more…
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’m a really, really, really indecisive person. Some might say that people like me shouldn’t do things like get tattoos (I have four) or make major decisions ahead of time (um, hello, Miss Booked-the-Venue-18-Months-Before-the-Wedding), but I do it anyway. However, I tried to take my time with my wedding dress. Keyword being “tried.”
Before I got engaged, I thought I would want an A-line, V-neck lace gown. Matron-of-Honor Mellow assured me that my tastes might change when I started trying dresses on, but I didn’t really believe her. But man was she right.
Mrs. Taffy, Ann ArborAge and Occupation: 28, Color and Materials DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Automotive DesignerEngagement Date: May 9, 2008Wedding Date: May 2009Blogging Since: September 14, 2008Venue: University of Michigan UnionAbout Me: I’m a girl who is crazy about Mr. Taffy, sewing, dancing, almost all types of sweets, and our cute pet canaries. I dislike touching fuzzy fabric of any kind, eating somewhat squishy food, and Michigan winters. Mr. Taffy and I are having a blast planning our Ann Arbor wedding, and cannot wait to share our day with friends and family.
As I waited with my mom to walk down the aisle, I couldn’t believe that In a few short minutes, we would all be in position, and our ceremony would begin:
But first, we had to travel down the aisle, in front of all of our friends and family! Eep. As cool and collected as I had been during our pre-ceremony portraits, I surely had the jitters now. Not for the actual ceremony… just a case of aisle fright. Luckily, Minister Twizzler was the first brave soul to head down. Read more…
BeehiveFeature Launched: Aug 31, 2006About: A forum for readers to post questions and get feedback from the hive, aka the weddingbee community.
To be eligible to win a Avery/Zazzle Wedding Organizer, review your favorite wedding vendors in the Weddingbee Vendors section and submit them to us here to be featured on the blog! Check out this post for more info on our great weekly prizes!
Sabree was wonderful to work with. She was very organized and professional. She even maintained her professionalism after someone stole her shoes while she was taking our pictures on the beach.
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.
Mr. S and I have discussed honeymooning ad nauseum, and we’ve determined that it’s going to be pretty much impossible to take a big honeymoon right after the wedding. We just won’t have the money.
But we’re sure as hell going to need a vacation after the wedding. So we’re looking to take a long weekend somewhere close after the wedding, and then take the real honeymoon a few months later.
We haven’t done any planning yet, but we’ve narrowed down a few options. We wanted our mini-moon to be:
Cheap. We will have just dropped an insane amount of money on the wedding itself. No need to break the bank even more.
Driving Distance from Philly. See above re: cheap. If we don’t have to fly, we’ll save money. So we’d like to be able to drive there in about eight hours or less.
Relaxing. Our wedding will be (I hope) awesome, but I’m sure it’ll also be stressful as hell. We want a vacation that will allow us to unwind.
Delicious. When we travel, our favorite thing to do is eat well. We love good restaurants, so our mini-moon destination needs to have a good food scene. Wineries are a plus.
So, with that said, we’ve narrowed down our trip options to the following destinations: Read more…
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!
How can you resist these fun personalized flip flops, perfect to gift all your ladies at your bachelorette party? Wear them out on the town together and getting ready on your wedding day. Plus, with custom monogramming, they won’t get mixed up!
This week, you can grab these monogrammed flip flops and anything in the Weddingbee Favor Shop for 10% off! This offer expires this Saturday, October 30, so purchase your favorite goodies now in the shop!
Luckily, Minister Twizzler was the first brave soul to head down.
