2010 Wedding To-Do List

Below is a list of things we still need to figure out for the wedding, organized by the month I hope to accomplish those tasks in. Am I missing anything? I'm sure I am.

January

• Get sample invite
• Write invite copy
• Get guys’ outfits
• Block off hotel rooms
• Start the registering process
• Make short list of cake bakers
• Make short list of florists
• Make short list of officiates
  

February

• Figure out flowers & hire a florist
• Figure out hair & make-up & book
• Hire cake baker
• Hire a DJ
• Hire an officiate
• Buy invites

March

• Figure out ceremony music
• Pick first dance song
• Figure out rings
• Have all guest list info in our magical guest list spreadsheet

April

• Send out invites
• Figure out favours
• Book our hotel room
• Get hair highlighted & book July appointment

May

• Have sister’s outfit figured out

June

• Book nail appointment
• Have food figured out
• Buy photo permit

July

• Buy remaining parts for the centerpieces
• Decide on signature drink
• Figure out rehearsal dinner
• Write thank you speech
• Create DJ “must-play” and “no-play” lists
• Create photo “must-take” list
• Confirm day-of schedule with venue
• Confirm photo details with photographer
• Confirm all other vendors (baker, florist, DJ, officiate, etc.)
• Give final head count/details to venue
• Figure out seating chart & submit to venue
• Buy liquor permit
• Buy wedding licence
• Get hair cut & highlights
• Create centerpiece/table décor “bundles”
• Create/buy card box
• Create escort card things

August

• Buy alcohol
• Steam dress & veil
• Confirm who is doing what & make a handy chart that explains it all
• Make emergency kit
• Get nails done

Already Done

• Venne booked
• Attendants picked
• Engagement announced
• Dress bought & fitted
• Shoes & jewellery bought
• Photographer hired
• Colours figured out
• Centerpieces figured out
• Guest list created
• Invites decided on
• Guestbook bought
• Insurance purchased

Not Worrying About

• A ceremony site
• Programs, save-the-dates or menu carts
• Limos
• A honeymoon (we’re doing that in 2011)

Upcoming Toronto Wedding Shows

It’s almost time for the January wedding shows. Here’s a look at what’s happening when. For hints on how to survive a wedding show, read this post.

January 2-3
Total Wedding Show
International Centre, 6900 Airport Road, Mississauga
$15
This huge show features all the usual suspects and the chance to win a diamond ring.
More Info

January 8-10
Canada’s Bridal Show
Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 255 Front St. W., Toronto
$15
Another big show. Many vendors who do the Total Wedding Show will also be at this one so don’t feel like you have to hit up both shows.
More Info

January 15-17
The Wedding Show
The Carlu, 444 Yonge Street, 7th floor, Toronto $17/$20
Featuring 115 hand-selected exhibitors, this intimate (as wedding shows go) event is best for brides with cash and a love of the finer things.
More Info

January 16-17
Canada’s Wedding Expo
Toronto Congress Centre North. 650 Dixon Road, Toronto
This big bridal show includes a “How To Dress Your Man” seminar.
$15
More Info http://www.canadasweddingexpo.ca

January 22-24
National Bridal Show
Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place, Toronto
Brides who register in advance are free; $15
I think I might check this one out this year. It features some stuff on green weddings and is doing a Rich Bride, Poor Bride casting call.
More Info

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you from WedTO! I’m going to be off doing Christmas stuff over the next few days but will be back next week with plenty of fresh posts.

Wedding Dress Fitting Tips

So on Thursday I saw my dress for the first time since I bought it back in July. While I was a bit worried about whether or not I would still love it, once I got it on I knew that it was still the dress for me.

Besides leaning that I still loved my dress, I also learned a few dress fitting tips that I’m passing on below.

1. Be well rested and well fed before going to your fitting: I had been up at 4 am that morning (early flight) and hadn’t eaten much other than a doughnut. As a result, I got a bit dizzy during my dress fitting and had to sit down (but at least now I know that I can sit in my dress).


2. Have clean hands: Before you touch that dress make sure your hands are clean and don’t contain remnants of that chocolate bar you were just eating.


3. Remove most jewelry and turn any rings inside: Rings, bracelets, watches and necklaces can and do catch and damage dresses so take them off or, in the case of your engagement ring, turn the stone to the inside. Of course, once the dress is on you can (carefully) put on whatever jewelry you want so that you can see the full effect.


4. Bring the right shoes: This is an easy one. Without your wedding day shoes, the dress might not be altered to the correct length.


5. Bring the right underwear: For some dresses, what you’re wearing under it isn’t an issue. But if your dress isn’t like that, bring your wedding day underwear so that you can make sure that everything sits where it should sit.
   
   


6. Don’t suck it in too much: Yes, you want to look slim and perfect in your dress. But at the same time, you also want to be able to drink, eat and breathe. A good fitter should realize when you’re sucking it in to extreme but still, help her out and don’t spend the whole fitting with your gut ridiculously sucked in.
   
7. Try on your veil too: If your getting your viel/headpiece at the same time as the dress, try it on too so you can check and make sure you're getting what you want.


8. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or point things out: If something looks weird, politely ask about it. Make sure to stay calm and use a friendly/curious tone so that you don’t put the seamstress on the defensive. If though you notice a major flaw (wrong size, a ripe, a stain, missing elements) and the store doesn’t want to do anything about it, start working your way into bitch mode.


9. Bring a camera or even better, something that records video: Now, some dresses are easy to do up and have a simple or even no bustle. My dress is not one of those dresses. So I had my mother use my phone to record how the dress is laced up and how the bustle is done.


10. Get a garment bag: Depending on the store you might have to pay extra for this but it’s worth it since a good quality garment bag will let your dress “breathe” while protecting it.


11. Ask how the dress should be stored: Are you fine to leave the dress for months in a zipped up garment bag? When should it be steamed? Are there any precautions you should take when storing/steaming/cleaning the dress?


12. Have a plan for where the dress will live: Before you leave to pick up your dress, know where it will call home so that it doesn’t spend the next week hanging out on our couch or hanging from a curtain rod in your living room.

Unique Toronto Wedding Venues

I’d just like to take this moment to remind everyone about the WedTO Venue Chart. It lists over a dozen Toronto wedding venues that are hardly your typical banquet halls. Venues profiled include The Carlu, the Steam Whistle Brewery, Casa Loma and the Gladstone Hotel.

I hope you find it helpful!

Seeing My Dress Again

Today I’ll be seeing and trying on my dress for the first time since I picked it out and ordered it back in July. I’m really hoping that I still love it.

I’ve been looking at the photos I have of the dress and while I still love the neckline, the silhouette and the back, there are a couple of details I’m having second thoughts on. I don’t want to reveal too much about my dress so let’s just say that the skirt includes a detail that at first I loved but now I’m questioning. But since it’s the type of detail that I can’t really change I guess I’m stuck with it.

But maybe once I get my dress on again I’ll change my mind (again) about that detail. But even if I don’t end up loving it it’s not what I would consider a “dress-breaker”. It’s the type of detail that most people won’t even notice and in all honestly I can live with it.

I have no intention of being a “two-dress bride”. For one thing, I can’t afford to buy a new dress (I didn’t even buy the first dress, my parents did). And if I did buy a different dress, it would look very, very similar to the one I currently have so really, what’s the point?

After I bought my dress I was really worried that I’d end up seeing that perfect one somewhere else. But so far the only dresses that I’ve liked better are those that cost oh, $5,000 or more so I feel good that I’ve made the right choice. Hopefully I’ll still feel that way after today’s fitting.

Toronto Life Wedding Guide

Toronto Life’s first-ever wedding guide hits newsstands today. I’m a bit surprised that they’ve never published one before, wedding magazines are usually fairly easy money (at least in the magazine world), but whatever, it’s here now and I plan on picking up a copy tomorrow to read on the plane(I'm headed to Alberta for Christmas).

