A Wedding Planning Guide for Vancouver Brides
One of the wedding accessory trends we’re most excited about this year is gloves. They’ve never exactly disappeared from the bridal fashion scene, but it’s been a long time since we’ve seen brides playing them up, and we think they add the perfect extra “something” to big day attire—not to mention kind of being perfect for photos.
Martha Stewart Weddings picked the SIBO Designs pair pictured above ($55 US) as their choice, but you can click ahead to see our five favorites. Continue reading
Posted in Attire
More than half of engaged couples now use wedding websites with their invitations, and when you consider how much easier it is to keep your whole guest list in the loop about event details (and last minute changes!) it’s no surprise. In fact, we’re kind of impressed with the couples who can get away without it. But as popular as wedding websites have become—and as many options as are available now—there are still a lot of templates that make us shudder.
Before you settle on something standard, head over to the new site The Perfect Couple, where couples can submit their wedding websites for users to vote on, and, more importantly, where you can find plenty of inspiration for your own wedding website.
The Perfect Couple site is sponsored by Dessy Group (one of the biggest names in bridesmaid dresses), and the company will be offering up prizes to some of the best wedding websites, which adds a little incentive for you to submit your own website once it’s up.
You can check out—and vote for—the website of one of our own B.C. couples here.
Posted in Planning
Okay crafty brides, get out your paper punch. The gals at Ruffled have wrangled one of our very own Vancouver stationary superstars, Uniquity, for a save the date DIY that’s unique and fun. Head over to Ruffled for step-by-step instructions (with photos!) on how to make your own save the date wheel and, while your at it, take a little time to check out the Uniquity website too. Vancouver graphic designer Tammy Lyon started the DIY invitation stationary line to make great wedding stationary affordable and we love her well-laid out printable wedding invitation designs (CrossStitch would be perfect for a sweet spring wedding).
Posted in Paper Goods, Planning, Vancouver Wedding
Depending on what stage you’re at in your wedding planning, it can be hard to believe it could ever get boring, but trust us, eventually you’ll feel like you’ve seen every invitation, dress and guestbook under the sun. And that’s when you’ll want something—anything—that breaks the “traditional wedding” mold.
Enter Indie I Do, Vancouver’s alternative wedding show. Now in its fourth year, Indie I Do features vendors that are truly unique, and just attending is bound to leave you feeling more inspired. Even better, you could come away with a perfect solution to almost any wedding need (thanks to more than 30 vendors): Bling that isn’t boring, bridesmaid dresses that don’t make your maids squeamish, inventive decor, and more.
The Indie I Do show is this Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm at the Heritage Hall on Main Street, and you’ll want to get there early to snag one of the swag bags they’re giving away to the first 30 people through the door. You can buy tickets for a discounted rate here.
Posted in Planning, Vancouver Wedding
As most brides know, shopping for wedding cakes can incite sticker shock (“It’s HOW much?). Problem is, making your own cake is no piece of cake. It is, however, a little easier when you’ve got a great guide showing you the way, and that’s why we’re so excited about Annie Dam’s new book Cake Couture.
The Edmonton-based baketress will take you from basic steps that every wannabe-baker needs to know to full elaborate cake projects that you could steal for your own wedding, all with plenty of pictures that will keep you on track (and drooling).
Dam, who perfected her craft in France and Spain, even covers details like transporting your cake (trust us, it’s crucial information if you DIY it).
If nothing else, you can gift the coffee table-worthy Cake Couture book to a friend with baking skills…and try and convince them to take over cake duties. Order it here.
Posted in Decor, Food + Drink, Wedding Tips
Do you watch Say Yes To The Dress and wish you could be a Kleinfeld bride? We can’t offer you a ticket to New York, but we can point you in the direction of this year’s Style & Strut show at the Sutton Place Hotel, where you’ll be able to check out a plethora of pretty wedding dresses from designers like Oscar De La Renta, Monique Lhuillier and Jim Hjelm, and, more importantly, get a little dress advice from the Say Yes To The Dress guru himself, the say-it-like-he-sees-it Randy Fenoli.
Style & Strut has lured Fenoli in to talk about his top tips and offer up suggestions on what to look for when you’re shopping for you gown (while filling everyone in on his own life story).
You’ll have to pony up an extra $55 to hear Fenoli’s advice, but it could be well worth it if his wise words help you find what you’re looking for. And, when you’re not living out your Say Yes To The Dress fantasies, you can sip on sparkling wine and hit up the brand new Style & Strut Show Style Lounge to test out lash extensions and other big-day beauty treatments.
You can get tickets here.
Posted in Attire, Beauty, Planning, Vancouver Wedding
In a perfect world. all your guests would get along and as soon as they sat down in those assigned seats, the conversation would be flowing as freely as the pinot. In this world? Many people get a little awkward when they’re surrounded by people they don’t know and expected to make it through a two-hour dinner.
Squelch any impending uncomfortable silences by picking up a pack of Ice Breaker Wedding Reception Cards by Magpie Paper Works. Each set contains 50 cards with questions like “If you could wake up tomorrow morning as any member of The Brady Bunch, who would you choose to be and why?” and “What is your best bad boss story?” that are easy for any guest to answer. Plus, the cards themselves are handcrafted from eco-friendly high quality cardstock that won’t bring down your table decor.
Set a stack on each table and you’ll be doing your part to ensure your guest have a good time before the dancing even gets going.
Posted in Reception, Wedding Tips
If you’re on the hunt for a wedding dress that won’t blow your entire wedding day budget but is every bit as unique as you are, you have to get a little more creative. Bridal shops will be dominated with satin sheaths, thrift shops can be wildly hit or miss (we’re always envious of those brides who find the perfect frock for under $50), and custom dresses—although a great option—sometimes just don’t fit the time line. Continue reading
We love when our Canadian wedding favorites show up on the world wide web and get all the attention they deserve, so we were thrilled to see Kelowna-based photographer Jessica Zais featured on Ruffled (a great spot to get ideas if you’re going the vintage route for your wedding).
Not only is Jessica Zais totally deserving of cross-the-pond interest, the wedding shoot she was featured for is one of the most amazing we’ve seen…and it was shot right here in B.C. To make things even better, working on this wedding shoot alongside Zais were Stage Right Etc. (they do Okanagan wedding planning and decor) and fellow Kelowna photographer Simone Wittenberg (check out her photos from the day here). Continue reading
Posted in Photography
Before you worry, no, we’re not advocating you fake your feelings on your wedding day…we’re talking about your tan. A natural tan picked up from lounging on the beach is appealing, but the days before your wedding aren’t the ideal time to work on it (in fact, according to health experts, there’s really no ideal time). But you can still be a bronzed beauty if you’re willing to fake it.
Self tanning does possess its own set of risks, though, and no bride wants to experience the Bride Wars orange-skin scene firsthand, so it’s worth it to take a few extra steps to ensure that everything comes out gorgeous and glowing. Keep reading below the jump for our favorite tips. Continue reading
