Mrs. Hyena, College Station, TXAge and Occupation: 23, Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Aerospace Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Downtown 202About Me: I'm a Texas girl who met my future hubby in high school, then headed up to Oklahoma for a college education (BOOMER SOONER!) before moving back to the Lone Star State to be with him. I love reading and recycling, Photoshop and reality TV, making lame jokes and then laughing at them, quoting movies, and Mr. Hyena most of all. I'm perpetually early and I like to get things accomplished. When my cat meows at me, I meow back. We're planning a laid-back, unintentionally DIY wedding with a cocktail-party vibe, and can't wait to celebrate our nuptials with our nearest and dearest!
Mrs. Hyena, College Station, TXAge and Occupation: 23, Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Aerospace Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Downtown 202About Me: I'm a Texas girl who met my future hubby in high school, then headed up to Oklahoma for a college education (BOOMER SOONER!) before moving back to the Lone Star State to be with him. I love reading and recycling, Photoshop and reality TV, making lame jokes and then laughing at them, quoting movies, and Mr. Hyena most of all. I'm perpetually early and I like to get things accomplished. When my cat meows at me, I meow back. We're planning a laid-back, unintentionally DIY wedding with a cocktail-party vibe, and can't wait to celebrate our nuptials with our nearest and dearest!
I’ve been thinking a lot about priorities when it comes to wedding planning. Most planning sites tell you to decide what’s important to you when it comes to budgeting so you don’t blow your whole budget on cake or something (unless your priority is cake!).
I’ll be the first to admit, Mr. Hyena and I did not think about what our budget priorities were. I knew I wanted fabulous pictures, but I wasn’t willing to spend several thousands of dollars on them. I knew I wanted fabulous food, but with a limited budget we couldn’t afford to pay for four-course meals for everyone we wanted to celebrate with us. Actually, I want fabulous everything, but I am a prime example of champagne taste but too-cheap-for-anything-including-sometimes-beer budget. (Seriously. I order water at restaurants 99% of the time because it’s free. Hyena Sis thinks I’m nuts.) Read more…
Mrs. Hyena, College Station, TXAge and Occupation: 23, Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Aerospace Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Downtown 202About Me: I'm a Texas girl who met my future hubby in high school, then headed up to Oklahoma for a college education (BOOMER SOONER!) before moving back to the Lone Star State to be with him. I love reading and recycling, Photoshop and reality TV, making lame jokes and then laughing at them, quoting movies, and Mr. Hyena most of all. I'm perpetually early and I like to get things accomplished. When my cat meows at me, I meow back. We're planning a laid-back, unintentionally DIY wedding with a cocktail-party vibe, and can't wait to celebrate our nuptials with our nearest and dearest!
Before I went dress shopping, I had decided that I didn’t want a veil. I’ve always liked birdcage veils, but I wasn’t sure I could pull one off. I didn’t like the look of most regular veils because I like to think I’m nontraditional, and I didn’t want anything covering up my face and/or getting in the way.
Mrs. Hyena, College Station, TXAge and Occupation: 23, Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Aerospace Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Downtown 202About Me: I'm a Texas girl who met my future hubby in high school, then headed up to Oklahoma for a college education (BOOMER SOONER!) before moving back to the Lone Star State to be with him. I love reading and recycling, Photoshop and reality TV, making lame jokes and then laughing at them, quoting movies, and Mr. Hyena most of all. I'm perpetually early and I like to get things accomplished. When my cat meows at me, I meow back. We're planning a laid-back, unintentionally DIY wedding with a cocktail-party vibe, and can't wait to celebrate our nuptials with our nearest and dearest!
I planned to go dress shopping with Mom Hyena, Aunt Hyena, and my MOH, Hyena Sis. As luck would have it, Bridesmaid J was also in town, so she came too!
Mrs. Hyena, College Station, TXAge and Occupation: 23, Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Aerospace Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Downtown 202About Me: I'm a Texas girl who met my future hubby in high school, then headed up to Oklahoma for a college education (BOOMER SOONER!) before moving back to the Lone Star State to be with him. I love reading and recycling, Photoshop and reality TV, making lame jokes and then laughing at them, quoting movies, and Mr. Hyena most of all. I'm perpetually early and I like to get things accomplished. When my cat meows at me, I meow back. We're planning a laid-back, unintentionally DIY wedding with a cocktail-party vibe, and can't wait to celebrate our nuptials with our nearest and dearest!
