Mrs. Seal, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 25, Personal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Sales and Support SpecialistEngagement Date: December 12, 2009Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Sts Peter and Paul Church/The Bently ReserveAbout Me: I am a goofy, wannabe crafty, well-intentioned Renaissance Woman (OK, perhaps "aimless wanderer" is a more aptly suited term for me, but hopefully you get the point)—basically I dabble in just about everything and pride myself in such. Without warning, I occasionally breakout into soulful improvised songs and interpretive dances and there's just no stopping me! As so many others before me, planning our wedding has unearthed a deep, intense passion for all things bridal and I secretly fear the day it will come to an end. Mr. Seal and I are quite the pair and life with him by my side is extremely rewarding—I am so thankful to have found him. Together we are planning a black-tie San Francisco affair for 250—light on the stuffiness and with lots of extra Seal-y flair.
Disclaimer: I am not encouraging the use of tobacco, nor am I attempting to glamorize smoking. I am very well aware of the terrifying statistics. These are just my opinions, so take them for what they are worth: not much. I am not an advocate of smoking—just a silly person getting married.
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!
When people find out you’re engaged, it’s pretty common for them to ask you “when you knew”—that is, at what exact moment you discovered/decided/realized that he was the one you want to marry. We’ve been engaged for over 12 months now, and I’ve received this question more than a handful of times. Early in our engagement, I was a little bummed that I didn’t have one specific moment. I mean, we’ve been dating or engaged for over eight years now! Condensing all of that down into one perspective-changing moment seems to cheapen all of the days we’ve committed to this relationship. However, I wasn’t happy with my lack of an answer to these inquisitive acquaintances, so I thought back on our relationship, and I came up with three key moments. I don’t know if I would say that I “knew” at each of these moments, but they were definite game-changers, for sure.
Moment 1: November 2007. We were sophomores in high school. My dad suffered some sort of “episode,” for lack of a better term. We never really figured out what caused it, but the short version is that he turned gray, passed out, and spent the next 24 hours in the hospital. Everything turned out to be fine, and he’s been in good health ever since, but the handful of hours between when we left the restaurant and when my mom called to say everything was OK were some of the hardest of my young-adult life. The silver lining? Mr. Snow Cone responded perfectly to the entire situation. He was practically out the door and on his way to my house before I could even finish the story of what had happened. He gave me just the right blend of support and space, letting me cope on my own terms, my own time. Even though I was only 16 years old, I still remember that, at that moment, I realized this was not some average high school boyfriend nor some average high school relationship; it was something more.
Personal photo of us during our sophomore winter formal, two months after Moment 1
Mrs. Tartlet, Rochester, MIAge and Occupation: Age & Occupation: 27, Post-Doctoral Research FellowFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 2, 2009Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: The Royal Park HotelAbout Me: I'm an exuberant gal from the Midwest with a penchant for Neuroscience and anything sparkly. I'm not afraid to poke fun at myself, and I'm a believer that given the right pair of shoes, a girl can conquer the world. While an interest in the sciences threw Mr. Tartlet and me together (again, and again, until it finally stuck), we share a love for many things---food, video games, car dancing, food, bad puns, travel, did I mention food?---that ultimately led us to where we are now, less than five months from becoming Mr. and Mrs. We're planning a laid-back, romantic, garden-inspired affair with organic and quirky touches that reflect our love for the unexpected!
After many a past hair calamity, I made darn sure to schedule a trial prior to our wedding day. I deliberated between a handful of styles, and thanks to the input my besties and the Hive settled on the soft, loose updo. The half-up-half-down was an equally strong contender until I was reminded on a brief, glorious 70 degree day here that my back sweats excessively when I get warm. Hair plastered to my neck and back = no bueno. My appointment at Posh Studio ended up being a double-whammy with my makeup trial scheduled the same evening. I wanted a fresh and natural look with just a hint of color:
I also coveted a shimmery, sun-kissed glow that the oh-so-lovely Rachel Bilson pulls off to perfection: 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.
After I boldly declared our red and green color scheme, I began thinking about adding an accent color to the mix. Accent colors can add a pop of unexpected fun or elegance while adding depth to the colors already in the mix. In our case, I was just hoping an accent color would help our wedding look less like a Christmas party and more like a wedding.
First, I decided to add white as an accent color. This one was pretty easy. I don’t think I have been to a wedding where white/ivory wasn’t involved somewhere. It kinda goes with the territory, so to speak.
