Terrific Templates!

Photographic Scavenger Hunt Card for the kiddies from Martha Stewart

Placecards from Martha Stewart

Sparkler Holders and MatchBox Wraps from Twig and Thistle on Style Me Pretty

Favour boxes from Twig and Thistle on Style Me Pretty

Vintage Save the Date on Wedding Chicks

Printable treat bags on iDiy

Apocathy Labels and more on iDiy

Green Templates from ELuckyMe

I guess you could say I'm sort of a paper princess. I love love love pretty papers and printed materials. I think they are THE best thing you will do for your wedding/shower/party, as they make the biggest impact for the smallest investment. There are loads and loads of free templates on the web, and with a little customization and a trip to Kinko's you pretty much have an insta-party. I've rounded up some of my favourite templates for you, and in case you're wondering what they can be used for- well let's just say pretty much anything. Want a list? I thought so. Here it goes:

~Save the Dates

~Invitations

~Thank You cards

~Favour Labels

~Favour Tags (Yes, these are different than labels! Labels are usally attached, tags hang off a ribbon)

~Napkin Wraps

~Candle Wraps

~Cupcake Wraps

~Signs: Welcome, Candy Buffet, Washrooms, Just Married

~Programs

~Menus

~Place Cards

~Escort Cards

~Guest Book

~Fans

~Colouring Books

Those are just a few, but I'm sure you can think of more ways to use your templates! Just one word of caution- as magical and wonderful as it all may seem, DIY templates do take a lot of time to customize, print, cut, and assemble, so a word to the wise: only DIY a select number of projects and what you don't have the time or creativity for, leave to the professionals ;)

Colour Fabulousness! Real Wedding and Dessert Table

Is it bad that I'm craving M&M's for breakfast?

I started off my morning falling in love with Jade's incredible dessert table spread worthy of the legendary Amy Atlas. Jade was a DIY bee on Wedding Bee and has since started her own DIY website that you can drool over here. She really actually did this dessert table all DIY style, making the cupcakes, petit fours and cake pops (courtesy of another of my faves Bakerella) the DAY BEFORE her own wedding. A little crazy, but she pulled it off!

I absolutely love the vibrant colours, and although I'm usually a fan of the more muted colour combinations for weddings, I think that Jade definitely pulled it off and her wedding is a great example of how to "do colour" effectively. I still can't quite get over how gorgeous the petit fours are either. The detail and design varieties are amazing!

Photography: Scott and Tem

Butterfly Photography Promotion!

I recently made friends with some great Vancouver wedding photographers at a recent wedding. I was very impressed with their photos and professionalism, and I am thoroughly looking forward to the day we will once again work together!

That is why I am excited to announce this promotion to you! Any brides who have booked (or are planning to book) wedding planning or day-of co-ordination with Hello Bella will receive $100 off their photography package with Butterfly Photography. This is a great deal considering they already have stellar prices!

Click here to find the promotion link on Wedding Wire, and visit their website www.butterflyphotography.ca to check out their packages and portfolio!

August Invitation Inspiration and Etsy Tuesdays

All invitations design credit: Enfin La Voila

Yes, I know, I already posted on invitations last month, but I just love stationary so much that I cannot stop! I have decided to post a monthly feature on my favourite paperie of the month, because I truly believe that your stationary helps set the tone for your wedding and really helps when narrowing down colour schemes and themes. It's also "etsy Tuesday" so I get to kill two birds with one stone!

This month I am IN LOVE with designer Marijke Janssens of Enfin La Voila out of Belgium. Her designs are so unique, so creative, so vintage, so classic, so completely and utterly amazing that it's so hard to stop saying "So". Ok, I'll stop, but hopefully you get the point how truly enamored I am with these designs (hint hint Mom- stationary set for Christmas please?)

I was introduced to Enfin La Voila by an etsy-addicted friend (sorry M, you know you are!) after she ordered a sample set of the peonie suite (pictured top). I was blown away by how gorgeous the samples were- the colours, the design, the shimmery paper. For a second I contemplated getting married again just so I could use her stationary, but I quickly shook my head and realized that's not a good reason to dump my husband whom I adore (hmm, I'm thinking baby announcements instead?).

