It's Not You, It's Me....

My apologies for being amiss, I've been nursing a lovely chest cold. FUN. To add insult to injury, I was sick on my birthday. So instead of the BF taking me to a swanky dinner, he got to make hot water-lemon-honey concoctions for me. :)

Remember those lovely initial necklaces from Albeit that I blogged about on a previous Frugal Friday? Well, the BF surprised me with one of my own! (Well, ok, I did hint a lot.) Isn't it pretty? Best BF EVER!

I hope you're all enjoying your weekend. Don't worry, I'll be back to full blogging/blog stalking speed in a few days. I also want to wish my favourite LA wedding planner, Krista of KGM Weddings, a very Happy 1st Year Anniversary. If you want to see how a wedding planner gets hitched, head over to Grace Ormonde Wedding Style to see Krista's Hollywood glam wedding.

Monique Lhuillier Toronto Trunk Show

via Monique Lhuillier

WHEN?
Friday, September 11th & Saturday, September 12th, 10am-6pm

WHERE?
White Toronto (www.whitetoronto.com)
19 Hazelton Avenue, Toronto, ON. M5R 2E1
Tel: 416 849 9196 / info@whitetoronto.com
Call to make an appointment.

To see the latest Monique Lhuillier Bridal collection, visit www.moniquelhuillier.com

Another wedding for The Professional Bridesmaid!

One of my oldest and 'bestest' friends C. got engaged last night! YAY!! I'm so happy for her. It was also her birthday yesterday...what a way to remember your BD! C. is one of those friends who 'pre-booked' me in her wedding party before the boy was even in the picture! lol. Obviously, she was kidding back then. Let's see if I will get to be a bridesmaids an 8th (or is it 9th?) time. Any wagers? :)

To C. and A. - Congratulations! Enjoy the engagement bliss!

Introducing Le Petit Cupcakery!

If you're a frequent visitor of my blog, you know that I LOVE cupcakes. (Especially red velvet ones with cream cheese frosting.) The cupcake lover in me is SO excited for the latest entrant to the Toronto cupcake market, Le Petit Cupcakery! Le Petit Cupcakery is the sweet brainchild of Margarita, better known in the blog-o-sphere as the Fab Brunette. Today, Margarita graciously allowed me to feature her and her yummy cupcakes.

What was the inspiration behind starting Le Petit Cupcakery?

Le Petit Cupcakery started as a very small side project for me. I'm a wedding and events coordinator, so it's no surprise that I love entertaining as well. I began making cupcakes for every occasion, for friends and family, and eventually people started paying me to make them! I also have a huge love of all things French, and so voilà, Le Petit Cupcakery was born!


Have you always loved baking?

Baking is a new found love for me. I’ve always played around in the kitchen, but last year was when I really started learning about the baking process and what goes into each step.

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Which cupcake is your best seller?

Right now I'm tied with Red Velvet Cupcakes and Chocolate Salted-Caramel Cupcakes. People can't get enough of these!

Chocolate Salted-Caramel Cupcakes

Which cupcake is your personal favourite?

I'm a big fan of a French vanilla cupcake with a mocha buttercream frosting. I think I'm drooling!


Tell us the truth. Is there such thing as ‘healthy’ cupcake?

I wouldn't go as far as 'healthy', but you can definitely cut calories and unnecessary fats. There are vegan cupcakes, cupcakes with real fruits and vegetables added, and mini-cupcakes usually come in at around 100-150 calories, which isn't too bad to indulge in every once in awhile!

Snow-Capped Lemon-filled Cupcakes

How often do you indulge in cupcakes? And where do you go?

About once or twice a month I'll really indulge in a cupcake or two. I will usually eat ones that I’ve made, but for truly yummy desserts I love heading into Dufflet Pastries on Queen West!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

Are you hungry yet? In additional to more 'traditional' cupcake flavours, Le Petit Cupcakery also carries specialty flavours such as Meringue Bouquet Cupcake and Buttercream Rose Cupcakes. These would be perfect for special occasion such as weddings, bridal showers and birthdays. Have visions of customized cupcakes dancing through your head? Don't fret. Le Petit Cupcakery will help you create your perfect cupcake. For more information, visit Le Petit Cupcakery's website. A huge thank you to Margarita for letting me interview her. I also highly recommend you visit her personal blog, Ramblings of a Fab Brunette.

