Weddingbee Blog

According to a survery conducted by Modern Bride Magazine, these are the top Honeymoon Destinations in the world.

(photo by: yenwen)

Mr. Bee and I went to Spain for our honeymoon - 3 days in Barcelona and 4 days touring various cities throughout Southern Spain. We had 7 jam packed days of activities because I’m the ultimate sightseer. If we could do it again though, I think I’d just want to relax on a secluded beach somewhere.

Where are you going for your honeymoon?

I have been to many full mass weddings (of all religions); it always feels like I’m attending a regular church service that happens to include a wedding. We’re not religious and wanted the ceremony to be about us! We also wanted the ceremony to be fairly quick — 20 to 30 minutes max. As it turned out the ceremony was a bit too short — just under 20 minutes. I could have stayed up there forever.

Our officiant — Cantor Abelson from Temple Israel in Manhattan — asked each of us to write a paragraph explaining why we wanted marry each other. My paragraph was sweet and funny; Michael’s was amazing. I got a bit teary-eyed and giggled… a lot.

In a Jewish ceremony, the parents are supposed to stand under the Huppa along with the bridal party. My Huppa was more of an arch and no one could really stand under it. Rather moving off to the side, my parents just stood where they dropped me off, at the top of the aisle. File this one under “what the?!^?! were they thinking!” I tried to mouth “move” to my mom, but she didn’t get it … so my guests (and photographers) had to work around them to see the action.

The Cantor read a poem by Pablo Neruda and my cousin read a selection from Dr. Seuss’ Oh the Places You’ll Go.

Exchange of the rings .. it fits!

Drinking of the wine (white, in case I spilled some!)

The Kiss

Man and wife ( I couldn’t stop giggling ;))

Hey Hey Hey! I felt like saying that like Fat Albert. I know. It’s random.

Originally, we were talking about Costa Rica & Belize. I love the beach. I mean LOVE it. I can’t swim for shit but I could live on a beach forever. So once I really started getting into it I’m thinking more like we can do Costa Rica anytime! Why don’t we do something more exotic? I recently saw some honeymoon photos from Maldives and just fell in love. It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen waters like that. I became obsessed. The hubs and I went out to eat dinner 2 weeks ago at a new Greek joint in Jersey City and while waiting for our food I would say things like:

Me: Man, you know what I’m hungry for?
Mr. Ladybug: What? A gyro?
Me: Nope. Maldives. Mmmm mmm.

Mr. Ladybug: Hun do you know what you’re ordering.
Me: Um…I think the shrimp Souvlaki and a side of Maldives *raising my eyebrows up and down*

We would make eye contact and I would smile and just mouth “M A L D I V E S” from across the table.

Later that week he went to the library during work and came home with a bunch of books on different locations. He wanted me to see that there were other options other than Maldives. At first I was hesitant, but the more I started researching other locations I actually got excited about a few of them.

My favorite defense line is “Hun, we only get to do our honeymoon once.” He shoots back “You’re gonna use that excuse for everything. We only get married once. We only have one son so we should do this for him. We only get to buy our first house once.” Ok so I used the “we only get married once” line a few times to get my way but I would never use it on the other occasions!

Ok maybe when it comes to our kids but we’ll cross that path when we get there.

Since he’s been away this weekend I really missed him. I cleaned the apartment and I bought a new coffee table and a new computer chair cushion just to surprise him (all reasonably priced). Then after he got home last night, I don’t know what it was, maybe it was because I missed him but I said “Hun, we don’t have to go to those expensive places. I was being selfish. I’m sorry.” Then he whips out the new Travel Leisure magazine that he bought at the airport and we were laid in bed looking at the different possibilities. I think he’s excited now too about these high budget trips, which makes me excited and giddy and makes me wanna jump his Korean bones! Yeehaw!

My buttocks thank me. You’re quite welcome ass.

I mean, c’mon, we only get to do our honeymoon once.

So here are my requirements:

1) It has to have clear blue waters where you can see your feet even when you’re like 5 feet in.
2) We don’t want to go somewhere that’s very commercial. Example: Last 9 weddings we were invited to, 6 of the couples went to Hawaii. Not that we don’t want to go to Hawaii, I mean c’mon, who doesn’t want to go to Hawaii. Just not for our honeymoon. One thing Mr. Ladybug and I hate about going on vacation is when you tell someone you’re going and they’re all like “Oh! We went there! While you’re there you should check out blah blah blah and go to blah blah blah.” Ya know what I mean? It’s kinda like being the last person to watch a blockbuster. I hate that too. hahaha.
3) Somewhere tropical but there’s things to do besides lying out on the sand and snorkeling. (Whispering: The husbands sucks at snorkeling and ends up swallowing a lot of sea water. I’m embarrassed for me. JUST KIDDING HUN! JUST KIDDING!) It’s not that it’s hard, it’s just the way he turns his head and stuff in the water. I should make him practice in the kitchen sink before we go. I actually wanna buy my own snorkeling gear and bring it with me. It’s kinda gross if you think about them recycling the same equipment out.

