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Wedding Updates Friday, October 17, 2008 When you register at a store and they give you those enclosure cards, just say “No, no, a thousand times, no!” It may seem helpful, but it is never acceptable to enclose a registry notice or gift wish list with your invitation. Never. Ever. One of the major etiquette dangers is the method of informing your guests about your registries. The stores themselves help perpetuate this etiquette no-no by offering you the offensive invitation enclosures. Your gift registry can be one of the most fun aspects of planning your wedding ("Here, honey, just point this gun at things and voila, they're on our wish list!") but it can also prove to be an etiquette minefield. The first major issue is the registry itself. Today's engaged couples often have established households of their own, so a registry is an excellent way for your guests to know what you actually need (Oh look! Another toaster! Everyone needs four toasters, don't they?). Make sure you think carefully about what you actually need and make a wish list that is agreeable to both you and your partner. Your guests have different budgets, so register for items in a variety of price ranges. You cannot expect all of your guests to spring for that $400 food processor, or that they will be happy buying you one teaspoon because at $100 a piece it is the only thing on your registry they can afford. A thoughtful gift registry gives everyone the opportunity to buy you something you will love. These days, it is also perfectly acceptable to register for nontraditional items such as hardware, sporting goods, charitable donations, or, yes, even the honeymoon. Keep in mind, though, that although lifestyle gifts are appropriate, some people are going to prefer giving you something tangible. You may prefer to receive money, which is traditional in many cultures, or contributions to your honeymoon fund, but you cannot tell your guests what to give you. It is just not polite to request gifts of ANY kind. Giving a wedding gift is the socially acceptable thing to do - but no one is really obligated to buy you a gift. Informing your guests what kind of gift you would like at the same time you are inviting them to your wedding is like telling them the gift is more important than their attendance. The way to let people know where you're registered is via word of mouth. Make sure your bridal party and family know where you are registered or if you have a preference for a more non-traditional gift. Then you have to wait until someone asks where you are registered, and just cross your fingers! Wednesday, October 15, 2008 The wedding is 2 weeks from tomorrow...WOW! I heard that the Sun claims to have a picture of Monday and is planning to publish it this week...I think that stinks...let's hope they think better of it between now & tomorrow morning! Boooo to them! It will be exciting to have the 5 grooms thrown into the mix next week. I'm sure Monday is anxiously anticipating hearing the final 5. I know she'll choose well. Tuesday, October 14, 2008 When choosing bridesmaids dresses I most often recommend to my clients that they start their search in untraditional avenues, i.e. not 'actual' bridesmaid dresses. There are lots of stores out there that you wouldn't necessarily think of when trying to find a bridesmaid dress that offer a great selection of dresses in each colour palette. This is certainly the best way to ensure that they will get to wear their dress again. That being said...there are certainly a lot of really cute traditional bridesmaids dresses out there. Make sure you see the dress in person, though. I've had many brides choose a dress from a picture and then hate it in person. Ask the store for a very specific timeframe for delivery and alterations. Unless your bridesmaids all have the same body shape & size - there's absolutely no reason to have them all wear the same dress. Feel free to choose different styles in the same colour or the same or similar dresses in a range of colours in your palette. Happy and comfortable bridesmaids = a more enjoyable day for them (they are supposed to be your closest girlfriends, right!?) - which will definitely be evident in your wedding photos. Friday, October 10, 2008 I highly recommend shopping for a wedding gown with no more than two extra people in tow...if you have too many people - everyone will have a different opinion and it can make what should be one of the most fun parts of the wedding process into a stressful chore. As a good rule of thumb - NEVER try on a wedding dress that is out of your price range or that isn't available in your time frame...it is a recipe for disaster & heartache. I can honestly say that after 16 years of planning weddings I have never had a bride that didn’t look beautiful on her wedding day. If you feel beautiful you are going to look beautiful…something about that lovely nuptial glow. