Just before *the* big humanities conference of the year started here in Ottawa a week and a bit ago, I got the chance to meet up with Susan and spend the day doing, what else? wedding planning.


It was a fabu day that went by way too fast!


Susan has blogged about it already so I won't bore you by going over the same details. I should point out that I could have crammed more into the day, but I know I can be a bit overpowering at times, so I tried to just relax and let it all flow; something Susan has been coaching me on, for weddings of course, but I'm trying to make it flow into other aspects too. Susan was fantastic... even when I got us hopelessly lost in Carleton Place trying to find one of Ottawa's main dress stores, Sinders Bridal. I'll have to make sure that I know which way is south and which is north on our next dress hunting excursion. Susan? I Promise!

I'm so happy to have finally gotten to meet Susan in the flesh and I'm stoked about the wedding again thanks to deciding on the Chateau Laurier. It is nice to have the reception venue picked. As Susan mentioned, it doesn't tick four out of the five boxes I've have originally put on a search form.


Yes it's a huge hotel, smack dab in the centre of a big Canadian city. It doesn't offer an outdoor space for us for the ceremony. But it is a castle of sorts, and MM has a thing for castles (do all guys share that? they seem to). And with both of us being proudly Canadian, it certainly offers up dollops of patriotism and history. Heck it's right next door our nation's Parliament Buildings... you can't get much more historic than that!

So with that chosen, other things fell into place. We've booked Irina Photography for the wedding. You may remember them from our engagement shoot earlier this year. I've got my eye on a baker and a florist. Big things to find next? The ceremony spot and The Dress. Again, prospects for both, but all will have to wait while I meet MM in Europe for a few weeks for his army leave.



I'll try to take a few pics of us while I'm there and see if I can spot anything interesting on the ship that relates to weddings, marriages and couple bliss. The first few might be hard.. the last one should be easy. I will only have to look in the mirror!

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While I Was Dangling From The Chandelier I Thought The Little Looked So Big From Up Here

As mentioned earlier, late last week (actually one week ago ... time flies!), I headed up to Ottawa to meet this year's blog winner, Tarriell ... or is she last year's winner?! Through a series of circumstances her date was postponed so the planning hadn't kicked into full gear until now. And boy, did we ever accomplish a lot!

Our first stop was the Chateau Laurier. While not *really* wanting to get married in a hotel, T decided to check it out. And I could honestly see the excitement starting to creep in to her as she started to imagine the day being held there. The room for the reception is a great size (not too big or too small like many others) and an interesting shape!



A bonus with the Chateau? Apparently they distinguish the bride and groom by giving them throne-like chairs. I think T kind of enjoyed it ;)


Another great thing about the Chateau is the abundance of places to take photos. While my picture taking skills didn't turn out well (I was trying to be discreet), these will give Irina an idea or two.



Irina? Who's Irina? I'm happy to announce .: Irina Photography :. is now officially the photographer for T&T ... yayyy!

We weren't finished after the Chateau though. From there we went dress shopping. We ended up at a great little shop out of the way of everything (didn't get lost too many times on our way ;)). T will likely tell more about the dress she's looking for. All I'll say is they didn't have it. She did try on some that would be good back-ups though ... but you can't see the whole thing ;)


And from there we decided to go to a florist that T has had her eye on for months. They were actually getting ready for a wedding for the next day so it was perfect timing to see them in action. T is drawn to purple big time so you can only imagine how she loved this arrangement hanging from the wall ...


From there I was taken to a spectacular Italian restaurant where I ate far too much but it was totally worth it. T is a joy to get to know and I was thrilled to spend an entire day with her!!!

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Anniversary Song

Late last week I had the fortune of going on a quick business trip to Ottawa to meet a very special client, catch up with some friends and see a bit of Ontario through VIA Rail. The only problem is I was traveling in the dark at times which means there isn't a lot to look at ... so my iPod was a very good companion.

Get ready for a mushy post.

A song came on that I hadn't heard in a while and I was able to really listen to the lyrics. As soon as I did I went into la-la land thinking about my wonderful husband ... and after it was over I went into a silent rant wondering why no one uses this song at weddings. Possibly it's because not many have heard it ... so I present to you the lyrics and a sample :)

Anniversary Song

Have you ever seen a sight as beautiful
as that of the rain-soaked purple
of the white birch in spring?

Have you ever felt more fresh or wonderful
than on a warm fall night
under a Mackerel sky,
the smell of grapes on the wind?

