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.
OK, so you’ve seen my idea for a centerpiece, but you had to realize I wasn’t going to let a “Mad Hatter tea party” table be that simple. Remember, I want this wedding to be a whimsical acid trip.
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 a pretty emotional person, and generally wear my emotions on my sleeve, as much as I like to think I have a poker face. (Ha. Notsomuch.) I cry when watching movies. (Toy Story 3 was the last one. Also probably Avatar. But I blame the 3D on that one.) I cry when reading books. (I may or may not have bawled through the entire last few chapters of the sixth Harry Potter. And, um, more high-brow literature as well that I just can’t think of at the moment.) And I’m a very empathetic person, which comes through whether it’s with literary characters or my own friends. Read more…
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 I finished with hair and makeup it was time to get a few photos with the girls. I had given each of my bridesmaids matching robes in their welcome bags to wear while we got ready. They ended up looking super cute and we had to get some photos of them wearing the robes. So after we had all had the final hair and makeup touch ups, we took a few photos outside the suite on the roof deck.
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 if you’ve been following along for a while, you might have noticed something. I mean, you might not have, either. I’ve never drawn attention to this until now. Let me get you started.
OK, OK. I’ll just say it. I don’t have any bridesmaids. That’s right—none. Even though it’s my third trip down the aisle, it’s definitely not because I’ve worn my friends out. In my first wedding, I had just a maid of honor. In my second wedding, we got married by ourselves, so there was no bridal party (and no guests!). So this, my third time around, would be the ideal time to live it up with my friends, right? I mean, I guess that’s one way of looking at it.
And I did see it that way at first. Although I never intended to have a bridal party, I used to still get wistful over pictures like these.
That bottom right hand picture is one of my all-time faves. (sources: 1, 2, 3, 4)
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.
It is going to be tough writing this post, but I know I must for you. I do not want to turn any burgeoning Catholics off by talking about our Pre-Cana experience but I would be doing you an injustice by saying that it was peaches and cream.
If you are going to marry in the Catholic church, a couple must go through Pre-Cana classes. It is a group couples’ counseling session that goes over such topics as communication, finances, future goals, sex (yep, it’s in there), etc.
I have to make an aside in order for you to fully understand why our experience turned unpleasant. You see, as much a Catholic as I am, I fully believe in equality. I’ve met Matthew Shepard’s mother, I helped install the LGTB club in high school. I will not tolerate the perpetuation of hate. The bible has a whole lot to say about treating everyone with respect, and far be it for me to judge anyone else for the way they were born. Zeb feels the same way.
With that in mind, our two days started out pleasantly. Read more…
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!
Cupcakes just made sense for the Cheetah wedding. We love cupcakes, they’re cheaper, and since dessert is being served away from the dinner tables, it made more sense to serve something that didn’t require a plate and fork (don’t worry, there will be plenty of napkins!). Plus, cupcakes will look great on our sweets table and we can get them is lots of scrumptious flavors! It was hard narrowing down the flavors for our wedding from the dozens of options on our baker’s menu, but after two (yes, two) tastings with our baker I think we have it figured out.
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.
We are total hams. If there is a camera around, you can pretty much guarantee that we’ll be in front of it…all the time. I am sure that people we’ve met once have at least a handful of pictures of us from the one day we hung out. So when the Baconator (the fiance formerly known as Mr. Bacon) brought up the idea of a photo booth, I was totally on board.
I love the idea of a nostalgic booth with instant print outs, but I was super worried that it was going to cost big bucks, so I started checking out all of the amazing inspiration there is out there for a faux-to booth. Look at these adorable pics!!
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!
Now that my save the dates have made it out and I’ve finally got into the swing of things at school, I figured it was time to start thinking about invitations. I think it will take at least a month to design, print, and receive the invitations, and another month to put them together and send them out. So I figured I should start early. (Let’s be honest. Once there’s a ring on your finger (and perhaps even before?) it’s NEVER too early. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: “No one has ever regretted being prepared.” :D)
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. Prairie Dog, Cincinnati
Age and Occupation: 24, Program CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, PhD/Biomedical EngineerEngagement Date: December 18, 2009Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Glendale LyceumAbout Me: I'm a pilgrim soul of a girl with a house full of books and a coffee addiction that could slay Juan Valdez. My life is a whirl of grammar correction, good music, glue-gunning, and two pets named Hazel and Winston Churchill. I'm marrying my high school boyfriend in a formal-ish spring affair, roughly themed: "Elizabeth Bennet crashes a party co-hosted by Jay Gatsby and Cath Kidston, and loves it."
