Cinematographer:  StillMotion

Grade:  A+++

We weren’t planning on having a cinematographer at our wedding.  And to be honest, I thought the pickings were slim.  Sure I’ve seen some very good work by some, the fact still remained that I wasn’t really wowed… until I saw StillMotion’s work.   the fact that they were local was just the icing on top of the cake.

Nick was away in Victoria when I fell in love with their work, and I had what seem like just moments to figure out if we were gonna go with them.  The moments were actually days, but don’t get the wrong idea, the folks at StillMotion aren’t into pressure tactics… I’m inpatient like that.  I see something I want, and I have to get before anyone else gets their grimy hands on it.

Patrick, and Mike were/are soo sweet.  I honestly didn’t know they were there most of the time… except, I must admit, I was acting a little bit… like in the SDE whey I’m laughing with MOH Brandi and saying “both ends”.  I’m referring to my problem with drinking hot chocolate.  I get kinda gassy… at “both ends!”  Luckily, I only burped in front of the camera (which was real), I just kinda told the story of my flatulence problem.  Hehehe.

I could go on and on, but really if it is in your budget, I have to say go for it!  Even if it isn’t, put it on your card, because you know it would be worth it!  The team captured all of my emotions so beautifully, just thinking about each frame brings tears to my eyes.  Between watching it for the first time on our wedding day to the countless times since… I remember the day so vividly.  And I want to go back.  I want to do it all over again… with the help of Micheal, Patrick and Konrad.  You guys are incredible!

from left to right:  Mike, Konrad, my brother Ben, Patrick and Nick

Oh, I forgot to add, we went with the Premium SDE package.  Nick secretly spoke to Patrick after the viewing of the SDE, and asked him to do a Main Feature.  I can’t wait for it to be done.  I’m sure they will have tones of footage to work with as they kept on filming well into the night, even after they had captured all of the SDE footage!

Decorations:  Luxel Decor

Grade:  C (Customer Service)  A (Workmanship)

We decided to go with the decor company recommended by the hall; you know when they have their “preferred vendors”.  Of course there was no pressure to use them, but we liked their work.

We were back and forth with them on a number of things… from changing our colour theme (oh ya did I forget to mention, we were going with at aqua blue and kelly green theme), to changing the floral treatment.  Initially, we were going to use blue hydrangeas in a round vase, for $25/table.  Everything came out to $1,300 or so, but we changed our minds and decided on a navy & fuchsia scheme.  So, still on the hydrangeas tip, I thought we would just change our order and use pink instead of blue hydrangeas… easy enough right?  Nope!  Homeboy wanted to spray white hydrangeas pink!  I was like hell to tha no! I asked for alternatives, at one point telling him I just wanted plain roses, but he was stuck on the sprayed white hydrangeas kick.

Next issue was the silk arrangements for the head table centre piece, side pillars and candelabras.  I specifically said I wanted, strike that, no I needed fuchsia flowers, but he couldn’t produce a sample centre piece so I could sign off on.  I even went as far as breaking down all of the fuchsia/hot pink flowers that appealed to me and asking if homeboy could get these flowers.

Seeing how we booked them in March of 2008, we kinda thought he had plenty of time to do a mock up, even after asking so many times!  Buddy was holding back.  I swore I asked 4 times, via e-mail and phone, did I get a response… nope.  With that, and the back and forth on an itemized price breakdown, I got fed up and just said, forget it! Since he out-sources his flowers, I told him that I wasn’t comfortable going with his florist if I can’t see the final product. Plus, he couldn’t even show me how the silk flower arrangements looked like… the best he could do was drudge up some old dutty arrangements.

I wasn’t confident that I would get what I wanted.  He flat out said that I would have to pay more to get what I wanted… which makes sense, absolutely, but he could come through on anything!  I was less that thrilled… and he kept on changing this story about what can offer all in the course of our 20 minute chat.  It was at that point that he suggested taking the arrangements off the order.  I was ready to say sure, but Nick suggested he clarify further.  OK round two.  DING!

