Susanne and Nathan - Irish Red Sox

I met Susanne a few years back when we were both working a part-time retail job while going to school. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to be involved in such a special day for her. Susanne and Nathan were married at St. Paul's Church in Burlington, and the reception was held at Crosswind Golf and Country Club.

What I loved most about Susanne and Nathan's wedding were all the personal touches including handmade favours, Boston Red Sox themed garter and socks, the bride's childhood teddy bear dressed in a suit and lot of photos of the bride and groom and their puppy! Susanne and her father also made the most amazing card box I've ever seen, an miniture Irish Pub complete with outdoor hanging sign that reads "Rogers Irish Pub" and a sidewalk menu listing everything that was served for dinner. Adding to the theme, the bride and groom entered the reception to Irish music and performing an Irish dance.

I'm so happy that the day turned out beautiful and wish Susanne and Nathan a wonderful and happy marriage!

A special thanks to Judy of Judy Jakusz Photography. She was an amazing personality to work with and her photos (as shown below) are breathtakingly beautiful! I hope to work with you again in the future!

Bridesmaid Trend: Twobirds Bridesmaid Dresses

We're seeing more and more lately that brides are opting out of the traditional matching dresses and having their bridesmaids choose their own style, normally in the same colour. I was working at a wedding recently and each girl was wearing a Twobirds bridesmaid dress, worn in a style of their choice, and glammed up with some cute sparkly accessories.

Twobirds bridesmaid dresses can be tied and worn in 15 different ways, giving your wedding a unique touch, while allowing your bridesmaids to express themselves through a style of their choice.

Breast Cancer Wedding Favours

With it being October, breast cancer awareness month, I went looking for some information on donating to breast cancer research in lieu of the traditional wedding favour. I came across this fun little gifts which can be given to guests, as well as making a donation.

Photos borrowed from: The Breast Cancer Online Store

Melissa and Paul - Pink, Green, White and Romantic!

I'm finally getting around to blogging about this sweet couple and their amazing Port Colburne wedding, which I was so lucky to have the opportunity to coordinate . The wedding day was filled with a ton of love, lots of fun, and delicious candy... not to mention quite a few rain showers! (But that's good luck right!)

Melissa and Paul are one of the most fun and caring couples I've had the pleasure of working with. With over 200 guests attending on their special day, you could feel the love they shared with all their friends and family and how excited everyone was to be there celebrating with them.

The wedding colours were pink, green and white, and there was such a classic romantic feel from all the decor. The centerpieces were beautiful vases of pink roses and the bridesmaid dresses were the perfect splash of green. All the bridesmaids wore a different dress to suite their individual style, and I loved this special touch added to the look of the day!

Melissa looked gorgeous in her Maggie Sottero dress, and I loved how much it sparkled.

The most memorable part of this wedding had to be the video slide show that was playing during the receiving line and cocktail hour. At one point, the video changed to a scene of Paul's proposal to Melissa. In the video, you can see that Paul had taken the time to set up the room and spelled out with candles and rose petals were the words "will you marry me". Everything was caught on tape as Melissa entered for the surprise of her life! Even though there were no sounds playing from the clip you could feel the excitement as Melissa took it all in, and Paul got down on one knee to pop the question. The first time the video showed all the guests stopped what they were doing and all eyes went to the screen. More than a few people (including myself) were dabbing at some tears after watching that.

I would like to thank my assistant, Christina Sacco, for helping me with everything from room set up, to fixing a few wedding party attire emergencies at the church and helping to run a flawless reception. Also a big thank you to AMV, Photography and Videography. Their crew was amazing. They not only did a great job capturing every moment, but they were so much fun to work with, and were even nice enough to help me with my own camera when I couldn't get something to work.

Photo Credits: AMV Photography and Ashley Hayward Events

Hope and the City - Night in with the girls!

On Thursday, August 26, 2010, I had the chance to attend a fun event to raise money for a great cause. The Canadian Cancer Society put on the Hope and the City event in Burlington, at Zu Bar Night Club. It was a great opportunity to ditch the suites and get all dolled-up and sport our favourite heels and handbags.

The night was Sex and the City themed decorated in all shades of pinks with the cosmos flowing! The guests were treated to free makeup sessions, foot massages, hanna tattoos, and much much more! Doors were opened to VIP ticket holders at 6pm who got to enjoy delicious tapas style buffet.

Had a great time with the girls and I hope there is another event we can attend soon!

WPIC girls outside on the "pink carpet" in front of the Hope and the City sign.

Some of the decor around the club. Lots of pink!

Prizes from the pop the balloon game, I won a book!

Belly dance performance by Belly Up Dance Studio.

Luck girls! Shalyn and Heather, big winners of $300 gift certificates for closet organizers.


Most stylish! Heather won the contest for best dressed and won this cute purse from Joelles Boutique.

BFFs! - Your Wedding Party

Image borrowed from Face Photography

Choosing Your Wedding Party:

The first and most important thing to keep in mind is, who holds a special place in your heart and who do you want standing beside you and supporting you on the most special day of your life? You want to choose a wedding party that is not only friends with you, but someone who is supportive of your future marriage. I am going to go over a few don't when it comes to choosing your wedding party. Surprisingly, I have spoken to some brides(and grooms) who have used these reasons for picking their wedding party.

