Irish & Italian Intoxicating Fun!
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 | trends, Uncategorized, weddings | No Comments
To say working with Natalie & Joe was fun in an understatement! We had just under three months to plan a wedding that would reflect their enthusiasm and sunny personalities. We kept the decor simple for the ceremony as we wanted the reception to have more WOW!
And did it ever WOW! Classic chocolate brown was brought to a whole new level with punches of orange and tiffany blue. Everything about this wedding was big bold, and fun. From the 20 person head table, to the martini luge, to the candy buffet unlike any of us had ever seen before!
We kept the overall feeling classy by having simple and elegant centerpieces, monogram and cake design.
After the honeymoon Natalie & Joe stopped by to tell me what a wonderful time they had! I can honestly say that we had the best time too!
Black & White Damask accented with Deep Red & Hot Pink
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 | trends, weddings | No Comments
This was a lovely intimate wedding – it was elegant & fashion forward – but still timeless. Sonya & Travis both have a passion for James Bond (note his VERY stylish, VERY 007, Armani tuxedo) 
and wanted touches of glamour, touches of fashion…but I wanted to make sure it wouldn’t be design that would look totally dated 10 years from now.
Sonya REALLY wanted a croquembouche…it was ridiculously difficult to convince anyone to make one (who actually had the skill to make one). After many months of tenacious pestering I got a great bakery to create one for their wedding day. About half way through dinner it got bumped and a couple cream puffs came out at the bottom. Kim & I kept looking at it nervously…when I decided we should take the “croquembouche plucking”/cake cutting photos even though they were in the middle of their entrees…just as I leaned over to tell the bride we need to do a photo right away…you guessed it…it collapsed. It was promptly whisked into the kitchen and with many toothpicks, plastic containers and various other sundry it was repaired. The bride & groom decided it will be one of their favourite wedding anecdotes. 
Let them eat cream puffs!
I’m waiting…..!
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments
I’ve been anxiously awaiting Kim bringing her camera to the office so I can see & then post some pix of her last fabulous soiree…hurry up…we’re impatient 
gondola, shmondola
Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 | testimonials, weddings | No Comments
We just received another lovely thank you note from a client that got married this summer. Their wedding almost got cancelled due to high winds threatening to halt gondola service upto the ceremony & reception site:
Dear Lisa,
Thank you so much for all of your efforts putting our wedding together. It could not have been better in any way. The best part is that we didn’t even hear about the gondola drama until the next day.
Our wedding was absolutely perfect!
Thank you.
Melissa and Frank
I worked with Frank & Melissa for about 18 months planning their wedding…such a fun couple. I’ve heard all sorts of things in wedding vows – but this was the first time a bride referred to making out during the theme song to “House”…so great…best wishes you guys!
One family’s zoo is another family’s small gathering
Sunday, October 11th, 2009 | etiquette, media, Q&A | No Comments
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE CALGARY HERALD, JANUARY 2006, IN LISA HANSLIP’S COLUMN “I DO, BUT DON’T…”
The long road from happy engagement to wedded bliss is paved with potential etiquette faux pas. Wedding planner Lisa Hanslip is here to help you resist your inner Bridezilla along the way.
Q. My fiancé and I are planning to get married in about eight months, but we haven’t made many plans yet because we can’t seem to agree on what the wedding should look like. As this is the second marriage for both of us I would like a small intimate event. My fiancé on the other hand comes from a very large family and is expecting a large celebration. Do you have any suggestions how we can plan a wedding that will make everyone happy?
A. A wedding is not just a celebration of the union of two people, but more often than not, it is the joining of two families – which brings with it a veritable treasure trove of opposing traditions and expectations. If the meeting of the in-laws doesn’t tragically mirror a scene from Meet the Fockers consider yourself lucky.
A good compromise in many situations is to split the difference – but I don’t think a medium-sized ceremony and reception will satisfy either side – you’ll still feel like the event was much bigger than you were hoping for (“There were 150 people at my wedding, it was a total zoo!”) – and your fiancé’s family will inevitably deem the moderate guest list too small (“How can we possibly have a proper wedding celebration with only 150 people?!?”).
You might consider having a small intimate ceremony with just your immediate family and closest friends followed by a large celebration later in the day. This way you’ll have the memory of a ceremony that reflected your sensibilities while your fiancé and his family can relish tales of the big bash.
Another option is to have the large wedding your fiancé’s family is hoping for, followed by a small gathering. Try a morning ceremony followed by a raucous afternoon reception – then in the evening you can sit down to an intimate dinner for just immediate family.
Whatever you decide to do – make sure it is a solution that doesn’t leave either of you disgruntled. Focus on what you two need from your day, even if that means ignoring your families. It doesn’t bode well if one of you spends your wedding night on the sofa (because that only leads to a honeymoon spent on the marriage counselor’s couch – and that’s no good for anybody).
Intimate or Immense…what’s a bride to do with the guest list?
