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."
(For the first part of the “my photog half-cancelled snafu, go here.)
After a few days of mulling it over, I e-mailed the photographer back to say we’d be starting our search from scratch. I thanked him for his honesty. I mean, he could have just not told me he was double-booking, then feigned sick on our wedding day and sent a second shooter anyway. Seriously, I would have been none the wiser. But he was straight with me, and I appreciate it.
Once the e-mail was sent, I began the Google searches once again. But then! Then, I had a recollection that was no less than divine. It popped into my mind that a blogger bee, our very own then- Miss Seashell had hired an Ohio photographer who I hadn’t considered. (They’re based out of Dayton, not Cincinnati…I never thought to branch out a mere 45 minutes. Best bride ever.)
Less than a week after receiving the sort-of-cancel e-mail, we booked Ms. Katie Albrecht of Blink of an Eye Photography because she takes pictures that look like this:
lanany10 poses next to a dramatic balcony on her wedding day.
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. 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’ve just realised that I haven’t talked about the proposal yet!
Moments after the engagement!
We’d been together for five years but had never really been on a vacation together. Read more…
Mrs. Seashell, Chicago, IL / Providence, RIAge and Occupation: 28, Marriage and Family TherapistFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Electrical EngineerEngagement Date: September 3, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: The Glen Manor HouseAbout Me: Fonts and fashion, stationery and Sundays, photography and french toast... the beauty is in the details for this fun-loving Chicagoan who loves to plan plan plan! The soon-to-be hubs plays "Mr. Fix-It" in our new condo while I swoon over beautiful, personalized stationery and choose shades of aubergine for my bridesmaids' dresses... and thus begins my new fairy tale! Skirting to the East Coast for our September nuptials where my home state of Rhode Island awaits with fall foliage, I'm just a few dress fittings and bachelorette party away from saying "I Do" to a very happy ending!
As Mr. Seashell and I settle into married life, I’ve started to realize there’s something I need to get better at: letting go. I’m learning to let go of me and embrace we.
My independence is of paramount importance. That’s partially a tribute to how I was raised, and partially speaks to how I operate in the world. If I decided I want to do something, up until recently, I was just going to go ahead and do it. The idea of asking someone for their feedback didn’t feel romantic, it felt childish. I struggled greatly with moving from me to we. Read more…
Mrs. Waffle, AustinAge and Occupation: 31, Costumer/ArtistFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, AnimatorEngagement Date: July 27, 2010Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Hummingbird HouseAbout Me: My life is pretty much spent in a sea of fabric, paint, sequins and drama. When I’m not working, I play on a trivia team, take Broadway dance classes, read, buy shoes, and occasionally geek out on video games. I am an American girl who loves all things British and Mr. Waffle is a Brit who loves all things American...I guess it was meant to be!
At first when I chose to wear glasses over contacts, I had a hard time struggling with the whole vanity issue. Read more…
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.
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!
Mr. D and I have been enjoying our temporary break from USCIS paperwork over the past 12 months (with the exception of filling out a painless change of address form). However, since I am an obsessive planner type, I sometimes like to check in and see how everything fits together. So to date, we’ve already spent about $2,000 on immigration (USCIS fees, plus all the traveling to London and extra costs for the fiancé visa medical, etc.) and we’ll have to set aside another $1270 for the next 2 years.
We spent $590 in October for the restrictions on Mr. D’s conditional permanent resident card to be lifted (after you marry you are granted a two-year card, but you have to apply 90 days prior to its expiration). Then we will spend $680 for Mr. D to apply to be a citizen in January 2013.
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.
Since we’re on the subject of cakes, I thought I would share my ideas for a groom’s cake!
My cousin Paul got married a few months ago, and it’s truly ironic that we’re both getting married around the same time (he August 2010 and I in April 2011), because our moms are sisters. Twin sisters. Paul and I used to play together when we were little, and our mothers have always been close.
We haven’t talked much the past few years with college, working, and obviously dating, but it was wonderful to see Paul so happy. His new wife, Andrea, was a beautiful bride. The ceremony was very elegant and I am really happy for the two of them.
They are going to be living in this area and so that I hope we can rekindle our childhood and start to hang out again. I’d love to get to know Andrea better and share notes about life as newlyweds.
Paul and Andrea’s wedding and reception was held at a church in my hometown. They planned the whole thing fairly quickly (in about 6 months) and their wedding style was much different than Mr. B’s and mine.
