Photobook Canada Review

*originally posted over on my other blog, Stuff Lindsay Bought*

Recently I ordered four books from Photobook Canada as Christmas gifts for family members.  All four books are full of pictures of my recent wedding and are similar to those photo books that many wedding photographers offer in their packages package (in fact, some wedding photographers use this exact company to create those books).

To properly review Photobook Canada, I’m splitting the review into two parts. This means it’s going to be a long one, but if you’re considering creating a photo book or using this company, this is a review worth reading.

Designing the Book

First off, if you say, struggle to add photos to Facebook, don’t even both trying to use Photobook’s free design software. It’s not actually that hard to use but it does offer a ton of choices and does require a certain amount of computer intuition, if that makes sense (but don’t worry, you don’t need to know HTML or how to edit photos or anything like that).

You’re also going to need high-res digital JPEG files of your photos and I recommend that you have these ready to go, in a folder on your desktop. You can add in photos after you’ve started the process, but having the majority of them all in one folder will help make things go smoother.

While you can design your photo book from scratch, I recommend using the wizard.  It basically takes your folder of photos and then distributes them over the number of pages you’re going with (and yes, you can easily add in more pages later).

For some people, that might be your book, done right there. For others, you might just need to adjust how the image are cropped or swap the placement of certain images (all super easy to do). 

My pictures were pulled in a weird order so I ended up moving almost all of them around but the wizard did give me some great ideas about how the photos could be displayed. The software offers you dozens of different templates and if it weren’t for the wizard, there’s no way I would have thought of using some of them.

Do spend some time just playing around with the software and seeing what you can do because this program allows you to be quite creative. And do look at some of site’s examples for ideas you can be inspired from.

Overall, I found designing the book to be a fun and easy process. The only thing that annoyed me was that all of the backgrounds have at least some kind of pattern to them. Now, the templates all start with either a solid black or white background and while most templates come in either colour, some of them don’t. So if you have a template that only comes initially in a black background but want it to have a solid white background, well, too bad.

But on the plus side, you can download a free proof of your book and see exactly how it should look in real life.

Checking out and uploading my photos was also a pretty smooth process though uploading the photos can take a while so be prepared for that.

The Actual Product

The Photobook model we went with was the 11" x 8", Imagewrap hardcover book for $65. For this price, we got 40 pages of photos and images on both the front and back of matte laminated hardcover.

In full honesty, I wasn’t at first impressed by my Photobook. Just judging it just from the cover, it seemed rather year-book-y, though one with crisp, clear photos on the front and back.

Thankfully, I was more pleased with what was inside. The paper stock really is excellent and my photos were bright, colourful and laid out just like they were supposed to be. So at minimum we ended up with high-quality year books.

If you want, you can spend more money and upgrade to the PRO series, which, with leather covers, looks nothing like a yearbook. But then the cheapest PRO model is $300.

While $65 for what I got is a bit on the high end, Photobook Canada seems to often run sales/offer discounts or coupons that turn their products into great deals. For example, it’s currently running a holiday promo were using the promo code “HOLSAVE40” will save you 40% the cost of a book.

Some Emails Worth Signing Up For

Since I’m winding this blog down but still occasionally posting, I’ve added a new email notification thingy to it so that it’s easier to find out when I have made a new entry. Signing up is quick, easy and nope, I won’t get your email address and neither will any other lists. Then on days when I do post, you’ll get an email of that post delivered straight to your inbox.
And speaking of emails, are you signed up for any of those email coupon sites like Groupon? If not, you might want to check out the following sites:

• Groupon
• WagJag
• FabFind.com
• Deal Getters

While each of them is slightly different, they all work by emailing you a daily deal. And why might you want to sign up for all this mail? Because sometimes the deals are perfect for a bride.

For example, spa and restaurant deals are very common and could help you save on your beauty and thank-you/rehearsal meal costs. Many of the coupons can also be bought as a gift for someone else so there’s a way to save on your bridal party thank-you gifts.

I’ve also seen deals on photography (while I doubt you could get your actual wedding photos cheap, I have seen some that do apply to engagement photos) and stores that sell jewellery and accessories.

Personally I’ve bought Groupon deals a few different times and it’s always been a smooth process, both buying and redeeming.

 A few weeks ago, we bought a couple Groupon coupons that, for $35 each, got us $115 at Photobook Canada. This was a fantastic offer for us since we were planning on creating photo books anyways and those things aren’t cheap. Since then we have created our books and redeemed our coupons and as usual, it was a smooth process (and yes, I will post about my Photobook Canada experience at some point but in case you’re wondering, it was positive).

While all these emails can be a bit spammy (most of them you will just delete), the deals they offer are so good that personally, I find they’re worth the email clutter. Just make sure you only buy coupons for stuff you needed to buy anyway!

Review of The William Ashley Warehouse Sale

*This was first posted on my other blog*

So I spent this morning at the William Ashley warehouse sale. Is this event for everyone? No, if you hate crowds, waiting in line or lots of options, skip it.

But if you’re getting married; know someone getting married; getting a new place to live; upgrading your plates, flatware, household décor, etc.; have a lengthy Christmas shopping list; really have any kind of Christmas shopping list or just love an amazing deal, then you want to make the trek out to Railside Road.

I have to admit that I had mixed feelings about heading out this morning to this sale. Part of that was because I had to get up early (we wanted to be there right at the opening time of 10 am because this sale does grow quite the line). But I was also worried that this sale wouldn’t have anything I needed/wanted.

My sister is getting married next year and initially I thought that this sale would be a great way to pick some pieces up for her. But then I started to worry that it would just have discontinued and plain/less attractive patterns and that I was wasting my time going out there.

I was wrong.

My sister is actually getting two different patterns and while the sale didn’t have the one, it did have the other and I was able to get her a serving pattern at an amazing price. If I was a rich sister, I would have got her the four place settings for just under $900; originally going for I think around $2,800.

Yeah, the deals are that good and the selection is excellent (yes, it even includes Wedgewood). When the time comes for me to buy fine china, I’m definitely going to be getting them through the warehouse sale.

While I didn’t buy any dishes for myself, I did get a great stainless steel bowl (you know the kind, with the wavy top) for $14,99, originally $50.

There was of course a ton of other stuff that caught my eye (as well as a few things that were mocked). This sale really had everything from the aforementioned china to glassware to small appliances to Christmas stuff to even furniture.

If you’re a DIY bride, you really want to check this sale out. There are dozens of different types of vases, a huge selection of ribbons and lots of candles and other décor-type things.

