Mrs. Cheeseburger, Baltimore, MD/State College, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentEngagement Date: June 28, 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Catholic Church Ceremony & Hotel ReceptionAbout Me: I'm a passionate girl from Pittsburgh, currently living in Baltimore for school, who loves Penn State, seeing movies, football, thunderstorms, black and white photos, Christmas, good beer, my amazing friends and family, and of course, my mister! We met, fell in love, got engaged, and will be married at our alma mater (go lions!) in a traditional Catholic ceremony followed by a hotel reception with lots of DIY details. It means so much to have our families and friends meet at our favorite place on earth to celebrate our love for one another - I truly couldn't ask for anything more!
Well, it’s about that time. Time for me to say goodbye.
You’ve allowed me to write about our wedding for over a year, and I am so incredibly thankful for this amazing opportunity. Your kind words, encouragement, feedback, and general awesomeness have been amazing. I can’t imagine having planned our wedding without sharing it with the hive. Thank you so much for everything, it’s been an absolute honor.
I’ve organized all of my posts on my Weddingbee Wiki for easy reference, if you’re ever looking for something I wrote about!
Though my time here at the ’Bee is done, I’ve grown a little attached to this whole blogging thing. If you’d like to follow along as Dan and I move into the next phase of life—new degrees, new jobs, new cities, new homes, and maybe babies, I would be over the moon! Because even though this part of my life has been fun, I really do believe that… Read more…
Mrs. Cheeseburger, Baltimore, MD/State College, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentEngagement Date: June 28, 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Catholic Church Ceremony & Hotel ReceptionAbout Me: I'm a passionate girl from Pittsburgh, currently living in Baltimore for school, who loves Penn State, seeing movies, football, thunderstorms, black and white photos, Christmas, good beer, my amazing friends and family, and of course, my mister! We met, fell in love, got engaged, and will be married at our alma mater (go lions!) in a traditional Catholic ceremony followed by a hotel reception with lots of DIY details. It means so much to have our families and friends meet at our favorite place on earth to celebrate our love for one another - I truly couldn't ask for anything more!
I know, I know, you thought these recaps were over. There’s just one more thing that I wanted to share: our highlight film from Open Iris by Quanti Studios!
We chose to use “Tonight, Tonight” by The Smashing Pumpkins as it is one of Burger’s favorite songs and has such amazing lyrics. My favorite are the lyrics at the end: Read more…
Mrs. Cheeseburger, Baltimore, MD/State College, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentEngagement Date: June 28, 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Catholic Church Ceremony & Hotel ReceptionAbout Me: I'm a passionate girl from Pittsburgh, currently living in Baltimore for school, who loves Penn State, seeing movies, football, thunderstorms, black and white photos, Christmas, good beer, my amazing friends and family, and of course, my mister! We met, fell in love, got engaged, and will be married at our alma mater (go lions!) in a traditional Catholic ceremony followed by a hotel reception with lots of DIY details. It means so much to have our families and friends meet at our favorite place on earth to celebrate our love for one another - I truly couldn't ask for anything more!
I love hearing about how people found Weddingbee. Here is my story!
How did I find Weddingbee?
I found the ’Bee in the fall of 2007, almost a year before I was engaged (*blushes*). I think I’ve mentioned like 100 times that I hated the first two years of med school and started planning my (future) wedding as a sort of fun distraction. It was a running joke among my med school friends, and we often took long breaks from studying to browse my latest wedding inspiration. I had always wanted a Penn State wedding, but at one point I realized that I needed a backup plan in case it didn’t work out. I googled “Pittsburgh Wedding Venues” and I found this post by Mrs. Lollipop. I was intrigued by this cute wedding planning site, and started milling around, which is how I found Mrs. Bell Pepper and became a dedicated follower of the blog (3 years ago, my goodness!). I don’t know if it was because she was a physician or because her color scheme was similar to what I had in mind, but I was instantly hooked! Read more…
Mrs. Cheeseburger, Baltimore, MD/State College, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentEngagement Date: June 28, 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Catholic Church Ceremony & Hotel ReceptionAbout Me: I'm a passionate girl from Pittsburgh, currently living in Baltimore for school, who loves Penn State, seeing movies, football, thunderstorms, black and white photos, Christmas, good beer, my amazing friends and family, and of course, my mister! We met, fell in love, got engaged, and will be married at our alma mater (go lions!) in a traditional Catholic ceremony followed by a hotel reception with lots of DIY details. It means so much to have our families and friends meet at our favorite place on earth to celebrate our love for one another - I truly couldn't ask for anything more!
