Less than 8 months to go!!!

Where to start?

Firstly, I have found my dress!!! I still have to actually buy it but I know which gown I want. I am torn between two boutiques that both offer different reasons to purchase from them. I will definitely buy my gown before Christmas so it is very exciting!

Secondly, we have decided what the groom and groomsmen will be wearing. We thought for sure we would be going with Moores but we were very disappointed with their rental options. We wondered the Cataraqui Town Centre and discovered Tip Top Tailor, only to find out that they offer a rental package as well. At this point I would recommend Tip Top Tailors over Moores any day. The selection and deals they offer, not to mention price point is MUCH better than Moores. We had originally thought that the groomsmen would be in Charcoal suits with Champagne vest and tie but we now have other plans.

Brandon would be in all grey

Groomsmen would be in grey with eggplant tie and pocket square

This month we plan to get a lot accomplished as we both have our Christmas break from school. Our next post should be filled with updates so check back.

9 Months until the Wedding!!!!

I'm sorry for the lack of posts in October but there was not much to report. Finally we have a few updates with the main one being of course that we are only 9 months away from the big day!! Time sure is flying! I remember constantly saying "we have more than a year no need to rush" well that time has come and gone and now we are officially into the wedding planning checklist and although we are still ahead of the game we need to make sure we leave ourselves enough time for all the remaining items (and there are LOTS!).

Firstly, our florist... so once again we have changed our minds. I know we said we were really impressed with Jackie-O and very unimpressed with The Old Mill Flower Shoppe but after many stressful and unhelpful emails back and forth with Jackie-O we decided to give The Old Mill Flower Shoppe another try and we were pleasantly surprised. Our major concern was the language barrier and as it turns out the owner speaks fluent English and was extremely bubbly. On top of that of course there is the convenience of them being on site and that their prices are already cheaper than any other florist we met with and we get another discount on top of that because we are having our wedding at The Old Mill. All in all I think that The Old Mill will work just fine and we had said from the beginning that we hoped that would work out and I believe it has. *fingers crossed*

Secondly, (my favourite and most exciting news) so as most of you know I tried on a wedding dress at Nicholas and Elizabeth and really liked it but continued to look around to see if I liked anything else. I could not for the life of me get that dress out of my mind so I made another appointment to go back and try it on again however, with my luck, got there to find out that the night before I arrived they had sold the sample of the dress I loved so I was unable to try it on again. I did try on a few more while I was there and there were some other beautiful gowns. All in all this would not have been that big of an issue if I knew the brand so I could go to another store and try it on however, for whatever reason, Nicholas and Elizabeth will not tell you which designers they carry so I was left to search the World Wide Web to find a needle in a haystack. After hours and hours of searching with no luck I just happened to be in chapters buying a new bridal magazine and to my shock and dismay I came across a picture of a different gown I had tried on upon my return to Nicholas and Elizabeth that had had some similar features so I desperately logged onto their website clicking through each dress image in hopes that it would be the same designer as the one I loved and... low and behold... IT WAS!!! I found the designer!!!! *dancing in my chair* I was so excited so I called every store within 300 miles, both Canada and the US, too see who had a sample of this dress. Once again wouldn't you know it, I must have called at least 20 stores between Oshawa and Ottawa and Peterbourgh and Rochester, NY and ONE, let me repeat that ONE store has it! Which store might that be? Manchester, New York... 4 hours away! Okay so I'm making this sound like the worst thing ever but actually that is great news because there are lots of stores I can order it from in Canada if I do decide to buy it I just need to find somewhere to try it on so a 4 hour drive is not so terrible. But to make matters even better after I found out that the Manchester store had a sample a store in Ottawa called me back to say they are getting a sample of that dress in December which ideally is when I did want to purchase. So overall I am super excited that I now know the designer and can now (daily) look at a good image of the dress I love and there are potentially 2 locations I can go to and try it on at my convenience which is superb! (Anyone who wants me to send them the link email me I can't post the designer's name because Brandon doesn't want to know)

Lastly, I want to talk a little about bridesmaid's dresses. We are still undecided as to what we would like the girls to wear but I just cannot get the Jim Hjelm Occasions dress out of my mind. (See image below)

