Mrs. Pancakes, New York/Costa RicaAge and Occupation: 26, Law School StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Latin American Policy AnalystEngagement Date: March 12, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Casa Punto de VistaAbout Me: I’m a perfectionist with a big heart. I love a good laugh and firmly believe no one has ever regretted being prepared! My motto is “go big or go home.” I am incapable of doing anything in moderation, especially when it comes to shopping, TV, food and travel, and some would say wedding planning! The other half of this nearlywed team is a laid-back, adventure-loving, accident prone, sweetie from LA. He makes me laugh, is always down for an impromptu dance party, and totally indulges most of my hare-brained schemes. Now, in my final year of law school, we’ll be spending the spring abroad in Amsterdam and planning a DIY, whimsical, detail-filled destination wedding in Costa Rica!
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!
Then we took some pictures at a fountain outside the Cathedral of Learning. After our second official date eight years ago, we sat on some benches near this fountain and had an animated conversation. Mr. Octo swears up and down that it was during this conversation that he realized he was in love with me (on our SECOND DATE!). As I have said, he is far more romantic and prone to falling-in-love-instantly scenarios than I am—I didn’t realize I was in love with him until six months later, when we were slow dancing on the grimy basement “dance floor” of a frat house. True story. Read more…
Mrs. Penguin, Northern CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 27, Weddingbee Editor in ChiefFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Doctor of Physical TherapyEngagement Date: January 29, 2007Wedding Date: June 7, 2008Blogging Since: September 14, 2007Venue: Winery in the Gold CountryAbout Me: I love the Spice Girls, dogs with underbites, bean burritos, making messes, high fives, avoiding showers, crossword puzzles, blogs, weddings, and blogs about weddings!
Fun fact: our newest bee is Mrs. Kiwi’s cousin by marriage! What a small world. Please join me in welcoming Miss Oatmeal to the hive!
Miss Oatmeal, Fresno, CA
Age & Occupation: 25, Medical Device Sales Representative Fiance’s Age & 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.
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 got asked the question today. You know the question. It’s the question that every engaged woman gets asked, usually more than once. And I’ve found that no matter what the answer is, whoever’s doing the asking always has to comment on the answer. The question, of course, is: are you changing your name?
First, I have to say that I love that this is a question that is now asked, rather than an assumption that is made. At least in my circle of friends and family, no one is assuming that I’m changing my name. But, whatever the answer is, the questioner still comments. Oh, you’re changing your name? Doesn’t that mean you’ll lose your identity? Or, huh, you aren’t going to change your name? Doesn’t that mean you won’t really be a family? Now, I haven’t actually gotten either of those responses directly, but that seems to be the gist of the two types of responses.
When I was growing up, it was never a question for me—of course I’d take my future husband’s name. 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!
As a blogger, it’s an ill-fated day when I come across an inspirational picture that I failed to catalog correctly. I blithely named the image below “CakeTable.” Terribly useful when I need to credit a photo, no? Now, I’m in luck if I happened to save the image on my MacBook. I can Ctrl + Click on the file, click on “Get Info,” click on “More Info,” and most of the time the URL where I acquired the photo is conveniently listed under the “Where From” heading. If I saved the image to my PC desktop, however, I found myself stuck. Enter the TinEye reverse image search.
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.
Well, I hadn’t resolved my venue issue and I had been too sick to DIY anything for several days. So what was a planning bride to do in this situation? The answer, dear friends, is clear. Buy a cake topper!
Mr. Lox and I had some cake topper drama, if you can imagine such a thing. I may not have been terrifically clear on this point, but we’re silly. I mean that we’re goofy and fun. We are both normal folks with 9-5 jobs, but if you look just under that? We are simply not normal. On some things we are traditional, which you’ll see as we get more into planning details. But on other things? We are…well…not. So, enter the thought of the cake topper.
Once upon a time, I had a cake topper of two people. It was traditional, and expected, and came standard with our cake. I had no real feelings on cake toppers so that was that.
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.
As you might remember, we are not having cake at our wedding, we’re having pie instead! I happen to think that pies can be just as pretty as cakes with fancy icing, so I want to make sure they are displayed as best as they can be. I had decided to collect some mismatched cake stands, and have the pies on those. There has been one picture in my inspiration folder from the very beginning that got me on to this kick:
We’ll have many more pies than in that photo though, so we’ll need many more stands. Yay! An excuse to go antiquing! Read more…
Mrs. Sewing, San Mateo, CA/Honolulu, HIAge and Occupation: 24, Electrical EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Electrical EngineerEngagement Date: June 27, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Anela Garden Chapel & Japanese Cultural Center, HonoluluAbout Me: I'm an easily entertained, compulsive idea-scheming machine who loves good art, good food, and a good engineering challenge. I'm planning a half-destination wedding on the beautiful island of Oahu - imagine a plethora of movies, art and games; savory Hawaiian food; blended Chinese and Japanese cultural details; lush, fragrant tropical flowers and all the air conditioning a NorCal native could want! And once I marry the love of my life, we'll come back to the 'mainland' to party it up all over again in my hometown of Salinas, the salad-bowl capital of the world!
