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.
Now that we’ve got all our engagement photos back, it’s crunch time for our save the dates. We’d asked for a high-res version of one of our sneak-peek photos from Fotograffika so we could get a head start, but we both put off really doing anything about it until the disk of everything came in. We spent a night browsing Etsy together and finding photo save the dates that we both liked. The average price for someone to design it for you seemed to be about $15, which is really just a drop in the bucket of wedding spending. But…all ofthe designswe likedwere so simple, we decided to try to do it at home.
I dusted off my mad Photoshop skillz (ha!) and got to work. I’ve had no training; I just learned by myself out of a desire to make funny pictures and icons for my very early blogging days. (I had a Livejournal in 2002!)
Mrs. Earrings, Fresno, CA/ Nelson, New ZealandAge and Occupation: 20, Student, Wannabe Writer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 19, Photography StudentEngagement Date: February 14, 2010Wedding Date: January 2011Venue: Gardens of the WorldAbout Me: I'm a girl from down under who grew up in Indonesia and I'm marrying a California boy. I'm addicted to all things sweet, have never met a chocolate silk pie than can get the better of me, and have dreams of one day being a fulltime novelist. I go weak in the knees for lace, tea cups, and a beautifully crafted sentence. When I get excited about something (whether it is historical linguistics or the Beatles) I tend to go overboard in research, and planning this wedding is no different. Mr. Earrings is my high school sweetheart, my best friend, and somehow we combine all our quirks into one big happy mess.
With less than 3 weeks to go ’til the wedding day, this is probably a bad time to start second (and third) guessing some of our wedding choices. But that’s what I’m doing right now.
I have attended a total of two weddings in my life, and only one reception. In some ways that can both be a blessing and a curse—on one hand, I have felt fairly free to make wedding choices without memories of past weddings influencing what we “can” and “can’t” do. On the other hand, sometimes this lack of wedding attendance makes me feel very, very inexperienced and unqualified to plan a wedding. I know that is silly of me…but that feeling still manages to sneak in. Thoughts concerning the “legitimacy” of our wedding are corrupting my previously naive way of going about our planning.
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 was at the wedding of a coworker, sitting with some other coworkers. I was the only single female at the table. When it came time for the bouquet toss, they pressured me into going up with the rest of the single ladies. I tried to refuse, but one of the ladies got the attention of the DJ (I still haven’t forgiven her) and he called me over in front of everyone. Instead of making even more of a scene, I reluctantly shuffled over to stand with the small group of potential bouquet-catchers. I stood all the way in the back, off to the side, so that there was no chance of the bouquet coming anywhere near me.
My coworker’s new bride threw the bouquet wildly, and it hit me square in the chest. Crap.
Then, the single men lined up as my coworker took his bride’s garter off of her leg and threw it behind him. The garter was caught by the bride’s twelve year-old brother.
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!
Everyone but my dad and I had made it down the aisle. It was time to join everyone else and get this show on the road!
And guess what? One of our fabulous wedding guests, K, was kind enough to send me the ceremony video she shot on her iPhone. Since we didn’t have a videographer, it is lovely to be able to catch a glimpse of some live action!
For my walk down the aisle, I selected the song “In These Arms,” by The Swell Season. A friend of mine edited the song so it sounded perfect (I only wanted the chorus of the song to play, as well as the musical interludes).
Click on the video below to hear how the song turned out/scroll along with the photos. It isn’t much to watch, but my entrance is at the 1:00 mark.
Mrs. French Toast, Pleasanton, CAAge and Occupation: 29, Marketing & PRFiance's Age and Occupation: IT geek by day, self-proclaimed handyman by nightEngagement Date: October 2009Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: Palm Event CenterAbout Me: I’m a city girl at heart who moved to the suburbs a year ago. Now I’m adjusting to life with a front lawn, nosy neighbors, cooking attempts, and making sure the garbage pail is pulled out on time every week! When I’m not traveling, Mr. FT and I enjoy marathon sessions of Law & Order: SVU, snowboarding, photography, spoiling our 3-year old yorkie-poodle Mokka and disagreeing over what music to listen to in the car. We’re planning a small winery wedding while incorporating some cultural elements into the day as a nod to our Chinese backgrounds.
