B is for....

I get lots of emails asking if I am hiring. These girls want to know if they can be my Assistant - my helper - my right hand gal. Well, for the past 9 months I've had a sidekick that I adore; Brittany.

It's almost too fitting that Brittany starts with B, like The Bride's Butler. It was simply a coincidence that she emailed me and I just happened to need help at that time. Well, perhaps it wasn't coincidence, maybe it was fate - depends on how deep we wanna go here. LOL!

Either way, I'm thrilled to have Britt working with me, learning alongside me and being there to help me bring Bride's dreams to life.

Brittany's also certified by WPIC (Wedding Planners Institute of Canada), so she's a perfect match for The Bride's Butler as I'm certified as well. She is passionate about weddings & events and has a keen eye for details. She enjoys making things pretty, and making people feel special.

She truly is a gem to have as an Assistant, and a friend.

Thank you Brittany for choosing me to introduce you to the wonderful world of weddings.
I look forward to executing many more "I do's" with you as my right hand gal!

Wedding Planners

Not really sure what a Wedding Planner does?

Here are the basics of what we, The Bride's Butler can do, and how we help you with your most special day.

• We're experts in the Wedding Industry and are in the know of todays trends. Our knowledge can help you save money, time and stress searching online, in magazines and with vendors.

• We've got connections. We can help you secure trusted professionals (Friendors) that often extend discounts to clients of certified Wedding Planners.

• We're there for you. A Wedding Planner works for you - not for your venue, or your photographer, or for your crazy Auntie Carla - we are working for you - the happy couple. Your wish is our command (within reason of course!)

• Wedding Planners will take time to discuss your needs, ideas and wants for your wedding. We help you problem solve, answer questions, point you in the right direction and help guide you through a fun, yet often  stressful planning process.

• We do not plan your entire wedding and make it our own. It is your wedding day, and we make sure that your personalities shine through in all of your decisions. There are lot's of choices when planning, in fact you will make over 177 decisions before you walk down the aisle.

• We're organized. We can provide you with spreadsheets and timelines to help you stay organized too.

• We can be your personal therapist. Like we've said, wedding planning can be stressful, and when other opinions are involved (mothers, sisters, cousins, bridesmaids, etc) it can get frustrating. We are here for you - for an ear to vent to, a shoulder to cry on and to play the role of 'negotiator'.

• Wedding Planners can be hired for Full Wedding Planning where we are with you every step of the way. We help guide your decisions, source vendors and resources and work towards saving you time, money and stress.

• Wedding Planners can also be Wedding Coordinators. This role is for Day of Coordination services - where you plan your wedding, but we make the magic happen. You can't be too places at once. We take care of all the details so that you can enjoy being a blushing Bride.

• We are affordable. Wedding Planners aren't as expensive as you think. Ask any Bride who didn't hire a Planner and they would tell you that they wish they did. Hindsight is 20/20. In comparison for what you pay for your photographer, florist, dress and cake - we are very affordable for the services we provide.

So, think you have a better idea as to what a Wedding Planner does? Still not sure? Check out our website, or come visit us tonight at the Ancaster Wedding Show.

Questions? We love meeting with Brides-to-be and their Grooms for a complimentary coffee & chat so we can discuss how we can work together and be your official "Bride's Butler".

Congrats Lisa & Jon!

A big congratulations to love birds Lisa & Jon! They got married on October 9th, 2010.

I met Lisa through The Ancaster Wedding Show and she took advantage of the promotion we were having of $100 off Day of Coordination services. She seemed a little stressed with her wedding quickly approaching, so I was glad to be able to help relieve some of her anxiety and reassure her that I would help her take care of a lot of the finer details on her wedding day.

My Assistant for the day was Erin, who also is a WPIC Alumni and was looking for another wedding to volunteer for to get her feet wet. She did a great job helping me out with executing Lisa's plans as well as accompanying the wedding party on their photo shoot to 3 different locations.

Lisa & Jon met on the internet, and they are quite the cute couple! They have great family and friends, and I simply adored her Uncle who was the MC for their wedding.