Like I mentioned at this top, this sale is not for everyone. Don’t go with a big group, don’t bring kids and do have a budget. And if you can, go on a week day; this sale on the weekend is a bit nutty.

The William Ashley warehouse sale wraps up on Sunday, December 5, and is open every day except for Mondays and Tuesdays. More details can be found over here.

My Bachelorette

I said that my goal was to more or less wrap this blog up at the end of October and clearly I’ve missed that goal because I’ve yet to write about one of the highlights of this whole wedding experience: My stagette. So let’s get to it.

My stagette was held the Saturday night before my wedding. While this timing might not work for everyone, I liked having it then. Plus, it was the only Saturday that worked for my sister, who lives in New York, and since she was organizing the whole thing, she kind of had to be there.

Before I get any further I need to give a big “Thanks” to my sister for putting together a great night. While I did give her some ideas, she really organized the bulk of it.

She also put a lot of money into it. While my guests were to give her $25 each to cover the expenses of the night, I know that she paid far more than her $25 share (I guess this is where it pays, to have a big bridal party).

We started the night at my condo. In total, I think I had about 13 guests and they started trickling in about 5:30 pm (yeah, we started early, more on that in a second). In order to cut down a bit on costs, we did ask people to bring food and that worked out really well (in fact, we had leftovers).


Alcohol was provided by me and my sister and it was served by two professional bartenders who were also part of the evening’s entertainment. While my sister actually only hired one guy from BartenderOne, we end up with two and together they taught us how to make five different drinks that I’d picked out and showed us a few bar tricks as well.

Both guys were a lot of fun and it was really nice to have someone make drinks for us. And considering we got two guys for just over $200 the price is good (they bring all their own mixing equipment but unless you want to pay extra, you provide the alcohol, pop, glasses, etc.). The one annoying thing is that because of provincial law, you have to book these guys for a minimum of six hours. Of course, you don’t actually need to have them at your event for all eight hours but since you’re paying for their time… … and that’s why my stagette started at 5:30 pm.

In addition to the bartenders, we also had a professional makeup on hand. Her name is Jessica Jean Myers and she actually wrote a little blog entry about my stagette here. She taught us all some makeup tricks and tips, using me as her model. She first did a daytime look on me (which I loved), and then a night time look (which looked amazing though it was a bit on the dramatic side). This was great for many reasons, one of them being that I didn’t have to worry about my makeup that night.

After my looks were done, she sat down with some of my friends and did their makeup. While my sister originally booked her for four hours, she ended up staying for five which was great of her and also made her price, $300, a little easier to slow (she did bring all her own stuff in case you’re wondering).

At around 11 pm we headed out via taxi to the Mod Club to go dancing. I  picked it for a few reasons: 1) If you’re on guestlist, cover’s only $5 and the bride gets in free, 2) they play music that appeals to me and most of my friends and 3) it’s a pretty relaxed and fun place. The fact that my stagette fell on the Saturday night of Caribana made all of these points extra important.

As we expected, the Mod Club wasn’t super-busy and they played the right mix of Brit-pop, newer indie/alternative stuff and the occasional dance track. While I know this isn’t what many brides are looking for at their stagette, it was fine for me and I know I had a great time.

I feel I should offer a bunch of general stagette tips but seeing that this post is already enormous, I think I’ll save those for another day.

William Ashley Warehouse Sale

William Ashley’s massive warehouse sale kicks off this Wednesday and then runs until Sunday, December 5. I’ve never been before but people I know who have been say that it’s a great place to get everything from china to things like vases and candle holders. So if you’re DIY your centrepieces or other bits of décor, you probably want to check this out.

Here are the hours:
Wednesdays - Fridays: 10 am-9 pm
 Saturdays & Sundays: 10 am-6 pm

It’s closed Mondays and Tuesdays and the site says that it’s restocked daily but I would suspect that the best stuff goes out early.

As usual for these things, it’s located way out in some industrial park.

Happy shopping!

Our Postcards Are Here

Our thank-you postcards arrived on Friday, a full week earlier than scheduled. So bonus points to Vistaprint for that (though I get the feeling that orders set to ship “slow” generally arrive ahead of schedule).

Overall we’re happy with the postcards. Yes, the paperstock could be heavier/higher quality but considering that we paid $30 for 100, glossy, coloured, custom postcards, I can’t really complain. Besides, I believe Vistaprint does give you the option to upgrade your paperstock if that’s important to you.

I should note that the back of these cards have just enough space for the addresses (we had our return one preprinted) and a short note. Personally I’m fine with that but you’re the type of person who likes to hand write notes, you’ll want to go with a proper card instead of a postcard.

I kind of wish we’d cropped our image a little different so that Shawn and I filled more of it. But then considering how awkward I generally look in closer up shots, it’s probably for the best that we didn’t.

So if you’re wondering if I would recommend Vistaprint, I totally would. Just make sure to unsubscribe yourself from its mailing list after you’ve received your order; otherwise be prepared to hear from them multiple times a week.

Photo Reality Check

I spent last weekend touching up my wedding photos, mostly removing armpit fat that my photographer had left it. Besides feeling at bit annoyed at having to do this task, and a bit frustrated with Photoshop and GIMP, the two photo editing programs I was using, I was also feeling a bit sad with how my photos turned out.

More specifically, I was feeling sad with how I looked in the photos. I do want to make it clear that I did end up with some amazing photos, it’s just that unfortunately, I don’t have an amazing one of me.

I look OK in the photos that are taken at a bit of distance, but it the closer-up ones I just look awkward. I had just assumed that I would have at least one “breathtaking” photo of myself but nope, nothing. At best, there are some shots were at least my dress looks stunning.

Other people in the pictures look great and the background in some of our shots, like the one included in this entry, are beautiful. While maybe more direction from my photographer would have resulted in some better shots, I do have to admit that the reason for my less-than-amazing photos is more me than my photographer.

Shawn and I actually had another photo shoot done in Alberta. A cousin of mine who’s a full-time, professional photographer did the photos and again, the results were the same: Some beautiful pictures where the other people in them look better than me, the bride.

The one positive thing about all of these is that it makes me glad that Shawn and I didn’t go out and spend $4,000 on a photographer. I feel like even if we had, we would have ended up with similar results and then I would have been angry, really angry (even though, again, the main reason for the poor photos would have been the fact that I’m simply not photogenic).

I guess my bit of advice for brides-to-be is to realize that photographers aren’t magicians and can only work with what they have. If you take a poor photo, well, then you take a poor photo. Yes, there are tricks of the trade and there’s always Photoshop but those things can only help to a certain point.

