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!
I’m really looking forward to kicking off the wedding weekend with our nearest and dearest at our rehearsal Friday night. What better way to bribe them to listen up at the rehearsal than food? As soon as we’re done with the rehearsal, we’ll be heading over to Blue Mesa for some Tex-Mex good times!
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!
As planned, my bridesmaids and I rolled up to Heinz Chapel chauffeured by Mom Octopus in her slammin’ Dodge Caravan. She pulled into the primo spot right behind the Chapel, and the parking attendant informed her, “oh, I’m sorry, ma’am, this spot is reserved for the bridal limousine.” Bridal limousine? You’re lookin’ at it, buddy. Bridal minivan or bust!
Oh, I’m sorry, what was that? You’d like some pre-ceremony chapel eye candy? Sure, I guess I can show you a little somethin’.
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!
A couple years ago I was in some upcoming weddings and since I was already a huge lover of weddings, I sometimes found myself entering wedding related searches into Google.One day I stumbled upon Weddingbee. One of the first posts I came across was one of Mrs. Avocado’s and I was very confused.I didn’t read many blogs at the time (oh my, what a difference a couple years makes) and I was extremely confused why she called herself Miss Avocado and kept adding avocado to other terms, even referring to her hairstyle as the “Avocado Bun.”Despite my initial confusion I kept clicking on more posts and reading on.A few days later I revisited the site and I finally caught on… “Oh, it’s a collection of personal wedding blogs and they all use cute little names!”At first I thought everyone just made up their own names; I didn’t realize the bees picked from generations of bee characters for a few more weeks.Pretty soon I was visiting Weddingbee almost daily, hooked on everyone’s stories, perspectives, and unique wedding visions.I was not ready to start planning a wedding of my own but I already loved Weddingbee.Sometimes when life got busy I would miss a month or two of posts, but right after Mr. Cheetah and I got engaged I went back and read all the archives I’d missed.
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.
People, I need cake advice. You know how I want to make our wedding cake myself? Maybe you don’t, but just pretend you do for this post. Anyway, I did a trial last week, and the results were mixed.
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!
There are a bazillion amazing venues in and around Austin. How were the Waffles going to narrow it down to just one?
Well, Miss Waffle got out her monster stack of Austin wedding magazines, fired up the Google and kept the following guidelines in mind…
Look for venues with outdoor capabilities. Mr Waffle made it very clear that he wanted to do as much outside as possible. Having come from, as he says, “grey, depressing England” he loves any excuse to be out of doors when the sun is shining no matter how hot it is. Bees, we live in Texas and it gets H-O-T hot here! The average temperature for early June is in the low 90s. AH! 90s!!! When he suggested this I had a tragic mental picture of our wedding guests fleeing the scene for air conditioning or passing out from heat stroke while he sunned on a rock like a lizard. Eek! I was hoping we could at least compromise and have an indoor/outdoor affair.
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.
OK, they aren’t technically irrational fears (it’s probably pretty ridiculous that I don’t worry more about breaking a bone while skiing), but with the wedding fast approaching, I’m starting to fear getting hurt. As with anything, however, weddings heighten our feelings.
Zeb’s good at everything. I’m serious. He can excel at pretty much anything he puts his mind to. We’ve skied together since we began dating. Because of him I switched from the traditional long skis to the short ski boards. I love them. There is definitely less of a risk of breaking a leg, as they are easier to maneuver around. Anyways, Zeb left me in the snow last year when he decided to take up snowboarding. I will never again attempt snowboarding because I broke my tailbone during my last attempt. It still isn’t right, but it’s not as bad as that first year. He’s getting a fancy board for his birthday and wants to go “a lot” this year. I’m not completely opposed to the idea of focusing less on the wedding and more on skiing, but as irony would have it, this is probably the year I’m going to get hurt. Or so I think.
My bridesmaid’s father shattered his knee on his motorcycle a few months before her wedding. It all worked out in the end. They adjusted. All the groomsmen had pictures of her father’s face mounted to popsicle sticks, and they all took turns dancing with her during the father-daughter dance. Her mother escorted her down the aisle. We’ll work around it, which is why I still go skiing, but it doesn’t mean that I’m not nervous.
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.
Months ago, I’d purchased a little teak ring holder on which to keep my ring when I wasn’t wearing it. That way, I wouldn’t lose it like Mr. S feared. It had cost five bucks and was doing its job.
And then I got a PM from hive member jordynrose. She’d found a little box on Anthropologie’s website and thought I could check it out.
Mrs. Sewing, San Mateo, CA/Honolulu, HIAge and Occupation: 24, Electrical EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Electrical EngineerEngagement Date: June 27, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Anela Garden Chapel & Japanese Cultural Center, HonoluluAbout Me: I'm an easily entertained, compulsive idea-scheming machine who loves good art, good food, and a good engineering challenge. I'm planning a half-destination wedding on the beautiful island of Oahu - imagine a plethora of movies, art and games; savory Hawaiian food; blended Chinese and Japanese cultural details; lush, fragrant tropical flowers and all the air conditioning a NorCal native could want! And once I marry the love of my life, we'll come back to the 'mainland' to party it up all over again in my hometown of Salinas, the salad-bowl capital of the world!
With a quick trip back to the dressing room, I unwound myself from the kimono and slipped on the red cheongsam I bought custom made from China. It was so much lighter than both the kimono and my wedding dress, so I left it on for the rest of the night. It also helped that the dress was a little loose—definitely a comfy thing to be in!
