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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!
Ohhhhhhh, I am so excited that we are doing this! I can’t believe my friends and I put our heads together for this, one of the most fabulous ideas of the wedding weekend!
I have been going around in circles about what to do for the rehearsal dinner thing. I got some quotes from a few restaurants, but everything seemed too high for our budget. There was also the question of where in the world to rehearse. Our venue has a wedding the day before, so there’s no rehearsal unless it’s early morning.
Luckily, MOH Sweet Pea and Captain Toes, even though their new little baby will only be 2 months old, have offered their backyard as a rehearsal site. They are the best! Since it’s summer in Texas, the earlier in the day we do things outdoors the better, and rehearsal brunch was born! What’s the best brunch item for this bee? Waffles!
Woohoo! Besides mimosas, coffee, and other brunchy fare, we have decided to have a waffle bar at rehearsal brunch! Three of us have waffle irons and we will pre-mix jugs of batter. People can make their own waffles and top them off with whatever their hearts desire. I’ve thought of a few good toppings to go on the bar…
Mrs. Magic, Chapel Hill, NCAge and Occupation: 30, Licensed Clinical Social WorkerFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, ResearcherEngagement Date: December 1, 2009Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Barn at ValhallaAbout Me: I’m a tall drink of water (5’10”!) and a Southern bride with an enormous appetite for Mexican food, good deals, anything French, and all things wedding! By day I am lucky enough to work with individuals with autism and their families. By night, I’m even luckier to be able to spend time hanging out with awesome friends, crafting, shopping, thinking about exercising, and kicking it with Mr. Magic and our two cats. I tend to have sudden, intense cravings that will not be denied (seafood enchiladas! new jeans!) and I’m prone to being a disorganized mess of anxiety and stress. After waiting (and waiting!) to get engaged, I am finally planning the colorful, fun, fabulously awesome Fall wedding of our dreams. In an effort to share the fun and craziness that is wedding planning, I’m gonna blog about it for y’all---the good, the bad, and the pretty!
When I first got engaged (almost a year ago now!), I immediately jumped to dress shopping. As I was trying on dresses, I knew for. a. FACT. that I definitely, absolutely, and totally wanted to wear a flower in my hair. How romantic! How pretty! How creative and unique!
Then, I began reading wedding blogs and learned that every bride in 2009, 2010, and 2011 has worn or plans to wear a flower in her hair. EVERY bride, you ask? Really?
Mrs. Crepe, Queens, NY/Nashville, TNAge and Occupation: 28, Jewelry DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Animation DirectorEngagement Date: September 28, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: A church in downtown NashvilleAbout Me: I'm a native New Yorker who has always been a DIY kind of girl and loves tackling creative projects while getting the most out of a dollar. I'm marrying my college sweetheart and we love frequenting antique stores, exploring together, and playing with kittens. We're planning a fun, "us" wedding in his hometown---with as many handmade touches as we can pack into a day!
A couple days before I left for Nashville, I found out that a friend of mine might not be able to attend the wedding because of a scheduling conflict. SAD FACE! Besides the fact that this is disappointing because we’ve known each other since we were kids, I didn’t realize until that moment that I had my heart set on said friend for hairstyling help, since she most definitely has the skills. She graciously offered to teach me how to curl my own hair for the big day but I have serious doubts about being able to pull that off myself.
Now, I’m starting to lean towards looking for professional help but I’m not really sure where to begin. If we were having the wedding in NY, I would head straight to my usual hair salon but since we’ll be in Nashville, I’m at a loss. To help ease the anxiety, I started compiling some inspiration photos on various looks that might work for me..
Originally, I had wanted to leave my hair down, create some loose curls and top it all off with a headband, like this:
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.
Oh boy, are you ready for this? You are about to witness an evening of debauchery small town New Hampshire may never forget. I knew to be ready for 4:30 PM to head up to Campton, NH—you should be ready to see a picture heavy post sprinkled with some penis paraphernalia, so, you know, if you’re at work and all, proceed with caution, mmm kay?
Honestly, who gets to spend an entire weekend with every woman she loves under the same roof? AND how many people get to spend that weekend with all their main lady squeezes without a single drop of drama? I was feeling pretty stressed the week prior and my bachelorette was exactly what I needed to settle my mind. Read more…
Mrs. Taco, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 29, writer/editorFiance's Age and Occupation: 37, editorEngagement Date: May 13, 2009Wedding Date: August 2010Venue: The Green Room at the War Memorial Veterans BuildingAbout 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.
