Just a few words to clear up some details:

• The timeline of our relationship can be confusing. We started dating in high school in 1998 and graduated in ’99 (him) and ’00 (me). We went to college in different states so we broke up in ’99. When 9/11 struck, we decided to go for the long-distance relationship and got back together in ’01. After graduating from college, we both moved to NYC and started living together in ’04. Got engaged in ’05 and married in ’06.
• The article implies that Mr. Ant and I know a thing or two about ballroom dancing. I wish it were true, but sadly, it isn’t. At all.

• Under the tidbit “Follow a Familiar Pattern,” it mentions that the floral design on our ceremony program was based on the embroidery on the chipao that my mother wore at her own wedding reception. This detail was a very sentimental touch for me.

It’s pretty exciting to see our wedding in print. Mr. Ant and I are delighted that the people at Modern Bride chose to share details of our big day with their readers. (Thanks Holly and Eleni!)

To start, the weather was perfect. I was so afraid that our April date would be too cold, or even rain. However, it was sunny and bright with a high of 83 degrees…the warmest day in NYC yet!

The ceremony was amazing. There was a collective gasp as I entered the chapel, and when I finally met Mr. Peony at the altar, I was surprised to see tears of joy streaming down his face. “You look so beautiful and I’m just so happy,” he said. Our pastor then proceeded to give a great sermon which even made me choke up a bit, and then we were pronounced man and wife!

We started the reception with a choreographed dance to Michael Buble’s “For Once in My Life.” (I originally wanted the Stevie Wonder version which is more fun and more “us,” but the beat was too fast for me to boogie down in my poofy dress and 4.5″ heels.)

So many people came up to us during the reception to let us know that this was the best wedding they’d ever attended. I think a friend summarized it well when she exclaimed, “it is so elegant without being stuffy at all!” The food at the Fountainhead was delicious (again, many commented that it was the best wedding food ever), our DJ kept the crowd dancing all night long, and all service provided by our vendors was top-notch. Even all the elder guests got up to shake their booties with the younger crowd!

The only thing that went wrong was the traffic, which no one had control over. See, the Pope was visiting NYC that day, so there were numerous road blocks, extra security, as well as extra traffic. In addition to the Pope, the president of South Korea was also in town, as well as the British Prime Minister, and both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. My mother said having all these VIPs in town on the day of the wedding had to be a blessing.

Due to the traffic, the charter bus was 30 minutes late in picking up the guests (driving into the city), and 30 minutes late in arriving at the destination (driving out of the city). Since almost 50 guests were on this bus, I decided to push back the ceremony start time. I felt sorry for the rest of the guests who had arrived separately, on time, and had to wait for the rest of the guests to arrive.

The only other thing that was affected by the late start was the quartet: we had only booked them for two hours (1 for the ceremony, 1 for the cocktail hour). I had the choice of having them stay and paying them overtime, but we decided not to… and the staff at the Fountainhead accommodated the change by streaming classical music into the atrium, where the cocktail hour was held.

Other than those two problems caused by the traffic, everything else was PERFECT. I can’t express just how smoothly and beautifully everything played out. It really felt like a fairy tale wedding.

All pictures are courtesy of our photographer, Danny Weiss… these are part of the sneak peak that he sent us earlier this week. As soon as we receive the rest, I’ll do my vendor reviews!

I don’t mean to sound like an infomercial, but Carl Alan Creations brought our visions to life while keeping in mind every aspect of our wedding. Before our initial consultation, Carl asked me to e-mail him as many of the details of our wedding as I could: photos of my dress and the bridesmaid dresses, the venue, centerpiece ideas, our theme and colors, etc. Our consultation was about an hour and a half and it was one of those moments where everything felt like it was coming together smoothly (dare I say like buttah?), and it all was starting to feel so real. Carl gave us ideas on how to make our vision fit within our budget, while remaining classy and true to our personalities. After meeting with Carl, he turned us to his creative design team, who whipped together bouquet mock-ups in less than five minutes and had me designing my own dream bouquet, as well as the bridesmaids’ bouquets.

Smirks and flowers galore!

My bouquet includes chocolate calla lilies, freesia, hydrangeas, and green berries.

Blue hydrangeas and green berries for the ladies (an uber-rushed mock-up).

