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.
Nine years ago, on this very day, Zeb wrapped his arms around me. Butterflies collided, my knees grew weary, and something changed. Something special had happened after our first date at the Providence Place Mall, right before he asked me out…online. I fell in love before I even knew I had the capability. Today, 494 days after his birthday proposal surprise, we return to Providence to say the most meaningful words we’ll say in our entire life. Today, we finally get married. Read more…
WatercoolerFeature Launched: July 1, 2007About: The most discussed posts of the week.
The shop is chock full of practical favors, and one of our sure-to-be-a-hit favorites are wine stoppers. We’ve got wine stopper for any theme or taste…check out our favorites! This week, take 10% off everything in the Weddingbee Favors Shop with code 5205TEN!
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.
I thought once my dress came in, I’d have my jewelry figured out. I mean, the wedding is in four months. That’s practically four weeks in wedding-land. But I haven’t been slackin’—I’ve tried, honest!
Before the dress arrived, I purchased some J. Crew pieces. When we visited Priscilla of Boston to pick up the girls’ dresses and I slipped on Wallis with the J. Crew earrings and bracelet, but the metal finish and rectangle shape didn’t go.
Mrs. Ostrich, San Francisco/HawaiiAge and Occupation: 30, Fashion Buyer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 38, CopywriterEngagement Date: October 4, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: Sweet ceremony by the sea and sunset celebration on the North Shore of HawaiiAbout Me: Born in the city of angels and residing in the city by the bay, I’m a fearless fashion buyer by day, a passionate blog author by night and a dreamy bride-to-be in between. I thank my lucky stars to live in such a stunning city that gives me gifts like organic honey lavender ice cream, movie nights in the park, tucked away beaches, legendary record stores, '80s dance parties, awesome sports teams, stellar flea markets, and vintage bookshops. Oh, and I love to dance! We always find every excuse to escape to the beach, and decided a little seaside wedding in Hawaii is our idea of bliss. Full of our favorite people, music, food and sparkly lights, this is one sunset celebration we will always remember.
I use it to escape to a world that’s more f*#cked up than my petty wedding woes and POOF! just like that—my shame cave vanishes and I go to my zen bride happy place. And then I work on my DIY projects. Dark and twisty…and it totally works.
So lately, as the stress has piled up THIS HIGH, I’ve been into Grey’s Anatomy {season 6)…because watching a life full of gunshot wounds, shattered bones, mystery illnesses, and life or death choices makes me realize my life, and our wedding, is pretty freakin’ awesome. And while the heart transplants, amputations and brain surgeries flash before me, I snip my vintage ribbons, tie pretty bows around my palm leaf fans and make supremely cool signs for our wedding.
This girl has no heart and it’s New Year’s Eve. = *hangs head in shame* I AM AN UNGRATEFUL BRIDE!
So this past week, I was in full DIY mode and made a few signs on Photoshop that will be framed and peppered throughout our wedding. Wanna check ’em out? Read more…
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.
After my surprisingly successful experience at home, I was really eager to get back into a bridal salon. The idea of finding “The Dress” was slowly taking over my bridal brain. I found inspiration everywhere. I would scour the pages of magazines and pick apart every red carpet event that happened to be on TV. When the Fall and Pre-fall collections hit the runway at NYC Fashion Week, I was glued to the computer every morning for the recaps and photos. It was during these few weeks of insanity, that I began to develop a syndrome that I like to call, “Fat Pockets Fantasy.”
This is what happens when I see, oh, a $12,000 Oscar de la Renta gown and don’t even question how I will afford such a thing. Oh, no. Money will literally start to grow in my wallet until I can take it home with me. I can totally afford it. I can feel my pockets getting fatter by the minute.
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!
Life is extremely crazy at the moment. Most days I feel like a little leaf being swept along by a raging river. There are very big wedding items I need to tackle, but my brain and body are a bit too exhausted to put an energy towards it at the moment. Several people involved in the ceremony have started asking me questions about it and I seriously have had nothing to share with them. No ideas. Nothing. Until this morning.
Luckily, I don’t have to go into work until this afternoon today. I finally had a moment to sleep in and snuggle with Mr Waffle (who just got back from 3 months in LA). The moment was so perfect. The morning sunlight was seeping in, diffused by the curtains and everything was still. I could hear the silent whisper of the AC and Waffle’s breathing. So still and so peaceful. I looked up at him in that perfect moment and he didn’t even have to say anything. The smile in his eyes said “I love you,” and I laid my head back down for a few more moments of peaceful sweetness.
I wanted to bottle that moment up and keep it with me forever. Read more…
BeehiveFeature Launched: Aug 31, 2006About: A forum for readers to post questions and get feedback from the hive, aka the weddingbee community.
Catch up on the entire After “I Do” series here! And if you have a burning question you’d like to see discussed, submit it here!
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What’s the biggest way you’ve changed personally now that you’re married? How did this change come about?