I see that the cover features a cake that looks very similar to the cake design we were thinking of going with. I guess that means we have good taste?

Anyway, I generally find Toronto Life’s guides quite informative and practical so I think it’s safe to say that this is one wedding magazine that you’re going to want to pick up.

Best Spas in Toronto

Need a break from planning? Or maybe want to treat your maid of honour and bridemaids? Then consider taking them to the spa. BlogTO’s listed the city’s top 10 over here. A warning: Many of their picks are pricey.

If you want to check out a place that’s still great but is a little more affordable, check out Ritual 2, down on King West. There’s another spa down there that I’ve been to that was also well-priced and now I’m completely blanking on what it’s called. I think it’s something like “Blah and Blah”. Anyway, once I remember, I’ll be sure to post its name.

Amazing Wedding Invites: Etsy Edition

As promised, I’m going to share with you some of my favourite invite designs. I figured that I’d dedicate this entry to Etsy designs since that site is packed with original, eye-catching looks. While the designs on Etsy aren’t generally the cheapest, may if the items on there are reasonably price and most can be customized so that the design goes with your colours/themes/whatever.

* = shop offers a print-it-yourself option

Ras Ideas – We’re likely going to get our invites from this well-priced shop

Unless Someone Like You – Makers of the best save-the-date ever. They can also incorporate custom portraits into the invite design

DIYPaperie* – The shop above’s print-it-yourself side

Lovli Day – Offers text-heavy invites in a range of great fonts

Izzy and the Bean Design* – Dozens of designs that put a contemporary twist on traditional layouts

Modern Ink – Check out this shop if you want a clean design that emphasis your wedding colours

Green Quice – I love these urban invites though they are a bit out of our price range

Ello There – This shop’s designs are a little too cutesy for me but might be perfect for you

SilhouetteBlue – Home to some really simple and sweet designs

Wedding Invites

Back in May, I wrote about how I’d found my ideal invites at Michael’s. They were cheap, the colours were appropriate and they looked good enough.

Well now, a few months later, I’ve changed my mind on the whole invites-from-Michael’s thing. Yeah, they were cheap but they were also a bit boring and predictable. While I agree that it doesn’t make sense to spent a ton on stationary, I do think it’s okay to spend a bit to get something that suits your wedding and that, hopefully, makes people excited for it.

There is some truth behind the saying that the invite sets the tone for the invite. If you get a big, elaborate invite, you’re likely going to assume that the wedding will be a big, elaborate one. But if you get a plain, generic invite, well, you’re likely going to assume that the wedding will also be on the plain and generic side and no bride wants her guests to make that assumption about her wedding.

My mom has been sending invites to me that she and her friends have been getting and they almost all look the same. I’m all for simple but come on, there’s tons of ways to do “simple” that doesn’t involve black ink on heavy, plain white paper (and no, gluing a coloured ribbon doesn’t really personalize the invite).

Over the past few weeks I have seriously looked a hundreds of wedding invite designs, most in the low-to-mid-price range. There are lots of affordable options out there, including plenty of print-your-own styles so there’s really no excuse for boring invites.

In my next entry, I’ll highlight some of my favourite designs/designers that I came across on Etsy. But first, an invite “reality check”:

• Throw the idea of a 1$ invite; stamps along run over $1
  
• To keep it cheap, keep it simple: no pockets, no flaps, no ribbons, no jewels, no double-lined envelopes. Instead spend your money on an eye-catching, appropriate design
  
• Going with a postcard-style RSVP card is generally cheaper than a card and envelope combo (though trickier to print if you’re doing DIY printing)
  
• I’m going to dedicate a separate entry to DIY printing but for now remember that DIY printing doesn’t equal free; you still need to pay for paper and ink
  
• And before you get too attached to a DIY design, make sure you have whatever computer program is needed to print it (I’m amazed at the number of brides on bridal boards who don’t have Word so they can’t print many DIY templates)
  
• Sometimes it’s just plain worth it to spend the extra cash. For example, get your return address printed on your envelopes/RSVP postcards. Yeah, this can cost extra but it’s one of those things that’s worth the cost

Wedding Website Winner

A few weeks ago I started my hunt for a wedding website website and I not have a winner: Momentville.com.

Yeah, yeah the name sucks but on the plus side:
- it’s free
- it has a template that I like and that works with our colour scheme
- it’s super-easy to edit text and photos
- it’s super-easy to add in new pages
- the budget and RSVP tools look like they will be useful (assuming I remember to use them)
-my website will never expire
- it claims to be a carbon neutral company

On the downside:
- it’s not as customizable as I would like (though if I upgraded to the a paid site I could basically create my own template)
- there’s no seating chart tool
- the interface is kind of ugly though it is easy to use

Based on my somewhat limited research, most free wedding websites offer basically the same tools/features (guest list manager, photo gallery, budget stuff) and are all generally pretty easy to use. The big differences are templates and the length of time your website will “live” for (some websites will expire after a year or two) and just a warning, there are a lot of ugly templates out there.

If you’re willing to pay for a wedding website, check out Wedquarters.com. Its own site is pretty slick looking and seems to offer some great template options. You can also choose to pay for a custom domain. www.trueloveforeven2010.com anyone?

Ever Taken a Wedding Dress on WestJet?

In a couple weeks time I’ll be flying back to Alberta where, among other things, I’ll be getting my dress fitted and altered. Then, if all goes to plan, it will get to come back to Toronto with me.

So my question to all of you is what’s the best way to get the dress back? I’m flying on WestJet and I can’t remember if WestJet has those little closets at the front like some Air Canada planes do.

Currently it looks like I have two options:

1. Shove it in the overhead compartment – I know that a lot of destination brides put their dresses in a good garment bag and then carefully place them in the overhead compartment however, my dress is much, much larger than your typical destination wedding dress. I’m also worried about all the other crap that my dress will need to compete with in the overhead compartment (leftover Christmas turkey for example).

2. Stick the dress in a big box/other container: this is the option that I’m currently leaning towards even though it means checking my dress. It will first be placed in a garment bag, then folded in two and placed in a large box. I feel like the dress will be safer in a box even though it does mean placing a lot of trust in the airline/barrage handlers.

I think either myself or my mother will be getting in touch with WestJet soon to see what they recommend. They don’t have any info up on their site on this topic which sort of surprises me since they fly to a lot of destination wedding locations. Maybe something to add to their FAQ section....

Have A Fun Wedding: The Guests

Part two in an on-going series about making your wedding fun.

This is an easy concept: To have a fun wedding, you need fun guests.

Now, that’s not to say that every guest needs to like a character out of Party Monster. You’re talking about your wedding after all and so you’re likely inviting more than a few people who you wouldn’t be inviting out on a Saturday night to the club.

But, unless you’re having a super-small wedding or your parents have hijacked the guest list, you should have space to invite at least of few life-of-the-party type people.

These are the individuals who will get people talking, laughing and dancing and they’ll help to make your wedding a memorable, enjoyable event. I know that putting together a guest list can be one of the hardest parts of wedding planning but if you’re short on space and/or money and you have to choose between that high school friend who you haven’t seen in years and a newer but really fun friend, go with the fun friend.

Then have your fun friends “work” for you by strategically placing them at tables where they can get spread their fun-loving nature. If all your fun friends are friends, do split them up but put their tables beside each other so that they can still socialize with each other as well as with your other guests.

If you have any fun friends who are big into dancing, chat with them in advance and let them know that you’re counting on them to get the dance party underway (no pressure!).

Your guests are a tremendously important part of your wedding and who you invite can really impact the atmosphere so if you want a fun wedding, make sure you’ve got at least a few guests who you can count on to bring the party.

More Toronto Wedding Photographers

As you probably already know, we’re on the hunt for a photographer (though I think we’ve found one!). Below is a quick look at the few more of the photographers we were considering but didn’t go with, usually because they were already booked or are out of our price range.

