Total Wedding Awesomeness

Yes, I realize that Awesomeness probably isn’t a word, but that’s ok.  I kind of feel like it is the best way to describe how I spent my Saturday this past weekend!

I was lucky enough to spend the day with The Wedding Ring at their booth at the Total Wedding Show at the International Centre in Mississaugua, Ontario.  (If you aren’t familiar with The Wedding Ring, you should check out their site here -> The Wedding Ring).  They feature all local vendors on their website, have an online community to chat with other brides, publish a magazine twice a year, and are really an all around fabulous group!  I used their site when I was getting married and researching vendors and I just kinda stayed in touch 😉

Here’s a photo of the booth before the show started –

Across from us was this booth ->

Photo booth courtesy of : http://www.bangaphoto.ca/

Yep, it’s called the Banga Booth!  Photo booths are SO much fun…I’m pretty sure that I can speak for everyone at the Wedding Ring booth (and the brides and grooms who took advantage!) that it added quite a bit of fun to our day!

And this is what you get after you take your pictures….an awesome memory to take home.

Obviously I was caught off guard a couple of times as you can see above…haha!  It was still fun!

Of course you can’t be at a bridal show without seeing some amazing dresses….and this one was my favourites.  🙂

Of course I couldn’t resist taking a picture of the kids and dog on the cat walk!!!!!!  LOVED THIS PART!

It was definitely an amazing day…although I think I could have done without the Violin version of Gangnam Style 5000 times!!!

Hahaha!

Have a fabulous day!!!!!!  xoxoxox

Danika

p.s. – Don’t forget to check out the Wedding Ring!!!!!

Wedding Invitation Wording

Image Source : http://www.theweddingco.com

Now here’s a topic that I’m sure everyone is REALLY excited about! Wording!!!

Mr and Mrs Smith request the honour of your presence….
Or should you request the pleasure of their company?
Perhaps you’d rather just tell your guests that you’re getting hitched and having a backyard party?

When it comes to wording, you’ll have to think about the style of event you are hosting. Will it be a formal affair with gowns and tuxedos? Are you having a casual backyard wedding where sundresses and khakis are more appropriate?

So much to think about right? Why yes, yes it is. Even though an invitation is “just a piece of paper” – please note to NEVER say this to your invitation designer 😉
An invitation communicates so much to your guests!

For example – if you’re having a casual backyard wedding, you probably wouldn’t send out something like this
->;

You can’t read the wording, but this one is extremely formal. What do I mean by that?

Well, the wording goes a little something like this:

Mr and Mrs Edward Cavanaugh
request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their daughter
Katherine Marie
to
Johnathan Marcus
son of Mr and Mrs Christopher Grayson

Saturday the twenty fourth of November
two thousand and twelve
Half past Three in the afternoon
Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church
Waterloo, Ontario

Dinner reception to follow
six o’clock in the evening
The Tannery Event Centre
Kitchener Ontario

Formal, right?

You’d probably want to send something a little more low key and most importantly FUN!

Like this perhaps?

This one is less formal, a little fun and incorporates the personality of the bride and groom.

“Together with their family and friends

Jackie & Craig

joyfully invite you to share in their

celebration of love, friendship, laughter, and family

as they exchange vows at the cottage.

…To be followed by an evening of food, music,

dancing, and laughter!

Guests are encouraged to dress for an outdoor ceremony and reception.

High heels and uncomfortable formal wear are not recommended.”

It all comes down to you. Yes, that’s right you. Your wedding, your wording. 🙂

*don’t forget about etiquette though* There will be another post about this coming soon!!!!

I think the point is that the wording (and the overall style) must reflect the event you are hosting.

I have lots of tips on this subject so if you are stumped, shoot me an e-mail. I can try to help!

As always – have a fabulous day!!!!

xo Danika

Confetti at your wedding?

Image Source : Polka Dot Bride

If you haven’t noticed by now, I LOVE photography…

I am constantly impressed with the shots photographers are able to captured.

Image Source : Snippet & Ink

This one below is one of my favourites!