Well I have known all these things
and the joys that they can bring
And I'll share them all for a cup of coffee
and to wear your ring

Have you ever had the pleasure of watching
a quiet winter's snow slowly gathering
like simple moments adding up?

Have you ever satisfied a gut feeling
to follow a dry dirt road that's beckoning you
to the heart of a shimmering summer's day?

Well I have known all these things
and the joys that they can bring
And I'll share them all for a cup of coffee
and to wear your ring

And I don't know how I survived those days
before I held your hand
Well I never thought that I would be the one
to admit that the moon and the sun
shine so much more brighter when
seen through two pairs of eyes than
when seen through just one

Have you ever seen a sight as beautiful
as a face in a crowd of people
that lights up just for you?

Have you ever felt more fresh or wonderful
as when you wake
by the side of that boy or girl

And now every morning there's a cup of coffee
and I wear your ring
who has pledged their love to you?

Well I have known all these things
and the joys that they can bring
And now every morning there's a cup of coffee
and I wear your ring

- Cowboy Junkies

To listen to a sample of the album version, you can find it .: here :. or at iTunes. To hear a concert version (Junkies at their best) listen to .: THIS ONE :.

Photo by http://www.jbsmithphotography.com

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Bright & Early For Their Daily Races

With the birds chirping all around me today, I thought I would look for some bird-inspired finds on Etsy. Soon into my search I found I was drawn to the items with peacocks so here's a full post with some of my faves!

Description and shop are below each photo.


How about this amazing cake topper by .: krishnasadhu :.?!


If you're looking for a wedding gift for a dear one, this mug by .: retrogalusa :. is a great find.


Sweet and simple tile necklace by .: LaMiaCasa :.


More jewellery! .: VeraVinn :. is bringing us something eco-friendly AND inexpensive!


Another fantastic idea for a wedding gift! .: marywibis :. is the talent behind these beautiful pieces.


Beautiful without the accent but spectacular with it! This clutch by .: ClutchThat :. is a steal!


Need to dress up the men in the wedding party? How about these ties by .: toybreaker :.?


Still with the gentlemen, this boutonniere by .: ekaminsk :. is earthy, dapper, understated ... a treasure for any man!


.: ekaminsk :. also helps you complete a matching set with these fantastic fascinators!

And my favourite this week ...


I'm a sucker for lockets. And this one by .: KiwiTreeBoutique :. does not disappoint. Everything is custom designed and simply stunning. My proverbial hat is off to you for creating such a beautiful piece!

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And I Want All The World To Know

Yesterday I stopped to grab mail and was instantly blown away. I received possibly the sweetest and most heartfelt thank you card from a client. I loved it so much that I wanted to share it with all of you.

"Susan,

Where do I start? "Thank-you" is simply not enough to express my gratitude for everything you did to ensure that our wedding was everything I dreamed of. I hired you for 'day-of' coordination but feel like you helped me plan & execute the entire event. From your vendor suggestions to calming words, to your quick email responses and amazing organization - everything you did made you such an important & absolutely integral part of our wedding. Every time I had an anxious feeling or a "what if ..." thought, I was able to calm myself down with the knowledge that you would know what to do and how to handle it.

You went above and beyond your promised services and for that I am so appreciative. Your services were by far the best money we spent towards the wedding. My bridesmaid is expecting a proposal any day now and I already told her that as soon as she sets the date she absolutely must retain you!

Thank-you for the candles - such a perfect example of how you set the bar high & jump even higher!

Thank-you x a million!

Autumn & Mat"


Believe me, it was an absolute honour, Autumn. I'm truly humbled by your kind words ... especially since you were such a dream to work with!

Stay tuned for more pictures of Autumn & Mat's beautiful occasion as they are edited :)

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What A Lovely Place

I received some of the best eco-tips ever from some of the best readers ever!

Jessica was lucky enough to win the recent contest but she also gave back with this awesome piece of advice:

“My eco tip: pour a handful of brown sugar into your palm, add just enough honey to mix well and use as a face scrub- way less chemical involvement than store bought and no extra packaging!”


She wasn’t the only one dishing though. In no particular order, here were some of my faves …

“My best eco-tip is to use reusable menstrual products. I love, love, love my diva cup and pretty soft cloth pads. Not only am I helping the earth by not tossing several blood-soaked piles of bleached cotton and plastic in the trash, but I am so much more in touch with myself as a woman. I am not gross or disgusting and my menstrual cycle is not gross or disgusting. It is part of who I am as a woman!


