Mrs. Honey, Durango, COAge and Occupation: 28, Financial AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Lab Tech/PhlebotomistEngagement Date: August 1, 2010Wedding Date: January 2012Venue: Vallecito LakeAbout 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!
A balanced wedding party used to be the standard—an equal number of guys and girls standing up on behalf of the bride and groom. Nowadays, we brides-to-be get to be more creative with our wedding party. A Man of Honor? Heck yeah. A best gal friend? Absolutely. More ’maids than ’men? Go for it, and that’s what we’ve got goin’ on.
I’ve thrown out my number a couple of times but for good measure I will remind you that I have eight bridesmaids. Our wedding party will be a total of thirteen, not including the troop of lil’ ones. Simple math tells me this can only mean one thing: we have an uneven number of bridesmaids and groomsmen. Me with eight, Mr. Honey with five. An unbalanced wedding party.
Just like Miss Candy Apple and Mrs. Fro Yo, among others, I have embraced that our wedding party is not going to be symmetrical. The majority of our groomsmen will be escorting not only one, but two bridesmaids up and down the aisle. Two girls to one guy; those lucky boys: Read more…
Mrs. Seal, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 25, Personal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Sales and Support SpecialistEngagement Date: December 12, 2009Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Sts Peter and Paul Church/The Bently ReserveAbout Me: I am a goofy, wannabe crafty, well-intentioned Renaissance Woman (OK, perhaps "aimless wanderer" is a more aptly suited term for me, but hopefully you get the point)—basically I dabble in just about everything and pride myself in such. Without warning, I occasionally breakout into soulful improvised songs and interpretive dances and there's just no stopping me! As so many others before me, planning our wedding has unearthed a deep, intense passion for all things bridal and I secretly fear the day it will come to an end. Mr. Seal and I are quite the pair and life with him by my side is extremely rewarding—I am so thankful to have found him. Together we are planning a black-tie San Francisco affair for 250—light on the stuffiness and with lots of extra Seal-y flair.
I’ll admit I’ve drafted a couple of (slightly inferior) versions of my “A Bee’s Life” post over the last couple months but with almost 5 months of Weddingbee bloggin’ behind me…I finally feel like now is right. Plus, Magic’s fabulous post yesterday totally inspired me. I love that lady.
So, my dearest and most wonderful hive, let’s do this.
How Did I Find Weddingbee?
I came across Weddingbee pretty early into our engagement while researching save-the-dates. I can’t be sure of my exact Google search terms…but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was something along the lines of “awesome save the dates” Yeah. I am that person who uses arbitrary adjectives in my interweb searches.
Anyhoo. Whatever the silly search terms were, my interest was piqued by Mrs. Pomegranate’s awesome save the dates. I didn’t quite understand why she called herself Pomegranate though…or why anyone else referred to themselves by goofy names but I bookmarked the page nonetheless.
I kind of forgot about Weddingbee for a couple of months but Google eventually led me back to one of Mrs. Scissors’ posts. This time, I was determined to figure the site out. After a couple hours of research, I discerned that the monikers were alter-egos and that you had to fight tough odds to earn a name and be accepted as a bee. Fight odds? Write? I was in! Read more…
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.
If you remember bees, I was feeling rather consigned to holding our reception in a random church hall. In this moment, my amazing mother sent some of her inspirational emails that had—ta-da!–reception venue ideas!
Do you remember the fish fry room Mama Funnel Cake proposed? After she contacted them she learned it would be a shoo-in if we wanted to hold the reception there. They even penciled us in…
Mrs. Sunhat, Dyer, IN Age and Occupation: 32, Tax AccountantFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Landscape ForemanEngagement Date: September 25, 2010Wedding Date: December 2011Venues: St. Andrew the Apostle, Fiesta PalaceAbout 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!
September 25, 2010 seemed like any other ordinary Saturday.Mr. Ball Cap and I made plans to have my dad come over and help us with some landscaping and home-repair jobs.
Unbeknownst to me, while the guys returned some yard equipment, Mr. Ball Cap took the opportunity to ask my dad for permission to ask for my hand in marriage. I always loved this tradition and it was never a question for either of us whether Mr. Ball Cap would ask.My dad told him he and my mom would be honored to have him in our family.So sweet!
The guys returned to our house and grilled up lunch. Mr. Ball Cap’s phone was on the kitchen island and, while he was outside, it rang.The number on the caller ID didn’t have a name associated with it, so I opened the patio door and tossed him the phone.He answered and just kept saying, “Yes, uh huh, yes, OK, thank you” to the person on the other end.When he hung up, he just mumbled that he wasn’t sure who it was—some lady rambling on and he didn’t really remember what she said or was talking about.I was completely confused and shrugged it off as a wrong number. Read more…
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.
There’s something about suddenly having cupboards that look like this:
Matching!!
Full of all the stuff we registered for, and received thanks to our awesome family and friends, that made me want to attack the rest of the kitchen. Mainly our pantry drawer and our spices. Read more…
Miss Ticket, Riverside, CAAge and Occupation: 25, Executive AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, HVAC TechnicianEngagement Date: November 14, 2010Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Crestmore ManorAbout 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!