Image Source : http://www.inspiredbythis.com/2010/08/inspired-by-colorful-confetti-for-weddings/

Image Source : http://www.inspiredbythis.com/2010/08/inspired-by-colorful-confetti-for-weddings/

This couple looks like they are having the time of their lives!!!!!!

Image Source : Snippet & Ink

Image Source : http://www.inspiredbythis.com/2010/08/inspired-by-colorful-confetti-for-weddings/

Yes, I know…super short post today.

I do hope you enjoyed the photos though!

Have a great Thursday!

xo Danika

Vintage love

Happy Friday!

It’s getting a little bit cooler out and a LOT closer to Christmas.  I am no where close to finished my shopping, and December 1st is tomorrow!  Seriously though, I love this time of year.  🙂  Christmas music, baking (more than I would like to admit!  haha!).  My three year old is so crazy excited, he can barely control himself.

With all of that, I thought I would take a step back (or ahead) in time and talk about a sweet summer wedding.  More specifically…a vintage inspired summer wedding.

Do you love vintage inspired weddings?

I for one am totally in LOVE with them. To me, the colours have such a romantic feel and when I came across this wedding, I felt like I wanted to get married all over again!

Everything about the wedding in these pictures screams love to me.

I can’t quite decide which is my favourite detail…I love the table numbers….

Image Source: http://www.blovedweddings.com

The dresses are soft and perfectly co-ordinated with the decor of the wedding.

Image Source: http://www.blovedweddings.com

The centrepieces are to die for…

Image Source: http://www.blovedweddings.com

I kind of think the seating chart is my favourite little detail though…..

Image Source: http://www.blovedweddings.com

Have a fabulous Friday!!

xo Danika

What’s your wedding style?

A friend of mine recently shared this photo with me.

Gorgeous, isn’t it?  An intimate garden wedding….ahhhhhh…I think this is perfection.  Romantic, intimate, casual.

Image Source: Holly Mathis Interiors

Have you though about how you would like your guests to describe your wedding?

That’s a loaded question, isn’t it?

If you’re getting married, I’m guessing you’ve probably spent hours scouring the internet trying to find a style that fits your personality.  I know I did when I was getting married.

Once you figure out your wedding style, then comes the real work.  Usually the dress, venue, photographers, and invitations are on your mind first, right?  (If you’d like some recommendations, check out our website at http://www.uptowndesigns.ca for our trusted list of vendors!)

When you start thinking about your invitations , you should try to figure out what you want your invitation to convey to your guests.  From the invitation, they should get an idea of what style of wedding you are having, which will help them decide what they should wear!

The invitation below was designed for an intimate wedding that was being held at an Italian restaurant.

This was designed for a couple having an intimate wedding at an Italian restaurant.

This invitation would also work for a wedding in a barn like this one ->

Image Source Glitterandgoldblog.com

Kind of perfect, wouldn’t you say?
I thought so too!  🙂

Make sure your wedding style is yours though!  Your wedding day is probably going to be one of the most important AND memorable days of your life.  Make it you….
Have a fabulous Saturday!

xo Danika

Are Custom Invitations right for you?

Happy Monday!!!!!!!

Who loves paper?  I do, I do!  That’s right, and this post is near and dear to my little heart.  It combines two things I love…paper and numbers.  Haha!  Yep, that’s right folks.  I’m a bit of a numbers nerd as well as a paper lover(AKA paper nerd)!

One of our recent designs here at Uptown Designs

Today we’re talking about budgets! Super exciting for me! Not so fun for many others, but just like every other detail, budgeting can be so important when it comes to your wedding.

Have you considered the options available? I’m thinking there are probably more than you think and today that is exactly what we’re talking about.  Most people underestimate the costs for good stationery – I mean it’s just paper, right?  Wrong.  And please, please don’t ever say something like this to a designer!  I feel a little stab in my heart every time I hear those words!  Stationery designers pour their heart and soul into every design to make you, the bride and groom, happy.

