We already knew that this winter was particularly gentle in Montreal, but these past few days… Oh, the sun is out, temperatures are definitely above the freezing mark, the birds are chirping…

It’s got me all giddy about spring, and mostly about the things that spring brings with it. My favorite flowers bloom in the spring, particularly magnolia trees and cherry blossoms. Being a city girl, I am stuck in an apartment with none of these anywhere in sight, but who can stop me from dreaming?

And so I am closing off my work day tonight with an inspiration board that will, hopefully, get you thinking of spring as well.

xoxo

I was recently interviewed for Bride & Groom, a new Canadian bridal magazine. The fact that I was being interviewed was exciting in and of itself, but it also got me thinking that it was right about time I started sharing some helpful tips on this blog.

And so this first Tip Of The Week was born. Today’s subject? The most important one of all: How to get married and not break the bank while going at it.

It has to be said, planning a wedding has a pretty bad rep. It’s known for its breakdowns, family feuds, bridezillas, and definitely its expensive-ness. But with careful planning, it doesn’t need to be any of these things. Here’s the How-To:

1- Decide how much you can actually spend: Before you throw yourself into dress-shopping and venue-booking, it’s important to know (in advance) how much of it you can actually afford. This means that you need to sit down with your sweetheart and actually talk mullah. And yes, if any of your parents/grandparents/step-parents are pitching in, they should be part of this conversation. Painful as it may be, don’t procrastinate this first step; it will avoid you a lot of pain down the road.

2- Book the big ticket items first: If you start shopping for table centerpieces and the perfect jewelry right away, your wedding planning is most likely to turn into a disaster. So stay focused! First, you need to know where the wedding will be held. By “where” I mean ceremony and reception. This will influence most of the bookings that will come after, so make sure you get it right. Once the venue(s) are secured, the remaining big ticket items are photo, video, and wedding planner (some couples prefer to book a wedding planner first, but that’s a whole other story…). These vendors usually book months, if not years, in advance, and securing them early in your planning process will ensure that you get to work with your favorite people.

3- Prioritize: Once you’ve booked the biggest items, the fun stuff can begin. And so, not surprisingly, this is also where catastrophe usually begins to loom. I always suggest that my couples take a good look at their budget and decide what it is that’s actually important to them. Love to eat but don’t care for flowers? Splurge on your menu and forget the 200$ centerpieces. Don’t care for food but want a great party? Throw a “cocktail dinatoire” instead of a traditional sit-down dinner and splurge on great ambiance decor. Which brings me to point number four…

4- Stay true to who you are: The best way to throw your budget out the window is to approach your wedding as if it was a magazine layout. Don’t forget: This is your wedding, not someone else’s. Figure out what is of utmost importance to you and your future spouse, and stick to it. Don’t let anyone talk you into having a wedding of epic proportions if all you want is a star-lit backyard barbecue. If you typically love to entertain your close ones with great food and wine, then it’s most likely that your wedding will be successful (and on budget) if you stick to the same game plan. If you are in love with a particular band or dj, go ahead and book them, and perhaps decide to go with a simpler invitation to balance out.

Whatever the case may be, unless you are lucky enough to be able to afford everything your heart desires, remember to always stay true to who you are as a couple. With enough perseverance and communication, your budget should stay true to you as well!

xoxo

Hello!

It’s been a really hectic few weeks for me, prepping for all the gorgeous weddings coming this summer, working on decor ideas, meeting with various vendors, signing on new clients…

Owning and running a business can be very exhilarating, but it can also be tricky at times, especially if you are in a service-type industry. We, the self-employed kind, have to decide what we are worth. I mean, we deliver time, advice, expertise, planning, coordination, ideas, et al, but there is never anything tangible about it. In the end, the flowers are executed by a florist, the decor is set up by lighting technicians and rental companies, the photos are taken by photographers.

Most of the clients that come to us know exactly why they need a wedding planner, but I sometimes get phone calls where I find myself justifying my fees and almost convincing a bride that she does, indeed, need a wedding planner. I really, really don’t like doing that.

To us, wedding planners, our work seems pretty logical and obviously very necessary. Why else would we be in this business? So I’ve decided to share with you some insight on, well, why it is that we do what we do.

When it comes to your wedding, your wedding planner is, if you will, the thread that holds it all together. The planner can take a picture and turn it into reality. We know where to turn to make a vision come true. We spend inconsiderable amounts of time on the phone, in e-mails, and in meetings negotiating contracts, finalizing details, giving out important information, so that the busy bride and groom won’t need to take time out of their busy days.

We coordinate deliveries, juggle issues, avoid catastrophes. We act as buffers between you and everyone involved, so that if your limo is stuck in traffic, you don’t need to call your caterer, florist, baker, priest, and photographer to tell them that you are running late. We boss around mean security personnel and we make sure that your bitterly-divorced parents don’t run into each other. We make sure the vegetarian guests get their vegetarian meals and we help your having-recently-given-birth maid of honor find a quiet spot to breastfeed her baby.

