Anyone Else But You

This is a post with a bit of a double-purpose ...

First, if you haven't seen the movie Juno, GO SEE IT! Yes, there's a ton of hype and I'm adding to it. If you're anything like me and kind of quirky, you're going to be glad you saw it.

On the same topic, there's an amazing soundtrack to this flick. The reason I mention it is because after seeing the movie opening weekend, my husband & I were driving home, being the perpetual critics we are and going on and on about a bunch of things. I won't ruin the movie for you at all but there's a scene where the two main stars are just playing guitar and singing a song together. The simplicity of the scene was so sweet and it got my husband and I thinking about being 'different' ... bear with me ... I have a point to bring this to weddings.

It somewhat pains me to admit this was my husband's idea and not mine but it's too good to pass up. He said rather than going with the traditional first dance (that is painful for some), he would have loved to actually serenade one another instead. Now, we aren't the best of singers and our guitar playing skills aren't up to snuff (yet) but we are insane music lovers. Had we thought about it years before, I totally would have been up for that. How unique of an idea is it to actually entertain your guests like that?! Not to mention it's a beautiful sentiment between two people. I get all weepy just thinking about that idea.

So I challenge you to think outside the box for the first dance, the cake, the vows ... anything you do! Make it your own and be an event people talk about. And of course if you need some inspiration on ideas, give me a shout ;)

For those interested in the song in question from the movie Juno, it's Anyone Else But Youby the Moldy Peaches. To hear a clip: Audio

Keep Reading ...

The Invitations

This weekend we met with Susan to design our invitations. We based them on something similar that she has in her portfolio, but tweaked them to make them a little bit more personalized. It was a relatively painless experience, as FI and I seemed to agree on everything. Always a good sign.

Well, almost everything. FI decided instead of a monogram on the cover page he would prefer to see “Are you ready to rock??” Um. Not so much.

When we first went through Susan’s portfolio of ideas, we were stuck trying to decide between “Classy” invites and “Fun” invites. The Classy ones fit the venue, but the fun ones fit FI and I. In the end Fun beat Classy. That being said, they aren’t exactly ‘wacky’ and the paper and font will be quite classic. They are just a bit of an unusual concept and shape. We have been receiving a lot of Michael’s kit wedding invites lately and we decided a while ago that was NOT the route we wanted to take. I am very excited for our unique, personal design. To make them even more personal, one of our bridesmaids who is a graphic design has agreed to create our monogram.

And no, despite a second attempt by FI the rsvp choices will not be:

Yes- I’m Ready to Rock
No- I Respectfully Decline the Invitation to Rock

Hahahaha.

Susan is in the process of putting together a sample for us. I can’t wait to see what she creates.

We also had a talk with our respective families about The Guest List. So far, no one has made any unreasonable requests. Fingers crossed. We have started to gather addresses, which is proving to be harder than one might think.

We are scheduling a hardcore Wedding Planning Weekend this week. The idea is to knock the following things off of the list:

Wedding bands
Hotel/ motel/ B&B
Florist

That would be nice. Then we are in the home stretch. I’ll let you know if any of that became a reality, next Monday.

~BB~

Keep Reading ...

When You Say You Love Me

It's been a while since I posted a proposal story and I did promise a certain someone it would be up a lot earlier! Without further ado, here's the story of Jacqueline & Peter. Make sure you click on the link at the end to watch the video ...

