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.
Something really exciting has happened—I got a new job! It’s the kind of job I’ve been hoping to land for years and years. I’m really, really thrilled about it and can’t wait to start in a few weeks.
But with the good comes the not so good. And in this case, the not so good is this: I have to sacrifice the TONS of vacation time I’d accrued in my many years at my current job—more than ample time to have a wedding and a nice honeymoon.
Now that I’ve accepted this new position, and will be starting from scratch at a new company, I have significantly less vacation time. As a matter of fact, my vacation time isn’t supposed to even kick in for six months, so I had to negotiate a few extra days off around the wedding in May. Luckily for me, my new supervisor was totally cool with that!
So, while my new company is being helpful and flexible in giving me some early time off for the wedding, this means that Mr. S and I won’t be able to take as long a honeymoon as we originally wanted to. We originally wanted to take 9 or 10 days in Iceland or Scandinavia, but now it’s looking like that won’t happen. 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. Hermit Crab, New York, NYAge and Occupation: 24, Youth Director soon to be Grad StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Medical Student - soon to be Surgery ResidentEngagement Date: October 11, 2008Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: New York Botanical GardenAbout Me: I love all things food, books, our furbaby, Rashi, and adventures with my amazing fiance (oh, and saving the world!). This summer I will not only be a bride, but a bridesmaid, officiant, and attendee as well---it's all about weddings in my life right now, full of so many exciting moments and projects. We're planning a fab New York City wedding weekend full of family, love and lots of color!
I had finally finished getting ready, said hello to my family that had just arrived, and I was whisked away to a nearby rose garden to take some portraits while we waited for the (only slightly late at this point) Mr. HC to arrive.
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.
I have these doubting thoughts sometime about my marriage. It’s so hard to admit. Isn’t the first year of marriage supposed to be blissful? Aren’t we supposed to be so caught up in our own little world that we float through our lives on a cloud of cotton candy? (Mmmmmm. Cotton candy.)
Sometimes, all I can think is, “What did I get myself into?”
I guess I never realized that marriage is hard. Not hard like “Errrghh, my Saturday morning strength and conditioning class was so hard (and it’s led by a woman who is seriously 95 years old—What gives?)” but hard like, “Holy sh*t, I-can’t-believe-this-is-the-rest-of-my-life-what-have-I-done?” kind of hard. At least, for me. And I’m willing to bet for a decent amount of you guys out there. If you’re not in that camp, color me green with envy and mad props to you for whatever you’re doing to manage your relationship.
But I think the real question here is, why? Why is marriage so hard? I’d been with my partner for four and a half years when we got engaged and five and a half years by the time we got married. We’d lived together for three of those years and done the long-distance thing (New York to Miami) for two. I don’t think anyone could accuse us of rushing into things or not knowing each other well. So, what changed when we signed that silly little legal document that committed ourselves to each other for the rest of our lives? Read more…
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!
I’ve never really liked the traditional guestbook. What do you do with a list of names after the wedding is over? I understand that it’s meant to be a record of the guests who attended your wedding and usually people write a little something to go along with their names, but I want something a little bit more than that. Something like Mrs. Hamster’s “Wishes, Advice, and Predictions” board:
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!
With my face made up nicely, it was time to let that stand the test of time and move on to the next important step in the “Beautify a Jag” procedure: the hair! I mentioned earlier that the stylist I had booked for the trial, Jenny of Le Fabulous, does both makeup and hair, so we’ll be lucky on the day of to be dealing with just one person. It’s something nice and personal that I am looking forward to.
I had a few different options that I wanted to try for hair, but my toughest choice was whether to go with an up-style or a half-up style. Mr. Jaguar has always been vocal about how much he prefers my hair to be down, but I know for a fact that my long, flat hair doesn’t hold a curl well and gets pretty darn sweaty when I’m moving around. Jenny was kind enough to trial both looks for me, to see which one I preferred.
Before I show you my own hair trials, how would you like to see some of my inspiration pictures? Let’s start with the UP styles.
First up, my penultimate hair design: one I’ve blogged about before, and one that is a favourite of many, many engaged lasses that have come before me. May I present: the twisty curl.
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.
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.
One of the first decisions I made when wedding planning was to have a venue either in or within walking distance of a hotel. Why? Because I wanted an abundance of alcohol, and not just any alcohol—I wanted some fresh, microbrewed drafts. You see, Mr. Biscuit and I are beer people (some would call us beer snobs), and the day just wouldn’t be complete without some of our favorite pretentious beers. How snobby are we? Well, Mr. Biscuit actually does beer tastings and has a beer blog…and I like cold hoppy stuff.
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. 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.