Anyhoo, if you don't believe me or the truly stunning pictures you see before your eyes, you can order a complete sample suite for about $5 plus s/h. I'm not going to lie, these invites will cost you a very pretty penny, so if you don't have a large amount allocated to your stationary, then maybe don't order the sample because it just might make you a teensy weensy bit depressed. You CAN, however, take the gorgeous vintage detailing and burst of colours and use these invites as inspiration for your own stationary or wedding theme (inspiration is always free!)

A Granville Island Wedding

Photo: Butterfly Photography

Photo: Butterfly Photography

Photo: Butterfly Photography

Photo: Butterfly Photography

Photo: Butterfly Photography

Back in July I co-ordinated a very intimate and romantic wedding at one of Vancouver's great wedding venues. Bridges Restaurant on Granville Island comes highly recommended by me for any couple seeking out a first class venue with great food in the heart of one of Vancouver's most treasured destinations.

On top of a perfect reception room, great food and top-notch service, the view from Bridges is AMAZING. Stunning. Incredible. And this wedding in particular completely lucked out and was spoiled by a freak summer lightning storm that resulted in some of the most crazy gorgeous skies I have ever seen. Once the incredible sunset laid itself to rest, the already impressed guests were treated to the Vancouver firework spectacular! The majority of guests were not from Canada (US and UK family/friends) so it was especially wonderful for all those that travelled to our beautiful city.

The bride and groom were some of the kindest people I have yet to meet, and the wedding reflected their genuine and down to earth nature. The food was beyond spectacular, the guests had a blast, and the night was full of laughter and fun. The couple danced their first dance to Jet's "Are you Gonne Be My Girl", which coincidentally is the song that was playing when I met my husband at a Jet concert!

Lastly, nothing fulfills me more than making new connections with other truly amazing wedding vendors. I had the opportunity to work side by side with Martin and Rosaline of Butterfly Photography, and I can't thank the bride enough for hiring this talented couple so that I was able to watch them work their wonders! They were so much fun to work with, and their passion for their craft is evident in every photo. Their pictures are stunning, their demeanor is fun and professional, and unlike most pro photogs out there, they won't break the bank! You might want to book these two while you can, because they won't be able to keep their rates this low for long! Check them out at www.butterflyphotography.ca.

All photos above are courtesy of Butterfly Photography www.butterflyphotography.ca.

For the love of the bird cage...

photos courtesy of Melanie Johnson Photography

Above credit: mclellan studio, sarah k chen, leigh miller, jessica claire

Above and below, credit: John & Joseph Photography

photos courtesy of Melanie Johnson Photography

Who can resist the undeniable allure of the bird cage veil? It's vintage and sexy, it's classic and flirty, and it looks pretty darn amazing when photographed.

Bird cage veils aren't just for the bride, however! They come in many colours and definitely make a fashion statement when paired with a pretty cocktail dress. So, if you don't plan on wearing a bird cage veil for your wedding, why not don one for your engagement party, shower, or rehearsal?

If you're planning a bachelorette party, have all of the girls and bridesmaids wear a black bird cage and give a white one to the bride-to-be. La Vie en Rose currently has some very similar versions to the ones above in black or white for $12.95. At that price, you can buy one just to wear while doing the dishes!

Oh how I heart pink and grey!

Source: Weddings and the City

Photo credit: Amy Squires

Below: TopMax ruffle dress, Romeo & Juliet Couture Flapper Style dress.

Nothing quite gets my heart racing like a pretty pink and grey wedding. I'm not going to lie, if I could choose my wedding colours all over again, this is what I would do. I love how it so elegantly fuses the masculine and feminine, the industrial and the delicate. Grey may have been dubbed the new neutral, but it will forever be a favourite of mine, regardless of passing trends. It is charming yet practical(really, what bridesmaid wouldn't LOVE you for selecting one of these gorgeous dresses above that they definitely WILL wear again), and it pairs so perfectly with any shade of pink. I think the colours make for a gorgeous combo, and best of all they showcase your wedding without over-doing it (no orange, fuschia, purple and teal weddings for me!)