{ marry who you love! }

Friday, August 24th, 2012 | trends | No Comments

We don’t often, or perhaps ever, blog about specific products, but we just saw these same-sex wedding invitations from Alfie Cooper and we thought they were so FANTABULOUS we had to share…

How cute are these:

Love the “Haberdashery” pocket invites:

The “Big Gay Wedding” slider invites are so cute…love them:

Tags: alfiecooper.tumblr.com, big gay wedding, calgary weddings, LGBT, marriage equality, same-sex wedding, the wedding planner inc, wedding planning

{ pretty with prose }

Friday, August 17th, 2012 | media, testimonials, trends | No Comments

We just stumbled across some new photos of this lovely wedding we did last year – just in time to wish Jani + Colin a very happy 1st anniversary. Below are some of the “new” photos (taken by the very talented Kristi Sneddon).

photo credit: Kristi Sneddon

photo credit: Kristi Sneddon

The Wedding
Taking inspiration from favourite old movies and their love for writing (Jani is a writer and Colin a PhD in English), the couple began to dream of a shabby chic wedding style incorporating their love for the written word. A colour palette of teal and charcoal with pops of pink, red, and yellow set the tone they were looking for, but after finding out that the venue they booked had been turned into a rave club, they had to start fresh. A hotel was chosen for both the ceremony and reception, where they were wed in a beautiful poolside ceremony. A navy aisle runner with a sparkly teal monogram lined by votives in mason jars lead the way to the altar. Both the bride and groom had composed a short piece about their love for each other to incorporate into their vows: “Colin’s note was beautiful—complete poetry. That moment, and the rush of joy walking back down the aisle as a married couple are my favourite memories. There was so much love it was palpable!” says the bride.
 
When it came to planning the reception…things started with the decision to incorporate their personal collection of antique typewriters and as much text as possible. So, the typewriters replaced the traditional guestbook, guests typed notes to the happy couple before finding their seat. A stack of old books was placed on each table, topping a pewter pintuck linen with teal runner. On top of each stack of books was either a vintage-looking candelabra or small arrangement of flowers, with small posies and votives scattered throughout the tables. Custom table numbers were displayed with small vintage typewriters, and a custom seating chart and matching menus finished the look. Pink and yellow paper lanterns added a fun vibe to the space, while the photographer set up a photo booth that kept the guests busy and lined up all night long. The five-tiered cake was decorated to suit the couple’s fashion, featuring lines of poetry iced onto the cake and topped with a feather pen.

(http://weddingsinalberta.com/realweddings.php?articleId=899&image=7)

It was very quirky & unique while still being elegant & inviting. Every element had lots of character…just like the bride & groom!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY xo

Tags: calgary weddings, http://www.ksphotographer.com/, Lisa Hanslip, paper lanterns, the wedding planner inc, vintage typewriter wedding, wedding expert, weddingsinalberta.com

{ what’s a groom to do…?? }

Tuesday, August 14th, 2012 | Q&A | No Comments

Here are some helpful tips from our friends at OneWed by Kara Horner of TheManRegistry.com

Mastin Studio

 photo credit: Mastin Studio

Not sure about the groom’s duties when it comes to the wedding plans? While there are no hard and fast rules these days—especially with couples (instead of parents) personally footing more of the bill than ever before—here’s a quick list of the duties the groom typically handles:

• Marriage license

• Officiant’s fee

• Writing vows (if applicable)

• The bride’s wedding band

• The bride’s bouquet

• The bride’s gift

• The groom’s wedding day attire

• Gifts for the groomsmen, ushers and ring bearers

• Wedding day transportation

• The rehearsal dinner

• The honeymoon

Of course, couples may choose to divvy up the wedding duties however they see fit, so guys, make sure to create a game plan up front with your fiancée to manage expectations, decide who will cover each detail, and ensure that your plans remain within budget.

Tags: calgary weddings, Lisa Hanslip, mastin studio, onewed.com, the wedding planner inc, wedding etiquette expert, wedding expert

{ $$ who’s paying for this wedding anyway $$ }

Monday, August 13th, 2012 | etiquette, Q&A | No Comments

One of our new clients mentioned that they were really stressed about figuring out who is supposed to pay for what at the wedding. This is a question that clients used to ask me ALL the time – but in the last 5 or 6 years it actually hasn’t come up very often, or only in regards to the rehearsal dinner or one small detail.
A good portion of our clients are paying for the wedding themselves so if their parents contribute any money it’s just a nice bonus, but when an engaged couple is counting on their families to pay for most or all of the wedding it can be a sticky topic for a number of reasons.

