Friday's Fabulous Find: The Loden

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Have a vacay in your own backyard. Avoid luggage weight restrictions, crammed coach seating and shaking off your stubborn jet leg. Vancouver is a popular destination for many travelers around the world. Take advantage of your close proximity and have a 'stay-cation'!

Be a tourist in your own backyard and experience luxury at its finest at The Loden hotel located in Coal Habour. Browse the shops on Robson street, cheer on your Canucks at Rogers Arena, and have drinks at a trendy Yaletown lounge. Retreat back to your luxurious digs and take in the panoramic views of the mountains and waterways.

Tastefully decorated with subdued earthy hues, [their] guest rooms feature custom beds outfitted with the finest linens, down comforters and plenty of pillows, marble bathrooms offer a deep-soaking bath tub, a separate shower and European-style sinks and fixtures.

Find out all that The Loden can offer you for you holiday at home.

In addition to a great local getaway, The Loden is the perfect spot for your intimate wedding, bridal shower, bachelorette party, post reception night cap or simply your romantic wedding night. [The] Loden's Halo Penthouse Suite and Terrace is the perfect setting for making memories to last a lifetime.

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Wedding Wednesday: Tip of the Week

Be on top of the trends with these tips from The Vancouver Sun - forecasting what brides-to-be will be drawn to on their hunt for the perfect dress...

Sorry Kate, sleeves are so April 2011...

Despite the royal wedding last spring and the fashion frenzy it set off, this is not the year sleeves make a comeback on wedding dresses.

What is the most popular style of wedding dress?

The strapless gown with sweetheart necklines.

Still eager to resemble a Duchess on your wedding day and picture yourself in sleeves? Reconsider if the dance floor calls your name! Most bridal fabrics are not stretchy so brides can't raise their arms to their groom's shoulder to dance or to throw the bouquet over their heads.

Feeling fashion forward? Try small straps, cap sleeves or the illusion sleeve, which adds a sheer cover over a strapless dress.

It's below the waist however, where bridal fashion is seeing a drastic change with dynamically textured skirts influenced more by the red carpet than the big wedding. Lazaro, Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta and others are playing with ways to add dimension to the skirt.

Soft hues are also popping up in shades of blush, icy blue, lavender and soft green. However, ivory is still the most popular colour of wedding gowns.

Even the faintest pastel gown can still be classic but with a modern twist, as demonstrated by blushing bride Reese Witherspoon in her blush tone dress...

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A Wedding Fit for a Countess

It is not often that a lifelong school mate and fellow kindred spirit ties the knot with a Count on the other side of the world. Well, that is exactly what happened to DreamGroup's two principal planners Genève McNally & Sarah Shore!! The always stunning and dramatic Zsofi Dalma Teleky was married on July 9, 2011 to the dashingly handsome Vicompte (that means Count for those of you who don't know) Charles de Jonghe d'Ardoye (phew... bet you can't say that name 10 times fast) at a charming and very unique agricultural farm called Rhode-Saint-Genese in Dreve Saint-Gertrude 1, Belgium. That's right our darling girlfriend of the past 15 years is now the admirable Vicomptess Zsofi de Jonghe d'Ardoye (aka The Countess) and we couldn't be more excited and proud of her most deserved happiness. Our reason for this blog is not to brag that we are best friends with a Countess (although that's pretty fun in itself), but more so to share with you one of the most vibrant, cheerful, & inspiring wedding designs we have seen in a very long time. This is not to say that the more commonly seen elegant, warm, understated looks that grace many Canadian and American blogs and magazines are not equally as fabulous in their own right, it's just that when a wedding offers this much colour, drama and unique elements we felt with such passion that it had to be shared! With the bride's blessing (and that of her fabulous local planner Stephanie Bruyns) we give you The Wedding of Vicomptess Zsofi & Vicompte Charles... We hope you enjoy the unfolding wedding story as much as we did!

Guests arrive for the ceremony...

Vibrant and cheerful ceremony arrangements line the aisle sitting atop purple blocks!

A seasonally inspired bouquet... Can you see the bee enjoying a little snack!?

Bride arrives for the ceremony escorted by her Brother and a traditional Hungarian Folk Band!

