My Vintage Glam Wedding

Glamnuptials: La Bosse des Noces (We were on TV)

2009-10-08T17:50:00.006-04:00

Being a blogger for Weddingbee has definitely made me feel special / sort of celebrity-ish at times (but seriously I'm just a normal gal who blogged about her wedding planning) and it was an honor to share it with all of yous. Some bees have been recognized in public on several occasions (crazy I know!) So when Mr.Flamingo and I took part of a wedding tv show called La Bosse des Noces, well that definetly an interesting experience.

A couple of weeks ago, I was flipping the channels on the television and came face to face... with me. Yup, our wedding was airing again on television. Kinda neat I know. I know you have been waiting to view this video for quite some time, but trying to find a way to upload the video took longer than I anticipated. But I can finally share it with you now. So for those of you who understand french - enjoy!

Though it may not look like it, but I was extremely nervous. Its not every day you have cameras in your face and someone prepping your makeup. A hint ? Notice how many times I say "Glamour" lol ...

The show was about helping us out with issues we came across while planning our wedding. They helped us out with decor elements and our place card chandelier tree. What's great is that they even featured Wes Jones of Film Jones because they found the whole 8mm video really intriguing... plus that whole segment is in english :)

Our wedding was also on the web with a detailed description of the episode (for canadians only), list of stores where they purchased the items for our wedding and DIY explanations. Check it out here (if you can read in french) Our wedding will be playing for the next 5 years (re-runs obviously) So the "Hey weren't you on TV?" remark will be common, but i can get use to that...LOL But seriously we loved our experience and would do it again in a heartbeat.

So that's it... I'm officially done my wedding recaps. Sniff sniff. I hope you enjoyed my blogging as Mrs.Flamingo. Now this is not an official goodbye, because I will stick around the hive and maybe blog a few more things ;) but my journey as a bee is finished. I've been around for 2 years exactly... and its my time to sign-off and let the spotlight shine on the new bees.

You can visit me on Glamour This! my personal blog. Or better yet, follow even more my randomness on twitter @blushink.

Best of luck to everyone, and thank you for reading/listening to my rambling :)
Now and forever,
Flamingo
xox

If you want to see all the Glamnuptials recap posts... they are listed below.

Glamnuptials: Beauty Time
Glamnuptials: Prep Time
Glamnuptials: Our details
Glamnuptials: Ceremony Part 1
Glamnuptials: Ceremony Part 2
Glamnuptials: Bride Posing
Glamnuptials: Groom Posing
Glamnuptials: Strike the pose Part 1
Glamnuptials: Strike the pose Part 2
Glamnuptials: The Newlyweds
Glamnuptials: We are Family
Glamnuptials: The first dance
Glamnuptials: Toast time a lot of tears
Glamnuptials: Boogie on Down
Glamnuptials: 3,2,1 and Catch!
Glamnuptials: The Favors
Glamnuptials: Le Gâteau
Glamnuptials: The Guestbook
Glamnuptials: Decor Elements
Glamnuptials: Giving our gifts
Glamnuptials: Our mini moon
Glamnuptials: DAS aka Day after Shoot
Glamnuptials: Wedding Movie Trailer
Glamnuptials: Real Wedding Inspiration Board
Glamnuptials: The REAL Budget

A Bee's Life: Flamingo Edition

2009-08-23T23:17:00.007-04:00

Being a graphic designer, its a given that the computer is my best friend. Ask me what I can't live without? I would say the Computer/Internet... hey, its a combo, one can't live without the other... ;) Call it an addiction or just plain curiosity but I'm always online searching the net, sharing cool sites all of that. Little did I know about blogging though.

How my Blogging obsession began: (2006)

I had heard about it from another designer friend and was really interested by this whole concept. He had a really cool personal blog sharing some personal stuff... and it got me thinking, "hmm I wonder if people would read my blog" intrigued and of course willing to spend a couple more hours on a computer a day... I decided to start my own blog.

I was debating at first if I would go the personal or more general route... and decided to give the personal approach a try. So I blogged about me, (still hesitate on who would actually read my blog) but I did it, shared personal and professional experiences. I did it for a couple of months but felt something was lacking. I decided to take the plunge and abandon my old blog (about me) to start a new one. One about weddings in general. Since I had been engaged for over a year, I was right in the planning and what better way to share my knowledge with others. Hence that's when Glamour This! was born.

How I found the Hive of awesomeness:
Since I was blogging about weddings, posting about inspiration boards, themes, dresses... I became an avid reader of many wedding blogs DIY Bride, Style Me Pretty, Something Old Something New, Perfect Bound, Eco-Chic Weddings (that I would literally type in their URL in 5 times a day cuz Google Reader wasn't introduced yet... could you even believe that!!!) So when I saw several of my fave bloggers posted about being featured on Weddingbee... I clicked on the link... and that's when my life was over, and the obsession began.

Applying to Weddingbee (September 2007)
I couldn't believe I hadn't found this site before... all the time I spent online and never came across this goldmine. I was impressed about all the different brides blogging about their planning, DIY projects and more. It was a whole new world for me... and like many of yous, I would refresh my page a good 15 times a day (no joke)

Blogging was my way of talking about wedding stuff without having my family and friends sigh every two minutes because they were fed-up hearing about the dresses, the colors, the theme... you get the point. Since majority of the brides (at the time I started reading WB )were from the States (with the exception of Pumpkin) I thought I would send in my application and hope I'd be accepted and become another Canadian Bee.

Obviously I didn't have a personal wedding blog... but submitted my Glamour This! blog in my application. Ya, not the best idea. I received an email from Mrs.Bee saying that she really liked my current blog, but since WB was about blogging on a personal level, she wanted me to write up a few posts to see if I would be WB material ;) So I created a new blog just for Weddingbee. I was dedicated and wanted this so bad.

After a week of personal wedding posts... I received the email that changed my life. (I know it sounds cheesy - but I swear its true) I got accepted to become a BEE. I couldn't really share the news with my family and friends... because no one had a clue what I was talking about... but that didn't matter. I GOT ACCEPTED TO BE A BEE... was introduced on October 26th and started blogging officially on October 27th 2007.

Why the pink bird?
When I was given the choice to choose an icon only a few birds were left in the pile, amongst them was the Flamingo. Mrs.Bee had told me I could wait for the next generation of icons (desserts) but that would mean I would only start blogging after the new year. Um... there was no way I could wait that long, are you kidding me. I was more excited than a kid in a candy store. Plus... looking at the flamingo put a smile on my face. It reminded me of 2 things: Pink being by far my favorite color and just the whole story behind searching for Flamingos in Cuba when they were in our hotel all along. So it was perfect for me, um I mean us :)

Bee Blogging advice:

Blogging is like anything in life, represent yourself, blog about the "real you "and not someone you think people will like. Don't loose yourself in what you see out there in the blog-o-sphere. Of course there will be prettier DIY projects, cooler invitation designs... but that doesn't mean yours aren't awesome. Respect your wedding, your budget and stop comparing apple with pears.

Also when writing posts... know that people are visual and love pictures. Now that doesn't mean you need to put in as many pictures as you can (relevant or not) but know that breaking long posts with imagery helps the flow of the post more (obviously ... do not use this post as an example)

Lastly, never give up. Some applications are accepted first time around, others after 3 tries... there's really no winning recipe. You simply need to find your blogging voice and speak it loud and clear :)

Why I heart WB more than I do chocolate:
Weddingbee has held my sanity together throughout the wedding planning. Fellow Bees and readers have given the best advice and ongoing support when I needed it the most. Plus this has become my second family and even though I've only met 3 bees, I feel like I have a connection with many of them. I've even extended this connection and made awesome friendships and talk to these bees on a regular basis.

What I love the most about being an old bee, is that I have seen Weddingbee grow. So many changes in the last 2 years. Addition of boards, WB pro, WB TV, the new WB look... all these little features that seem indispensable... weren't always there. Way to go WB!!! Keep the awesomeness coming.

Life after Weddingbee:
Obviously I'll stick around as long as I can, heck I've been married 15 months, haven't completed my recaps, plus I find reasons to blog, lurk the boards and comment. I heart Weddingbee and to be honest thinking about my goodbye post or what will be the official reason for the separation scares me. So I stick around... and hope you don't mind. Lets just say I'm not ready to say goodbye just yet ;)

If you want to know about what's going on in my crazy life... you can follow me on Twitter, or read my blog: www.glamourthis.com (soon to be revamped) with all my adventures of being a new home owner.

Thank you for reading my posts, commenting, giving your advice and just being there.
xox
Flamingo

Glamnuptials : Our Minimoon

2009-08-12T13:55:00.000-04:00

WOW, I'm almost at the end of my recap posts and I've been married over a year. Can you believe its been a that long since I got married!!! Time flies. I know, I know I can all hear you say, "its about time those recaps are done!" LOL I admit, it took me forever.

We when were planning our wedding, the honeymoon was something that was rather important (to me at least)... a getaway after the whole 1 year and a half of planning. Unfortunately, we soon realized that things were rather expensive... and the honeymoon was put on hold.

Originally when we would talk about honeymoon destinations, Mr.Flamingo and I weren't on the same page. He wanted Disney, I wanted Italy/Paris. Then it switched, since I knew we wouldn't agree on a place... we considered going down south, but we abandoned all those ideas and figured a minimoon was a better option. So right after the wedding... we packed our bags, fill the tank and drove to my favorite city NYC!

Not having lots of money to invest in our trip, we used Priceline to book our hotel in Jersey. It was our first time using this site and we were quite happy about the price and hotel.

The view of Manhattan from our room

Yup I even brought our laptop so that I can blog while we were away.

Very comfy bed...

Every morning we would grab a chai latte at starbucks (which happened to be in the hotel lobby - isnt that amazing!!! ) and would take the shuttle to the train station. It was my first time taking the train to Penn station but other than getting lost a couple of times we finally got the hang of it ;)

As a wedding gift, we received a brand new Samsung NV24HD digital camera from work and we were so excited to put our new camera to good use. We took lots of pictures on the first day but when it came time to recharge the battery... oops there was a problem. It wasn't charging - a defect in the battery. So you know what that means...we didnt take pics of our other days in NYC... what a shame.

But at least we caught this on camera.

We visited the famous Madame Tussaud. I've been to NYC at least 5 times and never got the chance to check out the famous wax museum... we seriously had a blast.

Of course Mr.Flamingo needed to take a picture with his favorite superhero... sometimes I seriously think he would love to be Clark Kent. lol

I, on the other hand need to take a pic with my girl power chicas! I almost look like Geri Haliwells replacement... almost. So, Mr.F felt he needed to be part of something too... so Nsync was his choice of the hour.

We absoultely wanted to see a Broadway show (even though Mr.Flamingo is french) our first choice was Wicked, but tickets were sold out and decided to see The Mel Brooks musical The Young Frankenstein.

This is the only proof we were at a broadway show. No pictures allowed so before they confiscated our camera we put it away. We seriously LOVED it... to the point that its going to be on our "must" list next time around.

The rest of our stay we did lots of walking and continued to visit places. We even got the chance to meet Mrs. Bee, Mr. and Mrs. Pumpkin and Mrs. Lovebird for a nice meal at the Spice Market in the Meatpacking District.

Can't wait to go to NYC again, hopefully I'll meet even more bees. (Thats the funnest part - I find)

Up next: La Bosse Des Noces (us on TV) ...

——————–
Previously:
Glamnuptials: Beauty Time
Glamnuptials: Prep Time
Glamnuptials: Our details
Glamnuptials: Ceremony Part 1
Glamnuptials: Ceremony Part 2
Glamnuptials: Bride Posing
Glamnuptials: Groom Posing
Glamnuptials: Strike the pose Part 1
Glamnuptials: Strike the pose Part 2
Glamnuptials: The Newlyweds
Glamnuptials: We are Family
Glamnuptials: The first dance
Glamnuptials: Toast time a lot of tears
Glamnuptials: Boogie on Down
Glamnuptials: 3,2,1 and Catch!
Glamnuptials: The Favors
Glamnuptials: Le Gâteau
Glamnuptials: The Guestbook
Glamnuptials: Decor Elements
Glamnuptials: Giving our gifts
Glamnuptials: DAS aka Day after Shoot
Glamnuptials: Wedding Movie Trailer
Glamnuptials: Real Wedding Inspiration Board
Glamnuptials: The REAL Budget

Glamnuptials: The favors

2009-08-11T13:49:00.001-04:00

When we were planning our wedding, the favors had been the subject of quite a big debate. We knew we wanted to offer a donation to the Quebec Breast Cancer Association, but felt that our guests needed to leave with something as well. We wanted to offer something glamorous and these beautiful imported Italian Sparkling Water bottles were just what we were looking for.

We created little cards and DIY pink ribbons with the mention that a donation was made in memory of my grandmother and in honor of my mother, who is a proud survivor. My mother felt so touched by the gesture.

We put all the bottles in a nice design pattern and placed some centerpieces at the end of the table to tie everything in. Plus I had received this awesome Pottern Barn Vintage Movie Projector as a gift and it added that touch of movie our favor table was lacking.

The guests loved our favors and still talk about them today… some even shed some tears! I'm glad we gave back to a cause that was important to the both of us... and hopefully one day, our contribution will have paid off.

Up next: The Mini Moon..

Images taken by Ipi-events
——————–
Previously:
Glamnuptials: Beauty Time
Glamnuptials: Prep Time
Glamnuptials: Our details
Glamnuptials: Ceremony Part 1
Glamnuptials: Ceremony Part 2
Glamnuptials: Bride Posing
Glamnuptials: Groom Posing
Glamnuptials: Strike the pose Part 1
Glamnuptials: Strike the pose Part 2
Glamnuptials: The Newlyweds
Glamnuptials: We are Family
Glamnuptials: The first dance
Glamnuptials: Toast time a lot of tears
Glamnuptials: Boogie on Down
Glamnuptials: 3,2,1 and Catch!
Glamnuptials: Le Gâteau
Glamnuptials: The Guestbook
Glamnuptials: Decor Elements
Glamnuptials: Giving our gifts
Glamnuptials: DAS aka Day after Shoot
Glamnuptials: Wedding Movie Trailer
Glamnuptials: Real Wedding Inspiration Board
Glamnuptials: The REAL Budget

I'm not a photographer...

