Earlier this week I had the pleasure of having lunch with Chris – the Catering Manager for Sorrentino’s group. I delighted to listen and learn about the new interactive sessions they are offering!

If you want to thank a good friend, then consider joining one of the public cooking sessions – you can find the upcoming schedule on their website.

If you have a wedding party or group of 8+ who would delight in a culinary adventure, then booking a private cooking session may be just right for you. Enjoy some wine, learn some new cooking skills, and delight as you make a 4 course meal together. Of course, all the recipes are yours to take home that night too!

Sorrentino's Torta Toscanella - orange chantilly cream on a bed of puff pastry, surrounded by vanilla cream filled profiteroles and topped with chocolate shavings

Earlier this week I had this wonderful italian dessert – not sure if you can make it during your cooking session, but you might as well ask Chris about it (or just go and enjoy it at the downtown Sorrentino’s location like I did!)

So grab some friends, and book your next culinary adventure at Sorrentinos. Chris will be happy to help you plan the perfect menu and fun for your group!

PS. Sorrentino’s also caters events and weddings of all sizes – so definitely consider them for your high class culinary inspiried reception meal!

Jolyn | Luxury Wedding Planner
Nuance Occasions
780.628.6457

You could have your flower girl carry a smaller version instead of a basket – especially if your venue will not allow you to toss rose petals.

Consider adding a crystal broach embellishment to the front side of the purse if you need a little more ‘bling’.

For a chic New York styled wedding, this can be a fun alternate for the bridesmaids to carry. With the body of the purse designed with tropical leaves, and overflowing with florals in your wedding colors, have fun with this creative floral design.

Jolyn | Luxury Wedding Planner
Nuance Occasions
780.628.6457

{source : California Wedding Planner Conference Jolyn attended}

Be sure to watch for more behind the scenes features on other projects we are working on for our upcoming weddings!

Jolyn | Luxury Wedding Planner
Nuance Occasions
780.628.6457

A traditional guest book often gets packed away after a wedding, seldom to be looked at again. It’s full of scribbled signatures, many of which you won’t be able to decipher in a couple years. It doesn’t capture your guests smiles, their voice or their emotions in celebrating your wedding day!

Instead of a traditional guestbook, now imagine capturing your guests’ candid moments, memories & thoughts on video – a Video Guest Book – by allowing guests to choose when to approach your guest book booth at any time in the evening. With the click of a button they can start recording onto the computer. When your guests are done, they can save it, re-record it or scrap it!

As soon as you’ve stolen away to your hotel room, you can instantly relive the day through what your guests share with you. You can instantly watch the professional video clips in private together, or share at your gift opening the next day! Your video is personalized with your wedding details and colors, and easily integrates to share on websites, youtube or through email.

Why have a traditional guestbook, when you can capture your guests’ smiles and tears and voice on your own personal video guest book?

This is as easy as 1-2-3 !
1. Pick a template to personalize with your names & wedding date – confirm your booking for either a DIY version or full service package
2. Set up your computer guest book at your reception
3. Have your MC encourage guests throughout the night to share their thoughts, advice & memories at the computer station – that’s it! The video is yours to do with as you like!

Just take a look at some of the wonderful themes available…

I’d love to share with you how fun and easy it is to collect your guests’ most personal sentiments on your wedding day. Let it become a family heirloom, a collection of generations of voices, smiles and warm thoughts.

{Special offer for you}
Leave a comment in this post & receive a $50 discount coupon towards any bookings of a DIY personalized video guestbook made before March 31/10 for 2010 wedding dates! Our DIY self package can be delivered to you anywhere in the world – all via a convenient download! Be sure you include your email address on the form so I can sent you the gift certificate!

Jolyn | Luxury Wedding Planner
Nuance Occasions
780.628.6457

PS. If you’ve hired a videographer, they can still integrate the clips into your final video too! But your guests can speak freely and come & share their thoughts whenever they are comfortable throughout the night!

source : Just Jared

The wedding of Bachelor Jason to his final rose choice Molly, took place at Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes in California.

