I’m gonna be 33 years old next week. Really loud music annoys me and so do obnoxious drunk people.  Jason and I both used to party quite a bit (I didn’t know him back then but supposedly he did..;-)) I would spend my weekends at Gogo’s and Rouge and just do the circuit. Those were the days before I started planning weddings. But now I’m tired. I still love to dance and have drinks but Jason and I prefer to stay home and have our own little ‘dance parties’ on Saturday nights. We literally drink wine, and he basically plays music from the 50s to today and we dance (or sometimes I just watch him dance because it’s super entertaining and very cute).

Music is so important to both of us. It is a major determining factor of the success of an event.

Traditionally, couples would select a large wedding band and have them play all night. There are some fabulous wedding bands in this city but when you are trying to please such a large group of people with different tastes, it’s hit or miss. Opting for the DJ-only route doesn’t mean your party will be less of a party but I always suggest trying to add in something ‘live’ to fulfill that visual element that people desire.

Jason and I am taking the route of blended entertainment for our wedding.

We are working with, in my opinion, two super talents.

Tony & Randi, from the THE DIRECTORS SHOWBAND, are some of the most passionate musicians I know. They care so much about how the music sounds, creating a repertoire to please specific tastes and that the right musicians come together for an event. Though we have not hired the entire band, Tony & Randi have created a smaller version of their band (a 5-piece) for us to play mainly during dinner and cover some of our favorites – Rolling Stones, Sinatra,  James Brown, Stevie Wonder, etc.

We want upbeat sing-along tunes during dinner rather than boring elevator-cocktail music. And as much as people don’t like to put the emphasis on what plays during the meal, it is a precursor for what happens later.

Tony & Randi have also sourced amazing string musicians for our ceremony through their secondary company called Direct Entertainment. This company is basically a network of the best musicians in this city who come together to create any duo, trio or quartet you need to accomplish a certain musical style. Pick a song for your ceremony, they find the right musicians to play it, they learn it and it’s beautiful.

Tony & Randi are also beautiful people. Truly love them and sooo enjoy feeling their energy from the stage.

Quick shoutout to some of my other fav bands – anything PAUL CHACRA is 100% guaranteed, AD-LIB (because Jewelle is Ahh-mazing),  SOULVATION & the FREDDIE JAMES PROJECT (for those who love to get down).

The second supertalent is YOSSI (DJ Yo-C). Though sometimes I want to bite him to death, he is by far the BEST DJ in the…..yes I am going to say it….World. Every single party that I am worked on with him has literally been the craziest party ever. I don’t know what it is….his song choices, his super laid-back attitude, his mixing…..he is just great.  And his company INDUSTRY EVENTS is great too. They offer lighting & sound packages (and some furniture & bars) and also have a repertoire of other awesome DJs to select from (my 2^nd favorite is Sacha).

With this kind of lineup planned, this Saturday night, I am going to put on my gorgeous (yet killer) shiny gold wedding 4-inch heels and practice my dance moves with my man.

TANIA

 

THE DIRECTORS: www.thedirectors.ca

DIRECT ENTERTAINMENT: www.directentertainment.ca

DJ YO-C/ INDUSTRY EVENTS: http://djyoc.blogspot.ca/  / https://www.facebook.com/pages/INDUSTRY-EVENTS/116829511680123

 

One of the elements I am most excited about is our wedding ceremony.

Contrary to what people may think, designing a ceremony can be one of the most fun and customizable things to do during the planning process.

Over the past few years, we are seeing more and more couples getting married outside of religious institutions and ceremonies officiated by celebrants, lawyers or a friend who has gotten ordained.

Each ceremony ends up being so unique and different from one another which is a beautiful thing…. Continue reading

Sometimes having the responsibility of making sure a couple’s wedding goes off without a hitch can be quite overwhelming. My clients depend on me to make sure timing is adhered to, vendors execute and everything flows. As a wedding planner, 99 percent of the ownership of an event Is on you! It’s a lot of stress to carry.

What I find truly helps is to surround myself with the right people. Having a go-to handy solutions person around during an event set up is super important. Continue reading

Wedding Videography has come along way over the years. Gone are the days where videographers show up with huge pieces of machinery & big lights, where a couple receives a two -hour video edit, and pay a couple hundred dollars for full day coverage.

