Hamilton Bridal Show 2013

Last weekend was a wonderful time at the Hamilton Bridal Show!   Hundreds of brides came to gather wedding planning information from close to 200 vendors, and to enjoy fanstastic fashion shows.  Some brides came alone... others with their grooms... and others with moms and bridal party members.   It made for a very busy couple of days!

I was also very excited to be able to display my new business logo on my banner as well as new business cards and service information handouts.


I make sure that I display my Wedding Day Emergency Kit at the show as I find couples are always intrigued with.  This year, I also displayed samples of the Welcome SWAG BAGS - a service I offer to put together welcome bags for the out-of-town guests who attend weddings or events.

Its always a fun time meeting and talking to many different brides.  I met brides who were very young... and brides who were in their 60's.  Most brides were first-time brides, but there were quite a few doing for the second time around as well. 

I love finding out about the themes and ideas that brides have for their special day.  Quite a few are planning to head away on a sunny destination wedding - definitely a growing trend.  One bride I met is planning a wedding weekend at a country retreat center - what fun spending a weekend with your guests!  Another bride is planning a 1920's theme wedding with their reception at a unique local theatre, with silent movies included!   One bride and her groom are big into sea-doos ... so their wedding theme will be sea-doos... held at a gun club with a lake at it!   Another bride won her wedding a local waterslide park and they plan to wear bathing suits under their bridal attire and go in the wave pool!   What I come away with from talking to all these brides is to realize that there is no limit to the creativity and unique ideas that these wonderful gals are coming up with!  

The days of cookie-cutter, traditional weddings are long gone... today's bride is all about unique, individual, creative, one-of-a-kind experiences.

Thanks to all the brides who stopped at my booth and took time to chat with me and fill out a ballot to win a champagne & chocolates gift package!  Congratulations on your engagement and enjoy your planning experiences!


To check out the websites of all the vendors who participated at the Hamilton Bridal Show:
http://hamilton-halton-spring-2013.exhibitors.topweddingshows.com/exhibitors/list

Rain Rain, Go Away!

A creative, detailed wedding plan for an outdoor ceremony and barn cocktail reception
was severely threatened as the sky turned dark and the rain poured down. All the preparations for setting up were on hold as we anxiously kept watching the weather forecast... which said it was to clear up by 4pm. With the ceremony scheduled for 6 pm, there was a glimmer of hope.

At 4:00 pm, the clouds broke, the rain stopped and the sun came out and the bride said ' Let's do this!"... sending everyone into frantic set-up mode! While the couple had their private photos done, the bridesmaids in cream-coloured dresses and heels, the Mother of the Bride in her sparkly dress and heels and the handsome groomsmen in their vested outfits all pitched in to help us get the outdoor venue set up! Water was dumped off chairs and many old towels put to good use to dry the chairs off before arranging them on the lawn. Mason jar vases with baby's breath were set out to line the aisle. The lemonade stand, signing table, photo booth props, and memory photo displays were all put in place and just in the nick of time - we were ready for a wedding!

Olivia looked absolutely stunning in her strapless ballgown! She was just glowing all day and despite the weather, was relaxed and enjoying her day. She & Mike had a private "first look" moment, captured by the photographer, before the bridal party joined them for photos.

Guests arrived and the ceremony started right on time and a personal ceremony was led by Olivia's papa, a life-long minister. They signed their register in a very small, quaint gazebo covered in greenery.

Guests enjoyed appetizers, cake and fruit served in the barn and lemonade from the outdoor stand.

After a brief stand-up reception, due to the cool fall evening temperature, the chairs were brought into the barn for a program of speeches and a slide show. It was a cozy and intimate evening. As Olivia & Mike are deeply involved with the youth from their church, the youth group was invited to join the party after speeches for a huge bonfire and dance in the barn... which they all loved and thoroughly participated in.

So, the rain DID go away, and Olivia & Mike enjoyed the wedding of their dreams, surrounded by family, friends and the youth that they love! Congratulations to a beautiful couple!


VENDORS:

Venue: Oasis Country Retreat - barb.hoekstra@gmail.com;
Caterer: Mamdouh Dahab - Chef of Basilique www.basilique.ca
Photographer: When He Found Her (Reid Lambshead) http://www.whenhefoundher.com/blog/
Decorator: VanGeest Special Occassions www.vangeestspecialoccasions.com/
Parking, Bonfire, DJ, Set-up crew, clean-up crew: MANY various friends!

A Beautiful Day for a Great Couple!

Jason & Melanie have been planning their wedding day for over a year and a half, with Jason counting down the days, hours & minutes on Facebook for much of that time!! Finally, this past Saturday, they became husband & wife!

