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.





Go Leafs Go!

If you're a Leaf fan, then you are likely cheering them on as they play in the playoffs....for the first time in NINE years!

If you're a HUGE Leaf fan, then you'll likely want to incorporate your love for the team into your wedding, and if that doesn't fly with the Bride or the Groom (girls like hockey too), then why not add the Leafs to your engagement photos?

Check out what this cute couple did for their e-session this past winter.

Adorable, right? Slap on those jerseys, get on the ice and just enjoy each others company - all the while someone (like the talented Carolyn from InBloom Photography) takes your photo. 

Typically, guys are the hockey fans in the relationship, so give this one to him ladies and incorporate the Leafs into your engagement photos. If you are a fan too and want to add a dash of TO to your wedding day you can always choose royal blue and white as your colours, or name your signature drink after the team or favourite player or you can even be announced as husband & wife to the Hockey Night in Canada song.

Whether you like the Leafs or not, think of ways how you can incorporate your hobbies, interests and favourite sport teams into your engagement photos, or even your wedding.

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!

The Bride wore white...& so did the Maids.

I saw this post last month on The Knotty Bride & although the Bride looks stunning, I just couldn't help but think...Bridesmaids wearing white?!?!

To me, that is the colour reserved for the Bride, and only the Bride. I'm actually quite against guests wearing white as well, or any shade resembling it - champagne, ivory or pale silver.

Am I totally old fashioned or what?    

Would you want your Bridesmaids to wear white for your wedding?

*inspired by post writen by Alison on The Knotty Bride. Pictures taken by Max Wanger.

 

'What not to Wear' to a Wedding

As a woman, I’m sure you’ve seen the show “What Not to Wear” on TLC. If I were to host an episode, it would be about what not to wear to a wedding. Instantly, I can think of some major “no no’s” and a few fashion faux pas.

If you’re attending a wedding, here’s 4 things you need to know when you’re picking out what to wear.

#1 – Don’t wear white!

It’s majorly frowned upon to wear white to a wedding – that colour should only be worn by the Bride. You should also stay away from colours such as ivory, champagne, pale peach or light silver (these colours can look white in photos). If you want to wear white, it should be in a patterned dress either as the pattern itself or as the foreground colour.

#2 – Keep the length reasonable

Short dresses are very popular these days, but you shouldn’t wear a dress that is more than 1 inch above your knee to a wedding. Cocktail dresses are a better choice than long dresses. The length of your dress should be either 1” above your knee, at your knee, or just below your knees.

#3 – Coordinate with the time of day & season

Black dresses shouldn’t be worn to daytime weddings. Summer dresses shouldn’t be worn in the winter (unless paired with a pretty cardigan that will stay on through the entire wedding) – and choose your shoes properly too. This is common sense stuff.

#4 – Mind your straps

According to an article featured in The Spectator, you should avoid strapless and spaghetti straps. Choosing straps that are 2 fingers in width is best – and obviously more classy. But, times have changed, and I know that strapless dresses are worn often – so if you go with a strapless or spaghetti strap, be sure that the dress fits – don’t be adjusting your top all night, don’t show any signs of a bra (although you MUST wear one, we just don't want to see the straps or the back of it) and make sure the spaghetti straps don’t slide off your shoulders. A good fit goes a long way.

Be conscious of other guests and the theme of the wedding when picking your outfit. Be mindful of cultural traditions, and do research if you're not sure – for example, Chinese traditions frown upon guests wearing red as that colour is typically reserved for the Bride. If you’re still not sure what to wear, and don’t want to cross any boundaries, the best suggestion I can give is for you to consult the Bride as she’s the one that has planned and envisioned her special day for months.



*post generated from personal opinion & articles featured in The Spectator & Project Wedding's Blog
* pictures from Google images

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.