Pamper yourself... You're worth it.

Here I am, two days prior to my nuptials, and what have I been doing this week?  Pampering my lovely, bridal self.  I suggest on the days leading up to your wedding you do the same.

Here are some of the ways I have been allowing myself to indulge...

Playing Hooky -  I am a full-time student and to be honest, the days leading up to my wedding the last thing that's on my mind is school and schoolwork.  I have the luxury of being able to grant myself a few free days without any real consequences.  Luckily, we have not had any major assignments or exams due this week, so I have been able to cut myself some slack and miss a couple of days in order to prepare myself for the big day.  I realize that many people who have full time jobs cannot just take it upon themselves to stay home when they feel like it.  My suggestion for these individuals is to plan ahead and take a couple of vacation days the week leading up to your wedding day.  Your head will not  be in your work anyway, may as well make it official and take your body out of the office too!

Spa days -  I have been lucky enough to hit up Ten Spa TWICE this week!  Once on Tuesday night with Jason: we went for full body massages.  Then on Wednesday afternoon my mother and I went for pedicures.  Both were divine and left me feeling relaxed and blissful.  The perfect way to take the edge off pre-wedding jitters!

If you're anything like me, it's not hard to come up with an excuse to go for a mani/pedi and although it's always a treat, it may not be as super-duper-special as it is for someone who does not indulge themselves in aesthetics as often.  To make the pedicure day a little more special, I made appointments for my mother and I to go together and for us to get them at Ten Spa instead of the regular salon that I frequent quite often.

Shop -  I have a great excuse for pre-wedding shopping!  Since I am four months pregnant, I am quickly outgrowing my non-prego clothes.  My mother and I took a couple of shopping trips earlier this week.  Day one was actually quite miserable...  We went to Polo Park Mall and there is all of one maternity store there, which I will not name, because I think it kind of sucks.  None of the clothes were chic or fit me very well.  Needless to say, it was discouraging.  I like to think of myself as a pretty fashion conscious person who takes pride in how I put myself together...  After this mall trip I left feeling as though I would just look like and unfashionable frump for the next six months...

I felt that way until I found the fabulous Boutique 9 located on Academy Road in Winnipeg.  My mother and I found it while dropping off some things to be tailored at the shop right next door on Monday, it was closed....  So we went back on Tuesday - and hip hip hooray!!!  It was a fashionable pregnant lady's dream come true!

Everything I tried on looked and felt fabulous, and there is still plenty of stretch in the clothes which will allow me room to grow.  Granted, it is a little pricier than the mall store.  But sooooo worth it!  I believe it is important to have fewer high quality pieces to wear that will look fabulous than an abundance of cheap stuff that looks just that.  Cheap.

I understand that not all brides are quite as scandalous as I am and tend not be be with child at their wedding.  That doesn't mean you can't shop!  Buy a cute outfit to wear to your pre- or post-wedding brunch, a great new dress for the rehearsal party, and/or a little sexy something for your wedding night (vava-voom!).  There is always a very valid reason for a bride to buy herself something pretty.

Eat -  If you are like most brides, you have been carefully counting calories for months leading up to your wedding day, so as the day is almost upon you allow yourself to indulge!  A big bowl of pasta and a hot fudge Sunday a day or two before the main event will not go straight to your hips if you've been diligent in your health and fitness program up until now...  So eat up!  And enjoy, all your hard work has paid off and now it's time to give yourself some leeway.  Go ahead, I grant you permission.

Remember to get plenty of rest, try to make some time for exercise (it will help spin off stress), and remember - this is fun!  Don't fret over the small stuff, you're getting married!  Now wish me luck, here we go...

Wedding Week!

Here we are, just days away from tying the knot...  And I am EXCITED!

All the final details are coming together.  As a helpful reminder for myself and for my readers I have decided to make a little wedding week checklist...

1.  See your hairdresser for a trial hairdo:  I had not necessarily planned on getting a trial hairdo before my wedding day.  I trust my stylist, Hanna, and figured she would do a great job.  However, Hanna suggested to me that it's always a good idea to do a run through prior to the main event in case for some reason your hair vision and hair reality don't quite jive the way you may have imagined. 

I went for my trial 'do yesterday and am very happy with the result.  It turns out that it was a very good idea to do the practice run.  What we had discussed and what we ended up actually doing are two fairly different concepts.  I may have felt a little uneasy completely switching gears so close actually walking down the aisle, but since we worked it out ahead of time I feel confident in knowing my hair will look great!

2.  Pick up Wedding Party gifts:  It takes some work to be a member of a wedding party, and it's always important for the bride and groom to remember that and be sure to pick up a little something special for the friends and loved ones standing up for them.