But adding white did not help alleviate the feeling that Santa is coming to town.
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!
Back in my high school days, I wanted to be a journalist. I was working a crummy job as a sacker at a grocery store, and at 16 I was already over it. I wanted a job that would get me places, dammit!
So I found a local newspaper and got myself hired as a copy editor. I loved everything about working there, so when I went off to college, the first thing I did was apply to work at the campus newspaper as well. I realized soon enough I loved editing more than reporting, and that all these reporting classes were not up my alley at all, so I switched majors. I never did get the newspaper bug out of my system, though; there’s something about it that I love! Maybe we’ll incorporate some into the wedding, maybe not. But I had to look and see what ideas are out there.
A cute purse to hold all your wedding-day essentials? Ecoist has TONS of ’em created from recycled newspapers, candy wrappers, snack bags, etc. I actually have this little newspaper clutch already…
Mrs. Jam, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 25, Writer/Associate Wedding CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Structural EngineerEngagement Date: December 23, 2009Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Hunter’s Ridge, Princeton, ILAbout Me: I’m a penny-pinching cat lady getting ready to marry the frugal dog lover of my dreams. Our ideal Saturday morning includes rummaging around people’s junk at garage and estate sales followed by an afternoon date to our favorite café, where we only eat sandwiches that include the word “salad.” We actually love it so much, it’s sort of our unofficial wedding theme: Look at our delicious finds, eat homemade ham salad, and celebrate our love…barndance style. When we’re not obsessing over our love-fest shindig, we’re planning themed parties for our best friends and jamming to '90s music.
Mr. Jam and I consider ourselves very, very lucky in the wedding party department. Here we have 10 mind-bogglingly unique personalities that really make us better people and add a dose of fierceness to our lives. And you know what? We think it’s our duty to honor that…in our own way, of course.
*OK, our darling Weddingbee-obsessed bridesmaids: If you want to be surprised about your picked-with-love accessories for the big day, move on to celeb gossip blogs. If not…don’t say I didn’t warn you.*
You know how Mr. Jam and I love hitting up all sortsof sales and kitschy shops, right? And we go as often as humanly possibly? Well, we’ve been on a secret mission for the last few months: mismatched-yet-cohesive bridesmaid accessories. Read more…
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.
Mrs. Cardigan, AustinAge and Occupation: 21, Student/Soon-to-be Special Education TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 20, Student/Soon-to-be Accounting Systems AnalystEngagement Date: August 16, 2009Wedding Date: January 2011Venue: Vintage VillasAbout Me: I'm a native Austinite who was raised as a die-hard Aggie. Luckily, I'm a pretty persuasive girl because I managed to convince my high school boyfriend (now fiance!), Mr. Cardigan, to ditch his hardcore Longhorn ways and join me up at A&M, where we currently reside with our adorable dogs, Cullen & Ranger. We're currently planning a bright, cheery wedding with a ridiculous amount of DIY projects that I can't wait to tackle! I love crafting in any form, reading, and margaritas (I think I love them the most!). Organization is what keeps me sane and I love helping others, which is probably why I ended up as an education major. It gets a little chaotic sometimes when you're planning a wedding among all of the papers, projects, finals, and certification exams, but we're having the time of our lives and we can't wait to get started on our journey as husband and wife - and we're so excited to share our wedding with the hive!
Before we get into the ceremony itself, I thought it would be nice to show you what the ceremony room looked like all set up.
I was very insistent on wanting to keep the ceremony room very simple - there are huge windows with gorgeous views of the lake, and the architecture in the room is beautiful, so I didn’t want to detract from any of that. I’m so, so glad we decided to keep it simple, because I loved the way it turned out!
Those stupid, evil flower balls took so. much. time to put together, but I absolutely loved how they looked in the room.
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!
Here’s the thing, hive: I have so much to tell you. I mean seriously. I’m such a bad blogger. I’ve been here since October and have yet to tell you about our wedding bands, our wedding venue, our officiant, the food (ohhh man, the food!!), our musicians, the cake, the 40 dozen pastries we’re serving, our invitations, the millions of signage that matches our invites, the plus one conundrum (which isn’t what you’d think), my dress (which I’ve purposely kept under wraps), Daddy Giraffe trying to buy flip flops, my shoes, the shower, my other shoes, the honeymoon, my list of bridal FAILs, and so so so much more. I’ve been too busy talking about my nails… oh, and speaking of which, I have more things to say about my nails. Look out for that.