2009-07-30T10:48:00.007-04:00

A couple of months ago, I was happy to find out that my cousin was getting married. What's funny is that I had never ever thought she would tie the knot, but admitted she did it for her fiance. Marriage was something very important to him and she knew she'd be with him forever... so why not make it officialy. A very nice gesture on her part I found.

They decided they wanted a really really really small wedding, 25 people tops. Heck I wasn't even invited (which was fine of course ;) ) They were planning a wedding in 6 months, and had a very little budget to make this wedding happen. Well 2 months ago, I received an email. She asked me if I would be willing to do both her makeup and be the official photog for her wedding. They weren't paying for a photographer so she thought that I would be a better candidate to take pics than say… uncle Bob.

Of course I said YES, I was actually honored that she asked me. I've had a photography background back in College but that was 6 years ago... so my photography skills were quite rusty. She lent me her Canon SX10-IS camera so that I would have time to play around with it. Let me say... it wasn't easy. I was more rusty then I thought. Luckily I did lots of research on the web.

Well the wedding was last weekend… and I was so freaken nervous. I was putting so much pressure on myself, that I vowed never to accept to be a photographer again. Don’t get me wrong I loved my experience but dang… I don’t need to have the nervous craps. I seriously bow down to all your photographers out there… (I have no clue how you do it! geez)

My cousin told me she just wanted say 40 good pics… Phew! I think were good. I took over 400… Now, Im in the process of editing them. Thats the long part... but with the Totally Rad Photoshop Actions ... its a breeze.

My advice if you ever decide on accepting an invitation to shoot a wedding.

BE PREPARED!!!!
Do lots and lots of research, and practice with the camera you will be using ahead of time. Even if you need to carry a little booklet with notes on what camera settings you used in which lighting... it will defintiely help you out. Oh and take at least 2 pictures per shot. To be sure at least one turns out.

TRY TO CONVINCE THEM TO HIRE A PRO
Explain to the couple that photography is something that takes time to learn and that its not because you have a camera you are automatically a photographer. Tell them that their wedding only happens once in their life (hopefully) and those moments are really really important. So slurging on a photographer is important. If they still ask you to take pictures after that... then go for it.

HAVE LOW EXPECTATIONS
I know this sounds bad... but make sure the person your shooting for knows your not a pro and that it IS huge possible the pictures don't turn out. Plus, if your expectations are low, you won't be disappointed if they are crappy... but on the contracty super excited if you did a good job.

HAVE FUN WITH IT - and drink a glass of wine of two
Once the day is finally here... theres not turning back (but you might wish it could; anyways I know I did) Relax, drink a glass of wine or two and simply have fun with it. It will definelty make the whole day so much more pleasant.

I’m not a photographer… but I did okay? Anyways I think so.
Good luck if your shooting a wedding... I wouldn't want to be in those shoes again. LOL

Flamingo on BeeTV

2009-07-30T08:00:00.001-04:00

Hey Hive! Guess what? I'm hopping on the BeeTV wagon. Join me tomorrow night (Friday) starting at 8:30 PM EST!

I will have my sangria in hand and will talk about anything and everything...

For those interested.... thought I'd share my sangria recipe

1 Bottle of red wine
2 cup of orange juice
1 cup of Cranberry juice
1 cup of Pineapple Juice
1 cup of sprite or 7up
2 Shots of peach schnapps (optional)
1 Orange cut into wedges
1 Cup of frozen berries and/or peaches

Preparation : Mix it all up baby... add the fruit at the very end, and enjoy ;)

Hopefully you will have your glass of sangria too... see you tomorrow!!!

Glamnuptials: 3,2,1 and Catch

2009-07-10T16:00:00.000-04:00

Though I didn't do many traditional wedding things, the garter toss and bouquet toss were a must. Not because I had too... but because its something I've always looked forward to at my own wedding.

Plus, with the unique Garter I made my new husband.... I had to have him go fish ;)

So I stood on a speaker, turned around to look at the DJ and with a simple nod of the head... he knew it was time to cue the Superman Theme... Yup, that's seriously what played.

No no no.... Hands behind your back Mr.F. Now, Now, no cheating....

I had never seen someone smile as much as Mr.Flamingo did when he discovered the hidden treasure.... a superman garter, HIS superman garter. At that same moment, I saw a confused look on his face

"Am I really throwing this one?" he looked at me, and seemed almost heartbroken.

"No, No... I have a toss garter, that one you keep to add to your superman collection"
and the big smile reappeared quickly on his face.

Catch ...

Next it was the girls turn.... and my oh my were they ever anxious. When the DJ announced that he wanted all the single ladies to come to the dance floor, I felt as though I was at a concert or something... the girls were pushing and shoving :) geez... ladies, its only a bouquet. ;)

The DJ asked all the girls to turn around. (So they wouldn't see where I was throwing the bouquet) I too ... was back to them... so there was no way I was cheating on this one. I was really anxious to see who would catch the bouquets (yup I had 5 mini bouquets)

The DJ told me,"I'll count down to 1... and then you throw" sounds like some easy instructions... well believe it or not, I couldn't wait, and threw them when he said "3" Guess, I'm not good at counting down ;)

I was really happy two of my good friends caught the bouquets... They seriously paraded around with the mini-bouquet and showed it off to everyone. Its only a bogus tradition girls... Yet, I can't help but wonder if the next wedding I will be going to will be one of theirs... LOL

Will you be doing the garter and bouquet toss?
Is there something that you absolutely want at your wedding?

Up next: The Favors...

Images taken by guests
——————–
Previously:
Glamnuptials: Beauty Time
Glamnuptials: Prep Time
Glamnuptials: Our details
Glamnuptials: Ceremony Part 1
Glamnuptials: Ceremony Part 2
Glamnuptials: Bride Posing
Glamnuptials: Groom Posing
Glamnuptials: Strike the pose Part 1
Glamnuptials: Strike the pose Part 2
Glamnuptials: The Newlyweds
Glamnuptials: We are Family
Glamnuptials: The first dance
Glamnuptials: Toast time a lot of tears
Glamnuptials: Boogie on Down
Glamnuptials: Le Gâteau
Glamnuptials: The Guestbook
Glamnuptials: Decor Elements
Glamnuptials: Giving our gifts
Glamnuptials: DAS aka Day after Shoot
Glamnuptials: Wedding Movie Trailer
Glamnuptials: Real Wedding Inspiration Board
Glamnuptials: The REAL Budget

Glamnuptials: Boogie on Down!!!

2009-07-09T18:10:00.000-04:00

Enough tears had fallen and it was time for the real party to start. Let me tell you.. we did not have any problems with that, the guests were up an dancing even before the DJ cued the official "bust-a-move" music.

The dance floor was packed and we had such a great time. The music kept us on our feet... to the point that I missed a meal or two. Its shows how important great music is to any party... and my DJ did an awesome job!!!

My sisters and I, like to sing along to EVERY song... and with no exception. We aren't good singers but singing while dancing makes it that much more entertaining... so ya, you might see some open mouths or some funny faces in the pictures to come. :)

Of course there were the "must-have" dances:

The Thriller (RIP Michael):

The Suavemente:

The Twist-and-Shout:

and of course the Macarena:

All this dancing resulted in two things...

Lots of drinking and of course....

Taking off your shoes and dancing bare feet... a classic in any party/wedding.

Up next: 3,2,1 and catch!

Images taken by Ipi-events and guests
——————–
Previously:
Glamnuptials: Beauty Time
Glamnuptials: Prep Time
Glamnuptials: Our details
Glamnuptials: Ceremony Part 1
Glamnuptials: Ceremony Part 2
Glamnuptials: Bride Posing
Glamnuptials: Groom Posing
Glamnuptials: Strike the pose Part 1
Glamnuptials: Strike the pose Part 2
Glamnuptials: The Newlyweds
Glamnuptials: We are Family
Glamnuptials: The first dance
Glamnuptials: Toast time a lot of tears
Glamnuptials: Le Gâteau
Glamnuptials: The Guestbook
Glamnuptials: Decor Elements
Glamnuptials: Giving our gifts
Glamnuptials: DAS aka Day after Shoot
Glamnuptials: Wedding Movie Trailer
Glamnuptials: Real Wedding Inspiration Board
Glamnuptials: The REAL Budget

Where's Marty Mcfly... I want to go back in time

2009-06-23T15:47:00.004-04:00

I screwed up... seriously and if I could find Marty McFly, I'd hop on the DeLorean DMC-12 and go back in time. Not far away... back to June 20th. The day before my first year anniversary. Sigh

Photo Credit : IPI-Events

I had great plans... really! I wanted to rent our honeymoon suite and re-live the magic of our wedding night... and enjoy the time together. Unfortunately, that plan got bumped with Sunday breakfast for fathers day. I should of turned the invitation down, but worried my dad would be disappointed... now its too late. Fathers day was blah and I wish I had gone with my plan.

You might find me shallow... but my dads has had a fathers day celebration for the past 34 years and many more will come, but my 1 year anniversary is gone.... and never coming back. I'm seriously bummed and to top things off, I didn't get an anniversary gift. Double Sigh. I didn't need anything big, or over the top... just love, recognition that its an important date. (To me at least) and... a flower wouldn't of hurt, but it wasn't necessary.

I haven't given Mr.Flamingo's anniversary present, because it has not yet arrived... but because I told him that, now he wants to make up for the no-gift. Nice try... but its not gonna make up for how I feel at the moment. I want to go back to my anniversary date SO BAD and do it just how I had mapped it out in my head... :(

Have you been bummed about something and wish you could turn back time?
If so, please share...

Glamnuptials: Toast time with alot of tears

2009-06-15T16:00:00.002-04:00

After we finished our first dance and made our way to our seats and heard a little "ching ching." I looked around and saw my father standing up, sweating bullets and trying to keep his cool. I knew from that nervous smile of his, it was time... he was ready to say his speech.

"I want my speech to be perfect" he had told me early that week. "Perfect because you deserve no less" I started tearing up, who wouldn't after those heartfelt words.

I looked at my daddy and instantly all the memories of my childhood, of him and me, flashed before my eyes... and I smiled. I took a deep breath, just as he did and tried to keep the lump in my throat under control.

And he started (originally written in French; translated by me):

"Dear parents, family and friends,
I would like to thank each and everyone of you for being part of this special day, Kelly and Marc-Andres' wedding day.
Dear Kelly,
I look at you today and with my father heart, I will summarize the movie of your life:
From the day you were born I have been touched...
Touched by the memory of the first time I held you in my arms.
Touched by looking at your grow along the years and I am so proud of the woman you've become.
Touched when you took my arm this afternoon and we walked down the aisle together.
And today my dear Kelly, the next scene of your movie arrive, the one about your union, your couple life. You stand beside an exceptional man that I cherish, appreciate and love very much. I wish you both lots of love, happiness and in hopes that I will be moved by becoming a grand-father one day."

Tears steaming down my face, he looked up at me and invited me to join him and dance by his side for our father / daughter dance to the song: In my Daughter's Eyes by Martina McBride. He had chosen this song carefully because he wanted words which represented "US"

In my daughter's eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see
She was sent to rescue me
I see who I wanna be
In my daughter's eyes
- Lyrics of In my Daughter's Eyes by Martina McBride

I had not shed a single tear until this moment. I had found a way to keep my cool all through the ceremony and even the first dance... but this was too much. So my father and I cried together while we danced our dance. A very important part of my wedding day...

We looked around and our guests circled us while shedding a tear or two. A mid-way through the song, we invited all fathers to finish the dance with their daughters... simply priceless. Just writing about it makes me emotional.

What was the most emotional part of your wedding day?

Up next: Boogie on down...

Images taken by Ipi-events and guests
——————–
Previously:
Glamnuptials: Beauty Time
Glamnuptials: Prep Time
Glamnuptials: Our details
Glamnuptials: Ceremony Part 1
Glamnuptials: Ceremony Part 2
Glamnuptials: Bride Posing
Glamnuptials: Groom Posing
Glamnuptials: Strike the pose Part 1
Glamnuptials: Strike the pose Part 2
Glamnuptials: The Newlyweds
Glamnuptials: We are Family
Glamnuptials: The first dance
Glamnuptials: Le Gâteau
Glamnuptials: The Guestbook
Glamnuptials: Decor Elements
Glamnuptials: Giving our gifts
Glamnuptials: DAS aka Day after Shoot
Glamnuptials: Wedding Movie Trailer
Glamnuptials: Real Wedding Inspiration Board

Glamnuptials : The REAL Budget

2009-06-10T17:00:00.006-04:00

When I started planning my wedding, there is one thing that I kept looking for and had a hard time finding, the budget breakdown of a real wedding. Oh course the budget depends on a lot of factors. Location, Date, and Amount of Guests but still I wanted to have some sort of idea. Who wouldn't?

What was particularly difficult with our situation was the Mr.Flamingo was in school the whole time we were engaged and even after the wedding. So planning a wedding on one salary wasn't the easiest thing to do... but do-able nonetheless. We simply needed to have an extra long engagement in return (2 and a half years) but it was worth it.

Here is the breakdown to our glamnuptials:

Date: June 21st 2008
City: In the Suburbs (approx 30 minutes from Montreal)
Budget: $22,000
# of Guests: 145
(including children, vendors & excluding guests (30-40) who came in the evening )

Wedding Day Costs

Ceremony Site: $475
This included the officiant and helpers for no extra cost. We basically had a mini church coordinator so everything ran quite smoothly.

Reception Site: N/A
There were no fee associated with the Hotel we used for our wedding reception. Basically the cost was broken down with the food and drinks. We had a beautiful hall with the capacity of 300 guests. (Therefore enough room to move and dance) We had a beautiful terrace where guests could enjoy with a waterfall and fireplace at night.

Food & Drink: $13 010

The reception started off with a cocktail and some hors d'oeuvre. Then was followed by a 5 course meal with wine included during the meal and open bar after 10:30 for a time slot of 4 hours and a sweet table at the stroke of midnight. This included 4 vendor meals ($35.00 / per vendor ) Here is the breakdown of the food and drinks:

Hors d'oeuvre: $850 ($21.25 per dozen)
5 course Meal: $77.00 / per adult - $17.00 / per child
Open Bar: $18.50 per adult (18 years and older)
Sweet table: $500.00 (including pizzas, sandwiches, fruits, cake)
=================
total : $13007.50 (excluding service charges/gratuities

Service Charge/Gratuities: $1950.00
A 15% gratuity and all service charges for 1 event manager, 6 servers, 1 kitchen staff, and 3 bartenders was added to the total amount.

