Find me!
Create Weddings and Events
  • Home
  • Services
  • Organization Services
  • Gallery
  • Testimonials
  • Featured In
  • FAQ
  • Contact
  • Vendors
  • Blog

Maan Farms Styled Shoot

2/28/2018

4 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
This styled shoot has been featured on a few wedding blogs such as Real Weddings, Style Inspired Weddings, Okanagan Weddings, Strictly Weddings and The Wedding Guru in the last few months but I wanted to share it as well.  This was actually my first styled shoot that I had ever taken part in and I couldn't have asked for a better group of vendors to show me the ropes!  

As vendors, we had talked in the past about how Pinterest can be so great on one hand and on the other it can be a shock when couples take their favourite photos to their decorator or florist, etc. and find out that what is being featured is well above their budget.  We wanted to do a shoot that showcased the same style but at two different price points.  We chose the same colour scheme and some main pieces that we could then build on to take us from budget friendly to higher end.  

First off, let's start with the venue.  Maan Farms is a family run farm in Abbotsford, BC which has an original barn that they have made available to host weddings and events.  

The flowers were a big part of this and I loved Robin, from Bootah Jardin, and her ability to keep costs low for the first look but also in line with current trends.  Garlands of greenery and eucalyptus are so popular right now but even something that looks simple can end up being costly.  In fact, one thing I tell clients is that if it looks simple there's a good chance it's actually not.  It's the incredibly talented vendors behind it that make it look so easy... from natural looking makeup to naked cakes... how hard could it possibly be to not cover the entire cake with icing am I right?!  Well, it means that you can't hide the flaws beneath mounds of icing and fondant so your cakes better be pretty perfect!  No crumbs or mismatched sized layers allowed! But, back to the topic at hand... Robin created some garlands for the first look using less expensive greenery and a method which kept the labour hours down, also a money saver.  She then put in cut flowers to add some colour and rather than large floral centerpieces we used candles and lanterns to add height.  

The second look also included garland but the pieces were hand tied (adding labour hours) and with more greenery.  Robin then put together a gorgeous centerpiece that brought in flowers that matched the bridal bouquet. 

With the linens, again, we started out with a more budget friendly option by having a table linen and runner.  For the second look, we added in some extra layers to give it more depth and a luxurious feeling and we added in gold plated cutlery to the place settings and brass candle sticks on either side of the centerpiece (all decor was provided by Valley Weddings).  The gold chiavari chairs were from Vancouver Chiavari Chairs.  

Picture
Picture
Dalana, from The Cake and The Giraffe, created some regular size and mini cupcakes for our first look and then for the second look a three tiered cake which brought in elements of the decor we had (the gold hoops that Robin decorated with the same greenery and flowers as the tables and bouquets).  

For the stationery, Rintzylee Designs added in some extra elements like the Mr. and Mrs. gold cutouts for the backs of the chairs for our second look and created gorgeous invitations, reply cards and place cards that could be used for both versions.  
Picture
Carrie, from Clara Couture, provided us with two gorgeous dresses which we accessorized with jewelry and veils from The Borrowed Collection (unfortunately, the Borrowed Collection has since closed but the brilliance behind it, Elise, is now focusing totally on Atelier Elise). Hair and makeup were done by Elena Tsang. 
Picture
Picture
Even with all the hard work from everyone else, it wouldn't have meant anything if it couldn't be captured so beautifully by our photographer, Annie of L'Estelle Photography.  She has an amazing eye for detail and her direction is fantastic.  She knows exactly how to get what it is she wants for each specific photo.  If you are looking for a photographer, please contact her! 

Thank you so much for checking out this shoot! I hope you loved it as much as I did and can be inspired to find a way to make your look work with your budget!  

If you have any questions please email me! 

