Vote for Carlsberg's Big Wedding Bash Couples

Remember when I wrote about Carlsberg's Big Wedding Bash contest? Well, two couples contacted me after that post and asked if I would vote for them. So now I'm encouraging you to vote for them!

Couple #1 - Jessica & Mike


Jessica & Mike get props for making this "Constable Carlsberg" video. To read their story and cast them your vote, click here.


Couple #2 - Tim & Rebecca


Tim & Rebecca are avid TFC fans (Go Reds!) who started out long-distance. To read their story and cast them your vote, click here.

Good luck to both couples in winning the $100,000 wedding!

Carlsberg's Big Wedding Bash Contest

Just got engaged? Don't want to plan a wedding? Don't have funds for a wedding? Well, if you live in Ontario, you will want to enter this contest. Carlsberg is giving away a $100,000 wedding to one lucky couple. The deadline is August 20, 2010. Before you enter, make sure you read the rules & regs as there are some stipulations. For example, if you win, you must get married on October 1, 2010 at Toronto's Capitol Theater.

Good luck! And if you enter, let me know so I can vote for your story!

Two More Wedding Trunk Shows!

Sorry for the late notice on these! Enjoy your weekend. It's going to be unseasonably warm and spring-like in Toronto. I'm excited to get some vitamin D!!

Modern Trousseau

WHEN?
Saturday, March 6 & Sunday, March 7

WHERE?
Felichia Bridal
2587 Yonge St.
Toronto, Ontario Canada
M4P 2J1
647 - 350 - 5559
email: info@felichia.com
www.felichia.com
Call to make an appointment.

To see more from the Modern Trousseau collection, visit www.moderntrousseau.com.

Ines di Santo

WHEN?
Friday, March 5th to Saturday, March 6th

WHERE?
Veronica Di Santo Atelier - www.veronicadisanto.com
4040 Steeles Ave West
Suites 14 & 15
Woodbridge
905.264.5518
email: info@veronicadisanto.com.
*FYI -Veronica is Ines' daughter.

To see more from the Ines Di Santo collection, visit www.inesdisanto.com.

Tidbits from the Interwebs

Sorry (in my Canadian accent) for the lack of creative posts lately. It's just been so hectic at work! In the meantime, here are a few links which you must check out!

1) Barbara Kua Calligraphy recently launched an online shop so now it's even easier to purchase their customized calligraphy stamps and sample calligraphy packs.


2) Toronto-based Sash & Bustle has also launched its E-Boutique. Items available to purchase through the E-Boutique include: veils, fascinators, bridesmaids gifts, bridal clutches and other wedding-related details.


3) My friend Michelle sent me this link to this amazing Mario Brothers' 8-bit video game wedding invitations. Check out the video below, and click on the above link to see photos of the paper invites!



4) After many weeks of suspenseful teasers, The Last Forty Percent Photography unveiled their brand new studio space overlooking the city. I love how modern it looks! I foresee LFP being bombarded with even more requests for boudoir sessions! To see more of their new space, click here.


5) Toronto Life magazine has posted select content from its Wedding Guide 2010 (on its website including a feature on Andrea Anastasiou, owner of White Toronto. Also check out Toronto Life's stunning wedding gown picks.

Don't forget to enter A Hot Pink Petticoat Giveaway - which has been extended to the end of Monday and is open to anyone planning an event (doesn't have to be a wedding). Note that the contest is now open to those outside of Toronto.

Christos Trunk Show - Greater Toronto Area

WHEN?
Saturday, December 5th by appointment

WHERE?
Pearl Bridal House
76 Lakeshore Rd. East
Mississauga, ON L5G 1E1
905.278.5407
hello@pearlbridalhouse.com
www.pearlbridalhouse.com

To see the latest Christos collection, visit www.christosbridal.com.

*Don't forget to enter the A Hot Pink Petticoat Giveaway!

Katerina Bocci Trunk Show - Kleinburg, ON

WHEN?
Monday, February 22 to Sunday, February 28 by appointment

WHERE?
10449 Islington Avenue
Kleinburg, ON L0J 1C0
(905) 893-8100
info@sutdiosposa.com
http://www.studiosposa.ca

To see the latest Katerina Bocci collection, visit www.katerinabocci.com.

