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

You're Invited to a BOUTIQUE Wedding Show April 8-9, 201

This coming weekend, Friday, April 8 and Saturday, April 9, there will be a great "boutique" wedding show for discerning brides held at the beautiful
Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville.

On Friday night, come & enjoy the "VIP Night" including a Jazz Band, Refreshments, Hors d’ Oeuvres, VIP Gift Bag, Free Novel Give Away’s by Author Jodi Picoult, Free Glen Abbey Brunch Gift Certificates for First 30 Brides ($30.95 Value), and Special Prizes to be Won.

On Saturday at 2:00, enjoy a great fashion show, highlighting the latest styles in bridal wear & men's formalwear.

Lots of great prizes to be won & awesome vendors on hand to give you creative ideas for planning your perfect wedding.

Check out the website to Pre-Register for the show - save 50% of the registration cost AND be entered to win a $100.00 Gift Certificate to The Bay/Home Outfitters!

Regular Adult Admission: $10.00 (at door) & parking is free!

Show runs Friday from 5pm - 8pm and Saturday from 11am - 5pm


Be sure to stop by my booth to say Hi and to enter your name in a draw for a great gift basket....

Hope to see you this weekend at the show.


http://glenabbeyweddingshow.com/
http://www.thebridalshow.ca/thebridalshow

Hamilton Bridal Show was a great weekend!

January 9 & 10th was a great weekend at the Hamilton Bridal Show... the largest number of attendees since 2006!!

Each day featured two awesome fashion shows highlighting the newest bridal fashions as well as grooms, mothers and kids.

Two floors of vendors were on hand showcasing their goods & services.


I had the privilege of talking with many wonderful couples, brides & moms and their friends. Four lucky brides won the beautiful gift baskets that I had a draw for.

I look forward to following up with the many brides I met that weekend.
My goal is to meet with bridal couples over a cup of coffee (my treat & no obligation) to hear about their wedding plans and share with them the Wedding Day Coordination services I can provide to them to make their special day the best it can be... stress free & well organized for them!

Planning your Wedding?! Come to the Hamilton-Halton Bridal Show!

I trust that everyone had a great Christmas celebration with family & friends. And now that the holidays are winding down, it'll be time for all you engaged couples to begin to set your mind & efforts on planning your wedding day! WHAT FUN that can be. But also, what a lot of stress it can be as well... I mean, with so many options out there for you, WHERE do you even begin?

Here's two great tips for you as you start focussing in on your wedding plans.

1. Attend the Hamilton-Halton Bridal show .
This is a great opportunity to find awesome vendors in your area who are eager and willing to serve you, give you great deals and to talk with you face to face. Jan.8-9, from 11am - 5pm each day, you can wander through two floors of vendors, enjoy bridal fashion shows & get TONS of great ideas. Come with labels pre-printed to make entering draws faster for you! (Name, Address, Phone, Email, Wedding date) And when you come, take the time to actually talk to vendors. Of course they are all wanting to get their information into your hands, but the best thing to do is to speak to them - tell them what you're looking for, find out what they're offering and be open to new ideas! We vendors are full of great resources and are more than happy to do what we can to help you plan the best wedding ever!

Be sure to stop by my booth on the 3rd floor to say "Hi!" and to fill out a ballot to win one of several great items that will be drawn for after the show!

2. Seriously consider hiring a Wedding Planner or Coordinator.
A Wedding Planner can be an amazing source of help & support and a real time-saver for you as you begin to plan all aspects of your wedding. A Planner is with you through the whole process to assist and guide through the full planning stages.

However, if you prefer to find your vendors/venues on your own, then you might just need the services of a Wedding Day Coordinator. A Coordinator will work closely with you during the last month before your wedding - helping you to pull all the details & loose ends together, creating your wedding day schedule, confirming all your vendors, and being on hand to ensure that all your wedding day logistics come together just as you expect them to!


I am a certified wedding planner and I would be happy to provide you with full or partial planning services... But my true area of specialty and passion is in providing brides with Wedding Day Coordination services!


I look forward to meeting you at the show - and possibly even working alongside of you during the planning of your special day.

REMEMBER....
We take care of your wedding day details so that you don't have to!
Good luck with all your wedding plans - and enjoy the experience!!

