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.
Being able to count down to the wedding in days or even hours instead of weeks has really lit a fire under my ass. I have been knocking out projects left and right. Up until about 2 weeks ago, I was completely avoiding wedding tasks at all costs. And now I am a DIY machine (well, not quite). I was really worried when I hit the wedding ’slump’ that I would never recover. I am happy to report from the other side of the ’slump’ that you definitely get your momentum back!
I am loving the way my chalkboard menu turned out so I wanted to share with the hive! It was a really easy and cost-effective project. We decided to use one giant menu instead of individual menus and since our table numbers were chalkboards I figured why mess with a good thing?
I had an old frame laying around that I painted in our wedding color of navy. Read more…
Miss Doe, Northern CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 24, Real Estate AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Recycling ManagerEngagement Date: December 25, 2010Wedding Date: May 2012Venue: Monte Verde InnAbout Me: I’m a Rat Pack fan and a Christmas nut that loves to read, good wine, cheesy ’80s movies and ’90s sitcoms. My wiener dog with an attitude problem and lazy basset hound are my constant source of entertainment. He's a hunter and I like cooking so it's not rare to see wild game on our dinner menu. Both of us were born and raised in a small historic farming town where our feet are still firmly planted. We have been together for nearly a decade and have shared many life experiences together, including birthdays that are only one day apart. We are two old souls that are creating our long-awaited wedding with loads of tradition that blends our two styles into rustic elegance in the foothills of Northern California.
My mom, sister, and I were out and about shopping in Roseville, California, and we decided to take a look at some wedding dresses. Simply browsing, no buying. We had to get started at some point, right? I had spent a few months looking at dresses online and in magazines, so I basically knew what I wanted. I was fairly specific: no corset, no beading, no mermaid or trumpet style. I wanted to try on ballgowns and A-lines. I thought I knew what would look perfect on me. I consider my style to be “in the box” and simple. If only I knew then what I know now, I would have laughed hysterically at myself for knowing nothing.
The first stop was David’s Bridal. I knew what dresses they had and which ones I wanted to try on. The consultant brought out some gorgeous yet massive ballgowns and some simple and refined A-lines. I looked hideous in all but one of them. One of the ballgowns was so huge that I could not even make it through the doorway of the dressing room due to the copious amounts of tulle. That one was instantly off the list. We then attempted to pull it off of me over my head. Bad decision because the tulle caused some serious static friction. Remember in elementary school when they would have those science fairs with that static ball? And when you touched the static ball your hair would do crazy things?
Mrs. Panther, Atlanta GA/Westport CTAge and Occupation: 24, Web WriterFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Music Recording EngineerEngagement Date: March 13, 2010Wedding Date: July 2011Venue: The Inn at LongshoreAbout Me: I'm a total goofball who goes through life at a breakneck pace, trying not to knock anything over. I tend to fall in love with everything I encounter, but more than anything, I love my two little kitties, Bela and Josie, and my big kitty, Mr. Panther! As a wannabe crafter, I'm still waiting for my artistic talents to emerge. (Any day now, really.) In the meantime, I spend my days eating anything put in front of me, buying every pair of shoes I see and absorbing wedding inspiration from every inch of my surroundings. Mr. Panther and I are hardcore New Englanders planning Connecticut nuptials from our new home in the Dirty South, and can't wait to mix our newfound love of classic Southern charm with some modern city touches.
I LOVE it! (Except for hearing my own voice… 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!
But it is awesome. Fauxligraphy is one of the ways I have managed to save money on this wedding! My mom was very proud. Instead of hiring someone to address our envelopes for $3 a pop, I found a more resourceful way of doing things. One evening while obsessively looking at fonts on DaFont, I stumbled upon the calligraphy font section. Score! Read more…
Miss Fox, Washington DC/Havre de Grace, MDAge and Occupation: 26, Massage TherapistFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Field Support EngineerEngagement Date: April 18, 2010Wedding Date: June 2012Venue: Vandiver InnAbout Me: I’m a dancer turned massage therapist who was born and raised in New York. Alas, true love has brought me “south” where I still maintain my penchants for pretty shoes, wine, crossword puzzles, cherry blossoms, and the Mets. I own more sunglasses than a normal person should and don’t eat red meat (though I make up for it by eating my weight in sushi). I tend to be a big planner who likes to get things started early, but generally end up being indecisive and procrastinating when it comes down to it. I have a (not so) secret crush on Chris Carrabba, but my loyalty and love ultimately goes to the future hubs, of course! Together, my Foxy man and I love to discuss (read: debate) politics and current events, have Mario Kart and Scrabble duels, and just laugh. A lot. We’re hoping and planning for a laid back, fun, summery, rustic vibe to our June wedding that will be genuinely “us” – that is, if we finally make some decisions. Huzzah!
