Wishahmon - Wedding Creations

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T10:22:00.010-07:00

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that I am a hopeless romantic. I love hearing about people’s love stories, reading romantic novels, and watching sappy romantic movies over and over again. One thing that I don’t “love” is how “love” is always associated with (tons) of big red hearts. I cringe when I walk pass stores with an overload of red hearts used as decoration. However, I do believe red hearts can be used as decorations tastefully. Here are some pictures of a dessert buffet with a heart theme. I know it is not the main focus, but I love the simplicity of the backdrop. (I have tons of envelops left over from a project and I just might do this in the future! Stay tuned!)

Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone!

Photo Credits: Hostes with the Mostess via Just call me Martha

Wedding Flower Trends 2012

2012-02-09T22:27:00.001-07:00

The flower of the year is the peony. The peony offers soft romance and is willing to share the stage with other fluttery blooms such as roses, ranunculus, and carnations. The always elegant orchid is also popular and tries it’s best to move into the spotlight as well.

Single centerpieces are no longer the staple at wedding receptions. Tables now have a collection of smaller centerpieces, whether different blooms of a similar shade or blooms with candles and personal collections. Vessels are also important in creating this look. Different mercury glass vases filled with mini bouquets of flowers create an abundance and super sexy look.

Beyond the blooms! Centerpieces don’t just belong to flowers. Greenery and herbs are also used as a new alternative. Herbs used can be fresh potted ones or dried ones like rosemary and purple basil.

Chic brides that want a totally unique centerpiece would love terrariums. These are glass domed arrangements of pebbles, flowers, succulents, and objects such as shells or bird’s nests. Each centerpiece would be slightly different but full of personality!

Image Credit: 1. Martha Stewart Weddings 2. Style Me Pretty 3. The Wedding Dish 4. Wedding.blogdig.net

Wedding Trends 2012

2012-02-02T19:53:00.000-07:00

I am a firm believer that brides should have the wedding of their dreams exactly how they imagined their special day. However, that said, if a bride doesn't already have a favorite color and doesn't know where to start planning their wedding color scheme, design, and decor, they can check out the wedding trends of 2012 for inspiration. Remember that trends don't have to be followed exactly and in full! Here they are!

Last year’s Royal Wedding inspired a lot of the wedding trends for 2012. The biggest trend that is making a comeback is a formal black tie wedding. The glamorous look is back and everything wedding related is all about grand elegance.

Classic wedding colors are also a huge trend this year. Pale pinks, champagnes, and cream colors are working their way back into wedding color schemes. New neutral colors such as oyster grey and pale gold are also moving from the fashion runway down the wedding aisle.

Pale neutrals do not mean a bland boring wedding decor because patterns are getting bolder. The use of floral or custom prints is becoming a wedding classic, much like the black and white damask a few years ago. Patterns are appearing from wedding invitations to wedding decor.

Candelabras added instant elegance to any backdrops. It is a huge plus if the venue already beautiful candelabras but if your venue doesn’t, don’t let it stop you from renting one (or some) for your venue or outdoor wedding ceremony!

Rustic weddings are stronger than ever. These weddings are not held at your typical hotel venues rather rustic barns with lots of charm. There is lots of warmth through color schemes and ambient candle lighting.

Photo Credits: 1. Style Me Pretty 2.,3. Karen Tran 4. Bridal Snob 5. Green Wedding Shoes

Best Bridal Booth at Wedding Fair

2012-01-28T10:14:00.011-07:00

Last weekend I designed and decorated a booth at the Wedding Fair for my fellow vendor and good friend, Ivy Su of Ruby Woo Wedding Couture. Ivy’s business is to provide brides with custom made wedding gowns for $1000. Brides can either go online or meet with Ivy in person to design the wedding gown of their dreams. The possibilities are endless and I truly believe Ivy can design any wedding gown for brides.

The booth design had a red and floral theme. 150 red paper roses were handmade. The roses were also adorned with black butterflies throughout. We added lace and crystal draping to make the booth very feminine. The Ruby Woo sign was also custom made for this event. We wanted brides to see the Ruby Woo logo from far away. We opted not to have any tables in the booth because Ivy had models in wedding gowns that day. The booth was a huge success and lots of brides came by and made appointments with Ivy on the spot. In addition to the success, the Ruby Woo booth won “Best Bride Booth” at the Wedding Fair!

Check out some pictures of the booth and Ivy's gorgeous dresses!

Happy Year of the Dragon

2012-01-25T07:59:00.004-07:00

Chinese New Years was on January 22, 2012 and this is the year of the Dragon! (I am a couple of days late with sending out my Chinese New Years wishes but since celebrations are for a full week, I am still on time!)

Feng shui experts say couples marrying this year can expect good fortune and luck in their marriage. The extra-lucky months are February, June, and July—but there are lucky dates in every month. If you want to see if your wedding date is lucky or extra-lucky, check it out!

Top 10 Colors for 2012

2012-01-15T09:30:00.006-07:00

Determining a wedding color is easy for brides that have always had a favorite color. For brides that don't have a favorite color, love all colors the same, or feels that their favorite color might not work for their wedding, this might be a harder task.

Putting myself in the shoes of the brides that fall into the last category, I proceeded to do some research on the top 10 colors of 2012. I think that brides can pick their fave colors from paint chips or fabric swatches. According to the Pantone Fashion Color Report Spring 2012, these are the top 10 colors:
Provocative Tangerine Tango - an enticing juicy orange.
Solar Power - radiates warmth and cheer.
Fanciful Bellflower - a distinct ornamental purple.
Cabaret - sensual and intense rosy-red.
Sodalite Blue - a classic maritime hue.
Cockatoo - a tactile blue-green.
Margarita - a piquant yellow-green.
Sweet Lilac - a pinkish lilac.
Driftwood - blend of beige and gray.
Starfish - warm summer neutral.

Although these colors are not your usual "wedding colors," this might be the time to make a huge statement at your wedding and really wow your guests! If these colors are too out of the ordinary for you, I hope these colors at least inspired you to see what other possible colors are out there! Stay tuned for more color options and combination suggestions!

Happy 2012!!

2012-01-04T15:46:00.003-07:00

2011 was a great year for Wishahmon! A lot of opportunities came up which allowed me to venture into different things and to meet a lot of wonderful and talented people. I had a great time working with my lovely clients to plan their dream weddings. We worked with different themes and tried many different things this year. I truly love all of my clients and love how their weddings turned out.

After a couple of years of being interviewed at FM 947, Ms. Terry Chan suggested that I branch out and design the stage for the New Talent Singing Awards at the Jack Singer Concert Hall. I am truly blessed that she thought of me for this project and encouraged me to branch out. Upon her insistence, I branched out and started Wishahmon – Event Creations. Under this branch, I designed a bridal booth for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation at Bridal Fantasy, helped out Ruby Woo with their fundraiser project for Japan Tsunami Relief and organized the Rays of Hope Fundraiser Concert for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. I think I am truly “hooked” on giving back and doing fundraisers. I hope to continue to work with organizations in their fundraising efforts.

My regular blog readers know (by now) that I don’t make New Years Resolutions. Rather I opt to learn something new or do something differently. For 2012, my “Not New Years Resolution” is to take risks. At the end of each year, I go through all of my files and re-organize everything. This year, I found two folders labeled “2009 ideas” and “2010 ideas.” Both of these folders contained design/business ideas that I had thought of, researched, and talked myself out of it. (All of the really bad ideas never did last in these folders.) I recalled some of the excuses were: There is no way there is a market for that; I don’t know who to contact to start that; I can’t commit the time to that project; (and the all-time winner) My Chinese horoscope says I shouldn’t take risks this year.

Good grief, Charlie Brown! Enough with the excuses, this year I am going to try out some of my new “old” ideas and see where it takes me. Please keep your fingers crossed for me and check in often to see what my progress is! Wish me luck!!

JDRF Fundraiser Concert (Part Two)

2011-12-04T19:51:00.004-07:00

A lot of effort was put into the Rays of Hope Fundraiser Concert by a lot of people. Special thanks to all of our volunteers: Pam, Herbert, Christina, Heidi, Ivy, Yan, Doreen, Alex, Tiffanie, and Patrick.

Here are some detail picture shots of the event, taken by Daniel Tiu Photography.

JDRF Fundraiser Concert (Part One)

2011-12-03T19:49:00.008-07:00

The last month I was extra busy planning and organizing a fundraiser concert, Rays of Hope Musical Concert, for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. This event was inspired by one of my closest friends. Her daughter was diagnosed with type one diabetes a year ago before her third birthday. This year has been quite a challenge for my friend’s entire family - researching, learning, and adjusting to the change.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. This type of diabetes strikes children and adults suddenly, leaving them dependent on injected or pumped insulin for life, and carries the constant threat of devastating complications. Living with type 1 diabetes means living a very structured lifestyle in order to adequately regulate blood sugar and avoid complications. This lifestyle requires approximately 1,460 needles a year (based on four injections per day) and 2,190 finger pokes a year to test blood sugar levels.

The concert was held on November 25, 2011 at the Cantos Music Foundation. Prior to the concert, guests were invited to a cocktail reception, wine donated by Britannia Wine Merchants, tours of the Cantos music collection, and to participate in the silent auction. We had three wonderful performers that night, Dr. J, Kaden Core, and JC and Andy Plett from Room to Dance. They were an absolutely talented bunch and did a great job entertaining our guests that night! Special thanks to them!

Our silent auction contained over 40 items that were all donated by local businesses. Many of the silent auction sponsors were from the wedding industry too. Thank you to my peeps at: Great Event Group, Naturally Chic, Sarah Pukin Photography, Jacky Chow Photography, and Ruby Woo!

With everyone’s support and participation, we were able to raise over $5500.00 for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation!

Here are some pictures of our talented performers taken by our photography sponsor, Anthony Yuen Photography.

First International Job

2011-11-06T16:54:00.003-07:00

I knew I wouldn't be able to keep weddings out of my mind during my vacation. My first and second day in Hong Kong was spent researching and attending a wedding fair for new ideas to bring back to Canada. After the first two days, I forced myself not to think about weddings and to really focus on relaxing. This "relaxing" was short lived when my friend asked me to be one of her bridesmaids and to decorate a staircase for her. I thought she was kidding, but she was serious. A bride does not joke about such things!

My friend told me she has most of the reception decorations covered already. The only thing left was a staircase that needs decorations. I gave her some ideas and went to buy some silk flowers with her. She said she will handle purchasing the rest of the decorations given that I don't know my way around and I am a tourist afterall.

The day of the wedding, I learned that this staircase is where my friend will be making her grand entrance into the reception hall. This was a very important element to the wedding design. I was provided some pink satin fabric, silk flowers, a pair of scissors, and a roll of tape. (Not exactly the kind of "tools" I am used to.) As I started decorating, I learned there wasn't enough pink satin to decorate both sides of the staircase. The groom came by and was really stressed out. He said he was sure he measured the staircase properly. He then asked me what he should do. I told him that he should have a seat and a drink. I will handle the rest.

In the end, we changed the design slightly and skillfully borrowed satin fabric from here and there to completely decorate two sides of the staircase. From this experience, I learned that you don't have to lug around a ton of tools to decorate. All of the staircase decorations were held on by tape, only tape! Check out the pictures of my first international wedding decorating job!

Asia Trip

2011-10-28T20:26:00.013-06:00

Earlier this month I took a small break from weddings to go to Hong Kong, Macau, and Bangkok. I found inspiration all around me and managed to relax a little bit too. I think I am now ready for the 2012 wedding season to start! Here are some pictures of my trip!

Pink and Purple Wedding at Hotel Arts

2011-10-27T20:59:00.000-06:00

Isadora and Andrew’s Hotel Arts wedding reception was the first time I got to incorporate black into the wedding design. A lot of couples shy away from black because it can make the room very dark, is a very cool color, and sometimes a little harsh. In addition to the black, we also incorporated the colors, pink, purple and white to soften the color palette.

In order to keep the design modern and clean, we had white chair covers on all the guest chairs to brighten up the room from the black table cloths. We also had half of the tables with a pink theme and the other half with a purple theme. The pink themed tables had pink chair sashes and pink centerpieces. The flowers from the centerpieces were repurposed from the ceremony vow flowers. The purple themed tables had purple chair sashes and purple hydrangea centerpieces.

Because Isadora and Andrew were both computer “techie” people, I made custom centerpieces for them from old computer keyboards. The centerpieces spelled out phrases such as “soul mates” and “laugh always.” This was almost an impossible task! I needed to get 17 grey computer keyboards and I tried to maximize the amount of phrases I could get with a minimal number of “e’s” and “a’s.”I was pretty much playing scrabble with computer keys. I really don’t think anyone wants to challenge me to a game of scrabble now. I am pretty good with it.

The most memorable thing for me was when Andrew told me that he didn’t even recognize the reception room when he walked in. He thought he was in the wrong room, so he walked out! I truly hope that I was able to help make some great memories of Isadora and Andrew’s wedding for them too!

Center Street Church Ceremony

2011-10-16T18:25:00.001-06:00

When Andrew asked me how Isadora and I knew, I told him that Isadora attended some Japanese courses in University with our mutual friend. Andrew gave me a blank look. I told him that I get that look a lot, I think it sounds odd too. But hey, it doesn't really matter how you meet friends right?!

Andrew and Isadora’s wedding ceremony was held at the Centre Street Church. At first, I thought this is going to be an easy/easier set up because I have done a wedding there before. Then, I learned that their wedding was the second one that day and we only had one hour to set up. My initial design was changed one month before the wedding date. Mostly because I came up with a better design and it would be easier to set up within an hour.

I made a total of 10 fresh pink floral bouquets to be placed in clear tall pillar vases at the front of the room, at the vow area. These bouquets were made with various shades of roses and carnations. (I love working with carnations!) In addition to having lots of wow power when guests walk into the room, it also eased Isadora’s fear of knocking anything down when she walks down the aisle.
After the ceremony, Pastor Miriam came up to me to tell me how lovely the decorations were and that she said she has never seen any decorations like that before. She even offered to write me a letter of recommendation. She was so sweet!

I am still in the process of getting some professional pictures of the ceremony décor as I forgot to take some pictures (again.) I did manage to snap three pictures on my phone before guests started to arrive. My pictures do not do the design any justice, but I do like how they look like they are all floating!

Baby Cousin's Wedding

2011-09-28T20:31:00.002-06:00

This blog post is a little different. The bride is my cousin and all of my dealings was with the father of the bride, my uncle. What started out as a small dinner turned into something a little bigger with more responsibilities (on my part). It is always fun working with family (I mean it!) Especially when you can tell them that they are turning into a Father-zilla.

I heard the news from my aunt in Hong Kong that my cousin, Katie, got engaged in Thailand during her and Shaughn’s vacation. I only met Shaughn once but I absolutely adored him and approved that he is a great match for my baby cousin. After I heard the great news, I contacted my uncle to congratulate him for becoming a father in law soon! After the news sunk in, my uncle said he would like to organize a small dinner reception for the family members that cannot make it to the wedding reception held in Hinton, Alberta.

During the initial planning stages, my uncle kept saying that he would like a small dinner with the closest family members. I told him that the first thing we should do is to write down a list of invitees. He was shocked by the number of family members we have! (He must have forgotten about some along way!) The next thing that we did was to book a venue. He wanted a traditional Chinese ten course dinner reception. We went with Regency Palace Restaurant because it had a private room for 50 guests. One thing that my uncle stressed throughout we he wanted a good atmosphere. He wanted everyone to have fun and not just come, eat, and leave.

In the end my cousin and I decorated the event with chair covers, chair sashes, custom table linens, floral centerpieces, and a backdrop for pictures. We hired a close photographer friend of mine to do pictures of the tea ceremony and pictures with the bride and groom. The time we had to decorate and organize everything before the guests arrived was tight. As such, I didn’t take a single picture of the venue! (I have no idea how I could have forgotten to take pictures or ask the photographer to do so.)

