Perfect Wedding Day

Saturday June 4 was the perfect day for a wedding... blue skies, gentle breeze, warm sun, not too hot or cold... perfect! And Charlotte & Wilbur enjoyed every moment of this perfect day...

It started out with the "first look" and family photos being done early in the day. Then a beautiful ceremony at St Cuthbert's Anglican Church in Oakville with some fun bubbles and group photos afterwards. Then on to the gorgeous grounds and banquet facilities of Oakville Golf Club. Centerpieces were china teacups with spring mix bouquets in them.

Guests enjoyed sangrias and mimosas while the bride & groom took some fun pictures around the grounds. Charlotte and Wilbur were very relaxed and just really took in the day, their guests and the special moments.

A delicious Lunch was served in the bright banquet room - with the Bride & Groom enjoying their sweet heart table and speeches by their Best Woman and their Man of Honour! After cutting their cake and giving their speech, the tender moment of the day took place - the bride & her dad danced together. What made this so moving was that dad has not been well and it had even been uncertain if he would be able to attend the wedding -let alone dance with his daughter. So when he was able to be there - to walk her down the aisle - and then do dance with her, there wasn't a dry eye in the place!

Following their dance,

Charlotte changed into a party dress - in honour of Wilbur's Asian heritage and tradition. And then - despite it being only 3:00 in the afternoon and the room flooded with bright sunlight - the party really kicked into high gear... with most guests on the dance floor - dancing, laughing and singing along to the music! It was very much a fun-filled dance party!!

Congratulations Charlotte & Wilbur!

VENDORS:

CEREMONY: St Cuthbert's Anglican Church www.stcuthbertoakville.ca
RECEPTION: Oakville Golf Club http://www.oakvillegolfclub.com
PHOTOGRAPHERS: Max & Ricci of LaMemoir http://lamemoir.com
DJ & PHOTOBOOTH: Sound Obsession www.soundobsession.ca
FLORIST: Late Bloom Florist http://www.latebloomflorist.com

Long Distance Planning - Local Wedding Day!

Jenny & Shawn live in Alberta - and as their wedding planner, I live in Ontario. They hired me over a FaceTime call and we planned their entire wedding through emails, texts, calls and FaceTime meetings. And on the Wednesday before their wedding here in Ontario, I FINALLY got to meet them in person!! What an exciting day that was for me - to meet this awesome couple face to face!



After all the crazy up & down weather we've been having, April 23 dawned with clear blue skies and bright sunshine - and very comfortable temperatures.... a perfect day for a wedding! The ceremony was held in the brand new Ancaster Mill Chapel - so brand new that the finishing touches were put on it at 7:00am the morning of the wedding!

How exciting to be able to be part of the very first wedding in the chapel!

With its floor to ceiling stone fireplace, cathedral ceiling with wooden beams, perfect sized wooden stage, huge windows letting in great natural light, white marble aisle, upper glass-fronted balcony, silver chivari chairs with white padded seats.... this venue is a dream for weddings and photos!



Guests enjoyed cocktail hour in the Millview Room while the family and bridal party did great photos on the grounds of the Mill.

The reception was held in the Falls Room - with its rustic elegance and huge windows overlooking the falls.




Guests enjoyed a delicious meal, entertaining speeches, a fun photo booth and a GREAT dance band!
It was one party that no one wanted to go home from!

Congratulations Jenny & Shawn!




VENDORS:
Venue: Ancaster Mill www.ancastermill.ca
Florist/Decorator: Pocket of Posies www.pocketofposies.ca
Photographers: VP Studios www.vpstudiosphotography.com
Videographer: Taylor McDonell
Officiant: Rev. Allan Budzin
Band& DJ: Parkside Drive www.parksidedrive.ca
Photo Booth: Das Photos www.dasphotobooth.ca
ShuttleBus: Mermaid Limo www.mermaidlimo.com
Limo: Canam Limo www.canamlimo.com
Hair & Makeup: Anita, Amy, Lindsay from AB Cosmetics www.abcosmetics.ca
HandLettering: Aliza Latta www.instagram.com/alizalatta
Printing: The Printing Korner www.printingkorner.com
Rentals: Mashed Events www.mashedevents.com
Hotel: Visitor's Inn www.visitorsinn.com

Why Should Brides Attend Local Bridal Shows?

