Here are a few pictures from the wedding. We leave tomorrow for our honeymoon but wanted to get a few pics published before we leave. I will get more from the photographer when we return. Bon voyage!
http://img231.imageshack.us/i/imagezwr.jpg/
http://img268.imageshack.us/i/imagexps.jpg/
http://img843.imageshack.us/i/imagexsv.jpg/
http://img7.imageshack.us/i/imageuaf.jpg/
http://img607.imageshack.us/i/imagelku.jpg/
At a Burroughes wedding, as I have said in previous posts, every element that goes into decorating the venue is required to be brought in by the couple – even the lighting. Lighting is so crucial to The Burroughes because while the building does have gorgeous windows, at night it could potentially be extremely dark, and so lighting will definitely need to be brought in. Because of this, I decided to do a mixture of candles and lighting in the form of beams placed in various places on the ground.
For our A/V rentals, Steve and I decided to go with Pro-Staging. I had decided on having green and purple beams shining and thought that it would be a nice and unique way of tying in my wedding colours to this element of the décor. About a week ago, I went to a visit at The Burroughes with a man who works for Pro-Staging named Tony Bianco. At this visit, Tony blew me away with his genuine concern and input towards my wedding lighting! He had so many amazing suggestions which showed he really took the time to give me the best advice possible for my big day. He even changed my mind on having green and purple beams! Instead, he mentioned it may look more chic with white shining beams instead, and I am taking this advice. I ended up agreeing with him that it will provide a more clean, glam look to the venue, which I never would have thought of without Tony’s recommendation.
Not only did Tony offer great advice and input towards my lighting, he also provides amazing equipment for any other A/V needs! The sound system we are renting from Pro-Staging is top of the line and will work perfectly with the acoustics of The Burroughes. Tony really took care with this aspect of the reception as well. Since The Burroughes is such a uniquely designed building, having not only the right sound system but also microphones and placement is critical to how the music and speeches will be heard. Tony realized this and, again, gave amazing advice and his own expert opinion which proved he really did want it to be as great of an event as possible! This made me fully trust Tony and I truly appreciate the time he put into making sure my reception will be a huge success.
If you want more information on Pro-Staging, their website is listed at the end of this post. If you do need A/V equipment for your wedding reception or any other special event you are planning, Pro-Staging is a company I can highly recommend! They really take care to make sure you are happy with what you are getting from them, and will work hard to ensure that everything runs smoothly the day of the event. Tony has really put my mind at ease regarding the A/V aspect of the reception, and having one less thing to worry about only a week before my own wedding is a great feeling!
For more information, visit: http://ww3.pro-staging.com/
As a bride, you obviously want to look your absolute best on your wedding day. Since my wedding is only a week and a half away at this point, I am thinking of ways I can ensure that I look my best and avoid anything that may get in the way of this. Although I have hired an amazing makeup artist for my big day, I still want to prepare myself as much as possible so I look fresh, healthy, and renewed for the wedding.
I was reading an article regarding this topic in hopes of getting some advice for gaining a natural glow for my wedding day. The article was from Martha Stewart Weddings and is an interview with makeup artist Rosie Rodriguez. After reading, I did find out some useful tips that I think other future brides may be interested in hearing about.
In the months leading up to the wedding, brides can do a number of things to make sure their skin is at its finest even without any makeup application. One thing brides can do is increase water intake. This may sound obvious, however it really is shocking how much of a difference increasing water consumption can make on one’s skin! It brightens skin up, and really does make it look much more fresh and vibrant in just a matter of days. Another tip is to moisturize with a cream that includes a sunscreen component, which helps to keep skin young and youthful looking. The final tip for what brides can do leading up to the wedding is not try anything new on their skin! Stick to products you know and trust in the weeks and days leading up to your wedding – trying something new can lead to outbreaks or even an allergic reaction that can take weeks to clear up! Sticking with products you know and are used to is key in the weeks leading up to your ceremony.
The article also offers some tips for honeymoon makeup as well! Rosie advises to keep it simple and mentions that lash extensions for the wedding are great as they eliminate the need for mascara while on the honeymoon! She also recommends coral tones and a hydrating mist to create that dewy look.
