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?
Did you also tune in this morning to avidly watch the wedding of the century? Yeah, me too - and I enjoyed it much more than I expected!
My eyes were glued to the TV trying to take it all in: the elegant guests, the arrival of Prince William with his brother Harry (so handsome, both of them), the arrival of the parents (did you as well initially mistake Kate’s mother for her sister? I totally did—and BTW I loved her pale blue coat) and finally seeing Kate in THE dress!
I was all, “Ahh,” when Prince William whispered, “You look beautiful,” and she broke into a smile, as it gave a glimpse past the formality of the occasion into the love between two people. I found the vows moving and felt a bit of envy that their day had arrived while ours is still months away!
Mrs. Snow Cone, Pittsburgh/Johnstown, PAAge and Occupation: 23, Public Health Graduate StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, EngineerEngagement Date: April 9, 2010Wedding Date: August 2011Venue: OMOS Church ceremony/Sunnehanna Country Club receptionAbout Me: I’m one of the lucky ones---I met my future husband at the ripe old age of 13, started dating him as a mature woman of 15, and have been enjoying the ride ever since. Here we are, 8 years later, living in Pittsburgh, planning a "homestination" wedding in the place our school romance began---Johnstown, PA. I thrive on talking a mile a minute, eating my weight in chocolate, and internet shopping. I love a lengthy to-do list almost as much as I love a healthy amount of chaos in my life. Mr. Snow Cone and I watch countless episodes of Friends and The West Wing on repeat, root for rival college sports teams, and make each other laugh each and every day. We’re putting together a small-town wedding with a big personality and a classically modern (or modernly classic?) look for 250 of our closest family and friends. It’s been 8+ years in the making, and sometimes I still can’t believe I’m finally getting to marry my high school sweetheart!
The last time I discussed my W-day shoes, I was in a bit of a pickle. Mr. Snow Cone voted for flats, but I was skeptical that I’d actually be able to find wedding-worthy shoes of the flat variety. After oodles and oodles of online shopping hours, I finally came across some serious contenders. Thanks to Zappos’s 365-day free-return policy, I decided to pull the trigger and purchase a few pairs to see how they measured up in person.
Mrs. Pony, Bloomington, ILAge and Occupation: 25, AttorneyFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 22, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Mackinaw Valley Vineyard; Bloomington Center for the Performing ArtsAbout Me: I found my Southern counterpart in law school and since he popped the question last March, we have been busy graduating, job searching, bar taking, and wedding planning. My loves include must see TV, magnets, quotes, anything green, my car, fun socks, the Cubs, and my Mr. Together we love wine, playing outside, and exploring the world together. Stay tuned to see our Midwest wedding full of Southern charm, vintage flair, lots of DIY details, and a whole lot o’ wine.
After the somewhat frustrating turn of events from my last dress-shopping experience, I waited about two months before considering shopping for a dress again. But, I started getting antsy when I realized we were less than nine months away from the wedding and I hadn’t made any progress on picking out a dress.
Since Mr. Pony and I were planning to visit MOH E and her husband in Indianapolis for our annual Midnight DVD Release Party for the newest installment of the Twilight saga (everyone does this, right?), I thought I should check if there were any stores close that sold Paloma Blanca gowns. Luckily for me, a brand new store, Blue House Bridal, had just opened near Indy that carried Paloma gowns.
Mrs. Seashell, Chicago, IL / Providence, RIAge and Occupation: 28, Marriage and Family TherapistFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Electrical EngineerEngagement Date: September 3, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: The Glen Manor HouseAbout Me: Fonts and fashion, stationery and Sundays, photography and french toast... the beauty is in the details for this fun-loving Chicagoan who loves to plan plan plan! The soon-to-be hubs plays "Mr. Fix-It" in our new condo while I swoon over beautiful, personalized stationery and choose shades of aubergine for my bridesmaids' dresses... and thus begins my new fairy tale! Skirting to the East Coast for our September nuptials where my home state of Rhode Island awaits with fall foliage, I'm just a few dress fittings and bachelorette party away from saying "I Do" to a very happy ending!
I think this is my absolute, undeniably, holycrap, let’s-make-a-gallery-wrap-out-of-you favorite wedding photo. It’s been my desktop background for a while now and I don’t see that changing any time soon. This is one of those photos that 100% completely confirms why you chose the wedding photographer you did - when a photo takes your breath away you know you’re onto something good. Read more…
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.
Before our last meeting at Greenville Country Club, we had a list of burning questions. Yesterday we met again with our venue coordinator to square away those pesky 30-day-out details and put out the embers of those aforementioned questions. So what did we figure out?