And speaking of price range, here’s a guide to how much these guys charge:
NA = didn’t get price
+ = under $1,500
++ = $1,500-$2,000
+++ = over $2,000

Note: I’m just commenting on the starting price, which is usually for a pretty basic package. If you want two photographers and full-day coverage, you can generally expect to pay at least $2,500 and usually more.

AMG Photography: Run by a friendly guy named Tony. +

B&N Photography: Gorgeous work but a bit pricy for our cheap-selves. +++

Calculated Style Photography: Aron is an award-winning winning photographer out of Milton. ++

Impact Photography: Liz only shoots films but the equally talented Tenzin does digital. +

Michael T Photography: We would have loved to of worked with this skilled guy but he was already booked. NA

Sam Obeid: Another amazing photographer who was already booked. He referred me to some of his equally amazing peers. NA

Shawn McPherson: Would be perfect for any one having a bit of an “off-beat” wedding. ++

Big Sale On a Superior Bridal

Markham’s Superior Bridal is having a giant 80 percent sale starting today and running until Sunday. Sounds like there are some great deals over there!

Let's Build a Wedding Website

I’d like to get our wedding website up for Christmas (maybe I can even mention it on our save-the-dates if we end up doing those) but first I need to figure out what site to go with.

I *think* these are the top wedding site site-builders out there but please let me know if I’m leaving anyone out:
http://www.ewedding.com/ - claims that you can set up “your free wedding website in under 5 minutes”; themes seem limited but looks like you can add lots of stuff (polls, events, etc.) to your sites

http://www.weddingannouncer.com/ - they seem to offer lots of features but what do the templates look like

http://www.wedquarters.com/ - I like their site but you have to pay

TheKnot.com - a popular site but the templates are pretty limited

http://www.mywedding.com/ - tons of templates here, many that come with matching stationary

http://www.momentville.com/ - oh, it looks like you can customize the look of the templates. I like that
I’ve heard good and bad things about all of these sites. What are your thoughts on them? Is there one that you would use over another?

I want a site that’s fairly easy to set up but at the same time, I want to be able to customize how it looks. While I don’t really have any design skills, I do know HTML and I’m fine with mucking around with templates that other, more talented people have created.

I would also prefer to go with free site though I might be persuaded to paying a small fee if it gets me a better site.

I am going to do a bit more digging into these sites and I’ll let you know which one I go with.

Hey Photographers, Read This!

So it’s official, we’ve lost our photographer because we were to slow to sign the contract. Lesson learned. Now I’m on the hunt for a new photographer and after looking at at least two dozen websites, I have some web-related advice for wedding photographers:

1. You will be judged on the look of your site so make sure it reflects your particular aesthetic. While it might not be a fair assumption, it’s easy to assume that an ugly site means ugly photos.
2. At the same time, make sure your site is user-friendly. Flash can be fun but it can also turn a site in a confusing mess that will just turn potential customers off.
3. Have obvious, always present navigation.
4. Avoid pop-ups. Yeah, you can include a note about turning pop-up blockers off but many people won’t.
5. Include a “best of” gallery. Showcasing individual albums is great but a “best of” gallery lets you show off your best work and keeps potential customers from crossing you off their list just because they didn’t like a particular wedding album.
6. Include thumbnails. This lets the customer get a quick sense of your work and lets them select what photos they want to check out closer.
7. Make sure your gallery includes “back” and “forward” controls so that the customer can check out the photos at their own pace.
8. Have a calendar! Showing when you are and aren’t available saves both you and the customer time.
9. And finally, give at least a sense of your prices. I realize that many photographers adjust their prices based on the date, the location, etc. but if you know that you won’t work for under $2000, put that prices start at $2000.

Are you still looking for your photographer? Then check out this site: www.photographypros.com It has hundreds of listings for all types of photographers, divided by type and region. While it doesn’t list everyone, it’s certainly a good starting point.

TV Show Casting Call

Planning an at-home wedding? Want to be on a reality TV show? Then check out the posting below.

ARE YOU PLANNING A WEDDING AT HOME FOR YOU OR A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY? DOES YOUR RESIDENTIAL VENUE NEED A SERIOUS FACELIFT IN ORDER TO HOST WEDDING DAY GUESTS? WE CAN HELP!

Are you a bride/groom-to-be with nuptials planned for February 2010 and beyond (spring, summer, fall 2010)? Are you considering having your wedding ceremony or reception “at home” (whether it be your house, your parent’s place or your great Aunt Sue’s farm) but the interior home décor is too ugly/outdated to expose to friends & family for any aspect of the event (rehearsal dinner, bride preparation, out-of-town guests, photography or even the ceremony itself)? We can help make your horrible place a stunning space for your special day & beyond. Why spend money on a venue when you could invest in the place you get to enjoy ‘till death do you part?

Television Production Company Knight Enterprises, creators of Food Network Canada’s hit series Road Grill & HGTV’s Junk Brothers, are in development for a wedding series with a down-home twist! We are looking for couples that are having weddings/wedding-related events in a residential setting that is in need of a serious face lift! Our expert hosts (1 interior designer + 1 wedding planner = a fantastic team) will design the event of your dreams AND a home re-design (in the “highlighted” rooms of the house) that will be functional & stylish far beyond the wedding day.

If your upcoming wedding seems like it would be a good fit for us, get in touch & tell us why! Start with an email that includes the following:

• Your wedding date & location
• About “you” the couple (include a few photos!)
• About “the home” where your wedding/wedding event is taking place – why does it need an update? (include a few photos!)

All materials (and questions) can be submitted via email (**no phone calls please) to talentsearch@knight-tv.com

CASTING IS OPEN TO COUPLES IN THE TORONTO & OTTAWA AREAS

To find out more about Knight Enterprises visit us at: www.knight-tv.com

Don't Delay; Book Today

So Shawn and I learned a valuable lesson last week: don’t delay when it comes to booking your vendors.

Back in late October we settled on a photographer but someone-who-will-not-be-named said wait, let’s take our time and not book the photographer just yet. So we waited and in the meantime another possible candidate popped up and it took someone-who-will-not-be-named a few days to check out this other person’s work and then someone-who-will-not-be-named decided yeah, let’s get in touch with our first choice and book him.

And you know what’s coming next. I got in touch with the photographer and it turns out that he might have another event already booked for that day. The other event is a wedding in the Bahamas (can’t blame him for wanting to do that) and the days aren’t nailed down yet so he’s going to chase after this other bride to find out what’s happening with her wedding and then he’ll get back to me and let me know if he can do mine.

Yep, as soon as the find a florist, baker, officiate, whatever else we need, we’re booking them.

A Couple Weekend Sales

There’s a couple big sales going on that you might want to know about...

The first is over at Ikea and runs until this Sunday. They are having a two-for-one promo on all styles of their Fenoman candles. These classic-looking candles come in range of sizes, some of which are packaged together in a convenient five-pack.

We’re using one of those five-packs as part of our centrepieces so we’re definitely going to be at Ikea this weekend, stocking up.

If you’re in the market for a dress you might want to check out the Maggie Sottero truck show at Superior Bridal. Yeah, that store is way out in Markham (7703 Kennedy Road) but trekking out there could save you 15 percent off the cost of a gorgeous gown.

The trunk show runs until November 22 and features plenty of 2010 designs. It’s recommended that you book an appointment first since this sale is sure to be a popular one.

Save-The-Dates

So what are your thoughts on save-the-dates? Originally we weren’t planning on doing them, an extra, unnecessary cost I figured, but then I discovered Vista Print and how cheap it was to make cute little magnet and then I started thinking, “Hey, I could do Christmas cards this year and just toss the magnets in those.”

