new website launch giveaway winner!

Congrats to samjm who is the winner of the jessica laine celebrations prize pack! Sam, I hope you enjoy the wedding swag and I look forward to seeing you at Mix, Mingle, Marry!. Thanks to everyone who entered, and thanks for checking out the new jessicalaine.com.

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New website launch giveaway!

Hello all! Has everyone been over to jessicalaine.com to check out the new site? To celebrate the launch, I have a jessica laine celebrations swag bag to give away.

The bag includes:

• An issue of Weddingbells magazine
• An issue of Imagine Your Wedding magazine
• An issue of Wedding Essentials magazine
• A jessica laine celebrations sticky note pad & pen [to mark off all of the pages with ideas that you like in the magazines!]
• A copy of Bartlett's 'Words for the Wedding', which is a great book to help you get started with your ceremony or keep you grounded if wedding planning gets a little stressful!
• A copy of my report '7 Questions you Must Ask a Wedding Professional Before Booking Them', a wonderful jumping-off point for vendor interviews
• 2 tickets to Mix, Mingle, Marry! Toronto's first boutique bridal showcase event taking place January 16th 2011 at the Gladstone Hotel in Queen West.
• All packed in a canvas jessica laine celebrations tote bag.

Please enter by commenting on this post and leaving me your name + email address or phone number! The contest will close Monday October 18th and is open to all Canadian residents over the age of 19.

And if you don't win, don't fret! You can purchase your tickets to Mix, Mingle, Marry! here.

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Big announcement on the horizon!

Tune in Monday for a huge wedding-related announcement for all you chic, hip Toronto brides! Here's a clue...

Have a great end to your week and happy Thanksgiving!

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Ultimate Bridal Show Navy, Gold + Magenta

Today on the Martha Stewart Weddings blog, The Brides Guide, Britney Peterson offers a look at the wedding colour palette of navy and pink. Well, what a coincidence! At the Ultimate Bridal Show yesterday in Mississauga, my tables were inspired by a similar palette of navy, deep magenta and shimmery gold. Take a look at the Martha inspiration board, then scroll down for some shots of my table set up and dessert table!

Photo Credit: The Bride's Guide

I arranged the flowers myself! Go me! The table runner I also handmade.

 

My booth was beside fellow wedding planner Stephanie Thompson Wedding Design.

You can see my inspiration board there in the background. The title of this was "Royal Whimsy"

My chiavaris and candelabra were graciously lent to me by Will at Chiavari Chair Rental

GORGEOUS cookie tree custom made by the very talented Angela of The Cookie Queen.

What do you think? My tables were well received at the show, and I really was pleased with how they turned out.

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Giveaway: Free Candy Buffet!

If you have ever been to an event planned by my company jessica laine celebrations, you will know that candy buffets and dessert tables are always a main feature and are in high demand! A candy buffet will certainly get your guests talking and will keep your party at the top of their mind for months. So to celebrate our first anniversary this February [the month of celebrations! Groundhog day, Olympics, Valentine's Day, Family Day, Super Bowl, Mardi Gras, Black History Month, Ash Wednesday, President's Day, Chinese New Year, etc.] I will be giving away 2 custom candy buffet/dessert tables to 2 lucky winners! Please post a comment below with your name and email address and the city your party is in by Sunday February 14th to be entered.

Good Luck!

Rules


Winners must live within the Greater Toronto Area or be hosting their event within the GTA. The event must be taking place in 2010. The event will have no more than 50 guests and the candy buffet/dessert table will offer no more than 8 different items. jessica laine celebrations is under no obligation to provide any other services besides providing buffet items, linens, table decor for candy table only, candy containers, and set up and tear down. Winners will be selected at random after 11:59 pm ET on Sunday February 14 2010.

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sitting down with... makeupbyjill

Jill Reid

Jill Reid of makeupbyjill is my younger sister. I've blogged about her before when she did makeup for the POGO Gala last month in Toronto. Since makeup is a hugely important part of many celebrations, I asked her to be a part of my sitting down with... series to get the inside scoop on life as an up-and-coming makeup artist.

How did you start your business?
I took an interest in makeup after my prom make-up didn't go so well. It wasn't badly done, just didn't match my color. Then my friend Taylor asked me to be a model for her make-up class, and after watching her do it, I thought... 'hey, I want to do this too!'. Since then, I've just been improving my skills, and getting my name out there!

