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!
Ha, couldn’t resist the title. But, random lyrics aside, I have to admit that I’m not that into music. Well, that’s not entirely accurate. I like music. I enjoy listening to it. But I’ve never been that knowledgable about it. I like what I like (helpful!) and tend to stay close to that. Which sort of influences my ideas for our wedding music. We haven’t decided for sure on anything, but here are some of the things that I’ve been thinking about. (And I will be the first to admit that none of these are hip, edgy, whatever—I told you I like what I like, and this is what I like!)
For the wedding ceremony, I love Pachelbel’s “Canon in D.” Yes, I realize that this song is considered overdone in the world of weddings (and graduations and pretty much any other type of ceremony that requires people walking in somewhere), but I don’t really care. I love this song, and it has always symbolized weddings to me (WAY more than Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus” or Mendellsohn’s “Wedding March,” which have always quite frankly scared me just a little bit). But first I have to share this other video I found while searching for different versions of the song. Yes, I’m apparently almost four years late to this party, but holy crap he’s funny and I’m sharing.
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.
I’m betting a lot of brides have looked at their wedding photos, and wished that something had been different in a few shots. Maybe a person was missing, or something was just off a bit. But in this day and age, where our photographers can manipulate just about anything with Photoshop, some of these “photo regrets” can be fixed. Mrs. Nachos even did a great tutorial on how she edited out the people in the background of her trash the dress photos, here.
Now, you may say that this isn’t right, it’s not showcasing your wedding day accurately if changes are made with Photoshop. Which is true (although I think the same could technically be said for standard edits, like adjusting the lighting). But I still thought it would be fun to have a try at manipulating some of our photos (don’t worry, we have full rights) while I watched trashy TV reruns.
Most of these likely won’t make it into our album, but I’m kind of glad I did them anyway! I think this exercise has helped a little with coming to terms with some of the things missing from our photos, like not having a photo of Mr. Cola with my immediate family. It was a bit therapeutic to be able to fix on my computer what I couldn’t fix in real life!
Additionally, I’m sort of picky person, so being able to tweak small things in photos that only I notice has been great. It’s one of the main reasons I wanted us to book a photographer who would give us the rights to our photos. And who knows, your photographer might even be fixing these little nit-picky things without you ever knowing it! Plus, I know lots of photogs do offer additional touch up services, if you too are bothered by little things out of place.
Take for example, I was hot and thirsty after our ceremony, but had to take family pictures right away. In this picture with my sister, my lipstick is starting to come off.
But with a little editing, I’ve put my lipstick back on.
There was also a stray strand of my bangs blowing up in the breeze in this photo that was bugging me.
But with a couple minutes in Photoshop, poof, it’s gone!
Or there were the signs in the hall behind me in this photo that were detracting from the photograph, so away they went.
Even just cropping can do wonders to a photograph! Our first kiss was an important moment for us, but I wanted something a little closer, without our second photographer’s hand and the portable speaker in the picture.
With some cropping and editing out the speaker, we now have this great photo.
I was also bothered by the writing on our photographer’s bag that I was laying on in this photo. It was just distracting next to my shoulder, and you know how it is when you notice something out of place, and then that’s all you can concentrate on when you see the photo!
But with a couple of clicks of the healing brush, it was gone.
So, those were some examples of quick fixes to nit-picky photo regrets. But what about if there was a small detail you wished you’d had, but didn’t?
One of the details we didn’t end up having was Mr. Cola wearing adorable argyle socks. I’m so in love with the photos of guys with their socks all over the blogs, but we compromised, and he agreed to do some of the equally adorable jumping photos with his groomsmen instead.
But with some editing work, I can still dream about this ’what if’ of argyle socks….
I know, I know, that’s pretty dang silly!
And I didn’t even do a very good job of adding the socks, because I didn’t want to spend too much time on a picture that I’ll never actually use. But it’s a good example of the possibilities with Photoshop that could be used on wedding photos these days.
The main thing I really wanted to try to tackle was something I mentioned at the beginning of this post, to try to get a photo of Mr. Cola with my immediate family, since we didn’t take one on our wedding day. However, once you get past small touch ups and decor mock ups, my Photoshop skills are just not that strong.
I tried cutting Mr. Cola out of one picture, and sticking him into the photo with my parents, but the results were laughable. Then I remembered we did have a big group photo with all of my mom’s family that I might be able to do something with.