Cake: 375$
A 3-tier, chocolate, marble and vanilla cake. A small cake (75 large portions) to serve at the sweet table since we already had a dessert included in the main meal.

Bridal Gown & Alterations: $0 (dress) $125 (alterations)
My wedding dress was a gift from my mother. But it cost $690 this included dress, veil, shale, sash, and extra straps. Even thought I barely had any alterations to get done, I needed to make my dress shorter. The alterations cost 125$

Bridal Accessories: $320
I had lots of accessories some purchased some DIY projects. Here's the breakdown:

Jewelry Set: $130
Shoes: $95
Shoe embellishments: $10
Hair Comb: $10
Handmade Brooch: $15
Garter : $10
Undergarments: $50

Groom’s Attire: N/A
Where we got the suits for the guys a little guy, there was a great promotion which allowed the groom to rent his attire for free!

Manicure/Pedicure : $0
Offered as a gift by my sister (aka bridesmaid)

Hair/Makeup: 0$
My hair was done by my awesome hairdresser. My step-mother was the sweetest and paid for all the girls and myself. As for my makeup, it was done by my awesome friend, also a gift.

Stationery/Postage: $435

Invitations & envelopes: $75.00
RSVP Postcards: $25.00
Accomodation Cards: $25.00
Thank-Yous & envelopes: $40.00
Postage: $120.00
Printing and/or Ink: $150.00

Other stationery items: $60

Place Cards: $40.00
Guest book: $0 Gift from a friend
Programs : $10.00
Menus: $10.00
Printing and/or Ink: $25.00

Flowers: $480
All wedding flowers included:

Bride Bouquet : $100
3 Bridesmaid + 1 MOH bouquet + Toss Bouquet : $240
6 bouts: $60
5 corsages : $50
DIY Bouquet Bling: $30

Centerpieces/Decor: $1000
Various decor elements included:

Table runners: $125
Vases + Mirroirs: $350
Garlands and chandelier pieces: $40
Candles: $85
Vintage Park Lighting: $400

Photography: 1000$
Being a graphic designer and familiar with Photoshop, I wanted my pictures to be RAW (un-edited) on a DVD. That way, it was good for both parties, less work for them, and cheaper price for me. Plus I got to do all the editing I wanted and feel free to use any picture I wanted

Videography: 3500$
Having our videographer come from NYC to our wedding obviously raised the cost and we definitely busted our budget on this one. That's why we opted for less coverage (6 hours only) But to be honest, I'm extremely happy we decided to splurge on the Super 8 ... without it, my wedding wouldn't of been the same.

Ceremony/Reception Music: 700$
Our DJ was awesome. Not only was the find a great deal, but the guests did not stop dancing for one bit. The price included 10 hours and all the props; glow sticks, hats, hawaiian necklaces..etc

Coordinator: N/A

Favors: 300$
Bottles of water combined with a donation to the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation in memory of my grandmother and in honor mommy flamingo, survivor.

Wedding Party Gifts: $300
The bridesmaids (x3) got a 50$ gift which included a Flash Drive, a journal, and an embroidered silk jewelry roll. I gave the same to my MOH but added a 50$ gift certificate at a local spa. The best man got superman cuff links and a 50$ gift certificate.

Transportation: $425
Rental of our beautiful Vintage 1957 Bentley. This amount was for 6 hours and included the champagne, red carpet and all. Tip was also included.

Night Accommodations: $0
Honeymoon suite was offered as a gift by the hotel for having our wedding reception take place there. It was a very very nice honeymoon suite.

Miscellaneous: $385
Flower girl attire: $60
Ring Bearer attire: $125
Parent Gifts: $200

===========================
Wedding Day Total: $ 24 840
Total Cost per person: $ 171.31
===========================

All inclusive costs:

Wedding rings: $ 1800 (both)
Having my ring made by a jeweler boosted the price of my ring over than what I originally wanted to pay for it. Regardless, its a good investement, anyway my fingers would say so. ;)

Rehearsal Dinner/Day After Brunch: N/A

Mini-moon: 1250$
Because of budget restraints we decided on doing a minimoon to New York City. A 4 day 3 night trip filled with shopping, museums, dining out and of course a broadway show.

===========================
All inclusive total: $3050
===========================

For a Grand total of .... drum roll please: $27 890

I was afraid adding up all the totals, but honestly... its not as bad as I thought. A little over 5500$ of my initial budget. I must say though that being prepared and having every little details in a budget excel sheet made it so much easier to see how much I spent when planning my wedding. For those interested, you can download my budget form here.

Hope this has helped in some way...

Images taken by Ipi-events, Anne-Emilie Photo and guests
——————–
Previously:
Glamnuptials: Beauty Time
Glamnuptials: Prep Time
Glamnuptials: Ceremony Part 1
Glamnuptials: Ceremony Part 2
Glamnuptials: Bride Posing
Glamnuptials: Groom Posing
Glamnuptials: Strike the pose Part 1
Glamnuptials: Strike the pose Part 2
Glamnuptials: The Newlyweds
Glamnuptials: We are Family
Glamnuptials: First Dance
Glamnuptials: Le Gâteau
Glamnuptials: The Guestbook
Glamnuptials: Decor Elements
Glamnuptials: Giving our gifts
Glamnuptials: DAS aka Day after Shoot
Glamnuptials: Wedding Movie Trailer
Glamnuptials: Real Wedding Inspiration Board

Glamnuptials: First Dance

2009-06-09T14:20:00.002-04:00

It was perfect, even when tripping in chairs... because we were making our way to the dance floor... for our first dance, something I've been anticipating for as long as I can remember... (Cue Lifehouses' acoustic version of Take me Away)

We decided we were going to do it differently and dance as soon as we were introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Flamingo. We wanted to make sure that both Wes of Film Jones and the our Photographer captured this special moment and officially opened up the dance floor with our first dance.

How to describe the way I felt... speechless doesn't even come close, doesn't do it justice. I didn't cry, I didn't really speak which made it even more magical... I simply smiled looked into Mr.Flamingos eyes and sang along with him to "our song" the one that was part of the "Us" being together, today, getting married. It meant the world to us, to finally associate the words with our union.

"this time, all I want is you, there is no one else, who can take your place" (lyrics from Take Me Away by Lifehouse)
this time... I love you and it's forever...

Up next: Toast time and a little tear …

Images taken by Ipi-events
——————–
Previously:
Glamnuptials : Beauty Time
Glamnuptials : Prep Time
Glamnuptials : Ceremony Part 1
Glamnuptials : Ceremony Part 2
Glamnuptials: Bride Posing
Glamnuptials: Groom Posing
Glamnuptials: Strike the pose Part 1
Glamnuptials: Strike the pose Part 2
Glamnuptials: The Newlyweds
Glamnuptials: We are Family
Glamnuptials : Le Gâteau
Glamnuptials : The Guestbook
Glamnuptials : Decor Elements
Glamnuptials: Giving our gifts
Glamnuptials : DAS aka Day after Shoot
Glamnuptials: Wedding Movie Trailer
Glamnuptials: Real Wedding Inspiration Board

Glamnuptials: We are family

2009-05-28T14:02:00.000-04:00

Once we made our grand entrance outside and seeing all our guest enjoying themselves with a little cocktail and hors d'oeuvres, the stress finally disappeared... and we knew it was time to relax, enjoy and savour every moment of our wedding reception.

While guests walked in, they looked for their name on our chandelier tree. I had written their names and the table number but in case they weren't certain I made a seating chart filled with glam clear rhinestones.

It was funny, aligning everyone for the receiving line... it seriously seemed to be the most complicating thing. Who goes where? who's next to who? What order should everyone be placed in ? I have to admit this isn't something I paid much attention too and in the end, it all worked out.

Once everyone seated, we went outside to prepare ourselves. This time around it was to introduce the family and bridal party... the DJ hit the play button and my families were introduced on THE song of all family songs.... "We are Family" Basically this songs says it all, and has been the default song to represent my family, so our wedding was no exception to the rule.

When it was time to introduce us, (aka the newlyweds) we used the oh-so appropriate song "It had to be you" by Harry Connick Jr. from the movie When Harry Met Sally. Once we walked in... we seriously felt like stars with continuous flashes and everyone clapping away. "Make way for the bride and groom" we heard at one point and chairs were literally flying across the room to give us space to walk. LOL

It was perfect, even when tripping in chairs... because we were making our way to the dance floor... for our first dance, something I've been anticipating for as long as I can remember...

Up next: The first dance...

Images taken by Ipi-events and Guest
——————–
Previously:
Glamnuptials : Beauty Time
Glamnuptials : Prep Time
Glamnuptials : Ceremony Part 1
Glamnuptials : Ceremony Part 2
Glamnuptials: Bride Posing
Glamnuptials: Groom Posing
Glamnuptials: Strike the pose Part 1
Glamnuptials: Strike the pose Part 2
Glamnuptials: The Newlyweds
Glamnuptials : Le Gâteau
Glamnuptials : The Guestbook
Glamnuptials : Decor Elements
Glamnuptials: Giving our gifts
Glamnuptials : DAS aka Day after Shoot
Glamnuptials: Wedding Movie Trailer
Glamnuptials: Real Wedding Inspiration Board

Glamnuptials: The Newlyweds

2009-04-06T22:40:00.000-04:00

Seriously...I wouldn't imagine any better way to celebrate our new life together.... like my fave disney movie song says so well "go on and kiss the girl" (I know you all know what movie I am talking about ; hint: shes a mermaid)

Once the ceremony was finished, it was like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. No more pressure of screwing up my vows, or I dunno say... lose my garter while walking down the aisle... (oh wait- that DID happen... ) Regardless, I was one happy MRS. and this picture was proof of that.

Even though everything seemed to go smoothly... my new hubby kept stepping on my dress... and it literally yanked me a couple of times. I was afraid to pull a "Jessica Alba in Good Luck Chuck" you know, where her skirt gets caught in the car door and rips off leaving her in her panties... not a very sexy thing to happen on your wedding day.

When Mr.Flamingo wasn't stepping on my dress, we were able to snap a couple of shots. Thank goodness because I seriously didn't need another reason for having mediocre pictures.

Prepping up for the next pic, I happen to see something dark come right in my face. I soon realized my older sister was trying to put glasses on my face. Even though I knew these pictures wouldn't be as great as if we had brought our own sunglasses ... it was funny to see Mr.Flamingo take advantage of the situation and ...

looked down my dress - no need to worry, my ladies are still there and all yours!

After fooling around and being a typical guy, we were able to take my favourite newlyweds shot. Every time I look at this picture it puts a smile on my face, and I reminisce... "remember when we got married... " even though it hasn't even been a year.

When the photo session was completed, it was time to go back to the hotel and discover what the "Bosse des Noces" did for us. When we made our big entrace (really it was an exit) on the terrase (where all our guests were enjoying cockails and hors d'oeuvres) we were welcomed with lots and lots of clapping hands.

It was so nice to finally enjoy the party... plus, it was a gorgeous day and the sun made everyone even more happy (though I don't think that was any way possible). When we got inside, we took a picture next to our chandelier tree - one of my favorite decor pieces. Don't know what I was looking at, guess it would of been a good idea to look at the photographer... oh well.

All the unexpected moments are what made our wedding day even more special. Did you have any funny stories/moments on your wedding day?

Up next: Introducing the family and bridal party of the newlyweds…

Images taken by Ipi-events and Anne-Emilie Sayegh Photo
——————–
Previously:
Glamnuptials : Beauty Time
Glamnuptials : Prep Time
Glamnuptials : Ceremony Part 1
Glamnuptials : Ceremony Part 2
Glamnuptials: Bride Posing
Glamnuptials: Groom Posing
Glamnuptials: Strike the pose Part 1
Glamnuptials: Strike the pose Part 2
Glamnuptials : Le Gâteau
Glamnuptials : The Guestbook
Glamnuptials : Decor Elements
Glamnuptials: Giving our gifts
Glamnuptials : DAS aka Day after Shoot
Glamnuptials: Wedding Movie Trailer
Glamnuptials: Real Wedding Inspiration Board

Glamnuptials: Strike the Pose Part 2

2009-04-01T17:00:00.000-04:00

Taking pictures and more pictures is what a wedding is all about, so here is part 2 of Strike the pose! When we were planning our wedding we wanted to take the whole picture thingy into consideration. So we decided to rent some vintage inspired lamp posts to recreate a park circa the 1950s.

The result... beautiful pics with an awesome backdrop.

My sisters

We seriously had a blast taking pictures with our guests. It was the beginning of a movement (if I can call it that) people were standing in line to take pictures of us; like we were some famous rocks stars signing autographs. Rock on!

Some girlfriends

My flower girl showing off her pink flip-flops

I was lucky that two of my grandparents were able to share this special day with us, since Mr.Flamingos grandparents passed away when he was just a little boy. Mommy flamingo's daddy was with us, and daddy flamingo's mommy too. They were so happy to witness this special day, and we were even more happy to share it with them.

My 93 year old italian nonna

I felt extremely lucky to have both my mom and my stepmom... thats double mommy goodness, and the fact that they are such great friends made it so much easier. No fights, no issues with seating arrangements, just love.

Step-mom, me (duh!) and Mommy flamingo

My new family :)

My high school friends made it to my wedding, who knew we would stick together after all this time ( 14 years is a very long time!) I was the first one to get married and let me tell you they partied like there was no tomorrow. LOL

My cheeks hurt so much because of the permanent smile on my face. Guess thats part of the whole "its your wedding day, say chesse! " ;)

My aunt

Up next: Introducing the newlyweds…

Images taken by Ipi-events and guests
——————–
Previously:
Glamnuptials : Beauty Time
Glamnuptials : Prep Time
Glamnuptials : Ceremony Part 1
Glamnuptials : Ceremony Part 2
Glamnuptials: Bride Posing
Glamnuptials: Groom Posing
Glamnuptials: Strike the pose Part 1
Glamnuptials : Le Gâteau
Glamnuptials : The Guestbook
Glamnuptials : Decor Elements
Glamnuptials: Giving our gifts
Glamnuptials : DAS aka Day after Shoot
Glamnuptials: Wedding Movie Trailer
Glamnuptials: Real Wedding Inspiration Board

Glamnuptials: Strike the pose Part 1.

