The Wedding Budget: Tips on Planning your Budget

Wedding Planning Must-Do's

Congratulations! You are freshly engaged and ready to dive right into the wedding planning. Don’t let your excitement make you overlook some important "musts." Here are some important must-do’s to remember:

Choosing the Dress for Your Second Wedding

Weddings: Things I Wished I'd Known Before...

Food Ideas for Themed Weddings

Wedding Day Disasters & What to Do!

Exes: Should You Invite Them to Your Wedding?

Sweetheart Table vs. Head Table

Having Baby in Your Wedding

Bye Bye, Bridesmaid

After a lot of stressful thought and consideration, you have come to the conclusion that you will have to let your bridesmaid go. Maybe she lost her job and you want to save her the worry over the costs associated with your wedding. Or, you may feel that she wants a way out, so you decide to be the one to give her the out that she wants. This happens often when someone is initially thrilled and excited to be in your wedding party, but then they don't seem so interested in being a part of your planning. I have witnessed bridesmaids who have made lives difficult for brides by refusing to be a part of wedding festivities and I also had a bride who demoted her Maid of Honor to bridesmaid status, when she realized she made a mistake and had someone else in mind. Ouch! Whatever the reason you may have to 'fire' a bridesmaid or your Maid of Honor, be tactful and do it respectfully saving as much heartache and resentment as possible.

Gifts for the Bride: A Groom’s Guide

The 5 Types of People Who Try to Take Over Your Wedding

Wedding Blog: Creative Seating Card Ideas

When guests arrive to a wedding venue, the first thing they are usually greeted with is the reception table, bearing the main staples… seating cards, envelope/money box and a floral arrangement. Why not offer guests a refreshing change and display something more creative than tented cards with names and table number assignments. Here are some ideas to add some creativity and uniqueness to your seating arrangement cards.

Wedding Blog: Traditions Explained

When planning your wedding, you think of all the usual wedding elements, like the dress, rings, flowers..etc. Every wedding, despite the personal and unique touches, typically include the same traditions that have been practiced for hundreds of years and more. Here is a look at some of the major wedding traditions and wedding elements and what they mean.

Wedding Blog: Tips for the Expecting Bride

Everything is happening all at once. You are expecting a baby and marrying your soul mate. What a wonderful time for you! As you get closer to the wedding date, you will inevitably grow and some things may be more challenging to do, and other things will require you to adapt. Here is some help for making your wedding day as comfortable and happy as can be.

Wedding Blog: Tipping Your Wedding Vendors

Before you finalize that wedding budget, make sure you have left room for the tips that you have to put aside for your wedding vendors, the people that make it all happen for you.

Wedding Blog: Wedding Cake Tips

Slice’s new series, Cake Walk, highlights the fierce competition between three professional cake designers competing for the $5,000 prize and also to be the chosen one for a couple’s dream cake. A great cake is not just a beautiful cake, but a tasty one as well. Working as a wedding planner and being offered wedding cake almost every weekend, I have tried my share of wedding cake.

Guilty Wedding Pleasures

Champagne and truffles flown in from France, exquisite Swiss chocolate, or a serenade by a famous singer. What is your guilty pleasure?

Wedding Blog: Wedding Guest Attire

You're in the process of creating your wedding invitation and want to make sure everyone is clear on how you expect them to dress. You might be having a very formal and traditional wedding and expect everyone to look his or her best and comply with the formal theme of your wedding, or your wedding might be a very laid-back and casual affair, where you want everyone to just feel relaxed and be comfortable.

Wedding Blog: Summer Wedding Favour Ideas

Planning a summer wedding offers so many possibilities for variety amongst all the bright colors and vibrant décor ideas. Wedding favours are an essential part of most weddings, as they serve as a thank you and reminder of your special day. Favours may also act as a part of the décor, and therefore, serve 2 purposes, as a thank you gift and also as part of the ambiance.

Wedding Blog: Staying Cool at Summer Weddings

Summer weddings are indeed popular. An abundance of beautiful flowers, lush greenery, and the natural beauty of the outdoors makes summer the season for weddings. However, one big concern for brides and grooms is the heat. No one wants to sweat and be uncomfortable on their wedding day. So, if you want to have a summer wedding but don’t want the discomfort, here are some tips for making sure you and your guests stay cool and comfortable.