Jim Hjelm Occasions Style 5001

I love so much about it. The colour is gorgeous! The neckline is unique and extremely eye-catching. As much as I love the dress from the image I really felt like I needed to see it in person to make up my mind. Once again I called around to stores and only 1 had a sample so today I drove to Ottawa to try it on and see it in person to see if I still loved it as much as I did in the picture and... I love it so much! It is light, which is great for August. It is a gorgeous rich beautiful shade of purple (Eggplant). The neckline, and dress as a whole, I think is flattering to any body type. Now this doesn't mean I am dead set on this dress because we are still torn as to whether we would like all the girls in the same dress or different? But if we decide we would like them all in the same then I think this is it because it is just a gorgeous dress!

So that is all the update for now. On my "Ultimate Wedding Planning Checklist" in the Nine Months and Earlier section out of 19 items we have 2 left to do:

• Select and order my bridal gown and headpiece (which will hopefully be done in the next month)
• Select and reserve the officiant (we have been in contact with The Old Mill because we will most likely use theirs however they just had someone retire so they are looking for a replacement and as soon as they have one they will contact us and we will meet with them - so hopefully will also be done in the next month)

In the Six to Nine Month Before Wedding section out of 10 items we have 4 left to do:

• Give the Wedding Party specific responsibilities (we are working on this but it is hard since we are in separate cities to include them all in as much as we would like too)
• Select attire, shoes, and accessories for the bridesmaids (refer to bridesmaids dresses - we are also working on this but again it is difficult since we don't live in the same city to get together to try on dresses)
• Schedule fittings and delivery dates for myself (kinda hard to do without a dress haha but will get done after I order my dress)
• Select and book a florist (my hope is we are days away from this)

So as mentioned we are doing well in the checklist area. 6 items to get done in 3 months not so scary. We are taking it one item at a time and we are still having fun.

Hopefully in the next few weeks we will have some more updates for everyone.

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween.

Every Rose has its thorn, so... we are going with Hydrangeas!

After searching high and low and meeting with a few florists we are finally in negotiations with one we like. We have come to learn that although flowers die with in hours they are one of the most expensive parts in the wedding planning process! Neither Brandon nor I have a "Green Thumb" so although we want pretty flowers because they are a traditional part of a wedding trust me we looked for other possible options after learning the price.

Firstly, we met with the Old Mill Flower Shoppe. This made sense to us and seemed like the obvious choice however we were confused as to why our caterer never recommended them. About two seconds into our meeting we learned why... great little shop, does great work for the conferences held at the old mill, but major language barrier! The little Asian woman that was there to help us acted as though we were an inconvenience to her afternoon and we had a very hard time expressing what we were looking for. Although they offer a discount because we are getting married at the Old Mill (which made them by far the cheapest of all the florists) we were very nervous that with the reduced cost we would be sacrificing quality.

Entrance to the Old Mill Flower Shoppe

Secondly, we met with Pink Twig a trendy boutique style florist located on College Street. The girl we met with was AMAZING!!! So fun and full of ideas. She sat with us for at least an hour writing down everything she could think of that might work for us. Sadly when we received the proposal it was beyond ridiculous for our budget and there was no negotiations needed their prices were atrocious.

Inside Pink Twig's Boutique

Finally, we met with Jackie-O a companion of Pink Twig who does very similar work however we have come to determine that they have much more reasonable pricing. The gentleman I spoke with, his name was Todd, was very personable and helpful and I look forward to working with him through this process. They have a very talented design team and we trust they will do a great job with our flowers.

Now onto the flowers we want to use:

We will not have long tables set up in the reception they will be round however we will have vases with two stems of hydrangeas in each.

Purple Spray Roses

White Fresia

White Hydrangeas

Purple Fresia

Green Tea Roses

These are the flowers we plan to use in out bouquets and boutonnieres. As I mentioned in a previous post we are creating kissing balls for ceremony decorations and we have a few more parts to the centre piece. All in all we are happy and I think the flowers will have a subtle but very effective impact on the atmosphere and ambiance of the event.

You don't marry someone you can live with - you marry the person who you cannot live without ~ Author Unknown

As some of you may already know I am designing our invitations/paper items myself and had a hard time coming up with what I wanted them to look like.

