Wedi-quette Wednesday

Yay! It's Wednesday!!! We're half way through the week! Now  that I have a lovely home of my own, all I want to do is nest! I happily look forward to the weekends, when I can hang things on the wall, clean (sounds fun, right?!) and just general organization!

Speaking of being organized, I recently signed up for The Knot wedding planner! I've always wanted to check out this tool and let me tell you, it's wonderful! It's got tons of great ideas and help right at your finger tips. It's a wedding planners dream in terms of organization, keeping you on budget, getting inspiration and setting up a wedding website!

Because this is so front of mind for me right now, instead of etiquette I thought this would be a great tool to discuss. Whether you're newly engaged or part of the way through the process, I urge you to sign up! It has helpful little emails they send along! The first one was "Your First 5 Wedding To Do's!" Once you've signed up you can start utilizing your "planning tools", this could be everything from setting up a budget to organizing your time line. Set up a wedding website, this is a really great thing to use these days, I am all for sending out beautiful invitations of course, but you could add fun little bio's about your wedding party, accommodations near by, menu information (if you have a lot of allergy stricken guests this is a good idea to include), maps to the reception and ceremony, vendor information and of course, links to your registry. Check out the Knot Wedding Shop and start to get inspired, think about what you want your big day to look like! Search vendors in your area, you don't want to wait to long to start booking things, so start to read up on local vendors, asap. Chat with other brides! This is a wonderful feature, you can chat with other brides and wedding planners in your area, this will give you a great frame of reference in terms of who you should use, who you should stay away from, gathering ideas and just talking through stressful situations.

I am blown away by all this site has to offer and cannot wait to explore it more!

Top 10 Tuesday!

Hello lovely readers!

Where has the time gone?? I cannot believe this week marks the end of February. In the past month or so I've gotten engaged, moved to the city and had what seems like a million other little things going all. All wonderfully amazing things of course, but man, does time ever fly! Now that I am officially all settled and a happy Toronto resident, I can dedicate much more time to doing what I love, one of the things being writing on this blog! So, this weeks Top 10 is going to piggy back off of the last one, I'm still so refreshed and inspired by all things bright and springish these days. Must be this gloomy, cloudy weather! I've been noticing that a lot of home design magazines offer some great inspiration for weddings. Many of these magazines offer examples of home decor that is so detailed and lovely, plus you can get great, original idea's for fun things to do in your own home. Your home is usually a reflection of who you are as a person and as a couple, so don't be afraid to borrow some ideas from your style!

What a great looking craft space, I'm really digging the organization!

Those chandeliers are amazing! I definitely want chandeliers on my big day, aren't they so classic and regal looking?!

Not only do I love the colour usage in this room (colour usage I can assure you Mr. wedding girl would never go for!) but I also love that they used an old door as the desk! So crafty!

Really great pop of colour! These monogrammed pillows would like great if you had some lounging couches!

Love these colours together! The would look amazing if everything else was white or ivory.

Mason Jars look fabulous no matter what you put in them, but peonies and hydrangea's are my favorite!

Isn't the colour combination for a bouquet?! Love the pops of purple.

What a fantastic idea for a shower, especially if you had access to a body of water like this

These were just the cutest things!

These straws are the hottest event accessory going these days! I love how they've used sprinkles as the rimmer! Amazing looking milkshake :)

So there you have it! I hope this has got you thinking about all of the different places you can find wedding inspiration, it doesn't just have to be the usual places like wedding magazines or websites! Have a little fun :)

A week of CRAZY!

Good Morning folks and Happy Friday!

My apologies for not posting at all this week, it's been a whirlwind, that's for sure! As you know, I had the Angus Glen Wedding Show this week, which was awesome! I met tons of great vendors and had visits from some beautiful brides! Here is a photo of my booth:

A huge thank you to Mrs. D for designing my board, it was beautiful and I was so proud to display it! I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my Mom and sister for coming along to help me out! And also, thank you to Tim Clark's flowers for making that fabulous display! I highly recommend them to every bride in the York Region area.

