Miss Blue Whale, College Park, MDAge and Occupation: 27, Graduate StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: March 10, 2012Wedding Date: May 2013Venue: Southern Tree Plantation in Blairsville, GAAbout Me: I love bright colors, glitter, sugar, cheese, tiny animals, talking in silly accents, dancing, and all things music. I love to plan things, but when it comes time to execute the plans, I tend to panic. My friends tell me that I remind them of a mix between a cartoon character and a Disney Princess. Mr. Blue Whale and I are Southerners at heart, but we’ve been transplanted to the East Coast for school. We both love barbecues, star-gazing, bonfires, music, making up nonsense words, and generally being silly. Our wedding will be a fun-filled destination wedding in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It will most certainly feature bright colors, '80s music, and glitter.
So I started working on my bouquet. Previously, I had decided that button bouquets are where it’s at. And after working on it, I can confirm that if you’re looking for an EASY DIY bouquet option, button bouquets are totally the way to go!!! I bought some floral wire (basically precut long straight pieces of wire) and some buttons and busted this out in about 15 minutes.
Mrs. Wallaby, Houston
Age and Occupation: 24, Environmental EngineerEngagement Date: January 1, 2012Wedding Date: November 2012Venue: Oak Tree ManorAbout Me: I'm a free-spirited, adventurous girl who loves anything active, reading, traveling, cooking up new dishes for my fiancé, and working on my budding garden. My fiancé is an athletic, intellectual, animal-loving guy with an obsession with basketball and who treats me with the deepest compassion and respect. We are both engineers, and we met at our workplace. Together we complement one another and make a great team, and we are excitedly counting down the days until our outdoor wedding in Houston in November. We're planning a green wedding with lots of Persian cultural touches, and I can't wait to share all of the before-and-after details of our special day
The whole time Mr. Wallaby and I were planning our wedding, I’d been stockpiling a small folder of must-have photos. Wedding photos are generally gorgeous and swoon worthy, but after spending too much time browsing wedding blogs for inspiration, pictures started to blur together. Except every once in a while, I stumbled across a photo that took my breath away.
Mrs. Wizard, PittsburghAge and Occupation: 22, Front-end Web DeveloperFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Software ProgrammerEngagement Date: June 8, 2011Wedding Date: June 2012Venue: Glades Pike Winery, Somerset, PAAbout Me: I’m a born-and-raised Pittsburgh girl marrying a born-and-raised Pittsburgh dude. I’m a stubborn Italian with a huge personality, and I love oldies music, baking, housewifery, and all things Harry Potter. He’s a quiet, level-headed guy who loves my cooking and laughs good-naturedly at my lack of verbal filter. He’s an intellectual who likes to learn, and can often be found going on "Wiki walks" and landing on the most hilariously weird articles imaginable. We truly are a case of "opposites attract," and we balance each other out perfectly. We keep each other sane and make each other laugh so hard we cry almost every day, and that’s all I could ever ask for. Together we’re planning a simple, elegant, summery June wedding, and we can’t wait to be Mr. and Mrs.!
Right after cutting our cake (and after I managed to gag mine down), we made our way to the dance floor for our first dance as husband and wife.
This is always one of my favorite moments of a wedding reception. My someday-imaginary-first-dance is one of the few wedding-related things I daydreamed about since I was a little girl. I can remember being younger than 10 years old and proclaiming to my aunt in the car one day that “Truly, Madly, Deeply” by Savage Garden was going to be my first dance song at my wedding, and she promised she’d hold me to it. Luckily she broke that promise, and we were able to select a better song.
We stepped onto the dance floor, pulled each other close, and began our dance.
Mrs. Toadstool, Obregon, MexicoAge and Occupation: 23, Research AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Sales ManagerEngagement Date: October 1, 2011Wedding Date: December 2012Venue: Hacienda los AgavesAbout Me: I’m a born and bred Mexican girl with a severe coffee addiction, an obsession for books and an aversion for exercise. I like to plan things, so this wedding’s my dream project---I just need to remind myself from time to time that I’m the bride and not just the planner. I recently realized brown’s my favorite color as I was trying to incorporate it in every aspect of our wedding and I'm dreaming of an autumn vibe since we don’t have that around here. I’m marrying my best friend and partner in crime on the day of our nine-year anniversary! He’s an awesome, smart, fun guy who is patient, and crazy enough to spend the rest of his life with me. We’re planning our not-so-dreamy dream wedding in December in a non-traditional way and making it our own.
Last week at my hair trial, Ariana, my stylist, asked if I’m wearing any kind of head piece to complement my veil. I proceeded to tell her about the “not finding anything I like at a price I’m willing to pay” dilemma. So, she started listing all the places she thought I could find something I like.
Right after the trial, I decided to visit one of the places she mentioned. While browsing the store my eyes fell on this:
It’s almost perfect (I didn’t want to wear any kind of pearls on my wedding day), almost what I was looking for, except…it’s a brooch.
