A "bee" to connect us together....

Weddingbee is a very special community and it's hard for me to put into words what it means to me. I really appreciate all the support I got during our wedding planning and even now as an old married lady. ;) 

So back last fall, a little over a month before my wedding, a thought occured to me. Wouldn't it be great if there was a way for all of us to have something to connect us together on our wedding day. And then I happened to stumble on these little guys:

It was like some kind of sign. So I message Mrs. Knitting and asked if she would like to start a new Weddingbee tradition. A tradition where we would pass these little guys from Bee to Bee so that each of us would be able to carry something with us that connects us together on our wedding day. Well Mrs. Knitting was just as excited as I was about the idea thus a new tradition was born. 

For the past 10 months we have been passing these little charms along to the next Bee getting married. Everyone has been free carry the charms with them how ever they wanted so there have been some really cool ideas. Want to see what a few of us did with them?

via Mrs. Meerkat / Photo by Del Sol Photography

via Mrs. Knitting / Photo by Josh Levinson

via Mrs. Elephant / Photo by Lynn Michelle Photography

via Mrs. Bunting / Photo by Bryan and Mae

via Mrs. Cheetah / Photo by Amelia Lyon

via Mrs. Cardigan / Photo by She-N-He Photography

via Mrs. Lox / Photo by Chad Lippiatt Photo

via Mrs. Jaguar / Photo by Follan Photography

via Mrs. Lioness / Photo by H. Photography

via Mrs. Eggs Benedict / Photo by Persimmon Images

via Mrs. Brooch / Photo by Meredith Perdue

via Mrs. Crepe / Photo by Phindy Studios

via Mrs. Rainbow / Photo by Jessica Charles Photography

via Mrs. Pain Au Chocolat / Photo by Heather Fowler Photography

via Mrs. Teaspoon / Personal Photo

I love reading through recaps and seeing the little charms. It really makes me feel like no matter the distance we are all connected. I am sure these photos are not the last you will see of these little charms as our new Bees are continuing the tradition. So keep your eyes peeled, you never know when a photo of them might pop up in a post. ;)

Did you / will you carry anything on your wedding day to connect you to someone else?

Meerkat's Mexico Budget

At first I wasn't sure I was even going to write this post. I would hate for anyone who stumbled across our budget to think that all destination weddings have similar costs. I am not going to lie, we splurged on a few things we really wanted. So please take our budget with a grain of salt.

Now for the breakdown. Originally our budget was $10k but as we went along, like most couples, we found a few things here and there that we decided to splurge a bit more on than originally planned (*cough* my dress *cough*). Eventually we settled on a $15k budget which to this day I am really happy with. Compared to the $28k it would have cost us back here in Michigan, Mr. Meerkat and I both felt we got a lot of bang for our buck.

Del Sol Photography

Mrs. Meerkat's Attire - $1624
My dress was one of the items we splurged on. I had planned to buy something simple and low cost but when I tried this dress on I fell in love. I tried on over 100 dresses before I found this one but when I put it on I actually started jumping up and down with excitement. I told Mr. Meerkat I wasn't going to buy it because of cost, he told me to go right back to the store and order it. Which resulted in a happy bride and  our first budget increase.

• Wedding dress: $1250
• Alterations: $84
• Custom Painted Shoes: $91
• Hair flowers: $15
• Necklace: $40
• Bracelet: $25
• Hair: $0 (gift from a friend)
• Makeup: $0 (gift from a friend)
• Manicure: & Pedicure $79
• Wedding Band: $40

Del Sol Photography

Mr. Meerkat's Attire - $489

• Custom suit & vest: $175
• Tie and Pocket Square: $14
• Wedding Band: $300

Bridal Party Gifts - $380

• Groomsman - Mexican Liquor (x2): $70
• Bridesmaids - Leather Makeup Case and Bracelet (x2): $90
• Moms - Necklace and Handkerchief (x2): $220

Misc - $332

• Invitations (x100): $125
• Bouquet & Pocket Photo Frames: $45
• 3 Parasol: $55 
• Suitcase Purses: $65
• Out Of Town Bags: $0 (Thanks to Mama-In-Law Meerkat)
• Guestbook: $42

Photography, Videography & Trash the Dress Session - $7125
Here is another area we splurged. We booked both Sol and our videographer for an additional two hours and added a trash the dress session. This was one of the bigger reasons we had to increase our budget but I can honestly say it was the best money we spent. The photos and memories we got from Del Sol are worth their weight in gold.

Rehearsal Dinner: $0 (Included in Resort Stay)
Cost really wasn't a factor on this one as Mama-In-Law Meerkat wanted to host this for us. But it just didn't make sense to head off property when the restaurants at the resort offered to host it for us for free. We made the right decision. The food was amazing and totally free!

Del Sol Photography

Ceremony (Al Cielo Hotel) - $2731
Booking Al Cielo for our ceremony comes in #2 on the what I would do again list (right behind booking Del Sol). Everything was just perfect, they treated us like royalty and the setting was beyond amazing. There were a few things I added in like the vases with bamboo and the root balls which added to the budget increase.

• Transportation To/From Resort: $120
• Al Cielo Venue Fee & Cocktail Hour: $1,500
• Included palm leaves and petals for aisle, benches, chuppah, welcome drinks, cocktail hour with hor 'dourves and bathroom decor
• Additional Decor: $444
• Bridal Bouquet: $90
• Outside Wedding Coordinator: $500
• Engraved Sandalwood Fans: $31.25
• Programs: $35
• Shell Ring Bowl: $10.75

Del Sol Photography

Reception (La Laguna @ Grand Palladium Resort) - $2766
The food was delicious and the drinks free flowing. They even setup a station for everyone to have flaming Mayan coffee. And our DJ, Bijan, kept the party going all night.

• Venue Fee: $0
• Four Course Dinner ($60 x 25): $1500
• Alcohol: $0 (included)
• Flowers: $325
• Cake With Flowers Added: $104
• Cake Toppers: $55
• DJ: $600
• Favors: $90
• Menus, Signs & Cork Stands: $22
• Meerkat Statue: $70

TOTAL: $15,447

So there you have it, the Meerkat's Mexico budget. We came in $447 over budget but for us that is pretty darn close! ;)


How are you doing with your budget? Are you close to your goal to?