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE BRIDAL SHOW:
http://www.topweddingshows.com/

Great Day at Cambridge Bridal Show

This past Sunday was a great day for the Cambridge Fairy Tale Bridal Show. It was a sunny and refreshing fall day as brides, grooms & their "entourages" made their way to the Portuguese Club in Cambridge. Many vendors were set up inside - displaying their wares & services and some were offering delicious cake & cupcake samples! Then, outside the hall, under a huge tent, more of us vendors were set up.

The flow of guests was pretty steady throughout a good part of the day - and many brides stuck around to the end for the door prize draws and the draw for the grand prize of a free honeymoon to the Dominican Republic!


Just a reminder to all brides who attended the show....
if you'd like to book my services to be your personal wedding day coordinator, be sure to do so before October 31, 2010 in order to reserve your date at the 2010 prices!

And if you aren't sure you need a coordinator - I'd love the opportunity to meet with you over a cup of coffee - my treat & NO obligation - just to chat with you about your wedding plans & needs and to share with you the benefits of the services I can offer to you!

Hope to hear from you brides soon!


And have fun planning your special day!

Pre-Wedding PANIC ATTACKS!

This week, I've had three separate brides contact me and each one was having their own little "panic attacks" as they were working on their wedding plans...

* guests I didn't know we'd invited just RSVP'd and I don't know where to seat them - help!
* well-meaning people are trying to re-design my decor plans - augh!
* the limo driver is giving me attitude - what should I do?
* I have a list wedding-related things to buy and I hate spending money on things I'll never use again - I need some creative & cheap alternative ideas!
* my dress needs to be altered & my seamstress won't return my calls - how do I find someone else reliable & trustworthy?
* I have wedding stuff all over my dining room table and I thought I had it all under control - but I'm freaking out - I can't do this!

Yup - wedding stress is very real, very common and very challenging to deal with! And every bride will face it at some point in the planning process - especially as the time ticks down closer to the big day! It can become very overwhelming.

SO - HOW can you deal with this stress? Here's a few ideas for you...

FIRST.... BREATHE! Deep, slow breaths to calm you down. None of the plans are worth hyperventilating over! Take a break from wedding plans for a night - go for a walk, sit on your deck & read a book, sit at a coffee shop & just people-watch, go to a good & funny movie. You have a life outside of wedding plans - don't forget to LIVE it!

SECOND... KEEP LISTS & KEEP ORGANIZED! Get a notebook that you keep with you always. Write down anything & everything you think of so you won't forget it or keep worrying about it. Then as you accomplish a task, black it out or better yet, use white-out tape & make it disappear! Its done & over with, so get it out of your line of vision and watch your list get smaller.

THIRD...PRIORITIZE! Look at your lists and decide what you MUST do first - and then do those things first. Take care of the big things as soon as you can & then you'll have the head-space to think about the little things. Take a serious look at the items on your list and decide what things you can let go of if you have to. Remember that while most of your ideas will be good idea, if trying to get them all done breaks you, then they are no longer good ideas! Its just not worth falling apart over some things.

FOURTH...DELEGATE! Anything you can delegate to your mom, your fiance, your Maid of Honour or bridesmaids, your family members... DO SO! If someone volunteers to help you - take them up on their offer! YOU don't have to do it all by yourself! Give them a task and then TRUST THEM to do it.

FINALLY... or really, this should have been FIRST OF ALL THESE SUGGESTIONS... hire a wedding DAY coordinator to help you with all of these things. Every single bride I have worked with in the past and that I am working with this year tells me how glad they are they've hired me - how my referrals saved them money - how my attention to details to things they wouldn't have even considered have helped the plans to flow smoothly - how the way I listen and am there for them really does calm them down & helps them to keep things in perspective.


As a wedding coordinator, besides handling all the myriad of details that needs to come together for a wedding day - I also pride myself in being a "calming influence" and the "voice of reason" that can help to reduce the panic attacks & relieve the stress that brides face during those last busy months of planning.

SO - are YOU feeling stressed & panicky as your wedding draws closer?! If so - give me a call & let me take care of the details - so you don't have to!!


PHOTO by: Heidi Ram Photography www.heidiramphotography.com

"Added Value" Wedding Coordinator!

