Father of the Bride

We've had posts about the Maid/Matron of Honour, The Best Man, Bridesmaids and the Mother of the Bride, but have yet to cover the Father of the Bride.

The Father of the Bride is usually the most important man in a Bride's life, next to her future husband. He is the man that will walk her down the aisle and 'give her away' to the Groom. He typically offers a toast at the reception and can give a speech if he so desires.

What should The Father of the Bride say to his daughter, future son-in-law and guests?

Here are some topics to touch on:

Welcome - The Father of the Bride usually speaks first, or is the second to speak after the MC or the Best Man speech. He should welcome guests to the wedding and thank out of town guests for joining in the celebration. He should thank people that made the day possible and participating in the planning process and the overall upbringing of the Bride.

Ceremony - He should mention the union that took place at the ceremony and the love his daughter and the groom share for one another. A nice quote, bible verse or song lyric can help with expressing any emotions he may wish to share.

The Bride - The Father of the Bride should talk about the Bride, how proud he is of her and provide a few fun facts about her. Keep this brief as not many people care to hear long winded stories of her childhood like losing her first tooth, her awkward teenage years or the troubles she got into during College. Talk about some of her talents, skills and accomplishments, but keep it short and sweet.

Their Relationship - Mention the relationship between the Bride and Groom. How they met, how he felt when he knew his little girl was in love and his hopes for them for their future together.

The Groom - Welcome him to your family and provide him with a few tips and advice like family traditions, etc. You can poke a little fun at him if you have a good relationship with him, but keep it classy.  You don't want to embarrass him or your daughter. Be sure to make him feel special and accepted.

Wise Words/Toast - End your speech with a few relationship lessons and wise words. Offer an example from  your relationship with her mother if it's a healthy one. Tell them about your hopes, dreams and wishes for them and your excitement of what lies ahead for them as a family.

The Father of the Bride is an important role in a wedding, so be sure to take it seriously, but have fun with it as well. Weddings are an emotional day, so be sure to cherish every moment.

*Photo by Angela Devries Photography from the wedding of Natalie & Jason

How NOT to ruin your wedding photos

Your wedding photos will be one of the most important mementos from your wedding day. The day will go by so quickly, and you'll be having so much fun that you'll need good, quality photos to refresh your memory of what a fabulous day you had!

Choosing a Photographer is a tough decision. I always tell my clients to go with who they feel most comfortable with and who's style they prefer. Do not try to cheap out on your photos. This doesn't mean you have to spend $5,000+, but it surely means you shouldn't be spending less than $500 or asking a friend to do it for free. I saw a fabulous and oh-so-true quote the other day; "If you think it's expensive to hire a professional, wait until you hire an amateur." This quote is bang on - let the professionals take care of you on your wedding day. We have many reasons to call ourselves such.

You've hired a professional and you know they will deliver, but what can you do to make sure that you don't ruin your photos?

Here are some tips on how NOT to ruin your wedding photos:

Create a wish list

Work with your Photographer via email or a face-to-face meeting to discuss the kind of photos you want. Most times you've selected them because of their style, poses, layouts, etc - but if there is a certain pose or location you want, be sure to tell them!
Some popular shots on a wish list are; gown on hanger in window, picture with grandparents, photo of rings/invitation and your something old/new/borrowed and blue.

Have your Photographer stay 

To save money some couples will send the Photographer home after the receiving line or just before dinner. This is a mistake if you want to capture emotions from you, your groom, wedding party, family and guests during dinner, speeches and when the party starts. They don't need to stay all night if money is tight, but have them stay at least until you've cut the cake and had your first dance.

Book in advance

Photographers and Coordinators are two of the first vendors to get booked early. We advise you to do your research and book with your selected Photographer at least 12-14 months in advance. Some times you can get away with as little as 9 months, but don't be surprised if our #1 choice is booked already.

Schedule enough time

Chat with your Photographer and your Day of Coordinator about how much time is needed for your photo shoot. We will be realistic with you and factor in travel time, set-up, people management and weather (sunlight, etc). You want to make sure you have enough time to be relaxed and having fun, but not too much time that your guests awaiting your arrival back are bored.

Feed your vendors

Vendors that get fed are happy vendors, and happy vendors will work better than hungry ones. If you have vendors working over your dinner hour (Photographers, Coordinator, DJ, etc) we highly recommend that you have a vendor table for them and feed them dinner as well. Your wedding day is a long one although it seems to go by so quickly and most of your vendors will be working well before you start to get ready and long after you've gone home.

Look fresh

On your wedding day you will look so radiant and happy because it's your wedding day, but do yourself a favour and eat and sleep well the day before. Same goes for your wedding day, stay hydrated, eat throughout the day and don't get intoxicated.