This coming weekend, Jan 10 - 11, 2015 is the annual Hamilton Wedding Show. It is two full days of amazing vendors, impressive displays, fun fashion shows, delicious food samples and LOTS of great information!

It always surprises me to hear brides say, "I can't be bothered going to a bridal show." I know that sometimes we vendors can come across as pushy... trying to stuff our flyers in your already overfilled hands, trying to get you to fill out a ballot, trying to talk up our services with you. Forgive us for being pushy. We don't mean to be... at least most of us don't mean to be!

I think as a bride, you need to come to a Bridal Show with a different outlook. Don't look at exhibitors as "the vendors to be avoided!!" But rather, realize that we are actually there FOR YOU. We have spent good money and countless hours to prepare ourselves to meet YOU and to talk with you about YOUR wedding. We are really there, for two long days, in order to meet and serve the bridal couples of our community!

If you already have various vendor services booked, we understand - and we are fine with you telling us this!

Splashes of Colour Warmed the Night!

Brittany & Mike got married on a chilly evening on November 15th at the Art Gallery of Hamilton. But the cold winds did nothing to cool down this hot and vibrant event!

This couple was the ultimate in being a "laid back & easy going" Bride & Groom. They were just so excited and ready to get married and so happy to have family & friends surrounding them that there was no room for stress or anxiety as they prepared and as the day arrived!

The Art Gallery provided a unique space for the wedding. The Pavilion room is a big open space with 2 large plain white walls, 2 floor-to-ceiling window walls, a grey floor and very high ceilings... really, a blank canvas on which to paint and design a dream wedding. For this couple, they chose to go with "splashes of colour" of Red, Pink, Purple or Yellow. The ceiling had about 50 coloured chinese lanterns of various sizes hanging across the room.

For the ceremony, flowers arrangements sat on pedestals to very simply accent the "altar" area. The aisle was lined with votives in sets of 3 tall vases, surrounded by coloured rose petals. Later, the room was flipped for the reception, and guests tables were set with basic white linens, but accented with "colour blocked" details - each table being a different one of the 4 colours in the floral centerpieces, votive candle holders, place cards and table name cards!

Brittany's bouquet was 'colour blocked' with these four colours. Each bridesmaid carried a solid colour bouquet in one of the theme colours. The flower girl carried a mini bouquet with one gerbera daisy in each colour tied together. The head table backdrop was a simple wall-cling of the couple's name, with uplighting that gradually rotated through the colours during the evening.

Signage for the event, and guest place cards, were all done with what looked like "paint splashes" of the theme colours as well. Very fitting considering Brittany works in the head office paint department for Canadian Tire. The table names were very unique, and the guests at each table had to guess the significance of the table name to the couple, explain it to the rest of the guests and if they were right, the couple were more than happy to reward them with a kiss! This "game" went over really well with the guests... and there was a lot of kissing going on during the reception!!

Overall - they were a wonderful couple and the beautiful wedding truly celebrated family, friends, love and great relationships!

Congratulations Brittany & Mike!


VENDORS:

VENUE: Art Gallery of Hamilton www.artgalleryofhamilton.com
OFFICIANT: Linda Kasprzak of All Seasons Weddings www.allseasonsweddings.com
PIANIST: Uncle of Bride, Jack Packer
PHOTOGRAPHER: Sara Wilde Photography www.sarawilde.com
FLORIST: Samantha Forrest of Pocket of Posies www.pocketofposies.ca
DJ: Devon Craig MacDonald devoncraigmacdonald@gmail.com
Dance Floor & other RENTALS: Special Events Rentals www.specialevents.on.ca
LIMO: Hamilton Limo www.hamiltonlimo.com
HAIR & MAKEUP: Be You Tiful Brides www.beyoutifulbrides.com
BRIDAL GOWN: Heirlooms Bridal Salon www.heirloomsbridal.com

Wonderful Winter Wedding

Christmas came and went... and the wedding day was upon us! After a major ice storm and snow, the day dawned with slight clouds and warmer temperatures - a perfect winter wedding day!

