Filed under: Off topic...
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Filed under: Decor, Real Wedding, Theme, Wedding | Tags: Brassaii, downtown, Real Wedding, Theme, Toronto
posted by: missmiellen
August was a busy month for this Miss here, because I had 3 weddings to attend to! Today’s Real Wedding belongs to my good friend Evan, who I survived my four years of fashion university with. Her and her now-husband Danny started dating while we were in second year, and after a very long engagement, they finally tied the knot.
The Italia-inspired wedding took place at Brassaii, a trendy downtown restaurant on King West. The ceremony was outdoors in the courtyard in front of the restaurant, which led into the cocktail hour. The reception then moved inside to the main restaurant, where an intimate group of 140 enjoyed the most delicious wedding dinner I had ever had.
Signage directing guests to the location
Acoustic musician entertaining the cocktail hour
Bringing the greenery inside the industrial style restaurant
The scrumptious menu
Escort tags indicating our seats by Italian provinces
Our table card, in the decorative "stamp" found throughout the wedding
The wedding cake, with the adorable birdie cake topper by our friend Curtis
The cozy ambiance
If it were up to me, and if we could cut our guest list down to double digits, I would totally have our wedding at a restaurant. The food was amazing, the atmosphere was intimate and warm, and did I mention the food was so very delicious??
Filed under: Decor, Real Wedding, Theme, Wedding | Tags: Deer Creek, Real Wedding
posted by: missmiellen
This past weekend I attended, what is now in my book, the funnest wedding ever. How fun was it? Everyone got up and danced. People stayed until the entire venue was cleared. Comments included, “they should have charged admission to get in”, “I wanted to scalp tickets outside” and “they had to stop serving shots at the bar because they ran out of vodka”.
Besides the explosive factor of fun, the wedding had some gorgeous details as well. The bride tackled most things herself (with the help of some friends), and if you don’t have a Cricut yet, you should run out and get one as soon as you’ve finished reading this post. Please excuse the unprofessional point-and-shoot shots – but you get the idea. Enjoys it!
The beautiful sign that Ken's sister handmade
Silk fans were bombonieres as well as decor
The bridesmaids' bouquets
Floral arrangements at the church/head table
The head table
The wedding cake, made by an aunt of the bride's
The incredible centerpieces that I somehow managed to score one of
Steelpan performer who stole the show during the cocktail hour
The bride and groom enjoying their first dance. Check out that gown!!!!!
It was an honour to be part of such a special day, and I must admit – it will be a tough one to beat!!!
posted by: missmiellen
Apologies for having been MIA for the past few weeks. Life has been extremely hectic, and this weekend, it culminates with the marriage of my two dear friends, Ken and Tiff!!! Theirs is a story that spans over 11 years (you can read about their engagement here), and this wedding has seriously been 11 years coming.
Friday I’m putting on my bridesmaid’s cap for them, but also, for my readers – I’ll be doing a bit of scouting and bringing you some of their best wedding details. How exciting! Tiff is a big DIY queen, so you dont want to miss all the handywork she did for the big day!!
Filed under: Attire, DIY, Style, Wedding | Tags: accessories, birdcage, bridal, DIY, fascinator, French netting, headpiece, veil
posted by: missmiellen
I have loved fascinators and feathers since, forever, and I am super excited to be creating my own headpieces for the wedding! A few months ago, my mom and I headed over to Sussman’s Bridal on Queen West, who have the most amazing selection of fascinators and headpieces. If you want, you could spend anywhere from $40 and up per accessory, or if you’re like us, you buy the raw materials and make them yourself (they sell them, too).
photo courtesy of Unveiled Bridal Designs
I’ve always been a DIY kind of girl, and with the help of my mom, the only things we’re not doing for the wedding is pretty much making the food and serving it ourselves. Today she’s putting together one of the many fascinators I’m hoping to wear, and I came across a very handy step-by-step guide if you fancy trying this yourself, too.
How to make a birdcage veil – courtesy of Made By Mary Ann
For inspiration (or shopping), visit:
Sara Gabriel
CastleBride Couture
And of course ETSY!