The ceremony was held at a local United Church and their reception was at the Renaissance Hall in Hamilton. The gals wore a deep purple which complimented Lisa's fall theme nicely. She had a few details that were personalized - my favourite being the ring pillow that her nephew held as Ring Bearer was a baseball on top of a bed of fake grass! This was because Jon proposed to Lisa while at a baseball game. Too cute!

Overall, Lisa & Jon had a great wedding day - the weather was beautiful, no major issues arose, and everyone had a great time dancing and socializing.

Wishing Lisa & Jon all the best in their new life together, we're very thankful to have been a part of your special day!

Mancakes

Yep, you read that right...Mancakes. The newest trend in the world of baked goodness - cupcakes geared towards men. Perfect for 'manly' gatherings like golf tournaments, stags and birthdays. These can also be a good addition to the somewhat 'girly' cupcakes served at weddings - or as a great subsitute for the Groom's cake.

As a WPIC alumni, and a follower of theirs on Twitter, I saw a post about these 'dude delights' and had a "why didn't I think of this?" moment. Well, For the Love of Cake in Toronto has thought of it and they offer a variety of mancakes with ingredients such as beer, brandy and bacon!
Here are descriptions of the flavours they offer:

Stout Spice

A moist spice cake flavoured with orange zest and Guinness topped with a stout glaze and a candied orange peel.

Maple Bacon

A maple and bacon flavoured cupcake filled with blueberries and topped with a maple frosting and bacon bits.

Guinness Chocolate
A chocolate cupcake flavoured with Guinness beer, filled with an Irish whiskey chocolate ganache and topped with cream cheese frosting and chocolate shavings.

Black Forest
A moist chocolate cupcake filled with a splash of Kirsch brandy and sour cherries and topped with more cherries and a dollop of vanilla butter cream.

I'm sure you'll see Mancakes popping up all over the place as more bakeries and cake specialists get on board the trend train. What kind would your man like?

Mmmmm....Mancakes.

Happy New Year!!

Welcome 2010!

It's a new year. A fresh start? Or continued excitement? What's the beginning of your year looking like? Are you planning a wedding? Attending a wedding? What about resolutions? Got any?

As a bride, you probably have a few - check out the article on The Knot entitled "10 Resolutions for every Bride". for a few recommended resolutions.You may want to add some of them to your list of 'goals', or you may just find it a funny read. Here's hoping that whatever tasks you choose to add to your resolution list, you accomplish them, cause everyone loves the sweet smell of success.

Speaking of success, The Bride's Butler has a few goals for 2010.

1. Blogging! We want to keep our readers/followers/fans and clients up to date on what's happening within our company and the wedding & event industry. We aim to post every 5 days or so.
2. To have over 200 Facebook Fans by peak wedding season, June 2010. If you're a fan, thanks for the love...if you're not a fan yet, why not?

3. Keep offering clients the best service we can at the most affordable  rates! We are continuously working with other wedding/event vendors to give you exclusive rates and extras not offered without a referral. Saving you money  is just as important to us as it is to you.

4. And of course, this year, we want to continue to get noticed!! We want The Bride's Butler to be 1 of the top 3, or better yet, the only Wedding & Event Planning company you think of when dreaming, thinking and planning your wedding in the Hamilton and surrounding areas.

Look for our ad in the Wedding Guide 2010 by Toronto Life Magazine, and our listing in Today's Bride featuring WPIC certified planners.

We hope that you reach your goals and that we reach ours as well. In fact, if we can work together to reach our goals, that's even better!

In order to reach your goals, you'll have to have a plan with set tasks and due dates. You should do research - and lot's of it.

For all you brides who got engaged over the holidays and are just starting your wedding planning - we recommend that you take your time at the Bridal Shows, ask lots of questions and try not to forget that a wedding isn't about money, or flowers, or colour schemes - it's about the love you have for another and how you will share one of the most important days of your lives together expressing your commitment to each other among the presence of friends and family.

Here's to a fantastic year ahead!