Mrs. Cheese, KnoxvilleAge and Occupation: 29, Engineering ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, CAD DesignerEngagement Date: July 31, 2008Wedding Date: May, 2009Blogging Since: October 16, 2008Venue: Our home and the two acres it sits onAbout Me: I’m an emotional girl who loves sentimental things, parenthetical asides, and trying to do things herself. I can cook, sew, am a whiz at planning, terrible at delegating, and totally in love with my fiancé (who will be my second husband but first love of the rest of my life). For our home/ garden/ DIY wedding, we’ll be moonlighting as interior designers, home improvers, and gardeners with the help of our fabulous friends and neighbors. We can’t wait to be married, and are learning how fun getting married can be.
I didn’t always have very many (or very good) female friends. Women were scary, frankly, with their cattiness and pettiness and rules I didn’t understand. I tended to be friends with one girl at a time, until one of us overreacted or under-appreciated and that was that.
I’m so thankful to be so far removed from those days. These days, I rely on a network of women to keep me sane. My best friend Jennifer started it all by being so honest and funny and herself that I couldn’t help but be myself back. From one friendship to a group of women who met for girls’ night, I was surprised to find how comforting the network could be.
Then I got engaged—and I can honestly say that without the fabulous women I met online (and my ever-supportive BFF), I’d not have gotten through. You told me I wasn’t crazy and you related, even to my most uncomfortable revelations, and knowing how not-alone I was made everything a little better. Not once—not one single time—did I regret doing the uncomfortable and posting about something that wasn’t rainbows and butterflies. Read more…
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.
Working with Mr Pretzel to plan our Nuptial Mass was one of my favorite parts of wedding planning. I love the music, readings, and the traditions that we chose for our Mass and my only regret in wedding planning is that we do not have a video or audio recording of our Mass. Truthfully, I really just wish we had thought ahead to arrange an audio recording. While we don’t have audio, we do have our programs and just reading the elements of the Mass takes me back to July and to the memories of the moments. For this reason, our programs are one of my favorite details from our big day.
Mrs. Buttons, Clearwater, FLAge and Occupation: 24, "Working on it"Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Financial ServicesEngagement Date: June 13, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Carlouel Yacht ClubAbout Me: I'm a self proclaimed perfectionist and a professional nomad (seriously, I've lived in TX, WI, MI, FL, NC, and now VA!). I love wine, cooking, curling up with a good book (nerd alert!), spoiling the furbaby, and of course, the wonderful Mr. Buttons! We are planning a lighthearted and whimsical wedding (with a good deal of DIY projects) in Clearwater, Florida, but from a distance of 800 miles away! We are looking forward to sharing our day with our family and friends, and most importantly, starting our lives together as husband and wife!
The dinner bell had chimed. Our guests had picked up their escort cards and were led into our reception space, which had been expertly flipped during our cocktail hour.
Once our guests were seated, our DJ assembled our wedding party and our family once again outside the French doors. He went over the pronunciation of each of our names and lined us up for the grand entrance.
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!
The invites are out, the invites are out! After a long day of printing out all of the pieces and then two full days working with my mom and sister to stamp, assemble, and address them, they’re now making their way to family and friends all over the world!
But before I can show them to you all, I have to make sure they get to where they’re going. But soon I can reveal them—I promise!
In the meantime, I have to give a big huge THANK YOU to the post office for coming out with a great new Forever stamp. (Although I think I heard somewhere that in the future all stamps will be Forever stamps? If so, that’s pretty awesome for all of us who won’t have to worry about trying to find a cute two-cent stamp to add up to whatever new amount the post office deems is the price for mailing.)
