The Venue Adventure - Part 2

The Venue Adventure - Part 1

After writing about all the places we didn't want to have our reception, I though it was time to blog about some of the possibilities Mr.Flamingo and I had come up with. Like mentioned in my previous venue post, we wanted a more intimate wedding, so here is what we found. I must admit venue searching was exhausting and not to mention extremely hard. Partly because of me and my ridiculous list of what I didn't want! Lets just say I was overly demanding - but what the heck, I'm only getting to do this once it my life so why not do it right!!! :) (this being- getting married of course)

Images: Domaine de L'Ile Ronde

First place we inquired was part of my vendorzilla stories. Apart from the actual lack of professionalism and service, this place seemed perfect almost fairytale worthy. It was a beautiful winery on an island. I loved the fact that you actually needed to take a boat ride to actually get to the reception site. Beautiful and almost enchanted, this site was one of my favorites... but thats according to the pictures because as you all know, we never even got to see it.

Images: Le St-Martin Hotel

Then we opt for the hotel choice. I must admit that I like the idea that our guests can stay the night after some super duper partying. That being said, we made a pit stop at the St-Martin Hotel. This hotel is simply stunning... château like - it was defintely in my list of most glamorous venues. Every thing was perfect, from the fireplace to the grand piano. Even the chandeliers in the hall screamed pick me. Only problem.... it was too small. Mr. Flamingo was really really disappointed. We thought we found the perfect place.

Now you must think... why not reduce the amount of guests? Easily said and not easily done. The venue holds about 85 people and my wedding is over 150 people. So other than stacking my family members one on top of another, I would have to hire someone to kill off some of them.... but unfortunately that's an option. So ... next

Images: Chateau Taillefer Lafon

We decided to go back to the winery option. Maybe its just my Italian roots... but they seems to be such beautiful wedding venue spots. Chateau Taillefer Lafon coincidently reminded me of some chateau-esque vineyard in Tuscany.

As we drove up... I could visualize my whole wedding. With beautiful landscapes, and picture perfect spot, it seems too good to be true. Yup, I was right. We asked the killer question ... How many guests? Again only 85. So I took my red pen and crossed this spot off the list.

Images: Manoir Saint-Sauveur

Next stop, another hotel. This one called Manoir Saint-Sauveur was situated up north where there are many popular ski slopes in the winter. A beautiful place, this hotel was considered top notch. We went ahead and met with the events coordinator. She showed us around, explained all the little things we needed to know.

This hotel was different then the other one, because it had 2 reception halls. I know I mentioned that I didnt like it because it seemed impersonal to us, but these two halls were a good distance away, so this wasn't what bother me really. There was one room which was quite big, and seemed okay-ish. I personally felt I was back in the early 90s and the decor hadn't changed since. Mr.Flamingo agreed that this one was a no.

The other room she showed us was what we were looking for. Sort of a ballroom ... it had high ceilings, beautiful chandeliers with big windows. Both Mr.Flamingo and I agreed on this one. When we told the lady we wanted to book... she told us flat out NO. She said we had to book the other room first. Huh? but we were not interested in the other one... we wanted this one. Why is that so hard to understand??? Honestly, I didn't feel like arguing, so we left.

Images: Golf les Quatre Domaine

At this point both hotels and vineyards didn't seem to work for us, so we decided to visit a golf club near our place. We actually visited the golf club during winter, so there wasn't much land we could see as far as picture spots... but regardless the interior was extremely nice. The golf club was fairly new, so this seemed to be a very good option - not to mention the guest capacity was over 200! Hurray!!!

After endless emails back and forth we schedueled a second meeting to sign the contract. The event coordinator called me back a couple of days before our meeting and asked if we could change our appointement since they had not yet completed the renovations. That being said, the lady advised me she would call me once they were done.

That same week, when the lady canceled our appointment I went to my friends house. On our way there, Mr.F and I stumbled upon a sign 'New Hotel - Opening Summer 2007'

All I can say is that everything happens for a reason.
to be continued ....

Anniversaries... one too many

Unless you have chosen a specific date for all the important moments in your life, like myself... you might have one too many anniversaries. Its a known fact that us gals... love to keep tabs about all the little details, specific dates, times and all of that. So here is my list...

First date: October 28th
Offical going out: December 15th
The Proposal: December 24th
The Wedding: June 21st
and the list can go on....