(Photo courtesy van swearingen on Flickr)

Mr. Candy Corn will be wearing a double chocolate cymbidium orchid boutonniere.

Carl impressed us so much with his amazing attention to detail, that we went ahead and put him in charge of our centerpieces too. I had initially planned on DIY-ing the centerpieces, until I was given the task of arranging the centerpieces for my boss’s wedding, and spent the rest of the ceremony and reception sneezing my arse off and wishing my throat didn’t feel like it had elephantiasis.

We wanted something lovely and simple, that matched our bird aesthetic, without being too literal. These birch containers just screamed us and although they don’t exactly match the colors of our theme, I think they will be a refreshing break from all of the blue and brown.

These birch tubes were originally available at Small Stump, where I ordered 10 and later realized I’d need about 20 more for our centerpieces (arranging three at each table with varying heights, with flowers just like the photos above). Small Stump no longer offers the birch tubes and unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find them anywhere else. I found a website where I can order sheets of birch and make the containers myself (note to self: purchase a hot glue gun), which sounds easy enough!

How about you guys…is anyone having trouble finding an affordable florist that thinks outside the box?

ed. note: please see our editorial policy.

The weather forecast says there’s a 30% chance of rain on Saturday and a 60% chance of rain on Monday, but Sunday is supposed to be sunny and clear.  But we should probably have a backup plan just in case…. do you have any suggestions?

PS - Happy Mother and MIL’s Day!

My bachelorette party is this weekend and I’m so excited! I have friends flying in from all over the country for what should be a fabulous weekend. We have mani/pedis, shopping, a fabulous dinner at my favorite Chicago restaurant, dancing, and brunch on the agenda– what more could a girl ask for?

I initially planned to be a budget Bee and wear a dress I already had, but I decided that my bachelorette bash deserved a sexy, fun (new!) dress. So I went shopping after work yesterday. Lo and behold– I found a hot dress for a very good price:

Originally $355, on sale for $60! And there was only one left– in my size. It was completely meant to bee :)I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend! Share what great finds you’ve bought recently (and what your bachelorette plans are!)

I’d like my bouquet to play on our color palette (chocolate brown, burgundy, and sunflower yellow), possibly with some bright highlights in the red-orange-yellow spectrum. I’m imagining something mid-sized that will fit in my freakishly small hands and be easy to hold but large enough to make for some super photos. I want a more dynamic shape rather than a round, manicured bouquet. I think I’m going for that “fresh-picked” look; a little wild and less refined.

As for components? Well, they have to follow my rules for flowers, which means no roses, lots of colorful daisies, probably dahlias and chrysanthemums, and whatever wild grasses we can find for accents.

Have you seen any bouquets that fit the bill? What would you recommend for a September wedding?

Rather than put it in our luggage on the plane, I wore it, because clearly, this was the safest way to transport it home.

…then I didn’t take it off for two days. I grew attached to it. I loved that I looked all married and stuff. I went to the drug store this morning to pick up my…um…Lady Meds, and while swiping my credit card for the nice pharmacist, I waved my engagement/wedding ring combo around REALLY flashy-like, as if to say “Yeah, thats right sir, it’s called FAMILY PLANNING now. Don’t mistake me for some kind of promiscuous hussy. I’m MARRIED.”

It felt good. And I didn’t feel promiscuous, nor like a hussy, at all.

Then I had to take a shower so I took it off and tucked it away in its box, not to be taken out again until the wedding. Well, it was fun while it lasted.

..and yes. If you were paying attention, it had been 2 days since Miss Penguin took a shower. That’s how I roll. Stinky style.

Did you take your wedding ring for a test drive before you got married?

Although I can’t figure out how to create my strange, octagonally shaped room, I can still estimate its size. I cut out space for the dance floor, added the bars, the band and enough rectangular tables to seat roughly 200 people. Here is what it looks like. The left and right sides do not represent walls, so it isn’t as cramped as it appears.

What do you think? Should I go back to round tables?

It’s been a great journey and I wish all the weddingbee’ers and readers much love and happiness.

Love,
Mrs Ladybug aka Susan

My Mom, Mother-in-Law, Sister & Grandmother and I were the first to arrive at the site (The O’Donnell House). We went straight into hair and make-up…

The bridesmaids were next to arrive. I really love this picture of two of my close friends, my Gram and me taking it all in:

Knowing that is was going to be a long day, I had arranged with the caterer (Le Vallauris) to provide lunch for us girls. They brought up delicious Chicken Caesar salads in Parmesan baskets! This is also when I decided to give the girls their bridesmaids gifts.

