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!
Although pearls seem to be the quintessential go-to in the wedding-jewelry category, they really aren’t my style. I gravitated to jewelry with a little more sparkle for the wedding. I also wanted to bring in some blue to go with the wedding colors and my shoes. (And yes, I realize that not many people are going to be looking from my neck to my feet, but just go with it. :P)
Mom Elephant, Aunt Bunny, and I have all checked out some sapphire and diamond (or crystal, ’cause really diamonds may be a little out of the budget for wedding-day jewelry) options online similar to these.
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!
After our chance meeting online, Mr. Jaguar and I dated for quite a long time. We were young, we were in love, we were happy. But I’ll admit it: after a few years, I started getting antsy. I was ready to get engaged a lot earlier than he was, and I wasn’t particularly subtle with my hints. We’d been together for ages, we had big plans as a couple for the future, what more was there to wait for?
I won’t lie, there were many tears shed, especially as three years turned into five years, and so on and so forth. Poor Mr. Jaguar. He had a basketcase on his hands for a while there, and all because I was {once again!} being impatient. Just before we moved abroad, he had said that he’d always envisioned proposing somewhere different, somewhere unique, rather than going down the ‘fancy dinner and restaurant proposal’ that so many of our friends had experienced. I noted that comment of his down for future reference.
Oh, was I a joy to live with during that first year of living together in London!
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!
I’ve been trying to come up with a clever “10-day countdown” post, but it’s not coming. I know I’ve forgotten at least a few posts on wedding details, but they seem so trite for my mood. I also want to wait until all the pieces come together before I present them to you. I know, it’s last minute, but I’m hoping you’ll like our escort cards and our wedding favors—I’m totes loving them!
I’m living in a heightened sense of reality. Everything is either a complete miracle or total disaster—there is no in-between. Me finishing my escort cards all by myself: complete miracle. My wedding shoe order being canceled: total disaster. I cried in the shower for 30 minutes yesterday. I can’t even tell you what I was crying about—it just all kept coming. I feel like I’m walking a thin line between total elation and total anxiety.
I’m so sure about our marriage and our union, and that is the comforting part. What I’m unsure of is the actual wedding. Am I doing enough? Will our guests be happy? Should I be hosting more events? Will they be picking their noses? Read more…
Mrs. Plaid, AustinAge and Occupation: 26, Pastry ChefFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, Cabinetry CarpenterEngagement Date: August 8, 2009Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: Kindred Oaks, GeorgetownAbout Me: I am a Jersey girl born and raised but have since migrated to Texas and embraced its twang and Tex-Mex. I could probably eat chips and queso every day but instead I eat popcorn. I use the word “awesome” way too much but I just can’t seem to stop myself. I am addicted to all things DIY and am planning what I call a Texas-Chic wedding. I love snuggling with my two adorable dogs and of course, my adorable fiance. I can’t wait 'til I can call him my husband some day! October 2010, here we come!
Does that song remind anyone else of the opening scene of My Best Friend’s Wedding? No? OK, moving on.
I already showed y’all our guestbook in my last post. However, I also love the idea of collecting well wishes and advice from guests and wise married people.
Since we’ve already got one tree, I didn’t want to add another like these:
Mrs. Ostrich, San Francisco/HawaiiAge and Occupation: 30, Fashion Buyer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 38, CopywriterEngagement Date: October 4, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: Sweet ceremony by the sea and sunset celebration on the North Shore of HawaiiAbout Me: Born in the city of angels and residing in the city by the bay, I’m a fearless fashion buyer by day, a passionate blog author by night and a dreamy bride-to-be in between. I thank my lucky stars to live in such a stunning city that gives me gifts like organic honey lavender ice cream, movie nights in the park, tucked away beaches, legendary record stores, '80s dance parties, awesome sports teams, stellar flea markets, and vintage bookshops. Oh, and I love to dance! We always find every excuse to escape to the beach, and decided a little seaside wedding in Hawaii is our idea of bliss. Full of our favorite people, music, food and sparkly lights, this is one sunset celebration we will always remember.
Fun-loving people, feel-good music, and delicious drinks make for a too-much-fun time. And as Mr. Ostrich and I plan the little cocktail hour in between our little beach ceremony and dinner, we have been dreaming up the perfect signature party cocktails to serve our favorite people. 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.
The reason I put the title of this post in quotes is because I have issues about calling divorce “the D word.” I don’t care if anyone else does it, but I won’t do it myself. And the reason is that divorce isn’t a dirty word. It’s not a taboo subject. It’s something that should be acknowledged, not tiptoed around. Read more…
Mrs. Guinea Pig, Baltimore, MD Age and Occupation: 26, PhD student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Operations Director at a non-profit Engagement Date: December 25, 2008 Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: The Chesapeake Bay Beach Club About Me: I'm a tomboy science nerd whose girly side has made a startling appearance thanks to wedding planning! I love to bake, knit and sew but I also ride a motorcycle (that Mr. Guinea Pig wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole). We live with our three crazy cats and love to read, travel, watch movies, and do home improvement projects together! My parents/family are Canadian but I'm definitely American, although I've lived in 5 different countries, 6 different states, and speak Russian fluently. Mr. GP and I met online (did I mention I'm a scientist?) and had a whirlwind romance - now we can't wait to get married & celebrate with all our friends and family in a blue and yellow waterfront affair!