Mrs. Seashell, Chicago, IL / Providence, RIAge and Occupation: 28, Marriage and Family TherapistFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Electrical EngineerEngagement Date: September 3, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: The Glen Manor HouseAbout Me: Fonts and fashion, stationery and Sundays, photography and french toast... the beauty is in the details for this fun-loving Chicagoan who loves to plan plan plan! The soon-to-be hubs plays "Mr. Fix-It" in our new condo while I swoon over beautiful, personalized stationery and choose shades of aubergine for my bridesmaids' dresses... and thus begins my new fairy tale! Skirting to the East Coast for our September nuptials where my home state of Rhode Island awaits with fall foliage, I'm just a few dress fittings and bachelorette party away from saying "I Do" to a very happy ending!
I was never a rebellious kid. I never had that angsty teen phase where I hated everything and everyone, nor have I ever gotten myself into trouble. I’m not, and never was, the type to fight with my parents or cause a disagreement. In fact, I’m the happiest when everyone else is happy. Though, admittedly, sometimes this means backing down from asserting myself. Mr. Seashell is very similar to me in this way, except he is far better at defending his beliefs. That’s the preface.
When it came time to seriously consider our wedding ceremony, Mr. Seashell and I were on the exact same page: we did not want a Catholic Mass. However, we were both raised Catholic. Read more…
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.
I realized I haven’t written a post about my engagement ring, nor the proposal behind it. This could possibly be because my own proposal was definitely not one with any earth-shattering romance in it. In fact, I kind of feel like the black sheep of the hive because I have no gut-wrenching, heartstring-pulling proposal story, and sometimes when I read them I feel a tinge of jealousy. Sometimes. But then I realize that I probably wouldn’t even know how to act if Mr. Biscuit ever made an incredibly grand romantic gesture.
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.
Once our absolutely amazing, heartwarming, warm-fuzzy and wonderful toasts were over…
Toast!
…we got to eat. Now, I have very vivid memories, though few pictures, of this: we got our food and I could not pile enough deliciousness on my plate. I remember almost exactly where each food item was on my plate, and I had my champagne, and my tea, and my mimosa and… I really wanted to eat it all and run around and hug everyone. I was like, “The internet says eat! But the butterflies in my stomach say hug people! And OMG we just got married!” Read more…
Mrs. Pain au Chocolat, Wilmington, DEAge and Occupation: 29, RealtorFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, RealtorEngagement Date: November 21, 2009Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Greenville Country ClubAbout Me: An ENFJ with an artistic streak who loves backgammon, sailing, graphic design, and sleeping in. Travel (near or far), good wine, and tasty food makes my heart sing. I'm a compulsive list-maker who lives to plan and organize. Mr. P and I have lived together for 4 years, all the while renovating our city townhome bit by bit. We're planning a whimsical, Anthropologie-inspired garden wedding in June 2011.
As someone who already loves shopping, the thought of trying on pretty dresses in luxurious fabrics thrills me. The hunt, in store and online, is only bested by trying the pretties on. Once I discovered some free time over Christmas break, my thoughts naturally gravitated toward more dress shopping. Before my feet even hit the floor in the morning, I was on my iPhone pulling up the nearest salon’s website then giddy-dialing them for an appointment.
Yes, they could see me that day. Could I come in two hours? Um, YES!
Mrs. Giraffe, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 23, Graphic DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Music Student TeacherEngagement Date: October 23, 2008Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Trinity Lutheran Church & Idlewild Country ClubAbout Me: Coming from the suburbs of the Windy City, you'll often find me with my foot in my mouth while laughing for no reason or telling bad knock knock jokes. I've been crafty for as long as I can remember, and will DIY something twice over before I have someone do it for me. I'm a semi-awkward, typeface obsessed, design junkie and have been know to break out my dance moves for no reason as well as try my best to be ridiculous at all times. My love of pop culture, wordplay, and graph paper almost rivals my love of Mr. Giraffe (who is just the bee's knees). After a 2.5 year engagement, we're planning a modern-in-disguise traditional wedding, and cannot wait!
Okay, okay, I know that typically when you think of wedding invitations, you think “modern,” “formal,” ”floral,” ”beachy,” ”monogram,” or “vintage.”
