Luna Bazaar is a super-awesome decor website with tons of amazing wedding products and inspirational ideas. We’ve teamed up with them to offer Luna-Tuesdays here at WG and showcase their fabulous stuff. Sometimes, though, with the unpredictable nature of all-things-wedding, we fall a bit behind schedule. So let’s pretend that this gloomy Wednesday morning is actually a sunny Tuesday afternoon? Yes, let’s!
One of our favourite things about Luna Bazaar is that everything they sell is super trendy. Whether it’s the latest vintage accessory or the brightest, boldest, newest shade of parasol – you know that the little details you’re picking up will tie seamlessly together with your beautifully-designed wedding plans. And here’s another sneak-peak at something we love : escort and place card holders!
{ escort + place card holders }
One of the most popular questions we get asked by our brides is, “What is the difference between a place card holder and an escort card holder?”
Think of this: an escort card is meant to “escort” your guests to their seat. An escort card includes both the guest’s name and table number, and is positioned outside the reception space so that guests may pick up their card during cocktail hour and know where they’re headed once your reception doors open.
A place card tells a guest which place at a table is theirs. These cards only include a name and are located ahead of each place setting around a table. Brides can opt to use place cards if they want to ensure that certain guests sit at particular spots around a table or along a harvest table dining layout.
Place cards are optional (and if you’re on a budget, they’re really not necessary).
Even if you don’t mind where each guest sits at a table, you do need to let that guest know which table to get to. Escort cards can be used as an alternative to a seating chart (but either one or the other is required). While seating charts are functional, as wedding planners we have found that large groups of people gathered around a single seating chart make for a less-than-pleasant cocktail hour experience (not to mention those poor souls at the tables listed at the very bottom of the chart!)
Whether you’re looking for vintage sparkle or kitschy chic, these escort card / place card holders are a perfect way to incorporate a themed (and useful!) component of your wedding day with a cute little guest favour. We’ve seen these be super successful with photobooths where images are printed right on site. Two birds, one stone – and exactly what we have in mind when we think of luxe, on a budget!
Want to really step up your WOW-factor? Incorporate your wedding theme in to these elegant glass ball card holders – your options are endless! We’d love to see little details like coordinating fresh blooms, themed accents like snowflake confetti, or even a sweet treat like Hershey Kisses or individually wrapped mints.
In some cultures an elephant with a raised trunk is considered good luck. We had one WG bride acknowledge this tradition with her Portuguese guests by using this lovely little holder to display a note that a donation had been made in their name to the couples’ favourite charity.
When it comes to escort card and place card holders, get creative and get fun! Your guests will surely notice the details and will love the little take-away gift.
Make sure to check out Luna Bazaar’s Pinterest page for more creative ways to use these card holders, and come back next week to see what new little lovely things we find.
:: We promise we’ll try and stick to our Tuesday schedule from now on, but until then……
Happy Luna-Wednesday!
{ Sending out some WG love to our Source Credits : follow the links to see the original features }
There’s something to be said for weddings we plan with some of our favourite vendors in all of WeddingLand. Chelsea and Ryan’s was one of them… and it was beautiful.
Chelsea could not have been more stunning in her ivory + gold vintage gown from Jenny Packham, and it’s clear to see that Ryan couldn’t be more in love with her.
Here’s their Same Day Edit from Captivate Bridal Cinema that was shown to wedding guests at the reception, as well as some of the gorgeous details of this picture-perfect Happily Ever After.
We got an invite from Oliver & Bonacini a couple of days ago, inviting us to an Event Planning Industry open house at UNIUN Nightclub in Toronto. Not really being sure what to expect, we got dressed (accidentally ended up coordinating) and hit the town!
In the world of WG, no successful business event can begin without really awesome coffee. (if you’re around the King West area, you NEED to stop at Jimmy’s on Portland and try their Americano!) Since we had some time to kill (us WG’s are always early) we opted for a streetside photoshoot. Naturally.
4 p.m. rolled around and the doors to UNIUN opened up revealing a stunningly chic event space with funky wallwash lighting and LED icicles raining from the ceiling. We were also met with a tray of specialty drinks – lemon ginseng martinis, mango bellini-type concoctions, wild cherry, and a few others we didn’t try (though the ones we did were to-die-for!)
Catered by some of the best in the industry, our evening of delectable indulgence ensued. Oliver & Bonacini teamed up with Presidental Gourmet and The Food Dudes to deliver morsel after morsel of yummy eats…. the food just kept coming!
Firmly planted on a comfy lounge couch with our own private table to collect our treats, we had the perfect view of both a stellar venue and all the dressed-to-kill business professionals in it.
Taking on a legitimate nightclub feel by 5 p.m., it’s surprising that neither of us ended up in epileptic shock! Flashing lights and musical stylings courtesy of the oh-so-talented Michael Coombs Entertainment - coupled with tons of gourmet grub…. who could ask for more?!
