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.
You guys, we are two days out from the day. Two! Days! So pardon my utter insanity, pretty please?
One of the things we decided to do for our ceremony was to write our own vows. Or rather, I suggested it and Mr. Lox was on board. I’ve never done this before so I’d like to share the experience with you and perhaps help you from falling into the same trap that I did.
Obviously I read wedding blogs. And so I’ve read multiple times about people writing their own vows. I had visions or us telling each other how much the other means to us, why we love them, and what we promise for the rest of our lives. I did not, however, communicate any of that to Mr. Lox. Now, Mr. Lox does NOT read wedding blogs. After all, why should he when he has me? So when I said, “Let’s do our own vows!” he had something quite different in mind.
Then we decided it would be super romantic to keep the vows a surprise. You can see what’s coming right?
Mr. Lox sent his vows to the officiant last week, just a day or two before I was ready to send mine. I had about half a page typed that I was still refining a bit. And after he sent his, I had a horrible feeling. A feeling that these two sets of vows were not going to match up. So I asked him, without revealing the content, if he could give me an idea of the structure.
Remember the half a page I had written? Read more…
Mrs. High Wire, DallasAge and Occupation: 23, Legal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Director of CommunicationsEngagement Date: October 9, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Clark GardensAbout Me: My loves include yoga, anything spicy, our eccentric cat, our rambunctious dog, and Mr. High Wire, of course! Like the steadiness act of the tightrope walker, this gal is busy balancing life while planning a wedding to the man of her dreams. We’re hosting a laid-back, vintage-inspired, bird themed wedding with heavy doses of love, good eats (did someone say tacos and margaritas?), and endless Texas charm. Mr. High Wire and I are so happy to have you along for the walk across the tight rope.
So where did we leave off? Oh yeah, he just popped the question! I know you have two big questions: “Did he get down on one knee?” and “Did you cry?” Don’t worry, we’ll get to both of those in a minute.
I answered yes, obviously, but my exact phrase was, “Of course I will!” He put the ring on my finger and we started hugging and kissing and whatnot. You’re probably wondering if he got down on one knee. Well, the answer is no, and I’m 100% fine with that. On the seldom occasion that we do go out to dinner together, we usually make a habit of sitting next to each other at the table or booth, not across from one another. This restaurant was no different, except it was a semi-circle booth facing one of the most breathtaking landscapes I’d ever seen. And lookie there—your view changes as the restaurant slowly revolves to show you the whole city.
So, we were in the center of this booth, and for him to get down on one knee would have involved him scoot-scoot-scooting to one edge, while asking me to scoot all the way to the other edge, and me probably asking why and ruining the whole thing. Additionally, we were sitting right on the thin aisle where waiters and servers were whisking past us every once in a while, and he would have completely blocked their pathway as he got down on one knee. You can see how all of this would make for an incredibly awkward moment, and I think probably the exact opposite of what he was going for. It was a smart move on his part to not mess with all of that. He also knew that I didn’t want a whole group of strangers staring at us while this transpired, so the way he did it allowed for it to be very intimate and special.
Now the ring was on my finger, we were together in the moment, and the world was completely quiet and still. All of the little details that had gone on the past couple of days started to swirl in my head and, combined with being in the arms of the man who’d just asked me to spend the rest of my life with him, and the ambiance of the restaurant, the tears were just about to start welling up in my eyes… 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.
This past weekend the awesome Gazelle girls threw me a bridal shower! If their phenomenal invitation was any indication, it would be quite the party.
My parents, my grandmother and my aunt all came out from BC just for the shower. They worked so hard to get everything ready, along with my MOH and BM:
at casa Gazelle the morning of the shower
I put on my best tea party dress and hat: 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. 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.
Don’t worry! Sparks and me are doing just fine. But I’ve been wandering the streets of Chicago, bare-handed, for nearly a week now because my body hates me. Or at least my ring finger does.
Right now, my finger is swollen and blown up to about twice it’s normal size, making it impossible to get my ring over it. What happened, you ask? Well, last weekend, The Sparklers were in St. Thomas for and amazing destination wedding. While the festivities and scenery were off-the-charts amazing, the humidity was not my friend. It never has been, really. You see, when I go somewhere super tropical, like St. Thomas, my body starts to get angry at me. Of course it starts with my hair… then my hands… then my feet. You get the picture. Don’t believe it’s that bad? To illustrate, I’m going to use another Friends reference, and just ask: Remember what happened to Monica’s hair when they all went to Barbados?
