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.
At first, Mama FC thought this was impossible, but she quickly found there is lots of extra fabric for snips from the inside waistline. Good thing we sent a swatch, too! Ellen at Ladylion said that the dress was a verrry special colour… or maybe she was just joshing me. Whatever, I’m going to pretend I do have a really special dress colour.
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.
Here’s how the hunt for my first dress went: Saw it. Liked it. Tried it on. Wrote the check.
Here’s how the hunt for my second dress went: Remembered it. Liked it. Unpacked it.
Let me explain. I didn’t mean to become a two-dress bride—it just kinda happened. Many many months before I was engaged, one of my mom’s friends got married. She just so happened to get married at Grandview, which my mom knew I had taken a liking to. So my mom sent me the link to her friend’s pictures. Like I mentioned in my previous post, Grandview didn’t make me swoon, but something in the pictures did.
Mrs. Elephant, Dallas, TXAge and Occupation: 27, Financial Operations AnalystFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, IT Student/Store ManagerEngagement Date: March 29, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: The Tribute Golf ClubAbout Me: I'm a Philly native creating roots deep in the heart of Texas. I might be a little obsessed capturing those Kodak moments of anything and everything (mainly on vacations). I've become more of a gamer thanks to Mr. Elephant, who I met online and can't wait to spend the rest of my life with. We are planning a wedding based on our favorite colors, blue and green, with a travel theme for 150 of our closest friends and family. Hopefully our long (2-year) engagement won't kill me!
Our album and wedding video are in and they are AMAZING!!!
Part of our wedding package included an album for us and one for each set of parents. After seeing the pictures on our online gallery, I knew we would end up adding a couple of additional pages to our album. Our fabulous photographer Lynn mentioned that our wedding, with all of its details, would look pretty awesome in a unique 20 x 8 flipbook style and after seeing a couple of layouts we agreed and upgraded.
We debated between green and brown for the cover, even put it to a vote on Lynn’s blog. As you can see green won out (which is what we were leaning towards from the beginning). Read more…
Mrs. Hyena, College Station, TXAge and Occupation: 23, Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Aerospace Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Downtown 202About Me: I'm a Texas girl who met my future hubby in high school, then headed up to Oklahoma for a college education (BOOMER SOONER!) before moving back to the Lone Star State to be with him. I love reading and recycling, Photoshop and reality TV, making lame jokes and then laughing at them, quoting movies, and Mr. Hyena most of all. I'm perpetually early and I like to get things accomplished. When my cat meows at me, I meow back. We're planning a laid-back, unintentionally DIY wedding with a cocktail-party vibe, and can't wait to celebrate our nuptials with our nearest and dearest!
Whenever I call my family, most of the time we end our conversations with, “Well, I’ve run out of things to talk about.”
Unfortunately, I have to say it to ya’ll today. I’ve run out of things to talk about, wedding-wise. So it’s time to pass the baton to the bees who are still planning and recapping, and say goodbye for now. Read more…
Mrs. Ostrich, San Francisco/HawaiiAge and Occupation: 30, Fashion Buyer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 38, CopywriterEngagement Date: October 4, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: Sweet ceremony by the sea and sunset celebration on the North Shore of HawaiiAbout Me: Born in the city of angels and residing in the city by the bay, I’m a fearless fashion buyer by day, a passionate blog author by night and a dreamy bride-to-be in between. I thank my lucky stars to live in such a stunning city that gives me gifts like organic honey lavender ice cream, movie nights in the park, tucked away beaches, legendary record stores, '80s dance parties, awesome sports teams, stellar flea markets, and vintage bookshops. Oh, and I love to dance! We always find every excuse to escape to the beach, and decided a little seaside wedding in Hawaii is our idea of bliss. Full of our favorite people, music, food and sparkly lights, this is one sunset celebration we will always remember.
After 12 months of long distance planning, my idea of the process was very different from the actual experience, both good and not-so-good. And looking back, I wished someone gave me a little survival guide before my planning adventure began. And now that all is said and done, I created a little survival guide of my own, with my story and the tips and tricks that I hope will be enlightening and reassuring for all awesome DW brides out there.
Act II - 12-8 Months Before - Pictures worth 1,000 words, begin a long distance relationship with your awesome vendors and save those dates!
12-10 months before:
All the Pretty Pictures:
In the land of virtual wedding planning, the inspiration board and color palette for destination wedding brides are the keys to the proverbial promise land. The more specific you are in the images (I want wood benches and globe lights that look likethis) and color choices (fabric swatches or Pantone chips, please ), the easier it’ll be for your vendors and wedding planner to make your vision come to life. So I collaged my little heart out. Remember some of ours?
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!