I’ve absolutely loved reading all the favorite posts! While I think this post certainly explains how much our wedding ceremony meant to Burger and me, I couldn’t resist re-running this post about this fabulous shower gift I received from my bridesmaids.
This easy DIY project was gifted to me by my amazing bridesmaids, and was well received the first time around on the ’Bee. Many have gone on to tackle this themselves, with lots of positive results to speak of! My friend who championed this idea has said over and over that she should go into business making these for people. Give it a read and see what you think? What bride wouldn’t love this? I know I did!
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Last weekend during my shower in Pittsburgh I was given some amazing gifts. We really cleaned up and were reminded how insanely generous our families and friends are! And while I could swoon over the registry gifts we received all day, I wanted to share a little something different with you all.
Ladies, meet the Panty Parfait.
(please notice that there is even a “cherry” on top!)
Mrs. Cheeseburger, Baltimore, MD/State College, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentEngagement Date: June 28, 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Catholic Church Ceremony & Hotel ReceptionAbout Me: I'm a passionate girl from Pittsburgh, currently living in Baltimore for school, who loves Penn State, seeing movies, football, thunderstorms, black and white photos, Christmas, good beer, my amazing friends and family, and of course, my mister! We met, fell in love, got engaged, and will be married at our alma mater (go lions!) in a traditional Catholic ceremony followed by a hotel reception with lots of DIY details. It means so much to have our families and friends meet at our favorite place on earth to celebrate our love for one another - I truly couldn't ask for anything more!
This “looking back” series really got me thinking: what did I used to be like in life and love, and how have I changed to be the person I am today?
I had an awesome time in high school. I had a great group of friends, most of whom I’m still close with today (the bridesmaids in my wedding!), and I was always either dating or crushing on some boy. I played volleyball and softball and was involved in a lot of extracurricular activities—very Type A.
sophomore year
High school was also when I had my first real relationship. Read more…
Mrs. Cheeseburger, Baltimore, MD/State College, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentEngagement Date: June 28, 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Catholic Church Ceremony & Hotel ReceptionAbout Me: I'm a passionate girl from Pittsburgh, currently living in Baltimore for school, who loves Penn State, seeing movies, football, thunderstorms, black and white photos, Christmas, good beer, my amazing friends and family, and of course, my mister! We met, fell in love, got engaged, and will be married at our alma mater (go lions!) in a traditional Catholic ceremony followed by a hotel reception with lots of DIY details. It means so much to have our families and friends meet at our favorite place on earth to celebrate our love for one another - I truly couldn't ask for anything more!
I thought about what secrets I could spill to you all for days, and I was only able to come up with 2 things. I am seriously just that boring. They’re kind of entertaining, I guess. Enjoy these two random facts about me.
Mrs. Cheeseburger, Baltimore, MD/State College, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentEngagement Date: June 28, 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Catholic Church Ceremony & Hotel ReceptionAbout Me: I'm a passionate girl from Pittsburgh, currently living in Baltimore for school, who loves Penn State, seeing movies, football, thunderstorms, black and white photos, Christmas, good beer, my amazing friends and family, and of course, my mister! We met, fell in love, got engaged, and will be married at our alma mater (go lions!) in a traditional Catholic ceremony followed by a hotel reception with lots of DIY details. It means so much to have our families and friends meet at our favorite place on earth to celebrate our love for one another - I truly couldn't ask for anything more!
Everyone is getting married! Or at least it seems that way, doesn’t it? It’s just that time in our lives, I suppose!
I think there are certain things about weddings you just simply cannot understand until you’ve planned one yourself, and now that I’m on the other side of things, I think it’s made me a better wedding guest!
Here are just a few of the ways my behavior has changed since being a bride. Read more…
Mrs. Cheeseburger, Baltimore, MD/State College, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentEngagement Date: June 28, 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Catholic Church Ceremony & Hotel ReceptionAbout Me: I'm a passionate girl from Pittsburgh, currently living in Baltimore for school, who loves Penn State, seeing movies, football, thunderstorms, black and white photos, Christmas, good beer, my amazing friends and family, and of course, my mister! We met, fell in love, got engaged, and will be married at our alma mater (go lions!) in a traditional Catholic ceremony followed by a hotel reception with lots of DIY details. It means so much to have our families and friends meet at our favorite place on earth to celebrate our love for one another - I truly couldn't ask for anything more!
