Vendors
Pictures and some more information on the new married bio!
Church
St. Patrick's Catholic Church
141 McCaul Street
Toronto, ON
Father Mick Fleming
http://stpatrickstoronto.wordpress.com/
REVIEW: St. Patrick's immediately accepted us into their parish. Our marriage prep course was quick and easy and not expensive ($80), and we will continue going there from now on! Father Mick was INCREDIBLE! He gave such a nice homily and put so much effort into making the ceremony personalized. We had so many comments on what a great ceremony it was (even while being a full mass Catholic service), and how they loved the priest. He even came by after to the reception and took pictures, danced, talked to everyone - he is a party animal!!!
141 McCaul Street
Toronto, ON
Father Mick Fleming
http://stpatrickstoronto.wordpress.com/
REVIEW: St. Patrick's immediately accepted us into their parish. Our marriage prep course was quick and easy and not expensive ($80), and we will continue going there from now on! Father Mick was INCREDIBLE! He gave such a nice homily and put so much effort into making the ceremony personalized. We had so many comments on what a great ceremony it was (even while being a full mass Catholic service), and how they loved the priest. He even came by after to the reception and took pictures, danced, talked to everyone - he is a party animal!!!
Reception
The Fairmont Royal York
Imperial Room
100 Front Street West
Toronto, ON
http://www.fairmont.com/RoyalYork
Used for cocktail hour, reception, and overnight accommodations
REVIEW: The Royal York did an incredible job. We met with our sales manager, Anita, way back in June 2009. She showed us a room for our guest count - the Imperial Room, where she got married herself, and we fell in love. She was very good at answering questions honestly and working with us. The contract was straight forward - minimum dollar amount (which was not very high - easy to achieve with our guest numbers), deposit up front, the rest a few weeks before the date when the head count is confirmed. When we were done with the contract, we moved to a banquet manager, Carole. She has done a lot of weddings, so was very knowledgeable and helpful throughout the year. She is busy, as she had many weddings going on well before ours, so a bit hard to get a hold of during the year, but when it came down to the few months before, she really went above and beyond our expectations. Our food tasting in June was SO GOOD, and there were so many food options to choose from - so much flexibility. For the day of, Carole upgraded our Bridal Suite to the Prime Minister's Suite - luckily Stephen Harper was not in town and it was open! It was HUGE, and beautiful. She also sent up champagne and chocolate covered strawberries for the night. The hotel accommodated all requests for early check-ins and room requirements, and made everyone feel welcome. They even did a room drop, with no charge, for our welcome bags for the hotel guests. Carole worked with my dad to make sure setup went well while we were at the salon, and everything was perfect. We had access to the rooftop herb garden and 19th floor for pictures, everything was served on time, and we had rave reviews for all the food. The bar and food staff worked quickly for our thirsty and hungry guests, and they were very polite and knowledgeable. The staff cut our cake and preserved the top tier for us. Everything was setup as I asked! The entire night was wonderful! We had brunch the next morning and York's kitchen in the hotel and that was great too. Great great great! We even get a percentage of what we spent back towards a "honeymoon" - any 3 day trip within the next year at a Fairmont. So we get a free 3-night trip to probably Montreal or Quebec City (we can go anywhere, but it won't be free if we have to pay for a flight) in the Spring!
