Wild Wedding...Part 2

Here I am with the happy couple.

Congratulations Carey and Jamie on a spectacular wedding! All of your months of planning certainly paid off. Your guests loved all of the personal touches and the love between the two of you filled the air. It was a night that no one will soon forget. Thank you for entrusting Inspired Occasions with the task of pulling all of the details together and with bringing your vision to life. Enjoy your honeymoon!!!

Stagette Fun

I recently learned about pole/spa parties and thought they would be the perfect Stagette entertainment. You can bring the fun and fantasy of pole dancing into the comfort of your living room surrounded by all your girlfriends. Nadine from Pole Lot of Fun/Spa Lot of Fun will bring the pole, you provide the friends, and together enjoy a magical night of fun, laughter and excitement! Not planning a Stagette anytime soon? Don't let that stop you. Any reason will do to get your best girlfriends together and enjoy some sassy exercise and spa indulgences. Parties are typically 2 hours during which you learn some smooth moves and routines suitable for everyone. At the end of the night you can perform what you've learned to some sizzling music while working a feather boa! To learn more check out www.polepartygirl.com.

Stagette Ideas

With wedding season in full swing many of you are either planning or attending a Stagette. If you are looking for something different that is both entertaining and interactive, why not hire belly dancers? A local company here in Calgary, Nazirah Belly Dance, offers both performances and lessons.

Their Harem Night Package sounds like the perfect addition to a stagette party or a night in with your favourite gal pals! Grab 15 of your closest girlfriends and enjoy a fun night including a belly dance lesson, complete with the obligatory hip scarfs, as well as a performance by the talented instructor. Word has it they also provide a gift for the bride to be! Check out their website http://www.nazirahbellydance.com/ to learn more.

Boudoir Photography...All the Rage

Images coutesy of Quantum Images Inc.

Boudoir photographs are fast becoming one of the hottest wedding related trends. Many brides are having boudoir photos taken to give to their husbands as a wedding gift or as a special way to commemorate an anniversary. Not only will your husband love them, I’m willing to bet that you will too!

Finding the right photographer is key to feeling comfortable during your boudoir photo shoot as well as having amazing photographs afterwards.

In addition to wedding and lifestyle photography, Erica Tait specializes in boudoir photography. She lives in B.C. but does “boudoir marathons” in several cities throughout Canada and the USA. In Calgary she books a room at the trendy Hotel Arts which provides a fabulous backdrop for the breathtaking images she captures.

Julie Chiasson, of Quantum Images Inc., is another fantastic photographer who also does exceptional boudoir photography. She is based in Calgary and is able photograph your boudoir session at a location of your choosing. The two gorgeous pictures featured above are samples of Julie’s amazing work.

If done by a skilled photographer, your boudoir photos will be beautiful, elegant, and classy. You will feel like a million bucks and your husband will undoubtedly be weak in the knees.

Some things to keep in mind if you are planning to have boudoir photos taken:

Wear loose fitting clothing to your appointment (so you don’t have clothing impressions on your skin in the photos).

Enlist the assistance of a professional makeup artist and hair stylist. A professional makeup artist will know how much makeup to apply to give the desired effect you are after. The lighting can be intense and you may end up looking washed out without the appropriate makeup application. (Many photographers have makeup artists and hair stylists that they work with on a regular basis and can arrange to have these professionals present at your photo shoot for an additional fee).

Bring several outfits and shoes to your photos shoot to ensure variety. In addition to lingerie, you might also consider bringing something of your husbands, such as his favourite sports jersey or one of his dress shirts and tie. He is sure to love seeing you in his clothes!
Finally, relax and HAVE FUN!!!

Advice from a recent bride...

Photos courtesy of Claire Cocheme Photography

Paula, you had a clear vision of what you wanted for your wedding day and your modern and elegant “winter romance” wedding was beautiful. As someone who has “been there and done that” our readers could benefit from your wisdom.

What was your best decision?
I was not afraid to plan early, I planned and made lists. We had an 18 month engagement; I really started planning with one year to go. Each month I had goals set. Once I accomplished what was on my list I moved on to the next month. As the wedding came closer I made my monthly lists in advance as I knew I had to do certain things by a certain time. Also, I really involved my fiancée and put him to work. He was happy to help, but really let me take the reins. I think it’s important to not put all the planning on one person. We had a large, somewhat elaborate wedding, we needed help! My favorite time was the last week leading up to the wedding, from Saturday to Saturday I knew each day exactly what needed to be done, it was busy but not stressful at all. I also made sure we had free time to visit with our out of town guests, friends and family, that was extremely important to us. My bridesmaid from Nova Scotia came in one week early and she worked with me every day, really helped keep me on track!

