the wedding planner
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
Saturday, July 10th, 2010 | trends, weddings | 1 Comment
One of Kim’s clients REALLY wanted fish in their centerpieces…I think this was the first time we’ve done this in over a decade. The wee fish kept startling the staff as they were putting out the place settings…you don’t really expect things to move while you’re putting out flatware! (You’ll be happy to hear she convinced the bride not to flush them at the end of the night…poor lil’ fishies!!).
Their lovely outdoor ceremony just managed to squeak in before the torrential down pour began…nothing like a well executed timeline…Kim apparently has an “in” with Mother Nature!
The custom seating chart – as well as the rest of the wedding day printing (menus, table numbers, place cards) – was beautifully designed by MyStylishWedding.Com – SO PRETTY! It all beautifully tied in their invitations, and their colour palette of purple, black & oyster.
The cake – artfully produced by one of our favorite new pastry chefs – looked just SCRUMPTIOUS – and was accessorized with an elegant monogram cake topper (also from mystylishwedding.com) which matched the font on the invitations and aisle runner. I was sad I wasn’t going to be around long enough to get to try it…SUCH a great job they did…wow!
Kim did an amazing job of making the ballroom warm & inviting, simple & elegant…lots of bang for their buck on the client’s relatively small budget…well done Kim!
you MUST have cherry shoes!
Monday, May 3rd, 2010 | trends | No Comments
My mother-in-law had been shoe shopping and saw a pair of shoes that were totally me – and so we went shoes shopping on the weekend so I could try on these fabulous cherry shoes:
Unfortunately they no longer had my size…but I must say – they are indeed “me” – and much more fun than any shoes I’ve purchased recently.
In the end I managed to find a fun silver pair off the sale rack (yay!) which are also made by Poetic License:
I wore them to the office today…excellent way to start the week…in a fun & fabulous new pair of shoes…even more so when they were on sale.
Aren’t they cute?!?
The shoe box is so cute also I almost took a photo of it to post (I refrained).
“Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.”
— Marilyn Monroe
always a bridesman, never a….??
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010 | etiquette, media, Q&A | No Comments
I know I’ve already blogged about having male bridesmaids and honour attendants of the opposite sex – but as it came up again in a recent meeting with a client I thought it bears repeating. I think my first experience with this was a female “best man” in the mid-nineties sometime. She wore a floor-length strapless black gown and looked just lovely – and not even a little out of place – standing between the groom and the groomsmen.
I feel very strongly that you have the person or persons that mean most to you standing next to you while you get married – regardless of gender. You don’t need to have 4 attendants because your soon-to-be spouse is having 4 attendants. You don’t have to have them all in the same outfit (in fact, please don’t!!) – it’s great to infuse some character into your bridal party. And, you definitely don’t have to have female attendants because you’re the bride, nor male attendants because you’re the groom. We have had lots of “men of honour”s and “best women” over the years and it’s always perfectly appropriate – regardless if you’re having a religious or secular ceremony.
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE CALGARY HERALD, MARCH 2005, 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: I’m having a very hard time choosing a maid of honour. I have a few girlfriends that I’m fairly close to, but my very best friend is a guy. We’ve known each other since junior high – and he’s seen me through everything. Would it be weird to choose him instead of a maid of honour? Should he just dress like the groomsmen? Will I give my grandmother a heart attack?
A: Unconventional, yes! Unexpected, you bet! Acceptable, absolutely!
You want your honour attendant – whether it is a maid of honour, matron of honour or man of honour – to be the person to whom you feel closest. You should choose your best friend, the person you want standing beside you on your big day – not the friend that would look best in the bridesmaid dress.
If you choose a man to be your honour attendant – you may opt to eliminate some of the “typical” duties like hosting your bridal shower, or helping you get into your wedding gown. But the most important part of the job description is being supportive and serving as the legal witness to your marriage.
Choosing your attendants can often be a difficult process – for the bride and the groom. There may be family politics involved. Or, like some, you may have served as a bridesmaid for a dozen of your friends and family members and feel obligated to ask them to stand up for you in return. Well…don’t.
This is your day – and although it is impossible to accommodate everyone’s wishes – you can’t make your choices based on not wanting to offend someone. You can’t make everyone happy – nor can you make everyone your bridesmaid – so just choose those you are currently closest to. You can always assign tasks – like doing a reading or taking care of the guest book – to those you want to feel special and included in your wedding but aren’t in the bridal party.
When you decide on the attire for your attendants, he can wear a suit or tuxedo and coordinate his tie to the other bridesmaids. This scenario also holds true for the groom. It is also perfectly acceptable to have a woman be the best “man.” A best “woman” looks great in a black strapless gown to coordinate with the other groomsmen.
So, feel free to choose your best guy friend or brother to stand up for you at your wedding. Just keep your “man of honour” away from the lavender chiffon and size 11 purple pumps – and your grandmother’s heart should be just fine!
Are they serious???
Thursday, April 1st, 2010 | media | No Comments
I just got an email from one of our suppliers…a company that makes our custom tote bags – which are really lovely by the way…and this is what they sent:
All I can hope is that April 1st is the reason for this email and not that they’re exploring new business opportunities…because really…they can’t be serious…can they?
