Mrs. Brooch, Arlington, VAAge and Occupation: 25, Writer/EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Front Desk ManagerEngagement Date: October 3, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: Oxon Hill ManorAbout Me: I’m an indecisive girlie-girl with a motor mouth, can-do attitude, and knack for making others laugh. I dream of becoming a best selling novelist like Elizabeth Gilbert or Julie Powell (a girl can dream, right?), and love long road trips, a beautiful countryside, music, blogs, books, and all things vintage/thrift/antique/or homemade. I’m a Virgo, i.e. overly sensitive, emotional, and critical, and there’s no such thing as short and sweet in my world. I want to say and do it all. Mr. Brooch grounds me. I point where to go and he figures out the way. He’s a pragmatic fancy-pants who enjoys video games and movies. We both adore our mutt, Rocky, and spending time with our amazingly supportive family and friends. We’re planning a garden wedding with a formal reception with lots of whimsy and unique, Southern-inspired details.
Inspired by other brides here on Weddingbee, I created a few out of town boxes for our guests and absolutely love the way they turned out! I contemplated doing a Maryland-themed box, but many people assured me any box, whether themed or not, would be appreciated! This made this project a lot easier, and since I was working on it just two weeks before the wedding, easy made sense.
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.
Long story short, about 10 days ago I shipped out 12 large boxes of wedding decor (vintage bottles, sea coral, chevron napkins, linen table runners, parasols, paper lanterns, fans, etc.) to my wedding coordinator in Honolulu. I was super proud of myself because I met our deadline and knew that our coordinator would have ample time to sort through everything, take inventory, and prep for our big day.
Or so I thought.
This weekend, I decided to track the packages when I realized that…
THE BOXES WERE SENT TO THE WRONG ADDRESS.
Right name, right street, but wrong address (527 instead of 587). There was some sort of typo between giving the shipment dude the address and creating the shipping labels, and even though I swear up and down it was correct when I checked, my wedding-frenzied brain could have been playing tricks on me. Read more…
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!
After what seemed like an eternity, it was time for me to leave my hotel room and venture out into our venue to actually, really, truly get married.
Of course, before that could happen we had a few more photos to take.
I know, I know: family photos don’t make the most exciting post ever. However, I want to share them for a very specific reason. I always hear that people set aside lots and lots of time for these photos, and that was not what I wanted to do.
These posed, formal portraits weren’t nearly as important to me as the candid ones, and I knew I probably wouldn’t display them in my house. We took less than 30 minutes for all of the family photos combined, and I feel like the ones we got are great, and I don’t feel like I’m missing anything at all.
So, for those of you who don’t want to set aside a ton of time for portraits and are being told you’re crazy—you aren’t! Read more…
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.
Our honeymoon is all set and we are Alaska-bound. But due to my busy work schedule, we can’t leave for the Land of the Midnight Sun until about three and a half months after the wedding.
But, I’ll be damned if I’m going right back to work the Monday after we get married. I’m already a giant ball of stress and the wedding is still six weeks away. Mr. S and I definitely want to sneak away for at least a night or two immediately post-wedding, just so that we can relax together, decompress from all of the stress, and just enjoy each other.
My mother generously offered to pay for a quick little trip for the two of us, and we happily accepted. We only have two days, so we can’t go too far. We’d already considered several minimoon options, and had decided on the Finger Lakes area. Parts of the area are too far for us to drive for a two-night getaway, so we chose a city that is only about a four-hour drive from us in Philly.
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!
Big news going on here, Hive. See, remember when I told you about my secret, which was actually Mr. Giraffe’s secret?
Well, if you don’t, I’ll remind you. Three years ago, Mr. G got a giant Miss G tattoo on his back.
Giraffe Personal Photo
I know, hardcore, yo! So, after working up my courage for the last three years, I finally did the same for Mr. Giraffe. I was terrified, and sweaty, and made the artist stop twice because of said freaking out (otherwise, it should have only taken 7 minutes), but I did it! 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.
My girls were telling me that I needed a wedding-planning binder. Really? I am all about keeping things digital as opposed to hard copies. With so many wedding-planning websites to choose from, I was feeling a bit sceptical about needing a binder, but I figured I should probably check them out anyway. After all, one might be useful for compiling contracts and other bits and pieces along the way.