Mrs. Dalmatian, Nashville, TNAge and Occupation: 23, Pediatric NurseFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Computer Engineer and Entrepreneur Engagement Date: April 13, 2011Wedding Date: May 2012Venue: Historic CedarwoodAbout Me: I am a Northern girl from Chicago who is planning a wedding filled with Southern charm in Nashville, Tennessee. I love dogs, the White Sox, Full House reruns, and anything with ruffles on it. Mr. Dalmatian is my computer-genius problem-solving fiance who is constantly teaching me new things and making me a better person. We live with our adopted pup Echo, who is very excited that his parents are getting married!
As we made our way from the barn to the patio to start the reception, guests weaved their way through the historic home to choose their dinner from our buffet. Meanwhile, we were ushered around to the front of the house until our official introduction as husband and wife.
At this point, Mom and Dad Dalmatian took the mic to share a few words and welcome everyone to the party.
Mrs. Doily, Cedar Rapids, IowaAge and Occupation: 25, Autism Paraeducator/ StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, IT Hosting SupportEngagement 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.!
Almost all of our wedding guests and all of our wedding party were all staying at the same hotel. This just happened to have a bar attached to it. Naturally, an after party was going to happen. And naturally, all I have to show you are a lot of fuzzy cell phone pictures of the event. A lot of our guests used the free shuttle service to and from the hotel that we had set up, so most of our guests and wedding party were there before us. We entered into a round of applause, both from our guests and from the patrons of the bar. We got another round of congratulations and another round of drinks:
I’m unsure of why GM C looks so concerned and why MOH A is duckfacing, but I do know that they are both awesome.
Miss Cauldron, New York City/AustinAge and Occupation: 33, Human ResourcesFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, TechnologyEngagement Date: October 8, 2011Wedding Date: September 2012Venue: Pecan Grove at the Salt LickAbout Me: I grew up in the Lone Star State, but moved to NYC after college to get a taste of the Big Apple, and never left. I love baking, yoga, Mr. C, and sunshine (not necessarily in that order)! Mr. C and I met on Match.com back in 2007, and our second date was at a Texas barbecue restaurant in Manhattan. It’s only fitting that after almost five years together, we are getting married at an iconic Texas barbecue joint. (Shiner Bock and brisket, anyone?) I’m proud of the life we have built together around our love for each other, Mr. C’s crazy dog Bosley, and fun sailing adventures on our boat, and I’m looking forward to celebrating our marriage at one seriously awesome party in September.
With only a few days left on our honeymoon, we decided to take the long leg back up toward Baltimore, where we knew we could wrap up our trip. It was a gorgeous day for a big sail! A little chilly, but sunny and blue—the best kind of day.
Miss Panda, Boston, MAAge and Occupation: 26, Graduate StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: June 27, 2011Wedding Date: June 2013About Me: I love window shopping, cute animals, crafting, baking, and most forms of procrastination. I tend to be overly meticulous with choices to a point of complete and total indecision. Mr. PBear and I met and live in the amazing city of Boston. We are big nerds who love trying new foods, playing video games, and cuddling with our adorable hamster. After 5 years together, we are planning an intimate, DIY-heavy, vintage garden themed, nonreligious wedding in the city where we fell in love.
Music is one of those things that PBear and I just don’t have many strong opinions about. We always figured we would just do an iPod wedding and call it a day, especially since we don’t really plan on doing the whole dancing thing.
However, our venue had this amazing grand piano, which is definitely one of the focal points of the room. Though I’m sure our guests would be too nice to say something, it would feel weird to me to have this beautiful instrument there and not use it.
See the gorgeous piano?
Thus, I moved some money around to make some room to get a pianist to come and play for the ceremony and possibly most of the cocktail hour. Then for dinner, we would transition into the iPod for the rest of the reception.
Our officiant was thrilled when she heard that we had booked a musician for the ceremony portion. She says that because it’s an actual person sitting there, they are more on top of when to play the music. Furthermore, if someone walks in too fast or too slowly, we can always adjust the music to accommodate them. I’m hopeful that this will create a nice flow and make it more memorable.
Mrs. Boa Constrictor, Isabela, Puerto RicoAge and Occupation: 22, Undergraduate StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Soon-to-be Civil EngineerEngagement Date: May 19, 2011Wedding Date: May 2012Venue: El Faro Convention CenterAbout Me: I’m a Caribbean gal, born and bred on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, finishing her last year as an undergrad. I describe myself as a “closet nerd” as I secretly enjoy reading research papers, playing video games, and geeking out on Lord of the Rings movie marathons. I will marry my college sweetheart, a soon-to-be civil engineer, who loves Legos and old-school Puerto Rican cooking. This is sure to be a fast-paced year with our wedding, honeymoon, college graduation, new jobs, and a cross-country move all within less than 30 days of each other!
