Mrs. Jaguar, Sydney
Age and Occupation: 27, Primary School Teacher
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, IT Consultant
Engagement Date: August 8, 2009
Wedding Date: June 2011
Venue: Curzon Hall
About 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!
I’ve been super lucky in the travel department these past few months, that’s for sure. And while Mr. Jaguar and I still haven’t decided what we’re going to do for our official honeymoon in June, we both agreed that we had an absolutely amazing pre-wedding-moon together! It was long, it was hectic, it was fast-paced, and it was perfect for us.
I thought I’d throw some ideas out there for another continent altogether that I visited just before we frolicked around North America—Europe! I should point out that during this particular trip, I was without the other half—I traveled with a girlfriend. However, Mr. Jaguar and I have done Europe together (on a similar guided tour) on a prior occasion, and had an amazing time as a couple.
There are a few ways you can explore Europe, depending on your time-frame and your budget.
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Mrs. Tartlet, Rochester, MI
Age and Occupation: Age & Occupation: 27, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Medical Student
Engagement Date: May 2, 2009
Wedding Date: May 2011
Venue: The Royal Park Hotel
About 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!
“Side by side with your loved one
You will find enchantment here
The night will weave its magic spell
When the one you love is near, oh
This is the night
And the heavens all rise
On this lovely bella notte”
(source)
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Mrs. Eggs Benedict, Seattle
Age and Occupation: 29, Attorney
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Attorney
Engagement Date: December 5, 2009
Wedding Date: February 2011
Venue: IslandWood
About 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!
Flowers, that is. Here’s the deal. I love flowers. Love, love, love them! When my sister and I lived together while we were both in grad school, I had more fresh flowers in my life than ever before (or since—ahem, Mr. Bene!). See, my sister loves flowers as much as I do, but the difference is she remembers to actually get them and display them in the house. So every couple of weeks she would come home with a beautiful bouquet, and it would grace our table or find its home on a bookshelf. And she never failed at finding a great bargain for her floral lovelies, so it was never a very expensive endeavor.
I, on the other hand, always forget how much I like to have flowers around until someone else puts them out. So I don’t usually buy them for myself. I also have a hard time buying them when I know that they’re going to die a week later. (Or I keep them longer because I can’t bear to throw them out yet, thus causing me to have to pick up all the dead blooms that have fallen on the table.)
Which brings me to our wedding flowers. I love big, full, fluffy flowers like peonies. I also love the crisp, clean look of calla lilies. But, lest anyone forget, B and I are getting married in February.
So while I would love to have my bouquet look like these…
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Mrs. Waffle, Austin
Age and Occupation: 31, Costumer/Artist
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Animator
Engagement Date: July 27, 2010
Wedding Date: June 2011
Venue: Hummingbird House
About 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!
I swear, my mister says the funniest things.
His “a sock is a bridge” line is classic, and I will never forget it. I am beginning to think I should keep a reporters’ notebook in my pocket to make note of all his little funnies, which, most of the time, are actually said in all seriousness. Ah…I love him.
In any case, I have now learned that Mr. Waffle needs visual aides for all things wedding related. We will be going wedding-ring shopping within the next few months, and I thought I would start showing him some pics in hopes that he could let some ideas marinate and solidify before we get to the mall.
He’s been funny about the whole wearing jewelry thing, so I thought we’d go for a more “manly” metal. Tungsten or titanium. I found it serendipitous that Miss Sloth had just posted about men’s rings and showed him her findings.
“What do you think of these? See any you like?”
“Which one comes with a fold-out 27-inch screen?”
Typical.
How has your mister responded to wedding-ring buying?
Featured on Weddingbee
“Make an elegant invitation statement without the fuss. Stylish invitation sets with matching envelopes, reception and response cards included.”
Featured Product: Laura Ashley Delicate Damask Invitation
Watercooler
Feature Launched: July 1, 2007
About: The most discussed posts of the week.
Mrs. Taco, San Francisco
Age and Occupation: 29, writer/editor
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 37, editor
Engagement Date: May 13, 2009
Wedding Date: August 2010
Venue: The Green Room at the War Memorial Veterans Building
About Me: I like laughing and talking with good friends over good food and good drink, be it wine, cocktail, or brew. I write and edit things for fun and profit, but I rarely "write" these days without a keyboard and high-speed internets. Favorites include Mr. Taco, my Boston terrier, San Francisco, getting out of town, and the Roaring ’20s. I was kind-of planning a wedding since roughly 2006, when I discovered "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?" on the WE channel. I ran and didn't look back with a theme I called "urban vintage," and it culminated in the most magical day a taco could ask for.
Note: “Snot Wall” will make more sense (slightly) by the end of this post.
I hope everyone stuffed themselves silly and went back for seconds during dinner hour, because I certainly didn’t. But, following my standard bridal Not Eating, we jumped headfirst, glasses full, into toasts from our dads and bridal party.