Emily was a beautiful and radiant bride, wearing a tulle, lace and satin gown that suited her perfectly.

The girls wore deep plum coloured long gowns and instead of carrying bouquets, they all carried hand-knit muffs made by the bride & bridesmaids. The bridal party had fun getting ready at the Sheraton Hotel and travelling in a limo bus together.

A highlight for the couple was the unique chance to have their first look photos taken on the roof of the Sheraton, followed by Bridal party photos before the wedding at Liuna Station.

The wedding ceremony took place at the traditional and beautiful Central Presbyterian Church in Hamilton. Following the ceremony and receiving line, guests were treated to a decadent Hot Chocolate Station and assorted sweets in the church fellowship hall.

Everyone then made their way to the elegant King George Ballroom at Liuna Station for the reception. A delicious and filling 5 course meal was served. The guests enjoyed speeches and the traditional and fun "Bride/Groom Shoe Game",

a tea station that sampled Emily & Luc's favourite teas, and there were some unique dance moves provided by guests in order to entice the bride & groom to kiss.


It was a wonderful winter wedding day...and I wish Luc & Emily a wonderful life together!


VENDORS:

Ceremony Venue: Central Presbyterian Church, Hamilton www.centralchurchhamilton.on.ca
Reception Venue: Liuna Station, Hamilton www.liunastation.com
Hotel & First Look: Sheraton Hotel, Hamilton www.Sheraton.com/Hamilton
Photography/Videography: KoLab Cinema www.kolabcinema.com
Flowers & Centerpieces: Pocket of Posies www.pocketofposies.ca
Decorator: With All My Heart Wedding Décor www.withallmyheartweddingdecor.ca
Limo Bus: Mermaid Limo www.mermaidlimo.com
Wedding Cake: Criveller Cakes www.crivellercakes.ca
HairStylist: The Full Spectrum http://www.hairatthefullspectrum.ca/
Makeup Artist: Fabulous Faces www.fabulousfaces.ca

Rain Couldn't Dampen This Wedding Day!

Becky & Mike didn't let the rain stop them from enjoying their wedding day. Having the ceremony and reception all held at the Waterloo Inn made things easy for guests and allowed everything to be done indoor and dry! Becky looked amazing in her gown.. and her adorable flower girl was precious in her black gown edged with black feathers. Bouquets and boutineers were also all made of feathers.

The colours for the day were black, white, silver and royal blue. The ceremony space was beautifully decorated with a sparkly black and crystal backdrop with large planter and candles in stands, and all chairs covered in black.
The reception hall had the ceiling draped as well as another beautiful backdrop behind the head table. Manzanita trees were the centerpieces and the room looked beautiful.

Guests enjoyed a cocktail hour in the foyer and then a delicious buffet dinner. The speeches included an unexpected "rap" by the brides' parents - wearing hats and sunglasses to the Eminem song, "Lose Yourself". It was a true highlight of the evening!

The couple played the "shoe" game, causing laughter among the guests. The reception program was ahead of time, and so the dancing party began early, much to the delight of the bride & groom. The cupcake table was set up with various height trays on top of glass vases filled with roses. A photo booth in the foyer provided some extra fun and laughter for the guests.



This couple were very informal and laid back... thoroughly enjoying their day with their friends and family.

Congratulations Becky & Mike!


VENDORS:
Venue: Waterloo Inn www.waterlooinn.com
Photographers: Elena Photography www.elenaphotography.ca
Officiant: Trish Pajunen, Kettle Creek Weddings www.kettlecreekweddings.com
DJ: KToss Entertainment www.ktoss.ca
Decorator: Decorating Dreams - Lori Lawrence www.decoratingdreams.ca
PhotoBooth: Never Forget Photo - David Wilk www.neverforgetphoto.ca

Perfect Day for a Partially Persian Wedding

Thanksgiving Saturday was a beautiful, warm, sunny, cloudless day... a perfect day for Naomi & Arash to enjoy their outdoor wedding ceremony and photos at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington. The girls arrived to the RBG in style in classic cars, then walked through the gardens to the ceremony tent.

The ZoroAstrian priests conducted the traditional religious ceremony in both English and the traditional language, with a full table on display with candles, assorted sweets and other symbolic elements. After the traditional ceremony, the couple then exchanged personal vows that they wrote for each other, and then exchanged rings.