The LED lighting made us look like Barbie dolls.
Instagram fixed it.
Dessert came courtesy of both O&B and PG – chocolate macarons on a stick and apple mascarpone crepes. So yummy!
And to round out the early evening? A special thanks goes out to the lovely folks over at Tea Squared for the incredible spread of customized tea options. We chose a Toasted Almond Brittle blend…. it was just as amazing as the rest of everything had been!
And just when we thought our dining was complete – who do we find outside but these guys! Food Dudes sent us packing with (and I hope we got this right) – homemade banana bread with a slice of banana covered in homemade Nutella, rolled in Corn Flakes and deep-friend, served with whipped cream in a cute little To-Go Box.
Good thing we had a super-swanky ride waiting to take us home courtesy of Über Toronto.
These guys get their own blog post coming up on the WG website…. they’re in a league of their own!
Back safe and sound – and all in all a ridiculously awesome event that allowed us to indulge in some of the best eats and yummy treats that the Toronto event industry has to offer. Can’t wait to recreate the experience for a bride and groom. ‘Cause really, there’s no better way to say “I Do” than with macarons on a stick, right?
We just got back from a super-swanky media event at the gorgeous Windsor Arms Hotel in Yorkville. Invited by the lovely Jennifer and Astrid of PersonaWorld, we had the opportunity to learn more about Persona jewelry, styled by a group of Toronto-based designers that draw inspiration from fashion runways and use only the finest materials from around the globe.
Persona is a collection of chic and unique jewellery comprising of interchangeable beads and charms that can be worn on bracelets, earrings and necklaces – and we even got to take a bit of sparkle home with us!
Thanks to the girls at Persona we indulged in some delightful afternoon tea treats, and even had our fortunes told by a Tea Leaf Reader!
These uniquely designed and personalized pieces are the perfect way to showcase your story with your wedding day frocks, or express your gratitude and sentiment towards bridesmaids and special women in your family.
We’re looking forward to showcasing more of Persona’s beautiful designs and collaborating on a WG giveaway soon!
As promised, every Tuesday is Luna-Tuesday here at WG! In case you’re unfamiliar, Luna Bazaar is an amazing decoration|celebration website with many trendy and affordable wedding products that we are coming to know and love.
Last week we were showcasing Luna’s trendiest 2013 wedding colours, and this week we’re featuring another wedding trend – vintage-style!
Assorted bud vases are so incredibly multi-purpose when it comes to styling your big day. Use these little treasures as escort cards and favours tied in to one – or scatter them around your centrepieces to add dimension and character to each guest table. Here’s an example of how Brides.com featured these pieces used as escort card holders: stunning!
WG Bride Sarah had vintage bud vases and coordinating blooms scattered on her receiving table to greet guests as they arrived for Cocktail Hour, while WG Bride Jennifer tied a handful of bud vases together with twine and placed barn-safe flickering LED candles in the middle.
The Flower Shop @ WG styled Bride Jaime’s head table using similar design – highs, lows, candles, and blooms – to create elegance and romance across the head of their king’s table headtable arrangement.
Repurpose cocktail hour bud vase decor and use it to carry your style and theme through to your cake table, cupcake display, and midnight buffet spread! So much prettiness is packed in to these gems! You can check out Luna’s bud vase collection over at their Pinterest page.
And just like we mentioned last week, our favourite detail about Luna Bazaar’s trendy accessories? Everything can be bought to coordinate with everything else. Choose your wedding style, pick your colours, and let your design imagination run wild!
Cynthia and Kevin were blessed with a sunny and warm (well, sort of) day for their March 30th wedding. This lovely couple had a fun, relaxed celebration in their native Oakville, and brought me in to capture their big day.
Will all shades of purple colouring the festivities, it was certainly a bright arrangement! It only matched their colourful personalities and great senses of humour. Kevin and his buddies were joking and watching the Simpsons all the way up until they had to head down to the altar. And instead of suffering through the day in painful heels and uncomfortable dress shoes, the couple instead opted for Converse foot wear… a perfect match for this down to earth duo.
There’s no doubt that Cynthia and Kevin have a strong support system, with great friends and a wonderful and kind family. It was a pleasure to spend the day with everyone.
This is just a sampling of some of the great moments and memories that were captured. More to come!
Once upon a time, Mary and Courtney met Colin Cowie. He was introducing his new destination wedding designs exclusive to Hard Rock All-Inclusive resorts, and told Courtney that she looks like Taylor Swift.
Colin gave the WeddingGirls two copies of his style guide, Wedding Chic. They’ve kept one book to inspire their oh-so-gorgeous wedding designs, but asked Colin to sign the other in the hopes of spreading the design-love.
We are so excited to see Colin’s cutting-edge trends shine through the wedding industry in 2013 that The Flower Shop @ WG is giving away an autographed copy of his inspiration guide to the trendiest lover of all-things-chic that we can find.
