mscandycorn

This kind of makes me feel like I’m on that “Diary” show that was on MTV. Did anyone else watch that? C’mon, you can admit it. I’m not judging! Lindsay Lohan would be like, “You think you know…but you have no idea!” and I’d be awake at 2 a.m. screaming at the television, “Oh mah GAH! What do I have no idea about!? Tell me more, Lilo!!” (Although, I believe this was before she was actually referred to as “Lilo," but oh well.) Anyway, I hope I can be at least half as entertaining as that fine television program!

Bee-coming a blogging fool (see what I did there?):

I’ve been blogging since 2002 on LiveJournal—in fact, that is where Mr. Candy Corn and I developed quite a bit of communication early on in our dating relationship and I think it really helped push us into coupledom because lord knows we were too shy to flirt with each other in person…or at least I was!

Applying to Weddingbee

I stumbled upon Weddingbee while Googling for inspiration for our bird-themed wedding. I remember scrolling through pages of bees while on my lunch break and wondering if I could ever have a wedding that was even a teensy tiny bit as amazing as Mrs. Strawberry’s or Lovebug’s.  I was obsessed with Indiebride and Offbeat Bride, but other than that I couldn’t find too many wedding resources that I could relate to—apart from Weddingbee.

I decided to start a LiveJournal specifically for wedding planning since I was boring my online friends to tears with my ramblings about favors and placecards on my personal LiveJournal.  I figured it wouldn’t hurt to apply to be a bee, so I did just that in December 2007. I was kindly told that they only had a few slots left, but that I could apply again in 4 weeks. So, I beefed up my blog and reapplied in early February 2008 in hopes that they would notice how much work I had put into it. I ended my entries with questions for the readers, even though I knew my mom and I were probably the only ones reading my entries since my blog didn’t have any followers that I knew of. I made it a point to take a ton of photos whenever we were doing anything wedding-related, so I wouldn’t bore potential readers with text-heavy posts.

In late March I was told that the hive had a large group of active bee bloggers and they were wondering if they could hold on to my application for a few months. I was thrilled that Weddingbee was even remotely considering me, but as a month passed I figured I didn’t have a shot since my wedding was slowly creeping up.

The day my co-workers would officially deem me a major nutball (if they hadn’t already) had suddenly arrived in early May. You could’ve heard me giggling and shrieking from a mile away in when I received the e-mail from Mrs. Penguin that the hive thought I would be a great addition to the Weddingbee team!  The available characters were carrot, taffy, candy corn, cookie, snapdragon and a slew of tropical fruits, so I went with candy corn since our wedding was in October—prime Halloween candy time! I couldn’t believe people actually thought my blog was worthy of Weddingbee attention and I double checked the calendar to make sure it wasn’t an April Fool’s Day prank. Mr. Candy Corn shared my excitement with me in the form of dancing in our living room, but I don’t think he truly realized how much it meant to me that I was accepted in such a fabulous community of creative & compassionate bloggers.

Advice for bee-lovin’ applicants!

If I had to give hopeful bees one piece of advice it would be to remain determined and at the end of the day, blog for your sanity. I can’t tell you how helpful it was to have a blog that I continuously referenced when speaking to our vendors about the mood we were going for, etc. The simple organization of having all of my inspiration and progress in one spot made it well worth the time it took to create a blog and fill out the initial Weddingbee application.

Why I heart Weddingbee for life

I’ve currently met 20 bees and a handful of awesome readers and I can’t even begin to express how wonderful it has been to develop such a strong relationship with so many of these folks. I have a gazillion bee crushes, but more importantly, I have a group of ladies (and men...*ahem* Mango!) who I know I can go to if I need someone to lend an ear and vice versa. Most of the time we aren’t even chatting about weddings, but knowing that our weddings brought us together makes me do an internal grateful, happy dance. I’ve really grown to love this community and can’t tell the bees enough how much they rock. Mr. Candy Corn and I were lucky enough to attend Mrs. D’Orsay’s wedding with eight other charming bees this past weekend and I had more fun there than at most of the other weddings I’ve gone to (shhh), and it was my first time meeting most of the other bees, so that’s saying a lot about how much we all just instantaneously hit if off when we meet.

Life after the lovefest

I still have about ten recaps left to go, but once I finish those and my wee bee stinger pulls out, I will still be around in the blogging world if you care to follow me! Currently, I ramble on a weekly basis at my illustration-obsessed personal blog, but who knows what the future holds! I have to admit, I still read Weddingbee every day and stay pretty darn active on the boards, despite being married for close to a year, and I don’t plan on removing Weddingbee from my Google Reader anytime soon!  

