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