Mrs. Shortcake, VancouverAge and Occupation: 24, Marketing Manager/Children's Lit WriterFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Master's Student/Personal TrainerEngagement Date: August 7, 2007Wedding Date: October 2008Blogging Since: Venue: Ceremony in a historic church, tented lawn reception at a golf and country clubAbout Me: 1950's housewife sent to the future, reborn as crafting-obsessed, jill of all trades. I enjoy decorating, writing, baking sweet things, singing show tunes/dancing in public, wearing pearls, and knitting sweaters for my furbaby, Harvey, to chew upon. I heart pink, and believe that sparkles are the new black.
I’m seriously contemplating the idea of renewing our vows for some upcoming anniversary - five years maybe? I’d love to do it over, without the same stress, without all of the fanfare, just with us and a spectacular photographer.
We won’t be redoing our wedding photos this summer after all, because, well, I no longer fit into my wedding dress! If you remember, I lost a…
Mrs. Cub, Chile/PortlandAge and Occupation: 26, AstronomerFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, AstronomerEngagement Date: May 10, 2008Wedding Date: September 2009Venue: Westwind YWCA campAbout Me: I'm a small-town girl who's making a living in Chile, with her heart in the Pacific Northwest. I grew up in Southern California, went to high school in Texas, grad school in New Mexico, and now I can't wait to settle down in Oregon! I love pears, hazelnuts,
knitting, traveling, running, baking, and long talks on the phone with
good friends. I'm planning my Oregon coast summer camp wedding while
abroad with my best friend - I'm always at home when I'm with him!
There comes a time in wedding planning when you morph into a semi-professional writer. No, I’m not talking about wedding blogging - I’m talking about writing your vows! These are your vows, so the caliber of writing is generally a bit above 7th grade English class.
The vows are kind of like the crux of the whole ceremony - everyone’s dying to hear them, especially your fiancé(e)! I’ve…
Mrs. Cheese, KnoxvilleAge and Occupation: 29, Engineering ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, CAD DesignerEngagement Date: July 31, 2008Wedding Date: May, 2009Blogging Since: October 16, 2008Venue: Our home and the two acres it sits onAbout Me: I’m an emotional girl who loves sentimental things, parenthetical asides, and trying to do things herself. I can cook, sew, am a whiz at planning, terrible at delegating, and totally in love with my fiancé (who will be my second husband but first love of the rest of my life). For our home/ garden/ DIY wedding, we’ll be moonlighting as interior designers, home improvers, and gardeners with the help of our fabulous friends and neighbors. We can’t wait to be married, and are learning how fun getting married can be.
First, thank goodness for those of you who are already married and still read Weddingbee. Bless you, love you, can’t wait to be just like you. I need your help.
For those of you who wrote your own vows, how long did it take you? Did you wait until just before your wedding day to write them or did you tweak your drafts over time?
Mrs. Cheese, KnoxvilleAge and Occupation: 29, Engineering ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, CAD DesignerEngagement Date: July 31, 2008Wedding Date: May, 2009Blogging Since: October 16, 2008Venue: Our home and the two acres it sits onAbout Me: I’m an emotional girl who loves sentimental things, parenthetical asides, and trying to do things herself. I can cook, sew, am a whiz at planning, terrible at delegating, and totally in love with my fiancé (who will be my second husband but first love of the rest of my life). For our home/ garden/ DIY wedding, we’ll be moonlighting as interior designers, home improvers, and gardeners with the help of our fabulous friends and neighbors. We can’t wait to be married, and are learning how fun getting married can be.
With less than three months to go until we get married, I’ve decided it’s time to start working on the part of the whole thing that I look forward to the most: the ceremony.
I was a bit uncomfortable about writing it; if I know every word, every passage, every sentiment, will I feel as engaged (no pun intended) during our ceremony?
Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
Let me start off this post by thanking the makers of Kiss Me mascara. Without this miracle invention, I would have spent much of Sunday afternoon looking like a reject from a Lifetime movie casting. My dear friends Lauren and Michael got married Sunday afternoon on a dock in the middle of Piedmont Park in Atlanta. And their vows, which they wrote together, were so beautiful…
Miss Cherry Pie, Seattle/Polebridge, MontanaAge and Occupation: 25, Marketing Communications SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Nurse PractitionerEngagement Date: August 26, 2006Wedding Date: September 2008Blogging Since: April 1, 2008Venue: A tiny town just outside of Glacier National ParkAbout Me: I think of life as a journey and I love the places it's taking me! I went to school to study Magazine Journalism, ended up with a second major in Japanese language, and now work at a company that makes software for libraries. I love writing, computers, photography, and the great outdoors. I spend most of my time playing Guitar Hero and Rock Band or geeking out online with Mr. Cherry Pie. I'm happiest when I'm on the road, especially traveling abroad, or just nesting quietly at home with my sweetie, who is a fabulous cook and bakes a delicious rendition of a certain cherry-filled dessert!
When we decided to have a non-officiant friend marry us (remember: anyone can marry you in Montana), I knew it meant that I would have to write our wedding ceremony, or at least contribute heavily to its creation. This was high on my list of “cons” relating to not hiring an officiant, but I very quickly came to enjoy that I had the power to…
Mrs. Lovebug, TucsonAge and Occupation in 06: 31, WriterFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Professional Game Show ContestantEngagement Date: February 18, 2007 Wedding Date: April 19, 2008Venue: Historic InnAbout Me: Likes: blogging, wikis, semi-colons, cuddling, fragrant flowers, syntax, and spooning. Dislikes: typos, dangling modifiers, flypaper, citronella candles, and run-ons. If I had my druthers, I'd exchange simple vows in a candlelit library. But I lost my druthers long ago...anyone seen them?
Before I knew anything else about my wedding, I knew I wanted to write my own vows. It’s not that I have a problem with the customary to-have and to-hold’s. It’s simply that I love to write, and if I’m too DIY-disabled to do my own invitations, I can at least redeem myself with that bit of creativity.
Mrs. Tomato, Napa ValleyAge and Occupation: 25, Technology Project ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, EngineerEngagement Date: October 22, 2006Wedding Date: July 1, 2007Blogging Since: May 1, 2006Venue: Auberge du Soleil About Me: I love all things beautiful. From handmade stationery, feminine fashion and delicate flowers to the little moments in your life treasured with your loved one. I am also notorious among my friends to be a deal hunter! My best deal was perhaps my Monique Lhuillier dress for $1100 (orig. $5000). I also tend to use a lot of exclamation marks! =)
I don’t know how many of you out there are writing your own wedding vows, but I came across Elegant Vows today and perused their “Free Wedding Vows Collection.” I found some words in “Vow Three” particularly moving and beautiful….
When you love someone, you do not love them all the time, in exactly the same way, from moment to moment. That is impossible. It is…
Mrs. Emerald, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 26, Wedding PlannerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, ParalegalEngagement Date: October 8, 2006Wedding Date: September 2007Blogging Since: November 29, 2006Venue: Hyatt Lodge, Oak Brook ILAbout Me: I have been dreaming about my wedding forever, and flipping through bridal magazines since high school, so I am in my element! I am calling our theme "Vintage Inspired French/Asian Fusion." Mr. Emerald is very involved in the planning process, but of course he generally defers to me cuz I have a strong opinion of how I want everything to be :-).
137 days to go! I tend to be a plan-aheader, so I asked our officiant (the lovely Terry Brady) if he could hash out an outline of our ceremony. Summer is just around the corner, and I don’t want to be stressed out and swamped with a To-Do list up the wazoo. I love that he is so flexible and willing to personalize the ceremony…
Mrs. Kiwi, Los AngelesAge and Occupation in 06: 27, BookkeeperFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, P.E. Teach/Coach @ private schools in LAEngagement Date: March 31, 2006Wedding Date: November 3, 2007Venue: Radisson HotelAbout Me: I'm a bookkeeper who failed high school algebra. I'm currently living in Los Angeles, literally a street over from where I grew up with Mr. Kiwi, my honey of three years. We have a jumbo mini-dachshund (seriously, he's huuuuge), and we're planning an autumn themed wedding on a shoestring, paid for by ourselves. The wedding date is my late grandma's birthday, I needed her there somehow, and that seemed like the best way for us. I can't believe I'm a Bee! I couldn't be more proud!