But while I could affordably do save-the-dates, it’s still another expanse and really, will anyone care? I’ve never received a save-the-date. I actually had never even heard of them until I saw that episode of The Office where Angela asks Pam where her save-the-date is. So it might be kind of weird to send out save-the-date to our family members and friends.

On the other hand, sending them out would send a clear message that says, “Hey, you’re invited and here’s the date”. We are getting married in August, prime vacation time, and some people will be travelling so getting the word out to potential guests that yes, they’re invited, is something we need to do.

And what better way to do that then mail out a magnet? After all, who doesn’t love a useful, practical magnet (okay, maybe people with stainless steel fridges). I know that paper would be cheaper but it seems so wasteful and its design possibilities/expectations are so much greater. I’m not really up for figuring out how another piece of paper should look but a small, square magnet, designing that I can handle.

I think what’s going to make or break this save-the-date idea will be Shawn. I have a strong feeling that he’s going to say “no” to this extra spending. What we might end up doing instead is using the Christmas cards themselves to double as save-the-dates though I worry that might look odd. But maybe I can find black, silver and dark purple Christmas cards…

Dress Day

Looking for your dress? Then you’re going to want to check out the links below.

On Friday, BlogTO.com posted its list of the city’s top 12 wedding dress shops. I have no idea how BlogTO made this list but I do know that at least a few of the shops they list (Becker’s, Jealous Bridemaids and Ritche Bridal) generally get good reviews from brides who check them out. The list also covers a variety of price ranges (it features both high-end White Toronto and the more affordable Your White Dress Bridal Outlet) and highlights Fashion Crimes, the perfect place to shop for that not-quite-traditional dress.

Yesterday, TheKnot.com sent around a newsletter that features a link to 50 different new dresses. So tons of dress candy there and as you can see, I’ve highlighted a few of my favourites in this post.

TheKnot.com also features a slideshow on “Pound-Erasing Wedding Dresses.” However, its idea of pound-reducing includes satin and mermaid-style skirts. But hey, it is true that A-line skirts look flattering on almost anyone.

Are You A Toronto Bride-To-Be?

And are you planning what could be considered a “common sense” wedding (so nothing too crazy but at the same time, it’s what you and your other half want)? If so, do you want to be profiled on this blog?

I was actually hoping to be posting another W-Bride profile this weekend but that didn’t work out so now I’m on the search for other local brides. Being profiled is quick, fun and the results in something like this.

And don’t worry if your wedding isn’t being held in Toronto proper. I’d actually love to hear from some destination brides and find out how they decided on where to get married.

If you’re interested in being profiled, email me at wedtoblog[removethis]@gmail.com or if you’re reading this on Facebook, send me a Facebook message.

And speaking of Facebook, you can follow this blog via Facebook using the NetworkedBlogs app.

Hope to hear from some of you soon!

Picking Guests

Are budget or space considerations causing you to have to slash your guest list? Then use the following five questions to help you decide who to invite and who to uh, put on the B-list.

1. Is this person a blood relative?

2. Is this person a friend who I am close to and see (or would like to see) on a regular basis?

3. Will not including this person result in drama? (Or vice versa.)

4. Will including this person add to the wedding? (Is this person fun/will dance/etc.)

5. Would this person invite me to his/her similarly sized wedding?

20 Ideas For Your Reception

WeddingBells.ca currently has a slideshow up that showcases 20 real-life reception décor ideas. While some are pretty taste-or-theme specific (like using homemade jams as favours), some are just great (such as using calligraphy on your invites or having a seating chart that shows how everyone is connected).

Most of the ideas are also quite affordable and realistic. For example, have guests figure out what their meal is with a find-the-word menu or create a simple but elegant centrepiece using candles, low flowers and horizontally placed bamboo sticks.

Some pics from the slideshow below.

Have A Fun Wedding: The Atmosphere

Want to have a fun wedding? Then make sure your guests have fun. The first in a multi-part series...

* Creating a Fun Atmosphere *

Creating that perfect atmosphere is probably the hardest thing to do at a wedding. No amount of money can guarantee it (in fact, too much money can actually prevent a fun atmosphere) nor any person or service. A fun atmosphere requires that perfect mix of elements, timing and just plain good luck.

So while I can’t offer any promises on how to guarantee a good

time for all, I do have some ideas...

1. Take Your Guests' Point Of View: Think of the words you’re using to describe your wedding: romantic, elegant, gorgeous. None of these words are synonyms for fun and for a lot of people they mean boring. Now, this doesn’t mean you have to trade fantasy for frat. But do understand that you are going to have to do a bit of work to make your wedding fun.

Take stock of who you’re inviting ask yourself what they would find fun. Live entertainment? Tons of food? Bass-heavy music? Then work these “fun” elements in at natural points. For example, bring the live performers out during dinner. Or, after 10 pm, turn the music over to your favourite DJ from Wrongbar.

Also, be aware that many people aren’t comfortable with “fanciness”, even if fanciness just means wearing a suit. Again, this doesn’t mean you have to ditch your dreams of a black tie wedding. Just be aware of how your guests might feel and then try to work in some kind of counterbalance.

2. Hire The Right Vendors: Of course you want vendors who are pros and professional but make sure those who will be dealing with your guests are also friendly, relaxed and understand that doing their job shouldn’t take away from the guests’ experience. For example, make sure your photographer won’t be barking orders at family or jumping in front of grandma’s camera. And check to see that you bar staff knows how to make your guests favourite drinks.

3. Think Of The Small Details: Can’t afford the Beatles impersonators and that sushi bar you know your friends would all love? That’s fine; just "fun" things up using small details: Have your place settings include a colour coordinated shot, where a brightly coloured crinoline under your desk and have the pianist/string quartet/whoever play your favourite songs while everyone waits for the ceremony to bring. Stuff like this relaxes people and a relaxed crowd leads to a fun time.

4. Set A Good Example: Most importantly, make sure you, your other half and everyone in your bridal party show that you’re all having a great time. Smile, giggle, laugh and make sure to stop and talk to your guests. Ideally your “funness” is contagious and will spread amongst your guests.

Yes, You Will Fight

There’s something that all engaged couples will experience regardless of the size, expense or theme of their wedding: arguing. It’s not a bad or unusual thing and, in most cases, it’s not something that should be overanalysed.

You’re two people, with different tastes, priorities and levels of wedding knowledge, and together you’re planning a party like no party you’ve ever planned before. Of course you’re going to fight, it’s only natural.

On Saturday, Shawn and I got into an argument over invites. It was a classic cliché of a fight that started out with me asking for his opinion on a certain design. His eyes zoomed right past that design and locked in on the price (which was actually quite reasonable) and it was all downhill from there.

It wasn’t a particularly bad fight but it did make me think that when it comes to arguing about wedding stuff, there’s a few important points to keep in mind...

#1. You Likely Know More About Weddings Than He Does: So I’m assuming here that you reader are a bride in a heterosexual relationship. If this is the case, you probably know vastly more about weddings than he does and this knowledge gap can lead to many misunderstandings. Your groom may not be aware of many bits of etiquette or tradition (for example, supplying RSVP cards with stamped envelopes) that you view as common sense or general knowledge. If this is the problem, calmly and patiently explain why certain things are done a certain way.

#2. You Likely Care More About The Wedding Than He Does: Again, I’m assuming you’re a straight bride. This point might sting a little but let’s be honest, who’s doing most of the planning? Who’s thinking of all the little details? Who’s sitting here, reading this blog? Yeah, you. And that’s why you’re fighting about spending extra on chair covers.

#3. He Might Have Some Good Points: To be fair, your other half might actually some good ideas and legit concerns. I mean, can you really afford $20 per person extra for that midnight buffet? Make sure to actually listen to what he’s saying, instead of planning your reply back, and don’t interrupt. It’s hard I know, but this approach can help bring a quick and positive resolution to a fight.

