Archive for January, 2008
Thursday, January 31st, 2008
Brides, bridal salon owners, event planners…take note of this fantastic company out of Toronto called The Brides’ Project. The Brides’ Project is a community of women dedicated to making a difference through one of the most monumental days in a woman’s life. The concept is simple – fantastic designer dresses at incredible prices with contributions going towards the fight against cancer.
About 90% of the hundreds of dresses in stock are brand new – donated from bridal salons across Ontario. Designers from Alfred Angelo to Vera Wang grace the hangers at this one-man (ahem, woman) shop. Oh, and there’s a lot more than just dresses – you’ll find jewellry, shoes, veils, wraps…you name it.
Go Shopping:
Contact:
431 Broadview Ave
Toronto, ON
M4K 2N2
416-469-6777
helen@thebridesproject.com
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Tags: Wedding Inspiration
Well it’s official. Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly fall for another home decor store, along came Wisteria. Beautiful and unique decor items at fantastic prices.
To find out more and see another post about Wisteria, visit Air. And The Crafy Cameleon.
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Tags: Products
With more and more newlyweds living together before marriage and the average age of brides and grooms steadily rising to 28 years of age, the need for traditional registries is slowly dying out. Instead, more and more people are turning to ‘experiential’ registries. One such type is the honeymoon registry.
The Big Day
The Big Day is one such online honeymoon registry. In fact, they operate the largest honeymoon gift registry and was the recipient of the Better Business Bureau “Business of the Year” award. Since 2001, they have helped almost 50,000 couples experience their dream honeymoon.
The reason why I like The Big Day so much is:
1. They have extremely friendly and helpful travel advisors ready to help you pick the right package. Each advisor specializes in a specific location, so they have first-hand experience with your destination.
2. They provide an easy to use online tool to help you build your own registry, if you wish.
3. They make it so simple for you to share your registry with family and friends – you can even link to your big day registry page to your wedding website.
4. They notify you every time someone makes a purchase.
5. There’s no sign up fee. Although if you don’t use The Big Day’s travel agency to book your travel package or your package is under $2,000 there is a 7% service fee (if your package is valued at $2,000 or above, this fee will be reduced to 3.5% and if the package is valued at $3,500 or above, this fee will be waived).
6. Your guests have a couple of different options for payment.
7. Once all of your gifts are in, The Big Day will either send you a Paypal transfer, direct deposit into your bank account (US accounts only) or send you a check via snail mail.
Tips
The registry is broken out into ‘experiences’. In addition to flight and accommodations, you can also add romantic dinners for 2, breakfast in bed, tour packages and even sunglasses to wear on the beach! It’s totally up to you how you customize your package.
1. Be reasonable – Don’t expect your guests to purchase you a 4 night’s stay in a 5 star luxury resort. Break out larger items so people can mix and match the experiences they get you and they’re suited to every price range.
2. Sell, sell, sell – The way you word your trip is so important in getting people excited about buying you an item. They want to feel like their gift is special. Instead of saying: “Dinner for 2″, tell them about the place, the ambiance, what you’ll be eating.
3. Promote, promote, promote – You need to let people know about the registry for it to be successful. Link it to your wedding web page and tell your maid of honour to spread the word. Just remember to be tactful. It’s not OK to publish any registry on your wedding invites.
Anniversary Registry
Last year, The Big Day launched an Anniversary Registry so families can purchase amazing vacation experiences for their parents and grandparents on their milestone anniversary. What a great idea!
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Tags: Wedding Inspiration
I mean really, what would life be like without a little narcassism? For what it’s worth, I absolutley love this product! With one or a few photos photowow can create a piece of art that would make even Warhol envious.
Ideas
Valentine’s Day – Surprise your special someone with a pop art montage of your favorite photos.
Weddings - Create an amazing backdrop your guests will love. Hang it behind your sign-in table or use it as a background behind the head table.
Employee Functions – How incredible would it be for employees to see themselves in all their pop art glory?
…or any other event where you want to make the people the focus (bah mitzvahs, celebrity functions, birthdays, engagement parties, etc)
Order Information
photowow makes ordering so easy. Simply send your photos online, pick a design and you’ll receive a print on canvas one week after approving your proof.
Print sizes vary from 12″ x 12″ to 42″ x 42″ and range in price from $139 – 589 USD.
Valentine’s Day orders:
If you live on the East Coast or between the East Coast and West Coast:
Order after Saturday, February 09, 2008, please choose Express Shipping and upload or Fedex us your photos.
Order after Sunday, February 10, 2008, please choose Express Shipping and we will need to add a 25% rush fee.
If you live on the West Coast:
Order after Monday, February 11, 2008, please choose Express Shipping and upload or Fedex us your photos.
Order after Tuesday, February 12, 2008, please choose Express Shipping and we will need to add a 25% rush fee.
Contact Information
Click here
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These beautiful Alessi Colombina plates (left) remind me of lazy summer days skipping rocks on placid waters at the cottage. There’s something natural and organic about the shape that would feel oh-so soothing at a dinner party.
Inspired by the plates, I’ve highlighted a couple of other simple ways to integrate the tranquility of river rocks into an event of any size.
(left) Alessi Colombina plates.
(top right) River rocks, which can be purchased in bulk for next to nothing, can be used in place of seating cards.
(bottom right) River rocks are an economical and practical choice to set cuttings in vases.
For more ideas on incorporating river rocks, check out Earth Friendly Wedding’s post Rock On.
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Today I quite literally stumbled upon a floral designs studio out of Providence, Rhode Island which was born “from a passionate love affair with flowers, and the pursuit of a dream”. Stoneblossom has acquired over 75 years of collective experience in the floral and event design industries.
Their passion is evident in their approach to design. Just take a look at the details that go in to each an every arrangement…
The Details
a) bringing grass into the theme is made all the more authentic by pairing it with a distressed wood harvest table.
b) as an alternative to long linens that stretch to the floor, the white space under the table is filled with ferns. The is such a lush way to add visual interest to otherwise unused space.
c) scent is such an important element of an event – why let florals do all the work? Integrate citrus fruits for a burst of fresh fragrance. Just be aware of how they will age throughout the event. Depending upon the fruit it may be best for cut fruit to face uncut side out.
d) a simple yet smart idea to dress up a plain black vase is to decorate with thread or string. It’s an easy way to incorporate the floral colors.
Contact Information
Stoneblossom
5 Division St
E Greenwich, RI 02818-3800
USA
tel (401) 884-3220
fax (401) 885-7310
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Tags: Design Inspiration
Hi loyal readers!
I would like to draw your attention to the bottom of every post. You now have the option of rating every story I write – this will help me better understand what you love and what you don’t – so I can keep my posts relevant and exciting for you. This is so much easier than leaving a comment. You don’t have to have a blogger account and it’s just a click to provide your feedback.
Want to add a rating system to your blog? Click here and follow the easy prompts.
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Tags: just for fun