So I cut us out of that photo, and attempted to insert us into another photo with a prettier background. Again, not good results. It looked just like what it was, an obviously a poor Photoshop job, and reminded me of that one Seinfeld episode where George tries to get taken out of his boss’s beach picture, but ends up getting his boss added back in, in cartoon form.
See? Not cartoons, but obviously we don’t belong in this picture, and I was too tired of messing with it to get it any better.
So my next attempt was just to use the big group photo we were already in, and modify the existing background to remove the other people in the original photo. This actually worked a lot better, although it’s still nowhere near perfect.
What happened with my family picture, I found to be true for all photos where I tried to add something that wasn’t there originally. It just didn’t work very well, and I really don’t have the skills to pull it off. Which is why I haven’t attempted to add my SIL or my sister’s long-time boyfriend to the pictures that they’re missing from. It’s just a lot easier to take objects or people out of photos than to add them.
Like in this photo from our rehearsal, it was quite easy to simply remove the distracting members of our wedding party, so I could have a cute picture with just my DOC and me.
(Two above photos are personal photos)
Anyway, there’s a little look at some of the fun I’ve been having recently with Photoshop! I think it’s really such a fun program, and there are so many possibilities for tweaking your wedding photos that it’s worth a try if you have the time, photo rights and skills!
Are you a Photoshop fan? If so, do you plan on using it on any of your wedding photos if you find something amiss?
(Unless otherwise noted, all photos in this post were taken by Shoot Me Now Photography, and edited by yours truly)
Mrs. Pretzel, SeattleAge and Occupation: 32 Learning, Training, and Development SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 28 Manufacturing EngineerEngagement Date: September 2, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Catholic Church & The Engine Room at Georgetown StudiosAbout Me: I’m just a thirty-something girl who never dreamed of weddings, poofy dresses, or ritzy receptions. I am a rabid knitter, except recently, wedding projects have replaced my yarn and needles. I’ve been fiercely independent since the age of 2 and 30 years later I think my family and friends had given up on me settling down and getting married.
Ironically, I had to go all the way to Seattle to find a boy from Purdue. We fell in love over Seattle Beers and cooking together. I love NASCAR, he loves Legos. I can talk like a Muppet and he can fit a whole McDonald’s cheeseburger in his mouth. We are a two reception couple, currently planning a brewery inspired bash.
Left to right back row = Miss Eggs Benedict, Mr Cherry Pie, Mrs. Cherry Pie, seattlemeg, red seattle, Mr Pretzel
Left to right front row = Jackie-O, yrret107, LittlestBirds, Mr LittlestBirds, Mrs Pretzel
Missing from photo: Miss Root, el0624
This past Friday some of the Seattle hive met up at in Wallingford. It was great time with wonderful food. We all got to meet some new faces, including our newest Seattle Blogging Bee, Miss Eggs Benedict, and we also got to see some familiar faces. The meet-up ended up being a bit of a reunion for readers who attended Seattle meet-up events in 2010 and we had a great time talking about life since we saw each other last.
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).
I’ve been traveling for work the last couple of days, and I’ve discovered that three cities in three days, a lot of late nights and a tad bit of stress from putting on back-to-back events have created a very unfortunate looking Hippo.
Exhibit #1 - Bloodshot Eyes:
I don’t have contacts in that are irritating my eyes. I don’t even wear contacts. I didn’t get soap in my eyes. And I most certainly didn’t smoke a bowl this morning in lieu of breakfast. Those bloodshot eyes are the result of far too few hours of sleep. Read more…
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.
I’m so good at giving fashion advice to others but I can’t dress myself to save my life. Mr. S is hopeless at giving advice, so where better to turn than the hive?
And so, I need your help! This weekend, I’m going to a wedding at a very trendy art space/event venue/bar in Brooklyn, and I’ve got my outfit almost put together, but not quite. I didn’t buy anything new for the wedding; I’m just going to wear items that I already own.
I’m going to wear this sparkly dress from Urban Outfitters:
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.
If only I didn’t already have (or at least hadn’t already ordered) our perfect cake topper, I would consider ordering from Bunny with a Toolbelt based on this video alone.
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.
What could that title possibly mean? Exactly what it says. Maid of Honor Oatmeal and I spent the better part of a Sunday afternoon driving around in a seriously sweet ride, scavenging for wood. You see, her family owns a ranch. A very large ranch. And on this ranch there was a pile of wood that was about to be burned. So guess who got to benefit from that, in the hopes of making signs such as these?