First you’ll have to figure out your stationery budget – when considering how much you want to spend, think about save the dates, invitations, table numbers, place cards, favour tags, donation cards, seating chart, and thank you cards.  While you don’t necessarily need all of those items,  you should think about what you can’t live without as well as some things that you would like to have. One thing to keep in mind is that some stationery designers will give a discount when you order day of stationery along with your invitations (we do this!).

Image Source : Taos Gifts

Once you figure out what your budget, the next step is to figure out what you would love to have in an invitation and see how to get everything that you would like.

Option 1 – Custom.  This of course is my favourite option because you will have such a fabulous piece of stationery that will incorporate your wedding vision and colours.  The best part?  Your guests will remember your invitations!!  If this is the route you are going, you would usually meet with a local designer to discuss the vision you have for your invitations.  Most stationers will also talk to you about your budget and can make suggestions so you can stay close to or within your budget while getting what you want out of your stationery.  They should definitely have samples from their portfolio (if not one of every invitation they’ve ever made) as well as all kinds of paper samples so you can see the fancy papers available for your invitations!
The designer would typically provide a quote within a few days and in most cases a deposit is required and then the designing begins! 

This bride and groom had a caricature drawn of the two of them, which was printed on the front of their invitation and the bride chose a patterned envelope liner to match her envelope!  (we can print the liners in almost any colour!)

Option 2 – Online shops.  There are a several different websites out there that have pre designed invitations for you to choose from.  Most of the time you can choose the colour of your ink, but the design would not be able to be changed. 

Option 3 – DIY.  If you are choosing this option because you love to DIY, then this may be right for you!  If you are going this route because you are trying to save money, you may want to consider everything that goes into an invitation.  Design time you will spend, paper – pretty paper isn’t cheap people!, printing, assembly time.  A little food for thought when it comes to DIY?  Most people need to purchase about 30% more supplies than expected and twice as much time as predicted.  Between the amount of time you will spend and the extra supplies you will need, your DIY venture will most likely be almost as much as the custom route!

Who knows – you might end up with an invitation like this one….

What do you think?

Image Source : http://weddingdresse5.blogspot.ca/2009/12/is-this-worst-wedding-invite-ever-or.html

Have a fabulous day!!!

xo Danika

Cupcakes and roses…a perfectly delectable combination!

I keep thinking today should be Friday.  This week just seems to be dragging on and on and on….maybe it has something to do with the fact that my head is so stuffy I feel like I’m living in a daze.  Haha!

The weather has gotten quite a bit cooler this week and sweater weather is definitely on it’s way!  (I kinda love sweater weather because that means it’s SOUP weather – I LOVE soup!)

My husband on the other hand love anything with sugar, which brings me to the whole theme of this particular post.

CUPCAKES.

Actually…it’s more like cupcakes + flowers = the most delectable centre pieces I have ever come across.

How gorgeous is this mantle?  I know – no cupcakes, but those are on the tables.  There’s no use wasting yummy goodness on a mantle, right?!

Image Source : Glamour and Grace
Photograph taken by : Melissa Moss Photography

I came across this wedding while reading Glamour and Grace’s blog. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you probably should! Anyway…..after glimpsing this picture, I knew I had to see more. As if this little cake (or in this case cupcake) topper of a bride and groom on a bicycle isn’t cute enough, wait until you see the way this bride incorporated dessert and flowers into her centrepieces!

Image Source: Glamour and Grace
Photographs taken by Marissa Moss Photography

Just like most of us, this particular bride was trying to stick to her budget, which isn’t always easy when you’re planning a wedding!

She stuck to her guns and got seriously creative.  She found a way to incorporate her desserts and flowers into her centrepieces.  She enlisted the help of her friends to scour the state for Opulent Treasures cupcake stands and with the help of her florist and baker, they came up with these scrumptious centrepieces.

Image Source: Glamour and Grace
Photographs taken by Marissa Moss Photography

I hope I haven’t made you too hungry this morning…

Have a fabulous day!

xo Danika

Rain, rain, don’t go away quite yet……

Sounds odd to say, right? Especially on your wedding day?