Imperial Room
100 Front Street West
Toronto, ON
http://www.fairmont.com/RoyalYork
Used for cocktail hour, reception, and overnight accommodations
REVIEW: The Royal York did an incredible job. We met with our sales manager, Anita, way back in June 2009. She showed us a room for our guest count - the Imperial Room, where she got married herself, and we fell in love. She was very good at answering questions honestly and working with us. The contract was straight forward - minimum dollar amount (which was not very high - easy to achieve with our guest numbers), deposit up front, the rest a few weeks before the date when the head count is confirmed. When we were done with the contract, we moved to a banquet manager, Carole. She has done a lot of weddings, so was very knowledgeable and helpful throughout the year. She is busy, as she had many weddings going on well before ours, so a bit hard to get a hold of during the year, but when it came down to the few months before, she really went above and beyond our expectations. Our food tasting in June was SO GOOD, and there were so many food options to choose from - so much flexibility. For the day of, Carole upgraded our Bridal Suite to the Prime Minister's Suite - luckily Stephen Harper was not in town and it was open! It was HUGE, and beautiful. She also sent up champagne and chocolate covered strawberries for the night. The hotel accommodated all requests for early check-ins and room requirements, and made everyone feel welcome. They even did a room drop, with no charge, for our welcome bags for the hotel guests. Carole worked with my dad to make sure setup went well while we were at the salon, and everything was perfect. We had access to the rooftop herb garden and 19th floor for pictures, everything was served on time, and we had rave reviews for all the food. The bar and food staff worked quickly for our thirsty and hungry guests, and they were very polite and knowledgeable. The staff cut our cake and preserved the top tier for us. Everything was setup as I asked! The entire night was wonderful! We had brunch the next morning and York's kitchen in the hotel and that was great too. Great great great! We even get a percentage of what we spent back towards a "honeymoon" - any 3 day trip within the next year at a Fairmont. So we get a free 3-night trip to probably Montreal or Quebec City (we can go anywhere, but it won't be free if we have to pay for a flight) in the Spring!
Ceremony Musician
Jill Daley - Violinist
Toronto, ON
http://www.jilldaley.ca/
REVIEW: Sadly I didn't even get to meet Jill on the day of! She played BEAUTIFULLY, however. She has a very broad range of music knowledge and she is very familiar with many types of church services & weddings. She worked with me to create a beautiful playlist for all aspects of the ceremony and gave me her honest opinion about song choices. Matt said she was very nice, polite, and agreed that she played beautifully. She is reasonably priced and will travel. We only used her for the ceremony, but she does receptions as well.
Toronto, ON
http://www.jilldaley.ca/
REVIEW: Sadly I didn't even get to meet Jill on the day of! She played BEAUTIFULLY, however. She has a very broad range of music knowledge and she is very familiar with many types of church services & weddings. She worked with me to create a beautiful playlist for all aspects of the ceremony and gave me her honest opinion about song choices. Matt said she was very nice, polite, and agreed that she played beautifully. She is reasonably priced and will travel. We only used her for the ceremony, but she does receptions as well.
Photography
Primary Shooter: Joni Allardyce
Mississauga, ON
http://www.joniallardyce.com/
Used for engagement photo shoot and wedding pictures, and she will travel.
Secondary Shooter: Erin Blinn
Texas, USA
http://www.erinblinn.com/
REVIEW: Well I might be a bit bias in this review since Joni is Matt's cousin, but that doesn't take away from the fact that she is (and always has been) an incredible photographer. I met Erin only two days before at the rehearsal, but she immediately immersed herself in our crazy families and fit right in. They were both incredible on the day of - they took over 2000 pictures between the two of them, gave great direction, and also let us do our own thing when we wanted. They have a gift of finding the perfect lighting, background, and poses to great beautiful pictures. Check out Erin's teaser pics for us on her blog at: http://erinblinn.squarespace.com/journal/2010/8/15/matt-and-kathleen-married-in-downtown-toronto-texas-wedding.html. Both are highly recommended - Joni for the GTA and Erin for Texas! There are also pics that Joni took of our engagement and other random times on this bio!
Mississauga, ON
http://www.joniallardyce.com/
Used for engagement photo shoot and wedding pictures, and she will travel.
Secondary Shooter: Erin Blinn
Texas, USA
http://www.erinblinn.com/
REVIEW: Well I might be a bit bias in this review since Joni is Matt's cousin, but that doesn't take away from the fact that she is (and always has been) an incredible photographer. I met Erin only two days before at the rehearsal, but she immediately immersed herself in our crazy families and fit right in. They were both incredible on the day of - they took over 2000 pictures between the two of them, gave great direction, and also let us do our own thing when we wanted. They have a gift of finding the perfect lighting, background, and poses to great beautiful pictures. Check out Erin's teaser pics for us on her blog at: http://erinblinn.squarespace.com/journal/2010/8/15/matt-and-kathleen-married-in-downtown-toronto-texas-wedding.html. Both are highly recommended - Joni for the GTA and Erin for Texas! There are also pics that Joni took of our engagement and other random times on this bio!
