The Bridesmaids Dresses

When I watched the first Sex & The City movie, I knew that I wanted something similar to Carrie's wedding. That each Bridesmaid should wear their own unique dress; colour, style and fabric. But when our own wedding became a reality, OG told me that he wanted his guys to wear kilts, and I had to reconsider my vision for worry that it would look too busy.

Thus, the idea of Same But Different came to be. Each Bridesmaid could still pick their own dress, as long as it was the same colour and fabric. It was a great combination of both visions as it allowed each woman to express their own personal style, and still look uniform. And might I say, I had the best damn looking ladies to back me up on my big day :)

All of these dresses are from the Dessy line which includes designers such as Alfred Sung, After Six, and Dessy. The fabric was matte satin (not too clingy and enough movement to make the dress flow) and the colour was midnight blue (a great colour for all types of skin tones!)

The colours of the dresses tied in with the dark blue in the kilts. Don't we look like royalty?! Prince William, take notes.


Tyra would be proud.


Here's a closer look. They're so pretty!


S.B.D.? Success!

Photos by Shannon Lepere and friends.

Bustin' my a$$ to find a Busta Box

Busta Boxes, aka Wedding Card/Money Boxes, are not easy to find in Toronto. At least, not one that isn't over priced or shaped like a Cinderalla pumpkin carriage complete with plastic horse...not that there's anything wrong with that.

Office Groom's mom offered to rent one for us but when she told us that it would cost $50, I figured I could find something more affordable to buy. So I began my search at Etsy, where I found one beautiful box after the other. My favourite was from NY Etsy artist Ellen of BWITHU. She can customize boxes with a variety of sizes, shapes, colours, and fabrics. FAB! It didn't take me long to fall in love with this one:


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The colours worked perfectly, I loved the silver detailing, and the price was affordable. So where does this perfect match made in Craft Heaven end? When I discovered that to ship it to the Great White North would cost an additional $25 US. Le boo (That's "Crap" in French).

My co-worker who sits beside must have noticed my search and eventual fail because she told me about her own Card Box - a Martha Stewart design from Wal-Mart.

Whaaaaat?!

Searching for it on-line wasn't the easiest, so my co-worker stepped it up a notch and brought hers in today for me to borrow! Ok, so I'll admit that for a split second I had a Prissy Bride moment and thought to myself "But I want my OWN box!! Waaaaah!" But then I snapped back to reality and realized that I was stressing over a BOX (how many times have I written "box" in this post, geez?) and I was happy again :)

Office Bridal Shower - H&M Gift Card

AND...inside the card was a gift certificate for H&M! Wooohooo! OG and I were told we could pick from any store, so we figured why not get something that wasn't in the wedding budget? And now we can get a few new outfits for our honeymoon!

Oh, and why didn't anyone tell me about Fashion Studio on the H&M website?! OG and I perused the site last night to start thinking of some outfits when we discovered this way cool program. You can pick from a range of different models and then piece together outfits from head to toe. SO. MUCH. FUN.

I often have a problem with buying a piece but not having anything to wear it with, so this solves the problem! Here are a few outfits I put together, using a few repeat pieces.







Looking forward to some free shopping next week!!

Office Bridal Shower - Crafty Card

The awesomeness didn't end there. One of OG's co-workers asked a crafty friend to make a card for us that was signed by the whole office. How cute is this?



She used one of our engagement shots that we posted on Facebook. And how's this for a weird coincidence? The mastermind behind the card, The Scrappy Stamper, is a classmate of mine from university! Weeeeird! I'll definitely have to blog more about her in the future!

Why Didn't I Discover These Earlier?!

How cute are these custom hangers by Etsy seller Lila Frances? Perfect for THE wedding dress photo or as gifts for the special ladies in your bridal party! Unfortunately for me, the wait time is anywhere between 8-10 weeks - so it looks like I'm a bit too late for this awesomeness.



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Although... it has given me a few ideas about making my own type of custom hangers...hmmmm...

Hula Hoop Your Way Down The Aisle

Who knew a childhood past time could be the latest fitness craze for women?!

Celebrities such as Marisa Tomei, Michelle Obama, and Liv Tyler are all fans of this retro toy-turned-waist-slimming-device. And I don't doubt for a second that it works, especially considering these ladies' fabulous physiques!

