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 bought these cookie cutters from Williams-Sonoma when Cinnamum came out on her “OMG, you’re ENGAGED” trip to visit. We both agreed they were wonderful, and I’ve been wondering if I could work them into the wedding somehow.
Mrs. Hippo, New York City/Dallas, TXAge and Occupation: 34, Event Planner for a Non-Profit Fiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Finance ITEngagement Date: August 8, 2009Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: Samuel Lynne Galleries and Marc EventsAbout Me: I’m a thirty-something bride living in New York City and planning a modern-ish wedding in Dallas, Texas. I love trashy reality television (Jersey Shore, anyone?), online shopping, Sunday brunch, Central Park, and random celebrity spottings on the streets of Manhattan. While I love NYC, I miss good Tex-Mex, my college friends, central A/C, and being in close proximity to a Target. I’m thrilled to finally be planning an event that’s not work-related and to be marrying my best friend in what I hope will be a unique and personal ceremony followed by a reception with plenty of good food, good drinks, and dancing (regardless if it’s good or not).
I’ve been in total crafting mode lately. I think it might be the change in weather. As soon as I get off work, all I want to do is get home to my cozy apartment (cozy=small) and work on crafty wedding things. This is not particularly helpful to my get-in-wedding-shape-by-working-out-after-work plan, but I digress…
My latest project was the containers for our wedding donuts. That’s right, I said it. Wedding donuts, yo! Just in case you don’t remember, let me refresh your appetite:
The company that’s going to be making the hot, fresh, cinnamon-sugar deliciousness at the end of our reception supplies glassine bags for the donuts as part of the package price. Sweet! But… Read more…
Mrs. Poodle, Santiago, Chile/San Bernardino, CAAge and Occupation: 27, Industrial & Web DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Firefighter & Mountain PatrolEngagement Date: February 25, 2009Wedding Date: January 2010Venue: Mr. P's Grandparents’ RanchAbout Me: I’m a Chilean girl who's crazy about nature and swimming. I enjoy carving, drawing, reading and sewing; I drool over computers, fabric, pretty paper, purple and patterns. To me, chocolate should be one of the seven wonders, right next to lemon pie. I never thought an exchange work experience program was going to change my life forever, but while working in California, I met Mr. Poodle, and ever since my days are better and brighter. We are two goofy souls that, after finding each other, couldn’t help but want to be together forever. It has being a long and sometimes hard road, since we have to deal with such a long distance between us, but we are now facing the last stage of our Fiancé Visa, and soon we will be together. You know the best part? We will be married! So I’ll be blogging from Chile until just a few months before our “green and purple” wedding.
While we were getting ready on the other side of the ranch, we though the guys were doing the same thing. Well, they decided to do it their own way!
I actually only knew about this when we got the pro pictures, so I wish we would have thought of it and had fun pictures taken on the trampoline, too! 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.
Now that we had our invitation design all figured out, it was time to figure out what to do with them.
For the sake of being green, I’d originally wanted to have nothing else in the envelope except for the invitation itself. I was planning on asking Printable Press to put a small line at the bottom of the invitation that said something like “For additional details and to RSVP, please visit our website” with a link.
But then, I started second guessing myself. The first reason was a practical one: people just don’t read the small print. Period. I don’t want fifty phone calls from guests who were wondering how to RSVP. I also felt that, without a card, our guests wouldn’t have the reminder to RSVP. They’d just stick the invitation somewhere and never think of it again.
The second reason wasn’t practical at all. This reason was inspired by photos of beautifully put together invitation suites. Like these amazing mix tape invitations:
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!
We’ve already learned about dotted lines, glyphs, zig zag lines, and black & white effects, so I bet you’re wondering what could possibly come next. Today we’re going to use clipping masks to make a thank you card.
I know, I know, what a strangely specific thing to write about, right? But when I read Starfish’s post about thank you cards, I started wondering how else you could incorporate wedding photos into thank you cards— aside from the liners she made—besides the standard photo with ’thank you’ on top.
This is what I think of when I typically think of a wedding thank you card (Well, at least before I started reading Weddingbee and finding out about all those great ideas, anyway!):
Mrs. D'orsay, Baltimore/Lancaster UKAge and Occupation: 24, nonprofit communications Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Web site developer and designer; co-owner of men's skincare shopEngagement Date: August 10, 2008Wedding Date: August, 2009Venue: Oakland ManorAbout Me: I'm a Maryland raised environmental policy wonk/activist/organizer and communications aficionado. In the past year I've lived in Baltimore, MD, Tucson, AZ, Miami, FL and Lancaster, England. In my not so spare time I enjoy planning trips with Mr. D' Orsay, visiting friends and family and crafting like a mo-fo. I also enjoy modern dance classes, rugby and soccer but have been banned by my mother, MOHs, and Mr. D' Orsay from playing till after the wedding. I have an unnatural addiction to cheese and shoes, but love Mr. D' Orsay more than either and can't wait to become Mrs. D' Orsay!