Transportation
Erin Mills Limo
Mississauga, ON
http://www.erinmillslimo.com/
REVIEW: The limo arrived early for us, the driver knew the way around the city, and was very polite. He waited at the church during the ceremony (didn't drive off anywhere else in between in case we needed him), and they had a pretty good price for a wedding limo. There was champagne in the limo, great music playing, and a little red carpet for us! Erin Mills Limo (our contact was Mary) worked with us, and was very timely in email responses and adding details to our contract when needed.
Mississauga, ON
http://www.erinmillslimo.com/
REVIEW: The limo arrived early for us, the driver knew the way around the city, and was very polite. He waited at the church during the ceremony (didn't drive off anywhere else in between in case we needed him), and they had a pretty good price for a wedding limo. There was champagne in the limo, great music playing, and a little red carpet for us! Erin Mills Limo (our contact was Mary) worked with us, and was very timely in email responses and adding details to our contract when needed.
Floral
Audrey's Flowers
Scarborough, ON
http://www.audreysflowers.com/
Used for engagement party arrangements, bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, ceremony arrangements, cake & card box table, centerpieces!
REVIEW: Audrey's flowers is great! Our contact was Cheryl (who is a friend's mom), and she was so patient and nice the entire time we worked with her. She had so many ideas and got immediately the "look" we were going for. She added some finishing touches to make everything come together, like a sprig of blue orchid to tie in the navy theme, wrapped pearls and crystals around the centerpieces and bouquets, and crystals on the arrangements to add some glitz - I loved everything - she even added beautiful flowers around the cake! She had great prices and was very accommodating for myself and my mom's schedules - highly recommended!
Scarborough, ON
http://www.audreysflowers.com/
Used for engagement party arrangements, bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, ceremony arrangements, cake & card box table, centerpieces!
REVIEW: Audrey's flowers is great! Our contact was Cheryl (who is a friend's mom), and she was so patient and nice the entire time we worked with her. She had so many ideas and got immediately the "look" we were going for. She added some finishing touches to make everything come together, like a sprig of blue orchid to tie in the navy theme, wrapped pearls and crystals around the centerpieces and bouquets, and crystals on the arrangements to add some glitz - I loved everything - she even added beautiful flowers around the cake! She had great prices and was very accommodating for myself and my mom's schedules - highly recommended!
Decor
Fantaskik Trading
Mississauga, ON
http://www.fantastiktrading.com/
Used for linens, chair covers, cake & card box table, head table decor
UN-REVIEW: We looked at a lot of decor places - we started with "Under Wraps" - NOT RECOMMENDED - please do not use - they just want your money and were very rude after our initial meeting. They continually called Matt after our meeting to try and get his credit card info, and they wouldn't give us a breakdown of prices (they just gave us an overall quote). They told us the head table decor was $600 - we just wanted tableclothes & some swag - they just said "that's how much it costs for head tables!" We also looked at "Have a Seat" - they had nice stuff, but they were out of our price range and not very helpful.
REVIEW: Fantastik Trading was great! Granted the showroom is a bit cluttered and crazy, but the quality of linens and decor work they did was great! We rented a pewter & crystal cake platter, 160 ivory chair covers, and ivory damask tablecloths in various sizes. Our contact was Fanny, and she was very helpful. The only thing is that you need to go into the store to discuss - they don't do too much via email. They arrived really early to get things up, did the head table decor, and even put all the basic linens on the tables (the hotel staff was going to do that for them). We loved the room setup and they have incredible prices!
Mississauga, ON
http://www.fantastiktrading.com/
Used for linens, chair covers, cake & card box table, head table decor
UN-REVIEW: We looked at a lot of decor places - we started with "Under Wraps" - NOT RECOMMENDED - please do not use - they just want your money and were very rude after our initial meeting. They continually called Matt after our meeting to try and get his credit card info, and they wouldn't give us a breakdown of prices (they just gave us an overall quote). They told us the head table decor was $600 - we just wanted tableclothes & some swag - they just said "that's how much it costs for head tables!" We also looked at "Have a Seat" - they had nice stuff, but they were out of our price range and not very helpful.
