Show. This is two firsts for this show. It is their first fall show and the first time in a new location. I wandered through the spacious show room. The high ceilings and wide aisles made for easy browsing and conversations with vendors.  All the vendors I chatted with agreed that the location was spectacular and were looking forward to the bigger Winter event. So mark you calendars for January 7 & 8, 2012. It will be another big hit.

Color Trends. I promised that I would ask vendors about the color trends for 2012 and report back to you. I stopped and spoke with planners, photographers and dress shops. There seems to be a consensus that Navy Blue and Purple will continue being popular into next year . Other colors that made mentions were Teal and Charcoal Grey.

Vendors. It is always fun at these shows for me to catch up with the vendors I know and meet new vendors as well. Until the next show or wedding, I’ll see you out there.

Lianna with the Convention Centre

Stephanie with Stonefield's Heritage Farm

Liz with Calabogie Peaks Resort

Stephanie with restaurant18

Shannon with Kennedy Events

Alison with Live Love Plan

Carlo with Quality Entertainment

Kim Dunn, independant muscian

Barb with BarbaraAnnStudios

Melissa with Melissa Jonhston Photography

Ashley with Stathmere Inn

Julie with Chic Wedding Planning

Mia and Rocco with 5 Star Entertainment

Tia with The Westin Hotel

On Sunday September 11, I will be attending  and wandering around greeting all my friends. The main question on my mind at this time of season is: what are the fashion color trends for 2012? From what I have seen this year, The Knot’s predictions were correct. Blues including navy & aqua and purple seem to have predominated this season’s weddings.

Will we see these color trends continue into 2012? Will the Spring 2012 collections from such designers as Vera Wang (celadon, charcoal gray) and Oscar de la Renta (blue, pink) influence the Ottawa brides? I am anxious to hear what the vendors are predicting.

Brad is a displaced Nortel worker. He found a passion in being a balloon artist and has never looked back. This is now his full time occupation. When I met him at the wedding, he had just returned from a festival in PEI where he made a display of full size farm animals. He buys his balloons online from a Texas magic shop and can go through 40 pounds of balloons per week. That’s a lot of balloons!

The pictures speak for themselves as to his talent. He is returning next year to the PEI festival to make full size tractors so that kids can have their pictures taken in them. He is amazingly full of energy and ideas. Thank you Nortel for offering up this wonderful creative person for all of us to share.

One of the pleasures I experienced in performing weddings at the Courtyard Restaurant was working with their event planners, Miranda and Shannon. I knew things would always go right when either of them was on duty for the wedding I was at. After three and a half years at the Courtyard, Shannon has decided to open her own wedding planning business to serve brides. I always imagined that when the time was right she would go for it.

Shannon has a bright and sunny personality that just livens up your day. I just love working with her because no matter what – she’ll make it work. She easily builds connections with her clients to tease out their classy look for their wedding. Shannon has worked in the wedding planning business for over four and half years and has an extensive network of suppliers to draw upon.

As Kennedy Event Planning, she offers three packages to brides.

Full Wedding Coordination: A comprehensive wedding planning service that allows Kennedy Events to provide its clients with the resources, guidance, and expertise to make their wedding day memorable. They take care of the planning, preparation & coordination of your wedding, allowing you to enjoy the entire process. This service commences approximately 12 months prior to your wedding day.

Essential Wedding Coordination (or the 6-month-to-go-OMG Service): A creative and personal service for couples who require assistance with the finer details of their wedding. They prepare and coordinate the remaining details of your wedding planning, assisting you through the final process. This service commences approximately 6-8 months prior to your wedding day.

Day of Wedding Coordination: For our “do-it-yourself” couples, this day-of coordination option allows their clients to take the leading role in their wedding planning while they aid with the details that will make the day unforgettable. This service commences approximately 1-2 months prior to your wedding day.

Shannon will have a booth at the Ottawa Wedding Palace event on September 10 & 11, 2011 at the Ottawa Cenvention Centre. Make sure to visit her. Best wishes on your new venture Shannon!