After the wedding show I spent the weekend moving to my beautiful new home in the city. I can honestly say, I never want to move again and seriously hate packing and unpacking! But, now we're all settled it, yay! And I truly love my new house, new roommate ;) and new commute! Stack on all of this being crazy busy at work and it's been an interesting week to say the least. I hope you've all been keeping well and I promise to be back next week with regular scheduled programming.

Have a safe and happy weekend!

Angus Glen Wedding Show

Good Morning Everyone!

Don' forget to head over to the Angus Glen Wedding Show today and swing by the wedding girl's booth!

Hope to see you there!

wedding girl Give Away!!!

Hello everyone!

Instead of a lesson in etiquette this week, I've decided to do my first, exciting give away! As you may, or may not remember, I am participating in my first wedding show this weekend! And moving into a new house, crazy, I know!

Since I will be at the Angus Glen Wedding show this weekend and would love to see some of your beautiful faces! I will be giving away 3 sets of 2 tickets! To win is simple! Just send an email to jkavanagh.events@gmail.com and tell me you favorite wedding girl post. The first 3 emails I recieve will be the winners. All winners will be contacted tomorrow at noon and I will leave the tickets at the front door of Angus Glen on Saturday morning.

Hope you're all having a wonderful day and good luck!

Top 10 Tuesday!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY Readers!!!

I hope your days are full of love, sugar and special treats! This weeks Top 10, is of course, going to centre around one of my favorite holiday's! Whether you're throwing your own valentine's day party, attending one or just decorating your space, here are my favorite photo's for inspiration!

Love bug! How cute!!!

I adore sparkles, these little guys would be so cute to hold together a yummy sandwich or place in a cupcake!

The balloons are so cool!

Great idea for home decor!

Adorable!

Love the straws!

Obviously there is a lot of pink! What a fun, bright holiday this is! I hope you all have a wonderful day! Don't forget to spread the love and have a very happy day!

Wedi-quette Wednesday!

About a month ago, prior to me being engaged, I sadly said to Mr. wedding girl, “what on earth do I have to look forward to this year, with no Royal Wedding?!?” If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you know this, the wedding of the century, is up there as one of my favorite days ever! Anyways, he looked at me like I had 3 heads and said “who knows, maybe you’ll have your own wedding to plan.” Just like that, and walked away. Well, I’ll be. Something that got me more excited than Kate and William. That bugger knew he was going to propose; I obviously did not, so I calmed my weird giggling down and went on with my day.

Now I obviously know, he was right, I do have my own wedding to be excited about! And I will look to Kate and William for guidance! Obviously, our wedding will not be anywhere near as glamorous or as much of a spectacle. But, darnit, if it won’t be as exciting!

One of the things that made the Royal Wedding so talked about was the maid of honor…Miss Pippa Middleton made her debut as one of the most talked about people of 2011 (that statistic is based on my own information). Anyways, if you weren’t starring at Kate’s stunning McQueen gown, you were wondering how on earth Pippa will top this look on her own wedding day! Come on, people, she was ridiculous! Pips almost stole the show! And she was wearing white…which brings me to my etiquette topic this week.

Bridesmaid attire. So, what are the rules around what your girls should, could, can wear? Long? Short? White? To be honest, there really are no hard, fast rules around this. While some people may frown upon the girls wearing white, it’s actually a tradition that dates way back. The bridesmaids wore white to signify their purity, as well as the brides. My girls won’t be wearing white, not because I don’t want to be shown up, but because I want them to rock their own original look!

In terms of length, it doesn’t matter either, totally depends on the vibe you’re going for. I wouldn’t suggest long dresses if you’re having a hoe down outside. You get my drift, make it appropriate. As for colour, just please ensure to match, if they’re all wearing different shades of a colour, that’s totally fine too, just keep it up! Don’t have 2 girls wearing one dress and one wearing another! At the end of the day, the choice is yours. I just urge you to keep the girls in mind. Everyone should be comfortable and excited! And hey, if you and your maid of honor look as wicked as Kate and Pippa, you've done a great job!

Top 10 Tuesday!

Happy February Readers!

