Brittany and Adam: The Wedding

I am so excited to share Brittany and Adam's spectacular winter wedding with you. I had so much fun planning this wedding in just 8 short weeks. Brittany and Adam are a fun, young couple but with school, exams, shopping for a new home, etc. they didn't have much time to plan their wedding. As a result, I had the opportunity to work closely with the mother-of-the-bride to create a one-of-a-kind celebration that would be totally unique and a true reflection of Adam and Brittany's fun personalities.

The ceremony took place at the stunning LDS temple in Cardston, Alberta on December 29th. It was a chilly day but the time spent outside in the frigid weather was well worth it as you can see from the stunning photos captured by the immensely talented Maria Lang.

The reception was help the next day in one of the local Calgary LDS church gymnasiums. Trust me when I say that when we were done with the decor, it looked nothing like a gymnasium! Drawing inspiration from Brittany and Adam's youthful and fun personalities, their colour scheme of light blue, navy blue and silver and winter, of course, we created a hip young lounge atmosphere that was beyond cool!

The reception was help the following day in one of the local Calgary LDS church gymnasiums. Trust me when I say that when we were done with the decor, it looked nothing like a gymnasium! Drawing inspiration from Brittany and Adam's youthful and fun personalities, their colour scheme of light blue, navy blue, and silver, we created a hip young lounge atmosphere that was beyond cool!

To create the stunning transformation, we draped all of the walls in 14 ft. tall soft white fabric and then added uplighting along the entire perimeter that gradually shifted from white to light blue to dark blue. IT WAS STUNNING! In addition, we added a very cool patterned light that gently moved across the ceiling and floor. We brought in modern white leather couches, chairs and ottomans for the center of the room to create a space for guests to hang out and relax. We also set up cool cocktail tables draped in luxurious navy blue linens and 6 seater tables draped in light blue linens and overlays, flanked with uber stylish silver chiavari chairs. Fresh florals of white and green, in square vases, added a touch of sophistication while complimenting our modern theme. The bride's favourite flower, white amaryllis, were stunning placed at the entrance and exit and were arranged in tall vases filled with clear gel that gave an icy impression perfect for this winter wedding.

Guests dined on delicious bite size delights and enjoyed the hot chocolate station we set up complete with custom cups and toppings that included chocolate shavings, candy cane crumbles, marshmallows, caramel sauce, and more. Live piano music floated through the air and the celebration was nothing short of amazing! Thanks again Maria for capturing all the details of Brittany and Adam's amazing day so perfectly.

Congratulations Brittany and Adam!

Vanessa and Darrin: The Wedding

I am so excited to share with you the wedding of Vanessa and Darrin that took place less than a week ago, on January 2, 2010. I was contacted by the bride at the end of November with a request to plan her entire wedding in just 6 short weeks! I was excited and definitely up for the challenge.

These two were full of life and energy and were wanting to infuse their fun personalities into their wedding day. They wanted something simple and elegant but also fun for them and all of their close to 300 guests. Vanessa loves details, I could tell instantly from the large number of details she recalled from the previous Inspired Occasions wedding she had attended. Regardless of the timeline, I wanted Vanessa and Darrin's wedding to be everything they dreamed of and more. I'm thrilled to report it was just that.

All photos credit T LAW Photography.

The Fairmont Palliser was selected as their ceremony and reception venue for it's historic charm and grand elegance. A string trio greeted guests as they entered the ceremony and set the perfect tone of elegance and sophistication. The groom chose to walk the aisle accompanied by both of his parents and selected the Imperial March from Star Wars as their entrance song. Although unconventional it couldn't have been more perfect. The wedding ceremony was very sweet and complete with secret handshakes and a first kiss straight out of a Hollywood movie.

I was thrilled with their colour scheme of silver and purple as purple is such a hot colour right now and combining it with silver made for a twist on the more typical colour combinations of red and silver or blue and silver that often appear at winter-time weddings.

Vanessa had attended a previous Inspired Occasions wedding a couple of years ago and fell in love with the engagement photo table numbers and the candy buffet and knew that she wanted these incorporated into her special day. I also learned of her love of Kernels popcorn so we decided to offer both a candy buffet (always a huge hit with guests) as well as take out boxes containing the bride's favourite flavours fo Kernels popcorn.

If your budget doesn't allow for high end finishes at every table, consider incorporating these desired elements into the head table and parent tables. It will set these tables apart as being a little extra special for the guests of honour and allow you to still have the high end finishes you desire at a price point you can afford.

For Vanessa and Darrin's wedding we used silver chargers and purple napkins at the head table and 2 parent tables as well as an extra stem of hydrangea and some orchids in the centerpieces on the parent tables. The guest tables still looked incredible in their own right. Another way to add a high end look at an affordable price point is by incorporating some rhinestone buckles. We used rhinestone buckles and silver ribbon on the centerpieces and bouquet vases which added the glamour we were after without breaking the bank. Inspired Occasions rents rhinestone buckles for as little as $2.50 each and vases for $3.50 so there's no reason you can't have the high end look you desire at any budget.

We incorporated a GOBO on the dance floor to bring in some added WOW factor to the reception. It coordinated perfectly with their invitations, seating chart and the stickers used on their candy buffet and popcorn boxes. Their guests were definitely impressed!

Vanessa and Darrin participated in a tea ceremony in the lovely Oval Room prior to the start of the reception. I always love when couples incorporate family and cultural traditions into their wedding day.

I connected Vanessa and Darrin up with an amazing dance instructor and they went about having a fun and flirty first dance choreographed to perfection. Their guests were totally surprised and their dance was an instant hit and set the prefect tone for the fun party that was to come.

I was thrilled to open my in box earlier this week to find the following email from Vanessa. "Terra, there are not enough ways to say thank you in the world! THANK YOU! Everything was so perfect and everyone has been saying how beautiful and organized the entire day was. Where would we be without you? Definitely not happy and ecstatic like we are right now! I can't imagine anything to be more perfect - thank you, thank you, thank you!" Do I have the best job in the world or what?!

Congratulations Vanessa and Darrin on an incredible wedding day! You are a fantastic couple and I wish you every happiness in your future together.

Divine Damask

The past couple of months have been super busy here at Inspired Occasions. In addition to getting the final touches together for Della and Dino's divine damask winter wedding later this month, it was a flurry of activity planning 2 300 person weddings back to back; one with an 8 week timeline and the other with only 6 weeks! Stay tuned for details from those two amazing weddings which occurred on December 30th and January 2nd. I can't wait to share with you all of the amazing details from those two dazzling weddings.

On another note, I was delighted to see that Della and Dino's wedding invitations made it onto Plush Invitations 9 Most Memorable of '09. The bride, Della, has been amazing to work with over the past year and I can't wait to see all of the delicious details come together for her and Dino's spectacular damask inspired white and black winter wedding celebration later this month. Be sure to check out their fabulous photographer, Gabe McClintock of Perspective Eye Photography sometime in February to see images from this incredible Calgary wedding!