Coldplay in Toronto - July 30th

www.coldplay.com

Tickets go on sale Monday at 10AM for Coldplay's concert in Toronto, at the Rogers Centre, July 30th. Can't wait!!! I'm dragging the BF, he claims he's not a fan but I secretly think he likes them b/c I catch him looking at their site a lot.

UPDATE: The tickets go on sale MONDAY (not Friday). Sorry for the error!

Another DIY Floral Workshop

I posted a link earlier today for a DIY floral workshop in Huntington Beach, CA hosted by {grey likes weddings}. For those of you in the Bay area, here's one for you! Huckleberry Karen Designs is hosting a DIY Floral Workshop on March 29, 2009 in San Fracisco. Click below for more details or visit Huckleberry Karen's blog.

Alexander McQueen for Target

The Alexander McQueen for Target collection hit the stores today. You have to give Target credit for forging these relationships with high-end designers in order to bring their art to us common folk. I have a few purses from the Joy Gryson Target line and love them! Plus, I didn't have to pay $500-800 per bag. (Mind you, I also didn't get the soft, supple leather and quality design). I have yet to purchase clothing from Target's Designer collection. Maybe the Alexander McQeen line will be my first foray. I am crushing on the asymmetrical charcoal and black dress below which is US$69.99. The prices suit any recessionista's budget, ranging from $19.99 for a top to $139.99 for a leather studded vest. What do you think?

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Reem Acra Trunk Show

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WHEN?
Friday, March 6th & Saturday, March 7th

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 Reem Acra Bridal collection, visit www.reemacra.com

Random Tidbits from the Interweb

Tips for looking good in front of the camera - Survive Wedding Season

If you haven't seen Budget Savvy Bride's and A $10,000 wedding's DIY invitations, you must go see. I am so impressed!

Vintage Glam Weddings, one of my favourite wedding blogs, is having a DIY contest. Submit your DIY project (excluding DIY invitations) to share with VGW readers for the chance to win a $200 gift certificate to Wedding Paper Divas. (Hint, hint Canadian Bride!)

DIY Floral Workshop in Huntington Beach, CA - Hosted by {grey} likes weddings (*This is open to anyone interested in floral arrangement, not just for brides)

FREE Photoshop Invitations 101 Video Tutorial/Workshop - DIY Bride

FREE Goudy Font via iDIY

Budget Honeymoons - Washington Post

Coco Myles - My Latest Procrastination Excuse

How many times have you've gone shopping, found an item of clothing that you like but you wished you could change the colour, the neckline or added an embellishment or two? If you answered yes, then you're like me, a wannabe fashion designer. Problem with me is that my sewing skills are very basic and I barely have time to dress myself in the mornings let alone design my own clothes. Well, I found the next best thing. Coco Myles.

Specializing in custom formal dresses, Coco Myles lets YOU be the fashion designer. You pick the neckline (e.g. sweetheart, scoop neck); the style of the skirt (e.g. A-line, ballgown); the colour; the fabric (satin, charmeuse, georgette, matte jersey); whether the the dress will have beading, bows or a matching sash and/or shawl. Did I mention that your dress, a <insert your name here> original will be under US$200? I know, a little too good to be true!

As you can imagine, the majority of Coco Myles' business is the sale of customized bridesmaids dresses, allowing brides to mix 'n' match colours, sizes, and styles. This one-stop online retailer also customizes dresses for junior bridesmaids and pregnant bridesmaids. Recently awarded a WeddingWire's Brides Choice Award '09, Coco Myles seems to be a favourite among brides.

Check out the bridesmaid dress I put together. Cute no? And all for US $138!

Coco Myles also specializes in customized 'celebrity inspired' gowns. Below is the 'Pretty Betty' gown. I love the ruching.

And here is my customized red "Reese" gown.

Coco Myles will send swatches free of charge so you can get a sense of the colours and the fabrics. According to Coco Myles' website, it will take approximately 6 weeks to receive your order. They offer free shipping within the Continential U.S. (bonus!) and will waive the standard $40/dress cost assciated with shipping to Canada if you order 3 or more dresses. Check out their blog for photos of real Coco Myles' bridesmaids and even brides!

So if you get bored at work, ahem, I mean, if you have some time during your lunch hour, try designing your own dress. Be careful - it's addictive!

The Green Elephant, er, Curtains in the Room

Happy Monday. Hope you had a great weekend! I was busy cleaning and stocking the fridge as the BF is coming in this Friday. YAY!

My friend Anita will be getting married this summer at the luxurious Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg. Built in 1913, the castle-like hotel is a designated historic landmark and has hosted many high profile guests*. It is the perfect place to have a grand and elegant affair.