I recently got an email from a bride I'm working for this summer - and her comments really made my day! She thanked me for being "an added value wedding coordinator". I think that phrase really encapsulates what I try to provide in my services to bridal couples.

While I advertise that my area of specialty is in "day of" coordination, the packages I offer are in fact more "month of" coordination as I work hard for a bridal couple pulling all the details for their wedding together during the last month of their plans.

However, I really do more than that for my brides. Once they've booked my services, I tend to make myself available to them by email or phone to help them in many other different ways. If they need someone to research ideas or products for them, I'm happy to do that. For example - recently, I've done research for my upcoming brides for the following items: ice sculptures, wild edible hibiscus flowers, etched glass cake toppers, chuppahs, tropical trees, calligraphers, ceremony musicians, vases, submersible LED lights, etc. At weddings with children in the bridal party, I've been known to provide gift bags of "quiet" treats for them to keep them occupied during the ceremony. At the bridal party photo shoot, I provide a cooler of water & a few snacks for the bridal party. When I'm hired for the whole wedding day, I provide toiletry baskets for the washrooms at the reception hall. Umbrellas are always on hand as well to keep bridal party, photographers, guests dry in case of rain. And of course I bring my well-stocked "emergency kit" as you never know when you might need it! These are all examples of some of the "added value" services that I like to provide my clients.

So.... if you're looking for "Day of" or "Month of" wedding coordination services - why not hire a coordinator who will give you all that - - PLUS "added value"!!
Give me a call if you want to know more about how I will serve you so that YOUR wedding day be a wonderful success!

Going FULL TIME in the business!

I LOVE weddings!
And I LOVE planning events!

Over this past year, I have truly discovered my passion - and that is serving others through planning special events for them, and in helping them get through those events with "flying colours"!

(photo by Bassem Photography)

And so, in light of this newly-discovered passion, I have made the bitter-sweet decision to leave my part-time job so that I can dedicate myself fully to the event-planning business!

My primary focus will continue be to continue offering my "Day-Of" coordination services to bridal couples. This is the best deal for those couples who want to make all their own plans for their wedding, but who want someone on hand for the day of their wedding to ensure that all their plans happen as they expect them to. This service allows couples to just show up & enjoy their day!

However, there are many engaged couples who don't want to have to do all the leg-work and research involved in planning a wedding, or who just don't have time to invest in it (they say it takes about 250 hours to plan a wedding!!). These couples need more comprehensive planning assistance. So, for them, I will be offering full & partial planning services.

Throughout this coming year, I also plan to expand my business into the world of corporate, community, social, and other family events as well. Corporations & business often need help planning team meetings and staff Christmas parties. Community and social groups host banquets, dances, galas, assorted parties, fund-raisers, etc. And families always have causes for celebrations - baby & bridal showers, engagement parties, stag & does, anniversaries, birthdays, graduations... the list goes on! Any event being planned is something I'd love to help organize & direct!

So, while this change is a big step for me, I am jumping in with both feet & am VERY excited about this new direction!

If you have an event that needs to be planned - please let me know!! I'm here to help in any way I can.

Hamilton Bridal Show - January 2010

The Hamilton Bridal Show was another success this year! Thanks to all the brides & grooms & friends who came to check out the vendors available to them - and who went home laden down with brochures, flyers and business cards!

The show seemed different this year for me. This year, I felt much more confident as I spoke with brides & their fiances, moms & bridal parties, having a great season last summer under my belt. It was also interesting this year to observe that many brides I spoke with were familiar with what a "wedding day coordinator" is! I recall that at last year's show, I spent a lot of time "educating" people on the difference between a full planner and a "day-of" coordinator. This year - more brides knew the difference and more seem to be looking for help just for the last month of their planning & then especially on their wedding day. Good news for me for sure!

I also had a positive response to the 5 large gift baskets that I held a draw for. Five lucky brides won some great goodies in the Romance Basket, Spa Basket, Coffee Break Basket, Travel Basket & Stationery Basket.


To those of you who I've had the pleasure of connecting with post-show, thanks for your time as we've met to talk! I hope to have the chance to meet many more of you in the days ahead!

Don't forget - if you want to be able to just show up and enjoy your wedding day without the stress & worries of all that needs to be taken care of - then give me a call! "We take care of your wedding day details so you don't have to!"