Real Wedding - Neela and Shawn

It's been a while since we have done a real wedding, but when we received the images from this wedding, we knew it was time to start again!

Neela and Shawn were married last October at the new Ottawa Convention Center and it was an affair that could rival any Bollywood movie- glitz, bold colours and of course the happy ending.

We absolutely loved working with this couple especially since we were lucky enough to not only plan one ceremony with them, but two!  The morning started with a traditional Sikh ceremony followed by a  Catholic ceremony which meant that Neela had two gorgeous dresses to show off. 

A full day for sure, Shawn made his entrance atop a white horse, guests were treated to an Indian feast for brunch, Canadian fare for dinner and a stocked candy bar that was sure to include the grooms favourite - Beemans gum!

Thanks to our friends Jodi and Paul at Horton Photography, 

we were able to share some of our favourite shots with all of you.

Much love to Neela and Shawn!

A Whimsical Vineyard Wedding: Janelle & Nick

Janelle and Nick are the stuff fairy tales are made of. They are one of those couples that have known each other since they were young and although geography and circumstances carried them away from each other for a long while, fate eventually brought them back together again and they never looked back.

The fairy tale continued with the engagement when Nick proposed on bended knee at sunset and flew in all of Janelle's family (they were hiding at an apartment) so they could celebrate the engagement with them. This is a thoughtful couple, so you can imagine the details that were found in their wedding. From the food; representing both French and Italian cultures, to the venue; a Niagara vineyard echoing their love of wine, to the midnight snack; a decadent Dairy Queen bar- a common & favourite treat for the couple. But despite all that, Janelle & Nick will tell you that their favourite part was simply having all their loved ones there, basking in their love, and basking in the warm afternoon sun that filled their tent overlooking the vineyard. A breathtaking day for everyone involved.

The always luxurious Wedluxe Magazine featured Janelle and Nick's entire Niagara nuptials in their 'Editor's Blog', take a peek here

Much love to Janelle & Nick- thanks for letting us share in your 'fairy tale' xo

Real Wedding ~ Lauren & Dave: Featured on Style Me Pretty Blog

We're so proud to be featured on Style Me Pretty's blog once again. And we're happy to share the most adorable couple to Style Me Pretty's readers. Lauren and Dave are so in love and so adventurous- they have traveled to many places all over the world and have recently taken the greatest journey of all marriage ! (mawwwwww)

We loved the rich colours that were involved in this wedding- all chosen to reflect the couple's vibrant personalities- right down to the bride's royal blue Manolos. Mr Big wasn't holding them for her but they were still breathtaking.

To see Lauren's and Dave's colourful love story, read Style Me Pretty's Blog entry here

Your journey is just beginning Lauren and Dave- enjoy every minute of it
xo

Intimate Summer Love- Allison and Dave

I figured this stunning post would be perfect for today with the dark, wet day we've had.....
We had the pleasure of working with Allison and Dave in planning their wedding. They are a beautiful couple together- inside and out. Unlike most brides, Allison actually didn't want all the attention on her that warm September day. To her, it was more about the marriage than the wedding day itself. As a result, her decor was influenced by her attitude- understated, elegant and timelessly beautiful; up lighting, candles, white florals and grey linens.

The ceremony and reception was held in the same place- the outdoor tent at the Brookstreet Hotel. The same spider chairs from the ceremony were used for the reception- tables and more flowers were brought in. The room was 'flipped' during the cocktail hour- quite the team effort for myself and the Brookstreet team but the guests enjoyed seeing the same tent transformed not once but twice in one evening.

The most unique thing about their wedding was their guest book. Allison and Dave purchased various bottles of their favourite red wines. Each had a tag on the neck saying various years such as "First Year", "Fifth Year" "Seventh Year" "Tenth Year" etc.. Guests used metallic pens to write their well wishes to the couple directly on the bottles. That way, every wedding anniversary that Allison and Dave celebrate in the future, they will open the appropriate bottle of wine and share their guests' wedding day memories and words of wisdom all over again.

Thanks to our friend Derrick Rice from Union Eleven Inc. for capturing the simplistic beauty of the entire day.

Much love to Allison and Dave xo

Wine bottle guest book

Real Wedding - Colleen & Luc

Colleen and Luc were married on a gorgeous summer day in early August. Their wedding is a perfect example of effortless beauty. When getting married in a tent, it is easy to go over the top with decor. But Colleen and Luc kept the decor inside the tent simple and classic with clear chivaris, soft florals and glowing pillar candles and that coupled with the breathtaking views of downtown Ottawa from the roof of the NAC's tent and the luxurious draping inside the tent, made their reception look like the inside of a dream. Thanks to Photolux Studio for capturing every romantic detail.

Congrats to the stylish lovebirds- we wish you nothing but the best !

Real Wedding ~ Sally & Eric: Featured on Style Me Pretty Blog

We're always excited to show off one of our 'real weddings' but this one is even more special since it was featured on one of our favourite websites; Style Me Pretty. Stacey met Abby, the brains behind Style Me Pretty at Engage 2011 earlier this year so it was just a matter of time before these two creative minds came together professionally.

Sally and Eric were married July 30 at the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau. They were so calm, sweet and very much in love that we counted down the days to any meetings with them during the planning process.

The ceremony was outdoors on the terrace in the late afternoon sunshine and their backdrop was the Ottawa River and the Parliament Buildings. It was so simple but stunning. The reception was held inside the cafeteria which offers the same view as the ceremony thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows. The room was transformed into a soft & romantic paradise with silver chiavaris, white linens and orchid centrepieces. The details were few but powerfully personalized: a friend played the ceremony music including when Sally walked down the aisle, the place cards were bilingual: English and Chinese and the candy bar (decorated in the wedding's colours) was sugar free since Sally is a dental student.

We may be biased as we work out of The White Dress, but Sally's gown was simply breathtaking- a one of a kind Vera Wang that made her look every bit the princess on her big day.

Thank you for allowing us to help plan your special day Sally and Eric ! We miss you guys already xo

Enjoy all the photos here...and more here.... Thanks to Union Eleven for being able to capture this wedding so beautifully.

Real Wedding - Crystal & Matt

Crystal and Matt were one of the nicest couples we have ever worked with. They were both so down to earth, kind, considerate and very much in love. Matt is such a sweetheart that (as we learned in the best man speech), his nickname is "baby Jesus", which made the best man's speech even harder to compose since the speech is generally a roast of the groom and all his faults.

Matt and Crystal were married in their hometown of Pembroke on June 25. They had a specific vision for the wedding that every piece of the wedding was brought in from Ottawa to reflect the couple's style (linens, chairs, even wine glasses). They wanted a soft and romantic look which was achieved with light pinks, creams and crystals.

Take a look at how we transformed Pembroke's dark and standard-'community hall'-looking venue into a soft pink paradise for Crystal and Matt's big day. All the gorgeous photos were captured by our friends at Photolux Studio

Real Life Wedding.... featured in Wedding Bells Magazine

Two of our favourite blog posts in one- featuring a 'real wedding' and announcing that we've been featured in another bridal magazine.

Wedding Bells Magazine recently featured our sweet bride Michele and her husband Robert from their June 2010 wedding. The story's title "all in good taste" says it all. An elegant black and white themed wedding with bold fuchsia and lime green colours peppered in. Elegant but fun- just like Michele and Robert.

Take a look at their slide show on the Wedding Bells website. But first, here are some teasers from our friends at Photolux Studios.

All the best Michele and Rob !