Shed Some Light On Me Please

Today Moments That Shine went on a road trip and met up with the extremely talented and lovable Jessica of JBSmith Photography. We were in search for some new business shots and maybe a little gossiping over lunch. Good friends, good laughs, good times all around. The day didn't start off well with the missing of the GO Train and a bit of a rain storm (and humidity!) but I know in the end it was worth it.

While Jess makes us wait for the final product, I thought I'd post a few pictures of her on the job ... it's fun to turn the tables on the photographer for once ... even if it's only pictures of her back ;)



Here's Jessica snapping headshots for Crystal ...

And here's Nicole! (she turned heads like *crazy* all day)


We retired to a great Mexican restaurant afterwards in Jessica's hood for a little guacamole and other goodies. I thought some candids might be in order. I'm sure everyone was impressed :P


Look! Jessica's face! Sorry for the lighting ... blasted windows.



I think one of my favourite moments of the day was when two strangers jumped in and asked to take photos with us. I'm sure Jessica will pass along the result. Honestly, a total blast :)

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We're Gonna Be Alright

Today let's go with ...

“Along for the Bride”

One of my biggest struggles in the process of wedding planning has been the whole idea of “envisioning my dream wedding”. Most of the things I think I want (a pretty dress, good food, good music, and an open bar) are not based on some childhood fantasy, but rather on the things I’ve criticized about other peoples’ weddings.

Case in point: I realized that the physical staging of the ceremony was important to me not when I closed my eyes and pictured my own vows, but when I watched two friends stand awkwardly two feet apart during their ceremony a few weeks ago, largely because their officiant hadn’t given them direction during the rehearsal. While I’d never expect my partner and I not to hold hands during the ceremony, it was only then that it dawned on me how important it was. So, while I might not have my own unique wedding vision, I can at least envision the things I don’t want.

Only in ridiculing opulent wedding cakes in magazines did I realize that having one wasn’t important to me. Thankfully, the only dessert my fiancé wants at the end of the long day/night is a pizza-flavoured one. Our plan to go cake-less has met much resistance, but not from the usual suspects like mothers and aunts, but rather, from my decidedly non-married girlfriends. While slicing in to an overpriced slab of sugar has never been a part of my wedding vision, apparently the moment is something my friends, years away from their own weddings, have already decided is important, and think they I should think so, too. If it hadn’t been for Eva Longoria (-Parker) and the two page spread in In Style Weddings detailing her million-dollar meringue creation, I might have never realized that this is just not what we want, and that my hard-earned dollars are better spent on a sweet/savoury table that will please many more of our guests than any pretty pile of fondant ever could.

Still, it is becoming increasingly difficult to go about planning a wedding with only a “don’t do” list in my mind. Sure, I’ve torn pages from magazines of dresses and flowers I “think” are pretty, but how much do I really want these things? It is impossible to shop for a wedding dress when I cannot picture myself in one, and I have no sketches in my fourth-grade math notebook to remind me of what I’ve always wanted. Instead, I can sort of envision what I don’t want, and can see, clearly as wedding cake-topper, what others want for me.

In the end, the only thing I can really envision for my “dream day” is my fiancé and I as equals, surrounded by the people we love, having a good time and celebrating. And really, isn’t that all that matters? That, plus the glass of wine I envision in my hand. I am sure that if I stick to this vision, the rest will fall into place eventually.

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And Now To Me You're Everything

Another fabulous finalist in the blog contest!


Nervous isn’t the right word. Anxious either. Paranoid? Maybe.

I knew from day one that I liked her. Love her even. But what if she didn’t like me? That would be awkward to say the least.

I prepped myself that morning, took my time in the shower, blew my hair out nice, apply just the right amount of makeup and took a look at myself in the mirror. Yes, that would do.

I hopped in my car and parked at the designated spot agreed to by one of my bridesmaids, and got into her car.

“You ready?” she said with a smile.

“I think so.” I said back, clenching my fists, willing them not to go clammy.

We drove to our destination, got out of the car and made our way inside. I paced around nervously, telling myself that the meeting would be great. She would love me just as much as I love her and then there she was. Beautiful, still in her plastic. My dress. THE dress.

I pulled her out, slipped her on and had a store attendant help me with the back. I made my way to the mirror and instantly knew. She did love me just as much as I loved her. So much so, that she would make me feel like the most beautiful bride on my wedding day.

