Going to the Chapel and They're ...

The day is finally here for kd_2B_kk!

You'll notice that she & I have been conspicuously absent for the last little while. I have been knee-deep in plans for her as well as some other business ... she's been readily getting prepared for what is to happen later this afternoon!
I can't wait to get on site and start arranging all of the lovely things I've already seen ... along with the surprises I'm sure to find in the detailed boxes put together by Mom :)

I promise to take many pictures and get them up here as soon as possible. I know the lovely bride has many friends who are eagerly awaiting the outcome as they have been wishing her well all week long.

She's sure to have a beautiful day filled with happiness and love!!!

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Honeymoon

Okay, I know you read the title and said "Whoa! first thing's first! Get yourself married first!" But I just HAD to share this with you. From the start, Adam and I talked about possible honeymoon options. We reviewed every pocket of the world possible! Hawaii, Japan, Dominican, Cuba, Germany...the list goes on and even includes road trips to various North American destinations (or via points!). Eventually, we decided that with our limited vacation time as well as to avoid pushing financial limits, it would be best to forgo a honeymoon.

Whenever I heard others talk about honeymoons, traveling, the Caribbean, and the like I admit, I got a little down about our decision. I felt like I was missing out on a big part of the wedding process. But its funny how things just happened.

It started with Adam talking about his vacation time from work. He said that no matter what (IE with or without me) he was going camping the week after the wedding because it was his only time off for the year (aside from the wedding week). I said I would consider going. He started advertising to friends on a camping message board that he was going camping for his honeymoon. Even hard core campers said "are you nuts?" and lots of arguments were made concerning chilly April/May nights. One of the campers, in their wisdom, suggested a resort just outside the provincial park. Its a 5 star resort, but its got all the outdoor activities one would want from a camping excursion.

So we booked ourselves a honeymoon. Its SO us, its budget friendly (just the cost of a tank of gas+ accommodations) Something strange happened after we booked it. suddenly, there was something to look forward to. Okay, no its not like I've been dreading the wedding itself. But all of this work, stress and worry for one day kinda seemed to not really even out in my mind. But knowing that whatever happened that day, we were getting away and having a little holiday kinda makes everything that much easier to face.

I open my emails and answer the phone with a little more ease today thinking of the honeymoon. I'm SO glad it worked out this way and I'm not even there yet!

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And the Night's in a Paper Cup ...

I am in love.

I was browsing through some stores when I came upon http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif Estilo Weddings ... it stopped me right away because of their green line of products but I have to say, those aside, I still love it! Check out some of the gems ...



What a brilliant display of colour and how special would you feel to have this at your place setting???


For the more environmentally conscious (and we all should be ;)) how about these as favours? They're made from real trees, no damage is done and everything is hand-crafted ...


And if you have kids at the wedding, how about keeping them busy with a recyclable vase they can draw on?



Once again, check out their site ... I know I can't wait to explore more of it!

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Finally it Has Happened to Me

Finally.

I've kept the photos from her long enough! Last weekend Blogger Bride's invitations were completed ... wooooo!
Compliments must be given to her and Blogger Groom not only for patience in the odd compromise but also for choosing an absolutely FUN and UNIQUE design to bring to life. I love the final product (I think it's in my top three of favourites) so I do hope Blogger Couple loves it just as much.

Now enjoy some pictures!


* please note all confidential information has been removed so some photos look scarce

Here is the front ... names have been taken out of the gray plate but you get the idea ... Blogger Couple chose a great moss green linen to flank the front and back of the invite.


The first insert is the formal invitation. Don't worry ... there are actually names & details there. We just didn't want all of Blogger Bride's fans crashing the wedding ;)


Insert two hold the details for the hotel & shuttle bus going to & from the reception site.


This is going to look funny since the first map is blank but trust me ... it looks phenomenal!


Blogger Couple opted for a postcard style RSVP and I couldn't be happier with the outcome! Since everything is fastened together, the RSVP is perforated at the side to make things easier on the guests.


And again, here's an overview.
Everything fans out (but doesn't fall out ;)). Trendy, cool, very Blogger Couple!!!

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Digital Retouching

I get asked a lot by clients about my additional retouching that I do for my boudoir portraits. Often people look at my boudoir portraits and think that there is no way that they could look that good! It is really amazing what a little Photoshop can do to enhance a portrait. For my retouching, I take out any imperfections, smooth out the skin and pump up the contrast to make it the beautiful image that you then see! Here are some samples of the before and after of a few photograph that I took of a lovely bride this past weekend.