Mrs. Joey, SeattleAge and Occupation: 28, Project Administrator for Public Health NGOFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, High School History TeacherEngagement Date: June 24, 2008Wedding Date: August 2009Venue: Eastside Catholic Chapel and Lake Union CafeAbout Me: I'm a Seattle girl through and through except for the fact that I don't drink coffee. I love my job most of the time because I get to travel and work with brilliant people who are trying to prevent Malaria. I love DIY projects of all sorts, cooking, and watching sports. I'd wear anything at Anthropologie and could spend all day on Etsy. I love to travel but shouldn't because I always get myself into unbelievable situations!
Um, HI! I was a blogger here a long, LONG time ago. Well, it feels like that, anyway. I was thinking about things people may not know about me that are crazy and exciting, but I couldn’t really think of that ONE BIG THING so I decided to share a few smaller things.
I don’t really like cheesecake, doughnuts or frosting. I know. I know. I can’t explain it. Actually, I can explain the doughnuts. I had a doughnut a few hours before I got really “sick” and the taste coming up really stuck with me. Sorry, TMI.
One of my favorite snacks is feta with tortilla chips. I don’t know how I came up with that. Now Mr. Joey likes it, too.
I was mock charged by an elephant. It’s a long story but I rounded a corner and there is was. It scared me, I scared it and it did the ears flapping/feet stomping thing they do before they charge. I turned around and took off and apparently it did the same. The owner of the property I was staying at saw the whole thing and thought it was the funniest thing ever. That will teach me to stay at a lodge on an elephant corridor.
I wonder which of these guys mocked charged me? Sorry, it’s not a particularly flattering picture.
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. 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."
I have two. The first I stole from my MOH, who I think stole it from a TV show:
“IT DOESN’T MATCH, IT GOES!”
Nellie has rallied me with this chant for years. YEARS. Even back in high school, when the shoes I wanted didn’t match my prom dress: so what? They don’t match, they go. One of my 2009 New Year’s resolution was to cool it with the matchy-matchy that I am prone to. I’m still recovering and taking it a day at a time.
The second philosophy is all mine.
“If I love it, I’m buying it.”
First, let me explain the phrase “love it.” Read more…
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).
Finally! After many months of indecision, we have finally decided on the song for our first dance. See, King Hippo and I don’t have “our song.” Sure, there are many songs that we both like, but nothing was just jumping right out as “the” song, so we were having a tough time deciding. Plus, we decided a while back that we would take dance lessons (uh, I guess we need to get on that!) and actually have a choreographed first dance, so the tempo was super important. We totally lucked into finding our first dance song, and I attribute it to this dude:
Deacon (a.k.a. Doggy Hippo)
See, little D’ (as he is affectionately called) listens to the Music Source channel on cable while King Hippo and I are at work. What??? I said it. We leave the television on for our spoiled dog. So what? Anyhoo…one day last week, we left the Music Source channel on the Adult Alternative station (my fave) for Deacon. Read more…
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!
Momma Jaguar is a scrapbooker.
Momma Jaguar loves weddings.
Put them together, and you have a very crafty and clever lady who is loving that we get to talk dresses and colours and invitations!
Since I’ve been thousands of miles away from her during our engagement, we’ve relied on emails and instant messages to talk wedding, and she’s my go-to person when I realise I’ve misplaced my favourite picture of ____ (insert dress, cake, shoes, floral arrangement here). It always amazes me that she’s kept so many of my crazy rambles, and she’s saved me having to spend hours on google trying to find that image that I’ve lost.
Recently, she sent me one of the sweetest things I’ve seen so far: an email with a ‘surprise’ attached. My awesome mum designed my very own inspiration board, made with images I’d sent to her over the last year of planning!
Ms Seahorse, BostonAge and Occupation: 25, Veterinary Jane-of-all-tradesFiancee's Age and Occupation: 36, former non-profit fundraiser in search of something betterEngagement Date: October 17, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Fort Pond LodgeAbout Me: By day I'm a cat-wrangler, vet tech assistant, pet-sitter, receptionist, and pre-vet student, but the rest of the time, I'm a former-roller-derby girl turned dedicated-wedding planner. I love reading, writing, bicycles, animals, roller skating, and antique-y things of all sorts. I'm a vegetarian who likes spicy foods, while Fiancee Seahorse is a meat eater who does not like spices. We live outside Boston with our menagerie: a fifty pound dog, a one-eyed, seventeen-toed, toothless cat, and a perfectly put together cat who has a penchant for pooping near rather than in her litter box. In addition to planning our small lake-side wedding, we enjoy running around with the puppy, playing board games (Scrabble, anyone?), having little adventures, talking about how we should really clean the house more, and maintaining our little garden of vegetables and wedding flowers.
Happy December, everyone! I don’t know about you, but I appreciate the snow while it’s here and often dread it until then. So how about we take a look back at a warm-ish and awesome day in the fall? Yes, let’s.
After our first look, it was time to head to the ceremony itself.
Here’s something big, folks: I was prepared to feel something really enormous. I was ready for something powerful to take me over. I had tissues in my pocket, and I was ready for the tears…and they never came. The whole time, it was like I was watching from just outside. Were these the words we had asked the minister to read? Why, yes, they were, and they did sound quite nice. Was that the meaningful poem? Yes, it was. Hmm, I can see why we chose it. Hey, are we doing things in the right order?
This didn’t make the ceremony less special to me. I look through these pictures, and it’s almost like my world has shifted a little; I am moved enormously now. But at the time, I was so focused on how it was going that I had trouble being there for it. Now, every picture brings back the emotion from the whole day.
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