Wedding Blog: Busting Summer Wedding Myths

Planning your summer wedding? I’m sure you've heard all the warnings about lack of formality, rain, and the possible obstacles to having a smooth and elegant summer wedding. Forget them and bring all your ideas to life. To alleviate any stress or doubts, here are some common myths that are just that, myths!

Wedding Blog: Meddling Mothers-in-Law

Planning your wedding and really trying to keep from losing it with your future mother-in-law? Slice’s new show, In-Law Wedding Wars is a wedding show that takes you on a journey to some of the most stressful and sticky situations a bride or groom can encounter with their future mother-in-laws.

Wedding Blog: The Elegant BBQ Wedding Rehearsal

The big day will be elegant, formal and, no doubt, a little overwhelming. With so many get-togethers with family and out-of-town guests, all this planning can take a lot of energy before the big day even arrives. Of course you want everything as beautiful and impressive as possible but that doesn’t mean you have to throw a wedding-style event for every wedding-related event.

Wedding Blog: Father-Daughter Dance

We honour dad on Father’s Day this Sunday and traditionally, we honour our dads on our wedding day by joining them for the Father-Daughter dance. Every father feels bittersweet and reluctant about ‘letting go of his little girl”. Dads feel a mixture of pride, but protectiveness as he leads her down the aisle, and later on the dance floor when they take their special dance.

Wedding Blog: Including Dad in Your Wedding Planning

This Sunday is Father’s Day and we'll all be doing something special for dad to make sure he knows the important role he plays in our lives and how much we appreciate him.

Wedding Blog: Being Prepared and How to Handle Wedding Day Disasters

Having emergency back-up plans and being prepared for wedding day "surprises" is a smart way to prepare for your wedding day. Any issues may arise during your wedding day, but there is almost always a solution and a way to save the day.

Wedding Blog: Keep on Partying After the Reception!

Let me tell you as a bride and wedding planner, your wedding day will fly right by and before you know it, the reception will be over. You may be tired and ready for some rest, but many couples want to keep going after the music has stopped and the food is all gone. Some venues, like hotels, have curfews and end the party early, out of respect for hotel guests. So what do you do if you want to keep on partying?

Wedding Blog: Wedding Speeches

Every wedding will have people going up to make speeches about the bride and groom. From parents to siblings, to maid of honour to best man and close friends, what these people say really has an effect on the ambiance of your wedding.

Wedding Blog: Fabulous Head Table Decorating Ideas

As soon as your guests enter the reception room and find their seats, their main focus will be the head table, where the bride and groom, and perhaps their family and wedding party will be seated. There will be many photos of this table and it is for these reasons, that it is important that this table be as spectacular as can be.

Wedding Blog: Bronzed & Glowing Bride

With the warmer weather upon us and wedding season picking up speed, self-tanners are overtaking shelves in department stores and pharmacies everywhere. Of course we are all aware of the dangers of tanning beds and prolonged exposure to the actual sun, so to still achieve that golden glow, many reputable skin care companies have formulated very easy to use and effective self-tanning lotions, sprays and creams.

Wedding Blog: Tips on Wedding Invitations

The invitation is a very important part of your wedding or event planning, as this will set the tone for what is to come. Therefore, the presentation is vital, but so is content.

Wedding Blog: For men thinking of popping the question

You have found the dream girl, the girl you want to marry and spend the rest of your life with. Now you must plan the perfect wedding proposal. Here are a few guidelines and helpful tips for all of you aspiring grooms!

Wedding Blog: Wedding Day Tips for GROOMS!

Yes, it's her big day... but HIS too! Advice is often given out to the bride on how to prepare and get through a very big and sometimes nervous day... but let's not forget her CO-STAR... the GROOM.

Wedding Blog: Gifts for Mother-of-the-Bride

In honour of Mother’s Day this weekend, let’s cheer all moms and look at some gift ideas for mothers-of-the-brides.