I was still unconvinced, so with that I told him, yet again to forget about the arrangements we would have to look elsewhere.  I was pretty mad at that point… because not only did he give me the run around on the phone and by e-mail, he was now doing it in person!  And it was at that time that another couple came in while I was going off on him (in a professional manner)  and that moment when I said “forget it, take off the flowers”, he changed his tune and suggested I go home and think about it… trying to look like the “bigger man” and me like a Bridezilla for the benefit of the other couple, when just 10 minutes prior he was telling me to cancel the arrangements, and commenting about how I’ve changed the contracts a few times.

So the hell what if changed my colour scheme part way through planning, who doesn’t, and big deal I didn’t want blue hydrangeas, and now I want pink!  And pardon me if the guest list is no longer 120 as estimated, but now a meager 107… I know I specifically asked about changes due to attendance and that was “no problem”.

So in the end we had to bite the bullet and pay a little extra, because we weren’t getting a bigger package.  Price wise they are OK, just as long as you book a lot of services with them.  We asked for a quote for 120 guests (table cloths, napkins, chair covers, backdrop, head table for 10, faux flowers for the head table and beside the backdrop, along with pillar rentals etc) that was about $900 give or take a dollar.

If you just want decor, go with him because he does do amazing work… but source your flower elsewhere… cuz he offers “package plans” and because we didn’t go with him for the flowers, we had to pay a high unit cost… which was something I thought would happen, but was hopping it wouldn’t.  He was negligent on giving me unit costs in writing (seing how he packages all of his deals).  I wrote everything down, and had print outs on everythind… and it still changed slightly from one convo to another.  Bearing in mind that we actually adding services to our contract, we still ended up paying about $200 more than what we were originally quoted… because we were in a smaller package.

Ceremony:  St. Francis de Sales

Grade:  A+

First things first, Nick’s Catholic, I’m not. So we knew we had to get married in a church in order for it to be recognized.  So we started to go to our Parish church.  I had no idea how Catholic churches work… and still don’t to this day, but my experience was enjoyable.

It all started over a year ago after we got engaged.  I always wanted to get married in the church I attended growing up but they have changed a lot.  I hate to say it, but they acted like a business more than a community church.  It was too commercial.  And the Pastor scared me… Nick too.

I remember going down on Good Friday to the afternoon service.  Everything was perfect, the service was just as I remembered it.  Fast forward a week later, we went to the “regular” Sunday service, and these peeps did a total 360!  I felt like they pulled a fast one on me. They (the church peeps) were on their best behavior on Good Friday to welcome all of the visitors, and then went back to their old ways afterward.  I felt awkward and disappointed.

That wasn’t the case with St. Francis de Sales.  I liked Father Roy the minute I met him.  Nick and I attended mass one Sunday and asked if we could speak to him briefly.  He immediately said, “lemme see your hand”.  It was pure jokes from there on.  I remember him commenting how my bout of laryngitis was “a blessing”.  The church is beautiful and very bright.  And seeing how our floral budget was pretty small, we didn’t bother  spending a dime to decorate.  Besides, the church had poinsettias on display, I thought they did the trick.

Nick, Nat and Father Roy

We did the whole Pre Cana deal, and it was very entertaining to say the least, but we learned a lot from it… money well spent.  And, I forgot to mention, there was no fee to have our wedding there.  We just gave a nice offering.

Wedding Gown:  Belo Fashions

Grade:  A

I knew what kind of gown I wanted from the get go.  I only realized after the fact that it was the exact same gown which was worn by a family friend.  My mom and I attended her wedding in the fall of 2007.  I had no intentions of biting her style, I was only looking for something similar.

My mom works in the industry and she suggested we go to visit a couple of the shops her company supplies.  We had our pick a couple shops in the GTA… and decided to go with Belo Fashions.  My mom knew the owner and was on good terms with the sales staff.  Our contact was Susan, and she was so helpful and energetic.  We had no problems with the dress, as it came in on time and was/is beautiful!

Only one minor complaint was that I got slack from a sales associate from taking pictures of myself in MY dress that I was picking up that day.  She said it wasn’t allowed.  Which is very odd.  Now I understand not taking the pics before you order/buy… as a matter of fact, I recall people taking pics on two prior occasions.  Anyways… here are some pics of me in Precious 2.0.