2009-03-30T18:10:00.000-04:00

Last time we left off .... we were in the posing mode; first I strut my stuff, then it was Mr.Flamingo turn. Well, my girls (sister and cousin) were anxious to take some pictures so we got ready to strike the pose. Say Sex! (instead of cheese... its so much better - don't you think???)

I must admit that I seriously felt like a cut (Ctrl + C / Apple + C ) and paste (Ctrl + V / Apple +V) for all the pictures. I look like a porcelain doll with the same smile and position... and the people around me were photoshopped in. Guess thats what happens when ALL the pictures are taken in the same place.

Mommy and Daddy Flamingo

Daddy with Step-mother Flamingo

My sisters looked so glamorous on my wedding day. I was so happy that they really considered my theme and asked for vintage inspired hairstyles. They were perfect. Just how I like them.

Oldest sister

Older sister

Baby sister

Thats it... we only took pictures in the stairs. When we asked to take pictures in the grass, or somewhere else, he didnt want. Said that the sun was too bright and would create ugly pictures cuz of the shadows. WTF? Come on! Are you serious??? Plus, my mom had specifically gotten the grass redone in the front for wedding pictures. Didn't work out like she planned either.

Off to the church...

I love this next picture of my in-laws and Mr.Flamingos 2 little nieces. It was nice to have a "in-the moment" picture of them, since all the other pics were very calculated.

During the ceremony, my gals where having fun snapping pictures. Girls... I'm getting married, and I'm in front of you. :) Aren't they so beautiful? Someone even pointed out that they looked naked. Bad girls! Not in church!!!

Trying to get everyone together for a group shot was definitely not an easy task... but the outcome was great. Minus the couple of people not looking, or have their mouths open. Either way, I love this shot, we are one sexy group!

After the ceremony, we were off to take some pictures at The Manoir Globensky. I happened to get married on a holiday weekend which now that I look at it, wasn't the best idea ever. Saint-Jean Baptiste weekend (sort of like your Independence day à la Quebecois) is the most celebrated holiday here in Quebec. Filled with local artistes, fireworks and lots and lots of blue and white flags.

When I called the city to see whether I could take pictures at the Manoir, they told me there was no problem. I asked them again, knowing that it was a holiday and they reassured me. Well, as we arrived, the entranced was blocked and we couldn't get it. Security guards were blocking the road and told us we couldn't go cuz of the National Holiday. Crap Crap Crap!

I was furious... you have no idea. I specifically called to make sure there wouldn't be any problems... and then exactly what they said wouldn't happen - did! Luckily one of the organizer saw my worried face, and gave us a green light to snap some pictures fast. Don't you just love people like that... thank you sir!

(notice the blue and white flags in the background - hurray for national day ;) )

Trying not to push our luck too much, we snapped a couple of pictures. (and when I say a couple, I am not over exaggerating ;). One of the girls mentioned that there was a nice little bench across the street overlooking a river. I never noticed this little spot when I was looking for nice places for pics. Its like it was meant to be...so off we went.

Guys have nothing to worry about really. Simply smile and there you have it. When it came time for the girls to pose, we were checking our teeth, re-apply our gloss, fix our dresses....

But its worth it in the end...

Up next: The family and bridal party shots Part 2…

Images taken by : Ipi-events, and guests
——————–
Previously:
Glamnuptials : Beauty Time
Glamnuptials : Prep Time
Glamnuptials : Ceremony Part 1
Glamnuptials : Ceremony Part 2
Glamnuptials: Bride Posing
Glamnuptials: Groom Posing
Glamnuptials : Le Gâteau
Glamnuptials : The Guestbook
Glamnuptials : Decor Elements
Glamnuptials: Giving our gifts
Glamnuptials : DAS aka Day after Shoot
Glamnuptials: Wedding Movie Trailer
Glamnuptials: Real Wedding Inspiration Board

Glamnuptials: Groom Posing

2009-03-23T13:15:00.000-04:00

The morning of, the photographer stopped by the best man house to take pictures of the boys getting ready and snapping a couple of shots here and there. Both Mr.Flamingos parents were there as well to help him get ready for the big day.

Not many shots were taken, and the photographer didn't seem to catch the little moments/details that were so important to us. It felt like he was more in a hurry to be where the bride was at (this according to Mr.F)

To top things off... the pictures that he did take, were suggestions of the best mans girlfriend (in pink below) who happen to take our after wedding shoot since we were disappointed with our pro-pics. No pictures of the cuff links, of the bouts or any of those little details. Too bad, and so sad. We were really disappointed.

Could you believe out of all the pictures there is NOT one of the groom and the best man. I was heartbroken when I got my pictures because it meant a lot to Mr.Flamingo to share this special moment with his bestfriend. Plus, the pictures with his parents are nothing spectacular, but at least he has a picture with them.. whew!

But what can you do? ... NOTHING!!! whats done is done. So instead of getting worked up about it and think about the pictures that could of been, we look at the ones we do have... and looking at Mr.Flamingo all pretty in his suit - makes up for it for a good 5 seconds. ;)

Up next: The family and bridal party shots...

Images taken by : Ipi-events
--------------------
Previously:
Glamnuptials : Beauty Time
Glamnuptials : Prep Time
Glamnuptials : Ceremony Part 1
Glamnuptials : Ceremony Part 2
Glamnuptials: Bride Posing
Glamnuptials : Le Gâteau
Glamnuptials : The Guestbook
Glamnuptials : Decor Elements
Glamnuptials: Giving our gifts
Glamnuptials : DAS aka Day after Shoot
Glamnuptials: Wedding Movie Trailer
Glamnuptials: Real Wedding Inspiration Board

Glamnuptials: Bride Posing

2009-03-19T22:30:00.000-04:00

Hello Hive! I'll start off by saying I'm pretending that I haven't been MIA for the last 4 months and will continue my recap posts where I left off. ;) Looking through my Glamnuptials posts, I realized that I've been writing all wrong. Going back and forth with no story line... "um hello, where's your head been flamingo?!?" I'm gonna get my act together and continue the recaps properly.

Looking through my Pro Pics, I select some shots I thought were pretty. Unfortunately I don't have many pictures of me. I don't know if it was because we were tight in time or because everything seemed to be overwhelming, but at least the ones I do have are awesome.

The next picture is my ultimate favorite shot. I remember how I felt at that exact moment. I literally took 10 seconds to let the whole day sink in... I was getting married and felt like a million bucks!

What I love about the next couple of shots is the angle they were taken in. I'm a fan of unique pictures and not to mention that they showcase my fake lashes rather nicely ;)

I loved our limo, a 1959 Bentley... exactly how I like them - 50s inspired vintage glamour. Apart from the fact that we didn't have AC, it was rather roomy and not to mention comfy. I definitely felt like a movie star.

At the reception, we rented vintage outdoor lighting and a bench to re-create a park in NYC circa the 1950s. It was only fair that I take the first shot to test it out. It passed the test and our guests loved the bench of love... :)

Up next: Its the grooms turn to pose...

Images taken by : Ipi-events
--------------------
Previously:
Glamnuptials : Beauty Time
Glamnuptials : Prep Time
Glamnuptials : Ceremony Part 1
Glamnuptials : Ceremony Part 2
Glamnuptials : Le Gâteau
Glamnuptials : The Guestbook
Glamnuptials : Decor Elements
Glamnuptials: Giving our gifts
Glamnuptials : DAS aka Day after Shoot
Glamnuptials: Wedding Movie Trailer
Glamnuptials: Real Wedding Inspiration Board

Paying it forward....Wedding Style

2009-01-28T00:11:00.004-05:00

When Mrs.Bee asked the question on the boards "Why do you love Weddingbee? it was natural and easy to name all the ways (like many of yous have. ) Overall we have the same vision on the greatness of weddingbee and seeing it grow and evolve is such an reward.

Then Mrs. Cupcake responded " Weddingbee completely shaped my wedding. " Which is exactly how I feel, so I added "... thank you for all the bees before me. Yours weddings shaped my wedding into something more that I had imagine. In hopes my planning has help someone else in return... pay it forward I say.... wedding style!

Pay it forward.... wedding style. I'm liking that....

So I thought it would be neat to name 3 ways how you used and than applied the pay it forward rule. Alright here I go (this is just a few)

How these Bees paid it forward (to me):

Thank you Mrs.Lovebug - For making me realize how much I love vintage typewritters
Thank you Mrs. Plumeria - for your beautiful invitations. They have been the starting inspiration to my never ending design process when making my own invites. You rock!
Thank you Mrs.Onion - for hiring Wes (of film Jones) and opening my eyes to his awesome work.

How I've paid it forward (well from what I know):

Designing invitation for a friend wedding.
Sharing my knowledge about weddings : Giving all my vendor, websites, and references (including weddingbee) to some girls I know who are gonna tie the knot.
Vectorizing some chandeliers for some weddingbee readers, and a former bee

Which bees paid it forward for your wedding?
How did you or how are you planning on paying it forward?

{image source}

Chick Flick: The Proposal

2009-01-23T22:17:00.003-05:00

I don't know about you but I am a fan of wedding related movies. Actually I have to admit I'm a girly girl and love all the chick flicks. Even though I haven't seen Bride Wars (don't worry its on my to-do list) I can never get enough of wedding movies.... and honestly The Proposal looks freaken hilarious. (Not to mention I am a fan of Ryan Reynolds - hotness alert)

I loved 27 dresses and am certain this one will be as good. Your asking yourself whats the connection between the two... one name Anne Fletcher. Shes the director of both movies... so its a hint to the goodness - what do you say?

Whats the story about? Canadian immigrant Sandra Bullock is on the verge of getting deported and needs to find a way to keep her job... solution to marry her assistant (Ryan Reynolds)

Coming out June 12th of this year... I have a feeling Mr.F and I will celebrate our one year anniversary watching a chick/wedding flick. Now that's how you celebrate ;) lol

My Real Wedding Inspiration Board

2008-12-23T09:57:00.004-05:00

When I was planning my own wedding, I loved seeing inspiration boards. I couldn't get enough and I was making myself some as well. It really gave an overall feel of what type of wedding I was going for, not to mention its a great starting point to any party planning.

Now what I loved even more... is seeing a real wedding inspiration board and compare their original idea and what the wedding actually looked like. Its fun to see if the theme/ideas stayed the same and see if the wedding is better than the inspiration board itself :)

I made my own before and after boards. (click to enlarge):

Original Inspiration Board
(1940s, Vintage, Glamour Theme)

Real Wedding Inspiration Board

(1940s Vintage Glam Movie Theme)

My wedding theme changed a little in the planning process. When I first created my inspiration board, I was going for my pinks, golds, champagne colors and more a vintage modern approach. Then, it shifted to 1940s brown and ivory movie vintage theme. Honestly I really like how my wedding came out, and if I were to do it again... it would be exactly the same, but instead of brown and Ivory, I would go Ivory and Black.

I have to confess that I was sort of competing with my own inspiration board. I wanted my wedding to be better than what I had envision. I know... isn't it weird?

What do you think, is my real wedding board better than the original? Did you make a real wedding board as well? Would you have changed anything?

Our Wedding Movie Trailer...

2008-11-28T10:29:00.004-05:00

Alright I can't wait any longer and must share this with you. I know... I'm not finished doing all my recap posts, but I am way too excited to wait until I am done the recaps. What I loved about our wedding was the videographer. I was so lucky to have Wes Jones of Film Jones come to Montreal to film my wedding in 8 mm. Not to mention that he was so great to work with. It truly captured the whole theme of our Vintage Glam wedding and I would hire him all over again in a heart beat.

At first Mr.Flamingo didn't want a wedding video because he didn't want to force our friends and family to watch a 1 hour video... and I completely understood what he was saying. I wanted to have a wedding movie-esque trailer, a short film with all the important moments of the wedding... packed with lots of emotion sort of like a movie. So I went ahead and re-editing my wedding footage to have a really short wedding trailer... a total of 9 minutes. Yup thats it!

Our Wedding Trailer.

.
Footage taken by Wes Jones of Film Jones

I used the Mac program Final Cut Express to do all the editing. Luckily my friend had the program and helped me a whole lot (Thanks Isabel!!!) The program isn't very complicated... and with google you can find many tutorials online. Because I compressed the movie quite alot, the movie lost alot of details and the 8mm effect isn't as great as the original movie. But I think you will get the overall feel.

So do you like it? Will you be re-editing you wedding video?

To sell or not to sell... that is the question

2008-11-20T09:25:00.005-05:00

I got THE call yesterday... my dress is clean and ready to be stored. So it hit me more that I thought it could. I realized that this was it... and that I would most probably never wear my dress again and it really makes me sad. If there is one thing in my whole wedding that I absolutely loved and would do again... my dress would be it. But at the same time whats the point of keeping a gorgeous dress in the closet when someone else can have the joy of wearing this stunning dress. I have had people/readers asking me if I were selling items that I had in my wedding... and honestly I was never able to give a response (sorry about that)

I really don't know if I am ready to let my wedding items go. I don't know if its because I don't want to face the fact that the wedding is over... or that I just want to hold on to the memories as long as I can. I mean what if I sell everything and forget? Ok that not likely to happen... but I think you understand what I am trying to say.

I have many wedding items piled up in my office and room and I selling some would be a good way to move on... but I don't know if I can. I mean, I would love to have my future daugther wear my wedding dress. But then I think about it... I never wore my moms dress or veil or anything she had at her wedding, so would my daugther wear mine. Most likely not.

I have many items that I can possibly sell (because I would most likely never wear or use them again)
You can see pics of majority of the items here

My wedding Dress
My birdcage Veil
My necklace set
My Hair Comb
Some tealight holders
Brown Table runners
Brown Ring Pillow
Handmade Brooche
Silk Clutch
Wishing Well
Brown envelopes
Ivory Envelopes
Shoe Embellishements

Now my question is this : Have you decided to sell your wedding items? And for those of you who have... how did you make the step and do you regret it???
Please help one confused bird.