My FI and are both actors, and we met on stage when we were cast as a couple! We became amazing friends immediately and when the 13 weeks of rehearsals and shows were finished...we clearly weren't willing to let it end. We were practically inseparable from then on. Fast forward 18 months, an apartment, 2 dogs, 2 thrilled families and a new house. Oh, and another 2 shows. During the most recent, I directed him in his staring role in a musical.
Apparently, his ring search began almost a year before he proposed, and he has had his proposal planned since the day we met...
Without my knowing (actors?!?), he found a gorgeous ring in a store. He tricked me into 'shopping for styles that I liked so that he would know what to look for when the time came'. While I was looking at more modest styles, he pointed out the one he liked, casually - I honestly had NO CLUE what he was up to! The ring was extravagant in my world, but, it admittedly became a bit of a pedestal piece...I never dreamt I would have it.
He then spent 4 months searching out a loose 1+ carat Lucida stone (OMG!!) and had the design he liked 'tweaked' and custom created the ring for me.
Back to the musical: one Friday night show (April 27th), with and audience of 170, 40+ being our friends and family - he took his bows and after the curtain closed, he called me up on stage and introduced me to the audience. You would think that I would have known. NO!! We had talked and we were not getting engaged for another 8-12 months! Besides, he is really good at showing me off and has a tendency to be a tad grandiose! After he introduced me to the crowd, he asked to sing another song and serenaded me with, 'When You Say You Love Me', by Josh Grobin.
At the climax of the song, he gestured to the SFX/LX booth and the closed curtains slowing opened to reveal a stage now scattered with 200 red and pink roses!!!
At the end of the song, the last words are: "I love you..." he got down on one knee...and asked me marry him!
I could not answer, my legs turned to jell-o and he had to jump up to save me from toppling backward...all I could do was nod...
The audience cheered!
Be still my heart! It races just re-playing it in my mind.
He is so good to me - he also made sure that the entire thing was videotaped, so now we have a DVD to show our families, friends, and one day, our children.
I never dreamed that I would be blessed with such finding my soulmate, and now that I get to marry him, I am constantly bursting!!

Now make sure you watch the video!!!

Keep Reading ...

Orange is the new white!

ERIN - Hi Jess. I hope you had a nice week. How did your bridal consultation go yesterday? What colours did she choose? I have been noticing a real trend in colours with all of the brides I have been meeting with for 2008 weddings. A lot of my brides are incorporating bright colours into everything from their wedding bouquets to the ceremony arrangements and the centerpieces. One colour that keeps popping up is orange! Quite a change from the traditional all white wedding eh?

JESS - Wow- how did you know? Orange is exactly the colour we are working with for her! The wedding is in early May, but she is choosing to use a really strong palette- deep purples and vivid orange with some deep yellow thrown in the mix. It is so nice to use such strong tones for a spring wedding- unexpected for the guests. Colour scares a lot of people, but if you use it right you can create such drama and richness. We’re going to use more exotic bold flowers for her, again unexpected for a May event- purple callas with orange mokaru orchids and gerberas.

ERIN - Really? That is so funny. Looks like it is going to be one of the hot colours this year, Which is great because it happens to be one of my favorites. What sort of look is she going for? Casual, elegant, romantic?

JESS - She’s going for an elegant look- which can be hard to pull off when using bolder colours, so we have to keep everything clean lined and not too casual. Keeping the colours to just two or three, rather than going with the whole colour wheel helps achieve this, and we’re going to use more exotic flowers such as the callas and orchids to keep it from feeling too casual. It’s challenging, but that’s the fun part for me! Are you doing any weddings with orange that are going the elegant route too, or more casual?

ERIN - my bride is also looking for something that is elegant and very fresh looking. So what we are doing is sticking to the softer orange tones, an orange that does not have a lot of red in it but is still vibrant. We are keeping it elegant by placing it with a neutral green and a very soft yellow. So the other colours are there to accent the orange so it is still the star. This is keeping it elegant because you are avoiding that circus look by not having too many different colours.

JESS - To our readers- the photo above shows the seasons hottest flower colour trend, namely orange, and is the bouquet that Erin made for the Wedding Bells feature!

Keep Reading ...

SugarTree Photography ....Because life is sweet!

HELLO WORLD!
My name is Kristina Laukkanen and I'm the creative photographer behind SugarTree Photography. My company specializes in weddings, portraits & commercial work. We also have fun doing it! Besides, if we didn't enjoy it so much, what's the point?

A little About Moi:
I've been photographing people, places & things since I was 12. My parents met at Photo Hut in the 70's while working for the company and then I came along shortly there after. I took photography all through high school and summer classes but never thought I would seriously do it as a career. My focus was marketing and business. And then one day when I was 25, my grandmother convinced me that I should enter a local contest. So for kicks, I did and won 2nd place. One of the judges asked for my portfolio and I was like "Yeah right - the family photo album is around here somewhere." And that was the year I turned my life in another direction and headed for my dream. I decided that I wasn't going back to school full-time so I applied to work at Black's Photography. I figured - what better way to learn about photography than by being in the business. And that's what started it all. 5 years later I own all the equipment I'll ever need to be ready & prepared for any photo job, I have my own studio space (by appointment only), I have a wonderful and fun team of professionals and I have first hand experience about how to run a business and succeed - my most treasured asset from Black's.