REVIEW: Fantastik Trading was great! Granted the showroom is a bit cluttered and crazy, but the quality of linens and decor work they did was great! We rented a pewter & crystal cake platter, 160 ivory chair covers, and ivory damask tablecloths in various sizes. Our contact was Fanny, and she was very helpful. The only thing is that you need to go into the store to discuss - they don't do too much via email. They arrived really early to get things up, did the head table decor, and even put all the basic linens on the tables (the hotel staff was going to do that for them). We loved the room setup and they have incredible prices!
Cake
The Cake and Sweets Designer
Daniela Mier
Mississauga, ON
http://www.cakensdesigner.com/
REVIEW: Daniela was great to work with! She works out of a huge bakery right in her house (I know, incredible), and invited us over to try some cake and get some ideas going. She made our cake exactly from the Martha Stewart Weddings picture we gave her, but she has a lot of ideas if you don't know exactly what you want as well. She has many different tier molds, so you can get various heights and shapes. She also does multiple flavours of cake, buttercream, and filling for one cake. She has the cutest cupcakes and cookies as well!
Daniela Mier
Mississauga, ON
http://www.cakensdesigner.com/
REVIEW: Daniela was great to work with! She works out of a huge bakery right in her house (I know, incredible), and invited us over to try some cake and get some ideas going. She made our cake exactly from the Martha Stewart Weddings picture we gave her, but she has a lot of ideas if you don't know exactly what you want as well. She has many different tier molds, so you can get various heights and shapes. She also does multiple flavours of cake, buttercream, and filling for one cake. She has the cutest cupcakes and cookies as well!
Reception Music
Graffiti Park - used for reception
Toronto, ON
http://graffitipark.net/
Discovered through Brian Pombiere Entertainment
http://www.bpliventertainment.com/home.cfm
John Campbell - used for cocktail hour
Toronto, ON
http://johncampbellmusic.ca/
REVIEW: Can I just say: WOW. I had SOOOO many people (even random hotel guests who heard them from the lobby) come and ask us who the band was, and if they can get a business card from them!!! Graffiti Park was INCREDIBLE! Their band leader, Kojo, was so friendly and helpful. We first saw them play at Alley Catz up at Yonge & Eglinton over a year ago, and wanted them to play at our wedding immediately. We signed a contract, and even went back as a surprise on my birthday, and they played our future wedding song as the first song in the set because Matt told them we were coming!). At the wedding cocktail hour, Kojo hired out an amazing pianist and singer named John Campbell - he kind of sounds like Seal and he played a great set! During the ceremony, the band came on early to sing our wedding song LIVE before dinner and their time to start even began. They played 3 sets and everyone was dancing the whole time. Even at the end when it was 15 minutes past the end time, they played one more "Don't Stop Believing" and didn't mind when we all went on the stage to sing into the mics and dance around. They were SO GOOD. I want to have another party just to have them play again! BOTH JOHN AND GRAFFITI PARK VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Toronto, ON
http://graffitipark.net/
Discovered through Brian Pombiere Entertainment
http://www.bpliventertainment.com/home.cfm
John Campbell - used for cocktail hour
Toronto, ON
http://johncampbellmusic.ca/
REVIEW: Can I just say: WOW. I had SOOOO many people (even random hotel guests who heard them from the lobby) come and ask us who the band was, and if they can get a business card from them!!! Graffiti Park was INCREDIBLE! Their band leader, Kojo, was so friendly and helpful. We first saw them play at Alley Catz up at Yonge & Eglinton over a year ago, and wanted them to play at our wedding immediately. We signed a contract, and even went back as a surprise on my birthday, and they played our future wedding song as the first song in the set because Matt told them we were coming!). At the wedding cocktail hour, Kojo hired out an amazing pianist and singer named John Campbell - he kind of sounds like Seal and he played a great set! During the ceremony, the band came on early to sing our wedding song LIVE before dinner and their time to start even began. They played 3 sets and everyone was dancing the whole time. Even at the end when it was 15 minutes past the end time, they played one more "Don't Stop Believing" and didn't mind when we all went on the stage to sing into the mics and dance around. They were SO GOOD. I want to have another party just to have them play again! BOTH JOHN AND GRAFFITI PARK VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Invitations
Impress Invitations - Marta Taylor
Durham Region, ON
Website: http://www.impressinvitations.com/Home.html
Phone: 289.385.2892
Used for engagement party invitations, wedding invitations plus all the inserts, wedding ceremony programs
Paper: Paperland - http://www.paperland.ca/
Envelopes: Fancy Paper - http://www.fancypaper.ca/
Graphic Designer: Kimberly Jamieson - http://www.kdesigns.ca/
REVIEW: I only worked with Marta directly - she used Paperland and Kimberly for paper supplies and graphic designs, but you can contact Marta for more details on them if you'd like. Marta was incredible to work with - she was patient with all my ummms and ahhhs and indecision, and really helped me designed invites and stationary I loved. I got a lot of praise for the invitations when we first sent them out. Marta then continued to make the ceremony programs (fans, and she assembled them all as well - that was very appreciated), and print me out all the menus and table names for the reception. She has great prices and has so many creative ideas to inspire any bride. She is very highly recommended!!!
