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!
Alternate blog title: In case I CAN’T walk in those heels.
No, you’re not crazy—we really did just talk about shoes here yesterday. And yes, I did show you the cute bargain wedding shoes I bought. So why are we here again?
Realistically, I knew that even if I did try my best to find the most comfortable pair of heels within my price-range, they would still hurt. They’d be fine at first, but inevitably, as always happens, they’d start to rub. Or pinch. Or ache. Or worse, do all of those at the same time. Because of that, having a back up pair of shoes was always in the cards for me.
At first I figured I could just wear a pair of thongs or sandals I already owned: my gown is long, so it wouldn’t be all that noticeable. But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to keep things new and special for the wedding day, so I set myself a challenge with even more rules in mind. If I bought a second pair of shoes: Read more…
Weddingbee GalleryFeature Launched: April 10, 2009About: A collection of inspirational wedding pictures from readers and bees.
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. 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!
Once everyone settled down at their tables, it was time for our toasts to begin. The first speaker was MOH/Sister Lauren, who gave a sweet, funny, and light-hearted toast about how Mr. Octo has become a part of our family through the years, and the ways he and I support each other.
Mrs. Biscuit, Morgantown, WVAge and Occupation: 24, Dental StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Chemist at a pharmaceutical companyEngagement Date: April 2010Wedding Date: July 2011Venue: Catholic Church, Lakeview Golf Resort and SpaAbout Me: I'm an engineer who decided to trek back to my hometown three years ago to become skilled in the arts of drilling and filling. I'm engaged to a pretty awesome guy who tests your assorted benzodiazepines by day and home brews by night. Together we have two fur children, Tsali and Tobias N. Fünkat. I'm a lazy perfectionist and eternal sorority girl who enjoys running, crafting, string cheese, good beer, and bad reality TV. We are planning a Big Fat Italian/Sicilian/Polish wedding filled with DIY details and are expecting 300 +/- 50 guests. Our whimsical summer affair is themed "Alice attends the Mad Hatter Vintage Garden Tea Party in a Ballroom. She Thinks That The Venue is Odd for a Vintage Garden Party, but is Tripping on LSD, so She Doesn't Really Care." Yes, I am the Dickens of themes.
Mrs. Bacon, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 26, Digital Advertising ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, IT Client ServicesEngagement Date: June 17, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Ravenswood Billboard FactoryAbout Me: I'm a Midwestern girl that can't seem to commit to staying in one place for too long and is constantly daydreaming about my next adventure. I am an aspiring foodie with a weak spot for the unusual and I love semi-reality food television. My other loves easily include laughing as a form of exercise, a book that I can't put down, summer baseball games, espresso with whipped cream, couch potato days and nights with the ridiculous Mr. Bacon, and our two kitties, Lincoln and Sawyer. We're planning a faux-destination wedding for 150 of our closest friends and family in the city we've both adopted as home that has a modern, yet whimsical twist and as many personal touches as we can manage.
King Arthur changed the face of leadership in Camelot by inviting his knights to join him at a table where each man could see the other and there was no designated “head of the table.” If it was good enough for the king, it should be good enough for our wedding…right? I always envisioned the reception hall full of round tables with guests talking to the person beside them and the person across from them all through dinner, while spinning a lazy Susan to share the family-style meal. That is, until lately.
Lately I’ve been wooed by the idea of long, gorgeous feasting tables where our guests can pass food and wine down the table and share in an “intimate” dinner for 150. My mom hates the idea of long tables; she’s convinced that the guests will feel like they are sitting in a cafeteria and won’t be able to have any meaningful conversations. I felt the same way, too, until a couple of months ago when I started stumbling on inspiration photos of beautiful, bountiful dinners with long rows of tables. Did I mention that these round tables we’re looking at will be SIX FEET in diameter? Now, I am thinking that the narrower tables are actually more conducive to chatting with the folks sitting beside them and across the table. I’m not talking about rectangular tables of eight here, nope. I’m thinking rectangular tables of 25! Now, I’m not sure if the venue can do this, but with my décor meeting just around the corner, it’s worth thinking about, right?