#4. And So Might You: When it’s your turn to make your case, speak clearly, calmly and logically. Don’t just open your mouth and let the words flow. While this might feel good at the time, it usually doesn’t lead to any kind of resolution, at least not one you want. Also, whenever possible, spin your answers so that they address his concerns. This shows that you listen to him and understand his point of view.

#5. Keep Wedding Fights About The Wedding: Finally, don’t use a fight about the guest list to go off and yell at him about how you hate his friends. Fight fairly by staying on topic, not getting personal and not using insults. If you’re finding that your fight is just bringing up more drama, declare an end to it and if necessary, leave the room. This doesn’t mean that you can’t discuss that topic again, it just means that you both need a time out first.

As for mine and Shawn’s fight about invites, well, we didn’t resolve too much though we did figure out that the invites I was looking at are completely within our budget and I think Shawn now has a better understanding of why we have a colour scheme.

Something Else To Pick Up

I forgot to mention something in Sunday’s post about organizational tools. You’re probably going to want to also pick up a strong, durable accordion file folder.

The point of this folder is to provide a safe, organized space for contracts, receipts and other important bits of paper. Fancier planners often have folder features built-in but you still might want to pick up an accordion-style one, particularly if you can’t fully close those built-in folders (the last thing you want is for all your paperwork to spill out when you’re headed into the car with your planner.)

Before picking up your folder, figure out how many sections you’ll need. At minimum, you’ll probably want separate spaces for these topics: Cake; Dress; Flowers; Music; Other Clothing; Photographer, Stationary and Venue. Some people say you should have a separate area for each vendor and I think that’s not a bad piece of advice.

I recommend trying to also pick up a folder that’s made out of plastic. This thing is going to be holding some pretty important documents and is also likely going to be spending plenty of time sitting on your kitchen table and counters so it’s worth spending an extra few dollars to get a folder that going to be protected against wayward glasses of wine.

In sales news, you have one week left to save the taxes on bridesmaids’ dress over at Bridal & Beyond. The Mississauga store location is also hosting the Maggie Sottero Fall 200 trunk show where you can save up to $250 on your new Maggie. For more details on both of these sales, head over here.

Midnight Madness Sale This Saturday

Another big sale is happening this Saturday, this time at Bridal Image in Mississauga:

MOONLIGHT MADNESS
BRIDAL BLOWOUT SALE

Saturday October 24 | 4 pm - 12 am

Great savings!
• Gowns starting at $99
• A huge selection of "off the rack" gowns!
• Secret savings to be unveiled

Come early!
• Limited number of dressing rooms
• Five gowns per bride

Bridal Image
720 Burnhamthorpe Rd, W. Unit 17
Mississauga, ON
905-566-0375

Getting Organized – Physical Tools

*Getting organized is one of those things that really varies from person to person and what works for me might not work best for you. Please do tweak and twist the advice below into something that works for your organizational style.*

When planning your wedding, you’re going to likely have two sets of tools: Online ones and physical ones. Today, let’s look at the essential physical tools.

- Your wedding box: Get a plastic storage container or sturdy cardboard box that’s big enough to hold the stuff listed below, your RSVP cards, bridal magazines and a few other odds and ends. But make sure that it’s not so big you have to store it in a garage or locker or something other out of the way location. The point of this box is for it to be an accessible, useful spot to point your wedding stuff.

- A planner or address book: There are dozens of wedding planners out there, some packed with advice, others focused more on “capturing memories” while others are just overpriced address books.

Before buying anything, think about how you’ll use this book. Will you really use it as a diary? What about all those budgeting sheets? Are you more likely to do all that sort of stuff on your computer?

What you really want in a planner is place to write down all the contact info for your vendors. Sure, you’ll have this online, likely in your inbox, but it’s also good to have all of that info in one place that you can easily grab and search through, regardless of whether or not you have access to a computer and the internet.

Again, be aware of getting something too big. For many brides, a bag-sized address book will do.

- Your look book: This is a book where you can stick all those ripped out bridal magazine pages. You can get pretty fancy with this but really, the easiest thing to do is buy a one of those big, coil-bound notebooks you used to use in high school. Get one with sturdy covers but skip on the ones with dividers. Instead, create your own custom dividers using glued in bits of coloured paper. Some suggested areas are: Décor; Flowers; Cake; Food & Drink; My Dress; Photos (for examples of wedding photos you like); Stationary; Wedding Party Outfits; Other

Also grab a glue stick. While liquid cement might seem fancier, a grade school glue stick is a lot less messy.

Been Away...

Sorry for the lack of posts these last two weeks. I was gone to New York City for a week and I've been spending the last few days on catching up on things I missed while I was gone. But I will start posting regularly again this weekend.

In the meantime, check out this blog that looks at the groom's view of things.

A List Of Possible Photographers

So far I’ve received some amazing photographer recommendations and I figured that I should share them with you:

Rannie – my friend Bev recommended this guy. He’s not a full-time wedding photographer but then we’re not really interested in someone who just does weddings.

Mondo – another Bev recommendation and another not-just-weddings photographer. I love some of these shots.

Jill Promoli – my old classmate Heather told me to check out this woman’s work and I’m glad I did. Like Mondo, she does some really eye-catching shots.

Wandering Eye – Erin, one of my readers, booked this guy. She thinks he might be offering more than we need (his packages include prints) but he takes some great photos and is easy to work with so maybe look him up if you’re looking for more elaborate packages.

In Bloom – Another recommendation from Erin. This woman offers her services a la carte and charges a fairly reasonable $235 an hour for a high season wedding (and yes, you get a high-res DVD of all the shots).

Boston Images – Now these guys are full-time wedding photographers but their work is anything but “traditional”. I hear though that they’re a bit on the higher price end.

If you have any more photographer suggests, please feel free to leave a comment of email me at wedtoblog@gmail.com.

Sample Sale @ White Toronto

White Toronto is a beautiful Yorkville dress shop that’s generally a bit pricey for your typical common sense bride. But this Friday and Saturday (October 2 and 3), it’s having a sample sale.
Here are the details:


WHITE HOT SAMPLE SALE!
Two Days Only!
October 2-3, 2009

The big day is on its way and there's still time to fall in love—a second time, of course.

Save up to 70% at White, Toronto on more than 80 designer bridal gowns. Including a limited number of Monique Lhuillier bridal gown samples, plus deigns from Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Badgley Mischka, Jenny Lee, Nicole Miller and more. We will also be featuring a collection of special occasion and bridesmaid sample dresses.

Space is limited, so call now to book your appointment.
(416) 849-9196 or info@whitetoronto.com

White Toronto
19 Hazelton Avenue, Toronto

We Need A Photographer

We’re now ten months away from Shawn and mine’s wedding date. According to various wedding planning sites, we should book our photographer in the next couple of months. So, anyone know a Toronto-based photographer who’s experienced at shooting weddings, is good with people who hate having their photos taken (and are completely unphotogenic), is fairly affordable and who takes eye-catching and unique shots?

I must admit I am not a photography person. I like my artwork to be something that I could never imagine and most photography can’t be classified as that. But I understand that photography is a necessary part of any wedding and while I don’t think Shawn and I are really looking forward to the photo portion of the day, we do want to have great photos that we can flip through years from now.

At the same time, we’re not up to blowing $5,000 on a photography package. We want someone who will come in, take our pictures, maybe touch up a few of the better ones and then give us a CD. I know you can get all sorts of fancy photo packages but really, there’s nothing common sense about spending $500 (or higher) on some glittering album that you’ll look at twice and will then be chewed on by the dog.

We’ll likely print off a few favourites for our own homemade album, stick a bunch on Facebook and use one particularly flattering one on our postcard-style thank you cards. Maybe Shawn will have a photo in his office and Christmas 2010 will likely see various relatives getting framed photos as Christmas gifts. But that’ll be about it for our photos. So maybe we don’t want a photographer whose bread and butter is weddings. We want someone who won’t push those fancy packages on us and who will take amazing photos regardless of my statements on $500 wedding photo albums.

