BLoved Events

Intimate Beach Wedding Style Shoot

Back in December last year, I had the opportunity to team up with Sandy Tam Photography to put together a beachy theme style shoot for a feature in Modern Wedding Australia Magazine. Even though we actually did it in the start of winter in Toronto, it was summer in Australia so we did what we had to, braved the cold, and set up a shoot at Cherry Beach to put this together.

Focusing on red tones and earthy tones, an intimate cozy beach setting for two was set-up to inspire ideas for those getting married during the festive season.

It was an honour to be published in print in Modern Wedding Australia Magazine!

Here are highlights from this shoot from the talented Sandy Tam Photography, and thank you to Le Dolci for the delicious sweets!

Featured – Alison & Devin’s Travel themed Wedding

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What a great start to this week… First, the new issue of WedLuxe went on news stands yesterday and we are featured in print! And today, a real wedding that I helped planned in August at the Fermenting Cellar in the Distillery District is featured on Wedding Obsession!

I first met Alison and Devin more than a year ago as they just started wedding planning. These two LOVED travelling, they have been to a number of places together and also separately. With that in mind, we conceptualized a travel theme that would resonate in various elements of their wedding. Seeing our concept come together beautifully like a jig-saw puzzle, and seeing how happy Alison and Devin were with the set-up totally made that day for me. For more details on their wedding, don’t miss the full feature on Wedding Obsession! Some of my favourite details were the luggage tags personalized for each guest for their table assignment and their lonely planet spin-off wedding program.

I remember Devin saying it was really important for them to have fun and have a great time with their family and friends. Without a doubt, that’s exactly what they got. Here are some highlights captured beautifully by Times & Paper.

Karain & Derrick’s Whimsical Wedding

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“Do you need help with anything?” – asked Karain when I went in to check on her before the ceremony. This was the first time a bride had asked ME if she could help, I stopped for a millisecond and smiled at her that I’m helping her today not the other way around. 🙂 This was the sincere, kind and sweet characters of both Karain and Derrick throughout our meetings prior to their wedding day, and even on the wedding day itself!

With the timid summer we had been having in Toronto, the three of us were monitoring the weather for rain the week leading up to the wedding knowing we had to make a decision to move the ceremony indoors the day before. But on the rehearsal date 2 days before, Derrick and I looked at our phones, then he made the call and said move the ceremony indoors. No stress, no regrets in his voice, just very matter-of-fact, he didn’t want to worry later.

They made the best of the situation and embraced the possibility of rain… they found pink rain boots for Karain, pink and grey umbrellas for the entire wedding party, it fit in perfectly with their colour scheme and added that whimsical touch that both of them have.

I don’t often use cute to describe a couple, but that’s what Karain and Derrick are… they adore each other, and their wedding day was filled with smiles, laughter and emotions that kept me smiling from ear-to-ear all day for these two.

Just look at these photos below from Sandy Tam Photography to see what a fun and light-hearted day Karain and Derrick had, Sandy captured the essence of their characters and their wedding day perfectly!

You can see more from Sandy’s blog, here.

Don’t miss out on this awesome highlights video from Henjo Films that made me teary right at the beginning!

What impeccable timing, I just received a thank you card from Karain and Derrick today. I also wanted to say THANK YOU back to them for letting me be part of your wedding day and witness your love for each other. You are both so thoughtful and your kindness speaks volumes.

Special shout-outs to all the vendors I worked with on this wedding!

Photography: Sandy Tam Photography

Videography: Henjo Films

Hair: Kyana Bridal Hair Artistry

Makeup: Fiona Man Makeup Artist

Venue: Shangri-la Banquet Hall & Convention Centre

All photos courtesy of Sandy Tam Photography

Kate Spade Style Shoot

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I love Kate Spade.

It’s elegant, classic, bright, fun, and so much more. If I could buy something every time I walked into a Kate Spade New York store, I don’t think hubby would be pleased at all. Instead of breaking the purse chains, I put together a Kate Spade inspired wedding shoot back in July. Something I’ve been itching to do for ages now!

