Wedding

I adore naked cakes. I love the simplicity and elegance it offers and each and everyone has its own character, they’re perfectly imperfect. My sister and cousin gifted a naked cake to Kyle and I as our wedding cake and I absolutely loved it (see more wedding photos here). I’ve been meaning to recreate one as a side project, but the truth is, I’m no baker. I can’t seem to follow baking instructions correctly and much of my baking attempts typically turn into a disaster.

It was the perfect timing when Therese from ARTIESE Fine Art Photography approached me to collaborate on a creative shoot with her. I thought I’d take this opportunity to help those of you who suffer from the same baking issue as me. Don’t fret, I’ve got just the perfect DIY for you, to transform a store bought iced cake, into a beautiful, personalized, naked cake.

There are a lot of expenses when it comes to planning a wedding. I can tell you no matter how diligent you are with your budget, extra costs and expense will always creep up. There were some things I absolutely planned to splurge on from day one and left it to the experts, i.e. photography and florals. Meanwhile there were other items, i.e. my wedding veil and wedding favors, I knew I wanted to DIY – I guess I’d consider myself as the expert in this scenario!

I wanted our wedding favors to be simple, easy to assemble, matched our table setting, and at the end of the day, a keepsake our guests can take which blend nicely with the rest of their home. These DIY mini Wedding Terrariums were inspired by a few extra IKEA spice jars I had laying around at home. I kid you not when I say that inspiration can be found anywhere… in my case, even within the dark corners of my kitchen!

These DIY Wedding Terrariums doubles as favors and place card holders, keep reading on to see how to create them!

I finally started to go through some of the photos we took during our honeymoon! I will be sharing more in a few more posts, but first up, is the beautiful town of Oia on the islands of Santorini. During the second week of our honeymoon, we explored the islands of Greece and spent one day touring this breathtaking town. There are four main towns along the caldera in Santorini – Fira, Firostefani, Imerovigli, and Oia. These are located on the western edge of the island and are situated on the caldera cliff, which offers fantastic views of the volcano.

Keep reading to see more photos.

Most couples have a ‘song’, for Kyle and I, we never had a ‘song’ for the few years we dated. When it came time to find a song for our wedding dance, I thought the song selection process was going to require quite a bit of effort seeing that we never had a ‘song’, but to my surprise, the both of us unanimously (and simultaneously) made the decision of picking Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” as the special song for our wedding night.

In early June when Ed Sheeran scheduled his concert in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre, I tried to purchase tickets as a romantic way to gear up for our big day. As you would imagine, tickets sold out right away, and no dice for me! But thanks to American Express Canada, we were able to enjoy the Ed Sheeran concert this past weekend with Front Of The Line reserved ticket allotment and relived our first dance (how romantic!).

If you’re looking to score tickets to the next hot show or event I encourage you to explore the perks of being a American Express Cardmember. As an Amex Cardmember, you have access to Front Of The Line presales, reserved ticket allotments, Delights experiences as well as exclusive benefits at special venues across the country.  You can also check out www.AmexInvites.ca to learn more about some of the hottest upcoming events! For now, check out some photos I snapped at the concert and of course a photo of our first dance from our wedding!

Thanks to my friends at American Express Canada for letting us relive #ThisMoment!

After two long months of patiently waiting to catch a glimpse of our wedding day photos, the day finally arrived! We are so very delighted and absolutely adore them!

Let me set the tone here for you. It was a rainy wedding day, and I’m not referring to a light romantic drizzle, but rather, a downpour all day kind of day. Luckily, our photographers, Kirk and Angela of Afterglow Images held magical powers and despite the rain was able to capture the blissful day we had.

Not too much more to say here other than, “a picture is worth a thousand words”.

Keep reading to enjoy a few of our most-loved and to see more, visit the the Afterglow Images blog.

Brides spend so much effort planning out their beauty routine for the wedding day, I know I did! But what about the grooms?! The special guy in your life most definitely also need some TLC ahead of the big day. Whether you’re planning your own wedding or helping out a friend, be sure to add a special “Groom’s Day” on your wedding planning checklist. I guarantee the groom would be very appreciative and feel extra special leading up to the big day!

