Mrs. Cucumber Sandwich, Washington, DC/Cape May, NJAge and Occupation: 28, School CounselorFiance's Age and Occupation: 40, Collegiate AthleticsEngagement Date: March 27, 2010Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Congress Hall HotelAbout Me: I am a school counselor who spends my day wrangling children and my nights attempting to be creative with wedding projects. My enthusiasm for each of these activities far surpasses my skill. Thank goodness Mr. Cucumber Sandwich is there to pick up the pieces and be the voice of reason about my DIY tries. I have an obsession with terrible romantic comedies (‘From Justin to Kelly’ anyone?, anyone?!?), competitive Scrabble play, and hot dogs. I could eat astronaut ice cream for every meal and can’t seem to resist buying more shoes. Our wedding is going to be a true hodge podge of semi-destination, tradition, Yuengling, New England charm, with just a dash of ‘Jersey Shore’ thrown in. It has been six years in the making and I can’t wait to marry my best friend.
It felt like our engagement shoot was a microcosm of how our wedding is going to be. Of course, ever the student, there were a couple of lessons I learned on Sunday I hope to apply to our wedding day. I am going to share them with you in hopes that you will remind me as I get closer to the wedding and start to lose my mind.
1. Prioritize: Unfortunately we didn’t make it to one of the places that I had on my list. I would have loved to take pictures at several locations, but we ran out of time. Kramers Books (where we had our first date) was most important so we started there, and I couldn’t be happier with the pictures. Over the next couple of weeks, Mr. Cucumber Sammie and I are going to brainstorm things that are most important to us for the wedding day. Everything else will just be a delicious bonus.
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.
Before I had a chance to think about what kind of veil would work with my theoretical wedding dress, SIL Funnel Cake had emailed me with a picture of both her and her mothers’ veils to borrow if I wanted.
I know they look like lumpy marshmallows here, but work with me! Read more…
Mrs. Parasol, San Ramon, CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 25, Non-profit writer, editor, and bloggerFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Law school studentEngagement Date: December 19th, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Bent Creek Winery (Livermore, California); Reception: Family Residence (San Ramon, California) About Me: I am a California girl at heart. I love the outdoors, sunny days at the beach, and hiking in the woods and mountains. I also love good books and am fresh from completing my Master's degree in English and Comparative Literature in New York City. Living in NYC was an amazing experience, and while I'm glad to be back on the West Coast, I'm also thankful that my two years back East gave me an opportunity to explore new places, make new friends, and indulge my passion for Broadway shows. Oh, and I received a pretty awesome proposal from Mr. Parasol in Central Park. Above all else, Mr. Parasol is my biggest cheerleader and my best friend. But even though I'm thrilled to be marrying him, I wasn't always totally on board with this whole wedding thing and at first, I wanted to run off and elope. I've finally been convinced to throw the wedding I never thought I wanted, and so now I'm busy planning an intimate September wedding filled with DIY details. Along the way, I'm slowly learning to appreciate, perhaps even love the wedding planning process.
Well, hive, I did it. I went wedding-dress shopping, and guess what? I survived.
OK, wedding-dress shopping was not nearly as bad as I had expected. I’d even go so far as to say that I actually enjoyed it! More than anything, I feel relieved that the process isn’t foreign anymore. And it’s certainly not scary at all. It’s actually pretty exciting!
(I apologize in advance that I don’t have any pictures of me in the dresses. I know that some places don’t like you taking pictures of the dresses, and I was just too nervous to ask if I could snap a few photos.)
Before my official appointment at Kleinfeld (yes, the bridal salon from Say Yes to the Dress), I decided to check out a sample sale at Priscilla of Boston, whose dresses I absolutely love and have been eyeing for quite some time. Since getting engaged, this dress, Maeve, has been my favorite:
Mrs. Hippo, New York City/Dallas, TXAge and Occupation: 34, Event Planner for a Non-Profit Fiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Finance ITEngagement Date: August 8, 2009Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: Samuel Lynne Galleries and Marc EventsAbout Me: I’m a thirty-something bride living in New York City and planning a modern-ish wedding in Dallas, Texas. I love trashy reality television (Jersey Shore, anyone?), online shopping, Sunday brunch, Central Park, and random celebrity spottings on the streets of Manhattan. While I love NYC, I miss good Tex-Mex, my college friends, central A/C, and being in close proximity to a Target. I’m thrilled to finally be planning an event that’s not work-related and to be marrying my best friend in what I hope will be a unique and personal ceremony followed by a reception with plenty of good food, good drinks, and dancing (regardless if it’s good or not).