I can’t stand to see the pics of the bodice all bunched up.  The dress actually wasn’t as tight as it looks.  I realized at the end of the night that my MOH didn’t tie up the inner belt thingy, so it was riding up a bit.

The dress comes with the bolero, and the veil was purchased separately.  For just flouncy piece of lace, they are really expensive!  My mom took care of the bustle and did all of the alterations, which saved us a pretty penny!

I can’t wait to wear it again, and again (for post wedding pics and on our anniversary of course!)

Reception:  Riviera Parque

Grade:  A+

First off, lemme say that we had the whole venue to ourselves that night!  That’s right… there were two cancellations for the evening.  Our contacts were Mark and Danielle.  They were very accommodating and made sure we got what we wanted.

There was just one minor slip up…  I wanted they to replace the podium used in the hall for the speeches because ours was chipped (see phot0) but that was it.  Hardly a deal breaker.

I was waited on hand and foot… even throughout the photo session… a server asked if I wanted a cool beverage… or anything to eat.  The bridal suite was very nice, and there was fresh fruit and drinks awaiting us.  The food was exemplary! We had a 4 course meal, which was enough for me!  We added a full sweet table and fresh fruits.  Half of the cakes went untouched.  My parents were going to take it home with them (Dad rented a minivan) but there was no room!

We had the advantage of attending functions this hall previously.  My company ’s annual Holiday Party was held there for the past few years, so naturally it was my first choice.  I would definitely recommend this place… not only is there free parking, but the rooms are so grand and exquisite!

Parque V at Riviera Parque

Photographer: karen tracanelli foto

Grade:  A+++

It sooo helps when you know someone in the business!  Karen and my sister went to OCA (now called OCAD) back in the day.  And she is more like family then friend.  She understands my awkwardness fully takes advantage!   I love it!  She has photo journalistic flair to her work… just up my ally.

I hate posed shots, but we all know they are an intricate part of the day.  I just wanted to be over and done with them so I could get back to my guests and party!  I didn’t have to tell her anything!  She knew exactly what we wanted and came through.  We have decided to do a post wedding shoot when Nick gets back from the west coast.  Location Fairmont Royal York… this  will be fun!

Here are some of my fav pics from the day:

This shot (above is one of my favs… where we are sing to each other.

Thank you Karen and Dana for doing your thang!

Cake Topper:  Cake Therapy & Rain’s End

Grade:  A+

It was a last ditch effort to find a new baker.  My sister recommended one of her friends to bake our top tier, but it didn’t quite pan out.  It was by chance that I saw a wedding cake segment by Bonnie Gordan on a local talk show.  Though she no longer bakes for the general public, she does have a Cake Designer Referral Service which showcases her top students.  I decided to go with Carla Rocha of Cake Therapy*.

The cake was/is beautifully designed, and sooo delicious!  We have it stored away for our 1st year anniversary.

Our topper came courtesy of Rain’s End.  The birds are better than I could have imagined.  So many personal details were added and Carrin was so patient!  She is so freaking talented, and has so many different crafts in her shop, from pottery chickens to clay sculptures…  not just needle felted birds… Visit her Etsy shop to get your own!

*Sadly, Carla is no longer accepting new orders for 2009/2010

Cupcakes: Lamanna’s Italian Bakery

Grade:  A+

We decided a while back, that we didn’t want the standard cake for our wedding.  We’ve been going to Lamanna’s Bakery  for a few years now, since my local grocery store closed their scratch bakery.  The cupcakes were yummy, as expected!  The crew at Lamanna’s are so sweet.  I wanted to give them a nice tip when we picked up the cupcakes, but they wouldn’t have it.  I made sure to send them some nice pics of their baked goods in action!

We sourced the cupcake tree from Gervais Rentals for a decent price too.  My only minor complaint is that there was a “knob” on the top tier that prevented the cake to sit atop.  It’s OK , cuz it would have bee too high, and it looked just as good on a cake stand.

Flower Girl Dresses:  My ma

Grade:  A+++

My mom by far was the most important person of the day.  She came through countless times and kept everything together, while suffering from a pretty bad sinus infection.