Wednesday, September 9th, 2009 | etiquette, media, Q&A | No Comments
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE CALGARY HERALD, MAY 2005, IN LISA HANSLIP’S COLUMN “I DO, BUT DON’T…”
Q: We chose a very small venue to have our reception and it was very difficult to get our guest list small enough. We all had to cut quite a few people we would love to be there – but it simply won’t accommodate any more people. A few of our friends (and our parents’ friends) are quite offended and upset about not being invited. How should we handle this?
A: When planning a wedding, making the guest list is frequently fraught with problems. The process of cutting down the guest list is, at best, the cause of making some hard choices, and at worst, absolutely agonizing. Most of the time it can be an emotional minefield for everyone:
• Mom, I don’t care if you envisioned my wedding having 400 guests – we only want 35.
• What do you mean you want to invite your ex-girlfriend?
• No Dad, I don’t want all 47 of my first cousins at the wedding.
• You mean I can’t invite 14 people from the office, what will I tell them?
You need to decide what is important – the venue or the number of guests. Have you always dreamed of an intimate wedding or is a huge bash more your style? If you have your heart set on a small wedding you have to be a little ruthless with the guest list.
If you’re having a wedding for 350 people – your friends have a right to be offended by their omission from the guest list – however, if you’ve chosen a venue that only holds 50 people – they should understand the size constraints – that you simply don’t have the option of including everyone. It is perfectly appropriate to host a wedding for just immediate family and a few close friends.
Remember a few things which should help before making the final decisions: Your wedding is not an opportunity for your parents to get payback for all the wedding gifts they’ve given and weddings they’ve attended over the years. It is also decidedly not an occasion for them to fulfill their social obligations (nothing makes a bride feel more special on her wedding day than a room full of her father’s business associates). It is also not appropriate to send invitations to a bunch of people you know will not be able to attend – it looks like a blatant plea for gifts.
In an ideal world, you could have your ideal wedding and everyone you’ve ever met could be invited – but unless heisting a Brinks truck is in your immediate future – your friends and family need to be understanding of the type of wedding you and your fiancé have chosen.
Perfection in the Park
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009 | testimonials, trends, weddings | No Comments
This is the scrumptious wedding that Kim executed a couple of weeks ago.
From the standing ceremony in the park to the elegant damask paired with yummy reds & oranges and black candelabras it was exactly what the bride & groom had dreamed of (with Kim’s expert design input, of course!).
This was the email waiting for Kim a couple of days after the wedding:
Hello Kim,
We can’t thank-you enough for how amazing everything turned out, I’m still in awe mode from all of it. Every couple I know that gets married will be referred to you because I want them to experience a wedding day like ours
Thanks again
Sincerely, Nicole
The bride screamed & jumped up & down for so long when she got her sneak peak of the ballroom the photographer felt compelled to come in & document it…we can’t wait to see the photos!
Purple & Orange…the San Francisco Treat!
Monday, August 31st, 2009 | trends, weddings | No Comments
This couple met in San Francisco and later got engaged in San Francisco so they wanted to find a way to incorporate that into their reception. I spent months collecting vintage images of San Francisco landmarks in both colour & B&W which were used for the ceremony programs, menus (4 different images), table numbers (18 different images) and seating chart.
It was a riot of colour…rich shades of purple and oranges…it really made the space come alive.
I also loved that they received custom bobble heads as a gift and used them as the cake topper. So cute – and was a perfect touch for their character. 
The bride called this morning to tell me what an AMAZING time they had…they were the life of the party and assured me this wedding was one for the record books.
Best wishes you guys!
Luscious Lighting, Linens & Lenny Kravitz
Monday, August 24th, 2009 | trends, weddings | No Comments
I worked with this couple since the fall of 2007 – and they were so fun…and crazy…and sweet. They wanted colourful & quirky & unique and their wedding certainly was all of those things.
The groom & groomsmen were all decked out in pale grey 3 pc suits with groovy white shoes and the bridesmaids looked great in their purple bubble dresses with hot orange shoes. I don’t usually comment on a couple’s processional but this was so different I have to mention it…the bridal party went down the aisle to music from Edward Scissorhands..and then the radiant bride made her entrance to Lady by Lenny Kravitz…it was perfect! You gotta love a bride who can pull off a formal gown & Lenny…
Their reception was a riot of colour…rich jewel tones…fuchsias, deep purples & rich teals…
The bride sent me this email a couple of days later:
You guys rock too!!!
Captivating Candy Confection in Kananaskis
Thursday, August 13th, 2009 | trends, weddings | No Comments
We absolutely LOVED how this ballroom turned out…it was truly scrumptious. The tables were colour blocked – soft pinks, soft lavenders and soft greens…everything was very soft & ethereal and the overal effect was a gorgeous garden fete brought indoors.
During the ceremony several dear congregated right behind the couple…it was so sweet…and seems like a very good omen!
The cake was yummy inside & out…it was so pretty and really epitmozed the overall feel of the space. mmMMmmm…
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