Mrs. Lioness, AtlantaAge and Occupation: 25, Physical TherapistFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, AttorneyEngagement Date: August 29, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: Anthony’s Fine DiningAbout Me: I’m a Southern girl with New England roots. I say "wicked" and "y’all" in the same sentence and I like to drink sweet tea with my lobster. Mr. Lion and I are both former Floridians now living in Atlanta, which fortunately is still SEC country...Go Gators! We both love baseball, coffee, traveling, cooking, and playing Words with Friends with each other on our iPhones all day long. I’m very passionate about the things and the people I love, and I tend to plan things with all of my heart...our wedding, of course, is no different! Oh, and also Mr. Lion is a first generation American of Cuban descent. I may look more like Lucy than Ricky, but I’m doing my best to incorporate some Latin elements into our vintage-garden-Southern wedding!
At first glance, it doesn’t look like much has changed with me since high school. I still like baseball, I still like to dance, and I am still physically unable to get a tan. Oh and, of course, I was a Disney geek…even in 1999.
{I’m so sorry, Sister Lioness!}
Yikes. Shall we move on to post-braces days? Good. I’m glad we’re in agreement.
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!
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.
A few weeks ago, the lovely Miss Prairie Dog blogged about how adopting pets made her and Mr. PD feel like a family instead of just a couple. This was the case for Mr. Panther and me, too. I’m sure that if/when we have kids, it’ll take things to a completely different level, but for now, we couldn’t ask for more than the little family we’ve built over the past couple years.
I’m not going to lie to you guys—it’s pretty ridiculous how in love with our two cats we are. We sing to Bela and Josie (usually rewrites of pop hits with their names infused into every line), wonder what they’re doing when we’re not at home, buy them gifts almost every time we go out, and pretty much cater to them in every decision we make. A little sad? Eh. Maybe. Too bad, though! When Mr. Panther started his own company, I suggested “BelaJose Productions,” and I think he would have seriously considered it if he hadn’t had to share the decision with his business partner.
So, without further ado, I’d like to interrupt my own regularly-scheduled wedding blogging to introduce Bela and Josie.
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.
Before we decided to get the bridesmaids’ dresses made I had no idea what went into sewing a custom dress. Seamstress L. was able to give us a quick crash course. *grin*
First thing Seamstress L. did was put together just a basic lining that goes inside the dress so that she could get the measurements exactly right. When we came she had all the seams sewn.
Then she pinned up the back of the top so that she had a measurement to sew from.
Mrs. Trail Mix, New YorkAge and Occupation: 26, PE TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, MBA StudentEngagement Date: March 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Tannery Pond at the Darrow SchoolAbout Me: I'm a country girl who somehow found herself living in the Big Apple and loving every minute of it. I'm planning a rustic, country-chic wedding in my hometown in upstate New York and it's going to be a Party with a capital P. White wine, flea markets and running keep me happy and my friends, family and fiance are my world. I'm a little bit crafty, a little bit crazy but mostly just crazy in love.
Let me just put this out there: I’m a total weirdo. There’s so many things I do that I absolutely would never tell anyone else on the planet (except Mr Trail Mix, since he lives with me and knows about most of them) but, in keeping with the sharing spirit of the holidays, I came up with a few little secrets I’m willing to divulge…
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!
Mr. Waffle loves the interactive portions of our wedding planning. He is very obviously a visual, kinetic-learner type. I have a feeling most of the planning things I talk about come out sounding like a grown-up on a Charlie Brown cartoon. ”Wa waa wa wa waaaa.” So, yay for venue visits!
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.
I have always had a strong passion for hair and makeup. Whenever I went to a bridal salon and every time I visit Adeline (my wedding dress) I do my hair and makeup in a sort of pre-trial trial. So, without getting too wordy on you here are two of my main contenders…
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.
This weekend, I was a plus-one at a wedding, otherwise known as the I-don’t-know-anyone-except-the-wedding-party-so-I’m-hanging-out-alone-until-the-reception girl. Have you been there? It’s a little lonely. Especially when, five seconds before walking into the church, you discover you’ve been accepted to join the hive and you have to keep it a secret during the hour-long ceremony.
I may have looked relaxed and composed and happy at our friends’ stellar wedding, but it was really just well-hidden, stealth turmoil. Read more…
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 don’t live together, we decided we would have a traditional registry and ask our guests for household items as wedding gifts. I love interior design and I’m dying to feather our nest after the wedding (it will definitely be my new focus), but Mr. B on the other hand, couldn’t care less what was on our registry…
That is, until we finally stepped foot into a Bed Bath & Beyond this weekend.
Check him out examining the differences in these forks:
Who knew choosing flatware would be such a daunting task?
Mrs. Plaid, AustinAge and Occupation: 26, Pastry ChefFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, Cabinetry CarpenterEngagement Date: August 8, 2009Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: Kindred Oaks, GeorgetownAbout Me: I am a Jersey girl born and raised but have since migrated to Texas and embraced its twang and Tex-Mex. I could probably eat chips and queso every day but instead I eat popcorn. I use the word “awesome” way too much but I just can’t seem to stop myself. I am addicted to all things DIY and am planning what I call a Texas-Chic wedding. I love snuggling with my two adorable dogs and of course, my adorable fiance. I can’t wait 'til I can call him my husband some day! October 2010, here we come!
The week leading up to the wedding was actually pretty relaxing. I had it in my head that I’d have all the last minute details already taken care of by the time my mom arrived the Saturday before the wedding (except for the cake, of course). I’m here to tell you that is not how it worked at all. Yes, I had most things taken care of, but the inevitable small things popped up. Still, all was handled or delegated and everything was finished.
The day my mom arrived, my sister/Co-MOH, Sarah, my mom and I even had time to squeeze in a visit to Scare for a Cure’s Zombie Wasteland. Seriously, guys, if you’re ever in Austin around Halloween you have to check this out!
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.
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.
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.
I used to be one those people that thought weddings were ridiculous overpriced affairs that were a big waste of money (I know you’ve come across a few in your planning adventures). I didn’t have anything against weddings or marriage, I just thought that is was silly to spend a lot of money on something like that. My dad and I were shocked at the idea that anyone could spend something like $20,000 (or more!) on a wedding. Didn’t these people have better things to do with their money? How did they possibly find $20,000 worth of stuff to spend money on? I wasn’t super militant about this, and certainly didn’t spend much time thinking about it, but when I did, this is what I thought.
After being with Mr. Knitting for a few years, I began on occasion to think about what I would want in a wedding. In my mind, a city hall ceremony followed by a nice dinner for a few people sounded great. Our wedding could be a simple private ceremony that would be focused on us. Since my dad often encouraged elopement and my mom never mentioned anything to do with weddings, there was no family pressure to do anything differently.
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."
It’s not normally my style, but…I’m going to vent via worldwide web. Yes, I know there are plenty of dresses to be found. Yes, I did find some. However, I must get the following off of my chest:
In perusing bridesmaid dresses online, my MOH found one that she liked. I liked it too—a lot. Twenty-seven Google searches later…it is $550. I would have loved to be told that up front. And regarding the price…um. What now? It was not couture or even a well-known brand, and the design and fabric didn’t seem especially complicated. As far as I can tell, there weren’t gold coins sewn into the hem. Even if I were a bridesmaid rolling around in money—a la Duck Tales—I still wouldn’t pay $550 for a dress for one-night-only dress that I didn’t even pick. I have no issue with shelling out moolah for high quality clothing, but really? $550 for a simple-enough bridesmaid dress? Color me balking. Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