I mean, I already mentioned traditional and floral invitations, but today I want to share some invitations that don’t really fit into a typical theme.
I’ve told you guys that there are few things I love more than the ampersand. I love them, I collect them, and every time I see them, they just make me smile. A good looking ampersand is all kinds of hip and cool and pop and fresh.
Little did you know, the beautiful little “&” sign can make wedding invitations even more beautiful. Here, see for yourself! (Hey, stop drooling!) Read more…
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.
Sometimes you are able to find just what you need in unexpected places. To prove this, I shall tell you the story of our votive candles. (What? It was windy the day we bought these!)
When I first came up with our yet-to-be-unveiled centerpiece design, I knew I wanted votive candles on each table. I also knew, per the Vandiver’s rules, the candle holder had to extend high enough to be above the candle’s flame. I also knew I didn’t want to spend a ton of moolah on candles. So first I headed off to my beloved Dollar Tree.
Unfortunately, the Dollar Tree has tons of candles and tons of holders, but none were quite right. The candles were mostly scented, and the holders weren’t quite what I was looking for. Scented candles by food seemed unwise, so I turned my search online. Online I discovered 72 unscented votive candles with 72 glass holders that looked to be the correct size, all for about $40. In case you are bargain hunting, it came from Quick Candles. This would have been perfectly fine, and I was just starting to think about placing an order even though 72 candles is way more than we needed.
But then Mr. Lox and I went to Ikea on a completely unrelated errand. He was just starting to lose patience with me when I saw them. The perfect little votive holders.
Pay no attention to the errant scrapbooking paper on my table. You can tell what I was doing yesterday.
The shops are expanding, and we’re loving the new products in the Weddingbee Favors Shop! We’re loving all things black and white—classic and chic. From gifts, to favors, to decor, check out just a small sampling of what’s new and monochromatic!
Mrs. Starfish, Boston/NewportAge and Occupation: 25, Operations AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, SalesEngagement Date: October 8, 2008Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: The Atlantic Beach ClubAbout Me: I'm a perfectionist who is a planner at heart. I don't do well with surprises. I love planning, crafting, Newport RI, family and friends, and most importantly, Mr. Starfish---all of which will be big components in our October wedding in our favorite little city by the sea.
After the hot tub photo session, it was really time to get ready and the Starfish Girls changed out of their robes and into their dresses.
I had some help with my dress. Starfish Mom and Sister Starfish started to button me up, I think we were all praying it would zip. Luckily, it did! 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!
Magic Alie has the neatest antique find that she often uses for holiday and party decor. I am using it for our welcome table. It’s amazing.
Way back before it became an antique, it held postcards and greeting cards. I’ve decided to use it as a place for guests to leave cards and well wishes as well as a place to hold our guestbook signing pens and other decorations. It’s in the early stages of getting all gussied up and I am having a lot of fun coming up with ideas for decorating it.
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.
Back in the fall, when I decided that I wanted my bridesmaids in mismatched grey, I gave them a few guidelines. The first two were easy: the dresses had to be grey—any shade—and approximately knee-length.
The other guidelines were a bit more open to individual interpretation. Since it’s a late afternoon garden wedding, I wanted the dresses to be afternoon and outdoor appropriate. That meant nothing too slinky, sparkly or sexy, in favor of ladylike and romantic. Other than that, the girls had free rein.
Just a few weeks after I’d given the girls their instructions, Bridesmaid J emailed me to let me know that she’d already purchased her dress. I asked her where she got it and she couldn’t wait to tell me that she’d gotten it on the sale rack at Target—for under $20.
Bridesmaid K took a few more months to find her dress. No problem, there was no rush. One day, she texted me with news that she found the perfect dress on sale at Banana Republic.
My little sister, Bridesmaid C, was the holdout. I wasn’t surprised about this. Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
After the hot tub photo session, it was really time to get ready and the Starfish Girls changed out of their robes and into their dresses.