As requested by reader Kris, I’m going to post some of the readings we have chosen so far. Although I know quite a few of you aren’t religious, I’m hoping we can really just see something lovely in these words, and not be cruel or judgemental. As I have said many times before, I am also not very religious, which is why I’m taking the…
Mrs. Kiwi, Los AngelesAge and Occupation in 06: 27, BookkeeperFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, P.E. Teach/Coach @ private schools in LAEngagement Date: March 31, 2006Wedding Date: November 3, 2007Venue: Radisson HotelAbout Me: I'm a bookkeeper who failed high school algebra. I'm currently living in Los Angeles, literally a street over from where I grew up with Mr. Kiwi, my honey of three years. We have a jumbo mini-dachshund (seriously, he's huuuuge), and we're planning an autumn themed wedding on a shoestring, paid for by ourselves. The wedding date is my late grandma's birthday, I needed her there somehow, and that seemed like the best way for us. I can't believe I'm a Bee! I couldn't be more proud!
…something good? I’ve brought up the personal vows thing with Mr. Kiwi. I said, “Honey, I want our ceremony to have something special, but I’d like that to be our vows.” Mr. Kiwi, playing Sword of Vermillion on PS2, patted my knee, gave me a grin and said, “I sure am glad you’re the writer in our family!”
When forced to elaborate on this, he said, “You’ll do…
Last night I watched the In Style Weddings Special, and Joely Fisher’s 10 year anniversary vow renewal was one of the featured weddings. Ever since getting married, I’ve wanted to renew our vows on our 5 year anniversary. Now that I’m actually in the wedding industry, I think that I could do it better the second time around. We’d do a lot of things…
Mrs. Kiwi, Los AngelesAge and Occupation in 06: 27, BookkeeperFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, P.E. Teach/Coach @ private schools in LAEngagement Date: March 31, 2006Wedding Date: November 3, 2007Venue: Radisson HotelAbout Me: I'm a bookkeeper who failed high school algebra. I'm currently living in Los Angeles, literally a street over from where I grew up with Mr. Kiwi, my honey of three years. We have a jumbo mini-dachshund (seriously, he's huuuuge), and we're planning an autumn themed wedding on a shoestring, paid for by ourselves. The wedding date is my late grandma's birthday, I needed her there somehow, and that seemed like the best way for us. I can't believe I'm a Bee! I couldn't be more proud!
My love for words and lyrics have drawn me to want to write our own vows. A few things that go against that notion have been creating some niggling doubts in my mind.
Mr. Kiwi, while loving and romantic in nature, just isn’t poetic - he thinks it’s cheesy most of the time. I think that telling him that I’d like us to write our own…
Mrs. Hibiscus, Orange CountyAge and Occupation in 06: 25, Eyebal DocFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Commerical UnderwriterEngagement Date: September 26, 2004Wedding Date: July 7, 2007Venue: Laguna Beach on the beach, reception on a yacht in Newport BeachAbout Me: I'm an eyeball doc. Normal is boring. I'm a hat person and a cat person. I'm in love (so very very in love). I'm a dreamer. I want to change the world. Superheroes are my friends. Kindness is contagious. Music is in my heart. Carpe diem.
My fiance thinks I’m nuts. Whenever I hear wedding vows or recite wedding vows or readings, I cry…no, more like bawl like someone just died. Here are some non-religious cereomony readings that I like.
WHY MARRIAGE?
Because to the depths of me, I long to love one person, With all my heart, my soul, my mind, my body… Because I need a forever friend to trust…
Mrs. Plum, DallasAge and Occupation in 06: 22, Accountant by day/Floral and Event Designer by night and weekendsFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Security AdminEngagement Date: December 31, 2004Wedding Date: June 29, 2007Venue: Marie Gabrielle Restaurant and GardensAbout Me: I have been engaged for about two years now - yes, a long engagement, because my fiance and I wanted to wait until I graduated college, which I did this past summer! He proposed after dating just two months - crazy, I know, but 2 years later, here we are, still crazy in love :-). We are having not one, but TWO weddings and TWO receptions in one weekend - American-style and Vietnamese-style - in Dallas, Texas, where I was born and raised!
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