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.
Alternative title to this mini series of posts: My Big Fat Eclectic Wedding.
So, I’ve talked about our colors and our venue, but I haven’t shared much in the way of our plan for decorating our reception space. Part of this is because ’my plan’ has evolved and continues to do so as we are making some of our final plans. But one thing I’ve known for certain is that I will be using a plethora of antique, vintage, and pre-loved items to decorate our space. Why did I know this for sure? Well, this is my dad’s house (also where I grew up):
The swans aren’t old, but I find them oddly charming
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).
With the vowsspoken, photos taken, first dance completed, glasses lifted and dessertsdevoured, it was clear that the night was coming to an end. A lot of our older guests had exited by this point, so it was our closest friends and family members that were on the dance floor for the last dance. We thought we’d bring a little New York City to the state of Texas, so we chose Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys for the last song of the evening.
Somehow, the last dance ended up as less of a “Yay! We all had so much fun let’s get out and bust a move one last time!” and more of a “Yay! Let’s stand around in a circle and watch the bride and groom dance together one more time while we sing along!” I’m not sure how that happened, to be honest, and I remember thinking, “Huh. This is kind of awkward.” Luckily, King Hippo and I love to dance so we just went with it. Read more…
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!
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.
We’re back from our little mini-moon in Portland, Oregon! And if I were to use one word to describe our trip, it would be ‘delicious’. There are just so many great places to eat in Portland. I knew that going in, but it is a whole other thing to know it because your belly is so stretched out with tasty tasty meals. This is going to be a not-so-little post about what we ate, and later I’ll do one about the rest of the trip.
Thursday:
I arrived at 2 PM or so (sans Mr CB, he joined me Friday night. Yes, this was the plan. Sock conference, remember?) and I was starving. I had seen Brunchbox on Food Network ages ago, and decided I needed to go, so that is the first place I went for food on this trip. I decided I just couldn’t face a burger with grilled cheese sandwiches instead of buns, so I had a BLT. Their Texas toast is delicious, and the bacon so crispy! Yum! That was my dinner too, it was so big. 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!
Come join us TODAY in San Francisco! Details below
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fizz & frills is the first ever wedding marketplace hosted by Utterly Engaged Magazine with Lovely Jubilee and Blu Bungalow popping up in San Francisco, CA on Saturday August 6 through (TODAY!) Sunday August 7, 2011. This isn’t your typical bridal show—fizz & frills is a 2 day shopping event where brides, grooms, and frill seekers alike can shop from a fine selection of independent designers and artisans.
Shop for unique wedding items, sway to great music, get fresh makeup inspiration and applications at the beauty bar, check out DIY sessions, and (best of all ) join Weddingbee sipping on fizz and overdosing on frills!
Tickets to the event are now available, and you can purchase them by heading over to the official fizz & frills page.
Event host Utterly Engaged Magazine is graciously donating $1 from every ticket to the event sold to For Japan with Love which benefits ShelterboxUSA, which will further efforts to send life-saving supplies to disaster stricken areas in Japan and around the world.
For more on the event, follow @fizzandfrills on Twitter or on Facebook for full details on the schedule of events, amazing pop up shop vendors, and special guests!
See you at the Weddingbee Meet Up today!
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.
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.
OK, hive. This is the post where I try to dive in to how we met and our story of how we ended up engaged. It’s a story that seems to take longer to tell than the time we’ve actually been together, but I will try my best.
When I was younger, we’re talking 10–15 years ago, I went to a music conservatory. I was classically trained in choral singing and piano. It was an amazing time in my life and I learned a lot, though I made no friends and never quite got over my hangup about playing in front of people.
During this time, there was a guy at the music school that I thought was incredibly cute. No mystery here, it was a younger Mr. Kettle. I thought he was so cute with his afro and his big nose. (I have a thing for big noses.) And he had a special sort of something about him that made me swoon every time he had to play his sax during assembly. 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!
I had been hoping for a proposal for a couple of months (specifically since his brothers had both just proposed to their girlfriends), and I hinted. OK, I hinted heavily…I’m a bit ashamed of myself for that. I KNEW he was going to propose at some point. The man had moved across the country for me! A proposal was coming, it was just a matter of when…
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’m not the first bee nor will I be the last be to be discussing name changing! There are many different opinions surrounding the whole name-changing issue. I for one stand firmly in the pro-change corner. However, the name change does have its disadvantages!