The new studio of Union Eleven Photographers is located at 619 Bank Street, beside The Flour Shoppe Cupcake Bakery. In fact, some of the delicious cupcakes were served at the open house. The studio has a wonderful open customer area. In the back, Andrew and Derrick share the editing room with multiple computers and screens. I can only imagine the bouncing around of ideas that will happen during the day.

The evening was very busy with over forty of Ottawa’s photographers, planners and other industry folks coming by to wish them well. What was originally billed as a 7pm-9pm didn’t end until 10pm because people were just so busy catching up with each other. I joked with Andrew and Derrick that it was a good thing that the other shop beside them was a gym so that they can go workout all those good eats from the cupcake bakery.

L to R: Andrew Geddes, Me (shorty) and Derrick Rice

Best wishes to you both. I am sure we’ll see some awesome work come from this studio.

The weather was perfect – warm with a slight breeze on the patio. The entertainer played some favourites in the background. Tunes from Elton John, Billy Joel and other contemporaries filled the air. I ordered a vodka martini while she sipped on a cup of coffee when we began our chat.

Kimberley is a multi-talented musician. She plays the piano and flute as well as sings and composes. With over 20 years of performing at weddings and events she offers both a classical and easy listening style of music. She covers a wide range of eras and musical genres from soft jazz, easy listening interpretations of popular covers to classical. We had a good laugh over trying an easy listening version of Lady Gaga.

Her versatility allows Kimberley to perform in any space. She can provide music for the ceremony and dinner with different instruments. For example, she can play her flute or sing accapella for a park wedding ceremony where there is no power. Afterwards, she can play her keyboard during dinner at the reception.

Although she loves the challenge of learning new cover music, she very much has a passion for composing. She enjoys setting to music a love poem that a groom wrote for his bride. Imagine having a special song composed and sung to you during your wedding ceremony! What a great way to personalize your wedding. It is a super replacement for the traditional reading.

With the sun setting, I reluctantly had to conclude our conversation which lasted almost two hours. Kimberley’s warm personality made it easy to gab about all sorts of things. I can easily imagine Kimberley adding warm tones to any wedding where she performs.

You can listen to Kimberley perform around Ottawa by visiting her website for her schedule.

Liz Bradley and me at the launch

Liz is a wedding, portrait and pet photographer in Ottawa. She also has a talent for graphic arts and designing albums. She decided to turn this love of graphic arts into a service for other photographers so that they could concentrate on what they do best – shooting and editing.  The evening was the official launch of the business to the photographer community. Liz had several albums on display to highlight her excellent work. The reaction from the photographers was enthusiastic with many looking forward to using her services. Congratulations, Liz!

Albums on display

I chatted with many of the photographers finding out how the wedding season was going, the prospects for next year and what trends they were noticing. I find that people in the wedding industry are very passionate about what they do. It is energizing to be among such creative people such as Brian Hargreaves, Andrew Van Beek, Melanie Rebane, Dawn Oosterhoff, Amy Symes, Julie Butler, Amna Hakim, Shannon Kennedy, Natalie Bertrand, Jen Howard, Natalie Lyle and Vanessa Dewson. At events like these, we share stories and find out how we can help each other out. Later, when we meet at a wedding, we are not strangers, but friends trying to do our best for the bride and groom.

The Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada has dedicated itself to providing children with high-risk, life-threatening illnesses the opportunity to realize their most heartfelt wish.  The work they do is about dignity, about dreams come true and about quality of life for children coping with high-risk, life-threatening illnesses.  It is about precious moments spent enjoying the special magic of a wish fulfilled and most importantly, it’s about smiles on the faces of very special children.

From This Day Forward will be elaborating their contribution to this effort at their launch of “Well Wishes”. During the informal reception, they will be holding a silent auction, and grand prize raffle draw to kick start the campaign. Owner, Izabela Rudowicz says that “the premise of the evening is to unwind and socialize, while lending a hand to this very worthwhile cause.  I just wanted to be clear that there is absolutely no charge, nor obligation, however nominal donations will be accepted and appreciated. ” All that she asks is that you send an email to her so that they can estimate the number of people attending.