Immediately after the ceremony, we headed outdoors to catch the remaining sunlight for photos. Luckily, daylight savings time began the week before our wedding, so we had a little extra time to spend outside before it started to get dark. The manager of the art gallery thought I was insane when I told her we were going to take photos in the alley behind the gallery, but I absolutely love how they turned out. The combination of the urban setting with the formal clothing was just what I was looking for.
Mrs. Ladyfingers, Saint Petersburg, FLAge and Occupation: 30, Marketing ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Sports WriterEngagement Date: December 24, 2010Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Palma Sola Botanical ParkAbout Me: I hail from Oklahoma, he was born and raised in Long Island. Fate brought us together, and now we live in a cute little rental house with our nutty dog, and our aloof cat. We both love to read, watch movies, explore our town, and laugh like hyenas. When I’m not obsessively wedding crafting, I enjoy stalking style and decorating blogs, making collages and painting, napping, thrifting, rearranging our bookshelves, and being a total weirdo with my friends. Hi!
Despite my dad’s best efforts, I stink at haggling.
Ninety percent of the time, I accept the first price given to me at a garage, yard, or estate sale. I despised buying my latest car last year because I cannot play the car-price game. So I found a used one I could manage and paid the price given to me. I’m like this guy:
Mrs. Cannon, Toledo, OHAge and Occupation: 27, Financial AnalystFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, AssemblerEngagement Date: February 28, 2011Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Epworth UMC & Ward PavilionAbout Me: I'm the curious combination of being a go-with-the-flow, laid back, obsessive planner. I try desperately to stay as busy as possible at all times (and am succeeding big time right now!) My biggest loves in life are Law & Order: SVU, Community (the show, not the concept, although I like that, too), ice cream, white cheddar popcorn, beer, hiking, knitting, decorating, writing, being outside, spending time with friends and family and musical theater. Mr. Cannon is pretty sweet, too. We've had a lot of fun traveling and having adventures all over the country, but have finally moved back near our hometown to settle down. We're planning a low-key, colorful, fun wedding and an awesome-to-the-max reception.
I’ve posted a few pictures of myself here, so you may have noticed something about me. In case you haven’t, I will post this um, over-exposed picture from Mother’s Day to make it clear what I’m talking about:
I am, to use the medical term, emboobulated in the chestal region. As this picture illustrates, if my bra is not doing its job properly, and I have made the ill-advised decision to wear a low-cut shirt, it gets, as scientists say, totes ridonkulous. Of course Mr. Cannon just decided to take this completely over the top (ha, see what I did there?) picture without warning me about my problem. Men! *eye roll*
This is highly relevant to my wedding because I have to maintain a tasteful level of mammary exposure during the event known as “church cleavage.” 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!
Oh, hayyyyy honey! Meet our newest bee from the Rockies, Miss Honey!
Miss Honey, Durango, CO
Age & Occupation: 28, Financial Assistant Fiance’s Age & Occupation: 24, Lab Tech/Phlebotomist Engagement Date: August 1, 2010 Wedding Date: January 2012 Venue: Vallecito Lake About Me: I am a Colorado girl through and through, marrying an adrenaline-fueled Alabama boy. We love the outdoors just about as much as we love spoiling our dog and three cats. On any given weekend you can find us being adventurous, doing anything from rafting to snowboarding, and everything in between. We live in an outdoor mecca and truly believe in “Work Hard, Play Harder.” I’m an optimist to the core, a crafter wannabe, a Southern food cook-in-training and a big time believer in girls nights. We met, fell in love and got engaged in eight short months and are now knee-deep in planning what we hope to be a super-fun, very us wedding celebration. Join us as we plan a rustic meets whimsical, Colorado winter wedding with loads of personal touches and good food!
Real WeddingsAbout: The real weddings of weddingbee readers.
Natascha and Thomas had a sunny, East Coast beach wedding with bright pops of aqua blue!
Venue(s): The Sealord Hotel in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Wedding Date: 4/8/2011 Bridal Gown Designer: BCBG Florist: unknown Photographer: Kristen Wynn Photography
Cake: Publix
Bridesmaids’ Dresses: no bridesmaids Honeymoon: Fort Lauderdale
~~~
We’re teaming up with Muujee.com this week to celebrate the launch of their new site, which offers custom-designed, professional-quality photo books directly to consumers. This service and product is geared toward brides who want a professional album and design not offered by traditional consumer companies.
Muujee has been creating beautiful custom photo books for years as a service for professional wedding photographers, and now they are bringing this product to brides and grooms like you! Unlike typical consumer photo-book companies, Muujee has professional graphic designers that will take care of the design of the albums. Albums range from the popular flushmount albums, to magazine-style albums and fine art books.
One reader will receive a 10″ x 10″, 30-sided “Modern Album” (flushmount album) with design by Muujee’s professional graphic designers. The prize is valued at $1,300! Additionally two readers will receive a 50%-off coupon for any of Muujee’s albums.
