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.
Whatever you call them, they just seem a lot like what I do at work. So…instead of a super cute slideshow of adorable and embarrassing photos of the young Bacons growing up, we’re going to hang and frame photos of us as inspired by the one and only Martha Stewart. Read more…
ClassifiedsFeature Launched: April 30, 2008About: A roundup of the best Weddingbee Classified listings.
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).
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.
In light of E!’s new reality show, Bridalplasty, I want to talk a little bit about bridal beauty. You always hear about brides wanting to lose weight for their wedding or have their makeup professionally done as they are embarking on the day of 1000 photographs. I can understand wanting to look your best, but if you don’t look like yourself, what’s the point? I’m not immune to this pressure to look perfect and have made a few tweaks to myself, non-surgically of course, to look a little better for the big day.
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. Brooch, Arlington, VAAge and Occupation: 25, Writer/EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Front Desk ManagerEngagement Date: October 3, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: Oxon Hill ManorAbout 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.
If you haven’t noticed, this week has been all about invitations! I felt compelled to share the back story of how we decided upon the set that we did. It was a journey that started with DIY e-party invites and a roller coaster ride through the world of choices, including couture invites, a major meltdown, which you’ll read about here, and an attempt at Adobe Illustrator!
Obviously, this hasn’t been an easy process for us, and since I know a lot of you are going through the same thing (trying to decide on what kind of invitations to have).
When it came time for us to chose something, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy.
I stressed out a lot about the e-party invitations and there were only about 25 of those! I sent out a pack of ten, ran back to the supply store, and then sent another ten. Some people didn’t even get one and just got an email because I was over the whole process.
Mr. B didn’t want me to go through that again, and I didn’t want to go there again, either. Read more…
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.
I recently turned the big quarter century and had an amazing weekend. Please allow me to share. It may or may not be wedding related. You’ll just have to read and see… won’t you.
On Friday night we went to Local 121 in Providence which has this awesome speakeasy feel to it. All the food served is local and I’m pretty sure it is my new favorite restaurant. Our families surprised me with a Gregg’s Death by Chocolate. (I say surprised but what I really mean is I told Zeb if he wanted to still get married, one should be there…hehe.) I got to try out my new hair extensions (wedding related!) and we went home and played Rock Band with my brothers and SILs, one of whom I hadn’t seen since the summer!
Saturday morning, Zeb had a test and before he left told me to pack a bag because “we’re not sleeping here tonight.” Read more…
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.
Well…er… not really. But Mr. French Toast and I do have completely different tastes in music. He likes your head-banging, screamin’-at-the-top-of-your-lungs rock and alternative music. Me? I have no shame in listening to Justin Bieber or belting out Celine Dion at karaoke, with the occasional Chinese pop thrown in.
personal photo
How could Mr. French Toast not understand my admiration for Andy Lau, who is quite possibly one of the biggest stars in Asia?
The first thing we do when we get in the car is decide who gets to dictate what music is playing in the car. Usually the driver gets the final say, but with Mr. French Toast behind the wheel most of the time, my strategy is to make him concentrate on the road while I slyly switch over to my songs.
So for this couple who couldn’t disagree more on music, how in the world were we going to agree on a playlist for the wedding, let alone a first dance song? 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’m not sure if any of you have noticed, but I haven’t talked about what we’re doing for our honeymoon. The reason is because we aren’t really going to be taking one. At least not right away. See, Mr. EB is in school this year, and our wedding will be about three weeks before his finals for winter quarter. Not exactly the best time to fly off for a couple of weeks on a tropical honeymoon. Also, money is really tight for us right now, so there’s no way that we can afford the type of trip that we’d like to take. So instead of planning a trip to Bora Bora or the British Virgin Islands or the Seychelles (three of the places that are highest on my honeymoon wishlist), I’ll be drooling over all the amazing beachy honeymoons I get to see online.
Now, this isn’t to say that Mr. EB and I are planning on going back to real life immediately after the wedding. We’re definitely going to take at least a few days to relax and unwind after the whirlwind of the wedding weekend. We aren’t positive what we’re going to do yet, but we do have a couple of ideas.
First we thought about renting a cabin on the Washington or Oregon coast.