I’ll post up my research as soon as I’m done.

The invite was for 5:30; ceremony to start shortly before 6:00. Now or never …

My florist, Angie from Antheia Floral Design in Jersey City worked for hours setting up the huppa (I guess it was more like an arch). It looked like it was growing from the ground. A

In a Jewish wedding, the groom is traditionally walked down the aisle by his parents. Mr. Firefly’s father died over a decade ago and his mother died shortly before we got engaged, so his sister did the honor.

The boys took a wrong turn on their way down the aisle. The flower girl needed the help of her other aunt and chose to carry ring pillow rather than her floral pomandor (points for me to thinking ahead and ordering a third pillow!).

The anticipation …

The paparazzi …

I tried to watch on …

Showtime!

Traditionally, in a Jewish wedding, the bride and groom are supposed to see each other before the ceremony and sign the Ketubah (Jewish Marriage Contract) together. I really wanted that moment of “ahhh” when I walked down the aisle and our rabbi was flexible, so we each signed it separately. We also couldn’t find two non-related Jewish men to sign as witnesses, so a couple of my girl friends did the honor.

We purchased the Ketubah at J Levine on Fifth Avenue and 30th Street. It was great to look through the Ketubahs. The ordering process was simple (they didn’t even frown upon our pre-sunset Saturday evening wedding) and the store’s prices were comparable to various online sites. A

My brother-in-law couldn’t sign the Ketubah because he is Catholic, but he could sign the NY marriage license.

The countdown begins and the guests start arriving….

I couldn’t leave the bridal suite for fear of getting spotted…

Note to girls getting married at Battery Gardens: the “bridal suite” is just a semi-closed off area of the restaurant, that is separated from the hallway leading to the bathroom by a few screens and a large curtain that do not cover the entire opening (one screen nearly fell on my nephew when we tried moving it). I was scared that Mr. Firefly would inadvertently see me, which would have been such a bummer. You do not have complete privacy and I definitely would not suggest getting ready here.

…to be continued.

Battery Park, Downtown Manhattan.

Mr. Firefly and I were not seeing each other before the ceremony, so we we took most of our formal pictures after the ceremony. However, I did want to take a few with my parents, sister and maid of honor while things were still quiet. But boy, it was hot out there!

Bridesmaids Dresses: My sister was pregnant when I would have needed to order BM dresses. Instead of going the traditional route, I bought Laundry by Shelli Segal dresses off the rack from Lord & Taylor (I bought her 2 different sizes and returned the one that wound up being big). They were beautiful, less than $200 (with coupon) and the girls can wear them again. Don’t limit yourself to traditional BM dresses! A

My Mother’s Dress: My mother is young, so she wasn’t going for the long grey/beige dress with jacket route. Her gorgeous dress is Carmen Marc Valvo, also from Lord & Taylor. Exepensive, but beautiful and of course she’ll wear it again. NYC ladies: it seems like each deparment store carries a slightly different collection of CMV dresses (Saks and Bloomies didn’t carry my mom’s dress), so be sure to check out more than one store. A

My niece and nephew soon arrive. My nephew was amazed. He still talks about.

Flower Girl Dress: US Angels from Pearls Place. The quality was great and Pearls Place gave around a 25% discount. Netbride quoted a similar price (and responded very quickly via email), but I liked being able to talk to a live person and thought I’d support a New Orleans business. My grandmother made the dark purple sash to match the bridesmaids dresses because US Angels only had light ones. My niece is a tall 2-year old so we ordered a size 3. A

Boys Tuxedos: Ebay seller Kids Town Online. We ordered straight tie tuxes for the boys, which weren’t quite as formal as the bow-tie tuxes Kids Town offered because Mr. Firefly was originally going to wear a straight tie. He changed his mind last minute but I think everyone looked fine anyway. The boys looked adorable and the tuxes were CHEAP! Seriously, they were $25 + shipping. Not the best quality (polyester), but who cares, they’ll only wear it once. The service was incredible; I think Kids Town sent them out as soon as I ordered. Be careful when choosing a size as they do not accept returns. The size chart is accurate and we ordered true to the boys’ “street size.” A

Practice makes perfect… (didn’t go quite as smothly at show time ;)).

