BilletDoux showcased her accessories on her wedding day.
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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."
Like most brides-to-be, I have some fears, rational and otherwise, about our wedding day. I fear that all the hotels in Cincinnati will book up before the procrastinators get rooms, and then I will spend my wedding day to setting up a Hooverville in my little urban backyard. I fear extreme weather, and gridlock traffic, and having a bad hair day.
But mostly, I fear I’ll get a migraine.
They started about six months ago, and now I get them about once every two weeks. Luckily, (I mean, if you can call losing half your weekend “lucky”…) they’ve tended to fall on Saturday or Sunday about half the time, saving me from using up all my sick time at work. I’ve tried three different medications now, to no avail. At present, there’s a fourth kind waiting in my purse. If it doesn’t work, the next step will be taking a daily pill to prevent them. I don’t especially like taking medicine, but these aren’t regular headaches—the kind for which you can drink a lot of water / a bit of caffeine and pop some Aleve.
Once it comes on, there’s no stopping or powering through it. 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!
When I first stumbled upon Weddingbee, there were a few trends that jumped out at me. One was the magical machine known as a Gocco, which some extremelytalentedbees used to design and print their own invitations. Truth be told, I impulsively bought one of these a year ago and I still have no idea how to use it. Fail.
But the other two trends that jumped out at me were envelope liners and wraparound address labels…and these trends did not require that I be able to read Japanese.* I had tried my hand at both envelope liners and wraparound address labels before and was excited to do it again to prettify these envelopes that would house my STDs.
I went to Archiver’s and bought three different types of paper—I couldn’t decide, and all the designs looked cute with the save-the-date card that my step-mom designed. Then I made a template and traced it onto the large paper, and then cut out the liners. Actually, I got Mini Magic to cut out the liners because I cannot cut a straight line to save my life.
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!
Although my detail-loving heart warms at the sight of smaller elements that together make up the “look” of a wedding as a whole, the most important aspect of our wedding is the people. As such, we want our pictures to focus on the moments that will remind us not only of how everything looked, but how everyone felt that day. Photos like this one—taken from a gem of a blog that Mrs. Avocado introduced to us—that makes my breath catch in my throat:
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.
For the past couple of weeks I’ve been driving myself mad searching for a wedding bracelet that would make me forget the one I originally liked. I became a woman obsessed—every day I would search like a mad women for THE perfect bracelet and every day I would moan to Mr. CCandy that nothing else compared to the Kate Spade and why can’t we be independently wealthy so I could buy a truck full of perfect bracelets.
Needless to say I was driving Mr. CCandy crazy so when I casually mentioned Kate Spade’s friends and family sale he tossed me his wallet and told me to buy the freaking bracelet. Surprisingly I said no, even with the discount I couldn’t justified spending almost 200 bucks on a piece of jewelry I would wear for one day.
Mr. CCandy wasn’t too happy with my decision; he was tired of hearing about the damn bracelet and gave me what he calls his David Tutera speech. He told me, and I quote, “for our wedding day, as long as it is within our means, you should get what you want. Yes, it’s only for one day but it’s THE day and he would hate knowing that on our wedding you would be regretting your choice of accessories because you wanted to save what equaled to a couple of dinners out.”
Swoon, Have I mentioned I love this man? I melted and agreed to head down to the Kate Spade store in Pasadena to see the bracelet in person. 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.
I had a minor freak-out in February because I couldn’t figure out an absolutely perfect gift for my bridal party. Okay, fine, I was flipping the eff out. It was bad.
Anywho, I’ve got this thing against buying gifts for use at the wedding. It’s my hang up. I’m happy to receive any gift for being in someone’s wedding but for mine I wanted something that would really, honestly, truly, undeniably say thank you from the bottom of my heart; you’re awesome, and I wish I had a million dollars to give you because that’s what you deserve. However, I don’t have a million dollars, so let the freak-out commence.
Why was I so concerned with the gifts? Bees, my bridesmaids took it to the next level. Seriously—if the next level had a next level, that’s where they’d be. They’d be more awesome than Chuck Norris and Natalie Portman’s offspring. I really couldn’t thank them enough. I still don’t think the gifts totally did them justice but it was as close to justice as I could get on my budget.
Without further ado, my bridesmaids, in shoe form. 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!