What I love is that this doesn't require a gym membership or an investment of thousands of dollars in workout machines. All you need is a good hoop from your local toy store and enough room in your living room to get your hips going! According to Celebrity Diet Doctor, "hooping strengthens your core, improves your balance and can even serve as a really good aerobic workout, adding variety to your current one."

I found this fun hula hoop workout video on Youtube.



I think a visit to Toys 'R Us this weekend is in order...

A Home Away Honeymoon

After nine different ideas about where we would honeymoon - yes, NINE - the Office Groom and I finally decided to go back to our original idea of Tuscany. Tuscany to me is the picture perfect idea of a romantic getaway. My favourite movie Under The Tuscan Sun may have a small part to play in this idea of course :) But Hollywood glamour aside, the thought of spending a vacation in a villa that overlooks the rolling hills of olive groves and grape vines, while enjoying a glass of the finest Italian red wine and devouring a delicious home cooked meal sounded right up our alley after all the wedding madness.

So when a friend of ours told us about Home Away, we discovered that we could have just that for our honeymoon!

I LOVE this site. Aside from the fact that I have this fascination with the way other people decorate their homes, the site allowed us to search for rental homes all over the world, at a wide range of prices and aesthetic requirements. We decided to focus around the area of Lucca, since it was the closest thing to an authentic medieval city, and was central to other cities of interest like Pisa and Sienna. The latter being top on the list of things to see for The Office Groom, since it was one of the filming locations for the last Bond film :)

We're film buffs, what can we say?

We decided on a beautiful old farmhouse located in a town just north of Lucca. It's very private with the most amazing views of the mountains. And the best part - it was only $800 CAD for a week and a half!! BOOKED! While I'd rather not say where exactly we're staying, I thought I would at least tease you with a few photos which the owner sent us. Mwahahaha!

The town



The view from our house



I love cobblestone



If you and your partner are looking for a quiet get-away honeymoon that allows you to sit back and relax and feel at home, definitely check out Home Away. Happy Searching!!

Hasslebot - When you need a good reminder

Between getting assignments done at work, putting together a review show with my comedy troupe, and spending quality time with the Office Groom, friends and family, it's amazing that I find the time to plan a wedding! While we've been relatively on top of everything for the wedding, there have been days of slacking and putting things off.

That's where the Hasslebot comes in handy. HassleMe is an automatic virtual nagger. Need a reminder to apply for wedding licenses? Find a florist? Pay off your caterer? Just set up a hassle every few days reminding you to get them done via email! The nice thing about this is that it's essentially a reminder from yourself, so you can be as funny (or harsh) as you'd like in your message.

I had one pop up this morning reminding me to write in my blog :)

Radioactive Love

Love comes in all forms. Even radioactive. Check out this new blog put together by a group of very funny guys who also happen to be my co-workers!

It goes to show you that even the likes of Godzilla and Spiderman can find true love :)

BM Gift #3 - Custom Clutches

The third and final gift for the ladies arrived last Friday. I'm so happy with the end results!!

Some of you may be aware with the Etsy ordeal I had a few months back. Long story short, I decided to go with a seemingly professional Etsy seller who worked diligently with me to design the perfect clutch. Everything was going well until - she disappeared. *Poof* Just like that. While I was pretty upset at the time, I'm fully recovered from my first (and hopefully last) bad Etsy experience and I hope that the seller, wherever she may be now, is ok and has taken up a different hobby more suitable for her.

Thankfully, there are plenty of other fish in the Etsy sea, and I soon found myself dealing with the very lovely and talented Rena of ItsSoClutch. When I first messaged her I told her about my not-so-wonderful-previous experience, and right off the bat I could tell that she sincerely sympathized and wanted to make things better.

She was able to recreate what I had originally come up with, and then stepped it up a notch by using beautiful raw black silk (the original fabric was satin), adding a silver frame (the original design was just fabric), adding a removeable flower pin similar to my hair piece, and selling it at a VERY affordable and competitive price.


My cat is trying to sneak a cameo in this shot :)

I love them so much, I've asked her to create a clutch for me as well! Same design, only in blush pink - to match my shoes of course - with an ivory flower pin.

The clutch matched with the bedazzled mirror and crystal jewellry will be a wonderful gift to each of my girls, showing them my appreciation for all their love and support this last year and a half :)

With This Ring...