Durham Region, ON
Website: http://www.impressinvitations.com/Home.html
Phone: 289.385.2892
Used for engagement party invitations, wedding invitations plus all the inserts, wedding ceremony programs
Paper: Paperland - http://www.paperland.ca/
Envelopes: Fancy Paper - http://www.fancypaper.ca/
Graphic Designer: Kimberly Jamieson - http://www.kdesigns.ca/
REVIEW: I only worked with Marta directly - she used Paperland and Kimberly for paper supplies and graphic designs, but you can contact Marta for more details on them if you'd like. Marta was incredible to work with - she was patient with all my ummms and ahhhs and indecision, and really helped me designed invites and stationary I loved. I got a lot of praise for the invitations when we first sent them out. Marta then continued to make the ceremony programs (fans, and she assembled them all as well - that was very appreciated), and print me out all the menus and table names for the reception. She has great prices and has so many creative ideas to inspire any bride. She is very highly recommended!!!
Favours
Wedding Favours Canada
Website: http://www.weddingfavours.ca/
Bought personalized coffee, tea, & cocoa all online!
REVIEW: This website was easy to use and personalize, and they have a lot of favour choices. Good prices and quick delivery!
Website: http://www.weddingfavours.ca/
Bought personalized coffee, tea, & cocoa all online!
REVIEW: This website was easy to use and personalize, and they have a lot of favour choices. Good prices and quick delivery!
Girls Attire
Becker's Bridal - Toronto, Dress - Pronovias "Rosana" in Ivory (bride)
The Dressroom - Toronto, Dress - Dessy # 2058 in Midnight (bridesmaids)
*Becker's and The Dressroom are sister stores - owned by the same people!*
http://www.beckersbridals.com/index.html
Vogue Sposa - Toronto (Mother of the Bride)
http://www.voguesposa.ca/
REVIEW: All of these stores were great with customer service and timeliness. They told us about 8 weeks for the dresses and we got them in 4 or 5. My dress was also very early - so I didn't have to worry about it as the date approached. I didn't do any alterations at Becker's or The Dressroom, but you can do it there if you want. If you take it elsewhere, you get 10% off your dress purchase. The salesgirls were really helpful with choosing sizes and styles that flattered both myself and the bridesmaids. At Vogue Sposa, my mom worked with Eunice. She was so helpful and really made my mom feel great about her dress choices - she bought the rehearsal dinner dress and the mother of the bride dress there! All highly recommended!
The Dressroom - Toronto, Dress - Dessy # 2058 in Midnight (bridesmaids)
*Becker's and The Dressroom are sister stores - owned by the same people!*
http://www.beckersbridals.com/index.html
Vogue Sposa - Toronto (Mother of the Bride)
http://www.voguesposa.ca/
REVIEW: All of these stores were great with customer service and timeliness. They told us about 8 weeks for the dresses and we got them in 4 or 5. My dress was also very early - so I didn't have to worry about it as the date approached. I didn't do any alterations at Becker's or The Dressroom, but you can do it there if you want. If you take it elsewhere, you get 10% off your dress purchase. The salesgirls were really helpful with choosing sizes and styles that flattered both myself and the bridesmaids. At Vogue Sposa, my mom worked with Eunice. She was so helpful and really made my mom feel great about her dress choices - she bought the rehearsal dinner dress and the mother of the bride dress there! All highly recommended!