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, you all put up with me while I waffledoverhair flowers. And for that I’m grateful. Although I’m pretty sure I still need some kind of 12 step program. For the record, I bought a total of four (yes FOUR) hair flowers. And for whatever reason, I have resisted, and fought, and doubted the right choice. Even though it’s pretty clear. But my hair trial is next week and I am overdue on this decision.
My alterations lady and my mother both championed the smaller first hair flower I bought.
Vintage Collection – Victoria Hair Piece – White and Ivory by Y & E Bridal
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!
Soooo, now that I’ve discussed how I was never really interested in wedding-dress inspiration, I am going to talk a little bit about wedding-dress inspiration. Just trying to keep things interesting around these here parts. And because I know you guys love wedding-dress inspiration! Who doesn’t?! (Weirdos. I.e., me.)
If you are on the Kate Spade mailing list as I am (Is this something I should be admitting?), you will have recently received a very exciting email from the fine people in the (I’m sure very lovely and colorful) offices at Kate Spade. Not lucky enough to be on the list? Well, let me fill you in—they recently launched their new bridal boutique! They’re calling it “Wedding Belles,” which I love (of course). It just sounds so whimsical! And musical. And Southern.
Anyway, it got me thinking about how all of my favorite brands/designers/shops have now opened up wedding lines. (Although, let’s be honest, even though they’re my “favorites,” that doesn’t mean I can afford them. A girl can dream…) Seriously, you guys—everyone has caught the wedding fever! I’m wondering if it has to do with the absolute explosion recently of bridal blogs and sites. The increasing plethora of inspiration that is popping up all over the place? More exposure for weddings? I’m really not sure, but it just seems to me like people are paying so much more attention to the nitty-gritty aspects of weddings now than ever before. But, then again, that might just be because I’m planning my wedding now. I’m a bit self-absorbed, clearly, so who knows.
Anyway, the email got me thinking about all of these awesome stores and their totally rockin’ new wedding lines, so I thought I would give a quick run-down and see what you guys think. Read more…
ClassifiedsFeature Launched: April 30, 2008About: A roundup of the best Weddingbee Classified listings.
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.
Perhaps my vision of milk-glass bud vases might not be so out of reach after all. Milk glass is pretty prevalent in different antique stores around here, but the prices can vary widely.
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!
Before Mr. Snow Cone and I officially became engaged, we definitely had some thinly veiled discussions about the future, living together, the wedding, and the like. We both knew we wanted to end up together and it was only a matter of time, but neither of us wanted to totally abandon the whole still-not-engaged mentality since we were, in actuality…still not engaged. Usually we would talk about it for a few minutes before one of us would get shifty and moderately uncomfortable, quickly changing the topic of conversation. It was like our own weird little game of wedding chicken.
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!
So many bees have blogged about loss in the past, and I think it’s so important. A wedding is a happy occasion, but sometimes it seems impossible to be happy about everything involved. That fact of the matter is, most people have experienced loss at some point, and coping with the feelings of that loss and your wedding day is not easy. I think it’s good to be honest about something like this because, no surprise here, so many of us are going through the same thing.
My grandma on my mom’s side was like no one else, you guys. I challenge you to find another 70 year old woman that gets blonde highlights in her gray hair, wears gold pumps, and shops at Charlotte Russe and Wet Seal. My grandma was awesome. Sure, I went to college for graphic design, but she learned Photoshop way before I ever did, and even taught me how to burn my first CD when I was ten. It’s a good memory, I promise. We were super close, and as Mr .G says, “I swear, you and your grandma were literally the same person.” She had a great sense of humor, for sure.
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.
Side note: I recognize the difficulty in ignoring the misfortune of the STD acronym and will not blame you for giggling—I happen to chuckle to myself every time I type out those three little letters.
As with the bridesmaids’ cards, this non-crafty gal had lofty do-it-yourself dreams when it came to our save the dates. I think I first started imagining how the STDs would look around January of 2009—nearly a year before we would even send them out. You would think with all that time, I would have been able to accomplish something cute like this:
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!
After most of our guests arrived and took photos with us at our photobooth, our wedding party lined up for the grand entrance. See our line up? Yup, we roll deep. Our wedding party walked in to the Star Wars Theme Song. Geeky, isn’t it? And yet, so beyond awesome.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
When she got sick, it was a surprise.
