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, we’ve got one very large and mixed up wedding party. I’ve gone through it all before, but it’s about to happen again. Bear with me.
I have a maid of honor, a best man, six bridesmaids and two more guys standing up with me.
Mr. Kettle has a best man, a maid of honor, and eight groomsmen.
We have two jr. bridesmaids, two flower girls, two ring bearers, two ushers, and three hostesses.
There’s been some discussion of what to call all these non-traditional wedding party members. My dad just calls them all bridesmaids and groomsmen. That doesn’t sit too well with my three guys standing up with me. They’re not bridesmaids after all.
Momma Kettle and I had a conversation about it that went something like this:
Another personal cartoon of questionable quality. Eventually I’ll figure out the best way to color/photograph these.
We immediately saw that we didn’t really see eye to eye on what to name all these members of the wedding party. Read more…
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!
The RSVPs have started to trickle in, which tells me that it’s finally time to reveal the Ferris Wheel invitations to the world. Are you as excited as I am? Oooh, I certainly hope so! Truth be told, every single step of creating these little lovelies—design, production, and packaging—was unimaginably time-consuming. The process involved unanticipated material costs, social isolation, lack of sleep, a ridiculous amount of mistake corrections, and at least one or two probably unnecessary freak-outs (”Oh no, I think I hate them. Do I hate them? Should I hate them? Will other people hate them? Maybe we should start over from the beginning. Agh!”). But, BUT… At the end of all that, thankfully we adore the outcome! That would be enough on its own, but we’ve heard from at least a few people that they love them too, and somehow that makes it all worth it.
Mrs. Skunk, AtlantaAge and Occupation: 23, Post baccalaureate studentFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Mechanical DesignerEngagement Date: February 13, 2011Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Neverland Farms About Me: I’m a Georgia peach born and raised in the dirty dirty. I love reading, baking lots of sweets and forcing them on my friends, and most of all, rock climbing. I am in the process of applying to graduate school in physical therapy and I work at farmers’ markets around town selling bread for a local bakery. The mister and I met while rock climbing just over two years ago and have been inseparable ever since. Our climbing friends mean the world to us and have played an integral role in our relationship. We’re planning a barnyard shindig filled with good food, good friends, and lots of love.
The most work I think I’ve done on this whole entire shindig had to be the weeks I spent looking for an appropriate place to house everyone the weekend of the wedding. While my parents do have a nice cabin within 10 minutes of the venue, the two bedrooms weren’t going to cut it.
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!
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!
Happy Tuesday Hive! Our newest bee comes to us from the Midwest—say hello to Miss Aardvark!
Miss Aardvark, Beaver Dam, WI
Age & Occupation: 23, Assistant Product Manager Fiance’s Age & Occupation: 31, Business Analyst Engagement Date: May 28th, 2011 Wedding Date: April 2012 Venue: St. Philip Catholic Church/Arcadia Brewing Co. About Me: I am a resourceful lady who love surprises and adventure. At the same time, I value traditions, family and friends. I like to make crafty messes, sometimes, clean them up, and do pretty much anything outdoors. The Mister and I are pretty avid cyclists—we have nine bikes in our home right now…and one motorcycle! We both enjoy eating food we can’t pronounce (language doesn’t really matter) and going places we’ve never been. We currently reside in rural Wisconsin, enjoying the cheese and beer it has to offer, and getting outside whenever we can!
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!
Maintenance Time: Tuesday September 20, 2011, 3AM - 6AM Pacific Time
Maintenance Purpose: Server Time Zone Sync
Hi hive! We’re still working out the kinks from our huge server migration! Tech and the entire team are working around the clock to address all the glitches you’ve reported. Thank you so much for keeping us updated with problems you’re running into! We’re addressing each and every issue that arises. We hope you’ve enjoyed faster load times on the site with our new servers. I know I am!
We have a round of scheduled maintenance tomorrow morning coming up. Weddingbee won’t be taken down—don’t worry! For both the boards and the blog, it will possibly affect the order in which your comments or board posts appear. They may appear permanently out of order by a few hours if you post any comments or board posts during the time frame of 3AM - 6AM Pacific Time tomorrow morning. After 6AM PST, all posts and comments will begin showing up in the correct order. Remember: if you post during this time, and your post appears out of order, it will permanently be posted out of order.
