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!
Red shoes, that is! It’s no secret that I’m in love with the color red. I have had two red bedrooms and countless bags, clothing, and accessories in the color. The color scheme for our wedding is red and gold. So, it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that I want red wedding shoes.
Kenneth Cole Reaction Wicked Rich in Red / Image via Project Wedding
Mrs. Oyster, DallasAge and Occupation: 30, Music TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 46, Art TeacherEngagement Date: January 9, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: The Tower ClubAbout Me: I'm a Texa-Californian with a penchant for sparkly things and a tendency to think a lot. I've been known to sing random songs or dance when there is no music on. My fiance and I love world culture, we love to travel, and we have an incredibly eclectic taste in music. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate our marriage with our family & closest friends. We're planning an “urban black-tie” wedding and hope to incorporate our personalities and some of our own interests. We look forward to a life of love, laughter, good music, beautiful art, and to creating our home together with our four (!) cats.
The vision for our wedding ceremony changed many times while planning. I’ve written before about my inability to envision the wedding for a while after being engaged, and I also wrote about how I feel that the ceremony is the most important element of the day.
I described how I wanted our ceremony to be, and the emotional elements that I felt should be present:
It is so important to me that our ceremony reflect us in a way nothing else that day does. Falling for Mr. Oyster, and being with him every day, is one of the simplest things in the world to me. Marrying him is such a natural step for us to take, and we are so happy to do so. I hope our guests can understand what this means for us and share our happiness, and I especially look forward to feeling the encouragement and love of all those who have taken this step before us.
I think we were pretty successful. Despite a few hiccups, the ceremony was lovely, personal, and so meaningful.
Our wedding was in a long, narrow, mirrored room. The room seems perfectly designed for a ceremony, with its chandeliers on the ceiling outlining the aisle. The ceremony room was one of my favorite decorative things about the wedding day, and the florist really did a great job here.
(from Mr. Oyster’s iPhone)
A major thunderstorm struck just as people were supposed to be arriving. There was flooding, snarled traffic, and apparently, a spectacular lightning show that our early-arriving guests watched through the windows of the ceremony room. Our photographers captured the rain:
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.
Momma Kettle and I worked out wedding-invitation wording. It took a whole night of sitting at the dining room table at her house. We bugged Daddy Kettle, Mr. Kettle, and both Mima and Poppa Kettle about spellings for the invitation. But we got it worked out.
I know she and I are both very particular about certain things, but I really didn’t think it would take that long. Naive and foolish I was. I want to go over what we came up with, without revealing our actual wording, of course. And I need your help, hive.
Host Line
Image of host line on invitation via Epiphany Events / Edited by me
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 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!
I realized that I don’t have a post about how Mr. PF popped the question. It’s only fair to give the guy some credit since he spent so much time orchestrating the whole ordeal.
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.
September is traditionally the worst month for tropical activity in the Atlantic. I’ve been judiciously stalking the National Hurricane Center for past two weeks, cursing every time a new formation appears. Hurricane Katia spared the northeast and it appears as though TS Maria will now hopefully do the same.
While I should be doing a happy dance that no major systems will throw a wrench in our plans the 10 day forecast doesn’t look too promising right now: Read more…
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.
The wedding is less than a week away, and I don’t want to freak out or stress or worry or complain. Instead, I want to focus on some of the things that make me happy, namely those wedding-related items Mr. Parasol and I deemed “must-haves.” We may have had to cut quite a few things we wanted for our wedding, but by scaling back in other areas, Mr. Parasol and I were able to splurge on those few “gotta have” items we really, really wanted.
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.
…we all scream for ice cream! Right, y’all? I have a passion for ice cream. Complete passion. I eat it, I make it, I love it. I saw this article earlier in the summer talking about how ice cream sales are up this year and, quite frankly, I feel proud to have taken part. My addiction is fueling the economy, no? As you may remember from earlier, we aren’t really cake people. We’re having cake to make folks happy but, honestly, I don’t like the texture of cake. Pies, sure. Cheesecake, m’kay. Ice cream, hell yeah!!!