Today during lunch, the Office Groom and I are meeting with a local jewellry designer named Dana McLaven. She's a friend of one of my co-workers and was highly recommended. Dana creates custom designed jewellry. According to her site, "because the “middle man” is eliminated, and there are no expensive overhead costs associated with traditional retail operations, Dana can pass on a significant savings to her clients."

Originally, OG and I thought we would just go to one of the big retail stores to get our rings, but the idea of getting custom rings came up after hearing about Dana really appealed to us. Something uniquely ours and one-of-a-kind - sounds good to us!

Today Dana will bring in some samples of her work, along with other samples that resemble the rings from inspiration photos we sent her via e-mail. Hopefully we'll be able to develop a design for both rings that will fit our style...and our budget perfectly.

Here's hoping!

Hugging Books

How perfect would these for our book themed wedding?! Or just as home decor?


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DIY Paper Pendants

Last month I posted about a paper pendant workshop that my sister-in-law was going to take me to, and last night was the outting!

Together with a few other lady friends, we enjoyed a healthy dinner at Fresh on Queen Street W (Try the "Green Destiny," it's delish), and then headed to the Paper Place to get our craft on.

We were a small group of 8, which made it more intimate and less hot (for all those in Toronto, you know that I'm referring to the incredible heat wave we had yesterday). Each person was given their own set of materials and tools to get started. A cutting board, utility knife, 3 types of glue, glass pendants, and oodles of pretty paper to choose from.





The process is fairly simple. Choose your paper (which is probably the hardest part!), clean the glass, add a few drops of Diamond Glaze glue to the flat side and smear it around, and then place it on the paper. And wait...

The waiting is important. You need to be sure the glue is completely dry before you go to the next stage - cutting around the edge to get rid of the excess paper. If the glue isn't set yet, you run the risk of ripping the paper or moving the glass from the desired position.

Once you've cut around the edge, you should end up with something like this:



Oooh...pretty isn't it? Luckily the paper took care of most of that for me :)

To preserve the baskside of the pendant (which is the paper) from wear and tear, add a thin layer of glue on the back, and again, wait for it to dry. When it is, you can then add the hook to the back using the second type of glue, E6000. This is an adhesive (like super glue) so be careful not to get any on your fingers!

Depending on how many you make or how creative you get using different paper and cutouts, the whole process can take anywhere from and hour to two. And again, most of that time is used to select paper and wait for glue to dry.

This is what I ended up with after our 2 hour workshop.



I'm keeping a couple for myself, giving one to each of the moms, and probably the others to friends. Fun times!

What I Learned About DIY Invitations - Part 1

This should technically be Part 2, as my first lesson about DIY invitations was spelling msitakes and proofreading the sh*t outta them to be sure there are none!

However, let's call it Part 1 nonetheless because this past long weekend, I spent an hour every day fitting the pieces all together. And by "pieces" I mean: writing addresses on envelopes, indicating the number of reserved seats on the RSVP card, and adding the final touch of a custom designed stamp on the back of the envelope. Sounds easy enough, right?

Riiiight.

Writing Addresses
I decided to get all fancy shmancy and purchase a calligraphy pen at a local paper shop.

Just a side note - this particular store is located in the business district of Toronto, which means $$$. At first glace the only calligraphy pens they had were over $150. Pffft. When I asked a saleswoman for a more affordable pen, she showed me one for $90. Again, I asked "Is there anything more affordable?" That's when she half-assedly directed me to a wall of pens for $14. In my head: "WTF didn't you just show me this to begin with?" But I digress...

I have, what most people consider, nice hand writing. So when it came down to who would be writing the addresses, all fingers pointed at me (mainly from Office Groom). I was glad to do it, since I loved doing calligraphy as a kid, and I take pride in my neat writing. So with my brand new $14 pen in hand, I started the job. Everything was smooth sailing... until I messed up a name. Damn. And then I messed up an address. Damn damn. And then I was holding the pen incorrectly and it wasn't calligraphy so much as it was just ink scratches. Sigh.



