There's a New Bee on the Block!

(Below is my introductory post that will be featured at the end of this week on Weddingbee)

I am SO excited to say that I've been chosen as an official blogger for WeddingBee.com!  WeddingBee is one of the most popular wedding sites out there read by about 4 million users each month, and has been invaluable to me throughout the wedding planning process.  I've been lurking the boards for quite some time for advice on everything from invitation wording to bridal undergarments.  I've always had a passion for writing, so I recently decided to start blogging about my wedding as a creative outlet, hobby and "time capsule" (to have a record in the future of when my life was consumed with wedding planning).

I shared the blog with a few friends and after receiving really positive and enthusiastic feedback, mustered the courage to submit my application to become a blogger for the Hive.  After applying, I obsessively checked my inbox the past few weeks waiting to hear back and tried to stay positive (even though the 5% acceptance rate amongst a fierce pool of applicants definitely prepared me for a rejection).

So earlier this week when I received an email from the site's editor-in-chief, Mrs. Penguin (each blogger receives an anonymous character name on the site for privacy reasons), I was extremely nervous (let's just say I'm the not best when it comes to handling rejection).  However once I opened the email and saw the words "...think you'd be a great addition to the weddingbee team" I screamed, did a cartwheel and called my mom.  I am so excited to be part of this community with so many clever and interesting brides-to-be and can't wait to share my story with you all!

Without Further Ado, Introducing...the Mongooses!!
(this is the character name I chose and how I'll be referred to on WeddingBee moving forward)

Mongooses at a friend's rehearsal dinner in NYC / Personal Photo

Mongooses drinking huge margaritas in Cancun / Personal Photo

Annual Santacon bar crawl in New Haven, CT.  Mr. Mongoose takes being Santa very seriously (hence the dyed beard) / Personal Photo

 Mr. Mongoose and I met over 7 years ago at a house party we were both attending with friends who knew the hosts.  We pretty much hit it off immediately and as cheesy as it sounds, I truly believe that our random meeting was meant to be (I don't believe in coincidences).  In fact, we consider the day we met, September 17th, our anniversary since it was such a special and unexpected moment for us both.  The first 4 years of our relationship was long distance and we were lucky if we saw each other one or two weekends a month.  It was one of the hardest things we've ever done but it helped solidify our relationship.

Around the 4 year mark and after much discussion, we finally decided to move in together and it has been an amazing experience (although I made it very clear to him that he would have to put a ring on it if everything worked out lol).  Mr. Mongoose and I complement each other is many ways, both in terms of our similarities and differences and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be marrying someone as wonderful and caring as him.

Mr. Mongoose is the most incredible guy I've ever met.  He has this infectious and fun personality that people immediately gravitate to.  He is one of those people who can have a conversation with absolutely anyone and is usually the center of attention.  He is driven, ambitious and very successful in everything he does.  At the same time, he is absolutely hilarious, extremely supportive, never takes himself too seriously (unless he's playing a board game...he is very competitive) and is a closeted nerd (he loves video games and all things tech).  We are the ultimate team--I am a born planner and he is a born executor (perfect example of this is that throughout the wedding planning process, I've been the one to do the research, organize everything and set up the meetings and he is the one who negotiates the $$ and contracts).  He is a die-hard Green Bay Packers & Milwaukee Brewers fan. Oh, and the man can dance.

Mr. Mongoose bustin' some sweet moves at a friend's wedding in Jamaica Photo / Joshua Jackson (friend of groom)

We are having a peacock-themed destination wedding in Montreal, Canada, in a part of town that has a very Parisian look and feel.  While the wedding itself will be formal in nature, we are planning on having one CRAZY party with lots of dancing...and a 9 hour open bar!

Some fun facts about the Mongooses:

- We both have the exact same birthday, May 10th (just born in different years).
- I am from New York and of Haitian descent & Mr. Mongoose is from Wisconsin and of Italian-Norwegian descent.
- One of our greatest passions is traveling.

Mongooses taking a cooking class in Florence, Italy / Personal Photo

Mongooses in Cinque Terre / Personal Photo 

Mongooses pretending to be in a Corona commercial in Mexico / Personal Photo

- We are both obsessed with music and have traveled to 3-day music festivals across the country 

At Lollapalooza in Chicago, IL / Personal Photo

At Austin City Limits in Austin, TX Photo / Honda Photobooth

- Our favorite band in the world is the Arcade Fire (a Montreal-based band) and our ultimate fantasy would be for the band to perform at our wedding (never gonna happen but a couple can dream!!)

Mr. Mongoose managed to sneak us all backstage at Lollapalooza to meet Win Butler, the lead singer of the Arcade Fire..he's crafty that one  / Personal Photo

- On a whim, I discovered a few weeks ago through some sleuthing on Google Maps that we grew up exactly 917 miles from each other.  9/17 is also our anniversary.  Spooooky!!!  As you can see, I am quite the numbers geek and obsessed with connections behind numbers, thanks to shows like Lost.

For you Losties out there, you'll recognize these as Hurley's numbers on the hatch from Lost Photo / Lostpedia.Wikia.com

So that's the Mongooses in a nutshell!  I am thrilled to be part of the Hive and to share more stories about our experience planning our upcoming nuptials.  Let the games begin!