New Wishahmon Team Members

The Wishahmon team is expanding again! This time we are adding three great individuals that have a lot of talent, passion, and drive to help brides. If you were at the Bridal Expo, you would have met some of them! Written in the same quirky manner as the other team member bios (they love their bios, I swear), here are our new team members:

IVY
Our super hero. She has two super powers: One, the power of x-ray vision. Ivy is able to scan your body type and see what size you are, what dress shape is best for your body, and what alterations will make your dress look even better on you. Second, the power of mind-reading. All of the things you could possibly need for your wedding day, she would have thought of and made available in our showroom. Her super powers sounds a little scary but once you meet her, you will instantly know she is a sweetheart!

CIKIENA
Our fashionista. In record speed, Cikiena is able to pull together a full wedding look from head to toe. Once you have your wedding gown chosen, she starts her accessorizing magic on you. Before you know it, you are standing in front of a mirror in tears because she has transformed you as if you are walking down the aisle that very day. Full of great ideas, Cikiena is also the mastermind behind some of our creative ideas and upcoming offers. She will also be making cameos on our Facebook Page!

KEN
Our time traveler. We have no idea if he has a time machine in the basement of his home as he is constantly one step ahead of us. (We don't think he sleeps either.) Ken swears he doesn't travel in time but jokes he does live in the different time zone. (From what we know, he lives in Calgary just like the rest of us.) Ken is constantly working and sending/responding to emails into the wee hours. He is a stickler for details and efficiency. Being over 6 feet tall, we love how he can scan the room and find something/someone. Ken is the perfect wedding planner's assistant.

If you are looking for your dream gown, you will meet Ivy and Cikiena through Wishahmon - Glorious Gowns. (Be prepared for their energy and transforming skills!) If you are currently planning your dream wedding, you will hear from Ken and get emails from him at totally random hours. This is a good thing, it means he is on top of things and being attentive.

Please join me in welcoming Ivy, Cikiena, and Ken to our team! We are so excited to have them on board! (Below is a picture of them, do you know who is who?!)

~Monica
If you like our weekly ramblings, LIKE us on our Wishahmon page too! More goes on there!

Cartoon Credit

Dresses Made Out of Subway Wrappers

Inspiration can be found anywhere. Turns out a gown can also be made with anything.

After sharing with you some pictures of gowns made from toilet paper, here are some gowns made of Subway sandwich wrappers, napkins, salad bowls, and gift cards. The winning designer of "Project Subway" was Danilo Gabrielli. It took him 14 hours over the course of two weeks to create his winning gowns! Amazing design and efficient use of time!

I don't eat subway but maybe someone can create a gown for me with wonton wrappers? I would totally wear it and eat it afterwards.

~Monica
If you like our weekly ramblings, LIKE us on our Wishahmon page too! More goes on there!

 

 

 

Photo Credits: via Buzzfeed

DIY Feather and Rhinestone Fascinator

I am a little late for today's post but this blog post is "timely" because if you follow Wishahmon through Instagram, you will notice a lot of DIY projects get started or completed in the wee hours. There is something inspiring when there is no light outside, good tv, and good wine. Either that or sleep deprivation sets in, you believe every idea is awesome, and you are going to rock it out.

Today/tonight's DIY project from Shine Trim Blog shows you how to make your own feather and rhinestone fascinator. Fascinators are quickly becoming more popular to wear than a wedding veil. Modern brides are wearing these with white feathers to complement their wedding gowns. If you are not getting married, make one of these and wear it for your next date night or girl's night out. It totally works!

Happy Crafting!

~Monica
If you like our weekly ramblings, LIKE us on our Wishahmon page too! More goes on there!

 

 

Step by step instructions:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo Credits: Shine Trim

Calculating Alcohol at Your Wedding

Guys (and grooms) often cannot tell the difference between tulle or organza but they definitely know the difference between host bar, cash bar, and toonie bar. Brides often don't care too much about this aspect because it is pretty much the only thing that the groom speaks up about during the wedding planning process. Grooms don't care they have to wear a pink three piece suit in plus 30 degrees as long as they get to keep the booze flowing all night.