In case you didn’t get it…this post is about shoes! Huzzah!
I’ve been poking around online as of late for viable wedding-shoe options. I’ve already decided that I really, really, really want turquoise shoes, a la our color palette. It’s our main wedding color for a reason…I have a minor obsession.
I have also realized that turquoise shoes? Are pretty rare. At least the *right* turquoise, anyway. I’d be OK with a pale pink shoe, but it would have to be pretty sassy if I went that route. (Honestly, it’d have to be sassy even if it was turquoise.) ‘Cause I’m a sassypants.
I would also prefer a closed-toe shoe, mostly because I hate my feet. Not like you need to hear it, but my toes are pretty blech from dancing my whole life on bare feet and in pointe shoes. A pedicure can’t save those babies. And I absolutely must have a few feet/shoe shots at the wedding…so I either need a kick-ass photographer who can avoid the toes, or a closed-toe shoe.
My preliminary search brought me to Zappos, where I actually found some good options. The first pair of turquoise beauts that caught my eye were these:
Ms. Gazelle, Calgary/VancouverAge and Occupation: 32, EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Technology AnalystEngagement Date: September 3, 2010Wedding Date: July 2011Venue: Brock House Restaurant, VancouverAbout Me: I am a marathon runner, cyclist, Ironman triathlete and beautiful shoe fiend who also loves kicking back and watching Glee. I grew up a bit of a nomad as I traveled around the world with my family, living everywhere from Australia to England to South America and Indonesia. I finally settled in Calgary a few years ago and met Mr. Gazelle who loves me even though we cheer for different hockey teams. We are planning a bit of a destination wedding in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia and we can’t wait to share the day with our close family and friends.
In conjunction with our personalized menus I wanted to create a seating chart to let our guests know which table they would be sitting at.
You may remember that we decided to letter our tables instead of numbering them and we spelled out “Me & You.” We had a friend take pictures of us holding the letters that would be a part of the table centerpieces.
I also had a frame that I had purchased from Pottery Barn years ago. I had originally wanted to peel the labels off of wine bottles and put them in a frame. When I found the peeling of labels trickier than expected the frame sat sad and unfinished for five years. Read more…
Miss Aardvark, Beaver Dam, WIAge and Occupation: 23, Assistant Product ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Business Analyst Engagement Date: May 28th, 2011Wedding Date: April 2012Venue: 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!
People of the hive. I have single-handedly done my part to kick start the economy. Last week I was on a wedding-craft-purchasing tear! I could not be stopped! Now, I have a big box (OK, the box has been overfilled and is now a pile) of wedding crafts waiting to be…well…crafted!
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!
This is what my famous seamstress, Olga Samarskaya, told me. OK, she might only be famous to us North Carolina brides. Maybe a few South Carolina and Virginia brides too. She is legend.
I had three dress fittings total. Sorry, I haven’t showed you my dress yet, because I am a bad blogger paranoid and have decided it’s bad luck. Besides, it’s almost my wedding day, and if I have held out this long, I can wait a few weeks more.
Anyway, on my second dress fitting, I noticed parts of the dress were not lying flat. So I asked Olga, “Will this be smoother when the dress is steamed?” She replied, “No, honey, you are not a desk.” Except she said it with her thick Russian accent, and I was all “……………………..what???”
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!
You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to share this picture with you.
Yes, after all the worries and the drama and the last minute express postage costs, we managed to organise the sparkler wedding send-off that I’d always hoped for.