It's almost time for one of my favorite holiday's! Valentine's Day! While some people don't quite buy this is a holiday, I completely disagree. If you celebrate it once a year, it is most certainly a holiday in my books! And really, what's not to love, giving people sweet little cards and treats to let them know they're special to you. Fabulous! I don't think Valentine's Day just has to be for romance, I think you should take the time to make sure everyone feels a little love. So, I challenge each of you to send a Valentine to someone special in your life, spread some love! I'm giving you one whole week to pull something lovely and creative together. Feel free to send me your stories.

This week, I am feeling excited, excited with the prospect of all of the "new" going on for me right now. It is a fantastic time, I move to my new house in less then 2 weeks. It's a little bittersweet of course, I'm closing one chapter of my life and beginning a new one. It's always a little bit sad when something ends, but, that's all part of life!  And my new chapter is looking pretty amazing. I also get super optimistic around this time of year. All of the new spring looks come out and spring colours have got to be my very favorite! They're so bright and cheerful. So, this weeks Top 10, will reflect the Top 10 things that have caught my eye this week. When planning a wedding, you should pick bright and cheerful colours, why not? That is what the celebration is about, your bright and cheerful future with your new partner. So lets get this show on the road:

I. Love. These. Chairs. Wow, they are stunning. I am now making this one of my life goals to one day own a chair as delightful as these.

Love the colour and the shape of the saucer!

Another great thing about Spring? Tulips!!! I love  tulips, they come in the neatest colours!

So bright and lovely!

Yum! This looks fabulous, love the pop of bright colours!

You've all probably figured out my adoration for lanterns by now, these ones are so cool!

I would kill for this skirt, I think it's just wonderful

J. Crew rarely does anything wrong, these flats are tres' chic!

There is nothing better then a great manicure, I usually like to give myself one once a week, keep it fresh! Who can afford to get their nails done that often though?? Besides, it's much more fun to own all of these great colours! Thank you Monica, from The Doctor's Closet for putting this together! 

Stunning idea for a photo and the colour of the truck is beyond cool! 

Wedi-quette Wednesday!

Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday…is anyone else wishing it was Friday?? I don’t know about other brides to be, but, since the moment I got engaged, I cannot sleep. I clearly am too excited about everything and have way too much going on in my mind! Alas, life goes on, work keeps piling up, boxes need to be packed and trashy TV needs to be watched. Since it is Wednesday, let’s chat about some Weddi-quette! How on earth do you chose your wedding party?? And what are the rules behind who stands where? How many attendants should you have? How many could be your Maid of Honor or Best Man? So. Many. Questions.

This has been one of the more difficult areas of planning that I didn’t foresee. Being that I am usually planning other people’s weddings, I don’t get a say in who they chose for their big day. Boy, is it tough. I’ve known for a long time exactly who I would select (still can’t tell you, because I still haven’t told them!) so that wasn’t difficult. The difficult thing for me has been the thought of hurting people’s feelings, I can’t stand that feeling. I am the world’s biggest people please, I get that from my Mom, I wouldn’t say we are doormats, but we certainly take the road of ensuring others happiness, before our own. Sometimes that ends up biting us both in the ass. People keep reminding me that this is my big day; don’t listen to what other people are trying to push on you, easier said than done.

The decision has been made and the ladies I’ve chosen are all extremely special to me, they all hold a very big place in my heart and I will be so honored if they say yes.  I’ve tried to keep my wedding party small, I’ve chosen 4 girls, even though my fiancée has 6 guys. I am truly not hung up on in being equal; I think you need to ask the people you think should be there, nothing more, nothing less. Look at Kate and William; they each had only one person standing with them! So my advice? Take a good, hard, long look at the people you’re considering asking. What affect have they had on your life thus far? Will they be in your life for years to come? How important is your relationship with each of them? At the end of the day, the decision is for you and the groom to make, no one else, don’t let that pressure seep in!

Traditionally, each wedding party has the maid of honor, the best man, bridesmaids and groomsmen. Historically the wedding party was chosen based on whether or not the attendants were married, if you were, you couldn’t be a part of the wedding party, social standing and closeness to the family. As it still stands, the bridesmaids are responsible for assisting the bride, throwing the showers, bachelorette party and assisting in all things dress!

Chose your wedding party wisely, you don’t want some drama fest surrounding your wedding. You want people who love you, support you and will be excited to be a integral part of your milestone!