We contemplated taking the site completely down during this time, but figured that the hive would appreciate access to the site during maintenance, even if it meant a little out-of-order posting.
Feel free to let us know if you have any questions in the comments!
Miss Porcupine, NYC/Lancaster, PAAge and Occupation: 26, Sales Coordinator/PublishingFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Assistant Manager/SalesEngagement Date: August 8, 2010Wedding Date: March 2012Venue: Riverdale ManorAbout Me: I'm a born and bred New Yorker with a love/hate relationship for the city I have always called home. Although I may seem quiet from afar, I have a loud personality once you get to know me. I am a book nerd at heart, but love a night out in the city with good friends. I have a serious addiction to all things cheese, chocolate, cardigans, Mexican food, and reality TV. The future hubs and I met in college, settled in New York, and decided to go with a rustic/peacock infused wedding in Lancaster, PA, right near his hometown. Come the big day, we will be together 5 years, and we're looking forward to making it official!
When my closest group of girlfriends and I were in college, you could say we were a little too preoccupied to have healthy relationships. We were good students, but we were also heavily engrossed in our sorority and college life. That meant there were a lot of bar nights, mixers, Greek-week events, homecoming parties, philanthropy work, and overall tomfoolery. Throughout those four years someone would occasionally date someone, but we were all sort of united in our singleness and had a great time through college. I don’t regret a single moment (OK, maybe a moment or two…three tops!).
Miss Warbler, Long Beach/MalibuAge and Occupation: 24, Quality Assurance EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Handheld AdministratorEngagement Date: December 7, 2010Wedding Date: April 2012Venue: Calamigos Ranch MalibuAbout Me: I’m a Korean BBQ loving, cheesecake enthusiast bride living in the LBC! By day I write and edit for an online search engine marketing company. By night I am a volunteer food taster of all that is delicious. I am fortunate to be marrying an amazing man who loves me and my quirky ways. I love food, books, indie music, and Harry Potter. We are planning a small, intimate wedding up in the Malibu Hills with our closest family and friends. With the help of my wonderful fiance, our loved ones, and red velvet cheesecake, our wedding will be glorious!
I’ve put off writing this post for a while because, well, it’s a little embarrassing. And petty—very petty. What am I talking about? Wedding jealousy. We all feel it from time to time. It usually starts off as a small twinge that you can brush off. But it continues to grow until you have to deal with it. Hive, I admit to falling prey to the green-eyed monster.
When Mr. Warbs proposed, I was ecstatic. I wanted to shout it from the rooftops and tell everyone. But, I was a little hesitant to announce it at work for a couple of reasons. I didn’t want to be known as the “look at me!” coworker. You know the one—they tell you every detail of their life, whether you ask or not. Also, I wanted to contain the information as I was not planning on inviting the whole office to the wedding. So when I got to work the day after the proposal, I didn’t say anything. It killed me. When I got home, Mr. Warbs encouraged me to just tell a few people on my team so I could squeal with glee. But before I could tell anyone, one of my co-workers returned from her vacation in Rome with big news: she had just gotten engaged. In freaking ROME.
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!
When we were introduced to our hotel room, it became very clear that the attention to detail was not limited to the hotel’s front desk. We had a congratulations card and a half-bottle of champagne waiting for us, which pretty much served as a sumptuous cherry on top of a glorious, gorgeous room. Our room wasn’t overly spacious; however, what it may have lacked in square footage it more than made up for in amenities. The bathroom was huge, the closets had the ever-awesome hotel robes, and the bed, ohhh the bed. It was gigantic, and it had some of the most impressive linens I’ve ever experienced. This is the only equivalent I can think of:
After getting cleaned up for dinner, we headed downstairs to the hotel’s signature restaurant - The Peninsula Grill. As soon as we claimed our reservation, the hostess immediately responded with a, “Oh, hello Mr. and Mrs. Snow Cone! Congratulations on your wedding!” which impressed us, to say the least. As our dinner went on, though, it became clear that we were going to be impressed for the entirety of the evening. Every single staff member called us Mr. and Mrs. Snow Cone and offered their congratulations. We feasted on delicious seafood course after course, before finishing the meal with desserts that greeted us like this:
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!