Izabela, Owner of From This Day Forward, and me

Best Wishes on your campaign Izabela. Please note the details of the event below:

R.S.V.P.:  Izabela Rudowicz (izabela@fromthisdayforward.ca)  or   (613-612-6209)

The topic came up at a dinner meeting with several Ottawa wedding planners. They are finding that poutine as a late night snack is exploding. What better to calm your hunger with a delectable plate of French Fries, curds and gravy? Yum.

If you are having the wedding reception in a restaurant, they will no doubt have this option available to you. The Courtyard Restaurant has a poutine bar where patrons can select from sweet potato fries and Yukon Gold fries, then add your own cheese curds and gravy. Others such as Juniper Kitchen & Wine Bar will serve individual dishes to guests.

Poutine from Juniper Kitchen & Wine Bar

On-location wedding receptions that take place in your backyard or community centre will often see a chip wagon arrive to serve everyone. Yes, bride and grooms are hiring their favourite chip wagon to deliver the goods at their reception.

From all accounts, there is a virtual stampede to the poutine once it is announced. The appetite seems insatiable. So it may be wise to plan for more than one serving per person.

I was greeted by the effervescent Philippe Sabourin, event coordinator, for Juniper Kitchen & Wine Bar as soon as I entered the venue. I quickly was chatting with the other wedding planners who were also invited to this special event to showcase the venue. After some socializing, we were given a tour of the restaurant and treated to a wonderful meal. I soon discovered that Phil had essentially replaced me as a tenor in the Opera Lyra Opera Chorus – so we had even more to talk about.

By the end of the evening, I concluded that Juniper Kitchen & Wine Bar offered exceptional service to a potential bride and groom through their flexibility in three areas.

Space. Their space is very configurable to whatever suits the couple. They can serve about 100 seated or 200 as a cocktail wedding. They also have a patio for outdoor activities as well. From an on-location wedding perspective that means they could offer both an in-door or out-door ceremony. Tables can be oriented as the couple wanted. Décor is navigated with the bride and groom vision as well.

Menu. Their emphasis is on fine food. Therefore they will work with the couple to accommodate their vision. There is no set menu. They will also work with seasonally available foods so that they taste fresh. They will also bring in Kosher and Halal as needed. Juniper Kitchen & Wine Bar has their own pastry chef who will complete the menu.

Wine & Drinks. We were all greeted with a special signature drink that evening. This is one of their specialties. So they will work with a couple to design that special drink for the evening. Their wines are almost all special order. You cannot walk across to the local LCBO and see the same wines on their shelves. Their in-house sommelier will consult with the bride and groom to pair the most appropriate wine with their choice of food for an ultimate dining experience.

The last time I had performed a wedding at Juniper’s was at their old location. I can honestly say they have really stepped up to the plate as an overall fine venue for a wedding and event location. If you want a fine dining wedding venue then they need to be on your list to visit.

Main area

Izabela saw a need. The Ottawa downtown core needed an affordable, simplified one stop shop venue concept that didn’t compromise on the elegance that a wedding day deserves. She set out to design her space to be elegant, straightforward and personable. This meant building a space where she would be proud to be married in herself. From the granite stone work, bright lights and 50 Chiavan chairs, Izabela was mindful of all the details. The result is that she’s created a space where brides don’t need to spend time, energy and money on a lavish décor; a space where they can walk in and immediately enjoy their day.

Bride's prep room

No matter what package a couple chooses from Izabela, they get the full atmosphere, service and experience. She has selected a top notch team of service providers to make having a wedding at From This Day Forward a wonderful experience. Izabela says that “weddings are about couples wrapped up in bliss; not stress to not detract from their special day.”  She aims to make every wedding a unique reflection of the bride and the groom.

From This Day Forward is a welcome addition to Ottawa. Having planned and hosted many weddings, Isabela hopes to offer brides and grooms everything they need for an ultimate wedding day experience – all under one roof. Certainly, Izabela’s genuine care and attention to detail will make their dreams come true.

Many of the vendors I spoke with were enthusiastic and optimistic about the upcoming wedding season. Compared to last year, more brides are starting to book with larger weddings. One trend that has emerged is that there are more “last minute” weddings. Those are ones where the bride is inquiring for services for a date less than six months away.

