The Wedding Session

In our final episode of the Design Series, Tonya of Paper Poet Stationary talks to us about how why your stationary and invites shouldn't be the last thing you think about when planning your wedding.

We'll talk about how your invites are the 1st point of contact with your guests, how it sets the tone for the over all event, and how it can bring your overall love story together with a carefully curated design. We also chat about why DIY isn't always the best route when it comes to making your invites. Time versus Money, Kids!!

NOTES:
Paper Poet
Paper Poet on Insta

We sit with Rachelle McBride, the Client Services Coordinator of The Pipe Shop Venue + The Wallace Venue, and discuss how to use your venue when designing your event, and why the Wallace is the perfect blank space.

We start with Rachelle giving us a little history lesson on the Wallace and how it came to be! 

So how do you decorate a blank space? Rachelle and the team are big on encouraging creativity. There is nothing that can't be done! Utilize the natural light and the stunning view of the space. The patio is HUGE so why not create a guest experience with the view of the North shore? Rachelle tells us why she loves the venue, some of her favourite events, and she explains the BIG difference between a venue coordinator and a wedding coordinator! Check out their galleries, where you can see how the space can be transformed with any colour and vibe!

The venue could be packed with guests, or be small 10 person events. No matter the size, the wedding still feels natural. Given the nature of the space, and the location, it works!

Tips. It's best to come into the space and get a feel of the space. Come with your list of priorities. If you want an amazing cocktail hour, focus on making an amazing terrace space.

Notes:
The Wallace
The Wallace on insta

The Pipe Shop
The Pipe Shop on insta 

We open this episode with how Jorbelina Flowers came to be, and how we all became fast friends working our first wedding. Our first wedding Kate-Lynn & Matt had us bonded for life! We love having her on all of our events, including our very own. Check out Tarina's baby shower with a DIY flower crown station and Tarina's massive flower crown!

What makes Dina passionate about her work, well it's the love story! Once the connection is made, it's easy to design something they will absolutely love.

What should you expect from your consult with Dina? Well she starts with asking you five questions.
1. The Location
2. What Season are you getting married in?
3. What Colours?
4. What Budget?
5. What are your must haves?
BONUS: Bring a photo of your dress and/or suit for even more details to pull from for inspiration.

In Dina's experience, she suggest you go with your first look and your first choice, because that's the one you really wanted. When you start to change your look based on trends and opinions, it won't feel like you. Stick with your first choice, but you can always add or elevate!

Want to add or adjust the flowers? Make sure to give your florist a month to make the adjustments. Flower orders are put in early to ensure you get the flowers and design you want.

Here are just some of the beautiful flowers Dina has helped us design!

Antonia & Bhavy
Sarah & Robb
Ashley & Andrew (chandelier install)
Haute Halloween
Demi & Wayne
Warm Winter Tones
English Tea Inspired

Need a florist? You can connect with Dina at Jorbelina Flowers anytime 
Instagram // @jorbelinaflowers
Facebook // Jorbelina Flowers 

On our third episode of the Series, we chat with Alexandria McCluskie of Past Pieces Vintage Wedding and Events, where we talk about how adding a lounge area to your event can enhance your event space.

We talk about some of the reasons why a lounge area is so impactful, and why renting is actually WAY BETTER then buying. Alex expertly walks us through what to expect with a consult, and things to consider when designing a cozy space for your guests.

NOTES:
Past Pieces Vintage Rentals & Events
Past Pieces on Instagram
Past Pieces at the Wellness Show 2020
Holiday Shoot with SAY Events
Kiana & Garrett Wedding at Sunwolf 

Listen in as we talk with our friend, Stefanie of Railtown Catering, as we discuss how your food service affects the decor on your guest tables.

We love a beautiful tablescape like the next bride!! But don't forget! You also need to eat. We talk about how different types of food service, whether it's plated or buffet, can affect how you design the overall look. Because nothing is worse then removing that beautifully MASSIVE arrangement on the guest table to make room for the platters of food.

Notes:
Stefanie Aitken
Railtown Catering

We're here with another series, focusing on Design! And how all the little elements come together to create an inviting atmosphere for your next event. 