Whatever you choose to do in terms of makeup for your big day, I hope these tips come in handy. I’m sure no matter what makeup you choose, you will look radiant and gorgeous!
When Steve and I decided to have our wedding reception in The Burroughes Building, we never would have guessed how much effort goes into making a floorplan! The space is absolutely stunning and the rawness of it is what I fell in love with, however having the option to do basically anything I wanted has made making decisions pretty difficult! As a wedding planner, I see countless styles of linen, furniture, flowers, and table arrangements among other endless details. Because of this, choosing a floorplan which flows and blends nicely has been tricky because I love so many different styles and picking just one is hard at times – especially at The Burroughes where you need to bring in not only flowers, furniture, and catering, but even items such as lighting! This has inspired me to let other future brides know how crucial it is to create a floorplan.
It will become apparent to brides very quickly how extremely important it is to have a floorplan, no matter what venue you decide to get married or have your reception in. The Burroughes Building is a unique case because it is so open that literally every detail has to be planned by the bride. Therefore, in my case, without a floorplan I would be completely clueless as to what furniture and decor would fit where, and where the tables for dinner would be placed. However, even if you are getting married at a venue with all these details provided, you still must go through a floorplan to ensure that you truly love where everything is placed, and that anything you decide to bring in will not only fit, but look gorgeous and organized as well. Most venues can provide you with a basic outline of their facility. Once you have this, you can then sketch out how you want it to look, and the venue staff will work with you to make sure you get exactly the outcome you are hoping for.
As I said before, some venues do definitely take more time to create a floorplan than others, however it is an important step in any wedding preparation. I am so happy I decided to go with The Burroughes Building for my reception since I do have so many ideas for furniture, flowers, and other details. However, this is definitely not a dream scenario for everyone! Yet creating a floorplan will help make everyone, especially the venue staff and couple, feel more organized and relaxed come the big day!
Most brides want a unique wedding, however this can be difficult to accomplish since ceremonies and rehearsals follow a general guideline most of the time. Because of this, brides have to find little details throughout the wedding which they can work with to add uniqueness to the overall event. One of the easiest ways of achieving this is through the seating cards!
Seating cards can be created countless ways. Initially most people think of simply looking on the large seating chart, finding their name, and then going to the specified table where their seating card will be waiting on their plate. However, it does not have to be this ordinary! I really wanted a different way of seating my wedding guests, and looked on various websites to find a unique idea to accomplish this. Finally, I decided on placing the cards on top of a flower which matches my wedding colours of green and purple. I thought this is an excellent way to have a personal touch in the seating plan, and also to tie in my wedding colours to it as well. It is very unique and more pleasant to the eye than a simple card with one’s name on it waiting on their dinner plate, and I think my guests will love the gesture!
Through my searching I found hundreds of options for seating cards, so if you are like me and looking for any unique details for your wedding, consider this an option! You can also customize your wedding book as well. Steve and I decided that instead of a traditional book which everyone signs, we are going to leave out cards to write a message on and then place them in a glass bowl. Then, after the wedding, Steve and I will read them all and place them in a sort of scrap book to keep. This adds a nice touch as well and you can put the notes beside a photo you have of each guest to help you remember exactly who said what message.
Martha Stewart has some amazing ideas for both seating cards and guest books, and I have included some pictures from her website to this post. As I said before, lending a personal touch anywhere you can in the wedding ceremony or reception adds uniqueness to the event and will ensure your wedding is remembered for years to come!
When I was little, growing up with a minister for a mother wasn’t exactly “cool”. I felt judged unfairly by the other kids and even adults, and I also felt left out because my mum didn’t have a very common profession. When other kids talked about their parents’ jobs, they were teachers or nurses, and they never really understood what exactly it was that my mum did. However, as I have grown up, I have learned to truly appreciate and embrace my mum’s job.