Yesterday, this shoot is featured on Wedding Chicks and I’m so excited to be able to share this with everyone. Details of the shoot and the inspiration behind it can be found on Wedding Chicks.

I wore cobalt blue Kate Spade shoes on my wedding day, these made a cameo appearance in the style shoot. Can you spot them?

Here are some highlights from the shoot, check out Wedding Chicks for more!

Thank you to all the vendors who participated on this shoot with me, and bringing this creative to life! Such a blessing to be surrounded by such creative minds!

Photography: Alicia Thurston Photography

Florist: Coquette Studios

Venue: The Richmond

Stationery: Lovely Little Paper Co.

Hair/Make-up: Emily Sara Pike

Cake & Dessert Table: The SweeterE

Macaron Favours: Le Dolci

Table Linens: Around the Table

Chairs: Detailz Chair Couture

Models: Oksana from Peggi Lepage and Luke from Spot 6 Management

Wedding Gowns: Blush by Hayley Paige from Sash & Bustle

Bride’s necklace: Stella & Dot

Groom’s Suit: Gotstyle

Featured – Kristina & Andrew’s Romantic Elegant Wedding

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I’m excited to share with you a wedding from last September that I helped style and coordinate at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. I’ve been waiting for this feature for months, so thank you to Style Me Pretty Canada for the feature and write-up yesterday!

Kristina & Andrew’s wedding at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club (RCYC) was put simply – beautiful, elegant and romantic. They got married in late September but were blessed with beautiful summer-like weather on their wedding day as they said their vows with the Toronto skyline in the background.

Working with the staff at the RCYC were great, they were extremely helpful, it’s such a great venue! I also had the pleasure to work with some amazing vendors, like Coquette Studios for her always gorgeous floral work and Fusion Events for their live music accompaniment.

Be sure to check out the full feature on Style Me Pretty Canada, and all the details around Kristina & Andrew’s gorgeous wedding day. They were such a pleasure to work with and thankful for my help, that it reminds me why I love doing this! Thank you Kristina & Andrew and congratulations again!

Here are just a few images from Kristina & Andrew’s wedding by the awesome Jeremy Clay Photography.

B.Inspired – St Patrick’s Day Themed Wedding

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Happy St Patrick’s Day!

I have always loved this “holiday” occasion. Okay so it’s not really a holiday, but to me it was always a happy and cheerful day. Yes I admit, it was an excuse to get together with friends, head to on a pub, wear my leprechaun hat and other green items but why not right?

This year I won’t be celebrating St Paddy’s day at the pub, so I have been thinking all week leading up to today that I wanted to put together an inspiration board for couples that may get married around this time of the year. Here are some ideas on how a wedding on St Patrick’s Day could be!

Focusing on emerald green (last year’s pantone colour of the year), with hints of white and gold. Instead of getting married in a traditional white wedding dress, why not opt for a green gown instead or change into a green one during your dinner reception. Accessories are an easy way to incorporate colour into your wedding, so choose green wedding shoes or even some emerald jewelry. For your bouquet and other florals, keep it minimalist by using white and green florals, letting the green accents pop against the white flowers. Serve up Guinness and other Irish whisky for your guests to enjoy on this occasion. As for desserts, get a green ombre wedding cake and chocolate guinness cupcakes to end the evening on a sweet note.

There are endless ideas that I could come up with. What other kinds of detail would you bring into a St Patrick’s day themed wedding?

Photo Credits (clockwise from top left):

Green Ombre Cake, Guinness drinks via The Bridal Lounge, Cupcakes, Invitations via The Knot, Green emerald dress via Brides of Adelaide, Fan programs, Green shoes, Favours via The Knot, Bridal bouquet via Ruffled, Rings (Brent Foster Photography) via Pinterest, Outdoor drinks station via Wedding Chicks

Kayla & Matthew’s Engagement Photos

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On this snowy day in Toronto, I’m dedicating today’s blog post to Kayla and Matthew. They are getting married 5 months from today on July 5, 2014!