For the fellows we bought Gerber pocket knifes from Mountain Equipment Co-op.  They are equipped with pliers, a screwdriver with two bits, a blade, and some other masculine goodies to arm yourself with.  It took quite a bit of brainstorming before we settled on pocketknives.  Man gifts are far more difficult to pick out than woman gifts.  We came up with fishing rods, digital watches, flasks, but in the end a pocket knife seemed like a useful and masculine gift that many gents wouldn't actually purchase themselves.

For the ladies I am heading to Hilary Druxman (http://www.hilarydruxman.com/) designs tomorrow to pick up some jewelery.  Druxman is a local jewelery designer with a fabulous store and workshop on McDermot Avenue in Winnipeg's Exchange District.  She makes contemporary, clean, and classic looking pieces and the best part id the price point.  I recently bought my cousin a pair of earrings there for her 30th birthday and they only cost thirty-six dollars!!  Of course, if you want to spend more there are higher end pieces as well.  That's the beauty of Druxman's pieces, whether it's a golden anniversary gift or bridesmaid favours, there is something for everyone!!!

3.  Write wedding vows:  Okay, Okay... Maybe I should have started this one already, but  between school, work, wedding planning, and being pregnant I simply have not gotten to it.  This is definitely a biggie. 

Jason is taking his mother out to dinner tomorrow night, so I am going to take advantage of having the evening to myself and get those words down on paper.  The problem is seeing as I've never done this before, I'm sort of at a loss of what people say in their home-made wedding vows...  As ridiculous as it sounds I think I will have to Google 'wedding vows' and see what comes up.  Not to plagiarize what's out there - just to get an idea of what people say when they say wedding vows...

Obviously there are many more i's to dot and t's to cross.  Hopefully I will remember to do them all before Saturday!

Invites and Flowers, such fun, oh my!

With many things to do and little time to do the, Jason and I had to get busy booking appointments with various wedding vendors.

First up was arranging invitations to our lovely day.  Jason's good friend and colleague Andrew has a sister who just happens to run her own invitation and card making company called Cards By Cristina.  She makes beautiful handmade invitations and has a hug variety of colours and textures to choose from.

Cristina San works out of her house creating these beautiful little pieces of deliverable by mail art when she is not teaching music to school children.  Whether you want full scale service including return RSVP cards, directions, menus, etc, she can do it!  Or like us, opt for a simple one way invitation and provide an email address and phone number to RSVP.  Probably the best option when on a time crunch!

Next up:  Flowers!

For this I enlisted the help of my mother.  One of her close friends, Elvira, has a sister with extensive experience in floral arrangements.  Although she currently runs a costume emporium for various children's parties - how fun!  She still does a little freelance work on the side.

One afternoon, after a lovely lunch at C. Kelekis resaturant, Elvira, my mother, and myself headed down to the costume emporium .  Karla, our lovely florist and costume queen, was very helpful in exploring floral ideas for an Easter weekend wedding.  We decided on lovely spring flower arrangements with lots of colour: tulips, daffodils, gerberas, roses, etc, etc!  Being the flexible bride that I am, I decided to give Karla creative freedom to pick the best and freshest flowers in the warehouse and come up with beautiful creations for our event.  I trust that she will do a marvelous job!

I prefer to trust in her ability to choose the nicest blooms of the day rather than choose a specific flower and stick to it, come hell or high water.

People talk about how stressful wedding planning can be, but I gotta say:  So far, so good.  I really think it depends on your level of fussiness on the Bridezilla scale.  I have chosen to steer completely clear of the Bridezilla method of wedding planning...

                                
Instead I have been striving to be a serene and pleasant bride.  I think it's working...  Serenity now.  :)

Easter Wedding!

Now that the big news has been broken I can fill in all the necessary new details that will make up my Easter wedding to my lovely Jason...

                      

You may remember from a previous post a review of various Winnipeg wedding venues.  Well, this was my sneaky little way of sharing with my readers the research I was doing while looking into a new venue for our April wedding.  Seeing as we moved up our wedding date substantially, it made a Victoria Beach wedding completely unfeasible.  The water for the community is not hooked up until the May long weekend, leaving most cottages still closed up for the season.  What to do?

We were back to square one when choosing a venue...  What did we decide?  The Provencher Room at the Fort Garry Hotel!  It's a beautiful space (which was actually being renovated over the month of March!  Lucky us!), and going the hotel route makes life on an engaged couple so much easier than planning an out of town beach wedding!  I think the planning of the rushed wedding has ironically been far less stressful than our original plan would have been.