DON'T - choose your wedding party based on even numbers. If one of you has more people that they want to include on their side, that doesn't mean the other needs to put people on their side just to make things even. If this person wasn't so near and dear to the bride and groom to want them in your wedding party in the first place, the chances are the friendship isn't that strong and you may be looking at your wedding photos down the line thinking "whatever happened to so-and-so?".

DON'T - choose your wedding party based on looks. There are some brides that want nothing than the best looking wedding party, or some brides who choose girls who they feel aren't so pretty just so they feel better standing next to them in pictures. This is all around just the worst thing I've heard when it comes to brides choosing their wedding party.

DON'T - feel obligated to put family members in your party if you aren't that close with them. If you are asking them to be in your wedding party because you feel obligated, they are most likely only saying yes because they feel obligated. Because of that, they may not be excited to be involved in all the wedding party activities and you might end up with some resentment forming.

*Note* If, for exaple, you have a bride who is very close to her brother and would like him to be a part of her wedding party, however the groom would like to keep his groomsmen at just his close friends, there is no reason why the bride's brother can't stand up for the bride as a "man of honour" or "bridesman".

After Choosing your Wedding Party:

Be creative. Don't ask your loved ones to stand beside you on your special day by sending them a text message, or worse, a Facebook message. At the very least, ask them in person, or on the telephone.

You can also try being creative. Send them a cute little card and write down all of the reasons you love them, and what them being a part of your special day means to you. You could bake them special "will you be my bridesmaid" cookies, or make them a funny "surviving being a bridesmaid" kit.

If all or most of your wedding party is local, consider throwing a get-to-know-you bash and invite all of your wedding party and their significant others. There will be lots of wedding functions coming up and its always easier when the wedding party know each other and their significant others. This way, the significant others will not feel left out and in the dark, and will have more people to talk to at events while the wedding party is busy doing wedding party things.

Alternative to Floral Bridal Bouquet

With more and more brides straying from the traditional and opting for a more trendy and modern wedding, creative alternatives to the traditional floral bouquet are popping up everywhere. The inspiration behind some of these are just Incredible.

This is one of my favourites, a bouquet made out of coffee filters! I found this idea posted on
The Knot.

Carrying a parosal down the aisle is the perfect touch for an Asian theme or old fashion theme wedding.

These button bouquets seem to be the newest trend that's popping up everywhere! Follow this link to find the seller on Etsy who makes these unique creations.

Crystal bouquets can be beautiful, but can also be quite costly! Check out Ehow for step by step instructions on making your own, to save a little money!

Love Letter and Wine Box Ceremony

Photos courtesy of Weddingstar.

Instead of the traditional unity candle or sand pouring, some people have opted for a more unique and romantic aspect to their ceremony.

How it works? Before the wedding day, the bride and groom will write letters to each other telling one another what it is they love about them, and their hopes and dreams for the future. The bride and groom will then choose a box and decorate it to their liking for the ceremony.

At the ceremony, the officient will explain to the guests the meaning behind the ceremony. The letters are to be placed in the box along with the wine and glasses, and the box is to be nailed shut. The officiant starts by putting in the first nail, and the wedding party each takes a turn putting in a nail. (Alternatively, if you don't like the idea of the sound of hammering nails at your wedding, the you can have the wedding party come up and tie ribbons around the box)


If in the future, the couple finds themselves going through difficult times, they are to open the box, sit down, have a glass of wine, and read the letters written to one another. The letters are meant to remind them what it is that made them fall in love in the first place and bring back the feelings of being full of hopes and dreams for the future. Hopefully this will bring the couple back together and they can work through the tough times.


In the alternative, if the box has not been opened, the couple can open it on an anniversary of their choice and enjoy the love letters written to one another some time ago.

Anniversary Gifts - Modern vs. Traditional gifts

Everyone knows some of the traditional gifts that go along with each anniversay. For example, year one, the paper year, couples are suppose to give a gift that have to do with paper. What not everyone knows is that there is a new twist to tradition, and there is now a more modern list! I actually first discovered this new list on, of all things, the back of a Carebears calendar!

Traditional

1st - Paper
2nd - Cotton
3rd - Leather
4th - Linen
5th - Wood
6th - Iron
7th - Wool (Copper)
8th - Bronze
9th - Pottery (China)
10th - Tin, Aluminum
.....
15th - Crystal
20th - China
25th - Silver
30th - Pearl
35th - Coral (Jade)
40th - Ruby
50th - Gold
75th - Diamonds, Diamondlike Stones, Gold

Modern List

1st - Clocks
2nd - China
3rd - Crystal, Glass
4th - Appliances
5th - Silverwear
6th - Wood Objects
7th - Dest Sets
8th - Linens, Lace
9th - Leather Goods
10th - Diamond
.....
15th - Watches
20th - Platinum
25th - Sterling Silver
30th - Diamond
35th - Jade
40th - Ruby
50th - Gold
75th - Diamond, Gold

Ashley Hayward Events - Now a dealer for Weddingstar

I'm excited to accounce to everyon that I've now become a dealer of Weddingstar products. Everything from wedding favours, cake toppers, bridal accessories, wedding party gifts.... and much more.

