Weddingbee

Like us, you probably registered for a slew of bar glasses, dishes, table linens, and possibly, a table. Here are a few more items to give you an excuse to break out the good china and host a dinner party… maybe Santa will bring them for you?

A cute apron. I like these:From Left to Right: Wishingfish.com $40, Anthropologie $28, Etsy Seller Dapperduds $25

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Love, The Penguins (and Billie Jean, too!)

I love couples who write and recite their own vows. I wanna BE those couples. Being able to express your feelings so openly for the man/woman you love in front of an audience is not only uber romantic, but takes lots of guts and a huge lesson in public speaking skills as well.

So when we started to write our ceremony, I excitedly asked Mr. Penguin if he would want to write his own vows. He quickly shot me down with a big NO. I was stunned by his lightning fast ability to spit that one out. He’s usually a man of “I’m not sure’s” or “we’ll have to see what happens,” but NEVER a “NO” man.

I pouted but took a moment to reflect on the type of couple that he and I are. We are not exactly the PDA type. We express our love for each other very openly in the privacy of our own home, but to be honest, you’ll probably hear me utter the words, “I’m gonna punch you in the balls, buddy” ten times for every one “I love you honey” said in the company of others. Strange, but sadly, true. So I guess it would be a little uncomfortable for both him and I to all of the sudden become a PDA couple for our wedding. And I don’t mean that in the “Spit Swapping PDA” sense, but simply: Publicly Displaying our Affection… so openly and honestly while 100 eyes are staring at us. Yikes. Nervewracking!

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Zappos.com is DANGEROUS. You clickety click on shoes that you adore, and BAM! The next day they show up at your doorstep. I may never set foot in a retail shoe store again. Anyway, the official hunt for my wedding shoes has begun. I don’t have really specific shoe requirements… only that the higher they are, the better. So here are my front-runners:

A. Daniblack “Rosalina.” I think it would be no contest that these are “the one” save for the fact that these only have a 3.5 inch heel. And standing at 5’2″, I need all the help I can get.

B. Stuart Weitzman “Exciting”. Exciting, indeed. These have a 4.5 inch heel and are comfortable too. But are they tipping the scales toward “call girl”?

My Maid of Honor’s mother (and really, my second mother) has volunteered to marry us, and I’m over the moon about it. Initially I was really stressed out about the whole “officiant situation.” I just couldn’t see myself paying some person I’d never met to marry us. It wasn’t about the money even, it was about the fact that this was such an intimate part of our lives, and to have it presided over by a virtual stranger was… well… strange.

Mr. Penguin and I were up at my MOH’s cabin with her family, sitting around the campfire, when I expressed my concern about this situation. My MOH’s mother, perhaps lubricated by the jug of wine we were consuming (that’s how we do it… jug-style) volunteered to officiate. The moment was pretty awkward for me… I didn’t want to seem over enthusiastic about the whole deal, just in case she wasn’t actually serious, but frankly, I was ecstatic. It was the solution to all my worries, and it only further helped that she is an excellent public speaker and an upstanding and well known member of my hometown community. But, most importantly, she is my second mother, and has been a big part of my life for well over 15 years.

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This Post By Dahlia Rideout on the website DivineCaroline.com gave me a big pickup this morning. Check out these hilarious wedding photos…

Stacey Kane, Maine

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The incredibly adorable and talented florist, Karen Chang of Huckleberry Karen Designs held a DIY flower workshop this weekend. I learned some valuable information for my own flowers, and even had a beautiful bouquet that I made to take home. We learned how to hand-wire and arrange our own boutonnieres, corsages and bouquets. Karen will be doing the majority of the flowers for my wedding day, and I will be taking care of the bride’s bouquet and a few other details the night before the wedding.A rose Boutonniere being made:

Stem is wired, floral tape applied, and greenery also applied with floral tape.
Stem is trimmed, ribbon added, and I went from zero to florist in 1 hour flat.

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I always wanted to have a few faux layers of cake… mostly because I love the look of big beautiful cakes, and since our reception will only be for 100 people, our cake couldn’t possibly be very large. I didn’t want leftovers, nor did I want to pay the extra $5 a slice for cake that no one was going to eat. I’ve already booked a baker, but I stumbled across this website, and I thought the idea was great.

Lots of couples opt to have a small “show” cake and have sheet cake in the back, but if you’re looking to have a larger looking cake on a budget, consider cakerental.com.

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When Mr. Penguin and I were first engaged, my mother expressed her concern about how young I was to be married. I was 25. She quickly got over it, realizing that I would be 2 months shy of 27 when we married, and Mr. Penguin would be one month shy of 30 (THAT’S 30!), so really, there wasn’t much room for pulling the “you’re too young” card on us.

I thought about what age I wanted to get married a lot when I was in high school. If you had asked me when I was 18, “What is the appropriate age for a woman to get married” I’d have to say that I’d picture myself marrying at age 28, to a man that was 32. I like the 4-5 year gap between men and women, and I fully prescribe to the whole idea of women being “5 years more mature” than men, so I’ve always been attracted to men that were older than me by a few years.

When you were in high school, what age did you envision yourself to be married at? How old would your future husband be? And what is your reasoning?

Miss Penguin (age 19) and Mr Penguin (age 22)… how time flies. And yes, I SERIOUSLY left the house wearing that!

I’ve loved Jim Hjelm dresses from the moment I picked up my first bridal magazine. I knew I wanted to try their designs on first, and I instantly fell in love with the one I ended up purchasing. It pretty much embodies everything I’ve wanted in a gown. Interesting neckline, sleek design, and a nice mix between traditional and modern. Here it is on the (entirely too perfect) model:

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