While it is nice to treat your guests to a host bar (meaning they don't have to pay), there is a way to calculate the damage it will make to your overall wedding budget. To get started, let’s define serving sizes:

•  1 bottle of wine = 5 servings
•  1 case = 12 bottles
•  750ml bottle of liquor = 18 servings (1.5 oz servings)
•  1 bottle = 1 serving of beer
•  1 full sized keg = 165 beers

And, the all-important basic ratio:

•  Full bar: 20% liquor, 15% beer, 65% wine
•  Beer and wine only: 20% beer, 80% wine

For a Friday or Saturday night wedding with dinner and dancing, calculate one drink per guest per hour of reception, with the understanding that some people will drink more than that, and some will drink less.

So for example, for 100 guests, for a spring or summer Saturday night wedding, with a 4:00 pm ceremony and a reception that ends at 10:00pm, that’s 5 hours. For beer and wine only:

•  100 (guests) x 5 (hours) = 500 drinks

•  500 x 0.2 = 100 beers, or 8.5 twelve-packs 

•  500 x 0.8 = 400 glasses of wine, /5 = 80 bottles of wine, /12 = 6.6 cases = I’d buy    2.5 red, 2 white, 2.5 champagne

Remember to remind your guests not to drink and drive. Identify the designated drivers at your wedding and be ready to call taxis for your guests. If your wedding venue is at a hotel, maybe consider checking some of your guests into an available room.

Always have a safe and fun wedding!

Cheers!

~Monica
If you like our weekly ramblings, LIKE us  on our Wishahmon page too! More goes on there!

Photo Credit: Dawn E. Roscoe

Getting Wrinkles Out of Clothes

If you don't have time to dryclean or iron, here are some really smart clothing hacks! Should also work if your wedding gown or veil happens to get wrinkled on your big day! (Remember to pack your hair dryer and flat iron in your emergency kit!)

~Monica
Owner and Lead Designer @Wishahmon

Yumi Sakugawa

Wishahmon was at Bridal Expo 2013!

This past Sunday, we had our first ever booth at the Bridal Expo. The Wishahmon crew was there to promote our wedding consignment boutique, Wishahmon – Glorious Gowns (WGG) and our wedding planning and design division, Wishahmon – Wedding Creations (WWC). We were overwhelmed by the excitement of the brides that came to our booths and enjoyed every moment we had to chat to each and every one of them.

At the Expo, we offered two promotions! For WGG, brides that signed up for an appointment received a small gift and at their appointment, they will receive a necklace. For WWC, brides will receive a necklace at their consultation meeting and be entered for a draw for a wedding planning gift basket. The winner will be announced soon!

As a design and decor company, we wanted our booth to stand out so we decorated it with handmade and handcut (scalloped) pin wheels. The furniture was moved there from our showroom. Our small booth took a lot longer to decorate than we had anticipated and we didn't even go for coffee breaks! (Imagine that! Working without coffee....or breaks..) I think the majority of the time was spent pinning each of the pinwheels.

We feel our attendance at the Expo was a success! Our Wishahmon crew looks forward to meeting and assisting all the brides that come our way!

~Monica
Owner and Lead Designer @Wishahmon

Special thanks to my crew: Ivy, Cikiena, Polly, and Ken. You guys were troopers and I couldn't have done any of this without you. Hugs!!

 

 

Pictured above: Ivy, Cikiena, and me!

Wedding Trend: Slow Motion Video Booths

A new wedding trend comes in every year. Cupcakes, candy bars, photo booths have all come and stayed. The newest (upcoming) trend might be having a slow-motion video booth.

 

Using an RED Epic camera, Seattle-based video production group Super Frog Saves Tokyo (SFST) captured all kinds of fun and adorable moments at Quang and Ellie's recent wedding. Below are some GIFs captured from the video and then the actual video! (I didn't know how to upload the video initially but my techie friend showed me later. I couldn't undo all the work I did already, hence the GIFs.)

 

If you are thinking of incorporating a slow motion video booth at your wedding, please share the video with us! If you are a vendor offering this service in Calgary, please let me know too! I would love to pass your name onto my clients!!

~Monica
Owner and Lead Designer @Wishahmon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Here is the actual video!

 

GIF and Video Credits: Super Frog Saves Tokyo 

Toilet Paper Wedding Gowns

There is an annual contest sponsored by Charmin and hosted by Cheap Chic Weddings that challenges women to create wedding gowns with just toilet paper, glue and tape. (No toilet humor!)  Below are pictures of the winning entry and the runner ups.

If you are looking for a gown slightly less absorbent, check out Wishahmon - Glorious Gowns, our consignment boutique! (OMG! Imagine if it rains!)

~Monica
Owner and Lead Designer @Wishahmon






Photo Credits: Cheap Chic Weddings

Wishahmon Will Be at Bridal Expo!