I think maybe I would have gotten better photos if we’d had a bit more time for just-me shots (though we did have plenty of time in Alberta and I still ended up with the same results) and if I had practiced posing. I’ve read that some celebrities spend hours standing in front of mirror, seeing how the look from different angles, in different positions. I know it sounds silly but maybe they’re onto something. 

How To Have A Fun Wedding: The Alcohol

Since it’s nearly time to wrap up this blog, it’s time to make the last entry is my “How To Have a Fun Wedding” series. Today we look at alcohol.

First off, I know there’s an ongoing debate about open bar vs. non-open bar. I say that if you can, you should have an open bar because let’s be honest, more booze generally does equal more fun (well, to a point).

But I realize that an open bar isn’t a possibility for everyone. For those people, I recommend trying to come up with a creative a solution that still allows you guests to drink for cheap without sticking you with the whole bill. A few ideas:

• Hold an open bar for a set period of time
• Have a loonie or twoonie bar
•  Pick two signature drinks and have those be free all night long
• Provide guests with two drinks tickets

At absolute minimum, provide wine for free with dinner.

People will drink more (and ideally have more fun) if they can find something they love to drink so do your best to have a reasonable variety of booze on hand. At minimum serve: Red wine, white wine, beer, vodka, gin, rum and rye and go with at least the medium price-point stuff.

Ideally, have a few different types of beer available as well as some coolers and dark and light rum. Other alcohol that’s nice to have on hand is Kahlua, Bailey’s, Raspberry Sourpuss, Blue Curacao and if your crowd’s into shots, Jagermeister and tequila. Of course, if you’ve got the budget (and the appropriate guests) you can always add in some Triple Sec, Peach Schnapps, flavoured vodkas, etc.

When you’re making your alcohol list, make sure to also keep your mix list in mind. For example, if you’re going to have Kahlua available, make sure there’s milk (and I don’t mean coffee cream, I mean actual milk). And please, don’t have cranberry juice be your only vodka-friendly mix. A person can only drink so many Cape Cods.

A wide range of mixes will also be appreciated by those at your wedding who aren’t drinking alcohol.

Signature drinks are great way to personalize and have some fun with your bar menu. Don’t feel like you have to come up with something totally new. We just took Sprite, Raspberry Sourpuss and Blue Curacao, which combine to make a drink commonly known as a “porn star” and renamed it “The Purple People Eater”. The colour worked with our wedding colours and I think a lot of people enjoyed it.

If you want, have one signature drink for the bride and another for the groom. They don’t even have to be proper “drinks”. A signature shot would certainly help to get the party going!

Postcards Ordered

So we’ve just crossed one more thing on our post-wedding to-do list: We’ve ordered our thank-you postcards.

As I discussed in this post, we decided to go with Vistaprint and so far our experience with them has been positive.

We went with this design, uploaded our photo and then Vistaprint automatically, and quite nicely, cropped it. We then added in some copy on the front, a return address on the back and we were done.

Well, we did have to skip past several pages of personalized crap (like key chains and business cardholders) before we could fully place our order but whatever, it was a small annoyance in an otherwise smooth process.

We bought 100 postcards and went with the slow shipping option so our total was $44.11. Obviously the more postcards you buy, the cheaper your per-card cost and since we went with the smallest available quantity, we didn’t really get the best deal but whatever, all we needed was 100.

Vistaprint does offer a range of shipping options. We went with the 21-day choice since that was the cheapest at about $9. But if you’re willing to pay they’ll happily get your cards to you in a few days.

We placed our order on Saturday so I expect we’ll get our postcards on either Friday, November 5 or the following Monday. Here’s hoping they turn out (I think our sample looks good)!

Vendor Reviews Round Six: The DJ

I can’t believe I forgot to review my DJ!

DJ: Anthony Wright
Rating: 5 out of 5

Generally I have a very low opinion of wedding DJs and because of that I originally wanted to go the iPod route. Then, almost a year before our wedding, we went to a wedding where the music wasn’t only good, it was great.

After a bit of convincing from Shawn, I agreed to ditch my iPod idea and instead hire Anthony. I’m very, very glad we did.

Tony was prompt, professional and played exactly what we wanted. We gave him a very detailed must play/try-to-play/don’t play list and he stuck very closely to it though at the same time, he did throw in the occasional request or pick he thought was appropriate.

Anthony doesn’t seem to have a website but email me and I’ll put you in touch with him.

Vendor Reviews Round Five: Photographer & Live Musicians

Photographer: Carruthers Photography
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

This was a good lesson in you get what you pay for. Bruce was a great deal and did take some amazing shots but sadly, the ones of me were less than wonderful.

I do wish he had spent more time touching up my photos as well as given more direction to me. I know I told him we wanted natural-looking photos but really, I meant like, reality-TV natural. There’s far too many beautiful shots ruined by my armpit fat or my head being in a weird position.

I also wish Bruce had been better at communicating with us post-wedding. Pre-wedding he was great but then post wedding I kind of had to hound him to find out what was happening with our photos.

When we booked him last October, he told us they would be done in three-four weeks. This seemed really optimistic to me, especially since doing photos isn’t Bruce’s full-time job, so I wasn’t surprised he missed that deadline (it actually took about nine weeks to get them). I just wish he would have kept us in the loop on what was happening with them.

So would I recommend Bruce? Yes but only if A) you’re naturally photogenic or B)value a reasonably priced photographer who will get you some great shots more than having a photographer who’s going to give you that breathtaking shot of yourself.

The truth is, even if I did have that “breathtaking” photo of myself, it’s not like I would do anything with it besides include it in the photo book we’re making. And really, would that photo be worth $3000 or $4000? Personally, I have to say no.

I have some more thoughts on my photos but I’ll save those for another post.


Live Musicians: Vivian Victoria Ng (piano) & Renata Vidri (violin)
Rating: 2.5 out of 5

So of all my vendors these are the only ones I wouldn’t recommend. Actually, I would recommend the violinist, Renata. She wasn’t the friendliest of people but she was talented and professional.

As for Vivian, who was our primary contact, while, she can play the piano beautifully. And she did start off as being quite professional. Shawn and I went to her house where she and Renata played us some stuff including the particular song we wanted for my walk down the aisle and there was a clear contract signed.

But on the day of wedding, Vivian showed up at the venue without some key cord. We were getting ready to line-up to walk down the aisle when the minister came up to me and said the pianist was missing. She wasn’t really missing, she was running around the neighbourhood looking for a replacement cord but I guess this wasn’t clearly communicated.