We're going to touch on why decor is important, where inspiration comes from (especially when you're in a creative rut during Covid) and where to find it. 

Listen in as we introduce each episode, in no particular order!! 

• How to use your venue/surroundings in the final look vs trying to totally transform it (is it worth it to put lipstick on a pig?!)
• How invitations can be the first point of contact to share the overall the theme of the event, and how it's a reflection of the couple 
• How can Lounge spaces change the venue space
• How table shape and food service affects the look 
• Florals and how they enhance the overall feel of the space

Check out some of the Examples we talk about in the blog here:
Orphic - 70s love

Alannah + Manny 

Ashley + Graeme - podcast and wedding 

Novia + Paul

Erika + Michael

I think we can agree, weddings are not cheap. And while we go in knowing some of the costs (catering, dress, decor), there are some things you just don't realize are also part of the day that you have to pay for! 

Imagine - you're engaged, and you're in the planning process. And if you're anything thing like us, you're working through the budget for the big day. You already have price info on the venue, the food, the DJ, your dress! But, oh wait.....there's suddenly all these things that no one EVER talks about but everyone knows you have to pay for. 

Listen in as we break down some of the big ones, and things to consider when the moment arrives when you have to shell out!! 

• Beauty
• The Eff Ups
• Postage
• The Licenses
• Clothing + undergarments
• Personal Gifts
• Favours
• Taxes + Gratuities
• Vendor meals
• Alterations

PS! Shout out to the Folks who reached out to our friend Paper Poet!

Notes!!
Bellami Hair
Laser Hair Removal And check out Episode 6 of our Engagement Series where we talk to Leah about getting ready for the big day!
Sugar'd
Guest Favours - do you, don't you
Manuel Mendoza - for alterations

Let's dive in! A timeline is a super important tool to have on your wedding day. It is how everyone knows what's going on. We call it a flow of events, because a timeline is great but it's never executed perfectly.

In our experience we have found you can build pieces into the timeline that give you some wiggle room. By creating a better flow of events, and realistic expectations of how long an activity will take, this makes a better day and have you feeling less I'M RUNNING BEHIND!

1. Getting ready
Gents take no time to get ready, but ladies are in a room filled with hair tools, extensions, false eyelashes, dresses everywhere, all different types of shoes, and not to mention mimosas, Starbucks cups half empty and all in a tiny tiny hotel room because that's just how we ladies roll.
Ensure you give yourself enough time to have hair and makeup done but also time to get into your dresses, find all your accessories, have your purse, hotel key. Get a schedule from the hair and makeup team and then add more time on the back end as things always run behind getting beautified.

2. Access time
Some venues give you less time to access the space. This is something you can plan for. You either ask for earlier access time, or understand you are hiring a larger team to have a finished product before guest arrival to the ceremony and/or reception space.
Here is Erika & Michael's wedding at Cecil Green featured on our blog. Take a look as we describe how we brought this together!

3. Dress changes
Some of our brides need to change dresses depending on the occasion! Take Demi & Wayne's wedding at Dockside Restaurant, Demi wore a wedding dress for the ceremony and switched to a beautiful Kimono only worn on weddings or special occasions. It took 3 ladies 1.5 hours to get her into the dress, so this had to be written in the timeline! See Antonya & Bhavy's wedding dress AND groom attire change on our blog!

4. Load in / load out
Consider how many vendors or people are loading in. Or how challenging is the load in? Is the venue new? Is it old? Is it large? Are there service elevators? Are there loading bays? Are the bays made for small cars or giant trucks? Our advice, do a site visit with your vendors or ask your venue for instructions you can forward to your vendors. If there is a load in challenge at the start, it knocks the timeline. Take a venue like Vancouver Club. It's a heritage building, therefore the load in design wasn't built for today. But they give you tons of time to load in, it's just a matter of planning for it. Or take Kiana & Garrets wedding at Sunwolf, where we built a venue in the middle of the green forest under a clear tent.

Pro tip: Have your groom and his friend and/or dad to deliver the alcohol (if you are providing your own alcohol for the wedding day). And yes, bring a wagon or dolly or be prepared to hand bomb everything.