I’m one of the first of my close friends to get married. When my best friend got engaged, I had no experience in weddings—none of us did, really. I still don’t have much, but I’ve learned a lot from being engaged myself.
Then, over the holidays, one of my bridesmaids became a fiancee! We went dress shopping this past weekend, and it was so fun to be on the other side of the decision-making. I still love weddings, even if I’m getting a little weary of my own. I feel much more comfortable in a supporting role than I do as “the bride.” But, here are some things I’ve learned as a bride that are informing my role as a Matron of Honor for my friend:
Return all communication with the bride ASAP. Sometimes not hearing back from someone for several days is the minor stress-factor that breaks the bride’s back.
Be agreeable/supportive, but it’s okay to give your opinion gently, if asked. Just be careful how you phrase it. When we went shopping this weekend, I only commented when I could tell SHE didn’t love the dress she had on.”I think I like this train better, if you’re going for a more dramatic look” = polite, constructive. “That last train totally sucked compared to this one” = annoying, unhelpful.
Mrs. Cardigan, AustinAge and Occupation: 21, Student/Soon-to-be Special Education TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 20, Student/Soon-to-be Accounting Systems AnalystEngagement Date: August 16, 2009Wedding Date: January 2011Venue: Vintage VillasAbout 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!
Also known as the really, really long honeymoon recap post. Sorry! I just have too much fun stuff to share! The second day of our cruise was our first port day, and it was the only port that Mr. Cardigan and I had already been to: Cozumel!I’m not the biggest fan of Cozumel, because I find that it’s not nearly as interesting as a lot of the other ports, but I will give it one thing…it has the most beautiful water of any place I’ve ever been!
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!
It’s pretty much standard in the wedding world these days to ensure your guests are informed of your wedding date before the official invitations are sent out. Whether you use a website, word of mouth or letters, it makes sense—you want as many of your guests to make it as humanly possible.
As common as it is for most people to have received a save the date of some kind, Mr. Jaguar and I happen to be members of families who were in the dark about them and had no idea they even existed. In fact, the first time I mentioned them to my future in-laws, they laughed at me and told me they were a waste of time—they’d just tell people themselves. Er, no. That might be the case, but I am a stationery nerd who gets giddy over receiving things in the mail, so skipping out on save the dates was never an option for me. Sorry, folks. They might be confusing, dear family members, but you’re getting one anyway. AND YOU WILL LOVE THEM!
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!
Step 1: Think about all the weddings you’ve been to and who their officiants were. See if you can poach one.
Step 2: Realize that most of the recent weddings you’ve been to have been officiated by friends of the couple.
Step 3: Think about your friends and who would do the best job.
Step 4: Realize that if you ask a friend to officiate, you will have to write the entire ceremony yourself as you’d feel too guilty asking them to do it.
Step 5: Wonder if you have the time or energy to put together an entire wedding ceremony, remembering that you want it to be special and meaningful to everyone in attendance and freaking yourself out at the thought of failing to do that. 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.
One issue with having a 16-month engagement: I have quite a bit of time to change my mind repeatedly. This is bad because I am veryvery indecisive about everything, from wedding stuff to what to eat for dinner.
Mrs. Socks, Southern NJ/Philadelphia, PAAge and Occupation: 23, Web Developer/Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Systems EngineerEngagement Date: September 7, 2009
Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: Ladder 15 RestaurantAbout Me: I am originally from the Midwest, but I love being an East Coast transplant! Mr. Socks and I are foodies and winos to the core---give us a hunk of cheese, some charcuterie and a glass of wine and we could die happy. We have two mischievous Wire Fox Terriers with completely opposite personalities but with a shared love of uprooting anything in our garden. Our backyard garden includes everything from tomatoes and peppers to a fig tree, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries! I love cooking, indie music, and spending time in our wedding city of choice---Philly!
After our formal portraits, the bridal party all climbed into a 14 passenger van we had rented to drive us around to our photo locations. We decided to take our pictures in Old City, which is the historic part of Philadelphia. I was a little nervous about the cobblestone streets in my heels, so I had a pair of boots to traipse around in in between shots.
See back there to my left? BIL Socks was the best ever and carried my Kate Spades for me! What a gem!
After I finished with hair and makeup it was time to get a few photos with the girls. I had given each of my bridesmaids matching robes in their welcome bags to wear while we got ready. They ended up looking super cute and we had to get some photos of them wearing the robes. So after we had all had the final hair and makeup touch ups, we took a few photos outside the suite on the roof deck.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