Not only did she help get a great deal on my dream dress, but she did all of my alternations which easily saved me at least $400.  She also made the Flower Girl dresses and “all of the dress at table number 1” as I so eloquently stated in my speech to my mom that night… which included:

• My Aunt Valda’s dress
• My Aunt Julie’s dress
• My cousin Huldah’s dress
• My sister Sandra’s dress
• Her dress and caplet

Oh and lets not forget my beautiful brocade jacket with the fuchsia lining!  I received sooo many compliments on it.

So she was responsible for 9 pieces for just one day! Plus my alterations on my gown and rehearsal dinner dress… which brings the total to 11!

Ma, you know I love you lots, even though I don’t say it enough.  I know we argue about stupid things, but what can I say, we’re both Virgos, we need to have everything perfect!

Bridesmaids Dresses:  La Bella Sposa

Grade:  B -

The place is OK… I didn’t like the fact that we had to remove our shoes before we went into the place.  It didn’t really make a difference, because the floors were still dutty!

My bridesmaid Nicole highly recommended this place.  And the fact that we went with this shop was purely coincidental.  Nicole got married in 2007 and was very late in ordering hers and her bridal party dresses, and La Bella Sposa came through.

But when it was Natalie’s turn, things did not go over too well.   I was told that 2 months is a fair TAT for maids’ dresses, but 4 – 5 months was the max.  We weren’t that late in ordering, around mid September, nonetheless, our dresses were promised in late December.  Then in the first week of January.  Still nothing came in.  Then Winnie, out sales associate confided in Nicole by saying “she dropped the ball” and weren’t due until late January.

In the end the dress came just in time, and the girls looked lovely!

Rehearsal Dinner Dress: Sposa Italia

GRADE: F

Four words… DO NOT GO THERE! You heard my stories and complaints… Nothing but problems with this 2-bit place.  The people that work there are very incompetent.  The one man (the owners husband) has no respect for women… very nonchalant and condescending.  A right JACKASS!  The owner, meh, and staff whatless.  There was this one old school broad who never let me speak… not once, and when I told how I felt about things, she said i was "putting words in her mouth"  All this in from of the owner.  She knows the caliber of imbeciles she employs but does nothing to change things.

I said it before and I’ll say it again and again and again… if you need a Disney Birdal dress, go elsewhere.  I lucked out and had no choice but to order from them because Sposa Italia was the only GTA store carrying Kirstie Kelly’s entire  collection… at the time, I wanted to buy my wedding dress there.

One tid bit I forgot to mention, was that I was promised free alterations because of all of the problems I encountered.  That didn’t happen… they turned it around on me and balked on their promise.

Pic from Christmas Cheer at the RCMI back in December.
The dress wasn’t altered at the time… I had to keep on pulling it up.
My mom altered it just in time for the rehearsal dinner.

Makeup:  Michelle from M•A•C

Grade:  A+

Loved, loved, LOVED the make-up.  I ended buying all of the make-up used (in the weeks prior to the wedding) so I could master the look.  So subtle, yet so chic!  I’ll admit it though, I’ve strayed once in our 3 year relationship… I had to have my makeup done for an after work dinner party downtown late last year

Michelle is gonna do my makeup for my post wedding shots, which quickly turned into our anniversary photos (I gain a little extra weight while in Victoria).  I’m thinking of going for a smokey eye… never done that before!

Thanks again Michelle!

Stationer:  Winggleam Studios

Grade:  A+++

One of the most important people of the day… you know what they say, how the invite sets the tone of the celebration yadda, yadda, yadda… My big sis from Winggleam Studios did just that.  She’s a freelance photog/graphic artist based in the UK.  Which worked perfectly for me, cuz any changes that needed to be done were ready for my approval the next morning.

I learned a lot about desk top publishing by working on these invites with my sis.  I definitely had my “vision” on how I wanted them to look like, but  she executed it with such professionalism! Everyone loved the way the invites turned out and all of the little details throughout the night… from the idea for the wish bowl note cards, to the photo seating chart.  Can you believe she whipped that out in less than 10 minutes?  She’s just that good!

Our note cards from the wish bowl