She did eventually find the cord but then there were other issues and I was given the option of walking down the aisle to just the violin, which I said no to because the song I picked needed the piano.

Eventually things were worked out but the ceremony was late and I walked down the aisle in a pissy mood.

I know stuff like this does happen and I would have been more understanding about it if Vivian had at least apologized to me. Apparently she did say something to Shawn when we was over at her keyboard, trying to help figure things out, but you know what, as the bride and the person who hired you, you should talk to, or even at least email, me.

Great Groupon Deal

Coupon-site Groupon is offering a deal that will appeal to many recent brides: $35 for $115 worth of stuff at Photobook Canada. While this amount doesn't count towards taxes or shipping and does have to be redeemed in one order, you can use it on any style of book.

Photobook Canada isn't really cheap but I've read good stuff about the site and they do offer plenty of options. They also seemed to be used by some professional photographers so that says something about them.

The one thing about Groupon is that if you want the coupon, you need to buy it today. I have used Groupon before and it's really quick and easy to use and while the deal does seem really, really good, it's totally true.

Vendor Reviews Round Four: Hair & Makeup

Let’s look at my hair and makeup vendors today.

Hair: Beautycalls: The Mobile Stylist/Bene
Rating: 4 out of 5

I have to admit that I was a bit worried about this vendor. While my hair trial was OK in the end, it did have some bumps. Bene, the hair stylist assigned to me, was 30 minutes late and it did take us a bit to find something that worked (though to be fair, I did have some ideas that didn’t work). The owner of Beautycalls, Charlene, also repeatedly mentioned how she was worried about me because she couldn’t reach me by phone the night before (I had confirmed the appointment by email) and I found that rather odd.

But on my actual wedding day things with Bene went great. She gave me the exact hair style I wanted and while it didn't last all night, it did at least make it through the photos and our ceremony.

 Things were a little bumpier with my sister (her first hair style was huge) but then she didn’t have a trial. Thankfully, Bene works really fast and soon my sister had great hair too while my mom had a nice blow-out.

Price-wise, Beautycalls is quite reasonable and because Charlene employs a number of people, she can likely find someone for your date. Compared to some vendors out there she is quite organized and even phoned me up post-wedding to see how things went. That’s something more vendors should do.


Makeup: Kim Martin
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

I really wanted to give Kim five out of five because she’s got a great personality, is excellently priced and does do a wonderful job. It’s just that she’s a bit on the slow side.

Now, this is Kim’s first real year of doing bridal makeup and I have no doubt that in a couple years time she’ll be quite speedy but for now, I would only use her if you had a small bridal party.

My two-hour long trial should have been a tip-off that Kim’s a bit on the slow side. But then we were playing around with false eyelashes and a few different looks and post-trial Kim did send me a face chart complete with colours/products used so I thought that would really speed things up. And while I’m sure it did, things could have been faster.

Bene, my hair stylist, also does makeup and I could see her watching Kim at one point and she didn’t look impressed. But once Kim was done, both my sister and I looked great (my only issue was that I could have used a touch more under eye concealer though my eyes did look fine right after she did them) and our makeup did last all night.

Kim doesn’t have a website but if you email me (wedtoblog[removethis]@gmail.com) I’ll pass her contact info over to you.

Vote For Me!

Are you on Facebook? If so, can you please head over here and vote for my entry in a contest being sponsored by Torontist and Virgin America.

All you have to do is hit the “Like” button at the bottom of the page and your vote will be recorded (if you can't see it, try again later or try using Firefox or Chrome; the button doesn't alway show in IE). You don’t have to download an app or anything like that and I won’t have access to your Facebook profile or any of your personal info.

You can vote until October 22 and it's one vote per Facebook profile.

Thanks so much for doing that for me, I really appreciate it!

Lindsay

Vendor Reviews Round Three: Invites & Flowers

Today I review my invites and my florist.


Invites: Raspberry Creations
Rating: 4 out of 5

We received tons of compliments on our invites, made by Tennessee’s Raspberry Creations. I found Raspberry Creations on Etsy.com and I completely recommend you check that site out if you’re looking for something a little different when it comes to stationary. Personally I found the whole process of proofing and buying the invites on Etsy to be excellent.

The only hitch we ran into was with our first round of RSVP cards. During the proofing stage I had asked for meal options to be added in and RC did mock up a version that had exactly what I wanted. However, the version I received had the meal options missing.

When I told Raspberry Creations about this they were very apologetic and quickly sent me out the correct cards, at no extra charge. In the end, this mistake turned out to be a great thing because I was able to use the first batch of RSVP cards alongside the invites to our out-West reception.

In addition to being great to work with, Raspberry Creations was also very reasonably priced. It cost us $3.25 US for an invite, coloured envelope and RSVP card.


Flowers: Flowergirls
Rating: 4 out of 5

I really wanted to give Flowergirls and its owner, Jenn, five out of five because Jenn herself was great to work with. She was able to put together some amazing ideas despite our miniscule floral budget and she really wowed me by getting the lilies I really wanted at no extra charge.

Unfortunately, as I would later learn, Jenn was up North at another wedding on my wedding day so her staff looked after my flowers. And while things did look good, my cake topper was missing and the orchids in my bouquet were mostly closed buds (I was hoping they would open as the day progressed but nope).

I think that had Jenn been there, things would have looked a bit better. On the plus side, when I pointed out the missing cake flowers, she immediately offered a refund.

I also found Flowergirls’ paperwork to be a little messy. Our initial contract was great and clearly spelled out what was due and when. But subsequent versions were missing that info (to be fair, we needed other versions because we kept changing the number of corsages and boutonnières we needed).

I would recommend Flowergirls but if you’re dealing with a good size flower budget or are really fussy about your flowers, make sure that Jenn will be on site to make sure everything gets done just right.

Vendor Reviews Round Two: The Rings

Let’s move on to round two of my vendor reviews. Today we’ll look at the places we got our rings from.

Shawn’s Wedding Ring: TitaniumKay.com
Rating: 5 out of 5

We bought Shawn’s ring online from a great site called TitaniumKay.com. You can read my longer review here or just go straight to the site and check out its huge selection of tungsten and titanium rings. They are all excellently priced and the service we had from them was great, even when we had to return Shawn’s ring because the sizing wasn’t right.


My Wedding Ring: Jilian Maddin at Made You Look
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Because of the cut of my engagement ring, I knew I’d need a custom wedding ring made. We decided to go with Made You Look because it’s near our house and it also consistently gets great reviews in beauty magazine.
And those praises are totally deserved. After discussing what we wanted and what our price point was, we were quickly paired up with Jilian who worked with us to create something that would be in our budget and that I love wearing for the rest of my life.

