As promised… the answers to all of your questions about my own wedding!

• What cues I gave my make-up artist – I don’t need to tell you why I chose her (Lauren)!
  
  
  
  • I wanted to look glamorous, but I also wanted to feel like myself! I asked Lauren to create a look that focused on my eyes. This was a bit of a challenge for Lauren since I refused to wear false lashes (despite my love for them), as I was honouring my hubby’s request! – He has a serious hate for fake hair of ANY kind.

"I created this look for Emily based on her goal to look like herself, just a little more glamed up! With light foundation blending and just a touch of powder and a soft pink blush her skin was naturaly glowing. Then I applied white highlight, to make her eyes pop, along with a blend of dark neutrals for a soft yet dramatic smokey eye. Finishing the look with a Classic Emily lipstick 'Crush' by Lift Cosmetics made the look very pretty, very Emily." - Lauren 

• What venue I chose and why. 
  
  
  
  • Choosing a venue was the first thing I did! Not because I was most excited about it, but because it was necessary for confirming the date and the feel of the wedding. Surprisingly there weren’t many options for me to choose from. Although Toronto is a big place with MANY beautiful venues it seemed only a few fit the criteria that we needed! Both myself and my groom have big families and LOTS of friends – so we knew we needed a venue that could hold approximately 300 people. Since I’m not originally from Toronto, we thought a hotel would be easiest for the large number of out of town guests that would be coming. After doing a lot of research we chose the Four Seasons! It seemed that all of the venues that held 300+ people that were IN TORONTO (the core) were priced about the same, so it was time to choose based on a feel YET again. The service at the Four Seasons was IMPECABLE upon our first meeting! The presented me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and escorted myself and Mothers’ to the ball room to discuss our options. From there we were taken to the fabulous Studio Café where we enjoyed a lovely lunch with their Catering Director – Lina. From that point on, I was SOLD! The food was fabulous, the room was stunning (if you can overlook the HIDEOUS carpet) and the service was phenomenal!  

The Four Seasons - Stunning venue featuring beautiful chandeliers, royal looking walls, and those amazing grand doors.

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  What cues I gave my photographer and why I chose her.

• Storey Wilkins – SO VERY TALENTED! I’ve heard 101 nightmares about photographers thanks to all of our clients! Everything from brides finding out that the proofs of their wedding are “owned” by the photographer; meaning they have to be PURCHASED on top of the payment for the photographer’s time - to bride’s finding out that retouch work is EXTRA $$ - and a LOT of extra at that!


• Ideally I wanted to find a photographer that I liked as a person, loved as an artist and was comfortable with his/her price. I found all of those things in Storey! At our first meeting she gave me a sense of comfort – she was so relaxed, calming and professional. I fell in love with her work – she is an award winning photographer and I see why! She has a real talent for capturing the feeling in a room and she tells a story with her pictures!


• Her package included a FREE “practice shoot” which gave us an opportunity to get used to being in front of the camera, get to know her and learn the best ways to pose, Her + another shooter on the wedding day, and to finish it off – what she calls a “treasure box.” The treasure box includes a disk with ALL of your pictures from the wedding, a small album of her favorite pictures from the wedding, a large photo book with ALL of the proofs, a cd with an unbelievable slide show capturing the night set to fabulous music, and a cd with the changeable template for our final wedding album that was included in the package.  I LOVE STOREY WILKINS!

Some pics from the practice shoot!

• What cues I gave my cake designers and why I chose them.


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  • The wedding cake was the LAST thing I chose. I’m not sure why, but I just wasn’t inspired by the idea of a cake – maybe it’s because I watch too many of those TLC shows, hehe. I went to see a number of cake vendors, but it wasn’t until I stumbled upon Cake Opera Co that I got EXCITED! Their shop was so stunning and happened to be decorated very similarly to the décor that I had chosen for the wedding. I hit it off with the owners right away and they totally understood my vision! Plus it didn’t hurt that they had a stunning platter of delicious goodies for us to enjoy while having the meeting! The best part is, not only are their cakes seriously a work of art, but they taste FABULOUS – I really suggest you check them out, even if it’s just to grab some treats to have around the house! I had 100% faith in them, told them I wanted 3 different small cakes, I wanted them to match my décor (white – shabby chic, modern eclectic) and they DID IT!

I hope this answers ALL of your questions – check out my vendors for yourself, they’re seriously talented and 100% reliable! ** Remember keep your priorities straight, and allow for artistic license; you’ll end up with happy vendors and the most amazing wedding you could ever imagine!

Xoxo

Emily