Some background with Susan:
I thought it was wonderful when Susan and Bernard hired me as their wedding photographer a few moons ago because they were such a fun loving couple...but it was even cooler when we became friends after the honeymoon! *lol* I remember the wedding like it was yesterday. *dream sequence* As I wandered around the golf & country club, photographing the details of Susan & Bernard's wedding I thought to myself "WOW! This has got to be one of the most creative weddings I've ever shot!". From the Guest Branches - where guests could leave their well wishes and marriage advice/thoughts on a piece of paper and hang it on a branch for Susan to later scrapbook - to the heart warming center piece adoption kits for chimpanzees - a sanctuary for lab chimps near Montreal. A cause Susan & Bernard are very passionate about. Adopt-A-Chimp I still talk about it to my clients! (Susan - can you confirm this link.) Everything was well thought out and created with such passion that it's no surprise that Susan has done so amazing, planning other bride-to-be weddings!

So stay tuned for the next post where I'll discuss what else you can do with your wedding dress after the big day and REALLY get your moneys worth!

Keep Reading ...

MGX Productions Introduction!

Hello All,

Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Martin from MGX Productions. This is my first blog entry and I have to say I'm very very excited to be a part of the Moments That Shine Blog. I met Susan at a Breast Cancer fundraiser last year, it was a great event for a worthy cause! I have to say she handled everything so wonderfully that evening, and I'm looking forward to working with her again!

A little bit about me and the company. At MGX Productions, we concentrate on wedding and special event videography. My style is documentary, candid, unobtrusive. Meaning no big bright lights! Have you ever been to a wedding and all of a sudden, huge 1000 watt movie lights are turned on? In all honesty, it does make the video look marginally better, but realistically, it ruins the atmosphere of the wedding, along with all the hard work people put into decorating the space. These days, video cameras are much more sensative to light than in the past. Meaning, you need less additional light to make the video quality look great! (*tip - If you're in the market for a videographer, make sure they use 3CCD video cameras - they are much more sensitive to light than cameras with 1CCD)

I've been in the wedding videography business for over 8 years. I graduated from Seneca at York in 2000 with honours, where I majored in video production & visual effects compositing. After graduation, I worked on a freelance basis for a year or so, then decided to go on my own and started MGX Productions in 2001! It's been so great, I've filmed and edited over 250 weddings, and have worked with so many great vendors throughout the years.

I love working with people. The most rewarding part of what I do is knowing that I have a hand in preserving a couple's memories for a lifetime.

I'll be adding entries here and there when I have stuff to talk about! Until then!

Keep Reading ...

Girl ... er ... Guy In Green

Last Friday I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Hamilton photographer Trevor Weeks. It was a rather serendipitous meeting as an email from him found its way to my desktop with perfect timing ... Trevor's very much an activist for something important ... going GREEN. He taught me quite a bit (and still is) about carbon-neutral events ... offsetting your emissions. If you remember from a previous post, I've been trying to figure out ways to make this a habit with my own company and to spread the word about how being conscious about the environment is a must. At the moment I'm working with Trevor to find additional vendors with the same desire. If you happen to know of anyone we should check out, please feel free to send me an email or respond to this post.

In the meantime, I hope you'll be kind in welcoming Trevor to the mix of guest bloggers on this site! He's sure to not only shed some light on photography but on the world of green as well!!!

Oh, and he has amazing taste in music ... be sure to ask him about that ;)

Keep Reading ...

Tell Me More!

For all of you getting married in the coming months, do you have your invitations yet? Whether you're doing something simple and conjuring up an e-vite or you want to go with the traditional paper, time is ticking! Remember that your invitation is the first thing your guests will see that will give them insight as to the mood of your party. It should reflect who you are as a couple and give your guests a hint as to what to expect. Make sure you contact us after browsing through the website!

Keep Reading ...

A Slice of Advice

Second only to the gown, the wedding cake is one of the most memorable aspects of any wedding. Today, cakes need to be stunning to look at and taste even better. Here are some tips to follow when looking for your ultimate wedding cake!

