Mrs. Buttons, Clearwater, FLAge and Occupation: 24, "Working on it"Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Financial ServicesEngagement Date: June 13, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Carlouel Yacht ClubAbout Me: I'm a self proclaimed perfectionist and a professional nomad (seriously, I've lived in TX, WI, MI, FL, NC, and now VA!). I love wine, cooking, curling up with a good book (nerd alert!), spoiling the furbaby, and of course, the wonderful Mr. Buttons! We are planning a lighthearted and whimsical wedding (with a good deal of DIY projects) in Clearwater, Florida, but from a distance of 800 miles away! We are looking forward to sharing our day with our family and friends, and most importantly, starting our lives together as husband and wife!
Oh geez, I don’t even know where to start with this one, my dear hive.
I think I’ll begin by asking you to put on a bit of background music. Pretty please?
It feels like graduation day. It is hard to believe that I started my Weddingbee journey in December…2009. Hive, you have been there for me through it all: through the venue selection, our save the date drama, my search for vintage-y vases, our somewhat disappointing revelation that we would have to cancel our honeymoon, my decision to completely change our floral inspiration…you name it! You were all there! I can’t thank you enough. You have shared my excitement over little details that most others could probably care less about, and sent me words of support when I was feeling down about aspects of the planning process.
Mrs. Bacon, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 26, Digital Advertising ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, IT Client ServicesEngagement Date: June 17, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Ravenswood Billboard FactoryAbout Me: I'm a Midwestern girl that can't seem to commit to staying in one place for too long and is constantly daydreaming about my next adventure. I am an aspiring foodie with a weak spot for the unusual and I love semi-reality food television. My other loves easily include laughing as a form of exercise, a book that I can't put down, summer baseball games, espresso with whipped cream, couch potato days and nights with the ridiculous Mr. Bacon, and our two kitties, Lincoln and Sawyer. We're planning a faux-destination wedding for 150 of our closest friends and family in the city we've both adopted as home that has a modern, yet whimsical twist and as many personal touches as we can manage.
Since before I had a sparkly ring on my left hand I wanted our tables to be designated by places we’ve traveled to together. Seeing that we met abroad and did the long distance thing I could just gather a bunch of photos and call it a day. We are going to have 8 feasting tables, each comprised of two tables put together, so we needed eight places. Easy peasy—we can have one half of the table called “London” and the other half called “England,” so that people would know which end of the long table they should sit down at. Mrs Elephant had the same idea for her wedding and they turned out awesome.
Then we started thinking about how our wedding is faux-destination for most of the guests, so it would be fun to do tables named after the various neighborhoods in Chicago. 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.
In the countdown of days ’til the wedding, today is a special one, because we’ve hit two milestones.
First: we’re in single digits, y’all! Nine days away!
Secondly: our wedding day is finally showing up on the 10-day forecast (even though we’re only 9 days away. But the forecast includes today, so it’s really 9 days out too. Or something. Whatever).
Always sunny in Philadelphia? I wish. Image via BustedTees
Anyhoodle, I promised myself long ago that I wouldn’t stalk the 10-day forecast. Why? 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!
While Mr. Cardigan and I were outside posing for photos and getting in some quality alone time, our guests were inside mingling, drinking, and having some delicious appetizers!
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!
Okay hive, here’s a little new flash for you: a good toasting flute is hard to find. In the interest of full disclosure, that little tidbit should have read “an good toasting flute is hard to find a week and a half before your wedding” …but I digress.
Last weekend, Mama Giraffe and I hunted the mall, party stores, other stores for the perfect toasting flutes. For those of you on a hunt of your own, the a few places we looked (that typically carry a handful of styles) were Bed, Bath & Beyond, Party City, Carson’s, Hallmark, A different Hallmark, Macy’s, Another Carson’s, and a handful of other places. There’s also quite a few to be found online, but that would entail not waiting until the last minute.
Mama Giraffe had absolutely no idea what she was getting into when she told me she’d like to buy toasting flutes for us. I think it’s my style: I wanted something simple and classy that would remind me of our wedding. Tricky, eh?
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.