Community Church in Waterdown was the venue for both the ceremony and reception ... and all the decor was done in both blue & green, the bride's favourite colours. :

Melanie is also a big "DIY"er - and so many of the decor elements were made by her... tissue balls of all sizes, seating chart, lettering for bulletin boards, posters of family photos, table name cards, etc. The tables were all named after wedding movies... Father of the Bride, The Wedding Singer, Meet the Parents, The Wedding Planner, etc.

The ceremony included personally written vows, a hand ceremony and a sand ceremony - as well as a special song sung by one of the bridesmaids. After the ceremony, the bridal party had photos taken in the yard behind the church and guests enjoyed appetizers on the patio while the cermeony room was "flipped" and turned into the reception hall.

After a buffet dinner, speeches and a couple of fun games, the couple danced their first dance to a song sung and played on guitar by the father of the groom & his friend. The guests enjoyed dancing as well as playing fooseball, air hockey, pingpong & basketball in an adjacent games room! It was an intimate and fun evening.

Congratulations Jason & Melanie - thanks for letting me be such an intimate part of your wedding day!

VENDORS
Venue - Community Church - www.communitychurch.ca
Officiant - Matt Pamplin, pastor of Grindstone Church mpamplin@grindstonechurch.com
Musician & Makeup Artist - Christie Latta christielatta@gmail.com
Soloist - Catherine Wickett - catwickett@gmail.com
DJ - Aaron White - www.djaaronwhite.com
Caterers - Maitre 'd Catering - http://www.goldbook.ca/burlington-on/caterers/maitre-d-catering-5201/
Decorators - Marian Van Geest & Jan Stevens of Van Geest Special Occasions - www.vangeestspecialoccasions.com/
Florist - Samantha Forrest of Pocket of Posies - www.pocketofposies.ca
Cake Decorator - Grant Brierly of Grant's Custom Cakes - grantbrierley_@hotmail.com
Linen Rentals - Josie Gibson of With All My Heart Wedding Decor - www.withallmyheartweddingdecor.ca/
Videographer - Jason Matos Photography -
http://www.jasonmatosphoto.com/
Photographer - Heather Braaten (friend of family)
Assistant Wedding Coordinator - Susan Zuk of Elegant Details www.elegantdetails.ca
Volunteers who helped with various elements of wedding: Karen Hayes, Mary Montini, Jolaine Montgomery, Lois Montgomery, Sonya Cuttriss, Pauline, Jo-Anne & Marc Rudy, Shantelle Matos, Liz Walmsley,

Sweet Cheeks Event - AND RIDE - a huge success

Better a late review than a forgotten review!!

Back in May, the Sweet Cheeks Bike Team for the Ride to Conquer Cancer held a wonderful fund-raiser dinner/auction/dance event. It was held at the Flamborough Golf & Country Club where a great meal was provided and a fun evening was enjoyed by all who attended.


Highlights of the evening included a video about the Ride, a jewellry raffle, a "Joker Poker" Draw and a big hit was the "Heads & SWEET CHEEKS" game. Many silent auction prizes were bid upon - and a special guest auctioneer arrived to sell of a few special "live auction" items. The center focus of the hall was the "Hope & Memory Tree".
Music was provided - free of charge to the event - by "Something Blue" (wedding)DJs... who did a great job in playing a variety of great music for us all evening.


The Ride to Conquer Cancer was then held on June 11-12 --- and the team successfully completed the 200km ride from Toronto to Niagara Falls. They, along with all the other riders, raised over $17 million for Cancer Research.

Way to go Team!! SUPER job!!

www.conquercancer.ca

Local Bridal Salon is "Giving Back"

Coach House Bridal Salon is located in Waterdown Ontario - and they are offering an amazing promotion right now (from November 2 to 30, 2010). According to an article in "The Flamborough Review", the focus of their sale this year is "Give and Save"... and here's how it works:

First, they GIVE... Coach House will be donating a percentage of the profits from this sale to the Good Shepherd Centre in Hamilton. They are also holding a food drive during the sale and are encouraging people to drop by & make a donation of a non-perishable food item. For visitors who do so, they will be given a ballot for a draw for a pair of his & hers watches!


Second, you SAVE... Coach House's annual inventory sale this year offers INCREDIBLE savings for both bride and bridesmaids - potentially saving you scads of money! Wedding gowns are selling from $9.99 to $499. And bridesmaids & formal gowns are priced starting at $0.99. YUP! You read it right! Unbelievable prices on a wide variety of in-stock inventory. And, if you prefer to order a gown, they'll give you up to $150 off a veil & accessories.

SO.... if you're needing a wedding gown.... bridesmaids dresses.... or a formal gown perhaps for upcoming Christmas parties or New Years Eve events... be sure to check out this great boutique in the heart of Waterdown.

For more information about the sale & this store: www.coachhousebridalsalon.ca
For more information about Good Shepherd Centres: www.goodshepherdcentres.ca
For the full article from The Flamborough Review: http://www.flamboroughreview.com/news/article/295647