• Order your cake as early as possible. If you are looking to go with a custom cake designer, then you should be contacting them as soon as your venue is booked. Cake designers generally limit the number of cakes they create due to time involved, therefore they book up very fast and early. In general, anywhere from 6-9 months or more in advance is preferred. Some months and weekends are busier than others – prime wedding season (May - October) will book up early – so plan ahead!
  
  
• Talk to your friends who recently got married, look at the links associated with other vendors you have booked - these are great ways to find the right person to create your wedding cake. The Internet allows brides&grooms instant access to the portfolios of all the talented cake designers in the area. Be sure to look through all the galleries to get a sense of what they are capable of. You may be wanting a sculpted or novelty cake for your wedding, so looking at all their work will let you know if they are capable of creating your dream cake. Remember in most cases the galleries simply represent the scope of the designer's past work, it is not a menu. They will want to create something unique for your special day!
  


• Make sure you have a budget in mind before meeting your cake designer/baker. Designer cakes will cost designer prices. Wedding cakes are not simply flour, sugar and eggs. They are an edible memory that you and your guests look forward to and remember. Most of the costs associated with designer wedding cakes lie in the time, expertise, and labour involved in creating the finished design, although quality ingredients and size also play an important role. Pricing varies from designer to designer; some price per tier, others price per cake or per serving. If your budget is an important issue, make sure you discuss that with your cake designer. With a budget in mind, they can then provide you with some options in order to try to reduce costs.
  


• Do some research before your appointment. Search the Internet, clip pictures from magazines. Get a good idea of what you like and what you don’t. Make sure you bring along any images you find so that your designer can see what style of cake you are wanting. These pictures are not so that the designer can make a copy of that design, but they are a great way to express what you are looking for in a cake design. Also bring along any fabric swatches that you may want to coordinate, dress images, invitations - basically anything that inspires you.


• Decide if you want to save the top tier. This tradition was fine during the days fruitcake was the common wedding cake choice. But with today’s butter cakes, buttercreams, and other finishes, the idea of saving the top tier has become less important. If you still want to keep with tradition, make sure to tell your cake designer. They will need to size the cake accordingly.
  
  
• Be prepared to pay a deposit once you decide upon your cake designer. This is necessary to guarantee your date. Due to the amount of time involved with custom wedding cakes, many cake artists will only take on a few bookings per month, so they book up early. If you want a custom and unique wedding cake, be sure to book early!


• Make sure to find out if there are any delivery fees, set up costs, or other additional fees. Delivery fees are common, especially if the baker needs to travel a great distance from their studio. Set up fees are sometimes needed when the cake design is one that must be set up on site. Additional fees would pertain to cake stand rentals or other display materials that must be secured with a deposit and returned. Please note that in Ontario, there should never be any taxes applied to the sale of your wedding cake. Therefore you should not be charged either G.S.T or P.S.T on the sale of any whole cake in Ontario.

Flour Confections

Keep Reading ...

Tick Tock

16 months ago, when I got engaged, 2008 seemed like it would never come. Et voila. It is upon us. It is officially our “Wedding Year”. It seems a tad ridiculous, but it makes a difference. When you tell someone your wedding is, “June 2008” it is WAY different than just plain ole, “this June”. As of today, the countdown is at 157 days. Cue the panic. Deep breath. To make myself feel better I am compiling a list of everything we have accomplished, one more deep breath. And here we go:


Venue Booked- it feels like we did this a million years ago now.
Photographer booked- and her blog lovingly gazed at, at least once a day.
Susan is on the job (thank god)
Dress purchased- still needs bustle and some tweaks.
Shoes purchased- still need to be worn in.
Make and hair person booked- trial in May
2/5 bridesmaids dresses ordered, 2 more to be done this weekend, 1 MIA. argh.
FI has started to gather address for invites (…which we haven’t chosen yet! Wait- this is supposed to be a list of DONE stuff… Ignore that.)


I have a sneaking suspicion that the “To-do list” is about double that size. Maybe the whole list idea wasn’t such a good one…


~bb~

Keep Reading ...

Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

Remember my list post about engagement pictures and whether or not you should get them done? Well, one of my recent brides (whose wedding was *uh-mazing*) took it to a whole other level with her groom.

Right after the wedding they went on their merry way to various spots in Europe for their honeymoon. They visited Berlin, Barcelona, Paris to name a few. What was incredible (or more incredible) was that they took their wedding attire with them and were able to take more professional shots ... check out the location ...