Bridesmaid J, my college roomie, has dabbled in photography for years. In fact, a few years ago she shot Bridesmaid A’s wedding! Since she’s in my bridal party she couldn’t do our photography, but we did get her to do our engagement portraits!
After college, J moved to Hong Kong, so we had to wait for a time she would be back in Texas in order to shoot them. As luck would have it, she was in the country for parts of January and February 2010, and it was the same week that it snowed OVER A FOOT. In Texas. Score! She did a beautiful job shooting them, and I am so pumped to share some of my faves.
Mrs. Hyena, College Station, TXAge and Occupation: 23, Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Aerospace Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Downtown 202About Me: I'm a Texas girl who met my future hubby in high school, then headed up to Oklahoma for a college education (BOOMER SOONER!) before moving back to the Lone Star State to be with him. I love reading and recycling, Photoshop and reality TV, making lame jokes and then laughing at them, quoting movies, and Mr. Hyena most of all. I'm perpetually early and I like to get things accomplished. When my cat meows at me, I meow back. We're planning a laid-back, unintentionally DIY wedding with a cocktail-party vibe, and can't wait to celebrate our nuptials with our nearest and dearest!
I love to dance. I took dance lessons from age five until college, where I decided I couldn’t live without it, so I took tap classes for a couple semesters.
My dad…well, he didn’t share my enthusiasm for dancing. He dreaded going to my sister’s and my dance recitals every year. (No worries, I totally understand. Sitting and watching something you don’t enjoy for four hours every year for 14 years is PAINFUL, so way to go H-Dad for being there anyway!)
Because of this, I am pretty sure I have never once in my life danced with my dad. Not only that, but I’m pretty sure we have nothing musical in common. He listens to hard rock from the ’70s, mainly, which is pretty much the only genre I’m not interested in.
The only song in his musical library I can remember liking when I was a kid is Led Zeppelin’s “Lemon Song,” but I just looked up the lyrics, and they are NOT appropriate and will NOT be making an appearance at the wedding!
Mrs. Hyena, College Station, TXAge and Occupation: 23, Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Aerospace Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Downtown 202About Me: I'm a Texas girl who met my future hubby in high school, then headed up to Oklahoma for a college education (BOOMER SOONER!) before moving back to the Lone Star State to be with him. I love reading and recycling, Photoshop and reality TV, making lame jokes and then laughing at them, quoting movies, and Mr. Hyena most of all. I'm perpetually early and I like to get things accomplished. When my cat meows at me, I meow back. We're planning a laid-back, unintentionally DIY wedding with a cocktail-party vibe, and can't wait to celebrate our nuptials with our nearest and dearest!
Long ago, I thought it would be adorable to use potted plants as our centerpieces. Flower pots are so cute, and I hate the idea of using cut flowers that are just going to die in a few days. With potted plants, the flowers could thrive long after the wedding!
While wandering around Wal-Mart one evening, Mr. Hyena and I stopped in the gardening section to take a look at what types of plants were available. I was undecided about whether actual potted plants were a good idea, especially because I was so underwhelmed with the quality of the flowers. (But then again, it’s Wal-Mart. I did look at Home Depot and HEB as well, and was still a little disappointed.) They didn’t have much variety, and the ones they did have weren’t the best quality.
Here are some cute pictures I’m using as inspiration:
Mrs. Hyena, College Station, TXAge and Occupation: 23, Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Aerospace Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Downtown 202About Me: I'm a Texas girl who met my future hubby in high school, then headed up to Oklahoma for a college education (BOOMER SOONER!) before moving back to the Lone Star State to be with him. I love reading and recycling, Photoshop and reality TV, making lame jokes and then laughing at them, quoting movies, and Mr. Hyena most of all. I'm perpetually early and I like to get things accomplished. When my cat meows at me, I meow back. We're planning a laid-back, unintentionally DIY wedding with a cocktail-party vibe, and can't wait to celebrate our nuptials with our nearest and dearest!
