Mrs. Parasol, San Ramon, California
Age and Occupation: 25, Non-profit writer, editor, and blogger
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Law school student
Engagement Date: December 19th, 2010
Wedding Date: September 2011
Venue: 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.
So, everyone around the hive seems to be talking about weight and getting healthy for the wedding, and I thought I should jump on the bandwagon before it’s too late.
**Disclaimer: This post is very personal in nature, and I discuss some difficult emotional struggles that affected my weight and overall health. I haven’t shared the details of my struggle with many people before, but I want to be honest about my journey toward healthy living, and I hope that others will find encouragement from my story. I welcome any comments, feedback, and questions; I just ask that you please be sensitive and respectful.
Also, I have no shame when it comes to photography, so get ready for some pictures of me looking ridiculous.**
Growing up, I was the skinny girl. I was the girl who ate bacon cheeseburgers, drank a ton of surgery soda, never exercised regularly, and was still skinny. I had a fast metabolism and enjoyed every sweet moment of it. Looking back, even I hate me.
Summer 2007 / Personal Photo
Read more…
Mrs. Waffle, Austin
Age and Occupation: 31, Costumer/Artist
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Animator
Engagement Date: July 27, 2010
Wedding Date: June 2011
Venue: Hummingbird House
About 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!
With our bellies full of brunch, we made our way to the space in the backyard that had been set up for rehearsal.
Grammy Waffle walked me down the “aisle” while I was obviously being silly and my “bouquet” was in front of my face instead of my belly button like Magic Alie told me to do. Normally, I am not a person who behaves this way at rehearsals, but my nerves (and mimosas) must have been kicking in…just a pinch.
Read more…
Classifieds
Feature Launched: April 30, 2008
About: A roundup of the best Weddingbee Classified listings.
heather5743 is selling a Jim Hjelm 8709. It’s ivory, and a size 12. She’s asking for $345.
Have a wedding item for sale? Post it with pictures in the Weddingbee Classifieds, and you might see it featured on the blog!
Other great items for sale:
Read more…
Mrs. Pony, Bloomington, IL
Age and Occupation: 25, Attorney
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 34, Attorney
Engagement Date: March 22, 2010
Wedding Date: September 2011
Venue: Mackinaw Valley Vineyard; Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts
About 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.
A few weeks ago, the lovely ladies of my bridal party hosted a shower in my honor. I gave my girls very little guidance on what I was expecting from my shower, and they far exceeded anything I could have imagined. My shower included brunch (uh, yum), generously given gifts, and some of my favorite people:
My shower Hostesses/Bridesmaids!
Read more…
Featured on Weddingbee
“Make an elegant invitation statement without the fuss. Stylish invitation sets with matching envelopes, reception and response cards included.”
Featured Product: Laura Ashley Delicate Damask Invitation
Mrs. Sunhat, Dyer, IN
Age and Occupation: 32, Tax Accountant
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Landscape Foreman
Engagement Date: September 25, 2010
Wedding Date: December 2011
Venues: St. Andrew the Apostle, Fiesta Palace
About Me: I'm a Midwest girl who grew up in the country and now works in the big city! I love cooking, entertaining, reading (addicted to my Kindle) and going to the movies. I don't miss an episode of Hoarders and I start cleaning every time I watch! My profession doesn't call for much creativity so wedding planning has been a great outlet. Mr. Sunhat and I met online three years ago, cheer for rival MLB teams and share a home with our dog, Wrigley. We are planning a traditional, Polish, Catholic wedding with lots of DIY elements and some fun surprises. I'm so excited to be married on New Year's Eve and we can't wait to ring in the new year as husband and wife!
After our September engagement, I was in no hurry to rush out and try on dresses. Now don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t have been more excited about finding “the one.” It was more the prospect of actually trying on the gowns that made me so hesitant.
As a plus size bride, it isn’t easy to find a bridal salon you can walk into and try on a dress that fits. Samples don’t generally run up into the 16s, 18s or 20s. The idea of having to purchase a dress without seeing what it really looked like on my body scared the crap out of me.
My mom came to the rescue and found Miss Pamela’s. Miss Pamela’s is a plus size bridal salon in Rochester, Indiana specializing in only plus size bridal and prom gowns. The salon carries brands such as Jasmine, Maggie Sottero, Allure, Mary’s and more. A 2.5 hour drive was no obstacle for the chance to walk into a salon and try on any dress I liked.
I had been tearing pictures of dresses out of magazines (maybe even before we were engaged) and there was definitely a strong theme and style of gown I was leaning towards.