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.
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.!
There is a place that every bride seems to hit in her wedding planning at one point or another. It’s called the in-between. It’s that place where you have most of your wedding planning and inspiration done, but you have also got to the place where you have done what you can and what you haven’t done has to wait. My friends, I have hit that spot. With my recent project of my shoes done, and with my imminent move to a different state, I am stuck in my wedding progress.
And believe me, it’s kind of frustrating that I am at a stand-still. I want to go, go, go. I want to get stuff done. My type-A personality demands it, my Virgo qualities are compulsively driving me towards it. But I can’t. I already have to move two-years worth of accumulative stuff in my tiny Mazda. I do not have room in Walter (I like to name my cars old man names, some of my other past ones have been Brutus and Wilbur), for another tote of wedding stuff.
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.
With my second bridal shower just around the corner, I’ve been tempted more than ever to registry stalk to figure out what, if any, gifts I can expect at this upcoming soiree (I always peek at my Christmas presents). I’ve been pretty good about ignoring my instinct to check out our online registries every chance I get, but the temptation to give into my urges is getting quite strong. So instead of checking out my registry, I’m going to tell you ladies about it (and maybe we can commiserate together?).
For those of you who watched Friends (which should be everyone), I am the epitome of Rachel when it comes to gifts. I have a list. You do not deviate from the list. If you deviate, your gift will be returned. OK, I’m not that bad (I hope no one is), but if someone is going to spend money on a gift I think they would want it to be something we will actually use and want, so we naturally opted for a registry. Plus, I have some relatives that are pretty much the worst gift givers of all time. So many returned sweatshirts featuring cats…so many.
Anyway, we knew we had to register. Between the two of us, Mr. Pony and I already owned many of the typical registry items. He has a Dyson, I have place settings for 12; but we really wanted to use this as an opportunity to upgrade many of our kitchen items we purchased from garage sales or received as hand me downs and to mix in a couple new fun purchases that we wouldn’t normally buy for ourselves. So without further ado…
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’ve got some excellent news, hive! After leaving the Nordstrom shoe department (heartbroken) without my Jimmy Choos a couple of weeks ago, there has been a favorable change of fortune.
As you may recall, the store didn’t have my size and the online Jimmy Choo site was also sold out of my desired size/color combo—this left me anxious, shoeless and desperately pining! I knew there was a Choo store within our local Bloomingdale’s so I called ahead and inquired about their availability—I was informed that they too did not have my shimmery babies in stock but that they could be ordered with no issue. Woohoo!
Then the news kept getting better. In my last shoe post, I mentioned that Mama Seal works for Macy’s. And as luck would have it, Macy’s owns Bloomingdale’s—that 20% discount I talked about works within the Bloomingdale’s Choo store too! Pretty shoes at a discounted rate? YES PLEASE! The only catch was that I had to exercise some patience as we waited for her new discount card to arrive.
And as soon as it did we headed to the store, ordered my shoes and then… 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.
Let’s be real for a second; weddings are expensive and not just for those hosting it. From plane tickets and hotels, to rental cars and some new duds, guests can end up spending a chunk of change well before they’ve even bought a gift. It’s precisely why I told Macs, my mom and Sassy not to throw me a shower. So many of our friends live far away I’d feel horrible having them make a special trip. I also didn’t want to burden anyone with the planning or the added expense a few months or weeks before the wedding.
As time went by and our wedding date got closer I started to have second thoughts. Am I missing out on the ‘bridal experience’? Would it be something I’d regret? I wished I didn’t vehemently object to a shower but with two months to go it was far too late to say anything.
A few weeks passed and my birthday was just around the corner. Much like this past Christmas, Valentine’s Day and anniversary, I told Macs I didn’t want to do anything given the wedding expenses. He insisted we do something, even if it was just going out for breakfast. So I agreed and on Saturday afternoon we made our way to what I thought was a new place for brunch.
As I walked in I saw a group of people to my right but it didn’t realize who they were until they shouted “Surprise!” I was in shock. Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
) join Weddingbee sipping on fizz and overdosing on frills!