A fabulous and truly unique creation hung above the bar made up of handmade paper pinwheels, paper hearts, native dreamcatchers, and ribbons! WOW!

A dramatic creation hanging above the Guest Book Table upon Guest arrival made up of many (many many many) ribbons cut in varying lengths with assorted blooms attached to some of the ribbons for that extra bit of fun!

Post ceremony Cocktail area...

Many unique fabrics were used to customize the overall vibrant and inspiring look of the wedding!

Fresh herbs and local florals were used to adorn the tables and ceremony area.

The unique glass vases and tealight votives were covered with fun and vibrant papers to add some personality!

Brightly adorned dinner tables lined with gold chairs for an eclectically elegant feel.

Planner: Stephanie Bruyns. Her company is Set Up. www.setupco.be

And the design was www.ideo.be

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Friday's Fabulous Find: Eventbrite

Snail mail, telephone, email, instant message, text message, Facebook, Twitter... there are endless resources to communicate and connect with friends and family. When it comes to your wedding, it is traditional to send invitations in the mail, however, if you're looking for a fun, modern and convenient option Eventbrite is right up your alley!

Who doesn't want to cut costs and maximize their time when planning a wedding, while also balancing work and daily life?

This is a great option as well when collecting information from guests. From asking food questions to providing information to out-of-town guests, Eventbrite simplifies this very tedious task!

Find out more about Eventbrite here! And check out how a San Francisco duo utilized this unconventional invite option.

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DreamGroup's New Giveaway!

It's a new month, which means a new Giveaway! But first, the lucky winner of February's Giveaway is @jennyrationx! Jenny Stanfield wins Cutie Pie Wax Bar's prize for a Brazilian & Vajazzle! Congrats Jenny!

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This March PIXSTAR Photobooth Rentals is giving one lucky winner a photobooth rental!

Looking for a unique way to make your party or event stand out? [PIXSTAR Photobooth Rentals] are a unique addition to any event or party. Included in [their] rentals: pre-event consultation, free set-up and delivery, on-site booth host, choice of 8 photo print formats, photo print customization, choice of backdrop or GREEN SCREEN, a DVD of all event photos and online gallery access.

Find out more here!

To enter: Simply 'like' DreamGroup on Facebook AND retweet the phrase below...

"I entered @DreamGroup's Giveaway for a photobooth rental from @PixstarPhoto Rentals!"

Good Luck!

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Would you like to contribute a prize for DreamGroup's Monthly Giveaway?

Contact us here!

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Wedding Wednesday: Tip of the Week

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Creating your guest list can be one of the most tedious and stress-inducing tasks on your wedding 'to-do' list! One of the grey areas that often comes up is, "who deserves plus one status?"

Does everyone get a plus-one? Do only guests in a serious relationship warrant a plus-one invitation? What's the right answer?

Peggy Post, a director of the Emily Post Institute and the great-granddaughter-in-law of its namesake sheds some light on this sticky situation.

• Today's standard plus-one is someone who is married to, engaged to, living with and, yes, in a long-term relationship with the invited wedding guest. Beyond these "must invites," your plus-one decisions will be based on budget and consistency.

However...

• If it's only a few and it's not a budget buster, you might consider asking them all.

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Jen & Darren - February 25, 2012

Associate Planner, Jayleen Deelman carried out Jen & Darren's beautiful wedding at La Perla in New Westminster.  A new venue with gorgeous chandeliers and great Italian food catered by Orlando's Catering.

Here is the same day edit we just received from SoWedding Productions.

Hey Jayleen!

Thank you SOOOOOOOO much for everything you and your team did for us!!!!!!!! Absolutely everything looked breath taking!!! You made our dreams come to real life!!!! I couldn't ask for anything more :)

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!!!!!!!

Jen

And here is the list of the other wonderful vendors that participated in bringing this wedding together:

Photographer: Jason Evans photography
Videography: SoWedding
Hair & Makeup: BFF Best Face Forward
Florist and Decor: Gilda Mele
Photobooth Vancouver
Officiant: Bob Buzza
Transportation: Pacific Harmony
Music: Musical Occasions
Cake: Maria Agostina