Now my question is this, does the wedding date cancel out all the other dates? In my case my official going out date and my proposal dates are very close - so I can rule out one of the two. What dates do you celebrate? Do you have any special ways to combine your anniversaries? Please share :)

Image source: GettyImages.com

My Bling... oops I mean my ring

I heart being different, original and I love making a statement.... so obviously my bling... oops... I mean my ring is no exception to the rule. Just looking back at what type of engagement ring I got from Mr.Flamingo, you can see that I'm no ordinary gal. I heart big rings, or should I say huge rings so when it came time to choose what type of wedding ring I wanted... I obviously didn't look in the traditional wedding band section (not that there's anything wrong with that.... but I knew I needed something more - something along the lines of a right hand ring.)

Right hand rings from A diamond is forever

A right hand ring if you haven't heard of the term already, is basically a diamond ring which woman buy for themselves, to honor their unique individuality. Each design is made to be expressive of the strength, success and freedom of the wearer.

Right hand rings from A diamond is forever

Basically, the message is that diamond rings are no longer reserved for just the married and engaged ladies. Now my reasoning behind checking out those styles, is not about the independence aspect (because we all know I am getting married) but rather that the designs are simply stunning.... and that's what I want!!!

Three stone rings from A diamond is forever

I must admit that in all the wedding rings, the model which I loved the most is a three stone ring. I love the whole idea of the past, present and future.... so perfect for a wedding ring. These rings from A diamond is forever are still very extravagant... not the typical three stone ring we see at the jewelry store.

When I got engaged the first thing I starting looking for was my ring. I searched endless amount of hours on the net to find the ONE. Mission - accomplished. Unfortunately, my image bank at the beginning of my planning lacks all the sources... I'm no superwoman... so I can't seem to remember where I found it.

I present you... The ONE. I love love love this style, vintage like, three stoned and stunning. The perfect ring (for me that is.)

I decided to get my ring made. This ring will be the base of the design but there's something extra special about the ring - which is why I am getting it made. My step-mother offered me a ring which she no longer uses and is sleeping in her jewelry box. The model of the ring is not something I would wear, but there are 25 miniature diamonds on that ring, and when I suggested to use those diamonds on my ring, she was touched.

I love the idea of something old/vintage incorporated in my ring, and it would be an honor for me to wear it! As for the three stones.... after watching Blood Diamond, I must admit I have been more reluctant to purchasing diamonds. At the same time, I love the idea of having an eco-friendly stone, so Moissanite seemed the perfect alternative for me.

Moissanite is a stone which has the same characteristics as a diamond. Same brilliance, same clarity... you can say its almost a diamond. Whats great about Moissanite is that it is less expensive then actual diamonds. To give you an idea....if my ring were made of all diamonds, it would cost at least 12 000$ (and obviously I can't afford that)

Having my ring made and using moissanite, my ring cost is under 2000$ that's a 10 000$ difference. If ever I were to change my mind, I could always replace my moissanite stones with diamonds... This weekend, I'm going to see the jeweler to get going on my ring. I am anxious to see how things will go.

Anyone else get their ring made or opted for a different style of ring?
And has anyone used Moissanite rather than diamonds?

1 and 5 and zero = 150

I know it's not as important as a two digit number... regardless, there's officially 150 days until my wedding. Can you believe it? Well I can't! I never thought this day would come... seriously. With my extra extra long engagement, and my almost 2 years of planning... who knew it would pass by so quickly. And now its only gonna go by even faster.

I consider myself to be an organized bride, so majority of my vendors (exception Videograper and florist) are booked. Deposits have been made... I'm on the right track. Now I've got to get cracking on the DIY stuff. My invitations, my cake design, my centerpieces, my cinema vintage theme decoration...

I really hope my bridesmaids will be there to help me out. I'm not one to flip out or anything, but they best be careful... you never know I might transform into so freakish Bridezilla. :)

Any advice on going throught the next 150 days with some mega meltdown???

Do me a favor... be honest

I came across a brilliant post written by Manolo for the brides. The post was about giving favors and the good and not so good choices. It was extremely well written and straight to the point. There was just one part of the post that hit a soft spot. This is what it said.

