Weddingbee Blog

How I found Weddingbee

Finding the ’bee was really a “Goldilocks” kind of moment for me. Newly engaged, I had started with the first wedding planning website to present itself in Google (your guess). Nope, it was much too big, and too bland for this Sewing—not a good fit. Then I went the other extreme, which again, you can probably guess. Nope again, it was sometimes too flavorful—also not a perfect fit. Where was a bride like me to go? I like traditional things, but I also like unusual things. I like to be myself.

And that’s where Weddingbee came in. My first impression was, “oh, how nice everyone here is!” Fellow brides were supportive of each other, regardless of what type of wedding they chose. I didn’t feel like I had to have a perfect, timeless, classy wedding that you see in style blogs. I also didn’t feel like I had to go against every tried-and-true wedding tradition simply on the quest of being completely unique. In short, it was a perfect mix for me, and I decided to sign up after about a month of lurking.

Oh—and the MASSIVE amount of DIY tutorials definitely helped seal the deal. Just saying.

Applying to become a bee
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After a short five-mile drive to the Japanese Cultural Center, Mr. Sew and I stood in the parking lot as he bustled my dress.

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Details are not supposed to be the important part of a wedding. But I like to think that there may be a small exception in some cases, since Mr. Sew and I grew so much closer as a result of working on projects together. We built our wedding into something that reflected our mutual dedication and passion more than any of our awkward wedding-day PDA ever could. Nights spent scheming and measuring and adjusting and chatting about any and all subjects while random ’80s music rocked away in the background—those memories are just as precious to me as the wedding day itself.

So, though it may not be our most intensive endeavor, my favorite post would have to be the very first of our finished projects. A smile forms on my face every time I see the leftover magnet attached to my cubicle. It’s a wonderful reminder of the amazing journey we took together and how much fun we had, from the beginning to the end.

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With great joy, we received all our printed save-the-dates!

Mr. Sewing: “Wow, they look better than I imagined.”

I wonder what he was imagining?

We used some sticky repositionable tape to adhere the magnet to the card…
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Before we party it up at the reception, I’m going to step back and throw out the details thus far. I always appreciated a good detail post while planning, and our photographer took so many pretty shots, so why not?

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My family, Mr. Sew’s family, and our family friends: they are all camera obsessed.

So, right after the ceremony it was family picture time. Everyone else went away and ate appetizers at the reception hall, right? Nope. NO ONE left. They all hung around, snapping away.

Our photographer was probably like, “Holy cow!” So for one group shot, she told everyone to whip out their cameras. How many can you count?

Yeah. I sat there and counted. Thirty-four. Intense!

But the result is kind of neat. I love the candid shots she was able to capture.

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It was a traditional ceremony.

Though at first I had planned on us writing our own personal vows, Mr. Sew really felt it would be better to stay traditional vows—and sometimes straight and to-the-point can be a good thing.
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Once everyone was successfully herded into the chapel, it was time to get married.

The rehearsal paid off, since everyone floated down the aisle perfectly.
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After pictures, we drove over to the Anela Garden Chapel.

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Okay, so last minute beach pictures before the wedding seemed like a good idea in theory. Especially since we weren’t getting married on the beach, I felt like I needed to bring back “Hawaii proof” to any disbelieving mainlanders. (Kidding, sort of. I really just wanted a few cool beach shots.)

But tourist season in Hawaii is a little crazy (obviously), especially on the Waikiki Beach scene. We tried to avoid some of the crowds by going to the neighboring Ala Moana Beach Park, but parking was a nightmare. Somehow our families and photographer found some parking though, so all was not lost.

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Makeup set, we kicked the guys out of the suite for some alone time with the white & fluffy.

I snaked into our homemade, two-piece skirt in less than a minute; it was not cute or very bridal at all.
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I woke up, alone in a huge suite, on the morning of our wedding day. It was really, really early. And since I obviously could not fall back asleep, I first spent some time in prayer. I watched the still-slumbering streets of Waikiki from the lanai, taking in the perfectly warm morning weather with a relaxed, calm mind.

I booted up the laptop and waited for the internet to behave itself, and read all the beautiful comments and emails of encouragement and support that everyone sent. It was the perfect start to our wedding day, and I cannot fathom a better one. Thank you.

But eventually I got hungry.

After showering, I went downstairs to my parents’ suite and consumed half a loaf of sugar-glazed Hawaiian bread with some fresh-brewed hotel coffee. I awkwardly dodged my parents’ attempts at getting me to share how I was feeling.
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One of the best parts of planning an at-home reception is being able to use all the cool ideas you found but never got to use the first time.

Starting with the DIY photobooth. It’s been done by many a Bee in the past, but I happened to use Mrs. Pin Cushion’s version for a starting point.

And yes, it’s possible to fit 10-foot poles in a little Prius. Barely.

I won’t bother with our measurements since they were ad-libbed - adjusted to fit our tallest guest and the width of the Ikea fabric we bought. It’s pretty cool fabric, actually.
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While I do the pro-pic wait, let’s do some more projects, shall we? Projects are fun.

We’ll start with favors for our fast-approaching second reception. There’s just something about personalized favors that I love. Sure, they are by no-means necessary, but they can be so fun to make, give, and receive. It must be some side effect of that paraphernalia-collecting disease I’m afflicted with.

Anyway, we needed something usable, Chinese restaurant-appropriate, and of course, something that can embody the Sewing-spirit.

Tea favors it is—now, off we go!

To start off, we ordered a bunch of metal tins from SKS Bottle.
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I’m the last person to use the “tacky” word. If you like it, and it won’t cause physical pain to others, then do it.

But I’ve got to say, this one is really pushing my limits.

Why yes, I went to Wal-Mart in Hawaii, saw a pack of bubbles and said, “Cool. Bubbles would be fun!” And yes, I brought some ribbon with me to tie on the ends for a cute look. And yes, when I opened the package up in the hotel, there was a big fat bar code and Wal-Mart advertisement permanently printed to each and every tube.
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Dinner after our rehearsal was pretty standard, as far as rehearsal dinners go. We went to Hee Hing restaurant in Waikiki, which conveniently had underground parking. (Parking is a pain downtown.)

My mom spot-ordered off the menu when we got there, and like any good restaurant, they brought the food out hot and quick.
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