Work in progress
Filed under: Legal Stuff, Love in general, Marriage | Tags: marriage, name change, Ontario
posted by: missmiellen
There are some days where I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that I’m engaged. Today is one of those days! I looked at J today and I can’t believe that in a year from now, I’ll be looking at my husband.
One of the things I have been battling with is the whole name change thing. I’ve never really had an opinion about women taking on their husband’s name after marriage, but now that I’m facing this selection process, I don’t know how I feel. Anyway, I did a little research on changing your name here in the Canadian province Ontario, and I came across some things that I wasn’t aware of.
You can legally change your surname to your partner’s surname
This is what I thought was common practise among all the new Mrs. I knew, the ones who now had maiden names. In Ontario, if you apply to legally change your surname within 90 days of your marriage, there is no cost. Any time after will cost you $25 (interestingly, the set up is the same if you get divorced – you’ll need to change back to your maiden name within 90 days or it’s gonna cost you!). You have to fill out a form, answer a bunch of questions, and be ready to embrace a new surname on your birth certificate.
You can also “assume” your partner’s surname
Apparently, “assuming” your partner’s name is different from changing your name legally. According to the government of Ontario website, it is “the most common practice in Canada”. I had no idea!! Assuming your partner’s name is much simpler than doing a legal change – you just have to change all your current ID to reflect your new name. Best of all, your birth certificate remains the same – which means no formal name changing requests needed. As long as you have your marriage certificate, you can change your name as you like – be it hyphenated, whatever.
posted by: missmiellen
So the verdict’s in, and it looks like Board #1 has won! Everyone, including J, voted for the more colourful and peppy palette. Now that that’s settled (for now – lord knows I’m going to change it again), where do I start??
Filed under: Photography, Vendor, Videography, Wedding | Tags: Videography, wedding video, windmill video & photography
posted by: missmiellen
I was never really into videography for the wedding day, but after seeing some beautifully filmed and edited videos, I think I’ve changed my mind. Today’s love goes out to my newest favourite vendor – Windmill Video & Photography. Gone are the days of cheesy handheld wedding videos that are 6 hours long! Windmill’s videos are nothing short of a mini motion picture masterpiece. Enjoy!
Filed under: Colours, Decor, Design, Planning, Wedding | Tags: colour palette, colour scheme, coral, emerald + aquamarine, grey blush, inspiration board, ivory, wedding theme, white, whites
posted by: missmiellen
Now that our venue is in place, we have to rehash the colour scheme. Sadly, the original colours I had put together (see here) will get too washed out in our venue. And I was totally in love with this palette! Sigh. Anyway, after being on planning hiatus for a good month and a bit, I’ve rolled up my sleeves and created two new inspiration boards.
You guys are actually the first ones to see it – I haven’t even shown J the new boards. The first board is an emerald + aquamarine scheme. I love it because it’s fresh, which makes it perfect for a spring wedding, and the colours are neither overly feminine or masculine.
Emerald, chartreuse, aquamarine + whites
The second board is my dove grey, coral, blush + ivory palette. A very pretty colour combination and modern, too. It’s definitely softer, but still makes a big impact.
dove grey, coral, blush + ivory
I know, two very strong competitors. I won’ t tell you what my preference is, but it would be great to get some feedback on which palette you like better! The sooner I decide, the sooner I can get cracking on other things! I’m wondering what J will choose – the obvious pick is the first board since there is no remote signs of pink in it, but I’m actually not convinced that he will be that predictable.
Filed under: Photography, Vendor, Wedding | Tags: Darryl & Vicky Photography, Darryl Waddell, Photography, Toronto, Vicky Brahos, wedding photographers
posted by: missmiellen
Ok, so I may be biased, but I have to show some love for my friends Vicky and Darryl. In a time where there is an abundance of wedding photographers to choose from, Darryl & Vicky Photography shine like a star brighter than everyone else. If you live in the Greater Toronto Area (or even if you don’t), be sure to check out their work at darrylandvicky.com. They capture wonderful moments, with a perfect blend of photojournalism and beautiful portraiture. They’re lovely to work with, and if you are as crazy as they are, you could find yourself photographed in a waterfall 60 minutes away from the city.
Here are some of my favourite shots by Darryl & Vicky:
