Congrats Lizzie & John!

Remember back in the beginning of the New Year when I told you how excited I was to be coordinating the wedding of Lizzie & John? Well, I've gotten my hands on some photos to share their beautiful and unique winter wedding with you!

Tying the knot on February 16th in Hamilton, these two movie buffs exchanged vows in front of their closest family and friends. With a theme of movies, red, white and black, they captured old hollywood charm.

Photos were captured by their friend Lindsay of Lindsay Taylor Photography and were taken at the RBG in Hamilton and the waterfront. The beautiful fascinator that the Bride wore is from my friend and industry professional Kalee at Frilly Bits.

The wedding ceremony and reception was held at Carmen's and was a fabulous event complete with cupcake from Sweetness Bakery, a homemade photo booth made by the Groom and his Groomsmen, and a choreographed dance by the Bride and her maids.

Congratulations to Lizzie & John! It was a pleasure to work alongside you on your special day, and I hope to spend more time with you in the near future with other events and opportunities. :)



The First Look at the RBG



How adorable are these Ring Bearers?



Nice legs ladies!



The Groom gives his coat to his Bride on the cold winter day.





Black is back!

While in the process of the re-brand for Bride's Butler I've been looking at all kinds of designs, layouts, colours and fonts the past few months and let me just tell you, it's been hard to decide! There are so many beautiful designs out there, and waaaay too many fonts! But, it seemed that no matter how much I looked, and how much I saw that I liked, I always seemed to be drawn to the chalkboard style.

So then for fun, I started looking at invitation styles on Wedding Paper Divas and ta-da! Found some designed with the chalkboard style. Here is one of my favs..

And then I kept looking, and I saw so many beautiful invitations I just couldn't stop clicking through from one page to the next. I noticed that there were quite a few invites that were black and it got me thinking...I know that black has made a major come-back into weddings through the bridesmaid dresses, details and embellishments on the Bride, but I wasn't sure if it would make it's way to the stationery. But, why wouldn't it? Black is classic. Black makes a statement. Black is back!

What I love most about these invites is that you don't need a whole lot of colour, or any at all to show your style and get your message across in a beautiful, artistic and classy way.

What do you think? Do you think wedding invitations need colour? They are the first thing guests see from the wedding and help set the tone for the event...but from looking at these invites, I say go for it! Black is back, and I like it!

A Rockin' kind of wedding...

In September I had the chance to work alongside a fantastic couple for their Rock and Roll themed wedding as teased here.

Many times I work with couples that I wish were my friends - and these two are one of those couples. They are fun, friendly, laid back, in love, have fantastic family and friends and we worked so well together. Being able to assist couples and allow them to enjoy their special day is what I love best about my job.

After waiting as patiently as I could for some of the professional photos, the lovely Bride sent me some last week. Check out the awesomeness that was their wedding!

Want to know what made this ceremony different than others? As the Bride walked down the aisle with her father, a vocalist accompanied by a pianist sang the song "Kissing You" from the hit movie Romeo & Juliet. You know the one; Leo and Claire. Swoon.

Also, they had a family member play an electric guitar version of Mendelssohn's wedding march for the processional. Totally rock and roll!

A dove release for a loved one.

Showered with love and rose pedals.

Simply stunning! Margarita makes hair pieces, belts and more for Brides - contact her here.

Sealed with a kiss at the Old Mill & Spa in Toronto.

Thank you so much Margarita & Sergio for welcoming me into your lives during your planning process and allowing me to celebrate with you on your most special day!

Also, thanks to my friend and fellow Wedding Coordinator, Natalie from Punch Events for referring me to this fabulous pair.

Photos by Renaissance Photography

Margarita & Sergio Sneak Peek!

On September 8th, I had the pleasure of working alongside a kick-ass couple, Margarita & Sergio.
Housed at the Old Mill Inn & Spa, this couple planned a party that was one to remember!

A Rock n' Roll theme was carried throughout every detail, from their concert ticket escort cards, to the guest book that was a play on a Rolling Stone magazine, even to a custom built Rock & Roll Wall of Fame - this couple thought of it all! Black, red and white were their colours and they had a personalized monogram designed by the Bride, who's a wicked designer. Here's  a sneak peek of some photos I snapped....

Be on the look out for another blog (or two) with more photos and a video from the talented team at Green Autumn.

Congratulations Jenn & Stephen!

Jenn & Stephen got married in October and now that we've received some pictures from the wonderful Taralea at Eyecontact Photography, we wanted to share a small recap of their special day with you!

Jenn & Stephen were married at The Scottish Rite in Hamilton by Dan from Kettle Creek Weddings. The ceremony was beautiful and everyone was happy to see these two say "I do."

The reception was held at The Hamilton Convention Centre and as you can see their colours were black, white and red. Jennifer was very organized (as mentioned in this post) and these newlyweds enjoyed their day with friends and family.