Check out these awesome long-table inspiration photos! I swoon…
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.
Hola hive! Well, we are back and I am now officially a MRS!
With the wedding done, holidays over, and after taking some time to just enjoy being newlyweds, I figured I should pop back in and let you all know I am still alive and kickin’.
It is still going to be a few weeks before we have our photos back, but I am not going to leave you completely hanging without a single picture of the wedding. Our photographer, Sol Tamargo, was sweet enough to give me a sneak peek photo so that I could share it with the hive. *squee*
Mrs. Eggs Benedict, SeattleAge and Occupation: 29, AttorneyFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, AttorneyEngagement Date: December 5, 2009Wedding Date: February 2011Venue: IslandWoodAbout Me: I'm a Northwest girl who spends my time goofing around with Mr. Eggs Benedict and our dog, hiking, traveling, drinking wine and planning a wedding that will showcase the best of what the Pacific Northwest has to offer. I also love photography, beating Mr. Eggs Bene at Mario Kart, and watching the most ridiculous natural disaster flicks you can think of (seriously, how can you deny the awesomeness that is The Core or 2012?? That's right, you can't). We are planning our weekend wedding adventure at an environmental educational center, and I can't wait for the fun to begin!
That’s often the refrain brides hear from their grooms during planning, and for some brides I think that’s what they want to hear while wedding planning! Except what about those of us with partners who appreciate and understand that this is their wedding day, too, and actually want to have a say in how that day turns out?
Throughout the wedding-planning process, I’ve spent a lot of time reading wedding-planning websites, articles, and blogs. Many of these sites are written by women, and a lot of the decisions that are made about weddings tend to be made by the bride. But what about the groom? What about when he wants to be involved? It seems like the easy answer is, hey, if the groom wants to be involved, then the groom is involved! But what about when your fiance wants to be involved in some aspects of the wedding and couldn’t care less about other parts? And what do you do when you can’t always figure out which parts of the wedding he’s going to care about? Yeah…that’s called I’m still figuring it out. Read more…
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!
For weeks after dress shopping I was torn between the styles of Monique Lhuillier’s Monet and Sabine. I took the “look for less” approach and identified some alternatives that were within my budget and also kept tabs on the various online used wedding dress retailers. I prepared to make appointments at other bridal salons. Late one night as I suffered from a case of insomnia, I was restlessly browsing Once Wed and saw it. The right size. The right length. The right price. I stared at the listing. I drummed my fingers on the keyboard and furtively looked around my dark apartment.
Mrs. Cloud, RichmondAge and Occupation: 25, Sales RepFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Customer Service Manager/DJEngagement Date: February 14, 2008Wedding Date: November 2009Venue: Cathedral of the Sacred Heart & The Jefferson HotelAbout Me: Mr. Cloud and I are Yankees planning a Southern wedding to show our families from Boston and New York our fabulous city. We are complete opposites, resulting in a wedding to include bridesmaids in pearls and groomsmen in Adidas shell toes. I’m a sorority girl at heart with strong addictions to my blackberry, cherry Chapstick, Coach purses, the Boston Red Sox and our fur baby, Bella. I can’t wait to the throw the party of our lives and of course, marry my best friend!
We finished up the traditional spotlight wedding dances and as far as our guests were concerned it was time to finish eating, let loose and party! But Mr. Cloud and I had one last little surprise up our sleeves, this time for Mama and Daddy Cloud.