My most commented post is this one. What does that say about Weddingbee readers!
But my favorite post is this one below. I remain so thankful for everyone involved in our wedding—our families, our friends and my bee friends! Both our wedding and our lives have been changed by the friendships in this post. I look back at this post with nothing but love.
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It may take a village to raise a child, but I’m pretty sure it took a village to make our wedding happen. The assistance and donations of dear friends warms my heart to this day.
The Gift of Joy: Mrs. Tulip kindly sent me a package of hankies from her wedding, along with a very sweet card. I used these as she did, displaying them at the ceremony for people to take. There were so many I was able to select the blue/purple ones to fit the color scheme. I’ll include the final product in my details post.
The Gift of Beauty: Remember my hair-tastrophy? My generous friend Holly (and her husband Mike) picked up a gift card to a great salon as a wedding gift, which took me from Superhero to Saucy. Read more…
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!
Nine wingmen and 1 lil’ wing on a cliff overlooking the ocean—the only props they have are sunglasses. For all you planning brides, consider the area you’re having your men take photos and definitely don’t forget about the accessories and props. We decided to take our formals on the cliff next to our ceremony site, Ocean View Villas. It wasn’t exactly the smartest photography decision we made with all that straight-on harsh sun, but whatever. 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. 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!
This past weekend we caught up with Mr. Jaguar’s brother and girlfriend, as they had just moved into a new apartment in London and had invited us over to check it out. Mr. Jaguar and his brother have always been close, as they are only siblings, so it was only fitting that he had asked BIL Jaguar to be best man at the wedding.
Boys being boys, they don’t really celebrate things like birthdays or special events with gifts, something I just don’t understand. I was determined that we bring them something small as a housewarming gift, so we brought along a bottle of bubbly—and it was lucky that we did, as they announced that they’d gotten engaged the night before!
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.
Recently, there have been some setbacks in the Save the Date process.
I’m trying my best to stay calm about this, but I’m kind of starting to lose my shit. OK, so this is my first big project, and it’s inevitable that things will go wrong. I learn from it and move on, right? Maybe I will—I’m sure I’ll feel much better when I reach the actual point where I can move on, but right now, I’m still looking at days of more work, and those are days I don’t have. I’m trying to step things up at work because I’ve been distracted all summer and fall and I think people are starting to notice, and I’m supposed to be participating in this crazy fitness challenge. What the ham sandwich was I thinking taking on all these things at once?!
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!
Except, here’s the thing. I was a terrible blogger and took zero pictures of the days leading up to the wedding, including the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. I still want to write about them, though! I’ve done my best to scrounge up some rehearsal photos, but not much otherwise. So, these first few posts will have almost no pictures. Can you bear with me? I promise to keep it short and sweet!
Thursday was the first real day of our wedding weekend. Mr. Octo and I were in Pittsburgh, my parents were in Pittsburgh, FIL Octo was in Pittsburgh, and our family and friends were starting to pour in as well. I have heard many times from many brides before me that once guests start rolling into town in preparation for the wedding, things get really exciting and fun. Sooooo true: I felt so bubbly and excited as more and more and more of my favorite people kept arriving. The positive energy was just palpable.
That didn’t mean we spent the day lounging and basking in the joyfully buzzing atmosphere, though. 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!
Congratulations to all the winners! We’ve PMmed/emailed you if you’ve won!
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The Wedding Salon NYC is finally here! This coming Monday, November 15, join wedding celebs Colin Cowie, Sylvia Weinstock, Shawn Rabideau and many other industry experts for fashion shows, beauty services, and advice and services to plan your dream wedding! Tickets are $25 each, but today we’re giving away 10 pairs of free tickets to 10 lucky Weddingbee readers!
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.
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.
“I am like a falling star who has finally found her place next to another in a lovely constellation, where we will sparkle in the heavens forever.” - Amy Tan
If you were to peer into my puffy white thought bubbles, this is what you’d see… Read more…
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.
Emily Post is probably rolling over in her grave right now as I write my own engagement announcement. Traditionally, the mother of the brides writes the engagement announcement, but Mama Meerkat has enough going that on she doesn’t need to have one more thing on her plate. So, I wrote ours:
I really had no idea what I was doing when I started, but after a bit of research I found out there were four main parts.