Guests enjoyed the gardens while photos were being taken and then cocktail hour was served in the atrium of the RBG. The banquet hall was decorated with lots of florals and greenery, with a beautiful backdrop and accents.

The wedding cake was a stunning 5-tier creation!
The DJ/MC kept the evening moving along, and was able to engage guests in both English & Farsi, playing a great mix of music. Dinner was enjoyed interspersed with touching speeches. When the dance floor opened, the guests were out there enjoying the dance to the fullest.

Naomi & Arash were so easy-going and laid back with awesome family & friends.

It was a fantastic wedding day! Congratulations to a special couple!


VENDORS:
Venue: Royal Botanical Gardens www.rbg.ca
Photographer: Life Images www.lifeimages.ca
DJ: Unique Sounds DJ www.uniquesoundsdjs.ca
PhotoBooth: Tribute Kiosk http://www.tributekiosk.com/
Cake: Wedding Cakes By Design www.weddingcakesbydesign.ca
Vintage Cars: Memory Lane Limousines www.memorylanelimo.com
Flowers: Flower Deco www.flowerdeco.ca

Music Gardens and Crush Wine Bar - unique wedding day!

Kayan & Doug planned their wedding to be at the beautiful outdoor Toronto Music Gardens... and while the weather threatened to rain all day,

the rain held off and gave them a perfect day for an outdoor ceremony with the CN tower in the background and surrounded by manicured gardens.

Following photos at the park, the reception was held in the dining room of Crush Wine Bar in downtown Toronto. Upon arriving, guests enjoyed cocktail hour at the bar and a special family celebration during

the traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony. Kayan wore a beautiful red traditional gown for this ceremony as they shared tea with their elders, received family blessings and had a special opportunity to get lots of family photos taken.

Back in her white wedding dress, Kayan & Doug and their guests enjoyed a delicious meal, great wine, special speeches, fun games and time to celebrate the special place that their family & friends have in their lives.

After dinner, Kayan changed into a gorgeous royal blue gown. Together, the couple shared a tasty macaroon off of their macaron tower, in lieu of traditional cake. A photo booth was set up and guests enjoyed taking photos as well as dancing the night away.

Congratulations Kayan & Doug!


VENDORS:
Photographer: Carmen Davidson Photography www.cdavidsonphotography.com
Ceremony Venue: Toronto Music Gardens www.harbourfrontcentre.com/musicgarden
Reception Venue: Crush Wine Bar www.crushwinebar.com
Officiant: Victor Li (bilingual English/Cantonese) vwli@hotmail.com
PhotoBooth: GuestList DJ www.guestlistdj.com
Flowers: Sobey's Floral Department, Queens Quay store
Macaron Tower: Le Dolci www.ledolci.com
Guitarist: Alan Kulka https://www.facebook.com/alankulka‎
Limousine: A Celebrity Limousine www.acelebritylimousine.com
DJ: 3 Owls Entertainment http://www.3owls.ca/

Radiant Bride at radius restaurant

Terri and Matt are an adorable couple who like unique and casual things and doing things "out of the box". And that even included their choice of wedding venue! With their theme of rustic Trees... bringing the outdoors in... they found the decor of radius quite suitable for their wedding.

Matt installed strings of lights on the restaurant's rooftop patio, adding unique ambiance for their early evening wedding ceremony. The patio was set up with white folding chairs and the "altar" backdrop was antique doors hinged together. The aisle was lined with tree stumps as bases for assorted candle lanterns.

After the ceremony, guests enjoyed cocktails in the dining room while the couple had some great photos done outside and on the city street.

Matt, being a talented woodworker, made a beautiful wooden bench that was on display as the "guest book" for their guests to sign. Guests were given small tree saplings as take-away gifts.

Instead of a wedding cake, a table made of an old door on top of two large wine barrels held assorted pastries and sweets. To display these desserts, assorted tree stumps in various sizes and heights were set on the table and then the desserts set on top of each stump.

This was a very creative display and kept perfectly within their theme.

This couple was all about close family and friends - and this was a wonderful wedding to celebrate the things that meant the most to them.