I only have a handful of pictures of this whole time period, so I’m rolling with mostly words on this one, folks. I’ll try spinning this yarn with good ones, though. The post-wedding hours came with some fond, unforgettable memories, and I want to do them justice.
Some just-marrieds might prefer to be alone ASAP: to decompress, toget sexy, or to not socialize for the first time all day. But we were still in social mode, which tends to be our default.
A lot of friends stayed until the very end. Granted, that end was a reasonable 10:30-ish PM, but it still seems like a praiseworthy feat. These people have been drinking since 4 PM!
Mrs. Candy Apple, Princeton Junction, NJ/ Seattle, WAAge and Occupation: 26, Project EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, AttorneyEngagement Date: May 9, 2010Wedding Date: August 2011Venue: St. Joseph's Parish, Seattle Tennis ClubAbout Me: I am a Pacific Northwesterner, born and bred. I have lived in many cities---Santa Clara, Durham (England); Florence; Boston; Princeton Junction---but my heart will always be nestled up near the Cascades and Olympics, which is why we are holding our wedding there. I am a bookworm and a History nerd: I love that my life consists of books, books, and more books, since I work in Publishing! Recently, all waking time not consumed by work and my daily commute has been overtaken by wedding planning. Well, that, and watching Premier-League soccer. There is nothing I love more than a good Tana French mystery, traveling to new places, Anthropologie shopping sprees, Iittala dishware, Kate Spade shoes, impeccable typefaces (think: Archer), and a nice English ale (hellooo, Old Speckled Hen!). Oh, and did I mention my obsession with wedding blogs? Yeah, there’s that too. Join Mr. Candy Apple and me as we prep for our wedding, and, more importantly, our marriage!
Mrs. Trail Mix, New YorkAge and Occupation: 26, PE TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, MBA StudentEngagement Date: March 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Tannery Pond at the Darrow SchoolAbout Me: I'm a country girl who somehow found herself living in the Big Apple and loving every minute of it. I'm planning a rustic, country-chic wedding in my hometown in upstate New York and it's going to be a Party with a capital P. White wine, flea markets and running keep me happy and my friends, family and fiance are my world. I'm a little bit crafty, a little bit crazy but mostly just crazy in love.
But…(siiiiigh)…not weddings. It’s hard to believe and even harder to write this, but my time blogging here has reached its end. And for once, Little Miss Gabby, Chatty-Cathy, Talk-Your-Ear-Off me is at a loss for words.
Because how do I express what Weddingbee and all its incredibly smart, funny, rockin’ readers have done for me during my one-and-a-half year tenure as a blogger? It’s so hard to figure out without sounding trite, cheesy, or repetitive, but I’m going to give it my best shot.
When I joined the site in June of 2009, I never expected to become real-life, honest-to-goodness friends with people. I mean, it’s a wedding site and I came looking for wedding inspiration. And here I am, almost two years later, in awe of this community and the ties that bind it. Seriously, this is a pretty amazing place.
And while saying goodbye to you all is the hardest, a part of me is sad to say goodbye to our wedding, too.
Mrs. Cotton Candy, Riverside, CAAge and Occupation: 29, Field CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, Process ServerEngagement Date: July 5, 2007Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Riverside Art MuseumAbout Me: I’m a girl in love with her best friend planning a small mid-century modern inspired wedding that’s been a long time coming. I love all things design, sewing, flea markets, and a good book. I’ve been known to swoon over a well-designed chair and often find myself craving a new addition to my chair collection regardless of the lack square footage in our home. I’m Mexican American girl who hates all things spicy but loves her rowdy Mexican family and her Latin roots. My wedding muses may not be your typical wedding superstars, but with a lot of DIY, a dash of offbeat style, and lots of love and laughs, Mr. Cotton and I plan to create a day that is unmistakably us.
Last week we officially hit 100 days out, and things are happening at the Cotton Candy house! Projects are being finished, to-do’s are being crossed off, and money is being spent. One of the most satisfying check mark on our list has nothing to do with DIY, décor or attire, and everything to do our budget.
In the many months since we officially began planning our wedding, Mr CC and I have been diligent with our budget. We have spent many evenings reviewing our budget and discussing our saving plan in hopes that come our wedding, all the funds we need are in place to pay all of our vendors. This month, all of our discussing and planning paid off, because we officially booked our final vendor and now know how much money we’ll be shelling out to vendors in the weeks leading up to our wedding. More importantly, we know how much money we need in the bank to pay all of our vendors off. Read more…
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!
Instead of having a guest book at our reception, we will have a photo booth where guests can leave a photo instead of a note. Well, actually, ours isn’t a photo booth…it’s a fauxtobooth! Our guests will pose in front of a DIY-ed backdrop, rather than inside an actual booth.
