E-Pics for Mr. Lion

Hive, I need to admit something to you.  I was really opposed to e-pics in the beginning.  I just didn't see the point!  We've been together for five years...surely by now we have enough pictures together.  Plus, every time I thought of e-pics, I imagined people smiling cheesily in matching outfits.  Not that there's ANYTHING wrong with that.  Engagement pictures in matching outfits can be adorable and classic, and I have lots of friends who have done similar photoshoots and been very pleased with the results.  It's just not us.  Besides, matching outfits make me think of this:

{Source} 10 points if you know where this is from!

So I decided that we weren't going to have e-pics taken.  Then one day, Mr. Lion and I had a random conversation about favorites.  You know, favorite ice cream flavors, favorite movie of all time, etc.  We knew most of the answers for each other, but it was a fun conversation nonetheless.  Then, I asked Mr. Lion where is favorite place in the world was.  He answered, "UCF's campus."  The University of Central Florida in Orlando has changed a lot since Mr. Lion graduated from there in 2007.  He loves going back there now just to see how it has evolved.  Then, he added, "I wish we had taken more pictures of that campus when I was there."  Sigh.  My heart melted a little.  Ooookaaaay, we can take e-pics at UCF's campus.

Fortunately, our photographer was a friend so he was happy to tag along on a weekend road trip to Florida.  Here are a few of our favorites:

{all photos courtesy of Weddings by Evan Hampton}

What inspired your e-pics shoot?

With a Little Help from my Friends

One of the easiest ways this budget bride has saved money is by recruiting help wherever possible. Fortunately, I happen to have some pretty talented friends! I love the concept of a "friendor" because I feel that it makes a wedding more personal and intimate. On our wedding day, I'm most looking forward to being surrounded by the people we love. Why not have that feeling extend to our vendors, too?

The first friend I hired was Sister Lioness. Though Sister Lioness is currently studying Teaching ASL as a Foreign Language at Columbia (bee tee dubs, their mascot is a lion...woot!), she does some pretty sweet graphic design on the side. It's more of a hobby for her, but she kind of rocks at it. I don't know much about graphic design, but I do know that I'm a sucker for fonts. Choosing fonts happens to be Sister Lioness' favorite part of graphic design, so it's been great to have her artistic eye around! She's designed our invitation suite, and I plan to collaborate with her for other paper projects like programs and menus.  Here's a sample of her work, a little diddy she came up with to give to family and friends when she moved from Gainesville to NYC:

 Ugh.  So sorry I had to censor that!

My friend Kealoha used to be a make up artist. Though she has now chosen a different career path, she still does a few gigs on the side. A recent gig was our mutual friend's wedding. She did the make up for the bride, as well as all of the bridesmaids and the mothers. Best of all, she gifted this to the bride as her wedding present. Naturally, I asked her nicely to grant me the same favor and I was psyched when she gladly obliged...though not nearly as psyched as Mama Lioness was. What can I say?! The woman likes the be pampered!

 Personal photo: The artist on the right, with her lovely work to her left and further left...aaand the groom and I just chillin.

Next, we have my cousin Chris.  Chris is my age, and he and Mr. Lion became good buddies one day at Disney World.  It was only their first time meeting face-to-face, but by the end of the day they were yelling wookie noises back and forth to each other on Star Tours (male bonding is so strange, is it not?).  Chris happens to be an ordained minister in the state of California.  When two nonreligious lions started to put a ceremony together, there was only one name that came to mind.  Of course, Chris was happy to look into the requirements to transfer his ordainment to Georgia and we're all really looking forward to having him in such an important role on the big day.

Personal photo: Chris on HIS big day

Lastly, we have our friend Evan.  Evan is engaged to my PT school friend Christina, and together they form some of the greatest couple friends these Lions could ask for!  Evan also happens to be a wedding photographer...a good one too!  They recently moved to Jacksonville, but Evan still happily agreed to shoot our wedding.  And our engagement pictures.  And some random pictures for our OOT bags.  Here's a sample of his work, from a photoshoot he did for our graduation:

Source: Weddings by Evan Hampton

Have you recruited any friendors?