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Thursday, October 9, 2008 I had a great meeting in our office last night with Monday and some of her bridal party and a couple of the fab girls from energy. They did a cake tasting...mmMMMmmm...music selection and decided on bouquets. It was lots of fun. For the yummy cake from Buttercream Bake Shoppe she chose a different flavor for each layer - so there will definitely be something to please everyone. Monday chose some great jazz standards for the ceremony - it's an untraditional situation so it is perfect to be accompanied by untraditional wedding music. Estelle Music is providing a jazz quintet to play during the ceremony & reception...as well as the much anticipated Fanfare horns to announce the bride's arrival. We came up with some great ideas for the bouquets...I know they will create something gorgeous for her at Pease Blossoms...I can't wait to see them! Wednesday, October 8, 2008 Well...I got to spend over 4 hours with the bride yesterday...she's wonderful - it was great to have a chance to speak to her face to face. We had a great meeting just the two of us in my office before I took her over to S2 Bride for her dress fitting. They are SO fantastic at S2 - they had champagne & strawberries for us, and a gorgeous spread of sushi...it was definitely the most fun I've ever had at a dress fitting and I know the bride felt very pampered. She narrowed it down to three great dresses...she looked amazing in all of them so whichever one she ends up with will be a great choice! Tuesday, October 7, 2008 What is with this wind…??? It’s very Wizard of Oz…I half expect a cow to fly by my office window any minute. I have some excitement in store for “Monday” later today…I will write all about it tomorrow…! I dropped by International Gemological Labs this morning to borrow their ring sizers…their office is so unassuming from the outside…I met several of their staff – they’re all so nice & extremely knowledgeable about jewels…fun! I don’t quite know how we’ll get the groom’s ring sized in time – but they’re so clever at IGL & at NuvoStyle.com – I know they’ll figure something out. Monday, October 6, 2008 I'm so excited that Monday is the bride...I've chatted with her on the phone - she's so nice...I'm really looking forward to working with her. I had a great meeting at Pease Blossoms today (with another client) and we went over some details for this wedding. Marika is so excited and has some very exciting ideas for “Monday” – I can’t wait to show her their work! Friday, October 3, 2008 I was going to say 4 down & 1 to go...but I guess now it is 4 down & 1 went. Better now than at the altar though...or even more so than the day after the wedding. I certainly wish her well. We have a menu tasting today with some of the energy staff...always a nice perk of this job - I've even had clients have me attend what turned out to be a VERY extensive (!!) tasting when they were deciding on their signature drink - now that was a fun meeting. I'm literally counting the minutes until I get to meet the bride - next week is going to be crazy for both of us! Thursday, October 2, 2008 I love the disguise that they have the brides wear...it looks like they're off to Carnival in Venice...no chance of anyone recognizing them in that get-up! This weather is so gorgeous - hopefully it will hold until the end of the month. Up until this point it has been a bit like planning a wedding in reverse...in less than 4 days we'll all know which of these great women will be the lucky bride...I can't wait! Wednesday, October 1, 2008 My office is over run with the oh-so-fun favors for the wedding. Mystylishwedding.com has the cutest stuff! The aisle runner for the ceremony is going to be so pretty - it's going to match the invitations...I can't wait to see it. I've spent the last hour reading through potential menus...I should know better...it always makes me STARVING...do you think Canada Olympic Park delivers? Tuesday, September 30, 2008 Two down...three to go! It's so exciting. I can't wait to sit down with the bride next week - having some one-on-one time will be great. I want to hear what she's all about when she doesn't have the pressure of thousands of people critiquing her every word. I've got the guys at the station all set for their tuxedo fittings at Derk's...they'll all look so dashing! It's definitely going to be a mad dash to get the groom & his groomsmen all fitted - maybe we can borrow Cinderella's little helpers? Monday, September 29, 2008 I'm in a bit of a holding pattern until the 2 Strangers aren't strangers any more – well until 1 isn’t a stranger any more…I can't wait to meet the "chosen" bride in a week. It will be quite the whirlwind for her so I hope the 5 potential brides are taking their vitamins! We're going to need lots of security at this wedding...I keep hearing random people saying they want to sneak in...no wedding crashers on my watch!! Friday, September 26, 2008 I'm sure it is going to be an agonizing task to narrow down the brides to just five - I love that so many amazing women applied. It will be a total whirlwind for the chosen bride - but all of the vendors involved will make her feel really pampered so hopefully it won't be too overwhelming. It's