Monday's Montage: Country Garlands

Thank goodness for our great weather that has finally turned up! If your wedding is going to be outdoors, you must enjoy the fresh air and natures simplicities. Here are fun, whimsical ways to add a touch of decor by incorporating garlands. It's a different way to spice up your ceremony altar, dessert table and outdoor reception. Take a look at a few of my favorite, dreamy ways to add a touch of garland to your wedding day!

By Jayleen Deelman, Associate Planner with DreamGroup Productions

Jayleen Deelman has been with DreamGroup since 2010 and has made her way from our Star Wedding Coordinator to a Dedicated Associate Planner. Jayleen is upbeat, good natured, and always smiling. She is attentive and with her passion for everything weddings she is key in carrying out a fluid and enjoyable wedding day experience. Clients adore her sweet disposition and her desire to make their wedding a memory they will never forget.

Click here to sign up for DreamGroup's Mailing list!

We promise to inspire, inform & indulge!

Friday's Fabulous Finds You a Great Solution!

Brides and Bridesmaids...

Put on your Party Shoes!

Don't leave your beautiful wedding shoes to the side just because they might ruin if you wear them on the grass or gravel...

I understand with BC weather, it's hard to determine if the grounds will be dry on the day of your wedding, well fear not because there is a solution to this problem!  You can still rock it down the aisle in your Manolo Blahniks or Louboutins!...

Heel Protectors also known as Heel Huggers

Every bride in BC needs to own a few pairs of Heel Protectors also known as Heel Huggers.  They keep your heels from digging into the grass so you can walk down the aisle with confidence!

I recently had a Bride who had a beautiful pair of Manolo Blahnik's to wear for her outdoor Wedding, but as the grounds were wet outside and still thinking of having an outdoor wedding, she was worried about her gorgeous shoes being ruined...Well, thank goodness we knew about Heel Huggers!

The heel protectors come in different colours with clear and black being the most popular colours. 
Just think...no more heels digging into the grass, slipping on the dance floor, getting caught on the deck and no more worrying about losing your balance on loose gravel.

The 2 websites I recommend for purchasing these very helpful heel huggers are:

www.originalsole.com  

www.thesolemates.com

DG Advice:

Have the heel protectors available for those guests wearing heels in a basket by the guestbook sign in table

(they come in 3 different sizes: classic, narrow and wide for all heel types)

And be sure to give a pair to each one of your girls in your Wedding Party, they will Thank You!

By Sandy Pandher, Associate Planner with DreamGroup Productions

With her "hands on" energetic approach to planning, Sandy offers a perfect balance between assertiveness and calmness -- two qualities instrumental in qualifying oneself as a great planner. This smart, savvy and dedicated planner's passion is in building relationships and connecting with each of her clients so that their wedding day can truly reflect who they are as a couple and what their love story symbolizes. Sandy is best suited to the busy Urban couple looking for a knowledgeable and intuitive planner to help bring their wedding vision to life.

Click here to sign up for DreamGroup's Mailing list!

We promise to inspire, inform & indulge!

Ask a Planner... "Eco Friendly Weddings"

Hi DreamGroup!

Do you have some suggestions for ways to host an eco-friendly wedding? 

Thanks,

Karly (soon to be Mrs. Reeves) - ;)

Hello Karly,

Thanks for bringing up a great ongoing point of interest these days!  I actually wrote an article about this exact topic a few months back so thought I'd share it again with our readers... It outlines some easy ways to reduce your carbon footprint (big and small) and even some inspiring resources to learn more.

Sustainable Weddings…A Convenient Truth

~ by Genève McNally

The idea of hosting a sustainable wedding has become quite the hot topic over recent years due to an increase in the concern for the effect global warming is having on our planet.  The realization that a wedding, although significant and deserving, is adding to the problem because of the high consumption of goods and polluting it brings with it, couples are choosing to make their weddings more environmentally friendly by incorporating several Eco-conscious elements into their wedding day.   Incorporating sustainability into one's wedding makes sense considering the amount of time we spend on the road in our cars attending to wedding details pre and post event, the travel emissions expended through guest travel and honeymoon voyages, and finally, the endless hours spent on our computers researching wedding options and printing all the necessary documents needed in carrying out a successful wedding.  There are many ways to do your part in making your wedding more sustainable, here are just a few:

Vendor Selection:

A great way to help make your wedding low-carbon is reducing the gas emissions released into the environment by choosing to work with vendors that operate close to your place of residence or at the very least close to the venue at which your wedding is to take place.  You will likely need to visit your vendors and venues several times leading up to the wedding and opting to work with ones close to home will limit the amount of time spent in your car driving and thus cut the amount of gas emissions being radiated into the atmosphere.  Alternatively, host your ceremony and reception at the same venue to cut down on travel emissions on the wedding day.