Our wedding day was amazing thanks to months of planning, help from friends and family, and our amazing vendors. For any of you planning a Pittsburgh or Central PA wedding, I hope you find these vendor reviews helpful! I’ve also included approximate costs which I hope will help with your budgets!
Mrs. Cheeseburger, Baltimore, MD/State College, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentEngagement Date: June 28, 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Catholic Church Ceremony & Hotel ReceptionAbout Me: I'm a passionate girl from Pittsburgh, currently living in Baltimore for school, who loves Penn State, seeing movies, football, thunderstorms, black and white photos, Christmas, good beer, my amazing friends and family, and of course, my mister! We met, fell in love, got engaged, and will be married at our alma mater (go lions!) in a traditional Catholic ceremony followed by a hotel reception with lots of DIY details. It means so much to have our families and friends meet at our favorite place on earth to celebrate our love for one another - I truly couldn't ask for anything more!
With my one year anniversary of writing for Weddingbee fast-approaching, I was looking back through some of my old posts. It’s funny to see how my writing style has changed and how a lot of my inspiration for our wedding, well, didn’t!
Here was the initial inspiration board I made a few months after getting engaged:
Mrs. Cheeseburger, Baltimore, MD/State College, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentEngagement Date: June 28, 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Catholic Church Ceremony & Hotel ReceptionAbout Me: I'm a passionate girl from Pittsburgh, currently living in Baltimore for school, who loves Penn State, seeing movies, football, thunderstorms, black and white photos, Christmas, good beer, my amazing friends and family, and of course, my mister! We met, fell in love, got engaged, and will be married at our alma mater (go lions!) in a traditional Catholic ceremony followed by a hotel reception with lots of DIY details. It means so much to have our families and friends meet at our favorite place on earth to celebrate our love for one another - I truly couldn't ask for anything more!
Oh, I’m sorry - did you think these recaps were over? You’re not rid of me just yet!
After our very emotional last dance, we emerged from the ballroom where a stack of piping hot Canyon Pizzas were waiting!
As I had predicted, I was hungry. Burger was hungry. All of our guests were hungry. They swarmed around me as I went all Italian Mom on the pizza and started passing out slices on plates.
Mrs. Cheeseburger, Baltimore, MD/State College, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentEngagement Date: June 28, 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Catholic Church Ceremony & Hotel ReceptionAbout Me: I'm a passionate girl from Pittsburgh, currently living in Baltimore for school, who loves Penn State, seeing movies, football, thunderstorms, black and white photos, Christmas, good beer, my amazing friends and family, and of course, my mister! We met, fell in love, got engaged, and will be married at our alma mater (go lions!) in a traditional Catholic ceremony followed by a hotel reception with lots of DIY details. It means so much to have our families and friends meet at our favorite place on earth to celebrate our love for one another - I truly couldn't ask for anything more!
We were having the time of our lives (minus a few hiccups) dancing the night away with our amazing friends and family. Song after song made me happier and happier—I was really soaking it in.
I was so full of pure amazement and joy, that at one point I realized what I had been doing all night wasn’t really dancing. It was more… jumping. I had literally been jumping for joy all. night. long.
When I saw this video (and if you haven’t yet, you’re in for a treat!), I said “OMG, that’s me on our wedding day!” Minus the falling (luckily there was none of that), I really think that I looked like this little girl all night:
As the clock drew nearer and nearer to midnight, I knew that the last song was coming up, and I started to feel sad.
That’s when I pulled out my Bride Card and played it—I was going to get my last song the way I wanted it.
Mrs. Cheeseburger, Baltimore, MD/State College, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentEngagement Date: June 28, 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Catholic Church Ceremony & Hotel ReceptionAbout Me: I'm a passionate girl from Pittsburgh, currently living in Baltimore for school, who loves Penn State, seeing movies, football, thunderstorms, black and white photos, Christmas, good beer, my amazing friends and family, and of course, my mister! We met, fell in love, got engaged, and will be married at our alma mater (go lions!) in a traditional Catholic ceremony followed by a hotel reception with lots of DIY details. It means so much to have our families and friends meet at our favorite place on earth to celebrate our love for one another - I truly couldn't ask for anything more!