Happy planning, 
​Sara
4 Comments

Sara & Jason's Vancouver, BC wedding

2/16/2018

1 Comment

 
Bride and groom sunset portrait at The View on Lonsdale
Photo by Paul Behm Photography
This wedding is definitely out of order from my previous blog posts and older than any I've posted about before... but it's MY wedding!  When I wrote my 'About Me' post in early January I mentioned that I should write about mine because I had grand aspirations while planning my wedding in 2015 and 2016 to blog about it along the way.  Well, that didn't happen as much as I had intended and there was no final post.  2017 ended up being the year that I finally started blogging on a regular basis so I've decided to go back and recap this one too. 

I have been planning weddings since 2011, got engaged at the end of 2013 and then finally started planning my own wedding in 2015 and planned the date for 2016.  From the beginning of my wedding planning career to when I finally started planning my own, my vision changed soooo much!  The colors, the theme, the patterns... everything.  This isn't super shocking of course and trends and tastes change but planning and coordinating weddings for five years before certainly gave me the best insight to what I didn't want. 

One thing that was important to me was to make sure this wedding really felt like mine and not like one that I had planned before.  Step one was choosing a venue that I hadn't worked in before.  The other two stipulations we wanted were an awesome view and a place that we could bring in our own alcohol.  We knew we wanted to offer a hosted bar for our guests but we also had a budget that we wanted to stick to.  Honestly, I didn't have high hopes that we would go three for three on that checklist but then one day I was scrolling through Instagram and saw one of the accounts I follow post a photo and had the location tagged.  I had never heard of the venue before so I started a search and wow.... it was like angels were singing!  I was pretty sure it was perfect but I just needed to take Jason and go look.  So what is this venue you ask?  Well, it's The View On Lonsdale in North Vancouver.  It's actually the top floor of the school board building and has AMAZING views of downtown Vancouver, the Lions Gate bridge and the ocean beyond.  We also were able to bring in our own alcohol so check, check and check!  Jason liked it as well and it was available in the time frame we were looking for.  

I talked a bit about planning in previous posts (but if you want more information or have any questions about my wedding don't hesitate to leave a comment or send an email) so for this post I'm going to try and talk mainly about the actual day.  The Saturday before our wedding POURED rain and the following few days weren't much better.  We were hoping for an outdoor ceremony on the patio but could move it inside if necessary.  The venue was available to us the afternoon before and our decorator, Valley Weddings, came in and did their set up and we brought the personal decor we had as well like the place cards, favors, and cake as well as the alcohol and mix.  I also did "goody bags" to give to all my guests as they left so my bridesmaids, mom and I put those together.  There were quite a few guests who I knew were staying in hotels in the area or driving an hour or so home so I wanted to provide them all with some snacks for the late night.  Each bag had some bottled water (or juice boxes for the guests with kids) some cookies, a bag of chips and some candy.  I anticipated most people taking full advantage of the open bar and figured some food and water would come in handy!  But back to my decorators... Shyla and her mom Eunice, run Valley Weddings in Abbotsford and I have worked with them multiple times with other clients.  I can be slightly picky and they listened to everything I wanted and boy did they deliver.  One thing I always knew is that I didn't want white table linens.  My colors for the wedding were navy, gold and blush pink with a bit of cream.  We went with navy table linens, gold chargers and cream napkins and because we chose to do long family style tables they provided cylinder vases for all of the pillar candles I had purchased and ran them down the middle of the tables.  The next day, our florist, Budget Blooms, filled in spots with peonies in bud vases.  Jane also provided our gorgeous bouquets and two stunning arrangements that we used for our ceremony and then moved inside.  

The day of the wedding, the sun was shining and it was gorgeous outside.  Myst Makeup came to the location where we were getting ready and did makeup for myself and the bridesmaids and my cousin did our hair.  Paul Behm, our photographer, arrived and started with the detail shots of the dress and rings and of me getting ready.  I also made sure to have one of our invitations, done by Cornwall Stationery, so that we could include those in the detail photos as well.  I loved what Hesha created so much so I definitely wanted them to be a part of our professional photos.  On top of our invitations, she also made our seating chart, place cards, table numbers and other signage.  

