Mrs. Squirrel, Tampa, FLAge and Occupation: 25, Genetic CounselorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Graphic Designer/ Engineering StudentEngagement Date: March 17, 2012Wedding Date: May 2013Venue: Davis Island Garden ClubAbout Me:
I am a DIY loving, science dork. I like to eat green peppers every day and I wish all clothes would be made with bows and lace. I moved to the South for grad school and stumbled across Mr. Squirrel, aka Southern Gent extraordinaire. We moved to Tampa, Florida and are starting a new life together. We are so excited to get married! Our ceremony will be in a Catholic church and the guests will then take a boat ride to the outdoor reception. We are channeling a Midsummer Night's Dream and plan to have lots of twinkling lights, moss, and whimsy in the air.
No, this post is not about venue choice. I wish it had been that straightforward at the beginning. This post is about cities. What city would we physically have the wedding in? Our three choices were:
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.
As guests started arriving, they slowly made their way over to the south lawn. It’s a bit of a trek, but the weather was perfect, not too hot with an occasional breeze.
Mrs. Treasure, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 24, Law StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Equity AnalystEngagement Date: July 30, 2011Wedding Date: September 2012Venue: Saint James Chapel at Quigley Prep/Murphy AuditoriumAbout Me: I was born and raised in Indiana, but now live in sweet home Chicago. I'm a third-year law student and aspiring trial lawyer, which means Mr. T never wins an argument. Other than Mr. T, I love singing, exploring the Chicago restaurant scene, and Notre Dame football. We met in a musical (just like my parents!) and after 4 years together, we are excited to be planning our urban "destination" wedding.
Before I start recaps, I want to address one last thing. I’ve mentioned before that we planned on making our own bouquets. The day before the wedding, I went to Whole Foods with my brothers and bought enough flowers to make three bouquets. I spent a total of $117 and got 12 stems of white hydrangeas, 12 stems of green mini hydrangeas, and a few bunches of hypericum berries. We took them back to the hotel where MOH M, Bridesmaid L, my mom, my gramama, and I put them all together.
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.
The weather kept holding up for us (woohoo!), so we decided to keep on going with bridal party and family photos outside. First, though, there is this funny candid shot of all of us as we were getting assembled for the group shots. Clearly Mr. C was happy to have a beverage back in his hand.
Mrs. Otter, Indianapolis, INAge and Occupation: 22, Freelance Social Media ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, CVS Shift SupervisorEngagement Date: November 11, 2011Wedding Date: April 2013Venue: Mustard Seed GardensAbout Me: I'm a born and raised Hoosier girl, but a diehard Michigan Wolverines fan. I have a tendency to take too many photos and spend full days having TV marathons. Mr. Otter and I met in high school, started dating a couple years later, and moved in after a month of being official. He is easygoing and makes plans on a whim, while I'm color coordinating my planner and organizing everything in sight. He hates glitter, but it's my favorite thing. I have tattoos and he still won't get one, despite my attempts to convince him. We're planning a small, rustic, and (hopefully!) peony-filled wedding to get our married life started. (And yes, there will be glitter involved!)
…that he can’t wear until April and even though he’d probably rather I didn’t share publicly, he was super pouty about it when he got it and couldn’t wear it. I can’t blame him—I want to wear my band already and I have an engagement ring! But it was still pretty funny.
In my first post talking about the Mr.’s ring, I showed a few different styles that we didn’t love, and two that we did. Not surprisingly, Mr. O decided on a ring that was one of the two I used for my post.
Mrs. Squirrel, Tampa, FLAge and Occupation: 25, Genetic CounselorFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Graphic Designer/ Engineering StudentEngagement Date: March 17, 2012Wedding Date: May 2013Venue: Davis Island Garden ClubAbout Me:
I am a DIY loving, science dork. I like to eat green peppers every day and I wish all clothes would be made with bows and lace. I moved to the South for grad school and stumbled across Mr. Squirrel, aka Southern Gent extraordinaire. We moved to Tampa, Florida and are starting a new life together. We are so excited to get married! Our ceremony will be in a Catholic church and the guests will then take a boat ride to the outdoor reception. We are channeling a Midsummer Night's Dream and plan to have lots of twinkling lights, moss, and whimsy in the air.
