Mrs. Bruschetta, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 25, Communication ProfessionalFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Physical Therapy Graduate StudentEngagement Date: November 30, 2007Wedding Date: August 2009Venue: St. Thomas of Villanova Church & the F.U.E.L. HouseAbout Me: I’m a self-proclaimed grammar geek who loves singing (like, really belting it) in the car. My mister and I are planning a vibrant summer soiree celebrating our passions – including food and Philly – and when we make it official, we’ll have been together for eight years! Being super competitive is in my nature, and talking excessively is in my genes. I’ve got a terrible sense of direction, but can always easily find my way into Mr. Bruschetta’s arms.
{ all images, moving forward, courtesy of the amazing Cindy Patrick, unless otherwise noted}
What do you do when your videographer holds your wedding video hostage? Unfortunately, Mr. Bruschetta and I had the distinct displeasure of learning firsthand how to manage this frustrating, emotional situation.
The initial delay, I’ll admit, was completely our fault. After our wedding, the mister and I immersed ourselves in all things house-hunting: HGTV and Zillow, learning the ins and outs of mortgages, inspections and appraisals (before closing on our “First and Forever” home in July 2010). We dragged our feet a bit getting our honeymoon pictures to our videographer (to be included in a slide-show featuring Andrea Bocelli’s rendition of O Sole Mio), but assumed the video could easily be finalized after passing these photos along to him.
We communicated with him every two or three weeks, and each time, the promise was the same: Read more…
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.
Taking that first crack at looking natural in photographs was no easy task for me, but before we even got there, we had to find a photographer.
For some reason, finding a photographer for this wedding has been a major source of stress for me. I didn’t know this would be the case at first, so I dove into finding a photographer with the same gusto as everything else. Mucho gusto, that is.
But then I hit a wall. I had too many photographers. I was getting follow-up calls at the most inconvenient times. I couldn’t coordinate schedules with Momma Kettle or Mr. Kettle to set up meetings. I began avoiding the calls like I was avoiding a bill collector. It was bad, y’all.
Mrs. Zebra, Providence, RIAge and Occupation: 24 Marketing/Costume DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26 Management/Firefighter Engagement Date: December 12, 2008Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: The Providence BiltmoreAbout Me: I'm a small town New England girl with an affinity for procrastination, crossing the proverbial line, and putting her foot in her mouth. I'm a lover of history, all seasons, sewing and Incubus. I design costumes on the side for my old high school's theatre department, which is where I met my sexy man. Our motto for our Big Fat Lebanese/Portuguese/Irish near-300 person wedding is "the more the merrier"! We are marrying in a Catholic ceremony and are hammering out the details of our Victorian-inspired reception.
Well, there’s not much of an opener to this post. It’s a bunch of pictures of… ME! I like me, hopefully you like me too. Otherwise, you’re probably going to want to skip this one. Love, hugs, and kisses.
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!
2000 cookies, 44 bobby pins, 14 bridal party members, 3 blisters, and countless hugs later, we’re married!
Leading up to the big day, everyone kept echoing that at least one thing would go wrong, but I wouldn’t mind. In my head, I always scoffed at that piece of “advice,” assuming that, minus the weather, anything that went awry on the wedding day was totally preventable. Ergo, if something did go wrong, it would be directly related to poor planning or an egregious oversight on someone’s part (most likely my own). However, now that I’ve enjoyed each and every moment of my wedding day, I can confidently state that, sure enough, things don’t always go as planned. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s because of any one person’s error. Stuff happens; it’s just life. Here’s the magic of it all: even when something goes wrong on the big day, you won’t mind. It won’t leave even the smallest dent in your euphoria. And, looking back, those little blunders are permanently cemented as part of the entire wedding day process. Without them, your wedding day wouldn’t really be your wedding day, you know?
To say that our wedding day was the most enjoyable and special day in our lives is still an understatement. Read more…
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!
The dress was on. The veil was in, albeit roughly. The girls were dressed. It was time to go. But was it? You see, this my friends, is where bride brain kicked in.
Instead of relaxing and taking some portrait shots with the girls, I was busy worrying about being late. I forgot to take a moment to drink our champagne, even though I’d made sure we had glasses and bubbly ready to go. I didn’t even think to grab our props, the ones I’d specifically bought to use with my bridal party in pictures. If I had one regret about the morning of our wedding day, it would be not taking the time to breathe and remember that there was no need to rush. I was a bride: people would wait for me.
The only close-up picture of me prior to the wedding, taken by MOH Miss K.
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.