Yep. That’s a real live picture of me about 2 days into a Punta Cana trip. I can’t believe I just put that online. Eeeek! For comparison, you may recall that my hair normally looks like this:
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.
Now that you’ve seen the goods, I thought I would break down just how much our beloved STDs cost us. Considering the original plan was to find a super deal on postcards just to get the word out, it was difficult to admit exactly how much we spent on our STDs. But, in the interest of full disclosure, here is the breakdown of our STD costs:
100 picture prints from Winkflash = $4.99 (with coupon for first 50 prints free)
Mrs. Balloons, Aspen, COAge and Occupation: 24, Mass Communications graduate, Web Design student, & winery workerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, EngineerEngagement Date: July 10, 2009Wedding Date: August 2011Venue: The Sundeck at The Little NellAbout Me: I'm a small-town Midwest girl planning an intimate mountaintop destination wedding complete with a huge DIY at-home reception. As an honors graduate fallen victim to the worst job market in history in my area, we're doing everything we can to still have the wedding of our dreams on a tighter budget. I currently enjoy working at a winery, but I'm lonnng overdue for a day job! I am: a big-time daydreamer, one of the pickiest eaters you'll ever meet, and a lover of pretty paper and awesome fonts. I'm a girly girl who loves to get dolled up, but also a country girl who loves to get muddy and go 4-wheeler riding. I also enjoy singing in the car, boating, going to concerts, the History Channel, carnival food, and going to watch St. Louis Cardinals baseball with my handsome engineer.
Sometimes we just need to take a break from planning, planning, planning to procrastinatedaydream or, as I like to call it, “research” some lovely inspiration. My inspiration currently comes mainly attached with the terms rustic, vintage, earthy, woodsy, woodland, forest, or shabby-chic, since those are the vibes I’d like to come across at our reception.
Mrs. Waffle, AustinAge and Occupation: 31, Costumer/ArtistFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, AnimatorEngagement Date: July 27, 2010Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Hummingbird HouseAbout Me: My life is pretty much spent in a sea of fabric, paint, sequins and drama. When I’m not working, I play on a trivia team, take Broadway dance classes, read, buy shoes, and occasionally geek out on video games. I am an American girl who loves all things British and Mr. Waffle is a Brit who loves all things American...I guess it was meant to be!
A few days ago I had a total forehead smack moment. I had a rehearsal brunch planned (complete with waffle bar…yum) but had not put any thought towards invitations for this event. None. D’oh!
My brain came up with a funny picture of waffles holding hands, so I got out my scissors, glue, markers and some scrapbook paper and got to work. My fear was that this was going to end up looking like it was hastily thrown together, but I must say, I was pretty impressed with my last minute endeavor…
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 Mr. Snow Cone and I were mapping out our wedding, one thing we never debated for a single second was having an open bar. Our friends enjoy a good imbibing, as do a good portion of our family members, and as do we! We wanted everyone to have a good time, and it’s no secret that a little liquid courage can get a few extra bodies out on the dance floor, heightening the fun factor for everyone there. When we met with our venue coordinator to start mapping out details of the big day, we talked through the logistics of the bar situation. Here’s what we came up with:
Open bar, as mentioned above, but with standard alcohol as opposed to premium. Although we want everyone to have a good time, we don’t want people to make the bar bill astronomical. Plus, we know that a good number of our friends are fresh out of college, so very few of them have significant liquor preferences. And for those who do, tough patooties. Cheap vodka has the same effect as expensive vodka, especially once you’re at drinks two, three, and beyond.
In addition to the standard open-bar liquors, we’ll have a couple standard wines and champagnes, too, for the winos in the bunch.
Since I’m not a beer drinker, Mr. Snow Cone took full control when picking out the brewskies. Here are his three selections:
Mrs. Funnel Cake, Zürich, Switzerland/Columbus, OhioAge and Occupation: 24, Visual Communication DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Application EngineerEngagement Date: May 30, 2010Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Catholic church followed by a botanical conservatoryAbout Me: I'm an American designer who moved to Switzerland for love after a fairytale beginning at the top of the Eiffel Tower. I love travel, photography, museums, learning German so I can speak with my mother-in-law, cooking (eating), cuddling, and I'm not afraid to try something new even if it terrifies me. My Swiss/Brazilian man and I are both down to earth people planning a traditional Catholic wedding in my hometown with some quirky cultural exceptions to reflect our different backgrounds. We look forward to celebrating with friends and family from all over the world in a classic, sophisticated fusion of heritage and love.
