Mrs. Joey, SeattleAge and Occupation: 28, Project Administrator for Public Health NGOFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, High School History TeacherEngagement Date: June 24, 2008Wedding Date: August 2009Venue: Eastside Catholic Chapel and Lake Union CafeAbout Me: I'm a Seattle girl through and through except for the fact that I don't drink coffee. I love my job most of the time because I get to travel and work with brilliant people who are trying to prevent Malaria. I love DIY projects of all sorts, cooking, and watching sports. I'd wear anything at Anthropologie and could spend all day on Etsy. I love to travel but shouldn't because I always get myself into unbelievable situations!
After Mr. Joey and I got a little something in our bellies and Jess got all his detail shots, it was finally time for the first look.
I wasn’t nervous because we were getting married and making a lifetime commitment (who would be nervous about that?), I was nervous because Mr. Joey had heard so much about the dress, seen the shoes and little accessories, but hadn’t seen them all together. I guess I wasn’t nervous; I was excited to show him everything.
Ms. Potato Chips, Boston/Narragansett RIAge and Occupation: 29, PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Personal Trainer/Business Owner/Physical Therapy AssistantEngagement Date: January 1, 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: The Narragansett TowersAbout Me: A semi-professional bookworm, if I could be a literary character I’d be a cross between Jo March and Jane Eyre, only better accessorized and much lazier. My hobbies include sleeping in, seasonal brews, running, Trader Joe’s, and watching Unwrapped and Good Eats with Mr. Potato Chips. I harbor an irrational fear of tulle, crafts, things that are fussy, and overuse of the phrase "Your Special Day". After a year or seven together, down the aisle we go, slouching toward adulthood and planning a Rhodie party with equal parts whimsy, cheer, and pizza.
First of all, I don’t know what would possess ANYONE to go at 7 in the morning with the crazies. There was minimal to no running involved for us, only some light scrambling to find parking and quarters for the meter. Other than that: no running. Sauntering, maybe, a wee bit. And the occasional grumbling.
Accompanying me on my quest was a motley crew willing to sift through racks and help me step into poufy dresses—six of us in all, including mum. I lured them there on the pretext of copious post-RotB snacking.
We arrived around 1:30ish and the Hynes Convention Center was not at all crowded. Just full of racks. Racks and racks of Big.Poufy. Dresses. We commandeered a corner (with a platform) and a mirror. The first dress I put on was simple and short, hurrah! Transformed into a beautiful bride, I looked up at my friends and family to see their reaction. Everyone burst into laughter. Wah. Multiply that by 100 and that was how the afternoon went.
Oh you want a montage? And you want it set to “Shake Your Groove Thing”? Press “play”. Ready? Go.
In the following photos, you may see My Dream Dress. Read more…
Miss Frozen Yogurt, DallasAge and Occupation: 28, Special Projects CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Equity TraderEngagement Date: March 19, 2009Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: Marie Gabrielle, DallasAbout Me: I was born and raised in Texas, and have lived in several of the cities across the state, but I currently reside in Austin. I went to college in Boston and have a special place in my heart for the Northeast. I love reading, shopping, wine, reuniting with college friends that are scattered across the country, reality TV, trying out new recipes, and attempting all the DIY projects that come along with wedding planning. I'm a "bleeding heart, save the world type" and thankfully my job allows me to work on legislation and policy to help out those in need. I met Mr. Frozen Yogurt in a bar, though he doesn't even drink! And now we are planning a modern yet vintage wedding in Dallas while dealing with the trials and tribulations of first time homeownership.
This weekend Mr. Fro Yo and I went to the post office to send out our save the dates. I finally had an opportunity to go to the post office, and I waited diligently in line with my bag of save the dates. Screaming children ran around, but I kept a smile on my face because this was a huge step in inviting our guests, and I was so excited. Finally it was my turn. I got to the counter and happily started taking out our save the dates and informed the postal worker that I would like to have these hand canceled.