None the less, a blog post is not complete without some pictures. Here are some pictures of Katie and Shaughn at their Hinton afternoon reception. The pictures were taken by Paper Tiger Media. Congrats again Katie and welcome to our family, Shaughn!

Pink Wedding at Valley Ridge Golf Course

2011-09-19T23:02:00.002-06:00

I was crazy excited when I got a facebook message from Kiki telling me that she was getting married. My first thought was: I have to book a flight to Hong Kong! Oh wait, I should finish reading her message to see what day she is getting married. Her next sentence was she was coming back to Calgary for her wedding. Her last sentence was she would like me to be her wedding planner. Wow, wow, wow!

Kiki and I met in school. After she graduated University, she moved back to Hong Kong and met (her now hubby) Ming. We planned her wedding long distance through telephone calls and facebook. (This was a first for me.) Kiki told me that she wanted a very pink wedding and left the rest up to me. I figured that since she was having her wedding in Calgary in the summer, it should be outdoors with lots of greenery. Hong Kong is very densely populated and green space is very hard to find. I suggested Kiki and Ming have their wedding at the Valley Ridge Golf Course. When I sent them the pictures of the venue, they loved it. They finally saw their venue two days before their big day.

The ceremony was held outside at the golf course, followed by an afternoon reception inside. A lot of the decorations at their wedding were handmade as I really wanted to provide them with a DIY personalized wedding. At the end of the afternoon reception, they were serenaded by the music of Kaden Core.

Venue: Valley Ridge Golf Course
Wedding Planner: Monica at Wishahmon – Wedding Creations
Decor and Florals: Monica at Wishahmon – Wedding Creations
Marriage Officiant: Weddings by Tamera
Cake and cupcakes: Whippt Desserts and Catering
Makeup and Hair: Polly Shum
Music: Kaden Core

Summer of 2011!

2011-09-11T19:19:00.009-06:00

This summer has been busy and full of happy weddings. I am not complaining at all! In between weddings, I managed to squeeze in some time for short breaks and mini vacations. If you have been a long time follower of my blog, you probably already know that I got a SLR camera a couple of years ago. Each time that I think there will be picture worthy shots, I will lug my camera and accessories out to take some "artisy" pictures. I still haven't finished reading my camera instruction manual, but hey, I have been learning through trial and error.

Here are some pictures that I took during my mini vacations. Of course, they are only 1% of the 5% good pictures I took. Thank goodness I don't take pictures with film!

Stage Design at Jack Singer Concert Hall

2011-08-12T14:04:00.004-06:00

Every day I am thankful for the people that surround me. I strongly believe that everything happens for a reason and that people are placed in our lives to assist us in becoming someone better.

A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to be interviewed by Ms. Terry Chan at Fairchild Radio Station, FM 94.7. This one time opportunity extended two more years. Earlier this year, Terry emailed me to ask if I would be interested in designing the stage for the New Talent Singing Awards – Calgary (NTSA). I remember the day that I got this email I had to read it over a couple of times. I was so excited. The NTSA is a big deal in the Calgary Chinese community. Youngsters (I only say this because I am no longer eligible) compete in a singing contest in Calgary. The winner gets to compete with other winners from around the world in Hong Kong for an opportunity to get a recording contract. (A little longer process than American Idol, but hey, the opportunity is still there.) NTSA is held at the Jack Singer Concert Hall every year and broadcasted in Calgary, Vancouver, and Toronto through Fairchild TV.

I had always thought that I would expand Wishahmon beyond the wedding world but I never set a date for it. (I never did a business plan either.) Terry’s email and suggestion to do the stage design was a huge hint for me that this is the time to expand to Wishahmon – Event Creations. I am so grateful for her email and faith in me.

The design itself was fairly simple (I thought). The installation of the design took five hours. I wanted to incorporate lots of color and really work with their theme of “Young and Active Youths.” The concert hall was huge with really tall ceilings, in order to fill up the stage I knew we had to get huge décor items. As a result, I rented huge spandex panels that spanned 19 feet tall. I don’t know why but I was actually surprised by the weight of these panels! Luckily for me, I didn’t have to install these panels myself. The awesome crew at the concert hall assisted me. We had some back lighting to produce silhouettes onto the panels. These silhouettes were of youngsters jumping. To accent the silhouettes, I also made some grass silhouettes, flowers, and butterflies. My crew and the concert hall crew all laughed at the butterflies but I ignored them and up the butterflies went.

I attended the NTSA that night and thought the stage design was awesome. Of course, I might be a little biased. What are your thoughts?

Calgary Zoo Wedding

2011-07-26T12:46:00.007-06:00

Disclaimer: No animals were harmed during this wedding. (hee hee)

I met Ngoc Anh about three years ago when she was the maid of honor for one of my brides. She came up to me at the end of the night and gave me the best complement EVER. She said that when she gets engaged, she will definitely call me to decorate her wedding. I’ve never forgotten this comment and it inspired me to do an even better job at all of the weddings I decorate. She truly inspired me to do better at what I love doing.

Fast forward two years, I receive an email from Ngoc Anh on a weekday. (Yeah, I remember the strangest things.) She started the email by telling me how we met a couple of years ago. As I was reading her email, my reaction was: “OMG! This is HER! This is the girl that gave me the wonderful complement years ago.” I was so happy to hear from her and was delighted to meet up with her and her fiancé, Thinh.

Ngoc Anh and Thinh are a really laid back couple. During the initial stages of the design, they both said they don’t have any idea how they would like the venue decorated. So, we brainstormed differently and I asked them what they hate. Turns out they did not want a froofroo, frilly, girly, pink wedding. Enough said! We came up with a fresh, modern, and simplistic wedding with the color palate of apple green, brown, and white.

Their ceremony and reception were both held at the Calgary Zoo, Enmax Conservatory. A couple of months before their wedding, we also decided to incorporate some flowers into the centerpieces. All of the green apples from the centerpieces and decorations were donated to the Calgary Zoo later that night. There were some very lucky elephants because there were a lot of apples left over for them. (Come to think of it now, do elephants eat apples? If so, do they prefer a gala apple over a granny smith apple?)

Here are some pictures of Ngoc Anh and Thinh’s beautiful wedding!

Centerpiece for Cake Lovers!

2011-07-11T15:32:00.001-06:00

For Sonia and Andrew’s wedding, we often chatted about other aspects of their wedding. This was mostly because of Sonia and I loved to talk about her wedding and we would often get sidetracked during our discussions. (I don’t think this is a bad thing because often this is when the best ideas come to life!)

The guest table centerpieces were one of the last things that Sonia and Andrew made a decision on. The centerpiece idea came about through our discussion about cake. (I think these two really like cake!) Andrew said softly that they wanted cake as a centerpiece. I was shocked because this idea came to me about the same time. However, I made some additional suggestions. Rather than having them on a cake stand, I suggested a wide mouth vase with flowers inside and a clear plate on top for the cake. When guests arrive they will see a beautiful centerpiece, then as an element of surprise all the cakes will be brought out at the same time and placed on top of the vase. Guests cut their cakes after Sonia and Andrew have cut their wedding cake. After the cake has been eaten, the plate will be taken away and a beautiful centerpiece remains!

This cake centerpiece idea not only serves the purpose of a centerpiece, it also saved Sonia and Andrew a lot of money for cake-cutting costs! (Sorry venues!) I think this centerpiece was a real hit with the guests because I heard one guest say “I can’t believe we get our own cake! This is so cool!”

Dreamy Purple Wedding Reception

2011-07-04T08:07:00.003-06:00

In the last blog post, I shared some pictures of Sonia and Andrew’s ceremony. This post is about their wedding reception. I have their wedding split up into a couple of posts to prevent a really long novel-like post! This one is about the wedding reception.

Sonia and Andrew knew they wanted to create an elegant and grand wedding reception at the Sheraton Eau Claire. They felt that their guests will have a certain level of expectations just because of the venue. Sonia and Andrew wanted to exceed their guest’s expectations. I came up with numerous design and decorating ideas which they were very receptive of. As a result, we were able to try out different ideas, different colored chair covers, and lighting around the entire perimeter of the reception hall.

For the head table, we decorated it with lots of silver crystal accents. These accents complemented the clear crystal accent backdrop. Rather than having the usual white chair covers with a colored chair sash, we opted for purple self-tie chair covers. These chair covers were custom ordered and shipped in for Sonia and Andrew’s wedding. Lastly, we added purple up-lighting to give the entire room an unexpected purple glow. All of the uplighting was rented from Dance Shout Productions.

Pioneer Hill Outdoor Wedding

2011-07-03T19:28:00.008-06:00

Sonia and I hit it off right away when we each pulled out our binder full of wedding ideas. Our first meeting lasted almost three hours. All subsequent meetings usually last about two hours too. During some of these meetings, our conversations would turn to turn to shoes or Chinese tv series. Oops! Andrew was always patient with us during these meetings. He doesn’t say much and usually is staring at something (or secretly hoping the meeting will end soon.) When he does speak up, it is to make an executive decision!

Both Sonia and Andrew were awesome clients to work with. They wanted a beautiful outdoor wedding ceremony at Pioneer Hill and a unique and grand wedding reception at the Sheraton Eau Claire. The week before their wedding, Calgary poured rain non-stop. Although, an outdoor wedding was planned, there was a lot of discussion behind the scenes with their wedding planner, Rhoda Wong at Red Button Creations and Tracey Wilkinson at the Sheraton Eau Claire. We were all trying to figure out an alternative plan for their wedding ceremony. On the Thursday before the wedding, Andrew made another executive decision and said the ceremony will be held outdoors regardless of the weather.

On the day of the wedding, it didn’t rain but it still posed its own set of problems. It was incredibly windy during the set up of the wedding. I even had a couple of morning runners come by to help hold things down or provide me with suggestions. Luckily, I had tons of stuff in the car and was able to make some last minute changes. Just before the wedding, the sky managed to clear up and the wind toned down.

Still Here - Just Working Hard!

2011-06-30T11:18:00.006-06:00

Yikes, it has been three weeks since my last post! I can assure you that I have only been MIA on my blog. Launching Wishahmon - Event Creations during the middle of wedding season was probably not the best timing on my part. However, I am definitely going to embrace all the wonderful things coming my way. I am currently working several weddings, events, and projects. I will try my best to be consistent with my blog posts again. I can't wait to share more wedding tips, inspirations, and pictures of the events I designed this year!
Here is a sneak peek of a staircase I decorated at the Sheraton Eau Claire. Pictures of the wedding is coming soon!

Wishahmon Event Creations

2011-06-09T20:02:00.003-06:00

I am very excited to announce that Wishahmon-Event Creations is now up and running and ready to design unique (non-wedding) events! When I first started Wishahmon-Wedding Creations I knew that doing corporate events was the logical next step that I wanted to take, I just didn’t know when it was going to happen. During the last four years, I helped design events that were non-wedding related and to my surprise, I also loved it. I thought that all I wanted to design was weddings because I am such a romantic. Turns out helping a several non-profits with their events and fundraisers were also very rewarding.

After a chain of opportunities this year and lots of support from friends and family, I decided to take the next step and make Wishahmon-Event Creations come to life! I look forward to meeting new clients, designing different events, and sharing my work with everyone on this blog! Wish me luck!

Updated Candy Buffet

2011-05-27T18:38:00.008-06:00

This blog post is dedicated to one of my brides that said to me shyly that she wants to have a candy buffet despite it being sooo two years ago. When she initially told me, I told her that it is her wedding and she can incorporate any elements she wants for her wedding.

I came across this lovely updated candy buffet when I was browsing through the blog, Hostess with the Mostess. This blog featured an event designed by Alchemy Fine Events & Invitations. I think this is an updated version of the candy buffet because it uses a solid color container rather than clear and tall containers. Also, the containers each have their own shape and personality. All the containers and candy are tied in to theme through the labels. The labels also take on a different shape rather than the usual square card. Little details matter and make a difference!

One more tip to brides: When designing your own candy buffet, often the thing that causes the most frustration is getting a variety of containers or canisters for the candy. I always suggest to brides to ask around to see if 6 friends each have one container. This way, there will be a good variety of containers without breaking the bank!

Here are the lovely pictures of the candy buffet that I have been raving about in this post!

Fairytale Wedding Becomes Reality!

2011-05-13T14:32:00.004-06:00

Don't you just love the title of this blog? I would love it if every bride got their fairytale wedding! Couple of weeks ago, I blogged and did a radio interview about the Royal Wedding. By now, I am sure everyone has gotten a glimpse of Kate Middleton's wedding gown. I thought she looked stunning in her wedding gown. (My guess on her gown wasn't too far off either!)

Rather than doing a recap of the Royal Wedding on this blog, I thought I'd share this cute Disney comparison instead. The highly anticipated Royal Wedding of Duke William and Duchess Catherine was truly one of the closest real life fairy tale weddings we have ever experienced!

Weddings and Weather

2011-05-06T21:23:00.005-06:00

Calgary’s recent snow/rain/sun weather in May has prompted me to write this post to all the brides that are planning an outdoor wedding ceremony or reception. I totally understand why brides would choose to have an outdoor wedding. You get lovely natural scenery, beautiful lighting, and tons of opportunities to decorate your wedding outside the box (room).

As a wedding designer, I love designing outdoor ceremonies. It allows my creativity to run wild. Often when I go visit a venue (or a patch of land) with my clients, all they see is an empty patch of land with an awesome view. I, on the other hand, is waving my hands all over and telling them where I imagine guests sitting, the path the groom will walk, and where the bride will walk down the imaginary aisle. One time, my clients asked me if I used to play “pretend” when I was a kid. (I answered proudly, yes.)

As a guest, I am not fond of outdoor ceremonies that haven’t been well thought out. There are so many things that have to be researched and planned prior to the wedding to ensure it runs smoothly. Here are three of my own personal experiences and some tips I can offer.

Wedding #1: The sun was shining the morning of a wedding I was to attend. By the time the ceremony was going to start, dark clouds started to roll in and pour. Luckily for me and three other guests, I had my golf umbrella with me. Tip: Although Calgary weather is unpredictable, you can still check the historical weather data to get some sense of what the weather will be like on your wedding day. If there is a chance of poor weather, remember to:
1. Have an alternative location where your wedding can be held. I always suggest to my clients to check with their reception venue first. This option should be the least amount of cost and confusion to your guests.
2. Indicate on your wedding invitation that there is a “Wet Weather Option.” This gives your guests a heads up that the ceremony venue may change due to weather and where the alternate location may be.
3. Consider renting a tent for the day and buy extra umbrellas for your unprepared guests. Most likely your guests dressed up for your wedding. It is only courtesy that you make the necessary arrangements to ensure they all remain looking gorgeous by the end of the ceremony.

Wedding #2: During the wedding ceremony, the sun was at its peak and blasting in my eyes. I squinted during the entire time of the ceremony and none of my pictures came through. Tip: When viewing your venue, try to visit during the time your wedding ceremony would be at. This way, you will know roughly the position of the sun and can make changes accordingly. For example, you can have your vow area face a different direction.

Wedding #3: Last year, I think Calgary hit 25 degrees twice during the summer. For one of those days, I was a guest at a wedding ceremony. The heat was so unbearable that I was turning my arms like a rotisserie chicken to prevent a sun burn. Tip: Tents are not just for rainy weather, they can also be used to shield your guests from heat. An alternative would be to provide your guests with fans or better yet a nice cold soda.

Here are some pictures of a rainy wedding taken by Fuller Edge Photography.

Ruby Woo Wedding Couture

2011-04-29T09:53:00.002-06:00

A lot of people say to me that “Realty shows” are fake! It is scripted and there is very little “reality” left over. I am open to everyone having their own opinions but I think (I too can have my own opinion) on the show “Say Yes to the Dress”, the bride’s shocked reaction to the price tag of her dream dress is real! They fall in love with a dress and then their heart drops to a new low when they see the price tag is beyond their budget by 300%.

