A Book Themed Wedding

The Office Husband and I are huge book nerds. My dad was a printer by trade in his earlier years, and that's where I grew to love and appreciate a well made book. And the Office Groom always has a new book or magazine in his hand, which he probably got after one of our many visits to Indigo.

We hadn't initially thought of having any theme at all, and it sort of happened naturally after we fell in love with an invite design found online that tells the story of how the couple met and got engaged. And that's when we came up with the saying "A lifetime full of wonderful stories," and a book theme was born.

We didn't want to go over the top and end up with a library for a reception, so we tried to incorporate the theme in little ways. Here are a few photos of how it turned out!

Guests could find out where they were sitting by referring to the seating chart, which was designed to look like a library reference list. I also added a few loose book pages to frame it.


Library cards were used as table numbers. You can find them on Etsy easily!


In lieu of the traditional flower arrangement, we decided to use books as the guest table centerpieces. Each table had a group of books which were specifically picked out with the guests in mind. It took a a lot of visits to the bookstore to do this, but luckily time was on our side. And we got some great deals just by looking throught the bargain bins and with the help of a friend whose dad works at a publishing house!


We made a donation to ABC Life Literacy Canada on behalf of our guests, and as a token of their appreciate the organization provided a small Robert Munsch book for each guest.


This was my favourite detail. To add a personal touch, we handmade these bookmarks for all the guests. But we went one step further and wrote a personal story for each guest. That took a few nights of sitting on the couch with some wine and recollecting our most favourite memories, but it was worth it! It blew the minds of so many people!


After a delicious dinner, the cupcake table opened up. I found this gem of a book at Indigo!


Photographs by Shannon Lepere and our family & friends.

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.

Oh-So-Delicious-Cupcakes

It has been a while...I know.

But would you believe that it has also been one of the busiest months EVER at work? I returned to Toronto completely rejuvenated and relaxed from a wonderful honeymoon, and was welcomed back with loads of assignments, late hours at the office, and work-related headaches.

Lovely.

It appears as though that storm has calmed, and some normalcy has returned to my life. And with it, I can finally get back to writing here with some more recaps of the big day. Can you believe it's already been two months since then?

Today it's all about the cupcakes. Mainly because for the next two weeks I've promised myself not to have any junk food (I've gained weight since the wedding...seriously?! And the OG and I are going away in just a couple of weeks down south, yikes!). So if I can't eat it, I should at least be able to talk about it LOL

My co-worker Julie was the mastermind behind these delicious beauties, and they were a HUGE hit at the wedding!

The cupcakes had a table all to their own. We saved a few of the hard covers books we bought over the last year for this table. Notice the geek reference on the top book? :)



A little touch of pink, of course! And the cupcake book was such a great find! (Indigo Bookstore)



How's this for detail? Julie actually recreated the pattern on the mens' kilts! AMAZING!



We had so many guests tell us how yummy they were. Sadly I had all of one bite out of one, but I'm glad everyone enjoyed them so much. And I can't really complain because I had my share of taste tests before the wedding :)

Photos by Shannon Lepere.

Trash The Dress?

I love how this trend is becoming more and more popular! Pretty pictures of a bride the Big Day is lovely. But wicked cool pictures of a bride in lush forest is awesome! I haven't decided yet whether I'm going to do a TTD shoot after the wedding, mostly because I have to somehow convince the Office Groom...and my mom that this would be a good idea! I wonder if I could convince them if I showed them a few samples of other risk taking Brides like this...


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...or this...


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...ok, maybe not this...


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The trend is is becoming so popular that CBS did a segment about it earlier this week.

So tempting!

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!

Engagement Photos Can Actually be Fun

That's what the Office Groom and I learned when we did ours a week ago. We hadn't planned on doing any but when our good friend Wendy who is currently taking photography lessons asked us to be her guinea pigs in exchange for free photos, we figured, why not?

And we are so happy we did them! Not only did she take some amazing photos...

... It gave us the chance to get the photo shyness out of the way before the big day.
... We were able to be more "ourselves" and take less traditional shots.
... We now have really nice photos of us in everyday clothes and locations.
... We learned what our "best sides" are and what we should do more of / less of (eg. I will avoid tucking my chin in).

So, without further ado, here is just a sample of what took place. We walked around The Annex and took photos of us doing everything from kissing, joking around in a playground, dancing, reading, and more kissing :) If you're wondering about all the back shots, it's just to keep up the secret identity for a bit longer! And if you're interested in more of Wendy's photography, you can check out her blog!

Stealing a kiss in our secret garden path


Book Smooch (For our Book Theme!)


Peek-A-Book


Taking a stroll in our neighbourhood


We love to dance

Wedding Planning...with a cat

This is what happens when I try to get some stuff done on the living room floor...



I'm not sure if it was the rustling of the paper, or the movement of the pen as I wrote things done, but my cute little kitty was all up in my grill while I was making some wedding related lists last night lol.

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!!

Some More Food For Thought

Taste Test? Done and done. And such a great experience!