The actual wedding took place on February 27, but was finally aired tonight as a 2 hour ABC special.

Of course, I absolutely loved Molly’s wedding gown – a design of Monique Lhuillier. I can’t wait to see more detailed shots of the wedding gown to be released over the next couple days – but I’ve heard rumors it’s in the $45,000 range.

Of course, I’m sure many enjoyed the music of American Idol Jason Castro as he played ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ – he really does have a heavenly voice! The rainbow that ensued after the vows couldn’t have been more perfect – thank you mother nature!

One of the exciting parts of the show for me, was seeing the linens created by Wildflower Linens. The unique linens were created by Youngsong of Wildflower Linens – I’m actually going to San Francisco next week to the Wildflower Linen studio to get a behind the scenes tour of their wonderful products (which we can even import here for Edmonton weddings!) You’ll have to watch my blog for the feature we’ll share after our trip!

Besides all the obvious product placement throughout the wedding – I was astonished that there wasn’t a rain plan for this high end celebrity wedding.

  

I can honestly say we’ve never planned an outdoor wedding that didn’t have at least a couple different contingency plans associated with it.

Secretly, I’m sure the planner had a contingency plan, but the show producers may have wanted to create all the drama associated with keeping with the outdoor wedding…sigh, gotta love prime time TV!

One little tidbit I want to share with all engaged couples – when you are the subject of a toast (ie. toast the bride or couple), you don’t raise your glass and toast, it’s against etiquette. I try to coach all my couples about this prior to their wedding (because really, how often in your life are you a source of a toast), but obviously our Bachelor couple didn’t get that same advice!

So tell me, what did you love or what did you hate about Jason & Molly’s wedding if you watched it?

Jolyn | Luxury Wedding Planner
Nuance Occasions
780.628.6457

Each venue and caterer has very different policies surrounding tastings, so you’ll want to be sure to check with your venue or caterer in advance about what their policy is.

Generally, tastings are only offered for plated menu service – sorry, if you are choosing a buffet option, tastings aren’t offered because it’s impossible to prepare small portions of each of the varied items for an appropriate tasting.

Tastings are usually offered within the 3 months prior to your wedding – close enough to ensure you can choose from the current menu, but still enough time to make changes or substitutions in your final menu.

Chocolate Mousse at Fairmont Newport, California - during ABC Wedding Planner Conference 2008

Here’s a couple tips to ensure you get the most of your tasting session:

• Schedule in Advance. Schedule your tasting a couple weeks in advance, to ensure your chef has time to order ingredients that may not be standardly in their kitchen (such as fresh seafood or unique dessert ingredients).
• Give Chef Some Freedom. Although you’ll pick the main entrees, allow chef to recommend the best seasonal vegetables and starch to be paired with each dish
• Share your thoughts. Be sure to share with the chef any of your thoughts (too much sauce, would prefer a different presentation, etc) but keep in mind your guests may not share the same opinion. Your ultimate goal is to select a menu you’ll love, but will also be widely accepted by your guests.
• Seek Professional Guidance. If you love all the options and can’t decide which salad to serve, ask your Chef for recommendations about what will pair well with the rest of your meal selections. Don’t hesitate to ask your Chef for their wine recommendation for your meal pairing as well.
• Enjoy the experience. Enjoy becoming familiar with the taste, smell, visual presentation and personal care and attention your Chef will put into helping you plan the most perfect wedding meal.

You don’t want to rush yourself – so make sure you plan to spend approx. 2-3 hours at your venue meal tasting. Take notes, and while your meal is still fresh in your mind, make your final menu selections and pass them along to your venue or catering coordinator.

My couples love the menu tasting when it comes along on their planning tasks to complete. I hope you have the same experience at yours!

Jolyn | Luxury Wedding Planner
Nuance Occasions
780.628.6457

One of my new favorites is Washi Paper Tape – so far the best selection is from happytape.com

This patterned paper tape can be used to accent your stationery, favor boxes, and so much more!

{source : happytape.com}

Watch for us to post some easy projects we’re helping our couples with in upcoming wedding features. Be sure to check out the HappyTape blog for even more inspiration!