Just do me one favor, if you’ll pardon the pun: if you decide not to give out favors, for the love of all that’s holy do not put out some sort of notice that you decided rather than spending the money on your guests, you’ve given it to charity for them instead. For one thing, people should be allowed to choose their own charities. I don’t care who you give it to, you’re going to at least annoy and possibly offend someone. More than that, though, those notices tell your guests that it wasn’t spending the money you minded, but spending the money on them which is an incredibly rude thing to say. Go ahead and give to the charity of your choice. Just don’t try to tell me that’s my party favor, because it isn’t.

After reading this... I started to question myself. Let me give you a little history : As a favor for my guest I was planning on giving a donation to the Quebec Breast Cancer Association. This is really important to me because 5 years ago my grandmother passed away because of breast cancer. Also, my mom was diagnosed with the cancer several years back and she can now call herself a survivor. I thought a donation to a known charity with some significance would be nice, instead of offering the not so useful favor.

I still wanted to highlight the whole breast cancer thing because it is important to me but at the same time, we did not want our guests leave empty handed so Mr.Flamingo and I thought it would be nice to offer a little something. We thought that maybe some truffles could be a neat idea, but then again, we need to buy the chocolate, the packaging so the price would go up rather quickly. Then there was the option of a bottle of imported sparkling water which could be a god choice. Someone also suggested pink m & m's but they only come out in October which is breast cancer awareness month, and the ones left in the store will be stale by my wedding. Of course there will be pink and red ones for valentine... but that defeats the purpose since there is no donation given.

I personally wouldn't mind going to a wedding and having that as a favor. I find it to be a really neat idea, both 'green' and for a good cause. But is that just me? am I totally out of the loop?

What do you think readers and bees? How would you feel to receive a donation as a favor. Please be honest. I don't want my guest to be offended! Thanks a million.

{Images courtesy of : Marthastewartcrafts.com}

The Venue adventure - Part 1

As soon as we set the date, Mr. Flamingo and I started searching for venue spots. I was really excited about the whole thing.... Mr.F let me do majority of the deciding on this one... but that's because he knew, subconsciously it would be best. :) Honestly, I was already picky with what type of site I wanted and so the search began...

First thing first, both Mr.F and I knew we didn't want to get married in the big city (Montreal - that is)... where everything seemed so cold to us. (Don't get me wrong - we heart Montreal) but we also live about 35 minutes away from the down town core... and we didn't want to go nuts on the travel the day of our wedding.

Secondly, we knew we didn't want a venue where more than one wedding occurred at the same time. It seemed impersonal to us, and frankly one of my biggest pet peeves is having one wedding party doing the Congo line into another wedding.

Images courtesy of :Be creative photography

Both daddy flamingo and sister flamingo got married at the same place, Congo line and all. Don't get me wrong, the Congo line is a classic in any wedding... but I don't want Congo line crashers at my wedding. Is it so wrong?

This is a picture of my sister flamingos (I'm in green) at the reception site when Daddy Flamingo got married (2 and a half years ago). Eldest sister Flamingo - in tangerine got married there too - (almost 5 years ago.)

Images courtesy of : Starwood hotels (Sheraton Four Points)

They got married at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel - Near the Montreal Airport The place itself was nice... the food was good and the service was excellent - regardless, it wasn't the place for us - so that venue option was out of the question. I'm all into traditions... but this one stops here. Sorry ;)

Another thing we both agreed on, is not to have our reception in something we call here a sugar shacks / sugar house (Cabane à Sucre). These shacks are very popular, especially for french Quebecers, but I wanted a vintage glamour wedding... and there is no glam in there what so ever...Its more of a rustic and country style decor.

Mommy Flamingo got married in one of those when I was 13, and that was okay for her... but it certainly wasn't the place for our wedding. Again, I'm not passing on the tradition... sorry.

Next post... the places we visited.
Has anyone opted for the same reception site as their parents and/or siblings? Any special traditions which will be carried on to your wedding? Share them.. I'm really interested.

The Queen Bee of Budgets

I consider myself little over the top when it comes to my organizational skills. You can say they're above average so its certain that when the wedding kicked in... I went ballistic. Every person that sees me and my famous white wedding binder, say I am extremely ahead of my game when it comes to the planning of my wedding... but then again I started planning almost 2 years before my official wedding date.