Where we left off, I was panicking about not finding a church to get married in. Months had passed, but it all worked out in the end because we found it.
View of the sanctuary (personal bad-quality iPhone photo)
Mrs. Hyena, College Station, TXAge and Occupation: 23, Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Aerospace Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Downtown 202About Me: I'm a Texas girl who met my future hubby in high school, then headed up to Oklahoma for a college education (BOOMER SOONER!) before moving back to the Lone Star State to be with him. I love reading and recycling, Photoshop and reality TV, making lame jokes and then laughing at them, quoting movies, and Mr. Hyena most of all. I'm perpetually early and I like to get things accomplished. When my cat meows at me, I meow back. We're planning a laid-back, unintentionally DIY wedding with a cocktail-party vibe, and can't wait to celebrate our nuptials with our nearest and dearest!
The beginning of our engagement was very frustrating for me. I had moved to this new city about eight months prior and, as churchgoing folk, we decided we wanted to find a church to attend together. The difficult part was finding one we both liked, since we came from different religious backgrounds and hadn’t had to deal with them while in college. Now that we were living in the same town, there were a lot of churches to try out, and we tried. them. all.
Mrs. Hyena, College Station, TXAge and Occupation: 23, Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Aerospace Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Downtown 202About Me: I'm a Texas girl who met my future hubby in high school, then headed up to Oklahoma for a college education (BOOMER SOONER!) before moving back to the Lone Star State to be with him. I love reading and recycling, Photoshop and reality TV, making lame jokes and then laughing at them, quoting movies, and Mr. Hyena most of all. I'm perpetually early and I like to get things accomplished. When my cat meows at me, I meow back. We're planning a laid-back, unintentionally DIY wedding with a cocktail-party vibe, and can't wait to celebrate our nuptials with our nearest and dearest!
One weekend when Mom Hyena was in town, we made appointments to talk to a few florists, just to get ideas and quotes. This picture sums up everything I wanted in my wedding flowers.
Peonies! Maroon and pink peonies! Perfection! I die! (source)
Mrs. Hyena, College Station, TXAge and Occupation: 23, Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Aerospace Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Downtown 202About Me: I'm a Texas girl who met my future hubby in high school, then headed up to Oklahoma for a college education (BOOMER SOONER!) before moving back to the Lone Star State to be with him. I love reading and recycling, Photoshop and reality TV, making lame jokes and then laughing at them, quoting movies, and Mr. Hyena most of all. I'm perpetually early and I like to get things accomplished. When my cat meows at me, I meow back. We're planning a laid-back, unintentionally DIY wedding with a cocktail-party vibe, and can't wait to celebrate our nuptials with our nearest and dearest!
I love colors—the brighter the better! Maybe that’s the reason I found it really, really difficult to decide on wedding colors. My favorite color has always been hot pink, which Mr. H wasn’t really on board with when we first got engaged. In my indecision I threw so many color combinations at him, he finally gave up and told me to pick whatever I wanted. Uhhhhh…
Mrs. Hyena, College Station, TXAge and Occupation: 23, Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Aerospace Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Downtown 202About Me: I'm a Texas girl who met my future hubby in high school, then headed up to Oklahoma for a college education (BOOMER SOONER!) before moving back to the Lone Star State to be with him. I love reading and recycling, Photoshop and reality TV, making lame jokes and then laughing at them, quoting movies, and Mr. Hyena most of all. I'm perpetually early and I like to get things accomplished. When my cat meows at me, I meow back. We're planning a laid-back, unintentionally DIY wedding with a cocktail-party vibe, and can't wait to celebrate our nuptials with our nearest and dearest!
It’s not that unusual for Mr. Hyena and me to go on nice dates; we try to go out somewhere nice every few months or so. In January 2010, we had planned to go to a nice dinner. I had my suspicions about a proposal coming, but I wasn’t getting my hopes up since I tended to overanalyze every single event we went to or hosted for proposal potential. Better to not get my hopes up so I wouldn’t be disappointed. This time was different, though. We’d been ring shopping recently and talking about marriage A LOT.