With Love, From Toronto

Last month, Style Me Pretty, featured this "Bohemian Romance" photo shoot styled by Toronto wedding planner Cynthia Martyn, with the assistance of a talented group of Toronto vendors. I love the colours - very apropos for a Valentine's Day themed wedding or engagement party. For those are you getting married in the Toronto area, this gives you an idea as to what this city's vendors can offer! To see more photos, visit Style Me Pretty or Cynthia Martyn's blog.



Concept Design & Styling: Cynthia Martyn Events Inc. www.cynthiamartyn.com
Photography: Mimmo+Naz www.mimmoandnaz.com
Cake & Sweet Table: Cake Opera Co. www.cakeoperaco.com
Stationery Design: Bella Invites www.bellainvites.com
Floral Design: Fuscia Designs www.fusciadesigns.ca
Vintage Gown: Cabaret Vintage www.cabaretvintage.com
Hair & Makeup Styling: Faces By Carla www.facesbycarla.com
Rentals: Chairman Mills www.chairmanmills.com
Linens & Chair Overlays: Susan Murray International www.susanmurray.com
Favor Boxes and Packaging: Liloo www.liloo.ca
Caramel Apples: Bruce Co. Nut & Fudge www.nutandfudge.com
Calligraphy: Calligraphy By Diane www.calligraphybydiane.com
Venue: Fermenting Cellar, The Distillery District, Toronto www.fermentingcellar.ca

Kenneth Pool Trunk Show - GTA

via Kenneth Pool

WHEN?
Thursday, February 18 to Sunday, February 21 by appointment

WHERE?
Pearl Bridal House
76 Lakeshore Rd. East
Mississauga, ON L5G 1E1
905.278.5407
hello@pearlbridalhouse.com
www.pearlbridalhouse.com

To see the latest Kenneth Pool collection, visit www.kennethpool.com.

A Friday the 13th "I Do" - Part Deux

Part I- Jessica and Nick's Wedding

Hope you are enjoying your Sunday! Let's continue with Jessica and Nick's Friday the 13th wedding.

Both the ceremony and reception took place at Bellamere Winery in London, ON. The rustic feel of the winery was the perfect venue for this unconventional couple.

Instead of wearing a veil, Jessica decided to wear a long, black cape made by Nick's godmother. She proceeded down the aisle with her father to "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica covered by Apocalyptica.

courtesy of Jessica

The ceremony, which Jessica and Nick wrote themselves, took place in one of the winery's buildings.

via The Last Forty Percent

Once they were married, the bride and groom walked down the aisle together to "Right Here In My Arms" by HIM.via The Last Forty Percent

Jessica DIYed a lot of the decor including the dogwood table centrepieces. She also designed and made all the paper goods, including the invitations and place cards. In lieu of guest favours, Jessica and Nick made a donation in memory of Nick's father to the Canadian Cancer Society. Guests were encouraged to take a Together.Strong wristband to honour those touched by cancer.

via The Last Forty Percent

Jessica was kind enough to share some 'behind the scenes' details........

How amazing is this card box? Unable to find something that suited her taste, Jessica decided to DIY a card box herself.

courtesy of Jessica

Nick designed Jessica's engagement ring and wedding band. Check out the black diamonds in her band.

courtesy of Jessica

Jessica also made her bridesmaids' jewelery -beaded drop earrings with matching necklaces.

courtesy of Jessica

A month to the day before Nick proposed, both Jessica and Nick each got infinity symbol tattoos on to symbolize their commitment to each other. They used this same symbol on their invites.

courtesy of Jessica

Congratulations Jessica and Nick. Thank you for sharing your wedding with us and showing us that 'strange' may be different but if you stay true to yourself, you're guarantee an awesome time.

*A special thanks to The Last Forty Percent.

A Friday the 13th "I Do" - Jessica and Nick

"There were black and white striped stockings. A black cape. Leather flowers. Black eyeliner. And black and white pinstriped boots. It wasn’t traditional. It wasn’t the norm. But it was perfectly them. It was the story of Jessica and Nick. Exactly as they wanted to tell it."

I don't think I could describe Jessica and Nick's wedding any better than Brianna (of The Last Forty Percent Photography) already has. When LFP posted photos from this funky wedding earlier this week, I immediately contacted Brianna to see if I could re-post the pics. I even bugged Brianna into passing along questions to Jessica. (Thanks Brianna!). Lucky for you and I, Jessica graciously answered my many questions and even provided more photo candy from her 'unusual' Friday the 13th wedding.