To start there are so many possible components that can be included:

• Envelope for the Save the Date (optional) & Postage
• The Save the Date (optional)
• The Envelope for the Invitation & Postage
• Invitation
• Ceremony Card
• Reception Card
• Direction and/or Map Card
• Accommodations Card
• Transportation Card
• Response Card
• Response Card Envelope & Postage
• Thank You Card
• Menu
• Table Numbers
• Name Cards
• Programs

Not only are there all these possible components but then you have to think of the wording you want to use and what information is required on each one to make sure people actually attend the event...

So... Brandon has requested that I not post pictures of the invites I have designed at this time because he thinks they are very creative and wants them to be a surprised to all that will receive one. Sorry... but here was some of my inspiration:

Our overall theme is "Vintage" and so for our invitations we are going for a vintage poster art look.

To start I want to send out a Save the Date but I want to make it a postcard to save on costs

• This will include the date and location with a formal invitation to follow

Wedding invitation will follow. As beautiful as the traditional style of invite is we want to stay away from it and try and be a little more out of the box in our presentation since we have the ability and we don't have to pay for it (well not in money but our own time, but it will be worth it I think)

• This will include the invitation
• On the invite will be the date, time, venue, room, and since our reception is in the same building as the ceremony it will state; reception to follow
• Direction Card 
• We will have family and friends coming from North, East, and West so lots of information for this card in terms of commuting instructions
• Accommodations Card
• Although the venue is also an Inn it is not on the cheap side so we want to provide guests with alternate options for accommodations
• Map Card
• This is a very large venue so we would like to provide guests with a map so they can tour the premiss without getting lost
• Response Card & Envelope with Postage
• RSVP date requested
• Who will be attending/or not attending
• Meal preference per guest

We will be providing guests with programs as for the information inside and what they will look like we are unsure at this time. Of course a similar design will be carried through all the pieces.

• I would like to include the names of our wedding party 
• We have not yet decided if we want readings/or which ones but if we do then have a brief itinerary of the ceremony

For table numbers themselves they will be simple and in a beautiful little frame we found at Dollarama, SCORE!!! We have not yet decided how we want to do name cards/inform guests as to where they will be sitting... but at each table (possibly at each setting) will be a menu. Yum!

"If music be the food of love, play on." ~ William Shakespeare

I want to do wedding planning so badly but we are so ahead of the game I pretty much have to make up things to do... I guess that is a good thing? :)

I have been doing some research of songs Brandon and I enjoy and trying to incorporate them into our day. These are just some ideas and I would love other suggestions and feedback even requests! I have linked all of the songs to YouTube so just click to hear the song.

Mother/Son Dance:
     I do not want to choose this song. I believe this song should have sentimental meaning to Brandon and his mother. I have been looking at songs for suggestions however a song for this dance has yet to be decided.

• Aaron Lines "20 Years Late"
• Carole King "Child of Mine"
• Barry Manilow "I Am Your Child"
• Backstreet Boys "Perfect Fan" - (Although this sounds lame it is a very nice song)
• James Taylor & Carole King "You've Got a Friend"
• Josh Groban "You Raise Me Up"
• Natalie Merchant "Kind & Generous"
• Van Morrison or Rod Stewart "Have I Told You Lately"
• Johnny Reid "Time Flies"

Father/Daughter Dance:

      Obviously this will not be a "Father/Daughter" dance but I have not yet decided who I would like to ask to dance with me for this. I have been looking for songs that could work in different scenarios. 

• Johnny Reid "Out of the Blue"
• Van Morrison or Rod Stewart "Have I Told You Lately"
• Frank Sinatra or Michael Buble "The Way You Look Tonight"
• Reba McEntire "My Sister"
• James Taylor & Carole King "You've Got a Friend"
• Glee Cast "Lean On Me"
• Carrie Underwood "Whenever You Remember"

Our First Dance:

     We talked about all of the following songs as options.

• Randy Travis "Forever and Ever Amen"
• Brad Paisley "Little Moments"
• Brad Paisley "She's Everything"
• Keith Urban "Got it Right This Time"
• Paul Brant "I Do"
• Michael Buble "Everything"

      We are about 99% decided on Johnny Reid "Thank You." We decided against the above options because we really wanted a song that talked about our feelings towards each other instead of a song about how much a man loves a woman.