Mrs. Barrettes, Tumon, Guam/Napa, CAAge and Occupation: 29, DancerFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Licensed Building ContractorEngagement Date: November 16, 2008Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: V. Sattui WineryAbout Me: I'm an East Coast girl, living on a tiny little island in the Pacific, twirling, leaping, and shimmy-ing my way through life, and now, wedding planning! I'm equal parts nerdy and cool... okay, mostly nerdy. I love satin bows, red lipstick, black & white graphic anything, the shine of sequins and the sound of a champagne "pop". My favorite books are The Portrait of a Lady, by Henry James, and Tender is the Night, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I can also conjure a pretty good Patronus Charm. I started my appreciation for good red wine while traveling on the high seas, and it's only fitting that my passion for wine drinking led me to my Napa-bred honey. We bonded over bottles of Cabernet on my oceanfront porch and haven't looked back since. We're sealing the deal at a winery in the Napa Valley on a 'perfect ten' of a day!
I’ve been struggling with what to get my husband for our first anniversary. The inspiration is paper and although I’ve seen ideas from tickets, to star dedications, those just weren’t lighting my fire. I had an a-ha moment when I woke up yesterday and I’m excited to put it together!
I’m going to attempt to construct the family crest for our (my new) last name. It seems fairly straightforward and I really like the meanings of the symbols used. I may include them on the back, along with a hand-written message for my honey.
Coat of Arms: Blue shield with a fesse between three leopard’s faces.
blue: valiant and hardy warrior who enterprises hazardous things by force and courage
fesse: military belt or girdle of honour; represents readiness to serve the public
Miss Doe, Northern CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 24, Real Estate AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Recycling ManagerEngagement Date: December 25, 2010Wedding Date: May 2012Venue: Monte Verde InnAbout Me: I’m a Rat Pack fan and a Christmas nut that loves to read, good wine, cheesy ’80s movies and ’90s sitcoms. My wiener dog with an attitude problem and lazy basset hound are my constant source of entertainment. He's a hunter and I like cooking so it's not rare to see wild game on our dinner menu. Both of us were born and raised in a small historic farming town where our feet are still firmly planted. We have been together for nearly a decade and have shared many life experiences together, including birthdays that are only one day apart. We are two old souls that are creating our long-awaited wedding with loads of tradition that blends our two styles into rustic elegance in the foothills of Northern California.
My “something blue” comes from my “something borrowed.” I am not sure if it is against some type of wedding law to borrow from other categories like this instead of having a separate item, but that’s all right. I’ll be a wedding rebel.
I would also like to take the time right now to question the person who came up with this whole “something” idea. The old, new, and borrowed are fairly easy to come up with. However, making one of the categories a specific color really throws a wrench in things. They probably just needed to come up with something that rhymed with “new.” In my opinion, they should have been less creative to help future brides out. I digress.
Nothing that is blue has really stood out to me to use as part of my ensemble for the day, apart from my grandma’s garter. To tie up this series, I present to you my something blue.
The contest entries are in, and it’s time for you to vote for your favorite inspiration boards to be brought to life by The Lab Event! Bees and hive members alike submitted some gorgeous boards, and we can’t wait to see which the hive loves most! Check out our four finalists below, and vote for which board you’d most like to see brought to life at The Lab Event!
Magenta, bright yellow, orange, and dark plum by Ms Sloth:
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. 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.
When I was still an un-engaged bee lurking ’round these parts, I saw Mrs. Cola post this about her guestbook and immediately fell in love. I just saw that this post was from over a year before I was engaged. I may or may not be blushing…this waiting bee was antsy in her pantsy. Don’t judge!
Anyways, I knew we would have to do this. Over the years, my mom and I have panned all up and down the Chestatee River and in addition to gold flecks an small garnet nuggets, we collected lots of river rocks. Don’t tell DNR on us!!! We’re finally putting them to good use by having our guests write little messages on them. At the ceremony, we’ll have them place their finished rocks in one of two of these. Read more…
Yeah, apparently that’s not really a word.
Instead of hiring someone to address our envelopes for $3 a pop, I found a more resourceful way of doing things. One evening while obsessively looking at fonts on DaFont, I stumbled upon the calligraphy font section. Score!
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
