Archive for Weddings
Love on the One Love Drive, Negril, Jamaica!
Posted by: | CommentsI had the pleasure of creating yet another spectacular wedding for my clients, Joy & Norman, in Negril, Jamaica in March 2010 and again walked away just awed by the resourcefulness and friendly professionalism of Negril. Dubbed the capital of casual, the friendly and laid back town boasts many talented artist and artisans such as the folks at Kush Art; beautiful properties - too many to name here, and gregarious and warm residents such as, Lembert, driver of the One Love Shuttle and president of the Negril Cluster, an association that is redefining Negril as the heart of Jamaica’s cultural mecca and the place to taste and do everything Jamaican.
As a destination planner who specializes in Jamaica, I am also very aware of the environment and try to incorporate elements of green into my client’s weddings. I do this by locally sourcing as much of their wedding needs as is possible and this gives me the opportunity to meet with an amazing array of Jamaican talent.
In comes Ryan, the artist and owner of Kush Art on Negril’s One Love Drive. This is a must stop on your tour of attractions of the west end of town because here you can find any items handcrafted from bamboo, wood, clay or fabric. All their work is custom made and by hand and is in essence the closest you can get to commissioning your own work of art, whether it be furniture, a painting of jewelry or clothing. Ryan has produced chargers, candle holders and trays for my tabletops and has also produced jewelry for my brides as gifts for her bridesmaids.
Another noteworthy mention is that whether wedding vendor or not, everyone is willing to assist with your vision of your clients wedding and even when an off the cuff and slightly quirky idea blossoms (aka coconut husks as vases!), the local coconut vendor will be happy to help and will even have them delivered via scooter taxi when I am too busy to make the pick up myself!
Though my clients are happily off honeymooning at Breezes Negril, I continue to receive many quick notes of thanks for a day well done and as they remember little parts of their wedding that was meaningful to them.
Congratulations Norman and Joy!
Culture Shock - Hilda & Oliver
Posted by: | CommentsThe minute I met Hilda and Oliver, I knew that their wedding was going to be very special and heaps of fun and they didn’t disappoint! This couple had a fresh and vibrant approach and definitely had their own ideas about the kind of celebration they wanted to have. They wanted to pull different parts of their Ghanaian and Jamaican culture together to include both families and have a big party!
Oliver was the planner of the duo as he is a noted DJ on the Toronto scene and having provided his professional services at many other weddings, knew precisely what he did and did not want. He was very keen on the logistics of the reception as he wanted to incorporate a very fun and funky grand entrance using a drummer and many other special touches including parents of both the bride and groom.
The day started out a bit rainy but the group was undaunted as they had a great time getting ready at the chic waterfront hotel, The Waterside Inn on Lakeshore, where the bride dispatched one of her bridemaids (who incidentally is the sister of the groom) to drop off a pre wedding gift to her fiancé while he was getting ready. What she didn’t realize was that he was also just about sending his best man to do the same and so we intercepted him and brought back her treasure trove. The day was filled with special and thoughtful touches like this and it was so easy to see that this couple was totally in love.
Pictures were done at Mississauga City Hall pre ceremony because of the rainy weather and a beautiful ceremony was held at St. Anne’s RC church in Brampton. Luckily I am a Minister of Communion in good standing 
as I was called upon to assist Father Leo with communion at the wedding Mass! I was absolutely honored to be a part of their beautiful celebration of marriage vows.
The evening progressed to The Venetian in Vaughan for the reception where Ria’s Designs wowed us with their beautiful set up of the room and the banquet hall staff delighted us with the efficient and very attentive service.
The grand entrance had DJ Jonathan Shaw playing specific songs for each couple in the bridal party so they could rock to their own beat and take their seats. The newlyweds however opted for an African drummer and delighted everyone by starting with some Ghanaian beats where Hilda tried to show her new husband a few moves and then Oliver reciprocated with a few reggae moves. They certainly grooved their way to the sweetheart table in the middle of the room to everyone’s delight. We were all certainly set up for a great night and it was delivered.
The videography team made good on the promise of a fantastic same day edit during dinner but not before the Mother/Son dance got everybody grooving to the reggae song of “Thank You Mama”. Oliver’s mom showed us a few cool moves that showcased her prowess on the dance floor and blew away some of the guests who didn’t realize that she was just as young at heart as her son! Hilda’s family also got some of their tunes showcased as DJ Johnathan found a few Ghanaian rhythms in his arsenal as well.
Two very personal and sweet notes in this celebration were the cake that was done by the bride’s aunt who came in from the USA the night before the wedding and the customized wedding favours and guestbook. Joel of Event Imaging was on hand to take pictures of all the guests as a momento but also so that the B&G could have extra shots for their guestbook. All the guests were delighted to jot down their thoughts and well wishes to the couple on coloured paper cut into shapes that were provided for the scrapbook/guestbook.
My fav highlight of the evening came when the couple revealed their “true story”. Throughout the planning of the wedding, there was a website chronicling the events leading up to the nuptials and there was a version of how they met and got together in each of their own words. There was also a note that there were 3 sides to every story…her side, his side and the truth! They told us the truth at the wedding and it was a perfect topper for the day. For those who followed this love story, it was a perfect and happy ending to several years of courtship, separation, finding each other again and happily ever after!
Special thanks to the Matt and his team at Xero Digital for providing some of the shots for the blog…we wait in anticipation for their professional shots in a while and I will happily update you with those (all the shots that scream amateur would be mine!)
Congratulations Hilda and Oliver!
Fall Season Update - Wedding MBA Conference in las Vegas!
Posted by: | CommentsAfter an extremely busy, but very exciting and rewarding fall season, I am finally off on a vacation. You are probably thinking that you have no idea what we have been up to here at The Bridal Affaire and Bridal Affair Destinations, that’s been keeping me so busy, so I will spend some time bringing you up to speed!
September 2009
The MBA Wedding Conference in Las Vegas
With our promise to constantly update and upgrade our knowledge base to provide the very best, most exciting and innovating ideas to our clients, BA & BAD went to the MBA Wedding Conference in Las Vegas. This is where all the fantastic talents in the industry meet, once per year to share and learn from each other.
This is where Martha Stewart Wedding’s Darcy Miller and Alan Berg from The Knot, released the current industry report from their companies on their most recent surveys of the industry. We also heard from the fantastic Andy Ebon of The Wedding Marketing Network, Peter Merry, DJ and Author of “The Best Wedding Reception…Ever!“, Julia Markel of AfWPI and Harmony Walton from Get Married, to name a few.
Danielle Andrews Sunkel and Tracey Manailescu of The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada also delivered a seminar on “Breaking into the Destination Wedding Market”.
As a fantastic bonus, highlighting the lore of the Las Vegas wedding industry, the Association for Wedding Professionals International (AFWPI) organized a guided tour of some of the wedding chapels that Las Vegas is most famous for. Our tour was guided by Joni Moss of LV Wedding Connection, and we visited three of the more popular chapels including The Chapel of Flowers, Viva Las Vegas and The Fast Lane Wedding Chapel, where you can have either a walk up or drive through wedding!
Bridal Affair Destinations is now “Las Vegas Certified” to plan your perfect wedding in Vegas if you are so inclined!