We hand out tissues when your father’s speech has everyone in tears, we hold your big beautiful white dress while you pee (yes, it’s true). We help you find the perfect shoes to go with your perfect dress, we sneak out to spread rose petals around your honeymoon suite, we distribute payments while you and your bridal party are doing shots at the bar.

A wedding is single-handedly one of the most important days in one’s life, and I sincerely believe that it should always be perfect and flawlessly executed, no matter the size and budget.

An experienced wedding planner who shares your vision can help you achieve exactly that. Wouldn’t you say it’s almost priceless?

xoxo

The wedding season is around the corner, and this means that for most of my brides and grooms the where and the who are booked, and we are now getting to the fun part of actually designing the decor.

For me, of course, this means countless sleepless nights pouring over millions of images, trying to translate “extraordinarily theatrical” and “intimate shabby chic” into actual concepts. And so I have a confession to make: the hardest part is actually not letting my personal taste get into the way of my clients’ visions.

I’ve therefore decided to be a little bit selfish with this post, and share with you bits and pieces of what actually inspires me. I try as much as possible to think “outside the box”, which, for a wedding planner, means getting inspiration elsewhere than from wedding magazines, wedding blogs, and weddings at large.

I particularly love music, films, architecture, art, and interior design, as all of these can convey specific moods and feelings, which is also what a well-designed event should do.

My latest obsession is somewhere between Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette and Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden. A dreamy mood, a touch of vintage, a drop of nostalgia; bubble gum colors that make you want to blow soap bubbles; lush romanticism that invites a state of dolce far niente. An invitation into something magical and secret.

If you are looking for inspirations for your own wedding decor, and this post strikes a cord with you, please let me know, I am dying to bring this vision to reality. Otherwise, I hope these images leave you dreaming sweet dreams…

xoxo

This past Saturday I had the great pleasure of coordinating Jennifer and Matt’s wedding. This was my favorite kind of adventure, as the happy couple had eloped in December to Mexico, and was planning a trendy, late-night, Valentine’s Day-themed lofty reception. No sit-down dinner, no speeches, none of the traditional hoopla. Just fun, yummy finger food, booze, and close friends and family. I will be posting these to the gallery section, but this 2010 wedding season kickoff was so great, it deserved a post of its own.

Jennifer and Matt wanted a fun, non-stuffy mood that would encourage their guests to mingle. So instead of having chairs and tables, we opted for lounge-y furniture, low sofas mixed with high tables and stools, and tons of red and pink lighting.

We also used frames as details throughout the room, and setup an oversize projection of their Mexico wedding pictures.

We had also planned for a monster of a sweet table, complete with a giant cupcake wedding cake, smarties, and tweezers. I spent a lot of time shopping for the perfect vases and jars, and here is the result:

The party was a hit with all the guests. The food was delicious, the alcohol was flowing…

But most of all, I think this was due to Jennifer and Matt’s generous hearts (they made charitable donations in their guests’ names in lieu of favors), incredible sense of fun, and the decision to spend the evening surrounded by all those they truly love.

PS: And yes, that’s me (at work) with the bride (I’m wearing the sailor hat)

xoxo

Photography by Davina + Daniel

Rentals by Sofa to Go

Lights by Showdesign

Venue: Entrepots Dominion

Cake and cupcakes by Jessica Berard Cakes

Food by Apollo Globe Traiteur

My dear clients, brides, and readers-at-large,

I spent a good part of my evening tonight in a meeting with some of Montreal’s other wedding planners, including the ever-so-delightful Azar from Principal Planner and Rachel from An English Rose, to name a few. Our discussions were at times friendly, at times more heated, but it got me thinking… about why it is that I do what I do.

I realized that I never took the time to explain my vision or philosophy, and I think that the time and place are now perfect for doing so.

I am absolutely in love with my work, and with weddings at large. The day a couple decides to say “I do” is by far one of the most important days in their lives, and it is such an honor to be part of that. I truly enjoy every minute of it, from my first coffee with a potential client to stacking up the last chair at the end of a wedding night. I love the designing, the brain-storming, the managing, the changing-everything-around-a-million-times-til-we-get-it-just-right.

I love being a bride’s confidante, another bride’s fashion consultant, and another bride’s family attorney. I feel so privileged to be let into these people’s lives, to be part of an event that brings all their loved ones together. I can’t wait for the look of a bride as she steps into her set-up venue for the first time, or the look on a groom’s face the moment he catches a glimpse of his bride walking down the aisle.

