Romantic Quotes to consider

In honour of Valentine's Day, I thought I would share some romantic words chosen straight out of the finest in English literature! Romantic quotations are a nice touch to feature on some stationery, such as your Wedding Program, Save the Date cards, Favours and albums too!

Here are my favourite quotations, taken from a list that was featured in Saturday's Ottawa Citizen:

"Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same." (Emily Bronte)
"Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be." (Robert Browning)
"For you see, each day I love you more. Today more than yesterday and less than tomorrow." (Rosemonde Gerard)

This final one I love on a personal level, as it is engraved in both mine and my husband's rings in French (poor Rob can't pronounce it...so romantic right?!!!) It reads: Plus que hier, moins que demain.

To read all the quotes featured in the short article, click here.



My all time favourite romantic quotation, and the one I used personally on my Wedding Programs reads: "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return." (Moulin Rouge)

Happy Valentine's Day! xoxo

A Posh Night in February

Mark your calendars - yet another smaller, intimate Wedding Show is coming up and I love the location! The Posh Wedding Show will take place on Saturday, February 19th from 4pm -10pm in the evening...so grab your girls and make a night out of it!

It is happening at The Summit (formerly the Merlot Rooftop Grill), a restaurant located at the top of the Ottawa Marriott Hotel on the 29th Floor (100 Kent Street).

It is being advertised as an event for "modern, sophisticated brides who want to feel glamourous, stylish and unique!" Ummmm, o.k., who doesn't consider themselves to be this person...No actually, I'm an old-fashioned and tacky bride and prefer to feel ugly and blend in with others!!! LOL!
Anyway, check out the details and a list of vendors here.

Letterpress envy!

Today's Ottawa Citizen newspaper featured a nice long article on Ottawa-based letterpress company Dempsey Press. The couple (Vanessa Dempsey & Mike Freeman) create unique designs for greeting cards, whacky stationery, business cards and invitations/announcements on a massive "vintage Heidelberg Windmill Red Ball press" using rich, luxe paper product. Although I have not personally seen their work, I do know about these presses and get goosebumps thinking of the gorgeous final products that they create (insert jealous pangs here!!!).

These types of presses are a fortune to buy (that is if you can even get your hands on a classic one) and another fortune to maintain, but they really do allow for some creative and beautiful works. Of course, products end up on the pricier side for the client, but if this is a style or look you are going for and it's in the budget, I encourage you to support the local guys and give them a try. Their portfolio of pics online is a little bleak, but (as I know personally) that could mean that they are just too busy with orders to get them on there!!!

Enjoy readers and click here for the full article.

Breakfast at Tiffany's Shower

So, I was super excited to share pics of one of my latest projects, but upon checking them out, I am now super disappointed with...my camera! Lol! I know, I know, if I had a dollar for everytime I complained about my lack of a good camera, I would have one by now!!!

Anyway, it is the design and colours that I love so much about this fun Breakfast at Tiffany's-themed Bridal Shower Invitation. The party planner, Lesley, sent me a picture of a similar invitation that she had found somewhere on-line and requested Tiffany blue square envelopes. I was able to find them in a shimmer finish to match the shimmer of the off-white cardstock that the invitation was printed on. With a deeper shade of Tiffany blue as the second layer, the complete package looks so stunning - I can't wait for the bride-to-be to see them after the shower! It was fun playing with different fonts and graphics (including an imitation Audrey Hepburn pose from the classic film). So, the moral of the story is...don't judge based on the quality of this picture - the final product looks classy and fun!

FYI: if you are planning on creating and sending square cards or invitations by mail, be sure to allow for extra postage in your budget. They cost about double as much as rectangular-sized envelopes (ie: over a dollar each).

Boxes, Bags and Tags, oh my!

Just cleaning up some items after a busy month of orders and thought I'd share a picture of some older favour boxes and bags I have around the office. These sizes are perfect for most edible items (chocolates, candies and mints) but can be used creatively for many other items as well! The colours were always chosen by the hosts to match whatever theme they were going with - that's the beauty of custom-made: each box and bag is die-cut from your selected paper to ensure an exact match to the rest of your stationery...isn't life beautiful?!! LOL!

Happy Saturday!

Wed by Hand Bridal Show tomorrow

This is the second year for the Wed by Hand wedding show in Ottawa, and although it's not as large as the Lansdowne show, it's intimate and features some awesome vendors. There will be over 30 vendors so it provides some variety yet makes it intimate enough to enable brides to get a chance to talk to the vendors, which is not always possible at the larger shows. Last year it was held at the Marriot Courtyard and this year they've decided to use the Glebe Community Center.

It's tomorrow, February 6th from 10am - 5pm and they will be charging an admission this year, but with all the raffles, free samples and swag bags, it should be well worth it. Check it out for yourself, or head to their website www.wedbyhand.com

My friend Sue, of Crazy4Chocolates will be giving away truffle samples as well as a special favour box for the first 100 brides (there's reason enough not to miss it!). There will be sample drinks and cupcakes, as well as DIY workshops for all those brides who are looking to save some money on various aspects of a wedding.

Enjoy it - these shows are all a big part of the planning fun!

No. 92: Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

I remember seeing this movie in the theatre with my best friends on a spa weekend in Kingston - it was an impulse watch as we were leaving a restaurant and even snuck in our take-home cheesecakes to eat while watching!!! It turned out to be a pretty funny movie and offers a lot of inspiration in terms of style and decor.

The reception location of the wedding to take place is supposed to be Matthew McConaughey's deseased uncle's chateau. In actuality, it's called The Great House on Castle Hill and is found on The Crane Estate in Massachusetts. You can hold your wedding and reception there. Check it out here.


The wedding party spend the weekend at this estate as they prepare for the wedding and Matthew's character experiences a "Christmas Carol"-type visitation as he explores his behaviour towards women, the distruction he has caused and the woman he has lost (Jennifer Garner). As a result he sees her future wedding which I thought I'd share as it is so pretty - no other owrd to describe it...very girly and pretty! I like the simplicity of Jennifer's hair and the bouquets at the end of each pew lining the aisle. Everything looks so bright and sunny (the all-white church helps with this for sure!)



The "real" wedding takes place at the end of the film in the estate, and although it doesn't need much decor to make it grand, throughout the building they draped silk and exagerated flowing bouquets (think stair cases, fireplaces, centre pieces, doorways). For the reception, the classic gold chivari chairs were placed at round tables in neautral linens. Decor throughout was always in neutral shades, but very elegant and rich. A gorgeous wedding location doesn't need many add-ons, which is a bonus! The bridesmaids gowns are nice and flowy with very flattering twisted detail at the neckline. The deep red colour is perfect for winter or fall weddings.



One scene that will have you panicking and laughing is the classic cake-topple! What a gorgeous wedding cake - four tiers of neutral fondant, dotted with tiny flowers and draped with fondant ribbons. When Matthew's character knocks one of the pillars down with a flying cork, he attempts to balance it with one hand...emminent disaster! I loved Lacey Chabert's character's reaction - she looses it and actually calls Matthew a "bitch!!!" LOL!

All in all, a fun movie with inspiring ideas and lots of laughs!