I want to go back and give you a little background about how I fell in love with this Southern stud!
First of all…look at that face:
(Cheese ball) Ow ow!!!
We actually met in Little Rock, Arkansas. I was in grad school and Mr. Squirrel was working as a graphic designer. As a Midwestern girl, Arkansas was a whole new world for me. I learned about rodeos, duck hunting, and the Hogs (Razorback football). It was great to have so many new experiences, but as a fast-paced, country-music hater, I just wasn’t connecting with the menfolk.
In comes my Southern stud! Mr. Squirrel honestly has all the best qualities of the South (and he smells good…bonus points!). His mom raised him to be a true gentleman. Two and a half years later, he still opens my car door. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. It’s to the point where I get mad at him if we are in a rush because he still does it. Mr. Squirrel is just a happy-go-lucky guy who loves being creative, jamming to good music, and riding his bike. After living in Arkansas for his entire life, Mr. Squirrel was itching to move away to a bigger city.
Lisa_Chitown held a romantic indoor wedding ceremony, complete with candles and petals as aisle decor.
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
After gallivanting around Golden Bay and Queenstown, New Zealand, Mr. Wallaby and I jetted to our third honeymoon destination: Sydney, Australia, famous for its opera house, Mel Gibson, and beautiful harbour views. After retrieving our luggage from the baggage claim, we took the train from Sydney Airport to our hotel in Potts Point. Mr. W and I are big fans of Brett Dennen, and this song was running through our heads as we walked out of the train station onto the bustling city streets:
And now, a little tribute to our fab hotel, the Diamant: we loved you. We felt like such hipsters walking down your sleek hallways and lounging in our minimalist room. Bees, if you travel to Sydney, I would highly recommend staying in one of the trendy local neighborhoods rather than in one of the more touristy areas—Mr. W and I had unlimited dining options, cool bars, grocery stores, etc. just a stone’s throw away from our hotel in Potts Point/Darlinghurst.
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!
I want to tell you all about the best day ever. Do you have a best day ever? A day when everything, in spite of all odds, somehow turns out perfectly? My best day ever is the day Mr. C proposed to me. And it wasn’t just about being engaged, it was everything else in the universe aligning to make the most amazing, absolutely perfect day.
But first, let’s start at the beginning.
One day last February I was home from work and wistfully scrolling through images of Versailles on my computer. I was showing Mr. C some images and talking about how much I wanted to return to Paris. I was trying to convince him that we should visit Paris in November when I knew we’d have a week off for Thanksgiving break. Suddenly Mr. C bent down beside me. He had a puckish twinkle in his eyes. “What if we went to Paris for spring break?” My heart stopped. I stared at him for a moment. Mind you, spring break was only around four weeks away at this point. The idea of hopping on a plane and making a spontaneous trip to Paris was both exhilarating and terrifying. Really only terrifying in a very mundane adult sort of way: How much would it cost? Where would we stay? Can we really do this? Should I feel guilty about spending this money (when I really need a new car…)?
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!
The details…the fruits of my labor and many hours of Pintrest. I hope you can find some inspiration in the following pictures and prepare for an overload of purple.
As soon as you entered the reception space you were greeted by a small table holding our guestbook. We decided on having a Jenga guestbook because my shelves are already full of albums and scrapbooks and our walls can’t hold one more framed item. I wanted something “useful,” something that would hold a purpose other than just carrying the notes from our wedding guests. That lead us to Jenga, a board game we already owned and was a hit on game nights. It’s something we can pull out to play (reminisce) every now and then—even our kids might get to play with them.