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I remember how ecstatic Anita was when she booked the Provencher Room at the hotel. Unfortunately, Anita's excitement was short-lived. She would soon find out that the Provencher Room would not fit her (and her finance's, her parents' and future in-laws') guest list. Luckily, the larger Crystal Ballroom in the Fort Garry was free and so Anita took that date. Problem solved, right? Well, for the most part. You see the Crystal Ballroom has these green curtains and Anita, well, she rather they weren't there. See for yourself.

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The green curtains themselves are not that bad. Actually I think they're quite regal and complement the elaborate chandeliers in the room. However, they certainly do not go with the 'Tiffany blue' colour scheme Anita had envisioned. So, how does a bride compete with such, um, regalness? Well, one option, is to let the green curtains, the chandeliers and the rest of room's ornateness be the focal point - which is what the event planners in the above photo did. White, plain linens adorned with tall white & blush centrepieces took a back seat in this event. I'm not going to lie. I'm not of a fan of this approach, especially for a wedding. (The bride would blend into the linens!!) So I set off to find images of the Crystal Ballroom to show Anita she could work with the green curtains and hopefully inspire her to find colours that complement them.

Here's what I found:

I really like how the brown and champagne linens work with the curtains here. Unlike the event above, it brings the focal point down from the ceiling to eye level.

Photo by Joel Ross Photography via Weddings in Winnipeg

The below wedding shows how you can indeed make the green curtains take a back seat! The abundance of red combined with the tall floral centrepieces takes the focus down to the tables.

Photo by Joel Ross Photography via WeddingBells.ca

The next two photos are from Madelaine's Weddings and Events. Madelaine, a talented Winnipeg-based wedding planner, assisted her clients with choosing ivory pintuck linens (I just learned that those criss-cross seams are called pintucks), ocean blue chair sashes and napkins. Who would have thought the ocean blue would go with the green curtains? I love the use of the different sized pillar candles on each table. How cute are the monogrammed chair sashes?

Photos by William Au

The next few photos are from, I believe (Anita - let me know if I'm wrong), another room in the Fort Garry Hotel, the Concert Ballroom, which also houses the green curtains. Anita will be having a traditional Jewish ceremony which means there will be a 'chuppah' (canopy) present like the one in the below photo. I like this simple white chuppah, each of its four posts adorned by orange and green flowers.

The orange and green flowers are used again in the reception decor, accompanied by brown pintuck linens, matching chair covers and tea lights. Beautiful no?

Photos by Joel Ross Photography via Weddings in Winnipeg

And let's not forget the importance of lighting. The use of LED lighting at the head table in this wedding definitely takes away from the green curtains.

Photo by Jeremy Hiebert via Weddings in Winnipeg

I definitely think Anita should play around with lighting, perhaps using LED lighting, coloured lighting, and/or candles. Also, I think tall centrepieces will help take the focus away from the green curtains. What do you think? Any advice for Anita? What accent colour(s) can you envision working with the green curtains?

* Apparently, the 2nd floor of the Fort Garry is haunted. Interesting, Anita has yet to tell me this. ;)

My First Blog Award

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”

Yipee! I received a blog award today from everyone's favourite Canadian Bride, Krista. Thanks Krista! Canadian Bride was one of the first blogs I started following regularly because it was well-written, witty, informative and Canadian. I haven't been blogging that long. It originally started as a joke to diarize my bridesmaid adeventures; but it soon satisfied that writing itch I've had for years (I told my mom when I was 8 that I wanted to be an 'author') and the ultimate girly-girl in me who loves tulle, chiffon, diamonds, pearls, shoes, purses, paper goodness, and flowers (cuz the realist in me and the BF would never let me go there in real time!) Hopefully, I provide a different viewpoint to weddings and some useful information to brides and bridesmaids! So a big thank you to those who have checked out my blog.

Without further adieu, I nominate the following fellow bloggers:

Miss Want from but I need it (every Sunday she posts an awesome Audrey Hepburn pic)
K from Blog Goggles (who is always on the up and up on the latest trends)
Once A Bride (advice from a wedding graduate)
The Relentless Bride (need I say more?)
Good Finking (post-wedding musings from Mrs. Seabreeze)
Brandy from Something Weddings (a fellow Torontonian!)

And although they've already received awards....I want to give another shout-out to Krista from Canadian Bride, Nicole from Nicole & Jesse and Mo from Pink Argyle because I so enjoy reading their blogs!

Budget Tips for NYC Brides

An informative article for budget savvy brides in NYC (but a lot of the tips apply to any wedding regardless of locale) - Click here.

Wedding Accessories @ The Purse Blog

One of my favourite blogs is The Purse Blog, which showcases the latest and greatest in designer handbags. (Be forewarned, reading the Purse Blog might induce feelings of euphoria, leading one to take her credit card to the nearest Gucci store whether she has the funds or not!)

Meaghan Mahoney and Vladimir Dusil, the founders of The Purse Blog, recently got married and Meaghan shared with her readers her wedding accessories. So what does a purse maven carry on her arm on her big day? Here's a peek - for more click here.

The Purse Blog