Cloth diapers are also a great idea for those with babies. Disposables are absolutely awful for the environment, and cloth (which has really been updated - there are dipes that look and function like disposables these days, you just don't throw them away!) is a great and frugal alternative!!”

“I have banned harsh chemicals from my house. I only use biodegradable safe products. The harshest thing in my house is melaleuca oil, which I use with vinegar to clean my floors. I use either Melaleuca brand products or orange cleaner. My motto is if it has a warning label on it I don't buy it. I also go through a lot of baking soda and vinegar. It works great for cleaning as well as orange extract cleaner which I buy in bulk and refill my bottles.”


And the following reader went above and beyond with her amazing list. I’m only going to post snippets at the moment but another day will definitely share all FIFTY-ONE tips with you!

• Lower your thermostat. Buy a programmable thermostat.

• Reuse your water bottle. Avoid buying bottled water. In fact, reuse everything at least once, especially plastics.

• Check out your bathroom. Use low-flow faucets, showerheads, and toilets.

• Start a compost in your back yard or on your rooftop.

• Buy foods locally. Check out Eat Local Challenge and FoodRoutes to get started. Buy locally made products and locally produced services.

• Buy in season.

• Recycle your newspapers.

• Consider a car sharing service like Zipcar.

• Go to your local library instead of buying new books.

• Get off junk mail lists.

• Buy products that use recyclable materials whenever possible.

• Landscape with native plants.

• Take your batteries to a recycling center.

• Do full loads of laundry and set the rinse cycle to “cold.”

• Recycle. If you’re not at home, take the extra steps, (literally), to find that recycling can.


• Reuse. Plastic food containers make good crayon and marker holders. Use padded envelops more than once. Buy your toddler or preschooler’s clothes from a thrift shop and give away those that don’t fit to friends. Goodwill or the Salvation Army can help.

• Limit the length of your showers. Even better, take a “navy shower,” shutting off the water while soaping up and shampooing.

• Recycle your technology. Dell, Hewlett Packard, Apple, and IBM, among others, offer recycling programs.

• Good to the last drop. Switch to fair trade coffee.


Thank you so much for contributing to this everyone ... I really am quite humbled at how everyone came together!

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You Must Be The One

The contest for a copy of Ecoholic by Adria Vasil is officially over!

Congratulations to ...

*drum roll* ..................

JESSICA MCEWEN!!!

Make sure you send me an address and I'll have it sent off to you asap :)

I'll be posting the wonderful tips given by you as soon as possible. My readers really are incredible!

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Near, Far, Wherever You Are

Back from vacation. Boo.

Playing catch-up today so I won't go into too much detail of where I went and what I did but a great time was had by all! My mom and brother were visiting from B.C. so we did many tourist-y things including Niagara Falls ...


I have a few other pictures I would like to share once I have more time. Until then, keep the entries for the Ecoholic book coming! I've actually extended the contest until next Wednesday, May 13th at midnight, EST. Keep the tweeting coming! ;)

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You're the one that I want

In early March, before flying off for his tour, MM and I went to check out a little country inn near our city. It turned out to be beautiful, and while not perfect (what venue is?) we had high hopes for it, based on what the proprietor told us. It seemed like all that was left was for us to get the contract, confirm that the pricing and terms matched what we'd been told, and voila! the search would be over.

It was the one we wanted. Or so we thought. MM flew away thinking it was all over but for the ink.

It was not to be.

After a long and frustrating wait, in which Susan followed up several times, the prices and contract landed on her desk and whoa! it turns out that the prices quoted on that visit didn't begin to truly approach the reality. Despite some forthright and honest attempts to negotiate, the gap between what we are willing to pay and what they expected to get paid could not be bridged. Thus, no matter how beautiful, that venue was not the one for us.

So now we are back to the drawing board. Same three issues as before exist. There are three bigs ones:
... our wedding size
... the kind of sophistication and intimacy we want
... cost

Our seemingly healthy budget is not really up for negotiation. We want something that feels beautiful, sophisticated and polished, yet not cavernous or impersonal. And we are still facing the issue that the Ontario venue market doesn't think that people invite 30-45 people to weddings.



I'm trying to keep an open mind and realistic expectations though, along with a much shortened list relative to last fall. The biggest problem right now is my time. Between my thesis crunch time and my upcoming vacation (going to spend three weeks with MM in Europe in June whoohoo!), I don't know how or where I'll find the time to be jetting all over Eastern Ontario looking at places.