Bouquet Toss, Garter Removal, Garter Toss & Cake Cutting:

      I am torn here as to whether I should choose traditional songs or just super fun songs... I'm definitely leaning towards fun!

Bouquet Toss:

• Pink "Raise Your Glass"
• J-Lo ft. Pitbull "On the Floor"
• Cyndi Lauper "Girls Just Want To Have Fun"

Garter Removal:

• Mission Impossible Theme Song
• Nelly "Hot In Here"

Garter Toss:

• George Thorogood "Bad to the Bone"
• The Offspring "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)"
• Will Smith "Men In Black"

Cutting of the Cake:

• The Archies"Sugar, Sugar"
• Johnny Reid "Love Sweet Love"
• Bryan Adams "Cuts Like a Knife"
• Michael Buble "How Sweet It Is"

There will obviously be lots of time for additional songs during cocktails, dinner and dancing but it is exciting to pick songs to represent landmark moments throughout the night.

P.S. Congrats to Christine and Robert on their wedding today!!

Bridesmaids Dresses

After a trip to David's Bridal with my bridesmaids we found a few styles of dresses that the girls liked. I have found out that depending on which designer we go with will determine the exact shade of purple the dresses will be. Each designer has their own colour palette and the same colour name may not actually be the same colour or fabric. Originally I thought I would like all the bridesmaids in the same dress style but after seeing all of the girls in different styles I think I might not care anymore. I don't think they would be impressed with me posting pictures of them in the dresses they tried on so I have found the dresses online which shows the colours they would be available in anyway. 

The dress that I have liked from the moment I saw it in a magazine, that no one has yet to try on, is still on the table. I love the look of it but until I can see it on at least one of my bridesmaids I really can't decide if I will love it for our wedding day. http://www.jlmcouture.com/Jim-Hjelm-Occasions/Bridesmaid/Additional/Style-5001

Jim Hjelm Occasions in eggplant silky taffeta
A-line tea-length bridesmaid dress, pleated
halter neckline, empire bodice and side pockets. 

The dress that all the girls tried on and liked is below. It looked nice on all of them however I don't know if I love it... I think although they all looked beautiful there were certain styles that suited each girl better. The only shade of purple this dress comes in is "Plum" and I prefer the "Lapis" shade. http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_Strapless-Flat-Taffeta-Bubble-Hem-Short-Dress-81255_Bridal-Party-Bridesmaids-Shop-By-Color

David Bridal's plum strapless bubble hem dress in
flat taffeta with a matching sash at the ruched waist.

This dress was tried on by three of the girls. It looked really good on all of them and I liked it much better then the style above. This dress comes in the "Lapis" shade. I like this dress because I feel like it is more unique then the style above. http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_Short-Strapless-Satin-Peplum-Dress-84629_Bridal-Party-Features-New-Arrivals

David Bridal's lapis short strapless satin dress
with ruching detail that cinches the waist and
peplum ruffle.

The following dress was liked by all the girls except Hayley. They did all try it on but again I think although they all looked beautiful there were certain styles that suited each girl better. This dress comes in the "Lapis" shade. I like the dress above a little bit more. http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_Short-Satin-Dress-with-Pleated-Bust-and-Ruching-F13277_Bridal-Party-Bridesmaids-Shop-By-Color

David's Bridal short lapis satin dress has a round
neck  with pleating at the bust and ruching at the waist.

There were many more dresses tried on however these were narrowed down from the most liked of what David's Bridal had to offer. There will be many more dress outings and hopefully will find something they each are excited to wear and love. Would love to hear feedback and suggestions.

DIY Pomanders - Kissing Ball

Brandon and I both really like the look of "Pomanders" also known as "Kissing Balls". Pomanders have started to replace the flower petal basket traditionally carried by the flower girl however we like the look of them as decorations. We have talked to several florists and found that Pomanders made with real flowers can range anywhere from $35 and up so we sat down and tried to get creative. We want to save money in any way we can without cheapening the look of the wedding. Brandon came across a DIY site for Pomanders made of coloured card stock.