On a semi-related note, I’d like to wish Mr. Candy Corn a happy 7 year anniversary! Can we still count those now that we are married or do we need to start with a clean slate now? Hmmm....

You may recall from back in the day that "dancing" is a language I don't speak. I know that a lot of people say that they can't dance and then they bust out these amazing dance moves at their wedding and are obviously just being modest about the whole thing. That is not me, folks. I. Can't. Dance. I was the wallflower at junior high dances. I never went to prom. I hide behind centerpieces at weddings when I see everyone shaking their moneymakers (although I know Mrs. Champagne will not allow this when we go to Miss D'Orsay's wedding in a few weeks!!). Needless to say, neither Mr. Candy Corn or I were looking forward to our first dance. We didn't have room in our budget to invest in dance lessons and realized during our rehearsal dinner that we had never really practiced. Oops.( Read more... )

A lot of times I get asked the same question from my fellow twenty-something peers. "Why bother getting married when it's so expensive and nothing really changes?" My answer is simple. When else am I going to have an opportunity to gather together with everyone we love and celebrate life? These are the people who helped shape our lives (well, most of them anyway). I wanted them to know not only how much they mean to us, but also how much we love each other and appreciate them for supporting us through our crazy journey. Without further ado, here are some of the brave souls who call us their friends or family.( Read more... )

 

During the weeks leading up to our wedding, I gave myself a ton of DIY projects that I knew in my wedding-obsessed heart were absolutely unnecessary, but I insisted on doing them anyway.


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Although we've only been married for a little over nine months, I've noticed that being a wife also means being thrown into a culture obsessed with babies. There's a lot of pressure to pull off parenthood while trying to juggle married life and a career. Not to mention trying to be able to afford a house somewhere in the mix (since that's the next "step," afterall).


I think that too many newly married couples believe they need to have a child to complete that next phase in their relationship, while not really paying attention to whether or not they are doing what's best for the child. I don't think that's the way it is in the hive, but out here in the non-bee world I am seeing this happening more often than not. I am not going to say that I'll never have biological children, because (unfortunately) I'm not Miss Cleo and I can't predict the future. I have always wanted to adopt children--it's just a matter of being able to start saving up for our future together so we can give our child the best life possible.

I'll never forget being asked if I wanted to have children by Mr. Candy Corn via AIM the first day we started dating, like a minute or two after he asked me out (via AIM, folks). My first reaction was, "Whoa, we're moving a little too fast here, buddy!" but I responded honestly by telling him that the idea of having my own children both terrified me physically (don't get me started on vaginal stitches) and I also didn't think it was fair to all of the children out there who need families and are in foster care. That doesn't mean I judge those couples who choose to have biological children by any means. Although I agree that a little candy corn combo might be fun to see, I would rather open my home up to a child who is already out there without a family than focus on recreating my genetics and passing down our vertically-challenged awesomeness. It just gets a bit tiring to be told that a.) I'm selfish or b.) "You'll change your mind when you're older and that maternal instinct kicks in."

I have a wildly aggressive maternal instinct, thank you very much. It's the reason I have six pets and cradle them in my arms and make gushy "boo boo" mommy noises at them when no one is listening. But it doesn't mean that I want or need to have a baby of my own.

I see how good Mr. Candy Corn is with kids and how much he wants to be a dad and it makes me want to adopt so badly. One day. Just not anytime soon. Call me selfish, call me overly-realistic, but I just think I'm being reasonable. We are 25, living paycheck to paycheck, renting, in couples therapy and have so much more exploring to do as a couple before we'll be able to maintain a healthy & happy environment for a child.

I want to sleep in on Sundays and go to brunch together. I want a stable, thriving career and some money in the savings account. I want a mortgage. I want to foster dogs. I want to create artwork non-stop for a year and donate the proceeds to animal shelters. I want to embrace my inner child and wear footie pajamas whenever weather permits. I want to travel (I've never even been on a plane). I want to live my life with my husband before we devote years and years and all of our energy into (hopefully) being selected as adoptive parents.

I'm not ready to be a supermom and I think it's fine to admit that. Now, if only everyone else would accept that.

Does anyone else find themselves in a similar situation or are you buckling down and having children right away (please don't think I'm judging you if you are, I promise I am not a total bee-yotch)?