Food & Drinks:

Hire caterers and work with venues who “operate green” by recycling and offering sustainable food options like using local and seasonal produce, chemical-free organic foods, offer fair trade, organic coffee and tea, and ones that incorporate food products like free-range chicken and sustainable seafood like wild salmon into their menu options.  Grouse Mountain Resorts, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Culinary Capers, Savoury Chef, The Butler Did It Catering, and Cactus Club are just a few of the restaurants, caterers, and venues making noticeable efforts to reduce their environmental ‘footprint’ by initiating in-house Sustainability Programs.  Green Table, a local group dedicated to promoting sustainable food related businesses, is a great resource -- visit www.greentable.net for a list of its members.  Furthermore, you can elect to offer locally harvested wine and beer – which is not difficult considering the wealth of world-acclaimed wineries and breweries situated throughout BC.

Stationary: 

For items like invitations, programs, place cards, seating charts, menus, and thank you cards hire stationers that work with recycled papers where possible and who make use of the environmentally friendly vegetable or soy based inks.  Lately the option of burning the invitation into wood or tree bark has been popular!  There is an excellent variety of stationary products that fit the recycled/Eco-friendly category and they aren't the brown and natural coloured papers we have associated with recycled papers of the past.  So may choices these days! Another fabulous option that will take your stationary needs to the next level is to send save-the-dates, invitations, and thank yous via e-mail.  Paperless Post is a DreamGroup FAV. www.paperlesspost.com

Be sure to mention to your guests either on the back of the invitations or programs the measures taken to help make your wedding sustainable.  It’s a great opportunity to educate your family and friends!

Out of Towners:

Ask guests that are flying in to consider purchasing carbon offsets (a.k.a. environmental credits – visit www.safeclimate.net for more information) for their flights to counterbalance the gas emissions being spent during their trip (www.davidsuzuki.org lists companies where offsets can be purchased).  If you are uncomfortable asking guests to incur these extra costs, you may wish to purchase them on those guests' behalf in lieu of favors.  Recommend nearby hotels, preferably ones that offer in-house ‘green’ programs and follow sustainable environment practices, to out of town guests so that they do not need to drive far distances to and from the venues.  Some of Vancouver’s Eco-friendly hotels include The Four Seasons, The Fairmont Properties, The Marriott Pinnacle, Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Vancouver Downtown, and Delta Hotels. Encourage guests to rent hybrid or fuel efficient cars or to buddy up with other guests and carpool on the wedding day. 

Flowers & Décor:

Select locally and/or organically grown flowers to make up your table arrangements and bouquets.  Have potted flowers as centerpieces which can be given away to “one lucky guest” at the end of the night or transplant them into your garden to be enjoyed daily.  Reclaim items that your friends may have had at their weddings like corks used as place card holders, etc.  Instead of cut flowers use rocks and/or seashells and all natural beeswax candles to create that perfect centerpiece.  Pinterest http://pinterest.com/all/?category=wedding_events offers a HUGE database of photo inspiration and DIY tips on how to incorporate environmentally friendly elements into your wedding.  And when you are done... sell them at DreamGroup's next Bridal Swap on April 7th 2013 at The Roundhouse in Yaletown. www.bridalswap.ca

Favours

This is one area where every couple can make their weddings more sustainable by offering guests edible delights like organic chocolates, teas, or honey as their thank you gifts.  Couples may choose to purchase tree saplings that are indigenous to the BC area to give to their guests with the message to plant them somewhere special in memory of the couple's wedding day.  A wonderful favor option, and most definitely sustainable, would be to make a donation in each guests’ name to your favorite charity.  Try one of these two deserving charities -- the Canadian Cancer Society (www.cancer.ca) & BC Children’s Hospital (www.bcchildrens.ca).

Without question, it is everyone’s duty to try to create a positive effect on the environment in some way and what better way to celebrate the uniting of your families by doing your part to ensure that future families have a healthy planet on which to live.  Explore your options… The Internet provides a wealth of information on sustainable products, local ‘green’ businesses, and the efforts being made to lower gas emissions and neutralize the carbon dioxide being put into our atmosphere daily.  Visit www.ecowedding.org – an online magazine for Eco-savvy brides & grooms -- for articles and additional ideas on increasing wedding sustainability.  And look at it this way, since climate change is a global issue, any type of emission reduction or environmentally friendly effort (big or small) you make today will have a positive effect on our planet as a whole tomorrow.

