Weddingbee Blog

This week I had one of those, “Wow, I really need to get a move on some things!” moments. One of those things has to do with cake. We are having our cake tasting soon, so I thought it would be a good idea to get an idea for styles of cake that we both like. Plus, if we are going to get a custom cake topper, then we probably better get that started!

I went to my number-one source for all things custom—Etsy. There are some amazing cake toppers out there! There was one for $180 we both liked, but add in shipping (and most likely duty) to Canada and it just seemed like too much to spend no matter how cool it was.

We both agreed that we loved the custom lovebirds from Bent Branch—handmade, customized, and well within our budget. I contacted the shop owner Krista, and she was in touch with me quickly with fabric colours and options. Here is an idea of what we will be getting:

Image by Krista Eytchison of Bent Branch

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Back in October I was browsing Etsy, and I fell in love with milk glass. Specifically this milk-glass cake plate.

Image via havenvintage on Etsy

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Trying to find the perfect tie for one’s wedding—not just for the groom but the groomsmen too—is hard!

You have a specific colour you want. You don’t want the ties to be ugly. And, if you are like the Gazelles, you want the groom to have a different tie from his groomsmen so he stands out, but one that complements the other ties. Oh, and you don’t like plain ties.

So you have all of these criteria in mind for ties..and you are shopping without the groom!

Why on earth would I be shopping for ties without Mr. Gazelle? Well, I was down in Orlando with my parents for the Disney Marathon, and Mr. Gazelle was back home in Calgary. We were hoping to find some great-quality ties at a low price thanks to the outlet malls down here.

We stopped by Orlando Premium Outlets, and my dad and I were on a mission. If a store sold ties we were in it! At first it was looking pretty dismal. The ties weren’t the right purple or they were really ugly. Finally we walked into Zegna, and it was like the sky parted and angels were singing.

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Early on in the planning, Mr. Gazelle and I knew that we would like to go on a honeymoon as soon as possible after the wedding. Time would be limited, though. We have to take time off before the wedding to travel to it, so we only have a few days after the wedding to take a trip. As much as we might have liked to wax poetic about a honeymoon to Europe, we knew it wasn’t possible. We didn’t want to put off a honeymoon till later in the year when we might be able to take more time off, as we were worried something would come up and we’d never go on that honeymoon.

So, instead, we focused on someplace reasonably close by that we could go to right after the wedding, i.e., somewhere in North America. Beaches were out, as we weren’t looking to relax, but were looking to see someplace cool.

The decision? New York City!

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Mr. Gazelle and I recently took a trip out to Vancouver to meet with our photographer (the amazing Leslie from Sakura Photography) for engagement photos. We met up with her in Stanley Park in the late afternoon and wandered around the park, checking out the fall foliage. As the sun went down, we moved over to Gastown to grab some more urban shots.

The morning I received the photos, I could barely open my eyes after my alarm went off, but I checked my email on my phone right away. I had an email from Leslie that our photos were ready and that she had blogged us, too! What an awesome piece of news first thing on a Monday morning.

So without further ado, here are a few of my favourites!

I always do weird things with my fingers when I run…Mr. Gazelle’s legs are so long that he can walk while I run.

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Ready for some fun and embarrassing pictures?

My hair is super-duper fine. I think I’ve had an updo twice in my life. The first time was probably the hair trial for my brother’s wedding. The second time was at my brother’s wedding. When they got married back in 2003, my hair was also quite likely the longest it has been in my life. I don’t have a great picture to show how long it was, but this probably gives you an idea of how fine my hair is.

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It is so easy to get wrapped up in the little details surrounding a wedding—things like centerpieces, what to use for a card box, what the invitations are going to look like, what our flower is girl going to carry, and whether I can make it.

And, if you are like me, you probably spent countless hours poring over pictures of venues, reading catering menus, and looking at the portfolios of different photographers and florists. How much do they charge, and is it above or below the average? How does it rank on a scale of importance for us?

In all of the searching for the details and the right vendor, it may be easy to overlook quite possibly the most important vendor of the day that you will hire—the person who will perform your marriage ceremony. After all, the main purpose for the day is to marry the person you love, and the rest is just the party to celebrate that marriage. If you are getting married in your church then this decision is probably pretty easy. If you are looking for a marriage commissioner, then, not so much.
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Decisions have been made for the bridesmaids’ dresses!

We loved the dresses from Alfred Sung…

Alfred Sung Style D438 / Image via Toronto Dresses

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On Friday afternoon I was perusing the Brock House’s 2011 catering menu. As I skimmed over various rules and such my eyes focused in on this one:

20. DECORATING

The use of nails, staples, glue or any like material is not permitted on any walls, doors, posts, ceilings or any like objects of the Brock House. Rice, confetti, sparklers and table sparkles will not be permitted on the property. Please ask the catering department for alternative recommendations (i.e. bubbles, birdseed and flower petals).

No sparklers? That means we won’t be able to do a fun send-off and get cool pictures like this one:

Image via Sakura Photography

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When we last left off in the saga that is our centerpieces, I had a vision for milk-glass bud vases filled with flowers set up along our tables.

Flowers by La Partie Events / Photo by Erin Hearts Court / Image via Elizabeth Anne Designs

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Does anyone else feel like they could use a stylist? I feel like it is harder to figure out my entire bridal look than it was to find my wedding dress.

True, I have plenty of time to think about accessories before the wedding, but they have been on my mind lately. What accessories should I choose that will all complement the dress, will go together, and will not be over the top? Ideally I would like to pick jewellery that I would wear again, too. Pearls are always a classic choice, but I’m not sure if I want a standard string of pearls. I am also in the process of making a hair fascinator with a vintage rhinestone brooch in the center. The flower is a big statement, and I don’t want to over accessorize!

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Confession: I bought my wedding shoes before the wedding dress. I think I also might have bought the wedding shoes before we got engaged, but the timeline is a bit fuzzy in my memory on that one…

At first I had visions of some pretty fancy shoes on my wedding day. Maybe this would be the perfect excuse for some Manolos??? (I may have been slightly influenced by Carrie Bradshaw…)

Image via Neiman Marcus

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When I was a little girl dreaming of my wedding (come on, you know you did it too), I used to imagine that my groom would look something like this on our big day:

Image via Brook Taverner

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Perhaps my vision of milk-glass bud vases might not be so out of reach after all. Milk glass is pretty prevalent in different antique stores around here, but the prices can vary widely.

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Armed with my wedding binder and inspiration photos, I set off to meet with two florists for consultations. I was interested in a bouquet with dark purple calla lilies, with other purple-toned flowers and no greenery or crystals. Something along the lines of these:

Image by East Main Photography via Weddingbee

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