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.!
It was over 17 months ago that I was introduced as Miss Doily in my first ever post “Miss Doily Is in the House.” During that time I flip-flopped over many wedding decisions, grew as a writer, and got to really get immersed in this wonderful community. I have made some lifelong friends out of board members and other bee bloggers. I have been introduced to other cultures and traditions that have only enriched my life even more. And along the way, I married my best friend and love of my life. It’s been such an incredible journey, and I still feel so blessed every day to have been chosen to be a bee blogger. Even more so, I feel so blessed that there were people who truly enjoyed hearing Mr. D’s and my journey and even took some things from it.
When it comes to our wedding, there is really only one thing left to share. Mr. D and I bought Flip cams shortly before the wedding to film the entire thing for his ailing grandmother who was not able to make it across the country to share our day. So we filmed everything and edited it to the best of our ability and shipped it off to her right away. She ended up passing only a few weeks after getting it, but it was a huge blessing to us and to her that she got to see it for herself.
Mrs. Armadillo, Houston, TexasAge and Occupation: 23, Graduate StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Armed Security OfficerEngagement Date: September 28, 2011Wedding Date: March 2013Venue: First Presbyterian Church/Bay City Civic CenterAbout Me: I’m an oldies-loving, board game-playing, coffee addicted fine arts junkie from Southeast Texas in pursuit of her master’s degree in communication studies who met the goofy, strong, artistic, and unexpected love of her life in the beautiful piney woods of East Texas. Serendipity threw us together again and again (and again) on our college campus before we eventually stuck, but when we finally did submit to destiny, we hit the ground running and never looked back! We’re planning a religious, small town, budget-friendly, DIY-infused “winter becomes springtime” ceremony and reception to celebrate the beginning of our lives together with the people we love the most, and are pouring our hearts and souls into making sure our wedding represents us as a couple down to the nitty gritty details and balances tradition with the quirky individuality that is uniquely and unequivocally “us”!
…I mean days! That’s right—The Armadillos are officially into double digits in the wedding countdown. And what better way to celebrate than to have our cake tasting, no?
This afternoon, Mr. A and I went by the one and only cake shop in town, called Party Time, to pick up flavor samples to choose what we want to have our cake taste like on the big day. I was anticipating having to sit down at the store and try each flavor, but they ended up giving us two cupcakes per flavor to take home and try at our leisure! That’s 10 cupcakes, y’all…FO FREE. Gotta love small-town businesses!
Anyway, we returned to my parents’ house with nearly a dozen cupcakes in tow, which meant everyone in the family could get it on the cake-tasting experience. For reference, here’s what we came home with:
There are vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, Italian creme, and red velvet cupcakes in there! All with buttercream frosting on top.
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
Once all of the major wedding planning decisions were out of the way (venue: check! officiant: check! ice cream truck: check!), Mr. Wallaby and I were able to relax and pick out some fun details for the Big Day. These are by no means necessary for a successful wedding, but since we had some free time, it was really fun gathering some bric-à-brac to make the wedding very “us.” These are a few of my favorite things (hi Sound of Music aficionados!), AKA, the Deets:
Cowboy boots to display striped paper straws. I can’t get enough of the striped straws—they are so festive and come in so.many.colors. (And they are biodegradable!) I purchased several hundred straws from Dime Store Buddy on Etsy, and a bunch of the straws will be displayed on the bar in these porcelain cowboy boots I discovered at a local consignment shop. I decided that the boots matched our BBQ reception, and they have tons of decorative value for our home post-wedding.
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.
This day I will marry my best friend,
the one I laugh with,
live for,
dream with,
love
Nine years ago today, Mr. Toadstool and I were sitting outside my parents’ home, our heads close. It was cold, when he whispered, “Will you be my girlfriend?” I was shocked, and graciously answered “What?” He mustered the courage and asked again, to which I of course burst, “For real?”
Today I’ll get asked an even more important question, one that will also change my life in a fantastic way, and today I will not hesitate, I will not ask questions, I will just say yes…or “I do.” The point is I’ll answer straight and square that I will marry this man.
Mrs. Gray Wolf, Washington DCAge and Occupation: 26, Business Development ExecutiveFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Research ScientistEngagement Date: November 11, 2011Wedding Date: February 2013Venue: Whittemore HouseAbout Me: I'm an ultra-organized, pun-loving, list-making, cheese-enthusiast bride-to-be. Although my day job is in cubicle land, I'm happiest in the modern art wing of a museum, having recently earned my Masters in Museum Studies. Shortly after a chance meeting five years ago, I moved in with Wolfman and haven't looked back since. We love music, movies, TV, and all things pop culture; we have an unspoken competition to be the first to share the latest YouTube sensation or indie song. Together, we've filled quite a few pages in our passports, but also love quiet nights in with a Game of Thrones marathon and our French Bulldog, Tonks (Harry Potter, anyone?). I'm planning a small, cozy winter wedding---think mercury glass and candle light---in the heart of DC. Our venue is a historic home with a lot of political charm, but needs a bit of work to be wedding-ready.