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 few reasons we had to get a move on with this whole registry deal.
MOH Sweet Pea is hosting the shower and is having a baby in April.
Because of #1, we are having our shower in February. Sweet Pea is a teeny-tiny lady and already the baby belly is HUGE. I will be shocked if she can even walk in March. (You know I love you SP.)
Waffle leaves for LA this weekend so this was our last opportunity to do it together.
We hit up 3 stores on our whirlwind registry tour: Crate & Barrel, Best Buy, and Bed, Bath & Beyond. We didn’t really “register” for anything at Best Buy, it was just a good excuse for Waffle to have a break from linens and flatware.
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.
Hi folks! I’ve got a little secret for you. I’ve cut the first project off of my to-do list and it feels damn good. I’m now able to distinguish what is cost effective/worth the time! I could not justify the expense of this project on top of our photobooth picture favors and another little something I’ve got up my sleeve to thank our guests for attending. I thought it was a good idea nevertheless, and am a little sad to not see it executed at our wedding. So I wanted to share it with you in hopes you might think it as awesome and can utilize the idea.
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!
When it came time to ask my girls to stand up with me, I wanted to do something a little bit different. Especially since none of my girls live in the same city as me (though now I’m in the same city as three of them—yay!), it would be tough for me to get together and ask them face-to-face. And I didn’t really want to do it by telephone, which would have been the other option. So I decided that I would make something that I could send along with a card asking them to be a part of our big day. I’m pretty sure that I had spoken to each of them beforehand, so I don’t think it was a huge shock that I wanted them to be bridesmaids, but I really liked the idea that they would have something to remember how I asked them.
Since I love making photo collages, I thought I would start there. I found some square frames at Michaels (yay coupons and 50%-off sales!) and thought they’d be perfect. Big enough to have a few pictures of me with each of my girls, but not so big that it would be annoying to find a place for it. And there was one hinged frame left in the bunch, so I decided to use that one for my sister, my maid of honor.
Me and my sister through the years—I love how happy she looks holding me as a newborn.If only she knew what a pain-in-the-butt little sister I’d end up being, she probably wouldn’t have been smiling so much!
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!
Pink can have so many personalities, from sassy and bold to delicate and sweet. We finally settled on a base of creamy ivory and gold for traditional elegance, but instead of pairing them with classic black, we’re incorporating touches of chocolate brown. Add some splashes of soft peachy pinks and a hint of French blue to soften the palette, and voila! The perfect combination for bringing classic garden romance indoors! It’s girly. It’s frilly. It’s fru-fru-fantastic!
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.
Oof. You guys, dressing Mr. Panther is trickier than I thought it would be. I think I need to hang up a sign somewhere that says, “WEDDING BLOGS ARE NOT REAL LIFE.” I need to hang it up and look at it every chance I get.
See, before we decided between suits and tuxedos, I knew one thing: I wanted Mr. Panther to be in a slim-fit style. I saved this photo from the wedding that inspired our color palette, and I’ve been basing everything off that:
As I learned later, this isn’t even a full-on slim-fit suit. See how wide the lapel is? 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).
My last business trip before the wedding was last week (hooray!), and I was psyched to escape the New York snow and head to sunny California. Well…it actually wasn’t that sunny. In fact, it was pretty damn cold, but it was still nice to get out of town and even better to cross this big work event off my list. It wasn’t all work and no play, though. When I got to San Francisco, I knew I had to hook up with the SF blogger bees, especially since there are so many of them! Do these lovely ladies look familiar?
(Left to Right) Eggplant, Ostrich, Cola, Penguin, Pin Cushion, Jellyfish, Glasses, French Toast and me!
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!
You know how with most wedding planning experiences, you’ve got an idea of what you want in your mind, but you’re ultimately fairly flexible in what the final result will turn out like? Well, that’s me with most things so far…except for one. The cake. You guys, I’ve had our cake design picked out from the second we got engaged—maybe even before Mr. Jaguar popped the question, if I’m being honest.
I don’t know how I found it. I just found it. I had a minor panic attack after I had a laptop disaster that wiped out all my bookmarks, but I hunted down all my old emails until I’d found a copy of the photograph. The only downside? I couldn’t find it on the web again. I spent hours, days even, scouring the deepest and darkest corners of wedding-cake-land, and I had no luck. Until one day, I found it again. I don’t know how it happened (again!) but it just did. Honestly, this cake and I are meant for one another. The fates have spoken.
so this was our last opportunity to do it together.
