Monique & Paul July 9th 2011

I was honoured to be asked to assist on Monique and Paul's wedding day.  Monique and I met in University many years ago, and I was excited when that Facebook relationship status 'finally' changed for her.  She had let me know the venue she chose had given her a list of preferred vendors and she would already be covered for wedding planning services.  I was relieved to know she knew the importance of the extra set of hands (and eyes) for her big day.  Over a couple of months, unfortunately numerous stressors arose for her and her fiancee.  She had decided to let a few vendors go for lack of communication with her and I am thankful I was able to assist as much as I did on her big day.
The day started with me picking up the breathtaking flowers from Floral Buds & Decor.  Erik did a fantastic job with all of the bouquets and arrangements for the day.  He even let me know to tell the bride these were the most amazing flowers he has put together in the past few weeks.  I arrived at the hotel to greet the bride, and to my surprise - hair and makeup were done (early) and she was as calm as could be!  She sorted through the boutonniere's and off I went to see the guys.  Of course, they were ready and eager for the photographer to arrive!
I made my way to the reception site and I was shocked - there was NO POWER !  The manager explained to me this is common for the site because they are outside of town and not to worry becuase it was to be back on by 2pm (when the ceremony at the church was to begin).  The cook and his assistants were busy in the kitchen, preparing everything by candlelight!  I dropped my bags and immediately got to work.  Favor set up, centrepieces, placecards, table numbers, gift table, bathroom baskets, counting seats, checking placesettings.. I was exhausted!
Of course the bride and groom knew nothing of the stresses of the morning!  I returned to the Golf & Country Club following the ceremony and not only did the room look gorgeous, but the lights were on and most importantly so was the air conditioning. 
The day was fillied with smiles, laughs and some tears but everything in the end was pulled together. 
Congratulations again Monique & Paul !!!

Vendors Used for the day (Woodstock & surrounding area)

Wedding Planner - Mosaic Event Planning - Shalyn
Ceremony - Holy Trinity Catholic Church
Reception - Oxford Golf & Country Club (Craigowan) - Adam & Alicia
Photography - Novella Photography -Kate
Flowers - Floral Buds & Decor - Erik
Cake - Deelights Bakery - Dee
DJ - Sensational Sounds - Andre

Please visit my website for more pictures of Monique & Paul's Wedding Day !

Unique themed wedding

A Burlington Ontario couple’s July 17th wedding featured on Rich Bride, Poor Bride Tuesday February 1st 2011 will definitely not be one to miss! Amy & Tyler Brands had a very elegant, pink ceremony, just like the bride always dreamed of. When guests entered the reception, they were shocked to find the wedding that Tyler had always dreamed of; a New England Patriots themed celebration. All of the linens had blue or red overlay, red napkins and the Patriots’ logo was everywhere! The guests were all seated using VIP passes; each table was also named after a current Pats player. Sticking to the theme, the newlyweds walked down green turf with yard lines painted on. The groom changed his suit to fit the theme for the reception, and the couple’s youngest daughter also sported a Patriots cheerleading outfit. The theme was also carried out through a five foot tall ice luge to pour their signature blue drink through, a football field with a helmet on top of the groom’s cake and colour coded foam fingers for the guests to wave around.
This wedding definitely is one to remember!

Chelsea Clinton's cake

Chelsea's cake was from La Tulipe Desserts. Her 9 tiered, 500 pound, 4 foot tall wedding cake was white with silver accents and 1,000 edible sugar flowers! The vanilla wedding cake featured a dark chocolate mousse filling made mostly from organic ingredients - YUM ! This cake cost around $10 - $12 thousand bucks!

Fun Registry Items

Weddings sometimes create a lot of stress for a couple. A fun way to escape the craziness is to take your fiancee and create your wedding registry!
Before registering, take into consideration where a majority of your guests are from. Some 'fun' Toronto based stores usually do not have numerous locations and that might create some unhappiness with guests from elsewhere. If you have a particular store that you definately want items from, maybe add another store (like The Bay or Sears for example) for a few other basic items that others from anywhere in Ontario can also buy from. These stores also give a great option of purchasing items online, perfect for out of country guests and for those who will not be able to attend your big day. But rememeber, when registering at more then one store - don't duplicate similar items. Things like sheets and towels are ok to get 2 sets of because they will get used, but do you really want 10 serving dishes?!
Guests and families sometimes pitch in together to buy a bigger gift for couples. Here are some fun items you can consider registering for,
Patio Sets - Consider the size of the space you have. There is no reason to register for unnecessary oversized sets that will crowd your outside space!
BBQ- splurge on the dream grill you really want!
Bedding - register for the entire matching set of sheets. Get the more expensive comforter and matching cover
Honeymoon - more and more of these websites are popping up. Couples can register for spa services and excursions at the resort they are honeymooning at.
Winery / Beer Tour - provide the couple with a chance to experience an upscale winery
TV - register for the plasma or LCD you would love to have in your living room
China - I guess this is becoming something more of the past. I must agree, I would have never bought a china set if I didn't get it for wedding gifts! It is nice to be able to bring it out for the few special occasions we host.
Luggage - most couples don't have a nice set of luggage unless they are avid travellers. Why not have new suitcases to stuff for your relaxing week following the wedding?!

Did you register for something different? Did you get a gift that you don't know how you lived without? Share your ideas, comments and questions!