The best part about ordering these products from me is getting one on one service instead of dealing with possibly untrustworthy online ordering.

Below are some examples of items you can get through Weddingstar.

Please check out all the products available at www.weddingstar.com
Order now and we will pay your shipping.




"Flask Just for Her" - Perfect for bridesmaid gift


Classic Double Heart Collection - ringbear pillow, flower girl basket, champagne flutes, etc.

"True Couple Romance Figurine" - Cake Topper

Eco-mini Draw String Favour Bags

"Share your special day by helping families in need"

I have recently had the opportunity to meet with the Fundraising Event Coordinator with the Ronald McDonald House. This is an amazing charity organization that provided families of sick kids with a place to stay while the children are in the Hospital being treated.

It has become very popular for brides and grooms to make a donation to a charity of their choice in honour of their guests, in lieu of wedding favours. The Ronald McDonald House is a great choice to donate to. They will also provide you with favour cards that tell your guests about the donations. For more information you can phone them at (905) 521-9983 or email them at info@rmhhamilton.ca.

Sex and the City

Inspired by the new SATC movie that's out, I've put together a little storyboard for a Sex and the City theme wedding. During my own wedding festivities my amazing bridesmaids threw me a SATC themed shower and bachelorette, and it was just perfect and so much fun! The storyboard I've created here focuses more on wedding themes. You will find your commonly used items such as the blue Manolo Blanik shoes, and lots of hot pink and black! I have also added a few of my own touches.

The pink heart purse is a Judith Leiber, and the same idea as the duck purse that Carrie received from Big in season 2.

The Carrie necklace would make a great bridesmaid gift, obviously personalized to each girl. :)

The page 6 picture represents my idea to create either your save the dates or wedding programs to look like page 6.

The pink carnation table display idea is inspired by the episode where Burger gives Carrie pink carnations after they've had a fight.

....and finally for the men, I have included the box of cigars, as we've seen Samantha, Big, and a lot of the male characters enjoying quite a few cigars. This could be done as a groomsmen gift, or having a cigar roller at your reception.

A Wedding in Wonderland

My friend Rachel has been talking for years about having her dream Alice in Wonderland theme wedding. I was so excited to help her plan this when the day comes! Then comes Ashley Simpson's wedding, and the movie, and it seems this theme has become overwhelming popularity!

I decided to put together a little storeyboard using Rachel's wedding as my inspiration.

I LOVE this cake I came across. Its a mix of fun and elegant and fits the theme perfectfully! You will also see little cookies in a tea cup that say "eat me", which could be used as a fun wedding favour or even a late night dessert. For the decor, a mixture of bright colours to create the fun and unique atmosphere that will have you feeling like you are in the middle of a mad hatter tea party!

Healthy Shower Recipes

As the days get closer and the pressure to fit into that wedding dress grows, so do all the wedding events that make it harder and harder to stick to your healthy choices and not pack on any extra pounds before the big day.

I decided to to go in search of a few healthy food recipes online that would be good to have on hand for any of us girls who have ever had to throw a shower! These options are not only calorie friendly, but are cute and fun for any party!

*I am in no way, shape, or form a nutritionist, I just looked up some yummy recipes to share!*

The classic: Fruite Kabob

Not really a recipe but I thought I'd include it, well.... because everything taste better on a stick!

Apple-Pear Tortilla Roll-Ups (http://www.ifood.tv/network/)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup finely chopped apple
1/2 cup finely chopped pear
1/4 cup shredded non-fat mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup apple sauce
2 tablespoons raisins
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Pinch of ground cinnamon
4 nonfat flour tortillas

How to make:

1. Combine apple, pear, cheese, apple sauce, raisins, lemon juice and cinnamon.
2. Spread the bottom section of each tortilla with one quarter of the apple-pear mixture.
3. Fold the bottom flap over the filling, the two side flaps inward and then roll up each tortilla.

Merry Berry Bubbly Recipe (http://www.free-gourmet-recipes.com)

Combining champagne for the adults, or sparkling cider for the children, with frozen blueberries, raspberries, or peach slices, the Merry Berry Bubbly is sophisticated and surprisingly simple, eash made with three ingredients of frozen berries and a special syrup.

Fill a champagne flute high with frozen berries from your grocery freezer section. Not only do they create a colourful festive look, but most importantly they act as the coolest ice cubes. Pour two tablespoons of Torani syrup over the berris and slower top with champagne.

Bell Pepper Bruschetta (http://www.1001recipes.com)
Main Ingredients:

Bread: 8 slices, 1 cm thickness
Cream Cheese
Roasted Red Bell Pepper, sliced
Fresh Rosemary
Olive Oil

Directions:

1. Spread cream cheese on toasted bread slices.
2. Top with roasted bell pepper.
3. Garnish with rosemary and drizzle some olive oil over them.