We had many details to cover, and I wanted to do so as covertly as possible.  Anytime it came up that we were moving up the wedding date the first response was, "Why, you pregnant?"  Although I am indeed pregnant, I was a bit gun-shy of telling people so early in the pregnancy.  So, the wedding planning began and I just hoped and prayed no one would ask about our upcoming nuptials so that I wouldn't be forced into fudging the truth.

Thank goodness for tight-lipped parents and soon-to-be mother in law who were able to assist with the planning details while not divulging our ever-so-sweet secret to all their friends!

And, thanks to a fabulous connection of my father's we were able to book the Fort Garry Hotel on rather short notice!  Hallelujah!

                                  Cute Easter Wedding ideas


Jason and I were quickly connected with Cheryl, catering coordinator for the hotel, to begin the planning of our function.  She has been a God send.  For real.  We've exchanged many emails and had one face to face meeting, along with our mothers, where we had a menu tasting and chose our meals for the big event (yum!).  Cheryl was able to prompt us with questions and ideas that we may never have thought of, seeing as this our first (and last) wedding planning experience. 

Working with Cheryl and the Fort Garry has truly been a painless and seamless experience.  I would highly recommend using the hotel as your wedding venue to anyone who asks!

Still to come...  flowers...  invites...  and guest lists, oh my!

Oops! Change in plans...

It's been a little while since I've posted a new entry.  Let me explain why...

I didn't quite know what to say.  Jason and I have been quietly rearranging our wedding plans and didn't quite know how to tell you.  You see, I found out in late January that I am.... pregnant!!!  And couldn't possibly be happier! 

That's right, with child.  The baby is set to arrive on September 30, just three weeks after my original wedding date of September 10.  You can imagine all the thoughts running through my head as I looked at the two pink lines on my at home pregnancy test indicating a positive result??

Firstly, I am supposed to be getting married in September, not delivering a baby!?!  And I'm in school!   Granted, the program will be done by then, but my plan was to start working, gain some experience, and THEN start trying for a baby.  Didn't anyone else out there in the universe know my plan!?!

After an hour or so went by with some tear-filled phone conversations with Jason (he was at work), I started getting used to the idea.  More than that, I started LOVING the idea!  I love babies.  I love children.  And so far all the babies and children that I love have been other people's... so imagine how much I'll love my own!!

This meant that we had to reconsider all the wedding plans that we'd been making.  I'm not particularly interested in waddling down the aisle eight and a half months pregnant. 

So we started brainstorming:  Should we marry before the baby comes?  Or after?  My vote was before.  Jason agreed, so we were settled.  Now to choose a date.  We chose April 23, which is the Saturday of Easter weekend.  We thought that a long weekend would be a good choice for our out of town guests and since it's not yet summer season, all the lake folk won't be grumpy about missing a long weekend at the cottage. 

There were many more details to iron out, and about three months to pull it all together.  There is so much more to fill you in on, but I think the baby news is big enough for one post!

Say Yes to the Dress!

Okay, okay... corny title, I know!  But nonetheless true.  I have found and purchased my wedding gown!

This past Saturday afternoon I went to a bridal salon with my mother and maid of honour, and fell in love with the third dress I put on.  It's perfect, it's classic, feminine with a touch of whimsy.

Despite the happy ending, the excursion started off with insanity!  I arrived at the store with my mother at around 2 pm, Tara was meeting us there, and the place was a ZOO!  Brides everywhere with mothers, sisters, friends, cousins, and babies!  A lovely bridal consultant was prompltly available to help us pull some dresses, however finding a dressing room to try them on was a whole other story.  People seemed to literally be piled on top of one another ooohing and aaahing over their brides.

After about ten minutes the consultant turned up saying she had secured a room for me and led me through the rough terrain into my change-room where my dress hung, alongside another dress which seemed to have already been in the room.  Thirty seconds later, I had barely begun to unbutton my shirt when there was a knock at my dressing room door...  Apparently this room was reserved for another bride!!?  I don't know if my consultant was just trying to slide me in there and bump the other bride, or if it really was a misunderstanding, but it was embarrassing to say the least.

Out I went.

My  mother, the consultant, and myself decided to take this opportunity to pull some more dresses...  Then she put me in another room.  This time on the other side of the store where all the grad dress girls were trying on the prom dresses.  I did not like this.  This is the only time I will ever be shopping for a wedding gown, I'd rather be stuffed in like a sardine with other brides than a bunch of teenagers!!  And let me tell you, some of the prom dresses that are being turned out these days - yuck!