So it just makes sense to have ice cream. The logistics of which would normally prove trying. Neverland doesn’t have the freezer space.
Mrs. High Wire, DallasAge and Occupation: 23, Legal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Director of CommunicationsEngagement Date: October 9, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Clark GardensAbout 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.
Total Guests Invited: 341 (including Mr. HW and myself)
Originally this was 405, but we decided to trim the guest list a little bit because we didn’t want to have to lay out any extra costs.
The response rate doesn’t really shock me. Our wedding is sort of “destination” in that each side will have to travel a bit to get there. It is about 90 minutes from my hometown and about 2.5 hours from his. So, I expected a few more “no’s” because of this.
Total Yes Responses: 131 (38%)
Total No Responses: 100 (29%)
Total RSVPs Still Outstanding: 89 + a few random last minute invitations that were sent out after I made my spreadsheet (26-33%)
So, uh, anyone want to track down 89 people for me? Please?
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!
The day before “Bridal Shower Socal,” I asked Mama Ticket if she and Sister/MOH Ticket had favors for the guests. She sounded puzzled and said no. I told her I would take care of it. She thought me a little odd, but agreed and went on her way. Later that day she called me back to inquire more about these favors—suddenly it had occured to her that recent showers she had been to had favors as well! She was very concerned over the fact that she had forgotten this and didn’t want me spending too much on my own shower. So Daddy Ticket kindly offered to pay for the goodies, and I put them together.
After trips to Dollar Tree to buy ribbon and little cello bags, Target (unsuccessful mission to find bags), Party City (Mission “Find Bags” = success!), and Michaels for a “Thank You” stamp, I was ready to acquire the goodies. I headed to Sam’s Club and picked up giant bags of M&Ms and Skittles, as well as a bucket of Ring Pops, then went home and set to work.
Mrs. Meerkat, Kalamazoo, MI/Riviera MayaAge and Occupation: 30, Application EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, IT ConsultantEngagement Date: July 26, 2008Wedding Date: December 2010Venue: Al Cielo / La LagunaAbout Me: I’m a tech-savvy tomboy with an affinity for hot tea and good sushi. Us Meerkats are just a couple fun lovin’ geeks from Michigan. We love anything having to do with movies, books, video games or technology and we hold a special place in our hearts for our two very spoiled shih-tzus, Wicket and Bravo. We also LOVE to travel. We love it so much it only took us 12 hours after we got engaged to decide to have a destination wedding. We are working our little Meerkat tails off planning a rustic-chic, travel themed destination wedding in the Riviera Maya with a semi-formal, vintage-turned-modern, outdoor at home reception back here in Michigan.
Weddingbee is a very special community and it’s hard for me to put into words what it means to me. I really appreciate all the support I got during our wedding planning and even now as an old married lady.
So back last fall, a little over a month before my wedding, a thought occurred to me. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a way for all of us to have something to connect us together on our wedding day? And then I happened to stumble on these little guys:
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!
Good news, everybody! I found my dress! And yes I do mean wedding dress! It is a beautiful, fitting, and tear-inducing dress that I would love to show here. However, Mr. Warbler reads my blog, so of course that can’t happen. But, I do have a few pictures of the dresses that didn’t make the cut. First, a warning…
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!
I can truly say that as a kid I never thought about my wedding. Like most little girls, I played house with my dolls and knew I wanted the real version of this marriage/kids situation someday. But, for whatever reason, I never imagined the wedding part.
I was never really interested in the whole “princess for a day” notion of a wedding. I still, to this day, don’t get it—why does marrying someone turn you into a princess? (Unless your husband is a prince, Kate Middleton.) I never oohed and ahhed when we drove by a wedding party or bride. I wasn’t even a tomboy; I just was unfazed by such things. I think I was too busy eating Yodels or something.
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.
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.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
Image via applesfortheteacher.com
