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!
Our newest bee comes to us from the West Coast! Say hello to Miss Parasol!
Miss Parasol, San Ramon, California
Age & Occupation: 25, Non-profit writer, editor, and blogger Fiance’s Age & Occupation: 25, Law school student Engagement Date: December 19th, 2010 Wedding Date: September 2011 Venue: Ceremony: 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.
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.
After our grassy field portraits, we wandered around the rest of Bartram’s Garden. It’s such a beautiful place, and the rains had made it even more green, lush and wild than usual. So we took advantage of our setting. While I was bummed about the weather, our photographers assured us that the cloudy sky made for some great picture taking. And, honestly, we were having so much fun that the misty rain didn’t really bug us that much.
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!
Now that I’ve got The Dress I’m feeling some pressure to finalize my wedding day look, and I’d like that to start with my hair. As y’all know, I have relatively long curly/wavy hair. What you may not know is that I wear it down almost every day and I don’t tend to prefer pictures of me where my hair is up. Obviously that means I plan to wear it down for the wedding, but I want it to look more ’special’ than just my everyday hairstyle.
And then, a few days ago, the most amazing hair inspiration appeared to me in a completely unsuspecting and fortuitous moment. While Mr. FW and I were engaged in a marathon session of wedding crafting, we were watching a fabulous little show called Weeds. All of a sudden I happened to notice that Mary-Louise Parker and I share a similar hair texture. Not only that, but her character Nancy Botwin and I appear to share a mutual love of the half up/half down hairstyle. And the particular look that caught my eye was this beauty.
Mrs. Elephant, Dallas, TXAge and Occupation: 27, Financial Operations AnalystFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, IT Student/Store ManagerEngagement Date: March 29, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: The Tribute Golf ClubAbout Me: I'm a Philly native creating roots deep in the heart of Texas. I might be a little obsessed capturing those Kodak moments of anything and everything (mainly on vacations). I've become more of a gamer thanks to Mr. Elephant, who I met online and can't wait to spend the rest of my life with. We are planning a wedding based on our favorite colors, blue and green, with a travel theme for 150 of our closest friends and family. Hopefully our long (2-year) engagement won't kill me!
With the bridal party in place at the gazebo it was time for Daddy E and I to make a walk that he has been so excited about since the day Mr. E popped the question.
We walked down to Somewhere Over the Rainbow played on the steel drums. I still tear up whenever this song comes up on my iPod.
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!
One of the major things our wonderful caterer did with us is create a customized timeline for our rehearsal and wedding day. The catering-company owner spent three hours with us outlining where the major players would be on the big day and the evening before, what time everything would go down, and what we should expect, when. It’s a work in progress, and there are still holes to be filled in (and minds to be changed). One big thing is we’re not sure where the rehearsal will actually be, because if our venue has a wedding booked the night before ours, obviously that location is off limits. Later, we’ll have a similar appointment specifically to outline the ceremony, as we’ll have a separate rehearsal/ceremony coordinator from our catering manager.
I would ABSOLUTELY recommend doing a timeline as detailed as this. If you don’t have a wedding planner or caterer who takes you through this, consider plotting one out with a close friend who’s been married. They can ask you questions you never would have imagined should be answered and give valuable input. For instance, I had always figured that if we did do programs, we’d have them waiting on each guest’s seat. And I never considered that with an outdoor wedding they’d totally blow away. One point for the catering manager. Thank you, lady.
So here’s what our day-of timeline looks like so far:
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!
Ideas in-hand, I sat down for a conversation with Mr. CA regarding my idea for using silhouettes on our invitations. Nervous. Hopeful. Ready for a Wild West-style showdown in case he didn’t like the idea. Miraculously, I got the green light from him to proceed with the concept. Yes!! Admittedly, we were a bit worried that plastering silhouettes of ourselves all over our wedding stationery might seem slightly vain, but in the end we decided that we wanted our wedding to be as personal as possible, and the silhouettes would give them that little special personalization that I wanted. Plus, they just look cool.
After receiving a tip towards BlueClara on Etsy (I love the Hive!), I went and checked out her Etsy store. It was love at first sight! Her silhouettes are awesome—very clean and well-done. I love that she gives you different options: full body or just heads, digital or print. What a great steer!
I immediately placed an order with the shop about doing our silhouettes, and then attempted to take the side profile pictures that were required for them to do our silhouettes. Um, why was this so difficult?? Someone please explain.
Having looked at quite a few silhouettes on various invitations, I had a very clear vision of how I wanted the silhouettes to look. Read more…
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.
I have been bridal-brainwashed. My wedding will be a total failure unless I hand make…napkin rings! (Please note that in the weeks to come that sentence will probably change several times stating various failures.) I have no idea why this has become such an issue, especially since Congress Hall has some lovely dinner plates, which I am sure would look just fine sans napkin rings.
Mrs. Cinnamon Bun, Calgary, AlbertaAge and Occupation: 26, Stage ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Theatre TechnicianEngagement Date: June 22, 2010Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Calgary Opera CentreAbout Me: I'm a life-long crafter and bookworm living in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. Some of my loves include Lord of the Rings, Sherlock Holmes, knitting, opera, musicals, Etsy, baking, and of course, Mr. Cinnamon Buns. We're keeping our wedding close to home---the venue isn't very far from our house, and we live within walking distance of 6 bridal salons. I'm using the wedding as an excuse to try out every craft project I possibly can, with the endless help and support of my fiance.