If you’ve got any names, please leave them in the comments section or email them to me at wedtoblog@gmail.com

Thanks!

Meet Charlotte: Our Bridesmaid Expert

The other day I met with Charlotte, a friend who’s also been in 13 wedding parties. Over the next few months, she’ll be sharing some of the insight she’s gathered from being involved in all those weddings.

Charlotte’s biggest piece of advice for brides is to have clear idea of what you what and then accurately communicate it to your maids. She says that many of the weddings she’s been involved with begin with the bride being laid backed.

”She starts off with letting the bridesmaids make the decisions,” says Charlotte but eventually, as the bride sees that those decisions aren’t matching her vision, her relaxed nature changes. “That’s when things get bitchy.”

A common mistake is for the bride to tell the maids that they can wear whatever dress they want as long as the colour or fabric matches. Charlotte’s been involved in multiple weddings where this approach has led to alterations and new dress purchases. While she didn’t sound bitter about this, I know I would be if that happened to me.

Keep this from happening to you maids by together picking a common dress design and fabric. This doesn’t mean that everyone has to match but instead, that all the designs work together. Charlotte suggests picking necklines that work for each girl but keeping the rest of the dress the same. “That usually looks really flattering.”

Charlotte points out that you need to consider all details: open-toed shoes or closed; hair up or down; dangling earrings or studs. Once you know what you want, tell your girls and only let them make their own choices if you trust their style.

She tells the story about one wedding she was in where the girls where allowed to wear whatever necklace they wanted. The bride thought that her maids would wear a small floating diamond or pearl necklace and that’s what almost all of them ended up wearing except for one girl, who was a bit of a hippy. She showed up in a large, three-strand necklace. “It looked good,” says Charlotte but when the girl was lined up with the other maids, the hippy necklace really stood out. “The little things are really noticeable,” she says.

Having a plan for your maids look doesn’t mean you’re a Bridezilla. It just means that you’re organized and know that being a little bossy now can prevent a big headache in the future.

5 Ways To Up The "Wow" Factor

TheKnot.com just posted “10 Ways to Wow your Wedding Guests”. Some of their ideas are certainly “wowing” though not very “common sense” (such as ending the night with fireworks) while others are a bit dated (“Plan Out the First Dance”) or obvious (“Pick a ceremony spot with a gorgeous view...”).

Here are my five wow-your-guest-ideas that are actually wowing and realistic.

1. Live music during the ceremony – A harpist or string quartet always classes things up. Check out local music schools, or the Royal Conservatory of Music, to locate talented but affordable young musicians.

2. A variety of good liquor –And by that I mean have on hand such brands as Kahlua, Sour Puss and Jagermeister. Worried about the extra cost? Then cheap out a bit on your bar stock (so say, Polar Ice instead of SKYY vodka)and use the savings to help pay for this new stock of booze.

3. Tall centrepieces – Height always impresses people so up the wow factor in your decor, by going with centrepieces that tower three feet tall or more. And no, taller doesn’t necessary mean pricier. Tall vases can be picked up for a few bucks at the dollar store and can be filled with decorative branches, long grasses and even feathers (if you want to go that route). See more ideas here.

4. No speeches – Speeches are almost always the least favourite part of any wedding so ditch (at least limit their numbers and lengths) them and leave your guests smiling.

5. On-Site Photo Printing – Okay, maybe not the cheapest idea but if you already have a laptop and photo printer, it’s a doable one. Simply set up your laptop and printer off to the side and include clear instructions on how people can upload and print their photos right there. If you want, you can also use this set up to collect plenty of candid photos for yourself.

Wedding Show This Weekend

Just a reminder that there’s a big wedding show this upcoming weekend, over at the Convention Centre.

Canada’s Bridal Show
September 25 - 27
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
255 Front St. W., Toronto
905-264-7000

Tickets are $15 but you can find a $5 off coupon over here.

I checked this show out back in January. For brides who are looking and ready to book vendors, it’s worth checking out. You can read up on my bridal show experience right here.

I’m not going this time around but I think Shawn and I will check out the January 2010 edition. The show usually has really good deals on men’s wear so I think we might get Shawn’s tux from there.

How To Save $200 A Month

Really, you can do it.

1. Restrict both of you to one night out a week = at least $50
2. Live to learn with the basic cable package = at least $30
3. And while you’re in that mindspace, examine your phone and internet bills; even lowering those by $10 helps = $10
4. Discover that most drugstore products are just as good, if not better than MAC, Clinique and other pricy brands = $50
5. You know what, just don’t go into Sephora (or your Store of temptation), just learn to walk on by it = at least $50
6. Stop buying candy, pop and coffee = $20 (added bonus: weight loss)
7. Start clipping coupons with the help of the web = oh, let’s be modest with $20 (though you could save a lot more)
8. And stop buying items such as DVDs, books and video games that you’ll only ever pay attention to once = $25
9. Drive the speed limit, on properly inflated tires = $5 (or more)
10. Don’t drive? Then make sure you always have tokens in your bag = $5
11. Learn how to give yourself at-home manicures and pedicures = $25
12. Going out to buy a specific item? Then bring just enough cash to cover it = well, it really depends what store you’re headed to

Look at that, we’re easily over $200. Okay, so not all of these numbers apply to you and yeah, they are only estimates but at least this gives you the sense that yes, you can, with minimal pain, save $2,400 a year.

Of course, for many weddings $2,400 is enough to cover the flowers and maybe the favours so yeah, we’ll definitely be returning to this topic in the near feature.

Don't Fall Into This Trap...

In my last post I mentioned how, if you’re having a $25,000 wedding and you have a year to plan for it, it you need to put aside about $2,000 a month to make sure that your wedding is a debt-free process. So how are you going to do that?

Well, in all honesty, you’re probably not going to be able to save that all of that amount and you likely will have a bit of wedding debt that, hopefully, you can pay off using the money that people give you as a gift. But don’t fall for the common belief that a wedding can pay for itself; this idea has trapped more than a few brides into years of debt.

Instead, count on between 10-20 percent of your wedding budget being reimbursed by your guests. What figure you go with depends on your wedding budget and your guest list. If your wedding is running you $25,000 and you’re inviting just over a 100 people who are, for the most part, gainfully employed, you’re probably safe to go with 20 percent.

But if you’re throwing some kind of lavish event and/or your guests have been hard hit by the recession (or maybe you’re throwing the sixth wedding they’ve been to this year), lower that figure to 10 percent.

Whatever you do, don’t do math like this:
100 guests X $200 = $20,000, meaning you only have to come up with $5,000

I know it’s tempting to imagine this scenario (or even better, one where you come out ahead) but don’t do it. If you do, you could find yourself in a nice, little debt-hole after you count up the checks and discover that those 100 guests were mostly couples/families who mostly gave stuff/best wishes/a group gift of an overpriced vacuum that you’ll never use.

So now that you’ve figured out how much you can allow as debt, how do you make up the difference?

Where To Start Saving

After the emotional turmoil that a wedding can create, the financial aspect of wedding planning is probably the most stressful. Thankfully, there is an easy way to start saving for your big day: set up a tax-free high-interest savings account.

Why set one of these up? Well, for one thing, creating a separate “wedding” account makes it easier to track your wedding spending and saving. Using a tax-free, high-interest account will make your money work harder for you (before interest rates dropped dramatically last year, my high-interest account made me hundreds of extra dollars) and provide you with a tax-shelter on the first $5,000 saved. And, using a saving account makes it a bit harder for you to access your money, a feature that any shopaholics/impulse spenders are going to want to take note of.

Shawn and I use an ING account because it’s free, easy-to-use and comes with a number of useful calculator tools. But most major Canadian banks offer some kind of tax-free, high-interest accounts. Just make sure to do your research before you open one up because some accounts require a minimum balance and charge a monthly fee, two features you are going to want to avoid.

