Weddingbee Blog

If you’d asked me a year ago, I would have said, “No bouquet!”. I just assumed that as an Indian bride, I wouldn’t carry one. That is, until I began fantasizing about a bouquet of my favorite flower: peonies. I know I’m not the only bride out there who’s in love with round, fluffy, full peonies. When else would I have the opportunity to carry around a beautiful bouquet of my favorite blooms? Plus, my wedding coordinator pointed out that a bouquet makes a lovely “prop” in wedding portraits.

A bouquet of these beauties was beckoning me and I broached the idea with my florist. My wonderful florist and I decided to go with an all-white peony bouquet because it would be a beautiful contrast against my burgundy and gold wedding outfit. Here are some photos of my floral inspiration:

Read more…

Saturday afternoon, Mr. Jasmine and I set out to the Oakbrook Mall to purchase our wedding bands. It was taking us forever to find bands that we (1) loved and (2) could afford. We were lucky enough to find a beautiful band for each of us during this trip (or was it just the pressure of knowing we’re getting married in two weeks!?!). And then I remembered a purchase I made several months ago: an orb to hold our bands!

Early this year, I purchased the highly coveted and oh-so-pretty “to have and to hold” orb. I purchased mine from Everyday Artifact. The didn’t have any with a blue interior, so I chose a lavender exterior instead. I think it really nicely complements the bright copper exterior.

Read more…

For the last week or two, Mr. Jasmine and I have been wrestling over what song to choose for our grand entrance into the reception. Now maybe we’ve inflated the importance of the song in our minds, but we can’t help but feel that the song we choose sets the tone for the evening and gets everyone in a spirited mood. So we humbly ask the Hive to help us choose our song!

Contender 1:
Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel”

Sorry YouTube wouldn’t let me embed the original video with the super hot girl that MJ is chasing. Anyway, Mr. Jasmine and I are both huge fans of 80’s MJ and this song makes me feel uber-sassy.

Read more…

Yes, Mama Jasmine is at it again! Some of you might remember that we’re having a mehndi the night before the wedding at my parents’ home in Los Angeles. The mehndi will be an informal party for everyone with music, singing, dancing, food, and mehndi artists to decorate the palms and feet of our female guests. I’m really looking forward to it!
Read more…

Mr. Jasmine and I will be traveling to England in late August for the wedding of our very dear friends. Unfortunately for me, my passport has gone missing. After turning my apartment upside down, I’ve realized that I will just have to apply for a new one.

Read more…

The traditional American bridal look is very soft, sweet, and pretty:
Read more…

Miss Jasmine is ready to get her bachelorette on! (Cue Usher’s “Yeah” so booty-shaking can commence)

My bachelorette party is this weekend and I’m so excited! I have friends flying in from all over the country for what should be a fabulous weekend. We have mani/pedis, shopping, a fabulous dinner at my favorite Chicago restaurant, dancing, and brunch on the agenda– what more could a girl ask for?

I initially planned to be a budget Bee and wear a dress I already had, but I decided that my bachelorette bash deserved a sexy, fun (new!) dress. So I went shopping after work yesterday. Lo and behold– I found a hot dress for a very good price:

Read more…

I decided to keep the ball rolling on my mom’s wonderful DIY projects. Since I’ve neglected to create anything truly fabulous for the wedding that I can share with all of you, I’m hoping my mom’s contributions will suffice

Today’s project is my mom’s shimmery gold votives. We got the inspiration for this idea from the super talented and creative Mrs. Emerald. She created some truly beautiful votives for her wedding. My mom decided to follow Mrs. Emerald’s example and create votives for my wedding– and we loved the results!

First, we purchased plain glass votives off Ebay for a great price. Then my mom created a paper template using Mrs. Emerald’s great instructions.
Read more…

I’ve mentioned before how awesomely crafty my mom is. When I was younger, she made all my Halloween costumes, which were always so cool. 

I wish I had the photo of me in my Princess Jasmine costume!
Read more…

invitation central!

Due to a glitch with our RSVP cards, I found myself pressed for time to send out our invitations. I wasn’t going to have time for calligraphy and the thought of hand-writing all those envelopes made my head explode. I decided labels would be the fastest, easiest, and cheapest solution, although the Emily Post in me hung her head in shame. Oh well– I decided to make them as pretty and elegant as I could and that would just have to be good enough.
Read more…

Yay, I can finally share our invitation suite with my beloved bee readers! I’ve been dying to share them with all of you, but I had to wait until our guests received them first.

I literally cried when Saima Khan, of Saima Says Designs, emailed me the proof of our invitations. The design was exactly what I wanted, but could never really articulate. With a beautifully intricate monogram, hand-drawn flowers, and a lush color palette, Saima was able to perfectly capture the tone, mood, and feel of our nuptials. And when the invitations finally arrived on my doorstop, I practically hyperventilated. Okay, I actually hyperventilated.

The invitation suite: I adore the fuschia vellum bellyband with letterpressed monogram.
Read more…

There is a scene in Sex and the City where Charlotte is preparing Shabbas dinner with Miranda and Carrie. Miranda warns Charlotte not to be overeager about her future with Harry. Charlotte passionately replies, “It’s beshert! It’s meant to be!”
Read more…

Mr. Jasmine and I decided very early on that we didn’t want a bridal party. For one, a bridal party is not usually customary in South Asian weddings (although they are becoming more and more popular). We were also having a difficult time deciding who we would choose among our family and friends. It just seemed easier to go without one.

But I did want a way to recognize some of my dearest friends on my wedding day. I decided to offer some of my closest friends custom made saris to wear to the wedding. Each girl chose a color and emailed me her measurements. My aunt in India custom ordered the saris and they arrived last week with matching bangles for each girl. I also ordered one for my wonderful wedding coordinator.

Read more…

My mom is my absolute best friend in the world. Not only does she actually think I’m prettier than Halle Berry (the very definition of “blinded by love”), but we have the best conversations and laughs. It’s hard living so far away from her, but we talk on the phone multiple times a day to make up for it!
Read more…

Right now, I’m tucked into bed, surrounded by a mass of bridal magazines and a white sea of used Kleenex. The pungent scent of Vicks Vapo Rub is filling my teeny-tiny studio apartment and threatening to suffocate me to death. Yup, I’m sick.

Ordinarily, I would be pretty bummed about this. I have a million things to do and missing work this close to the wedding just won’t do. So why am I in good spirits? Because yesterday Mr. Jasmine stopped by on his lunch hour with medication, food, and ice cream. Not just any ice cream— but Ben & Jerry’s “Chubby Hubby.” As he said, “If your own chubby hubby can’t be with you while you’re sick, maybe this can keep you company in the meantime.”

Ahhh, he is just the cutest! I can’t wait until he’s officially my hubby What has your SO done lately to surprise you?image courtesy of ben & jerry’s