Just Married Banners and Signs

In movies, you always see a "Just Married" sign at the back of the couple's car as they drive away at the end of their wedding reception. I don't think a lot of attention is paid to decorating the bridal car anymore. Maybe it is because the bride and groom are no longer the first ones to leave their wedding?

If you would like to bring back the Just Married sign, you can consider having it at your wedding reception. If you think about it, after your wedding ceremony, you are already married! Yea and Congrats!!

~Monica
Owner and Lead Designer @Wishahmon













Photo Credits: 1) Colin Cowie 2) Etsy – Victorian Station  3) Jodi Miller Photography 4) Martha Stewart Weddings & Swoon Events 5) Wedding Chicks 6) Green Wedding Shoes

Wishahmon's New Blog Schedule

At the end of the 2012, we blogged that we will be approaching 2013 with open minds and open hearts and we will look forward to all the new experiences, opportunities, and relationships!

The last two months have been hectic as more brides have visited the Wishahmon - Glorious Gowns showroom to find their dream gown at a fraction of retail cost (couldn't resist putting in this plug-in); meeting industry peeps about future collaborations; and brainstorming marketing ideas and promotions that we want to launch.

With these new experiences and opportunities, we are making adjustments to our attitudes, time management, and blogging schedule. Previously, we had too many specific days for specific blog topics. (Great names though! Tasty Tuesdays, Thematic Thursdays, and Fashion Fridays.) Plus, "Tasty Tuesdays" was tough to write on an empty stomach.

We are going to try out this new schedule for now:

• Mondays: Guest bloggers, special announcements, and promotion announcements.
• Wednesdays: Anything to do with putting together your wedding theme. (Finally! We can blog about flowers!)
• Fridays: Fashion Fridays! (Yea! Keeping one name!)

Hopefully, this new blog schedule will work out. If not, we will readjust again. Life is all about adjusting and not stressing right?

~Monica

Owner and Lead Designer @ Wishahmon

Below is a picture of my bulletin board with collaboration ideas, passwords, to do lists, ideas, sketches, red envelops (with money still in them), keychains, coupons, a pearl bracelet, etc..

 

 

DIY Cake Stand

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about choosing a wedding cake. A lot of thought (and money) goes into choosing a wedding cake. It is pretty much the main centerpiece of the reception. Everyone goes up to it to take a picture of the cake, and again when you and your groom are cutting your cake and feeding it to each other. Now, having said all of this, you wouldn't just put your cake on a piece of cardboard right?

A wonderful cake stand really makes your cake stand out. Afterall, you are putting it on a pedestal! If wedding costs are starting to add up, this might be a little DIY project that you will want to try out. Here are some ideas and tutorials.

~Monica
Owner and Lead Designer @Wishahmon

Style Me Pretty

 

Positively Spendid's beaded cake stand.

Martha Stewart easy step by step instructions.

Lauren Conrad's version

What Every Wedding Planner Should Do

After being introduced to Instagram, I simply love taking pictures of everything. The taglines are a little harder to come up because I really shouldn't write too much. Here is my opportunity to share a little bit more of what was going through my mind at the time I took the picture.

"As your wedding planner, I have your back. If you need something from me, you got it. If you need a picture frame for your wedding tomorrow, you can have the one on my wall."

~Monica
Owner and Lead Designer @Wishahmon

DIY Ice Cream Parlour

If (wedding) cake is not your thing and ice cream is, what about serving ice cream at your wedding instead? Here is how you create your own DIY ice cream parlour at your wedding:
    1) Start with a cute backdrop and sign;
    2) Have ice cream (duh!);
    3) Have all your favorite toppings;
    4) Have all of your sauce toppings;
    5) Place them all in old fashioned containers.

So easy, so cute, and your guests will be so surprised!

~Monica
Owner and Lead Designer @Wishahmon

 

Finish the look off with some floral arrangements in ice cream cones!