Once everyone was finished stuffing themselves for dinner, desserts were brought out. Isn’t it amazing how there’s always room for dessert? 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!
Does anyone else think that our generation of moms may have gotten the shaft when it comes to weddings? Don’t get me wrong—overall, my mom has been fantastic during this whole process (only one set of tears on my part so far, and that was due to not being able to communicate—we’re working on that!), but there’s something that I didn’t realize about my mom and weddings. She never really got to plan hers.
I had no idea about this until I was talking to her one day, and she mentioned how once she and my dad decided to get married, her mom pretty much took over. Booked the church, booked the country club, invited all the guests. My mom wore the same dress that her sisters had worn, the same mantilla veil that had been passed down in her family (that I get to wear, too!). I think she picked out her bridesmaids and what they were going to wear, so she probably also had some input on color scheme…but overall, she didn’t really get to plan her wedding. So how’s that fair? 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.
Choosing a ring for Mr. S was a simple task, but it fell almost entirely on me. I did all of the research, and he just made the final decision.
It started out with a few simple questions:
Me: “What do you want it to look like?”
Him: “I don’t know. Simple. Not too shiny. Nothing fancy on it.”
Me: “What kind of metal?”
Him: “Whatever is cheap and durable.”
So tungsten or titanium it is. I did some Googling and came up with a few options for Mr. S. Read more…
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!
Mrs. Pancakes, New York/Costa RicaAge and Occupation: 26, Law School StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Latin American Policy AnalystEngagement Date: March 12, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Casa Punto de VistaAbout Me: I’m a perfectionist with a big heart. I love a good laugh and firmly believe no one has ever regretted being prepared! My motto is “go big or go home.” I am incapable of doing anything in moderation, especially when it comes to shopping, TV, food and travel, and some would say wedding planning! The other half of this nearlywed team is a laid-back, adventure-loving, accident prone, sweetie from LA. He makes me laugh, is always down for an impromptu dance party, and totally indulges most of my hare-brained schemes. Now, in my final year of law school, we’ll be spending the spring abroad in Amsterdam and planning a DIY, whimsical, detail-filled destination wedding in Costa Rica!
As I mentioned previously, I don’t love the idea of traditional bridesmaids’ dresses. I’ve been on the hunt for a great dress for the last few weeks, and here are my favorite stores:
RUCHE
If you haven’t heard of Ruche, you should certainly check it out. I recently made my first purchase and can’t wait until it gets here!! The best thing about Ruche is that it provides vintage-inspired dresses at affordable prices.
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!
A few months ago, I got a phone call from one of my bridesmaids. It went a little something like this:
Bmaid: Heyyy
Lioness: Hi! What’s up?
Bmaid: Ummm…
Lioness: (awkward pause)
Bmaid: siiiigh…
Lioness: Dude, is everything okay?
Bmaid: Welllll…
Lioness: WHAT’S WRONG? (at this point, I’m thinking that she’s about to tell me she can’t be in the wedding, she doesn’t want to be in the wedding for whatever reason, or something horrible happened)
Mrs. Elephant, Dallas, TXAge and Occupation: 27, Financial Operations AnalystFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, IT Student/Store ManagerEngagement Date: March 29, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: The Tribute Golf ClubAbout Me: I'm a Philly native creating roots deep in the heart of Texas. I might be a little obsessed capturing those Kodak moments of anything and everything (mainly on vacations). I've become more of a gamer thanks to Mr. Elephant, who I met online and can't wait to spend the rest of my life with. We are planning a wedding based on our favorite colors, blue and green, with a travel theme for 150 of our closest friends and family. Hopefully our long (2-year) engagement won't kill me!
My first experience with out of town (OOT) welcome gifts came at the wedding of our friends (and wedding party members) BM Aggie & Groomsman Runner. Mr. E and I weren’t really from out of town, but we stayed at the hotel in Dallas because I didn’t want to drive 30 mins home after the reception and wanted to be there for the send off brunch the next morning!
BM Aggie & Groomsman Runner had a lot of family members from Canada fly in for the wedding, so I think that their welcome packages were a very cute Texas touch: cowboy hats filled with goodies!
I rarely get to see Mr. Pancakes in a suit, so this was a pretty big day for me!
Please join me in welcoming Miss Oatmeal to the hive!
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
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