I arrived at the church early and, after two drives around the block to kill time, we finally stopped right in front of the doors of the church. As I sat in the car speaking with the priest who would marry us (whom I had never met because the priest who was supposed to marry us had to run off to another commitment), I saw some nervous conversations going on.
Mrs. Wallaby, Houston
Age and Occupation: 24, Environmental EngineerEngagement Date: January 1, 2012Wedding Date: November 2012Venue: Oak Tree ManorAbout Me: I'm a free-spirited, adventurous girl who loves anything active, reading, traveling, cooking up new dishes for my fiancé, and working on my budding garden. My fiancé is an athletic, intellectual, animal-loving guy with an obsession with basketball and who treats me with the deepest compassion and respect. We are both engineers, and we met at our workplace. Together we complement one another and make a great team, and we are excitedly counting down the days until our outdoor wedding in Houston in November. We're planning a green wedding with lots of Persian cultural touches, and I can't wait to share all of the before-and-after details of our special day
I’ve mentioned previously that Mr. Wallaby and I would be providing refreshments that double as escort cards during our cocktail hour. My inspiration was from the ever-creative Martha Stewart Weddings:
Miss Camel, Athens, GAAge and Occupation: 29, high school teacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, high school teacherEngagement Date: March 2012Wedding Date: May 2013Venue: Cloverleaf FarmAbout Me: I'm a high school social studies teacher who started her career teaching English in Japan with the JET Program. I love photography and history. I also like to travel and take naps---two things that you would think contradict each other, but somehow they don't. My heroes are Dwight Schrute, Liz Lemon, the Dude, and T.E. Lawrence. I traveled the world throughout my 20s only to fall in love with the social studies teacher in the classroom next door to mine. He just happened to be the kindest, most compassionate, and selfless person I had ever met and each day I'm so thankful to have him in my life. We are planning a whimsical, relaxed countryside wedding with a little Marie Antoinette flair thrown in for good measure. Please join us on our wedding planning adventures!
After unexpectedly losing our first wedding venue (as described in my previous post), Mr. C and I were forced to start our search anew. It was frustrating to start over, especially because Mr. C and I were about to start the new school year. We definitely don’t have a lot of time during the school year to drive around and interview vendors.
After touring three venues we did not visit during our first search, we decided to check out a lead on a brand new venue in our area. In fact, it was so new that at the time it didn’t have a website nor had it held any weddings! One of our good friends is married to an event planner at a local hotel and she heard through the vendor grapevine that a catering company had recently purchased a property about 20 minutes from our home. It sounded very promising.
The venue is called Cloverleaf Farm and it is owned and operated by A Divine Event catering, which is based out of Atlanta. They own several properties in Atlanta and Northeast Georgia that they use for weddings and other events. Cloverleaf Farm is their latest acquisition, and when we visited them in July they were busy landscaping, painting, and fixing up an old barn on the property. We were given the grand tour and I saw limitless potential! There are so many amazing options, and it meant we could get married outside, under the trees, and hold the reception inside the sprawling 150-year-old home. No need for tents! I loved all the fields and trees, the rambling wooden fences, the sweet silence of the countryside. We loved the look inside the house too—worn wooden floors, high ceilings, a dramatic staircase, and stunning chandeliers. The event coordinator was awesome. I could tell she loved the property and she was so excited to show us around and explain their plans.
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!
Fit and Flare, Mermaid, Trumpet—whatever you call them, there is no denying that these dresses are fantastically flattering and daringly dramatic, too! Sleek on the top, and embellished to various degrees on the bottom, they hug your curves in all the perfect places.
We just love the variations of this silhouette that appeared on the runway this year—some with a subtle, almost indiscernible flare, some with dramatic draping and fancy feathers flouncing to the floor, and still others that fell somewhere in between. So however subtle or bold your appetite for a fancy flare might be, we’re certain there’s at least one for you out there.
O.My.Heart and her fiance pose for fall engagement photos with their pug.
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. Castle, NYC/Southern CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 26, Actress/BabysitterFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Actor/Writer/Graphic DesignerEngagement Date: January 1, 2011Wedding Date: April 2012Venue: Padua Hills TheaterAbout Me: I am a Southern California girl living in the Big Apple. I moved here to put my degree in Musical Theater to work! My survival job is caregiver to an adorable 2 1/2 year old. When I'm not working, auditioning or rehearsing, I am hanging out at home with my FI and our two beloved cats. I love to read, sing, dance, hang with friends, and spend quality time with Mr. Castle watching our favorite TV shows (LOST, Big Bang Theory, and Mythbusters...to name a few). Mr Castle and I met while performing in college, so it is only fitting that our wedding take place at an old theater. We are planning a vintage, theater-inspired wedding with some DIY projects and plenty of personal touches thrown in. I love living in the city but I am excited to marry my man in the state where we fell in love.
At this point Mr. Castle made me aware of the fact that pieces of tissue were stuck on my face. Apparently the mixture of airbrush makeup, cheap tissues, and tears is not ideal. Mr. Castle to the rescue!