Miss Lamb, NorfolkAge and Occupation: 25, Homeland Security ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: January 2009Wedding Date: January 2010Venue: Trinity Presbyterian Church/Harrison Opera HouseAbout Me: I’m a Homeland Security Consultant with a tendency towards pulling office pranks, taking lunch breaks, and drinking Wawa shakes. I’m also an English major with a serious obsession with alliteration and rhymes. While I’m not keeping America safe, I’m training for half marathons and the Escape from Alcatraz swim. Or moving for the third time this year. Or baking. Or wedding crafting. Or crying about wedding planning. All the while, I’m getting myself into Lucille Ball-esque scrapes and making Jim Carey-esque faces. Our big fat Czech/Baptist/Jewish/Italian wedding is a combination of vintage eclectic, DIY, and little spoonful of sugar from our Event Coordinator. It’s going to be a Norfolk flavored wedding with the verve of an only-daughter-blow-out bash!
I had been told by my friends that the guest list was one of the hardest wedding related tasks. I had heard the jokes when I mentioned I was working on mine: “Good luck!”
I had thought that it didn’t apply to me.
These are the reasons I thought I was going to have an easy go of the guest list:
We wouldn’t have to make any cuts because we had made the decision to have a big wedding rather than a small intimate affair
It would be easiest to invite all family members.
My group of friends would stay set for the year of the planning.
We could decide a number, put all the family on the list, then go around from his parents, to my parents, to us and we could each add someone until we reached the magic number.
These are the reasons why I ended up with everyone else on the wedding guest list roller coaster:
There are always going to be more people that you can invite.
Some family members get arrested, become mentally unstable, or get into hot water with the wedding financiers.
During the move toward being a permanent couple, friendships grow and change. Add in two moves and people getting back in touch with you to congratulate you on the engagement… you end up with a bevy of old and new friends that it just wouldn’t seem right to celebrate without.
Since all of the parties are spread across the country, a sit down was impossible and it turned into a “send us your list, send us your list and I’ll merge them into theknot.com tracker” kind of deal.
Miss Parfait, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 26, TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Senior Online ConsultantEngagement Date: February 14, 2009Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: Signature EventsAbout Me: I have a soft spot for all things sweet and romantic. Desserts, love songs, sappy movies? Yes, yes, and ohh yes. My fiance and I enjoy singing to our dogs, creating crazy ice cream sundaes, and generally being lovey dovey cuddle bunnies. We also do socially acceptable things like dancing, throwing Frisbees, playing high stakes board games, and taking unreasonably fun road-trips. We're planning a Korean/Serbian wedding with plenty of playful, personal touches!
Mr. Parfait and I want to include our entire families in our wedding. However, we each have a little sibling who cannot attend! Mine is named Luxi, but she also responds to Luxe, Bebe Seeeester, and a variety of songs in which I insert her name in the chorus.
She’s a 4-year-old beagle/spaniel mix, which (I would passionately state) is the most beautiful mix ever! She’s a happy, hyper dog, but she is also incredibly sensitive and emotional. She’s always aware of how I’m feeling and eager to comfort me when I’m blue. After a particularly stressful night, she brought me one of our favorite toys and put her arm around me until I felt warm and happy again: Read more…
Miss French Fries, MilwaukeeAge and Occupation: 27, ParalegalFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Investments AdvisorEngagement Date: September 20, 2008Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Ceremony: St. Paul the Apostle Church, Reception: Hotel BallroomAbout Me: I'm a Midwestern girl who longs to live in a warmer climate (my feet would be happy in flip flops any day!). I love travel, impromptu napping, grilled cheese sandwiches, my iPhone, singing with reckless abandon in my car, and Mr. French Fries.
Sometimes I’m reminded that most people don’t spend their time immersed in the world of Weddingbee, Style Me Pretty, and other various wedding blogs like I do. That said, when I thought of what to title my post, I immediately thought of the tagline “Giving our guests STDs”, as a sort of tongue in cheek wedding reference, but then thought better of it — what kind of Google searches would land people here?
Some couples who are marrying abroad/having a destination wedding do this, as there are complicated travel arrangements that need to be made in advance. Other couples send them so they can get an early read on who may or may not be coming (”Oh, we just received your save the date… unfortunately we’ll be in Iceland”). We’re sending them because our wedding isn’t a typical Saturday evening wedding, and will require most people to take off of work. We wanted to give people a head’s up. Oh, and we’ve changed our wedding date and location numerous times, so we thought it might be a helpful reminder for people.