In fact, they’re made for the bride and groom to walk under.
What in the world, Miss French Toast, are you talking about?
Fear not. I did not lose my (fashion) sense.
In the Chinese culture, it is believed that the order of weddings amongst the siblings should coincide with their birth order. Which means the eldest should get married first, then the middle child, and then the youngest should be the last to tie the knot. Of course, in this day and age, the likelihood of that happening gets slimmer and slimmer.
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.
Oh, indeed I did. Hearing those three glorious words baked into one delicious and unthinkably amazing sentence solidified who we were going to use as a cake baker after Zeb requested a cake.
Sin Desserts, another one of Rhode Island’s finest little spots was recommended to me by my boss. Armed with my inspiration board above, Zeb, our moms, Sara, and I headed over to a little warehouse bakery one blustery October morning.
***Hey swappers! Don’t forget to send pictures of the cards you sent to wbcardswap@gmail.com. We haven’t gotten many emails so far, so if you want to see your cards posted to the blog, please send us your pics before the new year! ***
Here’s our second installment of the Weddingbee Holiday Card Swap!
Mrs. Pancakes, New York/Costa RicaAge and Occupation: 26, Law School StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Latin American Policy AnalystEngagement Date: March 12, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Casa Punto de VistaAbout Me: I’m a perfectionist with a big heart. I love a good laugh and firmly believe no one has ever regretted being prepared! My motto is “go big or go home.” I am incapable of doing anything in moderation, especially when it comes to shopping, TV, food and travel, and some would say wedding planning! The other half of this nearlywed team is a laid-back, adventure-loving, accident prone, sweetie from LA. He makes me laugh, is always down for an impromptu dance party, and totally indulges most of my hare-brained schemes. Now, in my final year of law school, we’ll be spending the spring abroad in Amsterdam and planning a DIY, whimsical, detail-filled destination wedding in Costa Rica!
I love bow ties! I would love to put our groomsmen in bow ties, but I don’t think that it’s actually going to happen, so I thought I would look for other unique groomsmen details (before I fall in love with bow ties and there is no turning back).
My (our) groomsmen are a great group of fun-loving guys. They are a super close group who grew up together and even have matching tattoos. Since Mr. Pancakes doesn’t drink, a lot of the alcohol-related gifts are out of the question (i.e., flasks, personalized beer mugs, etc.). Additionally, they aren’t the type of boys who need money clips, cuff links, or personalized pocket watches.
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. Tartlet, Rochester, MIAge and Occupation: Age & Occupation: 27, Post-Doctoral Research FellowFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 2, 2009Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: The Royal Park HotelAbout Me: I'm an exuberant gal from the Midwest with a penchant for Neuroscience and anything sparkly. I'm not afraid to poke fun at myself, and I'm a believer that given the right pair of shoes, a girl can conquer the world. While an interest in the sciences threw Mr. Tartlet and me together (again, and again, until it finally stuck), we share a love for many things---food, video games, car dancing, food, bad puns, travel, did I mention food?---that ultimately led us to where we are now, less than five months from becoming Mr. and Mrs. We're planning a laid-back, romantic, garden-inspired affair with organic and quirky touches that reflect our love for the unexpected!
I confess, I’ve been dreaming of my wedding since the ripe age of six. Being a native of Kalamazoo and having gone to undergrad at Kalamazoo College, it was only natural that I’d be attached to the idea of getting married at Stetson Chapel.
Mrs. Lobster, BrooklynAge and Occupation: 29, Finance GirlFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Finance BoyEngagement Date: July 25, 2009Wedding Date: August 2010Venue: Stage 6 Steiner StudiosAbout Me: I'm a New York-born, Virginia-bred girl who's found her way back to the big city. Mr. Lobster and I met in grad school and have been together ever since. I'm clueless about DIY but am an avid online shopper and love all things polka dots, stripes, and ruffles! When I'm not making wedding lists, you can find me looking for snacks, watching Gilmore Girls, or hanging out with Mr. Lobster and our new puppy Buddy! We are planning a fancy-pantsy Brooklyn wedding for a hot New York summer night which is sure to be a misadventure in the making.
I gave Mr. Lobster a VERY strict schedule made in 15 minute increments. So of course, I was late (but in the wise words of Bobby Brown, it’s my prerogative).
