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!
OK, so the pictures I managed to scrape together for our rehearsal are so crappy they’re kind of not worth bothering to post. I hope you don’t mind if I hustle straight through this post. We all wanna get to the good stuff anyway, right?
If you remember, when I left off, we were about to leave for our rehearsal, and I was approaching meltdown levels of frazzled. Fortunately, my bridesmaids whisked me away into a car pretty quickly, where I indulged in about ten minutes of no-holds-barred, loud-volume ranting, and my bridesmaids nodded and told me I was totally right about everything. By the time we arrived at Heinz Chapel, I had gotten my frustrations out of my system and was fully ready to move on and enjoy our rehearsal. Phew! 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!
Man, oh man! When I heard about this Bee series, the first thing that flashed through my head was my hair. Maybe that sounds a little odd, but I went through so many hairstyles in high school it wasn’t even funny. In fact, one of my friends even signed my yearbook “Elephant, I enjoyed watching you change hairstyles constantly this year…”
Don’t believe me? Here are a couple of the various Elephant styles (I apologize in advance for any wonky edges, most of these pictures were taken from my old scrapbooks)…
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 going to be honest here and I hope that I don’t offend anyone. But if, after we’re married, Mr. S and I ever receive a wedding invitation addressed to “Mr. and Mrs. Hisname Sloth,” I’m going to be kind of irked. Yes, I know that that’s the traditional way to address a married couple on a wedding invitation, but it’s a tradition that I’m not a fan of. Read more…
Mrs. Cardigan, AustinAge and Occupation: 21, Student/Soon-to-be Special Education TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 20, Student/Soon-to-be Accounting Systems AnalystEngagement Date: August 16, 2009Wedding Date: January 2011Venue: Vintage VillasAbout Me: I'm a native Austinite who was raised as a die-hard Aggie. Luckily, I'm a pretty persuasive girl because I managed to convince my high school boyfriend (now fiance!), Mr. Cardigan, to ditch his hardcore Longhorn ways and join me up at A&M, where we currently reside with our adorable dogs, Cullen & Ranger. We're currently planning a bright, cheery wedding with a ridiculous amount of DIY projects that I can't wait to tackle! I love crafting in any form, reading, and margaritas (I think I love them the most!). Organization is what keeps me sane and I love helping others, which is probably why I ended up as an education major. It gets a little chaotic sometimes when you're planning a wedding among all of the papers, projects, finals, and certification exams, but we're having the time of our lives and we can't wait to get started on our journey as husband and wife - and we're so excited to share our wedding with the hive!
I was so excited to write this blog post, but I’d be lying if I said it was easy. I thought long and hard about what would be a good secret to share, but I’m really just not that exciting.
I guess I could share a silly secret, like the fact that I’m so easily influenced by scary movies that even though I saw Paranormal Activity well over a year ago, I STILL can’t sleep with my foot out from under the covers because I’m deathly afraid something will drag me out of bed. It doesn’t even seem to matter that I spent the first 21 years of my life with one foot out of the blankets. It was all over after that movie.
Or, I could share an embarrassing secret like my lingering obsession with the music of *NSYNC and Britney Spears. When I’m in the car by myself, I absolutely love to blast some *NSYNC or Britney and dance like a crazy person. Don’t judge. This post is about secrets, after all.
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!
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!
Picking my favorite post of all-time was really a difficult task for me; my blogging experience with Weddingbee has been so spectacular that selecting a singular piece of writing to look back on seemed impossible. However, after much deliberation, I want to revisit one of my earliest posts.
After getting engaged, I found it very enlightening to hear the comments that other people made regarding Mr. Buttons and me. My husband proposed to me after a [relatively] short time period, so we had a few skeptical comments shot our way. I really loved this post because I not only was able to explain my relationship, but I was also able to hear back from readers regarding their courtship stories. In the end, everyone is different: you can be dating someone for 8 months or 8 years before getting engaged…love is beautiful and mysterious that way!
Mid-October marked the one-year anniversary of the Buttons’ first date. Ah, so if you begin to do the math you realize… Mr. Buttons and I have only been together for a little over a year at this point, and we’ve been engaged for 6 of those months. So yes… we dated for only 8 months before he proposed!