Mrs. Moonbeam, Los Angeles/San AntonioAge and Occupation: 26, Intern ArchitectFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Studio Analyst, aspiring ScreenwriterEngagement Date: May 20, 2009Wedding Date: November 2009Venue: Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church (LaCoste, TX) and Mary Gray Events Center (Castroville, TX)About Me: I was born and raised in Texas, but after college I moved to Seattle for a couple of years and loved it. Then I followed my beau out here to LA and we're getting settled in. I've been making things since I can remember. I was raised by crafters. I love to sew, draw, paint, build, cook, bake (anything with a tangible end result is fair game). In that same spirit, I've been hosting since I was old enough to cook and set a fancy table. I kind of take after my grandmother, who believes that your morning OJ always tastes better out of the good crystal.
Since I’ve got two weddings under my belt (both to the same man and within 6 months, in case some of you forgot, or never knew) I thought I’d do a little comparison of the two.
First, we had a small ceremony at Point Dume in Malibu. It was casual, quick and pretty inexpensive.
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.
So lately I’ve been invitation crazy. I mean, maybe I shouldn’t be this early, but I am. I am flat out obsessed. I have been scouring the Internet high and low for something that fits our theme and feels like us.
I started at the large discount invitation sites, but nothing seemed right. They were all too formal, too plain, too stuffy, or too outdated to really fit the two of us. It was frustrating, to say the least. So I did what I do in every situation like this. I turned to Etsy. That’s where I found these:
Mrs. Dolphin, Gainesville, FLAge and Occupation: 24, Graduate Architecture StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Interactive Interface DeveloperEngagement Date: February 14, 2008Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Plantation Bay Country ClubAbout Me: I’m currently a Graduate Student at the University of Florida studying Architecture. I enjoy playing Scrabble with my Fiance, rooting for the Florida Gators, making any drink that involves a blender, cleaning (yes... I’m crazy), design... GOOD design that is, the new Pepsi with natural sugar, taking pictures, discovering new places in the U.S., and obsessing over doing (and designing) everything myself for our upcoming wedding!
Unflattering camera angle by Mr. Dolphin. Thanks hubs!
Today I was driving to work and heard Rihanna’s song, What’s My Name?, and it got me thinking about the whole name change game newly married women must endure (if they choose to take their husband’s last name). On a side note, I totally believe all newly minted husbands should have to change their names too, so they have to go through the struggles at the DMV (located in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE in Gainesville) and the Social Security office. I still don’t think Mr. Dolphin quite understands my plight.
Ms. Cheetah, Los Angeles/Palm Springs
Age and Occupation: 31, Artist, EducatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, TV FinanceEngagement Date: April 2010Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: The ViceroyAbout Me: I’m a silly, sassy lady with a compulsion to create. I love to sing and dance, despite the fact that I lack any talent doing either. I somehow manage to be messy and organized at the same time. I like to spend my days road tripping, watching '80s movies, reading true crime books, buying things on sale, sending postcards, playing board games, dining at food trucks, snuggling, and drinking ginger ale. I have a weak spot for all things sweet, especially Mr. Cheetah! I’m a Chicago girl and he’s a Nor Cal boy but we love living in the City of Angels. After 10 years as a couple we are planning a fun-filled semi-destination wedding in Palm Springs. Hope you enjoy the ride!
We’re not having kids in the wedding party which means we won’t have a ring bearer. So, we need to figure out another way to get those wedding bands to the altar.
Of course, our best man and/or maid of honor could carry the rings with them, but I thought this could be a great opportunity to honor two great people in our lives: our grandmas! Read more…
Mrs. Husky, DenverAge and Occupation: 26, Systems AdministratorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Mechanical Engineer, recently laid offEngagement Date: August 14, 2009Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: Rancho San CarlosAbout Me: I am planning a quirky-crafty wedding with my recently out-of-work fiancé for a (fingers crossed!) warm October afternoon. We are two self-professed nerds with an affinity for all things outdoors---be it rain, snow or shine. Recently relocated from the drizzly Northwest, we're enjoying the many sun-soaked days in the mile high city. Our day will be filled with both of our large families and friends, a self-served Cajun feast, and a Zydeco-style jazz band rocking beneath the beams of a historic red barn.
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.
Dear Weddingbee brides, AKA those living in wedding-blog la la land,
I think it’s so important to take a step back and look at the bigger picture every once in awhile. What is a wedding all about? It’s certainly not about the flowers, the centerpieces, the shoes, the food, the venue. None of that really matters when you think about it. I know some of us spend countless hours obsessing over the details because, well, we’re getting married and that’s what we do. But we need to be aware of the realities of this wedding world we live in every day.
I’m not sure if many of you out there have come across this article, but I desperately wanted to share it with anyone following the ‘bee. Click on over and read it if you’d like a fresh perspective on all that wedding inspiration we’re constantly bombarded with.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