While I do recall the ring taking a little longer than expected to make, the end result was worth the wait. Plus, it wasn’t like we were in a rush since we had my ring made back in the spring.

While what I had made might not be to everyone’s style, Made You Look has access to a wide range of jewellers who cater to all kinds of looks and I would definitely recommend starting with that shop if you need a custom ring made.

Just keep in mind that you're dealing with custom-made jewellery. While you can get something reasonably priced, it won't be "cheap".

Vendor Reviews Round One: Cake & Venue

So I wanted to wait to do my vendor reviews until I had all my vendor-related dealings wrapped up but since I’m still waiting for my photos, I’ve decided to start posting them now, two at a time.

Let’s start with two of my favourite vendors (all ratings out of five).

Cake: The Sweet Escape Patisserie
Rating: 5 out of 5

No debate here, we picked the perfect bakery. Michelle, the owner, was great to work with, her prices were amazing (we paid somewhere between $300 and $400 for everything) and the cake and cupcakes she made were an all-out smash hit. We order 12 dozen cupcakes and we had exactly 99 guests. Despite having way more cupcakes than guests, we ended the night with fewer than ten leftovers (and I know some people didn’t have one). So that pretty much says it all right there.

The only downside was that I didn’t get to taste all of the dozen flavours that we ordered.


Venue/Food: The Berkeley Church
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

If we had to do it all over again, we would definitely pick the same venue. While it wasn’t cheap, going with the Berkeley was money well-spent in the end, particularly since we were able to save money on alcohol since we brought in our own and we décor since the Berkeley really didn’t need much.

We loved the look and the feel of this place and I think our guests, for the most part, liked it. I do know that they pretty much all loved the food and the generous portions they were given. And more than a few of them also quite liked the Berkeley staff’s openness to having a great party.

Our only issues with the Berkeley had to do with communication, a complaint I’ve heard about from others. Our initial planner (who I believe no longer works there) was flaky. Our new planner, Kathy, was much better but the transition was a bit bumpy (we’d booked some meetings with the OP and then things had to change when we got Kathy) and I think we missed out on getting some key info early on (we didn’t find out some details about candle usage until two weeks before our weddings; candles

were a key part of our décor).

But I will give them full credit for starting us off with a very detailed, very useful proposal that allowed us to have a clear understanding of costs as well as what was due when, an idea that many other wedding vendors should look into

My New Blog

While this blog is steadily wrapping up, I have another one started over here.

It’s called Stuff I Bought and it’s basically a product review blog. While I’m up for reviewing pretty much anything I’ve bought, there will be a heavy focus on beauty products.

Since that’s also a Blogger blog, you can follow it using Google Friend Connect (just scroll down to the bottom). I also set it up with Facebook’s Networked Blogs.

So if you’re already following WedTO, please consider following my new blog. I think you’ll like it!

Slice is Casting

I was on Craigslist today and I came across a posting made by Slice Network. It’s a casting call for GTA couples for a new wedding show:

Getting married? Slice is giving couples a free high-end wedding planner and potentially thousands of dollars’ worth of assistance.

We’re casting for ENGAGED COUPLES AND THEIR MOMS who live within the GTA and are planning to get married in the next year but have been putting it off. 

Couples should be open to the idea of having their moms help organize the wedding. 

To find out more, please call 416-504-7317 x559 

I assume that having an “interesting” relationship with your mother will increase your chance of getting casted.

Anyway, you can see the original post here.

What To Do With Your Dress

While post-wedding tasks are nothing compared to pre-wedding ones, there’s still a small list of things you need to get done and one the trickier ones is to decide what to do with your wedding dress.

There seems to be three main options:

1. Keep your dress
2.  Sell your dress
3. Trash your dress

That third option has becoming increasingly popular and if that’s your thing and you’ve got some money to burn, hey, go for it, but personally it doesn’t appeal.

OK, there are some amazing trash-the-dress photos out there

Right now I’m debating between option #1 and option #2. Option #2 is definitely the more practical one but it’s also kind of sad. I have to admit that a part of me wants to keep my dress even though I realize that it will likely spend the rest of its life in a box.

I did read somewhere (I think on a blog) about a woman who puts her wedding dress on every year on her birthday (I think she just does this at home and doesn’t wear it one in public).  That’s kind of a fun idea and it does mean that at least your dress is getting out of its box. It also doubles as a sort of weight check.

So maybe I’ll end up doing that. The only thing is that my dress is currently in Alberta. I deliberately left it there after our out-West reception because my parents have way more storage space than Shawn and I do. But at some point it’ll make the trip back to Toronto.

Besides sentimental reasons, the other big reason why I’m not that interested in selling is that it’s a hassle. Both the Canadian Bride and the Wedding Bells forums are packed with dresses for sale so there’s a ton of competition out there, most at great prices.

If you plan on selling your dress, don’t expect to be making even close to your money back. I’ve seen more than a few dresses being offered at around half price and that’s not necessarily including the money that went into alterations and cleaning.

And once you have an interested buyer, she may want to come over and try on the dress and she’ll probably want to negotiate a lower price and really, it just seems like a big pain.

I know I could skip some of that pain by taking my dress to a consignment or second-hand store but the prices those places offer are generally poor unless you have an amazing, big, big name dress.

There is a fourth option I didn’t list above and that’s to donate your dress to The Bride’s Project, an organization that sells used wedding dresses and donates the funds to cancer-related charities, including Wellspring, The Canadian Cancer Society and The Breast Cancer Foundation. The Bride’s Project also accepts and sells accessories such as veils and tiaras.

It really is a great cause and worth looking into if you know you don’t want to keep your dress but aren’t interested in selling or trashing it.

Candle Holders For Sale

I just want to let everyone know that I still have some candle holders for sale!

I have eight of the purple ones (they can be used for a tea light as well as for whatever you call the next size up) and they are quite pretty. I’m selling them for $2 or all eight for $12.

Then there are the clear ones. They fit a tea light on one side and a candlestick on the other. We put clear labels on them and used them in lieu of escort cards.  I have several dozen of these things and I’m selling them for $.075 each (reduced price) or 10 for $7.

I will ship and I will meet you along the subway line if that's easier. You can also come to my place to pick them up.

If you’re interested, send me an email at wedtoblog[removethis]@gmail.com.

Make Your Own Wedding Photo Book

I’m not a Mac user (other than my phone) but wow, I wish I had so that I could use Mac’s iPhoto book-building feature.