I adore staying up til the wee hours of the night (hum, morning) painting frames and printing invitations. I adore juggling 5 phone calls and 20 e-mails at the same time, and I definitely like not having a boss hovering over my shoulder. I also adore the rush I get every time I sign on a new wedding, and I definitely adore the heartfelt thank you notes I get from my clients once the wedding day has passed.

I love working from 6am to 4am the next day on Saturdays (though I do get very tired), I love flowers, and table clothes, and shoes (and shoes!). I love meeting happy mothers and weird uncles, I love setting up rooms and creating moods, I love it when a couple offers me a drink and pulls me on their dance floor in the middle of my work day.

Most of all, I love that my job actually doesn’t feel like a job at all. If I did not need to eat, or pay rent, or buy myself more shoes, or if I won a ridiculous amount at the lottery, I promise I would still do what I do.

I hope you all find something that you love doing as much as I love doing what I do (which, obviously, is weddings).

xoxo

As you all know from my last post, I am hard at work finalizing the details for Jennifer and Mathieu’s wedding this coming February 13th. One of the touches we wanted to add was to have various signs at special spots around the room… Menus, cocktail recipes, the couple’s thoughts, etc.

In order to do that, I needed pretty frames, in various colors matching our theme (Valentine’s Day reds, pinks, and whites). I found a few frames that worked with that, but mostly I found pretty frames in totally wrong colors.

So what did I do? I took my girly nail polish to good use! I hope this inspires you to try out your own little DIY project…

xoxo

Although most of you probably don’t associate weddings with winter, I am planning a very cool affair over Valentine’s Day weekend. Jennifer and Mathieu decided to throw a very cool wedding reception with a “date night” theme, and I feel very privileged to be tagging along.

The reception will be held at the Entrepots Dominion, and our color scheme is, you guessed it, red and white. The venue has a very lofty feel to it, with its high ceilings, brick walls, and big open space. We will be furnishing it with contrasting modern red and white lounge furniture, and lighting it up in shades of red and pink.

For a little sneak preview, here is our inspiration board:

One of the focal points of the night will be the sweet table, complete with cake, cupcakes, and tons of candy. I am assembling this table from scratch, and so have been shopping around for weeks for the perfect candy containers. I recently stepped into Pier 1 Imports and found these perfect vases and jars:

The ceramic jars will look warm and homey, while the metal and glass containers will complement the cool urban vibe of the night. They will look awesome filled with red and white candy!

I can’t wait to show you how the event actually turns out, so stay tuned for Jennifer and Mathieu’s wedding pics after Valentine’s Day weekend!

xoxo

As you all have seen, I’ve been hard at work lately putting up pictures for this new site. In the process, I dug up a lot of photos of weddings I’ve planned over the past couple of years.

In the featured section we are showcasing some of our favorite weddings, but I also wanted to take a moment and share with you some of my favorite table décor. And so this post was born!

You might have noticed that I have a soft spot for tall arrangements. If this is something you are considering doing for your event, don’t forget to think of ways to bring them out with the help of lighting.
Here are a couple of options:

Pin-spotting can be quite pricey, as it involves a lot of technical labor. But the effect of each table being individually lit-up from above is absolutely stunning!

A more wallet-friendly alternative is to have LED “coasters” inserted under your centerpiece. They are battery-operated and run up to 10 hours. The effect is a bit more subtle, but your flowers look like they are literally aglow!

Spring usually marks the beginning of wedding season, and it usually brings about the blooming of flowers.

For this wedding, we had over a thousand different flowers delivered to the venue, ranging in color from canari-yellow to bright red. I then arranged them in different vases to create, with the help of candles, a glowing “runner” in the center of the tables.

These modern centerpieces reminded the guests of a cherry tree in bloom.

Go wild with branches! If traditional white flowers are not exactly your cup of tea, feel free to consider a more structural centerpiece. The effect can still be very festive…

This totally wild and a bit unusual centerpiece included giant rose balls hanging from custom-glittered branches. The bonus? Guests got to take the flower balls home with them at the end of the night!

For this modern, dark, winter wedding, I bought silver glittery branches at a Christmas sale, tied them with a black ribbon, and displayed them as a runner along the center of the tables. Pretty cool for a December wedding!

I hope you’ve been inspired!

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been hard at work re-designing my website. One of the main reasons for this was that I wanted to have a blog instead of a traditional website, which would allow me to share my favorite stories and ideas with all of you.

And so, designing this blog from scratch has meant countless hours pouring over other blogs, searching for the perfect font and just the right color, and of course desperately trying to find the best little details to add here and there. This is how I came across this site, which inevitably made me think of all of those of you who want to embellish your DIY invitations.

There are literally hundreds of different fonts available here, from classic to modern, and from funky to the downright bizarre. But my favorite part is their dings section, which has anything and everything you might need for details. I have to admit it was very hard for me to choose my absolute faves for this blog, so I thought I’d share with you the runner-ups.

Enjoy!