Where to Register in Toronto

Below’s a quick list of places where you can register:

The Bay/Home Outfitters: Probably your best bet when it comes to the variety of items offered. Also a good choice if you have guests from all across the country.

Sears: If you’re more in need of power tools than china, pick Sears instead of The Bay. Sears is also a good pick for those of you who love to travel because its gift cards can be redeemed at Sears Travel.

Crate and Barrel: Time for some blunt honesty: The stuff at Crate and Barrel looks great but please trust my first-hand knowledge when I say the furniture quality is crap. But it’s not a bad choice for small stuff like glass wear and vases.

Bed, Bath and Beyond: While I don’t know about the quality of the bigger stuff, the smaller items are perfectly fine and some of the designs are more contemporary than what you find at The Bay or Sears.

William Ashley: If you’re big into china, crystal and similar items you’ll want to register here. Do though keep in mind that there are only two William Ashley stores, the Bloor Street one and another one in Mississauga, so your guests will either need to live near by or be comfortable shopping online.

Williams Sonoma: Are you a foodie? Are your guests wealthy? Then this might just be the place for you to register.

Kitchen Stuff Plus: An alternative to Williams Sonoma.

Carnival Cruises: Planning to make your honeymoon a cruise? Then have your guests help contribute to it by registering for a Carnival Cruise.

Flight Centre: There are a ton of honeymoon registry options out there but many of them exist only online and that can make some people (including the guests) uncomfortable. So if you want to do the honeymoon registry thing, go with something like Flight Centre that also has physical stores that guests can stop by (and you) can stop by at.

Registering at The Bay & Home Outfitters

We are now officially registered at The Bay and Home Outfitters. Much to my surprise this was a fairly smooth process that only had a couple of hiccups.

We started the registering process back in late January at the National Bridal Show where we filled out some forms and picked a few essential items that they had on display. Someone from The Bay and Home Outfitters was then supposed to call us within two week but that of course didn’t happen. Hiccup #1.

A quick phone call to the Home Outfitters on the Queensway set up an appointment there but no one was answering at Sherway Mall Bay so we had to physical go there, track someone down and make the appointment. This was hiccup #2 and was easily the biggest issue we had with setting up our registry.

Our first appointment was at Home Outfitters and we had our scanning gun within minutes of sitting down with the clerk. Prior to getting the gun we had to fill out a bit of paperwork and listen to speech about how we shouldn’t scan clearance items and returned items would be issued store credit only and then we off on our way.

We don’t need a ton of stuff and we’d already scanned the essential items at the wedding show so all we did was add a handful of like-to-have type items to the registry and then we were done. The whole process took maybe an hour.

Our appointment at The Bay was a couple weeks later and I was a bit worried about it. I’ve heard horror stories about having to sit with the consultant for an hour, listening to a lecture on the benefits of fine china, or worse, ending up with a consultant who follows you around.

Thankfully we didn’t run into any of this. While we did have to wait a few minutes for a consultant, once she got to us she quickly went over the paperwork, asked us a few questions about our guest count and what kind of place we lived in and then passed over the gun.

Shawn theorizes that the consultant spent so little time with us because we said we lived in a one-bedroom condo that didn’t need any major appliances. So there you go, if you want a speedy registry consultation at The Bay make it clear that you don’t have much room for stuff.

I’m also happy to report that we had no issues activating the $25 gift cards that we’d received at the bridal show. We simply showed them to our consultants and they loaded up the cards and gave them back to us when we brought back the gun. So if you can, wait and start the registry process at a bridal show that’s being sponsored by The Bay and make yourself $50.

Wedding Cake Shopping in Toronto

Today we stopped by Yummy Stuff on Queen St. W. to get a cake quote. The baker wasn’t in so the girl working took my contact info and said that someone would be in touch to gather more details. She did though say that their wedding cakes start at $4, so the going standard for wedding cakes.

The Wedding Cake Shoppe: This place offers some yummy options.

OMG Baked Goodness: I’ve never tried this place but it’s always busy.

Dufflet: I could live off of Dufflet pastries.

Anywhere else we should try? We want to go with a downtown-ish bakery that's reasonably priced, reliable and of course that makes amazing cake.

I love Papillion Cakes but they are out of my price range. Then there were a trio of bakeries that I checked out at the National Bridal Show and while they were all good, none of them blew Shawn or I away.

Anyway, I hope to have picked a baker by the end of March so I'll let you all know how it goes.

Wedding Photography Locations in Toronto

I want to share this amazing post from the CanadianBride.com TalkBoards with all you because it is simply the best list I’ve seen of Toronto wedding photography locations.

It includes location, feature, permit and contact info for almost thirty different locations and then lists off a couple dozen other great spots to do your pictures at.

I have no doubt that many of you will find it extremely useful and because of that I want to give a big “Thanks!” to Levenah, the author of the post for creating it.