These days, professional wedding videographers create short indie films and barely carry anything more than a hand held.

So many people are tempted to cut this part out of their budget but to me, it’s a big no-no. Continue reading

As I approach our wedding date, all I can think about is how much is going on on the day of the wedding, how many people Jason & I will need to chat with (quick fact – did you know that if you have a 300 person wedding, you only have 1 minute to talk to each person assuming you are not doing anything else like eating, dancing, etc…..HOW CRAZY IS THAT?) and everything is going to fly by. At the end of the night, we’ll be left with a cold grilled cheese, almost-empty bottles of vodka, a depreciated bank account, and  a massive headache.  And of course, a natural high that is so intense, it could last weeks……and most importantly, a husband or wife.

But what happens two or three weeks after the wedding when the rush is all over and your wedding is ‘passé’??? You rely on one thing: the memories. Continue reading

Tonight, my first panic attack occurred. I’m getting married in 3 weeks!!!! Ok, fine – 3 weeks and 2 days!!!!! OMG!

I spent a few minutes trying to decipher my nervous state and figure out where this anxiety is stemming from.  Truthfully, my tolerance for stress is quite unbelievable –  I deal with a multitude of weddings, anxious grooms, nauseous brides and a trillion little details all day long every day and I always manage to keep my cool……minus a few bitch fests here and there.  I can’t really say I’m stressed about my wedding because I trust in my abilities and I know it will all fall into place but I guess what I am really feeling is the fact that there is so much going on right now, all at once, and I am scared that my big day will just come and go. And it will never happen again. Continue reading

When it comes to wedding food, couples always tell me that they want their cocktail & dessert stations to really ‘wow’ guests….In my opinion, every canapé\station\dish\dessert needs to have a ‘wow’ factor….how great is it to go to an event where even the salad is to-die-for?

Having established a superb menu for our main meal with Tuck Shop, Jason and I decided it was time to recruit some real local talent into  our cocktail hour and sweet table. Continue reading

When I first started doing weddings when I was 24, I would never eat. I would start my day at 6 am with an XL coffee and a Timmy’s bagel, then run around and work for 18 hours straight and maybe scoff down a few desserts from the Sweet Table.  Those were the good old skinny days….lol.

Then one summer, I realized that I had a lot more stamina and energy if I ate at least one full meal in that 18-hour span. The truth is, some of the best meals I have ever had have been at weddings. I now really consider myself a wedding food specialist. I can pretty much build menus for different couples knowing exactly what will please their crowd’s palates and what will impress them. I know that the Lebanese people don’t care for sushi stations, Jews don’t like anything they don’t recognize, Italians just want to see variety and Indians appreciate lots of veggie options. I know all the ins and outs of kosher, halal, and veganism. I can propose delicious meal replacements for a vegetarian who is gluten-free, doesn’t eat dairy and is allergic to nuts.

Continue reading

Brides & Grooms always tell me that they don’t want to spend much on their invitations. Though I am not a believer in ‘excess’ or too much ‘frou frou’, what we need to remember is that the invitation to your special day truly sets the tone of the wedding.

Invitations do not necessarily need to cost a fortune but what’s important is that time and attention is allocated to the process. To be honest, of all the elements to plan for a wedding, I hate the invitation process. The amount of hours it takes to make sure people’s lists are ok, rework them, write the text, proof the text with both families,  fix the design, change the design, adjust this, adjust that, the mailing process….it just so tedious and there is so much that can go wrong. Trust me, because we have literally been through it all – paper doesn’t arrive in time, the printer breaks, something is misspelled, invites are too big for the envelope, etc etc. etc.

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Years ago I planned an event for a special man who had access to one of the most breathtaking venues in this city to host an event.  We planned several incredible events there  and everytime, people’s jaws would drop as they entered the space. It was unlike any place I had ever seen….especially not in this city. I can’t tell you where it was but all you need to know is that it is not rentable at the moment…unfortunately. It was literally THE most spectacular event space and I was truly hoping to use it as my wedding venue.

Continue reading