Wedding Wednesdays: the kiss!

Your wedding day will be full of kisses and hopefully your fabulous photographer will capture some of them perfectly so that you can treasure those moments forever. Here are some of my personal faves:

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Wedding Wednesdays: Crystal and Nathan

Here are some shots from a wedding I coordinated a few weeks back for a wonderful couple, Crystal and Nathan.

The wedding took place at the Northridge Public Golf Course in Brantford, Ontario which was a beautiful backdrop for their simple celebration.

 I love this picture of Nathan beaming at his bride during their handfasting ceremony.

 Crystal used scrapbook pages as the guestbook so that she could slot them into a scrapbook after the wedding!

 The Maid of Honour downs a giant Pixi Stik

 Can you believe only one single male in the whole place!

 The cake, dreamed up by Crystal after she saw a similar design as a cell phone background, was brought to life by the talented Jo-Anne of Divalicious Cakes in Paris.

 These two were AMAZING dancers, I love that the photographer snapped a pic of them in action!

All photos by Dwayne Doucette [please email me for contact info for this Brantford, ON based photographer!]

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Wedding Wednesday: Wedding Photo List

No doubt wedding photography is an important element to your big day. Whether you are shelling out big bucks on your photographer or having a friend snap pics as a gift to you, the shots you get will hold the memories of one of the most important days of your life and you want them to be great! Your photographer may already use a list of shots they normally take and will of course ask you which are of greatest importance to you, but here is a downloadable list of common and maybe not so common photo-ops on a wedding day. Take a look at the list and talk it over with your partner and decide which moments are very important to capture. It would also be a good idea to look over the list and identify any times in the schedule where tensions between family members or other guests may arise so you can point this out to your wedding planner and photographer beforehand to avoid any problems.

Click here to download the document

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Wedding Wednesday: 2010 Trends

Some people don't like to follow wedding trends, they think it "dates" their wedding photos and/or video. Some like to describe their wedding as "timeless" and "classic", all the while citing weddings from decades past as their inspiration [does that even make sense?]. Personally, I love wedding trends. Of course, many weddings that are described as "timeless" and "classic" do end up transcending their eras, but I really like that you can look at a wedding photo and know generally when it is from. Trends help us put a name to a face so to speak, and is it really that bad to look back on your wedding photos and -gasp!- know what year they were taken? Just because you incorporate some "trendy" elements into your wedding does not mean that it will be less meaningful of a ceremony or less fun of a reception! Who cares that you see sand unity ceremonies, candy buffets and DIY faux-to booths on every wedding and event blog out there? If you want those, have them!

You can still incorporate many wedding trends into your big day without making it cookie cutter. Your wedding is your own unique day! So on that note, I present to you my take on what will be the big wedding trends of 2010!

Unique Venues: Though our economy is reportedly on the upswing, there is still some uncertainty. Couples will be looking past the traditional locations to have their wedding and selecting more unusual and unexpected venues that may have smaller rental fees. Think tree farms, summer camps, dance studios, museums, etc. Also, many venues will be pulling double duty for both the ceremony and reception. Use a tool like Event Source to check out alterna-venues.


Fondant-free Wedding Cakes: Buttercream will be the frosting of choice for couples this year with more emphasis on the taste of the cake. Intricate cake designs and cutesy cupcake displays will take a backseat to simple flowers or cake toppers.


Low Centrepieces: Solo flowers in bud vases and a stack of the couple's favourite books or a funky, textured green plant in a small planter with a dish of wrapped candies or flower petals surrounding candles on a vintage pedestal are examples of the kind of cross-table-conversation friendly centrepieces you can expect to find at weddings this year. Traditional large floral arrangements will be used on the cake table or gift table instead.


Unity Wine Ceremony: consider using a wine of your choice and a wine of your partner's choosing [make sure they work together; a winery, sommelier or U-Vint can help you] and combine them during your ceremony and each take a sip. At your reception, you can serve your pre-made custom blend to your guests. It's a twist on signature drinks and similar to a sand or candle unity element in your wedding ceremony.

What do you think will emerge as prominent wedding trends this year?

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Wedding Wednesday: Dance Down the Aisle

I was pointed to this youtube video today by the hand of the amazing Mix Mingle Glow blog. Would you ever do something like this?



I admit I teared up a little as I waited for the bride [though her dance moves made me wonder if she'd even practiced] but the heart in this display of love is just huge and this couple is lucky to have this memory!

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Wedding Wednesday: Vendor Hiring Guide

Photo Credit: Blue Orchid Blog

As soon as I saw this post come through my Twitter feed yesterday, I knew it would become my Wedding Wednesday post. Blue Orchid Designs is a wedding planning firm based out of Arizona, New York and DC and their blog is chock-full of useful information and inspiring images and ideas. Owner Liene Stevens also fronts a wedding industry social media consulting company called Splendid Communications with a great blog for vendors called Think Splendid. It is definitely some of my fave blog-candy around.