The Secret Life of Bees: Flamingo Edition

2008-11-18T16:34:00.004-05:00

Hey everyone...in case you don't remember me, it's Mrs.Flamingo. I apologize for not being present this past couple of months. Lets just say that there has been much movement in my life... and because of it I have been way to busy... its crazy. (its positive - don't worry... I got a new Graphic Design job that I love.)

I absolutely wanted to take part in this awesome thing going on... called the secret life of bees. I loved reading everyone elses secret and thought it was time to share my own.

1. I enjoy eating something I call the Microwave Grilled cheese. Pretty self explanatory : 2 slices of white bread with 1 slice of Kraft Cheese, placed carefully in a plate with a paper towel (so that the bread doesn’t become soggy) and put in the microwave until the cheese is melted. I know, doesn’t seem very appetizing, but its something my younger sister and I use to eat coming home from school.

2. When I was smaller I preferred playing with cars then with Barbie dolls. I loved using the toy car carpet my dad bought me when I was younger. I could play hours with that thing. Even to the point that my dad bought one for my future kids (and I'm not even pregant). Daddy Flamingo is too cute.

3. I wore my first pair of jeans when I was in 9th grade. Yup you read this right. Before that I was all jogging pants and leotards! How sexy!!!

4. I don’t know what is my fetish with white sliced bread, but I love to eat all the crust and then take the white part a squish it into a ball of dough. Then I eat it of course. Hey, this list is about my secrets myself… so don’t judge! :)

5. I have a guilty pleasure. I like the spice girls. I know majoriy of the Spice Girl choreographies. Ya, thats really cheesy but my sister and I would dance in our basement. Come on theres something catchy with their music.... ILL TELL YOU WHAT I WANT... WHAT I REALLY REALLY WANT... lol

6. I have this weird goal. To have as many business cards as possible. Maybe thats me wanting to be a woman of all trades… but at the moment I have 3. I’m working on getting more!!!

7. Like Mrs.Penguin - I have a tattoo story to share. Before I got my drivers license, I told myself that if I passed the first time around I would reward myself by getting a tatoo. So being the artist that I am decided to draw my own tatoo. It seemed pretty in all... a sort of tribal sun. Until my younger sister pointed it out that it looks like sperm and egg. And now... that what I say it is... haha.. My fertility tattoo. Hope its brings luck in the future... lol Oh my!

So there you have it... some stories/secrets about myself. Its actually quite funny. Do you have a secret you want to share? Come on I must not be the only one with some bread fetishes??? :)

AWS a.k.a After Wedding Shoot

2008-09-23T12:00:00.000-04:00

Having the opportunity to do an After Wedding Shoot (AWS) is amazing. Now only do you have the chance to get dolled up again, but you can really take the time to pose for pictures when on the wedding day - time isn't your best friend. On our wedding day, we got some great pictures, but not the kind of pictures I was hoping for.

I wanted something different, unique and luckily my friend knew exactly what I wanted. So in a matter of 1 hour and a half we went from - the gas station, corn field, to railroad track and more. I am really really happy with the outcome of my pictures. (Plus, I got to wear my beautiful Birdcage veil - that I had forgotten at home the day of the wedding)

The morning of the shoot, I actually went to the hairdresser to get my hair done. Unfortunately I did the after wedding chop, so my hair was much shorter than at the wedding, so I couldn't have the same vintage hairstyle (snif! snif!) I did my own makeup like it was done on my wedding day. It wasn't very complicated to do - except maybe putting on the fake lashes. ;)

First stop - the gas station. Now this wasn't a fake pose, we really needed to put gas in the car otherwise we wouldn't go very far. I must admit though, they are pretty cool pictures.

A few minutes from the gas station there was a huge corn field. Being corn season, it seemed perfect for wedding pictures. We asked the owners if we could borrow their field for a couple of minutes, and I guess seeing a Bride and Groom always results in an automatic yes!

Since it had rained a couple of days before the shoot, the ground was quite muddy... so ya, I had a fun time cleaning my shoes afterwards...

Once the shoe cleaning was complete, we hoped in the car and went to the nearest train track, which was literally 2 minutes away. We had fun on the tracks, and let me say cars would pass by and honk...

I love this picture of Mr.Flamingo holding my shoes as I walk down the line (the track line that is) But might I add that it was extremely hot for my feet!

I love this picture - very à la Clark Kent (Superman)

Next up, we took some pictures in a vast grass field. Mr.Flamingo was the one who found the place. It was very beautiful and on top of that, just across the street of the field, there was a beautiful stone fence, where we took some more shots. (Can't get enough)

Once we were done and went back to our friends place, she wanted to take some more pictures of me in my dress. We experimented with different light sources to create a unique shot...

I had a blast taking pictures and if I could do it again I would... hmmm ... Winter is coming up shortly... maybe I could... No! Mr.Flamingo would kill me. Literally - he is so not a picture person :) haha

Did you have an After Wedding Shoot? Were you happy with the results?

Glamuptials: Giving our gifts

2008-09-21T17:00:00.000-04:00

When we started planning the wedding, Mr.Flamingo and I decided not give each other gifts and save that money for something else. At first it seemed to be a good idea, until I found the perfect gift for Mr. F.... I knew he would be extremely happy about my gift chose and honestly I didn't expect anything in return. I got him an original Superman Script signed by the cast of the first movie.

When I gave Mr.Flamingo his gift (ahead of time) he literally had a permanent smile on his face and it made me so happy. I was glad he liked the gift (especially since he is such a difficult person) but then again, you can't really go wrong with Superman.... right?

On the day of the wedding I got a wonderful surprise. Mr.Flamingo got me a gift too. He actually composed a song for me. Even though he didn't sing it live at the wedding, he actually went in a studio to record it. How sweet is that.

I had no clue he did this for me (though apparently everyone in my family did) and later in the evening, he grabbed the microphone and announced my surprised. We danced to the song and the song was beautiful. I wasn't able to tell you what he was saying in the song, because I was crying too much ... but I listen to it the next day and it was simply perfect. This was the best gift ever. I'm so lucky to have him...

Here is the song he composed (now remember Mr.Flamingo is french - his singing in english isn't perfect)

Here is a snippet of the lyrics:

You told me yes I do
took me into your arms
make me a better man
now I belong to you
maybe your true soul mate
you taught me how to love

Did you get a special song for your wedding?

Glamnuptials: Ceremony Part 2

2008-09-03T08:15:00.000-04:00

Saying the "I dos" was magical. A moment you dream of and it was a true fairytale come true and to add to the already amazing day, we were blessed to have my godmother and my sister-in-law do a reading. They were stressed like you wouldn't believe, but they did a great job!

We didn't really prepare anything for the candle ceremony so they provided us with these cute dove shaped candle holders. It was very ... how could I say ... capturing.

When it came time to sign the registries... I wanted to make sure everything is perfect. They say once you sign... it's over. You can't go back. I was having doubts... just kidding :) . But they did make a mistake in Mr.Flamingos last name. I didn't want to get married to this stranger... so they made the modifications on the spot.

When it came time to really sign the documents, the music was suppose to start. Ingrid Michaelson "The way I am"... Well it didn't. No one really knew when music was suppose to start, but 2 of my good friends told me I was staring at the Organ and singer as if I had killer eyes. Basically saying "CUE the music" it finally started a little late but now I was ready to sign. lol

So that's it... were married, I'm officially a Mrs. according to the church and the government. I love it. Its such a great feeling (even though I keep my own name) Ya you read right. Here in Quebec, Canada the Government is pro-independence so they want you to keep your name. Otherwise there a fee ... something like 250$ I really don't mind since in the end my children will bear Mr.F name... so its all good. (Plus, to be honest my last name is prettier. :) )

Now for the funny story of the day... and its a pretty funny one. When Mr.Flamingo and I were officially married and walking down the aisle as husband and wife, something unexpected happened. Honestly, I didn't feel a thing (that's because of my nylons) but my beautiful and secret superman garter I made for Mr.F slipped down my leg and found its way on the floor. Yup in the aisle of the church. Luckily the best man was there. He grabbed it like there was no tomorrow and gave it to my mom. She then stuffed it in her dress. I am not kidding you. I didn't even know... I had no clue. :) Thanks for saving the day... and Mr.F had no idea anything went down.

I loved the sound of the bells ringing. They were for us. It was very symbolic. I hope it was caught on video cause everything seemed blurry from that point on.

And were off to go take some pictures. All you heard was honking from a mile away. It was quite amusing and every single person outside looking at us, waved us hello. Maybe its their way of saying "Good Luck".

I think the funny moments of your wedding day is what makes it more magical. Hey I lost my garter in the church aisle... how funny is that. Did you have any funny wedding stories???

Flamingo Glamnuptials recaps:
Beauty Time Part 1 * The Guestbook * Decor Elements * Prep Time * Ceremony Part 1 * Le Gâteau

Photography: IPI-Events

Glamuptials: Le Gâteau

2008-09-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

I can't seem to say it enough, my wedding day was perfect... and so was my beautiful cake. It was literally a show stopper or should I say a conversation starter. All our guests commented on how unique and glamorous it was, and it made me extremely happy to know that people actually paid attention. I wanted something unique, and thanks to all you readers, I finally had the perfect balance of brown, ivory and design.

For my cake topper, I used a vintage crystal glass that my step-mother had and used the remainder of the arcylic crystals that I used for my escort cards. I put a tealight candle in the glass so that way at night our cake would have its own mini chandelier.

The pattern on the cake wasn't exactly the one from my invitation. It was extremely hard to do (though I attempted to cut out the pattern on a clear acetate) Luckily my baker had a pattern sort of like what I wanted. In the end, the result was awesome... and its not like my guest remembered the pattern on my invites. ;)

We had a chocolate Ferrero Rocher crisp dessert included with our meal so we served the cake later on with the sweet table. Since I figured not everyone would eat cake at night, I decided to make cake flags to go with our oh-so yummy dessert. It basically had our names our it with our wedding date and the clock element found on our RSVP cards. Matchy Matchy ;)

Sorry for the blurry picture, this is the only proof that my cake flags existed.

For the portions, I decided to make a cake for only 70 people (though I have over 150 guests) and I have to say it was too much because we had tonnes left over. I had more than half the cake untouched... but I even forgot the leftover cake at the hotel. Oh well... ;)

Flamingo Glamnuptials recap:
Beauty Time Part 1 * The Guestbook * Decor Elements * Prep Time * Ceremony Part 1

Photography: IPI-Events

Glamnuptials: Ceremony Part 1

2008-09-01T00:55:00.001-04:00

On our way to the church, it finally hit me. I was getting married today and the nerves kicked in majorly. I don't know why we get like this, but my stomach was in knots. Thank goodness my daddy was in the limo with me, so we had some time to talk and bond before he finally gave me away.

When we approached the church I was even more nervous but so excited at the same time. Just before I was ready to walk in my MOH was fixing my dress, I just stood there in my little bubble. I had to take a minute to take in everything that was going on.

(Don't I look so nervous)

When it was time to go... to finally do the march on our awesome song I took my father hand and tried to hold back the tears. Apart from the fact that I was getting married,to have my father walk me down the aisle meant the world to me.

One by one they walked in, my mother (in salmon color) had to walk down with my flowergirl and my ring bearer because they didn't want to do it alone. Luckily they didn't cry or cause a scene, so that was good. lol

When we stepped in, everyone was looking at me and I couldn't help but have the biggest smile on my face. It was a magical moment and I was so happy to have all my family and friends present. When I saw Mr.Flamingo my eyes got all teary eyed. I didn't cry - which is a miracle cuz I cry at anything.... But I couldn't stop looking at my future husband, and it simple made it more true.. I was marrying the man of my life.

I love this picture of my father (left hand corner) and my sisters.

When it was time to exchange vows my hands were shaking. I even whispered to Mr.Flamingo "my left hand is the one with the bracelet" in case he forgot what left was. lol

Once, the pressure of the I dos were done, it was now time to kiss the groom. And honestly it felt like we were the only 2 people in the room. Plus, Mr.F went for an encore... so ya, I got to kiss the groom twice. Talk about lucky.

Now there more Ceremony to come... and let me tell you I have a pretty funny story to share with all of yous. So stay tuned, cuz this wedding is far from being over :)

Flamingo Glamnuptials recaps:

Photography: IPI-Events

Glamnuptials: Prep time

2008-08-19T13:05:00.000-04:00

When I woke up, the first thing I did was go immediately on the computer to blog for weddingbee. Yes yes, who blogs on their wedding day... apparently me. With all the excitement of the last preparations I had forgotten to write my last post as a Miss and it was a must on my to-do list. Then it was weather check time. It rained all week and Saturday seemed to be no exception to the rule, but for some miraculous reason it did not rain one bit. I had the most perfect day ever!

Our day schedule was quite tight, but do-able. First stop, the hairdresser. It was extremely fun being at the hairdresser with my sisters (BM) and my cousin (MOH) and everyone was looking great. One thing though, I forgot my veil at home so my awesome cousin filled her duties as MOH. She went back to my place to grab my veil. How awesome is she.

My wedding look - With my veil - thanks MOH!

Once I got back home, my good friend was there ready to put my makeup on - fake lashes and all. Basically the same look as my first trial but in the pink tones. I let her do her magic... and I loved how I looked. I felt like a million dollars. I'm a makeup freak and could of done it myself, but instead in order to de-stress, I decided to do my sister's makeup.

Yup yup, that's me in the sexiest position ever!

Once everyone was ready, it was my turn. The photographer finally arrived and the videographer was there too... it felt all so surreal but exciting at the same time.

My dress almost didn't fit through the door... lol

Holding my boobies in place - lol (the ladies were free all day)

Putting on the my jewelry - with the help of my sister and my mommy

Look at the my prince charming putting on my Cinderella shoes - lol.
Thanks again MOH

I was all set and ready to go. My daddy came with my in our vintage 1959 Bentley so that I wouldn't be alone on my way to the church. At this point I was getting nervous... but still holding it together. Breath in , Breath out. ;)

I'm going to the chapel and I'm gonna get married...