Our flowergirl and her mom were the next to arrive. Our flowergirl needed a bit of help getting ready…

Here are some of the girls getting ready…

I want to preface these next few pictures with the fact that I had managed (all three times) to put my dress on at the dress shop (Claire Pettibone) all by myself. When it came time for the big day, I thought that I should enlist the help of my bridesmaids. For whatever reason, it was a quite hilarious and difficult event. These pictures are just a hint of the struggle it was to get it on…

My Mom helps me put on my shoes…

My Mom & Mother-In-Law proudly look on…

Almost showtime…

(All photos credited to Michael Graham)

I was nervous because I was worried about having buyer’s remorse, but when I finally got it on (it is not easy pulling on a corseted gown by yourself!) I felt like a bride and fell in love with it all over again. I marveled at the perfect shade of ivory and the sash color (which I was also subconsciously worried that I would hate). With just a little over two months to go until the wedding, I felt the excitement start to really bubble while I was in the gown.

Also, I got to think about some logistics about getting in and out of the dress. The back is corseted and thus there is no zipper for easy in-and-out access, so when I change into my qipao, one of my bridesmaids will have to just undo the entire corset instead of just loosening it up. I just hope it won’t become a Carrie and Miranda wedding gown incident! Mama Canary thought it was pretty hilarious that I could get into the dress by myself but not out of it!

How many times have you tried on your wedding gown? Do you love it more every time?

Thankfully, our ceremony and reception are indoors, but I was still hoping to take some pictures around Cleveland’s Little Italy. Can’t you just imagine the great shots we could get?

From here.

From here.

If it’s pouring down rain, I think that walking around town will be a no-go, since I really don’t want to trash my dress before the reception. But if it’s just drizzling, or a little damp, I think we could do it, so long as we have a giant umbrella.

What are you doing in case it rains on your wedding day? (And anyone have a suggestion for a giant umbrella?)

It has forced me to think about these great expectations that we brides set for ourselves. I am completely guilty of leaving no stone unturned when it comes to seeking out the “perfect” ideas that will knock our guest’s socks off. I pore over wedding blogs every day, trying to grab bits of inspiration that will make our wedding a conglomeration of magnificent ideas and personal touches. Some days, I am excited and thrilled with all of the possibilities and awesome ideas I have piling up. And other days, I just feel exhausted from it all. I see photo after photo after photo of all of these gorgeous weddings in exotic locations with charming little everything and I feel like I’m a failure of a bride.

These are the days I have to remind myself to step back, prioritize, and not obsess over every. single. detail. These are the days that I escape from it all by going to Iron Hill with Mr. Cupcake to people-watch, have a drink, and laugh with each other…. and that’s when I’m reminded that that’s what it’s all about. Not the perfect invitations or the perfect signature cocktail or the perfect jewelry or the perfect perfect perfect…. it’s about the perfect guy for me and how perfectly happy he makes me, and how perfect our wedding will be to us — not because of all the details, but because it’s ours.

That’s not to say that I don’t love me some gorgeous bouquets, or adorable favors, or fantastic shoes, or drool-worthy stationery. And while there’s nothing wrong with trying to add lots of personal touches to our wedding and making sure it’s a day our guests will enjoy, I do have to learn to focus on our big picture instead of everyone else’s big picture that I want for myself.

How have you dealt with setting expectations for yourself with wedding planning? What do you do to remind yourself that it doesn’t all have to be perfect all the time?

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I prefer the light gray, but it really is neither here nor there.

Our wedding colors still had not come into play with the attire at this point (other than my gown). So in order to incorporate a bit of copper and champagne we decided to buy ties for all the men. Again, they are all in the same color family, but different.

Mr. Pineapple will be wearing the solid copper tie on the right. We got a great deal on these ties at Macy’s. We dropped in to check out the selection after attending a fairly traumatic bridal show and lo and behold there they were, job done.

Has anyone else left this much up to chance as far as attire is concerned? How did it go?

Here’s a rundown of what I wore on our own Big Day. (All made much more fabulous thanks to the photography of Punam Bean.)