I wanted to share with all of yous my wedding planner budget (in excel form) Its a detailed compliation of everything you can think of for the whole planning. (In hopes I have not forgotten anything)

Here are my sections:

• Rings
• Appareal
• Beauty
• Ceremony Site
• Reception Site
• Food & Beverages
• Cake & Bonbonnières
• Flowers & Decoration
• Music
• Photography & Videography
• Invitations & Stationery
• Transportation
• Gits
• Honeymoon
• Other Expenses

In hopes this will help you all to better manage your budget! Happy Planning

Chauffeur!

Ever since the beginning of our wedding planning there is one thing we knew for sure - we wanted a limo. I've always envisioned myself in my dress stepping out of a limo... stepping out in style!

When Mr.Flamingo and I discussed what model interested us, we had no clue - modern or vintage? I personally wanted a vintage model... so perfect for our theme. Mr Flamingo was opting for a more modern one, for the convenience of having everyone ride together. After visiting a local bridal store last weekend... we both fell in love. I present you our Vintage Bentley 1959.

Image source: John and Joseph Photography

I made a limo inspiration board with idea of car poses I would like to have. The first two pictures is the actual car. Isn't it so perfect??? There's the classic pose with the couple in the rear view mirror and some other nice set ups. I will keep searching the net for some great shots and if ever you find any don't hesitate to share :) ... I want to take tonnes of pictures with this car, its so glamorous!

For the price we got an awesome deal... and I couldn't be happier. Here's what we got: 375$ taxes included for 6 hours and we get: the champagne and water, a chauffeur with white gloves and red carpet. (I love the red carpet it's so Hollywood!)

Will you be having a chauffeur the day of? Is anyone having something different as means of transportation?

Where have you been all this time!

As a graphic designer at times I must use low resolution images and transform them into vector graphics. Its frustrating because for a long time, I had to manually retrace all the elements... and it was extremely time consuming.

A while back I came across a great find - Vector Magic and online site which converts bitmap images to vector images - basically it's an online auto-tracer. Where have you been all this time!

Images Source: Fashion is for me blog

Its very easy to use, and anyone can do it. All you have to do is upload your raster image (an image with pixels), and they will convert it to a vector image (an image made of smooth shapes and curves)

This is very useful if you use programs like Adobe Illustrator to create patterns, logos, monograms and textures. The possibilities are endless. Once you have your vector image, you can re-size it and change the colors. They basically break the image up so that it looks like an illustration rather than a photo.

Images Source: Eighthst blog

Isn't this awesome??? Hopefully I'm not the only one who thinks so. Thanks to Jessica from How About Orange for the great find!

Capturing the essence

After some relaxing holidays and putting my wedding planning on the side for awhile, its time to get back to the planning. With just about 6 months left, there are tonnes of things to do.

An important element for my wedding would be video. Like my photographer, I'm having issues when it comes to choosing the right company. Being a graphic designer, there are many things that I can do myself like editing and doing the final montage of the video. It's something that can easily be done in the comfort of my own home with the right software - of course, and to be honest I don't want to pay a company for something I could assemble myself. I want someone who can do something that I can't do. I want to have something different... and something along the lines of a movie trailer. Shorty, sweet yet packed with emotion.

Here is an example of a super 8 video - thanks to youtube.com

A while back, I was introduced to Super 8 weddings. Super 8 is basically filming using an 8 mm camera. Yes, yes, the film our parents used to watch on a projector. This is the same type of film Mrs. Onion used for her wedding video. It is becoming more and more popular and I knew it was what I wanted. The company which made me discover this type of footage is a company called Fifty Foot Films. I adore their artistic style, the fact each video has warmth and romance, and I love the fact that they use music that is ’unconventional’ and unexpected, yet so perfect.

What is great is that there are more and more companies which offer this service (at affordable prices), but it has not made its way to Canada yet - or should I say to Montreal. I don't know whether it will ever make it here before my wedding day, so for now I am looking for companies who might be able to make their way to Montreal. I really want super 8 for my wedding... and I hope I can find someone before it is too late.

I've visited and called every company here in Montreal. I even called film universities... and no luck... not to mention that when I inquire about Super 8 they all think I am crazy... no joke. But then again, I am use to it. (You've all read my Vendorzilla stories) I've contacted several companies in the States to inquire about their rates and see if they would travel to Montreal... I'm certain I don't have all the companies out there. So if you know of any... please share