These are traditional flower Pomanders being used as aisle decorations

This is an example of a Pomander made with coloured card stock.

We plan to use these green petals to make two Pomanders

We plan to use these ivory petals to make two Pomanders

We plan to use these purple petals to make two Pomanders

So far the homemade Pomanders are looking great! When they are done I will be sure to post a picture.

Rings, DJs, and Photographers... OH MY!!

So after two days of intense vendor meetings and a week away at the cottage to discuss our options we have made a few major decisions.
Firstly, a decision that seemed like a no brainer, we are having our wedding bands designed by the same guy Brandon used to design my engagement ring. Sevan, the designer, is an interesting guy but seems to be very talented. You can see more of his work on his website www.astjewellery.com.

Similar to the band I will have - it will be a duplicate of my engagement ring band.

Similar to the band Brandon will have.

Secondly, we have booked our DJ. Maximum Music is the company we will be going with.

Tim will be our DJ and he is one of their most popular DJs so we had to snatch him while he was still available.

Lastly, but the vendor selection we are most excited about, our Photographer. Bruce Zinger is the photographer we have decided on. We met with many and felt that we had the best connection with him and were very impressed with his portfolio and credentials.

Bruce Zinger

A photo from a wedding he shot that we liked

Detail shot he took that we liked

We pretty much knew right away he would be the one we were going to pick but it had to be made official. We sent him an email to request him as our photographer and I thought since we seemed to connect so well I would play around with him a bit. I emailed him the proposal: "If you will have us... Bruce Zinger, will you be our photographer?" He replied with "I am laughing right out loud because of your proposal!! That's the best complement I have had for a request to shoot anyone's wedding in my entire career. Thank you for that, Elizabeth and Brandon ... I do!!!" I feel like this is a great start to a very comfortable connection with him which will result in beautiful pictures... hopefully *fingers crossed*.

Less than a year!!!!

I am a day late but we are now officially less than a year away from the big day! In about a week we will post our decisions from all of our meetings and the vendors we chose and the areas where we are still going to have to do some research and keep looking. Over all the two days of vendor meetings was worth it but very tiring so we are looking forward to spending a week at the cottage and thinking things over before making any decisions.
See you all in a week! :D

Groomsmen

*Advanced apologies for creeping Facebook and taking pictures of you all*

So it has been official for a few months now but I thought since I posted my bridesmaid selection I should also post Brandon's groomsmen selection. Brandon has made excellent choices, in my opinion. This group of guys mean a lot to him and I know will help us through this process.

The Best Man is David Cann a childhood friend of Brandon. Although they have not been able to stay in great contact over the last few years when they do get together you would never know any time had passed. Fortunately, in the last few months we have been able to see Dave and his fiancee much more frequently. Dave is starting the planning for his own wedding, July 14, 2012, so it is nice to have friends to go through this process with. I have no doubt that he is a great choice and we will be able to rely on him to be the "Best Man" for the job. CHEESE!! Sorry couldn't resist!

David Cann & Nicole Shurvin (His Fiancee)

As his first groomsman, Brandon chose Glenn Worley, his brother. No brainer really! Although there is a five year age difference they get along very well. They may have their occasional sibling rivalries but I know he will be very supportive and helpful in preparation for the day. I'm sure he will also personally make sure that all bottles of Molson Canadian have been consumed from the open bar by the end of the night! All jokes aside Glenn is terrific and I am excited to have him as a brother-in-law.

Glenn Worley

Secondly, Nathan Fanning another childhood friend was chosen. Brandon and Nate have a very similar story and relationship as that with Dave. Brandon and Nate had some what lost touch during University however were reunited about two years ago when we attended Nate and his now wife's Stag and Doe. We attended their wedding and that was when Brandon realized that once again his friendship with Nate was so strong that despite being out of contact for a few years it was if no time had passed at all. I look forward to an opportunity to get to know him better however if Brandon feels he will be a great addition to his groomsmen then I have no doubt he has made a great choice.