Ivy Su and Teang Tang, owners of Ruby Woo Wedding Couture can be considered as “wedding dress fairy godmothers.” They have come up with a solution for brides that want their dream dress without the heartbreaking price tag.

Ruby Woo Wedding Couture allows brides to get their own custom made couture wedding dress for $1000.00 and delivered in 12 weeks. You can have a designer inspired wedding dress, or you can start from scratch on your own. You become the designer of the most important dress you will ever wear in your life. Don’t you love the sound of that?

If you are not convinced about the quality of the dress, you have an opportunity this weekend to see some dresses up close. This Sunday, May 1st, Ruby Woo Wedding Couture is hosting a tea party with proceeds from the event supporting the Canadian Red Cross - Japan Earthquake/Asia-Pacific Tsunami relief efforts. 12 Designer inspired wedding dresses will be auctioned off to brides to be. The winning bid will have their wedding dress custom-made to flatter the bride’s figure. 12 wedding vendors (including myself) will be creating a theme for each dress display as well. If you would like to check out these beautiful dresses and meet some wonderful vendors, make sure you RSVP. The tea party will be held at the Art Gallery of Calgary from 1:00-4:00pm. Hope to see you there!

Royal Wedding Dress

2011-04-28T11:50:00.003-06:00

People not in the wedding industry may not see what all the fuss is about with the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton. When their engagement was announced, I was so excited for them but didn’t really have anyone to share the news and excitement with cause I didn’t think too many people would care. I was excited because I know their wedding will set new wedding trends and standards. All eyes will be on this wedding and it will be talked about for decades. I even started reading CNN just to keep up with the Royal Wedding! (Occasionally, I would read some world news too. I am a changed person after their engagement!)

In addition to the Royal Wedding being an important one, all eyes will also be on Kate’s wedding gown. No doubt, her dress will be the inspiration for many brides that want to look like a princess and to have a princess wedding. There have been numerous speculations on who is the designer of Kate’s dress, but nothing has been confirmed. It is amazing that a secret like this has been kept so under wraps. In a couple more hours, we will be able to see Kate’s wedding dress. It has already been set to record on my PVR with extended time!

While I have my own predictions on what I think Kate’s dress will look like, I think I am just going to keep it to myself to see if I am right! In the meantime, here are some interesting facts I found on wedding dress when I was researching for my radio interview.

• Wedding dresses used to be colorful and not necessarily white.
• White wedding dresses became popular in 1840 after Queen Victoria’s wedding.
• Many people assumed that the color white was intended to symbolize virginity. However, it is actually symbolic of a Christening gown.
• Princess Diana’s wedding dress was ordered to be made only three months before her wedding and it was made in the designer’s basement.
• Princess Diana’s wedding dress had a 25 ft veil and 10,000 pearls.

Oh gosh, I just couldn't help posting a picture of my dress prediction. A blog isn’t complete without a picture! Here is a wedding dress by Phillipa Lepley.

Reducing Waste at your Wedding

2011-04-21T11:50:00.010-06:00

This post is dedicated to Earth Day. Although I love the wedding industry, I cringe when I think about all the potential waste it creates. Although I try to create beautiful weddings, I also try to do this with the least amount of impact on the environment. Here are some tips on how you can reduce waste with your wedding decorations.

1. Look around your house and/or collections. Everyone has a collection of something. (One of my friends used to have a collection of buttons.) You will be surprised to find that your collection of vintage ginger jars will make awesome centerpieces and your collection of neckties would make cute whimsical pew bows.

2. Ask friends and family for stuff. If everyone you know contributes one or two vases, your centerpieces or candy buffet vases are now taken care of. Just make sure you put labels on the bottom so that they can be returned to its rightful owner after the wedding!

3. Share with another bride – if you wedding ceremony is in the afternoon and there is a morning wedding ceremony, consider talking to the morning bride about sharing wedding decorations. This can reduce waste and cut costs.

4. Buy used wedding decorating items. Most likely these items have just been used for a couple of hours much like your decorations will be. It is not tacky to use old things, it is resourceful. Also, you can consider it as part of you “Something new, something old, something borrowed, something blue!”

5. Hire a wedding decorator, most likely he/she already has huge quantities in everything already and will have the opportunity to reuse them.

After your wedding, also remember to recycle any left-over menu cards, place cards, or ceremony programs. (Make sure you keep one or two as a wedding keepsake!) Flowers or floral centerpieces can be re-gifted to senior homes or hospitals. Not only will it bring new life to the flowers, it will also bring lots of smiles from unexpected recipients!

Weddings can be beautiful without being wasteful! Here are some pictures of creative weddings from Forget Me Knot Weddings.

New Wishahmon Website!

2011-04-15T14:33:00.004-06:00

After two months of hard work by my wonderfully talented graphic designer, Eva, the Wishahmon website has been revamped. I must say it looks absolutely FABULOUS!

This is the fourth time the website has been redesigned or tweeked in the last four years. I guess you can say I have been struggling to project the image of the company in the last couple of years. (Eva has been very, very patient with me.) This time around I tried to stay true my designs and who (I think) I am. The final outcome is modern, clean, and full of visuals. I am finally comfortable and proud of my website. Please check out the new Wishahmon website when you get the chance and let me know what your thoughts are!

TOMS Shoes

2011-04-06T13:23:00.004-06:00

I love shoes almost as much as I love weddings. On average, I buy four pairs of shoes on each vacation. The most I ever bought on vacation was nine pairs. (Oops. No idea how that happened.) Now before you start to wonder, what does my shoe addiction have to do with weddings? Wait for it…the wedding part of this blog post is coming.

When discussing the wedding ceremony design, brides often ask me what type of shoe or heel they should wear that day to walk down the aisle. Rather than going into huge detail about current shoe designers and trends, we often discuss the type of flooring (whether hard wood or grass) at the ceremony venue and options to accommodate the shoe/heel. I have to stress to brides that aisle runners help very little when you are walking down the aisle in heels. Aisle runners help keep the wedding gown clean but it does not solve the problem of uneven grass. An option is to rent sections of a dance floor to place on top of the grass and place an aisle runner on top.

Recently, I started advising my brides to wear her most comfortable shoes for the ceremony, whether these are cowboy boots, runners, or flip flops. I tell my brides that the best shoe/heel for the ceremony is whatever they can walk comfortably and confidently in. I also remind them that most often they are going to be nervous and excited. The last thing they need to concentrate on is walking. Save the heels for wedding pictures!

A couple of months ago, one of my best girl friends introduced me to a line of shoes called TOMS Shoes. This is a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. As of September 2010, TOMS has given over one million pairs of new shoes to children in need through Giving Partners around the world.

TOMS Shoes also have a bridal line! How absolutely cool is this? Brides and grooms can wear TOMS Shoes on their wedding day and know that two children on the other side of the world will also be wearing a pair of shoes as a result of their purchase. What a memorable way to celebrate your wedding day!

Anthropologie Wedding Store

2011-03-24T11:47:00.005-06:00

I love Anthropologie! There are two main reasons: First, you can get (almost) everything pretty in there, from colorful skirts to pink crystal door knobs to frilly aprons to sweet smelling hand lotion. Second, the store is always decorated uniquely and pretty. The last time I was in there I just sat in a chair and “absorbed” all the inspirational creativity while my friend scoured all the racks of beautiful clothing. (My feet were also sore from the 7th hour of shopping with my friend. She has tons of shopping endurance.)

There is now another reason for me to love Anthropologie even more! Anthropologie now has an online wedding store called BHLDN. They sell everything from heirloom quality wedding gowns to bridesmaid and party dresses, vintage-inspired jewelry, feathered headpieces and lingerie. The brand will create some of their own signature gowns and will also feature established and up-and-coming guest designers. Retail prices for the brand range from $1,000 to $4,000 for gowns, and $200 to $600 for event dresses.

Rumor has it that by the end of the year, there will be a line of wedding decorations rolling out too, featuring everything from cake toppers to lanterns. (Catch me before I faint and hit the ground!) Once their wedding decorations are out, I will make sure I share the news with everybody!

Here are some pictures of their lovely wedding line.

Flowers by Season

2011-03-21T10:08:00.009-06:00

Yesterday was the first official day of Spring! When I think of spring, I think of colorful blossoms of flowers. Spring is also the time where you can chose from an amazing assortment of colors in wedding flowers. For wedding flowers, you can expect the freshest and most cost-effective flowers when you chose flowers that are in season. The following is a list of flowers separated by season.

Spring Flowers – Because some of these flowers are only available in the Spring, I strongly suggest brides take advantage of this season and get some of these flowers incorporated into their wedding bouquet and/or centerpieces.

Cherry blossom
Daffodil
Hyacinth
Syringa (Lilac)
Peony
Star Gazer Lily
Sweet pea
Tulip

Summer Flowers – There is generally no shortage of flowers to choose from during the summer. This is the season to have it all – in your bouquet!

Bells of Ireland
Calla lily
Dahlia
Gardenia
Gerber Daisy
Gladiola
Delphinium
Hydrangea
Iris
Lily
Sunflower
Stephanotis
Tuberose

Fall Wedding Flowers – Don’t fret because this list is so short. There are still lots of flower combinations available. If you happen to have a fall themed wedding, you can choose wedding flowers in red, orange, and yellow to go with your wedding theme!

Aster
Chrysanthemum
Holly
Hydrangea (early fall)
Marigold

Winter Wedding Flowers – Somehow the list of winter flowers is longer than the list of fall flowers available. You might think this is weird but some varieties just do better in cooler temperatures. In addition to flowers, you might want to include berries or pinecones with your flower centerpieces just to give it a special winter touch!

Amaryllis
Bells of Ireland
Evergreen
Gardenia
Holly
Jasmine
Poinsettia
Rose
Star Gazer Lily
Star of Bethlehem

Of course, there are thousands of varieties of flowers to choose from, these are just some of the most popular and readily available for weddings. The flowers that are available pretty much year round include Baby's Breath, Calla Lily, Carnations, Freesia, Gardenia, Orchid, and Roses. Have fun when designing your wedding bouquet and decorations. You can mix and match seasonal flowers with year round flowers.

If you have your heart set on a certain flower for your bouquet, don't worry if it's not in season. Odds are they are being grown somewhere in this world and they can be imported in. The only downfall to this is that you can expect to pay at least three times as much as compared to locally grown, seasonal blooms. If budget is an issue, ask your florist for alternative blooms that can give you the similar effect and feeling. You just might find out that the flower you like has a third cousin twice removed and is grown locally in season.

All of the pictures are from The Knot. They are an excellent resource for wedding planning!

Chinese-Western Fusion Wedding

2011-03-18T09:19:00.003-06:00

A very typical situation that I often encounter with my Chinese clients is: The bride and groom announce their engagement to their parents. The parents are so happy that they call “Uncle Wong” right away about booking his Chinese restaurant for the wedding reception. The bride and groom are less pleased about this because Chinese weddings held at Chinese restaurants are all alike and they look “tacky.”

My clients rarely win the battle of changing reception venues so they ask me for advice on designing a Chinese-Western fusion wedding. Here are some of the solutions I provide them:

1. Disregard all Chinese superstitions when decorating. This means is that you can use the colors white and blue, light candles, and have lilies or gladiolas. In case you didn’t know, all of these things are traditionally associated with death or funerals.

2. Focus on the entrance. Create a welcoming entrance. Decorate the front of the venue or doors.

3. Create a photo area. Usually a receiving line is just done at the entrance against some wall that has no decorations. Focus on this area and create a beautiful backdrop. This backdrop will be in every single picture of the couple and guests.

4. Focus on linens. Forgo the table linens and napkins that come with your dinner package. Rent luxurious table linens. This will really change the look of the room quickly.

5. Focus on the chairs. Rent chair covers and chair sashes. Or if your budget allows, rent different chairs.

6. Have centerpieces. This is often excluded because there are so many dishes on the table by the end of the night. This is a really important aspect to your wedding because it creates a visual when guests are just walking into the venue.

7. Print your own menu cards that match your wedding stationary. This is often not done because it is often printed and provided by the venue.

8. Print placecards or one card with all the guest names. Often guests are assigned to a table but not a specific seat. Placecards indicate to your guests where exactly you want them to sit.

9. Have a dance at the end of the night on a rented dance floor. This also changes the look of the room.

10. Have a sweet table at the end of the night. Once all the dinner has digested, it is nice to refuel with some sweets and to end the night on a sugar high.

I always tell my clients that our ultimate goal is to design a wedding that transforms the venue. Guests shouldn’t feel that they are at a typical wedding at “Uncle Wong’s” restaurant and guests that couldn’t make it to the wedding shouldn’t be able to tell right away where the wedding was held. Here are two pictures of two weddings I did at two Chinese restaurants in town. See if you can tell which restaurants they are!

Radio Interview

2011-03-03T09:03:00.003-07:00

Recently I had the honor of being invited back to the Calgary Chinese Radio Station, FM 94.7 for a radio interview. I was interview by Ms. Terry Chan on her radio show, One Family. During this interview, we chatted about upcoming 2011 wedding trends and 2010 wedding trends that are still going strong. I also provided some wedding decorating tips for newly engaged listeners. This interview will go on air on Thursday, March 3, 2011 at 10:15am. It can also be streamed live from the FM 94.7 website as well. If you are interested, please tune in! I would love to hear any kind of feedback from you, just send me a message on Facebook or email me at: monica@wishahmon.com.

Thank you in advance to all of those supporting me in this exciting adventure!

Steps to Designing your Wedding!

2011-02-20T09:38:00.006-07:00

When helping my clients design their wedding, the very first thing I try to do is to learn a little bit about them. Most of the time, our consultation meeting is our very first meeting. (Much like a blind date – although I am not hard to find at a coffee shop, I usually have a ton of wedding related stuff with me.) In order to learn about my clients, I ask them a variety of questions. Hopefully by sharing these questions, it will help newly engaged couples jump start the design process of their wedding.

1. How did you two meet?
2. What attracted you to each other?
3. What feeling would you like to invoke from your wedding?
4. Can you describe to me what you see when walking into your ceremony/reception venue?
5. What is the most important aspect to your wedding?

Now that you answered and asked each other these questions, here are some of my insights on how to make use of these answers. (No, this is not anything like a Cosmo test.)

The first two questions allow the couple to bring some personal aspects into their wedding. Every wedding should be personalized to the couple. The personal details are what make a wedding special and memorable. Personal details can be used in wedding invitations, ceremony programs, reception stationary, and wedding favors. I believe that a wedding should tell a wonderful love story of the couple.

The third and fourth questions start the design building blocks. I always ask my clients to use descriptive words when answering these questions. From a feeling or visual you can start to choose main wedding colors, secondary wedding colors, textures, and details. Each step of the process, you are adding another layer or element to your wedding.

The last question answers where the main focus of the wedding should be. If the “getting married” is most important, the ceremony vow area should have the most focus and attention. If clients say they want their guests to have a great time, more focus should be placed at the reception or dance or after party. I’ve had brides answer “ME” to this question before. In this case, I tell the bride to buy an awesome wedding gown and beautiful jewellery! You rock it girl!!

Here are some pictures of a very personalized wedding from Style Me Pretty!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T10:52:00.006-07:00

I think that Valentine’s Day is the most romantic day of the year. It is a day to celebrate love. I know that a lot of my friends disagree (and are probably rolling their eyes as they are reading this); think it is a day created by Hallmark; and don’t believe in Valentine’s altogether. To those friends I say (with love): You don’t have to believe in Valentine’s Day, just don’t ruin it for the rest of us. We will continue to celebrate this day and most likely show you how much we love you!

When I met with my clients to discuss the design of their wedding, I often try to inject some ideas about how they can start new traditions and celebrate their wedding day in the years to come either on their anniversary date or on Valentine’s Day! (You knew that part was coming!) Here are some of my favorite ideas:

Wedding Day: I suggest that grooms to write a love note to their bride and have it delivered by a groomsman the morning of the wedding. This love note can be short and just relay how excited they are that they will be getting married in a couple of hours. Future Celebrations: Write a love note to your significant other telling them your emotions the morning of your wedding and how reading the love note confirmed your love.