On a Sunday morning I popped into Chapters, a large Canadian bookstore, to scope out the selection. The binders were pricey and there were a whole lot of things that seemed superfluous to our wedding. I decided my best option would be to make my own, so off to Staples I went.
I picked a purple binder and printed off my inspiration board for the front cover. Open it up, and there is a pencil case in front.
Mrs. Earrings, Fresno, CA/ Nelson, New ZealandAge and Occupation: 20, Student, Wannabe Writer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 19, Photography StudentEngagement Date: February 14, 2010Wedding Date: January 2011Venue: Gardens of the WorldAbout Me: I'm a girl from down under who grew up in Indonesia and I'm marrying a California boy. I'm addicted to all things sweet, have never met a chocolate silk pie than can get the better of me, and have dreams of one day being a fulltime novelist. I go weak in the knees for lace, tea cups, and a beautifully crafted sentence. When I get excited about something (whether it is historical linguistics or the Beatles) I tend to go overboard in research, and planning this wedding is no different. Mr. Earrings is my high school sweetheart, my best friend, and somehow we combine all our quirks into one big happy mess.
Tired of seeing our mugs yet? Too bad, because you’re going to see some more. I know, I’m a terrible person…
Seriously though, these pictures of us in the garden are very precious to me. This is the garden that I had wanted to get married in since I was a little girl, the garden my grandfather painstakingly created over 20 years, the garden that holds so many childhood memories for me, and now wedding memories. Getting all love-dovey in this setting was one of the most peaceful parts of my day. We started off sitting on a bench… Read more…
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!
The first time I heard about fake lashes was from a friend who wore them to our senior prom. We all thought it looked strange in real life, but she insisted, “They look so good in photos.” And she was right. Our photos came back and whoa, totally glam.
So, I went to college and bought a pair to try, but couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to put them on correctly. They kept falling off my eyes, leaving streaks of glue. Finally, I threw them away and watched everyone else prance out the door with fabulously long lashes. I never tried to use them ever again. STUMPY LASHES 4EVER.
Fast forward to 2011. I am *sings* getting maaaaarrrried. The day of a thousand photos is fast approaching (we are at the 2 month mark, people) so I want to try this whole business again. A friend forwarded this video to me because I was being a big fat baby about this. I bought a pair of fake lashes in Nashville. We were having a meeting with a florist about my bouquet and then antiquing, so natch I thought it was time to take these babies out for a spin.
I had them on for about three hours before they got itchy. So, I tore one off while we were driving home. 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!
Let me clarify: I searched and searched for perfect bridesmaids’ dresses. I picked five and sent a Facebook message to my girls. I wanted them to all wear the same thing, but I wanted to get their opinions on what they were going to wear because, let’s face it, I’m not the one who has to wear it and I want them to feel beauteeful.
Because most of us are poor recent college grads, I wanted to keep them at a reasonably low price, and I wanted to delude myself into thinking they might possibly wear them again. So all of these fall in the $160-or-under range and are about knee length.
I had two runners-up that the bridesmaids liked but were not unanimous on. This Mori Lee was one of them. I took Hyena Sis out to go dress shopping, and she tried one on that was similar to this, but it wasn’t as flattering in person as it looks in the picture.
Mrs. Knitting, TorontoAge and Occupation: 24, Student Recruitment Assistant
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Neuroscience PhD CandidateEngagement Date: October 2009Wedding Date: December 2010Venue: University of Toronto Faculty Club
About Me: I'm a pearl wearing, etiquette book reading Toronto girl who loves cooking and baking, museums, charm bracelets, and collecting books on Jackie Kennedy (a lot). I've been known to spend Sunday mornings at the antique market, Wednesday evenings at sister sushi dinners, and any bit of spare time reading. After six and a half years of many late night walks, watching DVDs together in bed, travelling to places like New York, and Tobermory, doing Sudokus together on the couch, lots of Indian food, the occasional yoga class, moving in together and so much more, Mr. Knitting and I are planning a cozy Christmasy (it's a word!), vintage wedding in Toronto complete with many DIY projects (eek!) and lots of help from our amazing group of family and friends.
