Ms. Stripes, Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 29, Costume Designer/StylistFiancee's Age and Occupation: 29, ChefEngagement Date: June 23, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Heritage Square MuseumAbout Me: I’m a type A creative with a messy streak, a loud mouth, and an uncanny knack for combining clashing patterns. I can usually be found with my nose in a book, my feet (or at least my toes) on the ground, my head in the clouds, and my arm around the prettiest girl you ever saw- aka
Fiancee Stripes. Together we’re planning a FUN vintage/modern French carnival wedding extravaganza and rockin’ dance party on a dime. (Say that three times fast!) Good coffee, long lists, Uniball pens, and my iPhone keep me sane, and making art, making trouble, and making out keep me happy! I love urban adventures, bike rides that end with afternoon drinks, breakfast for dinner, beautiful light, photography, travel, my furry family, and of course, my beautiful fiancee! I’m super excited to be here and can’t wait to share all our adventures as we craft a joyful, budget-friendly, design-savvy and all-around AWESOME wedding!
I am a shopping machine. If it’s pink, sparkly, extremely short, or otherwise inappropriate and located in Los Angeles, I’ve bought it. It’s a little fun. A little hellish. And a lot exhausting.
But oh well. Who cares right? Let’s look at pretty pictures okay? You know, those pictures. The (lowers voice) detail shots. Yup. The kind I ranted, raved, and ridiculed.
It’s funny, because in the end it was all true.
The detail shots are definitely not the most important pictures, but your wedding day DOES go by far too quickly, and it IS fun to look back and see what your rings were up to while you were getting pretty!
You’ve already seen our smug mugs, but how about a closer look at some of our bridal accessories?
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!
I’m not really into wedding themes. Maybe because I can’t pick one. I am a Gemini, after all!
Vintage? Carnival? Nature-y? Colorful and flowerful? Modern? Classic? Yes, please. I love them all!
So once we decided on the season, I started thinking about what we (OK, I—let’s be real here) wanted our wedding to look like. My stream of consciousness went a little something like this…
…I love fall. All the pretty trees. Trees are good. Kind of unoriginal, though. Let’s see…leaves. Lots of colors. Green, yellow, orange. Jack-o’-lanterns. Pumpkins. Pumpkin spice latte. Coffee shops.
College. I wish I were in college again. Midterms suck, though. I could rock some corduroy skirts with tights and boots in a coffee shop. Let’s go shopping. Budget. Bills. Ick. Stressed. Need coffee.
Boots! Why don’t boots ever fit right? Hockey puck, rattlesnake, monkey monkey underpants…
I think I am just a little bit all over the place, like Lorelai in this clip from the best show ever, AKA Gilmore Girls.
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.
Mrs. Knitting, TorontoAge and Occupation: 24, Student Recruitment Assistant
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Neuroscience PhD CandidateEngagement Date: October 2009Wedding Date: December 2010Venue: University of Toronto Faculty Club
About Me: I'm a pearl wearing, etiquette book reading Toronto girl who loves cooking and baking, museums, charm bracelets, and collecting books on Jackie Kennedy (a lot). I've been known to spend Sunday mornings at the antique market, Wednesday evenings at sister sushi dinners, and any bit of spare time reading. After six and a half years of many late night walks, watching DVDs together in bed, travelling to places like New York, and Tobermory, doing Sudokus together on the couch, lots of Indian food, the occasional yoga class, moving in together and so much more, Mr. Knitting and I are planning a cozy Christmasy (it's a word!), vintage wedding in Toronto complete with many DIY projects (eek!) and lots of help from our amazing group of family and friends.
Mrs. Hyena, College Station, TXAge and Occupation: 23, Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Aerospace Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Downtown 202About Me: I'm a Texas girl who met my future hubby in high school, then headed up to Oklahoma for a college education (BOOMER SOONER!) before moving back to the Lone Star State to be with him. I love reading and recycling, Photoshop and reality TV, making lame jokes and then laughing at them, quoting movies, and Mr. Hyena most of all. I'm perpetually early and I like to get things accomplished. When my cat meows at me, I meow back. We're planning a laid-back, unintentionally DIY wedding with a cocktail-party vibe, and can't wait to celebrate our nuptials with our nearest and dearest!
Where we left off, I was panicking about not finding a church to get married in. Months had passed, but it all worked out in the end because we found it.
View of the sanctuary (personal bad-quality iPhone photo)
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!
Now that the sun had set, it was officially time to PARTY! It wasn’t hard to convince our friends and family to meet us on the dance floor…they had actually started the party without us when Mr. Buttons and I had snuck out for our sunset shoot!
My bridesmaids had no problem tearing it up…and Daddy Buttons was quick to join in the fun!
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!
If yours was full of sunshine and clear skies, then you experienced the complete opposite of Sydney—it has been raining non-stop for the past 48 hours. Luckily, I had the perfect surprise phone call on Friday night: Mama Jaguar rang me to let me know that a parcel had arrived for me. Let’s just say that as soon as I discovered it was from the United States, I was in my car and driving to her place to pick it up, and lots of squeeing followed. (Have I mentioned that I inherited my love of stationery from my mum?)
I can’t think of a more perfect way to spend a rainy weekend, than holed up indoors with a cup of tea, some Melrose Place reruns and my two boys (both human and feline), especially when it involves putting together invitations, organising addresses and hand-writing envelopes. I am SO excited about our wedding suite, it’s not even funny.