After shopping around for months for a different answer, I ended up getting the same one repeatedly - Wishahmon should have a booth at the Calgary Bridal Expo. Although most argue that it is a "no brainer," it was definitely a difficult decision for me. Maybe my brain is smaller?!



Wishahmon - Glorious Gowns, wedding consigment boutique will be at the Calgary Bridal Expo this Sunday, September 15, 2013 from 10:00am - 5:00pm. The Expo is held at the BMO Center in Stampede Park. There will be over 100 exhibitors and two fashion shows at 11:30am and 3:30pm.

We are offering this promotion at the Expo:

The first 50 brides that book an appointment will recieve a towel dog. At their appointment, they will receive a necklace.

We are also doing a promotion for Wishahmon - Wedding Creations, our planning and design division too! Come to our booth to see what it is!

Hope to see you all there!

~Monica
Owner and Lead Designer @Wishahmon

Wedding GIFs

GIFs are all the rage right now. My two favorite tumblrs right now are #myfriendsaremarried and #immarriedtoanentrepreneur. Both of them are my regular reads and always make me laugh because I can totally relate to them.

Of course, I had to search wedding GIFs to see if there is anything out there. I found some created by JLB Wedding and these also put a smile on my face. These images/GIFs remind me of why I am in the wedding industry and why I love weddings.

If you know how to create GIFs, please leave me a comment and let me know! There must be an app for that...

Keep smiling!

~Monica
Owner and Lead Designer @Wishahmon












GIF Credits: JLB Wedding

Tips to Help You Fall Asleep

It is getting close to the end of wedding season, which means I will start to catch up on sleep and hibernate in the winter. Yes, I hibernate. I sleep and survive off all the bacon I ate during summer.

Sleeping is very important, especially if you are a bride or groom getting married the next day. I know you are excited tomorrow is your big day, but try your best to get a good nights rest. It will help with your mood and help your makeup look flawless. If you are UBER-excited and can't sleep, try out some of these tips!

Sweet dreams!

~Monica
Owner and Lead Designer @Wishahmon

Infographic Credit: Yumi Sakugawa

Pinebrook Golf Course Wedding

Shainoor and Abid had their ceremony at the Calgary South Ismali Centre Wedding Ceremony and their reception at the Pinebrook Golf Course back in June of this year. Abid was working in Vancouver during most of the wedding planning process. I met up with Shainoor mostly and we had gotten quite close. During one meeting, we started talking about our childhood BFs and ex-BFs rather than the wedding. Getting off topic happens.

During our initial design meeting, Shainoor would always say one thing after almost every sentence: "no pressure ok?" My reaction: "Uhhh...lots of freakin' pressure NOW!" (Of course, I kept this thought to myself and didn't vocalize it.)

Shainoor said décor was very important to her, even more important than food, except after her gowns. She initially wanted a totally white wedding and then decided that was crazy talk and she wanted a lot of color. She wanted a dreamy and classy wedding. She also wanted to be center stage. She wanted a romantic canopy for her sweet heart table. She wanted lots of flowers. No pressure.

Pressure or not, (mostly the former) we pulled off the design she wanted. Here are the pictures of her and Abid's wedding reception. (Judging from the pictures, can you imagine my pressure levels?)

~Monica
Owner and Lead Designer @Wishahmon

 

Carisa and Richard - Married! (Sneak Peek)

This is part of the 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 grooms planning their own wedding will also be shared!

Carisa and Richard are officially MARRIED!

We will share more pictures of their wedding when their photographer has had the chance to sleep, edit, and release the pictures. (Most likely in this order.)

Here is one picture I took of them saying their vows. Congrats you two!! All the best in the many years to come!

~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, found a wedding gown, found a wedding cake, designed their décor, chose their flowers and booked hair and makeup artists, drafting a wedding timeline,  final details, and day before the wedding.

How to Roll Up Your Sleeves

For our male readers, we previously researched and shared short tutorials on how to tie a bow tie and how to fold a pocket square. Now that you look great, how about relaxing your look so that you can boogie on the dance floor? By the end of the night, most guys would have removed their suit jackets and ties. In horribly hot weather, some guys even roll up their sleeves.

Here is a short tutorial on how to roll up your sleeves a male fashion model. If you don't want to read, there is an infographic below and a GIF! (First GIF on our website!!)

~Monica
Owner and Lead Designer @Wishahmon

Photo and GIF Credit: thecollegeprepster.com