It is so hard to believe that it’s September! The summer will soon be behind us and I am coming up on my busiest & most favourite time of year - Fall! Here are a few photos of wedding from last fall that I had the pleasure of looking after the Day-of details. The colours are so rich & beautiful and perfectly Fall!
Photos Courtesy of Trina Koster Photography
Last year was a hectic one with planning our own wedding in 8 weeks and moving my husband & ‘bonus’ daughter from the U.S. to Canada. But, amongst all of the excitement I managed to take part in the Day-of Planning of Trish & Paul’s awesome wedding! It was a simple, elegant wedding and SO much fun. And, it was at one of my favey-fav venues; Hauser Hall. Enjoy a few shots from Kurt Brown of Two Tone Studios.
It’s finally here! Two days away from witnessing history in the making - The Royal Wedding! Although I can’t say that I’ve been a real “Royal watcher” over the years, I can say that like most people around the world, I was a “Diana watcher.” Her tragic death was felt around the world and her legacy lived on through her two boys William & Harry. The world has watched as the boys have grown into men and now witness William moving into the next chapter of his life by marrying the stunning Kate Middleton.
To say that I’m excited to be able to take part in this event is an under-statement! I vividly remember as a 6-year old getting up VERY early to watch the nuptials of Prince Charles & Lady Diana. So now, as a Wedding Planner, I’m thrilled to watch this event unfold. What new trends will begin in the wedding industry because of this day? What will Kate be wearing? What will the decor in the Abbey look like? All the details, the vows….the list goes on and on!
So, get to bed early on Thursday night, and set your alarms for 5:00 am or 3:00 am if you’re really keen! And turn your TV to any of these networks, along with many others, to get full coverage of the event.
Global - Coverage starting at 4:00 am ET with Global National Dawna Freisen & ET Canada’s Cheryl Hickey
CTV - Coverage starting at 3:00 am ET .
Check back to the blog for the ‘After the Wedding’ coverage to talk about everything Royal wedding. This is going to be SO much fun!
One of my blog entries before we got married was about my LOVE for Etsy! I spoke about all of the details that Etsy helped me with. From stationary (Invitations, menus, place cards, table numbers & programs), my hairpiece, luminaries in our names, my niece’s flower girl dress to the handkerchiefs that were hand embroidered by my Mom with all of the guests initials. I really do heart Etsy!
All stationary by Studio G Designs
Facinator by RadoKri Designs
Our niece’s dress by Fairy Wonderful
Luminaries by Paperacorn (as seen in Martha Stewart Weddings - Summer 2010)
Vintage handkerchiefs by LaModage
All photos courtesy of A Simple Photograph
It’s been such a great experience to work with so many amazing vendors in the wedding business. I have met so many great people along the way, some who have become friends. I met Sonia Ryan in my Wedding Planning class when she was speaking about wedding day make-up and we’ve been working together ever since. One of the great things about planning my own wedding is that I was able to work with all the great people that I’ve been referring clients to over the last four years. Sonia is one of them.
I loved, loved, loved my wedding day make-up! What else can I really say? Sonia is a true professional and puts her heart and soul into her work as a make-up artist. She is talented beyond words and I’m positive that I’m going to see her somewhere huge and be proud to say “she was my make-up artist at my wedding!” And a great friend too. Here are a few photos from the wedding. Sonia beautified my Mom, my sister Melanie and ME! We had a blast. Enjoy!
My sister Melanie - stunning!
My beautiful Mom & handsome Dad
All photos courtesy of A Simple Photograph
Hair styling courtesy of Cowboys & Angels Salon
I was so excited when I sat down with Lisa Littlefield of Les Fleurs Floral Boutique to talk about our wedding flowers. I have admired her work and style since I got into the wedding business and from the first time I walked into her former shop located in downtown Kitchener. Unfortunately, I have never had the opportunity to work with her on any of my clients weddings. But, I knew exactly who I would be hiring as a florist for my own wedding!
Lisa has a very unique shop now located in Vincenzo’s in the new Bauer Lofts in Uptown Waterloo. It’s a busy spot and perfect location for her. She immediately saw our vision and I felt completely comfortable letting her do what she does best - create beautiful flowers! She added colour to my bouquet with a small bit of “vintage” inspiration by using feathers & dusty miller. And, she created beautiful centrepieces with succulents (Greg’s favourite!) with a neutral colour palate. She rocked it!
All photos courtesy of A Simple Photograph
I met Ida Thibeh Weise two years ago when she contacted me regarding her cake business. We sat down, had a coffee and talked business. And, she even brought me samples of her cake to try! I was sold. Anyone who brings me sweets on the first meeting will always win me over! I knew that Ida and I would be working together often. I was quick to feature her on my blog and let everyone know that her cakes truly are “edible works of art!”