Photographers will charge you hundreds of dollars to make a personalized photo album but with iPhoto, the digital copies of your photos and a bit of creativity, you can create a 13x11-inch, hardcover, 20-page book for $50 ($1.149 for every extra page).

To see the whole thing in action, check out this video.

While I’ve never made one, a friend of mine has seen the results and was quite impressed. Of course, while Apple gives you the tools to create a truly professional product, it is up to you to supply the high-quality photos and typo-free copy.

Hmm... I wonder I can rent a Mac Book from somewhere?

Our Thank-you Postcards

So we’re still waiting to get our photos back (so much for three-four weeks). I’m not worried we won’t get them, just anxious to see that at least some turned out and also anxious to get going on our thank-you cards.

Actually, we’re doing thank-you postcards instead or regular cards and yep, we’ll be jumping on board that trend of using our wedding photos on the front.

We decided to go with postcards because they’re quicker (no envelope) and a bit cheaper, at least with the company we’re going with.

And that company is: Vistaprint. I came across Vistaprint while researching invites and though they didn’t quite have what I was looking for invite-wise, they do offer a ton of great make-your-own-postcard options.

Since we don’t have any photos yet, I’m not sure what template we’ll go with but I’m sure we’ll be able to find something that works since Vistaprint offers dozens of options. They also offer plenty of options if you’d prefer a folded or flat card.

While I’ve never used Vistaprint, the reviews I’ve read online about them are generally good (at least the Canadian version). They’re quick, give you want you asked for and while the quality isn't amazing, the prices are great.

The site layout is a bit clumsy but I think anyone who can figure out Facebook photo albums can figure out how to create an invite on Vistaprint.

So far the only downside I’ve seen is that the company is a horrible over-emailer. I mean, it’s great that they want to tell me how much money I can save but I don’t need to hear from them multiple times a week. I’ve also read that your checkout process is slowed down by the endless upgrade and special offers they present though I’m not too worried about that, they’re not getting me to buy anything other than my postcards.

If you’re curious to know more about Vistaprint, check out this article where it’s compared to 123Print.com, a company that doesn’t ship to Canada.

Once I get my cards back, I’ll make sure to post and let you know how they look.

There are also lots of other options out there if you want to do a photo thank-you card. I recommend actually starting at home and seeing if your computer or printer came with any software that could let you put something together. Craft store stores like Michaels, as well as those photo printing booths at Walmart and Black’s, also offer their own approach to photo cards.

If you’re a Mac user, you’ll definitely want to check out what you can make with iPhoto. But I’ll talk a bit more about that in my next blog entry.

What Else To Write About...

Our second reception, held two Saturdays ago out in Alberta, went off fairly smoothly even if we did run a little behind schedule. And thankfully the snow waited until the next day to fall!

With that done, I’m planning on wrapping this blog up by the end of October though there is a chance I might occasionally make a post here or there.

I know a few topics that I still want to cover including my stagette, thank-you notes and a quick review of all of my vendors. Is there anything you’d like to see me write about?

Wedding Hair Inspiration

Looking for wedding hair inspiration? Well, you could flip through a bridal magazine (or maybe even one of the special hair-only bridal magazines), scan through the appropriate wedding board posts or spend hours trying to put together your own creation in front of the mirror.

Alternatively, you could just head over to Google’s image search, type in “wedding hair” and get hundreds and hundreds of hair ideas in one quick, easy move.

Add in a modifier like “long” or “curly” to help narrow down the results (though note that this won’t strictly return long hair pictures, for example) or get even more specific by using a phrase like “curly bridal hair flowers”. You can even sort by colour, if for some reason that would be helpful.

I typed in “wedding hair long wavy”, “wedding hair long” and “best wedding hair” to get some ideas on how to wear my hair on Saturday (my second reception). While a lot of the results weren’t quite what I was looking for, I was able to get a few ideas that I think might work.

Off to Alberta

So today’s the day Shawn and I fly out to Alberta for about a week for our “out-West” reception. It’s taking place this Saturday at the lovely Overlander Mountain Lodge. I hope it’s not too cold!

This reception is much smaller and more low-key than our actual wedding. It’ll have just under 60 guests, mostly my parents friends and my dad’s family (while some of them did attend our Toronto wedding, many of them were unable to). There will be a dinner, complete with wine, but sadly no open bar. And even more sadly, there won’t be dancing.

But my mom did order a cake as well as bouquets, corsages and boutonnières and a couple floral arrangements for décor. and I’m also going to bring some décor from here.

I have a second cousin who’s a professional photographer and we will be going out with him prior to the dinner to do some photos at a nearby lake, as well as take some at the actual lodge. I’m actually quite looking forward to that since I did find our wedding day photography session a little rushed since we were crushed for time.

I will be getting my hair professionally done but I’ll do my own make-up. And yes, I will be wearing my wedding dress (likely both versions) while my sister will be wearing her maid-of-honour outfit. Shawn though will be skipping the rental and bringing a suit he already owns.

Pretty Paper

I am not a DIY-bride but if you are, or, if you want to feel guilty about not spending dozens of hours slaving over beautiful projects that will likely only be appreciated by those of us with critical eyes, read this article from last week’s Star about the growing trend of DIY paper decorations.

Make sure to check out the slideshow. It showcases some really beautiful pieces, including a paper dress.

While a paper dress probably isn’t for most brides, the idea of using paper décor to replace flowers is definitely an ideal that might appeal to some. Like the article points out, the cost can be comparable and paper does open up a whole new world of possibilities.

Need An Idea for Your Bachelorette?

I haven’t written at all about my bachelorette yet have I? I’ll have to do that because it was a lot of fun. Anyways, in the meantime, check out this post over on Slice.ca about bachelorette ideas that don’t involve stripped (and no, mine didn’t).

What We Bought For Alcohol

One of the trickiest things we had to do in regards with our wedding was figure out how much alcohol we needed to buy. While there are plenty of alcohol calculators out there, we still were left wondering if the numbers they gave us made sense for our group (around 100 people, mostly adults, with 30-25% being heavy drinkers).

Thankfully we had a pair of friends get married in June who also had to buy their booze. While their numbers and crowd make-up was a bit different than ours, we used their quantities to figure out what we needed.