So as you may or may not know, it is Stampede time here in “Cow-town.” Everyone turns into cowboys and people are drunk at all hours of the day. But, there are redeeming things too, like deep-fried Oreos:
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. Starfish, Boston/NewportAge and Occupation: 25, Operations AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, SalesEngagement Date: October 8, 2008Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: The Atlantic Beach ClubAbout Me: I'm a perfectionist who is a planner at heart. I don't do well with surprises. I love planning, crafting, Newport RI, family and friends, and most importantly, Mr. Starfish---all of which will be big components in our October wedding in our favorite little city by the sea.
As the night was nearing the end, we knew we didn’t want it to stop. We decided to extend our reception for an extra hour. Our DJ, Larry Tocci, played tons of high energy music to keep the party going and keep the dance floor packed. The night was definitely ending on a high note. We got to “jump around” to Kris Kross, Shout along with the Isley brothers, and Twist with Chubby Checker.
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!
Hive, we’ve now talked about all of the Lioness wedding plans. I’ve shared every pre-wedding event with you. I’ve told you about the details surrounding the moments before the big day, as well as the morning after. We have just one more topic to discuss before we pe into recaps: the honeymoon!
Mr. Lion and I had grand plans to travel abroad to Bavarian Europe for our honeymoon. Once we decided on our wedding budget (most of which we paid for ourselves), those plans quickly got pushed to our 1-year anniversary. Once we decided to buy a house, those plans quickly got pushed to our 2-year anniversary. But we are going to the Alps in 2013 and that’s final! Anyway, we opted for a brief, nearby, low-key honeymoon instead. We debated between Charleston, Asheville, and Savannah, then we finally decided on Asheville because that’s the one we pulled out of the hat through careful scientific deliberation.
We decided to stay at The Black Walnut Inn, a quaint yet comfortable bed and breakfast. Why did we choose this B&B? Well, the main reason was that it was pet-friendly.
Mrs. Turtle, Central CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 21, Art Student/TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, English StudentEngagement Date: August 16, 2008Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Mr. Turtle's Grandparents' backyard, Arroyo Grande, CAAbout Me: I am a California girl who loves the beach and the mountains, but is quite satisfied living right in the middle where I can enjoy the best of both worlds. I am happiest when traveling to faraway places, wandering through museums, watching old movies, or baking up a storm. Mr. Turtle and I are high school sweethearts and fellow book nerds who both drive Mini Coopers and are most likely to be found browsing in antique stores. We're having so much fun planning our European garden wedding with a vintage twist and can't wait to share more of life's adventures together!
I’ve found that a year into our marriage, the question I get asked most often, with the exception of “How’s married life?” and “When are you guys going to have kids?” is “Do you have any wedding regrets?”
Pondering this has got me thinking not only about wedding regrets, but also about the concept of regret in general.
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!
Ah, our wedding rehearsal. Otherwise known as the Tuesday evening before the wedding when we practised saying our vows in our lovely old church while freezing our pantaloons off.
I was really quite nervous leading up to the rehearsal. I think it might have been the idea of having all of our bridal party gathered together in the one place for the first time, particularly since Mr. Jaguar’s older brother/best man had just flown in from the UK the night before. We headed straight for the church after work, with gifts for our bridesmaids, groomsmen and parents in tow.
When we arrived, we introduced the few remaining members of the bridal party who hadn’t met one another yet and got straight down to business. Now I should preface this by saying that don’t have many pictures from the rehearsal because my mum, bless her, was far too busy bawling her eyes out to remember to use her camera!
Pretend-walking down the aisle with my dad was so just what I needed to calm me down.
Miss Doily, Cedar Rapids, IowaAge and Occupation: 25, Autism Paraeducator/ StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Freelance Writer/ PublisherEngagement Date: August 27th, 2010Wedding Date: March 2012Venue: Father’s Vineyard Church/ A Touch of Class Banquet CenterAbout Me: I’m an Iowan girl with a deep love of Harry Potter, classic movies, cardigans, and Post-Its. My type-A Virgo tendencies often cause me to drive my laid-back college sweetheart fiance batty with lists and PowerPoint presentations. I love to be crafty and do things myself, which explains why my two crazy kittens often will prance around the house covered in glitter and ribbons. When I am not bogged down with work, school, or wedding planning, I like to travel to visit my expansive family and have wild adventures with my best friends. After a rollercoaster ride of a love story, I’m ready to take that final plunge, marry the love of my life, and become a Mrs.!
I was having dinner with a friend a couple of nights ago when she innocently asked me if I was covering my tattoos up for the wedding. I wasn’t sure how to answer. I have had a couple of other friends in this same position before. One of my friends had an entire sleeve, and she said that she paid so much money for the thing and it was so painful that there was no way she was covering it up. I had another friend who just had a little bird on her shoulder and did cover it up. I honestly had not given it any thought before my friend asked me that question.
I don’t have a lot of tattoos. I really only have three, two of which may or may not be visible. The one that is almost never visible is a snitch from Harry Potter on my hip. Obviously, this is not going to be visible in a wedding dress, therefore, no need to cover it.