Working with Ida starts off by sitting down with photos and inspiration and talking about details of the wedding. She then does up sketches and the difficult process of choosing what you like begins - her sketches & designs are amazing! From there, she will come up with a final design. I wanted the cake to be a surprise for Greg - Ida had elements of my dress in the cake so I didn’t want him to see any of the sketches. When Ida e-mailed me a couple of weeks before the wedding and asked if I had any letters, poetry or e-mails from Greg, little did I know that the final cake design was going to be a surprise for both of us. And, the final result made me cry!
Not only was the cake displayed like a piece of art complete with an edible broach bouquet, but the bottom tier had the very first poem that Greg ever wrote to me. It was very hard to cut into that cake! Ida goes the extra mile for her clients and is truly an amazing artist. Her passion shows through in the final product. A huge thank-you to Ida for creating a wonderful memory for us!
Photos courtesy of A Simple Photograph
The first feature from our wedding will be the venue - where it all happened! We decided on the very popular “one-stop shop” and had the ceremony, cocktail reception, dinner and party all in one place. This is becoming very popular and as a Wedding Planner, I love it! I wrote a previous blog post on The Tannery and why we chose the location - urban, modern, lofty, chic - it had us written all over it! The way the space transformed was amazing. We couldn’t have been happier.
We had a 6:00 pm ceremony which left us all day to enjoy getting ready. We had hair and make-up done while relaxing with champagne and orange juice! It was lovely. And, we opted to have all our photos taken before the wedding took place which allowed us to take part in the whole event! Immediately following the ceremony, our brother-in-law did a champagne toast and the cocktail reception started. We enjoyed being able to mingle with our guests - all 65 of them! A very intimate affair. Dinner started promptly at 7:45 pm and we enjoyed a 5-course meal, or should I say feast! Bingemans Catering has exclusivity to The Tannery and we were ecstatic! Our guests are still raving about the food. They exceeded our expectations in food and service and I can be honest in saying that I was pleasantly surprised. They are not the catering company they used to be!
Following dinner we had speeches and went right into the reception and danced the night away! It really was the time of our lives! And very hard to describe in a short blog post. However, pictures speak a thousand words….
Enjoy!
Our Wedding Planner - Afzia Shareef of Style & Elegance
Greg & Arianna making their entrance
Me & my Dad - the tears started!
A very emotional family ceremony which included family vows, sand ceremony and the presenting of a ring to Arianna. Not a dry eye in the place! I still get emotional looking at the photo.
We loved the lighting provided by our DJ - it created such ambiance!
All photos courtesy of A Simple Photograph
It’s been WAY too long since I blogged but to say that I’ve been busy the last couple of months is an understatement! We were married on August 28, 2010 - it was the most magical day of my life. Not only did I marry the most amazing man but I gained the most awesome 10-year old “bonus” daughter!
As a Wedding Planner, I had high expectations for our day, especially where vendors were concerned. I was NOT disappointed. I will be featuring every one of them on my blog because I want to send them my praises. Our wedding could not have been what is was without them all! So, life is getting back to normal and now it’s time to re-live the day. Along with featuring all the vendors, there will be a great collection of photos courtesy of my colleague and friend Erin Samuell of A Simple Photo. Enjoy!
Short engagement + Small Wedding = Flexibility in venue choice! This is advice I’m always giving my clients, along with “do what YOU want, it’s your wedding day!” The first way to cut costs and to have flexibility in just about everything related to their wedding is to have a small guest list. I know this is not always possible especially with large families and cultural obligations. In fact, I have a small family but a large social circle and my fianceé Greg has a larger family and has been a police officer for the Indianapolis Metro Police Department for 13 years, so therefore has a large professional and social circle as well. I wasn’t sure a small guest list was possible for us. So, we sat down, talked it out and we did it! A guest list of 70 people! Okay, to some, that doesn’t = small wedding, but for us, it’s perfect!
I just recently read a Facebook status update by an industry colleague, Crystal Adair-Benning of Distinct Occasions. She said: “It’s not the quantity of people you have at your wedding, it’s the quality that counts.” I love that! It wasn’t an easy decision to not invite family members such as my first cousins or people that have been a influence in my life and great friends over the years. But, the reality is, life can change and paths go in different directions. So, for us, it was about having the people who have been constants in our lives, who are here with us now through our journey and next big step. It surely doesn’t mean that the others aren’t important to us. We have a vision for our wedding - a small intimate affair, close family and friends, a celebration of us!
So, with that decision being made, we had alot more venue options. We went back and forth between many great venues that Kitchener-Waterloo has to offer for under 75 guests and settled on The Tannery. The Tannery District is an up and coming area, a commercial space that will give the same vibe to downtown Kitchener that The Distillery District gives to downtown Toronto. We are having the ceremony, dinner and reception in The Showroom. It’s an urban space with concrete floors, exposed brick walls, lounge area, and paraphernalia showing the history of The Tannery building. It’s chic and cool! We couldn’t be happier!
So, my advice to clients will remain the same. To stay true to what they want as a couple! And if it’s possible to have a small guest list - go for it!
This is a drawing of what the area will look like upon completion.
Lounge area - view back to front