Has it really been a week since my last post? Geez! Sorry everyone! It’s slow moving over here being a “Mrs.” now! We’re settling into our new apartment, adjusting to new schedules, coordinating dinners with family, and busy catching up with friends! Who knew post-wedding life would be so busy? I haven’t forgotten about you all, though or my mini-series myth vs. fact!
Up next, a huge revelation…
Myth: You can do it all alone and remember everything yourself!
Fact: Bah! What?
This one might seem obvious to some, but in hindsight, I wish I would have delegated a lot more than I actually did. I was worried about burdening other people with our wedding and I never wanted to talk about it too much. As a result, some things fell by the wayside.
Be specific:
I’m serious about this! Are you planning a wedding for six months from now? A year? Do yourself a favor and write your “must take” photo list RIGHT now. Don’t wait until the last minute, because I can guarantee you’re not going to have the brain power. I didn’t, but luckily for us, our photographer was amazing and got pictures of almost everything I wanted. I still wish I would have written the list, though!
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!
After having carefully constructed my floral vision, all I needed was for a professional to execute it. There are a handful of flower shops around Johnstown, some with better reputations than others. Between the relatively high number of options and the (probably) relatively low demand for wedding flowers in my small town, I kind of shuffled “finding a florist” to the back burner. I figured that a rose is a rose is a rose, so it wouldn’t really matter if I got Joe’s Floral or Mary’s Flowers or City Florists or any other place to slap together some flowers, tie them in a ribbon, and call it a day. Maybe I was naive, maybe I was stupid, or maybe I was right. At this point in time, though, I’ll never know.
(OK, maybe not all roses are created equal…) Read more…
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!
How did this get here so quickly?! It feels like just the other day I was calling my nearest and dearest people and exclaiming, “I’m engaaaaaaaaaaaaaged! AHHHHHHHHHHH!”
Now we’re a month away? Really? REALLY?
There’s a fair amount of items lingering on the to do list, but I thought, instead of being bogged down in all there is left to do, it would be fun to take a glance at all of the things we’ve accomplished so far.
We got engaged atop the Griffith Observatory in LA…
and went on a venue hunt where we discovered the beautiful Hummingbird House. Read more…
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.
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!
My absolute, absolute favorite Weddingbee posts are recaps, and specifically the wedding detail posts. I just adore the sweet, subtle, thoughtful things that make a wedding feel unique. Creating a vision for our wedding and then finding all the small things to make it come together was one of my favorite parts of the planning process.
First, way, way, way back when, I created a vision board. Originally wanting an ivory and gold wedding, it soon became clear that some touches of purple would liven things up. I posted this ages ago with the hope to recreate the vibe and feel of this board—not an exact literal translation.
As the look and feel started to come together I wasn’t exactly sure what to call the style I was hoping to achieve. “Classic elegant romance,” “Regal and romantic,” “Sentimental”? One of the front runners for my recaps was “Happy Tears and Chandeliers.” You get the idea; I was going for something I couldn’t quite name. Maybe you’ll know the perfect description.
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. Frozen Yogurt, DallasAge and Occupation: 28, Special Projects CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Equity TraderEngagement Date: March 19, 2009Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: Marie Gabrielle, DallasAbout Me: I was born and raised in Texas, and have lived in several of the cities across the state, but I currently reside in Austin. I went to college in Boston and have a special place in my heart for the Northeast. I love reading, shopping, wine, reuniting with college friends that are scattered across the country, reality TV, trying out new recipes, and attempting all the DIY projects that come along with wedding planning. I'm a "bleeding heart, save the world type" and thankfully my job allows me to work on legislation and policy to help out those in need. I met Mr. Frozen Yogurt in a bar, though he doesn't even drink! And now we are planning a modern yet vintage wedding in Dallas while dealing with the trials and tribulations of first time homeownership.
The other day on twitter I got a request to share my newlywed wisdom with the soon-to-be married crowd. I sort of laughed and thought, “how the hell do I give advice or even respond? What should I say?”
So instead, I said nothing. And if it was you that asked, I’m sorry I didn’t respond. It was probably spam anyway and I’m thinking way too hard about this.