To enter to win the photo book, please comment below! And for a second chance to win, follow Weddingbee on Twitter and retweet this contest (if you’re already a follower, simply retweet by clicking here!). Then come back here and let us know that you followed/retweeted. Finally, you can enter a third time by “liking” Muujee on Facebook. (Muujee is hosting a separate contest on their Facebook page, so be sure to enter there as well!) You have until Friday, July 29 at 11:59 PM PST to enter. Good luck!
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."
Today I’m taking a dip into clothier waters, because I don’t know what else to narrate in terms of portraits and bridal party pictures. Somehow, it seemed like a cop-out to write a post with the single sentence: Here are some pictures for you, of dressed-up strangers.
For those who have asked about my dress: it’s an Alita Graham for Kleinfeld design, and it’s from the 2009 season, I believe. It doesn’t have a name like many wedding dresses do (although I call her ’Elizabeth’), and if there is a style number, I’m not aware of it.
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!
Are you ready to hear something utterly, mind-bogglingly unbelievable? It’s the kind of ridiculousness I can only assume applies most often to intense planner-types like yours truly (but if it extends even further, I’d love to hear about it). Just what is this ridiculosity? Well, while searching through my wedding files the other day I came across an inspiration board that I made, and the creation date on the file is…
…wait for it…
May 30, 2009. Just let that sink in. Count the months. Do the mental math.
Umm… yeah, that’s more than two freaking years ago. How *crazy* is that?! No lie, no exaggeration—Mr. FW and I made this inspiration board a full-on year before we got engaged. Yep, you heard that right—-wedding style first, engagement ring second. Just for kicks, let’s take a look at that wedding style, shall we?
{my sincere apologies that I don’t recall the sources for any of these pictures}
Mrs. Lioness, AtlantaAge and Occupation: 25, Physical TherapistFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, AttorneyEngagement Date: August 29, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: Anthony’s Fine DiningAbout Me: I’m a Southern girl with New England roots. I say "wicked" and "y’all" in the same sentence and I like to drink sweet tea with my lobster. Mr. Lion and I are both former Floridians now living in Atlanta, which fortunately is still SEC country...Go Gators! We both love baseball, coffee, traveling, cooking, and playing Words with Friends with each other on our iPhones all day long. I’m very passionate about the things and the people I love, and I tend to plan things with all of my heart...our wedding, of course, is no different! Oh, and also Mr. Lion is a first generation American of Cuban descent. I may look more like Lucy than Ricky, but I’m doing my best to incorporate some Latin elements into our vintage-garden-Southern wedding!
I usually try to avoid crowds while on vacation, which usually leads me to more “off the beaten path” destinations, rather than touristy areas. However, when in Asheville, I simply had to do as the Romans do and hit up Biltmore.
Of course, guests aren’t allowed to photograph inside the mansion, but I was able to snap a few shots outside!
Mrs. Parasol, San Ramon, CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 25, Non-profit writer, editor, and bloggerFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Law school studentEngagement Date: December 19th, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Bent Creek Winery (Livermore, California); Reception: Family Residence (San Ramon, California) About Me: I am a California girl at heart. I love the outdoors, sunny days at the beach, and hiking in the woods and mountains. I also love good books and am fresh from completing my Master's degree in English and Comparative Literature in New York City. Living in NYC was an amazing experience, and while I'm glad to be back on the West Coast, I'm also thankful that my two years back East gave me an opportunity to explore new places, make new friends, and indulge my passion for Broadway shows. Oh, and I received a pretty awesome proposal from Mr. Parasol in Central Park. Above all else, Mr. Parasol is my biggest cheerleader and my best friend. But even though I'm thrilled to be marrying him, I wasn't always totally on board with this whole wedding thing and at first, I wanted to run off and elope. I've finally been convinced to throw the wedding I never thought I wanted, and so now I'm busy planning an intimate September wedding filled with DIY details. Along the way, I'm slowly learning to appreciate, perhaps even love the wedding planning process.
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!
We had said our vows, given each other rings and served communion together.
Pastor Jason pronounced us husband and wife, and Mr. Hyena kissed his bride! Read more…
Mrs. Macarons, TampaAge and Occupation: 26, Graphic DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, Renaissance ManEngagement Date: September 12, 2009Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Lange FarmAbout Me: I'm creative at heart and a graphic designer with an unhealthy obsession with type. I love roller coasters, spicy foods, and a good glass of Crianza. We’re planning a soft and lovely vintage-meets-modern wedding in a state that’s known for its beaches, glitz and glam. I have a ton of DIY projects and lots of little details I’m dying to share and can't wait to celebrate with our closest friends and family.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