Dress: Alfred Angelo 1839

Loved its vintage style and eBay price ($225), but the ease of wear was almost even better. The train was manageable, I could sit, walk, and dance without trouble, and not once did I have to suck in my stomach, adjust the neckline, or otherwise worry about my dress in any way…. I was free to just enjoy myself and be a bride!

Red Shoes: No-Name Brand from eBay

Originally, I considered wearing beribboned ivory pumps for the ceremony and switching to these flats for the reception. But I don’t wear heels often, and after suffering through the rehearsal dinner in 3″ heels, I swore it would be flats for the wedding day. Turns out it was a great decision — not only was I extremely comfortable, but my cheerful red shoes made me happy all day. And the guests loved them too — I got so many comments on my “ruby slippers.”

And, in a funny coincidence, my mother showed up wearing the same shoes in gold!

Veil: Veilsbylana on eBay

I knew that I wanted a veil because wearing one made me feel “like a bride.” In fact, as soon as we put it on, my bridesmaids remarked that “wow, you were a bride before, but now you look like a BRIDE!!”

Beautifully crafted veils can run hundreds of dollars. But you certainly don’t have to shell out that much. My version was $35 (including shipping) on eBay. In fact, it was the most expensive version in the seller’s whole store. And it did the trick just fine.

Parasol:

I love the look of parasols in wedding photos, so I picked up a few red parasols for the bridesmaids from the Paper Lantern Store. For myself, I bought a beautiful vintage Japanese parasol off eBay … but as I opened it to show it to my MOH during our dressing hour, it EXPLODED! Apparently, seven-decades-old paper = very fragile. So, back to red!

Shawl:

In my mind, our late-March wedding would enjoy beautiful, sunny, spring-like weather. Sadly, the reality was much colder. Thank heavens I panicked and picked up a shawl (a peacock, which I love, in red and turquoise like our wedding colors) from eBay a couple of weeks before the wedding.

Other Accessories:

I did carry a small clutch, which I purchased off eBay for less than $10. I’m glad it was inexpensive, because in the end it just sat in a corner all day. It would have been far easier to ask my MOH to carry my lipstick and handkerchief.

My ruby earrings were originally for sale in my own small eBay store, but I always loved them and wished I could keep them for my own. It was so exciting when I realized they were red and perfect for my dress! Sadly, I don’t have much of a photo.

The shawl wasn’t entirely warm enough, so I also resorted to an ivory wool coat that I already owned. (From eBay, of course! $40 from seller evaluebrands, which sells Bloomingdales catalog returns.) And it looked fine, even over my dress. Because, when in doubt, it’s better to be warm than to suffer for fashion! (Though, even growing up in Wisconsin in below-zero winters, I’m afraid it took me a while to learn that particular fashion philosophy….)

How will you accessorize your wedding day?

However, the worst situation she’d ever encountered was a couple of years ago with a couple in the Halton Hills area. The bride and groom were accountants, a very orderly pair, and had planned the wedding down to the last detail. The day before, they set up their reception hall and it was perfect. Beautiful fresh orchids, little gifts for everyone, the whole shebang.

Unfortunately, no matter how orderly the couple was, fate intervened and the reception hall they had so painstakingly set up burned to the ground the night before the wedding. All the things they had set up and all the hard work they had done planning their wedding was for nothing and at 2 AM the day they were to get married, they had to suddenly start over.

And you know what? They did it and they got married.

As sad as it is and as disappointed I would be if something like that happened to me, I find this story kind of awesome because it reminded me, as frantic as I am with 50 days (50 days?!?) left to go, that a lot of the stuff that we brides freak out about is just gravy. Lots of things in life don’t turn out exactly as we plan, but we still get through them and many times, we end up stronger and better because of it.

God knows it’s hard to be zen during the craziness of a wedding, but for the next month and a half, I’m going to try and keep this story in the back of my head to remind myself as long as Mr. Hum and I are together, we can get through anything.

Anyway, since it’s Friday and a day that totally requires happy thoughts, I want to know - Married ladies, did anything go wrong at your weddings and how did you deal with it?