The Ottawa Wedding Show this weekend is happening right next to the Ottawa Vacation and Recreation Show. So a bride can shop for her wedding in one spot and wander over to shop for her honeymoon in the next. Wow that’s a lot of shopping in one day!

My first stop was to give a presentation about On-Location Wedding Ceremonies at the WedWorkshop hosted by Samantha Moonsammy of Starfish Events. This was the second workshop for Do-It-Yourself brides looking for ways to personalize their wedding. Other vendors there offering their advice or sponsoring the event were Isobel from bel bridal, TartHairFascinators , Zen for you, Cakes by Jessica, Westin Hotel and Robyn of Lindt Chocolates. More workshops are planned to check it out.

I skipped over a few streets to see what was happening at the Aisle Style Sample Sale event hosted by Weddings In Style on Murray Street. They had four bridal shops Luxe Bridal Boutique, Mia Bridal Co, McCaffrey Haute Couture & With Love Bridal Boutique today. There was a line up of brides waiting to get into the event – despite the -20C windchill. It was a great way to try on a whole bunch of dresses in search of the one for their wedding.

Chatting with Bridget you quickly discover the passion and love that she has for film. A graduate of both Film Studies and the Photographic Arts, her numerous award-winning films have been screened over 100 times at international film festivals and events on all five major continents. She is now applying her 15 years of film-making and photography experience to capture the beauty of once-in-a-lifetime moments with her company {First Kiss Films}.

With all the technical wizardry available in HD video, the obvious question is why she prefers film. Bridget explains that “film is unmatched by any other medium and nothing compares to the beautiful, flattering and warm image it creates.” She will discretely shoot your wedding with a self-powered portable 16mm camera that uses ambient light. The resulting 5-15 minute film, set to music, is a precious recap of the special moments of the wedding. Her artistic aim is to create a dreamy and loving memory of the things you remember plus some extra ones that you’ve forgotten.

Screen captures Courtesy Bridget Redmond

Bridget plans, shoots and edits her work just like any film production. She finds that working with a wedding planner really helps because there is a schedule for the wedding that she can follow. With that, she can prepare beforehand where some of the best shots can be taken. Once the film is shot, it is processed, digitally transferred and edited. When the edit is complete, the couple receive their custom vintage film packaged beautifully in a chic DVD tin.

Creating beautiful memories requires passion and sensitivity; qualities that are immediately sensed in Bridget. “I do it because I love it” she exclaims. In producing a film she sees it scores of times, yet she gets teary eyed every time. She is the only one producing short cinematic wedding films in Ottawa and only one of four throughout Canada. We are blessed in having your moving art, Bridget.

I performed a wedding at the Gallery 3 location on Wellington St. on a cold February evening. However, once inside we were exceptionally treated. The dining table was set out in the middle of the gallery with beautiful decorations and clear chairs. The additional décor lighting really set the mood. Champagne was already being served to guests when I arrived.

The wedding was performed in a corner in front of some art. The 30 guests were gathered around us to witness the event. The couple had written their own heartfelt vows. The love was certainly felt by everyone in the room. The blessing was a five paragraph poem and was read in turn by four guests in the audience. I had the concluding stanza. While we were signing the register, the champagne was topped up for the guests in anticipation of my declaration. Their kiss ended the ceremony and began the reception with their friends and family coming up to congratulate them.

I met Caroline Savignac, Communications Manager for the Brookstreet, at the Starbucks outlet in the hotel. While basking in sunlight near a large window, I sipped on my Café Mocha and I told her of the locations at the hotel where I’ve performed weddings. I’ve conducted ceremonies in their large pavilion, which has a capacity of 300 people, and on the beautifully landscaped grounds. The Brookstreet has several ballrooms and smaller rooms as indoor venues. I had one bride who went the extra distance on ensuring that the room looked like a church. The room included an alter, the slight smell of incense and of course organ music. My favorite is the penthouse lounge that has a great vista of the rural setting surrounding the hotel.