Nathan & Amy Fanning

The fourth and final groomsmen is Colin Brown, my brother. Colin and I are a year apart and have always had a great relationship. We get along very well and I love him very much. I was very happy that Brandon was able to include him in his wedding party because it is very important to me for him to be a part of the wedding. Colin and I lived at home until the end of high school and then by fluke both ended up in London, Ontario for post-secondary. My mom was so disappointed that we were both moving away and to the same city that she moved there too! When I was done I had met Brandon and moved to Hamilton so he could attend McMaster. This was the first time I could not see my brother, and my mom for that matter, on a regular basis. In January 2010 Colin finished at Western and moved to Vancouver and has been living there for the last year and a half. I have seen him maybe a handful of times since he has left and it has been quite the adjustment and with my mom still in London and Brandon and I in Kingston we do not see her often either. I cannot wait for this wedding for so many reasons but it will be extra special to be able to celebrate such an important day with all of my family there to celebrate with us.

Colin Brown

I cannot express how lucky we are to have so many wonderful people involved in this wedding. With every bit of planning it gets more and more exciting.

Me and my handsome fiance!!

Appointments

This past week Brittni and I took a trip to London as a reunion to celebrate our friendship and where we met. We spent the week going to our favourite places and enjoying the city. Having taken Graphic Design at Fanshawe College one of our most frequent trips was to Kinkos (a print shop) to have our projects printed and across the street is a beautiful bridal boutique call Nicholas and Elizabeth. We had always admired the window displays and decided on a whim that if we could get an appointment we should go in and try on dresses since I might not get another opportunity at that particular boutique. I would have loved to have all my girlfriends and female family members with us but I called up my mom and this past Saturday, July 16 we went to the boutique to try on dresses. I would have loved to take some pictures but they would not allow it. I went in completely open minded and was very unsure of what I might like but ended up trying on a dress I absolutely loved! I snuck my mom's camera into the change room and got a few pictures (not great ones...) so if anyone would like to see them send me an email and I can forward them to you. I will not be posting them because Brandon CANNOT see them!!!!!! Brittni tried on three dresses but they didn't have the one bridesmaid dress I really love. My mom tried on three Mother-of-the-Bride dresses but none of them were "the one." I plan on making an appointment at a Toronto Bridal Boutique at some point to try on more dresses and of course everyone will be welcome to come to that one if they would like to. I will keep everyone posted.

Brandon and I have scheduled several appointments for the first week of August to try and book a Photographer, Florist, DJ and Ring Designer.

On Tuesday, August 2nd we are meeting with:
- Photographer Bruce Zinger www.brucezinger.com
- Lucas Ari Designer - Sevan www.lucasari.com/links.htm
  He designed my engagement ring
- Maximum Music DJ Company www.maximumdj.com
-When Heaven Meets Earth Photography www.hephoto.ca
-*and possibly* Mango Studios mangostudios.com

On Wednesday, August 3rd we are meeting with:
- The Old Mill Flower Shoppe www.oldmilltoronto.com/floral-design
- Mark Anthony Studios www.markanthony.ca
- Pink Twig Flower Shop www.pinktwig.ca/weddings/bouquets
- Studio West Photography www.photostudiowest.com
Tara from Studio West seems AWESOME! I'm very excited to meet with her. She does this really cool thing call a "Relationship Session" which I think is an amazing way to get to know your potential clients.

On Thursday, August 4th we are meeting with:
- MacMillan Group DJ Company www.macmillangroup.com

Hopefully before we start school in September we will have booked our venue, florist, photographer, DJ and have our rings being designed. If we can get all of this done then we will have 11 months to do the fun stuff like our outfits, favours and decorations, gift registry, honeymoon, and all the details. We are definitely ahead of the game and very well organized at this point. I will let everyone know our decisions  on vendors as we make up our mind.

As always if anyone has any ideas or questions feel free to send them to me. It gets more and more exciting with every month that passes!

The Schedule. DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUN!!!!

This post is for everyone who wishes I was posting hourly.

*wink* you know who you are *wink* :)

I know I have not posted in awhile so I though I would let you all know what is next on our to-do list and a few new ideas we are playing around with for favours/decorations etc. We are still pretty ahead of the game however we are less than a month away from the 1-year mark... exciting!!!!!!