Lots of great information!!  Hope it was helpful Carly. :O)

Wedding Planner signing off!  Until next week… keep those questions coming in!  Submit your questions by emailing us at askaplanner@dreamgroup.ca

Cheerio,

Genève 

Click here to See Inside the Book

Genève McNally, Principal Planner, DreamGroup Productions

Genève first began her wedding career in 1999 as the Catering Manager for one of Vancouver’s most sought after wedding venues, Brock House Restaurant.  In 2004 Genève and college friend Sarah Shore ambitiously started up what is now one of Vancouver's longest running and most trusted wedding planning companies, DreamGroup Productions Inc.

These days, in addition to working with her clients in a full planning capacity, Genève focuses her attention on the sales and marketing aspects of the company and is most often the friendly voice you will chat with when first inquiring with DreamGroup.  Genève is known to inspire and excite both clients and industry associates alike with her exuberant personality and joie de vivre!  Her ability to be refreshingly candid and her in depth knowledge of the wedding industry have earned her the friendly moniker “Two-Cents McNally”.  Genève also teaches the Wedding Planning classes offered through the dg Academy and is the chief correspondent behind DreamGroup's weekly Blog feature Ask a Planner.

Click here to sign up for DreamGroup's Mailing list! 
We promise to inspire, inform and indulge!

Check out DreamGroup's Brand NEW Website!

After nine years we finally found some time to create a long overdue revamp of the DreamGroup website and we are so excited to share it with everyone.

Come check it out!

Monday's Montage: Sweetheart Chairs for the Bride & Groom

Seating arrangements. It's not usually the most fun part of the wedding planning process, but it is certainly an important one! Before you get started on deciding on where everyone will sit, you'll need to figure out what kind of tables and how many tables you'll be needing at your wedding reception. Will you go with rounds, banquet style or do something totally different? Will you have a big head table where you, your husband and your wedding party sit or will you forgo one all together? Do you want to sit alone with your husband at a slightly more private sweetheart table, or sit with your closest friends and family?

Regardless!! You are the Queen and King of the evening, and so you deserve the most important seats, why not have a fun, unique and even lavish decor for your reception chairs! By the time it's time for you to finally sit, you will be so grateful to rest your feet (and probably kick off your heels under the table)  So by all means, go all out and have fun with it!

By Jayleen Deelman, Associate Planner with DreamGroup Productions

Jayleen Deelman has been with DreamGroup since 2010 and has made her way from our Star Wedding Coordinator to a Dedicated Associate Planner. Jayleen is upbeat, good natured, and always smiling. She is attentive and with her passion for everything weddings she is key in carrying out a fluid and enjoyable wedding day experience. Clients adore her sweet disposition and her desire to make their wedding a memory they will never forget.

Click here to sign up for DreamGroup's Mailing list!

We promise to inspire, inform & indulge!

 

 

 

Friday's Fabulous Find Welcomes back....

Wedding Things

With their new and fresh location at 3950 Main Street (right beside Frocks), DreamGroup welcomes back Connie Mar and her showroom that displays all the beautiful and latest in invitations, wedding favors, wedding party gifts and ALL things wedding!

Wedding Things began in Yaletown in 1999, moved to New York and are now back with even more inventory! ...Here are just a few examples:

With macaroons all the craze right now and as you state your case about who has the best macaroon's in the city, let me show you a fabulous find:

A Macaroon Ring Box!

Whether it's a beautiful wedding ring in the macaroon box for the perfect proposal or whether it holds a gift for your wedding party with jewelry to wear on the day of your wedding, who wouldn't love receiving a beautiful macaroon box!

From invites, sealing wax, personalized ribbon, cake toppers of your choice, to cufflinks, personalized favors, guestbooks and garters, Wedding Things has it all!

Wedding Things is your one stop shop for decor wedding accessories

The website for Wedding Things has over 10,000 items that are themed and can be personalized!

Visit www.weddingthings.com to order if you have 4 or more weeks before your wedding or wedding shower

Visit www.weddingthings.ca to order if you have 4 weeks or less before your wedding or wedding shower

What are you waiting for....Shop till you drop!

By Sandy Pandher, Associate Planner with DreamGroup Productions

With her "hands on" energetic approach to planning, Sandy offers a perfect balance between assertiveness and calmness -- two qualities instrumental in qualifying oneself as a great planner. This smart, savvy and dedicated planner's passion is in building relationships and connecting with each of her clients so that their wedding day can truly reflect who they are as a couple and what their love story symbolizes. Sandy is best suited to the busy Urban couple looking for a knowledgeable and intuitive planner to help bring their wedding vision to life.

Click here to sign up for DreamGroup's Mailing list!

We promise to inspire, inform & indulge!

 

Contest Winner Announced!

Congrats to Gigi Cheung

Gigi wins a Mani/Pedi from She to Shic Boutique Beauty Lounge

Want to win something?  Check out our July Monthly Contest Giveaway!  This prize will allow you to pamper yourself too!