One feature however, that you’re going to want is automatic transfers. ING calls this their “Automatic Savings Program” and it lets us move a fixed amount of money from our regular checking account over to our ING account on a regular basis. You can choose weekly, bi-weekly or monthly options and the amount being moved can easily be changed.

Setting this feature up makes saving significantly easier and less painful than manually moving the money over. And, because it’s being moved over into its own account, it’s “out of sight, out of mind”.

So how much should you be regularly be saving? Well, let say you’ve budgeted $25,000 for your wedding, you have a year to save for it and you’re starting with an initial savings of $1,000. You’re going to want to put away $2,000 a month to meet your goal and not go into debt (the interest you earn will give you a $400 safety cushion, based a three percent interest rate).

Yeah, that’s a lot. We’ll talk a bit about how you can reach that number over future entries.

Looking For Your Dress?

Then you’re going to want to pick up the fall/winter issue of The Knot. It is packed with hundreds and hundreds of dress photos, all alphabetically organized by the designer’s name. Each photo contains a short description that includes the fabric type, the colour options and a price range.

It lists plenty of stunning dresses for under $1,500 US and while true, this is an American magazine and not all of the dresses it contains are available in Canada, it will give you lots of ideas and clippings that you can take on your shopping trips.

I know The Knot is often associated with the Bridezilla-approach to wedding planning but this issue is truly one that nearly any bride would find useful. In addition to all the wedding dress shots, it also contains dozens of bridemaids, mother-of-the-bride and flower girl outfits, as well as honeymoon ideas and general wedding how-to’s.

So if you buy only one wedding magazine this season, let it be this one. I’m sure you’ll refer to it over and over and over.

FAQs: Invites #1

Sorry for the lack of entries; the past week has been very busy for me (though not with wedding stuff). To make up for my lack of posts, here's a very practical entry below that looks at a few frequently asked invite-related questions. I have more of these FAQ-type posts in the works and plan to post another one this weekend.

If you have a Toronto-wedding-related question (though please nothing etiquette or conflict related), please send it to wedtoblog@gmail.com

Q: When should I send out my invites?
A: The usual answer to this is eight-six weeks, giving a RSVP deadline that's three weeks prior to the wedding date. However, if you're a bit of a control freak and/or if you're dealing with guests who are travelling a long way, I would recommend sending at least some of those invites out earlier, say 10 weeks.

Also, if any of your guests are going to have to take more than a day or two off to get to your wedding, give them at least three months notice. You can do this with a "save-the-date" card or tell them in a more casual way, either way do give them plenty of heads up time or else they might use up their vacation days before your wedding comes around.

Q: I'm trying to save a bit of cash by buying invites that won't require extra postage. What is a "regular-sized" invite?
A: A standard letter needs to be 30 grams or under. The current going rate for a standard letter is $0.54.

Q: And what if I have my heart set on oversized invites, then what will I be paying? A: Let’s get the answer from this handy chart, made by Canada Post.

Q: Can I make personalized stamps here in Canada?
A: Yes, Canada Post does offer this fun service. For details, head over here. $40 will get you forty, regular stamps and prices do get a bit cheaper the more stamps you buy.

Crate & Barrel Wedding Party

Crate & Barrel is holding a trio of upcoming “wedding parties” at their Yorkdale Mall location. These events are really how-to-register-at-our-store parties but they do feature free food, drinks, music and all participants who do set up a registry receive “a brilliant handblown heart bowl”. The store is also only open to those who have RSVPed (call 1-888-657-4108), a nice touch since that place can get pretty crowded.

I know many couples just want cash but I think it’s nice to register at at least one spot so that guests have options. Plus who doesn’t love to open presents?

Another reason for a registry? To get the bonuses that some of them come with. For example, if you register at Crate & Barrel, you’ll get 10 percent off anything that’s not purchased on your
registry.

Anyway, here are the dates for the wedding parties:

Sunday, September 13, 9 am – 11 am
Sunday, October 4, 9 am – 11 am
Sunday, October 18, 9 am – 11 am

I’ve shopped at Crate & Barrel a few times and I think they have a nicely priced range of “smaller stuff” (dishes, kitchen gadgets, etc.) that are pretty good quality. I am however less then impressed with the quality of its big furniture. I own a few pieces and while they certainly look nice, they don’t wear too well. And while I wouldn’t call Crate & Barrel furniture expensive, it’s more than what you’d pay at Ikea and honestly, my stuff from Ikea wears better.

So if you decide to register at Crate & Barrel, avoid the wood furniture but do register for one of these nice pitchers. They make for a perfect bridal shower gift.

A Must-Use Website

Have you checked out www.projectwedding.com yet? If not you should because this is one useful site.

It’s home to hundreds of reviews on all those aspects that make up a wedding: food, photographers, entertainment, attire, etc.

Not of all of the reviews in the “Toronto” category are actually Toronto-specific, but then when it comes to certain items, such as cakes or flowers, sometimes it’s useful to see what the GTA has to offer.

You need to register in order to review things and while vendors are supposed to register for their own special, vendor accounts, there is always the chance that a vendor might get a regular account and then pump up their own rating.

If you come across a review that seems too good to be true (or is completely contradictory to every other review), check to see if the reviewer has bothered to fill out her profile and has written other reviews on her other vendors. If she has then she’s probably a legit bride who just happens to of had a great experience with that vendor.

The site lets you sort vendors by highest rated as well as by price. But best of all, it has a search function that actually works and is a quick way to check out the vendor you’re thinking of using.

Friends Don't Make Friends Wear Ugly Dresses

I’ve taken to snooping through Facebook to look for wedding photos. The other day, I came across a wedding that was completely lovely in almost all respects. The venue was stunning, the bride beautiful, the groom and his attendants handsome and happy but the bridesmaids… well, their hair and make-up was lovely.

But the dresses, yeah, not so much. I don’t want to reveal too many identifying details so let’s just say the dresses were not flattering. I have no clue if the dresses were off-the-rack or custom made (I feel like they might have been the latter; I can’t imagine these things being mass produced) but I do know that they should not have been worn down the aisle.

The thing is, if I verbally described these dresses using neutral language, you’d probably think that they were quite elegant. And maybe on the rack they would have looked not bad. But once a person, well, somehow even the thinnest of the bridemaids (maybe a size four) looked like a sausage. So while I can picture someone sketching one of these dresses, I just cannot understand why they were purchased.

Why didn’t someone say something? I guess I can understand why the bridesmaids themselves didn’t say anything; they probably didn’t want to upset or worry the bride. But why couldn’t the bride see that she was shoving her friends in unflattering dresses?

All of this leads me to say, brides-to-be, please take a critical look at your maids’ dresses and make sure they look great. Yeah, yeah, you’re the bride and you should look the best but your bridesmaids are your friends who (hopefully) are helping you pull off the biggest event you’ll likely ever plan. Make sure they look almost as good as you do.

And if this means being flexible with your bridesmaids dress plans, then so be it. Your pictures will look better for it and you wouldn’t have someone like me wondering what your maids did to dress those ugly dresses.

Maggie Sottero Factory Outlet Sale

What is it about a Maggie that's just so appealing? While I didn't end up buying a Maggie, I certainly understand why some girls have their hearts sent on wearing one of those dresses down the aisle; they certainly are beautiful.

They're also fairly reasonably priced and this Wednesday, August 19, they're even cheaper because Bridal and Beyond is hosting its second annual Maggie Sottero outlet sale. It runs from 5 pm until midnight at their 100 Vanderhoof Avenue location. The ad says that appointments aren't necessary but if you plan on checking this out, I recommend booking one. They're selling $1200 dresses for $600. It's going to be a little crazy I think.

For more details, head over here.