Looking For Hair & Make-up People

Anyone out there have any recommendations for an amazing make-up artist and a patient hair stylist who do at-home wedding hair and make-up? The lucky people would also be doing my sister’s hair and make-up and probably my mom’s hair and make-up as well.

The make-up artist and hair stylist can work as a team or not and while I of course want people who are great, I’m fine with them being fairly new to the world of bridal beauty.

I do want people who will come to my house and do our hair and make-up there because getting to and from a salon just seems like a hassle that can easily be avoided. Also, my hair hates being styled so the less time between the curling iron and the camera the better (yes, we’re doing our photos before the ceremony, more on that later).

So if you have any recommendations, leave them in the comment section, Facebook them to me or email me at wedtoblog[removespace]@gmail.com. Thanks!

Wedding Invite Wording

Invite wording is one of those aspects of wedding planning that seems to be extra loaded with tradition and etiquette and because of that, people can be surprisingly opinionated and sensitive about it. So tread cautiously; these could be the hardest words you ever have to write (well, unless you’re creating your own vows).

Traditionally, the bride’s parents’ names always appeared at the top since they were the ones paying the bill. And if this is your situation, this may be a tradition you want to continue (or are told to continue). But if it’s not your situation, then you have a lot of options in front of you.

First off, do keep in mind who’s paying. Like pretty much everything else to do with your wedding, the less you’re contributing, the less say you have. So if your wedding bills are being largely paid by family, make sure they get to see your wording before you head to the printers.

Secondly, the wording on your invite should “match” the theme and tone of your wedding so basically, the more formal the wedding, the less cutesy the copy.

Thirdly, your invite copy should be appropriately informative. The actual invite needs to include the why as well as the ceremony when and where, including an actual address. Most invites also include reception details though some fancier/more formal ones include that on a separate sheet of paper. But however you chose to present those details, make it clear in your invite package that yes, there is a reception and here’s when and where it is.

While this does vary from circle to circle, most people assume that a wedding reception involves an open bar and a seated dinner. If you’re doing something different, make this clear (again, this information doesn’t have to be included on the actual invite). The same thing goes for dress codes, no-children weddings and any other need-to-know details.

But don’t include anything about registering or how you’d prefer just cash. While it’s fine to put that info on your wedding website (which can certainly be mentioned on your invite), don’t include it in any shape or form in your invite package.

While many brides want their wedding to be as original as possible, invite copy is one area where it's usually safer to copy something existing than come up with something totally fresh. Take a look at the dozens of invite copy examples over at Invitation Consultants or use TheKnot.coms invite wording wizard, perfect for those of you with complicated family situations.

Whatever wording you go with, make sure that at least two other people proof your invite copy because all the etiquette in the world doesn’t matter if your wording contains a typo.

The Great Hall's Gotten a Makeover

Want to get married this summer in Toronto at a unique downtown venue? Then you’ll want to check out the Great Hall. This was actually the first place we looked at and while we liked it, the fact that you couldn’t bring in your own alcohol and that it had peach walls knocked it out of the running for us.

But since then the Great Hall has under gone quite the makeover and while you still can’t bring in your own booze, the peach walls are gone. Check out this article in this week’s Eye to find out more about the transformation and see some pictures.

Then head over to the Great Hall’s blog to see what dates they have available (this calendar is great idea and something more venues should have). While the blog is a little light on other booking info right now, I’m sure the new people behind the Great Hall will be quick to answer your questions over email.

Or head down this weekend to the open house and ask those questions in person while you check this appropriately named venue out.

Some Wedding Articles

Today’s edition of the Toronto Star features several-wedding themed articles (because of Valentine Day???) but while there are quite a few pieces, most of them aren’t very useful. Some, like this piece on flowers, don’t really contain any practical details while this piece on bridal fashion reminds us that the bride should be dazzling since it’s her big day.

Then we have the story of Marco and Christine’s elegant, laid-back wedding at a castle in France. It does sound like a lovely wedding that completely suits the couple and, since the bride grew up near the castle, makes sense geographically for them. But it’s not really a story that most Toronto brides are going to find useful.

Thankfully there are a trio of articles that are worth your time. Photo booths are the big must-have element to have at your wedding right now and if you want to hop on that trend, you’ll want to read this piece on where you can rent one.

This article on bridal beauty contains some useful tips (do wear make-up but skip the tanning booth) as well as info on Gee Beauty’s customized skin-care regime for brides (I wish I had the extra cash for that).

Then there’s this story on Twobirds Bridemaids. Twobird dresses sound amazing so it’s too bad that no local shops sell them and that the designer, who’s in Toronto this weekend, is fully book with appointments. Well, here’s hoping her plan to open a store in Yorkville this fall comes true.