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Wedding flowers 101- First lesson: The bridal bouquet

Jessica from Periwinkle here- Yet another bridal appointment began with the bride to be uttering the words “I don’t have any idea about flowers for my wedding…” This happens often, and has spurred me to this- the Periwinkle guide to what you as a bride need to think about when thinking about your wedding flowers in order to get the perfect mix for you.

First up, let’s do as we at Periwinkle do in our wedding consultations and start from the top with the bride herself. The very first thing we as a florist want to know is what the dress looks like. This always gets the bride talking, which is great and we usually get way more detail than we need. Essentially, what matters is the colour, the style and if there is any ornamentation. So let’s tackle these one by one.

The colour:


Very seldom do we get brides going with an actual colour over a shade of white, but when they do it opens up a world of possibilities for the bouquet. But neutral still reigns for the bridal gown, and so what we need to know is are we talking true white, natural white, off white, ivory, cream….you get my drift here. Because the dress is the background for the bouquet, the flowers need to compliment it while actually showing up in front of it, so if it is a true white and you have your heart set on only the purest white flowers, we will recommend having a greenery collar at least, probably mixing some greenery into the posy itself. This is because if you don’t, all your photos will show you holding basically nothing in your hands as the white flowers will be indistinguishable from the white of your dress. Choosing an off white heading into the creamy tones means we will try to avoid using too much pure white in your bouquet, as this can often make the colour of the dress seem “dirty” or “muddy” against the pureness of the flower colour.


The cut:


Again, we get a lot of detail about this, but what we want to find out is how full the gown is and if it is following a particular era in styling. For example a gown with a full skirt and sleeves will need a fuller fancier bouquet, perhaps getting into a teardrop or cascade even, to balance out the visual weight of the skirt- a delicate posy of lily of the valley would be totally lost. A slender, body skimming fit lends itself more to elegant architectural bouquets, such as three stems of calla lilies left long and simply bound. If the gown has a princess feel we will know you are heading for a different look overall in the wedding than the bride that has chosen the 1930’s art deco gown.


The ornamentation:

Is there some delicate beading around the waist band? Embroidered vines all over the skirting? Your florist needs to know if the dress is calling attention to a particular area so the bouquet doesn’t take away from that- A too full posy will block that beading from view entirely, and we’d want the posy for the embroidered dress to have some echoing of the vines within it, without making it feel like the whole look is overgrown!
Ornamentation can also give some great little details that we can then pull through the rest of the wedding- One Periwinkle bride had a beautiful coloured sash around her waist- this was repeated with similar satin ribbon at the necks of the centerpiece vases and was a wonderful personalization of the event.

You chose your gown because it makes you look how you want people to see you, even if this wasn’t a conscious part of your decision process, so a good florist can glean a lot of information about what your want in flowers from hearing about your dress. Breaking down the elements of colour, cut and ornamentation is a great way to help guide you in your bridal bouquet choice, even if at first you really do feel you have “no idea ” about the flowers.

In my next installment we will tackle the bridesmaids and flower girls so stay tuned!

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Your Life Is NOW

Contest alert!!!

In honour of Earth Day tomorrow I'm going to give away a copy of a book that changed my life. It's been out for a bit but for those who haven't had the opportunity to pick it up, this is the perfect day for it.



The contest is open to everyone (even vendors ;)) ... just read the details ...


Ecoholic by NOW magazine columnist Adria Vasil will open your eyes. Some of the info is scary at times but all-in-all the book serves as a huge reference tool, in words we can all understand, for bettering our lives and the environment. Everything is Canada based which is a huge advantage.

It would make sense that I'm doing the draw for the book tomorrow, right? It would if *I* made sense. Unfortunately I'm going to be on vacation as of 5:30EST tonight and won't be returning until Wednesday, May 6th. So, here are the contest deets ...

WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO:

IF YOU HAVE A TWITTER ACCOUNT:
1. Retweet the message - RT @sulicu get Ecoholic by Adria Vasil for free at momentsthatshine.blogspot.com!
2. Follow me at http://twitter.com/sulicu
3. Send me a direct message so I can see that you've Retweeted!

IF YOU HAVE YET TO JOIN TWITTER:
1. Type out an eco-tip. It can be big or small and it can be something you practice or something you just Googled. As a side note, I'll be posting the best of the tips after the giveaway.
2. Email the tip to me with your full name and best email address to reach you at.

Do this by Friday, May 8th (2009) at noon EST. I'll hold a random draw and the winner will be contacted for a shipping address right away. Everything will be announced no later than Monday, May 11th.