B-Lists

So are you having an invite b-list?

I first heard of this concept a couple years ago, when an acquaintance freely declared that since person X was unable to make it to her wedding, she could now invite his b-list replacement, person Y. At the time, I was shocked by this idea. It just seemed so rude.

But now that I’m planning my own wedding, having a b-list just seems practical. The truth is, guests are a major cost of your wedding. If you’re going to have a common sense wedding, you’re going to have a reasonable guest number that you stick to. But while this number might make your budget happy, it might make you a bit sad because you don’t have space to invite certain people.

Odds are though that not everyone you initially invite can make it. So now what do you do: Leave those spots empty or fill them up with guests who you wanted to invite but just couldn’t squeeze in? If you go with the second option, you’ve got yourself a b-list and in my opinion, that’s nothing to be ashamed of.

In some situations, not having a b-list means wasted money. My venue, the Berkeley Church, has a 100-person minimum. This means that will be charged for at least 100 guests, even if only 90 show. Currently, my guest list is just over 100. While I like to think that most of my RSVPs will be set back with a “yes”, I do have a small b-list just in case I find myself with fewer than 100 RSVPs.

I do think that when it comes to your b-list, you need to be discreet. No one wants to know that they were the second pick, even if your venue does only hold 50 people.

If anyone asks about the “guest status” of a b-lister, dance around the topic. If the invites haven’t gone out yet, say that you’re still finalizing the list. If they have, say something about how you’re trying to find a spot for the person in question.

And what b-listers themselves? Well, ideally they’ll have good manners and not ask if they are invited or not. But if a b-lister does ask about whether or not s/he’s invited, be honest and hopefully. Something like, “Well, I would love to have you there but we have a really strict guest number. If though someone can’t make it, I will certainly send an invite to you.” Don’t lie about the invite being lost in the mail or something like that, it’ll only backfire and cause you stress that you don’t need.

Sorry!

Apologies for not updating this blog more; I’ve been busy this past week looking after a puppy who’s having a tough time with being neutered. I promise that next week will bring at least two solid entries.

In the meantime, find out if, this was the 1970s, you’d be ready to get married.

Also, Canada’s biggest two bridal magazines have new issues out. Check the fall/winter of Wedding Bells here and the fall/winter issue of Canadian Bride.

Be On This Blog!

Hey you!

Live in Toronto? Planning a Toronto wedding that you think can be considered “common sense” (so no $4000 cake for example)? Want to be featured on this blog in a WBride profile?
Then send me an email at wedtoblog@gmail.com. Your identity can stay a secret or not, it’s your call!

Also, if you’re a regular reader who happens to be on Facebook, become WedTO’s Facebook friend here. Adding this app to your Facebook page will let you easily access the blog straight from your Facebook profile.

Hope to hear from some of you soon.

Double-Sided Tape Is Not A Miracle Product

This post is more about being a wedding guest than a bride though I guess the key bit of advice – fully try on your outfit before the big day – also applies to girls in big, white dresses.

Yesterday I attended S’s wedding. It was a lot of fun except for one thing: my misbehaving dress.

This was a new dress that I picked up at the Clothing Show from Champagne and Cupcakes, a great dress shop located on Queen West. I did try it on at the Clothing Show and I did notice that it was rather low cut. But the rest of it looked so great on me that I figured I could do something about the front. I got the dress, put it in a draw when I got home and forgot about until a couple of weeks ago.

Now, I did try it on in advance of the actual wedding day and I did come up with a plan – using double-sided fabric tape to stick the dress to my bra but I didn’t actually try this plan out. Mistake #1.

Mistake #2 was not pulling out the double-sided tape until about 15 minutes before we had to go. I tried my best to make it work but the tape just couldn’t do the job of keeping the dress in place. Oh sure, it stuck the dress to the bra but then almost every time I moved it became unstuck. I tried to then sew the dress in place and while that helped a bit, it didn’t provide the solution I was looking for. I did briefly consider switching dresses but I’d already done my make-up to match this misbehaving dress and I didn’t have time to redo it.

So off we went to this wedding, with me having to touch my chest every five minutes to restick the dress to the right spot. At the wedding a friend tried to fix the problem with a small safety pin but even that didn’t fix it completely and you could see the head of the safety pin.

So yeah, I spent last night as a bit of a fashion faux pas, one that easily could have been avoided if I’d just tried out my double-sided tape plan ahead of time.

I will wear the misbehaving dress again but first I plan to do a little sewing job on the front.

Looking For A Cheap Dress?

Okay, maybe not a “cheap” dress but a very reasonably priced one? Then check out the “for sale” board on any wedding forum. I just recently started poking around on these boards on the Canadian Bride and the Wedding Bells forums and wow, there are some amazing deals on there.

For example, here’s a $3000 Alfred Sung dress that’s selling for $500 and that price is negotiable.

Or how about a never-altered Maggie Sottero Gloria dress, normally $1600 but selling for $900?

Now, I know some people aren’t comfortable with the idea of wearing a used dress or worse, a dress that never made it to the alter because the engagement broke off, but quite a few of the dresses for sale have never been worn and are up for sale because the bride bought a second dress (their craziness, your gain I guess). These are perfectly good dresses ready for you to take them to the seamstress of your choice for alterations.

And so what if the dress was already worn once? So long as it’s in good condition and you love it, I don’t see what the big deal is. Besides, you don’t have to tell people where you got it from. Just say that it was a private sale, direct from a woman who didn’t need it (which is completely the truth).

If you need to, or just want to, trim a few hundred dollars from your budget, buying a dress second-hand is certainly the way to go.

Getting The Dress... Part 2

I started my dress shopping at Edmonton’s Pure Bridal (read more on that here) but even after trying on twelve dresses, I couldn’t find the right one. But all that trying on did result in one positive thing; I now had a strong idea of what I wanted: something with a big, eye-catching, tulle skirt; a fitted bodice that ideally had a sweetheart neckline and then just a touch of silver beading all over the dress.

Haven given up on Pure Bridal, we headed over to an odd little shop called Career GirlBridal, a store opened in the ‘50s and appears not been renovated since. It had pink carpeting, less-than-great lighting and the change rooms are about the same size as what you would find in H&M. In other words, it was very unlike the first shop. But as a result, dresses are cheaper here; the next day my mother and I would see the exact same dresses for $200 in “fancier” stores in West Edmonton Mall.

The shop was being manned by an older woman who skillfully split her time between me and the other customer. Like at Pure Bridal there was wasn’t much chit-chat but at least I understood why that was.

This store carries several lines that aren’t available at the first store and one of these lines, Mori Lee, is one that my mother is quite familiar with. She gave the clerk a list of a few Mori Lee dresses that she thought I might like and pleasantly, the store carried most of those dresses. So those were pulled along with a couple others that the clerk thought I might like.

I think I tried six or seven dresses on at Career Girl Bridal. Again, I was running the issue of most of the dresses looking great on me but none of them feeling quite right. By about dress four I was feeling more than a little annoyed at this whole process and I was wondering if I had the energy to visit a third store that day or whether it would be better to call it quits.

But then I tried on the second last dress and while it wasn’t quite right (the neckline had tulle on it that looked odd) it was very, very close. Energy renewed, I tried on the last one and happily, it turned out to be the one. It had most of the elements I was looking for and it was very well-priced. It also felt very comfortable to wear and I could see myself wearing that dress eight or nine hours without any issues. So I decided to get it.

In all honestly, it isn’t my “dream” dress but then I never actually saw my dream dress so… I wanted something a bit more unique but at the same time, I wanted a wedding dress that was also timeless looking. Like I said in my last post, I’m sure such a dress exists out there, somewhere, I just couldn’t find it.

But while my dress won’t be the most memorable dress out there, I like it and it does look really, really good on me. I’ll post pictures, but after the wedding, since I want it to be a surprise for Shawn.