Boys Attire
Freeman Formalware - Toronto (groom & groomsmen)
http://www.freemanformal.com/
Syd Silver - Father of the Bride
http://sydsilver.com/ - but they are going out of business!
REVIEW: Matt said that at the Freeman Formalware warehouse, they had very good service, good quality clothes, and very quick. The boys went in around Christmas to get fitted, and picked up their stuff the day before the wedding. The only issue is that there aren't very many store locations where you can actually try the stuff on. They have all the catalogues at Tip Top Taylor, etc., but if you want to try stuff on and look at styles, you need to find an actual Freeman store. There happened to be one about 20 minutes from us, so we lucked out.
http://www.freemanformal.com/
Syd Silver - Father of the Bride
http://sydsilver.com/ - but they are going out of business!
REVIEW: Matt said that at the Freeman Formalware warehouse, they had very good service, good quality clothes, and very quick. The boys went in around Christmas to get fitted, and picked up their stuff the day before the wedding. The only issue is that there aren't very many store locations where you can actually try the stuff on. They have all the catalogues at Tip Top Taylor, etc., but if you want to try stuff on and look at styles, you need to find an actual Freeman store. There happened to be one about 20 minutes from us, so we lucked out.
Hair
Salon Liberte - Toronto
Stylist: Jeremy (bride), Chako (bridesmaids, mother of the bride), Curtis (bridesmaids)
http://www.salonliberte.com/
REVIEW: This is my mom's usual salon, and she goes to Chako. She was nice enough to hold the date for all of us girls and work that day even though she was leaving for a big trip the following day! Jeremy worked with me to get the clip-in extensions - he bought them for me, but unfortunately they were too golden for my hair. He highlighted and added clips, but the colour just wouldn't work. He didn't charge me for them, and took me one day to some beauty supply places were we found the perfect match! He spent that weekend getting all the clips ready (the week before the wedding). The day of was great - everyone was on time and worked well with all the bridesmaids. I absolutely LOVED my hair - it was exactly what I wanted! This is a great salon with a great staff!!!
Stylist: Jeremy (bride), Chako (bridesmaids, mother of the bride), Curtis (bridesmaids)
http://www.salonliberte.com/
REVIEW: This is my mom's usual salon, and she goes to Chako. She was nice enough to hold the date for all of us girls and work that day even though she was leaving for a big trip the following day! Jeremy worked with me to get the clip-in extensions - he bought them for me, but unfortunately they were too golden for my hair. He highlighted and added clips, but the colour just wouldn't work. He didn't charge me for them, and took me one day to some beauty supply places were we found the perfect match! He spent that weekend getting all the clips ready (the week before the wedding). The day of was great - everyone was on time and worked well with all the bridesmaids. I absolutely LOVED my hair - it was exactly what I wanted! This is a great salon with a great staff!!!
Makeup
M.A.C. - Christina Maccagnano & Zenah - Toronto
http://www.maccosmetics.ca/
REVIEW: I went to Christina for my trial in April and she did a great job - a soft bridal look with some browns & smokey eyes. Unfortunately she pinched a nerve in her back the day before the wedding and got her friend Zenah to do our makeup. I was a bit worried, but I was ultimately blown away. Zenah did an INCREDIBLE job on our makeup - very dramatic, lots of makeup, and she adjusted my look for a more bronzy-coppery look which is exactly what I wanted (hard to do in April with Christina when I was pale skinned - wouldn't have looked right). She brought tons of makeup and lashes for us, and they have a 60% discount from MAC if you want to purchase anything ahead of time! They are both great - send me a comment or message if you want their contact info! Both great makeup artists!
http://www.maccosmetics.ca/
REVIEW: I went to Christina for my trial in April and she did a great job - a soft bridal look with some browns & smokey eyes. Unfortunately she pinched a nerve in her back the day before the wedding and got her friend Zenah to do our makeup. I was a bit worried, but I was ultimately blown away. Zenah did an INCREDIBLE job on our makeup - very dramatic, lots of makeup, and she adjusted my look for a more bronzy-coppery look which is exactly what I wanted (hard to do in April with Christina when I was pale skinned - wouldn't have looked right). She brought tons of makeup and lashes for us, and they have a 60% discount from MAC if you want to purchase anything ahead of time! They are both great - send me a comment or message if you want their contact info! Both great makeup artists!