None of my friends would define me as a shoe girl. I live in flip-flops. I do have about seven or eight different colored pairs at any given time, but generally I just grab whatever is closest, whether it matches or not. My feet are big, flat, and fat. In other words, they are not shoe friendly. Thus my obsession with flip flops. That being said…I have no intention of walking down the aisle in flip-flops.
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!
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.
I’m Miss Macarons and I used to be a nail biter. I always assumed I’d have to get acrylics in order to have pretty nails for my wedding. Well, after 25 years of breaking, I went from nails like this:
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.
Miss Kettle, Chicago, ILAge and Occupation: 26, Non-Profit Donor Resource CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Musician & TeacherEngagement Date: May 29, 2011Wedding Date: February 2012Venue: Patrick C. Haley Mansion, Joliet, ILAbout Me: I'm a city girl who loves a good escape, so I'm planning a Chicago wedding outside of the city. I've been described as a quirky yet down-to-earth drama queen who loves fiercely. I used to be a scientist, but now I'm learning to navigate the world of non-profit organizations. I love cooking, blogging, shopping, and music, and movies (Hans Zimmer is my favorite movie composer). Mr. Kettle and I had a short courtship and now we have a happy home with our cat-who-thinks-she's-people, Belle. We spend our days and nights with good food, live music, video games, family, and friends. Our wedding has become this wonderful excuse to bring together hundreds of people we can't bear to be without.
I’m not exactly a type-A personality, but being organized is super important to me. Marrying a man like Mr. Kettle makes that all the more important. We each have things we forget, and of course they’re different types of forgetting. That type of behavior doesn’t gel with effective wedding planning.
Seeing as how we didn’t want to pay money for a wedding planner, just a day of coordinator, it was imperative that I stay very organized while putting together the details of our wedding.
I managed to get some big decisions handled up front. At least they seemed big at the time. Then five minutes later, I would think about everything else left to do and that one item checked off would seem like nothing. I feel this way every time.
Enter a two-fold solution: A wedding binder and a wedding website. I have both and so far I’m super glad I do. Some things I have recorded in both. Others I use just one or the other.
This Russel + Hazel wedding planner became my best friend. From Office Depot I got a calendar, page protectors, highlighters, colored gel pens, and a briefcase. The briefcase has a dual purpose. This wedding binder will have to be carried with me everywhere I go from now until February 11th, so I wanted something to carry it in that wasn’t my purse. ‘Cause that sucker is huge!
Personal photo: This is the super cute bag I got for my binder.
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.
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 survived a move and a family reunion this weekend. I’m mostly unpacked, and am looking forward towards orientation for my new job. As if I couldn’t be any more excited, this was waiting for me when I came home:
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!
It’s quite possible that our caterer is our favorite vendor thus far. Of course, it’s quite a close call, but they really upped the ante at our site walk through.
I had only met our catering manager, Loren, in passing and exchanged a handful of emails with her, so I was really looking forward to meeting up with her at the venue to hear her ideas for setting up the space. We also hadn’t been there since we booked in January, so I was looking forward to a refresher.
This visit settled a lot of burning setup questions in my mind and we made some final decisions on the location and timing of the first dance, etc. It also resulted in some money unexpectedly saved—but a lot more money spent. Let’s recap—but first, some venue porn.
Mrs. Sunhat, Dyer, IN Age and Occupation: 32, Tax AccountantFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Landscape ForemanEngagement Date: September 25, 2010Wedding Date: December 2011Venues: St. Andrew the Apostle, Fiesta PalaceAbout 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!
Hello, hive! Miss Sunhat here, and I think I’m still in shock that I’m really a bee now! I can’t tell you how excited and honored I am to be blogging for the hive. I found the email at about 1 AM after getting home from a concert (Stone Temple Pilots, yeah!) and couldn’t sleep for hours! I’ve been reading Weddingbee for about a year and a half now, and when the tea party generation of icons came out, I knew the sunhat was just the icon for me!
Why a sunhat? Well, I love hats—really love hats. Like I was waiting for my invite to the royal wedding so I could rock the hell out of an amazing hat. The bigger the brim, the more I love the hat. I may not have gone this route:
Mrs. Teaspoon, Sydney, AustraliaAge and Occupation: 27, Medical ScientistFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, BankerEngagement Date: June 4, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: St Aloysius' College, Milson's PointAbout Me: I am a mad scientist who enjoys swimming at the beach in summer and skiing powder in winter. Our favourite times together are spent with the sand between our toes, cooking up a storm, re-watching and re-reading every Harry Potter ever made, and spending time with our dear friends and family! We have travelled the world together in our 6 years of dating, from Paris, to Thailand, to Las Vegas, and we are tackling the many challenges of planning our special day the best way we know how---together!
I had my hair done today with my bridesmaid, and we got talking about hairstyles, as you do…when your bridesmaid is also your hairdresser! Again, one of those small things that I am finding myself obsessing over!
Now, my hair is currently not very long and there is not very much of it. It is about three inches longer than it is here in this picture taken in October—in Roma. Beautiful!!
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
Image via Bloom Boutique