Wedding To-Do List Update

We’re almost halfway done February so I figure now’s a good time to see how our to-do list is coming along:

January

• Get sample invite – done!
• Write invite copy – getting proofread this weekend
• Get guys’ outfits – uh, we have some catalogues
• Block off hotel rooms – this weekend I swear
• Start the registering process - done
• Make short list of cake bakers - done
• Make short list of florists – not quite done
• Make short list of officiates – the venue’s given us a couple of names

February

• Figure out flowers & hire a florist – to be done
• Figure out hair & make-up & book – to be done
• Hire cake baker – to be done
• Hire a DJ – this we’ve actually done
• Hire an officiate – to be done
• Buy invites – just waiting on figuring out the wording

Yeah, so we have bit of work to do but I think we’ll be able to get pretty much all of this done before the end of this month.

More Cute Save-The-Dates

My cousin sent me this article from last Thursday’s Globe and Mail about the trend of video save-the-dates. The article is packed with videos, including the stop-motion one I wrote about a few months ago.

The videos are all pretty cute but be forewarned that creating one of these videos might set some pretty high expectations for your wedding. I mean, if you’re doing something this amazing for your save-the-date, what are you going to do for the cake?

And don’t feel that you need to create a fancy video invite in order to impress your guests or set the right tone for your wedding. Video invites might be trendy but they certainly aren’t essential and no one should be expecting to receive one of these things.

Personally I don’t even think save-the-dates in any shape or form are necessary but hey, if you’ve got the creativity, the talent and time, I say go ahead and make you own video version.

And if you’re not up for creating a video but still want a memorable save-the-date, check out this shop on Esty.

Questions to Ask Before Your Food Tasting

So it looks like Shawn and I will be doing our food tasting near the end of March. In preparation for this big day, we’ve been asking a lot of questions, some of which you’ll want to ask your venue/caterer:

• How many people can I bring?


• How long will it last?


• Will it just be us or will there be over couples? (Unlikely but it could happen)


• How many hors d’oeuvres can we try? How many appetizers? How many entrees? How many desserts? (You get the idea)


• We want something that’s not listed on the menu. Can that be made for us? (Note: this is really the type of question that should be answered before signing any contracts since many places don’t allow for custom requests)


• How much can we change/substitute items? For example, salad B sounds great but we’d prefer it with pecans instead of walnuts.


• Does the tasting include a wine pairing?


• Will the table be set like it will be set for our meal? If not, can that be arranged?

If specific costs have yet to be given to you, do get this information before you try any food. Also find out if it costs more to offer three meal choices instead of two, if there are any allergy-related substitution costs (generally there isn’t), etc. Basically you want to have the money side all figured out before you put anything in your mouth.

Food tastings are one of those things that really vary from venue/caterer so be prepared to ask way more questions than the ones above. Of course, maybe you’ll luck out and get a company with such amazing communication skills that all of the above questions and more are answered before you can even think of them (hey, it could happen).

If you’re not getting answered, or you’re not getting answers that make sense/match what you were originally told, do speak up and push the venue/caterer for better communication. Now, I’m not saying you should harass them but do make it clear that you won’t be ignored or pressured into something you don’t want. There’s nothing bridezilla about making sure you’re properly informed, especially when it comes to your big day’s food!

Wedding Insurance

When it comes to most brides’ wedding to-do list, getting wedding insurance is usually pretty low on the list, if not absent all together. But should disaster strike, damn, they are going to wish they’d gone ahead and gotten at least some insurance.

I know that wedding insurance is very unglamorous topic. It’s also a bit of a negative one that evokes images of runaway brides and cold-feet grooms. But really, don’t you want to protect the thousands of dollars you’re spending on an event where so many things could go wrong?

Shawn and I got insurance not because we’re worried that one of us is going to flake out but because photographers can have bad days, cakes can fall apart, venues can fall down and either of us can be hit by a car that doesn’t stop at a red light while speeding down Dundas.

Our wedding insurance policy was bought through our home insurance and is running us just over $200. For that price, the cost of our photographer, cake and outfits are totally covered. There’s also several thousand to cover gifts and honeymoon cancellation. Our venue is covered for up to $10,000 meaning that if we call things off the day before the wedding we’ll still be out a few thousand but we feel safe taking that gamble.

And that’s the nice thing about insurance policies, you can decide how much you want to “gamble”. We could have insured out entire wedding but that would have cost us somewhere around $500, an amount we weren’t ready to spend. So instead we settled on getting most of it covered for a lower price.

Your current home/rental/car insurance provider is generally the best place to start looking for specific information on wedding insurance since many companies will offer a preferred rate to those who already hold an existing policy. Of course, if you’ve got the time, do shop around, particularly if you want a really customized policy (say, only want the venue covered for $10,000 but want your $15,000 dress totally covered).

While buying wedding insurance will be, to some, wasted money, for me it’s a clear case of “better safe than sorry”.