I suppose you could say that we had a whirlwind romance, but nothing about it was rushed. Read more…
Mrs. Cardigan, AustinAge and Occupation: 21, Student/Soon-to-be Special Education TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 20, Student/Soon-to-be Accounting Systems AnalystEngagement Date: August 16, 2009Wedding Date: January 2011Venue: Vintage VillasAbout Me: I'm a native Austinite who was raised as a die-hard Aggie. Luckily, I'm a pretty persuasive girl because I managed to convince my high school boyfriend (now fiance!), Mr. Cardigan, to ditch his hardcore Longhorn ways and join me up at A&M, where we currently reside with our adorable dogs, Cullen & Ranger. We're currently planning a bright, cheery wedding with a ridiculous amount of DIY projects that I can't wait to tackle! I love crafting in any form, reading, and margaritas (I think I love them the most!). Organization is what keeps me sane and I love helping others, which is probably why I ended up as an education major. It gets a little chaotic sometimes when you're planning a wedding among all of the papers, projects, finals, and certification exams, but we're having the time of our lives and we can't wait to get started on our journey as husband and wife - and we're so excited to share our wedding with the hive!
DISCLAIMER: Before I share this, I just want to let y’all know that I must love you guys like, a lot. Because this is embarrassing. Don’t judge me.
I know I’m one of the younger bees, so high school wasn’t really all that long ago for me, but I’m still super excited about this post. I was quite the dramatic little kid in high school, and I have tons of angsty journal entries about boys, love, and life to prove it.
That’s high school Miss Cardigan. That picture just about sums it up.
I was home schooled for most of my education, from 3rd grade through 8th grade, so when I started high school in 2003, it had been quite a few years since I had set foot in a public school. I had absolutely no experience in relationships and knew nothing about surviving in a public school, much less finding a boyfriend. Read more…
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!
Details are not supposed to be the important part of a wedding. But I like to think that there may be a small exception in some cases, since Mr. Sew and I grew so much closer as a result of working on projects together. We built our wedding into something that reflected our mutual dedication and passion more than any of our awkward wedding-day PDA ever could. Nights spent scheming and measuring and adjusting and chatting about any and all subjects while random ’80s music rocked away in the background—those memories are just as precious to me as the wedding day itself.
So, though it may not be our most intensive endeavor, my favorite post would have to be the very first of our finished projects. A smile forms on my face every time I see the leftover magnet attached to my cubicle. It’s a wonderful reminder of the amazing journey we took together and how much fun we had, from the beginning to the end.
~~~
With great joy, we received all our printed save-the-dates!
Mr. Sewing: “Wow, they look better than I imagined.”
I wonder what he was imagining?
We used some sticky repositionable tape to adhere the magnet to the card… Read more…
Miss Fondue, NashvilleAge and Occupation: 27, Technical AnalystFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Network Admin Student/Senior Game AdvisorEngagement Date: December 25, 2007Wedding Date: May 2009Blogging Since: September 14, 2008Venue: Ravenwood Golf ClubAbout Me: I’m your average computer geek marrying a gaming geek and trying to find a good balance of elegance and geek chic in our wedding. I adore The Sims, Nintendo, cosplay, (good) music, TiVo, theme parks, and our two crazy felines.
Okay, so I’m technically not a married bee, but a lot of people seem to really enjoy this post (I seriously had an old high school friend message me on Facebook last week saying she came across the post and got inspired and then realized that she knew the author of it, haha).
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Don’t worry; I won’t keep you guys in suspense!
You’ve previously seen the damask stamp I ordered from Impress Rubber Stamps on projects like our coasters. However, I originally purchased it when I was working on our invitation design last spring.
I showed you all the original designs we considered. But as I was designing all of those, as I mentioned, I decided I wanted something with a little more texture. Now it’s time to reveal the real thing.
Note: If you are invited to our wedding, please do not proceed beyond this point!
Our invitations were created in four stages: Read more…
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.
Once we arrived back at the hotel after sneaking out of our reception, we had to rush, since we only had a half-hour head start on our guests! Mr. Cola helped unlace my dress, and we changed, emptied both of the ice machines on our floor, and scrambled to clean up the bridal suite for our after party.
Luckily one of my bridesmaids was texting me with updates as to how close the charter bus with everyone was, so by the time they arrived, Mr. Cola and I were ready to continue the party!
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 so excited that we’re bringing back the A Bee’s Life series, and that I can share my experiences with the hive.
How did I find Weddingbee?
Long before I was even engaged, I found the blog A Backyard Wedding during a Google search for some crafting instructions. Although I wasn’t planning a wedding, I loved the DIY aspect of the blog and when Mr. S and I finally did get engaged, I started reading it again. I also checked out her blogroll, and lo and behold, she linked to Weddingbee.
Now, for the sake of full disclosure, I’ll be perfectly honest: I wasn’t a huge Weddingbee fan at first. I didn’t have any specific problem with the site, but I had a hard time identifying with the bloggers at first. I don’t know what I was smoking back then, because after a few months, I came back to the site and fell in love! My theory is that, when I first discovered the ’Bee, I wasn’t all about weddings yet. When I started really getting into planning, I found that the site was so helpful! So positive! Such a great resource for regular people.