When I was planning out my day prior and day of beauty schedule, i.e. nails, facial, hair, makeup, I also suggested for Kyle to set aside time to get pampered before saying “I do”.  The several weeks lead up to our wedding day (hard to believe it’s been two months!), I added a few extra goodies and regimens to his routine.

Read further for some suggestions on pampering your guy for the big day!

For my wedding day, I wanted to look timeless. Therefore, I opted for simple yet stunning jewelry and accessories. I also wanted to make a selection of pieces that weren’t overly ‘bridal’, so that I could incorporate them into my regular wardrobe again.

I had searched months for a pair of earrings and finally met the perfect pair of delicate sparkly scalloped edge chandelier earrings. For my feet, I picked a classic pair of nude patent Ferragamos I’ve been meaning to add to my wardrobe for years. For my wrists, I started the day with a simple pearl bracelet embellished with a center crystal-clustered bead c/o of Vivah Jewellery and later ended up with an additional gifted diamond tennis bracelet from my parents (woah! They are too sweet).

I don’t often see brides carry a clutch or bag on her wedding day, but sure am glad I decided to take this beautiful golden clutch also c/o of Vivah Jewellery along my side (my maids took turns keeping it for me while I wasn’t able to). I was able to take along some important items with me such as a mini makeup touch up kit, tissues, tide-to-go, and I managed to keep my phone close by my side (hello… Instagram?! LOL, all jokes aside, in case of unexpected vendor emergencies).

For all you bride-to-be’s or if you’re simply attending an upcoming wedding, I want to celebrate with you!

My friends at Vivah Jewellery and I are running a giveaway for TWO $5o vouchers to spend at their new online store that is set to launch on Tuesday, July 14, 2015. You can shop any items your heart desires! Enter using the widget included in the full blog post!

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but I was a little pre-occupied the last couple of weeks, preparing for our wedding and busy getting hitched over the past weekend! I’m still in a bit of a shock but absolutely excited and thrilled to start this new chapter of my life with my new husband. Husband! Yup, I said it! Eek!!!

Saturday, June 27, 2015 was honestly a magical day and I couldn’t be more happy then how the day turned out. Yes, it rained the entire day, from the moment I stepped foot out of my house to the moment we ended the night as newlyweds, but we didn’t care less! Many people gave me marriage and wedding planning advice along the way, and one that resonated the most with me was that you will NEVER be able to get the exact same people in the same room, celebrating a joyous moment together – it was truly remarkable to see so many friends and family, near and far, focusing their attention on us the entire time. If you’re gearing up for your own wedding – be sure to savor, enjoy, and take in this very special moment – it is incredible.

Happy Friday friends! I’ve been meaning to load up the photos from my beautiful Bridal Shower for days now but was constantly distracted. No need to say too much here, but wanted to give a special shoutout to my bridal party, my sister, and all the wonderful people that came to celebrate with me. Thank you to all the laughs and gifts and I am so excited to see you all again in a few weeks!

My bridal shower was everything that I had hoped for, from this GORGEOUS handmade paper flower backdrop by Confetti and Bows to the DIY Flower Bouquet station, and lastly, all the tasty baked treats (my sister is quite the baker!) – what a way to make a bride-to-be feel loved and super special!

Happy Monday! I hope all of you had a great weekend! To my American friends, Happy Memorial Day, wishing you all a great holiday! I’m SO excited to finally share the images from our engagement shoot by Afterglow Images. A couple of weeks back, I shared a sneak peek of our photoshoot from the photos taken with my phone. The finished photos were finally completed by the amazing Angela and Kirk of Afterglow Images and we absolutely ADORE them!

Everything about this beach/sailing themed Spark Session is exactly what we hoped for. Most of you know that Kyle is a avid sailing and this shoot was certainly inspired for his love for sailing and the water. They captured the essence of our personalities and relationship perfectly, triple thumbs up. We can’t wait to get these images printed and I can also think of a million spots to place them in our home.

Read further to see a quick glimpse, to see our full gallery of photos, please visit the Afterglow Images blog.