I can’t share the finished products with you just yet, since they are still making their way to our guests as we speak. But I CAN share a sneak peek with you. Both of these pictures are courtesy of Kristin, from Twin Ravens Press, the genius behind them.
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.
What does any girl do a few weeks before her wedding? Why, meet her internet friends, of course! I got lucky with a Tuesday meeting in NYC. To tell you the truth, I get pretty excited every time my boss tells me I need to travel just thinking about all the bees I will meet. I’ve been dying to get back out to NYC for a while and eating that bagel on the drive back was heaven on earth…and then I tried on my dress and it needed to be taken out. Whoops. I wouldn’t trade those bagels for anything. NOTHING! You hear me, wedding dress?!
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.
From day one, Mr Pretzel told me that he wanted to see me before the wedding. It was a little hard to talk him into doing a first look. If he had his way he would have checked in with me when I was getting my hair done and again when I was slipping into my dress. Truth be told it was hard for me to not see him before our first look. I knew he was in the Church getting ready and there was so much that I wanted to share with him. I settled for sending him funny stories via text. Thankfully I didn’t have to wait too long after I had gotten into my dress.
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!
Oh, you didn’t think I could be introduced without an Eminem reference, did you? What can I say—music of the late ’90s / early ’00s rocked. I almost threw in a Bare Naked Ladies reference, but thought that might be a bit much. We’ll take this slowly.
But, seriously, wait a second. Is that me? Because I could have sworn you just said my name. Miss Candy Apple?? This can’t be happening. I never thought I would be here, introducing myself to the hive. I had thought long and hard about how I would write this post, and now that I’m here, cue the crickets! Woooweee, what an entrance!
Let me just say that when I got the message from Pengy, I nearly choked on my granola bar. I opened and closed the email 32 times (only reading the first sentence each time) and frantically looked around to see if I was being Punk’d. (Is that show still on? It should be.) On my train home, I texted Mr. Candy Apple around 57 times and had this glassy-eyed, crazed madwoman smile on my face the entire ride home. I am fairly certain the other commuters thought I was high. I’m OK with that. They don’t understand.
When I got home, I managed only to chuckle maniacally as I tried to explain to Mr. CA what this all meant. I forced him to look at all of the icons and asked him, if the essence of my soul were to be boiled down into one icon, which would I be? Of course, I secretly hoped he would confirm my obsession with Candy Apple (who can resist that bow?!), but I was willing to compromise. Maybe. When he said um, that one and pointed at Candy Apple, I may have burst his eardrum shrieking omgomg that’s the one I wanted we are so in tune and in love and meant to be.I may be crazy. Have I mentioned that?
Then, because we didn’t have apples in the house, I proceeded to rip the apartment to shreds trying to find a green ribbon. (Yes, I realize it doesn’t match. Don’t judge.) And then I forced Mr. CA to take a picture.
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.
I just wanted to give you all a little taste of my next project using the Silhouette SD. Another Silhouette tutorial will be coming, and later I’ll be able to show you what the whole project is!
Any guesses?
Mrs. Sparkler, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 27, Communications AficionadoFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, PublisherEngagement Date: July 21, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Chicago Illuminating CompanyAbout Me: I’m a Southern lady living in the big city of Chicago. Well, lady may be a stretch, but I’m working hard to keep some Virginia charm in our sleek, urban, wedding-palooza! I’m addicted to marathons, not-so-famous bands, Chicago restaurants, and Mark Twain. I cry during SPCA commercials, and I think LOST was the best show to ever hit television. Mr. S and I met at a classy college mixer and, 7 years later, he’s still by my side. He’s the only child, laid back, free spirit... I’m the oldest of five kids, type-A, organizer. It doesn’t work on paper, but we’ve never paid attention to that stuff anyway. Somehow it works. And like they say, sometimes when you know…you just know.
If you live in Chicago, you know all about the amazing summers we have here. There are beaches to sit on, shows to attend, and street fairs to go to every single weekend. It’s pretty much awesome. But my favorite part of Chicago summertime is, hands down, the unbelievable music festivals that find a home here.
It just so happens that my VERY favorite, Pitchfork Music Festival, falls on my birthday weekend every year. I mean really, Pitchfork, you shouldn’t have. So last year, like every year, Sparks and I made our way over to Union Park to get down to our favorite tunes. Last year was especially great because one of my favorite college buddies was in town, and Sparks’s friend had (generously) gifted us with VIP passes! We spent the next three days jamming to Robyn, Tallest Man on Earth, and Major Lazer. Oh, and enjoying all the free beer. Score!
Left: My face for the whole weekend; Right: Killer view for Pavement
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.
And then my never-worn $15 ceremony shoes broke when I tried them on. The strap just snapped in half! THE HORROR! I bought them so long ago that they are sold out everywhere online. They are long, long gone.
But they were only $15, and I said to myself, “Eh. I’ll find another pair of ceremony shoes.”
And then, I figured out what I’m going to wear in my hair. I’ll save that announcement for another time, but suffice it to say that it is faaaaaabulous (and some of you may recognize it from another bee, but that’s all I’m saying right now)!
And my amazeballs new hair accessory doesn’t go with those Vivienne Westwood jelly flats. Not at all. But I bought those flats with a gift card, and I can sell them on eBay or something at a profit, so no worries, really.
Well, except that now, less than two months away from the wedding, I have no shoes!
I needed some shoes that were either grey or not-too-shiny silver. And so I did what I do best: online shopping. Read more…
Weddingbee GalleryFeature Launched: April 10, 2009About: A collection of inspirational wedding pictures from readers and bees.
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.
