Weddingbee Blog

Mrs. Bee here.

There are so many brides writing amazing wedding blogs out there, but unfortunately we can’t add everyone as a weddingbee. So we’re starting a new feature where we link to the best wedding blog entries!

In order to do that, we need to find all your fabulous wedding blogs. So please leave us a link to your blog and you may see your fabulous ideas featured on weddingbee.

Every month Real Simple Magazine asks its readers a question, then publishes the best answers and selects one winner. This month’s questions was:

If you had an extra 15 minutes in your day, how would you use it?

This was the winning entry:

Recently my husband and I started couples counseling. We weren’t in crisis, and we weren’t angry - we were just sort of… distant. Our therapist told us to kiss more. It sounded silly, but it turned out to be the most amazing thing! Suddenly we were looking for reasons to kiss, and it reminded us how much we love each other and want to be together. If I had an extra 15 minutes, I’d pucker up.

I told Mr. Bee about this, and he immediately said, “Reader Buzz?” But it really did get me thinking because I don’t think we kiss enough! And I don’t mean those goodbye and hello pecks - I mean real kisses! It should be one of our New Year’s resolutions.

Do you and your significant other kiss often? (The real kisses I mean :D.)

Mrs. Bee here.

Many brides grow out their hair to have the most options for wedding hairstyles. So I thought that we’d do a reader buzz on hair care products to help keep your hair in tip top shape. I’m kind of obsessed with hair care products because I do so much crap to my hair. Why can’t girls just leave their hair alone?

Currently I’m using Frederic Fekkai’s Protein Rx Reparative Shampoo and Conditioner and I really like it a lot.

Read more…

Mrs. Bee here.

Now that the holiday weekend is just around the corner, tell us - what did you get your significant other for Christmas or Hanukkah?

Mrs. Bee here.

Some of the most popular places to register include:

Bed Bath & Beyond
Bloomingdales
Crate & Barrel
JC Penney
Macy’s
Pottery Barn
Target
Williams & Sonoma

After a bad experience with Bloomingdales’ registry service, (rude rep and items continually being discontinued) Mr. Bee and I closed out the registry and created a small one at Bed Bath and Beyond. The service at BBB was great (if you go to the one in Chelsea, you have to see the super knowledgable Jon in the cookware department) and they had a very lenient return policy - as long as they sell it, they’ll accept it back.

It was easy to choose a place to register because we needed a lot of household basics, and BBB had the largest selection. The All-Clad cookware and Global knives I wanted also cost less at BBB than at other popular retailers. And since most of our guests were our friends, we didn’t have to worry about registering at a major department store for less internet savvy guests. Overall we had a great experience with BBB and would highly recommend them.

Where are you registered, why did you decide to register there, and what has been your experience with them so far?

Mrs. Bee here.

I have to admit that I never created a knot bio because I never really figured out how to navigate the site.

But the bios are an amazing resource with a plethora of ideas for brides to be. And since knottie bios are a favorite feature here on weddingbee, please leave us a link to your bio! We want to know more about you, feature your amazing ideas and maybe you’ll even end up featured in the knottie bios of the week.

Mrs. Bee here.

There was an article in the New York Times yesterday titled, Couples Questions Should Ask (Or Wish They Had) Before Marrying. But the most interesting part was the comments that readers left in response and with their suggestions for important questions to ask.

This is the NY Times list:

1) Have we discussed whether or not to have children, and if the answer is yes, who is going to be the primary care giver?

2) Do we have a clear idea of each other’s financial obligations and goals, and do our ideas about spending and saving mesh?

3) Have we discussed our expectations for how the household will be maintained, and are we in agreement on who will manage the chores?

4) Have we fully disclosed our health histories, both physical and mental?

Read more…

With the new Leonardo Dicaprio movie coming out, a lot of attention has been brought on the controversy over blood diamonds.

