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!
When I read wedding blogs, it sometimes seems like Mr. Hyena and I are the only engaged couple who isn’t living together prior to the wedding.
We had the opportunity: right after we got engaged, we purchased a house. We talked about moving in together, since it would only have been about a year before we would be married. Both sets of parents were on board, but for some reason it didn’t feel like the right order of things for us. So we passed. I maintained my current residence with my kitty-boo, while he moved into the house and got a roommate for the school year.
Mrs. Taco, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 29, writer/editorFiance's Age and Occupation: 37, editorEngagement Date: May 13, 2009Wedding Date: August 2010Venue: The Green Room at the War Memorial Veterans BuildingAbout Me: I like laughing and talking with good friends over good food and good drink, be it wine, cocktail, or brew. I write and edit things for fun and profit, but I rarely "write" these days without a keyboard and high-speed internets. Favorites include Mr. Taco, my Boston terrier, San Francisco, getting out of town, and the Roaring ’20s. I was kind-of planning a wedding since roughly 2006, when I discovered "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?" on the WE channel. I ran and didn't look back with a theme I called "urban vintage," and it culminated in the most magical day a taco could ask for.
Part of our photography package—as it is with many—was a leather-bound album of our favorite photos. We sent our 50 pics roughly three months after our wedding day, which everyone tells me is really unusual. I had to; though completely intangible, the digital and mental clutter was driving me freakin’ bananas.
Not that it was easy to review more than 1,000 photos and pick the best 50. Ashley posted some of her own favorites on her blog, so we took some inspiration from her choices. But there was a lot of back and forth over what was album-worthy and why. Sometimes, the task was fuzzy-making and aww-inducing. Other times, it was more like the eye doctor (“Is 1 better or 2? 1? 2? Or are they the same? Definitely 2. NO WAIT, 1.”) In any case, it was awesome to complete and even awesomer to receive it in the mail.
Ashley used most of the pics we chose and, where appropriate for sizing and theme, arranged them into a beautiful 11-spread deal. She often deals with Kiss Wedding Books, and I can see why. They do great work and I love their website, their packaging, and their vibe.
Cute! It came in a sturdy canvas bag. Personal photos.
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.
On Friday afternoon I was perusing the Brock House’s 2011 catering menu. As I skimmed over various rules and such my eyes focused in on this one:
20. DECORATING
The use of nails, staples, glue or any like material is not permitted on any walls, doors, posts, ceilings or any like objects of the Brock House. Rice, confetti, sparklers and table sparkles will not be permitted on the property. Please ask the catering department for alternative recommendations (i.e. bubbles, birdseed and flower petals).
No sparklers? That means we won’t be able to do a fun send-off and get cool pictures like this one:
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!
Or, that time I was scarred for life: my experience dress shopping.
As I have mentioned, I didn’t exactly spend too much of my wedding-planning energy thinking about my dress. It just wasn’t high on my list of priorities. Even so, I did manage to develop a vague, general idea of the type of dress that I wanted - lace, vintage-inspired, form-fitting.
However, as much as I didn’t want to think about the dress, I realized that, since I wanted my mom and BMs to be with me when I tried on dresses, I probably needed to figure out the dress situation when Mr. CA and I were in Seattle last August. So, my mom did some poking around, and scheduled appointments at 3 different salons (none of which allowed photography, so my apologies in advance for the lack of pictures!).
Let me just say now, again, that I hate trying on clothes. Particularly dresses. I know my mom disagrees (you look beautiful in everything!), but I honestly feel that in most dresses, I look like an ox with my broad shoulders and wide rib cage. You might disagree with me (*ahem* mom), but that’s just how I feel. Can’t help it. I also don’t like being the center of attention, so there’s that too.
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!
As much as I loved the mossy teacup idea, the book ring holder won out. It tied into the stacked book centerpieces so perfectly and that detail was hard to resist. I’m also trying to keep the ultra-girlie-ness on a leash, since this wedding is for both of us and keeping the mister’s preferences in mind helps me with that.
I started out by using a small book from a used bookstore—Mr. Crepe found this little one and the cover was just so incredibly pretty.
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 does a pretty fantastic job of not only letting me indulge in all of my unbridled wedding-day dreams, but of being just the right amount of involved. Without being controlling or, on the other end of the spectrum, mindlessly grinning and nodding, he gives his honest opinion—reason 3,476,301 why I love him.
I don’t want to give away all of his amazing contributions right off the bat, but I’ll at least introduce you to his unparalleled ingenuity.
Mr. S being a goofy/slightly creepy, creative genius
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.
Well hello, hive. Miss Pony here! It’s great to finally meet you! I’m still not convinced this is real yet, so please forgive me if I ramble a bit or seem discombobulated. I never dreamed I would actually be writing on the mane (ha!) page for the hive!