Yesterday she posted a compact little guide for brides on her blog to help them hire the necessary vendors to make their day a success. It is a compilation of posts from a series she authored over the course of a few months all neatly packaged together as a printable e-book. The Wedding Vendor Hiring Guide has useful information for hiring your wedding planner, florist, DJ, officiant, caterer, photographer and more. It covers some basic and not-so-basic questions to remember when interviewing your vendors and serves as an excellent jump-off point for your wedding planning if you are just starting.

Enjoy your free download!

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Wedding Wednesday: Bridal Relaxation

Photo Credit: MyCamdenWedding.com

Weddings are stressful, no bones about it. Leading up to the wedding, you can go through a range of emotions that you didn't even know existed! You may be dealing with budget issues, guest list anxieties, trouble securing suitable vendors, DIY projects up to your eyeballs - all on top of your regular life which can cause stress. Your stress can lead to unwelcome visitors like neck and back pain, anxiety, fatigue, raised blood pressure and a number of other symptoms that don't lend themselves well to your wedding-glow.

Since I am going to the spa today with my sister to get a massage, it started me thinking about brides [and grooms! and bridal parties!] getting a stress-relieving massage on their wedding day or the day before. I have been working on a number of different events lately that have me working at all hours of the day and a massage is definitely what I need to help melt away some of my tensions. I am getting headaches more frequently and I know that even just a few minutes on the table make me feel infinitely more relaxed... I am looking forward to it, needless to say! The same can work for brides on their wedding day. It doesn't have to be a full body 90 minute rub-down, even just an upper back neck and shoulders massage for 15-30 minutes can ease the stress and prepare you mentally for your big day. It can be a wonderful group activity for the key members of the wedding party so that everyone has a clearer head and is a little more zen. You deserve to be pampered on your wedding day, so why not look into bringing a masseuse or massage team in for a treat? Many spas offer bridal and group packages, so be sure to inquire about the different rates available.

Photo Credit: GreenBliss EcoSpa

Bridal Yoga might also be a cool way for you to bliss out and connect with yourself just before your wedding. Inquire at your local yoga studio to see if you can arrange a private gentle yoga class the week of or day of your wedding for you and your wedding party.

Are you planning any relaxation treatments on or just before your wedding day?

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Wedding Wednesday: Emergency Kit

Photo Credit: Sutree.com

It's better to be safe than sorry, right? Whether or not you use any of the things in your wedding emergency kit is not the point, it's the peace of mind that comes from being ultra-prepared for any unforeseen mishaps that could possibly arise. If you are hiring a professional wedding planner or day-of coordinator, he or she will most likely come with a kit full of goodies at the ready should anything... unscheduled occur. Ask your pro whether they will be bringing their own kit and what it contains, and discuss anything extra you think you might need. If you do not have someone hired running your big day for you, it's good to have a number of things on-hand at your venue to ensure that your big-day runs smoothly.

Here are the things I carry in my emergency kit [which is a padded sewing kit from Wal-Mart that looks kind of like a picnic basket] as well as some additional items you may want to consider adding for your event.

• Sewing kit
• Safety pins
  
• Straight pins
• Hand Sanitizer
• Lip Balm [plain, so if men need to use it, they don't have to feel too girly!]
• Tylenol, Advil and Pamprin
  
• Bandages [coloured for kids, sheer for adults and Band-Aid Blister Cushions]
  
• Mens and Womens aerosol deodorant
• Tissues [purse packs are great]
  
• Visine and Benedryl [as an allergy sufferer myself, I know these items can be a life-saver!]
  
• Pads and Tampons
  
• Scissors and a utility knife
  
• Lighters: a regular lighter and a long one as well as a pack of matches
  
• Scotch Tape, string and a glue stick
  
• Pen and pencil
  
• Meal replacement bar or shake [who knows who will forget to eat that day!]
  
• Bug Spray
• Sunscreen
  
• Hand and Body Lotion
• Nail file/emery board
• Bobby pins and hair elastics [in black and "blonde"]
  
• Dental Floss, toothpicks and a small bottle of mouthwash
  
• Hair brush and wide-tooth comb
  
• Aerosol Hairspray and Hair Gel
  
• Tide to Go
  
• Lint roller
• Rolaids or Tums
• AA and AAA Batteries
• Sharpie Marker

Is there anything you would add to this list? What did you have in your emergency kit?

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announcement: format flip!!

hey y'all. So I've been toying with the idea of changing up my format to allow for more frequent and flowing blog posts and today is the day! [well, actually, Monday is the official "launch", but today is the day that I am telling you about the new format]

Here's how it will work. Each day of the week will have a particular theme/topic and the post[s] for that day will follow that theme.

• Etsy Mondays - All posts will feauture amazing vintage and handmade finds from the wonderful Etsy community.
• Tasty Tuesdays - All posts will be fantastic new food trends or recipes.
• Wedding Wednesdays - All posts will be wedding and wedding planning related.
• Thirsty Thursdays - All posts will feature new drink trends or recipes.
• Frugal Fridays - All posts will feature tips on how to keep your event on budget. [This will replace the former "Recessionista Party Tips"]

My old features Navigating the Tablescape, Finding Inspiration, Sitting Down With..., Party phD, Party Pick and Celebrate This! will still exist, but hopefully the new format will help streamline the blog experience!

Cheers!

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