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!
Hive, the time has come to share all of my tiny little details. During the course of my wedding planning, I accumulated a number of crafts and projects for the big day. It was incredibly rewarding to see each and every one of them come to fruition at our venue.
First: what we wore. I spent a lot of time and effort putting together my attire and the bridal party’s attire, and I thought it came together beautifully (I’m biased).
My gorgeous lace dress…James Clifford style 1820. It was the first dress I put on at the dress shop I bought it from. My grandma cried when she saw me in it. I still love it to this very day.
I hand crafted the ivory peony I wore on the wedding day. Because I wasn’t wearing a veil, I wanted the flower to be a statement, and I absolutely loved my enormous hair flower! 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.
Zeb’s cousin has a super fancy job with CNN. She’s pretty stinkin’ amazing—as you are about to see (unless you are at work and unable to watch videos–in that case, sorry!). It is tradition in Zeb’s family to make a video slide show at graduations and weddings. I’ve got a VHS from my high school graduation but the tradition even dates back to Danny Tanner recording devices and pictures taped to an easel.
We had our bachelor/bachelorette parties this past weekend and unfortunately Zeb’s cousin couldn’t make the trip up from Atlanta. Instead, she gifted us with this gorgeous preview of our wedding slide show. She’s absolutely incredible and her apartment smells like rich mahogany and many leather bound books. Just kidding, I’ve never been to Atlanta but if I had to guess, I’m sure her apartment would smell like sauce…awesome sauce.
Congratulations to our winners Miss Smashville and Monkeyface!
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Last week, Shutterfly introduced new wedding stationery styles to its design-forward collection—all your pre- and post-wedding stationery needs can be filled in one place thanks to Shutterfly’s Save the Dates, Bridal Shower Invites, Thank You Cards, Wedding Announcements, and more! Whether your style is classic, modern or fun, Shutterfly offers stationery from leading designers that are easy to create. Simply follow easy step-by-step instructions to create professional-looking, one-of-a-kind stationery that is delivered to you in a couple of days OR you can upload your address book after personalizing your favorite designs and Shutterfly will do the rest!
To celebrate their stationery styles, Shutterfly is giving away 100 4×5 Save the Dates with free 2-day shipping to two lucky Weddingbee readers!
To enter, simply visit Shutterfly’s wedding stationery online and let us know which save the date style you would choose if you won! And for a second chance to win, follow Weddingbee on Twitter and retweet this contest (if you’re already a follower, simply retweet by clicking here!). Then come back here and let us know that you followed/retweeted. You have until Wednesday, March 9th at 11:59 PM PST to enter. Good luck!
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.
The other day Sparks and I were catching up on a Biggest Loser episode (love it) in which the contestants had to complete a temptation challenge. Basically, each team had to spend three minutes in a room that was filled (I’m talking floor to ceiling) with their absolute favorite foods. The team that ate the most calories would “win.” Yeesh. Talk about torture.
Later, Sparks asked me what the room would be filled with if I were a contestant:
“Easy. Chick-fil-A sandwiches. And I would eat every single one of them. Crawlin’ up and down the walls like Spiderman.”
Mrs. Panther, Atlanta GA/Westport CTAge and Occupation: 24, Web WriterFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Music Recording EngineerEngagement Date: March 13, 2010Wedding Date: July 2011Venue: The Inn at LongshoreAbout Me: I'm a total goofball who goes through life at a breakneck pace, trying not to knock anything over. I tend to fall in love with everything I encounter, but more than anything, I love my two little kitties, Bela and Josie, and my big kitty, Mr. Panther! As a wannabe crafter, I'm still waiting for my artistic talents to emerge. (Any day now, really.) In the meantime, I spend my days eating anything put in front of me, buying every pair of shoes I see and absorbing wedding inspiration from every inch of my surroundings. Mr. Panther and I are hardcore New Englanders planning Connecticut nuptials from our new home in the Dirty South, and can't wait to mix our newfound love of classic Southern charm with some modern city touches.
Ugh. You guys, I thought when we finally found Mr. Panther’s suit, the groom apparel dilemmas would be over. But of course, I was wrong. Wrong, wrong again.
Mr. Panther still needs shoes. And I thought that would be easy. He just needs something stylish, formal and streamlined. Ideally, a black leather wingtip oxford with a slightly squared toe. NBD, right?
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."
Wedding ceremonies, to me, have great opportunities for instrumental music: for seating, for processing, for performances, recessionals, even for post-wedding videos.