Wedding Day: If my clients plan on having bouquets of flowers as wedding decorations, I suggest buying the very best vase you can afford that also fits in with your home décor. The vase is often overlooked at weddings. You will be surprised how a beautiful vase complements the flowers in it. Future Celebrations: Future flower arrangements received on special days (or just about any day!) can be placed in this special wedding vase. It will give you a quick visual trip down memory lane of your wedding day.

Wedding Day: After the bride has chosen their wedding bouquet, I suggest to grooms that they either study the bouquet or have a picture of the bouquet with them. Future Celebrations: Have the wedding bouquet recreated 100% (have the stems tied together and all) and give that bouquet to your wife. It will be a huge surprise and it honestly won’t cost that much more than a dozen of red roses on Valentine’s Day.

These pictures from One Wed inspire and make me smile! I hope it does the same for you!

Side note: I know that I probably only have two male readers of this blog (both close friends of mine), but if you are bride, start dropping these hints to your fiancé (if I haven’t already done so!)

Sticking to Wedding Trends

2011-01-28T11:42:00.005-07:00

As a professional in the wedding industry, it is important for me to know what the new and upcoming trends are for the wedding season. However, I never force these trends upon my clients. I definitely will provide them with new ideas to take their wedding decorations to the next level. However, I never discourage them from planning and decorating the wedding of their dreams. Recently, I had a client say to me that they want a candy buffet, but they also know it is “sooooo 2009.” I said to them “Sooooo what?! You didn’t get married in 2009, so this is your chance in 2011.”

Here are some suggestions I have to 2011 brides:
1. Color – Choose the color that you have always imagined your wedding to be. There are no rules or restrictions to this. It is your wedding and you can have fall colors for a winter wedding, winter colors for a spring wedding, or an all black wedding in the summer. It is your day and you can design it any way you want.

2. Décor Elements – During initial discussions, clients often tell me that they want white polyster chair covers and colored chair sash tied in a bow. Then they ask me “Is that look still IN?” or “Is it OK to want that look?” I tell them it is OK to want that look. However, if they want a little bit of a twist to that look, we can change the color of the chair cover or tie the chair sash differently. It is OK to love the favorite look or to create a new twist on it.

3. Overall Look – Now that you have chosen everything to your liking, it is important to tie the look together to avoid having your wedding look like a hodgepodge scrapbook. (Don’t get me wrong, I love scrapbooking.) A great way to tie everything together is to use an overall theme or color family. I say color family because it provides the design more depth. Also, you won’t have to stress over everything matching exactly!

4. Trends – I know that the first thing brides purchase after getting engaged is not their dress, it is a good stack of wedding magazines. This is a perfect way to start getting ideas on design and trends. I want to stress that it is OK to follow all of the 2011 wedding trends as long as it is what you want for your wedding. Do not think you need to follow these trends because well, your wedding is in 2011.

5. Have Fun – The guests you have invited are (most likely) people you love and want to share this special day with. They are going to think your wedding is beautiful because it is a reflection of you.

If you would like to see some 2011 wedding trends, check it out at Savvy Scoop! Here are some inspiration pictures of Real Weddings from the Knot. (Blog posts are always more interesting with pictures!)

Bridal Fantasy Pictures

2011-01-21T11:33:00.006-07:00

Last week, I attended the Calgary Bridal Fantasy fair with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. We were there together to promote the "Kiss for a Cure" program and the "Pinky Swear Wedding Decorating Packages." The booth was designed and all rental items were sponsored by Wishahmon-Wedding Creations. Here are the pictures of the booth for those that were not able to come by. Huge thank you to the brides that stopped by to say Hi!

(I have included a before picture of the booth too! I love before and after pictures!)

Bridal Fantasy Calgary

2011-01-13T11:46:00.004-07:00

I am UBER organized. People that have been following this blog, know me, or have worked with me can confirm this. Which leads me to my current frustration – my blogs entries are going to be all out of order! Now, instead of whining about it, I will be doing the next best thing – blogging despite it not being in my ideal order. Here is the first one.

This Sunday, January 16, 2011, Bridal Fantasy Calgary: The Boutique Bridal Show will be at the Telus Convention Center (120 – 9 Avenue SE). Wishahmon – Wedding Creations will be at the Bridal Fantasy with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation to promote ideas on how brides can design the wedding of their dreams and contribute to finding a cure for breast cancer.

The Foundation will be promoting their program called “Kiss for a Cure.” Instead of clinking glasses for the happy couple to kiss, guests would make a donation to the Foundation. The happy couple can also make a donation to the Foundation in lieu of wedding favors.

Wishahmon will be designing the booth to give brides and grooms a visual on how this program can be incorporated into their wedding design. Wishahmon will also be promoting the “Pinky Swear Wedding Decorating” packages. $150.00 will be donated to the Foundation by Wishahmon for every decorating package sold. Brides that sign up for the “Kiss for a Cure” program on Sunday will be entitled to $150.00 off their decorating package. A total of $300 will be donated by Wishahmon to the Foundation.

At Bridal Fantasy, brides will see an amazing fashion show and theatrical production featuring the latest trends in flowers, tuxedos, gowns, destination wear, hair and make-up. Brides have the opportunity to win over $75,000 in prizes and the chance to win the Fantasy Wedding Package. This year's fantasy wedding package includes prizes from all of our sponsors and features a Fantasy One Week Honeymoon to Jamaica courtesy of AMA Travel, Air Canada Vacations and Sandals Resort. Brides will also receive a FREE Bridal Fantasy Wedding Planner & Survival Guide (a $14.95 value) and a FREE copy of the newest issue of the Bridal Fantasy Magazine (a $6.95 value).

Tickets are only $20. You can buy tickets online, at any Derks location, or at the door. Doors for the morning show open at 10:30 am with the fashion show at 12:30 pm, while the afternoon show is at 1:30 pm with the fashion show at 3:00 pm.

If you are planning on going to Bridal Fantasy Calgary, please take the time to drop by our booth to say hi and to learn about these wonderful programs! I hope to see you all there!

Happy 2011!!

2011-01-06T09:53:00.002-07:00

For those that have been reading this blog all along (thank you!!) will know that I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions. The main reason is because I don’t keep them past January 7th. (As long as I don’t add 10 extra pounds each year, I am not going to make the same resolution to lose the last 10 pounds.) Rather than making resolutions, I opt to learn something new each year.

Last year, I learned a little bit about photography. I wasn’t able to fit any photography courses into my schedule last year but I read lots and learned from other photographers. I also quickly learned how expensive photography can become. I personally feel that I have come a long way! The pictures of the Fall themed wedding at Cochrane Ranche House in my portfolio was taken by yours truly. Regular blog readers will be able to judge whether my photography skills have improved as I have been blogging about random pictures I have taken in 2010.

This year I am going to learn about giving back. Although I am not “rich” by any means, I do feel fortunate for all that I have. I would love to give back to organizations that are dear to my heart. Hopefully, my small efforts and contributions will be part of something big. Wish me luck!

Inspiration at the ROM

2010-12-06T18:39:00.005-07:00

Several people suggested that I “go to the ROM” while I was in Toronto. My answer was: “What is the ROM? It sounds a little dirty.” As it turns out, the ROM is the Royal Ontario Museum. It is not at all dirty and a really cool place to spend a couple of hours or a day.

The ROM has a lot of different themed galleries spanned across five floors that includes both world culture and natural history. When I was at the ROM, there were also several special exhibitions that took my breath away. (I don’t say this to non-wedding related things very often.)

The Warrior Emperor and China’s Terracotta Army exhibition showcases the Emperor who brought China to the World and the Warriors who guard his afterlife. I have always heard about the terra cotta warriors and learned about them in school. It wasn’t until I saw them in front of me that I appreciated the craftsmanship back in the days. (Like 3000 million days ago.) It really goes to show that you should always put forward your best work even if it gets buried right away. I bet the artists back then never thought their work would be showcased so many years later half way across the world.

The exhibition titled: House Calls with my Camera is a series of photos created by Dr. Mark Nowazynski, a Toronto doctor. He provides insights into the lives of four at risk patients and reveals the challenges they face everyday. Dr. Nowacynski’s photographs have raised awareness about the many complex issues related to aging. When I was looking at these photos I was able to feel the struggles the patients were going through and the photos had invoked the emotions of sadness and hope.

African artist, El Anatsui, titled his exhibition: When I Last Wrote to You about Africa. Anatsui had made a variety of wall sculptures from discarded bottle tops and wire. I never thought an ordinary bottle cap could take the shape of a square or look like a flower when used in a different manner. I also learned that art can take the form of different shapes - it does not have to be a perfect rectangle or square. Art also does not have to be perfectly flat - imperfections can sometimes make the piece absolutely perfect.

These exhibitions inspired me to apply certain aspects to my wedding decorations. I learned to always give my clients my absolute best work, even if it gets taken down in a couple of hours; through the decorations, I will try to invoke the overall feeling my clients would like their guests to feel at their wedding; and try not to obsess if a certain decorating aspect is not exactly how I had originally envisioned it, it’s imperfection may be exactly the thing that puts the design over the top.

Once again, inspiration is always around us! It is up to you what you do with it!

Inspiration All Around Us

2010-12-03T18:50:00.004-07:00

I have been in Toronto, Ontario for the last week visiting family members. Most of them were surprised when I told them that I didn’t want to do any shopping. In disbelief, my family members urged me to go to Downtown Toronto to shop on Bloor Street. Not totally opposed to the idea, I went to Bloor Street yesterday. Bloor Street is full of luxury shops – all around were shops like Holt Renfrew, Gucci, Burberry, Escada, etc. Given that I couldn’t afford to shop at (all) of these places, I decided this was a good opportunity to learn how these luxury shops decorate their stores for the Christmas season.

I stood in front of Harry Rosen for a really long time before digging out my camera from my purse. As I was taking a picture, a random guy came up to me and asked if I would like him to take a picture of me in front of the Harry Rosen sign. I politely declined and told him that I was taking a picture of the tree in front of the Harry Rosen sign. He said “Oh” and quickly walked away. He probably thinks I am crazy. What captured my attention was the entrance arrangement. I love the colors, heights, and textures they incorporated. The arrangement has a mixture of fresh cedar and dried branches in a variety of shapes. The arrangement gave a winter feeling without it being the usual white and blue scheme. Lesson learned: You can have the same "winter" feeling using unconventional colors and conventional items.

Across the street at Tiffany & Co. workers were setting up some fresh cedar around the front entrance. What captured my attention was how they could attach the fresh cedar to the flat marble tiles. Not being able to figure it out, I walked (up to the crosswalk) and crossed the street to “investigate” some more. It turns out that the workers had attached little hour glass shaped metal pieces between the tiles and stretched a wire across the cedar. Lesson learned: It is not impossible to attach decorations to flat surfaces, you just need to be creative!

Once again, inspiration is all around us. Sometimes you will learn different color schemes, different use of textures, and different applications. Keep your eyes open, your camera close at all times, and don’t be afraid of telling people what you are really interested in (and taking a picture of!)

My Vow to Clients

2010-11-13T16:21:00.003-07:00

At the end of a consultation meeting, I have had clients ask me: “What happens if you get hit by a car the day you are supposed to decorate my wedding?” I usually cringe and say “That depends on whether or not I died. If I didn’t, I would get one of my crew members to pick me up or pick up the decorations and proceed without me. If I did, my crew members would know fairly quickly and will be in touch with the clients to advise them that my day has started and ended poorly.”

All joking aside, I am never offended when clients ask me this question because they have every right to ask if I have a Plan B in the event I cannot decorate their wedding. (This is how I interpret their question.) They need to ensure that they will get their wedding venue decorated as planned with or without me.

I explain to clients that I have a decorating team that works with me. Once a client signs with me, I let my crew know of the wedding date. My crew then gets back to me who on their availability. One month before the wedding, I confirm with my crew members of their availability. Two weeks before the wedding, I have most of the decorating elements ready and packed. The Wednesday before the wedding date, an email is sent out to my crew outlining the time and location of the venue, and decorating elements that is required. A decorating to do list is placed in my office with my client’s contact information. My decorating associate knows of this process and can take over in the event something (horrible) happens to me. (Knock on wood.)

One week before the wedding, I also “prep” myself too. Here are some things I do to prepare:
-I file my nails really short so I don’t snag any décor fabric;
-I stop using hand lotion so I don’t get fingerprints on any décor items;
-I sleep at least eight hours a day to ensure I have energy for the big day;
-I stop eating carbohydrates, sugar, and junk food to prevent getting sick;
-I pop a lot of vitamins to prevent getting sick;
-I stop running by the Bow River in case I lose my footing, fall into the river, and break a limb;
-I stop using power tools to prevent cutting off any fingers. (I need all my fingers to decorate);
-I drive below the speed limit to prevent getting in an accident; and
-I stop driving on Deerfoot Trail to prevent getting in an accident because I am driving so slowly.

To my existing and new clients, here is my vow to you: "I vow to stay in one piece until the day after your wedding and I will ensure your wedding will be beautifully decorated by myself and my crew."

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T14:19:00.005-06:00

Inspiration is always around us! In interior design, you can design an entire room based around a rug. Floral design can be based on the vase. Wedding design can be based on an invitation or the bride's dress. Keep your eyes open and have fun with it. This Halloween I found inspiration in my dear stuffed giraffe animal. Take a break from wedding planning and have a Happy Halloween!

Weddings to Help Find a Cure for Breast Cancer

2010-10-26T15:56:00.005-06:00

When cancer touches a person you know it doesn’t just affect the patient, it also affects the patient’s family and friends. I had the unfortunate experience of being affected more than once. My mother did not survive but luckily my aunts did.

During this month of Breast Cancer Awareness, I contacted the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation – Prairies/NWT Region about an ongoing partnership project. The goal was to help newly engaged couples design the wedding of their dreams and contribute to finding a cure for breast cancer. I feel this as an opportunity to help couples and their guests make their wedding special, memorable, and meaningful.

Two pink themed “Pinky Swear Wedding Decorating Packages” have been designed for brides and grooms to begin designing their wedding. With each decorating package sold, $150.00 will be donated to the Foundation by Wishahmon-Wedding Creations. Additional information is available at the Wishahmon website.

As the leading national volunteer-based organization dedicated to creating a future without breast cancer, the Foundation works collaboratively to fund, support and advocate for relevant and innovative breast cancer research, meaningful education and awareness programs, early diagnosis and effective treatment, and a positive quality of life for those living with breast cancer. If you would like to make a donation directly to the Foundation, you can do so by visiting their website.

Pink Dreamy Wedding

2010-10-20T12:22:00.009-06:00

Being the hopeless romantic I am I love to hear how couples first met. Ivy and Robbie definitely take the cake on their love story. For a short while, Ivy was taking the LRT to work from the Dalhousie station. Robbie was transferred to a specific worksite for a couple months and also took the LRT from the Dalhousie station. Robbie noticed Ivy right away and as the days went by, he knew he may not see her again once he was transferred to another job site and didn’t take the LRT from this station at this same time. One day, he finally made his move and introduced himself to Ivy. Hearing this story, my heart was melting. I asked Ivy what was her reaction when Robbie made the first move. Ivy said one word: “Creepy.” (I sat straight up after hearing this response.) Well, I guess Robbie wasn’t that creepy because they started dating and got engaged! (Robbie: I still think you are so brave!)

During our consultation, Ivy and I hit it off right away because we both love the color pink. Ivy even said she wanted the groomsmen to wear pink, but couldn’t ask them. I offered to tell the groomsmen for her! Robbie had to step in once in a while to scale back the amount of pink that their wedding and to put his foot down on the pink groomsmen idea. Ivy wanted a very dreamy wedding. She had over 100 pictures to show me what she liked. My job was to work these ideas into their venue. The wedding reception was at the Silver Dragon Restaurant. If not the first, this restaurant is one of the first restaurants opened in Calgary. I think almost every Chinese person in Calgary has attended a wedding at the Silver Dragon Restaurant at least once. Given it’s familiarity to everyone I knew I had to design something that was different, unexpected, and dreamy.