been a long week...I love sending my clients to buy wine at The Wine Shop - they're so friendly & knowledgeable (not to mention they give my clients a great deal)...they will be supplying the all champagne & wine for the wedding...I could actually use a glass right now! Thursday, September 25, 2008 Regardless of the personality of the chosen bride & groom I know they will just love Rev. Nadene Rogers of Weddings My Way. She's very dynamic but also very caring. I've been working with her for eons – I’ve known her for almost 20 years - she's amazing! I'm glad I was able to arrange with Buttercream Bake Shoppe to bring in cupcakes for Meg, Frank, Ian, Erin & Zach, et al....it was hard to resist attacking the 2 dozen cupcakes - our office still has that yummy sugary smell...mmmMMMmmm... Wednesday, September 24, 2008 I went to Kure Clothing last night to try on my dress for the wedding. It is SO pretty. Meghan has such gorgeous inventory - lots of rich colours & lucious fabrics. Estelle - Elegance in Music will be providing the ceremony musicians. I have been working with them for years and they are always such a great accompaniment to any event. They play great jazz & standards - so they're perfect for ceremonies & cocktails. It's exciting to hear that there are so many amazing bride applicants. I know they're going to have a hard time narrowing it down to just five. Everyone will be glued to the radio next week to hear them all I'm sure! Tuesday, September 23, 2008 MC Limo will be transporting the bride & groom for both their bachelor & bachelorette nights, as well as to and from the wedding. They’re so lovely to deal with and have a great selection of vehicles. Monday, September 22, 2008 I had a great meeting with Marika at Pease Blossoms on Friday afternoon. The bride is going to have some gorgeous options for her bouquet. It's such a cute little store & I love that they use organic flowers. Gen from NuvoStyle.com brought the bride's rings to my office last week - they're so pretty...and it is such an exciting bonus that they will upgrade the diamond at cost on their anniversary. The engagement ring will have a VERY good quality Canadian diamond in it - lucky girl! Friday, September 19, 2008 Well the week is almost done. I’m excited to say that I have pretty much all of the vendors all sorted out – so now I’m just waiting on the bride! Once she’s chosen we’ll be off & running with all the fun details like choosing a wedding gown and sampling cake…. The gorgeous invitations from shoptheweddingplanner.com have gone to the printer – I’m excited to see them. I’m already getting lots of emails from people dying to come to the wedding on the 30th – it certainly is going to be the hottest ticket in town! Thursday, September 18, 2008 The bride & bridesmaids are going to feel so pampered when they get their hair & make-up done at Pure Form Salon. The bride will also get a lovely manicure and pedicure as well as some other decadent spa treatments. They're going to do my hair also - which is very exciting - I'm sure I'll feel a bit frazzled by 8am on October 30th! Wednesday, September 17, 2008 Details! Details! Details! The little details certainly do make a big impact on the overall impression of a wedding - even if someone isn't the type to notice them - they'll certainly notice the overall impact from them. I always pay attention to all the details - little & big - so there's a design or theme running right through everything from the invitation to the table numbers, and everything in Tuesday, September 16, 2008 Planning a wedding in a short time-frame always has unique challenges – so planning a wedding in a short time-frame when you don’t know the couple also requires a large dose of imagination! It’s been an exciting process right from the beginning but it sure adds a whole new dynamic when it seems like EVERYONE is buzzing about it. The bridesmaids will be absolutely thrilled with their gorgeous dresses from Kure Clothing. I often recommend choosing dresses that aren’t “actual” bridesmaids dresses – perhaps the only sure-fire way that they can wear the dress again. Trish & Matt at f8 Photography are so excited to see how this process unveils – they’ll certainly do a masterful job of capturing what I’m sure will be very heightened emotions on the wedding day – but if anyone can put them at ease it is them! I’m very excited to take the bride to S2 Bride to choose her dress – they have exquisite dresses – many lines from Europe that are exclusives – and the store itself is so pretty – it will be a great experience for the mystery bride. Monday, September 15, 2008 When I first heard about 2 Strangers & a Wedding – it was slightly shocking – but definitely intriguing. Over the 16 years I’ve been planning weddings I’ve certainly heard many wild & wonderful stories about how the bride & groom met. So as long as the participants go into this with a genuine desire to meet a life partner I think it should be a very exciting journey for all of us! I’ll write more later when I get a chance. |
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