So the top 5 things we need/would like to get booked/purchased before December 2011 are:

Select and book a photographer
Select and book musicians/DJs
Select and book a florist
Select and reserve officiant
Select and order bridal gown/ attire, shoes, and accessories for MOH and bridesmaids

5 tasks in 5 months... very doable!
Brandon has been very busy with school/work and would really like to be involved in the planning so we plan to get a lot done in August since he is off for the month.

1) The Photographer
One place we would really like to meet with is "Dave and Charlotte Lifestyle Photographers"

    www.daveandcharlotte.com
They seem to have very reasonable/competitive pricing and are located just around the corner from the Old Mill. From their gallery on the website we like their style as well.

2) Musicians/DJs
We are still trying to decide what we want in terms of music. Most likely we will find a DJ for the reception who can pipe music out onto the patio for the ceremony (instrumental music obviously). However we are looking to see what the cost associated with hiring some type of string band for the ceremony and then a DJ for the reception would be. We are still trying to find a DJ that has a good package and seems reputable.

3) Florist
We are most definitely considering "The Old Mill Flower Shoppe" for our florist. We have to meet with them and make sure they can cater to our style and what we are looking for as well that they have competitive pricing. The most appealing aspect of going with "The Old Mill Flower Shoppe" is that they are on site. This means that they know the venue so will have great ideas of how to make the ceremony beautiful as well they will not run into traffic on the day of or any problems because they are down the hall from the ceremony and reception.
www.oldmilltoronto.com

4) Officiant
Since neither Brandon or myself attend church we do not have a particular minister we would like to use and the Old Mill will provide one if we so wish. Again we still have to meet with them and make sure we feel comfortable being married by their officiant and that they feel comfortable marrying us. If we do like them it will be the cheaper option then bringing in our own and again much more convenient. No worries about getting stuck in traffic or running late they are just down the hall.

5) Bridal Gown/MOH and Bridesmaids Attire
I can't talk too much about my bridal outfit because Brandon doesn't want to have any idea of what it will look like but I would like to start trying on dresses at the end of the summer early fall. I will keep everyone posted on that as I figure it out. As for MOH and Bridesmaids attire... I do love that dress I posted along with our colours so at some point I will need my girls to try that on and see how it looks on everyone.

So these items should keep us busy for the next few months.

As for other ideas we have been playing around with.

1) We would like to do a candy buffet. Just a fun display at the side of the room for guests to help themselves to throughout the night as a treat. There will be dessert with dinner and we are still trying to decide what to do for favours but we love the look of this.
Below is an example however of course it would be in our colours: Eggplant and Champagne. We have already thought of Grape Jelly Bellys might be fun and we would love any other ideas of beige/champagne/golden or purple candies

2) For centerpieces we are trying to find inexpensive but beautiful options. Large floral bouquets are not going to fit very well in the budget so we are trying to be creative. We have thought of a few different ideas but the one we think we might like the most is "submerged flowers." We still have to see if the florist we go with can make them and within the budget but they are suppose to be very dramatic. The water is suppose to magnify the flowers and then possibly have a floating tea light on top for some ambiance. 

some examples of submerged flowers

Alrighty, I think that is all the update I have for now. I hope that provides a wedding planning fix for everyone for a month or so. But I will keep posting as more details come together.

Lots of love everyone. xoxo

My Bridal Party

Brandon and I thought long and hard about who we wanted standing with us in front of our family and friends on the big day. Brandon still has to ask his groomsmen so I won't post their pictures until they have confirmed but my decision was easy!

If you ask my mom she will tell you that when Colin and I were growing up we always seemed to flock towards groups of three friends. She never understood it because it seemed as though someone would always be left out. Well... I now am friends with five girls that I could never choose between so even though it feels a bit like we will have more people standing up at the alter with us then sitting watching the ceremony I wouldn't change a thing! Well at this point... haha (just kidding) Oh did I mention that doesn't include my Maid of Honour! Yes six girls... I am sure it will be an interesting process but I know I will be able to trust these girls to help me through all the planning and vendor issues. 

Anyone who knew me in elementary school and high school will understand my bridesmaid choices. Nancy Cai, Hayley Gillis, Diana Mao, Samantha Northrup and Katie Rasmussen have always been there for me!