I started reading weddingbee sometime last summer, but didn’t get up the nerve to apply to be a bee until this past winter. Part of the reason was that I was a little scared of all you crazy strangers out there reading about my personal stuff. Mr. Tiramisu was a little concerned too, and I still don’t think he’s totally psyched about all the pictures I post of him. (And I’m about to post another- ha!). But I’m sort of over it now, and I lurrrrve being a bee, so it’s worth it to lose a little of the wedding secrecy. (And all you crazy strangers have turned out to be awesome in the advice and support department!)

Here you go Mr. Tiramisu- a totally incognito picture of you:

Mr. Tiramisu in disguise as Mr. Penguin (and Peng, now I challenge you to produce a picture of Mr. Peng disguised as a tiramisu)

I was happily surprised to be contacted by a few people who know me and saw my posts just by chance (Hi Cassie!). A couple of my college friends who I haven’t talked to in years, and a girl from my hometown recognized me and wrote to say hi. I’m telling you, weddingbee is everywhere! (Like seriously everywhere- look: countries represented). There are readers in countries I can’t even pronounce. I dutifully blur out my personal info from my invitation posts and refrain from using our last names, but the truth is, our info is sort of out there for all to see.

So come out come out wherever you are… do you know one of the bees in “real life”? And am I the only blogger out there who worries a little bit about anonymity?

When I tried on my dress I went au naturel and it fit perfectly - little or no alterations needed to be done. I know it’s pretty to have the matchy matchy undergarments, but I will be much more comfortable with no bra.

via Rolling Stones

That being said, is anyone else going all natural for the big day?

image source

I’m super excited about this pre-wedding party because there is no pressure. It’ll just be a fun opportunity to hang out with some of our favourite people at our house. We’ll probably serve BBQ, beer, and cupcakes. Mmmm. I’m digging the contrast between our informal “rehearsal” dinner and our more formal wedding reception. I also like the cost saving properties of this plan. Plus it’ll be a nice opportunity for everyone to meet each other before the wedding.This seems like a good (random) opportunity to introduce you to the Gingerbread kids

Hannah is the queen of the house.

Abby and Henry are angels when they’re sleeping.

Okay, back to weddings… Is anyone else doing something super laid back for their rehearsal dinner or wedding?

It’s a super short little video I cobbled together to show at the reception. Early on, my grand plan had been to get loads of footage of Mr. Lovebug that I could make into a sweet, full-length video for him. But he absolutely wigs out whenever I film him. It was impossible to get more than thirty seconds of him doing anything.

So I had to make do with the handful of random clips I had. It’s less than two minutes, but it a) fits the theme of the wedding, b) was a total surprise, and c) made everyone laugh, so d) I was happy.

Congrats to the following weddingbee readers for being selected.  You can find out a bit more about each couple as well as information on contributing a design here.  I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with this time!

Kate and Kenneth

Joanna and Christopher

Laura and Ian

During our long distance relationship, Mr. Cookie and I spent countless hours on the phone, and Europe was one of our main conversations. Right after college I got a job in London, and during that time I was able to travel around most of Europe. Mr. Cookie had never been to Europe, so we decided that our first big vacation together would be a two week backpacking trek through England, France, Germany, The Netherlands, and Belgium.

A few days into our trek we went to Paris. On our second day there, we did a whirlwind day of sightseeing: the Louvre, Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle, Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe, and then we decided to go the top of the Eiffel Tower at sunset. We had timed the sunset at 8:15 pm the day before, so we got to the Eiffel Tower at 7:00pm. After waiting 45 minutes in line and taking the elevator up to the second level, I had to go the restroom really bad. Unfortunately, a French woman was cleaning the only bathroom on the second level, and wouldn’t let anyone in until she finished.

Twenty minutes later we got in line for the top, and by this time we had missed sunset. Mr. Cookie was really grumpy at this point and was sulking. While we were standing in line for the top I said, “Why are you so grumpy? I am really going to be mad at myself if you were going to propose at the top, and I ruined it by going to the bathroom.”

Well, we made it to the top. It was really windy and crowded, so we went back down.

We had planned to have a picnic of crackers, wine, and cheese on the Champ de Mars by the Eiffel Tower. As Mr. Cookie was taking out the wine cork, it broke in half so I grabbed a pen out of my bag. As Mr. Cookie was digging out the cork, the pen exploded. He grabbed my bracelet, which is bendable, and successfully pulled the cork out just as the light show at the Eiffel Tower started. As we were snuggling, Mr. Cookie says to me, “I have a present for you. Since, I didn’t get you a ring, I got you these earrings.” He pulled out these beautiful pair of earrings, and we went back to snuggling.