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Here Comes the Rain Again

With the dreariness of the past month are you looking forward to a brighter March? We certainly are. So much so that we’ve added a new focus to Moments That Shine. Our event planning services will be gearing from the normal bridal white to GREEN!

After researching, making some new connections & taking a look at the growing trends in everyday life, it just makes sense to try and change people’s mentalities when it comes to weddings. For years those concerned about the environment have touted receptions as needless & wasteful … but that can be turned around. If you’re planning a wedding, there are definitely things you can do to make the event more eco-friendly … at the very least you can reduce your environmental footprint of the day. We have grown our list of vendors to include organic, planet-conscious companies. We would all love to sit down with you and turn your event into something Mother Nature would be proud of. Until you make that call or email, here are some important tips on reducing waste on your wedding day …

• Have your celebration in one location only. Is there really a need to have everyone pack up & go from location to location when there are plenty of all-in-one venues that would be only too happy to have you?

• Buy local. Everything from catering to flowers to wine can be purchased in your area. Not only would you be supporting local businesses by hiring them but you would also be cutting down on major carbon emissions. Plus those carrots are going to taste extra yummy when they come from your backyard!

• Reformat your RSVP cards. Instead of the traditional RSVPs with card stock & an envelope, format them as postcards (all the info, less paper). If you want to go one step further, do away with RSVPs all together & set up an email address for guests to reply to.

• Forgo the traditional wedding favours. We often get caught up in wanting to give our guests a lovely trinket as a thank you for attending the wedding. Unfortunately most of these end up in landfills after the wedding. To ensure this doesn’t happen, instead make the favour reusable, a donation to your favourite charity or simply skip it completely.

• Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Yes, this should be applied to your wedding just like you fill your blue bin up every week.
Do you really need all those flowers? If you look at your surroundings you’ll probably spot some great focal points already there … use them.
Make your centrepieces potted plants and have them double as the guests’ favours.
Check out the vintage clothing stores in your area … there may even be stores with once-worn dresses. Rather than buying new you can find something in great shape and contribute to a good cause.

There are many other things you could do but we can’t give all of our ideas away. We need a reason for you to call. Rest assured we will help you come up with ideas to be gentler to your surroundings during this joyous occasion. We would love to sit down over a cup of tea for a chat about your wedding. And who knows … we may even find some ways to save you money while we’re at it!

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There's a Ribbon in the Sky for Our Love

Thumbing through my favourite wedding magazine again recently and I've fallen in love with a few dresses. One in particular is just too cute that I had to post a couple of pictures of it ...

I adore detailing when it comes to *the* dress ... probably because mine didn't have much. I wore the perfect dress for myself but every time I see one of my brides getting married I can't help but realize how lucky they are to have had so much more to choose from than I did. I don't regret what I bought for one second (perhaps I should post my story, too!) ... I just love looking at pictures like these ;)

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You Got to Cry Without Weeping

Let me preface this post by saying it has absolutely nothing to do with business. Before this blog I, like many other internet geeks, had a personal blog I updated every once in a while. I've given that up though because there just aren't enough hours in the day anymore. If you would, I ask for your indulgence on this very very very sad day.

And remember, everyone has quirks.

Last night, my beloved Vancouver Canucks were ousted out of the playoffs race. I can take it. I'm a grown-up. Disappointment happens. But it doesn't end there.

When I was eighteen I fell in love with Trevor Linden. (Dear Husband, if you read this for some reason, don't be threatened ... I was a teenager :P)
I was your typical puck bunny and followed him around, watched or listened to every game, and was devastated when he got married. Yes, I know how ridiculous that was but it's a glimpse into my history.
Well, with the Canucks out of the playoffs this year, their last remaining game on Saturday will likely be Trev's last. *cue the sad music* Fans are preparing signs to take to the game, many #16 jerseys will be worn and I'm guessing a few chants and ovations will happen. Of course I have to watch this from my living room since I'm thousands of kilometres away but such is life.

Anyhow, all of this to say, if you call me today or tomorrow, be prepared ... the Legare household is in mourning.

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The Dress

This major event happened a while ago for me, but since it was before the blog started, I’ll take a trip back in time (ala Wayne’s World with the squiggly lines) and tell you a bit about the experience.

Of course, like most brides-to-be, I started drooling over dresses online the second the ring was on my finger (who am I kidding?? BEFORE the ring was on my finger). I stumbled across a website of a woman who created a business going to trunk shows and things and buying up new, but out-of-season discounted dresses and reselling them from her home. She passed on the savings, without the bride having to attend any of those maddening events. She posted pics of all of her dresses online. Bridal Porn! She’s has closed her business since, which is a shame, so I won’t bother mentioning what it’s called.