I listen to a lot of instrumental music, so I thought I’d share a few secular favorites.
1. Perpetuum Mobile - Penguin Cafe. Silly name, awesome orchestra.
Mrs. Hermit Crab, New York, NYAge and Occupation: 24, Youth Director soon to be Grad StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Medical Student - soon to be Surgery ResidentEngagement Date: October 11, 2008Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: New York Botanical GardenAbout Me: I love all things food, books, our furbaby, Rashi, and adventures with my amazing fiance (oh, and saving the world!). This summer I will not only be a bride, but a bridesmaid, officiant, and attendee as well---it's all about weddings in my life right now, full of so many exciting moments and projects. We're planning a fab New York City wedding weekend full of family, love and lots of color!
I love those pictures that people get at their weddings of the whole group, but at nearly 300 guests, that was simply not an option! We were so lucky to be surrounded by loving friends and family, many whom we had spent the last three years far away from in Syracuse, and the wedding was a giant reunion! I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you a few of my favorite photos of friends and family who came to share the day with us!
This one and the next are two of my favorite photos in sequence! They’re good friends from my childhood and we’re all spread out now.
Miss Carousel, Dusseldorf, Germany/Garda, ItalyAge and Occupation: 29, International Product ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Front End DeveloperEngagement Date: May 29, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: I’m an American-Italian girl living in Germany with my Belgian fiancé, planning a wedding in Italy. I can’t wait to show our guests the wonderful Lake Garda, Verona, and want our wedding to be a fun filled, charming, day in the life of “La dolce vita.” Mr. C and I love spending time together, and have added wedding related activities to our cooking nights, dance lessons, and road trips. We love sampling restaurants, could listen to Sinatra all day, and are just a tad geeky and into technology. As we want all of our passions to be part of our marriage, what better way to start than by incorporating them in our wedding day?
At least is was for us! But it wasn’t love at first sight. We met at work in 2007, but in the beginning we were just colleagues who barely knew each other. I don’t even remember the first time we met! At the time I was still working in Milan and he was in Brussels.
But when I got promoted and relocated to Germany, suddenly we were working together a lot more! That was when I became infatuated with Mr. Carousel. I realised that he was not only an excellent worker, but also a sweet, funny, and good person.
However, I was trying hard to hide my crush since I didn’t want to come off as unprofessional. And, as any good developer, Mr. Carousel was so focused on his tasks that he didn’t notice a thing. (Me becoming as red as a tomato every time he’d catch me looking at him? Nothing. My thoughts wandering every time we’d have a conversation and having to ask him multiple times to repeat himself? He thought he was bad at explaining things.)
And then came the night that changed our lives: Mr. Carousel was in Germany for work and asked some colleagues out for dinner. As fate would have it, everyone else had plans, so it was only him and me. Our work dinner turned out to be the best first date either of us had: we had such a great time that it came naturally to end the evening with a kiss.
We then started dating and after a magical weekend in Amsterdam we were totally in love with each other. We have been together since February 2009 and, tired of the back and forth our long-distance relationship entailed, we moved in together in November 2009. He proposed in May 2010, but that’s another story.
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!
Mr. Crepe’s brother is a student at culinary school and made this beautiful cheesecake for everyone at Christmas. We have been talking about having this in place of a wedding cake. I am obsessed with cake but Mr. Crepe isn’t a fan (I know, WHAT?) so this is a great compromise.
I am so excited about the possibility of including special touches by people who love us and this would is the perfect way to do that. Right now, BIL Crepe has decided he’s going to be making 10 of these and my only request is that one of them be a New York style cheesecake. Holla.
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. 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, a Sunday afternoon wedding in the May sunshine sounds gorgeous, right? I mean, even if you don’t think so you can surely imagine why I might. I’m going to pretend you are all nodding and smiling right now. Let’s keep going.
So right, gorgeous idea. Except… if it rains. Now, our venue has an excellent rain plan. If you recall, our reception will be in a permanent pavilion structure behind the B&B. Here’s a refresher.
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!
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.
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.
Any wine maker worth their merlot will tell you harvesting is the first step in wine production. For our DIY project, we followed a similar path…only we’re harvesting bottles instead of grapes!
Ffffwooosh, Napa countryside whizzing past on our way to another winery
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
This one and the next are two of my favorite photos in sequence! They’re good friends from my childhood and we’re all spread out now.
