Hollywood classic bride & groom

There is not one theme I love more for a wedding than the classic "Old-Hollywood". It has glamour, style, sex appeal, and all the fixings of a truly romantic event. 

The tell-tales of this theme for the attire should include the following:

For the bride

Silk, satin or lace with gathering to create a gorgeous shape. (Jenny Packham has the most stunning glamour wedding dresses I have ever seen!)

Bling! Old Hollywood certainly wouldn't be the same without the diamonds, crystals and pearls that are associated with this theme. Hair pieces are a great way to incorporate this aspect

For the groom

Bow tie-This is a major must! (I am a stickler on this point)
 
Tuxedo-Black jacket or white are both very "old-hollywood" (white can also be a cream/off white)
 

You certainly can't go wrong with this classic vintage inspired look!

I'm back!

Wow! I should really be ashamed..way to leave my blog hangin' for the last few months! But life gets busy and one must prioritize. Clearly I failed on this one.

Any who I am back and ready to get to bloggin'. The next few posts will be about summer wedding themes, colors, styles etc.

I hope you have missed me as much as I have missed you :)

Cheers

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Who was excited the morning of the first snow of the season, stuck in traffic on their way into work?? This guy! I can not explain my obsession with the holidays but I can certainly tell you some of the things I love about this season, especially events!

There are not many brides who are brave enough to have a winter wedding but the trend is definitely on the up and up. There are many advantages to having a winter wedding, to just name a few:

• Availability-the odds are that your venue of choice will have at least one weekend available during your preferred month meaning you won't have to compromise on location like so many brides do during the summer. This is true also for the photographer, makeup artist, and wedding planner!
• Cost-more or less, every venue follows an off-season and high-season rate. A winter wedding means more money in your pocket (or you can put these savings towards pumping up invites & decor, getting that dress that was "just out of your budget", or towards your honeymoon!)
• Glamor-no one can deny that Christmas parties are definitely more glamorous then that summer backyard BBQ. Incorporating crystal, gold and sparkle into a winter weddings falls into the "MORE IS MORE" category. Those elements that would have felt too stuffy in the summer, definitely glam up a winter wedding.

• Guests-Yes the odd person may be off in Mexico getting a good fill of Vitamin D, but the odds are most of your guests will be around to attend your wedding during the winter months. That means you won't be disappointed to find out your close friends or relatives are off backpacking in Europe the week of your wedding.
• It's unique-If you prefer to do something atypical, different, unexpected -go with a winter wedding. You're photos will be breathtaking with the winter backdrop, the mood will be "festive" and you will have almost undivided attention from your vendors. You can be creative with your decor, get that "faux fur" wrap you've secretly always liked and most importantly.........you and your new spouse get to head somewhere warm for your honeymoon while the rest of us suffer from Cabin fever for months after! 

thankgiving wedding..hold the turkey

This past weekend I had the pleasure of coordinating my friend Dana's wedding at Heritage Park.

I was very excited and could not wait to get into the space that day so I showed up half an hour early hoping to convince the security guard to LET ME IN!!!

No go...that old man was not going to break the rules.."this one time"

Anyway, I got in, got started and actually even had time to enjoy the beautiful sunset ceremony!

Dana wanted to make sure she didn't overdo it with the decor since this heritage building already had so much character to start.

Hits of purple and green added a lovely personal touch to the space and if you know Dana, it was for sure going to be purple.

Congratulations Dana and Gary .You two seriously take "made for each other" to a whole new level.

don't be so typical

It's come to that time of year when the sun rises later, the leaves are slowly changing color, and you can't leave the house without a sweater "just in case"

Fall is by far my favorite season for practically everything other than...well....the cold of winter being around the corner.

The colors are richer, layers more plentiful and everyone starts to cozy up (wink wink). What better time to throw an event?

Instantly-my thoughts go rustic: textured wood (think tree bark), acorns, moss,  maple syrup, antique cars etc. I don't necessarily think you need an orange pumpkin for a centerpiece; I prefer things a bit more subdued..

Here are some thoughts for a new-age fall event that doesn't scream HALLOWEEN!

• Instead of orange- use bronze, copper or gold
• Go for long, farm style tables instead of rounds for more of an intimate "family-style" set up
• Incorporate burlap..it's cheap and cozies up just about anything (ring pillow, vase cover, banner)
• Use rustic lanterns to give the space a beautiful soft glow
• Layer, layer, layer-whether it's pillar candles of varying heights, table clothes with a beautiful runner over top or bold chargers underneath your dinnerware, you can't go wrong with layers in the fall.  

Getting married? forgo the traditional black suit and white dress, go instead for a chocolate brown suit (here is where you can add the punch of color with a burnt orange tie) and a cream colored dress (especially soft lace..what could be more romantic?)

source: greenweddingshoes, jetfeteblog, etsy, jessicamatushek

Showery Summer

My wonderful sister got married a few weeks ago and I could not wait to get my hands dirty planning her wedding. It literally took me 2 hours to get her flipping through wedding magazines from the moment I found out she was engaged (it's sick I know..)

I knew that she was really hoping to have an outdoor wedding but with Calgary's unique climate, she wasn't willing to make a $$$ risk on her wedding so..... I thought why not a garden bridal shower?? If worst comes to worst, move it indoors. Easier to house 40 women than 110 wedding guests.

source: http://sallyhanreck.com/

I wanted it to be very colorful & bright so the first thing that came to my mind was Holi, Indian's color festival.

Now.. I love this for two reasons. 1-I would love to one day get hit in the face with a handful of colored powder. and 2-The rainbow of colors is just what the doctor ordered for this summer garden party!

Here are just a few pictures from the shower. Enjoy!

FINALLY

Finally I have made the commitment to follow my heart and pursue the dream of doing what I love as my career.

EVENT PLANNING! (yaayy..rraaawww..wwooohhooo)

I have been planning events, from backyard bashes to conferences of 300+ guests, for the last 5 years and have decided to dip my feet into this fabulous industry as a freelance event planner.

I come from a Croatian background and if there is one thing we like to do, it's PARTY, so you can say I have been "partying" since I was in diapers.

Whether you are putting together a dinner party for some close friends, a reception for 50, or a wedding for 400, I can help you create an event that is unique to you, on budget, and will have your guests asking "where did you get that?" for weeks....(but it will be our little secret). 

Email me at anela.dido@gmail.com and we can get to work on creating your dream event!