Meanwhile, at the venue, my day of coordinator, Alicia McDonald, was taking care of the final details there.  BU Letters delivered and set up the marquee letters and Vancouver Chiavari Chairs brought the chairs which we used for the ceremony and then moved inside to the dinner tables.  We had picked up the cake from Hello, Sunshine Cake Studio the day before so it was put out and the bar set up. 

The bridesmaids and I arrived at the venue followed by Jason and the groomsmen to start our first look and wedding party photos.  Our ceremony was at 4:00 and I wanted to go directly into cocktail hour and then dinner without a long gap so we did the majority of our photos before guests arrived.  We also had hired Capture Productions to do videography so they were there as well.  We finished with plenty of time so I got to go upstairs and check everything out in advance.  It was so great to see the finished set up before anything was out of place and it gave Paul and Capture Productions the ability to get photos and video.  I spent a lot of time planning and I wanted evidence of all of it!  

The ceremony started right on time (I wouldn't have it any other way!) and once it was finished we took a few minutes to ourselves and then came back into the cocktail hour and took family photos.  It was also important to me that I get at least one photo together with each guest or family group and we used this time to get a lot of that completed.  

Johnny, from Man About Town Entertainment, was our DJ for the night and he played for the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner and reception.  We were introduced into the reception to the Michael Buble version of 'Me and Mrs. Jones'... a nod to our last name... but we just played a portion of it since the song itself is about an affair!  For first dances, etc. make sure you pay attention to the lyrics!  Some songs sound romantic or about true love because of the name but that's not always so.  

Dinner began and it was catered by Forage, who are the exclusive caterer to the venue.  I did write a post about our menu tasting experience and now I can confirm that the product the night of the wedding was just as amazing.  I only heard good things and I loved that they use fresh and local products whenever possible.  

Overall, the wedding day was everything I could have hoped for and I send our most heartfelt thank you's to each vendor that helped us and our friends and family for being there to celebrate! 

Make sure to check out Paul Behm Photography for more photos! 

Again, if you have any questions about any of the planning or vendors please send me a message!

Happy planning, 
Sara

 
1 Comment

Valentine's Day

2/14/2018

1 Comment

 
Valentine's day thoughts
I can't believe we are already half way through February... we are going to be in the middle of wedding season before we know it.  But, here we are on Valentine's Day.  A day that I have a love/hate relationship with!  Maybe "hate" is a little strong so let's say a bit of a dislike...

Of course, today should be about love and expressing that to your significant other (or maybe someone new) but I have always felt there is so much pressure on this one day.  You can feel you need to buy the best flowers or the best gift or make reservations at the best restaurant (which you could usually go to the night before or the night after and save some money!).  And what happens if you are in a relationship but don't get something or if you aren't in a relationship and all you see are the "happy" people in relationships around you and you feel left out.  My personal feelings about expressions of love are they are best when they don't feel forced.,, surprise me with something on a random day and I'm loving that more than when it's supposed to be coming. 

Now, I'm sure there are arguments for Valentine's day that are totally valid as well.  And like I said, I have a love/hate relationship so here's the part I think is great (other than the fact that I met my husband on Valentine's Day... but that's maybe a story for another day!).  I like the idea that perhaps it sends a little nudge of confidence to someone to declare feelings for someone else.  I like that it can make spending some quality time with your loved ones, whether it be a significant other or your best friends, a priority.  With our hectic lives sometimes the personal interaction is lacking and we can always use a reminder to slow down and make those plans rather than just talking about them. 

I'll probably wear something with hearts today and enjoy some chocolate but remind myself that the most important person you have to love is yourself.  Regardless of your relationship status, 'married', 'single' or 'it's complicated', I hope you have a great day... and don't forget to go buy the same candy at 50% off tomorrow.  I love a good deal! :) 

Let me know what you think about Valentine's day! 

​Sara  



1 Comment

    Author

    Creating more that just a party. Planning celebrations for a lifetime.  Wedding and event planner in Vancouver, BC .

    Archives

    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    June 2017
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    May 2015

    Categories

    All
    Create Styled Shoots
    Create Weddings
    Planning Tips
    Random

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.