Erin and Mark's Toronto Island Wedding

Once in awhile, I, the Professional Bridesmaid, have the chance to be a guest at a wedding as opposed to being in the wedding. (The BF always marvels when I'm not in a wedding....he playfully feigns shock). For me, being a guest at a wedding is like being an audience member at a play. You get to enjoy the final production without knowing about the craziness behind the scenes or the emotions that ran high just mere minutes before the curtain lifted. My favourite part about being guest is that you can take in everything all at once - the flowers, the decor, the music, the dresses, the guests' smiles, the bride's and groom's reactions.

One wedding that I was a guest at which stands out in my mind as one of the most fun wedding that I attended is that of Mark and Erin's . Erin and Mark were married on a hot summer's day at St. Andrew-by-the-Lake Church on one of the Toronto Islands. Guests were ferried from downtown Toronto to Centre Island.

Built in 1884, St. Andrew-by-the-Lake Church, resembles more of a cottage than a church. How cute is it?

Erin wore a beautiful silk sheath by Selia Yang, which she scored at a sample sale while travelling in NYC.

After the ceremony, guests could either walk or take the electric cart to the reception venue, Algonquin Island Association.

Erin splurged on a lovely pair of gold Christian Louboutin's for the big day.


The bridesmaids donned royal blue dresses from J.Crew. I love the yellow & blue combo.


This is one of my favorite shots that photographer Darren Goldstein took. Erin and Mark have a lot of friends who are photography enthuasists so they hired Darren to shoot only the ceremony and do some formal portrait shots. After that, the couple handed over the reins to their friends.

The Toronto skyline made for an amazing backdrop for pictures.

By S.Magno

By S. Macnamara

By S. Macnamara

Erin and Mark sat at an 'sweetheart' table during the reception.

Catering was provided by Paul Iskander who is also the Catering & Events Co-ordinator at Humber College. Culinary departments at local colleges are a great source for catering recommendations.

One of Erin and Mark's must-haves was the rockin' band, Shugga. Very few people were sitting down at this wedding. Everyone was dancing up a storm!

By S. Magno

This picture sums up the night for me! Shoes off and ladies getting down on the dance floor!

All photos by Darren Goldstein unless stated otherwise.
Dress: Selia Yang
Bridesmaids Dresses: J.Crew
Ceremony: St. Andrew-By-The-Lake Church
Reception: Algonquin Island Association
Catering: Paul Iskander
Band: Shugga
Photographer: Darren Goldstein Photography

Frugal Fridays: Deals & Steals

Amazon Magazine Sale! $5, $10 subscriptions

Kitchen Stuff Plus

Club Monaco

Blog Love - I recently discovered Listen to Lena!, fellow Canadian blogger, devoted to finding the best deals & steals. Check out her blog! Thanks Lena for sharing your great finds.

Random Tidbits from the Interwebs

10 Questions to ask your venue - A Hot Pink Petticoat --> Very helpful regardless of the type of event you're planning.

Why Wedding Planners are Awesome - KGM Weddings --> Learn the difference between a 'wedding coordinator', a 'wedding planner' and the ultimate, a 'wedding producer'!

Are you a 2010 bride? Interested in blogging for Weddingbells.ca? Want to win a trip for two to Mexico? Then click below!

Sash and Bustle is now blogging! - I'm anxiously awaiting Sash and Bustle's September opening. In the meantime, I'll be blog stalking them!

L'Occitane Canada Deal

I'm a huge fan of L'Occitane. Unfortunately, my wallet is not. Lucky for us, here's a coupon for $20 off on orders over $80 from the Canadian website. Coupon code expires tomorrow (Thursday) at noon EST. Enjoy!

Back from the 'Peg!

A is married! The wedding was beautiful, and I hardly noticed the green curtains. More details and pics to come later as the BF and I are busy preparing for our housewarming party this weekend. (Yikes! So much to do!) In the meantime, I'll leave you with a couple of photos which show you the highlight of my weekend (other than seeing A rock her amazing gown and say her vows).

Thanks to A, I'm a Tiffany's virgin no more!