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.
After accepting that I wasn’t going to find the dress of my dreams at Filene’s Basement, I started online shopping and found a designer that seemed to capture my love of light fabrics, elegant ruching, and floral embellishments, all within my budget: Watters. Unfortunately, very few salons in Chicago carry a wide selection of this brand, so I was overjoyed to find a salon in Minneapolis that carried both that line and the line of bridesmaids’ dresses that I had been eyeing. Every Labor Day, Mr. Bacon, some friends, and I take a trip back to Minnesota (the glorious state where I grew up) for the great Minnesota get together, AKA the Minnesota State Fair, and to see some familiar faces. This year MOH Bacon was going, too! So we made an appointment at Rush’s downtown and crossed our fingers.
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!
Mr. Tartlet and I absolutely wanted our guests to have a means of displaying our save he date cards once they were received, and ours were inspired by these adorable save the date luggage tags:
At first, I was hesitant to adopt this idea because of countless stories describing sore fingers as a result of poor aim when hammering the eyelets into place. I’ll try to explain: Read more…
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.
I know that taking your husband’s name can be a pretty controversial topic out there in the wedding-blog world. I’ve read so much about both sides of this argument: women who feel that their name has been their identities for so long it would be next to impossible to give them up, and others who choose to honor their husbands by taking their last names to signify the start of a new family. I, for one, am of the latter group. I couldn’t be happier about officially changing my name the moment we get back from our honeymoon. That’s not to say, however, that I don’t understand and appreciate the other side of the argument. Because I totally do.
My name, the name I’ve had my entire life, is pretty awesome. Bear with me here; I’m going to tell y’all my real name. Please don’t get all crazy on me. Read more…
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.
Last week I got to hang out with the always-fabulous Mrs. Octopus, who has been writing some stellar wedding recaps, most of which bring tears to my eyes or at least make me smile. So there we were, cuddling with her dog and talking about how cold we always are and the abilities of the amazing seltzer-making machine, when she suddenly declares, “You know, you really need to write your recaps.” We talked about other stuff, too, but really? Yes, I do need to write my recaps. So welcome back to Wedding Recap Land, where we last talked about our vows. This is a bit long because I just want to tell you all about it!
As we finished reading each other our vows for the first time, our rings returned from their travels among our guests.
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 talked a bit about some of my wedding day accessories—my veil and the earrings that my aunt is letting me borrow. As for the rest of my jewelry, well, that was actually my first official wedding purchase!
Awhile back I was searching through Etsy (I love that site—I still can’t believe it was founded by a twenty-something guy!), and I came across Sweet Findings 4 You’s shop. I really love her pieces, and I knew exactly which ones I wanted. I purchased this necklace and bracelet set, and I love pulling them out when I think about what I’ll be wearing on our wedding day!
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!
As y’all may have heard, Atlanta had a bit of bad weather last week. We got about five inches of snow where we live, and our Southern city is definitely not equipped to deal with such a thing! The city-wide policy was to wait it out. In the meantime, I sat on the edge of my seat waiting for the icy roads to melt…because my shower was that Saturday! Fortunately, the highways cleared, most of the side streets got a little better, and all of my out of town shower guests were still able to come!
We donned some pretty dresses (with tights, of course), threw on some warm coats, and headed up to Marietta Square for some tea. You may recall from these lovely pieces of inspiration and this fabulous invitation that Sister Lioness and Mama Lioness had planned a “Mad Tea Party” themed shower for me. It was supposed to be reminiscent of “Alice in Wonderland,” but more so from the novel than from any of the movies. Well, I think my fabulous hostesses pulled it off flawlessly. I walked into The Vineyard Cafe and entered a true wonderland.
A very long table, filled with 17 of my favorite women
Mrs. Cola, Mountain View, CAAge and Occupation: 27, Product Communications and PromotionsFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Managing Partner and Senior DesignerEngagement Date: March 5, 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: The Mountain Terrace, Woodside, CAAbout Me: I’m a Washington State native, enjoying life in Silicon Valley California with my fiancé, our three kitties and one leopard gecko. I like reading wedding blogs, Photoshopping wedding design mock ups, making lists, and planning, planning, planning! I’m a bit of an anomaly, on one side I’m a very girlie girl, I collect shoes, I lay out my outfits 4-6 weeks in advance, and I’d never leave the house without my hair curled and makeup on. But on the other side, I’m a total tomboy, I love to go camping and hiking, play drinking games (hey, I’m Irish!) and most of my closest friends are guys. My fiancé and I are planning a DIY-focused wedding with a balance between easygoing (what he wants) and chic and stylish (what I want), and are tying it all together with elements in lavender, sage, butter cream and chocolate.