Have fun

Stuffy photos are a thing of the past. Sure, you'll have the traditional family and wedding party shots, but make sure you're having fun, laughing and enjoying yourself. Don't worry about the small things - this is your Day of Coordinators job. A smiling Bride looks best from all angles.


*Photo by JClay Photography from Helen & Jason's big day

Wedding Videos

The word 'video' makes me think of a VHS - an old school way to capture memories. These days technology is so high end that you can end up with a wedding video that looks like a mini-movie.

I had the pleasure of meeting and working with the team from Captivate Bridal for the wedding of Natalie and Jason this past June. Now, I've gushed quite a bit about their wedding here, and here and have bragged about ther 2 page spread they got in the Hamilton Halton Weddings Magazine - and once you see this video you'll know why this wedding is one of my all time favourites. Not only are Natalie and Jason adorable, oh-so-good-looking and in love, but their wedding was full of beautiful details, precious moments and many smiles.

Click here to watch the film.

I love how it starts out with the boys kickin' back and having a game of road hockey. What a great way to let off some steam that accompanies the nerves of a wedding day.

And then at 1:44 you get a look at how Natalie spent her morning getting ready with her best girlfriends.

If you're a Daddy's girl, you'll get choked up at around 3:10 when her Dad enters and you can hear parts of his speech to his daughter and her new husband. Sigh.

Also, take note of how many times Jason looks at Natalie so adoringly. I found myself smiling along with him and even getting a little misty eyed.

Kudos to Captivate Bridal for capturing their wedding in such a beautiful and memorable way.

Do you want your big day captured on film? Then check out Captivate Bridal so you too can have such a fabulous keepsake.

*Photos by Angela Devries Photography

Love in Print x 2!

If you want inspiration for your wedding you can look to weddings you've attended, search through blogs, or hunt of ideas on Pinterest. There are lot's of ways to get ideas for your big day, but nothing compares to flipping through the pages of a Wedding Magazine.

Grab the 2013 edition of Hamilton Halton Wedding Magazine, make yourself a tea and cozy up on the couch for a good read filled with local vendors, ideas, inspriational shoots and real weddings.

We are over the moon excited to have 2 of our Day of Coordination weddings featured in the magazine!

On the cover you'll see Morgan & Adam, their wedding was in August and the photo was captured by the lovely and talented Beth Kay. Big thanks to Morgan for the shout out to us in the blurb about their beautiful day! xo

Mosey on in a little further and you'll find a two-page spread of Natalie & Jason's June wedding. This wedding was full of romance, pink, fine details and of course, cupcakes! Thank you so much to Nat & Jason for inviting us to be a part of your special day and for the kinds words. Here's what Natalie tweeted about working with us; "Our vision for our wedding day would not have been brought to life without you!" For more about their wedding check out the feature in the mag, or our re-cap here.

DISCOUNT Alert! Book with us before May 1st, 2013 and tell us that you saw these Real Weddings in the Hamilton Halton Weddings Magazine and save 10% on Day of Coordination Services!

A Saaweet Wedding!

Natalie got married to the love of her life, Jason on June 16^th and we were there to coordinate their special day.

It was a beautiful, yet hot summer day when these two love birds said “I do.”  Both the ceremony and the reception was at Liberty Grand in Toronto (on the Exhibition grounds). Natalie is all about the fine details, she had a complete vision in her mind of how she wanted her day to look and feel, I think we did a pretty good job bringing it all together for her and her hubs.

From the rose petal aisle, to the lemonade stand for guests after the ceremony – to the homemade cookie favours, cupcake tree (or rather tower) and small personal touches like a picture frame stand with little pictures of loved ones passed, to a note card detailing their flower choices, this wedding was simply beautiful!

On top of all the beauty that was in the details and décor, there’s Jason, Natalie and their wedding party too! A great looking group of people that were such a pleasure to work with. Not one person complained, or didn’t offer to help out in some way. This couple was truly blessed to have been surrounded by such great family & friends on their wedding day.

With Natalie owning Cupcake Diner, it was expected that there’d be some sweet treats available! The late night buffet consisted of homemade goodies like cupcakes (chocolate mint, lemon, red velvet just to name a few) and cookies. In conjunction to the sweet table, there was a buffet of French fries – a perfect snack for party!

The new Mr. & Mrs will be featured in an up-coming edition of the Hamilton & Halton Weddings Magazine, so be on the lookout for that! In the meantime, check out some pictures here of the happy couple on their special day. It was a pleasure and an honour to have been a part of Natalie & Jason’s day. We hope that they had a fantastic time with memories to last a lifetime.

Congratulations!