 

 

Photo Credit: Eat Drink Chic

Carisa and Richard: Choosing a Wedding Cake

This is part 10 of the new blog series about Carisa and Richard's wedding planning process up until their wedding on August 31, 2013. In addition to sharing with readers their love story and wedding planning adventures, insights and tips for brides and groom's planning their own wedding will also be shared!

The best part of wedding planning has to be choosing your wedding cake. Why is this the best part? Because of cake tasting. Even if you already have a favorite flavor, there is the opportunity to try more flavors and find a new favorite.

Once you have chosen the flavor or flavors of your cake, you start to design your cake. Think of it like working from inside to out. The first thing your baker is going to ask you is how many guests you are having at your wedding. This answer determines the size of your cake. From there, you can decide how many tiers you want and the shapes of the tiers. For a traditional cake, brides typically chose several tiers of a round cake. For a modern cake, brides can chose square cakes mixed with tiers of round cake, or mix up the heights of cake too. Next up is color. After that, you can chose the decorations you want on it and your cake topper.

There are so many options how you can get a wedding cake:
1) Hire a professional pastry chef and have your wedding cake custom designed.
2) Contact, visit, and hire your favorite TV pastry chef. (Chef Duff?)
3) Go to your favorite bakery and ask them if they will make your wedding cake.
4) Ask your friend that loves to bake. (Only if you really trust him or her).
5) Bake your own cake. (I really DON'T suggest this one. You don't need to be stress-baking before your wedding.)

We had such a fun time cake tasting, that Carisa, Richard and I were happily full afterwards. We visited a pastry chef that asked them lots of questions about themselves because he wanted to design them a custom wedding cake. Towards the end, we told the pastry chef that we wanted: A smurfs themed cake, the smurfs have to be Asian and wear glasses, looks like Carisa and Richard, and look like they are going to the Calgary Stampede. I think the pastry chef thought we were "messing with him" by the end. I think it was because we were all on a sugar high!

~Monica
Owner and Lead Designer @Wishahmon

If you missed the first couple of blog posts on Carisa and Richard's wedding planning adventures, you can catch up on how they got engaged, set the date, found a venue, found a marriage commissioner, found a photographer, sent out invitations, took care of out of town guests, found a DJ and found a wedding gown.

Photo Credit: A Wedding Cake Blog

Hot Celebrity Looks for your Wedding



Ok, so I know that celebrities are just people like us. However, they are people that have stylists, hair stylists, makeup artists, and other people around them to make them look fab. It is no wonder that we would turn to them for the next greatest trends in fashion, hair, and makeup. Here are some great hair and makeup looks that will make you feel like a celebrity at your wedding!  

 

~Monica
Owner and Lead Designer @Wishahmon

 

 

Undone Bun and Glam Eyes

 

Center Part Sweep and Rosy Lips

 

Top Bun and Long Lashes

 

Breezy Chignon and Bold Brows

 

Retro Roll and Radiant Skin

 

Sleek Updo and Bright Lips

 

High Updo and Monotone Makeup

 

Photo Credits via Harpers Bazaar: 1) Steve Granitz/WireImage 2) Dave M. Benett/Getty Images Entertainment 3), 4), 6) Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage 5) Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images Entertainment 7) David Livingston/Getty Images Entertainment

Valentine's Day Wedding Inspiration

Valentine's Day is the third most popular day to get engaged. (The first and second is Christmas and New Years Eve.) If you got engaged on this day and would like to celebrate it (or flaunt it) at your wedding, here are some DIY ideas! So cute and not cheesy at all!

Happy Valentine's Day to all our readers! For those that got engaged today, Congrats!!

~Monica
Owner and Lead Designer @Wishahmon

Photo Credits: Jessica May Photo

Chocolate Fondues at your Wedding!

I used to think chocolate fountains was the coolest thing - like EVER. Then, my friend told me she saw other guests put in things (roast beef, human fingers, etc ) other than fruit into the fountain. I was mortified and stayed away from fountains since. I am totally ok with having a fondue with close friends and family (under close supervision). If you are considering a chocolate fountain at your wedding, how about considering individual chocolate fondues instead? Check out this cute heart shaped chocolate fondue set!

