Today officially marks the beginning of the set up for Jason & I’s wedding. I am sooooooo excited, nervous, overwhelmed, and just completely moved by everyone’s amazing efforts in making my event & special day truly unique and flawless.

This will be my last pre-wedding blog because I need to immerse myself completely into the ‘making of’ this wedding but I want to thank each and every one of you out there for reading my posts and following me on this journey. Continue reading

The most common question I have been getting over the past few months has been: ‘Who is planning your wedding?’. I think the answer is pretty evident.  I am OBVIOUSLY planning my own wedding.

Planning an event as personal as a wedding for myself has most definitely made me a better wedding planner.  I have now gone through all of the motions and emotions that my brides go through and am able to better relate to them. I understand the stresses of staying within budget, the importance of details, and the trials and tribulations of family involvement so much better than I ever did.  I also now really understand and value my role as a wedding planner for other people much more than I ever did. Continue reading

As excited as I am for this wedding in 4 days, in the back of my mind, I’m also incredibly excited to sleep!

One of my favorite activities to do with Jason is nap (he is so beautiful when he’s quiet – lol) ….and we will be napping in two amazing hotels over the next week……! Continue reading

*The ultimate selfie*

 

When I got engaged back in May of last year, I became super motivated to eat well, work out, sleep properly, and really take care of my body.   Then…..wedding season began and with that….a lack of sleep, stress, sugar rushes from midnight sweet tables, very infrequent workouts, and loads of coffee took over.

The motivation for me to kick my butt into gear re-arose during the Christmas Holidays and I promised myself I would make a real change. Continue reading

I was awoken this morning at 6 am by my intoxicated stinky incoherent fiancé who was just getting home from his bachelor party. What is it about bachelor parties that make most girls crazy???? Let me tell you. No matter how much you trust your husband-to-be (and seriously I trust Jason more than anything), the part that is most frustrating about these events is that it’s like a secret service.  Girls can’t ask questions about it and guys won’t open their mouths about it. I mean….wtf?   Continue reading

On this beautiful snowy Valentine’s Day, I want to write about something that is dear to my heart….CAKE.

A few weeks ago, I made a super honest confession to Jason. I told him that if I didn’t care about my appearance or potentially becoming obese, I would literally scoff cake every day. Above all desserts, I really love cake the most. I just love the simplicity, freshness, texture and taste of simple vanilla wedding cake. Continue reading

I am a huge advocate of choosing vendors that truly match each client’s tastes, style, budget and personalities.

I am the same way when I ‘pick’ my clients and hopefully clients do the same when they ‘pick’ me as their wedding planner. Continue reading

Yesterday, I wrote about large rental companies that offer a huge variety of products that make up a big part of an event.

Today, I want to talk about more specialized companies….the ones where you walk in and want to own everything in sight for your home. Continue reading

Rentals are the one of the most fun and at the same time most tedious tasks of the planning process. Especially when you are working in a blank space! The first thing you need to know is that rentals are EXPENSIVE. But they also make up 80% of your event.

Selecting rental items is very overwhelming to many. There are numerous rental companies in this city and thousands of linens, chairs, glasses, cutlery, and plates to choose from. Continue reading

So my mom thinks that I’m giving away too much on this blog and that there won’t be anything left to surprise our guests. That’s not gonna happen. I have tons of other little surprises stashed away that no one, not even my mom knows about.

That being said she is right on some level.

So I’m gonna skip over what I was planning to blog about today which is secondary entertainment but I will tell you this:

I have attended and planned weddings where there have been up to 10 different entertainment acts occuring at various times throughout the night.

Couples are so worried that their guests might be bored and are convinced that they need constant stimulation or interaction. In my opinion, too much entertainment creates a circus/ Vegas variety show. But if you do opt to have a few short acts going on, it’s important to time when they will be happening so as to make sure they flow within the grand scheme of things.

Also, it’s important to select acts that fit with the image and style of the wedding. So don’t try to include a bellydancer with Brazilian dancers and ‎a mariachi trio…..that’s a recipe for an immediate headache.

Also important to remember is that if you have a full orchestra performing and a dj, you don’t necessarily need too much else.

I’ll be honest and say that I do have a few ‎segments of special entertainment planned but it’s only because I have seen soooo much and there are certain artists in this city that I love and just want to share with my guests.

‎I’ll share three ideas of entertainment that I love (but that are not necessarily going to be at our wedding):

Eugene Draw, the electric violinist

Eugene is a serious talent and also the nicest Torontonian that exists. He plays his violin to a degree you have never seen before. You can throw him in the mix by letting him play over great DJ beats and his energy completely captivates a room.  Any musician that can play over DJ music adds some visual flair to an event….in our city, you can hire saxophonists, guitarists, drummers and violinists to jam over contemporary music and it creates an awesome effect.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h8zScx2kF4

Les Oiseaux du Paradis

Les Oiseaux du Paradis is a beautiful acrobatic circus act that literally takes your breath away. The duo hangs 15 feet over your guests’ heads and their performance is a masterpiece. Very romantic and so classy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rboly2NKgk

Julien the Ice Sculptor 

Julien is an amazing chainsaw-handler. Out of a huge block of ice, he carves incredible designs (could be anything from a couple’s logo or any image he is given) using his chainsaw….and does this to high-energy techno music in under 10 minutes. Really fun to watch and the end result is always so impressive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkKH5ESGJM4&list=PL541444264EEECF36

Guest DJ

Lots of couples ask me if they can get Tiesto to play at their event. It’s probably possible at a high price but DJs like that are not very interested in playing at weddings. Having a guest DJ means hiring a specialized DJ to come in and play a set. One in particular who is super cool is Sandy Duperval. Sandy is a singer, DJ, and producer who has mastered the art of singing while playing great house beats.  She is truly a unique artist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfwHDkRQbIY

Hope this gave you a little taste of what can be done at a wedding…all it takes is some time to find the right talent.

I promise that once our wedding is done, I will most definitely give you all a run-down of what we did for our special entertainment and how it fit into the context of our night.

TANIA

 

DR.DRAW – www.drdraw.ca

LES OISEAUX DU PARADIS – www.lodp.ca

JULIEN DORE, BLIZZART – http://www.blizzartsculpture.ca/

SANDY DUPERVAL – www.sandyduperval.com

 

 

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