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. Magic, Chapel Hill, NCAge and Occupation: 30, Licensed Clinical Social WorkerFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, ResearcherEngagement Date: December 1, 2009Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Barn at ValhallaAbout Me: I’m a tall drink of water (5’10”!) and a Southern bride with an enormous appetite for Mexican food, good deals, anything French, and all things wedding! By day I am lucky enough to work with individuals with autism and their families. By night, I’m even luckier to be able to spend time hanging out with awesome friends, crafting, shopping, thinking about exercising, and kicking it with Mr. Magic and our two cats. I tend to have sudden, intense cravings that will not be denied (seafood enchiladas! new jeans!) and I’m prone to being a disorganized mess of anxiety and stress. After waiting (and waiting!) to get engaged, I am finally planning the colorful, fun, fabulously awesome Fall wedding of our dreams. In an effort to share the fun and craziness that is wedding planning, I’m gonna blog about it for y’all---the good, the bad, and the pretty!
It may very well just be a Magic-specific problem, but I have run into some problems with beautiful sticker address labels that I created myself. I wanted to post about this as a Public Service to brides around the world, as well as to find out if I just have some sort of specific disability when it comes to mailing things.
The first time around was with the Save the Dates. I made beautiful wrap around address labels, and many recipients told me that their envelope was all marked up when it got to them. Also, at least four were returned, because the post office thought our address (on the back) was the send to address. Boo.
For the invitations (post coming soon!), I nixed the problematic wraparound label and created beautiful, straight forward sticker address labels with my Silhouette—you know, that machine that I barely know how to use. I printed them on full page sticker paper and had the Silhouette cut them out. It made me want to die, and caused me to write this post and this one too about how much everything sucks.
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!
In my last post, I expressed my dream of having a friend officiate my wedding and “Everlong” (acoustic, of course) being played as I walk down the aisle. Well, the officiant is taken care of (woot!). Now we move on to the music!
First of all, Mr. Warbs and I are only having live musicians for the ceremony and cocktail hour. That’s right. No band or DJ for our reception—we’re going the DIY route.
No turntables for our wedding! (Image via Turntable DJ)
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!
Wow, what an amazing day! I cannot believe we are married and all the preparation for the wedding came to fruition to give us the most perfect day we could ever have imagined! Everything was beautiful, the weather was better than we could’ve imagined, our ceremony was beautiful, we danced the night away, and best of all, we are Mr and Mrs Teaspoon!
Now, before we head off on our honeymoon, I just want to share a teaser shot with you all. Of course, I also have a few bits and pieces I want to share with you while we wait for our professional shots. Time tended to get away from us in the last few days before the wedding! Read more…
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!
Once I had all of the supplies to make the bridesmaids’ bouquets, I recruited some help in the form of my MOH, MOB, BM A, and FMIL, and we to work on cutting wire, stringing beads, and twisting the beaded strands.
Here was our inspiration picture (from this previous post):
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.
Mr. S and I are back from our delayed Alaska honeymoon, and I’m jet-lagged as hell. I should be in bed but my internal clock is all screwed up, so why not share our trip with you?
These honeymoon posts are going to be very pic heavy, because everything that we saw is so incredibly beautiful. And we saw tons of animals, so there is plenty of cuteness as well. I took almost 3,000 photos, so narrowing it down to just a few dozen was really hard. Really hard. Also, these posts are going to be loooooooong. We did a whole lot of stuff in these ten days!
First of all, I need to thank the wonderful Mrs. Octopus, who, although she didn’t know it, basically planned our trip for us! She told me about a trip that she and her Mister had taken a few years back, and I basically copied her itinerary. And it was AWESOME. So thanks for being a savior to a lazy travel planner, Octo dear! Read more…
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.
If you’ve read the title of this post, you might have a hint of an idea what this is about.
I’m from the South, and it’s not a true Southern wedding, in my opinion, without a groom’s cake. BM C. Bear had a cannoli cake since that was her groom’s favorite dessert. BM L. Bug had a cake with a postal theme as a nod to her postman hubby. My own father had a small chocolate cake for himself. And so I got down to business.
My FI is a drummer, so I first looked into cakes that looked like drums.
Mrs. Teacup, Santa CruzAge and Occupation: 34, Pharmaceutical SalesFiance's Age and Occupation: 41, Ditto! (For a different company)Engagement Date: October 1, 2010Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: ceremony in our family's Catholic church in Watsonville; reception at the Santa Cruz Beach BoardwalkAbout Me: I’m learning to embrace my true spirit as GIRLY GIRL after previous careers in the Navy and consulting for the government. My favorite hobby is SLEEP, with dancing HULA a close second. An INTROVERT in extrovert clothing, I’m questing to UNDO 34 years of TYPE A conditioning. Constantly processing the details of our upcoming nuptials, peek into this late blooming bride & groom's roller coaster ride to the altar. Giant Dipper required, sold separately.
Hello, Hive! A fever pitch is on the horizon with W-Day less than a handful of weeks away. I’ve completely focused all effort and energy to crossing off to-dos and making the last decisions to impact the look and feel of our wedding. No more time to change my mind, it feels good to find some final answers!
Case in point, my beauty trials. From my initial hair inspiration, Anne Hathaway’s glamorous locks clearly won out.
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!
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
), the easier it’ll be for your vendors and wedding planner to make your vision come to life. So I collaged my little heart out. Remember some of ours?
My morning coffee…island style