When the Office Groom and I arrived at the main office of Eatertainment, our day-of planner Jennifer brought us down to the Bloor Street Diner, located on the main floor of the Manulife Centre. We've been there before for a non-wedding related meal, and really enjoyed it, so we were already off to a good start.

We were seated at table right by the kitchen and half expected that other couples would be joining us. We've heard about other taste tests that happen in groups, but in our case, it was just us and the day-planner. Awesome!

No time was wasted to get started, which was fine by me because I was pretty hungry at that point (I made sure to show up with an empty stomach lol). The taste test was divided up into 4 parts. Cold Canapes (aka hor d'hoeurves), Hot Canapes, Appetizers, and Main Course. We had to narrow down the choices of the canapes (2 of each), the appetizers (1), and give our final stamp of approval on the three main course options (we're giving our guests the choice of chicken, fish, and veggie).

While I can go on an on about the food, I'll let the pictures do most of the telling. Here are a few pictures I took. I won't announce just yet what we decided on for canapes, just in case some of my readers are also my guests lol. You'll have to wait until September!

Cold Canapes


Hot Canapes


One of the Appetizer options


One of the Main Course options


Can you say "YUUUMMMM"?!

It was a great lunch and The Office Groom and I left feeling really happy with our choices. Hope our guests feel the same way :)

Hugging Books

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


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Hotties In Glasses = A+

I don't know. Maybe it's the inner nerd in me or the fact that's I've been visually impaired for almost 15 years, but a good looking anyone wearing a pair of thick plastic rimmed glasses is a-ok in my books. So when I went shopping with the Office Groom and convinced him to buy a pair for himself, I was livin' the dream. Office Groom has perfect vision (sigh...I remember those days...I was 12) so there's no need for the lens. But he also has looks that could kill and man oh man, do those glasses look good on him.

While I'll save him the embarrassment of posting pics of him here, I thought I would at least share a few photos I found on-line of other nerd hotties.



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Movie Review: "Teenage Paparazzo"

Last night, the Office Groom and I checked out a Hot Docs Festival film entitled "Teenage Paprazzo." Written and directed by Entourage star Adrian Grenier, the documentary follows the life of a 14-year old paparazzo named Austin in his hometown of Hollywood.

Yup, you read it right. 14.


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Not knowing much about the film going in, OG and I really enjoyed it. Layered with different takes on the world of paparazzi, the documentary included interviews with celebrities such as Alec Baldwin, Matt Damon, and Eva Longoria Parker, and much more (surprisingly) candid talks with some of Hollywood's most succesful paparazzi.

While there were a lot of laughs throughout the film, there were moments where the audience was quiet - mostly shocked that this kid is doing this at such a young age, and the implications of his character and his childhood upbringing. There are times where I was shaking my head in disagreement, and when the credits were rolling, OG turned to me and whispered "We're never letting our kids talk to us that way." LOL.

You'll have to watch the film to understand what he meant.

On another note, the film was screened at the new Royal Conservatory of Music venue, Koerner Hall. I was in complete awe of the interior design - a great mix of old and modern architecture.


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Along with musical performances, the venue is also open for private event bookings. No doubt that this would make one spectacular wedding venue! (See how I managed to tie this post to weddings? Crafty!)

Petal To The Metal!

Today marks the first official day that the Office Groom and I will start meeting with florist vendors. We've borrowed a car from Office Groom's parents and we're going to drive to different locations over the weekend, in search of the perfect Office Couple florist.

Do I like flowers? Yes.

Do I know anything about them. Ummm, no.

But I do know what "pretty" is, and I'm hoping that'll be enough to go on. Like most other brides, I've perused magazines and websites for some inspiration photos.


For my bouquet, I wanted something soft and romantic. I thought a scatter of light pink blossoms would feminize our overall colour scheme (navy and forest green) and would tie in perfectly with my blush pink heels.






For my lovely ladies, I've decided to go a bit untraditional. In lieu of a bouquet, they will each carry a clutch with a bonbonniere pinned to it. That way, they still have a flower but they can carry their lady secrets too, lol. I've just secured another Etsy desginer to create the clutches, so more details to come on that! The Groomsmen will have matching flowers pinned on their jackets.



I'm still debating on what we should do in the church. St.Patrick's is HUGE, and chances are we're not going to fill more than the first few rows! Luckily, the church was renovated just over a year ago and is absolutely beautiful on its own. So we'll probably just decorate the first few pews with something like this:



As for the guest tables at the reception venue, we've decide that using books would be the best way to carry out our theme. We might have a few rose stems lying on the top book, but we haven't confirmed anything yet.



What sort of inspiration did you find for your flowers?

How I survived my Bachlorette

I'm back and all in one piece :) We returned from Miami yesterday afternoon, and when I got home I was giddy and exhausted all at the same time. It was a jam packed weekend full of beach time, booze, dancing, and very late nights (or early mornings, whichever way you see it). Miami is definitely the place to go for a bachlorette getaway, and I'm glad I survived it, lol. While the weekend was pure awesomeness, there were a few things I learned about myself and about bachlorette parties. And I'd like to share them with you because I think it speaks true for all bride-to-be's out there...