I now feel extraordinarily privileged to have a minister as a mum. She has played such an amazing role in so many peoples’ lives, and she inspires me every day. What is especially great about her profession is that as a minister, she can perform wedding ceremonies! This has given her the opportunity to marry some of the most important people in her life, such as her best friend from University, and even her own sister! And now it is my turn…
My mum will be performing me and Steve’s wedding ceremony on August 19th. I feel so honoured that my own mother is able to do this for me and am truly blessed that someone so important in my daily life will be participating in the biggest day of my life in such a meaningful way. I am so excited and happy that she is able to do this and it really does mean the world to me. Last weekend while at the family cottage, we began making rough plans for how the ceremony should be organized. Even though we were sitting on a dock casually chatting, we both became emotional discussing the plans. After this I now know that when the day actually arrives and the ceremony begins, there won’t be a dry eye in the church – and I cannot wait for it!
Even when I think back to when I was younger, feeling judged and different, there is still not a single thing I would change about my mum or being a minister’s kid. She taught me so much growing up and over the years, and now she is not only my mum, but one of my best friends. Not many people get the chance to have their mother play such a prominent role in their wedding, and so I feel truly blessed to have this opportunity and I can’t wait to have this experience.
As my wedding gets closer and closer, my mind is focusing more and more on how I will look in my wedding dress. Although I didn’t need to lose much weight to feel comfortable in the dress I chose, I did want to shed a couple pounds for the big day as many brides do. My diet has consisted mainly of egg whites, tuna, and other low fat, low calorie meals and snacks. While it has been difficult to resist snacking, especially living with Steve who is a personal trainer and can eat whatever he wants whenever he wants, I have had strong will power and have been successful in my weight loss so far.
I chose my diet after researching and seeing what would work best for me. Since every bride wants to look their very best on their own wedding day, I thought I would let you know some tips on dieting for the big day which could really help with not only losing the weight, but resisting the urge to eat altogether. Losing weight in the preparation stages before a wedding is especially hard since it is such a stressful time, and so here are some tips which will hopefully help future brides in my same situation.
The worst thing you can do when trying to lose weight is eat late at night. Actually, eating at all past 8pm should be avoided at all costs. This is because exercise is what burns calories. But when you eat late at night then go to bed, the rate of metabolism is much slower than if you were to eat at 5pm because you are not moving at all for about 8 hours – and this leads to weight gain.
Another tip for brides trying to shed those final pounds is to relax as much as possible. When you’re stressed out, you tend to want to eat more junky foods. If you feel yourself freaking out about the wedding details or anything else, try to calm yourself as much as possible – even going for a stroll can help massively with stress relief and gives you needed exercise as well! Whatever the issue, don’t sweat the small stuff and enjoy the planning process. You’ll not only feel but also look better because of it.
A final tip for looking your slimmest on the big day isn’t necessarily about losing weight, but about posture! In an article titled Eating Out: The Wedding Dress Diet, the author states that simply by holding your head high and sucking in, you can automatically look 5 pounds lighter. So for you brides who don’t have time to go to the gym or don’t want to bother yourself with dieting, simply having better posture may be all you need!
Whatever diet you choose, I wish you luck. I know first hand how difficult it can be at times, but stick with it and fight the urge to snack as best you can. Just a couple more pounds to go for me and I will finally be at my ideal wedding weight!
With buzz still surrounding the Will & Kate wedding, especially with their recent tour in Canada, I can’t get my mind off the hats which some of the guests wore to their wedding ceremony! While lavish hats and fascinators are nothing new to Royal ceremonies, I have taken special interest recently since my own wedding is approaching. I have even decided to write “Hats Encouraged!” on my invitations because I am curious to see what my own guests might come up with.
Some people think it’s crazy to wear hats with layers of feathers and flowers attached to them; however, they really can make an outfit! And no one knows this better than Philip Treacy who makes his living off selling these stylish head pieces to people throughout the world. Philip has been designing this style of hat since 1989 and at only 23, he was called to Paris to meet with the chief designer at Chanel. Ever since then, he has been creating these glamorous hats. Treacy has created hats for everyone from Lady Gaga to Sarah Jessica Parker and has done countless pieces for royal weddings and other celebrations over the years. He is the most famous milliner around, and his hats truly are pieces of art.
