National Wedding Show

The National Wedding Show at Earls Court is the place to be this weekend. I am going tomorrow to set up our stand, D29, and the show is open on Friday; 12pm-7pm, Saturday; 10am-6pm and Sunday; 10am-5pm

Last year, we had a really successful show and our stand was very busy. It doesn't look like it here as this was taken before the show opened, but believe me, it was. 

We're really looking forward to being there again and hopefully meeting up with some of you. I doubt I will get the chance to blog but you can follow me on Twitter @MaplePennie (I'm sure I will have chance to tweet a little) or you could take a look at my Pinterest boards - there's lots on there and not just weddings.

Have a great weekend, whatever you're doing.

For the Groom

With all the fuss and to-do over finding THE dress and thinking about what the Bridesmaids will (and won't wear), the Groom sometimes doesn't get a look in. Just a smart suit and a tie to go with colour scheme. Looking through the J Crew site this morning, I found some fab ideas to help the Groom stand out from the crowd.

Suits, smart casual tweed casual (which look really good with a bow tie) or a waistcoat & matching pants with rolled up sleeves - perfect for a garden or beach wedding.

And if you're looking for ties or socks ..... 

There's silk, tweed, flannel, cotton or chambray in a traditional shape

 or there's 

The Hill-side® chambray tie that comes in plum violet, indigo or black

or yet, a bow tie maybe, in tartan, flannel or silk

and socks in dots, stripes and clashing colours

If these don't take her fancy, maybe try the James Bond look!

and if all of this leaves you feeling WOW ... what the heck do I do,

  

Ask Jack - He knows best!

A Candy Themed Bridal Shower

I guess when your surname is Lauren, style comes as given, and when you own Dylan's Candy Bar, you don't need to think too hard about a theme. So, is this what you would expect from Ralph Lauren's daughter, Dylan?

The invitation

Welcome to the party!

A Lemon Drop cocktail?

Or ... a Bubble Gum cocktail?

* Candy shaped cards for guest messages

* and an over-sized vase to put them in

 * Caviar gems atop cracker rings

Savoury filled cones

Burgers!

And fries!

Who doesn't LOVE macaroni cheese?

* A chocolate disc with bride & groom on top of a cupcake

* Mini milkshakes served in shot glasses with pretty straws
and choc chip cookies

The shower cake - Dylan & Paul

Guests by the Candy Bar

* The Candy Bar from above

* Favours - Jelly Beans to take home

* Favours - Collect your own from the Candy Bar

* Another favour - candy necklaces, tucked into jewelry boxes.

The packaging makes it special

An elaborate bib necklace made from dragees is a candy
masterpiece too good to be eaten

* A crown-shaped form, covered with glittering hard candies,

A bouquet of sugar flowers  - don't you just love it?

If you notice the images where the caption has a * at the front, I don't think they would need to be done professionally, although you'd need to be quite 'crafty' . The other thing that really hit me what how effective the candy bar looked with shades of a colour. I'll look through my craft sites and see if I can find the basics and do another post with the links.

This shower was featured under Planning & Tools on the Martha Stewart website.

Gay weddings in Ontario

I am often asked, why Canada, why Ontario?  Apart from the obvious I just LOVE it there and I want you to love it too. There are lots of other reasons -

- same sex weddings have been legal in Ontario since June 11th 2003. And that is weddings not civil partnerships.

- there are no citizenship or residency requirements; blood tests or medical certificates are not required;

- you can get married anywhere [as long as your feet are on dry land to sign the marriage license], so inside, outside, unique spots, including parks, gardens, castles, forests, boardwalks, bridges, in a canoe on the lake, a deserted beach, in the Skypod of the CN Tower, on the ice rink at Nathan Phillips Square, overlooking Niagara Falls - literally anywhere; 

- the ceremony can be held at any time from dawn to dusk or through the night; 

- if you want, you can write the ceremony yourself and the officiant will ensure that the words required to make it legal are incorporated; 

Photography plays a huge part in any wedding. Once the day is over, you'll have your memories but so many people say they don't remember very much about the day, that it was over in a flash and that's where the photography comes in. Yes, you can take a few camera shots or a friend with a camera can snap away but what if you loose your phone or the friend's camera plays up? It is honestly worth investing in a good photographer. Take a look at the images below and I think you'll see what I mean.

Now these guys really hit the jackpot! They entered a contest run by Tourism Toronto to publicize Toronto Pride. They won airfares, accommodation at the Windsor Arms and an official ceremony. (Don't forget, you can marry at any time, anywhere). The photography is by A BRIT & A BLONDE and how good is this?

 

And while I'm giving links to click - try this one for a STUNNING wedding video

http://www.jonthorpe.com/blog/2011/05/sarah-naomi-wedding-slideshow/

These are some stills from The Wedding Co website which gives all the details