To see more pictures, like us on Facebook, or you can also go here.

Venue: Liberty Grand 

Florist/Décor: Sue Gallo Designs 

Cupcakes & Cookies: Cupcake Diner

Photographs: Angela Devries Photography  

Give your flowers meaning

Most Brides will pick flowers for their wedding based on the colour, size, seasonality (availability) and cost. Flowers can be expensive, especially if you're ordering ones that aren't in season during your special day.

To add more meaning to your flowers, and to give your guests something to talk about, why not post a list of your chosen flowers and their meaning like what my recent Bride, Natalie did?

Placed on her gift table, I thought this was a great way for her to showcase her love of flowers and why she chose what she did for the day she said "I do" to Jason.

Online you can find all kinds of meanings and symbols for flowers. Check out Flowers for Canada or The Language of Flowers.

Remember that if you're not all that into flowers, you can always incorporate plants, nuts and seeds. Or, if you're totally against using real flowers, why not go with a broach or button bouquet?


What kind of flowers are you planning on displaying at your wedding and in your bouquet?

No matter what you choose, be sure that the flowers you pick have some sort of meaning to you. Maybe you decide to pick flowers that were the kind he first gave you when you started dating. Maybe you chose your mother's favourite flower to honour her, or maybe you simply pick what you think are pretty. Whether you display the meaning of your flowers or not, you'll know that they were chosen with your special meaning in mind.

Congrats Natalie & Jason!

I am beyond excited to be coordinating the wedding of Natalie & Jason tomorrow!

Natalie is the owner of Cupcake Diner, Canada's first mobile cupcake shoppe. She's not only a local celebrity here in Hamilton, but she's also one of our favourite Friendors, so it's obvious why I'm super pumped about their big day!

Since 2010, Natalie has been planning her wedding to Jason and has a ton of fine details.
From an outdoor ceremony complete with a rose petal aisle, to honey & sugar sticks for tea and coffee, to homemade cookies for the favours - this gal has thought of a bunch of little things to bring together her event in a big way. It's always a joy to hear about how couples are incorporating their personalities, styles and ideas of romance into their wedding day.

Stay tuned to the blog for a recap post or two about Nat & Jay's wedding. You'll also be able to see it featured in an up-coming edition of the Hamilton & Halton Weddings Magazine!

Alison & Eric are getting hitched!



Tamahaac Club, Ancaster.



Tomorrow, the Bride's Butler will be providing Day of Coordination services for the soon to be newlyweds. Alison works with a past Groom of ours, Jason and was referred to us for her special day. We're always so thankful for referrals. Thanks Jason!!

Alison & Eric are getting married in Ancaster at the beautiful Tamahaac Club. The ceremony will be outside, if the predicted rain storm holds off - and the reception will take place inside the club.

JD from Unveil Photography will be on hand capturing the Bride & Groom as they say "I do" and celebrate their union.

Alison has gathered a lot of her inspiration for her special day from Pinterest. A site that offers all kinds of ideas from decor, food and crafts. This site is gaining popularity from couples planning their weddings and using it like one big vision board. She will have roses, hydrangeas, an old fashioned chalk board, homemade jam and paper bird escort cards. All of her small details will come together to create one big impact. We can't wait to put it all together for her!

We're looking forward to being with Alison, Eric, their family and friends and they celebrate getting hitched!

Congrats Helen & Jason!

Helen & Jason tied the knot in a romantic ceremony at Webster's Falls on October 16th, 2010.

They contacted us back in February to secure our services for their rehearsal and ceremony. With the ceremony taking place outside, they wanted to make sure that someone was dedicated to coordinating the afternoon. From placing the chairs, setting up the shepard's hooks with flower baskets, coordinating the Officiant & Musicians, receiving the flower delivery and assisting the wedding party - we were on-site ensuring the location was ready for their "I do's".

Helen & Jason were the most laid-back couple I've had the pleasure to work with - it was such a joy to be  a part of their special day. Helping me out on Oct 16th was Amanda, she's looking to get involved further in Wedding Planning and I hope that assisting me brought her further motivation to stay on the path she's currently on. Her help was very much appreciated.

Like most weddings I coordinate, I shed a tear (or two) when the Bride is about to walk down the aisle - and Helen was no exception. As she walked along the pathway towards the giant willow tree arm in arm with her Dad I couldn't help but smile - but then the 2 of them linked up with her Mother who was waiting at the top of the aisle and that's when I teared up.

The weather was beautiful - they couldn't have planned it better for an outdoor ceremony! Their reception site, Dundas Valley Golf & Curling Club also looked fabulous as we got to see it before we completed our services for the day.

Thanks again to Helen & Jason for including us in your most special day - and once again, CONGRATS!