Although I would absolutely love Philip Treacy to create hats and fascinators for my wedding guests, that isn’t going to happen as not everyone can afford the $450 to $10,000 price tag. However, there are many places in Toronto which create gorgeous cocktail and wedding hats that look stunning and are sure to be a discussion piece! One of the best stores for this accessory is Absolutely Fascinating. While their pieces are not necessarily as extravagant as Philip Treacy’s, they are elegant and classy – perfect for a wedding celebration! To see samples of the fascinators they sell, you can go to their website at http://fascinatorstoronto.com/ where they have a full gallery. They are even divided by occasion so you can make an easy selection.
Whether you choose to purchase a wedding hat or fascinator from London, a local Toronto boutique, or even make one yourself, they are a fabulous addition to any ensemble and add to the fun of the celebration as well! I really cannot wait to see what my guests show up wearing on my big day!
For our wedding, Steve and I decided to book our musicians with Burtier Music. Burtier Music is located in Burlington and performs at a wide range of special events and to a huge variation of tastes. Burtier Music can arrange anything from a classical string quartet to solo instruments such as violin, guitar, piano, and voice – it all depends on what you are looking for! What’s great about Burtier Music is that they play light classical music for 30 minutes prior to the wedding ceremony, which builds the mood for the upcoming event. It will be excellent to have a band present during this time playing beautiful live music, which is what we really wanted at our wedding. The musicians also play a piece during the processional, a piece during the signing of the marriage license, and finally a piece during the recessional as the wedding party exits the church. Following this, Burtier Music even plays for about 10 to 15 minutes following the ceremony as the wedding guests leave the building, which is a nice way to exit.
Burtier Music offers an amazing choice of songs to be played during each wedding segment, all of which sound very beautiful. No matter what you are looking for, whether it be a wedding or other special event for which you would like a band, Burtier Music will make sure their songs suit your needs and help you make the perfect selection for an elegant celebration.
Another reason why Steve and I chose to go with Burtier Music is because I have a personal connection to the company. One of the musicians named Jessica is my mum’s friend’s daughter. Our mothers not only taught school together, but have also been meeting with the same book club for over 30 years! This connection makes the music selection that much more special for me since our families have a long-running relationship, and it will be nice to have good friends of my both me and my mum’s present in such a unique way.
Burtier Music plays in Toronto, Oakville, Mississauga, Burlington, Milton, Hamilton, and Stoney Creek. If you are interested in booking Burtier Music, their website is located at www.burtiermusic.com. There, you can find all of the information you will need for bookings as well as other types of events they play. Booking with Burtier Music has made me even more excited for my own wedding day to arrive and I am thrilled to have found a company with which I have an existing bond.
The invitations have arrived! They are addressed, packed, sealed, and stamped. Now all that is left is to mail them, which normally wouldn’t be a stressful task; however, with the Canada Post lockout, it has become just that. I never would have guessed that mailing out my invites would become such a hassle. The strike has been going on for about a week now, which may not seem like a big deal to many people. However when you’re getting married in August and have yet to mail the invitations, it is something weighing heavily on my mind day after day. Currently, Harper and the Conservative government are working on creating a back-to-work legislation and getting it passed so the strike can hopefully end before too long. The goal date for sending out the invites was Wednesday June 22nd at the latest, and now with that day gone past I can’t help but worry about then the strike will finally end. What makes it worse too is that many of my guests live far away, in areas ranging from Vancouver to Massachusetts, and even the UK and Jamaica.
As an event planner I pride myself on coming up with “worst case scenarios” before any event and having a back-up plan. What if it rains on an outdoor festival when you’re expecting 10,000 people or what if a groom forgets his tux pants in a different city? What if a table crashes to the ground smashing all the vases for the centrepieces before the party begins or what if your caterer decides not to show up? These are all very real situations that have happened to me and I dealt with each accordingly. However I was completely unprepared for a mail strike causing my wedding invitations to be late. We’re hatching a back-up plan as we speak, perhaps Purolator OR UPS, or maybe an E-vite. I’ll keep you posted.
A lot of people are being affected by this strike, especially those who run small businesses and can’t get their products sent out. Originally, the mail strike was going to rotate through cities, however when the negotiations were found to be going nowhere, the lockout was implemented. All I can do now is wait and hope it ends as soon as possible because my wedding is fast approaching and I need my guests to know all the details! I guess I’m just lucky we sent “Save the date” cards back in January!
Can't Fire the Bride 