                                 Example of an UGLY prom dress.

Again, I was moved back to the bridal side while my maid of honour carried my clothes, and I walked around in a so-so wedding gown to find that there was STILL no room available for me.

After standing around in a mediocre dress for the next ten minutes or so I FINALLY got into a dressing room that was all for me, amongst the other brides.  Hurray!  The next dress up was a cute little Alfred Sung that was actually very flattering, if I do say so myself.  Now we were getting somewhere!  Then came dress number three:  gorgeous.  Loved it.  As soon as I had that dress on (with a veil!) all the unfortunate events from the previous hour vanished and I was as happy as kid in a candyshop!

My mother and Tara both loved it too.  And there you have it.  A done deal.  Of course, you'll have to wait to see it until AFTER the wedding...

Venues, Venues, Venues

Although our wedding venue has been chosen, some readers may be interested in a peek into some of what the the city has to offer when it comes to venues.  I have taken a look around in order to showcase a few different spots for my loyal readers...  You're welcome! :)

1.  Fort Gibratar - This historic building is almost 200 years old!  Originally built where the Assiniboine and Red rivers meet, it is now situated in Winnipeg's French quarter, St. Boniface.  Fort Gibraltar was a hub of activity during the historic fur trading days.  If you are planning a Valentine's Day wedding, this might not be your top choice, seeing as it is one of the hot spots for Winnipeg's Festival du Voyageur.

Maximum capacity for a sit down dinner in The Great Hall room is 120, and 188 for a stand-up reception.  Delicious food is provided by Storm Catering.

If you are looking for a venue with a bit of historic Canadian charm, Fort Gibralter is sure to meet your desire!

2. The Winnipeg Art Gallery -  This venue is perfect for the urban artiste looking for an edgy sophistication on her wedding day!  The WAG's menu is also done by Storm catering and they have a number of different choices for venues on the site depending on the number of guests and the time of year.

The main attraction for hosting your wedding at the WAG is definitely the beautiful garden terrace!  A rooftop wedding in the middle of downtown Winnipeg that can accommodate up to 200 people in theatre style seating.  I have to admit... this nearly had me sold!  I have never actually been to a WAG wedding, but I have seen photos and it is BEAUTIFUL.  A WAG wedding is the ultimate in Winnipeg urban chic nuptials.

 3.  The Fort Garry Hotel -  Winnipeg's most beautiful and historic hotel is a hands down jaw dropper for putting on beautiful weddings!  With 15 ballrooms to choose from it's hard to pick amongst the gorgeous spaces.  Topping the list is the gorgeous Provencher Room on the main floor.  Surrounded by windows just off the beautiful front lobby (where the oh-so-famous Sunday morning brunches are served) this venue is a stunner.

Whether you are having an intimate guest list of 50 or a rip-roaring bash of 325, there is a space to meet your wedding day needs!  Deposits change on the size of the room and the number of guests attending.  AND, if you have over 125 guests the newlyweds receive a complimentary room at the hotel.  Tres romantique!

The Fort Garry is also centrally located on Broadway near Main Street, and has a parking lot attached as well as valet.  The food is guaranteed to be outstanding, as the FGH has one of the finest kitchens in the city.  This is definitely the creme de la creme when it come to Manitoba weddings!

Sea Side Siesta Wedding!

Today is my maid of honor's wedding day!!

Unfortunately, I am not in attendance...  Tara and Tyler are in Playa del Carmen, Mexico with their families, exchanging vows and uniting their souls, 'til death do they part.

Because I am a full-time student in the midst of an condensed one year professional studies program, I was unable to spare the time (or the cash!) to make the trip to warm, sunny Mexico.

This is the thing with destination weddings: some people will be unable to go.  Whether it be for financial, educational, family, or a number of any other reasons. 

What you must remember when planning your destination wedding is not to take friends and family members not coming personally.  This is the risk that you are taking when decide to plan this sort of wedding.  Most people would love to come, and if they are able to, they will.

Tara is totally fine with my not being there.  She knows that if I could, I most certainly would be in attendance.

Since cutting through the red tape in Mexico is rather intense, it is difficult to have a binding marital contract if you are not actually citizens.  So, Tara and Tyler had a very small ceremony here in Winnipeg the weekend before they left, and Jason and I attended that.  It was lovely, simple, and sweet.

Typically speaking though, destination weddings are a great way to keep your numbers down.  You can be pretty certain that the only people who are going to come are the people who really, really love you and want to share in your day.  And those are the most important people anyway, aren't they?