Congratulations Matt & Terri!



VENDORS:
Venue: radius restaurant www.radius.ca
Pastries: Cake & Loaf Bakery www.cakeandloaf.ca
Flowers: Edna Millar Flowers www.ednamillerflowers.com

Photographer: Stad Creative www.stadcreative.com
Rentals: My Key Event Rentals www.mykeyevent.com
DJ: Precious jp1987@hotmail.com
Favours: H Richardson Farms www.Johnhrichardsonfarms.com

Vow Renewal Wedding Celebration

Kaylin and Stefan live in Holland, and for various reasons it was better for them to be married than just engaged - so they actually got married at city hall in Holland last May... Fast forward to this year, and finally, they were able to celebrate their marriage with a full wedding celebration here in Ontario with family & friends.

The ceremony was held at Crossroads Chapel in Burlington with about 50 guests in attendance. Ceremony music was provided by a flute duet, which sounded beautiful! Stefan walked down the aisle with their 2 year old daughter, Peyton in hand and carrying their 3 month old daughter McKinley in his arm - a sweet picture of Groom Daddy with his girls! Kaylin was stunning in her strapless dress and brought a huge smile to Stefan's face! Family friend, Ken, officiated the renewal of their vows ceremony with a touching ceremony that included vows, exchanging rings, a blessing on married couples in attendance and a blessing on them as parents.

After family photos at Crossroads and then bridal party photos at the quaint Village Square in downtown Burlington, an intimate reception was held in the private dining room of Paradiso Restaurant. Father & son team, Casey & Connor shared the MC & DJ responsibilities, bringing great music and personal touches to the celebration. Tender speeches with a few tears, funny stories with some good laughs, a delicious meal and a fun dance were enjoyed by all. It was truly a celebration of a wonderful couple!

Congratulations Kaylin & Stefan on one year of marriage and on your wonderful wedding celebration day!



VENDORS:
Ceremony Venue: Crossroads Chapel www.crossroads.ca
Reception Venue: Paradiso Restaurant www.paradisorestaurant.com
Florist: Samantha Forrest of Pocket of Posies http://pocketofposies.ca/
Linen Rentals: With All My Heart Wedding Décor www.withallmyheartweddingdecor.ca
Photographer: Don Golding of Boutique Wedding Photography http://www.boutiqueweddingphotography.ca/
Cake: Wedding Cakes By Design www.weddingcakesbydesign.ca
Ceremony Flutists: Elaine whiskin@univmail.cis.mcmaster.ca;
Videographer, MC, DJ, Officiant.... wonderful friends of the family!

Winter Wonderland 25th Wedding Anniversary

Cindy & Ken celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary last evening surrounded by about 80 friends & family. According to family members, this couple has weathered storms and difficulties and stayed true and committed to their marriage despite the challenges lift has thrown at them.

The party was the wedding reception they never had 25 years ago. With a "winter wonderland" theme, the room sparkled with snowflakes and stars hung from the ceiling and along the head table backdrop.

White, Silver and turquoise blue were the cool colours with lots of sparkling accents, mini lights, led lighting and candles.

Cindy wore a beautiful burgundy gown with a silver shawl... and she and Ken shared their "first look" moment, captured on camera by their photographer, followed by lots of family photos. Once the reception began, the couple shared a first dance... and later a second dance... with Cindy's neice singing two of their favourite songs for them. The head table was a celebration of their immediate family as they were surrounded by their 3 adult children and their partners/friends.

Guests enjoyed a delicious buffet with a wide assortment of cold and hot selections, served by the wonderful staff at the Holiday Inn. After dinner, a slide show highlighted the past 25 years of their life, a couple of family speeches paid tribute to them and then they enjoyed the rest of the night dancing and socializing with family who don't have the opportunity to get together too often.

It was truly a celebration of their marriage... and here's wishing Cindy & Ken another 25 years together!

VENDORS:
Cake - Cakes for All Occasions http://www.cakesforalloccasions.ca/
Venue - Holiday Inn, Cambridge http://www.holidayinn.com/hotels/us/en/cambridge/ycmca/hoteldetail
DJ, MC, Photographer, Musician - all friends or family members