Part I

Although there are many things to see and do in Monterey, due to time constraints, we chose to take the 17 Mile Scenic Drive. This road is located entirely within a wealthy residential community. The contrast between the beaches of Monterey and Highway 1 can be summarized as feminine and masculine, respectively. The beaches of Monterey are white and pretty.

The famous Lone Cypress is one of the stops along this drive.

Read more…

Checker Cab: Film Cars. The 1945 checker cab was perfect (and much roomier than today’s Ford Crown Vics ;)). Peter, the owner of Film Cars, is probably the nicest person in the world. A++

Something borrowed: There is no review for the veil because it’s not my veil. It was my sister’s veil which she bought for her wedding 6 years ago (to the day!). It was exactly the style I wanted (drop veil). The only issue was that it was diamond white instead of ivory, but the wonderful ladies at Mark Ingram assured me that you wouldn’t be able to tell in real life or photos because the tulle was so thin and really just picked up the color of whatever was beneath it.

My sister purchased the veil at Michelle Roth on 57th Street, where she got her dress as well. At that time, the store sold various brands of dresses, although I think they now only sell the Michelle and Henry Roth brands. The veil was very expensive (around $900-$1000 I think) which I think is absolutely insane. It has hand-rolled edging with hand sewn beading… yada yada yada. It was beautiful and I’m so thankful to have worn it, but I would never have spent that much money on a few yards of tulle!

Read more…

My wife and I recently took a road trip to the Central Coast of California. I’ve lived in California my entire life but the beauty of the state still never ceases to amaze me. I couldn’t stop raving about the trip so Mrs. Bee asked me to write about it as a possible domestic honeymoon destination.

Starting from our home in Orange County, we drove past Santa Barbara and made Solvang our first stop. (approx 150 miles)

This quaint village, which was founded by Danish immigrants several decades ago, maintains the charm of a Scandinavian folk village. From the architecture to the food, one could easily forget that they are in California. Things to do include trying out Solvang’s famous pancakes, shopping, as well as taking a leisurely walk while enjoying the unique atmosphere and architecture. A few hours should be enough time to experience Solvang since it only takes about twenty minutes to walk from one end to the other.

Read more…

Midtown, New York City.

All photos are by Leah McCormick and as I’ve mentioned before, Leah shot in film. The digital images I’m posting here really don’t do the real photos justice. If you haven’t guessed already, I think Leah is absolutely fantastic, but I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. A++.

Make-up by Laura Nadeau What can I say, I don’t think I’ve ever looked better in my life. Laura is amazing. She’s hilarious, sweet, and obviously immensely talented. A++

Read more…

From Forbe’s list of the World’s Most Luxurious Beaches.

China Beach
Danang Vietnam

Check out the rest of the slideshow here.

Also check out slideshows for the following:

• Great New England Inns
• Most Expensive Cruises
• Most Luxurious Honeymoon Destinations
• Most Luxurious Spas In The U.S.
• Most Luxurious Spas In The World
• Most Expensive Hotel Rooms In The U.S.
• Most Expensive Hotel Rooms In The World
• World’s Most Romantic Hotels

Hi Ladies, Sorry to go MIA (I heard I’ve been missed by my… um… avid weddingbee readers).

No I’m not on my honeymoon (came back many moons ago), just being a busy firefly with life, work, and trying (unsuccessfully) to set up wireless internet in our new apartment. I do have lots write about - I received my professional photos on Friday, I have to write-up my vendor reviews and I have tons of honeymoon photos to post! Bad me!

But it’s not like I’m shirking my duties - I’ve actually hit a bit of a technical snag. For some reason, the blogging program I’m using won’t let me upload my photographer’s photos unless I rename them; it claims they are not a proper form (they are all jpeg’s and have a .jpg extension). So I’m going to need a little bit of time to sort through the 1000 (!) photos and resave the extra good ones to share here!

Okay, okay I’ll give you a sneak peak. I’m the one in the white dress ;).

Please note: these are not digital photos, but film that has been put onto CDs. The real photos are much richer in detail then these images.

As much as I loved our photographer I thought our ceremony photos came out a lil bit dark. I actually lightened these on Photoshop. Also I put the kissing photos last, well because, our minister forgot to tell us to kiss, we walked down the aisle and then he made us come back to do it.