Real Wedding: A and Mr. X

"There is no more lovely, friendly and charming communion or company than a good marriage." - Martin Luther King

It is been four months since we tied the knot, and I think about my wedding (almost) daily. I would do it again monthly if that was socially acceptable. We made memories to last a lifetime and are grateful to our family and friends whom made it possible.

This past week I was delighted to learn that our wedding was featured in the latest issue of WedLuxe; my bible through the wedding planning process. I am honoured to be included in their publication and am excited to share our day with their (and our) readers. So without further ado, here are the highlights of our wedding, as outlined by WedLuxe.  A full list of our vendors are detailed in the article.

Ashley + Daniel | Wedluxe

Yours Truly,

A

Tic Toc, Tic Toc

"I must govern the clock, not be governed by it." - Golda Meir

As I write this post, I am in awe that my wedding is less than 2 weeks away. These past 7 months have flown by so quickly but I can honestly say it has been the happiest time of my life. So many people focus on the stressful parts of planning a wedding (and I get why), however, I can’t help but be blown away by how much I love this process. It helps that I have a passion for party planning and have been blessed with two sets of parents that want the absolute best for Mr. X and I. I think the most important thing to remember throughout the planning process is that this is an exciting time. The bottom line is you get to marry the man of your dreams and be surrounded by your friends and family. What could be better than that!?

In the last few weeks we have nailed every detail down to the ground and it is definitely starting to feel real.  We have done our food tasting and we couldn’t have been happier. The Chef form our venue came out in between each course and explained in detail each dish. He also made us sample hors d’oeuvres and desserts and by the end we were almost rolling ourselves out the door. It was such a nice thing for us to with our parents and it only got everyone more excited for the big day. Our planner also joined us that day and I would recommend this to anyone. She sat with us during each course to discuss timing and logistics of the cocktails, meals, desserts, and floor plan. It was helpful to have her there to jot down all of our comments and notes and walk through the venue with her.

My mom and I also attended our make-up and hair trials together and we were both very happy. Trials are very important to work out any kinks before the big day. It also gives your experts a chance to get to know you and discuss the scheduling for the day.

Next up was my final fitting. I was very happy with the work that the seamstress did but I have learned a very important lesson; do not start a new diet after you do your initial fitting. Based on travel time and convenience I had my first fitting just over a month ago and when I arrived this week for the final fitting, it didn’t fit. The seamstress dealt with it professionally and guaranteed she would have it ready. I am thankful that it was too big and not too small because it will be easier to fix and that we still have 2 weeks to make the changes needed. My best piece of advice would be to leave your fitting to the last minute; it will save you time and money.

The last detail was the table assignments and I am happy to say that it has been checked off my list as complete. It is not easy to narrow down your guest list into groups but after much rearranging we are finally done.

I had my facial and booked my waxing, mani and pedi. I got my last minute accessories to complete my outfits for the weekend and got every necessary precaution ready in case of inclement weather. I think it’s safe to say our wedding is officially around the corner and I can confidently say that I am ready!!!

12 (Fisher) days and counting!

Yours truly,

A

Best In Show

“I’ve got a wedding to plan in nine weeks.  I’d agree to almost anything right now.” - Lily Aldrin – How I Met Your Mother

Over the weekend I attended my second wedding show, The Wedding Co. Show, and it was fabulous! My first show was last week at Wedluxe’s premier show and I feel that after attending both shows I have some advice for all the brides out there.  I know you are all probably thinking that it’s a little late for me to be going to these since my big day is less than 5 weeks away (ahhhhhh!), but I found them inspiring, exciting, informative and they made me so excited for my wedding.