Way to be an inspiration, T&H!!! :)

Keep Reading ...

With This Advice, I Thee Wed

Did you find yourself newly engaged over the holiday season? Perhaps you’ve been in the soon-to-be-wed stage for a while now and time is catching up to you? Or maybe you know someone who is about to take the plunge. No matter your situation, a little bit of guidance from an event planner can be a huge help during a wedding. When I sit down with potential clients for the first time, they’re one of two things … completely ‘ready’ or in shock that there are so many things they hadn’t thought of. The ones who are ready normally realize they aren’t right before the big day (see my Week-Of Coordinator tip below) and the ones who are in shock tend to calm down after a few minutes and some kind words. Either reaction is completely natural. And don’t get me wrong … there definitely are some people who don’t need a lot of help from me but who doesn’t want free advice? Read on for some of my most-treasured tidbits.

Give yourselves plenty of time. Unless it’s completely necessary, slow down. A good rule of thumb is six months to a year and a
half of planning. The biggest reasons why I try to get couples to put the brakes on is this … not all of your vendors will be available and your taste may change. Take your time and enjoy the planning part of things. It will reduce stress and you’ll look back with fond memories.


Budget. Weddings are expensive. You may think you can put things together for under $5000 (and if you did it, more power to you!) but that’s very unrealistic. Before getting scared over the amount, make a list of priorities. Figure out what you want to splurge on and what you can cut out. This is incredibly important to sit down and do. If you’re having troubles being serious about it, make an appointment with a planner and they’ll help. Many will offer Budget Planning appointments.


Hire professionals. Family & friends will want to help you (and let them … see my tip on delegating) but when it comes to your vendors, don’t rely on Cousin Freddy to be the DJ or your mom to do all the cooking. Those of us in the industry know what we’re doing, we know the possible hiccups and we’re going to make the day special. Besides, your guests should enjoy the day as … well … guests!


Obtain at least three quotes from vendors. Yes, it’s work but it’s totally worth it. You may find that all three caterers are about the same price but you really clicked better with one of them. Not only do you now have the info on each one but you also know their personalities.


Get things in writing. This may seem like a no-brainer but you would be amazed at the amount of people who don’t do it. Someone’s word isn’t enough on a day this important.


Delegate. Please don’t try to do everything on your own. Get help with anything you’re making, assign Aunt Vera to gift collection duty … things like that. You’re going to need a lot of help leading up to the day and at the wedding that vendors won’t be able to do for you. And you know everyone will want to help!


Do what you want to and not what everyone is telling you to do. Enough said.


Realize the wedding won’t be perfect. As soon as you come to that understanding in your head, the wedding will be better than you thought it would be. Kind of reverse psychology. The bottom line is if you’re focused on making everything perfect, you’re going to notice all of the little things that aren’t.


Sleep, Eat and Drink plenty of water! The sleep thing may or may not happen but at least try to rest the night before the wedding. When it comes to eating and drinking though, these are musts. Make sure you have breakfast (and snacks and lunch when you get the chance) and drink a LOT of water. Keeping yourself hydrated is as important as remembering the marriage license.

And last but not least …

Hire a Planner. Ever since I started Moments That Shine I’ve been trying to get it across to people that planners are essential. Your wedding should reflect your personalities and you should be able to enjoy the entire day. Let a third party worry about the troubles that will pop up. If you don’t think you need someone for the entire process, consider hiring a Week-Of Coordinator. That last week before the show can be nerve-wracking. What better way to alleviate some stress?

Keep Reading ...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy last minutes of your birthday, Reem!!!

Keep Reading ...

Conversations about flowers

ERIN- Hey Jess, Susan from Moments that Shine kindly asked us to be guest bloggers on her website. Isn’t that exciting?

JESS- I know- what a great thing to be part of- but are you sure we have anything to say that’s going to be of interest? Why would readers want to hear from us?

ERIN- Of course we have something to say, we have been in this industry for years. We have dealt with hundreds of brides and have tons of experience designing wedding flowers.