But Mr. Lobster waited patiently for me: Read more…
Mrs. Jam, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 25, Writer/Associate Wedding CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Structural EngineerEngagement Date: December 23, 2009Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Hunter’s Ridge, Princeton, ILAbout Me: I’m a penny-pinching cat lady getting ready to marry the frugal dog lover of my dreams. Our ideal Saturday morning includes rummaging around people’s junk at garage and estate sales followed by an afternoon date to our favorite café, where we only eat sandwiches that include the word “salad.” We actually love it so much, it’s sort of our unofficial wedding theme: Look at our delicious finds, eat homemade ham salad, and celebrate our love…barndance style. When we’re not obsessing over our love-fest shindig, we’re planning themed parties for our best friends and jamming to '90s music.
Once upon a time, I worked at a bookstore and I abso-freaking-lutely loved it. I’m lousy at selling anything and I hate snarky customers, but working at a bookstore meant getting to read advance copies of books that we wouldn’t normally look twice at. And some of these books ended up, you know, CHANGING MY LIFE. Not like it’s a big deal or anything; it’s just my WHOLE LIFE.
Coincidentally, this also happened to be the gym-membership time in my life, which actually turned out to be a pretty big waste of time and money because all I really did was lay out at the pool and get tan. Obviously, this required good reading material. See where I’m going with this?
As much as I despise books that give advice about my relationship and how to work out my relationship, or tell me my relationship is doomed BUT can possibly be fixed, I decided to read an advance copy of a book about darn relationships. But even though I read this relationship-centric book whilst lying beside a pool filled with people doing water aerobics, it was not a waste of time at all.
Women Are Crazy, Men Are Stupid by Howard J. Morris and Jenny Lee
Ms. Cheetah, Los Angeles/Palm Springs
Age and Occupation: 31, Artist, EducatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, TV FinanceEngagement Date: April 2010Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: The ViceroyAbout Me: I’m a silly, sassy lady with a compulsion to create. I love to sing and dance, despite the fact that I lack any talent doing either. I somehow manage to be messy and organized at the same time. I like to spend my days road tripping, watching '80s movies, reading true crime books, buying things on sale, sending postcards, playing board games, dining at food trucks, snuggling, and drinking ginger ale. I have a weak spot for all things sweet, especially Mr. Cheetah! I’m a Chicago girl and he’s a Nor Cal boy but we love living in the City of Angels. After 10 years as a couple we are planning a fun-filled semi-destination wedding in Palm Springs. Hope you enjoy the ride!
Our super fantastic awesome photographer, Amelia Lyon, just finished our engagement pictures. I’m not going to waste your time with a lot of text, I’ll just get to the goodies!
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!
While I am not the biggest fan of flowers, I decided that since we are spending money on them for the wedding, I would like to do something with them after the night is over.
Originally Mama Elephant wanted to send them to our church, but since it will be Easter Sunday, we already know that the sanctuary will be filled with lilies. There are now talks of reusing some of the centerpieces at our send-off brunch the morning after the wedding. I told mom if she could keep from guests taking them home, they’re all hers!
I’m really only interested in saving my bouquet, but how?
Option 1: Preservation -Air Dry
A popular, easy and cheap way to preserve the bouquet would be to hang it upside down and let it air dry. I used this method on my bouquet from MOH Navy’s wedding, then placed it in a vase to decorate our dinning room table.
Mrs. Prairie Dog, Cincinnati
Age and Occupation: 24, Program CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, PhD/Biomedical EngineerEngagement Date: December 18, 2009Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Glendale LyceumAbout Me: I'm a pilgrim soul of a girl with a house full of books and a coffee addiction that could slay Juan Valdez. My life is a whirl of grammar correction, good music, glue-gunning, and two pets named Hazel and Winston Churchill. I'm marrying my high school boyfriend in a formal-ish spring affair, roughly themed: "Elizabeth Bennet crashes a party co-hosted by Jay Gatsby and Cath Kidston, and loves it."
Eight years with a scientist is chipping away at me. I’m usually a “go with your gut feeling!” and “trust your instincts!” type, whereas J goes for anything quantifiable and Excel spreadsheet importable. And somehow, now, so do I. Which explains why I created this:
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