Set-up
1. Yes! to a sparkler send-off!!! Now we have to decide how to fit a sparkler send-off into the evening without disrupting the flow. The common sense approach (suggested by Linda) is to round everyone up at the very end of the night. That way they’re already set to go, outside and waiting for the shuttles. Two birds, one stone! (This scenario leaves us without a photographed send-off or extending the photographers’ stay by 1.5 hours.)
Mr. PaC measuring for lantern height on the terrace
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.
Sorry, sorry! I couldn’t resist one last STD joke before retiring the acronym from my vocabulary. It’s true, our Save the Date’s are DOOOONE! I have never felt so relieved in my entire life. Except maybe that time at Lollapalooza when I convinced security to let me in the VIP bathroom.
Anywaaay, I know they aren’t perfect and I know I’m sending them out about three months too late… but guess what?
I. Don’t. Care.
I worked my butt off on these babies, and I’m pretty proud of them. So for the last time (and in their finished glory), our STD’s:
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!
Do you and your significant other believe in unconditional love?
This was a theme that came up in our pre-wedding counselling last week, and it was one that struck a chord with us. Like with most aspects of our pre-wedding counselling, you could take this question and manipulate it to suit your beliefs, be it from a religious perspective or just confined to your own relationship.
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.
Mr. Starfish and I entered the reception to U2’s Beautiful Day. After the gorgeous day we had, it couldn’t have been more fitting. After our introduction, we went right into our first dance. The first dance didn’t end up as expected. Mr. Starfish was against dance lessons and planned to throw in his own moves. When we started to dance, we both realized it wouldn’t be as easy as we thought.
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.
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.
Ms. Ferris Wheel, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 29, PsychologistFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, PsychologistEngagement Date: May 23 and 28, 2010 (one for each of us!)Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Parc55 Hotel (city lights ceremony, ballroom reception)About Me: Born in the Southeast, educated in the Northeast, and over-educated on the West Coast, I finally earned my city-girl credentials and have put down roots in gorgeous San Francisco. I’m a raging perfectionist with a lightning quick wit and a terrible sense of both time and direction. Our wedding task list is endlessly growing because of my predilection to think that DIY projects I can make = DIY projects I should make (so not true!). I always go to bed wishing there were more hours in the day to enjoy all the things I adore, whether that be hobbies, friends, my career, our two dogs, or Mr. Ferris Wheel. Ours is a story of a non-traditional couple living an oddly traditional life planning a not-so-traditional wedding in this city we adore. Together we are bustin’ out all of our best skills (and some of our worst ones) to plan a laid-back-chic DIY-craftastic love-alicious affair!
How do you create a wedding budget? No, seriously, how in the world do you decide how much to spend on your wedding when you have no idea how much weddings cost, how much you can afford to spend, or what needs to be included in the total? Frankly, I have absolutely no freaking idea. This budgeting tale of ours that I’m about to spin is by no means a “suggested method” of creating a wedding budget. It’s just the random, kinda messed up, pretty-useful-but-not-perfect way that we went about it.
Ms. Gazelle, Calgary/VancouverAge and Occupation: 32, EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Technology AnalystEngagement Date: September 3, 2010Wedding Date: July 2011Venue: Brock House Restaurant, VancouverAbout Me: I am a marathon runner, cyclist, Ironman triathlete and beautiful shoe fiend who also loves kicking back and watching Glee. I grew up a bit of a nomad as I traveled around the world with my family, living everywhere from Australia to England to South America and Indonesia. I finally settled in Calgary a few years ago and met Mr. Gazelle who loves me even though we cheer for different hockey teams. We are planning a bit of a destination wedding in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia and we can’t wait to share the day with our close family and friends.
I am slowly but surely getting ready to start making our invitations. I’ve ordered the paper supplies, RSVP postcards, and various bits and bobs. Everything should be here in the next week or so, and then it will be time to get to work!
I decided on a covert plan to identify any RSVP cards that may come back without any respondents’ names. I ordered a black-light pen! I plan to number each RSVP card in invisible ink and keep a numbered list of our guests. That way if we get any blank RSVPs back, we’ll know who they belong to.
I bought mine from Glow Products, a company located in Canada. It retails for the low, low price of $2.25 (plus tax and shipping), and it is a pen and light combo all in one. Apparently it comes in a variety of fun colours?
Well, my pen just arrived in the mail, and I had to chuckle as I pulled it out of the envelope.
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!
