The Blog of a Burlington Wedding & Event Planner
Archive for the ‘Getting Married’ Category
Part Six – Seven Things to Cut From Your Wedding & Save Your Budget
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009Here is the sixth part of the series of budget tips of things to cut from you wedding that no one will notice.
6. Bathroom Guest Baskets – this is something I never really understood. I mean it’s a nice sentiment, but having a basket with mouthwash, extra nylons, tums, a sewing kit is a nice to have, not a need to have. And can be pretty expensive. And besides, if you have a good wedding planner worth his or her salt, that all that kind of stuff will already be on hand in his or her on-site emergency kit.
Happy planning!
Wedding Wishes Released into the Sky
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009Here is an awesome way to end your wedding or special event. Wish Lanterns
Also known as khoom fay, sky lanterns, glo lanterns, chinese lanterns or thai lanterns. How pretty would it be at the end of the night, just before you and your new spouse leave to have all the guests come outside, whisper their wedding wishes inside the lanterns, light them and release them into the dark night’s sky?
These wish lanterns are so pretty and actually look quite large. I’m ordering a sample to see for myself. The have a wick that is lit and then it floats up, up and away into the air like little hot air balloons. The wick burns for about 12-15 minutes, at which point, they will fall back down to the earth. According to their website, they are 100% biodegradable.
The company that sells them, Wishlanterns.com is from Texas and does ship to Canada. Of course, there would be the currency exchange, customs and shipping costs…but they are so pretty! It almost seems a shame to let them float away!
I’ll bet these would look even more amazing in the winter here in Canada. The cold weather would make the lanterns fly even higher.
I’ll let you know once I get one…
Happy planning!
Where To Find Chinese Paper Lanterns
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009
About 2 and a half months ago, I was looking for some colourful Chinese paper lanterns for a client. She wanted to decorate the reception hall ceiling with them. Maybe it was a little to early for most suppliers to start thinking about ‘patio’ type lanterns, (but they never think its too early after Halloween to start dragging out the Christmas stuff!) what with the snow still sorta’ hanging around then.
I looked everywhere, only to find really REALLY expensive ones or ones that looked like their colours have already faded in the sun.
Now that I’m not looking for them, I have found 2 stores that have them – and in great colours too and reasonable prices. The first store was the Fabricland Decor Centre Elite on Fairview in Burlington (which, coincidentally, has tonnes of great decor items at really good prices). I’d been into the Fabricland there tonnes of times, and never really noticed the Decor Centre. Not sure what made me notice it today, but I’m glad I did.
The other store was Jysk (which I learned today is pronounced ‘yi-sk’ – but up until today I seem to always call it ‘jinx-k’). This store is also on Fairview in Burlington. They are offering 8″ lanterns ($4.99) and 14″ lanterns ($9.99) and actaully have battery powered lights in them and and have variety of colours…
I thought I’d shared this in case you were looking for these types of lanterns.
Happy planning!
Part Five – Seven Things to Cut From Your Wedding & Save Your Budget
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009Here’s the fifth installment of things to cut from your wedding budget that noonewill even notice but will save your hard earned money:
5. Wedding Party/Ceremony/Reception Programs – A lot of work AND worry for something that will be glanced at and left behind. ‘But not everyone knows that my bridesmaid is my best friend from college?’ you ask. That may be true, but if you have a good MC at the reception, he or she will inform every one of that fact at the reception. As well, it give people something to talk about while at the cocktail reception or when finding their seats at the reception. ‘So, how do you know …’
Happy planning!
Part Four – Seven Things to Cut From Your Wedding & Save Your Budget
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009Here is the next idea of what you can cut from your wedding that hardly anyone will notice or care about…
4. Champagne – The fact is it’s expensive and most people don’t really like champagne. You likely already have wine on the tables – cha-ching. Have some sort of bar – cha-ching. And now you want to open and pay for more alcohol for each guest to have a glass to raise to you, shout out ‘cheers’ (substitute here what ever your family traditional uses – ‘prost’, ‘valo’, ‘mazaltof’, etc.) so they can take a sip and thats it? Why not just use the wine already on the table, or the drinks they already have from the bar? Think about it!
Stand by for more ideas to keep your budget in check!
Good luck and happy wedding planning!
Wedding Reading – Excerpt from ‘The Five People You Meet In Heaven’
Friday, June 19th, 2009Every life has one true-love snapshot.
For Eddie, it came on a warm September night after a thunderstorm, when the boardwalk was spongy with water. She wore a yellow cotton dress, with a pink barrette in her hair. Eddie didn’t say much. He was so nervous he felt as if his tongue were glued to his teeth. They danced to the music of a big band, Long Legs Delaney and his Everglades Orchestra. He bought her a lemon fizz.
She said she had to go before her parents got angry. But as she walked away, she turned and waved.
That was the snapshot.
For the rest of his life, whenever he thought of Marguerite, Eddie would see that moment, her waving over her shoulder, her dark hair falling over one eye, and he would feel the same arterial burst of love.
That night he came home and woke his older brother, Joe. He told him he’d met the girl he was going to marry.
Excerpt from The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
Life Has Taught Us That Love…
Wednesday, June 10th, 2009Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Part Three – Seven Things to Cut From Your Wedding & Save Your Budget
Tuesday, June 9th, 20093. A Fancy (read EXPENSIVE) Wedding Topper – Sure, it might look nice to have the traditional ceramic or otherwise, mini bride and groom on the top of your wedding cake. Or those monogrammed letter cake toppers. Or fun to have the bobble head bride and groom. But really, if you are trying to cut your budget, this is the thing to slash. Why not substitute the topper with a few blooms that match those in your bouquet? Much cheaper and still looks great.
More ideas of things to cut from your wedding…coming soon!
Good luck & happy planning!
Wedding Reading From The Notebook…
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009I am nothing special. Of this, I am sure.
I am a common man with common thoughts, and I’ve led a common life.
There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but, I loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me this has always been enough.
Excerpt from the movie “The Notebook“.
How to Make your Diamond Look Bigger While Spening Less
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009When buying a diamond, here are some tips to help you spend a little less of your hard earned dollars and still come away with something that looks like you’ve lost your mind and spent a fortune. The cut, setting and shape are the key. Here are five ways to select diamonds, be it a wedding ring, earrings, or anything else, to make it look like you have more carats then you actually do:
1. Side Stones
A very classic style right now is the three stone engagement ring. The stones are said to represent yesterday, today and tomorrow. Its no coincidence that this setting ranks among the top engagement ring styles. When you have smaller side stones, there are more facets, more light catching angles and more oomph. which is what we all want, right girls?
2. Bezel Setting
When a diamond is completely encircled by a rim, it is called bezel setting. When set in platinum or white gold, the diamonds appear as one unit and look bigger than their individual parts.
3. One Word – Pavé
The pavé setting is so beautiful and it looks like a complete surface of diamonds but in reality, its many, many diamond clustered in tiny holes sitting in and on the band. Think of it as a ring ‘paved’ with diamonds. Although, the diamonds in a pavé setting will cost far less than one big single diamond, it is very labour intensive to set, so keep this in mind when looking.
4. Fancy Diamond Shapes
Cuts like the oval, marquis or the pear are considered fancy shaped diamonds. The shapes cost less and usually look larger than round diamonds of equal weight.
5. Illusion Setting
Mounting the diamond on a mirror-type plate before setting it into the band, is called an illusion setting. The mirror-plate in the back reflects more light and makes the setting appear larger and more brilliant. Many vintage rings have this type of setting. Do keep in mind that repairing this type of setting is more difficult and more costly as a result.
Good luck! Happy wedding!