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it's spring in The Ring!

in this april spring edition...

• New chat boards: fill 'er up again!

• Polling for the truth

• Spring Giveaway: Calla lily Centrepieces by Now & Always

• April's favourite wedding proposal

• Tips & Tricks:

  • Last chance girls! Spring reminder checklist for 2004's summer brides

  • Velvet gowns and twinkle lights mean brides are saying 'I Do' to off-season weddings

• Cool idea: Live on location video played AT your reception

• In the news:

  • Film director turns wedding memories into movie-style entertainment

  • Florist puts passion into flowers

New chat boards! Fill 'er up!

If you'd been a registered chatter on The Ring's message boards before, you've noticed a bunch of recent awesome changes! If you haven't used the chat boards before, you're going to love them. Okay, so you're having to register to chat all over again. That's not so fun... But what IS fun, is that you're getting exactly what you asked for. Topics that are more personal, include more brides, have more ideas, and cover everything from ceremony to honeymoon. We've taken your advice, switched up the content, added some cool colours, and made it happen. Post your hearts out and FILL 'ER UP AGAIN!

log in & check it out | view as guest | register

Polling for the truth

Taboo? What's that?!: Your Wedding Day Status?

Already living together? Have kids and are living together? Have kids from different relationships & are living together? Met, fell in love, can't wait to move in on our wedding day? tell it like it is

Honeymoon: The Great Escape? What are you doing?

One night in a honeymoon suite? Weekend in a Local Hotel? A Week in the Tropics? Backpacking through Europe? Are you kidding me? Vacation? Back to Work!? share your honeymoon plans

Rings: What did you choose?

Gold? Platinum? White Gold? Celtic Style? Family Ring? what's your ring?

Veils vs. Headpieces & Tiaras

Tiara? Headpiece/Headband? Traditional Veil? what will you wear?

 

april's favourite wedding proposal Saturday morning (the 28th) Dave brought me breakfast in bed (bagel and cheese, fruit, juice and tea)! After I got dressed he whisked me off to a spa and dropped me off outside the front doors. I walked in to a spa like out of the movies where they took my name and led me through a couple sets of doors to a change room that had a whirlpool, sauna and steam room. They brought me a robe and slippers to wear and handed me a schedule for my time there. I soaked in the whirlpool, relaxed in the sauna and then I was called for my massage... read more | add your romantic or weird proposal

Wedding experts in the news

Film director turns wedding memories into movie-style entertainment: Theweddingring.ca staff viewed the Director’s Cut demo with friends and family. when it came to an end about a half hour later, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house, nor a single person who didn’t laugh - a lot. Director’s Cut takes a unique movie-style approach to wedding videos, which is why The Ring chose to review owner, Mike Stanisic. picture the groomsmen of bowing down to the groom and kissing his ring finger to the tune of the Godfather … angelic fade-ins of the beautiful bride in a shaft of light, sitting on the bed with the flower girl, soft music playing … read more

Dedicated florist puts passion into your wedding flowers: After meeting Donna Belanger, owner and operator of Kelly Greens Flowers & Gifts, we know that Donna is one of the most genuinely nice people you’ll ever meet. she welcomes every customer that comes through her door with warmth and willingness to get the job done right. Donna’s passion is flowers. according to Donna, ‘you need to find out what you are passionate about and then study it until you are the best.’ and she’s done exactly that... read more

tips & tricks: articles

last chance girls! spring reminder checklist for 2004's summer brides

Spring is the season of last chances before this summer's weddings. We know you'll be pulling rabbits out of hats to make sure that every last detail is taken care of. Here's a few reminders! (For those of you just getting started planning your wedding, flag these tips for later!)

1. Count your RSVP's to get a final guest count for the caterer, call any guests that might have forgotten to send in theirs (two weeks to one month before the wedding date)

2. Arrange your must-have photo lists and discuss location shoot ideas with photographer

3. Buy or hand-make your wedding favours

4. Buy any items that guests will need for the ceremony (bubbles, bird seed, lavender pot pourri, etc.)

5. Choose & arrange readings for the ceremony, songs that will be sung, etc.

6. Choose gifts for the wedding party

7. Arrange all remaining payments, fitting dates, etc.

8. Go over details with the MC to make sure speeches & reception events go smoothly

9. Make checklists for the last week of wedding planning

10. Make sure all of the important home & cell numbers of contact people are distributed to the people who need to know

11. Arrange a time with your banquet manager (around their schedule) for your decorators to get in and out of your hall

12. Arrange printing of ceremony program

13. Arrange the details: Who goes where, when, and how? (Where do the guys get ready, where do the girls get ready, will you have enough time to get from the hair salon to your home to dress and then to the ceremony? Who picks up the tuxes?) If you can answer all or many of these questions right now, you're an amazing woman. Your husband should be proud!

Related Articles:

• More Wedding Ring checklists to view or download

Traditionally, from about May to October each year, the K-W area’s wedding vendors, churches, and banquet halls are hoppin’ with weddings. This is a given. For brides, this means that if you're starting to plan less than twelve months before the big day, you're going to have a tough time finding vendors and locations for your wedding, that aren't already booked.

SOLUTION? Hold an off-season wedding! Brides have once again proved that they love shaking things up a bit, breaking a few traditions, and going for velvet gowns, winter twinkle lights, and the luxury of easier wedding planning.

