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!
Without many brown-eyed, strawberry-blonde-haired celebrities to look to for makeup inspiration, I decided to expand my search a bit by honing in on my girl crushes. These women are celebrities whose style I think is a decent parallel to my own, and whose natural coloring isn’t so wildly different from my own to be an insurmountable issue. I plopped down in front of my good friend Google images and started typing in random celebrity names and the phrase “red carpet” to get some good glam-makeup photos. Here are some of my favorite looks on my favorite celebrities:
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.
After Sandra found her first set of coordinates at the starting point of her Polterabig (Swiss bachelorette party), we set out with her on a trek all around Zürich.
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.
Somehow, the idea of dancing barefoot in the grass has always appealed to me as being utterly romantic (I know, I’m a weirdo. But I was right). Mr E and I had our first dance to Smother Me by The Used…a song that has been “ours” since our early dating days. 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.
After our issues with the baker’s twine leaving grease spots on our STD envelopes, I decided to do a series of very scientific tests to figure out the effects of said twine on the paper supplies we have purchased in order to make our invitations.
To complete this experiment, I obviously followed the scientific method:
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.
There was a lot of bridal daydreaming going on in the Sparkler household this weekend. Maybe it’s because Sparks was out of town (or maybe I had a little too much red wine) but I was feeling extra sentimental and romantic. So while daydreaming about my bridal ensemble, I gave a lot of thought to the most romantic aspect of my get-up: The veil.
The veil has been a topic of much debate (inside my mind). At first I didn’t want one, then I REALLY wanted one, then I wanted a birdcage, then a cathedral length… there was a lot of indecision. But I think I’ve finally decided on what I want, and there are three requirements that the veil must meet:
1. Simple
No appliqué, no lace, no bling… nada. I want a plain, raw edge veil with no detail. Sounds boring but… eh. I want.
2. Two-tiered
I love the look of a two-tiered veil, and I’ve always imagined walking down the aisle with my face covered by a blusher. I’m planning to lift the top layer off my face before the ceremony begins, so I’m not staring at Sparks through mesh fabric the whole time.
3. Chapel length or longer
Since my dress, jewelry, and shoes are super modern, I wanted to incorporate a traditional look with the veil. Plus, there’s just something so romantic about being wrapped up in long, drape-y fabric.
Here are a few that are currently living up to these standards:
Mrs. Bunting, Grand Rapids, MIAge and Occupation: 24, freelance illustrator & print productionFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, graduate of historyEngagement Date: December 3, 2009Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Spring Grove Park & St. George Banquet CenterAbout Me: I am a freelance illustrator and designer with a love of nature and a taste for adventure. Textures and color fuel my world, along with apple cider and noodles. I'll try anything once, especially if it involves heights or food. I've hiked the Grand Canyon, gone sky diving, cuddled a baby wolf, and now my latest venture consists of designing and planning a large wedding involving color, DIY details, love, and marrying my best friend.
Shoe shopping. Most girls love it. A few girls hate it. I personally start off loving it, but then ultimately end up wanting to throw shoes across the store in frustration. OK, that may be taking it a bit too far, but I really do get frustrated when it comes to shoes.
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!
I knew there were tons of little things to get done as soon as I was in town, so as soon as the plane touched down, I started fluffing those tissue poms. I would have loved to have fabric napkins (there are so many cute options!) but we were getting to the point where the budget was getting pushed closer and closer to the limit every day and paper napkins meant one more thing we could take off the checklist. We picked up a couple packs of royal blue dinner napkins from Party City and started tying the tissue poms on quickly.
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.
Our wedding is taking place at a botanical garden owned by one family. It used to be their private land, which they subsequently opened up for weddings and other events. The owner has nothing to do with the event coordination; he spends all of his time in the garden, gardening. I love those kind of familial aspects about our venue. Another one? They are crazy dog people, just like me! I think there are five dogs that live on the property, and all of the employees are welcome to bring their dogs to work every day. Guests who visit the gardens are welcome to bring their dogs as well.
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!
Our monogram, which was created for our invitations, was so beautiful that I felt compelled to use it elsewhere in our wedding. If you need a refresher, it looked like this…
While wandering around the craft store, in search of inspiration for a cake table sign, I stumbled upon a wooden “C” and it hit me that I should use our monogram for different signage around the venue. I tossed some ideas around in my head on how to slightly modify it for our purposes, and…ta da! Read more…
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!
I’m going to try to answer the rest of your questions as best I can. Please forgive the question/answer format, but it was just easier that way.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Q: How does it feel for you to write about Mr. FW as “he” even when discussing events that happened pre-transition. (For example, you wrote about your first date with him, not her.) Does it feel like you are rewriting your own past?
A: This is a really good question and an issue that can sometimes be a challenge for me. I used to do more of the whole, “Mr. FW, well back then it was Ms. FW, she did blah blah blah” but that got really long-winded. Plus it’s difficult for me to go back and forth with pronouns and it’s difficult for the listener to follow who I’m talking about. At this point I probably refer to Mr. FW, past and present, almost exclusively as male unless his female gender is related to the story I’m telling. Since nearly all of the people in our lives know that Mr. FW is trans, I don’t typically have concerns that I’m hiding or re-writing anything. That’s probably part of why it’s so important for me to tell the truth about my life and our history.
Q: Are the people close to you and your FI open to talking about his former female identity, or is it more important to him that others leave that to the past? Read more…
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 looking for some makeup inspiration, I decided I’d start with celebrities with hair color similar to my own, since redheads kind of have their own wonky coloring. I figured makeup looks that work for ginger celebs would (in theory) work for me.
Let’s play a game. Quick, name some redheaded celebrities. Common answers (according to Google images): Amy Adams, Lindsay Lohan (pre-druggie days), Nicole Kidman (pre-monochromatic skin + hair days), Julianne Moore, and Marcia Cross. Now let’s take a closer look:
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.
Hello, hive! I have officially survived my first Swiss Polterabig. And you know what? It was almost like an American bachelorette party! (Except that everyone was speaking Züridütsch…)
My understanding throughout the evening probably looked something like this:
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. Jaguar, SydneyAge and Occupation: 27, Primary School TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, IT ConsultantEngagement Date: August 8, 2009Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Curzon HallAbout Me: I'm an Australian girl who is a self-proclaimed nerd, loves all things stationery and would be lost without books, music and the internet. Mr. Jaguar and I have been together for the past eight years and he finally popped the question last August. Hurrah! We currently live in Sydney, Australia with our adorable cat who thinks he's a person. We're a couple who likes to multi-task: we've been planning a wedding abroad, a permanent move from London to Sydney, and preparing to build our own home all at the same time. Travelling makes me giddy...as does Mr. Jaguar, of course!
A fairly important thing to have at weddings, for most brides. Myself included.
The thing is, I’ve never really been particularly fussed about what they looked like. You see, I knew what colours I wanted. I had a rough idea of what style I’d like to replicate. But as for the specifics? The bouquet size. The exact flowers. The perfect bouquet. I wasn’t too worried.
And so, I’m taking my wedding planning cap off for a while and leaving our flowers to the experts. I’ve given our florist a handful of images that are similar to the style that I like, and free rein to get creative with them. We’re going to be working with whatever flowers are in season to keep costs down, and to make sure that the flowers will be super fresh and last for as long as possible.
What that means is that while I’ve got lots of ideas about how our flowers will look, the final product that is delivered on the day of the wedding is going to be a whopping great surprise.
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.