Guests were enjoying drinks and hors d'oeuvres during the cocktail hour, while the rest of us were taking formal shots outside in the Upper Garden. I was grinning from ear to ear while standing next to my husband (!!!!), so saying "cheese" wasn't going to be a problem for me. While posed shots really aren't our style, we wanted to have standard portraits that our parents and grandparents could frame or show their friends.( Read more... )

You'd think I could have made it through the ring exchange without causing a scene, but that would've been too easy! The officiant asked our maid of honor and best man to hand her the rings so we could get the show on the road. For some reason, I had my maid of honor hand me the ring and then realized she was supposed to give it directly to the officiant. Whoopsies! Of course this resulted in me mumbling to myself and apologizing for being such a space cadet, which made the wedding party burst with laughter. I told myself I would get through the rest of the ceremony calm, cool and collected with no more outbursts. Yeah, that didn't happen...

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It was time to read our vows. This was the moment I was dreading more than anything, apart from our first dance, which I was sure would cause me to have nervous poops. My brother had just finished reading "I Like You" when our adorable officiant turned to us and said, "I like you too." What was my reaction? I responded by doing my best Senator Clay Davis impersonation (for fans of The Wire out there) and saying, "sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyit." I stared blankly for a moment and wondered if I had really just said that. I glanced around at our giggling wedding party and gave Mr. Candy Corn a "I-so-hope-your-parents-didn't-just-hear-me-say-that!" grimace, while cackling hysterically. Luckily most of our guests were clueless and our videographer wasn't able to pick anything up. I took a deep breath and told myself it was time to get back to bid-ness. ( Read more... )

 

For our ceremony reading, Mr. Candy Corn and I agreed on a popular children's book, "I Like You" by Sandol Stoddard Warburg. The obvious choice was to ask my brother to read since we are so close and I wanted him to be involved in the ceremony in some way. His theater background certainly helped with capturing our guests' attention. I got the giggles part way through, from complete and utter nervousness, but tried to mask it by squeezing Mr. Candy Corn's hand for dear life.

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I was finally holding hands with my husband-to-be, after having just dealt with two very long minutes of wedding ring drama. Our lovely officiant, Natalie Kita of SoulMates, addressed the room with a confident, booming voice. I will be including the transcript of what was said in italics. Keep in mind she didn't actually say "Mr. and Ms. Candy Corn," since that would've majorly confused most of our guests.

"Welcome everyone. I want to begin by thanking you all, on behalf of Mr. and Ms. Candy Corn, for being here to share this wonderful day with them. They would like all of you, their family and friends, to understand that you mean the world to them and that your presence here makes their happiness complete."( Read more... )

It's been nearly two months since my last recap, which ended with me unveiling that I had realized I made a terrible mistake just before I was about to walk down the aisle. How's that for suspense? (That's how I roll.)
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A few hours before the wedding ceremony, I was spazzing out to my bridesmaids and Mr. Candy Corn's mom. I couldn't stop asking her for hugs because I was so nervous, I thought I was going to poo. Yes folks, when I get really nervous before a job interview or an event where I am in the spotlight (*cough* bridal shower *cough*), the stomach cramps start to come and I have to fight the urge to "drop the Cosby kids off at the pool." Luckily my stomach eventually got over the nervous jitters and there were no bowel movements in the bridal department (sorry, probably TMI). Although, I probably drained my wookie about three times during the hour leading up to our ceremony because I was so anxious.
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While the girls and I were rolling around in a limo, the boys were off in their secluded room on the first floor of the museum, preparing to take group photos. Mr. Candy Corn was especially nervous—he later told me how he tried his best to distract himself during this time from obsessing over what my dress looked like and how he would feel to see me walking down the aisle. He said that five minutes felt like five hours and how surreal it was to have the ceremony just moments away.
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This is the true story of six bridesmaids picked to ride in a limo, watch Beyoncé shake her booty and have their lives photographed. To find out what happens when bridesmaids stop being polite, and start getting sassy, click the "read more" link!
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Our Candy Corny Lovefest: The Bachelorette Party (Rated PG-13 For Brief Chocolate Nudity)
Our Candy Corny Lovefest: Our Rehearsal Dinner (The Last Supper As A Single Lady!)
Our Candy Corny Lovefest: Bridal Bouffants and Blushing Bridesmaids and Boobie Grabbing! Oh, My!
Our Candy Corny Lovefest: The Girlies Get Gussied Up