Mama & Daddy Cloud on their wedding day, 30 years before ours! (Personal photo)
November weddings run in our family, including my parents’. They celebrated their thirty year wedding anniversary the same month we said our vows. Growing up I loved looking at their wedding album and hearing stories of the big day. One that has always stuck in my mind was when the band they hired ended up not knowing how to play the first dance song they requested—“Their song,” Unforgettable by Nat King Cole. Read more…
Mrs. Lox, BaltimoreAge and Occupation: 33, Government WorkerFiance's Age and Occupation: 35. IT ConsultantEngagement Date: May 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Vandiver InnAbout Me: I’m an East Coast gal born and bred and a suburban brat turned city rat for the last year. Now Mr. Lox and I enjoy walking all kinds of places, having the coolest things around in our backyard, and especially our garage parking. I love gadgets, toys, Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby ice cream, monkeys, and our insane cats. I’m a blonde by birth and a redhead by choice. I’m that girl in the cubicle farm with all the cool toys and the file cabinet covered in magnetic poetry. I still use smiley faces in my emails, whether people like it or not. This is not the first rodeo for Mr. Lox nor me. And together, we are planning an intimate afternoon wedding on a budget we can afford by ourselves.
No, not the store. I mean that one night, Mr. Lox and I went to our wedding venue to finalize our linen choices and talk details. The event coordinator at the Vandiver is easily the most bubbly human being I have ever met. The second we walked in the door, she came rushing over exclaiming, “Hey lady! I love your hair!”
From there we moved on to talk about all things wedding. I gave her a rundown of the vendors we’re using. I asked some questions I had building up. I found out that she is much easier to work with than the inn’s owner. He nearly had a coronary when I mentioned I wanted to bring my own napkins. That was a fun day. I asked if I could supply the napkins—he said yes, but I had to fold them. I said I didn’t care how they were folded. He insisted I fold them. I told him I have no clue how to fold napkins and DIDN’T WANT TO FOLD THEM. He rambled on about how they wouldn’t do special folding. I reiterated that I didn’t care how the napkins were folded. Not even a little. I just liked the color and wanted them used. He gave it up. In contrast, I asked the event coordinator if I could provide my own napkins. She said, “No problem!” Awesome. Read more…
Miss Handbag, Smyrna, DE/JamaicaAge and Occupation: 25, AdministrationFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, SalesEngagement Date: Christmas Night 2008Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: Rosehall Resort, Montego Bay, JamaicaAbout Me: I am a Type A, emotional Italian fireball, who on a weekly basis must be brought back to reality by my level headed, calm, cool and collected fiance. We are planning an intimate, all white with hints of black, vintage inspired wedding on the old sugar aqueducts of Jamaica, with 30 of our closest friends and family flying in to witness the occasion. We are not traditional by any means and will be doing things very differently. :)
Hey hive!! I have missed you oh so much, I just can’t even tell ya!
It’s been a while since I posted, but I wanted to come and keep you guys updated with what’s going on in the Handbag world…
The last time we spoke, we had canceled our Jamaica wedding for a bigger wedding in our neck of the world. As soon as we canceled, we went on a weddingpalooza here in search of the venue, photographer, etc. We picked a date and went searching for our venue. We immediately fell in love with one, booked, signed the contract and went about our merry way. I found an amazing photographer (thanks to the hive!!) and booked her immediately, also. Things were fantastic and moving right along. I was so much happier being able to research different vendors and actually seeing things first-hand instead of the long distance, go with what we are given, no options of Jamaica.
About a month after we booked our venue and photog, we hit a brick wall.
Mrs. Glasses, Tokyo/Los Angeles, CAAge and Occupation: 24, English teacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, English teacherEngagement Date: September 2008Wedding Date: October 2010 Venue: Parents' backyardAbout Me: I’m an expat living in Tokyo. I’ve been in Japan for almost three years now, where I met my fantastic English fiance. It’s time to leave Japan, so we are planning a fun, intimate, backyard ceremony back home in the suburbs of L.A. in October. Our wedding will be a mix of my love for food, beer, my Japanese culture, and Mr. G’s Englishness. We are on a tiny budget and DIYing almost everything!