Up next in the Glamnuptials: The Ceremony

Glamuptials: Our details

2008-08-18T13:50:00.001-04:00

Previous Glamuptial posts:

* * * * * *
I love detail shots and knew I had to have some of those in my wedding pictures. Since I worked hard DIYing some elements of my attire, I wanted to make sure I had pictures to remember forever all the hard work and crazy hours I spent. When the photographer arrived I asked him if he could take pictures of our details and he did just that.

I absolutely adore these pictures of my wedding dress. Its simply stunning. How I wish I could wear it all day long. Seriously ... lol

My beautiful wedding dress

Detailing of the bodice

I loved all my bling. It was very glamorous and representative of my overall theme. I literally felt like a million dollars wearing my jewelry.

My oh-so glamorous necklace

Our beautiful rings

My DIY Swarvoski Brooch which I absolutely love

My awesome taupe shoes with my vintage embellishment

My beautiful bouquet with my DIY bouquet jewels

These details were for Mr.Flamingo and his first love - Superman. I wanted to have something extra special for him and my DIY Superman Garter definitely caught everyone's attention. His Cufflinks were perfect and cute, I must admit.

The beautiful superman garter I made for Mr.Flamingo

Mr.Flamingos Superman Cuff links

Up next in the Glamuptials : Prep time

Photoshoping made easy

2008-07-31T22:33:00.005-04:00

Being a designer, I need to work with Photoshop (sometimes). Now, I’m no pro, but I thought I could go a good job of color correcting pictures. When we hired our wedding photographer, I didn’t want them to do any color corrections because I could do it myself (and save extra $$$ at the same time) little did I know it isn’t as easy as it seems. I wanted pictures like I’ve seen on various wedding photographer sites, but all my corrections looked nothing like what they have.

At the beginning of the week one of my fellow bees (Lemon) introduced me to Totally Rad Photoshop Actions. Now for the ones who don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, actions at recorded steps in this case to improve/color correct you photos. They are extremely easy to use - you literally just click on the play button.

Here is a picture from my after wedding photo shoot, that I absolutely love. I attempted to edit it, using one of their sample action called Super fun happy:

Before:After:

As you can see, it really add that dramatic effect. I played with it a little...so I did more than just click on the play button, but still I think the outcome is perfect... almost as though I was a professional color corrector ;)

If you visit their website you can see tonnes of before and after shots. That way you get a glimpse of all the possibilities. Here are other before and after pictures… see the difference. Its stunning and adds that WOW factor.

Before:

After:

If you have Photoshop (CS2 or higher) and would like to experiment with these awesome actions, visit their website to receive their samples. But if you want to plunge in the world of hours and hours of fun and easy editing, I would suggest you purchase their action kit. (but you really need to do lots of photo correcting for it to be worth it)

Plus, Totally Rad recently won the Bludomain Actions Of The Year contest, and to celebrate they are putting all their awesome tools on sale through midnight 8/3/08. Save up to $25. How awesome is that!

Will you be attempting to color correct your own photos? What tools will you be using?

Image source: Totally Rad

Bridesmaid Gifts

2008-07-31T08:05:00.000-04:00

Gift giving is always fun, but its extremely hard when all your Bridesmaids have different personality and style. I still wanted to give them the same gift, so that they would all have something in common and representative of the wedding.

I personally had a really hard time figuring out what I would give them, but after months of searching I finally found something I think they all would like. Since pink was an important color in the wedding I decided to have a pink themed gift.

I got the girls a bag of goodies. Inside: personalized pink silk jewelry rolls. I thought this was a classic gift that can be used to secure all their jewelry. Youngest sister flamingo, doesn't wear jewelry, but she has piercings galore. I figured one day, she will use it, or in the meantime will store her body jewelry in it.

The second part of their gift, was one Pink 2GB SanDisk Cruzer Gator. I thought this was perfect for them to keep all their photos and important documents. I know I use Flash cards all the time, I just hope they will too.
I also added a journal for each girl. Where I wrote on the first page a personalized note. I mostly thanked them for being part of my wedding and sharing in our special day. It was nice seeing them open their gifts and get all teary eyed when reading the message.

For my MOH I got her a little something more. Since she was stressing out more than me, I got her a gift certificate at a beautiful local spa - perfect to relax, and after helping me out with the wedding... a spa seemed really nice.

They seemed really happy with their gifts... I hope they use them well. Did you give your bridesmaid a themed gift?

Images: Jewlery Rolls , Flash Card, Certificate
Photography: IPI - Events

Photo Shoot: DIY Bouquet

2008-07-27T23:10:00.000-04:00

On Friday, I had my wedding shoot, you know ... so that I can have nice pictures of Mr.Flamingo and I, because our wedding photographer didn't deliver. I went all out, I went to the hairdresser and I got my makeup done like I was getting married all over again. (I feel a preview pic coming up....now!)

I realized I needed a bouquet for the shoot, but didn't feel like spending an arm and a leg for a fake wedding bouquet. Since I wanted to DIY my flowers for my wedding but that didn't fall through, I decided to attempt my first DIY bouquet, and I was really happy with the results.

I had peonies for my wedding blooms but that was out of the question for this DIY bouquet (they are no longer in season in July) so I opted for inexpensive off white minature carnations. Since they are full bodied flowers, when putting them together look very similar to peonies.

Here are the steps to making your own bouquet:

Materials:
1 - Flowers of your choice (miniature carnations - 9.99$)
2 - Floral tape (1.00$)
3 - Corsage pins (1.00$)
4 - Wide satin ribbon (2.79$)
5 - Scissors or Cutters (0$)

If you buy your flowers several days in advance, I would suggest putting them in a cool place. Since Mr.Flamingo LOVES the AC, our apartment was as cold as a freezer which was perfect for the flowers. If your fiance isn't an AC fanatic, best put the blooms in a fridge (preferably food free, otherwise your flowers will grab the smell of yesterdays meal.) I prepared my flower the day before the shoot that way, it was less work the day of.

Step 1: Remove all thorns, leaves or bruised petals on each stem. If you have more than once bloom per stem, you can separate them (but make sure you have a long enough stem (minimum 5 inches)

Step 2: Make clusters of about 5 bloom and wrap the stems with the floral tape. Make sure you stretch the floral tape so that it sticks well. Leave a good 1.5 inches of stems floral tape free. That way you can put them back in water and your flowers will have all the water they need which result in less withering.

Step 3: Once you've completed all your clusters, start bunching them together to make one big cluster. Use your floral tape to secure the clusters into one big handle. Again, leave a 1.5"-2" free at the bottom.

Step 4: Cut all the stems to the same length. Making a clean cut handle.

Step 5: Starting at the top, wrap your handle with the satin ribbon overlapping each turn. Once you've covered all the floral tape, take yours corsage pins and pick them in a angle (towards the floor) You can do any pattern you like, I simply went all the way down.

Voila your bouquet is done. Place your bouquet in water until the very last moment (when your ready to take your bridal pics) A professional looking bouquet for the fraction of the costs. My bouquet cost me only 14.00$ to make. Beats the florists 100-125$ fee don't you think?

Glamuptials: Beauty time (Part 1)

2008-07-25T01:45:00.000-04:00

When I had my hair trial, I felt there was some vintage missing in my do. I followed what many of yous suggested and asked my hairdresser to make me some finger curls. I didn't go for a second trial, because my hairdresser insisted not to, so I only saw the final product the day of my wedding, I know - crazy.

The day before the wedding, I went to get my hair washed and get my curls started. It took a long time, because well... finger curls are a unique request now a days. Plus, I was lucky, I got to sleep will all kinds of hair pins (ya like the huge black one) to make sure everything stayed in place for the morning after. (But regardless - I slept like a baby)

Here is the morning of... I look like I didn't sleep alot (which is true indeed - I was finishing up my moms jewelry until 2am - Crazy Flamingo! I know) But regardless I slept quite well. Plus my MOH kept me company all night, so I wouldn't feel an empty space in my bed.

I had given my younger sister the camera but she didnt do a great job of taking pictures, so these are random pics of my hairstyle (which by the way I LOOOOVVVVEEEEDDDD)

Close up of the curls and my beautiful rhinestone comb.

Don't even ask me what I'm doing here, seems like quite an awkward pose.
I guess my friends were trying to show EVERY angle ;)

Everybody loved my hair, with the exception of my mom. Lets just say my mom felt she needed to tell everyone in my family that she disliked my hair so when it came time for the receiving line, I would be greeted with "Congratulations, and I love your hair by the way, don't listen to your Mom... you look gorgeous and your hair matches your vintage theme"

I was a bit shocked about the whole thing, I mean why would my mom do that. Plus its not like one person mentioned this, but at least 5 different people. Why? I have no clue, but I let it slide. I loved my hair and thats what counts right?

If I were to do it all over again (wait I am.... I am having my photo shoot today) I would go for a vintage hairstyle hands down. I say the hell with what everyone says... do what you want. Its your wedding :)

Glamuptials: Decor elements

2008-07-24T11:45:00.000-04:00

If there is one thing I loved about my wedding, was definitely my decor elements. Everything was perfect, from my photo corner to my menus. I know, I went crazy with the details but at least my guests pointed out sometime during the evening. Plus, they still tell me now... how beautiful everything was. Hurray I've accomplished what I wanted.

The overall feel and look that I wanted for my reception site was easy: vintage and glam. The wedding show people did a great job adding some extra glamour elements to the decor, but the hard work paid off.

This is a last minute DIY project, I made reserved seating cards for Mr.Flamingo and I. I made cards using the same elements as our invitations. I ppted for Bride & Groom because in french Bride = Mariée and Groom = Marié, not much of a difference and with a little too much to drink I sensed some confusion. The words in english seemed perfect, and no one else read them but us. I used ivory satin ribbon to attached the cards to the back of the chair.

I had mentionned before wanting to have inexpensive linens or something in chocolate brown to cut the white linen that were provided by the venue. Well with lots of research and very little time left to the wedding, I came to the realization that nice/inexpensive wasn't possible. So I decided to DIY my table decor. I opted for table runners (to cut costs) but I didn't have time to take pictures, and I don't know if I would of because lets just say : I can't sew for my life actually I can't even cut long length of material in a straight line. So ya, I wasnt too proud they weren't very straight. ;) (But no once noticed - luckily)

Our beautiful menus. Every guest got a menu carefully tucked in their napkin. I printed them in brown to add some extra color to the table and the type was in ivory. My menus were long an narrow to add length to the place seating. My menus were in French, English and Italian.

Our guests liked our centerpieces but loved our table numbers. In my flickr account, where my guests uploaded their pictures, I have over 10 shots of just our table numbers. I'm glad they liked them, because I LOVED them and its heartbreaking when you work so hard on something and no one pays attention.

The escort card tree was such a beautiful piece. They actually installed spots at the bottom of the tree so when it got darker the crystal swags would shine. What I loved too, is that they made the bottom match my centerpieces. They used square mirrors to surround the pot and added sticker rhinestones for the glam.

The photo area was great. We took lots of pictures with our friends and family. We had rented the lamp posts, but didn't know how to place them in our hall. The wedding show rented bushes and placed it as though it seemed we were outdoors. We kept the bench (we bought it from Wal-Mart) so I'm excited to put in outside once we have our first house.

Whats your favorite decor element at your wedding?

Up next: Glamuptials: Beauty time

I should of listen to my gut

2008-07-20T11:00:00.001-04:00

My photographer is one of the first vendors I hired. I chose this company because I knew the owner, so I got a pretty good price. I looked at their work and it seemed nice at the time. Of course there were some imagery that I didn't really like, so I was clear and mentionned what I liked and disliked that first time around. Since I am a designer, I wanted to have all the high resolution images on a DVD. I also got all the rights to the photos, meaning that I don't need permission from them and I can do whatever I want with my photos. I also asked them not to edit my photos, and I would do it myself, so basically I was paying for the photographer.

Throughout the planning process, I realized that there were so many other photographers out there that I loved more than my own. Of course their work was more expensive then what I got my photographer for (1100$)... and being a budget bride and not wanting to loose my 300$ deposit, I decided to stick with my photographer. Basically... I should of listen to my gut and switched.

I was unsatisfied with his work. He seemed shy and didn't direct us in nice photography poses. Don't get me wrong, there are some beautiful shots... but not enough. I mentioned that I wanted pictures of all the details. He took some detailed shots, but none of my bouquet, or the girls bouquet, of Mr.Flamingo superman cufflinks. I mean he stayed with Mr.Flamingo for 15 minutes... with a total of 20 photos and all the nice artsy pictures, Mr.Flamingo asked him to take. Then when it came time to take family pictures, we stayed at the same spot. We had beautiful spaces outside but he wasn't creative enough to give suggestions on what we should do. He didn't take pictures of me alone with my dress and certainly no fun pictures with the girls. I'm really disappointed. But thats not the worst part...

After the ceremony, Mr. Flamingo, the bridesmaids, the best man and myself, went to take some pictures. Obviously this was the time to take pictures of Mr.F and I. Well that didn't really happen. Out of all the photos, and that I mean from the ceremony to the first dance, we have only 5 nice pictures of us. Yes I am not kidding you 5 pictures. This is so devastating because its our wedding and we have no pictures of us. Plus, on your wedding day.... you shouldn't have to think about what pictures you should take because obviously you hired a photographer to do that... but thats not how I felt. It was like I was telling him what to do... so the pictures I didn't mention... well I didn't get. This is when you realized doing photo cards is the best idea ever!

Luckily one of my good friends just finished her photography course and is planning on starting her own business. Since she has nothing in her portfolio she offered to re-do a wedding shoot for FREE. She is really good and we have the same ideas and sense of style/creativity so I'm certain the pictures will be beautiful. I am happy that I get to retake some pictures of Mr.F and I, plus I get to wear my dress all over again... what fun! The only thing is that I won't have the same hair (because I did the after wedding chop) and I'm debating if I should get a bouquet done. But what Im really stoked about - I get to wear my birdcage veil that I had forgotten at home. Hurray for birdcage veils! The photo shoot will be some time this week... so Im excited about that. I hope things go well!

My piece of advice, make sure you do lots and lots of research before hiring your photographer. Many have pre-wedding shoots or engagement photos... this is a great thing, because you have an idea what the chemisty with your photographer will be like. And... if you feel that you won't like the person you hired, don't do the same mistake I did... switch (especially if your budget allows it) Pictures are once, and if they arent done right... you can't go back.