So Friday afternoon I came home after a bad day at work to find red roses on my front porch. That was when I got really suspicious, but I was still determined to not get my hopes up! I debated whether to get pretty or get REALLY pretty while I tried to keep my cat from eating the roses. I got all dolled up, and Mr. Hyena came to pick me up. I told him thank you for the flowers, but said I wasn’t going to kiss him since I had lipstick on and I didn’t want to get it on him. He said, “Well, then, this is going to be difficult for you,” then got down on one knee in the middle of my living room and asked, “Will you marry me?”
My exact reaction was, “REALLY?!” I wasn’t expecting it that soon in the evening! I quickly followed that with a “Yes!” Believe me, I got some teasing for my response!
Mrs. Hyena, College Station, TXAge and Occupation: 23, Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Aerospace Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Downtown 202About Me: I'm a Texas girl who met my future hubby in high school, then headed up to Oklahoma for a college education (BOOMER SOONER!) before moving back to the Lone Star State to be with him. I love reading and recycling, Photoshop and reality TV, making lame jokes and then laughing at them, quoting movies, and Mr. Hyena most of all. I'm perpetually early and I like to get things accomplished. When my cat meows at me, I meow back. We're planning a laid-back, unintentionally DIY wedding with a cocktail-party vibe, and can't wait to celebrate our nuptials with our nearest and dearest!
This is the story of how I met Mr. Hyena, way back when we were young’ns.
Mr. H and I went to the same school since fifth grade, and never knew each other. In high school, most of my friends were in the marching band, so I spent a lot of time hanging out in the band hall in the mornings before class started, because that’s where they all hung out. Mr. H was a percussionist. We had a lot of mutual friends.
We had several classes together senior year of high school, and we started talking more often. I thought he was cute, but we only really hung out at school. But Homecoming was coming! And neither of us had dates! One of my best friends told him that he should ask me to go with him as a friend, so one day as we walked down to the lunch line, he did.
Aww, look how cute he is. He was the Drum Captain! (October 2004)
After that night, for the rest of senior year we stayed up until 1 or 2 in the morning instant messaging/flirting with each other every night. Read more…
Mrs. Hyena, College Station, TXAge and Occupation: 23, Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Aerospace Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Downtown 202About Me: I'm a Texas girl who met my future hubby in high school, then headed up to Oklahoma for a college education (BOOMER SOONER!) before moving back to the Lone Star State to be with him. I love reading and recycling, Photoshop and reality TV, making lame jokes and then laughing at them, quoting movies, and Mr. Hyena most of all. I'm perpetually early and I like to get things accomplished. When my cat meows at me, I meow back. We're planning a laid-back, unintentionally DIY wedding with a cocktail-party vibe, and can't wait to celebrate our nuptials with our nearest and dearest!
I was walking back to my office after lunch on Tuesday, when I got an email on my phone. “Weddingbee Application,” the subject line said. I didn’t want to get my hopes up too high; in fact, I hadn’t even told the mister I had applied, just in case. You know how these things go. I cautiously opened the email…and my eyes practically bugged out of my head. I’d be a great addition to the Weddingbee team?! Sweeter words have never been typed! I calmly walked into my office, shut the door behind me, and proceeded to jump up and down Anchorman style for a good ten minutes. I am a BEE! I’m so EXCITED!
Mrs. Hyena, College Station, TXAge and Occupation: 23, Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Aerospace Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Downtown 202About Me: I'm a Texas girl who met my future hubby in high school, then headed up to Oklahoma for a college education (BOOMER SOONER!) before moving back to the Lone Star State to be with him. I love reading and recycling, Photoshop and reality TV, making lame jokes and then laughing at them, quoting movies, and Mr. Hyena most of all. I'm perpetually early and I like to get things accomplished. When my cat meows at me, I meow back. We're planning a laid-back, unintentionally DIY wedding with a cocktail-party vibe, and can't wait to celebrate our nuptials with our nearest and dearest!
Unique Wedding Favors
This time was different, though. We’d been ring shopping recently and talking about marriage A LOT.
