Well… where to start?

I just got back home from the Niagara Convention and Civic Centre’s Design-Your-Day Wedding Contest event – and what an event it was! I’ve never seen so many unique ideas, costumes, themes, and cake-making action before! A HUGE congratulations to all the brides who competed and to their amazing support crews (fiance’s, bridesmaids, friends, and family alike!). I’m truly honoured to have been invited to be a part of this special day, and we’re looking forward to being a part of the winning couples’ $20,000 Wedding!!

Today, this couples’  lives were certainly changed… and from what I’ve heard from their wedding party, no two people deserve it more. Congratulations again!! I’m also so happy to have met Niagara Celebrity Chef, Anna Olson (who taught us about Wedding Cake trends!), as well as David Haskell of Haskell Photography (whose prize package coincidentally went to one of our WG brides!), and numerous other fantastic wedding vendors who came together to make this event possible. Great job, guys!

** If you’re one of the brides I met this morning and you’re new to WeddingGirl.ca…… Welcome!!!!!! I hope you enjoy your stay here with us!! Make sure to become friends on Facebook with the WeddingGirl Dot Ca profile for tons of inspiration ideas and to have ongoing contact with us in those “What would a wedding planner do?” moments. I’m looking forward to getting to know all of you!

As for the “behind the scenes of today’s festivities….. it was my first “exhibit” with WG. I’ve never attended a bridal show or spoken at any kind of event about what I do…. so completely nerve-wracking was definitely an understatement! I ended up putting together a “booth” that I think completely reflected the elements of WG that matter most… class, elegance, sophistication, and definite girly flare! – I took pictures… but…. I can’t find my blasted camera cable that uploads my photos to my Mac. And since I run a Mac, I can’t just plug my SD card into the side of it… leaving me helpless. Stay tuned for event photos. I promise! As well, when I unpack my car, I’ll find the business card of the awesome photographer who took some shots of my set-up… and introduce her work to all of you too!

I AM thrilled, however, that (even though I didn’t use it), this event finally inspired me to have my WG banner printed:

- with an especially GIGANTIC thanks to Aymen at The Printing House in Burlington, and my amazing graphics designer, Maggie of Humble Hearth for making it all happen in time! Perhaps I should look into some bridal shows to put this piece of art to work?

Now that this event is behind me… it’s back to business as usual! My Confessions-style blogging plan somewhat fell apart shortly after I announced it… mainly because even to blog Confession-style, requires a ridiculous amount of time (which I’ve had difficulty finding lately!).

It’s been a whirlwind few weeks. I’m DYING to post pictures from our two latest weddings – Darci and Susan (an amazing waterfront wedding and WG’s first same-sex couple!)  as well as Kelly and Morgan with their gorgeous green|eco-chic|earth-inspired event at Balls Falls Conservation area. Unfortunately, the camera cable issue applies here too. Perhaps I’ll start looking for that now. With that said, there’s a whole Summer of events that needs to get caught up on the blog! Wedding Season is now officially coming to a close, in turn opening up time for a plethora of other WG activities (with a few super-exciting events in between!)

On the planning front…. hmmm…. a number of new couples have found fabulous wedding venues: Le Jardin and Chateau Des Charmes among them (both of which I’m utterly impressed with – thanks to Gabriella and Erin accordingly!), we’re in the midst of hooking some other brides up with the floral brilliance of Jessica at Fleurish, and the stunning decor of Walter and Sally over at Decor With Grandeur (who actually exhibited with me and participated in this morning’s event!). Earlier this week, Catriona and I had a fantastic meeting with one of our October 2011 brides (planning a Fall Harvest-inspired wedding), whom I anxiously turned onto the concept of Tablescapes – and I’m so thrilled that she’s so excited about the idea! It’s definitely a decor trend that I think is catching on!

For the coming week…. some more decor appointments, a few floral meetings, and some final strings getting tied together for our October brides! Stay tuned for some exciting updates from these two fabulous Ever Afters (assuming my camera cable surfaces in the very near future! – wish me luck!)

And on a fabulous side note…. THESE are fantastic!

I just received an email from a bride-to-be, Sara, who decided to make personalized wedding hangers for her bridal party for those amazing dress shots everyone wants on their wedding day – and now she’s selling them to all of you! These beautiful personalized accent pieces are $20 for a natural finish, $22 for a painted finish and $25 for a painted finish with jewels attached; with specialty discounts provided on multiple orders!! All hangers can be 100% customized to meet your brides wants and needs including color of hanger, wire (limited color selection), jewels and color of wording at the top of the hanger.

Just get in touch for more details! (available in Niagara and across the GTA!)

… and as always, Happy Planning!