Were you disappointed with your photographer? Did you retake some pictures to compensate?

Vectorizing crash course 101

2008-07-18T15:14:00.005-04:00

Ever since I've blogged about my invitations, I've been receiving emails left and right about my chandelier illustration. I guess I didn't explain it in detail, so I figured - what the heck, here is Flamingos Vectorizing crash course. Now I'm no pro at this, I literally learned about Illustrator CS2 Live trace option at the beginning of the year (thanks: Bird of Paradise, Lemon and Plumeria)

A reader asked me if I could vectorize an image for her. A chandelier of course. Here are the steps to have an vector with no needs of doing hours of tracing with the pen tool. Hurray for live trace!!!

Now to be able to trace any image you obviously need to have the software. Adobe Illustrator CS2 or up, for those of you who don't have it, you can download a free trial : here.

Next step is you need to find an image. A photograph, illustration whatever you want. But sometimes the live trace tool can be a little funky so you basically need to do several trials and errors. Once you get the hang of it, I promise you will love it.

Step 1 - Open your image in Illustrator
Step 2 - Select your image and go to Options > Live Trace > Tracing Options

Step 3 - In the tracing options tool box theres the option to lower or higher the Threshold (meaning more or less black). If you click on the preview box and play with the intensities you will see what your vector will look like. Once you've gotten to a shape you like, click on the Trace button (in blue)

Step 4 - Now you have a vectorized image but you do not have the clipping path.
Select your image and go to Object > Tracing Options > Expand

Your vector has been created in black and white, but if you want to be able to put your image on a colored background, you don't want the white showing.

Step 5 - To remove all the white from the vector choose the white arrow tool found in your tool bar. Click on a white part in your image (usually the center is a good choice) then go to Select > Same > Fill Color once you see that all the white parts are selected press delete.

Voila your vector is done, now you must save it as an EPS file format.
To do so go to File > Save As > EPS

EPS files can be used in majority of Adobe programs (like InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop) If you want to change the color of your vector, its always better to do so in the original program. Changing the color can be done using Photoshop. Basically its what your most comfortable with - in the end.

Enjoy!

Glamuptials: The Guestbook

2008-07-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

I know you are waiting impatiently to see my wedding photos as a whole but I have to stretch the suspense a little longer. You all know I like labeling stuff with words that I make up, so this was no exception to the rule. I've decided to officially call my wedding/pro-pics posts Glamuptials.

definition: (noun, pl - the meshing of two words.
Glam which is the shortened form of glamour and nuptials - a wedding)

The first installment of glamuptials will be about my guestbook. I realized that throughout the planning process I never blogged about what I was doing for that. I was lucky enough to score me one of Zinke Designs Wishing Well. Its a beautiful ivory floral magnetic box with 150 4x6 cards and a pen. Pretty for display and perfect for storage.

I was searching for a bowl or something where I could place the cards in. Then, Mommy Flamingo to the rescue, pulls our a vintage crystal dish. It was perfect... and vintage (it belonged to my great-grandmother). Plus, don't the cards look better in a pretty dish?

The guestbook table was really a family thing. Flamingo step-mother purchased candelabra shaped miniature trees. Yes yes... I am not kidding you, the branches of the trees are shaped like a chandelier. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was the first time I had seen anything like that.

A lady who works with Daddy Flamingo mentioned that she had a vintage typewriter which might look nice with my whole vintage theme. I was so excited about this, so I sort of pulled a Lovebug. (thanks for the inspiration) I spent hours cleaning the thing, it was filled with dirt and dust... but in the end something beautiful never looses its beauty.

I had a fun ready what our guest left as words of wisdom. Unfortunately, not many people left us notes, so we should of made an announcement somehow, but it doesn't really matter. My favorite message was from my cousin "Mr. Flamingo, my cousin is always right, remember that... or I'll kill you!" lol

What was your favorite guestbook message?

{All images courtesy of: Ipi-Events Photography}

Gimme Photos and more Photos

2008-07-15T15:00:00.000-04:00

I had mentioned that I wanted to put photo cards on the tables so that the guests could upload their own wedding photos. After much debate I decided to go with Flickr. Simply because you could upload the pictures directly - no need to download a program. I designed a folded card which I placed on each table. They were bilingual (French & English) with a message on one side and the instruction on the other.

In my last post, many of yous mentioned that you were interested in knowing what I was going to write on my cards...Well I am happy to share it with yous.

Front page:

Share your memorable photos with us!

We would love to discover your amazing photographer talents!
We invite you to upload your photos & videos on a photo sharing website where all of our family and friends can admire your creations taken throughout our special day.

The more photos and videos the merrier!
Looking forward to seeing the great photos you took

Mr. & Mrs. Flamingo xox

Inside page:

Username: xxxxx
Password: xxxxxx

How to use Flickr.com
1 - Save photos onto your computer
2 - Go to www.flickr.com
3 - Log in using username and password
4 - Start uploading photos and videos
5 - Name and explain photos and videos

Don’t leave anyone guessing. You can explain what was being photographed, include comments about the day or write an amusing caption to go with your uploaded pictures.

Did you happen to miss anything ? View all the moments that you might have missed. Thank you for sharing in our wedding day!

Because I knew many of my friends were going to take pictures and they would all be over 1 MB each, I investing in the Flickr Pro account, for just $24.95 (U.S.) per year. I did a great thing because the free account only allows for 100 MB of images and as of now, I have over 500 pictures from my guest and more are to come.

Here are some of my many pictures taken by my family and friends:

Our beautiful church

Exchanging vows

Partying away

Our first dance

If your debating whether or not you should do this... I say yes all the way. Its a 24.95$ well invested, especially when you were disappointed with your photographer. (more to come on that) Did you have photo cards? Was it worth it for you as it was for me?

Take 10, Take 100, Take 1000

2008-07-14T16:00:00.000-04:00

One experience that I truly enjoyed throughout the wedding planning was the wedding show Mr.Flamingo and I took part in. I must admit its hard work being in front of a camera. Not only do you have to talk as though there is no camera around, but there are many many takes.

Can't forget the touch ups.

The filming of the show is done in three parts. The first is an interview with the both of us and we had to explain our theme and the issues we encountered throughout planning. We had several issues but these were the ones they took care of.

- Figure out how to display our escort cards
- Hide the neighbouring building (visible when your on the terrase)
- Figure out how to display our lamps and make a photography corner
- Hide the wall behind the head table (wear the dividing panel of the hall usually are stored)

The second part of the taping consists of a DIY project with the host. I did this 2 days before the wedding and I had no idea what was going on. Once I got there I was so happy. We were working on my display for my escort cards.

The third part is the big reveal the day of the wedding. Thats when we actually get the chance to see what awesome work they've done. And awesome it was. Here is a sneak peek:

Behind head table

Escort card display (6 foot Manzanita tree in a mirrored box)
With REAL chandelier swags (and its mine! Hurray for gifts)

exterior photography corner

Camouflaging neighbouring company

You saw right, that is the exact chandelier from my invitations. I was blown away when I saw that... talk about carrying out the chandelier theme throughout. Don't ask me how they did that, they never asked me for the artwork. I guess I will find out when I see the show.

I learned that we will be the season premiere of their 4th season. I don't know yet when it will air, but once it does I promise I will try my best to upload it somehow.

A piece of chandelier for you

2008-07-13T07:10:00.000-04:00

A while back I was debating what style of escort card I should have. Well, I realized that I never did a follow-up on my choice for escort cards. I went with the majority of yous and went with the glamour option. Since chandeliers seemed to be a very big part of my theme, I decided to go with something like the left picture.

{left} & {right}

I didn't take any pictures of my escort cards in progress since I had to finish them rather quickly, But this is one of the only pictures I have of the finished product. I think its rather good. :)

Here is my friend Julie showing off her escort card.

Making them was simple, I cut squares out of ivory card stock. I purchased a corner die-cut with lace embellishments and punched holes in all 4 corners. I went on ebay and found 100 acrylic chandelier prisms for only 19.95$ plus shipping. I purchased brown organza ribbon and tied both the chandelier prism and ribbon on the place card. Voila! and escort card.

When it comes to displaying them, there were many possibilities. Hung on trees like the famous picture below that Miss Pineapple blogged about, hung on ribbons like picture above, hung on a string making a glamorous clothes line... well this decision La Bosse des Noces took into her own hands.

{image}

Since I didn't have a clue what La Bosse des Noces would do to display my escort cards, I decided to make a poster with all the table numbers and names. That way, the guests could find their table number and then search for the card.

For the board, I used elements from my invitations. I found left over embellishments in my scrapbooking box and used sticker rhinestones to add some extra glamour to the board. It came out beautifully. Don't you think?

Here is a sneak peek of the escort display:

How did you display your escort cards?

Merci beaucoup

2008-07-11T11:45:00.000-04:00

We had a wonderful wedding... and its true what they say "Its the best day of your life" Honestly it couldn't have been more perfect. (Well for one exception- but still) Our guests were extremely impressed with everything and we were so happy to share it with them. They obviously deserved lots of thank yous for the compliments and their generous wedding gifts.

I though a nice Thank you card design was what they deserved for the least. So I went ahead and designed these:

Front

Back

Since I had both french and English invitations, I didn't want to have the hassle of 2 languages so I simply wrote a "Merci" I think the English people get the point. Right?

I'm one of those that happens to receive VistaPrint offers and took advantage of the FREE postcard offer. I downloaded the template on my computer and designed the card. I put the back (Merci) on the part where generally you would write a message on a postcard and the chandelier on the front of the postcard. When I received the cards they were perfect... only a little technicality - the front is glossy so I have to write using a ball point or permanent pen. So if you happen to use Vista print postcards - make sure you place the part of there card where you want to write on the back of the postcard and not the front. :) Learn from my mistakes.

So here is the tally of my thank you card costs:

Thank you card design : FREE
Printing: FREE
Card shipping: 22.37$
Envelopes (4x6) : 19.80$
Shipping of env. (combined with invitation env.) approx 5,00$
-------------------
47.17$ for 100 thank you cards.
A big : 0.47$ per card.

Now I just got to by a pen or two and start thanking away. I just hope it won't take me all summer.
How long did it take you to send out your thank you cards?

After wedding blues...

2008-07-08T09:11:00.003-04:00

Hey Everyone, I'm back... well to be honest I've been back for quite some time now (I've been married for a good 3 weeks) but the after-wedding blues kicked in and the desire to blog has basically been a huge flatline. Even though I will be blogging about my wedding and how wonderful, perfect and magical it was, the planning is over and it makes me extremely sad.

While I was shopping over the weekend, I happened to find the latest issue of Martha Stewart Weddings. I love MS weddings and I would buy them before I even got engaged. But with my wedding being officially over… it hit me. The after wedding nostalgia kicked in. I literally stayed at the magazine counter holder the magazine for a good 5 minutes, debating whether I should buy it or not. Well I didn’t and in a way, its like a way of turning the page. Sorta... (I think I just might go back and buy it - I'm a Martha addict)

Its a given that once you are married you want to start your own wedding related business in order to satisfy your thirst for weddings... this is a big debate for me now, I love weddings and would love to work in weddings somehow... so I feel that on top of the after wedding blues, I am questioning my whole new life and what I want to do with it (career wise)

Am I the only one feeling like this? Please say it isn't so.

Officially a Mrs.

2008-06-23T09:38:00.005-04:00

I'm officially married and its wonderful! We had the most gorgeous day! Everything was perfect (apart from the fact that I forgot my second veil at home - what a bummer) I still have lots to blog about and will take advantage of it, since I don't have any of my pro pics yet.

Everything was so magical and we had an amazing time. Its true that it passes so fast but once in a while I took a breather and enjoyed the moment. I can't wait to give you more details... and share more pics. Married life is wonderful... I'm loving every minute of it! :)

Its finally come to this...

2008-06-21T07:11:00.004-04:00

Today is the day.... today is my wedding day. All that hard work and planning for today. Its crazy when you think about it. I am writing to you before I go to the hairdresser... because I realized I never said bye (as a non-married gal) Bad flamingo!!!

First off, I would like to say a huge thank you to all you awesome readers and bees. Weddingbee has become a family to me and your support, suggestions and ideas have help me shape my wedding to what it will be today. I cannot say thank you enough!

I promise I will be back will lots of details. There will be loads to talk about so don't think that just because I'm going to have the married status you're gonna get rid of me that easy. Your stuck with me :) Ok here is a quick preview: I'm not nervous and shockingly surprised, I slept well though I wish I would of gone to be earlier and there doesn't seem to be a cloud in sight. Lets hope it stays like that all day ;) More to come... shortly

You have been so great to me and it has been awesome to share my wedding planning with you. I heart you all so much :)

Best,
Miss Flamingo (soon to be Mrs)

Bashing Bachlorette

2008-06-19T11:00:00.000-04:00

At my bridal shower my highschool friends (which I've known for 13 years) asked me if they can plan my bachlorette party. I found that really sweet and my MOH and Bridesmaids didn't mind. They wanted the night to be a surprise - so I had no idea what was planned. My surprised bachlorette was last friday. Yup one week before my wedding.

My highschool friends.

My bridal party

The night started off with supper at a restaurant in Montreal called Cafeteria, a type of cafe-resto bar. We were 12 and when we got there they gave every one a gift bag. Inside were some goodies ; condoms, jewelry, glow sticks, candy shaped penis - you get the point. Plus we all got a matching t-shirt...so awesome!!!

I got something more, obviously because I'm the bride-to-be, so an appropriate crown a magic wand was added to my goodies bag. They even included some 'task' coupons of things that needed to be done throughout the night.

Supper was good, and so was my sangria - especially that I had to drink it with a penis shaped straw... too funny.

Once everyone was done eating it was time for dessert and that my friends was the highlight of the night. Can you look at this cake!!! It was strawberry shortcake and it was yummy! The waitress didn't want to cut it because it was so beautiful.

After we've finished our cake we were off to a club. No no, not a strip club but rather a dance club. The music was good and we all had a blast! We have tonnes and tonnes of pictures to remember the night, because by the end... a little too much alcohol in my system ;)

Thank you everyone for a fun night!
Did you have a bachlorette party?