JESS- That’s true. And hey, we’ve been recognized for our bridal flowers recently- you just had that gorgeous bouquet you made featured in the winter Toronto Wedding Bells magazine; it was stunning by the way! There are so many things I can think of that I wish brides knew about flowers- here is our chance to tell them. Sometimes I feel bad for brides when they first come in- they seem so overwhelmed by all the planning, it almost seems a chore to them to be sitting down with yet another vendor- its great to see their energy come back as we start to draw out their personality and their creative talents. That is the great thing about the flowers for a wedding. This is where the bride can show her preferences, is she romantic, modern, casual, elegant-it all comes out in the flowers and the guests recognize it when it fits. And that I guess is why brides need our help and know how! What would be the main thing you wish you could tell all brides-to-be about flowers Erin?

ERIN- Hmmm that is a tough one. I guess the main thing I would want to tell them has to do with weddings overall, not just the flowers. Planning a wedding is very stressful and we understand all of the pressures they are under. I guess I want them to know that planning a wedding should be fun too. And I really feel it is our job to take care of all the little details so that they don’t have to worry about them and they can enjoy their day.

JESS- that is so true Erin- So I guess we’re saying- pick a florist that you like and trust, and most importantly who likes what they do and then you can relax and let them do their job. And we both really like what we do and are pretty good at it too (Is self back patting allowed on blogs? ;) )

Keep Reading ...

Katie & Ant - September 8, 2007

I'm happy to say Katie & Ant's gallery is finally up on the website! Rather than posting the whole story again in here, please click on the above link and take a gander!

Keep Reading ...

Hasn't Hit Me Yet

2008? How can it be?! I've been in Ontario for almost 8 years now?! Yikes. What would my fellow B.C. buddies think? Well, back to business ...

Thanks to everyone for all of their support and well-wishes in 2007. Looking back on it, my husband and I kind of want to forget the year happened but there definitely were some shining moments. Of course this includes the couples I met, the vendors I became friends with and the happiness I witnessed. Speaking of happiness, I threw out that teaser with Jacquelyn & Peter's wedding. Well, imagine my surprise when flipping through Wedding Bells and I see their wedding featured! I was told it would be in the Spring/Summer 2008 issue but I had no idea it would hit newsstands in December! Anyhow, here are JPGs of the actual spread. I'm not mentioned there but I am on the online portion.

Feels pretty cool!!!

Keep Reading ...

Out of Office

Happy holidays to all of you!!!

Just a reminder that our office will be closed (to partake in good cheer and eggnog) until January 3rd. Check back then to see our updates! :)

Keep Reading ...

In the news!

Last week I received a lovely email from Jacquelyn (of the below wedding) saying Wedding Bells has done a two-page spread on her day! I've had a sneak peek and it looks FABULOUS!!!

I'll be sending out a reminder for sure but watch for it in the Spring/Summer 2008 issue of Wedding Bells magazine :)

Keep Reading ...

The one (or not)...what they dont tell you

Wow! See what I mean about this whole "ignoring all things wedding" phase I'm going through?I've been ignoring you, the readership! I never really thought that would happen. In my defense though, I've been housebreaking a 7 week old puppy, I'd go on about that (partly because he's so cute, partly because it would be a good stall tactic in addressing wedding matters) but you came here to read about weddings, not puppies.

Part of the reason I don't think I've posted much about the wedding stuff is that there really aren't that many interesting developments going on recently. But I suppose for the sake of giving you something to read, I'll get comfy and think back to a busier time in the planning.

I think the single decision that took the most time and energy was the dress. And I think that was one of the most interesting experiences in this process to date Now, through the experiences of others and various forms of media, I felt well prepared for how this was to go. I was going to walk into a store, and try on a handful of dresses ranging from hideous to mediocre before I emerged from the dressing room saying "this is the one!" and all would be well. Or so I thought.

In reality, I went to five stores, most of them I visited twice. I either went with Mom or a friend. Trying on the first few dresses were surreal and just plain weird, but I was surprised at how quickly it became old! Old became overwhelming. Each of the dresses were different, but in a way, felt almost the same. I mean, they each had their own variation of "wow" to offer. The dresses ranged from mediocre to wow. And I was surprised at just how many "wow" dresses we encountered making the decision virtually impossible.

And then, I found the dress I thought to be "the one". I didn't have a "Oh my goodness, this is the one! Pass me a tissue!" moment, but then again, I don't get terribly sentimental about such things either. Mom, a friend and I all agreed. And the fact that even other customers in the store (that's right! Strangers!) commented on it. (Going forward, this shall be known as Dress A).