Because of the space issues with our ceremony spot—and our budget—we’re just having our DJ play some music for our ceremony. It wasn’t too much extra and gives us complete freedom for what we want to play (and someone to make sure songs start and stop at the right moment). This is good…since we’re sticklers about the music.
We’re kind of viewing this whole big wedding thing as one gigantic playlist. Anyone ever seen High Fidelity (one of the Gray Wolf favorites)? We’re following Rob Gordon’s advice for a great compilation:
We want to start off with a bang (prelude and processional) and then kick it up a notch (recessional)…and then cool it off a bit (cocktail hour tunes). Then do it all over again with the reception.
We wanted the prelude music to be sort of soft—something instrumental that would easily segue into a more dramatic number in the processional. We were looking for songs that would say something about us too. This was sort of hard, finding instrumental songs that still were a nod to our tastes, as we don’t regularly listen to acoustic numbers or orchestral arrangements. Enter in VSQ and this album:
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.
As I’ve mentioned in otherblogentries, my wedding dress was definitely one of my favorite parts of this whole wedding adventure. I could not wait to wear it (and to finally show Mr. C!), so I was pretty excited when it was time to get dressed, because I finally got to wear the dress for longer than a fitting appointment!
The dress, on a lovely hanger my mom made showing my married name (edited for privacy). Personal Photo
We got the dress down off its hanger, and I stripped down to my undergarments (no photos of that, thankfully!). Mama C helped me put the dress on.
FutureFoxWife shares a photo of her and her husband’s custom wedding rings.
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. 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
We are now officially certified to marry! / Personal photo
This turned out to be, hands down, one of the easiest parts of wedding preparation! I did a little online research to find out Texas’s marriage requirements, to make sure that we weren’t forgetting anything. (Every single time I go to a government office for an ID-related issue—driver’s license, passport, etc.—I wait in a two hour long line, then realize I forgot something vital like my Social Security card. Not happening this time!)
If you’re interested, here are the rules of engagement (ha ha!) in the great state of Texas:
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!
Is it the Thunderdome? Nope, it’s the ubiquitous name-change post. I guess I will just come out and say that I will not be changing my name after I get married.
I see my last name as part of my identity. When I think of myself in terms of my first name and Mr. C’s last name, I don’t see myself. That’s not me. That’s someone else. Actually it isliterallysomeone else because Mr. C’s sister and I share the same first name. That means there would be two women with the same first and last names in the family. Talk about confusing! And weird. Imagine how that might make my future sister-in-law feel; suddenly a name that was originally uniquely hers is now someone else’s. If I were in her shoes, I have to admit it would make me feel a little weird.
Secondly, I don’t really find it fair that a woman has to run around town (sometimes taking a day off of work) just to get the paperwork she needs to legally change her name. It involves changing your driver’s license, Social Security card, passport, and all financial documents. Then there’s the possibility that there are confusions or mix-ups in the future. Maybe you forgot to change your insurance documents and now you can’t be reimbursed for a doctor’s visit because they can’t verify your identity. No thanks.
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!
When our DJ asked for out list of “must play” songs, my response was probably a little more than he bargained for. I will openly admit that I was the overbearing bride who attached a multi-page Word document to my reply email, and I’m not sorry I did! I knew that the music selection would play a huge role in establishing the tone of the reception, and I was going to do everything in my power to ensure we ended up with photos like these:
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.
Shopping online has somehow become both a godsend and the bane of my existence now that I am planning a wedding. Occasionally, I find something really great, like some apothecary jars, and I do a little happy dance at finding exactly what I needed. But it seems like more often than not, I order something, it shows up, and it doesn’t work. Then I have to go to the trouble of returning it, which is a big hassle. Or maybe I thought it was going to be perfect so I didn’t care that I couldn’t return it. And then it doesn’t look at all like the picture, so I’m stuck with it.
So let this be a warning to all of you who are like me. When wedding planning, you will probably have a list about a mile long of random stuff you need. Be cautious with what you buy online. Because you may not end up saving time or money. Allow me to share with you some of my failed shopping attempts.
I recently mentioned my dreams of beautiful shoes. Because I can’t afford my beloved Kate Spade shoes, I’ve been searching (and searching and searching) for other shoes I love. (Update: I got some AWESOME suggestions from fellow bees!! I’m waiting for them to arrive…we’ll see how it goes.) Here are just some of the shoes that I have bought (and returned) from DSW.