Anyway, I found a Pronovias dress that I loved on her site. And it was ridiculously reasonably priced! I decided that despite the fact that we had just gotten engaged and our wedding was still 20 months away- I had to try it on. But I wanted to try on a whole slew of dresses before that one just to be SURE that it was “The Dress” (as brides call it).

My bridal party is pretty much all overseas, but I’m lucky enough to have a insane amount of girlfriends willing to stand in. So I took FIVE girls with me to The Bride’s Project and had them pick out their favorite dresses. They all have very different tastes so it was a great way to try on a bunch of styles that I normally wouldn’t have chosen. The day was fun, in part because The Bride’s Project was fully booked, but Helen insisted that I stay and try things on in her bathroom. So we have the most hilarious pictures of me trying on dresses while standing on a toilet!! But none of them trumped “The Dress”.

A toilet dress (note to FI- not my real dress!):



So off to Mississauga we went. Again, I tried on about a million dresses before I even let myself touch The Dress. None were right. And then there it was; in all its Pronovias glory. I tried it on and it was a slam-dunk. After watching me try on dozens and dozens of dresses, all five girls said, “yes, that’s it, no question.” I didn’t buy it that day. I went back again with my mother and my matron-of-honour who, lucky for me, had flown in from the UK. They both gave it the thumb’s up. I handed over the cash, and it was done. 20 months before the wedding, I had my dress in my hands. I have had plenty of time to ogle other wedding dresses, and there’s TONS that I love, but no other dress is The Dress for me.

72 days until I get to wear it. Tee hee.

~bb~

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23 days to go...the stages or reality.

The countdown is on. I mean REALLY on. I cant describe how real it feels.

You see, the first few weeks after we got engaged (December 25th 2006), It became 'real' on a certain level as we formulated our basic vision and tossed around ideas. But the "realness" was comparable to answering "what do you want to be when you grow up?" when you are 5. I mean, its inevitably going to happen, but its such a stretch from the reality you are living in the moment that anything you come up with feels like its all talk.

The next "level" of reality hit the 366 days to go mark (366 because it was a leap year in case anyone forgot). A year is a funny little measurement. Seriously, think about it doesn't seem that long ago, then think about everything that's changed last year. In case you've had a really uneventful year, I'll provide an example. This time a year ago, my brother and his girlfriend were renting an apartment and living as most in their early twenties. Working full time, occasionally going to the bar...fast forward to now, they are engaged, have bought their first house, and she's on mat leave as they have a 2 month old boy! See? lots can change in that little time! So there was definitely some new level of reality a year before the wedding date.

Even bigger was new years. I went from being an "I'm getting married next year" bride to "I'm getting married in 4 months" bride.

The biggest reality level so far was last week when I realized I had 30 days left. We were no longer dealing with years, or months, but DAYS!! (True, we could still use weeks, but it doesn't seem to happen. Its mostly DAYS!).

For the first time I started to understand why people were asking "Nervous yet?" I used to think it was a stupid question that I never quite knew how to answer (Keep in mind, I still had a certain level of inability to comprehend that this was reality and not just planning for a wedding in some alternate universe). I even went so far as to tell people I thought this was the bridal equivalent of the trick question when a girl asks a guy if these pants make me look fat!

Now I'm having a hard time realizing how that would be a trick question because the answer is an overwhelming YES.

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Just Another Manic Monday

Ooooh ooooooo. Except it is Tuesday. Ooooh ooooooo.

Don't mind me. It feels like I've had two insane Mondays in a row and there doesn't appear to a let up in sight this week! You may notice that I wasn't able to update the blog much of last week ... and if I had my crystal ball in front of me right now, I would probably see the same kind of week this week. ACK! In fact, I'm updating now solely to prove I'm alive and thinking about you all ... even though it's after ten o'clock at night.

To give you an update on a planner's life in the springtime, here's what my couple of weeks is shaping up like ...


- finish blogger bride’s invites
- go over wedding update with kd_2b_kk
- send quote to client getting married in 2009
- send invitations details to new client
- catch up with planner colleague
- meetings with OSEB (don't worry ... I know you don't know what that is)
- meetings with Town of Whitby
- meeting at Cullen Gardens
- finalize budget for trade show
- finalize registration forms for trade show
- phone & then email approx. 100 businesses regarding participation in trade show
- prepare for April 10th trade show workshop
- check in with all Spring & Summer brides
- finalize draft invitation for a December bride
- start draft invites for two Summer brides

Life isn't like this all the time. It can always get busier (and likely will). Luckily I thrive on always working and keeping the pulse on all the details!