This wedding was the most challenging wedding I have done to date. There were so many factors that complicated the wedding design. Here were my main challenges:

1)The biggest challenge was the size of the venue. This of course, could not be negotiated. Ivy and Robbie had booked the entire venue for their wedding. They were told that the venue can accommodate 320 guests. However, with only 245 guests, the space was still very limited.

2)The second challenge was the amount of time allowed to decorate the venue. I was originally given two hours to decorate. I ended up using three hours and brought a crew of 15 people. I would have been able to do more decorating if given five hours. The reason for the lack of time is because it was a Saturday and the restaurant needed to stay open for a long as possible for dim sum time.

3)The third challenge was all unexpected the day of the wedding. There was a dispute between the rental company and the restaurant staff regarding how big the head table staging should be; how the dance floor should be placed; chair covers wouldn’t fit on arm chairs; the cake came early; and the booze could not be found. Nonetheless, I became Little Miss Bossy Pants and made a lot of executive decisions that day.

Here are some pictures of Ivy and Robbie’s wedding. I will highlight all the details of their wedding in another post as this one is getting way too long.

Pumpkin Themed Wedding!

2010-10-13T14:06:00.010-06:00

I think everybody agrees with me when I say that not all of your Facebook “friends” are actually friends you keep in close contact with. When I got a Facebook message from Randi on some random day, I was so surprised that she remembers me! I believe I actually said that out loud! I was so happy to hear from her and to learn she is engaged and getting married to Bill. When Randi asked if I could meet up with them to discuss their wedding décor plans, I happily said I would love to meet up with them and to catch up on the last “blank” number of years.

When I meet up with Randi, I noticed that some things just didn’t change. She was still a foot taller than me. (Okay, a LOT of people are…) What I did learn is how crafty Randi is or has become! She had so many great ideas and had handmade a lot of the décor items. She truly made my job easy. I just had to design and put together her wedding with all of the wonderful décor items she made.

Randi and Bill were going to have a pumpkin themed wedding at the Cochrane Ranche House. To this day, I still don’t know if they both like pumpkins or if only Randi does. Short of calling me a nerd, Bill didn’t say much about the décor. (His exact words (looking at Randi) were: “I guess you weren’t the only nerd in school.”) Assuming they both loved pumpkins, 40 full sized pumpkins and 10-20 smaller pumpkins were purchased for the decor. They also made pumpkins with sparkles. (This description does not do the pumpkins justice. Please refer to the pictures.) The centerpieces were wrought iron pumpkins with a pillar LED candle inside. All of the place cards were also small wire pumpkins. Needless to say, the venue was tastefully exploded with pumpkins. Here are some pictures!

BT Photography

2010-10-01T22:38:00.007-06:00

I love what I do! I love meeting new clients, helping them to design a wedding of their dreams, and decorating on the day of the wedding. There is only one aspect of my job that I don’t love - that is missing out on the actual wedding. I always arrive at the venue before the wedding to decorate and return after the wedding to take down all the decorations. At the end of the night, I sometimes get to see my clients and have the opportunity to give them a big hug to congratulate them for tying the knot.

Recently, I started asking my clients who their wedding photographer is. Feeling a little “left out” of the wedding, I would check the photographer’s blog weekly (sometimes daily) to see if my client’s wedding pictures have been posted. (A big sorry to all the photographers that I have been checking on. I think I really messed up your stats on google analytics.)

Since I am snooping already, I thought I should share the pictures with everyone that reads my blog. Here are some pictures taken by Brian and Amy from BT Photography of my clients, Huong and Steve, on their special day. I love these pictures of Huong and Steve. They looked so happy on their wedding day. I absolutely wish I was there! (I always do!)

Purple Ribbon Gala

2010-09-21T13:15:00.009-06:00

Doing a good deed always feels good.

The day before I was supposed to go decorate the Purple Ribbon Gala, my allergies were in high gear. My nose was runny, chapped and red. (Move over Rudolph, Santa has a new helper with a brighter nose.) My eyes were red and puffy. In summary, I felt like my face was going to fall off. Saturday morning, I woke up to find my nose looked perfect, my eyes looked clear, my skin looked flawless, and I even felt slimmer! I felt great and was ready to head off to the M Bar downtown to decorate for the event.

The Purple Ribbon Gala was organized by a six lady team named “Cougars in Training.” These ladies were: Angela Jackson, Judy Ng, Britt Gee, Britt Mahoney, Lindsay Harder, and Brianna Gee. All of the proceeds raised at this event benefited the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada. When I got to the venue, I was so shocked by the amount of work that they put into the event. They had a silent auction room with over 50 items in there. (I am guessing, the room was packed, they probably had even more sponsored gifts in there.) They had purple balloons to celebrate the survivors and silver balloons in memory of those that lost their lives to Leukemia or Lymphoma. Pictures and inspirational stories of survivors were also placed throughout the venue. Of course, there were also lots of opportunities to make donations to the cause.

After the initial shock wore off, I started to think how my decorations and flowers can add to the already amazing space. When Britt Gee contacted me, she suggested decorating the front entrance table and possibly the auction table. Before decorating a venue, I usually get more information about the size of the tables and the type of décor that is desired. However, knowing that these girls were already really busy, I just packed up double the amount of décor that I thought I would need. In the end, I decorated the front entrance table, a special section of the auction room, two side tables, and the DJ table. I also put together nine simple floral arrangements for the event. For this event, I didn’t go over the top with the decorations because the fund raising aspect was the most important.

In addition to donating my services to this event, I also donated the rental of my cupcake stand, floral arrangements and a wedding planning gift basket for the silent auction. Here are some of my (absolutely) non-professional pictures. Despite breaking out some kung fu stances, I still struggled with the lighting at the venue.

Of note: Britt Gee called me after the event to let me know that they raised $7500. Congrats ladies!

Boxing Themed Wedding

2010-09-17T09:14:00.007-06:00

My friends know how to get me excited when introducing a new store to me – they just have to put a wedding spin to it. The first time I was brought to Bass Pro Shops, I was told: “You can do research for when you do a hunting or fishing themed wedding.” Not one to argue right away, I did find a good range of fishing line to use for my wedding projects. When I was brought to Camper’s Village, I was told the same thing: “You can do research for when you do a camping themed wedding.” This time, feeling a little like I was being played, I spoke up “Are you kidding me?” My friend simply said: “Last year, you didn’t think you were going to do a boxing themed wedding either.” I really didn’t have anything to say to that cause I knew it was true. (By the way, Camper’s Village has an awesome area in the store with lots of stretchy fabric!)

The first time I met Rita and Steve at the Art Gallery of Calgary to design their wedding ceremony, the gallery had a different exhibition. Three months before their wedding, the gallery had changed their exhibition to “Mixed Signals: Artists Consider Masculinity in Sport.” In summary, the new exhibition was very masculine. As a result, I met up with Rita and Steve again to consider redesigning the wedding ceremony to inject some femininity in it.

For this wedding, I included a lovely purple aisle runner instead of a white one to add some color to the room. Because I absolutely adore the chairs at the Art Gallery of Calgary, I tied the chair sashes in a feminine way but didn’t cover too much of the chairs. I love figuring out new ways of tying chair sashes! This one came to me that day at the last hour. (Next time I need to think faster as the wedding party had started to arrive as I was finishing up.)

When designing a wedding for my clients, not only do I try to design a wedding that they want, I also consider the lasting impressions of my client’s wedding – which are their wedding pictures. For this particular wedding, I asked Rita and Steve if they wanted to create a backdrop at the front of the vow area to cover up a picture of a sweaty and half-naked boxer. I told them that if we didn’t, this boxer will be in all of their wedding vow pictures. Being the awesome clients that they were, they just laughed and said it will make the wedding that much more memorable.

Although Rita and Steve’s wedding was not really “boxing themed,” that is how I am going to remember their memorable wedding. I can’t wait to see their wedding pictures!

Humanity First Fundraiser

2010-09-15T08:48:00.003-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, I got a Facebook invitation to attend a fundraiser to support the flood victims in Pakistan through the charity organization called Humanity First. My friend, Anila is one of the organizers of this fundraiser. Although I will not be able to attend the dinner, I have donated a wedding planning gift basket for the silent auction. I hope that my small contribution will add to the funds raised at this event.

The fundraiser will be held on September 19, 2010 (Sunday) from 6:30pm to 9:00pm at the Commonwealth Hall. The address is: 3961 – 52 Avenue NE. The program for the night includes: An Indian/Pakistani dinner, Humanity First awareness presentation, live and silent auction, and light entertainment. Tickets are $70/person or $490 for a table of eight.

If you too are interested in making a small (or large) contribution, purchasing tickets for the dinner, or donating a silent auction item, please contact Anila at anila.umar@gmail.com.

Remember every small contribution adds up to something great!

New Decorating Services

2010-09-07T20:48:00.006-06:00

In hopes of assisting more couples with their wedding decorations within their wedding budget, we have expanded our services again! This time we are offering custom backdrops for clients. There are currently three different backdrops available: A backdrop with the client's name; A Chinese double happiness sign incorporated into the backdrop; and a custom backdrop in the client's wedding theme.

Check out our "Shop" page on our website, www.wishahmon.com for additional information!

Baby's Breath

2010-09-02T09:41:00.003-06:00

I firmly believe that “baby’s breath” is going to make a huge comeback soon. It has been the loyal sidekick to roses for too long. Baby’s breath gets such a bad reputation. It is also often labeled as cheap and tacky. However, this is so untrue. It is inexpensive and can be unique and whimsical. Baby’s breath has a very airy feel to it and it can be trimmed to a perfect (almost) anything shape. You can’t do that with too many flowers.

Now, you might say that this blog sounds a little bit like a rant. However, I am just hoping to help brides open up to the many possibilities of the baby’s breath. I was able to convince one of my brides to use the baby’s breath as one of three centerpieces. I don’t usually “convince” my clients of a specific flower but I truly felt that the baby’s breath would work well with her laid back and simple wedding décor. Below is a picture of my bride’s centerpieces.

Cochrane Ranche House

2010-08-22T12:37:00.007-06:00

I have known my childhood friend, Hilda for almost three decades. (We were young when we met, not that we are old!) When she told me that she got engaged, I was so happy for her. Hilda and I, both have over ten years of art education. We are almost polar opposites when it comes to art and design. I love bright colors and over the top designs, while Hilda loves subtle colors and understated designs. When designing her wedding, I had to keep in mind of what she loves.

The design process took longer than usual. Mostly because of long distance communications and we kept finding better ideas for her wedding. Hilda’s wedding ceremony and reception was held at the Cochrane Ranche House. The venue was very open, bright, with lots of warm tones and wooden elements. Her colors were yellow, white, and light green. She wanted a relaxed, simple, and pretty wedding.

Hilda’s wedding has been the most stressful wedding for me to date. It was stressful not because of all the different elements to her wedding or the size of the wedding, but because I wanted to provide her the perfect wedding. Two elements that made Hilda’s wedding extra special was the fresh greenery ceremony arch and the custom silk leaf head table backdrop. (I hand-pined over 120 leaves on this backdrop!)

At the end of the night, Hilda and her new husband, Kevin told me that their wedding was absolutely beautiful. I was happy to hear they loved how their wedding looked. I was most happy that my childhood friend is now happily married. I wish them both a wonderful future together.

Custom Project: Casino Themed Sign

2010-08-16T16:01:00.003-06:00

Being in the wedding industry I really don’t hope for repeat business. However, I love hearing from my past brides. I know brides and grooms are clients of mine but after the wedding, I really hope to have made them my friends. I love to hear how they are doing and if babies are on the way.

A couple of weeks ago, one of my past brides called me. I haven’t heard from her for 1.5 years. I often think of her because she truly touched my heart. She had a wonderful supportive family and lots of girlfriends that was excited for her wedding. The day after her wedding, she was moving to Surrey, BC to start her new life as a wife. When she called me, I was surprised and then worried about her. (Honestly, I was prepared to buy her a plane ticket to come back to Calgary.) She told me that she hasn’t contacted me because she had a death in the family and had to take some time to get back into things. She had contacted me because one of her closest girlfriends was getting married, and she needed some help as maid of honor.

She told me that she was tasked with making a sign for the bride’s bridal shower. They were having a casino themed shower. She said she didn’t really know where to start and asked me to do this custom project for her. I immediately took on this fun project.

Having been to Las Vegas a couple of times myself, I had some ideas of what to do. I ended up making a sign in the shape of a casino blackjack table. The table shape was then covered with green felt. The bridal theme “Lucky in Love” was placed on the top of sign. Of course, the bride’s name was front and center. Five floral shapes were made to resemble each of the seats at the table. The bride and groom’s engagement pictures were also placed on some of the “seats.” You can’t have casino without some bling. Embellishments were added at the end around the theme and bride’s name.

I could have added more accessories but the sign was also for guests to sign on, so I had to stop where I did. I think the project turned out very well. It wasn’t cheesy, reflected the theme, and was pretty and girly.

Of note to potential clients: If you have a project you would like for your wedding, please email me to discuss. I am totally up for whatever project you throw at me, even if it is an eighteen wheeler themed wedding/project.

DIY Flower Arrangements

2010-08-10T13:37:00.005-06:00

Two weeks ago, I blogged about setting up a booth at the Sun and Salsa Festival to promote Wishahmon – Wedding Creations. I had a wonderful time speaking to over 50 brides about their upcoming weddings. Like I told all of them, I am “the girlfriend that never gets tired of talking about their wedding.” A couple of non-brides also came into my booth to check out my décor. They all raved about my decorated booth and floral arrangements. A couple of people asked to purchase my floral arrangements but I couldn’t sell them because my booth would be really bare. All in all, I had a great time and would consider doing it all over again!

When making floral arrangements for my client’s weddings, I usually purchase my flowers from a floral wholesaler because I have to buy them in bulk quantities. For the floral arrangements for Sun and Salsa Festival, I decided to make this into another one of my small projects. My goal was to make beautiful arrangements from flowers bought from grocery stores. (Don’t cringe just yet. Let me finish…)

The day before the festival, I went to Costco and Superstore to purchase inexpensive bunches of flowers. I got to these stores right when it opened to get the freshest flowers possible. I ended up buying a mixed spring bunch, two dozen of red and white roses, some white hydrangeas, two stems of curly willow, and a couple of birds of paradise. The goal was to create four different themed floral arrangements: romantic, fresh, trendy, and traditional.

I strongly believe that you don’t have to be a Certified Floral Designer to make beautiful arrangements. (Although, I am certified.) Here are some tips on making your own floral arrangements from (grocery) store bought flowers:

1.Get inspiration from magazines on the floral arrangement you want to make.

2.Study the design and think about how to make it. A lot of people say that can’t do something, but honestly so much can be achieved if you just take the time to think about the project itself. Think about the shape of the arrangement and in what order the flowers should go into the vase. There is (almost) no wrong way of doing this. If the arrangement doesn’t look pleasing, take it out and do it all over again. Just make sure your flowers aren’t out of water for too long.

3.Don’t cut your stems too short. You can always trim all the stems later to get the correct height. Remember that although flowers grow, they cannot grow inches overnight.

4.Have a positive attitude. If you think you can rock it, you will.

5.If your arrangement still looks less than par, get a great vase for it. For one of my arrangements, I had an “OMG” moment. What did I do? I put the arrangement in a cute rectangular vase with a grass print on it. In the end, it looked like these flowers were growing out of the grass. Too cute!

Here are some pictures of the floral arrangements I made for the Sun and Salsa Festival.

Wishahmon at Sun and Salsa Festival!