An Introduction to Etsy

Before I found the 'Bee, I had never even heard of Etsy.  These days, I don't know how I ever lived without it!  For those of you just joining us in the Etsy craze, Etsy is an online store and community where artisans sell handmade crafts and where collectors sell rare vintage items.  On Etsy, you can find unique items that you would not normally find in stores, which is what makes it such an excellent wedding resource.  In fact, Etsy even has its own wedding category on its site!  The availability of such unique items allows brides to add a little more personality to their weddings.  Etsy is also a great place for budget brides to find a great deal.  Can't find what you're looking for?  Use the Alchemy function, which you can learn about here with Miss Hippo!

To show y'all the variety that Etsy provides, I decided to conduct a search for something simple.  Let's try "lion" and see what pops up, shall we? :)

Place Cards by cuddlecreature

This is a great example of the kind of wedding item you could DIY, or you could create a shortcut for yourself and find it on Etsy.  What if you had your heart set on a unique shape like this?  I'm all for DIY, but this is definitely not the kind of project I would want to take on.  Could you imagine cutting out all of those little lions?!  Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of patience.

Cake Topper by kikuike

How cute is that little birdcage veil on the lioness?!  Obsessed.

Cufflinks by PlasticParadox

Ah yes, the other reason why I'm in love with my moniker (the first reason is the Disney reference, of course).  A few months ago, I was explaining to Mr. Lion why Etsy is so awesome.  He agreed that it sounded pretty cool, but said that he "couldn't really get into it because it was just a bunch of girly stuff."  I proved him wrong, and surprised him with a pair of Etsy-made Zelda Tri-Force cufflinks.  His nerdy side thanked me.

Garter by gmarasa

So vintagey and elegant!  I love the soft ivory color too.

Custom Wedding Invitations by leahfelicity

Graphic design is definitely one of my favorite things to look through on Etsy.  Sometimes, I'll just glance around for inspiration.  This suite is no different.  If you were having a whimsical, carnival-themed wedding, this could definitely be that specific something you were looking for.

What kinds of treasures have you found for your wedding on Etsy?

Oh I Just Can't Wait to Be a Bee!

Yay!  I can't believe I'm here!  These past few weeks have just been crazy...but wonderful!  Mr. Lion and I both graduated from law school and grad school, respectively, in May.  After seven years of school, we're just now starting our grown-up jobs.  I work in a large hospital's trauma unit and I'm just starting to get the hang of it.  This afternoon, I finished up with my last patient, headed down to my desk, and took a quick glance at my email.  MRS. PENGUIN?!?!  WHAAAAT?!?!?!?!  This was my face:

Source: Disney via Magical Screencaps

This would probably be an appropriate time to mention that I'm a huge Disney geek and with a name like Miss Lioness, I will be subjecting y'all to lots and lots of horrible Lion King puns.  I apologize in advance.

You'd probably like to know a little about who Mr. Lion and I are.  Well, we're from the same suburb of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and we went to rival high schools.  It was only a matter of time before we met through mutual friends.  Our paths finally crossed during our freshman year of college.  Mr. Lion was attending the University of Central Florida in Orlando, and I was attending the University of Florida in Gainesville...yes, just like Mr. & Mrs. Dolphin!  We became long-distance friends, which evolved over a couple of years into a long-distance relationship.  Our first date was actually a "Heroes and Villains" themed sorority grab-a-date.  We, along with two friends who ended up being in our wedding party, dressed as the characters from Scooby Doo.

 Personal photo: Wearing a blonde wig and an ascot for me...what a good sport!

We were fortunate enough to both get into schools in Atlanta for our continued education, and we bid the long-distance part of our relationship adieu.  Now, after 5 years of dating, we're one year into a 19-month engagement and planning a big wedding on a small budget!

Sometimes we're sweet.

Personal photo: Our Engagement Party

Sometimes we're silly.

Personal photo: Making a Monty Python reference at a store in Savannah

Also, we have a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, who basically serves as the mascot of our relationship.  She suits us well, as she is short, awkward, sweet, and full of personality.

Personal photo: I think she was barking, but it looks like she's talking!