That and lucky I have a blog where I can write down my to-do list ;)

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Behind the scenes

ERIN - Weddings can often be a time of high stress. Here at Periwinkle Flowers we really feel it is our job to lighten your work load and make things less stressful and more enjoyable for a bride and groom. So I thought this week’s blog should be dedicated to letting brides out there know what we are doing behind the scenes to make sure her wedding flowers are exactly as she imagined. When you are comparison shopping for flowers you’re not just buying the wedding bouquet of your dreams, you’re buying the service that comes along with it.

JESS- That’s right Erin. It doesn’t matter how gorgeous the centerpieces you’ve chosen are, they also need to be constructed properly from product that is at just the right stage (open enough to look perfect, but not so much that it falls apart before party’s end), and they also need to be at the right place at the right time ( i.e. your venue, not someone else’s!), placed by someone who will ask the tough question of the linen person if the tablecloths are a sketchy looking stripe when we know the bride is expecting damask (seriously, this has happened).

ERIN – that is right, on the day of the wedding we take care of everything for you. Consider us your “flower wedding planners” We deliver flowers to the bride’s house - usually her bouquet, the bridesmaid’s bouquets and boutonnieres and corsages for her family. We often decorate the house with flowers as well. Then we deliver flowers to the groom’s house – boutonnieres and corsages for his family. Next it is off to the church where we deliver and set up large ceremony arrangements that stand on pillars on either side of the bride and groom, pew flowers, aisle runners and signing table arrangements. We discreetly wait for the ceremony to finish and then we move all of the ceremony flowers from the ceremony location to the hall. At the hall we place all of the centerpieces on the tables, decorate the head table, place flowers in the washrooms, decorate the cake and cake table, and find suitable places to put all of the flowers from the church. On top of all that like you mentioned we are constantly checking to make sure everything is perfect and as it should be. All of this usually takes two of us the entire day, and that is just what goes on the day of your wedding, there is a lot of work involved behind the scenes to get to this point!

JESS- right- those are all the things you can obviously see happen, but we are also working months ahead of your day planning your flowers. We spend a lot of time dealing with growers and suppliers to get the exact shade of rose for example, and are constantly checking in to make sure everything will be exactly what you want. The week of your event the flowers are received, checked and processed, and we have to carefully watch and gauge the blooms to get them to be at the perfect stage of openness for the big day. Containers are received and all have to be checked over for any problems and are cleaned and prepped during the week of. Phone calls are made to the various venues involved to coordinate our arrival and set up- and the days timeline is set.

Erin – and don’t forget we actually spend up to two full days making the flowers. So as you can see there is a lot of work involved in designing wedding flowers on the day of your wedding and months in advance.

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It's Not Easy Being Green

Recently I had the distinct pleasure of meeting up with a woman trying to make a difference in the world. Allison Greenbaum's brainchild Little Green Book of Savings is garnering more and more attention across the GTA and I couldn't be more thrilled for her.

When I met Allison she explained the purpose flawlessly. Her inspiration was the ever-popular Entertainment Book of Savings (you know that big ole book of coupons you can purchase that contains deals on food, cinema and other goodies?). Her book has a twist though. All of the coupons inside either reduce environmental impact, are good for the environment, good for body, health, mind, spirit or involve entertainment. For example, my very favourite restaurant in town (Butler's Pantry) has coupons for free beverages ... you know I'll be using those ones!



Yesterday Allison was featured on City News. She's working tirelessly to bring attention to her cause and it looks like it's catching on! To view the piece on City News, visit the link and to learn more about this fantastic book of savings (only $20 with $4000 worth of savings and I can attest it is worth it!!!) go to Allison's site ... of course if you would like any more information, feel free to ask me as well!

And before I forget, the book also has a great section on Green Living and Tips ... it really is fantastic!

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It's All Been Done ... Woo-hoo-hoo

Blogger Bride & Groom's invitation sample is done!!!!! It is currently in the trusty hands of Canada Post en route to Blogger Bride's work.

I've taken pictures of the final product but BB has decided she wants to hold it in her hands first before the world can see it. Send any of your boos her way :P

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The Clock

Time just started ticking a whole lot faster for us. We are officially under three months away from getting married. It seems very REAL now. Realer than real. People have started asking me if I’m nervous. I never quite know what they mean.

Am I nervous about marrying the man I’m marrying? Nope, not a bit, hasn’t even crossed my mind.