Shoes & Accessories
Shoes - Brown's Shoes - Toronto
http://www.brownsshoes.com
Purse - Union Station Kiosk (right in the subway station!)
Hair Flower - Etsy - Tztudio
http://tztudio.com
Earrings - Etsy - PrimandPosies
http://www.etsy.com/shop/PrimandPosies
Boy's Cufflinks - Etsy - Waxwing Jewelry
REVIEW: All sellers on Etsy were great - very quick with sending my flower and earrings and such great quality! Be careful though, Etsy is a very addictive website!
http://www.brownsshoes.com
Purse - Union Station Kiosk (right in the subway station!)
Hair Flower - Etsy - Tztudio
http://tztudio.com
Earrings - Etsy - PrimandPosies
http://www.etsy.com/shop/PrimandPosies
Boy's Cufflinks - Etsy - Waxwing Jewelry
REVIEW: All sellers on Etsy were great - very quick with sending my flower and earrings and such great quality! Be careful though, Etsy is a very addictive website!
Dress Alterations
Irene's Studio - Toronto
http://www.irenesstudio.com/
REVIEW: I love Irene! She did such an amazing job with my dress! You have to trust her - she's been doing this for a LONG time, so if you want something done YOUR way, she is probably not the person to go to. She knows what she is doing, and she has her methods. She took many lace making courses when she was growing up, so is a lace EXPERT! She has a wall of happy bride pictures in her studio to show off her amazing work - great price too!
http://www.irenesstudio.com/
REVIEW: I love Irene! She did such an amazing job with my dress! You have to trust her - she's been doing this for a LONG time, so if you want something done YOUR way, she is probably not the person to go to. She knows what she is doing, and she has her methods. She took many lace making courses when she was growing up, so is a lace EXPERT! She has a wall of happy bride pictures in her studio to show off her amazing work - great price too!
Wedding Bands
Tiffany - Simon Kwong - Yorkville
http://www.tiffany.ca/
REVIEW: Tiffany, and Simon specifically, were great to work with for our rings. Simon was welcoming and happy and very funny. He got what we wanted, and really helped Matt when he was picking out our engagement rings. Everything was ready very quickly! I can't say that the prices were amazing, because you are paying for the name and very high quality platinum and diamonds, but we love all of our rings (and some other jewelry we have purchased over the years)!
http://www.tiffany.ca/
REVIEW: Tiffany, and Simon specifically, were great to work with for our rings. Simon was welcoming and happy and very funny. He got what we wanted, and really helped Matt when he was picking out our engagement rings. Everything was ready very quickly! I can't say that the prices were amazing, because you are paying for the name and very high quality platinum and diamonds, but we love all of our rings (and some other jewelry we have purchased over the years)!
Gift Registry
The Bay
http://www.thebay.com/gift.aspx
Honeymoonwishes.com
http://www.honeymoonwishes.com/
REVIEW: Well The Bay has been okay for the registry. It was fun to register for everything, but after that it started getting difficult. I have become an expert on deciphering the codes for the products, but most people can't figure out the items we registered for by looking online - they had to go into the store. Some gifts take a LONG time to come in - we still have about 10 gifts outstanding somewhere out there being shipped from various locations to our home store. The good thing is that you get 10% off all your registry items up to a year after the wedding to complete it. Tip - register for things you MAY want if you are looking to buy a house in the future, or things you might need in a year or so just before the wedding - then you'll get 10% off when you buy it!!! Honeymoon wishes was done through the Sandals website - it was really good. They were quick with letting us know when we had gifts, and even called US to book spa treatments, etc. It all goes on your room account at your hotel so it was so easy! Great idea for couples who already live together and have a lot of "stuff"!
http://www.thebay.com/gift.aspx
Honeymoonwishes.com
http://www.honeymoonwishes.com/
REVIEW: Well The Bay has been okay for the registry. It was fun to register for everything, but after that it started getting difficult. I have become an expert on deciphering the codes for the products, but most people can't figure out the items we registered for by looking online - they had to go into the store. Some gifts take a LONG time to come in - we still have about 10 gifts outstanding somewhere out there being shipped from various locations to our home store. The good thing is that you get 10% off all your registry items up to a year after the wedding to complete it. Tip - register for things you MAY want if you are looking to buy a house in the future, or things you might need in a year or so just before the wedding - then you'll get 10% off when you buy it!!! Honeymoon wishes was done through the Sandals website - it was really good. They were quick with letting us know when we had gifts, and even called US to book spa treatments, etc. It all goes on your room account at your hotel so it was so easy! Great idea for couples who already live together and have a lot of "stuff"!
