We welcomed 2013 in Collingwood

I must say I'm looking forward to 2013 as last year was somewhat of a mixed year for us. We lost a parent but gained a fabulous little granddaughter, so now I have a pair of a pair! My son's 2 boys, Robert & Toby and my daughter's 2 girls, Ivy and Mia. We spent Christmas with my daughter and New Year with my son and his boys in Collingwood. The boys took to the slopes at Blue Mountain for the first time and yes, Gramma had tears in her eyes when she saw them suited and booted - with helmets - for their first ski lesson. They're doing well and really enjoyed it after a few misapprehensions. I think they thought it was as easy as it looks!

Ready for the off!

Collingwood Town Hall

Ice Sculptures for New Year in Collingwood's Hurontario Street 2012

Collingwood is our Canadian 'home' town and we love it there all year round. It's where the idea of Maple Leaf Weddings started so I give no apologies for going somewhat over the top in featuring a wedding that took place there. It shows how beautiful the location is in the summer. Mimosa Flower Studio's blog reported  "This weeding was chock full of pale pastels ... lavender, blush, butter, ivory, soft green ... and seasonal florals including peonies, garden roses, delphiniums, lavender, herb and fern plants, moss, lily of the valley, succulents, lisianthus, clematis vine and other tidbits of gardeny goodness!"

Credits:

Floral Design: Mimosa Flower Studio / Wedding Planner: Distinct Occasions / Event Design: Design 2 Decor / Wedding Cake: The Caketress / Wedding Photography: A Brit and a Blonde / WedLuxe Winter Spring 2013 issue

Wedding Venue: Private Residence in Blue Moutain, Ontario

 So, there you have it. Collingwood in winter and in summer - the choice is yours. Even though the comparisons are no direct ones, let me know what you think. I'll perhaps to another blog featuring summer scenes and a winter wedding!!

2013

Our best wishes for 2013.
May it bring peace, health and happiness for all. 

It's Christmas!!!

Where has 2012 gone? Christmas is almost here so can we wish everyone reading a very Merry Christmas. Hope you all have a fab day.

A lovely website called "verynicethings"

There are such cute things on this website www.verynicethings.co.uk that I thought I'd share it with you. BUT can I say here and now - they don't sponsor me, they don't pay me and they have no influence over me whatsoever.

I recently bought one of their prints for my new granddaughter. It was personalised with her name and birthdate so had to be especially ordered. They were very good at keeping me up to date with its progress and it arrived safely package when I was expecting it.

So ... good service deserves recognition and I have gone through the site and picked out some things that may be of use to go on a wedding present list, as a gift for a bridesmaid, as favours or maybe to use to decorate a reception venue.

A lovely wedding gift

Do your friends have a sense of ... humour, justice? A rather nice kitchen plaque

A really cute gift for a flower girl

A decor theme?

Gifts or decor or both

An outdoor tea light holder for decoration

Wrap these covers around jam jars to make pretty illuminations

These are origami wish boats. Give as a favour for guests to take home and fold then make their wishes for  the happy couple or themselves.

Because life gets back to routine eventually - a bright apron for doing the chores!

Take a look at the full site and leave me some feedback. I have a couple of other sites to share in the coming weeks if you like the idea of a "feature site"

The National Wedding Show 2

The end of last week and the weekend were busy for us as we were exhibiting at the National Wedding Show. Putting a stand together is not an easy task - never too sure how much/little to display. In the end we went for simple - mostly wedding images with a few scenic posters showing some of the Ontario landscape.

We were lucky enough to meet some super visitors to the show and also to get some AMAZING enquiries covering venues as far apart as Toronto (VERY urban, edgy and up-to-the-minute) and Kenora (up in the NorthWest of Ontario, VERY rural, laid-back and really only accessible by prop or float plane). So quite diverse - we should have some fun doing all the research and scheduling.

These two locations will give you an idea of the scale of Ontario.

From Toronto to Kenora is 825 miles in a straight line 

but to drive it's between 948 and 1031 miles 

Fall 2013 seemed to be the most favoured time for weddings next year and I must admit, I love that time of year in Canada and the leaf colours make a stunning backdrop and even in the City, they add something.

These are a selection of my favourite Fall wedding images taken by some of our photography partners.

Change to UK Wedding Law

As from this month, the law in this country which dated back to 1836 regarding the time of day during which English and Welsh weddings must take place, has changed (Scotland has always been different).  It is now possible to get married at any time - in theory. However ... local authorities and religious groups will not be forced to conduct marriages outside the traditional hours of 8.00am to 6.00pm. In reality very few weddings happen at 8.00am or after 4.00pm but if you wanted a sunrise or sunset ceremony, you would have to find a venue that was happy with the idea (which I don't think will be that difficult as generally speaking, receptions last into the night anyway) BUT the registrar to conduct the ceremony has to be as flexible. I've just looked at a local council website and their registrars work from 8.00am to 6.00pm on Monday to Friday and 9.00am to 4.00pm on Saturday. The issue is going to be that whilst the Government have taken notice of public opinion and made this change, they are not going to allow any extra funding for Registrars to work extra or unsocial hours. It is also something that local authorities and churches will not be forced to comply with.  So yes, you are allowed to but the practicality may mean that you aren't able to.