2010-07-24T21:32:00.004-06:00

This year Wishahmon - Wedding Creations will be setting up shop (a booth) at Kensington's 17th Annual Sun and Salsa Festival. Friends and past clients: if you are planning on going to this festival, drop by my booth to say "Hi!" My booth is located on 10th Street and 2nd Avenue, by Broken Plate. Newly engaged couples: drop by to meet me and we can chat about your wedding! Feel free to pick my brain for wedding decorating ideas. My booth should be fairly easy to spot, it will be (I am hoping) the prettiest booth on the block! Hope to see you there!

DIY Gift Card Holder

2010-07-21T10:37:00.006-06:00

Often my clients ask me if I have a gift card holder that I can rent them for their guest sign in table either at the ceremony or reception. I do have a couple of gift card holders but if I feel the box doesn’t match the theme of their wedding, I would make a new gift card holder. The gift card holder would not only serve its original purpose, but I would give the holder to my clients as a keepsake box as well.

Here are some tips on making your own gift card holder:

1) Size of box – The gift card holder should not be so big that it is the first thing your guests see when they approach the guest sign in table. Wedding gifts should be welcomed and appreciated but not expected.

2) Finding the perfect box – I am not one to save every single box when I buy something. When I find the need for one, I am often scrambling around the house or paying an outrageous amount on an empty box (which I hate doing.) Recently, I found an excellent source for the perfect sized box at a reasonable price. This source is Canada Post. They have a variety of sizes of boxes. This find was actually quite exciting for me.

3) Wrapping the box – Although I love the size and price of the Canada Post boxes, they are not exactly pretty. The boxes can be wrapped with a variety of different paper or fabric. Although I haven’t found a need for it yet, I think wrapping a box in handmade paper would be absolutely gorgeous. (Yup, I just used the word “gorgeous” in the same sentence as “box.”)

4) Decorating the box – The gift card holder should fit in with the theme of your wedding. An easy way of doing this is to use any leftover decorations you may have. You will be amazed how quickly you can decorate your box with leftover ribbon from your pew bows, scraps of paper from your handmade wedding invitations, and silk rose petals that are going to be placed down the ceremony aisle.

5) Have fun with it – Use your creativity and have fun when making your gift card holder. You can’t mess it up. Even if you feel you have created something you are less than proud of, remember the guests that you have invited to your wedding all (or most) love you regardless of your creativity.

The first (unprofessional) picture is my newest creation for a green wedding. The other pictures are some gift card holders I have made in the past. I hope these pictures will give you some ideas on creating your own gift card holder. Really, it is not hard. You can create it!

Huong and Steve's Wedding

2010-07-12T14:15:00.010-06:00

It is amazing how small this world is. Steve and I went to the same high school back in the days. Although we weren't in the same grade, we (kind of) knew of each other. Before our consultation meeting, I went through our high school year books to make sure. When I told Steve, he said "Aw man, those pictures are so bad." I laughed quietly because I too had some pretty bad pictures in those year books. Huong was the best friend of a girl I went to the same high school with. Simply amazing!

Huong and Steve is the most compatible couple I know. Although they seem to have different interests and views, these two have truly mastered the art of compromise. During the early wedding planning stages, I knew that they were going to have a wonderful future together. Many say if a couple can get through planning a wedding, they can get through anything. I firmly believe that for Huong and Steve.

Here are some pictures of their ceremony at Scarboro Church and reception at Forbidden City Restaurant.

Double Happiness

2010-07-09T09:13:00.009-06:00

I have the best clients ever! They have so much faith in me!

I always try to design a custom wedding for my clients with unique projects. Often during consultation meetings, I come up with ideas that has never been done before/ I haven't done it before/ I have no idea how I am going to do it. I describe the project to the best of my ability because I often don't have a picture to show them. I hate to say that it is a leap of faith for my clients but they often say yes to my projects and believe in me.

For Huong and Steve's wedding, I suggested making a red "double happiness" sign out of red silk flowers to decorate one of two backdrops they were having for their reception. To make this sign, I went to some unconventional wedding supply stores such as Home Depot, Princess Auto, and Canadian Tire. (Insulation styrofoam and hockey tape were some of the odd supplies I used.) I often use supplies in ways other than it's intended purpose. Hey, if it gets the job done!

Th entire project took about 23 hours, (not consecutively.) Although some would think I was crazy, I had a great time working on the custom project and my clients loved it at their wedding. Here are some pictures of my (process) of making the double happiness sign.

Huge Floor Sticker

2010-06-23T18:42:00.008-06:00

It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that I love all things pretty and I try to make every wedding I decorate also pretty. A couple of blog entries back I talked a little bit about how to transform an ugly reception room. I talked a lot about covering up walls and enhancing positive features of the room. (Like people, everyone and everything has positive features. If you disagree, send me a picture of a room by email and I will tell you the positives!)

I didn't talk about ugly reception floors (even though it really bothers me) in that blog because I couldn't find a solution at that time. I have been keeping my eyes out ever since. Some would say there is nothing that can be done or everyone is used to seeing a portable parkay dance floor. Well, not anymore!

There is a company called Dance Floor Decor that makes custom floor decor for clients. Think huge floor sticker. Imagine the possibilities of your dance floor, it can be customized to your wedding colors, include your initials or even personalized logo. I wouldn't suggest putting your picture on the floor cause it might get pretty dirty after a full night of dancing! Here are some pictures of their custom work.

Custom Project Tip!

2010-06-05T11:24:00.004-06:00

When purchasing materials for a custom project, you can do it one of two ways. First, you can draw out your project on grid paper with all the measurements and calculate the exact number of materials you require. Math not being my strongest subject in class, I usually opt for the second option. I go to the store and buy them out of the material that I need. Sadly, I usually lose the receipt and can’t return the many leftover materials I have.

For one of my custom projects I required a “ton” (I didn’t know exact number at the beginning) of silk red roses. I went to the store with just a concept in mind and ended up buying over 300 stems. I received a lot of weird looks at the store. One woman even came up to me and asked “why are you buying so many roses?” I wanted to tell her that I needed all these stems to recreate my own American Beauty poster, but I didn’t. I just politely said it is for a project.

After completing my project, (I am going to blog about the actual project after my client’s wedding) I had a “lot” (I didn’t count how many I had left) of leftover stems of silk red roses. Also, with a concept in mind, I decided to use these leftover stems for another project for my (same) client’s wedding. With the leftover stems, I created two 10” silk red rose pomanders.

Making the pomanders was easy. The real lesson learned is the importance of making sure you have enough materials before you start ANY project. As I was making the pomanders, I kept saying to myself “Oh gosh, I hope I have enough red roses, oh gosh…” Luckily, I did and have 12 stems leftover. I think I am going to spare myself the stress of making another project with my leftover, leftover stems. There comes a time when you know enough is enough. Here are the pomanders I created.

4th Street Lilac Festival

2010-05-31T15:14:00.011-06:00

Yesterday, I was at the Calgary 4th Street Lilac Festival with my awesome jewelry designer friend, Clara at Miko Design. This was the 21st annual Lilac Festival. It is held every year in May regardless of weather. This year, I have got to say was freezing cold. I was there for 10.5 hours and was cold and shivering for 10.25 hours.

Needing an excuse to hang out with Clara, I offered to decorate her booth for her. The booth was well received by Clara and a lot of customers. Many made a point of saying it was one of the nicest booths at the festival. This morning, Clara sent me the sweetest email thanking me for my décor and said she couldn’t have made her sales without my help. I told her that she made her sales entirely based on the gorgeous jewelry she made.

All of Clara’s jewelry is handmade by her. She designs and creates them from beginning to end. Each piece of jewelry is truly a labor of love by her. I was in love with so many pieces of her jewelry! I finally settled on a pair of sterling silver earrings. Aren’t they lovely? Check out Clara’s website if you would like a piece of gorgeous jewelry too. Her jewelry is available at Purr, Epsy, I Appeal, and Rewind Clothing. Clara will have an online store on her website soon. You know what that means….shopping will be available 24/7.

White Roses and Blue Delphiniums Bouquet

2010-05-21T11:02:00.005-06:00

For those that don’t know already, I have a very “can do” attitude. I take on most tasks that gets handed to me and I try my very best on all of them. Two weeks ago I did a floral bouquet and boutonniere for a friend’s friend (bride). My friend told me that the bride wanted a bouquet with white roses and blue flowers. True blue flowers are very hard to come by. I ended up suggesting and making her bouquet with delphiniums.

(Tip: If you plan on using flowers that have been dyed a specific color, do not let it touch you or your wedding gown. The colors will bleed. Try wrapping the stems with saran wrap right before you walk down the aisle to prevent any mishaps. This is not tacky, it is smart and your guests won’t notice.)

Making bouquets are tricky because there are so many different factors that you cannot always account for. The first difficulty I had to deal with was the lack of flower supply. The bride’s wedding was on the same weekend as Mother’s Day. The second difficulty I had was that some of the flowers were cut prematurely to service the demand. (Ha! This is the second time I am talking about economics on my blog. My professor would be so proud that some of his teachings did stick with me.)

The delphiniums that I bought only had about 40% of them open. So, I had to cut the top of the flower stems off because I did not want unopened buds. Of course, I also had to cut off all the bottom leaves too. What I had left was a pretty bare (and naked) branch with a couple of opened flowers. After I put the bouquet together, I further cut off the flowers to trim down the bouquet to make its shape. There were so many flower buds on my table that just didn’t make the “cut” (or it did).

Here are some pictures.

Growing Your Own Centerpieces

2010-05-07T15:21:00.005-06:00

Ok, I am not quite “Little Miss Green Thumbs” yet…but I am working towards it. My last post about the cost of flowers inspired me to write this one. Another great way of saving money for wedding flowers is to grow them yourself. Of course, this is easier if you are already a great gardener. For the rest of us, I don’t think this is a mission impossible task. We just might have to leave enough time for trial and error and maybe grow hardier plants (that don’t need sun or water). There has to be some of those out there.

The cost of growing your wedding flowers is minimal. You just need to purchase some pretty pots (greatest expense), soil, seed, and water. You can calculate what your time is worth too, but I don’t think you will be reimbursed. If growing a centerpiece from seed sounds intimidating, you can go to a gardening center to buy plants and flowers that have already started growing. The cost is a little more but still a lot lower than purchasing fresh flower arrangements.

I think the easiest centerpiece to grow would be wheat grass. (It has to be easy. It has the word “grass” in it.) For those that don’t know what wheat grass is, it is the grass that Jugo Juice cuts, and juices into a little shot glass. It is deep green in color and taste like what you imagine it to be...like drinking grass.

Gardenguides.com provides some tips on growing your own wheat grass. After choosing a container, fill it to about 1” below the top of the rim with pre-moistened soil, compost or potting mix. Make sure whatever you chose doesn't contain any artificial fertilizers or chemicals. (This is important especially if you plan on juicing the wheat grass after the wedding.) Chose a food grade organic seed that is meant for sprouting. Cover the top of the container with wheat seed, press them into the soil, cover the seeds with a light layer of potting mix or soil, and water. The soil should be kept moist at all times. An easy solution would be to cover the container with a plastic bag or film.

Now that may sound like a lot of work but you should see sprouts emerge in about 3-4 days and in 7-10 days it should be the perfect height for a centerpiece. If you don’t want to leave it right up to the wedding date, grow it in advance and “mow” it right before the wedding.

Here are some inspiration pictures. The first two pictures are from The Knot. I don’t know the source of the last one. (If you know, please contact me and I will make the appropriate reference.)

Real Cost of Wedding Flowers

2010-05-05T09:47:00.006-06:00

It doesn’t matter whether or not have planned a wedding or attended one before, I am sure everyone knows that flowers cost a lot of money. Personally, I don’t think that florists and suppliers are out to “get” you (financially) when you tell them you would like to purchase some flowers for a wedding.

The cost of flowers (not necessarily just for weddings) depends on two factors. The first factor is the actual price of flowers. Prices of flowers fluctuate depending on a lot of factors. The most recent example would be the flights and cargo shipments that were cancelled or delayed from Europe due to the volcanic ash. What this means to the floral industry is: Holland could not ship out any flowers to North America. Probably the only thing I learned in my University Economics 201 class (that was taught on the first day) is when supply goes down, demand goes up. Subsequently, the prices are also driven up, up, up.

The second factor that affects the pricing of wedding flowers is the labor involved. To the untrained eye, the bride’s bouquet looks like a bunch of flowers just gathered together and tied with a pretty ribbon. It is not quite that “ta-da!” easy. Putting together a bouquet requires a lot time to prep the flowers. In case you haven’t noticed, roses have thorns on them; roses in bouquets don’t. Guess what happened in between? The florist removed all of them, they didn’t just fall off. After the flowers are prep, they have to be arranged and held into place. Three steps sound easy, but it is not!

Some tips on saving costs on your wedding flowers:

Choose flowers that are in season. If you want tulips (a spring flower) for your wedding in December, it can be done, but at a cost to you.
Choose common flowers. By no means am I saying you have to choose a bouquet that everyone (and I mean everyone) has. Similar flowers can have entirely different looks when used with other complementary flowers. No two bouquets will look exactly the same.
Choose a common color of flower. Ok, hear me out on this one. White, pink, red roses are readily available. A black rose, not really. However once again, it can be done, but at a cost to you.
Choose a simple bouquet design. Posy bouquets are less expensive as compared to a cascading bouquet. The more intricate the design, the more of a cost to you.
Choose a florist that likes you. He/she will have more a reason to help you with your wedding budget.

Here are some beautiful bouquets from The Knot for you to drool over and guess the price and labor involved in making them. Enjoy!

SkyEarthChi

2010-04-25T15:04:00.007-06:00

I love meeting new people, whether they are new clients or vendors. (I am one of those people that chat up with others at the grocery store.) Sometimes I meet up with other business owners to learn about their business and to talk shop.

Recently, I had the opportunity of meeting Rebecca Ung, owner of Sky Earth Chi. She is a Feng Shui Master that specializes in the traditional feng shui methods of Xuan Kong and Bagua Feng Shui. In addition to providing feng shui consultation services, she also sells eco-friendly decor products. Since I always have weddings on my mind, here are some suggestions of how you can use some of Rebecca's products as part of your wedding design.

Wally Pocket - This is actually a felt pocket designed to be hung on walls for vertical gardening. Suggestion: If you are having an eco-friendly wedding and would like to create a focal point, this can be created by having several pockets on one wall and filing it with potted plants. This living wall can be the perfect backdrop when saying your wedding vows.

Sky Planters - These are upside down planters that can be hung from the ceiling. Suggestion: If you are planning an ultra-hip wedding and your venue has visible industrial piping on the ceiling, you may want to hang potted upside down flowers. Definitely cool and memorable.

Candles - These are 100% natural, biodegradable, and hand poured in Canada. There are no artificial dyes or colours are added. Suggestion: Candles are the perfect way to create ambience in a room. These can be used at the ceremony to frame the vow area, bring attention to the head table, and set around the reception centerpieces.

Decorating Tip!

2010-04-20T19:34:00.008-06:00

Never judge an object by it's finish.

I have always been a huge fan of Debbie Travis. I started watching and learning from her when she had a show called "Debbie Travis' Painted House." The most important thing that I learned from her is not to judge and (almost) everything can be painted. I followed this tip faithfully throughout the years and I believe my house is actually smaller now that it has about a 100 coats of paint on all the walls...and everything else.

During my trip to the Crossroads Farmer Market, I found some awesome candle holders. Not only were they the perfect size and style, they were made in Italy! The only thing that was not so perfect was the brass finish on them. There is nothing wrong with brass but I really needed them to look more modern for an upcoming wedding I am decorating. You probably guessed what I did with them....yup, I painted them. Here are the before and after pictures. (Check out my photography skills too. I took 50 pictures to get these 4 kind-of good ones.)