You're probably wondering why Jessica and Nick picked Friday the 13th. Jessica tells me there were a few reasons why they wed on such na "ominous'" date. 1) During their first year of dating, in lieu of celebrating their first Valentine's Day together, Jessica and Nick, neither believers in the 'Hallmark' holiday, decided to celebrate the Friday, February 13th instead. 2) Jessica found amazing vendor discounts for a Friday in November (both an 'off' day and an 'off' month for weddings in Ontario, Canada) and surprise, surprise, there weren't a lot of other couples sealing the deal on their selected date. 3) Jessica and Nick wanted throw an event that none of their families and friends had seen before, and that 'strange' can be fun. So this is how Jessica and Nick ended throwing a Victorian/Gothic/Rock n' Roll inspired-wedding on Friday the 13th.

Getting Ready

If you haven't figured it out already, Jessica isn't your typical bride. She may have donned a white wedding gown on her big day but she made sure there were bursts of her personality peeking through, such as her striped stockings and matching platform shoes. Not totally satisfied with her wedding gown, Jessica had the original sash removed and replaced with a black one adorned with a brooch she had found.


Not wanting to spend money on fresh flowers that would eventually die, and looking for a way to incorporate leather into her ensemble, Jessica turned to The English Rose Company in the UK to create this amazing leather rose bouquet. A matching boutonniere was also made for Nick.

The First Look

Ewan Phelan is a genius for perfectly capturing these below intimate moments.

The Bridal Party

Stay tuned for photos from Jessica and Nick's ceremony & reception at Bellamere Winery (London, Ontario) as well as some 'behind the scenes' photos from Jessica herself!

All photos by The Last Forty Percent Photography

White Toronto Bridesmaid Promotion

For the Yummy Mummy in Your Life.......

Brianna and Ewan, the creative duo behind The Last Forty Percent Photography, recently introduced their latest service, MILph (Moms I’d Like To Photograph) sessions. Similar to boudoir sessions, MILph sessions are for those yummy mummies who want have sexy photos taken without stripping down to their undies - think sexy, sophisticated fashion shoot as opposed to sexy lingerie shoot. The first yummy mummy to participate was LFP photographer Yaira. Doesn't she look amazing?


So for those of you who aren't quite done with your Christmas shopping, consider gifting this fabulous experience! For more details, check out LFP's website.

A Pre-Loved (but not Used) Dress

Hello! Hope you all had a great weekend. I, unfortunately, spent the latter part of last week and this past weekend getting over a cold/cough thingy. Yuck.

So, did anyone score big at H&M this past weekend? Do TELL! (If you happen to have an extra pair of Jimmy Choos in a size 6 1/2 or 7....please send them my way.)

NEways. I wanted to let you know that the lovely Bel of And Stanley Makes Three is selling a sample bridal gown for a steal of a price - $400!!!

Here's a little blurb by Bel about the gown:

This is a sample Venus dress in perfect condition (no rips, marks, tears, missing beads) other than a missing hook and eye clasp at the very top of the back of the dress. The dress has not been altered. I'm 5'9" tall and would have had the dress hemmed only if I were wearing flats or low heels. The bust measurement would be 35-36" approx (I'm 34" and this is the only area of the dress I would have had taken in). The waist is 28-29" and hips 36" or so. It's a bridal size 10 (dress size 6-8 I guess).

If you're interested, please email Bel at bandb2010@gmail.com. She's willing to negotiate but serious offers only please. For those of you in Canada, remember you won't have to deal with any cross-border taxes/costs with this dress!

Annual McCaffrey Sample Sale - Ottawa

WHEN?
Saturday, November 14 and Sunday, November 15

10AM to 5PM

WHERE?
McCaffrey Haute Couture Boutique
465 Sussex Dr. Ottawa
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
(613) 789-4336 ottawaretail@mccaffreyhautecouture.com
www.mccaffreyhautecouture.com


FYI - Justina McCaffrey is no longer affiliated with McCaffrey Haute Couture. Justina now heads up her own eponymous label at www.justinamccaffrey.com. For the full 411 on this split , click here.