Royal Wedding No.2

What did you think? I have to be honest here and say I was not expecting great shakes from this wedding BUT I was wrong! I loved the dress and the tiara was spectacular - good for Granny who obliged for "something borrowed". 

TIM ROOKE/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK

 (Image: PA)

The Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara, made by Boucheron in 1919. In platinum and diamonds, the tiara has an enormous 93.70-carat emerald at its centre, and six smaller emeralds either side.

I also take convincing about (lots) of flower girls and page boys - but they were so cute, well behaved and gelled. Also liked the idea of the sashes being multi-coloured. It's hard to be different with little ones without making them look like they're in fancy dress!

Lots of lovely autumnal colours from the family as well as the cobalt blue that featured a lot. Definitely a day to hold on to your hats!!!!

GETTY IMAGESGARETH FULLER

WIN YOUR WEDDING

MAPLE LEAF WEDDINGS  and VALLEY CROFT RETREAT

announce a fabulous opportunity to 

WIN YOUR WEDDING

THE PRIZE

2 return flights from London Gatwick to Toronto (June 28^th returning July 5^th)

Your Wedding Ceremony at Valley Croft Retreat, Horseshoe Valley, Ontario (to include officiant, 2 witnesses if required, photography, flowers and a small cake) on 29^th or 30^th June 2019

3 nights accommodation in Horseshoe Cottage, Valley Croft Retreat

HOW TO ENTER

a)  like and share a Maple Leaf Weddings blog entry, 
or

b)  like and share Maple Leaf Weddings on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram registering your share with a comment 

or 

c)  by emailing your email address to competition@mapleleafweddings.com with your name 

between Sunday 30^th September 2018 and Tuesday 16^th April 2019

You must be UK residents over 18

You must hold a valid passport and be eligible for an eTA for entry into Canada

PLEASE NOTE 
You will be responsible for your own travel and medical insurance. We strongly recommend that you ensure adequate cover.
You will be responsible for onward transportation from Valley Croft, accommodation and meals after leaving Valley Croft.

Tiny Weddings Fair at the Wycombe Swan

The Tiny Weddings Fair is an exciting new event; focusing on couples planning elopements and small, intimate weddings.  Recent industry surveys have shown that couples are reducing their guest lists, and not just to save money.  Many couples are having a smaller wedding to put the emphasis on themselves as a couple, and to provide a truly unique and memorable experience for their guests.

Many couples are choosing to disengage from the notion that a bigger guest list is better and beginning to avoid large mainstream suppliers and industry stalwarts.  More couples are choosing to elope, have a small destination wedding, or marry in their own backyard and recent surveys show that the total cost of weddings is falling, but spend per guest is increasing. This trend suggests that couples are cutting their guest lists to spend more on what is important to them. With fewer people present when a couple get married, they are more likely to show their true personalities, and include more unique and personal touches.

The organisers have attended traditional wedding fairs and more alternative fairs, but eloping couples often don’t comfortably fit in to either niche.  They feel that a small wedding has specific requirements, and once couples have decided to keep their guest list small, they need suppliers who can help them with these particular needs.

Couples are changing with the times and choosing to focus on home ownership, raising a family or travelling rather than spending a large sum on extended family weddings. It’s also true that couples are getting married later in life; the average age is at a record high 26.5 for women and 28.5 for men – many people are already co-habiting or raising a family by the time they embark on marriage and this “right of passage” is no longer what it once was.

The first of these fairs will be held at the end of September – Sunday the 30th – chosen because it is the end of traditional wedding season.  Many couples who choose to elope or to have a tiny wedding do so after attending a few large traditional weddings themselves and have decided that this sort of thing is not for them.  We want to catch them just as they are looking for ideas and inspiration.

Follow our Facebook page for helpful and inspiring articles and information, and show your interest in our Facebook event to see updates.  Follow us on Instagram for lovely photos and inspiration of small weddings, chat with us on Twitter and see our posts on Pinterest.  Most importantly, buy yourself a ticket in advance.  Not only does buying in advance get you a lower entry price, you will also be entered in to the raffle to wins some exciting prizes.  These prizes will be announced as we get closer to the date, but will include goodies from the exhibitors and other suppliers, engagement shoots from some of the photographers and other desirable gifts.  Our workshops and talks are already looking like they will be very popular and our rooms will fill up.  If you have an advance ticket you will be automatically at the front of the queues for these talks.

Photo credit:

www.catherineohara.com 

www.rsbrownphotography.com

www.wedincentralpark.com

What a find

As usual I have spent the summer in Ontario doing a styled photo shoot around Georgian Bay (more of that to come) and also looking for new venues. I ventured a little further afield to Elora which is such a pretty little town with an amazing gorge and then about an hour north of Collingwood I found a beauty! Their website strapline reads "Where rustic charm meets country elegance" - there are so many nooks and crannies, glades and gardens and a fully restored board barn that virtually every wedding option can be covered. We love it for our speciality - small weddings and elopements but as you will see from the presentation, it's suited to large weddings as well. We are really looking forward to working with Kate, the owner who has already given us some fantastic ideas!

Click here to see the video Valley Croft 

SIGN UP TO FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER & INSTAGRAM AS THERE IS SOME EXCITING NEWS TO COME ABOUT THIS VENUE

Another Royal Wedding and a FREE Carriage Ride

Weddings are my comfort zone! I LOVE them and as for Royal Weddings ..... goes without saying. I nearly lost it this morning when my husband asked me who was interested!!!! But we won't go there.

I have a special offer for anyone booking their wedding with Maple Leaf Weddings. You must book by the end of the this year and the offer is location specific - however, I will look into doing something for other locations. Anyway, here we go .....



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Emmulate Prince Harry and his bride, Meghan Markle by taking a carriage ride!

In celebration of the Royal Wedding, for the rest of 2018, all couples booking with us, we be given a gift certificate for a 30 minute carriage drive around the quaint old town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, voted one of Canada’s prettiest towns. Located on the southern shores of Lake Ontario, the town was originally settled by Loyalists to the British Crown leaving America after the War of Independence. The flower-filled, tree lined streets of the old town feature 19^th century buildings which are home to shops, restaurants and a theatre. Queen’s Park slopes down to Lake Ontario and is home to a pretty Gazebo which many couples choose as their ceremony location.

A horse draw carriage in the centre of Niagara-on-the-Lake

The Olde Angel is reputedly haunted

A wide tree-lined street which typifies the area

Carriage passing the shops

The original court house

The Olde Angel Inn is reportedly haunted

Fabulous restaurant patio

Flower beds line the main street

The Shaw Cafe

Pretty heritage streets

The Prince of Wales Hotel

The Gazebo, Queens Park

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(This offer is location specific. Maple Leaf Weddings are not responsible for accommodations or transportation to or from Niagara-on-the-Lake unless included in your wedding agreement.)