No need to deal with any distant cousins or old friends getting inappropriately drunk at the reception (on your dime).  Guest lists can be slashed with no feelings of guilt whatsoever.  Distant relatives and friends are hardly expected to dish out two or three grand for a trip to Mayan.  So even if you do invite them, they are unlikely to come.

Obviously, our choice of venue to exchange vows is (almost) local, since we are marrying at Victoria Beach, just about an hour and twenty minutes north of Winnipeg.

However, I can totally understand the appeal of planning a getaway warm-weather-wedding.  All the details are looked after by the resort for you - all you need to do is pick the flowers, the food, and the time of day!

You also have a built in honeymoon!  Of course, all your family is on your honeymoon with you...

Off with her hair!

Typically speaking, most short haired North American brides begin the "growing out" task as soon as they are proposed to.  I, on the other hand, did the exact opposite:  last night, I cut my chin length hair into an even shorter pixie coiffe!

As soon as I started talking about getting a short haircut, people's immediate question/reaction was "what about your wedding?"  As if it was improper to marry with short hair.  My response has been that I don't really care if my hair is short or long on the day of nuptials, as long as it looks pretty.  I also feel as though having a cute pixie bridal 'do' will separate my wedding day look from the typical bridal up-do.

Having said that, I have to admit, the wedding did factor into my decision making process.  If I cut it off and hate it, will it grow back in time?  Do I want to be limited in hairstyle choices because of the short length?  And the ever-so-vain question:  will I look less pretty?

After reviewing all these questions and concerns, I decided to go for it!

I have worn my hair short from time to time over the years, and I knew it was flattering on me.  I also knew if I wound up hating it, I have eight months to grow it back into at least a chin length bob.  Still, it was nerve-racking when I walked into the salon last night at 6:15 to cut it off.  Many women seem to wear their hair like a safety blanket, and although mine was not particularly long, I still felt a sense of attachment to it.  And so it was with baited breath that I sat in my stylist's chair, and let her work her magic.

The result?  Judge for yourself...

I'm happy with it.  Now, the challenge is to come up with a bridal 'do' for my new short coiffe.  Here are some of the looks I've found, feel free to vote on the one you like best.

Dress Shopping: Round One!

We all know that probably the most exciting part of planning a wedding is dress shopping!  Well, I had my first go at it over the holidays, and I must admit that it was far more fun than I was expecting it to be.

To be completely honest, the night before the excursion I was not really in the mood to go.  My mother and my maid of honor, Tara, were joining me, and since my mom was flying out to Mexico on January 1st for three weeks, the plan was that we would start our search before she departed...  It's not that I was not eager to get a wedding dress, but it was rather soon after Christmas and schedules had already been so hectic, it just seemed as though one more thing to do was more of a pain than a pleasure.

I can assure you, that feeling vanished as soon as I tried on my first dress!  Once I got into the stores and had the clerks, my mother, and Tara bringing me gowns I was loving every minute of it.

We started our gown shopping at 'Bridal Bliss' on Stafford Street.  It's the newest bridal boutique in Winnipeg, carrying fewer dresses than most of the other salons with a stronger focus on customer service.  The dressing rooms are on the second floor, they are huge and private with massive full length mirrors and beautiful black & white graphic wallpaper.  Trying on dresses at 'Bridal Bliss' was delightful because of the modern and upscale approach to retailing.  Unfortunately, I did not find "the dress" there.  Most of their selection were dresses that had very full skirts and a lot of detailing.  My aim is to find a gown with clean lines that is beautiful, but simple at the same time.

Our next stop was at '7th Avenue' on Academy road.  Immediately upon entering the store the difference in style and layout was felt from the previous shop: it was packed full of shoppers, all their wet boots piled up by the front door, scurrying sales girls were running around looking for gowns for brides, and there were racks upon racks of dresses smushed together.  I didn't even know where to start.  Thankfully, Tara was there to help weave through the gowns and start pulling out the ones she thought would work.  Then a salesgirl popped over to lend a hand, and before I knew it I was trying more gowns.  The dressing rooms were not as beautiful (and certainly not as private) as 'Bridal Bliss', but I did have far more luck with the gowns!  Which, we all know, is the whole point. 

About five gowns in, I may have even found "the dress'!!  It was BEAUTIFUL.  I will not be describing it nor posting any photos of myself in the dress, just in case a certain mister husband-to-be's eyes should graze this page.  Let's just say, I have not been able to stop thinking about this dang dress!  When my mother returns from Mexico at the end of the month, we will be heading out for round two.  Although I think I may have found 'the dress', I want to try on some others, just to make sure there's not a better one out there (which may not be possible:)...  I'll keep you updated!