I am continuing my talk of attire today. So far we’ve talked about my shoes, my dress, and my jewelry. With all of that so neatly dispatched, my attentions turned to my hair flower. And I, of course, turned to Etsy. Some of them even made it into my favorites, such as these:
Mrs. Pashmina, NYC/Catalina Island, CAAge and Occupation: 28, Arts EducationFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, IT AdministratorEngagement Date: April 26th, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Catalina Country Club, Catalina Island, CaliforniaAbout Me: I'm a laid-back Cali girl who moved to NYC for school, and ended up staying for love. My fiance is a quick-witted Jersey boy, a self-proclaimed Foodie and the funniest man I've ever met. Together we love exploring the city streets embarking on our next misadventure---and yes, this often involves eating off food carts and trying "the next big thing". I'm the girl in the sundress, snapping photos and collecting trinkets of memorabilia along the way. As a girly girl at heart, I am excited about our romantic natural island wedding incorporating our American & Filipino traditions.
Since I was getting married outside, one of my fears was the wind. “Would it be gusty that day and would all of our guests be distracted by me fumbling with my hair?” my inner bride would ask. The updo would be perfect! It could keep my hair in place and all I would have to focus on would be us getting married!!
When I saw the side chignon it seemed to have the right mix of everything I wanted: something young and fresh, relaxed enough for an outdoor venue, classic enough for the occasion. After taking a look at some of the other updos, there were quite a few that captured the essence of what I wanted. Whether the hair is twisted, made into a bun, curled, pulled straight, side-swept, or what have you, there are so many beautiful ones to choose from.
So I’ve pasted a few of the updos that I love below for you. Many of them helped me decide what to ask for at my wedding hair trial at Roger Joseph’s Salon in New Jersey. In my next post I’ll tell you what I chose and show you pictures of the day.
Mrs. French Toast, Pleasanton, CAAge and Occupation: 29, Marketing & PRFiance's Age and Occupation: IT geek by day, self-proclaimed handyman by nightEngagement Date: October 2009Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: Palm Event CenterAbout Me: I’m a city girl at heart who moved to the suburbs a year ago. Now I’m adjusting to life with a front lawn, nosy neighbors, cooking attempts, and making sure the garbage pail is pulled out on time every week! When I’m not traveling, Mr. FT and I enjoy marathon sessions of Law & Order: SVU, snowboarding, photography, spoiling our 3-year old yorkie-poodle Mokka and disagreeing over what music to listen to in the car. We’re planning a small winery wedding while incorporating some cultural elements into the day as a nod to our Chinese backgrounds.
I’ve never heard of a blueberry donut before so I was really excited to try it when Mr. French Toast told me about a bakery in San Francisco that made sinfully delicious blueberry donuts. One day he drove me to try the said donut. To our utter disappointment, the bakery shop was out of business.
Miss Snapdragon, Chicago/DallasAge and Occupation: 32,Associate ProducerFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Lighting DesignerBlogging Since: November 14, 2008Engagement Date: January 1, 2011Wedding Date: March 2012Venue: Marie GabrielleAbout Me: Voracious reader of short stories, Russian literature, National Geographic and Cosmo. I'm a GENIUS at spicing up Weight Watchers recipes and a pathological cheater at board games. I run a slow marathon, but my feet are learning to move faster. Mornings aren't my thing, but I can night owl with the best of them. Don't tempt me with your Cherry Cokes---I'm trying to quit. Tomorrow. Or never.
Hi, bees! The last time you heard from me, I wrote about starting over after calling it all off. I wrote about how the best days of your life are ahead of you when you walk away from a dysfunctional relationship that’s no longer working for you. In that post, I also wrote about how I was SO excited to go on my first date with a new guy that I found super smoochable. Well, guess what? After a summer of dates where we stayed out until the sun came up, I knew I’d found Mr. Right. Summer turned into fall, which turned into winter…and months more of falling deeply in love. He went from my date to my boyfriend to… Read more…
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.
So, I have always been staunchly anti-envelope liner. I open my mail either with a letter opener, or by ripping the short end off (when it’s a #10 envelope, like my Visa bill). I would never see a liner…it’d just make the whole thing harder to rip, not to mention heavier to mail. Then I saw these invites on Style Me Pretty, by Sarah Drake:
Mrs. Rainbow, TampaAge and Occupation: 22, Makeup ArtistFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Electrical Engineer/ProgrammerEngagement Date: November 27, 2008Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: The Gamble PlantationAbout Me: I'm a quirky (and slightly Type-A) freelance makeup artist who was born in Washington State, raised in Alabama, and now living with my one and only in sunny Florida. I'm fashion and beauty obsessed, and have recently discovered my inner domestic diva extraordinaire. I'm a wannabe chef, decorating addict, and trying desperately to be as crafty as possible---albeit only with a glue gun. I'm hopelessly in love with my fiance, and all things sparkly and feathery. Despite the glittery exterior, I'm a total hippie on the inside. When I'm not making up pretty faces, I love doing what I can to help people, animals, and the environment. Someday the FI and I will change the world, but first we're tackling our modern-vintage-Marie-Antoinette-meets-Alice-in-Wonderland inspired wedding. I just can't wait to be Mrs. Rainbow!