Since getting married, I’ve gotten better at budgeting and at keeping up with our household. I used to charge things on my credit card willy-nilly and then feel guilty about it later when I had no idea what my bank balance was. Now I set a monthly budget and stick to it (mostly). As for the household, I recently was introduced to a website (warning—it’s a little cheesy) that helps to break chores down into daily routines that are manageable. I’ve never found anything before that has kept my house so clean! I guess those are pretty shallow changes, but I think that I’ve changed in these ways because marriage has made me less selfish. I really want what’s best for us as a family now, and not just what works for me. I feel like, even more than before, a part of a team. 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.
Today we’re rounding out the invitation talk by taking a look at the belly bands. These were another element that I DIYed for the invites. First, I should admit something. I didn’t even know what a belly band was until I found you all. Of course, I also didn’t know about pocketfolds or the wonderful world of paper. So, consider yourselves instrumental in my education.
Anyway, back to the belly bands. I knew I loved them, and I knew I wanted them. They give such a finished polished look in my opinion. But, I also knew I didn’t want to buy them. Which left me, my cardstock, my paper trimmer, and my nonexistent design skills. Alone together again.
This time I took a stab at things on my own. Using the monogram I had made and a wingding heart font, I pieced this together and printed them out on 80 lb white cardstock.
One by one I cut them apart with the paper cutter. (Because I can’t cut in a straight line to save my soul. That’s the truth.) Read more…
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!
Remember that cake deal I told you about at Sugarland? Well, I went there recently with my work mom. If you don’t have a work mom, you should totally get one. She is someone I work with (obviously), but I love her so much! She is so fun to work with and so generous and kind. I don’t remember how the term “work mom” came up, but I think she said something like “I’m old enough to be your mom!” So now she is my work mom—yay!
Anyway, we went to Sugarland to taste the cakes. Mr. Magic and I had already tried them (last December), and he was out of town. Plus, Work Mom had offered to buy us our wedding cake as our present!!!
But when we got there, we were greeted by the wedding-cake consultant with this:
Mrs. Ribbons, Washington D.C./Bloomington, INAge and Occupation: 23, Research Associate for an international development firmFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Proposal Coordinator for contractor
Engagement Date: May 2, 2008Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Indiana Memorial UnionAbout Me: I'm an Indiana transplant living in DC with my fiance and our pretty kitty. I enjoy the color pink, I'm obsessed with the Dior New Look and tulle, and I heart my level 80 paladin. I'm a sucker for bad TV, literary theory, and cakes of all persuasion. I also happen to be marrying the cutest closet nerd around! It's all about Bloomington for us because it's where we met -- on the college paper. If there's a theme for our small summertime wedding, it's Dior meets Dorothy Draper on a lark in Bloomington; think poofy, plus graphic prints, bold colors, and a whole lot of prettiness.
I am way overdue for a goodbye. I started blogging for Weddingbee last January. Our first anniversary is coming in June! It’s time.
A lot has happened since I got married. Ribs got a job in Brooklyn and we’ve been living here for a few months now. I still have my old job, but I’m working on a prettifying-business of my own and interning at an online shelter mag. 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.
Fair warning: I’m truly ecstatic about my upcoming nuptials, despite what you read in this post. Also, I probably sound annoying and whiny. If so, I’m sorry.
Miss Zebra’s post earlier this week really got me thinking and opened up a can of worms regarding my reception emotions as of late. At some point in the wedding planning, wedding regrets always occur. A year ago, when I was freshly engaged, I dreamed of a hotel ballroom wedding. Growing up, I remember thinking that my venue was the height of opulence. I had Sunday brunch there every week and never believed I’d be able to have my wedding at such a beautiful place.
But of course, my tastes changed at a fast clip in the first few months of my engagement. After I found blogs such as SMP, Snippet and Ink, Green Wedding Shoes, and the plethora of others, I yearned for a wedding that was in a lush, outside environment. Unfortunately, such a venue doesn’t exist within 25 miles of my church that could accommodate our number of guests. I live in a state known for its outdoor beauty, yet we can’t have our wedding outside because there’s too darn many of us. Read more…
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!
Before I went dress shopping, I had decided that I didn’t want a veil. I’ve always liked birdcage veils, but I wasn’t sure I could pull one off. I didn’t like the look of most regular veils because I like to think I’m nontraditional, and I didn’t want anything covering up my face and/or getting in the way.
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.
One of the cool things about blogging about your wedding is that after you’ve been doing it for a while, you really get to see the evolution of your ideas as they bloom.
And then I bought a dress. And then I bought another dress. And then I bought another dress. While all three dresses were fairly simple, they all had enough detail that I thought the necklace would be overkill.
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!
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
Since getting married, I’ve gotten better at budgeting and at keeping up with our household. I used to charge things on my credit card willy-nilly and then feel guilty about it later when I had no idea what my bank balance was. Now I set a monthly budget and stick to it (mostly). As for the household, I recently was introduced to a website (warning—it’s a little cheesy) that helps to break chores down into daily routines that are manageable. I’ve never found anything before that has kept my house so clean! I guess those are pretty shallow changes, but I think that I’ve changed in these ways because marriage has made me less selfish. I really want what’s best for us as a family now, and not just what works for me. I feel like, even more than before, a part of a team.