I have dreamed of sharing my wedding plans with you from the day I first found Weddingbee.  I have found all kinds of inspiration on the Bee...and it has been such an excellent resource because of all of the creative, intelligent, fun women who blog and post on here!  It's an honor to be here.  Thanks for having me, Hive!

Disney/Pixar's Up Inspiration

As I've mentioned before, Sr Groom's hot air balloon proposal was inspired by the film "Up" by Disney and Pixar.  I am an absolute sucker for Disney, and not just because I'm from Florida.  Sr Groom grew up in Florida as well, and he thought Disney was nothing but silly kid stuff...until I dragged him to Walt Disney World early on in our relationship and successfully convinced him otherwise.  My cousins have always been really into Disney, and I grew up looking up to my cousins as I would look up to older siblings.  We've always been close, and our memories growing up at Walt Disney World are among my most cherished.  Basically, they're to blame.

EPCOT with some of my favorite people in 2003

How could a Disney freak plan a wedding without a few subtle nods towards the mouse?  It's so whimsical, so romantic, so MAGICAL.  Everything about Disney just screams wedding to me.  Let's start where our engagement began: with Disney and Pixar's "Up."

The Wedding Chicks recently featured an "Up" inspired engagement shoot.  Of course, I just had to share with y'all!

All photos by Wildflowers Photography via Wedding Chicks

How adorable are the little grape soda buttons?!  You can get your very own Ellie badge on Etsy, here.  The Wedding Chicks loved this couple so much (and can you blame them?) that they documented their wedding day too.

All photos by Wildflowers Photography via Wedding Chicks

To make things even more adorable, the writer and producer of "Up" saw the e-pics on Wedding Chicks and sent the bride and groom a copy of "The Art of Up," complete with personalized hand drawing!

Wildflowers Photography via Wedding Chicks

Too cute.  Have you incorporated inspiration from a favorite movie into your wedding theme?  How so?

Finding the Right Words

Most of our wedding ideas thus far have revolved around the reception.  We've had our first dance song picked out since before we got engaged, I had imagined exactly what I wanted our centerpieces to look like, and have I mentioned the food?  I suppose this is pretty normal for most brides, but I find it ironic because, to me, the ceremony is the most important part of a wedding.

Here's my confession: the ceremony kinda intimidated me.

Source: The Flirty Guide

I'm Jewish and Mr. Lion is Catholic, though neither of us practice our faiths strictly.  We both believe in spirituality and in an individual religious identity, though neither of us really follow an organized pattern.  Though we do not feel that our religions are a huge part of who we are, we still wanted a somewhat religious ceremony.  I wanted to make sure that Jewish customs were included, but I wanted them to be presented in an interfaith manner.  Mr. Lion was actually much more flexible about his side of things; he wanted to allude to a higher power, but in a more nondenominational sense.

Upon considering all of these factors, it seemed as though it was going to be quite the challenge to have our cake and eat it too.  I mean, we were basically writing our own ritual!  How in the world do people do that?!  Well, I went on Weddingbee and looked into a few secular readings, as well as a few Christian readings, and a few Jewish traditions.  Their message board served as an excellent resource for finding exactly what I was looking for.  I bookmarked lots of things, and went back to avoiding planning the ceremony saved it for a rainy day to discuss with Mr. Lion.

Well, August 29th rolled around...our one-year engageaversary.  We decided to celebrate by choosing our ceremony readings.  I read my favorite bookmarks aloud to Mr. Lion, while he rated each one on a scale from 1-5.  Then, we narrowed it down from there and decided on several pieces that would become components of our ceremony.  Our overall favorite came from a sample interfaith Ketubah, a traditional Jewish wedding contract.  Though we don't plan to sign a Ketubah, we fell in love with this particular one's words.  In fact, we plan to rearrange it and use it in our vows.

From New World Judaica:

The bride and groom stood before family and friends, gazed upon each other and declared: “I have found you, whom my soul loves.  I bind myself to you, whom my heart desires utterly, passionately, and selflessly.  I vow to place you before all others, and nurture your mind, body and spirit.  I will forevermore hold you dear to me and stand by your side in both joy and sorrow.  I will dream your dreams and comfort you in times of challenge.  May our love continue to grow from strength to strength and intertwine us through the years as we create our family together. We will make a home in which the flow of seasons and the passage of time are marked according to our traditions, where the joy of children’s laughter rings in every room, and where we aid in the repairing and healing of the world.  According to the rituals of marriage, I make you holy to me with this ring.  May it be a sign of my love for the world to behold.  I enter with you, my beloved, into this.