Still, we didn’t quite get it right. Here’s how things broke down for us:

Wine

Bought

• Three cases of red (all Shyrah)
• Three cases of white (two Chardonnay, one pinot grigio)

Returned

• One case of red
• One case of white (the pinot was never opened)

Leftover (includes opened, combined bottles):

• At least a dozen bottles of red (this included opened, combined bottles)
• Fewer than 10 bottles of white

Beer

Bought

• 14 cases

Returned

• 7 cases

Hard Alcohol

Bought

• 5 bottles of vodka (40 oz)
• 5 bottles of rye (fifth)
• 3 bottles of gin (fifth)
• 2 bottles of dark rum (40 oz)
• 1 bottle of light rum (40 oz)
• 2 bottles of Raspberry Sourpuss (40 oz)
• 1 bottle of Raspberry Sourpuss (fifth)
• 2 bottles of tequila (40 oz)
• 2 bottles of blue cucacao (fifth)
• 2 bottles of Jagermeister (40 oz)
• 1 bottle of scotch (40 oz)
• 1 bottles of Kahlua (40 oz)

Also, one 24-mix pack of Mike’s Hard Lemonade, all of which was consumed

Returned

• 1 bottle of vodka
• The fifth of Sourpuss

Leftover

• Most of the scotch
• Half-bottle of tequila
• Half-bottle of light rum
• A third of gin
• Just a few ounces each of vodka, rye, blue cucacao and Sourpuss
• Oh, and the entire bottle of Kahlua that we couldn’t return because the seal had been broken

The leftover wine number didn’t shock me but the beer number did. I think the reason for that was that all of our beer came from Mill Street and I guess our crowd wasn’t big on Mill Street (though Shawn and a few of his friends do regularly drink it).

We were though pretty dead-on when it came to the hard alcohol. Except for the Kahlua; I wonder why no one drank any of that…

Check Out My New Blog

I have a new blog. It’s called Stuff I Bought and it’s basically me reviewing various products, everything from mascara to fast food to small appliances.

You can follow it via Facebook, Google Connect or scroll down to the bottom to see the different ways that you can subscribe to it.

I hope you like it and yes, I’ll be continuing with my wedding blog for a few more weeks, since I still need to post about a few different things.

Preserving Your Wedding Bouquet

So my attempts at preserving my wedding bouquet failed. I was able to preserve a little bit of it but sadly, most of it had to get tossed because it became moldy.

If you really want to make sure your bouquet gets fully preserved, you should get it professionally done. Your florist can generally recommend someone or maybe even do it for you. But be warned, this process isn’t cheap. You’re looking at least $100, probably more, and depending on what process is used, it can take as long as 10 weeks. And for best results, your flowers should be dropped off at the florist as soon as possible, so this becomes yet another task for your post-wedding to-do list.

However, on the plus side, you will have a beautifully preserved bouquet and if you want, you can even have it turned into something you can hang on your wall (some people will have a sort of “wedding college” made that includes a copy of the invite and some pictures).

If you’d rather take the DIY route, there are two methods that are generally used and you can read more about them over here. The first is the basic way that I sort of did. It involves hanging your bouquet upside down to dry and then, once everything is dried, spraying the flowers with a dried flower spray or hairspray.

With this method you’re supposed to take the bouquet apart and hang the individual flowers to dry and I didn’t totally do this and as a result I don’t think my flowers were totally dry (hence the mold).

Also, my bouquet contained a lot of orchids and apparently it’s hard to preserve those yourself (though oddly enough they looked better than the lilies did). Roses though are quite easy to preserve so if your bouquet is quite rose-heavy, you might want to consider the hang-drying method.

The second method, which involves placing the flowers in silica gel, is more complicated though generally has better results.

See Jane Dayus-Hinch at The National Bridal Show

Look who you can meet next weekend...

It's a bit of a pain that this show is way out in Mississauga. At least the January edition is in Toronto! I did check that one out earlier this year and you can read my review of it here.

How To Have A Fun Wedding: The Bride

As promised, a post on how you, the bride, can have a fun wedding…

1. Give People Jobs: It’s an obvious one but it’s also a hard one because it means giving up control. It’s also one of the best decisions you can make. Assign people tasks and let them worry about those jobs, not you. As long as you’ve pick responsible people and given clear, written-out instructions, it’ll be fine.
   
2. Breath: People always say that their wedding day flew by and they don’t remember much. This always makes me a bit sad because this a big day, don’t you want to remember as much of it as possible? My trick to slowing things down and taking them in was to mentally and physically pause, take a few deep breaths and just observe what was going on around me. At other times I mentally told myself to pay attention and remember this moment.
   
3. Eat: I’m not just taking just about dinner but the whole day. You’re not going to lose that last little bit of weight on your actual day so eat a proper breakfast as well as something for lunch. And yes, do eat your dinner, even if that means having to sit down and “ignore” your guests for a bit.
   
4. Drink Smart: I avoided any alcohol before the ceremony because I wanted to minimize bathroom trips but I do think that depending on your metabolism/history with alcohol, you can get away with a drink or two. But since alcohol tends to make people more emotional, don’t over do it, wait until later in the evening to really start partying.
   
5. Set a “Partying” Start Time: Speaking of which, have an approximate time when you stop being the polite bride who nicely socializes with everyone and becomes the “fun” bride who grabs a drink and heads out onto the dance floor.
   
   The truth is, if you want to have fun at your wedding you’re likely going to have to proactively create time for yourself to let loose. This advice might come across as a bit selfish here but trust me, you’re going to want to do this.

Yes, I Did Have Fun At My Wedding

I have to say that not only did I have a lot of fun at my own wedding but that it was the most fun I’d ever had at a wedding. Shawn also feels the same way. Here’s why I think we had such a good time…

The Guests: While I do wish that a few more of my friends could have been there, I don’t feel like we missed inviting anyone or that we invited anyone we shouldn’t have. Most importantly though I got to spent a good chunk of time with friends/younger family members and have fun with them, as did Shawn.

The Atmosphere: It was relaxed but not casual and personally I really liked that. Our candle-heavy décor and the venue itself also helped to create an almost nightclub-like atmosphere that naturally lended itself to plenty of dancing and drinking.

The Alcohol: Open bars are great; open bars that offer a wide range of alcohol are even better and that’s what I liked about ours, the variety it offered. We also only ran out of one thing, dark rum so that was good too.

The Music: For me this was the biggie because I love music, I love to dance and sadly, most of the wedding’s I’ve been to have bad music and no one dancing. This was not the case at mine, largely in part because the DJ stuck to the playlist that Shawn and I had carefully created. He mixed everything together in a way that kept the momentum going and also threw in his own well-timed selections. The end results was that a lot of people were dancing

Most of these are topics that I’ve already mentioned in my “how to have a fun wedding” mini-guide (I still need to write one up about alcohol and I promise to do that before this project is wrapped up). While these are all areas that you’re going to consider as part of your wedding planning, I do think that if you come at them from the perspective of having a great time, you’ll end up with more fun results that you and your guests will enjoy.