Growing up, I thought a lot about the type of man I wanted to marry. About the type of life we would have together and the family we would one day raise. Thankfully, Burger is everything I ever dreamed of and more.
What I didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about was the type of family and friends that man would have. I don’t think many people do. You fall in love with someone, and their family and friends come along for the ride, like them or not.
I know that this is not the case for everyone, and I hope that this post isn’t taken the wrong way if you happen to find yourself in a different situation… but I like to think that I hit the In-law Jackpot.
Burger’s family and friends have always just felt like home to me—they welcomed me with open arms, and I am so, so lucky to have them in my life. Along the same lines, my family and friends love Burger as their own, as they have since the very beginning, which warms my heart beyond measure.
I guess what I am trying to say in this ramble is that, while I’ve been talking a lot about details lately, to me,family and friends are what weddings are really about. Read more…
Mrs. Cheeseburger, Baltimore, MD/State College, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentEngagement Date: June 28, 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Catholic Church Ceremony & Hotel ReceptionAbout Me: I'm a passionate girl from Pittsburgh, currently living in Baltimore for school, who loves Penn State, seeing movies, football, thunderstorms, black and white photos, Christmas, good beer, my amazing friends and family, and of course, my mister! We met, fell in love, got engaged, and will be married at our alma mater (go lions!) in a traditional Catholic ceremony followed by a hotel reception with lots of DIY details. It means so much to have our families and friends meet at our favorite place on earth to celebrate our love for one another - I truly couldn't ask for anything more!
Last week I shared a lot of the little details of our wedding, and if you don’t mind I have a few more big ones to reveal!
You might remember that no Pittsburgh or Italian wedding is complete without a cookie table. It’s just non-negotiable. But with Candy Buffets taking over the world of weddings, I decided on a hybrid Cookie Table/Candy Buffet. The results were truly delicious!
Mrs. Cheeseburger, Baltimore, MD/State College, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentEngagement Date: June 28, 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Catholic Church Ceremony & Hotel ReceptionAbout Me: I'm a passionate girl from Pittsburgh, currently living in Baltimore for school, who loves Penn State, seeing movies, football, thunderstorms, black and white photos, Christmas, good beer, my amazing friends and family, and of course, my mister! We met, fell in love, got engaged, and will be married at our alma mater (go lions!) in a traditional Catholic ceremony followed by a hotel reception with lots of DIY details. It means so much to have our families and friends meet at our favorite place on earth to celebrate our love for one another - I truly couldn't ask for anything more!
Mrs. Cheeseburger, Baltimore, MD/State College, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentEngagement Date: June 28, 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Catholic Church Ceremony & Hotel ReceptionAbout Me: I'm a passionate girl from Pittsburgh, currently living in Baltimore for school, who loves Penn State, seeing movies, football, thunderstorms, black and white photos, Christmas, good beer, my amazing friends and family, and of course, my mister! We met, fell in love, got engaged, and will be married at our alma mater (go lions!) in a traditional Catholic ceremony followed by a hotel reception with lots of DIY details. It means so much to have our families and friends meet at our favorite place on earth to celebrate our love for one another - I truly couldn't ask for anything more!
[Disclaimer: this post is dramatic and rant-y, but it has a happy ending, promise!]
Now that you’ve seen some of our little details (I’ve got a few left up my sleeve to share next week!), let’s PARTY!
As you may or may not remember, I was a crazy person about our reception music. Burger and I have super-strong feelings about music at weddings and the behavior of DJs in general, so I was anxiously awaiting the dancing to begin. In fact, we had worked out our reception timing so that we had 4 and a half hours of nothing but dancing! Not everyone made it to the end, but we sure did.
These little ones got things kicked off as most people were still eating dinner—my kind of kids!
Mrs. Cheeseburger, Baltimore, MD/State College, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentEngagement Date: June 28, 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Catholic Church Ceremony & Hotel ReceptionAbout Me: I'm a passionate girl from Pittsburgh, currently living in Baltimore for school, who loves Penn State, seeing movies, football, thunderstorms, black and white photos, Christmas, good beer, my amazing friends and family, and of course, my mister! We met, fell in love, got engaged, and will be married at our alma mater (go lions!) in a traditional Catholic ceremony followed by a hotel reception with lots of DIY details. It means so much to have our families and friends meet at our favorite place on earth to celebrate our love for one another - I truly couldn't ask for anything more!
Unique Wedding Favors
sophomore year