Time to say goodbye to the hive. Well, not really goodbye, since I’m sure I’ll pop back in every once in a while. But my time as a regular blogger on this site has sadly drawn to an end.
{I thought it only appropriate to leave you with a photo of me with a rum and COLA in my hand, by Shoot Me Now Photography}
To all of the readers, I want to thank you for everything. For laughing with me over my peeing in a wedding dress illustrations. For coming to my rescue with suggestions when we were lied to by a vendor. For writing nice things about Mr. Cola’s hard work on our luminary escort cards, giving him a little feel of the wonderful community that is Weddingbee. For making me feel better about my disappointing post wedding chop. Read more…
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.
When we first set out to DIY some pretty basic save the dates, we figured it would take a few hours. A full night, tops. After all, we scooped up the paper and envelopes on sale, and our old (but still kickin’) printer was full of ink. Plus, I have Photoshop (even though I don’t know too much about it other than to crop, paste and use the magnetic-lasso-thing for who-knows-what).
Our problem was motivation, folks. We had NONE. And when you have a wedding on a Saturday evening in June, it’s probably good to get those crafty suckers out as soon as humanly possible.
So finally, late into a fateful night, we began the DIY STD quest after giving in to peer pressure that mostly came from my mother. Mr. Jam whistled as he brewed the coffee, while I played with photo printing software, my computer blaring a happy Pandora Station to get us in the paper-crafting mood. FYI: That station was Scissor Sisters.
Mere minutes later, the scene wasn’t so pretty: Read more…
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 many words I can think of to describe myself…loud, smart, funny, cute, crafty. However, I can’t seem to find my “sexy.” Waffle has said, on occasion, that I’m a sexy minx, but I think he’s a bit biased.
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.
Whenever an awards show is on TV, Mr. French Toast and I play a game of “See -who-can yell-out-the-celebrity’s-name-the-fastest.” So if the camera panned to Julianne Moore, I’d yell out “Julianne Moore!” and give Mr. French Toast a smirk because I beat him to it.
However, last night while watching the Golden Globes, we played a game of “See-who-can identify-what-kind-of-tuxedo-the-men-are-wearing.” We had our eyes glued on the men to scope out the latest trends for 2011, because Mr. French Toast will soon have an important decision to make:
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.
After finding some inspiration at Belle Vie Bridal and White Chicago, it was finally time to get down to business at the Running of the Brides.
A couple of the Chicago girls spent the night at our place and helped make some signs saying just what we were looking for, as well as some custom shirts so that all of us could find each other.
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.
I love looking at pictures of dessert buffets at weddings. I just love the idea of a table full of yummy sweety goodness. I am equally over-the-moon about our table that will be covered with pie, but I also wish there could be a bit more variety. Variety in the look of it, because I would be perfectly happy just eating pie-type desserts for the rest of my life!
But tables like these that have big things, small things, things in bowls, things on sticks, things on plates… I love them, too.
This week, everything in the Weddingbee Favors Shop is 10% off! Even though the holidays are over, baby it’s STILL cold outside! To warm you up, here’s our favorite selection of candle favors in stock right now:
Mrs. Socks, Southern NJ/Philadelphia, PAAge and Occupation: 23, Web Developer/Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Systems EngineerEngagement Date: September 7, 2009
Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: Ladder 15 RestaurantAbout Me: I am originally from the Midwest, but I love being an East Coast transplant! Mr. Socks and I are foodies and winos to the core---give us a hunk of cheese, some charcuterie and a glass of wine and we could die happy. We have two mischievous Wire Fox Terriers with completely opposite personalities but with a shared love of uprooting anything in our garden. Our backyard garden includes everything from tomatoes and peppers to a fig tree, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries! I love cooking, indie music, and spending time in our wedding city of choice---Philly!
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
{I thought it only appropriate to leave you with a photo of me with a rum and COLA in my hand, by Shoot Me Now Photography}