Before actually committing to it, Mom suggested we go to a store that was having a sale. I should point out that this particular store is reasonably priced on a good day and that the sale would be the cherry on top! I went into the store with the mindset of "I'm just looking. I 'have' my dress already." and in doing that, I obviously wasn't very open to the possibility of finding a dress there. I tried one on that Mom really liked (We shall call this one dress B). I liked it fine. Just as I liked the dozen other dresses I knew I wasn't getting just fine. Mom agreed with me that dress A was ultimately nicer. but on the drive home, Mom said some things that made me see reason. She said three things that resulted in me changing my mind and running back to buy dress B.

1. Although the two of us would know that dress A was out there and nicer than dress B, my guests would not know. They would see the dress for what it was and appreciate the wow factor in whatever dress I chose.

2. From her "been there, done that" perspective, she said, "When you buy that dress, and it's the one hanging in your closet, it becomes your dress, and the other dresses you tried on don't matter."

3. (Keep in mind dress A was about $900 and Dress B was about $400) When I was dwelling on the argument that dress A was indisputably nicer than Dress B, she said "Is it $500 nicer? I mean, there's the cost of your invitations right there!"....that was a light bulb moment for me.

I think there is so much hype about "finding THE dress" and "once in a lifetime" and "you don't want to regret..." that common sense escapes. Now, I know, there are brides out there who would have regretted such a choice. But I think its important to realize that not every bride is going to regret it. I think I'm a lot like my mom in that I'm the bride who brings her dress home and it doesn't matter how many other "wow dresses" I left at the store. The one I bought is MY dress. Its gorgeous, I look great in it and its going to be the one in my pictures. And thirty years from now, when I'm looking at those pictures. I'm sure I wont be able to tell you what dress A looks like if a million dollars depended on it.

Keep Reading ...

Rita & Eric - August 18, 2007

Rita & Eric first came to me at the turn of the new year with an email that I clearly thought was a joke or spam. I’m paraphrasing but it basically said, ‘we live in Turkey, are from Barrie & Markham and got engaged at the Eiffel Tower in Paris’. Huh? I contacted them though and wound up meeting two of the most laid back, like-minded clients ever. Through the following eight months we went from no wedding plans to putting together something they were thrilled with.

This couple wanted a family & friend reunion feel to the wedding because they only come home once a year. They’re both teachers overseas and when they’re home, they’re busy visiting everyone they can. For the wedding they wanted everyone to come and spend the day to socialize, play games outside and have a big old BBQ after the ceremony. It was a blast pulling this unorthodox one together!

Probably the biggest piece of pressure on me as a planner was the venue. Since Rita & Eric wouldn’t be here until June, I had to find and secure a spot for them … and hope it was what they were looking for. After a LOT of research and going back and forth we wound up at a quaint Inn on the waterfront in Coboconk, Ontario. Saucy Willow Inn has beautiful Victorian rooms inside and also cabins in the back of the property. This was a must as the whole bridal party and some other friends and family were to stay for a couple days. We wound up finding a little treasure far away from the hustle & bustle of everyday life. Of course, I never really found out what the couple thought until June so for 6 months I was crossing my fingers!



The next months were spent planning the food, the flowers, the décor … everything you can think of. I’m proud to say I not only took care of the planning for the wedding but also for all of the table centerpieces and bouquets. Talk about a blast! Everything was colourful and no one colour was repeated.




Before the wedding, family took part in a quaint Chinese tea ceremony. Elders sat nestled in the garden of the property while the bride and groom served traditional tea. After that it was off to get dressed for the marriage ceremony right in front of the water. Complete with a Best Woman and Man of Honour, the nuptials went off without a hitch.



The food was a hearty BBQ taken care of by KmK Catering. Burgers, chicken fingers, ribs, sweet potato salad and raspberry cheesecake brownies were just some of the food guests devoured.



Some highlights of the night including the giant apple tree guests tied their wishes for the couple to, family pitching in and helping to do everything from playing music during the ceremony to bar tending, the ice cream cakes the bride so desperately yearned for and the special message Rita had engraved on Eric’s wedding band without his knowledge (it read: Put It Back On).



The end of the night was capped off with a bonfire (everyone changed back into their camping clothes), sparklers, fireworks and a traditional smoking pipe from Turkey. All in all, a very successful time!

Keep Reading ...