1. Have fun but be smart. I'll admit it - there wasn't a day without vodka, wine, or rum. The girls and I took full advantage of the liquor store to stock up our fridge, the free drinks at clubs, and the general large amounts of alcohol poured into every drink we consumed. However, while alcohol was present throughout the weekend, I made sure that I never crossed that bridge of getting beligerent, blacking out, or getting sick. I know that this is a personal choice and every person has their own tolerance for alcohol. But I think you can have just as much fun without getting to the point of no return.



2. Ignore Anti-Marriage comments. I can't tell you how many random guys told me over the weekend that I was making a big mistake, or tried to sway me into the dark side. It's not that I didn't get "Congratulations" from strangers. But I went to a lot of clubs, and let's face it, dancing is not always the main priority for club goers. I know that all these guys were just trying to be funny, but even a confident Bride-To-Be like myself got tired of the "Are you sure" and "Why get married" comments I got from guys. By the end of the weekend, I felt like yelling "I'm getting married because I found someone to love, therefore I won't be lonely like you!" But I didn't. Instead, I chose to keep my head up high with confidence, smile, and dance with my girls.



3. Watch your cash flow. It can be all too easy to pull out the plastic at the bar when you're having a good time. If possible bring enough cash with you for the night. I budgeted $500 US and managed to come back with $37 (which I passed on to Office Groom to add to his Vegas trip). It helped that we did a lot of pre-drinking at the hotel. Miami is great, but damn expensive, as are most touristy places, if that's where you and your ladies end up. However, on the plus side, when we were at The Mansion, they dropped dollar bills from the ceiling! Hence the picture above. I made $14 that night, lol.



4. Take some time to relax. Don’t feel like you have to go full speed all weekend long because this is your last trip as a “single gal.” You’ll tire yourself out, which isn’t fun for you or your friends. Just remind yourself – there will be many more adventures to come after the wedding, with your friends, your new hubby, and on your own, so no need to rush!

I'm so happy that I had the chance to get away with my girls. It was a great bonding experience and we'll have a lot of stories to share for years! Now I just have to prepare myself for the local bachlorette that my MOH is planning in August. Yes, that's right. A second one! Hopefully my liver will be back in shape by then :)

Photos from my Miami trip!

From the Desk of... Amy

My co-worker Amy proves that planning a destination wedding can happen from the comforts of her work desk...

"Sometimes an overly organized, control freak needs a well deserved break! That was my attitude when my fiancé and I set out to plan our wedding. We opted for a destination wedding right off the bat – a chance to get away with our family and closest friends and a good way to sit back, relax and let other people plan it for you. Sure there was some stress, but all in all it was by far the perfect choice for us.

The first step was choosing our destination. We decided on the Dominican Republic as it was one hot spot that we both had never been to and we had heard from several people that the beaches were to die for – and boy were they right! We figured that choosing a resort was going to be the tricky part as every travel brochure makes every resort look good and the online reviews should be taken with a pinch of salt. I didn’t have to go very far to get some ideas; it was in my very own office that two people suggested a particular resort as their friends had currently gotten married there. I told my fiancé right away and to my surprise he said that his co-worker suggested the exact same place! Little did we know that the recommendations would keep flying in throughout the year ahead, as more and more people exclaimed how wonderful the resort was! It was certainly an amazing feeling knowing we had made the right decision.



So what can I say about the planning? Well, it was pretty much organized all over email. In a day’s work I would be corresponding with my wedding coordinator in the Dominican Republic, sometimes several times a day. She was so quick and thorough, answering all my never-ending questions. In the end, the wedding day was summed up on a one page questionnaire which allowed us to choose everything from the ceremony site to the dinner menu. Easy peasy! Since it was so easy, even the Groom wanted to get involved. As we all know ladies, sometimes it feels like the man’s only duty is to show up. Well, not in my case. The Groom was just as pumped about the destination wedding and just how simple it was to organize that even he had a lot of say…even though I had the final one haha!



One thing I would highly recommend is having a very good and efficient travel agent. I think our biggest stress was dealing with ours. She was always slow to respond to our emails and messages and even had the audacity to not respond to our guests’ questions. It was pretty frustrating, especially when we were only a couple weeks away from our wedding trip and we still didn’t have our tickets! It wasn’t until the week before the trip that she finally apologized and mentioned that her father was recently diagnosed with cancer and she was taking care of him. Now, I’m not a completely heartless bitch, but I really wished she had told me sooner than later or maybe passed her workload on to someone else in her office. It would have definitely alleviated some stress in our lives and probably hers.



Ahhh…the wedding trip. There was no disappointment here. The resort was spectacular and the wedding day was truly one to remember. I figure it’s a great compliment when all of our guests asked if we could all go back again in a few years to renew our vows. Hmmm...do I sense another destination wedding to plan? Definitely!"


From the desk of Amy