My wedding-day hair and makeup artist came over today to do a trial run of my wedding day look. I’d talked before about my extensive inspiration—natural, curly, loose side bun or ponytail and fresh, rosy romantic makeup. I was weirdly nervous when Marci from Kyle Lynn came over, since I hadn’t ever had my makeup done and was frankly afraid she’d make me look like Tammy Faye out on the town. So I awkwardly paced around our living room while she set up. She was quiet, which made me think she thought I was weird. As always.
But I showed her my inspiration file, and we got started. She was so great! We nearly nailed the makeup the first time around—we just had to try a couple of shades of lipstick before we found the right one, and tone down the lower lash line’s eyeliner. The hair, too, was about 95% there—the day of, we’ll be doing it a bit looser and less structured, with some more ends showing. But I felt like a total princess—and the bonus is I barely felt like I was wearing any makeup, which is very important for a makeup-phobic chica like me.
Ms Seahorse, BostonAge and Occupation: 25, Veterinary Jane-of-all-tradesFiancee's Age and Occupation: 36, former non-profit fundraiser in search of something betterEngagement Date: October 17, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Fort Pond LodgeAbout Me: By day I'm a cat-wrangler, vet tech assistant, pet-sitter, receptionist, and pre-vet student, but the rest of the time, I'm a former-roller-derby girl turned dedicated-wedding planner. I love reading, writing, bicycles, animals, roller skating, and antique-y things of all sorts. I'm a vegetarian who likes spicy foods, while Fiancee Seahorse is a meat eater who does not like spices. We live outside Boston with our menagerie: a fifty pound dog, a one-eyed, seventeen-toed, toothless cat, and a perfectly put together cat who has a penchant for pooping near rather than in her litter box. In addition to planning our small lake-side wedding, we enjoy running around with the puppy, playing board games (Scrabble, anyone?), having little adventures, talking about how we should really clean the house more, and maintaining our little garden of vegetables and wedding flowers.
Hello, Hive! Long time, no see! I have missed you all, but have had little wedding-related news since we got married. This weekend was our first anniversary, and it was pretty fantastic, if a little bit different than I anticipated.
Mrs. Skunk, AtlantaAge and Occupation: 23, Post baccalaureate studentFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Mechanical DesignerEngagement Date: February 13, 2011Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Neverland Farms About Me: I’m a Georgia peach born and raised in the dirty dirty. I love reading, baking lots of sweets and forcing them on my friends, and most of all, rock climbing. I am in the process of applying to graduate school in physical therapy and I work at farmers’ markets around town selling bread for a local bakery. The mister and I met while rock climbing just over two years ago and have been inseparable ever since. Our climbing friends mean the world to us and have played an integral role in our relationship. We’re planning a barnyard shindig filled with good food, good friends, and lots of love.
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.
It is amazing the clarity that comes with having only a limited amount of time left for DIY details. Originally I had envisioned all kinds of options for my table numbers. Time has not been my friend though and I am down the the wire. Just like that I was able to decide what I wanted to do with the table numbers in only about 20 minutes. Who knows what I might have accomplished had I had this clarity early in the game?!?
I had ventured over to my local craft store one day and picked up about 20 of these babies.
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!
Now that both the boys and the girls were dressed and ready to go, it was time for Mr. Lion and I to exchange gifts. We chose not to do a first look, so Sister Lioness and Lion Best Man had to play messenger.
As I heard a knock at the door, I realized I was apparently first. Lion Best Man entered, and knelt down beside me. I thought this was wonderfully gentlemanly, but really it’s probably just because he’s about three feet taller than I am and this is the only way photos would have worked.
I unwrapped the present to find a little gray box, which I recognized from the jeweler who made our wedding bands. Read more…
Miss Petit Four, San Antonio/Isla MujeresAge and Occupation: 25, Technology teacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Math Teacher and Football CoachEngagement Date: Feb 13, 2010Wedding Date: March 2012Venue: Zama Beach Club, Isla Mujeres, MexicoAbout 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!
About five years ago Mr. PF was diagnosed with Celiac disease. For those who aren’t familiar with what that is, he is basically allergic to wheat, flour, barley and rye. Have you ever looked at the ingredients in products you’re eating? Gluten is in like, everything, y’all!
After struggling with it for about a year, he is completely gluten-free and he is much happier and healthier. So, what does all this mean when you’re planning a wedding? Well, we aren’t going to have a cake since he can’t eat it, anyways. That means no cake face smash pictures that I love so much, like Mrs. Prairie Dog’s.
Also, we had to be very careful about what we include on our menu. Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