 

What & when Off-season is the time of year when weddings are traditionally less popular, and vendors have more availability to offer: • January and February OR • Any time between November and the end of March However, there are some exceptions... • Christmas Party season (mid-November to Christmas Day) is super-busy with corporate parties Vendors and venues are booked well in advance. • Valentine's Day or Week (if you want a Valentine's theme, have your wedding the week before or the week after) • New Year's Eve	Dressing for winter Trade the summer strapless idea for a rich velvet wedding gown. Add faux fur trim for an added elegant touch. Rent or buy a Snow White cape with hood for a stunning winter look. Accessorize with winter muffs. Take advantage of the Christmas-time sales in department stores, if you want to dress the kids in red for a Valentine's or Christmas-themed wedding. Rich red apparel is beautiful with white.
Winter colours & themes “Colours are rich in the winter… Burgundy, red, gold and white,” says one expert decorator. All the usual pale or pastels are definitely out for the winter, unless they tie in with a rich colour. Decorating Dreams are pros at tying in winter. "We incorporate Christmas trees into our wrought iron gate backdrop, and 24 inch sparkling snowflakes into the ceiling canopy. Christmas trees around the room can be grouped together and accented with lights and fabric on the ground to create twinkling snow."	Budget savings Some vendors (depending on their availability and type of service) will even give special rates for off-season wedding dates. This is a great way to get more of the people and packages you want, within your budget. These special rates usually apply mostly in January and February, but some vendors offer these rates between November and March as well. Sharon Hales, Assistant General Manager at the Best Western St. Jacobs Country Inn, says that they love being able to offer more flexibility in prices and space available in the off-season.
The benefits Availability of wedding services and locations is everything when you’re planning a wedding. By choosing a wedding date that does not land smack-dab in the midst of wedding season, you increase your options ten fold. No vendor on earth likes telling a bride that he/she is booked for their wedding day, and so you'll rarely find one that wouldn't love helping you with your winter wedding. A local florist told us, "Flowers may last longer because there is no heat, however at the same time, be sure your flowers don't freeze if taking photos outside for a long period of time." One disc jockey said, “It’s so much easier to plan a wedding in the off-season, because you don’t have to fight to get the reception hall you want, the DJ, the photographer…”. He also says that any couple planning a wedding in a short period of time, would have a much easier time in the winter. One photographer laughed and said, "Dress in long underwear and boots! No one will ever know what's under that wedding gown!"	"This all comes back to my 'think outside the box' philosophy... I think there are many benefits to a winter wedding... I have several ideas and locations that make a full-fledged winter wedding, a dream. The wedding party needs to prepare for the worst, in regards to cold, but if they can 'tough it out', as I say, there is a magic attainable in pictures that can not be found in a summer wedding", says Tony Ward of Accent Studios Photography. "Off-season is also, in some cases, less expensive. I offer a special rate between November 1st and April 1st." The Wedding Timer authors, Rory Butson and Diane Tolton, made a great point. "If you want to go somewhere warm on your honeymoon, it's a benefit to get married in the winter." Why go from hot to hotter? Use your honeymoon as your winter escape from the cold. "A benefit of off-season wedding is the lower costs, not to mention winter pictures on a warm sunny day, make for great photos!", says Brent, of Brentwood Livery. A local officianit pointed out that, "You'll find less people are on vacation [in the winter]. More guests will be able to attend your wedding... It takes a little more planning [for the weather], but then I have seen summer weddings with huge showers and wind storms!"
The disadvantages Messy: Brentwood Livery warns of the risk of being a bit messier for the chauffeurs and detail crews that clean up, but not as much for the actual bride and groom themselves. Cold weather: Winter weather is always a consideration but at the same time, nearly any vendor will point out that both summer and winter has inclement weather. You can just as easily get rain, wind and heat stroke in the summer, as you could get snow and slush and cold in the winter.

Cool idea: 'Live on Location' video show played AT your reception

So, you get ready for the big event, you have photos and get your hair done, the guys do their thing, you meet at the church, you say 'I Do'... All the while, you have a videographer recording each move and memory. What's the cool part? When you are eating & mingling at your reception, you and your guests are being treated to a movie, set to music, that plays out the scenes and ceremony the took place only minutes ago. It's the 'Live on Location' option at Director's Cut Videography. LOVE it!... read more

 

...from the editor... Dear Brides, Grooms and our Not-So-Little K-W Wedding Community, Spring has arrived, ladies! YAY! If you're marrying outdoors this month, you'll definitely want a tent (judging by yesterday's hail storm). If you're marrying indoors, know that you've got a hundred and fifty guests with spring fever at your wedding and you'll want to be seating your singles in a way that'll create some love matches (weddings are famous for creating new love relationships)! In this issue, we're giving you new chat boards, news on new experts, wedding favours with a twist, an awesome video idea, fun polls to take and view, the inside scoop on setting a date in the off-season, a spring reminder checklist for summer brides, a great giveaway, and of course, another reason to love being a K-W bride! Thanks so much for continuing to swamp our web site with K-W brides! See you in The Ring! Jennifer Goulden, Director & Editor theweddingring.ca & kw.weddingring.ca, info@theweddingring.ca