The best part about choosing our ceremony readings was that we did it together.  I've done most of the wedding planning so far on my own.  Mr. Lion is always happy to offer an opinion when asked, but he's just not into it enough to take initiative.  I'm really glad the ceremony was more his thing.  It provided a level of comfort that allowed me to directly face something that was out of my comfort zone.  It was also incredibly romantic...reading through such meaningful words and imagining what it would be to hear them on the big day.  We're not the most romantic couple in the world.  We're silly and sarcastic, and we like having fun with each other.  This makes the rare sappy moments even more special.  I was so glad I got to share this part of the planning process with Mr. Lion.


What parts of wedding planning have intimidated you?  Has your fiance helped to pull you out of that funk?

Indulgences and Inconveniences

Hive, you will never guess what happened to me recently:

Sad day.

Yeah...that's my ignition.  Which was ripped out.  When my car was hotwired.  Like in a movie.

My car was stolen from our gated apartment complex, then found only a few hours later.  I was thrilled that they found it, but what ensued was a big fat mess.  I spent my entire Saturday at the East Point jail trying to obtain clearance to retrieve my car from the police's tow lot, and then I spent the next week on the phone with Allstate.  Also, we had scheduled a food tasting at our venue in the middle of all of this chaos.

I knew we couldn't cancel or postpone the tasting, which was scheduled for the evening of the day the car was stolen.  Our venue, Anthony's Fine Dining, has a different menu for events than they do for their daily restaurant.  They had set aside special ingredients to make special food just for us!  It would have been really rude to neglect that, but we were EXHAUSTED.  All I wanted to do was put on some sweatpants, take my rental to Chick-Fil-A, go home, and chill.  We decided to suck it up and not let our venue down.  We left the police station, changed into pretty clothes, and headed to Anthony's.

I was certain that we would not be able to relax and enjoy our meal.  A million questions raced through my head: How much is my insurance going to cover?  Is my car going to be okay?  Will this affect our wedding fund?!  As soon as we walked up to Anthony's front door, all of these questions vanished.  We felt right at home when we sat down to eat.  Our waiter was a breath of fresh air compared to the horrible customer service we had received everywhere else all day long.  And then there was the food.  OMG THE FOOD.

We plan to serve our wedding guests a sit-down lunch.  We'll have passed hors d'oeuvres, salad, an entree of their choice, and wedding cake.  Overall, we were trying to go for an "upscale Southern comfort food" vibe.  We started off with freshly baked bread served with Anthony's "signature butter," cream cheese mixed with sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and feta.  Then came the appetizers.  Mr. Lion ordered "Southern Spring Rolls," a barbecue-themed rendition on the usual Southwestern Egg Rolls.  I had a baked brie, which, though delicious, I could not envision our guests eating.  It was messy, and just not all that exciting.  Brie is a favorite of mine, but there's nothing special or unique about it.  Next, Mr. Lion had a chopped salad with bleu cheese and bacon, while I had a spinach salad with walnuts and dates.  Mr. Lion won that round too.  Spinach salad is yummy, but the chopped salad better fit our theme.

Finally, we received our entrees.  We had hoped to allow our guests to choose between chicken and fish.  There aren't any vegetarians in our family, we're having pork at rehearsal dinner, and beef sounded too heavy for the middle of the day.  We glanced through Anthony's menu and picked one of each to try first.  I think we may have gotten it right on our first try.

Mr. Lion enjoyed the New Zealand King Salmon...

A very happy Mr. Lion

...while I sampled the Chicken Pecan.

Clearly way too busy to smile at the camera


{all personal photos}

Both entrees were served with carrots, asparagus, mashed potatoes, and of course, fried green tomatoes.

In the midst of a very stressful week, one simple meal reminded us of all we have to look forward to, and confirmed that we chose the best venue for us.  What kind of things keep you excited about your big day?