Nevertheless, there were a lot of details (aren’t there always?) and among my favorites were: the chocolate fountain, Ferrari getaway car, and this cool groom’s cake. Read more…
Mrs. Cheese, KnoxvilleAge and Occupation: 29, Engineering ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, CAD DesignerEngagement Date: July 31, 2008Wedding Date: May, 2009Blogging Since: October 16, 2008Venue: Our home and the two acres it sits onAbout Me: I’m an emotional girl who loves sentimental things, parenthetical asides, and trying to do things herself. I can cook, sew, am a whiz at planning, terrible at delegating, and totally in love with my fiancé (who will be my second husband but first love of the rest of my life). For our home/ garden/ DIY wedding, we’ll be moonlighting as interior designers, home improvers, and gardeners with the help of our fabulous friends and neighbors. We can’t wait to be married, and are learning how fun getting married can be.
Hi, all! It’s been a while since I’ve posted, yes, but on a nice and relaxing (ahem, slow) Friday afternoon, I thought I’d take a few minutes to brainstorm some last minute gift ideas. You know, for procrastinators like me! (And then, because you all are so awesome, perhaps you can share some ideas too?)
Magazines: my favorite gift to give (and get!) is a magazine subscription—the gift that keeps on giving. Really! Every month you get a shiny new magazine that (let’s be honest) you’d never have gotten around to ordering for yourself. Love! So I order the magazine, buy the current issue, and enclose a note that this is the first of many monthly gifts coming their way.
Movie night: Almost every movie theater company allows you to buy gift certificates—and who doesn’t like movies? Our local theater corporation has a great package: two tickets and a combo. I print out little ticket stubs (fake, of course), the details of the gift certificate, and a reminder that smooching during movies is highly recommended (um, for couples, that is).
Mrs. Socks, Southern NJ/Philadelphia, PAAge and Occupation: 23, Web Developer/Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Systems EngineerEngagement Date: September 7, 2009
Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: Ladder 15 RestaurantAbout Me: I am originally from the Midwest, but I love being an East Coast transplant! Mr. Socks and I are foodies and winos to the core---give us a hunk of cheese, some charcuterie and a glass of wine and we could die happy. We have two mischievous Wire Fox Terriers with completely opposite personalities but with a shared love of uprooting anything in our garden. Our backyard garden includes everything from tomatoes and peppers to a fig tree, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries! I love cooking, indie music, and spending time in our wedding city of choice---Philly!
On our first night on our honeymoon, as we were leaving Dano’s, we stopped at their little brochure table by the door, hoping to pick up on any local festivities while we were in town. We were in for a treat!
The next evening, there was a charity dinner held by Share our Strength, an organization committed to ending childhood hunger and teaching people how to cook healthy, fresh meals. The dinner was called “Chef’s Night Out” where 5 celebrated chefs in the area each prepared one course for a 5-course meal. The tickets were $75 each, included the five courses and a wine pairing for each course, and was going to a worthy cause! How could we object?
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 got my issue of Brides magazine in the mail today, and for once I found something really useful in it! I’m not sure how I even got a subscription to it, but I have one and I’ve found that it (along with most wedding magazines) tends to have the same articles every month, just written slightly differently. It’s probably much more useful if you’re newly engaged, but for someone like me who has been engaged for what feels like FOREVER it’s definitely less than helpful.
Anyways, I was flipping through it and I saw an article that I was actually really excited about! I immediately ripped the page out so I could save it, and I thought y’all might appreciate how helpful it is.
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.
Around the same time I chose my dress, we confirmed our photographers. We got an engagement shoot with our photography package, and we’d decided to get the photos done and use them for save the dates. This posed its own problem, as we wanted the photos done before it got too gross and wintery here, plus we needed to get them done pretty quickly anyway to have any hope of sending them out before Christmas. We didn’t factor in our photographers’ other clients/jobs/life when coming up with this plan! They were very gracious though, and managed to squeeze us in early one October Sunday morning, before Cinnamon Buns had to rush off to work.
Beware: this post contains almost entirely self-timer photos taken in our dark bedroom, then edited into visible-ness.
I knew which dress I wanted to wear for the photos from the start:
Hola hive! Our wonderful hostess Bakerella put together a fabulous hive-wide card swap this year, and we’re thrilled to see that so many hive members participated! Up until Christmas, we’ll be showing off the hive’s awesome cards right here on the blog!
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!