I think toasts are inherently personal and, therefore, difficult to make interesting to anyone aside from the bride and groom. I even considered not writing about them at all. That said, we naturally loved the kind words and will always remember them. It was such a memorable part of the day, it seemed like a shame to just gloss over it. There were some gems, even for the masses, a few of which are below.
Pics by Ashley Forrette and Gem Photo unless otherwise noted.
Prep
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Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
Mrs. Lox, Baltimore
Age and Occupation: 33, Government Worker
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 35. IT Consultant
Engagement Date: May 8, 2010
Wedding Date: May 2011
Venue: Vandiver Inn
About 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.
Let’s take a little wedding detour so I can share the funniest wedding story I have. Since I’ve already fessed up about my checkered past, I’ll set the stage by telling you this happened at my first wedding. Yes, to me. So sit back, put your feet up, close your eyes, and join me in the past.
I was 21 and marrying my college sweetheart. Sure, a few things had gone wrong on that day, but honestly nothing big. The ceremony was over, the receiving line was over, and the formal pictures in the church were over. We were en route to our reception hall. (PS: This is an irrelevant detail, but my parents got lost. It’s kinda funny, but not as funny as what’s to come.)
So everyone was introduced into the reception, and we made our grand entrace, which led directly to our first dance. During the first dance, I leaned over and whispered lovingly in my new husband’s ear…“That’s not our cake.” We turned so he could see it. Neither one of us knew what to say, so we finished the dance and took our seats at the head table.
A few minutes later, my new MIL came over to talk to us. She was looking nervously in the direction of the cake table. She made small talk for a few seconds before I told her. “It’s OK, but that’s not my cake.” She was appalled. Horrified even. She left immediately to call the bakery.
Then my mother came over wanting to know where the MIL had gone. I was cool as a cuke, my dears, when I told her sweetly and brightly that it was not my cake over there. She looked confused. I told her MIL was off calling the bakery because that wasn’t my cake.
Now, let me tell you about the cake I ordered. It was a lovely three-tiered beauty with smooth buttercream icing and delicate sprays of wildflowers cascading down the sides. It was even a picture in the bakery’s photo gallery book. I pointed to it in the shop and said “Just like this!” when I ordered it. And then I picked up a generic plastic bride and groom couple for the top of the cake. It was perfect.
However, what was sitting on the cake table was this:
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DIY
Feature Launched: October 8, 2008
About: The best DIY projects from Bees and brides around the web.
January 7th, 2011 @ 5:11 pm by DIY
Check out these great projects hive members have uploaded to Weddingbee’s DIY section! Click on the title of each project for tutorials.
If your project is featured in DIY Friday, you’re eligible for a special Weddingbee badge for your blog or website! See instructions on how to grab the badge here!
DIY Custom Cake Topper by KLloyd1
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Mrs. Cinnamon Bun, Calgary, Alberta
Age and Occupation: 26, Stage Manager
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Theatre Technician
Engagement Date: June 22, 2010
Wedding Date: June 2011
Venue: Calgary Opera Centre
About 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.
Dear Dearest Darling Anthro,
I am finally putting words to my emotions and am writing this letter to tell you my true feelings. At first I read your name on the internet, and found a cute clothes store that I didn’t think too much about after closing that browser window. Then we bumped in to each other again late one night in Portland Oregon, after I stumbled out the wrong exit of Powell’s Books (reeling from the delicious book fumes). I bought one of my favourite dresses ever that day, and I still treasure it.
When my fiance and I went to San Francisco, not even the excitement of getting engaged could keep me from visiting you, and spending more than I should have. Once I got home and started browsing for bridesmaids’ dresses, I found this:
(from The Knot)
It looks like another bride has a similar relationship to you and I! I dreamed about being able to buy bridesmaid dresses (and me dresses!) from you.
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Contests
Feature Launched: Oct 5, 2006
About: Weddingbee contests and giveaways.
Congratulations to our winner, IAmLemondrop!
~~~
David’s Bridal is currently hosting their “Meaning of True Love” contest on their Facebook page, where one lucky bride can win a $1,000 gift certificate to David’s Bridal and a romantic Valentine’s trip to NYC with an engagement photo shoot! To celebrate, Weddingbee’s giving away a $100 gift card to David’s Bridal right here on the blog!
To enter to win the $100 gift card to David’s Bridal, simply visit their new spring 2011 collection and let us know in the comments below what your favorite gown in the collection is. or a second chance to win, follow Weddingbee on Twitter and retweet this contest (if you’re already a follower, simply retweet by clicking here)! You have until Friday, January 7 at 11:59 PM PST to enter this contest.
And don’t forget to visit the David’s Bridal Facebook page to enter to win $1000 to David’s Bridal, a trip to New York City, and an engagement photo shoot! Simply share a photo of yourself and your beloved on the David’s Bridal Facebook page, along with a caption that describes what true love means to you. The deadline to enter the grand prize contest is January 9!