But am I blogging about any of that stuff today? Nope. Now, I’m sure that you’re dying to hear about our wedding venue (which is quite important), but guess what? Welllll, it’s time for the… Read more…
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!
As the weeks keep speeding by, Mr. Jaguar and I have started to realise that we don’t have quite as much time to ‘do wedding stuff’ as we thought—so instead of putting things off until a little later, we’re doing them now, now, now. First thing on the agenda? Finding him a ring.
I had ring-insecurity back in the day because of my large fingers—Mr. Jaguar had the opposite problem. He’s quite tall and lanky, as are his fingers, but he has one other quirk: he has really wide knuckles. It basically means that he’s never worn a piece of jewellery in his life, because either a) the ring is too big and swims on his finger, or b) the ring is too tight and he struggles getting it off again over his knuckle.
First things first: what style did he want? I wear white gold and my wedding bands are both platinum, so if we wanted to match, white gold or a silvery-metal would be an obvious choice. But since Mr. Jaguar doesn’t wear jewellery, I wanted him to pick something that he felt comfortable with. We tried on a few two-tone pieces, some different textured metals, and he kept going back to the same thing: a simple, white-gold band. That was that: he got sized properly, the ring was altered, and we walked out an hour later with his wedding band in tow.
Mrs. Seal, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 25, Personal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Sales and Support SpecialistEngagement Date: December 12, 2009Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Sts Peter and Paul Church/The Bently ReserveAbout Me: I am a goofy, wannabe crafty, well-intentioned Renaissance Woman (OK, perhaps "aimless wanderer" is a more aptly suited term for me, but hopefully you get the point)—basically I dabble in just about everything and pride myself in such. Without warning, I occasionally breakout into soulful improvised songs and interpretive dances and there's just no stopping me! As so many others before me, planning our wedding has unearthed a deep, intense passion for all things bridal and I secretly fear the day it will come to an end. Mr. Seal and I are quite the pair and life with him by my side is extremely rewarding—I am so thankful to have found him. Together we are planning a black-tie San Francisco affair for 250—light on the stuffiness and with lots of extra Seal-y flair.
Mr. Seal and I are a great duo. I know I am seriously biased, but I mean it. Most of our arguments are about the same things (I’m messy, he’s stubborn), but we understand the key to a successful relationship: compromise!
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.
Wedding colors are one of the most important wedding decisions couples make. These colors show up in every aspect of the wedding and can give your wedding an overall theme and ambiance. So it makes sense that brides (…and grooms?) spend a decent amount of time and energy developing their color schemes.
Yeah. We didn’t do that.
Our colors didn’t speak to us. We didn’t have any divine inspiration. I kind of just declared what our colors would be. I love green. I also love red.
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!
Picking a color palette was not nearly as easy as I had expected. We finally reached common ground by agreeing on purple, but that’s really only half the battle. Without a complementary color, if we just stayed with purple and purple only, we’d have a wedding that resembled Grimace:
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.
You know when you start nearing the 100 day mark and you’re supposed to stop looking at inspiration and start actually doing things for your wedding? Well, I didn’t get that memo. I was perusing my throngs of wedding websites over the weekend, and I saw something that was pretty cute:
This got the wheels turning…hmmmm, maybe we could have some cute pinwheels for the kids to play with.
After further investigation, my dreams got loftier and were escalated to also giving some as props to the groomsmen and bridesmaids. Read more…
Mrs. Hot Wings, Chicago/San DiegoAge and Occupation: 28, ProfessorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, InstructorEngagement Date: December 20, 2008Wedding Date: August 2010Venue: Ocean View Villas/Jasmine Seafood RestaurantAbout Me: I am a psychology grad student living in Chicago and planning my wedding to a fellow psych grad student. I am a Sunny So-Cal bred gal who trudged across the country to follow her love of psychology and ended up finding a partner in the process. I am overly passionate about anything I involve myself with. I am an activist, a foodie, a reality TV watching junkie, an over-analyzer, a photography obsesser, and am utterly cheesy to the core. This is a story of what happens when a boy and a girl meet, fall in love over academic dorkiness, and a shared love for life. We (mostly I) are planning our semi-destination wedding in my hometown of San Diego. We are excited to bring our families and friends together from across our lifespans to celebrate our future in a grand 400+ person culturally blended affair!