Fantasy Floral Designs

2010-04-18T21:46:00.006-06:00

Flowers are tricky to choose - especially when you are not familar with the different varieties of flowers. Often my clients ask me for floral suggestions for not only their centerpieces but also their bouquets. My clients also ask me what flowers are IN style. I always tell them that what is IN style doesn't really matter, the most important thing is to choose flowers that they like and goes with their wedding theme. For example, if you are having a modern outdoor wedding, a cascading bouquet might not necessary work. (If you love the look of the cascading bouquet, go for it. I know I am contradicting myself, but really, it is your day. You get to call all the shots.)

As an alternative to fresh floral bouquets, I came across a blog called Fantasy Floral Designs - Home of the Brooch Bouquet. A talented lady by the name of Amanda Heer creates these beautiful bouquets made out of brooches. I think this is a wonderful idea. It can be very personal, creative, and it lasts forever! This is a great alternative if you have heirloom brooches in your family already or if each family member wants to contribute to your brooch bouquet. Another great idea to throwing your bouquet to one lucky lady at the end of the wedding day is to take apart your brooch bouquet and give each single lady a brooch from your bouquet. (Of course, these shouldn't be heirloom brooches!)

Wishahmon Rentals

2010-04-12T18:11:00.006-06:00

I am excited to announce that Wishahmon - Wedding Creations has now expanded to include rentals. These are not your typical chair cover rentals, they are custom projects made for former clients. (Happy clients too!) Hopefully, new clients will be able to incorporate these items into their own wedding. Each item can be personalized to suit their style and theme. Here are two examples of how this can be accomplished:

4 Tier Cupcake Stand - There are two designs for this cupcake stand, both with glass shelves. The stand with wooden separators can be decorated with different colors of ribbon or sashes. The stand with acrylic separators can hold LED lights, fresh or silk flower petals, candies, pearls, or LEGO? (The last one just popped in my mind.) There are endless amount of things that could be used to decorate this stand and make it personalized!

Wrought Iron Garden Hooks - An outdoor ceremony aisle can be made more special with these garden hooks placed either parallel to each other or staggered. Tin buckets or baskets can be hung on these hooks and filled with cookies? (Also, something that just popped in my mind.) Bunches of flowers can also be placed into cones and hung from the hooks. For an inexpensive option, different colors of ribbon can be tied from the hooks. Once the wind hits these strands of ribbon, it will create a lovely whimsical look.

Custom Ceremony Backdrop

2010-04-05T16:29:00.004-06:00

When I started Wishahmon my goal was to create personalized weddings for couples. In order to do so, it requires a lot of creativity, drawings, and trips to home improvement stores. Not only have I learned to use a vast number of tools, I have also practically memorized the entire layout of Home Depot!

Recently I found my inspiration company called Because We Can, based out of California. At first glance at their website, it appears that they do mostly interior design and commerical spaces, but they also do signage and events. I absolutely love a custom backdrops that they made for one of their clients. For this particular backdrop, it appears that they had built a wooden stand/backdrop and decorated it with hand drawn panels and fabric. For more pictures of their backdrop, check out Eunice and Daniel's wedding.

Calgary Zoo

2010-03-28T15:09:00.006-06:00

Yesterday I went for my second photography outing at the Calgary Zoo in keeping with my "New Years resolution." I haven't been to the zoo in ages! (Not going to specifically say how many number of years!) I thought the Calgary Zoo would be a good place to shoot some "action" shots of animals. However, what I forgot was how inactive these animals are. Most of them were either sleeping or had their backsides to me. Taking pictures at the zoo made me realize that I need a new camera lens, maybe one with more "zoom." I think the next thing I need to learn is the proper name for these lens. Here are some of my pictures!

Wishing Wall

2010-03-19T09:31:00.004-06:00

In an effort to save money, I have been staying away from shopping malls. Instead, I have been doing some online shopping and paying for shipping! (My efforts of saving have gone out the window.)

I came across a wonderful product at Uncommon Goods called a “Wishing Wall.” Traditionally, at most weddings, guest sign a book or picture of the newly wedded couple. More recently, some couples have cards for guests to sign and to hang on a “wishing tree.” Personally, I feel that the traditional method does not allow me to write enough blessings to the couple. Regarding the wishing tree, I don’t really want other guests to read what I wrote to the couple!

The Wishing Wall is a wonderful compromise, much like a marriage. Guests can write all their blessings on a piece of paper, roll it up and place it in one of the compartments. They can be as creative and personal as they want. Not only is this a neat way for the couple to reveal and store all the blessings from their guests, I think it will also look cool as a piece of modern artwork.

The Wishing Wall comes with a wish chest and sells for $45.

Creative Candleholders

2010-03-10T14:35:00.005-07:00

I love being creative and using items that would be otherwise overlooked. I came across a wonderful idea at happy mundane. They used empty wine bottles as candleholders! While this is a lovely idea, I only suggest it if you are already a wine lover. I don't suggest you go out, buy twenty bottles of wine, drink all of them, and then use them as candle holders. Remember, this look can only be achieved if all the bottles are the same. I guess a 24 pack of beer would work too. Whooo....dark brown or green candle holders. Lovely!

Ugly (Reception) Room

2010-02-25T21:44:00.008-07:00

Choosing a reception venue is one of the first things brides do after getting engaged. Venues are often chosen (understandably) for reasons other than the room’s aesthetic. These reasons could be the beautiful view of the Rocky Mountains, the to-die-for rack of lamb dinner selection, or the 50% discount because Aunt Barb owns the venue. For the brides that chose their venues not for the room’s aesthetics, now face the daunting task of making it perfect and pretty. Here are some suggestions on how this can be achieved:

1. Work with it - Take a close look at the reception room including the wall colors and carpet. Most of the time, the wall and carpet colors can be incorporated into your wedding color scheme. The colors don’t have to match exactly. The colors can be similar (using different shades of the same color) or complementary (two opposite colors that work together). See the first picture!

2. Enhance the positives – If the wall color is blah but the room has a high ceiling, enhance the ceiling. This can be done with beautiful ceiling draping or paper lanterns. Ideally, you want to draw your guest’s eyes up to the ceiling.

3. Create a focal point – The focal point is usually the head table, you can enhance the head table with a beautiful backdrop, florals, or different structures, like pillars. Alternatively, you can also create another focal point like a picture area or a band area. The Wedding Decorators did an awesome job by creating a Moroccan theme picture area. Once guests see this picture area, they will overlook the room’s not-so-pretty elements. See the second picture!

4. Light it up – There is a reason why candles are often associated with romance, it creates a mood. Lighting is an amazing thing! The use of lighting can create a mood and diminish flaws in a room. Lighting should not be seen as a splurge anymore, it might be a necessity for some (ugly) reception rooms!

5. Cover it up – If there is absolutely nothing that can be done about the walls, cover it up with fabric drapes. This will change the room significantly and give it a soft and romantic look. Fellow WPIC wedding planner, Terra Law at Inspired Occasions suggested fabric draping for one of her clients. The look was absolutely breathtaking! See the last picture!

Inglewood Bird Sanctuary

2010-02-20T22:06:00.009-07:00

In keeping with my non-New Years resolution of learning a little bit about photography, I traded in my high heels for hiking boots today and headed off to the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary to take some pictures. This was the first time I took pictures with my new digital SLR camera. I prepared for it by reading the first three pages of my instruction manual. (I just wanted to know what all the icons on the top represent.) Here are some of the pictures I took. Hopefully, my pictures (and skills) will improve in time.

To my photography friends: Please feel free to email me some photography tips!

First (Small) Magazine Feature!

2010-02-06T11:22:00.007-07:00

I couple of months ago I shared on twitter my excitement that one of the weddings I decorated was going to be featured in Get Married Magazine, Spring 2010 edition. This magazine was placed on newsstands in the United States at the beginning of January. Although this magazine is currently not available in Canada, it can be ordered online at Get Married Magazine's website. Check out the magazine and website. It is full of wonderful ideas and inspirations!

The wedding featured in the magazaine took place at the Art Gallery of Calgary.

Creative Table Numbers

2010-01-27T10:50:00.008-07:00

I am a firm believer that it is important for the wedding decorator to work with the florist to bring a couple’s wedding vision to life. In the last few years, I have seen couples get creative when it comes to their table numbers. (For those that don’t know what table numbers are - reception tables usually have a number or a name so that guests know which table they are sitting at. This usually only applies for receptions with assigned seating. Yup, now you know!) Many couples are now forgoing the usual “Table 2” signs. Rather they are making it more personal to them by naming the tables after songs, famous couples, and destinations that the couple has visited together.

Today, as I perusing through the internet, I came across a floral company in Philadelphia named Beautiful Blooms. Each of the tables were represented by a different place and the centerpieces were designed to match the locations. Some centerpieces are more traditional, romantic, modern, ethnic, etc. It really goes to show that centerpieces don’t have to be all the same in one room. Each table can have their personalities too.

Happy 2010!

2010-01-17T12:24:00.002-07:00

A couple years back, I decided not to make New Years resolutions because I knew I would not be able to keep up with the new resolution past January 5. Rather than making a resolution (to lose the last 10 pounds again), I have opted to learn something new every year. Coincidently, most of the things I learn relate to the wedding industry and allows me to better assist my clients. Two years ago, I learned and got my Certificate in Floral Design. Last year, I learned to work with paper (making invitations and various table stationary). This year, I have decided to learn a little bit about photography!

During consultation meetings with my clients, I ask a lot of questions. Some of which my clients give me a blank look and wonder if I am a crazy lady. For example, when designing the ceremony vow area, I ask my clients how tall they are. The reason I ask is so that I can measure and keep in mind the client's heights when designing the decorations. I don't want the decorations to look like horns coming out of my client's heads. This is definitely not a memory they want reflected in their wedding pictures!

Wedding decorations help create a feeling and a beautiful wedding for my client's special day. Photography is the lasting memories that my clients get to keep for the rest of their lives. Hopefully, I can merge both of these things to better assist my clients. Wish me luck!

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-21T20:07:00.010-07:00

I had the opportunity to work with many wonderful couples this year. To congratulate them in celebrating their first Christmas and New Years together as husband and wife, I decided to make hand made Christmas cards for each of the couples. With each of my couples in mind, I made a total of 17 different cards. Each of them were personalized to their taste and style.

Making these cards were not an easy task for me. I have to admit that working with paper is not one of my strengths. However, with a huge stack of paper, lots of different kinds of glue and tape, and my trusty sidekick - my Cricut machine I finished this task!

Here are some of the cards that I made. Happy Holidays!

InStyle Weddings Magazine

2009-12-09T13:18:00.009-07:00

I am sure a lot of brides will be just as disappointed as I was when I heard that InStyle Weddings magazine is closing up shop. Their last issue will come out on December 25, 2009. As indicated in one of my previous posts, I love reading bridal and floral magazines. InStyle Weddings is one of my favorites. I don’t usually play attention to the “stars” that get married because I don’t usually recognize any of them. I have so many wedding shows on my PVR that Entertainment Tonight just does not get a chance in my little world.

The thing I love about InStyle Weddings is seeing how a room can be decorated with a $100,000 budget. I strive to “reproduce” some of the wedding decorations for my clients at a fraction of the price. (I sometimes dream of having clients come to me with a $100,000 budget and tell me to make transform the venue into something absolutely amazing.) This magazine inspires me to design a grand wedding for pennies for my clients. I think my clients appreciate that.

Here are some pictures from InStyle Weddings website for some final inspiration. (Yup, they are all décor pictures!)

Calgary Chamber of Commerce Wedding

2009-11-29T17:51:00.012-07:00

Melissa and David was another out of province couple that I had the opportunity to work with. During our consultation meeting, Melissa and David made numerous references to weddings that they been to. Not wanting to design a "copy cat" wedding, I had to dig deeper and ask them both what they envision their wedding to be. They both said they wanted a wedding that is clean, elegant, and not "too wedding like." The only color they wanted was in their red centerpieces. Fresh green ivy was also used throughout the decor to give the wedding some life and to coordinate the green drapes in the reception room. A personal touch that we did for Melissa and David's wedding were handwritten placecards on river rocks.

This wedding was fairly stressful for me because of two incidents. Prior to the wedding, Melissa had provided me the centerpiece vases in boxes. As I was moving the boxes the day before the wedding, I dropped one of the boxes....down a flight of stairs. Lucky for me, these vases did not break. At that moment, I felt like I had lost a couple of months of my life. On the day of the wedding, we had a beautiful 6x6x6ft chuppah decorated with chiffon, flowers, and ivy. As I was ready to pack up and leave, David came up to me to ask if the chuppah was off centered from the aisle. I ran into the ceremony room and gasped! The chuppah was off centered! After my mini heart attack, I smiled at David and said I will take care of it. I quickly gathered some strong (looking) guests to help me move the chuppah. This was a definite group effort as we moved the chuppah with no problems.

I don't think Melissa and David knew about my stress. I feel it is my job never to show stress on my face. Although, I may not be able to get back the months of my life I may have lost (from the box and stair incident), it was well worth it seeing how happy Melissa and David was at the end of the night.

Noteworthy Designs

2009-11-09T15:19:00.005-07:00

Often when I get invited to a wedding, I only know either the bride or groom very well. Sometimes I haven't even met their significant other yet. So, when I get an invitation I have a ton of questions running through my mind. Questions such as: I wonder what her future husband looks like? How did they met? What does she like most about him? Why haven't I met him yet? Sometimes the invitation includes the couple's picture, but this only answers one of my questions. (After receiving an invitation, I usually call up my friend right away to congratulate her and to set up a coffee date to meet her significant other. I can't wait till the wedding day!)

Laura Hit of Noteworthy Designs made these wonderful custom wedding invitation that are similar to mini scrapbooks. These invitations/books included pages and photos about the couple, how they met, the wedding, and important people in their life. I would love to receive one of these invitations, they are so personalized and allows me to learn about the couple right away. (I would still call up my friend afterwards though.) Laura is a fellow Certified Wedding Planner with the Wedding Planners Institute of Canada. Check out these "mini scrapbook of memories" on Laura's blog.

Floral Bouquet Challenge

2009-11-08T14:59:00.010-07:00

Maggie, the bride from the last blog post presented me with a challenge before her wedding. She asked me if I could make her wedding bouquet, bridesmaid's bouquet, and corsages for the moms and grandmas. I was hesitant to take on this challenge because it would be my first floral "work order" after receiving my Certificate in Floral Design. Initially, I declined Maggie's request because I was so nervous! As laid back as Maggie is, she responded to my email saying "No worries! I was going to do it myself but thought I'd ask you first." I responded to Maggie's email within three seconds saying that I will do it and thanking her for the opportunity.

When I was finally able to track Maggie and Aaron down for a meeting, Maggie and I also talked about what she would like her wedding bouquet to look like. She said she wanted a yellow bouquet in a semi circle; brown ribbon around the stems; no greenery; and two inches of the stems exposed. She said she hated yellow roses and chrysanthemums.

Based on what Maggie told me, I suggested yellow calla lilies as the main flower, white roses as the secondary flower, and yellow fressias as an accent flower. The bridesmaid's bouquets had white roses as the primary flower and yellow calla lilies as the secondary flower. The day before Maggie's wedding, I picked up 50 stems of white roses, 25 stems of yellow calla lilies, and 20 stems of yellow fressias. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of making the bouquets because my office smelled like wonderful from all the flowers.

I forgot to take pictures of my bouquets but was able to get pictures from a friend that attended Maggie's wedding. Lucky me! Now I have pictures for my "Wishahmon - Florals" portfolio!

Hotel Arts Wedding

2009-10-29T18:00:00.014-06:00

Maggie and Aaron is one really laid back and easy going couple. As a matter of fact, I saw Maggie at another wedding I was doing one month before hers. I said: "Uhhh...Maggie, we really need to get together to nail down the final details of your wedding decorations." Her response: "Oh yeah, we should probably do that!"

We did meet up before their wedding and lucky for me, the previous design didn't change at all. They did throw in a little surprise task for me, which I will discuss on another post! Maggie and Aaron wanted a modern wedding with lots of fun. We accomplished this with lots of yellow cymbidium orchids and candy in their wedding colors. The overall look achieved was modern, fun, and laid back. Exactly what Maggie and Aaron wanted!