The list of environmental initiatives at the Brookstreet is impressive. In 2007 Brookstreet conducted a waste audit and as a result initiated a comprehensive waste reduction program. For example, they implemented organic waste collection, an extended recycling program, automated climate control systems, a paperless night audit and email receipt of all incoming faxes, and the removal of all high energy use accent lighting. When in October 2010 a second waste audit was conducted, it showed that their monthly diversion rate to landfill was two tones. In addition, all of their power to meeting rooms, ballroom and lobby is supplied by green energy provider, Bullfrog Power, who derives its power from solar and wind sources.  It certainly proves that the hotel is eco-minded.

This attention to the environment goes hand in hand with its reputation as a sensational four diamond hotel. Its 276 rooms are well outfitted. The bedding is hypo-allergenic and many rooms are accessible. The hotel displays 1300 pieces of original art from Ottawa’s Canterbury High School Art Program. They cater to all cultures and ethnic backgrounds. They will work with a couple if special diets are required such as halal or kosher.  The Brookstreet offers a superb spa and golf course for the bride and groom to enjoy.  As Caroline put it, the Brookstreet is an oasis where the bride and groom can come and feel that their stay was extraordinary and memorable.

Courtesy http://www.couvrette-photography.on.ca

Courtesy http://www.couvrette-photography.on.ca

Wedding Republic is an Ottawa-based company that was co-founded by Hana Abaza & James Kinkaid. They  launched the beta version in February 2010 that was well received by the wedding industry. I met Hana at an Ottawa wedding industry event last year and was really impressed by her concept. Although they had intended to be a local resource, they were excited to find, almost from the start, that they were attracting a global clientele. The re-branding is a result of realizing that Wedding Republic should appeal to a global marketplace.

Wedding Republic is a centralized online gift registry offering a unique alternative to traditional wedding registries. It provides a
enticing option to couples because it gives them the freedom to choose the gifts they really want. For example, couples can register for anything – making non-traditional gifts possible; from camping gear, to solar panels, from a house down payment to a honeymoon – nothing is off limits. That’s because the platform of Wedding Republic allows couples to choose gifts that are already listed or add their own items and images.

Everything is done on-line and in a matter of minutes. This is a pretty exciting concept.  To be able to put any item online and have anyone anywhere give it to you. There is even an option to take an expensive gift and break it down into smaller priced “Puzzle Pieces”. Guests can chip in on a more expensive gift, making it affordable.  The idea is that friends and family can feel as though they are contributing towards something the couple really wants and will actually use.

From my sneak peak, I am confident that Wedding Republic is ready to take on the world. It is innovative. It is a totally new and exciting way to register for, give and receive wedding gifts. Congratulations and best wishes on your new adventures Hana.

Cute video on Youtube

contact: Hana Abaza
Co-Founder & CEO
hana@weddingrepublic.com
Phone: 613.232.9330 x6
Fax: 613.232.9330

When Michelle was a teenager in Halifax, she started working in a retail florist shop. She realized that she had found her passion. Fast forward twenty two years and you’ll find that her passion for her “pretties” has only grown. About fourteen months ago, she decided to become a free lance floral artist so that she could explore her creativity.  Michelle loves her work and is humbled by the great people with which she collaborates in the Ottawa wedding scene.

Over half of Michelle’s clients are brides. She loves working on weddings because of the “shiny happy people in love” that she encounters.  She is able to customize a floral theme and design based on the bride’s vision.

If you browse wedding magazines or websites, it is easy to see weddings where $5000 – $50,000 has been spent on flowers. She finds that brides often have so much information coming at them. She helps them decide on what will look best for them.  For example, feathers are a trend highlighted in the media. Although, Michelle has incorporated pheasant, ostrich and peacock feathers in her bouquets, she says, “I will always prefer a classic unique look that will be timeless and reflect my couple to some hot trend that some designer said was cool at the time.” She encourages brides to bring her photos from magazines so that she can adapt the ideas and make them work for her.

I asked her what challenges she sees in working a wedding. One of them is the supply of flowers. We all can remember the volcano eruption in Iceland that disrupted air traffic for weeks. This meant that flowers could not be sent from Holland. Michelle needed to change her designs so that she could still have the bride’s vision fulfilled with different flowers.

