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.
When I heard that A Bee’s Life was making a comeback, I was stoked. I heart this little series and it gave me the best advice when I was a Wannabee that I could only return the favor and share with the hive my Ostrich experiences so far… Are you ready? Here we go!
How Did I Find Weddingbee?
I owe my introduction to the wonderful world of Weddingbee to my college friend (and sorority sister), Mrs. Eggplant. Read more…
Mrs. Husky, DenverAge and Occupation: 26, Systems AdministratorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Mechanical Engineer, recently laid offEngagement Date: August 14, 2009Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: Rancho San CarlosAbout Me: I am planning a quirky-crafty wedding with my recently out-of-work fiancé for a (fingers crossed!) warm October afternoon. We are two self-professed nerds with an affinity for all things outdoors---be it rain, snow or shine. Recently relocated from the drizzly Northwest, we're enjoying the many sun-soaked days in the mile high city. Our day will be filled with both of our large families and friends, a self-served Cajun feast, and a Zydeco-style jazz band rocking beneath the beams of a historic red barn.
If you haven’t already had a chance to check it out, the Weddingbee Invitations Shop is growing! We’re so excited to have launched some great new products, and want to share the love with you by offering 10% off of all napkins and ribbons in stock in the shop!
Both napkins and ribbons come in a wide range of colors! To take advantage of the discount, enter code WBM10 at checkout. This deal expires this Saturday, December 11, 2010, so hurry to save!
Mrs. Knitting, TorontoAge and Occupation: 24, Student Recruitment Assistant
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Neuroscience PhD CandidateEngagement Date: October 2009Wedding Date: December 2010Venue: University of Toronto Faculty Club
About Me: I'm a pearl wearing, etiquette book reading Toronto girl who loves cooking and baking, museums, charm bracelets, and collecting books on Jackie Kennedy (a lot). I've been known to spend Sunday mornings at the antique market, Wednesday evenings at sister sushi dinners, and any bit of spare time reading. After six and a half years of many late night walks, watching DVDs together in bed, travelling to places like New York, and Tobermory, doing Sudokus together on the couch, lots of Indian food, the occasional yoga class, moving in together and so much more, Mr. Knitting and I are planning a cozy Christmasy (it's a word!), vintage wedding in Toronto complete with many DIY projects (eek!) and lots of help from our amazing group of family and friends.
Growing up, the month the December was spent sitting in our living room eating clementines, watching our Christmas tree lights flicker, while listening to Raffi’s Christmas Album.
I’m not sure how old I was when my parents bought this record (that’s right, this was pre-CDs) but it may have been around the time I was born. My sisters and I loved this album and used to dance around the living room to it when we were toddlers. As we got older, the dancing lessened (a bit!), and the record became a CD version, but we still loved this CD. This album really is Christmas for me. Read more…
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.
You got to see a bit of my mother’s wedding dress in its original glory here. I have always wanted to try the dress on and have a few photos taken with it, and we won’t have time for that on the wedding day, so we decided to do our own photo shoot….kinda like the Southern pre-wedding bridal session tradition that I have seen around the blogs (just think of me as being really far South).
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 promise once I get this off my chest I’ll go back to talking about interesting things like our wedding projects and all the fun stuff that Mr. Cardy and I have coming up…but I just need to get this off my chest.
I am so over wedding planning.
I’m shocked that I’m even admitting it, but I really just need to say it. I’m so incredibly burned out, and I’m just tired of it. Maybe this stems from having such a long engagement, or maybe it’s just something everyone goes through when they’re about a month away from their wedding.
(Side note: holy cow, we’re a month away from our wedding!)
I’m trying really hard to get things done. Really, I am. My to-do list is about a mile long and it grows a little bit every day, but I’m having such a hard time getting motivated to actually do any of it.
Small sample of my real-life to do list. Notice that there are many more things left undone than there are completed items!
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.
’Tis true, hive. Mr. Jam proposed on the coldest, rainiest, iciest, most miserable—and memorable—evening in recent Chicago-weather-related memory…outside.
Here’s a shocker: We weren’t dressed for the occasion.
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.
As you know from my Mr. & Mrs. signs, not all DIY projects come out right on the first try. At least in my case, it takes quite a few tries. My pennant banner is yet another reminder of this:
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!
Soon after our engagement was on, I saw my chance to pick up this little beauty as my wedding band. The ring is no longer available online, but lucky for me Tiffany’s was able to ship the ring to one of their LA stores. I visited the store to try that baby on…and it was pretty. But it didn’t rock my pants off. Sort of like red velvet cake without the cream cheese frosting. Good, but not OMGAWESOME.
So after deciding against the ring I started wondering if I needed a wedding band at all. It was my desire to have that ring, not just a wedding band, that lead me to consider it in the first place.
Miss Peacock, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 26, PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Internet WhizEngagement Date: December 5, 2006Wedding Date: September, 2008Blogging Since: December 13, 2007Venue: St. Clement Church, Cafe Brauer (or a big church wedding and a fancy party at a cafe in Lincoln Park.About Me: I am a grad student with a secret obsession for all things wedding related. I also love to read, travel, drink champagne and go for walks with our dog, Maisy, and Mr. Peacock. We are planning our very vintage wedding in the greatest city in the world, our hometown of Chicago. I am so proud to be a Bee!
Hello hive! I’ve waded out of a mountain of diapers and alphabet blocks to share my favorite post with you. This also happens to be one of the most memorable of my wedding planning moments, which may be which I chose it. I left it out photos of the actual dress, but here it is in one of my follow-ups. I hope this brings you equally good luck in finding your dress!
I need to preface this post by saying that this whole thing has been a total tease. I am not going to reveal my dress. Mr. Peacock has been adamant about not wanting to see it. He subscribes to the Weddingbee feed and he is slightly absentminded in his internet reading habits, I have a feeling that he might accidentally stumble upon it. He would be very sad.
I did go to one more new dress shop- the Vera Wang salon on Oak Street. I brought a whole gang- my mom, my sister and one of my bridesmaids. I had a feeling that I was going to need a team to get talked out of a particular $15,000 VW Luxe dress.
Drool.
Since the VW salon would not allow me to take pictures, I asked these very unhappy 14 year old girls to model the dresses for me. 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.
Sometimes, when I get all bogged down in wedding planning, I try to step back and think about the most memorable weddings I’ve attended. I’ve been to probably 25 or 30 weddings, but why does this handful stick in my mind?
So, I’ve delved deep into my memory and analyzed some of the best and worst weddings I’ve attended. What can I learn from the weddings I’ve been to?
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. 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!
As a nod to my dad’s home country Trinidad and Tobago, we will be having a steel drum duo for the ceremony music. The seating of the parents will be to “Jesu, Joy Of Man’s Desiring”
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."
You must begin by resolving to make a decision, despite having no concrete ideas. Convince two obliging bridesmaids to spend their Saturday trying on dresses, as well as your madre, who has great taste and the unstoppable desire to take candid photos. Drive at least an hour to a place where your MOH found success for her wedding. Examine swatches:
Are you ready? Here we go!
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