5. Travel
MAP IT OUT! Consider travel time, the time you are travelling, traffic and if anything is going on? Example. Travelling from Vancouver to Mission is 1 hour. HOWEVER, if fireworks are going on downtown, you're looking at over 3 hours just to get a limo out of downtown. Always always always add in extra time for travel, it is never ever exact.  Consider what is travelling. Is it a little red corvette? Is it a limo that can't turn easily? Is it a catering van from 2005 filled with food? Google maps doesn't accommodate the vehicle, driver and load.

5b. Events
Ask your venue, hotel or use the google and ask, are there events happening on your wedding day? Is there a run? Is there a bike event? Are the roads closed? Is it a car free day? Get this info before so you can plan ahead! 

Pro tip: To reduce the travel time, consider booking a hotel room near, or at the your venue. You can eliminate the stress by staying overnight, and by staying close by, you're not accommodating crazy travel times.

All we can say, ADD IN THOSE BUFFERS! If you're running ahead, GREAT! If you're not, you've put in the extra time! 

It's not about getting fit for that wedding, it's about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. We sit down again with our friend Ryan to talk about the elephant in the room, how to look good on your wedding day!
But it's not a quick fix! Also, why do couples feel the need they need to slim down? How did you get to a state where you thought you want to look better walking down that aisle. We dive in!

We review what makes Ryan passionate, and why he chooses to train and coach the way he does. It's not about the final result, it's about the journey, building relationships and giving his clients achievable goals. Small steps are key. Can you drink a glass a water every morning? Can you workout once a week? Baby steps get you closer to your goal.

Ryan finds a good consultation to start the process off. This is a way to determine the best way to work together. It's also a great way to determine, is this the trainer for you? Is this the client for you?

We embrace the luxuries of life. Have a salad but also have a donut!

Ryan and his wife Kim dieted for their own wedding, but even after the two said I do, they've gotten in better shape! But how? Recognizing crash dieting is not the answer but healthier choices is! Including a recipe from his wife the salad queen you can all enjoy at home.

We talk our favourite muscle groups to work on, our love/hate relationship with leg day and why we should, but also shouldn't brand our cars.

What's stopping you? Get to be a better you! 

Want to watch Ryan's insta stories, give him a follow!
Instagram // @coached.by.rd
Instagram// @realdealfitness
https://www.lifestyletransformations.ca/

We continue our chat with Alex Rocco of iDJ Services. 

Warning - a little bit of f bombs are dropped the further go into the podcast, so keep the ear muffs on your little ones! 

We start talking about the good 'ole days where we youngster partied downtown with no cell phone cameras, and a mix of bands and DJ'ing. 
(We figure out we might have crossed paths in the early 2000s). Names like Barnone and Tonic create a specific sound where you branch out, Mirage you could mix it all! We discover throwback to us is not what throwback is to the new generation of youngsters. 

Alex tells us how he shifts from downtown late night evenings to full time wedding and corporate event DJ, thus making iDJ was born in 2013. 

In addition, when the clubs open up again, there will be dancing and there will be tik tok dancing.

Alex explains the difference between his style, and how we would mix a wedding. Everyone wants to hear the same 50 songs you would hear at a wedding, but he tries to make it interesting by mixing it with other music genres. Try explaining that to a bride and groom! So instead, he feeds off the crowds energy and see if they respond to a disco mix, fist pumping beats, etc. 

A mix DJ is not uncle bob with an iPod. A mix DJ is giving you interesting beats and a fun vibe! 

We've all heard timing is everything! On weddings or private events, you have to start the party earlier then later. Folks don't want to stay past 11 anymore, so you better get the mood up as soon as you can. 

We explore DJ's that are full time, younger, older, weekend warriors and how they present themselves. How does this present the guest experience?

Where do you place yourself as a DJ in a venue? You sometimes have that control, but not always! 

How is Alex's role affected working with a planner? Start with Instagram or website, same as a DJ! Who's the professional here! 

Alex tells us how he sets up his team for success and how working with us is a treat! 

If you want to hear the craziest story that involves a bathroom and a strip club, listen till the end! Again, not an episode for the youngsters ears.