Another challenge is coming into the process at the right time. For instance, brides may purchase a container because it was on sale only to find out that it doesn’t work with what their flowers. I’ve conducted weddings where the floral arrangements don’t fit properly into the containers and are blown over by the wind during a ceremony. She ideally likes to work with a bride from the start to the finish so that this doesn’t happen.

It seems like Michelle is getting busier as word of her excellent skills is getting around. So booking her early is important.  To Michelle, a bridal bouquet is like a piece of jewelry. “We don’t often have the opportunity to stand with beautiful blossoms in hand. They should linger in the moment.”  Thank you, Michelle, for lingering with me for a moment and sharing your beautiful self.

Some of her "pretties" creations

Lynn is always a bubbly and cheerful person. As long as I’ve worked with Lynn, she is the ultimate in positive high energy. She went independent because she really wanted to engage in the full wedding planning process with couples. With her Wedding Unveiled business, she aims for the highest level of satisfaction in her services. It is also extremely important to her that she be able to develop a very close relationship with the couples. To attain  and achieve these two goals, Lynn concentrates her planning efforts on weddings and chooses not to do other events.

Lynn’s tag line is “Celebrate the Experience” because she wants to make the year leading up the wedding day a “cool fun year” that is stress free. She does this by communicating one-on-one with the couple and vendors. Her main advice to couples is to develop a budget and stick to it. Because there are so many wedding ideas available in the various media, she finds that it is easy for couples get attracted to an idea and stray from their budget.  Her wide selection of contacts and experience lets her a wide selection of recommend vendors that are right for them. It is refreshing to hear that Lynn seeks to network and collaborate with other wedding planners in the city. She often talks to Cristie Vito (Stellar Events) or Joan-Anne Cantley (Viva La Wedding) for resource ideas and suppliers. This way she is able to extend her reach in fulfilling the desires and requirements for the couple’s wedding.

Finally when it comes to the day of the wedding, Lynn plans to make sure all the details are taken care of. This way the bride and groom can relax to enjoy the day instead of being stressed out. She finds that after the wedding, the couple go through Lynn-withdrawal. She has been such a integral part of their life for the past year that they say to her, “I miss you”. Lynn then knows she has met her two goals of satisfaction and relationship.

The conference centre was filled with local and Toronto area vendors for all sorts of fashion, jewelery, food, decor and photo/video services. I met up with Amna Hakim who did super work capturing the event. She was also visited by our friends Cristie Vito (Stellar Events) and Melanie Rebane (M-contemporaryphotography). Missed you gals. I got to admire some wonderful fabric and taste some goodies. I was surprised that both women and men’s fashions  are about the same price as a Western wedding dress and tuxedo/suit. It makes me think of the possibilities.

Amna and Me

L to R: Melanie, Amna and Cristie

The show was mainly all about the fashions. So I’ll just stop here and share some of the super photos.

The evening was graciously hosted at the Ottawa Marriott Hotel‘s Summit room which overlooks the city from 29 floors up.  Marco gave us a preview of the renovations that will be taking place to convert the rotating restaurant to a unique event space. I’m looking forward to seeing what it will look like in the new year.

Brian Henry from Quality Entertainment MC for our event.

There were other superb event sponsors who made the evening: Little Cakes Cupcakes (who served up some yummy cake pops), Reno Video Productions, Quality Entertainment (Brian Henry was our MC), Tripp Photography (See the photos on her Facebook account Tripp Photography), Lou Truss photography (See her photos on her blog), Mastermind Events, Full Bloom . There were some door prizes that were handed out. I was pleased to win a bottle of Cave Spring Riesling 2008 donated by Trixie Tulip who co-produced with event with the ever energetic Wendy from Beyond Events.

With about 50 people in attendance, it made for a busy affair of connecting with newly met and familiar professionals in the Ottawa area. I even met one of my brides-to-be for 2011. There were so many people there that I can’t attempt to list who attended and do everyone justice. We were all chatting like crazy. I’m sure there will be a spring one again to kick start the new 2011 Wedding Season.