Am I nervous that something will go wrong, that we are horribly unprepared? Nope. Susan has taken that worry right off the table.

Am I nervous about having a whole day where I am the centre of attention? Hells no. I think every day should be that way!

Frankly, I think they just like trying to mess with my head. But no go, I’m not so easily spooked.

I’m also getting the old, “It’s not to late to run away, you know” haha. Nah, then Susan’s planning will all have gone to waste!

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Being green-Part two

ERIN - So Jess, last week we started talking about going green and what we here at Periwinkle Flowers already do to try and help the environment. We told our readers about socially responsible roses. What else would you like them to know?

JESS- I don’t think people in general realize how much of our product here in Ontario is actually locally grown. We buy locally as much as possible- the quality is superb, the freshness is guaranteed, we’re supporting Ontario farmers and saving on all the emissions involved in importing product. The best way to make sure you are buying local for your wedding is simply to ask your florist- but you can help make it possible by choosing flowers that are season. Right now if you’re asking for cherry blossom, iris, tulips and more …the list of spring flowers is a long one, the florist will be getting it locally.

ERIN – take a look at this adorable arrangement (at top) we designed for new spring menu. It is filled with a whole mixture of hot pink flowers. The Gerbera daisies, hyacinth and anemones are all flowers grown in the Niagara region. The miniature spray roses come from a farm that grows their roses hydroponically resulting in less pesticides being released into the environment than traditional growing methods. The gorgeous large hot pink roses are from one of the socially responsible farms in Ecuador that we spoke about in our last posting

JESS- You know what makes me really happy is that these are all easily available flowers and from normal floral suppliers- you could be buying green without even knowing it! For every season there are floral choices brides can make that are “eco” while still being affordable, and even *gasp* glamourous!.

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Oops! I Did It Again ...

I neglected to post a picture of what look we're generally modeling Blogger Bride's invitation after! It won't be exactly like this one below but it's a pretty fair representation ...

It will be a bit of a fancy luggage tag-fan combo and in the end we're hoping to make it an oblong creation that will fit into a letter-shaped envelope. I can't wait to see the end sample!

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Like A Bird On The Wire

There's a relatively new wedding resource site available to you! Wedding Wire gives a plethora of information including vendors in your area, planning resources, wedding websites, a travel guide and even the opportunity to receive prizes just for reviewing your vendors!


Moments That Shine is proud to not only be listed on the site but as reviews are coming in from previous brides, we will be adding a bit of a preferred vendor logo to our site. Yay! Also, marthastewart.com has come on board and will also be listing vendors on Wedding Wire. It's a great site that is always expanding and looking to help out brides any way they can ... check it out!!!

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1, 2, 3, 4 ... Tell Me That You Love Me More

We don't have four yet but we're finished with three!

Blogger Bride's invites are underway ... just putting the finishing touches on the green covers. The white pages are complete though so I thought I'd share. Remember, none of the details are true to Blogger Bride's wedding so don't be showing up at the Bata Shoe Museum to watch her 'I Do's" ;)

The Main Invite ...



The Accommodations and Shuttle Bus Insert ...


And the Map Insert ... there are actually two maps (hence the white space) but one was deleted from this picture for privacy reasons :)


You'll notice the gray behind the invites. That was so I could show the rounded corners. The bottom will keep the rounded corners but the top is actual going to be cut in a bit of a triangle shape ... imagine a luggage tag top :)

We're almost there!!!

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Lipstick Tips!

When consulting with Brides on their makeup wishes for the day of their wedding, I always stress that the only item that will not last all day is the lipstick. And for very good reason. Our Wink Cosmetics lipsticks are lead free.

Recently, a friend forwarded me an article about some of the most popular brands having high amounts of lead in their lipsticks. So it prompted me to remind all of my clients once again the dangers of purchasing lipsticks boasting countless hours of staying power.

Quite simply, the longer the lipstick lasts, the more lead it contains. And we all know that lead is not exactly great for our bodies. But you do have a choice. There are many cosmetic brands that offer lead free lipsticks that don't last for hours on end, but are comfortable, colorful and most of all safe. All you have to do is refresh your lips more often throughout the day, especially after eating.

If you don't know if your preferred brand contains lead, here's a simple test.
Put some lipstick on your hand
Use a gold ring to scratch the lipstick
If the lipstick color turns black, then you know it contains lead
So the next time you're shopping for a lipstick, read the ingredient label or talk to the makeup expert for lead free lipstick options. Better yet, visit Makeup In Motion and try ours....they're lead free.

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