Wedding Blog: Honouring Moms on Your Mother’s Day Wedding

You've planned a May wedding and it falls on the day before Mother’s Day, or on the actual day. Take this opportunity to honour and acknowledge all the moms that are at your wedding, who have been supporters, best friends, and confidants to their children. I've planned many weddings that fall on the day before or on Mother’s Day and I always propose to my clients that they thank all the moms for coming and acknowledge the vital role they play in everyone’s lives.

Wedding Blog: Look Gorgeous in Your Wedding Pictures

Your wedding pictures should be ones that you're proud to show off, so make sure you look your best! One of the easiest ways to achieve this is to find a photographer whose style you like and whom you feel comfortable with.

Wedding Blog: Outdoor vs Indoor Wedding

Always dreamed of a summer wedding outside in a lush garden? Or, does the thought of the humidity and chance of rain deter you against anything to do with the outdoors? Whether you have your wedding indoors or outdoors, consider the advantages and disadvantages of each option before making your selection.

Wedding Blog: Wedding Gift Theft!

Believe it or not, I have heard stories about wedding gift theft. Thankfully, this has never happened to any of my clients, but every bride should be aware that this has happened to couples before.

Wedding Blog: Have a Candy Bar at Your Wedding

The speeches are done and dinner is over. Now it’s time to party and have a little fun! Liven up the ambiance for some partying and what better way than to engage your guests in something fun and give them a little something to go home with!

Wedding Blog: A Foodie Wedding

Who doesn’t LOVE good food? Of course everyone enjoys a fabulous meal, but there are brides and grooms (and their guests) who are ultimate foodies and really savor the entire experience of taking all their senses throughout the journey of eating good food.

Wedding Blog: Appreciate Your Out Of Town Guests!

Weddings bring everyone together, near and far. Sometimes couple have all their friends residing in the same city as they live in, but want to get married from their original home town, or sometimes, you develop strong friendships with people you have met in your travels or during times that you lived away.

Wedding Blog: Don’t Be A "Bulging Bride"

If you watch Slice network, there is no doubt at all that you know who Tommy Europe is. For those of you who don’t know, he is a former professional football player and now a personal trainer and the star of Slice’s The Last Ten Pounds Bootcamp and Bulging Brides. He takes brides on a 6-week journey to toning up, shredding the fat and looking fabulous in their wedding dress.

Wedding Blog: A Comparison of the Royal Weddings - Kate & William and Charles & Diana

If you are a fan of Royal Weddings, you will no doubt remember the wedding of Diana Spencer and Prince Charles and, while staying abreast of all the latest details revealed of Kate Middleton and Prince William’s wedding, you are probably noting the similarities as well as the differences between the two.

Wedding Blog: A Wedding Video - Why You Should Have One.

Venue… check! Flowers… check! DJ… check! Photo… check! Absolutely everything you will need on your wedding is on your checklist and crossed off… or is it?

Wedding Blog: Kate's Flowers

As the Royal Wedding is quickly approaching in less than 7 weeks, London (and the entire world) is all a buzz with their hunches of who will be the lucky designer of Kate Middleton’s dress, who will be on the coveted guest list, what will be served at dinner and everything else that will happen at the grand Westminister Abbey. Kate’s bouquet is no doubt another detail that has everyone talking.

Wedding Blog: Pets In Your Wedding Party

My 7-pound Miniature Pinscher, Magnum is my little baby. He is an important member of our family, so when it came to planning my own wedding and assigning people in our wedding party, Magnum was front and center.

Wedding Blog: It’s a wrap! A bridal wrap, that is!

Baby, it’s COLD outside! Are you one of the brave brides planning a Winter (cold!) wedding? If you are, wraps are a smart way to look gorgeous and, most importantly, stay warm.

Wedding Blog: Extra Wedding Events

When planning your wedding budget, take caution and don’t forget the extra events that lead up to the big day (engagement parties, rehearsal dinner, out-of-towner dinner) and maybe, events after the big day, such as day-after wedding brunches.

Wedding Blog: Hidden Wedding Costs

When starting your wedding budget, you quickly put down the obvious items such as the dress, the caterer, the DJ or band, the cake, the venue rental... etc. These are the usual suspects in the budget, and you do allot some of the budget for a heading under ‘Miscellaneous” and this may include things like your day-of survival kit, bathroom toiletries or snacks for wedding party.