Weddings & Wildebeests
Friday, March 19th, 2010 | travel | No Comments
I meant to blog about my last vacation but never quite got around to it…but I clicked on a link on Sympatico.msn.ca about the 10 best hotels in the world to daydream about some future vacation…and the #1 picture looked suspiciously familiar…HEY…that was our room!!
http://travel.sympatico.ca/RobinEsrock/Articles/worlds_best_hotels.htm
Yes, really, we actually stayed in this amazing & decadent tent during our magical safari in Kenya. It was so magical, and everything was SO special…I couldn’t help but think what a perfect honeymoon destination. Truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
From the thousands of zebras, gazelles, and wildebeests, to the prides of lions, journey of elephants and copious herds of giraffes it was totally surreal. But what was even more amazing was the service we received at the camp. We had our own private guide, driver, waiter and butler.
They always went out of their way to make each day special and unique. Not just unique from the day before – but unique from the other guests as well. One day we came back from our afternoon game drive and our entire tent (floors, bed, desk, tables) was covered in rose petals with candles lit everywhere. And they had brought one of the gorgeous (and HEAVY) carved solid wood tables onto our terrace with crisp white linens and candelabras and served us dinner (all 4 courses) on our verandah.
AMAZING!
When we arrived there was a mommy warthog & her piglets about 3′ outside our tent…I totally fell in love with the piglets – so ridiculously cute…and a couple days later there was a wee little zebra munching on the bushes right outside our tent….Oh Look! We have our own private zebra!!
If you’d like to see some of our photos have a look: http://hanslipjakab.shutterfly.com/1810
My husband even got to cut his birthday cake with a machete after being serenaded by a tribe of Maasai warriors…definitely a trip for the record books!
Who’s Paying For All This Exactly??
Saturday, February 27th, 2010 | etiquette, trends | 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.
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
• 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
• lodging expenses
• wedding gift
* 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 
How Much is THAT Dress?? Will the Manolos Still Fit in My Budget?
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 | trends | No Comments
I had SOOO much fun wedding gown shopping with one of my brides. We started the process late last year and she bought “the one” late last week. 
Her initial appointments produced 3 main contenders – one that fit the budget, one that kind of, sort of fit the budget, and one “I think my heart just stopped” definitely, not even a little bit fit the budget.
She was very torn and didn’t know what to do so I joined her to go back & try on her favorites.
Of the first two I knew that one definitely wasn’t right – but the other could potentially be right…so off we went to see the oh-so-beautiful, but oh-so-not in her budget dress.
When we walked in the store I audibly gasped…good grief Lisa…have some self-control. It’s been a long time since I saw a wedding dress that made me totally lose my composure…uh oh!
However I did know that – although I was with her 110% on the amazing, unique, killer dress…I also knew it wasn’t the right one for her…so I did a little peak around the store to see what was new & fabulous since I was last there…and BAD, BAD wedding planner grabbed one that made us both gasp. She even asked me to try it on so she could see it on someone else (but not just in the photo on the website) – I never really expected to have a wedding dress on again – and boy, it sure was fun! It made my day to spend a few minutes in an exquisite work of art made of sumptuous fabric…better than a quick trip to the spa…haha!
I had to admit to her that I was very torn – my wedding planner sensibilities were saying NO, NO, NO because it was way too much of her total budget – but I also knew how GORGEOUS she’d look in it and how much she wanted it…
My bride ruminated over the holidays and I sent her out for a whole new round of dresses last week…well she hadn’t even made it out of the change room when her maid of honour called me to COME IMMEDIATELY…”We think we’ve found the one!!”
Well I jumped in my car and sure enough it was, indeed, the one. This gorgeous European confection of silk and lace was nothing like the dress she thought she would want (which is so often the case with wedding gowns) but once she had it on – it absolutely ticked all the boxes…AND…as the sample fit and was in perfect shape…there’s no need to panic about those sassy, sexy, sparkly Louboutins breaking the budget…and after all…aren’t the shoes the only part of a bride’s wedding attire she’ll realistically ever wear again anyway?? 
Happy Holidays from The Wedding Planner!!
Friday, December 18th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments
We wish everyone a very happy holidays and all good things for 2010…here’s to lots of luscious weddings in the New Year. xoxo Lisa, Kim & Val
Say Cheese
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009 | trends, weddings | 1 Comment
One of our brides emailed me yesterday to inquire about having a photobooth at her wedding…we LOVE photobooths…Your guests have a great time (especially after a few cocktails!) and both you & they get a wonderful momento that will be fun to have for years to come. They can be customized with your monogram, to match your colour palette and have your names & wedding date and any message you want for your guests…so fun…Say Cheeeeeese!
Sexy & Snowy Winter Wedding
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 | trends, weddings | No Comments
This was an intimate weekend-long wedding in the mountains. The very stylish couple wanted sleek and unique but still low key. Their paramount priority was making sure that all their guests felt comfortable and that they’d have a good opportunity to visit with everyone.
The ceremony was decked out in white flowers, white fabric and crystals with accents of black (including the fabulous wedding gown)…and a gorgeous view of the mountains.
Cocktails were in an intimate setting flooded with candlelight and all of their guests were greeted with a Mojito.
Great lighting created a cool ambience. The linens were simple black on black and each table had groupings of monochromatic red or white flowers…so pretty…and the food was superb!
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