Share with us how you’d incorporate the Washi Paper Tape into your DIY wedding projects in the comments below.

Jolyn | Luxury Wedding Planner
Nuance Occasions
780.628.6457

Ambient lighting is about creating a mood, an atmosphere and evoking emotion from your guests.

One of the basic lighting principles ‘uplighting’ is a creative solution to add additional atmosphere to your wedding day decor design.

Uplighting is simply adding light from the floor, splashed ‘up’ a wall around the perimeter of the room. How many lights, what type of lights fixtures, what colors and what electrical requirements you need, make uplighting an element that requires skillful planning and design!

Check out these two photos of the same ballroom, but each with different colored uplighting – feel how the change in color, changes the feel of the reception room.

Our wedding planning team loves learning new lighting design and technology! Our entire team is learning how different lighting techniques can enhance our couples’ wedding day decor. When planning your wedding day decor, don’t overlook the lighting of your reception room to complement your wedding day decor.

Want to know the most popular uplighting color? It’s amber!
When you meet with me, I’ll tell you why it could be the color for your wedding uplighting!

Share with me what colors you’d choose to uplight your reception room with, in the comments section below!

Jolyn | Luxury Wedding Planner
Nuance Occasions
780.628.6457

You’ve been asked to be the wedding MC – how exciting! Did you know the Master of Ceremonies sets the tone for the entire event?

Honour the bride and groom by learning the responsibilities of an MC, ensuring their wedding reception runs smoothly. This interactive session is filled with tips and advice on how to properly coordinate speakers and the various evening events. Develop presentation skills that will last you a lifetime.

We will discuss:

• Your responsibilities before and during the wedding reception
• Humour…what is and isn’t appropriate
• How to reduce your fear of public speaking
• Ideas on how to add fun and creativity in your role as MC
• Presentation and public speaking tips that will make you and the other speakers shine

Be a Wickely Wonderful Wedding MC
Saturday, May 8, 2010
9:00am – 3:00pm
#1, 9750-51 Avenue, Edmonton, AB
$99 if register before April 15
light lunch will be provided

Limited Registration
Contact Michelle at 780.918.6972 to register!

Michelle Devlin | Professional Speaking Consultant
Seriously Speaking
780.918.6972

As I began to watch the closing ceremonies, it rang true how very much an Olympic event director’s roles are similar to my role directing and managing your wedding day.

{photo credit : SportsFeatures.com}

In the opening ceremony, one of the arms to the Olympic cauldron didn’t lift into place because of unexpected hydraulic problems – but the event directors quickly moved to PLAN B and the show continued.

At the closing ceremonies, I snickered in delight, as the closing ceremony began by making fun of their technical difficulty – making light of what I’m sure was some moments of sheer panic in the opening ceremonies. Showing, above all else, that no matter what – the show must go on!

Our team approaches your wedding day in the same spirit as the Olympic event directors – diligently plan for all scenarios, but regardless of what happens, take everything in stride – since the show must go on!

Our team has seen power outages at a reception, torrential downpours at our outdoor weddings, vendors not showing up, and even medical emergencies! Our role is to manage the timeline and flow, and if anything unexpected comes up – to quickly & quietly deal with it – as much behind the scenes as possible, so everything flows smoothly for everyone involved!

Planning is your best defense, but even the best laid plans may require a PLAN B to be implemented – if you have to implement a PLAN B at your wedding, remember the Olympic event directors – carry on, take it in stride, and try to make light of what may not be going exactly how you want it to be.

Our contingency plans may not equal those of the Olympic committee – but our wedding coordinators work just as diligently to manage your wedding day logistics and help you flawlessly carry through your ideas & celebration!

I applaud the Olympic event directors and volunteers that worked so diligently to coordinate an event of majestic magnitude! Their teamwork was evident in many ways & our team recognizes all the hard work that went into doing their job over the last 17 days! Canadians everywhere should be so very proud!

Jolyn | Luxury Wedding Planner
Nuance Occasions
780.628.6457