But the truth is, I never have had a good example of a healthy marriage in my life. OK, maybe never is too strong of a word. My parents were married, but then divorced. As a kid, everything in their relationship seemed happy and good to me until one day it wasn’t. The demise began (at least from my 8-year-old perspective) when my parents started spending less and less time together; one would always make an excuse to work late, or have dinner plans with friends, and I knew the end was near. I even called my dad at work to ask him if he and my mom were getting a divorce. He said we’d talk about it when they both got home from work. Since I already told you they were divorced, there is no surprise as to how the conversation went when they got home. And then about seven years later, my mom remarried. 10 years after that, she was divorced. This is in no way a post to rip on my mom, and if she reads it I hope she doesn’t take it that way. I don’t believe anyone should stay in a relationship with a partner that is unwilling to work on your relationship if things are miserable.
But the reason I’m writing about this, and that the timing of the question on twitter was so interesting, is because my mom is getting married again this weekend. Read more…
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!
I was rooting around for some pictures of myself for this post, when I realized that beginning sometime after our wedding, I didn’t take a lot of pictures anymore. A lot of it had to do with being unhappy with my weight.
To understand me a little bit, I will say that I’m not obsessive about my weight. On a daily basis I don’t care that I’m overweight. I don’t think about it, don’t obsess over it, it really doesn’t bother me. Aside from feeling bad for my husband that he only outweighed me by 15 pounds but was 10 inches taller than me, I truly enjoyed my life. I love healthy food (fish, veggies, all that good stuff) and while we did (and still do) eat out 3x a week and my portion sizes our OUT OF CONTROL, I can’t say that I have a particularly bad diet, nutrition wise. That being said, I didn’t like having a lot of pictures taken of me. Only when looking at pictures did I realize how much weight (25 whole pounds) I’d gained over the last few years. That’s rough for my 5’2″ frame, as I started out squarely overweight, and zoomed right up into obese (according to BMI calculators).
YEAH YEAH Wii Fit, I’m OBESE. And you’re an inferior gaming console. TAKE THAT.
So, simply, the solution was to stop taking pictures. Weight problems solved.
But that’s boring and detrimental to blogging. Plus, even more dangerously—I don’t go to the doctor. I was so terrified of getting weighed in (I avoided scales like the plague) that I haven’t had a physical in quite a few years. BAD. BAD. 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.
Ms. Ferris Wheel, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 29, PsychologistFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, PsychologistEngagement Date: May 23 and 28, 2010 (one for each of us!)Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Parc55 Hotel (city lights ceremony, ballroom reception)About Me: Born in the Southeast, educated in the Northeast, and over-educated on the West Coast, I finally earned my city-girl credentials and have put down roots in gorgeous San Francisco. I’m a raging perfectionist with a lightning quick wit and a terrible sense of both time and direction. Our wedding task list is endlessly growing because of my predilection to think that DIY projects I can make = DIY projects I should make (so not true!). I always go to bed wishing there were more hours in the day to enjoy all the things I adore, whether that be hobbies, friends, my career, our two dogs, or Mr. Ferris Wheel. Ours is a story of a non-traditional couple living an oddly traditional life planning a not-so-traditional wedding in this city we adore. Together we are bustin’ out all of our best skills (and some of our worst ones) to plan a laid-back-chic DIY-craftastic love-alicious affair!
As you may have noticed in my previous posts, I have two facial piercings. There’s a diamond nose ring I’ve had for about five years and an eyebrow ring I’ve had for 10 years. (Yes, I am aware that *no one* has an eyebrow ring any more. That’s part of my dilemma…) In general, I am completely oblivious to them. And just for the record, I think I’m fairly unadventurous in my appearance other than these piercings—no tattoos, no eclectically fabulous wardrobe, no brightly colored hair or funky/fun haircut. I work a professional job and no one has ever asked me about them in a job interview or any other work setting (take that, Mom!). And as an obligatory note, of course there’s nothing wrong with having a more adventurous appearance, obviously (says the girl with two piercings… in her face!).
{both piercings on display, albeit a larger eyebrow ring than I have now}
A few years ago, on a total whim, I decided I’d outgrown my eyebrow ring and I took it out for the very first time ever. And I freaked the eff out! Read more…
I think it’s my style: I wanted something simple and classy that would remind me of our wedding. Tricky, eh?