After getting our hair did (yes, I realize that is grammatically incorrect), my bridesmaids and I took a quick stroll to my hotel room at Sofitel Philadelphia, where we got dressed and ready to head off to the museum. The shot above is of me failing to tie a bow properly--the only way I know how to tie a bow is by doing it the old school way and "pulling the rabbit through the hole." Luckily my bridesmaids were much more savvy in the bow-tying department. We even ran short on the brown ribbon my gals wore, which I was fairly oblivious about at the time, but my maid of honor improvised by doing a cute cross-over sash on her dress.
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Hello hive! I'd like to apologize for the lack of post-wedding beecaps on my end.  I've been so stressed since the wedding ended, I haven't found the time to get back in the swing of things. I'm still job hunting, while Mr. Candy Corn is in school full time until he graduates in May. You may recall that we had planned on doing a double honeymoon with our friends to Italy, which we were super excited about. Now, it seems, we probably won't get to have a honeymoon at all, at least not for a few years (and can you really even call it a "honeymoon" at that point?).  The savings we have from our wedding gifts seems to be trickling out of our account to help pay with bills and crazy health issues our pets have been having (who knew chinchilla teeth could grow into their eye sockets!?). I suppose we could always try to save up for a mini-moon, but we'd much rather just keep saving over time for a vaction overseas, since I've never been outside of the country apart from a brief trip to Canada. 



In an effort to avoid seeming too grim, I'd like to provide you with a grainy, zoomed-in photo from our wedding, in which I was making my "holy shazbot, i'm about to get married!" face.  Note my totally chillaxed dad, who isn't even phased by my odd quirks anymore. And yes, I really am that pale.

Have any other brides out there had to put the honeymoon off after the wedding? I know it's common for married couples to want to save up for their mortgage, and then do the honeymoon after, but us lame arses don't even have that excuse.

On the morning of our wedding, around 7am, I received a text from Mr. Candy Corn asking me where our iron was (if you recall, he was staying at our apartment while I stayed at the fancy hotel...sweet deal for me!).  Turns out that Mr. CC ended up accidentally leaving the iron on for two whole days while we were staying at the hotel after the wedding.  I came home to a blazing iron and fresh mouse droppings in the kitchen.  I teased Mr. Candy Corn because I had only left him alone for a few hours and he had managed to nearly burn our apartment down and attract a posse of cheddar rice cake-destroying rodents with his unswept crumbs.

Anyway, Mr. CC and I had both woken up around 4am because we were too giddy to sleep.  After taking advantage of some free HBO, I decided to entertain myself by making a stop at Dunkin' Donuts to fuel my bridesmaids. They had agreed to meet me at my hotel in the wee hours of the morning, so we could walk a few blocks to the Jason Matthew Salon, where we got prettified. The salon was closed to the public in the morning, so we had the whole place to ourselves, which was fan-tabulous.  Jason & Joe were our amazing stylists, while Karen took care of the makeup for my mom and I. ( Read more... )</div>

Mr. Candy Corn being a smirkypants on the eve of our wedding.

I apologize for the delay in my beecaps!  I know, I know, no excuses!  In all honesty though, I've been job hunting (with no luck) non-stop during my free time, which hasn't left me with much of a life.  I'll get down to business now and start recapping our lovely rehearsal dinner, which took place at Teikoku Restaurant and was hosted by Mr. CC's parents.

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Back when I was 15, my parents and I would visit my brother who lives in NYC every few months.  Although I had fun going to art museums and soaking up all of the culture the Big Apple had to offer, I decided that as an obsessive Saturday Night Live Fan, it was time for me to head to NBC Studios where my dreamy high school crush, Jimmy Fallon, spent most of his days.  You see, I was in love with Jimmy and I was convinced he and I were destined to be together.  After all, we both wrote song parodies and liked the same bands, how often does that happen!?  It was love at first sight...minus the whole sight part, considering we had never met.  That is, until one day when I popped my SNL-stalking cherry. 


My MOH, Will Ferrell and a 17-year-old Miss Candy Corn with even worse hair than Will.

As a side note, I also ran a website devoted to Jimmy and my love for him and his pretty boy hair.  Keep in mind the only design program I owned at the time was MS Paint, thus the extensive use of the graffiti spray effect.  Unfortunately, due to the fact that I forget my username and password, the site still exists out there in cyberspace, mocking me for all of eternity. Luckily, it crashes after you browse a few pages because Geocities is lacking in more ways than one.

I now present to you my word-for-word, 15-year-old recap of my first trip (one of at least six trips) to NBC Studios.  Prepare yourself for run-ons galore and the excited babbling of a stalkerholic: ( Read more... )