The thing is that if you have a super fabulous photographer, then you are in luck. Yes, I know getting wet can be a little frustrating when you’re hair is done, make up is done, and you’re probably wearing the most beautiful gown you’ll wear in your life. The fact is that the memories you can capture with a little rain are phenomenal.

Take these photos for example ->;;;

Image Source : onewed.com

Are you in love with the colourful umbrellas as much as I am?

Photographers are like artists…teditions the best lighting to take your pictures in and can edit your photos to create the most amazing memories of your wedding day!

Like this one ->;;;

Image Source : Andrew Scott Photography

Can you imagine how perfect the timing had to be to get this one???

Image Photography by Martine Sansoucy

I’ve shown you this one before, but I LOVE IT!

Image Source : Flash Flavour

And if you’re a prepared bride, you may end up with some pictures of matching rain boots, although mis-matched is more fun in my humble opinion!!!!!

Image Source : Modern Weddings Hawaii

Image Source : http://www.shefinds.com

I hope I haven’t overwhelmed you with pictures, but I can’t get enough of wedding day shots with rain.

Have a fabulous day! (even though it’s miserable out!!)

xo Danika

Chopped Challenge for the bride and groom……

Yes, you heard correctly!  Chopped challenge.  If you watch the food Network, then you’ll know what I’m talking about.

This post isn’t really about going on a tv show before your big day though…it’s about a slightly different idea for your guest book.

I know I’ve written about guest books before and I am ALWAYS looking for new ideas for this particular wedding tradition.  The days of the good old guest book are on their way out (hopefully!).  No offense to anyone who is going that route, but I know myself, that book would be covered in dust never to be opened again.

Enough about me….this is my new favourite guest book idea!

Image Source : Life in the Greenhouse

You may have seen this idea before…you may have seen these at a bridal shower or read about a “Date night jar” on someone’s blog.  Either way, it’s a pretty fun way for your guests to leave some cool ideas for your coming year(s) together.

The idea is pretty simple.  Red popsicle sticks for a potentially expensive date (think weekend away at a winery, bed and breakfast, dinner at your favourite restaurant) I’m sure you get the idea.  Pink popsicle sticks would be for a date night out that is a little less costly (dinner and a movie, night at the drive in, mini-putt).  The third popsicle option would be for a stay at home date that may require a little planning – this is where the chopped challenge fits in, you could also do popcorn and a Sons of Anarchy marathon (at least that’s what it would be in my house), pizza and board games, etc.

Such a fun idea and if you’re already married with children like I am, this is a pretty great idea to keep the date nights happening!!!

Have a fabulous Thursday!!
xo Danika

 

Wildflowers and burlap

Well, I’m back from vacation, back to the grind…and to start the week I am SUPER excited about sharing my friend Jackie’s wedding invitations with you!

I was thrilled when Jackie asked me to design her wedding stationery earlier on this year.  Honestly though, I was a little nervous as well because I just wanted to make sure she was happy!

Jackie was having an intimate lakeside wedding in Ontario and wanted her wedding stationery to match her vision with wildflowers and the colour of burlap incorporated into the design so here is what we came up with:

Jackie wanted to put together something special for her guests as favours and came with with the idea of a family recipe.  I designed the cards to match her stationery, which she attached to a little burlap sack with some ribbon and they turned out so adorable.

Image Source : http://www.angelasmith.ca/

Jackie is a local florist (http://www.flowerstudiodesigns.ca/) so I knew her bouquets and arrangement would reflect her personality perfectly.

Image Source : http://www.angelasmith.ca

The brides bouquet……..

Image Source : http://www.angelasmith.ca

Jackie’s photographer is the extremely talented Angela Smith of Angela Smith photography and you can see her full post on Jackie’s wedding here.  (Ange was my wedding photographer as well!)

Thank you again Jackie for letting me play such a small part in your day!  I wish you and Craig the best!!!!!!!

xo Danika