Typically, wedding shows have vendors from across the city gathered together to showcase their finest work and give you information about their services, experience and pricing.  For newly engaged brides, it is essentially a one stop shop for vendors and will save you many phone calls and emails in the early stages of your planning.  I can’t stress enough how beneficial these shows are for brides (and mother of the brides) at the beginning stages of planning.  You can speak to venue coordinators, entertainment specialists, photographers, caterers, designers, bakers and that is just to name a few.  It is a great way to chat with some potential vendors and get a feel for them and their work, aside from what you’ve read in magazines or seen online.  They are there to wow you and everyone should take advantage of this fantastic opportunity.  It is also a great chance to receive complimentary magazines, books and all sorts or samples to aid you in your wedding planning process.  Bring a sizeable bag with you to any show to collect all the reading material you can.  Also, go with a bit of an appetite. I was blown away by the samples from caterers, cake designers and candy specialists offered. After attending these shows, I'd say the best time to go is early morning since the vendors are all fresh and eager and you will not fight with the same size crowds.  Either way, go with patience and lots of questions. And have fun!

For me, I found the shows helpful because it gave me a chance to run into the majority of our vendors and have some face time.  Many of our experts were hired in the fall and other than emails, we have not seen them since our initial meetings.  This gave me an opportunity to discuss details of our day without harassing them with emails (which I swear I haven’t been doing J).  It was also nice to meet new vendors and find new ideas to add to our plans.  I met Andrea from Pomp and Ceremony, whom makes several wedding accessories for BHLDN, and we discussed some accessories for the weekend which I had been looking everywhere for.  I am so excited to work with her as she is truly talented and equally friendly.  I also had the pleasure on running into the talented Sam Kanter from Paper Ideas at both shows.  I was honoured to see that he used our invite as part of his display.  It was great to see some familiar faces and meet some new ones.

All in all, both shows were fantastic and were definitely worth seeing, even though I have finished my plans (for the most part).  Brides, be sure to check out as many shows as possible and continue to be inspired!

Check out some great photos from both shows:



Stunning and whimsical display by Cake Opera Co.



A collection of wedding cakes by Cakes by Konstadin

A Marie Antoinette ispired dessert table by Truffle Cake and Pastry

The Beauty Bar at the Wedluxe Wedding Show

Could this be more stunning?? I heart Wedluxe!

A beautiful tablescape by Events by One Fine Day Events

For more information and pictures, go to Wedluxe or Wedding Co.

33 days and counting...

Yours truly,

A

An Even Busier Bee

We're all busy little bees, full of strings, making honey day and night, aren't we honey?" – Bette Davis

With 63 days to go (eeeek!), things have been very busy.  In the last few weeks I have had 3 bridal teas, luncheons and brunches and each one has been filled with love and anticipation for the wedding.  We have also sent out our invites, hired wedding planner Melissa Samborksi, from One Fine Day Events, seen our sample centrepieces, chosen our menu and started thinking about our hotel gift bags.  We have been busy to say the least.  And believe it or not, I also have a full time job.

I originally wrote that we were going ahead with our plans without a planner but have recently had a change in heart.  After meeting with Melissa, I realize that she will be undertaking all of the little details that most people don’t know even go into that day. She has guaranteed us that on our wedding day she will take care of every detail you could think of and nothing will fall on my, or my father’s, shoulders.  There are so many unknowns on your big day and as organized and prepared as I am, I happy to know that I will have a professional by my side making sure my visions are executed the exact way I dreamt them to.  I was so happy to connect with Melissa and trust that she will add so much to this process.

Once the invites were sent out, everything felt real.  To me, it means that we are in the home stretch. When I got a phone call last Friday that my best friend and grandmother received theirs, I was overjoyed.  It has been so special to hear from different people and hear their excitement leading up to our big day.  As of yesterday, we had already received 10 reply cards and couldn’t be more excited. 

Next up is our menu tasting (can’t wait!!), my first dress fitting, choosing our tables, booking our honeymoon, getting the marriage license, dance lessons and much, much more. 

I’m counting down the days, and hoping I get everything done! 

Also, hoping Mr. X had a weekend to remember with his boys!

Yours truly,

A