I was sitting at work (clearly working very hard) when my phone made a familiar buzz. I thought, “I bet that’s an email from Weddingbee.” Lo and behold, it was from our very own Pengy telling me I had been chosen to be a bee. With hands shaking, I texted Mr. Pony: “OMG. I think they picked me to be a bee.” (Yes, I am very eloquent.) After letting my heart rate return to a normal level, I needed to celebrate.
Since my office is full of windows, I managed to find the only enclosed space in our entire office (the bathroom) to do my happy dance, Love Actually style.
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.
And in 11 days, the Ostrich duo will be stressing relaxing along the powdery beach in HAWAII. Ahhhhhh, I can’t wait!
OK, so as many of you know, there is a flurry of to-the-wire to-dos that we brides tackle around this time: final dress fittings, bridal showers, wedding ring buying, seating chart-ing, wedding timeline-ing, vendor paying, etc., etc., etc.
And I totally have done all of these and will share these bridal bits with you…but first we need to talk about one detail that Mr. O and I hold very near and dear to our hearts… 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.
So, I’m pretty sure I’m the only Kanye fan left… but I had to give him a shout out in my title today, because this post is about BLING. Wedding bling. More specifically, my engagement ring. I realized a few days ago that I never got around to showing it to you all. And while flashing my ice around isn’t usually my style, I wanted to share it with you for a few reasons:
I love it
Everyone loves sparkly, pretty things
I had a bitch of a time getting it to fit right, and the solution is worth sharing
First thing’s first, here’s what I’m rockin:
That’s Essie’s “Lilacism” polish for my fellow nail freaks
Sparks designed that thing all by himself. Can you believe it? I mentioned a few things to Sister Sparkler (skinny band, diamond border) and she must have sneakily passed that info on to Sparks. Good work team, good work.
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!
*Note: I’ve been composing this post on-and-off for weeks now trying to find the best approach to this topic. It not only touches upon the sensitive subject of weight, but it also brings up some unsettling memories for me. Everyone wants to look their best for the wedding day. However, that absolutely doesn’t translate into “needing” to lose weight. If you *want* to shed some pounds, though, there’s a “right” way and a “wrong” way to go about it. This story is about the latter.
The elusive lesson of self-love is one I’m still trying to embrace and learn to this day. It wasn’t until I learned to be happy with who I am that I could develop any sort of meaningful relationship (platonic or romantic). And, in full disclosure it caused a lot of problems along the way with Mr. Tartlet. When we first started dating I was so full of self-loathing that it drained his emotional reserves to crash my pity parties for one. We almost didn’t make it. To this day I’m incredibly thankful that he saw something in me that I didn’t, and stuck around to help me become a better person. 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.
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.
Our invitation suite was created with money-saving features in mind. One of those features is using postcards for both the wedding and rehearsal-dinner RSVPs. Did you know it’s cheaper to mail a 4 x 6 postcard (28 cents) than a first-class letter (44 cents)? That saves us 16 cents on every mailed piece, or about $16. Yes, I’d like to save money. Please!
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!
Pretty early in the wedding-planning process, you need to nail down a color palette. True, this decision won’t necessarily have an impact on the other big-ticket decisions (such as date or ceremony/reception venue), but it shows up in almost every other decision you’ll make. You can’t pick bridesmaids’ dresses, table linens, boutonnieres, “mother of” attire, or centerpieces without knowing what colors you’re working with. Well, I guess you could pick all of your details without picking a specific color palette first, if you don’t mind having your wedding kind of resemble rainbow throw-up.
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.
I like to say that my shower was a semi-surprise. I knew the time, date, location, and guest list, but that’s all I knew. Bridesmaids J and K, along with my mother, planned the whole shebang without cluing me in on any of the details. They didn’t even send me an invitation because they didn’t want me to know the theme!
So, on Saturday, I showed up at Bridesmaid J’s house, pretty clueless. And the theme? Well, let me show you this photo I snapped of the invitation, after the fact:
Yes, it was a Golden Girls Gone Wild shower! And look closely, because that’s my face Photoshopped onto Bea Arthur’s head (I’m not worthy).
Seriously, it was hilarious and amazing. The party planners had ordered a custom made banner for my shower:
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!
I failed to find out what Mr. H was looking for in man-flowers until after I did my first round of flower shopping. When I finally did ask (er, bug him endlessly), he said he wanted a single white rose with baby’s breath for the dudes. OK, that shouldn’t be too difficult in theory.
I found the perfect flowers for our corsages and boutonnieres at Hobby Lobby. I didn’t have the first clue about how to put these suckers together, but a search on the ’Bee brought up a couple of tutorials, which I used as a jumping-off point. I started with the bouts since they seemed less scary than the corsages. As I was working on these, I wondered how some brides can figure out how to do this with real flowers the day before their weddings without freaking out.
