Photographer: DONE!

Ah, exciting news -- we've found a photographer and we are very happy! We found him via Flickr, where there is a seemingly endless supply of talented photographers to be found, if anyone reading this is looking for a photographer.

By entering the search words "toronto wedding photographer," we stumbled upon a group called "Canadian Wedding Photographers." Wow. Lots of good stuff to see there.

The photographer we decided on is Kevin Lam Photography. Takes great photos, seems like a stand-up guy, came with lots of great references. Win-win-win. You can click on that link to see his blog/portfolio. Just think... in just a little over 7 months, we'll be the couple on the front page. Wow!

And a lucky sixpence for your shoe

We all know the following part of the rhyme:

Something old,
Something new,
Something borrowed,
Something blue

There is apparently a final verse to this little poem: "and a lucky sixpence for your shoe." Leave it to my cute little mother to have a sixpence for my shoe that she's been saving for my wedding day:


Not sure how long I'll be able to comfortably wear that -- for the ceremony, at least. After that, I may have to remove the sixpence for comfort's sake.

There are more details on the back of the card:


She also lent me a diamond stud earring to wear in one of my upper earring holes, so I've got "Something borrowed" covered. That just leaves something blue -- I'm thinking blue toenail polish. ;)
-kelly

Wedding crafts: Bouquet

As I mentioned in this post, I am planning to make my own bouquet. One thing that I stumbled upon that was especially intriguing were the twisty bits featured in this bouquet, posted by Flickr user Little Chrince.

I contacted her to ask what the twisty bits were. She didn't know, but she had bought them locally. So she went and got some and send them to me. Yay! In exchange, I made her a bunch of polka dot buttons. Win-win. I love the internet!

So here is the lovely base for my bouquet:


Stay tuned as flowers develop...
-kelly

Earrings: Done!

Yup -- it's two girly posts in a row. What can I say? It's a wedding. ;)

When I was in Ohio, my mom gave me the perfect earrings to wear. They were a gift to her from my paternal grandfather before I was born. He's been gone since 1987, so it's nice to have a little piece of the past with me on my wedding day.

These should qualify for "Something Old" as my mom has had them for over 35 years. That's old enough, right?

Don't know if you can tell from the photo, but the stones are rubies. It's as though my grandfather knew all those years ago that I would be choosing red and white for my wedding colors. They're perfect!

I just need to get them made from clip-ons to pierced earrings -- don't want to worry about losing an earring/family heirloom on my wedding day!
-kelly

Dress and veil: Done!

Warning: Super Girly Content follows... If you're not looking for the squeal-inducing details of our event, just skip on over this post. If you are, read on!

I went to Cleveland two weeks ago to try on wedding dresses. My mom is awesome and generously offered to buy my dress and veil for me and I have good news to report: I found one! And it's gorgeous! Yay!

My best woman Jenny joined us, so it was a full-on Total Girl Event -- we even brought some sort of pink mixed drinks in little airline bottles into the dressing room with us. (Go, Mom!)

While it was unnerving to try on dresses (I'm pale, the dresses are gigantic, and some of them were downright hideous), I am really excited about the one that I chose -- it's absolutely beautiful and I am so excited to wear it in less than eight (!!!) short months from now.

I won't post photos of the dress, but you can email me if you're dying to see it ahead of time and I'll send you a link. I will post this photo of my awesome tiara:

(Click to see a larger version.)

I'm really happy with it. It's so lovely! I just want to wear it All. The. Time. Whee!

Several people have asked how I'm wearing my hair, and I think I'm just going to have it pulled back in front with curls down my back (it's really long now -- so weird!) Kind of like this chick here, but my hair is longer. My veil is gorgeous and has a small edging of tiny pearls around it. It's really something. (Thanks again, Mom!)

And this ends the Super Girly Entry in our Wedding Blog.
-kelly

Our trip to the Hockey Hall of Fame

Well, our little wedding blog has been languishing, hasn't it? That's not to say wedding stuff hasn't been happening... we just haven't been reporting it. So now's our chance to catch up!