How would you describe your work?
Well first, I am a perfectionist! I would never let any of my clients leave the chair in some ridiculous, garish make-up (unless of course it was what they asked for). I'm a huge fan of the natural look, so I always try to make at least the face make-up look as natural, yet flawless, as possible... the eyes you can go a little bit crazier with, because they are the attention getters! I am all over the place when I do make-up, sometimes I'll start with eyes, sometimes I'll start with the face, it's all about where I find inspiration first!

Photo Credit: 39 Photography

Who are your main customers?
It's mostly for formal events like galas and parties and proms. I do a lot of night-on-the-town make-up jobs, which are the most fun!

What information from your customers helps you best envision what they are looking for?
I like to do an assessment before the actual make-up application, of skin tone, eye color, what they're wearing for the event, what make-up they normally wear; this lets me know what colors to use and how I can make them feel comfortable (if I know they wear little make-up on a regular basis, I will use less products, and if they are no stranger to make-up, I know I can use a few more products or try different things).


What is your typical day like?
Being a student, and only 19 years old, my life doesn't revolve around the business just yet, but I hope to be there soon! Lately it's been all about school, and when I get time, I check out the counters at the drugstore and Sephora to snatch up any cool new products. To test out the products, I usually use my best friends Emma or Natalie as a canvas (they are absolutely beautiful to begin with, so it's an added bonus for me!). I hope that my customer base will grow and I can devote more and more time to my customers, because this is what I love to do!

What are your five must-have products?
Gosh primer, bareMinerals bronzer, Joe Fresh Beauty blush sticks, Revlon Beyond Natural mascara, Revlon eyelash curler (just the basic one).

What has your business helped you do that you couldn't/didn't before?
I've learned so many new things about how to advertise, who to know, what to do, not to mention I've met some great new people! Just a few weeks ago I was doing make-up for friends of mine, Lauren and Jess (plenty of pictures of them on my website, absolute stunners!), and I was working alongside a hairstylist from one of the best hair styling places in British Columbia, blo blowdry bar! That was a really fun time, and I think I may see how the fashion scene is out in British Columbia soon! It's been a great experience so far, and I'm definitely looking forward to my business growing!
What is the most difficult part of running your business?
Starting up is hard, and a little disheartening when the client base isn't that large. But, now that I think about it, it only makes me work harder on my clients, because I can take my time, and do the best job possible, knowing I don't have to rush around going from client to client.


What is the most rewarding part of running your business?
Seeing customers be truly happy with the product...I can tell if they don't like it, I've looked at their face for the past hour, so I'll know if they really do like it! That's the best part of it, for sure. Also, I'm a really social person, so I love talking and getting to know the people I'm making up as I'm going along. It's really interesting to hear about, for example, how they got into modelling, what their event is about, etc. I love everything about my job!

You can visit the makeupbyjill website here. Jill is based out of Brampton/Toronto but can travel so please inquire!

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party pick: ELLE Fashion and Beauty Event

If you live in or around Toronto, the place to be on Saturday is The Carlu which will be playing host to the annual ELLE Fashion and Beauty Event.

The ELLE Show will feature clinics and seminars boasting the colors, tips and trends for the upcoming spring/summer season. Lunch and a gift bag are included with price of admission. The daytime event will run from 10:30am to 5:oopm. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased here.

The evening is a benefit/fundraiser for the Toronto Fashion Incubator, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and nurturing young business entrepreneurs. Guests have the opportunity of purchasing V.I.P. Cocktail/Dinner/Silent Auction & Show tickets [$255] or General Admission Cocktail/Silent Auction & Show tickets [$55]. The evening is dedicated to the Toronto Fashion Incubator New Labels Competition. After a rigorous six-month design competition, the runway show will unveil the four finalists from the competition: Faren, Jody Leigh, Gushueswim and Thieves, as they compete for an ELLE Canada prize package valued at over $25,000. Anne-Marie Mediwake of Global News will be the event emcee.

Will you be attending the ELLE show?

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POGO Gala 2009

My sister is published! [well, sort of]. The picture above was taken at the 8th Annual POGO Gala which took place April 4th at the Liberty Grand in Toronto. My sister did the makeup for these lovely girls for this event and this picture was snapped as they walked down the leopard print carpet and posted on the Toronto Arts and Events website.The Gala is a fundraiser for POGO [Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario] and the girl on the right, Lauren, was a speaker at the event.

I was excited to see my sister's beautiful work featured on the event website and I'm sure there are many pictures floating around the interwebs of her two pretty clients from this event.

Let me know if you see any!

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