Wedding trend

Some wedding trends are so extravagant to be far our of reach of the non-celeb world whilst others are just too outlandish. So it's really great to be able to report on a trend that anyone can afford and adapt for themselves - colours.

This image is the most re-pinned image from all my boards. It is also an English wedding - seems we're sending a trend that way for a change!

So, what do you think? I LOVE it. All the bridesmaids look so comfortable obviously wearing their chosen colour. The groom played the game as well, with a fab Liberty print tie.

All pulled together through the bride's bouquet ...

and the balloons ...

Come fly with me !!!

If you'd like to see the rest of these images, take a look at the London Bride [where I originally found them] or at Jacqui McSweeney's photography website / blog. It really was a beautiful day from which anyone can take inspiration.

Locations & dates for 2012

Wedding venues - especially the nice ones - book months, let's be honest years, in advance. Everyone gives the advice, "Go for a weekday, it's cheaper". Oh, really? That bandwagon has been jumped on, at least, here in the UK it has. A destination wedding however, can be different - to begin with airline flights are cheaper Monday to Thursday. And in Canada, where else, being able to get married any where and at any time considerably widens your options.

Also thinking about dates ... 12.12.12 is, of course, the one that's being pushed this year ... but f you like to play with numbers, try 12.6.12 [a good summer date] or 21.6.12 [same whichever way you read it which obviously works for all single digit months and November]. Here are some location ideas and dates.

12.12.12 [Wednesday]

at 12.12am

Going to be cold for sure but wrap up, get married and then run home to bed!

or at 12.12pm

Still cold but brighter - and you have some company!

21.2.12 [Tuesday]

Clear, bright, fab blue sky - and you're almost guaranteed the snow!

(I'll be over there - we could just about do it, would be a push for Feb but COULD happen; 

easily done for 21.3.21 [Wednesday])

21.4.12 [Saturday]

Temperatures should be warming up a little now with Spring flowers appearing so you could think about Wards Island, a short ferry ride across the lake from Toronto

12.6.12 [Thursday]

Playing with the 12th again cos half 12 is 6 and the 6th month is half the year?!? ... 

Bright sunshine, fab temperature, surrounded by grapevines - what more could you want?

21.7.12 [Saturday]

You HAVE to believe me. Ontario can get hot! At this time last year, the temperature on 21 July was 37.4 degrees (that 's more than 99F) in the Niagara Peninsula area. When this picture was taken the following week, I was told it had topped 40!! As you can see the Bridegroom did the sensible thing- took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves AND doesn't he look good?

21.8.12 [Tuesday]

August for us, always means a visit to wine country - either Niagara or, for the first time last year, Prince Edward County which is towards the north end of Lake Ontario. We found the area quite rustic, with some of the friendliest folk we've encountered anywhere. It's busy but quiet if that makes sense. Gentle not harsh,

beautiful scenic spots, lots of colonial heritage, great accommodation, fabulous food  oh and, nearly forgot, superb wine.

 

21.9.12 [Friday]

Fall's on  it's way. 

It can still be quite warm but the leaves are turning to their fab autumnal colours. 

Let's go back to the city 

and then to the Pumpkin Patch

Have I got you thinking?   Anywhere you like?   Maybe not quite sure? 

Email me - mapleleafweddings@btconnect.com to ask about any of these locations and local venues or just tell me what we could do to help.

Cute excuse from my 'in' box

This arrived from a Canadian friend just now. How could I resist posting it? To a degree, it answers the question, why Canada? ... 

it also provides a great excuse for not going to work. 

Hello, boss I cannot come in to work today. 

There was a moose born on my front lawn, and the mom won't let me out of the house!!!! 

Baby Moose 12 Hours Old. 

Born in the middle of downtown Meaghers Grant , Nova Scotia about 40 miles west of Halifax .

  

The mother picked a small, quiet neighborhood and had her baby in a front yard just off John Grant Back Road , at 5:30 am.

 What an awesome place we live in to see such a sight! 

       Makes it really tough to use your front door …!

Inspiration

I follow a blog - BowTies & Buttercream - based in Toronto. They have published some amazing inspiration boards. I couldn't wait until the morning to show this one; it's just SO ...

Would you? could you? wear that dress? 

If not you could think about an ivory one and still use the bridesmaids' colours. 

Think the word I was wanting is 

BEAUTIFUL

Wedding photography - something different

If you've followed us over the past months, you will be in no doubt that my favourite UK wedding photographer is Marianne Taylor. I was looking through her 2011 round up last night and then went back over the last 4 months of the year to find my favourites. There are so many to I could select so I choose a theme & start with my obsession - obviously hands! Different from the normal run-of-the-mill wedding images but still precious moments.

However, we now move on ... to feet! 

2 weddings and 3 engagements.

and finally, a little poppet ... is she making her escape?

Intimate wedding at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons

It is quite difficult for us to attend weddings as we nearly always view them from 'the outside' and end up quietly thinking, well - wouldn't have done that like that or why on earth did they do that. Not good, I know. HOWEVER, this wedding was different. We were not only guests, but 'insiders' with my husband being the Best Man as the Groom was a long-standing friend since the kids were small and all at school together.

I described it before as intimate but that actually sounds a little cold somehow. It was small, casual and very family/friend intimate. Quite traditional in some ways, but totally not in others. The Ceremony was at 5.00pm so outside it was dark and flare or floodlit. Inside was soft light with candles.

My photos, on the whole are not good so you need to wait until the 'official' images are available. I'll post them as soon as I have them. In the meantime, take a look at the venue - Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons.

Unfortunately, there was no snow. As you can imagine, I was disappointed but not too much as it's just such a pretty setting and looked wonderful - there were even Christmas trees in the garden covered with twinkling lights. 

The next three images are mine so apologies for their quality.

This is a luxury venue and the suites and rooms are just beautiful. As it was only 2 January, each suite/room still had it's own christmas tree, obviously decorated to match the decor. These images are where some guests choose to stay.

Lavande

 Provence

Snow Queen

The Dovecote

Vettriano

This is my photo of the tree in our room

There you have it ... a taster of the venue with the wedding images still to come. But one last picture for you.  The information folder said toys were available for children and expecting Ivy, I 'ordered' toys. Now even I didn't expect that a venue like this would tarnish it's reputation with a cardboard box, but nor did I expect

THE TOY BOX filled with toys including an airplane, which as we were flying to Canada was very appropriate. Full marks!!!

Hi. We are back!!!

Have had a hectic time over the past three weeks. My granddaughter was 2, my grandsons came back to England, there was Christmas (which was fab. Judging by the presents Santa left, we've all been VERY good!), then New Year, then we were guests at an intimate wedding, then we flew out to Canada for a week and now home again to start those awful tasks that come at the beginning of every year - do the filing, rationalise & back up the computer, end of year financials, sort the house, find homes for all those fab Christmas presents ..... and the list goes on.

SO - to weddings. I've had some enquiries for 12.12.12 but nothing definitely confirmed at this time. For any of you thinking about this date, can I remind you that in Ontario, you have a choice of literally any time, any place. This means that you could not only opt for 12/12/12 but also 12.12am or pm! 12.12 am opens up a lot of 'place' ideas - by moonlight lakeside, in Toronto's famous Entertainment area or the Distillery District, at the top of a ski hill, in a flare lit clearing at a Christmas tree farm ... Will think further on this. A larger post next week. Also next week, more details and pics from the wedding we went to.