Super Garter

2008-06-16T08:25:00.000-04:00

**** Mr. Flamingo you cannot read this post****** Stop reading NOW!*****

Ever since I started planning my wedding there was one thing for sure I was going to do for my new-husband-to-be. I wanted to make him a custom garter... you know one to his liking. I've mentioned before that Mr.Flamingo is a superman freak. He's got everything from vintage comic books to statuettes, but one thing he doesn't have is a superman garter. Obviously its not something very common, and I wanted to make one for him. Its more meaningful ... I think.

I wanted to incorporate a superman logo in the garter somewhere but could not find any logos small enough. I thought of using a patch or even a bracelet charm, but everything was too expensive and not to my liking. Then it hit me, CROCS charms. I went to shoe stores in my area in search of the superman logo but there were none in sight. So I decided to check on ebay. Luckily ebayer namesrus was selling one. I made an offer and won it for 1.00$ plus 1.95$ shipping. Pretty good I think.

via Ebay

Now this is a surprise and he won't know it until its time to go under my dress. I even asked the DJ to cue the superman theme song when hes going to get it. Its going to be so funny.

Basically the superman logo/colors consist of blue, red and yellow. Since the emblem is red and yellow and I wanted something blue, I used red and blue satin ribbon. It was very easy to make and the CROCS charm was perfect.

Here is my super garter:

Have you made a custom garter for your husband-to-be?

Flower bouquet decorations

2008-06-15T12:15:00.006-04:00

I thank everyone for suggestions regarding my bridal bouquet, I will indeed remove the bear grass loops. I agree, it takes away from the beauty of the bouquet. Even though I agree that the greenery adds fullness to the bouquet, I rather not have any. Hopefully my flowers will be in full bloom and greenery won't be necessary to fill the bouquet.

To continue the my glam theme... I made bouquet jewels, which will be inserted in my bouquet. It was very easy to make and cost pennies compared to buying them already made. You can make endless amounts of shapes when it comes to making them yourself. I decided to make a teardrop kind of shape to recall the chandelier piece which will be wrapped around my bouquet. (see image below)

List of materials:
Jewelry cooper wire
6mm cubic clear Swarvoski crystals
5mm cubic satin silver crystals
miniature taupe multi-facetted fire polished beads

How to:
1- Cut your cooper wire about 12 inches.
2- Insert beads to desired look. Make sure to have a symmetrical design.
3- Fold the wire at the center.
4 - Hold the beads with one hand and with the other start turning the wire to twist it. Continue until you have reached the bottom. This will not only secure the beads but at stength to the stands.
5 - Place the beads and shape wire to desired look and Voila... you have your first bouquet jewel

I also made some bouquet jewels for my bridesmaid, but nothing as complex as mine. I just made them 1 single clear fire polished bead. Since their bouquets won't be very big, it will add just enough shine. Their flowers will be pale pink so the clear stones will pop out and shine in the sun.

For my flower girl, since she is not allowed to throw flower petals, I decided to make her a basket,, but instead she will have a full bodied ivory peony in the basket. I think it will look really cute. Here is my DIY basket.

Before

After

Cost breakdown:
Bridal bouquet jewels : 8 strands = 3.75$ each (5 swarvoski crystals)
Bridesmaids bouquet jewels: 38 strands = 0.33$ each
Chandelier piece for handle: 0.75$
Flower girl basket: 2.oo$ basket + 2.50 ribbon = 4.50 $

I think its pretty good for everything that I got. What do you think?
What flower related DIY projects have you made?

Zap 'em away

2008-06-13T07:46:00.003-04:00

All my life I've been the type of person people like to hate because they labelled me with "perfect skin." I rarely have any pimples and I will be honest I just started to wash my face regularly one month ago. I know... Bad Flamingo, and not to mention that I love makeup and wear it on a regular basis, so not washing my face before doing to be wasn't a good idea.

I've won a free skin analysis a month ago and even though I am only 25, I can say I was scared of what I saw. An image of me at 50 and it wasn't pretty. Because of that and the great help of the specialist, I am proud to say that I wash, tonic and cream my face every day, plus I exfoliate once a week. I have seen a remarkable difference, and the myth is true. Once you get the hang on it, you don't want to stop.

Now, being a person that never gets pimples even in stressful situations well I ain't got that "perfect skin" anymore. In the last 3 days I've had 3 pimples. I know your saying to yourselves "WOW 3 pimples, big deal" but when you've never had, its not very fun. I blame the wedding for that... but now I don't know what to do.

Do you know of any homemade miracle pimple zapper? Have you gotten some pimple appearances because of the wedding stress?

The search is over

2008-06-10T12:57:00.006-04:00

I am the happiest bride-to-bee.... I finally found my videographer... yup a 8mm videographer that I wanted oh-so much. My endless search to find a local 8mm videographer did not work out. I've checked every single company and no one offered this service. I finally signed the contact yesterday, and the AWESOME Wes Jones of FilmJones is coming to Montreal, just for me... yup, that's right... I feel so special.

You've seen Wes' work before both Mrs.Snowpea and Mrs.Onion worked with him for their beautiful wedding...so it only makes me more excited because I've seen the quality of his work. If you are not familiar with his work visit his website to check out his talent, you won't regret it.

Now, remember that TV show I got chosen for, well they will be doing an interview with Wes (in English of course) explaining what Super8 is and why its so popular in the states (since it hasn't made its way to Quebec yet). I'm happy that because of my wedding, I will be the one introducing Super8 to my fellow Quebec-ers... I should seriously get a cut for all the companies that decide to offer this service ;)

I am so psyched to finally have found 8mm - it was something truly important for me ... Hurray!!!!!

(Thanks Mrs.Onion for all the help in my search)
Image source

Minimooning - it

2008-06-09T13:30:00.004-04:00

There is only 12 days until the wedding and we haven't booked our honeymoon yet. We've had endless amount of discussions on where we should go... it started with Paris, Italy and there was mention of Disney, we talked about going down south but we abandoned all those ideas.

As the wedding gets closer and closer I see the bills piling up and its stressing me a little. Mr.Flamingo is in school full time and because we are paying majority of the wedding (with some help from my parents) a honeymoon done to our liking would be too expensive at the moment.

I love travelling and even though I put my dream of visiting Europe on the back burner... my honeymoon will be the last chance to travel before we go ahead and start our flamingo family. We will have a honeymoon, just at a later date. It will simply allow us to get back on our feet. So, I though a minimoon could be a great idea. Maybe a couple of nights somewhere local where we can relax and enjoy our new married status.

Have you decided to go the minimoon route because of budget reasons?

(Image source)

Me too I want two

2008-06-06T09:35:00.006-04:00

When I found my wedding dress I got a matching classic elbow length veil with a champagne satin edge. (Sorry no pics) I wanted a veil because I wanted my dad to do the - lifting the veil and giving me kissing before I go ahead and get married. This veil was prefect for that but Since I ordered my dress over 1 year before my wedding date I knew I was bound to fall in love with a vintage looking birdcage veil.

I can't not wear my original veil (since my mother is the one who bought me my dress and veil) But I really liked the idea of being a Two Veil Bride like Miss Cookie. I contacted Sandra from Breeziway.com to see if she'd be able to make me a custom veil. I wanted something that would fit my taupe sash but didn't know if it was possible. I got an email back from her and YES she was able to make me something that matched. I sent her pictures of my dress, hairstyle and accessories and I got an email with the finished piece. I was so excited. She used taupe-y colored feathers and the outcome is G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S.

Now because I wasn't sure what would be better with my hair style, she made the veil so that I could wear it either on the left or on the right. Isn't that the smartest thing ever !!! Here is my absolutely stunning Birdcage veil :

If worn on the right side:

Close up of the feathers :

If worn on the left side:

Now I have another dilemma, do I wear my birdcage veil for the getting ready pictures or should I go with the original one. Maybe the birdcage one could be my "I'm a Wife now" veil and switch it when Mr.Flamingo and I take pictures as a married couple. What do you think?

Photo sharing

2008-06-05T09:35:00.010-04:00

At both my father and sisters wedding, disposable cameras were placed on each table for candid shots throughout the wedding day. At first I thought I would continue the 'tradition' but realized that because majority of people have digital cameras, the use of disposables cams was not necessary.

I had found on another wedding forum the idea of having a website where people can upload pics freely... like Mrs.Lemon and Mrs.Cherryblossom. But there are so many photo programs out there that I don't know which one is better. I want something that is visually appealing with very little ads. I like the option that maybe my guests can order pictures if they would like, but its not a must.

Here are Free Photo Programs I found so far.... click on the icon to go to the website.

Any suggestions on which program I should go with? Will you be asking your guests to upload pictures? Which program will you be using?

Walking down the aisle... to feathers

2008-06-05T08:38:00.003-04:00

When it was time to choose our music choices, the task wasn't easy. I was looking at the usual bride entrance songs and there wasn't anything that I truly loved. I find the song available really pretty... but they just weren't me. Plus, I wanted to choose a song that I loved and Mr.Flamingo loved too. Its a really special moment and I find having a song we love makes it even more special

After endless amount of searching I finally found it. I will be walking down the aisle to Forest Gumps (Feather Theme) by Alan Silvestri. Mr.Flamingo is the one that had introduced me this song. He would listen to it all the time so I thought it would be perfect. I love this song so much and just listening to it makes me all teary eyed.

Here is the song:

If any of yous would like to have this song, I have the music sheets. Just give me a shout out at flamingo@weddingbee.com and I will send them to you.

Are you opting of a unique entrance song?

Tossing fortune

2008-06-03T21:30:00.000-04:00

Even though the bouquet toss is a big wedding cliché, its a must for me and my wedding wouldn't be the same without it. I'm a fresh flower lover and my toss bouquet will get the same amount of attention as my own bridal bouquet.

(Via: Martha Stewart)

I find it sad that only one lucky lady gets to 'win' the bouquet. There are so many important ladies (family, siblings and friends) that I want to more than one bouquet. The wonderful Martha Stewart introduced the fortune bouquet. A cute and smart way to shower your single ladies with more love. This is the first thing I decided on when it was time to choose my flowers. Mini clusters of flowers in pink and ivory with a special message.

But now I need your help. I have no idea what fortunes I should write. Would you mind sharing one of your favorite fortunes?

Monumental pictures

2008-06-02T23:46:00.008-04:00

I received an email from my photographer a month and a half ago for a detailed list of my wedding day events. From the time he needs to be at my place for my bridal pics to the locations where we want to have our first married couple pictures taken.

Because my photography is situated in the downtown core of montreal, and I live more in the suburbs (about 35 mintues away) I don't expect them to know 'the spots' perfect for these shots. I originally wanted to find an abandoned house, you know with broken windows and ripped curtains, but I wasnt able to find that. So I kept on looking. Well even living around the area, the task was not easy. Actually is was quite hard.... and what after over a month I finally found a great spot.

via: Flickr

In the town where I will be having my reception, there are many beautiful parks and not to mention great spots near the water... but going vintage, I thought the Manoir Globensky would be the perfect place to go.

via: Flickr

A 1890 house, this now label monument is not only authentic but all the detailing is absolutely stunning and I can only imagine what type of photos my photog will take. There are beautiful trees and flowers all around this building, so hopefully we won't need to go somewhere else.

via: Flickr

Did you choose your 'photo spots' ? Did you opt for something original?

Le deroulement....

2008-06-02T14:30:00.000-04:00

I have a confession to make. I'm not having any decoration at the church. Yes yes, I'm serious. I thought that since were going to be there a whole 45 minutes, I rather spend the money on other decoration items for my reception site. That being said, I still thought that my guests should have a little something - theme-ish at the ceremony.

Programs have always been a stationery item I loved... Not only are they really pretty, but they can be personalized and they serve as information/memento for your guests. Seriously I've spend hours looking for neat ideas for our program.

Here are some of the few I've collected:

Left to right: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

It wasn't until I read one of Mrs.Lovebugs post that it hit me. Telegram baby!!! So I am happy to present my (french) wedding program.

I've used real elements of Telegrams that I found on Retro-Gram and re-created something that was just right. I used Photoshop to modify the original telegram and I was lucky to have found one of the fonts used in the original piece. I'm really happy of the outcome of my programs. Straight to the point... well that's what a telegram is right?

Did you opt for a unique program?

Cake help needed...

2008-06-01T23:40:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I asked your help to choose my cake design. The response was really great, but the votes were really split and now I'm torn between the two models. I really liked having the chandelier in the design... like many of you have mentioned its different and most definitely has that WOW factor.

So with all your great suggestions, I've decided to make some modifications. Here is round 2. (click to enlarge)

Just to clarify things, here are the specifications of the cake.
- Round
- 3 tier or 4 tier
- layer of each (vanilla, chocolate and marble cake)
- fondant all over
- airbrush design for all the patterns (chandelier and invitation motif)

So once again I need your input, which one do you prefer?

Mock-up Bouquet

2008-05-29T10:01:00.000-04:00

Even though I wish I could take the risk of making my own fresh flower bouquet for the wedding, I thought it would be best to hire a professional. That way I won't have that extra stress the day of and that's a good thing.

For my flowers I wanted something fluffly... basically that's the definition of peonies. They are my ultimate favorite bloom and I love big and full bodies flowers. This inspiration of bouquets is pretty much what I am going for.

Via : Faye and Greer Blog

The only issue is that in June peonies aren't in bloom, but luckily my florist did an awesome job and found a supplier. I also really like Ranunculus. Well makes sense since it looks like a mini version of a peony. I thought it would look nice to have the two in my bouquet all in ivory tones. So that's what I'll be doing. I'm not a fan of greenery so there will be very little or none in my bouquet.

My florist was kind enough to include a bouquet mock up at no extra charge. I got a call yesterday and the flowers came in... I was soooo excited. Here is the mock up:

The peonies were actually really small and closed, so I told my florist that I wanted them to be open and as big as possible. I didn't really like the leaves in the actual bouquet, but she explained that because the flowers were quite small she needed something to make it a little bigger.

Then I though, I could maybe make bouquet jewels as a filler and to add for the extra glam. I also would like to have a unique / stylish bouquet handle, but I still have to figure out what I would want.

Do you like it? On a side note, is anyone else out there not a greenery lover?