~Monica
Owner and Lead Designer @Wishahmon

Photo Credit: Wedding Bells

Calgary Consignment Boutique Has Pronovias!

Wishahmon - Glorious Gowns just added a Pronovias gown to our collection! This Pronovias Manuel Mota gown is perfect for a tall gal. It is altered to fit a bride up to 6'4". Check out the rest of our collection too! If you see something you like, email us at: weddings@wishahmon.com to set up an appointment to try it on. We look forward to meeting you.

~Monica
Owner and Lead Designer @Wishahmon

Wedding Etiquette and Social Media

We have all done it before. We have posted, updated, tweeted during an event because we were so excited. I am guilty here:

As I was looking at images through the blogosphere, I came across this picture and just burst out laughing. Guests just need to be reminded to stop posting or tweeting and to enjoy the wedding! It is one thing to remind your guests to turn off their cell phones for the ceremony but this bold couple takes it one step further. Love it!

~Monica
Owner and Lead Designer @Wishahmon



Photo Credit: Phil Chester via Green Wedding Shoes

Ekin Cheng and Yoyo Mung's Wedding!

I loved Ekin Cheng since watching him in the Young and Dangerous series. I remember that every time my parents were on vacation, I would watch the entire series the whole time. (Secretly I must have felt "he" would protect me.) My friends still remember that I screamed in the movie theatre when I watched him get burned in a specific movie. It was so traumatic for me at the time. (Probably for my friends as well. I think they were embarassed.)

Every movie that he was in, I watched and owned on VCD. (Note, VCD and not VCR.) I also own most of his CDs. Most of his songs, I can sing on the spot. I remember one time, I was stuck in traffic and was belting out one of his songs. After I was done, I heard clapping. It was the car next to me. Of course, he heard the entire song because it was summer and I had my car windows down. At the time, I was mortified. Now, I wonder if that person still remembers this little "singing performance."

On January 28th this year, Ekin and his long time girlfriend, Yoyo Mung got married in Tokyo. It was an intimate wedding with an exclusive guest list of 40 people. While Ekin’s folks were present, his in-laws were unable to attend as the elderly pair were unfit for travel. Subsequently, Yoyo’s manager commented that the couple will hold another round of celebrations in Hong Kong for relatives and friends who could not make it to Tokyo.

So excited for these two, even though they have no idea they have a huge fan here in Calgary, Alberta!

~Monica
Owner and Lead Designer @Wishahmon

 

Photo Credits: Xin MSN Entertainment

Serve Caramel Apples at your Wedding!

I think fruit covered in candy or chocolate still counts as eating your fruits. If you are having a carnival themed wedding, how about serving some candied or caramel apples or fruit in lieu of a candy or dessert buffet? I am sure your guests will thank you because they will feel like they are having a piece of "fruit" at the end of the night! These will also make "healthy" wedding favors too!

If you or a girlfriend is feeling up for the task, here is the recipe you need to make candied fruits.

~Monica
Owner and Lead Designer @Wishahmon

Photo Credits: Martha Stewart Weddings

Bridal Hair: DIY Chignon

I have always loved the look of a chignon but never knew what it was called to tell my hairstylist or search it on youtube. I always called it a "bun." However, there are lots of different styles of "bun" out there and you really have no chance of having a hair professional understand what you truly mean and want.

Now that I know what they are called, I am certain I am now pronouncing it wrong. BUT! At least I am a step closer now. Here are some pictures of chignon that you might want to consider showing your hair stylist for your bridal updo. There is even a DIY tutorial at the end of the post if you want to attempt it youself. For the first time, I think I might have found an updo where the more hair you have the better! Yea!

~Monica
Owner and Lead Designer @Wishahmon

 

Here is the DIY tutorial provied byThe Beauty Department. It show us how to create a simple chignon with lots of body. The bling really brings the chignon to the next level!

Photo Credits: 1) Sarah Gawler via Ruffled 2) Dev Photography via One Wed 3) Smallpigart Photography via Style Me Pretty 4) Renee Brock via Junebug Weddings 5) Full Tutorial via The Beauty Department