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:
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!
Nov 22, 2010
Nov 14, 2010
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.
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.
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.
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.
Nov 7, 2010
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.
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.
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.
Nov 2, 2010
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!
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!
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