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Did you know to celebrate your marriage you have to have a piece of cake and something to toast with? So tell your groom that you need that wedding cake, even if it’s a two teir, one flavour simple wedding cake.
Source: Wedding Memories
A big trend right now at wedding receptions along with the traditional wedding cake are candy bars or candy buffets – I’m not talking about a king size Twix bar. I’m talking about jars full of different types of candy – possibly coordinated with your wedding colour scheme, and your guests are able to package them up and take it home as their wedding favour!
Source: Wedding Star
You can easily purchase bulk candy at your local Bulk Barn or buy bags of candy and pour them into different jars. You can find these jars at Walmart, Michael’s Crafts, or Dollaramma. Make it interesting and play with different heights and sizes of jars. You can purchase clear celophane bags (click photo above) for your guests to dump their candy in and make sure to personalize it!!
Two weekends ago I had my first lead wedding… I was nervous, excited, and a little bit stressed since I didn’t know how the day would go and it was on one of the hottest days this month! And being a self-proclaimed perfectionist, things had to be on schedule and I had to be one step ahead. Visited the bride’s house and the groom’s house then headed to the church… ceremony at 12:30pm and I arrived at noon… the decorators were still decorating!! The aisle runner wasn’t in place, the ribbons not on the pews, no flower petals on the aisle runner… my bride was going to freak out! Thankfully I kept checking the clock and kept putting the pressure on them to finish. By the time the bride walked down the aisle, everything was in place!
The ceremony ran late, the family photos outside the church were taking longer than expected, and then the limo driver told me: “the limo might break down”… and low and behold – the limo broke down! What was I going to do? My bridal party was stuck on the highway headed to their photo session in blistering heat and Toronto traffic! Again, thankfully, the limo company sent another limo right away. The photo session was cut short since guests started arriving at 4:30pm for a 5:30pm cocktail hour!
I had to strategically check on the butterflies that were in the fridge in the bar area to remove them at the right time so they could get used to room temperature and fly during the father-daughter dance to “Butterfly Kisses”. It was released by the bridal party perfectly and it was absolutely beautiful!
For the final moment of the evening – the bouquet toss and garter toss. It ended up that my bride “overthrew” her bouquet and broke a glass vase on the head table… and thus no one caught it. The second attempt was much more successful! Overall, it was an incredible day to see it from start to finish! It was hot, exhausting, but very rewarding. I wouldn’t have traded my first couple for anyone else! Congratulations once again J & A!
For more photos, see the Facebook page!!! CLICK HERE
As a newly engaged bride, you’re bombarded with information from family, friends, co-workers, endless wedding magazines, wedding blogs, The Knot, Facebook, Twitter, the Slice Network and their wedding shows and much much more about all kinds of vendors: photographers, videographers, decorators, florists, bakers, DJ and entertainment, transportation, and venues. So how do you choose the right vendor for your wedding?
Here are some tips:
– Do your research! The world wide web will be your best friend for the duration of your planning! Read reviews (good and bad) on each vendor and make sure to check if they’re relevant (i.e., how long ago was the review? is it recent?); check their portfolio, get references and/or previous clients contacts, and make sure to follow up on those references or previous clients!
Source: i2.squidoocdn.com
– Have a budget! Make sure to have a budget for each vendor so you’re not spending more than you want to. But keep in mind, you get what you pay for. If there is something about your wedding that is most important to you (e.g. photographs or food), make sure to choose the right vendor and spend a bit more.
– Set up a meeting! Set up a meeting with the vendor of your choice, it’s great to be exchanging phone calls and emails, but it’s also great to see what this company is offering you in person. Also, make sure everything is written in a contract – nothing should be agreed upon verbally. A contract is a must and be signed upon by you (the couple) and the vendor prior to any payments being made!
Source: Marketing Plan Now
– Communication! Being in constant communication with your vendor is a must. Your wedding planner can do this on your behalf once all your vendors are booked. Such is the case, new management comes in and may be unaware of what agreements you had with the previous owner/manager. Because vendors have many clients during the wedding season, they may not be on top of everything all the time.
– Hire a wedding planner! You may think you have everything organized and have dotted your “i’s” and crossed your “t’s”, but do you really want to be chasing after your caterer during your wedding day if one of your relatives is allergic to something on the menu? Your wedding planner is your go-to person when you need to get something done, or you may have forgotten something (e.g. your speech), or you need to find your adorable chihuahua to get that perfect photo before heading to the church!
It is especially important for all of your vendors to be working together on your wedding day! They need to coordinate, be on the same page, and know what’s happening next. I definitely could not have done my first lead wedding without working closely with the photographers, DJ & MC, the caterers, the priest, and the limo driver. That’s how a wedding should be beautifully executed! Happy planning!
It’s often the question that is asked by all your guests when they arrive at your reception: “Where am I sitting?”. You’ve seen it before, the traditional Table 1 – Mr. & Mrs. Doe. What if you want something different? Add some personality into it! You can have place cards or a seating chart for your guests to guide them.
Source: Allegro Photography
I’ve seen Super Heroes as table cards (e.g. Superman, Batman, Spiderman, etc.) since the groom was an avid collector of comics; I’ve seen movies as table cards (e.g. Superbad, Never Been Kissed, etc); or even countries or places the couple has visited (e.g. Paris, New York, Los Angeles). I love it when couples add something personal!
Source: Wedding BlogSource: Off Beat BrideSource: Prepare to Wed Source: Finer Details
And as proper etiquette goes, place cards are supposed to be handwritten, so go for this cute and eco-friendly idea:
Source: Pink Peony Weddings Source: Celebrations Plus
Whether you choose to invite kids to your wedding or not, you can’t forget them! There are 2 (or more) important people in your bridal party: the flower girl and the ring bearer! How adorable are kids in little suits and dresses?! But we all know, kids will be kids and they will run around, get dirty, and be fussy if they have to wear it all day. So, compromise! Have the kids wear the formal stuff for the ceremony and the photos and the grand entrance, and maybe have them kick off those dress shoes and change into some comfy runners, loosen the tie, take off the jacket, and let them run around at the reception! If all else fails, have a lollipop hidden in your clutch!
Skip the thought of purchasing a suit – the kids will only wear it for a period of time, and then they grow out of it! Don’t spend big bucks, but make sure it still looks good! Check out: Adorable Kids in Oshawa, ON; your local Tuxedo Royale, Sears, The Bay or other boutiques for cute outfits!