We had a great time assisting them with our Day of Coordination services and wish them nothing but the best as Husband and Wife.

Congrats again!

Bridesmaids: How to pull it off

We've said it before, and we'll say it again - being a Bridesmaid (or Maid of Honor) is hard work.
If it was all fun and games like the newest movie to hit the theatres; Bridesmaids, then no one would ever gripe about being one.

As a Bridesmaid you've got to have the dress, shoes, hair, make-up, nails, accessories, gifts, showers, possibly a stag & doe, a bachelorette party, the rehearsal and the wedding itself. Then on top of all that you should provide support, guidance and a shoulder to cry/lean on.

Bridesmaids want to look good on the wedding day, we get that - but you have to make sure that you do not purposefully try to upstage the Bride. It is her day. As a member of the wedding party you should consider yourself a "co-host" for the festivities, especially the ceremony & reception. Be polite, gracious and not overbearing. Do as you are asked, be flexible and simply put; be a good friend.

Still not sure what to expect as a Bridesmaid? Ask the Bride.

You can however be sure of the following:

Money - expect to spend it. If you can't afford $500 upwards to $1,000 to be a Bridesmaid, then respectfully decline. The couple (specifically Bride) should inform you what is expected in the role as soon as she invites you to join the wedding party. By no means should you feel bad or guilty for having to decline.

Attire - the likely hood of you actually liking the dress and wearing it again is slim. There are more styles offered now that able to remain in your wardrobe, but again, it's unlikely. A lot of Brides are opting for black dresses so that the Bridesmaids can wear them again. What you won't see too often are white bridesmaid dresses, although it's more popular in the UK as seen in the Royal Wedding.

Participation - you will need to attend any wedding related meetings, rehearsals, showers, and events. Enjoy each of them to the fullest. Weddings are a great excuse to celebrate and enjoy life.

If you've been asked to be a Bridesmaid, perhaps you might consider giving a gift to the couple from all  members of the Wedding Party. If you all chip in a little bit for a gift, it will help all of your pocket books. And if you want to do the Bride a big favour, hire us for Day of Coordination. Having us there on the wedding day will allow you and everyone at the wedding to simply enjoy the day for what it is - a gathering of family & friends to celebrate a union of love. No Bridesmaid I've ever known wants to feel like an employee of the Bride on her special day. You are her attendants, there to take part in the occasion with her.

Have fun!

Saturday's Soiree

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of assisting Kelly & Mike with their wedding.

Kelly had contacted me in December when we were offering $100 off Day of Coordination Services.

Kelly is the type of Bride that wanted a Planner onsite so that she didn’t have to worry about managing her bridal party, family and friends. She also didn’t want to worry about logistics like décor set-up and the very important timeline. Kelly works for an insurance company, so everyday in her career she’s looking after others, so she wanted to make sure that her day was all about her and Mike…and it was!

Congrats to Kelly & Mike for planning and hosting a fabulous wedding! The colour scheme was black, white and champagne with traces of damask and lace. Kelly & Mike had their reception at The Burlington Convention Centre – the staff there is fabulous and the food was well served and very tasty! The wedding cake was stunning and Kelly even surprised Mike with a Groom’s cake (hot new trend alert!!) because of his love of soccer. The weather was beautiful and there were only a few minor issues that arose throughout the day- which is bound to happen, it’s all part of executing a major event. Thankfully, Samantha my Assistant for the day and myself were ready for almost anything.

What are some things we helped make better and less stressful for Kelly & Mike?

- held onto the rings until the ceremony
- pinned boutonnières on the lapels of all bridal party members
- distributed payment for the musicians at the ceremony
- provided a forgetful bridesmaid with her bouquet at photo shoot
- photocopied vehicle permit for photo location for limo
- managed set-up at reception venue (decorator and serving staff)

- placed favours on all place settings

- alphabetized name cards
- set up guest book, money box, etc
- set up cake table & Groom’s cake table

- organized bridal party for main entrance

- coordinated with DJ for sound and lighting

- made sure Bride’s requested brand of wine was being served

- quickly put a halt to the sound of the speech from the next hall coming through our banquet speakers

And so on and so on……

Brides – things will happen on your wedding day that you didn’t expect or plan for. Having a Planner onsite can help these types of issues disappear quickly and effortlessly on your part. Your task for the day is to be the Bride and enjoy every moment with your husband.

The Bride’s Butler wishes Kelly & Mike all the best in their new beginning together. Thanks again for allowing us to be a part of your very special day.

And the Oscar goes to.....

With the awards season upon us, I got a little inspired to put together an Oscar themed wedding on Bridal Canvas. Using gold, red and black - I created a collaboration of images to portray an elegant and sophisticated event where celebrities dine on the finest of foods, and drink the best of the bubbly. Getting married? Hosting an event?
Try making an inspiration board using magazine or online images. Have fun!

Oscar Winter Wedding by Diznee

The images for this canvas where sourced online from various sites.
These images are not from our portfolio.