Needless to say, it was a match made in Heaven!

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You Are My Twin Moon

Our next featured blog entry is from a fun bride planning things from a bit of an untraditional angle ... it sounds like it's going to be great!

Here Come the Brides…

In general, I have found that living life as one part of a lesbian duo is less hassle than the straight alternative. When we see a new mother holding a baby we both grab our abdomens in that oh-God-I-wish-I-could-just-steal-him/her-and-move-to-Hawaii-kinda-way and totally get what the other is feeling. When my dear Aunt Flo has come to visit and having sex seems less appealing than dropping a cartoon anvil on my lovely fiancée’s head, she is able to hand me a bottle of Midol, rub my feet and not take any of my crazy-talk personally. Nobody in my household thinks that it’s funny to fart and hold somebody’s head under the sheets. I can dress my terrier in a leopard print jacket with pink-fur on the collar without a lot of flack (true story). And agreeing on a video at Blockbuster is actually quite easy.

So, I naturally assumed that planning a wedding with two creative, energetic and organized brides would be a snap. I mean how many times have I heard my straight girl friends complaining that their husbands were less than enthusiastic when it came to wedding planning? My friend Trish, barely audible through muffled sobs on the other end of my phone, saying “The tux, the tux, all he had do was order his own tux. Could he do that? Could he manage to pick up the phone and make that one simple call?” was ringing a bell as I sat in my perfectly clean (because no boys live here) condo imagining what would ultimately be my (err… I mean our) flawless wedding day.
Staring down at my black titanium engagement ring with the perfect princess-cut diamond sparkling under the glow of the energy-efficient light bulb my darling had just replaced in my desk lamp, I felt a little like the cat who ate the canary. But as anyone who watched Saturday morning cartoons as a child (or as an adult) knows, Tweety Bird generally struggles enough and eventually gets out of Sylvester the Cat’s mouth. That happened to me when my fiancée came into the room asking for my mother’s second cousin’s address. It went something like this:

Me: “Why do you need her address? The wedding is over a year away. Are we even inviting her?”
Her: “Yes we’re inviting her – you’re mother already emailed me her guest list and she’s on it. How am I supposed to send her an STD if I don’t have her address?”
Me: “You’re sending her a what?!”
Her: “A Save the Date card. I have three samples made. You can see them after you get me her address.”

Is having two brides in a wedding like having two cooks in the kitchen? I guess we will see. Hopefully our wedding will be made with two parts love, one part compromise and only a tiny, little dash of disagreement for flavor.

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There is Nothing I Could Hide From You

Quick! I neglected to post my Etsy finds last week! Let's get this done now ... the week doesn't end until midnight on Sundays, right?

Love the of monogramming your way through a wedding? This particular design is currently sold out (sorry ... I couldn't resist the picture though) but LSeabol has many other elegant designs ...


How about accessories for the reception?

Beads are a wonderful way to add colour and personality to the festivities. This server by tiemdye and this signing pen by breathtakingbracelet add that perfect splash of *you*!



I wouldn't be me if I didn't add some bling to the weekly finds, right? How about this hair pin by EricaBapst? I especially love the colours in the beads here.


And my favourite of the week???

Love love love this dress. It's not always easy to find the right bridal dress but there is a lot of choice. What about attire for the pint-sized girl of the day though? This find tells so much about the designer, couple and model, it's great! Made by cadenzaclothing.

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In Your Eyes I See That Perfect World

I would like to start sharing the wonderful blog entries with everyone. This one was on all of the judges' lists so we must have liked it ;)


The Proposal

Naked. In bed. At 2:00 in the morning on a Wednesday night. Or technically Thursday morning I suppose. Either way, this is NOT how I imagined my marriage proposal.

Ever since I was a little girl, I had this fantasy idea of how my proposal would take place. After a beautiful Saturday dinner out, I imagined going for a walk in some fantastically romantic park setting, near a river or something. Then, just like in the movies, my boyfriend would get down on one knee, gently take my left hand, beam a nervous smile up at me and pop open a Birks silver box containing the Ring while saying those four magical words... "Will you marry me?".

So getting engaged at 2:00 in the morning mid-week, with pillow tousled curls and tossed bed sheets; well, hearing those magical words being uttered in that setting was a bit jarring.