Using Ink Stamps
Once the addresses were completed, the invites were inserted, and I started on the custom stamp on the envelope. That part was really easy. I took a few lessons from Etsy seller AssPocket Productions and learned the ideal way to get ink on the stamp using her on-line tutorial. It's the sealing of the envelope that proved to be more difficult. Not wanting to pull a "Susan," Office Groom used a damp cloth to wet the envelope glue. Unfortunately, with a just a bit too much water, you end up with this:



The ripped up paper is a result of me reopening the envelope in frustration to remove the invitation card. Office Groom said that it wasn't so bad, and I just gave him that look that says "Really?" He left me alone to produce a new envelope, lol.

What I learned: Patience is a virtue. I was exctied to get through as many as possible, but speeding along won't save you time in the long run. So - take your time! Don't it all in one sitting either. I found taking an hour here and there was less stressful. And lastly, having a very clean and clutter free surface to work helps a lot. Chances are it will get cluttered with all the invitation materials anway, so may as well have a clear workspace to begin with.

Part 2 coming up soon!

DIY Veil...unveiled

Rock My Wedding has a great DIY tutorial for a simple veil. I still haven't decided whether I'm buying or making (or *cough* asking my mom to make it) my veil, but if it's easy as it seems in this tutorial I might consider the former!


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Happy Friday everyone!

Flowers and Pin Wheels and Ribbon, oh my!

Here's the idea: I found these beautiful pin wheels made from old book pages, from Etsy seller Twirlie Whirlies.


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The pin wheels can be made out of a wide selection of paper and book pages, and she can also source book pages from favourite titles! I'm thinking of incorporating them with the flowers for the Flower Girls. Playful, pretty, and it will tie in nicely with our book theme.

Instead of the traditional basket of flowers or a full bouquet, I thought just a handful of flowers will look really nice.


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Tie a ribbon around the pin wheels and flowers combined, and voila, one very cute Flower Girl arrangement for each of my nieces to hold!

Sew cool!

(Sorry, I like puns)

Check out this invitation design I stumbled upon this morning. Yup, you're seeing it right. The designer, Anna Bond, stitched the design with needle and thread! Talk about paying attention to detail (and a whole lotta patience)! I can totally appreciate the craftmandship, growing up with a mom and grandmom who both sew (and taught me everything I know about it).


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For the finished product, check out Anna's Blog.

DIY Rubber Stamp Image

To tie in the book theme of our wedding, we've decided that a custom stamp on the outside of the invitation envelope would be a nice added detail. Naturally, the first place that came to mind to find such a thing was Etsy, where I discovered Ass Pocket Productions.

Ok, so I know the name is a bit deceiving, but the artist, Stacey, has been creating custom stamps for a while, and her feedback has been 100% positive after selling to over a thousand customers. She has a wide selection of stamp designs to choose from - everything from bookplates to wedding themed stamps. The best part - she also welcomes personal designs, which is where my DIY project got its start.

I wanted something circular that had soemthing to do with books and with me and Office Groom. The idea is to stamp the back of the envelope on the fold - similar to the wax stamps used in the olden days.


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With a bit of internet research and photoshopping, this is what I came up with:



Waddaya think? I used the same font used in our invitations (more on those later - ooh, can you handle the suspense? LOL) and re-invented the book image (found on-line) by adding a simple heart graphic in the middle. Cute!

Now I just have to find out how much it's going to cost to have one made! More details to come!

Ever heard of Groupon?

Just discovered it myself today through a co-worker. Groupon features a daily deal on local restaurants, shows, and general shopping. The company runs out of Chicago, and they cover quite a few major cities in the USA and Canada.

Every day is a new daily deal, and you only have within the 24 hours to buy it. First, purchase the deal through the site and then they will send you an e-mail with a printable coupon which can be used within the specified time frame.

Today's Toronto deal was a mani and pedi at Buff Nail Lounge that can be used within a year. I've been there before and the lounge takes the typical salon atmosphere to whole new level of chic. Normally a mani/pedi costs $50, but today you can get a coupon for $25! Not to shabby! Looks like all the ladies in my department bought one and we're going to figure out a day to go as a group. Fun times!

Handbag Bouquets

Unique. Innovative. And beautiful. Me likey!

A gorgeous Peonie Handbag from Etsy Seller, The Other Sister




Japanese Innovation from HK Wedding



A Rose Bouquet Handbag perfect for you or your bridesmaids



All photos from their respective sites.