Since guests were already burning off energy by dancing, it was high time to refuel with some delicious cake.
Our cake was pretty much exactly as I had imagined, so long ago. Mr. Guinea Pig and I had wanted a simple, round cake that looked more like an actual cake than a piece of art that you’d be afraid to eat. We were really excited (okay, I was really excited) to cut into the cake so we could eat a piece, because we knew it would be delicious. Just look at all that buttercream awesomeness! 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!
One of the first wedding questions among my group of college friends seems to be, “Is there going to be an open bar?” I’ve been to receptions that range in the bar department from cash bar to kegs to open bar to only wine to only punch.
Our venue has a pub attached to the ballroom and offers various packages when it comes to the drink menu.
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!
You may recall that I had found the perfect wedding shoes for me. Whimsical, unique, and by one of my favorite designers. However, as our plans evolved, our theme evolved as well. Though both the ceremony and the reception would be whimsically vintage, they each started to take on a different tone. Our ceremony became more soft and romantic, while our reception became more bright and colorful. I thought this was appropriate; the design was still cohesive, but there was some separation to the events, too. Then I started thinking. Maybe my Kate Spade ballet flats were more reception shoes than wedding shoes.
And just like that, I was a two-shoe bride.
I’m so embarrassed to admit that! I’m usually pretty far from indecisive. I usually know what I want and I rarely change my mind once it’s made up. But I suppose that’s one disadvantage of having a long engagement; you have plenty of time to second-guess yourself and every trivial decision you make. So, I rearranged our budget (again) and started shopping around for ceremony shoes. I knew they couldn’t be too high because 1) Mr. Lion isn’t exactly an NBA star and 2) wearing ballet flats for the reception now dictated the length my dress would need to be altered to.
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.
When we first became engaged, I defaulted over to the four-letter-word (the only one I won’t say—*wink*) website. I just happened across the picture because, at this time, inspiration denoted clothing and not wedding. I apologize that I did not save the picture and therefore can’t show you. Trust me, two years ago I would have given my today self a swirly—it’s that bad. Oh right, the point: I saw a picture of a beautiful manzanita tree with pictures of deceased relatives. It was a memorial manzanita, or as I like to call it, a dead-people tree. It was the first wedding decoration that I had. to. have.
Welp, I made my dead-people tree a few weeks ago! I just need to track down the pictures of our relatives and hang them. I used an old Patron bottle for the vase. I love those bottles for more than what they contain! Mrs. Lab used a different brand* of faux water last year. You can find her tutorial here. I’m not going to lie—I saw the directions on the box and almost decided against the project. You want to me to do what, how, and without a flux capacitor? It was terribly easy, and I’m glad I followed through better than that last half season of softball in seventh grade…
Tip: Before you start this project, practice arranging your flowers/sticks/feathers.
Prep your materials next to that box o’ cupcakes you should have already thrown out.
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!
If you’re anything like me (aka just a trifle nosey!) you are a sucker for ‘How We Met’ stories. Life brings people together in all sorts of ways and I can happily admit that I’m addicted to hearing about them. I like to think that our own little history is pretty special!
Do you want the shortened version? It goes a little something like this:
Girl hears song on radio, girl falls in love with song, girl stalks band online ands finds their forum, girl makes friends online including a sweet Australian boy, girl develops gigantic crush, boy and girl eventually swap mobile numbers, girl text messages boy during a particularly boring uni lecture, boy calls girl that night, girl meets boy at movie theatre, girl thinks boy is adorable, boy thinks girl is okay too…and the rest is history.
Ah the cuteness. Who knew that simply hearing a song on the radio would change my life? Dramatic, but true. Personally though, I prefer the one with the more juicy details: Read more…
Weddingbee GalleryFeature Launched: April 10, 2009About: A collection of inspirational wedding pictures from readers and bees.
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. 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.
Whew! That project was a lot more work than I anticipated, but so much fun! I still can’t believe we did it. We made our own save the dates! Yay! Fabulous ones, too! Big, lovely magnets with our awesome engagement photos on them. Double score! Now, since I made you wait so long to see the final product, I thought I’d let my adorable pup, Rocko, share the first look. Isn’t he cute?
Mrs. Ostrich, San Francisco/HawaiiAge and Occupation: 30, Fashion Buyer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 38, CopywriterEngagement Date: October 4, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: Sweet ceremony by the sea and sunset celebration on the North Shore of HawaiiAbout Me: Born in the city of angels and residing in the city by the bay, I’m a fearless fashion buyer by day, a passionate blog author by night and a dreamy bride-to-be in between. I thank my lucky stars to live in such a stunning city that gives me gifts like organic honey lavender ice cream, movie nights in the park, tucked away beaches, legendary record stores, '80s dance parties, awesome sports teams, stellar flea markets, and vintage bookshops. Oh, and I love to dance! We always find every excuse to escape to the beach, and decided a little seaside wedding in Hawaii is our idea of bliss. Full of our favorite people, music, food and sparkly lights, this is one sunset celebration we will always remember.
“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.”
- Scott Adams
Call me cuckoo, but this DIY wedding is starting to feel like more play and less work. The inspiration boards, color palettes, and arts and crafts projects—I feel like I’m an art student all over again!
One of the art projects I am most jazzed about is our fringe decor. Read more…