There's no limit to the amount of times you enter ... if you're going the Twitter route, just keep retweeting message so I can keep track of how many entries you should have.

It's that simple. Good luck everyone!

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Nothing more than feelings

I haven't been to many weddings in my life. Not sure why, but it means that I'm not influenced too much by family traditions or reciprocal relationships with friends.

These days then when I'm looking for inspirations for our wedding, I find myself looking at photos of 'real' weddings on various websites and in bridal magazines. And what strikes me as the most important aspect of any wedding isn't tradition, or theme, or colour. It's feeling.

Specifically, how personal and meaningful do the various elements seem for who the bride and groom are, separately and as a couple? I've seen a lot of photos of beautiful weddings, but what comes off in some of those photos for some of those weddings (not all, of course!) is this hollow feeling, as if it was more important how the wedding looked than how it felt.

We don't want to be one of those.

Though the wedding is getting closer and closer (less 13 months away now!) there are a lot of things that have yet to be decided or finalized. We have that luxury, I think, because we're not going for anything huge or even particularly showy. When I take time out of my week nowadays to think about our wedding, that is the question preoccupying me. How can I make our wedding personal and meaningful?

But more important, I think, is that we're both coming to understand that we don't want our wedding to come off as a performance or a show. Yes, it's a social event, but it's also deeply meaningful day for both of us.
Thus, the way we have the evening flow should feel right for us. This means we'll be jettisoning anything "traditional" or "usual" to weddings that doesn't feel right for us. A big part of this is the fact that we want our guests, all close friends and immediate family, to feel completely part of our first day together as a married couple. Not sure yet how we'll accomplish this, but that's where Susan's expertise will come in.

We probably know more about what we don't want right now than what we do want. No kitcsh, no favours, no peronalized napkins or fussy chair bows, no dancing, no one present that at least one of us doesn't know quite well by first name.

What do we want? The answer to that question is still emerging and evoloving, but it seems to lay in a variety of elements. Some of them are obvious things. Colour is one, of course, Purple is my favourite colour, followed closely by green and (oddly?) brown. So our palette will play in and around those (I think I want to wear amethyst and peridot gemstone jewellery, rather than the traditional colourless pearl or crystal). We'll probably try to have wines that reflect our favourites from our first trip through the wineries of Niagara, as MM was learning that he loves wine, so long as it is "the right kind of wine" (his words). We're both inveterate meat-eaters, as are most (all?) of our guests, so red meat of some kind will be our star in the entree. We'll be custom writing our vows, mixing in traditional elements with snippets of things we say to each other daily, so that it really carries an emotional punch for us both. (Heck if MM doesn't cry after saying his, I'll be surprised!). And, if the budget can be stretched to accommodate it, we'll have live music that includes at least one bass or cello, since MM loves that instrument.

As we pick the options and elements in the next few months to come, with each choice will come the need for us to answer the question: how does the choice make us feel about this big day? I think that as long as choice can be answered byone of four words ("happy/comfortable/silly/fun) then we'll have a day that we feel reflects us and our commitment to one another, and that will be remembered happily and fondly by us and our guests for months to come.

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Show Me Where To Look ... Tell Me What Will I Find

We're obviously full on into wedding season now so the blog has been quiet. I'm hoping everyone will be back on a regular basis soon though! To tie you over a bit, I revisited the wedding dresses on Etsy ... they didn't disappoint! Here is some eye-candy for you ...


This masterpiece is by .: sarahseven :. Yes, the rest of her designs are just as scrumptious.


Handmade by .: amandaarcher :., this dress is even machine washable.


How about a flair for the dramatic from .: btrousseau :.?


.: Makool :. makes this unique dress with three layers of chiffon and silk.


If simple and classic is your style, this dress by .: Breathless :. may be what you're looking for.


For the look of vintage, Etsy has a great range of dresses! This one courtesy .: VeraVague :. has been left in perfect condition for decades.


Toronto seller alert! This dress from .: atouchofvintage :. is just dreamy.


I'm in love with this dress by .: englishdept :. LOVE the simplicity.


.: jinxydv8 :. has added pizazz to this dress with the great tulle flowers!


And how about something upcycled? A detachable train makes this dress by .: bytheway :. something new again!

And get ready for my Pick of the Week ...

Hopefully you remember a certain guest author by the name of Morgan Boszilkov. If not, go back .: HERE :. to check it out.


I was ecstatic to see this dress by .: NaturalBridals :. on Etsy. Morgan's dresses are not only eco-conscious but they are couture to die for!

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