There is a great deal of beautiful fauxtobooth inspiration on wedding blogs. Some involve cute props made out of felt or paper:
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.
I haven’t been blogging as much lately because things are a whirlwind. We’re exactly 20 days from the wedding and there is still so much left to do. My head is spinning and all of a sudden, I am suffering from amnesia! I have become so forgetful and there’s unexpected stress flying at me from every different direction.
Did you expect to be stressed about your dress fittings? I guess I was a naive bride-to-be these last 18 months because I always thought alterations would be easy peasy. Think again, Miss Brooch! First came the anxiety of leaving my wedding gown with a complete stranger knowing the power of needle and thread. The thought of anyone (even a skilled seamstress) pulling my dress apart makes me cringe.
Then there’s determining the right fit. The lady working on my dress has taken in more than one full inch on each side and it’s still too big. I’ve lost some weight since my first fitting. I think we’ll get the fit right, but I can’t lie, I’m pretty stressed about the whole thing. Read more…
Mrs. Earrings, Fresno, CA/ Nelson, New ZealandAge and Occupation: 20, Student, Wannabe Writer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 19, Photography StudentEngagement Date: February 14, 2010Wedding Date: January 2011Venue: Gardens of the WorldAbout Me: I'm a girl from down under who grew up in Indonesia and I'm marrying a California boy. I'm addicted to all things sweet, have never met a chocolate silk pie than can get the better of me, and have dreams of one day being a fulltime novelist. I go weak in the knees for lace, tea cups, and a beautifully crafted sentence. When I get excited about something (whether it is historical linguistics or the Beatles) I tend to go overboard in research, and planning this wedding is no different. Mr. Earrings is my high school sweetheart, my best friend, and somehow we combine all our quirks into one big happy mess.
My face in the above photo is saying, “AHHHH! THIS IS HAPPENING!” and, “Please fit!” as my mother laced me up. Fans of How I Met Your Mother: You know the scene where Lily and Marshall’s wedding is looming, and she tries on her dress and it falls right off? Yeah, well up until three days before the wedding, I had Lily’s problem. Unfortunately, Lily’s solution (eat a bucketload of fudge) didn’t work for me. Luckily, a lovely friend (who designs wedding gowns on the side, and also happened to have a 2 week old baby!), took on the task, and solved the problem by adding some ribbon lacing under the dress zipper. Read more…
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!
I already mentioned gifts I didn’t give my bridesmaids, but then I realized I forgot to mention a few things! Although it didn’t end up giving them, I wanted to share them with you guys! Of course, I have great ideas, so I thought you guys might be able to find some inspiration for your girls here!
Love Letters from Great Men: after seeing the first Sex and the City movie in the theater with two of my BMs, I thought it would be so sweet to give the book of love poems Miss Bradshaw had and Big later emailed to her. I love poems, and love poems would be totally appropriate for a wedding-ish gift.
Mrs. Locket, Ithaca, NYAge and Occupation: 25, Research TechnicianFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, former Banker hoping to become an Officer of the LawEngagement Date: June 15, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Heron Hill WineryAbout Me: I am a little bit of everything all rolled into one: A girly gal with rough edges---I love to get dolled up just as much as I enjoy throwing on some sneaks to toss a ball with Mr. Locket. My love for crafting and creating is quite apparent and I've been referred to as a Wonder Woman/Martha Stewart/Stepford Wife hybrid (yup, I'll take that as a compliment). I adore sewing, photography, sculpture, good eats (mmm tapas), baking, snugging and oh, pretty much everything in between (there's not much I dislike). I am super excited to be planning our vineyard wedding and couldn't be happier to be marrying Mr. Locket. We are a quirky, fun-loving couple residing in our college town with our two pups Maple and Molly. We love to go on hikes, visit our local dog park and to bask in the beauty of many of the local falls and gorges. We are an indecisive pair, but together we somehow manage to make up our minds (it's the easy stuff that's tricky).
Remember this series? Yeah, maybe not, but it’s back!!! Per many requests, I’ve finally had a chance to finish the ranunculus tutorial and am happy to share.
DIY Fabric Ranunculus Tutorial
The best thing about this tutorial is that petal size doesn’t have to be completely precise or uniform. The worst thing about this specific tutorial? This style of flower can be quite time-consuming to create because of the prep work and layering. (If you plan on creating many of these flowers I would suggest breaking up the workload into two parts for prep work and construction.)
so I thought you guys might be able to find some inspiration for your girls here!