Mrs. Pretzel, SeattleAge and Occupation: 32 Learning, Training, and Development SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 28 Manufacturing EngineerEngagement Date: September 2, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Catholic Church & The Engine Room at Georgetown StudiosAbout Me: I’m just a thirty-something girl who never dreamed of weddings, poofy dresses, or ritzy receptions. I am a rabid knitter, except recently, wedding projects have replaced my yarn and needles. I’ve been fiercely independent since the age of 2 and 30 years later I think my family and friends had given up on me settling down and getting married.
Ironically, I had to go all the way to Seattle to find a boy from Purdue. We fell in love over Seattle Beers and cooking together. I love NASCAR, he loves Legos. I can talk like a Muppet and he can fit a whole McDonald’s cheeseburger in his mouth. We are a two reception couple, currently planning a brewery inspired bash.
In an earlier post I walked up the aisle to my Groom, and then we celebrated a very personal Liturgy of the Word. Now it was time to stand up before our family and friends and state our intentions and receive the Sacrament of Marriage. If you celebrate the Rites of Marriage inside Mass or outside Mass, in the Catholic Church the Rite of Marriage are the same in either situation. I like that Mr P and I said the same words to each other that our parents said in their vows, our grandparents said in their vows, and that generations upon generations have vowed before us.
foxebride11 and her new husband celebrated with fun chair signs!
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. 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!
Money is something I’m loathe to talk about in such a public forum. But it’s about honesty, and while yes, it is possible to diet an exercise completely for free, some of us (ovah heeeeahhh) need a lot of external help to get ’er done.
What I really wanted to talk about today was the cost of losing weight: both time-wise, and money-wise. I’m not self motivated to diet/exercise, and I spent a lot of money (in my world of money) thus far to get to this point in what I at least consider is a healthy way. And of course, there were redundancies—I didn’t quit the YMCA until a month and a half after I was into my boot camp because I thought I’d return eventually.
Mrs. High Wire, DallasAge and Occupation: 23, Legal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Director of CommunicationsEngagement Date: October 9, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Clark GardensAbout Me: My loves include yoga, anything spicy, our eccentric cat, our rambunctious dog, and Mr. High Wire, of course! Like the steadiness act of the tightrope walker, this gal is busy balancing life while planning a wedding to the man of her dreams. We’re hosting a laid-back, vintage-inspired, bird themed wedding with heavy doses of love, good eats (did someone say tacos and margaritas?), and endless Texas charm. Mr. High Wire and I are so happy to have you along for the walk across the tight rope.
On our trip to Las Vegas, there were a few little things that made me think we might be getting engaged that weekend. But, I didn’t want to get my hopes up and be disappointed if it didn’t happen. We were in Las Vegas, dangit! I wanted to have a great time no matter what.
The little clues that came up throughout the weekend could have tipped me off, but I purposefully didn’t read too much into them so that it could still be at least a little bit of a surprise when it did happen. But looking back, its time to share all of the clues that were actually pointing directly at one thing and one thing only—getting engaged!
Mr. High Wire’s parents joined us on the trip, and we surprised them with a limo when we left the airport:
(Clue: FFIL insisted on carrying around his cooler bag with him while the rest of our luggage was in the trunk of the limo or being held while we waited for our room to be ready at the hotel. It turns out they were hiding my engagement ring in there!) 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!
I hope you’ll allow me to be just a teeny bit self-indulgent for a moment because I just got the CD of my bridal portraits from our photographer, and I’m SO. FREAKING. EXCITED. to share them with you. They turned out so gorgeous—better than anything I could have dreamed of!
Oh, I haven’t told you about our photographer yet? We chose to work with Danny Boyle Photography, and I won the portrait session at a bridal fair I attended right after Mr. Hyena and I got engaged. Danny is awesome, and working with him on these shots was so much fun! I got to work my inner Top Model and spend some quality time with Aunt Hyena and FMIL Hyena in the process.
Image via IMDB from Disney’s Aladdin / Text added by me
So when I said, “Let’s do our own vows!” he had something quite different in mind.
But I’ve been wandering the streets of Chicago, bare-handed, for nearly a week now because my body hates me. Or at least my ring finger does.