When perusing wedding blogs for the last, oh… 12 months, I kept image files of a lot of the STDs that I really like. Read more…
Miss Rainbow, TampaAge and Occupation: 22, Makeup ArtistFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Electrical Engineer/ProgrammerEngagement Date: November 27, 2008Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: The Gamble PlantationAbout Me: I'm a quirky (and slightly Type-A) freelance makeup artist who was born in Washington State, raised in Alabama, and now living with my one and only in sunny Florida. I'm fashion and beauty obsessed, and have recently discovered my inner domestic diva extraordinaire. I'm a wannabe chef, decorating addict, and trying desperately to be as crafty as possible---albeit only with a glue gun. I'm hopelessly in love with my fiance, and all things sparkly and feathery. Despite the glittery exterior, I'm a total hippie on the inside. When I'm not making up pretty faces, I love doing what I can to help people, animals, and the environment. Someday the FI and I will change the world, but first we're tackling our modern-vintage-Marie-Antoinette-meets-Alice-in-Wonderland inspired wedding. I just can't wait to be Mrs. Rainbow!
For whatever reason, as soon as I entered the world of wedding planning/blogs/craziness, one little thing stuck out to me: the card box. Random. Yes, I know. Such a small detail. Most brides put the card box on to the back burner and deal with more important issues first (uhm.. finding a dress anyone?), but I couldn’t get all those cute little card boxes out of my head! Oh, the joys of being Type-A.
Keep on loading your inspirational wedding pics to the gallery to see them featured here on the blog! Remember, your images must be under 1MB in size, or they won’t load.
BeehiveFeature Launched: Aug 31, 2006About: A forum for readers to post questions and get feedback from the hive, aka the weddingbee community.
Be sure to check out all the posts in our Relationship Series here!
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Did you expect/consider to marry someone outside of your race/background/religion, did you do so? If so, how has it been more difficult/more interesting/etc.?
Miss Poodle - I never thought I was going to marry someone that was not Chilean, just because I thought it was going to be harder to find someone with the same goals, beliefs, sense of humor or matching personality if they were not from here. To my surprise, when I met Mr. Poodle he was that and so much more, even though he still struggles with Spanish when communicating with my family. We have so much in common that it sometimes amaze me.
We might not speak the same native language but we have pretty much the same beliefs. We respect each others’ cultures and we have learned to enjoy the differences between us. We are really excited about raising our future children incorporating all the things we love about our home countries.
As a side note, I thought it was really funny that he got excited when I warned him about the fact that we kiss on the cheek when we say “hi“ here. He’s such a goof. Read more…
Miss Ramen, PhoenixAge and Occupation: 26, Optometry StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Industrial DesignerEngagement Date: January 3, 2009Wedding Date: December 2009Venue: Phoenix Art MuseumAbout Me: I'm an SF-born, Seattle-raised girl, transplanted to Phoenix where I'll be getting married, and planning all the way from Orange County where I go to school (yes, it feels as crazy as it sounds). I loooooove Yogurtland, am slightly very obsessed with all things paper, am heavily addicted to wedding blogs, deeply desire a puppy, thoroughly enjoy cooking, cry when I watch (almost all) movies, thrive on solo car-karaoke, can't stop being sarcastic, am neurotic about taking pictures of almost everything I eat before I eat it, and aspire to travel the world. My super-talented fiance and I are attempting to DIY a majority of our massive (~350 guests) "clean & modern, yet romantic, but completely unexpected, with a teeny dash of vintage" wedding, stay within our not-so-massive budget, and somehow get a really luxe (but still fun!) look/feel at the same time. In music terms (since we're both really into music) think Coldplay meets Motown meets Kanye meets Sinatra.
Goccoed Napkins. Beautiful, creative, affordable, cohesive, fun, quirky, a bit sexy? Yes. I’ve been drooling over the idea of making these cute little suckers for quite some time… so… I did it!
I would definitely recommend doing a little Google image research for inspiration - there are a TON of really sweet designs and fun ideas out there! Here’s a few that I came across…