It’s rarely the case that both families have similar financial circumstances, and some families wish to stick to a very traditional division of costs where other families don’t have the slightest idea who is supposed to pay for what. All of these elements can conspire to cause the couple a lot of stress – even just bringing up the subject of the financial obligations can cause even the calmest couple some sleepless nights.
Traditionally, of course, the bride’s family assumed the burden of most wedding costs – probably a vestige of the practice of providing a large dowry to attract a good husband (!!). However, these days only about 25% of weddings are paid for solely by the bride’s parents. Look at the Healing Properties of Herkimer Diamond Quartz Crystals and get to know if this is the right stone for you..
Today, almost 70% of weddings are paid for either by the couple or by some combination of both sets of parents. It’s now VERY common for both families to share the costs equally, or for the bride and groom to pay for all of the expenses themselves.
If you do want financial help from your families to pay for the wedding, you must keep in mind you must be wiling to compromise on some of your wishes for your wedding. Although it can be a difficult subject to broach this subject with your parents – do your best to keep the conversation calm & dignified…it’s amazing how grievances that arise during the engagement can linger far past the actual wedding…whatever happens, whoever pays…just remember these people are going to be your family for the rest of your life so tread lightly!
If age-old tradition is ruling the financial structure of your wedding, here is the TRADITIONAL DIVISION OF COSTS from Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette:
The Bride & Her Family:
• services of a wedding consultant
• invitations, enclosures, announcements
• bride’s wedding gown & accessories
• floral decorations for ceremony & reception
• bridesmaids’ flowers
• bride’s bouquet
• formal wedding photos
• videographer
• music for church & reception
• transportation of bridal party to & from ceremony
• all reception expenses (including the marquee hire)
• bride’s gifts to her attendants
• bride’s gift to groom
• groom’s wedding ring
• ceremony rentals
• cost of soloists
• transportation of bridal party to reception
• accommodations for bride’s attendants
• bridesmaids’ luncheon

The Groom & His Family:
• bride’s engagement ring
• bride’s wedding ring
• gifts for groom’s attendants
• ties for groom’s attendants if not part of rental package
• bride’s bouquet (in regions where this is the custom)
• bride’s going-away corsage
• boutonnieres for groom’s attendants
• corsages for immediate members of both families
• officiant’s fee or church donation
• transportation & lodging expenses for the officiant if required & invited to officiate by groom’s family
• marriage license
• transportation for groom and best man to ceremony
• honeymoon
• all costs of rehearsal dinner
• accommodations for groom’s attendants
• bachelor dinner (if groom wishes to have one)
• transportation and lodging for groom’s immediate family*

Bridesmaids/Honour Attendants:
• purchase of apparel and all accessories
• transportation to and from city where wedding takes place
• a contribution to a gift from bridesmaids to bride
• individual gift to couple (if being in the wedding is not the gift)
• shower/luncheon for bride

Ushers/Groomsmen/Best Man:
• rental/purchase of wedding attire
• transportation to and from city where wedding takes place
• a contribution to a gift from groomsmen to groom
• individual gift to couple (if being in the wedding is not the gift)
• bachelor party for groom

Out-of-town guests:
• transportation to & from wedding (If you’re considering private jet travel, you can shop around at Jettly to find the best deals)
• wedding gift
• lodging expenses

If you’re still looking for the ultimate destination wedding venue, then you might want to look into this wedding hotel Phu Quoc Vietnam.

* just as a total aside – it always makes me crazy when I watch “Father of the Bride” and Diane Keaton tells Steve Martin they have to pay for all of the groom’s family to fly in from Denmark…NO!!! No you don’t!! Whether you’re following old traditions or new – or none for that matter – unless you happen to own an airlines…that would be just stupid…but artistic license I guess

Tags: calgary weddings, the wedding planner inc, wedding budget, wedding etiquette, wedding expert, wedding planning, who pays for what at the wedding