Images from top to bottom: Guest Sign In Table, Orchids All Over, Ceremony, Reception Entrance, Loads of Candy as Centerpieces, Custom Clear Cupcake Stand, Favor Boxes with Two Cute Dolls

Mission Impossible Wedding

2009-10-02T21:21:00.010-06:00

The name "Mission Impossible Wedding" was coined by the groom, Daniel. He was trying to lighten the mood when I met up with him and his bride, Cathy, for a consultation meeting. During the meeting, they told me that the wedding is in two weeks, the reception is held in one area of the restaurant and they would like it closed in from outsiders, and the decorator has one hour to set up. As I sat there listening to them, I thought to myself "they are going to say "just kidding" very soon....."

Daniel and Cathy were both very serious and this was not a joke at all. They had planned to decorate the reception on their own with some friends but they ran out of time. I don't usually take on clients this close to their wedding date, but I really wanted to help them out. (I also wanted to take on this challenge!)

In one hour and 15 minutes (I squeezed in an extra 15 minutes), my crew and I set out burgundy and gold swirl organza table cloths on all the guest tables and head table; decorated the guest sign in table; decorated the cake table; decorated the cake (first for me!); set out centerpieces, menu cards, table numbers, and favors; set up a backdrop; and set up poster sized pictures on one side of the room. Time was tight but we managed to get everything done! Here are the pictures of the wedding!

Importance of Invitations

2009-09-24T22:04:00.006-06:00

Many couples underestimate the importance of invitations. They think that invitation is just a means of communicating the details of the wedding. If this was the case, this can be done on a post-it by saying: "M/J wedding @ House on 09/26/09 @ 2pm." (Please don't do this!!)

Invitations is the first opportunity for couples to introduce their wedding color, wedding style, and set the formality of the wedding. As a wedding decorator, I often ask my clients to bring a sample of their invitation for me to see. After seeing the invitation, I try to design the ceremony and reception to mimic the style and colors of the invitation. This is done to have a cohesive design and color scheme.

The wedding invitation is also a good starting point for designing the rest of the wedding stationary. Stationary such as save the date cards, rsvp cards, seating cards, place cards, table numbers, menu cards, and thank you cards. (Yes, there is a lot of cards for one wedding!) These cards can be done by your professional wedding invitation designer or you can do it yourself.

I don't usually do wedding stationary but I did for a recent last minute wedding. For this wedding, I made a seating chart, table numbers, seating cards, and menu cards with leftover wedding invitations. The wedding colors were lilac, champagne and burgundy. I used the back of an invitation for the table numbers, menu cards, and seating card. (The thicker paper provided some stability.) The invitation envelopes were used for the seating chart. This is a really easy DIY project to tie in the wedding colors and to make use of leftover invitations. Just make sure you have a really good paper cutter!

(Friend's) Baby Sister's Wedding

2009-09-20T21:56:00.013-06:00

I met Aimee when I was 12 years old and she was 10 years old. She was the baby sister of my elementary school friend. I haven't spoken or seen my friend or Aimee in many, many years. (Not going to go into details about my age!) Nonetheless, imagine my excitement when Aimee contacted me to tell me that she has meet the man of her dreams, Gareth, and is now getting married!

Aimee and Gareth currently lives in Ontario. During our meeting, they told me that they will be back one week before the wedding and most of the communications will have to be done by email or through her delegated assistant, her mom, Ericka. My friend was the maid of honor and had a lot of tasks to deal with already.

Aimee and Gareth's wedding reception was held at the Edgemont Community Center. The room was spacious and had a wonderful view. My only task (in summary) was to add their wedding color, blue to the room. In order to do this, I decorated the guest sign-in table, head table, guest tables, cake table, and provided floral centerpieces in a blue vase.

Daniel Tiu Photography

2009-09-15T15:34:00.012-06:00

I have always gotten a lot of complements on the pictures in my hard copy and online portfolio. Clients always comment on how professional and pretty my pictures look. Each time I tell my clients that there is no way I could have taken these pictures myself with my point and shoot camera. (People still use these right?)

Most of the pictures in my portfolio have been taken by Daniel Tiu. He does all sorts of photography, including weddings, cars, landscape, and architecture. Daniel is a great photographer to work with and he is always able to get an awesome picture with his artistic eye. Check out his website, http://www.danieltiu.com/ if you are in need of a photographer!

Bringing your Decorating Plans to Life!

2009-09-04T13:53:00.008-06:00

Last week I answered a SOS call from a couple that wanted to meet up with me for a consultation ASAP. Feeling a sense of urgency, I asked them when their wedding date was. The bride told me, in two and a half weeks. Nonetheless, I met up with them that evening to discuss their wedding decorating plans. Two days later, a contract was signed.

I don't usually take on clients this close to a wedding date but I felt the stress this bride and groom was feeling. Having signed a contract, I had to start working on their wedding right away. With this blog post, I want to share with DIY couples some tips on how I start a decorating plan. These tips should give DIY couples a good starting point on their decorating planning.

Write out a list of all the decorations that needs to be set up at the venue. These details should include big items, such as setting up a backdrop behind the head table, and smaller details, such as placing menu card on each place setting. Make sure you number each of these details for easy reference!

In the next column (beside this list of decorations), write out a list of all the items that need to be rented. For example, renting the backdrop.

In the next column, write out the list of items that need to be purchased. For example, purchasing decorations for the backdrop.

In the next column, write out a to do list. Including everything on this list. The list for making menu cards should look like: (1) Design menu card; (2) Buy cardstock; (3) Cut cardstock; (4) Print or write out menu; (5) Attach menu to cardstock; (6) Add final decorations and embellishments.

Prioritize these lists. Yup, all of these lists. Some of these things will need to be done sooner, while some things like menu cards can wait until you have decided on your menu.

Although this may sound confusing and overtop, I assure you that organization and lists definitely help with the planning process. If you are not convinced yet, imagine how good it is going to feel when you cross an item off your lists. If it helps, you might want to have "write to do list" as your first action item. By the end of this task, you will be ready to cross this first action item off. Yea!

For readers that don't already know me and think that I might be a little crazy, I assure you that my clients love how organized I am. (My decorating plans are usually colored coded too.)

Sirocco Golf Course Wedding

2009-09-02T08:49:00.010-06:00

A truly stunning bride, Stacey came to me with a clear vision of her modern and purple inspired wedding. Stacey's handsome and soft spoken groom, Brian came along to the meeting to see why they needed to hire a decorator. (I am only assuming this since Brian would never say something like that!)

To answer the question that was most likely in Brian's mind, I provided them with some unique ideas for their wedding, custom made table linens, and physical labor to pull together all the decorating elements. I must have impressed them because they became my clients very soon after our meeting.

It was tons of fun working with Stacey (and sometimes Brian, he is really soft-spoken!) I told her that if she ever wants to enter the wedding industry as a decorator, I will hire her on the spot. If she wants to become a wedding planner, I look forward to future opportunities to work with her again. Here are some pictures of Stacey and Brian's wedding at Sirocco Golf Course.

Guest Sign in Table

Bride and Groom's Sweet Heart Table

Guest Tables

Custom Clear Cupcake Stand with Floating Orchids and Purple Lights

Paper Cut Designs

2009-08-21T14:05:00.008-06:00

Amy is truly one of my most ambitious clients. During our consultation, she showed me the invitations she had made for her wedding and told me that she would really like to start a invitation business. A couple of weeks later, she sent me an email announcing her new company, Paper Cut Designs. A couple more weeks later she was designing invitations for her clients, just weeks before her own wedding!!

In addition to doing wedding invitations, Amy also does birth announcements and corporate events. Truly passionate and creative, here is some of Amy’s work. Check out Amy's website for more information and her creative work.

GlenEagles Golf Course Wedding

2009-08-17T13:53:00.011-06:00

I am finally getting back into the groove of writing on my blog after taking a mini vacation and decorating two weddings! I am so excited to share the first wedding I did in August.

Amy and Frankie got married at the GlenEagles golf course on August 2, 2009. Amy had chosen purple as the main wedding color, silver as the secondary wedding color, and white gerber daisies as decorative floral accents. (Frankie, man of very little words, went along with these ideas.)

On the day of the wedding, I was really happy that the weather was absolutely beautiful (30 plus degrees) but was frantic (and ultimately hot) when it came to decorating their outdoor ceremony. Some of the planned decorating elements had to be changed due to the weather. The ceremony aisle was to be lined with gerber daisies and then transferred to the reception centerpieces. The weather did not allow this to happen. As it turns out, gerber daisies do not do well in 30 plus degrees outside even in water and in the shade. I had to make some quick changes and decided to use the majority of the flowers for the centerpieces.

I am so happy Amy and Frankie loved the decorations and understood why I had to make some of the changes to the original decorating plan. Here are some pictures of their decorated wedding ceremony and reception.

Outdoor Wedding Tips

2009-07-30T15:54:00.005-06:00

My previous blog post was about decorating outdoor weddings. Now (assuming) that the ceremony venue is all decorated and pretty, I would like to provide some tips on outdoor weddings itself. While there are many aspects to planning a wedding, there are also many considerations when planning an outdoor wedding. Here are some of my tips.

Have signs that direct your guests to your ceremony site. You don’t want your guests to break a sweat (walking around or stressing out driving) to find your ceremony site!

If there is a “hike” to the ceremony site, tell your guests that. This information can be relayed to guests on the invitation “A short 10 minute walk is required to get to the ceremony site” or by word of mouth. Whichever way you chose, communicate this to your guests, they will thank you for it (and wear appropriate footwear!)

Check the weather and be prepared. If there is a 30% chance of showers, have extra umbrellas for your guests. If it is going to be 30 degrees outside, have some bottled water and/or fans for your guests. The more comfortable your guests are, the more they are going to enjoy your ceremony.

Seated ceremony. It does not matter how many guests you are having at your ceremony. It is necessary to have chairs for your guest to sit on if your ceremony is going to be longer than 30 minutes. Standing any longer than 30 minutes is just plain uncomfortable.

Let guests know what to expect next. After the ceremony, have your friend/family member/MC tell all your guests what is next on the agenda. Guests like to know if they are to leave for the reception, stay behind for pictures, or help move chairs (hopefully, not!)

Here are some inspiration pictures from fellow WPIC wedding planner, Terra Law with Inspired Occasions. Terra definitely thinks about all the details to ensure you and your guests have a wonderful time. If you are in need of a fabulous wedding planner, contact Terra!

Outdoor Weddings

2009-07-29T09:29:00.007-06:00

Last weekend I went camping in an attempt to enjoy the outdoors, relax, and not think about weddings. I succeeded on the first two, the last not so much. I really didn't think I had a chance to succeed on the last. As I was sitting at the camp site I started to look around and really enjoy my surroundings. Immediately I thought about outdoor wedding ceremonies and how they are decorated. Here are some of my tips for brides that are planning to decorate their own outdoor wedding.

Work with your surroundings – The advantage of having an outdoor wedding is you may already have a beautiful backdrop. Don’t cover it up by adding a lot of “eye clutter.” Keep it clean and simple.
Plan around your surroundings – If there is a beautiful pathway with wild flowers, make this the aisle that you walk down. Have your ceremony at end of the pathway.
Resist pruning, cutting or laying down sod – Even if there is a bare patch of grass, resist the urge to lay down some sod. Instead of standing on top of this bare patch, you can turn your ceremony 180 degrees and face the other way. Your guests won’t notice they are sitting on a bare patch of grass.
Add natural elements for decorations – Add decorations that would fit in with your surroundings naturally. Potted plants, leaves, and stones are all good choices.
Take in the outdoors, the good and bad – You get a beautiful backdrop for your ceremony but you also get the insects and pests along with it. Relax, ignore pests, and enjoy your day. Afterall, they were there first. You are actually interrupting their space and possible wedding ceremony.

Here are some inspiration pictures taken by the talented Wei Quek at Photobolic.

Tropical Flower Arrangements

2009-07-15T22:00:00.005-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I was "twittering" my excitement about the tropical floral arrangements I was making for the Puerto Rican themed wedding. For the wedding, I made three large and tall arrangements for the fire place mantel where the ceremony was held; a small arrangement for the guest sign-in table; and eight centerpieces. The flowers used include orchids, birds of paradise, helicona torch, and ginger flowers. Here are some pictures of the floral arrangements!

Puerto Rican Oasis Wedding

2009-07-12T14:44:00.014-06:00

With only one and a half months before their wedding date, Magdalis and Kevin contacted me to provide wedding decorating services for their wedding at the Prince of Peace Manor in Chestermere. As we were talking during our consultation, I felt that my heart stopped a couple of times. My heart stopped because the venue presented a number our challenges for me. First, the Prince of Peace Manor is a retirement home. The room that was booked was for the ceremony and reception. Second, the room was fully (and I mean fully) furnished with furniture that could not be moved out of the room. Third, both the ceremony and reception was supposed to be held in room. There will be at least 50 guests in the room.

In order to get my heart pumping again, I had to talk about something else. I asked Magdalis and Kevin why they picked this venue. Kevin told me that his parents live across the street from this Manor, it is very convenient for them to attend the wedding. Magdalis told me that her parents will be coming to Calgary from Puerto Rico for the first time one week before the wedding.

After hearing their stories, I suggested that we brighten the room with the color of burnt orange and tropical flowers. The look that we wanted to achieve is a Puerto Rican Oasis. We want the guests to forget that they are in the game room of a retirement home. The ceremony will be set up in front of the fireplace with aisle style seating. Tables and chairs will be set up around the room for the reception. Check out the pictures from the wedding!

Guest Sign-In Table

Signing of Registry Table

Cake Table

Ceremony

Overall Look of the Room

Charm City Cakes

2009-06-27T16:22:00.007-06:00

I love weddings! If I didn't, I wouldn't be doing what I do. Instead of gossip magazines, I read bridal magazines. Instead of tv drama or comedy, I watch every wedding show there is on tv. My PVR is constantly taping "Wedding SOS", "Rich Bride, Poor Bride", "Say Yes to the Dress", etc. One time, I even watched Meg from Family Guy get married. (She didn't.)

My new favorite show is "Ace of Cakes." This show is about a bakery called Charm City in Baltimore. They make the coolest cakes. You might have guessed, I watch this show for the wedding cakes that they make. Sometimes clients even get engaged on the show. I know it is sappy but I get teary eyed when I see their clients propose and get engaged.

Here are some of their cakes!!

Las Vegas Weddings

2009-06-24T12:33:00.014-06:00

Last week I was in Las Vegas for a mini vacation, staying at the MGM Grand Hotel. During my stay there I couldn't help but to notice a lot of brides and grooms. They did not appear to be there for bachelor and bachelorette parties, rather they were there to get married. After seeing them a bunch of questions popped in my mind (as would a lot of others I am sure.) Questions such as: Where did they get married? Did they get married at some cheesy venue like in the movies? Did they get married by Elvis?

I didn't go up to the bride and groom to get answers because this was their special day and they do not need some crazy lady ruining their day and memories. Not being able to relax or let these questions go unanswered, I ventured around the hotel to get some answers. I headed to MGM Grand Hotel's Wedding Chapel, Forever Grand Wedding Chapel, and spoke to Wedding Coordinator, Sarah.

I learned from Sarah that a lot of brides (not grooms) contact them three to six months before their wedding date. The wedding coordinator would help them with their wedding planning and booking of venues, reception, flowers, cake, accommodations, etc. After speaking to Sarah, I also toured the wedding chapel and saw that the two chapels were not only tastefully decorated, but also intimate and romantic. If brides and grooms don't want to have their ceremony in one of these chapels, they can also opt for an outdoor ceremony or a poolside ceremony!

Prior to my talk with Sarah, I knew that it is possible to have a classy and intimate wedding in Las Vegas, despite what is protrayed in the movies. After my talk with Sarah, I learned that if you want to have a classy wedding in Las Vegas, it is just like anywhere else, you have to plan for it!