From Left: Nancy Cai, Diana Mao, Me, Katie Rasmussen,
Samantha Northrup and Hayley Gillis

My Maid of Honour, Brittni Gorecki, and I met at Fanshawe College and I think the picture below describes our relationship:

From Left: Brittni Gorecki and Me

Anyone who loves crafts as much as me and is willing to devote endless hours to making outfits that make us look this ridiculous and then go out in public with me and dance the night away deserves the title of Maid of Honour! (She is going to kill me when she sees this!)

I can't wait to see these ladies on August 3rd, 2012 I just know they are all going to look so beautiful in their outfits and will be eager to take advantage of the open bar!

xoxo

P.S. This movie looks awesome and makes me think of my bridal party in certain ways: http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/universal/bridesmaids/

Colour Scheme

We have chosen "Eggplant" and "Champagne" as our colours. Brandon is a fan or the champagne and I love the eggplant. I think these colours will be very elegant and work well with the venue and the reception room. Most likely the bridesmaid's dresses will be eggplant and the groomsmen will have the champagne in their suits some how... maybe in a vest or a tie.

        

Eggplant

Bridesmaid dress

Champagne

Champagne vest and tie

I want my cake and I plan to eat it too... :)

So lets discuss cakes! My mouth is already salivating.... 

I Do! Wedding Cakes - http://idoweddingcakes.ca/gallery/

Bobbette & Belle - www.amcakes.com/index.html

    

These are just two companies we have come across that have gorgeous cakes but in terms of pricing I haven't looked into it at all yet. Again if anyone has any connections please feel free to pass them along we are completely open to vendors.

Below are some aspects of certain cakes that we like but we haven't yet decided on a specific style.

We like the embossed diamond pattern on this cake

Ours won't look like this but I still thought it was neat.
It was actually made for a christening at the Eglinton Grand.

Two Tier Mini Cakes could be an option?
Or a cupcake cake?

We have also thought of having a pattern similar to
the bottom tier and have it look more victorian to
compliment the venue. 

Again we are open to ideas and if anyone comes across any images of cakes they like we would love to see them.

Next Step: DJs to consider

The DJs that the Old Mill refers are:

1. Maximum Music - www.maximumdj.com
They charge $925 for 8 hours of play time on Fridays

2. Macmillan & Wife Music Services - macmillangroup.com
They charge $1150 for 8 hours of play time on Fridays

Although neither are cheap I find it reassuring that the Old Mill refers them. They must be good!

Brandon was doing some research and these are the ones he found:

1. Kool Tempo - www.kooltempo.com/
They charge $700 for 9 hours of play time on Fridays

2. Surround Sound DJ - www.surroundsounddj.com
The prices range from $1200-$2900 for their packages - a little ridiculous?...... I think so!

Although Kool Tempo is the cheapest we have found so far is the quality there? If anyone knows of any that they have used or someone they know has used and liked them please let us know we are trying to figure out how we make these decisions.

The Venue!

We honestly didn't look at very many venues before we knew which one we wanted. The decision came down to two.

First we considered the Eglinton Grand - www.eglintongrand.com/

We visited the venue and immediately fell in love! Anyone who knows me (Liz) especially would understand the attraction to an old movie theatre. After discussing their packages decided it would be a better fit for a 10th anniversary or something of that nature as it is ridiculously overpriced for weddings and their ceremony room is... well... lets just say not worthy of a picture by any means.

Secondly we considered the Old Mill - http://www.oldmilltoronto.com/

Main Entrance

Waterfall View

Guildhall Banquet Room

Balmoral Banquet Room

This venue was one I had considered from the beginning. My mom organized/ran her Magazine University Conference out of this venue for about 10 years and I assisted for several years and always thought it was beautiful. They are an inn, spa, restaurant and conference centre which makes everything easier. They have terrific packages (not to mention we got a discount... no big deal!), amazing food, beautiful rooms, and so much more. I would recommend this venue to everyone and we haven't even gotten married there yet. Needless to say we put our deposit down on Saturday, February 26th, 2011. The Guildhall is the room where the reception will be held. The big windows and doors that you can see in the picture lead out to a stone patio where we will have our ceremony as long as it doesn't rain. If it does rain the room next door called the Balmoral Room will be set up to preform the ceremony. There is so much that is beautiful about this venue you should really just take a look at their website to see for yourself!