Whether you’re getting married or just love to lavish yourself in all-things-beautiful, Colin’s oh-so-luxe designs are sure to set ablaze the most opulent stylist’s imagination.
Want to win? just show us your style! Head over to the Flower Shop @ WG page on Facebook and post a photo on our wall of something that shows us how trendy you are! It can be a photo of you sporting a killer outfit or hair-do, a pic of a chic room you’ve styled, or a snapshot of the unique engagement ring you’re showing off.
Know of a super-trendy bride-to-be? You can enter the contest on her behalf! (just be sure to ask for permission first).
We’ll have our friends vote on their favourite, and ask your friends to do the same! The popular favourite will be selected on April 18th and his/her autographed copy of Wedding Chic will finally meet its new trendsetter.
April showers bring May flowers.. and you know what means? …. it’s almost wedding season!
But first, April showers aren’t the only showers happening this Spring. We’ve got all kinds of super trendy ideas for Bridal Shower centrepieces and our wholesale decor helps keep everything on a budget.
If you’re looking for Do-It-Yourself decor to accentuate your bridal shower or wedding centrepieces, the Shops @ WG have everything from mirrors and vases to acrylic gems and beautiful blooms. Today’s spotlight: vase fillers!
Whether you’re looking for clear glass beads, colourful gems, bright and bold acrylic ice chips, vintage pearls, or earthy river rocks or polished glass, vase filler is an easy way to add dimension and creativity to your designs without breaking the bank. We’ve even used super-affordable options like water pearls to fill vases for less than $1 per table (they come in various sizes and colours too!).
We recently stumbled upon an amazing decoration|celebration website, Luna Bazaar - home to some of the trendiest and most affordable wedding products we’ve ever seen! So we’ve officially deemed Tuesdays Luna-Tuesday over here at WeddingGirl…. where every week we’ll be showcasing something new and exciting that this fabulous website has to offer.
Poppy red, Emerald green, Stone grey, Cameo pink, Wedgewood blue and Spa green ….. these are the 2013 colours we’re noticing splashed across these pages – and we’re loving them all.
After meeting with a Bride this weekend who is getting married at the Argonaut Rowing Club in Toronto, we chatted briefly about the idea of paper lantern decor hanging from the ceiling, inspired by this image posted on Weddingful:
We’ve seen a similar look styled over at the Big Barn in Balls Falls when WG bride Naomi got married a couple of summers ago and totally love the shot that Cliff Brunk snapped at this beautiful orange+brown outdoor affair, drenched in romantic lanterns.
One of our favourite things about Luna Bazaar? Everything coordinates! Choose your trendy colour palate and you can adorn your wedding with coloured paper lanterns, accentuate your outdoor ceremony with coordinating paper fans, and accessorize your bridal party with gorgeous matching parasols.
Go take a peek at what these guys have… you never know what you’ll find! (and stay tuned for what we do, next Tuesday!)
We were recently invited to partake in a candy sushi making class hosted by the lovely Jessica from Sweet Sushi at Uniiverse, Toronto. The workshop was a part of their #SweetTO week showcasing all things decadent.
The class started out with making sushi rolls using Fruit Roll-Ups, Rice Crispy square mix, and yummy pieces of licorice. Want to make your own? Lay the Fruit Roll Up flat, take a dollop of Rice Crispy mix, flatten the marshmallowy goo (rubber gloves coated in cooking spray are recommended) and place your sushi stuffing (licorice) on the edge. Using parchment paper and starting at the edge of the licorice, roll all your ingredients together nice and tight. Cut your sushi roll into bite sized pieces and enjoy!
It was easier than we had thought, and ended up being a lot of fun!
The second roll we made was very similar to the first except inside out. We did the same steps but instead of the licorice being rolled up on the rice crispy side, we flipped it over and placed the licorice on the side with the fruit roll up. Since the sticky rice crispies were on the outside of this roll it allowed us to roll it in sugar (to mimic fish eggs on regular sushi) to coat the outside! This was my personal favourite, and of course we made our rolls WG-inspired with pink & black sugar!
The third roll, Cocoa Maki, was very simple and totally delicious! Roll the rice crispy mixture, on its own, in to a log shape. Paint it with melted chocolate and cut it into sushi-sized pieces. Drizzle with milk and white chocolate. That’s it! – so yummy.
The last candy sushi we made, Nigiri, reminded me of salmon sushi. It was quite simple yet mine did not come out nearly as nicely as Jessica’s did (clearly that is why she’s the expert!). For this sushi we made an oval shape using the rice crispy mixture and topped it off with some fondant. Sounds easy…. it wasn’t…. but still so much fun to try!
All in all, this was such a great experience. We had a blast learning to make candy sushi and learning more about Jessica’s business, and made a mini-movie. Check out my cameo…
…. oh, and stay tuned for a super SWEET sushi giveaway!