Read more…
Mrs. Brooch, Arlington, VA
Age and Occupation: 25, Writer/Editor
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Front Desk Manager
Engagement Date: October 3, 2009
Wedding Date: April 2011
Venue: Oxon Hill Manor
About 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.
I had butterflies in my stomach and sweaty palms on my way to meet Mr. Brooch for our first look. The anticipation was high for the both of us. I remember walking out of the manor to the garden, turning to one of my bridesmaids and saying, “I hope he likes me!”
Photos by Meredith Perdue & Graham Terhune
Walking down the stairs to the fountain, I felt a deep sense of thankfulness for such a beautiful venue and great weather. It was a bit overcast at this point, but our photographers said that was perfect for picture taking.
Read more…
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
Ms. Gazelle, Calgary/Vancouver
Age and Occupation: 32, Engineer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Technology Analyst
Engagement Date: September 3, 2010
Wedding Date: July 2011
Venue: Brock House Restaurant, Vancouver
About 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.
Something that I was never able to share with the Hive before the wedding were our finished bridesmaids’ dresses. My mom, being the awesome seamstress that she is, offered to make the dresses for our girls. We settled upon Butterick B5322 for MOH-T:
Image via Butterick
And for BM-D, she would get the strapless version of Simplicity 4070.
Read more…
Miss Petit Four, San Antonio/Isla Mujeres
Age and Occupation: 25, Technology teacher
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Math Teacher and Football Coach
Engagement Date: Feb 13, 2010
Wedding Date: March 2012
Venue: Zama Beach Club, Isla Mujeres, Mexico
About Me: I am a polka-dot obsessed, destination wedding diva living and loving in the great state of Texas. I am an island girl at heart and I visit the beach as often as I can. I am a wannabe DIY goddess, but that doesn’t mean I won’t give it my best shot. I love pearl earrings, the color pink, and ruffles are a part of my everyday wardrobe. My wonderful fiance and I are planning a destination wedding with our closest family and friends and we’re leaving a trail of glitter in our path!
“The secret to a happy marriage remains a secret”- Henry Youngman
(source)
So, here’s a picture of my ring…well, technically its a picture of the stock ring from Tiffany’s, but who’s keeping track, really? I love my ring, but when it comes to finding a wedding ring to go with it, none of them sit flush.
Read more…
Mrs. Bacon, Chicago
Age and Occupation: 26, Digital Advertising Manager
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, IT Client Services
Engagement Date: June 17, 2010
Wedding Date: September 2011
Venue: Ravenswood Billboard Factory
About 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.
The Baconator and I have looked high and low for an appropriate unity ceremony that works for a blended family with 3 pairs of parents. Unity candles kind of worked, but he didn’t love the idea since he’s seen it at so many of his friends’ weddings. Unity sand really only comes in pairs and we could have purchased a second set to break up, but that one didn’t seem to fit since we aren’t getting married on the beach. I threw around the idea of a boxed wine ceremony, but we don’t drink all that much wine. Hand fasting was also out since neither of us have any kind of a discernible Celtic background. So now what? Our families MUST UNITE!
I was flipping through a bridal magazine months ago when something on the table of contents page caught my eye. There was a teeny tiny blurb about incorporating love padlocks into weddings. How to do it wasn’t covered, but I cut out that little photo with it’s caption and pasted it into my wedding inspiration notebook. I remember hearing about the idea when I was in China a number of years ago, but at the time, I had no one to lock away with, so it didn’t really stick with me. But now, four years later, there is something charming and hopelessly romantic about locking together and throwing away the key.
I brainstormed ways to give each person at the wedding a piece of ribbon that would be clasped together with a padlock with our name and date inscribed on it, but that’s an awful lot of ribbon.
Read more…
Miss Ticket, Riverside, CA
Age and Occupation: 25, Executive Assistant
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, HVAC Technician
Engagement Date: November 14, 2010
Wedding Date: October 2011
Venue: Crestmore Manor
About Me: I'm a lifelong So Cal gal, a chocoholic, a closet gamer, and a television enthusiast (love me some Vampire Diaries!) who adores playing in the kitchen and lives in flip flops. Mr. Ticket and I are best known for singing and dancing in the car, our World of Warcraft addiction, adoring food, crane game playing, and our general homebody ways. Oh, and GO STEELERS!
Today I’m going to share with you something that’s a little difficult for me to admit. But I think it’s time to put it out there.
I don’t handle change well. I never have. As a kid, the smallest of changes would send my world spiraling. Something as simple as my parents replacing the dining room table was known to bring me to tears (ridiculous, I know). But with this in mind I have to admit that while I’m no longer crying over furniture, I still find change difficult. Particularly BIG change. Like an upcoming marriage and moving out of my parents’ house. That’s monumental change in my book.
