Mrs. Candy Apple, Princeton Junction, NJ/ Seattle, WAAge and Occupation: 26, Project EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, AttorneyEngagement Date: May 9, 2010Wedding Date: August 2011Venue: St. Joseph's Parish, Seattle Tennis ClubAbout Me: I am a Pacific Northwesterner, born and bred. I have lived in many cities---Santa Clara, Durham (England); Florence; Boston; Princeton Junction---but my heart will always be nestled up near the Cascades and Olympics, which is why we are holding our wedding there. I am a bookworm and a History nerd: I love that my life consists of books, books, and more books, since I work in Publishing! Recently, all waking time not consumed by work and my daily commute has been overtaken by wedding planning. Well, that, and watching Premier-League soccer. There is nothing I love more than a good Tana French mystery, traveling to new places, Anthropologie shopping sprees, Iittala dishware, Kate Spade shoes, impeccable typefaces (think: Archer), and a nice English ale (hellooo, Old Speckled Hen!). Oh, and did I mention my obsession with wedding blogs? Yeah, there’s that too. Join Mr. Candy Apple and me as we prep for our wedding, and, more importantly, our marriage!
Picture this: a gorgeous, sunny Seattle summer day. Nary a cloud in the sky. It was amazing, and the epitome of summertime in Seattle. The Seattle Tennis Club was calm and quiet as the girls got dressed and ready for the big day. Club-goers sat outside eating their lunches under umbrellas, and the only sounds were the quiet lapping of little wavelets on the shore, birds chirping, and…
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.
I have searched, searched, and searched everywhere for the perfect pair of shoes to go with my amazing dress. I was getting incredibly frustrated because it seemed like the perfect pair of shoes that I had been envisioning in my dreams was not actually a shoe that existed in the real world.
I have bought 10? 20? different pairs of shoes, looking for that illusive perfect shoe, a pretty blue shoe. And I’ve never really found any that I’ve really loved—well, that is, until now, maybe. I think I might have found a shoe that is so close to being perfect, yet so far.
The shoe is very reminiscent of another favorite shoe of mine, Badgley Mischka’s Randee, a gorgeous shoe that never came in blue, unfortunately.
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”!
Remember when I posted about my experience in buying ruby slippers to wear for the wedding to pay homage to my childhood obsession with The Wizard of Oz? In case you need a refresher, here’s the short version: I bought some ruby slippers made from red sequins from a seller on Etsy, and they weren’t what I was expecting in terms of quality, particularly for the price. So, I sent them back.
OK! So, after sending the original shoes back, I started brainstorming on ways I could make them myself. My first inclination was to just glitter a pair of shoes with a mixture of fine red glitter and Mod Podge, but after thinking it over, I decided I wanted something with a stronger effect. After all, The Wizard of Oz and my obsession over wanting to be Dorothy as a kid is a HUGE part of who I am today (I collect Oz memorabilia, have all the books, etc.), so I wanted these shoes to be show stoppers. I traveled over to the DIY section of Weddingbee for inspiration, and there I found multiple ladies who had strassed their shoes using different sizes of rhinestones and industrial adhesive called E-6000:
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.
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!
I can’t believe the time has come for me to write this post. I’ve thought a lot about what I want to say, but the joyful memories of our wedding day and the gratitude I have for the support and friendship Weddingbee has brought me are hard things to capture and put into sentences. So for the former I will turn to the old “a picture is worth a thousand words” motto and share with you this montage I made of our wedding story.
For the latter, all I can say is thank you. Thank you to every single member of Weddingbee who makes this site what it is. You have shaped my understanding of the meaning of a wedding, of a bride and, most importantly, of a community.
I feel blessed to look back on my wedding day and be genuinely happy, proud, and thankful. I feel blessed to look forward to my future and feel excited, hopeful, and once again genuinely happy. These feelings are what I wish upon every member of the hive.
cosmo_qmr posted a photo of herself and her husband in front of their mariachi band on their wedding day.
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. 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!
The one thing I wanted to do at our wedding was dance. Dance to good music, to be more precise. This was probably the only occasion in my life that I would be able to have complete control over the playlist, so I was more than ready to go when the lines at the food stations started to wind down and the “dinner music” switched over to Rhythm of Love by Plain White T’s (aka, the official start).
So no, I didn’t really dance to that song, per say…but I sure was singing along and swaying my hips like it was my business. I think Frank the DJ caught on, because the dancin’ music kicked up right after!
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
With everyone in place under the tree (sigh…I still swoon at that majestic thing) it was time for the ceremony to begin. Mr. W and I took hands and faced our officiant, Pastor J. Actually, before we took hands, Mr. W wiped off some of the snot that had accumulated on my face as I walked down the aisle. Now see, that’s love!
I looked left and right—our closest friends and siblings were all lined up beside us. Our parents were seated right before us, and behind them, dozens of friends and relatives. There is nothing in the world like being surrounded by all of your favorite people.
Mrs. Unicorn, Atlanta, GeorgiaAge and Occupation: 22, Retail Sales ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Graphic DesignerEngagement Date: November 27, 2011Wedding Date: September 2012Venue: The FarmAbout Me: I’m an impatient, impulsive person with a creative side and a flair for the dramatic. I’m very much a DIY sort of girl, and I have the messy craft table to prove it. I worked at a veterinary clinic for the better part of seven years before diving headfirst into the totally different world of sales. I must say, the change has been one for the better; I no longer have clients that bite or scratch, nor does my workplace smell of kitty litter. My true passion, however, is aerial acrobatics and dance, and I hope to open my own studio one day. Mr. Unicorn doesn’t bat an eye when he comes home from work to find his fiancée hanging upside down from a pole. Together, we enjoy shooting things (with a camera), playing Xbox games (my strategy consists primarily of button-mashing), and enjoying the company of our spoiled pit bull named Leeloo. We are planning a fall wedding with lots of DIY details and a rustic-chic vibe. Our budget is tight, but we know we can work around it to plan the wedding we want.
The week leading up to the wedding was CRAZY. I remember running around like a headless chicken, calling vendors, finalizing details, and putting the finishing touches on my DIY projects. A lot of the smaller stuff simply didn’t get done. For example, I didn’t get a chance to screen-print the front of our guest book with a cutesy logo. The infamous yarn letters were also an epic failure that never saw the light of day.
Needless to say, it was a HUGE relief when the day of my bachelorette party arrived. One by one, bridesmaids started trickling in. We got the music blasting, the drinks flowing, and penis-shaped pasta cooking.
At this point I’d like to interrupt this blog post to bring your attention to the following warning:
Moving right along.
Since we are responsible party people, we decided to take the subway down to Tongue and Groove for the evening. If you would—please close your eyes and imagine a group of scantily clad ladies, armed to the teeth with glow-sticks and balloons riding the subway…
Or I could just show you the photographic evidence.