What was your favourite moment on your wedding day?
Can I have two?
Seeing my groom at the end of the aisle! I really didn’t see much else; I just needed to get to him. I was very nervous up until the day of the wedding. Then I had a calming sense come over me. It also helped that my brother was our minister, which made it much more relaxing and special.
And our first dance! We worked so hard from September to January in dance classes to learn our choreographed funky Rumba. We danced to “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers. My Father/Daughter dance was also choreographed so that was very special as well!

What would you do differently?
Probably not wait so long. 18 months was a long time! We had a deal though, Jeff wanted a large formal wedding and I've wanted a winter wedding for as long as I can remember. So we compromised. We go engaged in July 2006, the following winter we probably could have pulled it off, but we waited a year till the next winter.

What was the most unexpected part of the planning process?
The unexpected part of planning is exactly how much there is to do! It really helps when you have people who will support you and help you out. I had several vendors, an event planner /décor person and I still felt there was so much to do! We could not have pulled off our day without our vendors seeing our vision!

What was the most difficult part of the wedding planning process?
The waiting! A lot of planning our wedding was “hurry up and wait.” Some vendors want to be paid so close to the date, I would have preferred to do that early and get them off our plate. Instead I had to schedule them all in during the last week.

What advice would you offer to brides currently planning their big day?
Slow down and think. What really matters to you on your wedding day? You are marrying the man of your dreams!! When it comes to the planning itself, don’t be afraid to ask for help!

Looking back, what purchases would you do without?
I probably didn’t need 4 pairs of shoes. I just couldn’t decide! But seriously nothing major really, we budgeted and thought about what we wanted for the day. Purchasing while planning can easily get out if hand. Be careful!

Details were very important to you for your wedding day. You thought of everything and made sure that your guests were swept away. What difference did this make?
I think it helped set a tone and a feel for the day. At the end of it all, most people will remember they were at Paula and Jeff’s wedding. But while they were there, they were a part of our special vision. It really was exactly as I had hoped for, “winter romance.” Jeff and I will remember it that way; it was the happiest day for both of us, and just how we envisioned.

What is the most important thing for couples to consider when interviewing vendors?
I think you need to consider the city we live in (Calgary). Its boomtown. With so many young people, vendors are not really struggling for business. So, consider this, does your vendor care about your vision? Do they believe they can help make it or make it better? Do they email or call you back in a timely fashion?
I think when you hire any vendor they need to show you they are giving 100% for you.

Anything else you want to share with our readers?
Relax; enjoy your day and Smile! All eyes are on you! The best advice I got was to take a few minutes during our reception, stand back with my groom, and drink it all in. Look at your celebration no matter how big or small and remember that moment you had together.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing some of your wisdom with us Paula! Congratulations again on a beautiful wedding.

More Food For Thought

Candy sushi is ideal for bridal showers, birthday parties or for any occasion where you are looking to combine your love of sushi with your love of sweets! To create these charming bite-sized treats you will need:
a sushi rolling mat (cover it with plastic wrap)
your favourite bite-sized candy for the filling (smarties, licorice, etc.)
green and red fruit roll ups (for the seaweed wrap and ginger)
green licorice (for the wasabi) and pink licorice (for the salmon)
You will also need to make a batch of rise crispy squares (for the rice).

To create rolls, start by layering your green fruit roll up on the bottom of the plastic covered mat, followed by a thin layer of rice crispy square mixture. Add your filling and roll. Cut into pieces and arrange on the plate. To create salomon "sushi", hand form the rice crispy treats to create the bottom rice layer and then slice the pink licorice open and spread over the top.. Chop up some green licorice and red fruit roll up for garnish and serve with chopsticks!

Food for Thought

One of the latest trends in weddings and events is bite-sized samplings of your favourite foods. There is a huge resurgence in the popularity of comfort foods and caterers are increasingly being asked to set up food stations featuring couples top picks. Mini burgers are really popular right now as are bite-sized versions of classics such as macaroni and cheese and French fries served in shot glasses. Even if you don’t want to commit to serving bite sized foods for your main meal, why not introduce them during the cocktail hour or at a midnight buffet? They are perfect because everybody is sure to love the classics and by arranging the food at stations people can walk around and mingle while enjoying their favorite bites. Inspired Occasions created some bite sized nibbles for a recent event and they were a huge hit! The Mar-a-Lago burgers, as featured on Oprah, kept guests coming back for more. Don’t forget to top with the Mar-a-Lago Pear Chutney! And who can resist fries in a shot glass, ketchup included?