Usually, at a wedding ceremony I only have time to plan out the wedding ceremony with photographers. That way they know what is coming and can position themselves for the best shots.  I caught up with Barb at my office, the Timothy’s at College Square, to chat about her work. Dubbing herself a maritime girl, she is a warm, outgoing and friendly person. She has studied with Jerry Ghionis who is considered one of the top five photographers in the world. She has adopted his philosophy of  “You don’t have to be the best, just better than you were last week.” Barb aims to always better her work to stay current and develop her talent. You can see some more of her photos in MyPhotos and More Ideas tabs.

The wedding day can be such a blur to the couple. I know that the ceremony just whizzes by for couples. Barb advises brides to breath and take time to absorb and enjoy the day. One of the ways to do this is to make sure that you give yourself enough time to execute each portion of the day. One of her recommendations is to allow sufficient time to taking pictures. Setting a schedule and set-ups for the photo session can help. Barb says that doing so gives her the time to stage it properly and catch the intimate moments and emotions of the day. Her ultimate aim is to capture the emotion of the moment so that you can look at the photos years from now and remember your wedding day with fondness.

Barb Cameron and me

The event was sponsored by Erinne Horne who runs Who’s Your Planner from Almonte.  Erinne was able to assemble vendors from a wide selection of communities surrounding Lanark to offer bride’s the widest selection of choices in the county. Vendors came from the towns of Almonte. Arnprior, Carleton Place and Stittsville. From my perspective, it was a great opportunity to chat with these local folks to discover the wedding trends in their community.

I was able to spend some time with Almonte residents Erinne Horne (Who’s Your Planner), Ivanette Hargreaves (BHPhotography) and met up with Kingston planner Erin Wallace (Wallace Events).

L to R; Erinne Horne, Erin Wallace, Ivanette Hargreaves and me

I also chatted a while with Arnprior vendors to find out what was developing there. All these smaller communities have their own characteristics and personalities.  I enjoy learning about them because weddings has to do with people celebrating their lives in context of their surroundings. I connected with decor specialists Christina Ouellet (Flower and Flour), Cindy Andrews (True Kisses Forever) and Karen from Simply Beautiful Bridal Boutique whose sample dress is in the above picture.

L to R: Karen, Cindy, me and Christina

Finally, I had the great pleasure of meeting with Stephanie from Stonefields Heritage Farms near Carleton Place. This venue, which just opened this year, is on a  120 acres pre-confederation farm with with ample room for meetings, celebrations and recreational pursuits.  It is absolutely gorgeous and a must visit if you are considering a country venue.

Chatting with Stephanie from Stonefields Heritage Farms

I really enjoyed talking with all the local vendors present at this bridal showcase. It certainly is fun meeting people and discussing our common passion for one of life’s great celebration.

Luxe Bridal opening party with (R to L) Samantha (Starfish events), Maddy and Lisa (Co-owners) and me

Other notable people in attendance were wedding photographers Christine Tripp, Melissa Johnston, Melanie Rebane, and Vanessa Dewson. A wonderful cake of a bride reclining on a couch was provided by Sophie Bifield. I am sorry I didn’t get a piece as it was eaten up pretty quickly.

Courtesy OttawaCakeCompany.com

I also chatted with wedding planners Samantha Moonsammy and Nicole Renee. Sue Joyce from Ottawa Wedding Magazine and I discussed how the mood of the evening was really a happy buzz. There must have been over 100 brides that visited during the evening with many pictures and excited conversations taking place. Best wishes to Maddy and Lisa in their new adventure and thank you for the awesome event.

From inside, the “lantern” glass structure provides a superb source of natural light that cascades into the room below.

The stained glass windows at level make it seem like we were in an old cathedral. The marble walls and floors provided a very live sound in the room. I did not have to project too much to be heard by the back row of guests. The wedding was performed after the museum had closed for the day and the public had left. So it was exciting to be the only ones in the building. Well, us and the ghost, as the museum is reputed to be haunted. After the ceremony, the chairs were cleared and cocktails and appetizers were circulated while the bride and groom were away taking pictures in different areas in the museum. A sit down dinner and entertainment were planned in another part of the building for later.

The couple were just thrilled to be in this very special venue. The museum certainly provides a unique venue and it is great that it is available once again.