Quick digression: Two weeks prior to the trip, Mr. Cookie had literally devastated me by saying one night that he wasn’t ready to get married. I was crushed because we had been talking about getting married for months, so when he pulled out the earrings, I thought it was the proposal and was even more disappointed when it wasn’t. Unbeknownst to me, it was all apart of Mr. Cookie’s plan.

Then Mr. Cookie starts saying “You’re my partner, my best friend, my travel buddy and I want to travel through this thing called life with you!” gets down on one knee, and pulls out the ring. Instantly, I started crying.

FYI: I said yes!!!

Sorry it’s a really bad photo, but this is me with my ring after the proposal

I have to give Mr. Cookie props for the best proposal ever! He put a lot of time and attention into the proposal, and also played it mighty cool when things went wrong. Also, I have to give Mr. Cookie major props for the ring — I’ll have some better photos later. He picked out my round cut three-stone platinum ring all by himself! Then he had it hidden in our house for a month without me even knowing, and traveled through airport security and three countries before placing it on my finger. I truly love this man!

Today’s project is my mom’s shimmery gold votives. We got the inspiration for this idea from the super talented and creative Mrs. Emerald. She created some truly beautiful votives for her wedding. My mom decided to follow Mrs. Emerald’s example and create votives for my wedding– and we loved the results!

First, we purchased plain glass votives off Ebay for a great price. Then my mom created a paper template using Mrs. Emerald’s great instructions.

She used the template she created to cut votive wraps from vellum. She was able to fit 4 wraps per sheet. We used beautifully shimmery gold vellum from Paper Source.

Then my mom decided to give the wraps some texture by running them through the Cuttlebug machine. She used a paisley folder to create a gorgeous paisley design on each wrap. Because the Cuttlebug can only take lengths of 6 inches at a time, she had to do the embossing in two parts.

I love the design because it’s a little bit Indian inspired and I think the texture adds such a luxe touch.

Then she set about wrapping each votive with the vellum wraps. She initally used vellum tape, but for some reason, it came apart after a few hours! So she tried an adhesive spray with better results.

And here they are all lit up!

We’re going to have about 5-6 on each table and I think they’re going to look so pretty. Thanks Mom!** I promise I’m not a bossy crafts task-master. My mom loves doing these projects and excitedly volunteers to do them

Miss Cherry Pie spends a decent amount of time thinking about what she’s going to wear to the wedding. Dress, hair, make-up, shoes, etc. Until this weekend I’d considered it pretty much straightforward that I’d wear a rented tuxedo. Last weekend though, I started entertaining the idea of getting a suit instead.

Now, I think we can all agree that buying a tux would be silly (unless I’d bought it years ago before going to five proms… oh the rental savings!) especially since I’m unlikely to get much wear out of it. But I don’t own a suit. I don’t even own a good suit jacket! A suit is something I could get some future wear out of, and as such I’d entertain the idea of getting a good one that I could wear for the wedding and beyond.

Wearing a suit instead of a tux does present some problems… there’s less to color-coordinate with groomsmen, bridesmaids and bride; no cummerbund or vest to be had, but I do get a tie instead of a bow tie. And buying a suit raises some questions: what accents can I use besides pocket squares and a necktie? And if I wear a suit, do I put the groomsmen in tuxes or rented suits to (hopefully) match?

What do you ladies think? Is a nice suit just as worthy of a wedding as a tuxedo? (Obviously we’re not having a black or white-tie wedding.)

And what if I wanted to get something made in dark gray instead of black? Is that too gauche?

From Miss Cherry Pie: I just realized while looking for photos to illustrate this post that except in the most extreme examples, I cannot tell the difference on-sight, between some suits and tuxes.According to Pricescope, “Tuxedos are always one button, there are two different types of lapels to choose from (shawl or peak, never notched–that would fall into a “suit” category), tuxedo pants never have belt loops…and there are many other details we would never even think of on an everyday basis! But there are many differences not necessarily noticeable to the non-discriminating eye that determine the difference.” Welp. The more you know…(Image Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4)

More like a Peacock than a Penguin!