After we’d finished with photos of the two of us, it was time to take some photos with our wedding party and families.
First I went for a casual walk with my BMs and MOH:
These are the lanterns they would be holding instead of flowers during the ceremony: Read more…
Miss Snapdragon, Chicago/DallasAge and Occupation: 32,Associate ProducerFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Lighting DesignerBlogging Since: November 14, 2008Engagement Date: January 1, 2011Wedding Date: March 2012Venue: Marie GabrielleAbout Me: Voracious reader of short stories, Russian literature, National Geographic and Cosmo. I'm a GENIUS at spicing up Weight Watchers recipes and a pathological cheater at board games. I run a slow marathon, but my feet are learning to move faster. Mornings aren't my thing, but I can night owl with the best of them. Don't tempt me with your Cherry Cokes---I'm trying to quit. Tomorrow. Or never.
Bossyboots and I had been discussing marriage since about the second week of dating. If we would have had our acts together the first time, we’d be married with six kids right now.
Or two. Two kids sounds much better to my uterus. And my tolerable auditory threshold.
Anyway. We started talking about marriage for serious when we hit twelve months of dating. I was definitely ready to actually “put a ring on it” before he was. I’ve done the long-term dating-that-turns-into-disaster thing already. For me, dating for beaucoup years before commitment was not acceptable. I knew who I wanted to smooch until the end of time, and that smoochee was Bossyboots.
And so ensued six months of talking and talking and more talking. With a little ring shopping thrown in here and there.
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!
(Now that our save the dates are out and my brain is slowly re-forming from the mush-pile it was, we can get back to some regular posts. Who’s excited?!)
The other day, I had a revelation.
I was going through my usual lunch routine of stalking blogs, checking websites (yeah, Daily Puppy! Who’s with me?), etc. while munching on my salad and green beans. (What, does no one else spend their lunchtime doing that?) Nothing out of the ordinary. But, this time was different. Because I realized that one of my regular, everyday sites could be enormously useful in wedding planning! And by wedding planning, I mean honeymoon planning.
Intrigued? You should be.
Awhile ago, I joined a site called Gilt that offers designer products for lower prices. I’ve gotten Deborah Lippman nail polish through Gilt. I’ve gotten my Iittala dishware (which I am obsessed with) through Gilt. I got more Iittala dishware thorough Gilt. (I told you. It’s an obsession. I can’t stop.) I’ve gotten Citizens of Humanity jeans through Gilt. You get the idea. Anyway, yes, Gilt is awesome. They even had a wedding week at some point last year—dresses, bridesmaids’ dresses, accessories, etc. Super cool. But, it’s Gilt’s travel site that I’m talking about.
Mrs. Penguin, Northern CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 27, Weddingbee Editor in ChiefFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Doctor of Physical TherapyEngagement Date: January 29, 2007Wedding Date: June 7, 2008Blogging Since: September 14, 2007Venue: Winery in the Gold CountryAbout Me: I love the Spice Girls, dogs with underbites, bean burritos, making messes, high fives, avoiding showers, crossword puzzles, blogs, weddings, and blogs about weddings!
Looking to buy a designer gown at a discount price? The Washington Post’s Style section ran a great article this weekend called Save on your dream wedding dress, featuring Weddingbee’s Classifieds and an interview of our tips for finding your dream gown at a steep discount. Check it out online here!
Many thanks to Holly E. Thomas for including us in the article, and cheers to finding the dress of your dreams without busting your budget!
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 is 90% done. Aside from assembling, weighing, and purchasing postage, the only things that remain are sending the print job to the printer and selecting an envelope. (That sounds like way more after I typed it out.) The envelope samples I ordered arrived yesterday, so we are one step closer.
We like yellow/gold for the outer envelopes but ordered some additional colors in our palette just to make the decision more difficult.
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!
On behalf of Amanda Rose S. and Brian John V., I welcome you to this formal declaration of their marriage. This service is an expression of their love for each other, their dedication to their families and friends, and their deepest desire for the future that awaits them. Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
Giraffe Personal Photo