Remember how Macs was considering a custom ring? Well, after several email exchanges his ring finally arrived. There was one small problem—the engraving was off centered.
Mrs. Mary Jane, Grand Forks, NDAge and Occupation: 26, Instructional DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Lead ProgrammerEngagement Date: February 28, 2009Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: City HallAbout Me: I'm a career woman on the surface and a homemaker at heart. I love fast cars and high heels, and my favorite food is cake. Mr. Mary Jane and I are both full-time employees and students, and we just bought our first house. We love to curl up on the couch with buttery popcorn, Sour Patch Kids, and the latest Netflix arrival -- whenever we can get a break from everyday life.
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.
The most important aspect of our reception venue is LIGHT. Meaning that the venue must have light, and plenty of it. Why is this so very important? Well, let me point out priority #1:
*you know, because “joining in marriage” is priority #0, being integral to the wedding and all.
I’ve now been to a fair amount of weddings that were in dark, poorly lit rooms. I’m sure this is romantic and all, but I often struggled to take photos, even with my fancypants camera. Read more…
Weddingbee GalleryFeature Launched: April 10, 2009About: A collection of inspirational wedding pictures from readers and bees.
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. 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. 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!
Just a few minutes ago, the grandfather clock downstairs chimed the twelve o’clock hour, denoting the official start to our wedding day. I’m laying in my bedroom in my parents’ house, the same room in which I spent countless hours on the phone with Mr. Snow Cone during the early parts of our relationship. The exact same physical space, completely different mental spaces. Nine years ago, I’d lay on my bed, discussing the day’s events with Mr. Snow Cone. Now, I lay on my bed, trying to wrap my head around the fact that I am preparing to marry the greatest individual I’ve been lucky enough to have in my life.
This past week has had its ups and downs, to say the least. Fortunately, the ups far outnumber the downs, and I have absolutely no doubt that two days, weeks, months, or years from now, the ups will be what stand out in our individual and collective memories. Read more…
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.
Hive, I must tell you, the first two DIY projects I talked about weren’t actually my first. You’re never supposed to lie about your first, but…I was ashamed. I was proud of what I did at the time, but then…well…
You look on Weddingbee and someone points out how something you just spent hours on was probably a terribly unimaginative, wholly unimportant, overwhelmingly uncreative waste of time and money. They weren’t talking about you specifically, they were talking about your type of project. You hang your head in shame and vow never to speak of your first.
An amazing amount of creativity finds its way to the surface, and you are overwhelmingly uncreative no more. Your unimportance suddenly is less whole and your imagination is far less terrible. The clouds part and you put out good work.
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!
After a couple weeks of cooling down from these rather nightmarish dress-hunting experiences, I came to a decision. Mama Ticket should buy the bright red dress. She loved it, she would be comfortable in it, everyone knows she’s my mom, and most importantly I really didn’t want to argue with her anymore. I had expected dress shopping with her to be fun and exciting, and it turned into constant bickering and exhaustion.
From my perspective, Mama Ticket was in no way willing to budge. She was basically saying that her desires were more important than mine and that I was a terrible daughter for suggesting that I was unhappy with her choices (funny how we hear things differently than how people really say them). Her criteria for a dress were as follows:
1. Under $250. (That’s totally fair.)
2. Not low-cut. (Obviously not a problem, though Mama Ticket’s version of low-cut is a tad different than most people’s.)
I thought something between J Lo’s belly button and a turtleneck would be ideal.
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).
Well, hive…. I think it’s time. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been blogging on Weddingbee for a full year now, but seeing as how I’ve told my wedding story from beginning to end, I suppose it’s time for me to go enjoy married life and leave the Weddingbee main page for the planning and recapping bees. I’m actually really sad to go ’cause this has been such a fun and amazing experience from day one. I can’t thank you all enough for welcoming me into this incredible community!
When I first contemplated applying to blog on Weddingbee, I simply thought it would be fun. I thought that my modern art gallery ceremony and lounge-y reception would be a welcome addition to the hive. I thought that with my event planning background, I might be able to help other brides as I posted about my own wedding planning journey. And to be perfectly honest, I thought the hive needed a splash of 30-something color. But all of those things were what I was going to bring to the hive. I never oncethought about what Weddingbee was going to do for me and that’s because, at the time, I had absolutely no clue that Weddingbee would have such a substantial impact on my life. OK…I realize that sounds overly dramatic, but stick with me here.
Through this journey, I’ve learned that sometimes the advice of a stranger is just as good, if not better (and sometimes more honest) than advice from a close friend. Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