Now don’t get me wrong, I absolutely can’t wait to become Mrs. Ticket. I am so in love with Mr. Ticket that I would move to the moon with him if he asked me. But that doesn’t make the change any less real and while my bride brain is often in happy/giddy fiancee mode or crazy busy planning mode, occasionally that little voice of nervous energy pops up in the back of my mind.
Before Mr. Ticket moved to California I had the nervous energy.
Read more…
Mrs. Elephant, Dallas, TX
Age and Occupation: 27, Financial Operations Analyst
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, IT Student/Store Manager
Engagement Date: March 29, 2009
Wedding Date: April 2011
Venue: The Tribute Golf Club
About 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!
Waking up the morning after our wedding was another early morning. Sometimes I really wish I could just sleep in. Our wedding package at the Tribute included breakfast in bed, but since we were up so early we decided to pick up the room, pack up the car and enjoy our delicious breakfast in the pub. The staff was busy preparing for their Easter brunch, so we ate in a booth out of their way. After turning in our suite key, we drove off saying one last goodbye to our wedding venue through the side mirror.
We arranged for our guests to enjoy one last wedding weekend event at the hotel that so many of them were staying at. Mama E did a wonderful job of repurposing our flowers and wedding decor to fancy up the hotel conference room.
Read more…
Mrs. Cucumber Sandwich, Washington, DC/Cape May, NJ
Age and Occupation: 28, School Counselor
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 40, Collegiate Athletics
Engagement Date: March 27, 2010
Wedding Date: October 2011
Venue: Congress Hall Hotel
About 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.
This weekend was my hair and makeup trial. I am so excited to report that it went fabulously. Bring on the pictures!
I can’t believe I am about to post these for the world to see but here are my before:
Sammie Sister took my picture while I was staring in the sun. I am completely making excuses because I look like a hot mess! Please scroll quickly.
Read more…
Mrs. Cannon, Toledo, OH
Age and Occupation: 27, Financial Analyst
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Assembler
Engagement Date: February 28, 2011
Wedding Date: September 2011
Venue: Epworth UMC & Ward Pavilion
About 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.
So, school is back in session and I didn’t quite get everything crossed off my list. But I did get a lot done, so I’m not going to beat myself up over it. One big thing I wanted to cross off my list? Bouquets! So as of today I almost have all the bridesmaid bouquets done and plan on having mine finished by the end of the week. Remember last time I talked about flowers and showed you all the tutorials I was using? Now I’ll let you on to how to finish up the bouquets after you’ve made your flowers.
These are smaller bouquets since they’re for the bridesmaid’s. Each one takes six of the larger flowers and five of the smaller ones. I used pipe cleaners as the stems for the larger flowers and hot glued floral wire as the stems for the smaller flowers.
I put one large flower in the center and arranged the other five around that center flower. Once I liked how they looked, I duct taped them together.
Then I added the smaller flowers into the arrangement and duct taped those in.
Read more…
Mrs. High Wire, Dallas
Age and Occupation: 23, Legal Assistant
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Director of Communications
Engagement Date: October 9, 2010
Wedding Date: September 2011
Venue: Clark Gardens
About 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.
We ordered Mr. HW’s wedding band and got word that it had arrived at the jeweler’s last week. His ring size has fluctuated a bit in the last few years, so we went to go have him try it on as soon as possible to make sure we wouldn’t have to get it resized or have to order a new one.
Check it out:
Tungsten Carbide Band - Personal Photo
There’s something super sexy, sultry, and awesome about that picture above. I may have squealed with excitement when I dropped it into this post.
Read more…
Mrs. Ladyfingers, Saint Petersburg, FL
Age and Occupation: 30, Marketing Manager
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Sports Writer
Engagement Date: December 24, 2010
Wedding Date: November 2011
Venue: Palma Sola Botanical Park
About 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!
I’ve been quite the busy bee, hive, with my border punches and my pewter ribbon. I’ve been knocking out projects left and right, and I’m so far feeling pretty good about my ability to meet the goal of getting everything done by the week of the wedding.
First up, the guest book sign. I was inspired by Miss Parasol’s sweet guestbook sign, and whipped up our own little version in just a few minutes.
Next was finding the right picture frame to house it. After trying out a couple of too-big options around the house, I randomly stopped by Goodwill on my way home from work last week, and — lo! I found The Right One as soon as I turned down the frame aisle.
Add some spray paint, some gray paper in one of the shades used throughout the wedding paper goods, and some lace border punch, and we have our guest book sign.
(It’s signed our last name there at the bottom — aka “The Ladyfingers” — but I blurred out the actual name for privacy’s sake)
Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
(source)