No we hadn't just rocked the world in that bed, prompting that sudden proposal. I wish! ;-) Instead, my partner and I had been winding up a long day of talking, crying and negotiating our future. Why tears? Because just yesterday, my man woke me up at the end of a night shift to inform me that he had orders to ship out to Afghanistan in February 2009. He will be gone for six months, possibly nine. Neither of us slept much after that news.


Yes he’s in the military, in one of those jobs so top secret I don’t really even know what he does on a daily basis. Me? I’m a graduate student in my second year, working on finding an acceptable thesis topic.

Given my studies, I hadn’t envisioned getting married anytime soon. But something about having this man I love go so far away for so long suddenly prompted images of wanting to officially be Mrs. Military. For him, it was a way to feel his “perfect girl” would be taken care of while he’s gone and know that I’d be here when he got back.

And so, the proposal happened. It happened not at all like it was in my childhood fantasies. Nothing about it was the same. There was no pretty dress, no fabulously romantic setting, no ring. Those four little words weren’t said on bended knee. In fact, they weren’t even uttered by him.

I was the one who said them, not him.

Oh.. yeah.. His answer?

“yes!... Yes yes yes yes YES!”

I’m so happy!

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Good Fortune's Found Me Out

The finalists for our annual blog contest have now been chosen!

After a grueling week of mulling things over with the other four judges, I'm happy to announce the talented and creative entries we felt stood out were from:

Katherin C
Kelly Y
Kristin I
Lauren S
Michelle W
Tamara P

Over the next little bit I'll be meeting with each lady or couple to get a feeling for their personalities and then will be back with the grand prize winner announcement!

Also, over the next few days I will be posting some of the entries so everyone can see why it was so difficult to narrow things down!

Cheers,

Susan

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Pulling Weeds in the Later Afternoon Sun - Fooooour!

Spring.

Probably my favourite season for flowers. Coming out of the winter funk, smelling the sweet scents and looking at the bright colours always lifts my spirits.

Here are a few lovely pictures for inspiration. As always, check for availability in your area. Also, please note that there are regulations in certain areas. For example, in Ontario dogwood is in bloom but since it's the provincial flower, florists are not permitted to sell it. If you want dogwood, look for a beautiful silk :)

Allium

Anemone

Apple Blossom

Billy Buttons

Celosia

Cherry Blossom


Daffodil

Dogwood

Freesia

Iris

Liatris

Lilac

Lily of the Valley

Lisianthus

Narcissus

Peony

Quince

Ranunculus

Snapdragon

Sweet Pea

Tulip

Violet

Waxflower

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Your Eyes So Blue So Bright

So I'm addicted to Etsy. That's not news. And because of the long weekend I'm overdue with my weekly bridal Etsy finds. I'll get to that as soon as I can.

I found something even cooler though. Well, it's amusing me right now, that's for sure.

Etsy :: Colours


You move your cursor over the page, find a colour you like, click and Etsy will automatically search it's database for any items listed that have that colour.

How AWESOME is that?!

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There's a Land That I Heard Of

I made a funny realization the other day. No, not that I'm not a big Judy Garland fan (see blog title). I was thinking about favourite movies and how much of a movie snob I am. I think we had just come home from The Dark Knight and were tearing it apart. Even though I loved that movie, I thought about all the others that were just okay in my books.

I'm a bit off my point though. I was thinking about my favourite movies.

My two most beloved flicks were made in different decades, have very different actors and draw very different viewers. Yet they make perfect sense to me ... and I only last week realized they are both (loosely) about the same thing ... weddings! More specifically, weddings to the wrong people. Don't let that keep you away from these movies though.

The first one is a movie most of you know, have scene and hopefully love. The Princess Bride. I don't think I need to really explain this one too much as I see couples add pieces of it to their own weddings (the below isn't me but I'm guilty as charged, too).



If you haven't had the opportunity though, sit down with it and be ready to laugh :)

My most cherished movie of all is one that not many people would suspect of me nor have many heard of. In fact, it gets mixed up all the time with another movie that is nothing like it. Then again, there is nothing like this movie.

The Philadelphia Story.

It's an old black and white flick with Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and James Stewart that I could put on repeat and watch over and over all day long. Honestly, I don't want to say anything about the movie other than FIND IT. It's not for everyone but even if I could convert a dozen or so people over to the splendor of the witty dialog, my job is done ;)

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