Dinner was behind us and impromptu dancing had begun in the middle of the yard. People were demanding that Mr. G and I have a first dance so we looked at our iPod playlist and chose “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Elvis. It was a really awkward song to dance to and I wish we would’ve put a lot more thought into that spur-of-the-moment decision. We don’t have pictures either, except for this very blurry one taken by a guest.
(guest photo)
The big hit of the night was “Lucky” by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat. Go figure!
Our last wedding business of the night was dessert. Our caterers brought out our cupcake tower and I suddenly had a great desire for sweets. 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.
Our wedding invitations are almost ready for a reveal to the hive and I’m so excited. I wanted to take a bit to explain how they came to be; it all started when I sent off the invitations for our engagement party! I was thrilled that we were having the party and so relieved to have finished the invites. I’d slaved over those bad boys and put my heart and soul into making sure they looked fabulous.
Even though the pictures didn’t do them justice, they were marvelous—they really, really were. Even if nobody else thought so, I did. I finally understood the phrase “labor of love,” too. A lot of people may not have realized that I lined the envelopes; designed, printed, and cut each invite; or hand-glued each gem, but it doesn’t matter, because I did it out of love—love for all things DIY and pretty.
This was my first wedding project (other than the DIY cards for my BMs), and I must say, I learned a lot.
Mrs. Barrettes, Tumon, Guam/Napa, CAAge and Occupation: 29, DancerFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Licensed Building ContractorEngagement Date: November 16, 2008Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: V. Sattui WineryAbout Me: I'm an East Coast girl, living on a tiny little island in the Pacific, twirling, leaping, and shimmy-ing my way through life, and now, wedding planning! I'm equal parts nerdy and cool... okay, mostly nerdy. I love satin bows, red lipstick, black & white graphic anything, the shine of sequins and the sound of a champagne "pop". My favorite books are The Portrait of a Lady, by Henry James, and Tender is the Night, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I can also conjure a pretty good Patronus Charm. I started my appreciation for good red wine while traveling on the high seas, and it's only fitting that my passion for wine drinking led me to my Napa-bred honey. We bonded over bottles of Cabernet on my oceanfront porch and haven't looked back since. We're sealing the deal at a winery in the Napa Valley on a 'perfect ten' of a day!
We rounded up all of our family members for formal photos and I couldn’t be happier with the results. I provided Luke with a list of “must haves” and he happily organized the groups in a quick and easy manner. We had “smile” shots and “regal” shots. I’m not sure if my cousins could stop laughing long enough to do a toothless smile, but there are lots of good photos to choose from for family framers.
Miss Oatmeal, Fresno, CAAge and Occupation: 25, Medical Device Sales RepresentativeFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Police Officer/Captain in the US ArmyEngagement Date: February 16, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Private Residence, FresnoAbout Me: I am a toast-loving, list-making, occasionally crazy California girl getting dangerously close to marrying her crime-fighting, patient, man's man fiancé. I’ve never left our hometown of Clovis, CA, I love Anthropologie so much it almost hurts, appreciate promptness, love that our 4lb. Chihuahua, Murphy, smells like Fritos, am irritated by windshield wipers that move too fast for the amount of rain, love me some cold weather, have an unhealthy obsession with boots, and wholeheartedly think that my family is everything. Mr. Oatmeal is, oddly enough, my brother's best friend. He's also the best thing that's ever happened to me, and together we are planning a vintage chic, backyard, spring wedding with a few nontraditional touches while trying to keep up with our crazy lives.
Today I have a treat for you. Well, really, it’s a treat for me and Mr. Oatmeal. OK, it’s just a treat for me.
On Christmas morning we were given a spectacular gift from my brother. I’d say that it was the best gift given in the Oatmeal household this Christmas, but I’d be lying. Mr. Oats and I gifted my brother a ShakeWeight. Enough said, right?
Anyway, it was our wedding guestbook! Here I am opening said gift, and my brother is beaming with pride over his gift-giving abilities. (And yes, that is our little Murphy, in a hoodie.)
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
(guest photo)