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!
Who doesn’t love a juicy secret?? Well my “secrets” aren’t really deep dark secrets, more like 3 fun facts that I’ve never shared with the Hive.
1. During the summer after our sophomore year in college, MOH Navy and I studied abroad in Mexico. It was for an International Business certificate, therefore the fact that I took 3 years of Spanish in middle school and high school and retained about 2% of it did not factor into my grade. On our last night there (July 4th), one of the guys from our college and I were entered into a dance contest, during which he broke the strap of my top. I think that little “tease” is what resulted in our win. We won a case of beer and free t-shirts, which I used to cover up.
Mrs. Cinnamon Bun, Calgary, AlbertaAge and Occupation: 26, Stage ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Theatre TechnicianEngagement Date: June 22, 2010Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Calgary Opera CentreAbout Me: I'm a life-long crafter and bookworm living in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. Some of my loves include Lord of the Rings, Sherlock Holmes, knitting, opera, musicals, Etsy, baking, and of course, Mr. Cinnamon Buns. We're keeping our wedding close to home---the venue isn't very far from our house, and we live within walking distance of 6 bridal salons. I'm using the wedding as an excuse to try out every craft project I possibly can, with the endless help and support of my fiance.
I booked an appointment at a bridal salon for the Saturday mum was visiting. I’d also asked Mr. CB’s mum and bridesmaid A to come along. Sadly, A had a wedding shower to throw for her brother’s fiancee that same day so she couldn’t make it.
On Friday, mum and I found ourselves at a loose end downtown after I’d finished work, so we decided to go to Echo Bridal, a store that just opened up in a newly renovated building downtown. We had no appointment, but it was 2:30PM on a Friday, so we weren’t expecting crowds. When we got there, there was no one there but Phyllis the saleslady, so we dove in! She gave us some clothes pegs, and told us to mark the dresses I wanted to try, and she’d collect them up for us. Echo also does evening wear—those ball gowns are mainly on the top floor of the building in their other store, but there were a few coloured dresses in the wedding shop that Phyllis said could be ordered in any colour, including white and ivory. I was drawn to one of those, so that got a peg. I searched for short dresses, and there were only a couple in the whole store, so they got pegs. Mum was picking big dresses. The first thing we noticed was that most of these dresses were well under $1000. We hadn’t talked budget at that point in time, but my only experience with wedding dresses was Say Yes to the Dress (which I may or may not have bought on iTunes) where the associates struggle to find things in the $2000 range.
Mrs. Piglet, Virginia/OahuAge and Occupation: 28, ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Entrepreneur/Fashion Apparel Wholesale ImporterEngagement Date: June 22, 2008Wedding Date: August 2009Venue: Ceremony at the Lanikuhonua Phase II private estate, reception at a historic hotel in WaikikiAbout Me: I'm an East Coast gal with intense road rage and an addiction to romantic comedies, fast food, gadgets, Korean BBQ, and my wiener dog George aka Georgia May. I carry mustard packets in my purse and I love perusing the aisles at discount stores. A self proclaimed shopaholic, I impulsively buy electronics, software, and craft tools; none of which I know how to use. I'm excited to dust
these babies off and immerse myself in DIY projects galore in
preparation for our DW in paradise!
For the most part, we’ve tucked away all things wedding. Albums are on the shelves, spare invites and programs are stored, the wedding dress is with another bride, and magazines have been passed on to newly engaged friends. But every once in awhile, we’ll hear our song on the radio, look at each other, and smile from ear-to-ear. Mr Piglet will hold out his hand, and we’ll dance our first dance again.
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A few months before our wedding, Mr Piglet was the best man at his now groomsman’s wedding. It was during that rehearsal dinner that we heard an acoustic version ofI’m Yours by Jason Mraz. It was happy, light, had a slightly peppier tempo, and just the right amount of cheese. It fit us so perfectly. And that was that. Our first dance song was chosen.
With our CD in hand, we went to John Cassese The Dance Doctor in Santa Monica. John and Sarah (another instructor) popped in the CD, and began dancing to our song right then and there. Mr Piglet and I watched in awe at their fancy footwork and graceful spins. We were sold (or suckers) and booked 10 lessons with Sarah to teach us to dance like them.
And I’m so glad we did. Oh my gosh people, it was so much fun!
The first thing we noticed was that most of these dresses were well under $1000. We hadn’t talked budget at that point in time, but my only experience with wedding dresses was Say Yes to the Dress (which I may or may not have bought on iTunes) where the associates struggle to find things in the $2000 range.