Mrs. Cardigan, Austin
Age and Occupation: 21, Student/Soon-to-be Special Education Teacher
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 20, Student/Soon-to-be Accounting Systems Analyst
Engagement Date: August 16, 2009
Wedding Date: January 2011
Venue: Vintage Villas
About Me: I'm a native Austinite who was raised as a die-hard Aggie. Luckily, I'm a pretty persuasive girl because I managed to convince my high school boyfriend (now fiance!), Mr. Cardigan, to ditch his hardcore Longhorn ways and join me up at A&M, where we currently reside with our adorable dogs, Cullen & Ranger. We're currently planning a bright, cheery wedding with a ridiculous amount of DIY projects that I can't wait to tackle! I love crafting in any form, reading, and margaritas (I think I love them the most!). Organization is what keeps me sane and I love helping others, which is probably why I ended up as an education major. It gets a little chaotic sometimes when you're planning a wedding among all of the papers, projects, finals, and certification exams, but we're having the time of our lives and we can't wait to get started on our journey as husband and wife - and we're so excited to share our wedding with the hive!
As I write this, it’s 7:45 in the morning and I’m laying in my bed at the hotel. My wedding dress is hanging against the doorway, along with my bridesmaids’ dresses. Wedding paraphernalia is scattered across the suite and my two bridesmaids are still sleeping soundly.
I’m getting married today.
These past couple of days have felt surreal in a way that I can’t even begin to describe. I’ve been planning this day for a year and a half now, and a huge part of me is having a really hard time believing that it’s actually here.
Hive, y’all have been so amazing in the past 7 months I’ve been blogging here. When I first started blogging, my wedding felt like this pretend day way in the future that would never actually come, and now it’s here. It has been an incredible honor to be a part of such a great community. Your comments, PMs, and tweets have meant the world to me and I’m so grateful for all of you.
Today, I’m going to be marrying my best friend in the whole entire world.
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Mrs. Brooch, Arlington, VA
Age and Occupation: 25, Writer/Editor
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Front Desk Manager
Engagement Date: October 3, 2009
Wedding Date: April 2011
Venue: Oxon Hill Manor
About 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.
Yay, we have a caterer and they’re awesome! All of you were so close (or spot on) with your guesses, too! It was a close call for us between Putting on the Ritz and Windows, but in the end we decided to go with Windows!
It’s a funny thing how it happened.
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Beehive
Feature Launched: Aug 31, 2006
About: A forum for readers to post questions and get feedback from the hive, aka the weddingbee community.
January 7th, 2011 @ 3:52 pm by Beehive
We’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading real Weddingbee brides’ experiences with their vendors via the Weddingbee Vendors section! A while back, we launched Featured Reviews from the Hive, a new feature that allows you to share your favorite vendors right here on the front page! We’ve loved all of the great vendor reviews coming at us.
Currently, we’re regularly featuring your favorite vendor reviews that you write and submit to us. Every weekend we’ll randomly select a featured reviewer that week to win a prize from our Weddingbee Favors Shop!
This week’s winner of the“Cosmetic Couture” Quilted Monogrammed Makeup Bag is bluebonnet for her review of her florist, Antique Rose Florist in Texas!
If you’re a recent bride and you’d like to participate for a chance to win every week, simply review your favorite vendors on Weddingbee and follow the easy instructions to submit your review here. We look forward to seeing your wedding pictures featured on the blog! 
Miss Oatmeal, Fresno, CA
Age and Occupation: 25, Medical Device Sales Representative
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Police Officer/Captain in the US Army
Engagement Date: February 16, 2010
Wedding Date: May 2011
Venue: Private Residence, Fresno
About 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 was the first thing we did after getting engaged? We booked our photographer. That’s a slight exaggeration, of course, but it was most definitely a priority. You might be wondering why, since Brother Oatmeal is a professional wedding photographer. Duh, people. He’s going to be the best man. It may be difficult for him to shoot an entire wedding ceremony while standing up there next to Mr. Oatmeal, but then again he is talented. Maybe I should have given him a shot. Oh well.
So who did we decide to go with? The lovely and talented Kate Mefford. She really is the most adorable person I’ve never met. You read that right—we’ve never met. There’s a good reason for this, of course. She lives in Texas. We live in California. That’s how badly I wanted her as our photographer. Between my bro’s recommendation, my incessant stalking of her blog, and our shared loooove of Anthropologie…she just had to be it. We are thrilled about her making the trip to shoot our wedding. Thanks, Kate! We love you already.
Just to prove how sweet this lady is, I’ll share with you a special gift I received from her a couple months ago. Don’t you just love getting real mail? Cause I do. I adore it.
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Ms. Sloth, Philadelphia
Age and Occupation: 35, Account Manager and Fashion Blogger
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Design Admin
Engagement Date: December 25, 2009
Wedding Date: May 2011
Venue: Bartram's Garden
About 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.
Source
Have you heard of a display shower?
Until I got engaged and started reading wedding blogs and forums, I hadn’t. A display shower is one where the guests don’t wrap the gifts. Instead, the unwrapped gifts are placed on a table for the bride and her guests to see and admire.
I think that this idea is absolutely GENIUS.
The benefits, in my opinion, are:
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