So I was adamant going into my alterations that my bustle had to be as subtle as possible. I asked to see an over-bustle, which Mrs. Lemon and my friend Michelle quickly DENIED:

Then we tried an under-bustle, which everyone liked better, but I still wasn’t sold on. It was a little fluffy for my taste:

So I went in for my first alterations and asked the tailor if she could make the bustle “the least poofy” she could. So she came up with this:

I love it! The most unbustly bustle we could get. It’s got 7 points, which shouldn’t be too difficult for my mom to figure out (I’ll bring her to my next fitting so that she can learn how to do it).How Bustly is your Bustle? Are you a bustle bride or an un-bustle bride?

An Ann Wood cake topper (she added a veil and top hat, I just need to take a new photo):

Bird stamps used to decorate our STDs, which I just spotted at Barnes & Noble the other day:

Robin’s egg soaps from Gianna Rose Atelier for the bathrooms:

Crow cufflinks (by artist Rain Harris) for Mr. Candy Corn, which were purchased at Art Star in Philadelphia.

A bag of speckled eggs from Smith & Hawken. I haven’t figured out what to do with them quite yet, but I thought it might be nice to arrange them like in the photo below to decorate some of the less-exciting table space (I’ll post about our centerpieces soon I swear!)

Birdseed eggs to hang off of two faux manzanita trees (a set of 12 eggs), which will be placed on opposite ends of our place card table. Both are from Smith & Hawken:

Our love nest soap favors available at Little Things Favors:

That sums it up for now. Does anyone have any suggestions for some creative, affordable ways to incorporate even more birds into our wedding, or do you think we might be overdoing if we add anything else? Thanks for your feedback!

I also like that we could do a variety of smaller arrangements rather than one large one at each table.

from Oh, How Charming! via Bridal Bar Blog

from Robert Evans Studio, via Bridal Bar Blog

from Lisa Lefkowitz

A few logistical concerns…

1) Is it harder to find your seat when there are only 10 tables? I just keep picturing the little dance that we do when we are trying to decide where to sit.

2) Our room has an odd, octagonal shape. I’m not sure how to arrange them in the room so that it doesn’t look and feel awkward.

3) Will this make finding linens more difficult?

4) I have never actually been to a wedding where this was done, so I could be full of bologna.

I am scheduled to go order my linens in a few weeks, so I need to figure it out before then. Has anyone considered long tables as an option?

Now. When we got engaged, my first thought was, “why would I buy the Knot magazine if they have a website with all of the same information on it?” A few weeks later, I discovered something that would change my life forever: the knot message boards. Specifically, my local board. In the beginning, I spent most of my time reading other people’s posts and asking the occasional question. I found almost all of my vendors because of the people on the knot, and tons of great ideas. But mostly, I found some truly amazing friends–friends who I will probably know for years and years and years.

Some of my friends from the Knot at the Bridal Soiree in San Francisco last month.

Last week, the NYTimes published an article on this very topic: brides who have found true, wonderful friends in their “knotties.” As is the case with a lot of modern brides, my bridesmaids are spread out all over the country: Los Angeles, my hometown near Sacramento, Pennsylvania, Utah and Kansas. None of them are here to help me with my wedding. But honestly, I’m not sure how much I would talk about it with them anyway–after all, I don’t want to bore the crap out of them with mundane details (”OMG does it matter if one of the tuxes has pockets and the others don’t?!”). In my friends from the knot, I have found people who truly care about me, and whom I care about in return. They have become some of my best friends as of late and I really feel blessed to have met them.

Every once in awhile, one of my friends from the knot would come into Paper Source (we are planning weddings, after all!). My co-workers would crinkle their noses at me and ask, “is that one of your bride friends?!” I would get a little shy and admit that yes, in fact, I did meet these girls on the internet.

The article in the Times made me feel a lot more normal. And you know what? I am officially done being embarassed. These girls are awesome. These girls believed in me and helped me get my business started. They laugh with me when ridiculous things happen and sympathize with me when I am stressed out. These girls truly want to throw me a bridal shower because none of my bridesmaids are in town. They are, in a word, awesome.

So, my weddingbee ladies: I know I am not alone out there! Who else loves their “bride friends”?!

Shoe number one is a sassy little number by Charles David. “Spice” is a champagne satin shoe