Wedding Related Events
Great Cooks on Eight - Toronto - Family Shower
http://www.greatcooks.ca
Toronto Law Tennis Club - Toronto - Cocktail Party
http://www.torontolawn.com
Stratus Restaurant - Rehearsal Dinner
http://www.stratusrestaurant.com
REVIEW: All such great places! The family shower at Great Cooks was beautiful - walls of windows with bright light, very airy and spacious, and very friendly staff. The Tennis Club was great - a fun room with a patio for a nice June afternoon. Stratus was great - again - way up high with lots of windows, and great staff and food. No complaints from any of them - they were all beautiful! Look at the "wedding events" tab on this bio for pictures of all these places!
http://www.greatcooks.ca
Toronto Law Tennis Club - Toronto - Cocktail Party
http://www.torontolawn.com
Stratus Restaurant - Rehearsal Dinner
http://www.stratusrestaurant.com
REVIEW: All such great places! The family shower at Great Cooks was beautiful - walls of windows with bright light, very airy and spacious, and very friendly staff. The Tennis Club was great - a fun room with a patio for a nice June afternoon. Stratus was great - again - way up high with lots of windows, and great staff and food. No complaints from any of them - they were all beautiful! Look at the "wedding events" tab on this bio for pictures of all these places!
Honeymoon
Sandals Royal Bahamian
http://www.sandals.com/main/bahamian/ba-home.cfm
Travel Agent: Ingrid's Travel - Durham Region
http://ingridstravel.ensembletravel.com
REVIEW: We've used Ingrid for our trip to the Dominican in March 2008 and my parents have used her MANY times. She made planning our honeymoon very easy and made sure that all our honeymoon registry stuff was organized at the resort. The resort itself was beautiful - very clean, staff was SO friendly - always smiling and happy and having fun, food was VERY good (I haven't had good food experiences at an all-inclusive resort, but it was really really really good) - there were 10 restaurants! Just a happy and fun atmosphere in general. Lots to do to pass the time if you wanted to participate, lots of tours if you wanted to do some extra stuff, and a beautiful beach and lounge area. It was a very safe place to go - we were on the island of New Providence (commonly called Nassau), and very close to Paradise Island (in case you wanted to visit Atlantis). Also, the spa was wonderful! We would definitely go back to the Bahamas or any Sandals resort again!
http://www.sandals.com/main/bahamian/ba-home.cfm
Travel Agent: Ingrid's Travel - Durham Region
http://ingridstravel.ensembletravel.com
REVIEW: We've used Ingrid for our trip to the Dominican in March 2008 and my parents have used her MANY times. She made planning our honeymoon very easy and made sure that all our honeymoon registry stuff was organized at the resort. The resort itself was beautiful - very clean, staff was SO friendly - always smiling and happy and having fun, food was VERY good (I haven't had good food experiences at an all-inclusive resort, but it was really really really good) - there were 10 restaurants! Just a happy and fun atmosphere in general. Lots to do to pass the time if you wanted to participate, lots of tours if you wanted to do some extra stuff, and a beautiful beach and lounge area. It was a very safe place to go - we were on the island of New Providence (commonly called Nassau), and very close to Paradise Island (in case you wanted to visit Atlantis). Also, the spa was wonderful! We would definitely go back to the Bahamas or any Sandals resort again!
DIY Stuff
Michaels
Solutions - Your Organized Living Store
Ikea
Staples Copy & Print Center
- Program Basket
- Calligraphy Pens
- Ribbon - LOTS of it!
- Favour Boxes for Engagement Party
- Sticker Monograms & Hearts
- Heart Kleenex
- Wrapping Paper for Card Box
- Tulle for Favours
Solutions - Your Organized Living Store
- Boxes for Card Box
Ikea
- Frames for table names, menus & pictures
Staples Copy & Print Center
- Seating Chart Printing on mount