And yes, I think a good chunk of my guests did have a good time. Many people said they had a lot of fun and I have no doubt that those two dozen or so people who spent lots of time on the dance floor had a great time.

The only complaints I heard was that the music was too loud near the end and that some of the faster songs weren’t to everyone’s taste. But I expected that and I much rather caterer to the people who were out there dancing and having fun (including Shawn and myself) than those who’d just sit around regardless of the music situation.

Also, not everyone was a fan of our beer choice but I’ll discuss that in a future entry because that was certainly a learning point.

My next entry though will be focused on what you the bride can do to have a good time because the truth is, you can have best guests/alcohol/atmosphere/music in the world and still have a crappy time at your wedding if you don’t relax and stop worrying. I know letting go of control is hard but trust me, it can be done and on your actual wedding day, it’s for the best.

Headed To The CNE?

Yesterday I was at the CNE and while I was there I noticed that home supply stores Bowring and Benix were there, selling off a wide variety of vases that would be ideal for centrepieces. Bowring was also selling those coloured décor gels that some people use in their centrepieces.

Everything was being offered at a reduced price and I have no doubt that at least some of these sale prices really were sales. I was actually at a Bowring last weekend and noticed that it had some nice though not exactly cheap vase option. Now, at the Ex, vases that were going for $40 at the store are on sale for $20. OK, still not dirt cheap but not a crazy price for a vase, especially if you’re creating the centrepieces yourself.

I’m not sure what the quantity situation is like but since at least some of what’s on sale is current stock, so something could probably be worked out. And at least at Bowring, you can leave your purchases there until you’re ready to go home so that you don’t have to walk around with a dozen glass vases.

I wouldn’t make a special trip to the Ex for these vendors unless you’ve already decided to use vases from one of those stores however, if you’re headed to the CNE anyways, you might as well head over to the Direct Energy Centre and check out what they have to offer.

Write Down The Details

I’m sure you’ve already been told dozens of times by now to get all the key details – start times, end times, deposit deals, etc. – in writing. And while I certainly add my voice to that chorus, I want to also take a moment to encourage you to also get all the little details in writing too.

Now, people say “don’t sweat the small stuff” but on your wedding day, someone will be sweating the small stuff. If you’re a super-carefree, go-with-the-flow kind of person, you might not be the sweater, but someone, your mom, your maid of honour, your venue contact, will at some point be staring at something and wondering if it’s looking the way it should. And that’s where having the small details documented comes in.


How these details are organized is up to you, the point is that you and those associated with you have a printed reference to everything from your timeline to your flowers to your cake. This way everyone’s on the same page, people are better organized (and therefor ideally calmer) and issues can be spotted and dealt with earlier.

Another reason for documenting the little details is that having all that stuff written down makes it a lot easier to get a refund, should things not work out. This seems to be a situation that pops up the most with florists and decorating, maybe because there’s so much “imagining” and “visioning” going on. Also, many decorators and florists sell packages that then get modified and well, if those modifications aren’t written down, you can see how things can easily go to a disappointing place.

The point is, it’s much easier to get money back if you can say, “Hey, there’s the email where you promise that for this price, I’ll get package A but with roses instead of lilies and no underlighting on the head table,” than to say, “Hey, I know the contact says that I’m paying for package A but don’t you remember how we talking about changing some stuff?”

A few details that you’ll want to get written down:

• All flower types and colours being used as well as approximate quantities; ribbons, bouquet jewellery and other related items should be detailed out


• Such vase/container/centrepiece details as size, shape, colour, quantities


• Such cake stand details as size, shape, material, any extras/enhancements


• Drapping details would include colours, fabric types, sizes and placement. This is an area where ideally you have a photo of what the drapping should look like, as well as a photo of what fabric(s) is being used


• Chair cover details would include colour, fabric type and any extras/enhancements. This is another area where a photo is ideal


• Your caterer should provide you with a detailed list of what exactly is being served and while you don’t need to know how many baby potatoes each person is getting, you will want numbers for your hors d’oeuvres and possibly even your midnight snack


• Bar details should touch on both alcoholic and non-alcoholic offerings and could even look at what types of glasses and garnishes will be available (though even I’ll admit that might be too detailed for some)

Registry Wrap-Up

So how have you spent your weekend? We got to spend ours going to Home Outfitters twice – once Friday night, then again today, to pick up presents.

While I love getting presents, it would have been nice if we could have just made one trip. However, the Bay/Home Outfitters registry program isn’t the most organized creation.

It’s also sort of slow. While they do warn you that you might have to wait a bit for your pick-up store to get your present in stock, they don’t state that waiting is the norm. Well, at least it’s the norm at the Sherway Gardens Bay. We waited about a month for our luggage, and then we only found out that it was there because we called.

Currently we’re waiting for a few other items that

were purchased from The Bay at least two weeks ago now. But I believe that today’s pick-up at Home Outfitters will be out last registry-related trip out there so that’s good.

Overall I have to say that we had a better experience with Home Outfitters than the Bay. The staff was pleasanter, items arrived quicker and it never forgot to call us when something arrived.

Home Outfitters also said that it would take 10% off the Dyson we registered for as part of its registry completion program. The Bay has the same 10% completion program however there that discount only applies to certain departments and sadly the Dyson doesn’t fall within one of them (in case you’re wondering the discount basically applies to china, glassware, cookware, linens, small appliances and most kitchen-related stuff, minus major appliances).

Interestingly, we had more people buy items from The Bay than Home Outfitters. I’m assuming that’s because Bays are generally located inside malls and can be a bit easier to get to than the big-box style Home Outfitters.

Because of that, I certainly wouldn’t recommend registering at just Home Outfitters. As well, the Bay offers a far greater selection of items, particularly if you want to start a china collection.

So here’s what I do recommend: Register at both stores but place any bigger items (like a Dyson) on your Home Outfitters list. I also recommend placing smaller items, wine charms for example, on your Home Outfitters list since it seems to go a quicker job at getting those items in.

I know a lot of brides aren’t big fans of registering but while it can be a bit time consuming, it can also be fun and it makes all those people who rather buy physical gifts than give cash happy.

Just think of this as your opportunity to get all those things that you would normally never buy. For example, we registered for a steamer and we got it and trust me, a steamer is something we never would have just gone out and bought.