During our planning, our wedding invitations have been my baby. I have rounded each corner with love. When I found out the address stickers on the RSVP cards had our zip code wrong, I cried as Mr. H and I disassembled each invitation. I can picture that proud moment as each invitation, ready to take on the world, leaves our nest and arrives in each guest’s mailbox…
And I adamantly did NOT want to do save the dates. I planned to skip them entirely; that is, until the week of Thanksgiving 2010, when I found out no one—friends, family, bridesmaids, groomsmen—knew when the wedding is.
By the time I realized that I had to do save the dates if we wanted people to not plan their vacations during our wedding, we were already past the less-than-six-months-to-go mark. After pouring all my time and energy into “my baby,” I just wanted to get the save the dates designed, get those puppies out, and be done with ‘em as quickly as possible. So I did just that.
Mrs. Snow Cone, Pittsburgh/Johnstown, PAAge and Occupation: 23, Public Health Graduate StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, EngineerEngagement Date: April 9, 2010Wedding Date: August 2011Venue: OMOS Church ceremony/Sunnehanna Country Club receptionAbout Me: I’m one of the lucky ones---I met my future husband at the ripe old age of 13, started dating him as a mature woman of 15, and have been enjoying the ride ever since. Here we are, 8 years later, living in Pittsburgh, planning a "homestination" wedding in the place our school romance began---Johnstown, PA. I thrive on talking a mile a minute, eating my weight in chocolate, and internet shopping. I love a lengthy to-do list almost as much as I love a healthy amount of chaos in my life. Mr. Snow Cone and I watch countless episodes of Friends and The West Wing on repeat, root for rival college sports teams, and make each other laugh each and every day. We’re putting together a small-town wedding with a big personality and a classically modern (or modernly classic?) look for 250 of our closest family and friends. It’s been 8+ years in the making, and sometimes I still can’t believe I’m finally getting to marry my high school sweetheart!
More often than not, wedding planning gets misconstrued as one giant series of tasks, needing to be checked off in the proper order according to the proper timeline. Sure, that works in some instances, as you’ll probably find yourself SOL if you try to book a photographer 48 hours before the big day, for example. Pretty much every wedding-planning website out there gives you a lovingly detailed to-do list, walking you through the process. Don’t get me wrong—I appreciate that help and guidance. But allow me to throw a minor temper tantrum at this point in time.
Everything with wedding planning seems so…binary. You either have the task completed, or you don’t. You have the contract signed, or you don’t. You have your caterer booked and your menu established, or you don’t. Yes, no, yes, no. Success, fail, success, fail. Why are there no opportunities for congratulatory feedback when you’ve knocked off part of a task? No to-do list that I’ve seen ever states a task like “Narrow down your florist options to three or fewer.” Instead, you get “Research florists” and “Book florist”…um, no. There are more than two steps to each of these phases, at least in my mind. How about a little partial credit?! Read more…
Mrs. Pony, Bloomington, ILAge and Occupation: 25, AttorneyFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 22, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Mackinaw Valley Vineyard; Bloomington Center for the Performing ArtsAbout Me: I found my Southern counterpart in law school and since he popped the question last March, we have been busy graduating, job searching, bar taking, and wedding planning. My loves include must see TV, magnets, quotes, anything green, my car, fun socks, the Cubs, and my Mr. Together we love wine, playing outside, and exploring the world together. Stay tuned to see our Midwest wedding full of Southern charm, vintage flair, lots of DIY details, and a whole lot o’ wine.
I am not an expert on how to operate a successful bridal salon, but I have watched my fair share of dress shows on TV and I have observed a thing or two while shopping for myself and with other girls at various bridal salons. This, plus my many years of sales experience with our family business and in retail commission sales makes me recognize and appreciate excellent customer service that much more.
So, bridal salons, pull up a chair and listen as I dole out a couple of tips to help you stop pissing off potential customers and start making more sales.
Use proper phone manners. This advice is important for all businesses, but I think it is especially pertinent for potential wedding vendors. A phone call is the first contact a potential customer has with your business. A negative attitude, uninterested employee, or unhelpful staff can be a huge turnoff. I canceled an appointment for a bridal salon whilst making it because the person operating the phone was such a bitch. Someone helpful, accommodating, understanding, and happy on the other end of the phone makes all the difference to this phone-fearing bride.
Mr. Starfish and I entered the reception to U2’s Beautiful Day. After the gorgeous day we had, it couldn’t have been more fitting. After our introduction, we went right into our first dance. The first dance didn’t end up as expected. Mr. Starfish was against dance lessons and planned to throw in his own moves. When we started to dance, we both realized it wouldn’t be as easy as we thought.