The terms ¢¢â€š¬…”conflict diamonds¢¢â€š¬? or ¢¢â€š¬…”blood diamonds¢¢â€š¬? refer to gems that have been used by rebel groups to pay for wars that have killed and displaced millions of people in Africa, the source of an estimated 65 percent of the world’s diamonds. The diamond industry maintains it has safeguards to guarantee most rough diamonds come from areas free of violent conflict through the Kimberley Process, a tracking system implemented in 2003.

But critics say there’s no independent oversight of the industry’s monitoring and that conflict diamonds still make their way to the marketplace…

…More people are tuning in, said Carley Roney, editor in chief of theknot.com, a wedding Web site. ¢¢â€š¬…”There’s extensive discussion going on our message boards,¢¢â€š¬? she said. ¢¢â€š¬…”Many women are saying, ¢¢â€š¬‹Å“This is supposed to be a symbol of all things good and I don’t want to look down on my finger and think of women and children being killed.’ It undermines the entire meaning of that ring.¢¢â€š¬? (via nytimes)

Has the issue of conflict/blood diamonds affected your thoughts on diamonds and how you will purchase them?

Updated.

Mrs. Bee here.

According to Brides magazine, December is the most popular month to get engaged. Other popular months include August and September. Let’s do our own poll to see when everyone got engaged!

Read more…

Mrs. Bee here.

Money is a tough subject to talk about. But it’s one of the most common causes of fights between married couples, so it’s something you should always communicate openly about with your significant other. Important discussions to have include your current financial situations, spending/saving habits, joint/separate accounts, individual responsibilities, and short/long term goals.

Mr. Bee and I talked about these things before getting married. I remember when we were first dating and I told him how much debt I had. Luckily he didn’t want to run away. I have to admit that I’m bad with money. I’m horrible at saving and budgeting. (Although I am excellent at spaving. Spending + Saving = Spaving; like buying something on sale. ;))

They say that financial opposites attract. In our case I’m the spender, and Mr. Bee is not so much a saver as he is a nonspender. I guess if we were both spenders, we might be in a lot of trouble. Now I have to do a better job of following his nonspending example.

Are you and your significant other financially compatible?

Mrs. Bee here.

I was watching an episode of Bridezillas last night, and one of the brides kept grilling her fiance on how he’d like her to wear her wedding day hair. She wanted it up, but when he said he preferred it down, the bridezilla said that 99% of women wear their hair up. The poor groom had to keep changing his answer until he finally agreed with exactly what the bride wanted. Later in the episode, she even forced him to get botox!

Sure it’s amusing to watch, but I really wonder about the brides and grooms who agree to go on that show! If you could, would you want to be on Bridezillas? What about another wedding show (Whose Wedding is it Anyway, A Wedding Story, etc.)?

Mrs. Bee here.

We all have little things that we disagree on with our significant others. One of those things for me and Mr. Bee are spoilers. See Mr. Bee reads the end of books, wants me to tell him how a book/tv show/movie ends if I’ve already watched it, starts watching tv shows in the middle of the program…

I, on the other hand, hate spoilers - I don’t read movie reviews, I don’t want to find out what happens in books/tv shows/movies ahead of time, and I can’t watch a tv show once it’s started (unless it’s a sitcom). Mr. Bee will start watching Law & Order (our favorite show to watch together) even if there’s only 5 minutes left. I absolutely can’t do that!

But I’m thankful that he never leaves the toilet seat up.

What little things do you and your SO disagree on?

Mrs. Bee here.

Today’s open question about engagement rings provided some interesting responses in the comments, so I thought we should definitely do a reader buzz on it!

Would you prefer to have more input on the selection of the ring or would you prefer to be surprised?

Mrs. Bee here.

Now’s your chance to brag about your significant other. What do I love best about Mr. Bee? He’s so understanding, kind, generous, dependable, optimistic, rational and super smart. Meanwhile I’m crazy, irrational, pessimistic… He’s my perfect balance and he keeps me sane - relatively.

What do you love best about your partner?

Mrs. Bee here.

Mr. Bee and I were chatting last night, and he said that he was like a dog and I was like a cat in our relationship. Why? He said that he’s constantly loving and affectionate like a dog whereas I’m less predictable, like a cat.

Between you and your significant other, who’s more affectionate?