They have one of the most amazing proposal stories I’ve ever heard, definitely one for the books… Basically they were at a Maroon 5 concert when Matthew proposed to Kayla right in the pit, lead singer Adam Levine took notice and stopped the concert to congratulate them, then proceeded to continue with “She will be loved”. I’m expecting nothing less than to hear that song and more by Maroon 5 on their wedding day in 5 months.

Kayla definitely reminds me of myself when I went through the wedding planning process, it’s all about the details for her and she is meticulous even with me helping out. I know their wedding is going to be just as special as their love for each other is.

Here’s a selection of their engagement photos by M+M Photography, with their little fur-baby – Lola.

B.Inspired – Twist Gallery Review

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Last week, I had the opportunity to check out the open house at Twist Gallery. I’ve passed by this location many times strolling across Queen St West but never checked it out until now.

Located in downtown Toronto, Twist Gallery is an open space loft-style gallery that can be transformed into anything you want for your event/wedding -depending on your style or theme. During the open house, the gallery was set-up to showcase a potential wedding. Though its primary use is for art display exhibitions, the gallery is a great alternative for a smaller urban space for a wedding ceremony or reception.

I was drawn to the large French Arch windows that gave you a perfect view of the streets of Toronto. Are you a newly engaged couple looking for something different and unique? Then this might be a great reception space for you.

Twist gallery can accommodate approximately 250 guests for a standing reception and 160 seated.

Check out some of the photos I took at the open house last week. There were 4 different table settings, a ceremony set-up, lounge space and DJ set-up – lots of options for a potential wedding or event! I would love to plan a wedding or event there.

What do you think, would you consider a venue like this?

B.Inspired – WedLuxe 2014

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Last Sunday was the WedLuxe Wedding Show at the Fairmont Royal York. It was the perfect day to escape from the cold frigid weather in Toronto and be transported into a true experience with their Springtime In Paris theme. It was actually my first time at this show, and I was impressed, it was a great way for me to get inspiration!

It really felt like you were in Paris as we entered to an amazing smelling ceiling filled with roses and chandeliers. The swag bag of gifts was well-worth the admission cost, I loved the idea of the flower market (March Aux Fleurs) that they had set-up, I love flowers so it was a nice treat to be able to choose a personal little bouquet to take home. La Vie En Rose Cafe was the perfect break during the event to enjoy some sweet and savoury delights with a cup of tea! It was probably one of my favourite parts of the event.

Here are some pictures that I took at the event so you can experience what I went through:

Everything was so beautiful and pretty, I loved it. I saw trends of pretty feminine pinks, neutrals and golds take precedence. But I was drawn to the bolder coloured displays like Sweetpea’s, Le Dolci and Coquette. What were some of your favourite?

Happy 2014!

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Hello to 2014!

I don’t know about you guys, but 2013 flew by so quickly that as I look back… there’s so many things to be grateful for and so many wonderful things I have experienced. Last year I reflected on my top list of 10 experiences so why not do the same to reflect on 2013:

Meeting, getting to know and working with all my 2013 couples. Thank you for the opportunity and I wish you all a fantastic start to 2014 as you continue your happily married lives together.
Being featured on Ruffled and 100 Layer Cake for the two inspiration shoots I styled and work with some great vendor partners. Always makes me smile when I get news my work is being featured!
Learning to trust my gut and instincts, that making mistakes are ok, and that if you fail sometimes, it means you’re still trying and going after what you want. Staying positive no matter how hard it feels like in that moment.
Attended my first wedding conference in Las Vegas this past September. It was an inspiring way to learn from some of the wedding industry heavy-weights and network with fellow wedding professionals.
Attended the Women’s Legacy conference in Toronto that reminded me of my passion and why I decided to embark on this journey. I love what I do, and I’m thankful I can say that out loud every single day.

Okay this was only a top 5 list, but nonetheless 2013 has been a fun ride, and I can’t wait to see what adventures and experiences 2014 will bring.

And just to end off on two of my favourite photos from this past year… one from a style shoot and one from a real wedding.

Here’s to an amazing 2014 for everyone! Happy New Year and hope everyone is having a great start today!