We went to visit the Hockey Hall of Fame in September (wow -- that long ago, already?! Time flies!) and it was AWESOME. The building is spectacular and the liaison we'll be working with is a great guy. If we weren't already excited before, this made us even more excited.

We didn't get a ton of great photos (excitement = camera shake), but here is a general idea of the place...

Here is the "front" door of the building. It's on the corner of Yonge and Front streets and is usually closed to the public, but it will be open for our event, which is fantastic:

(Click on any of these photos to see them larger.)

When you go through that door, you enter the room with the Stanley Cup (called the Great Hall), which is where we will be getting married. Whee! Check out the Cup:


There is a beautiful stained glass domed ceiling in that room. This photo does not do it justice -- it's really incredible:


This one is an even worse photo of the glass, but you get a better idea of the gorgeous ceiling:


After we get married in the Great Hall, the reception will continue down into the rest of the Hall of Fame. As we wandered through the place, discussing our "event" with the liaison, we kept getting distracted by all of the amazing things to see. Here are a few highlights...

(You can follow along on this map -- we'll get married at #12.)

There is an area called the NHL Zone (area #2 on that map) where we'll have hors d'oeuvres after the ceremony and a toast following the picture taking. There will be an iPod set up in this area for anyone interested in dancing. They'll move those displays out of the way, so it's just a big slate floor:


For the Wings fan in our lives [you know who you are], we took this photo. For your sake, we hope they win it again in 2009, so you can see a Wings-decorated HHOF!


For our friend who is a Canadiens fan, we took this photo -- it's the complete Canadiens locker room and, um, it's really flipping cool (sorry for the blurry photo -- you can get a better one at our wedding!):


There are super fun things to do at the HHOF, including interactive games (#6 and #8 on the map). It was too dark to get good shots of it, but here are a couple. You get to be the goalie:


Or you can defend against a goalie:

(Bill tried his hand against Ed Belfour but the photos came out even blurrier than these.)

If you're interested, you can see way better photos of the Hockey Hall of Fame right here.

We're so excited!

What a difference eight years make

I still have the dress I wore as Maid of Honor for Jenny's wedding (Hi, Jenny!) and I got it out the other day thinking I could maybe use some of the fabrics from it for flower fodder. Not only is it red, but I thought it would be sweet to incorporate something from her wedding into my wedding. (Awww...)

Of course, I've gained weight over the last eight years, so I thought, "Haha. Let's see how far I've come..." and I put that dress on my dressform (which is my current size).

From the front, lookin' all right:


Now let's turn that bad boy around...


Whoops.

I actually tried the dress on my body and when Bill saw that it wasn't zipped up in back, he said, "Oh, do you want me to zip it up?" What a sweetheart. He didn't realize that it actually could not be zipped up. It's way too small for me now -- the photos don't show it, but I couldn't sit down without busting a seam.

Even if I cut up parts of the dress, I think I'll keep the main body intact so that I can try it on as our wedding grows closer and the pounds come off (I'm already down 14 lbs. from my maximum weight, so there has been progress). That way, I can see some visible results as the gap between the zipper narrows.

As I recall, I lost weight to fit into this dress in 2000. I'm not sure if I can return to that particular weight (I was under 30 then, after all) but it's good to have goals. :)
-kelly

Bouquet inspirations

I don't know why, but the idea of using an alternative to real flowers for my bouquet popped into my head a few weeks ago. Maybe it's because I'm not a huge fan of plants. Or maybe it's because I am too crafty for my own good. (Ya think?) Whatever the reason, I am excited by what I've found and I just have to share.

At first I thought of knitted flowers, but they're usually kind of heavy looking and I don't want anything too straight-outta-the-70s-macrame-style.

So I went poking around Flickr and the first amazing bouquet I found was this all-button bouquet by lilfishstudios:

(Flickr link to that photo right here.)

I was stunned -- this is gorgeous! My only problem is that I think it would be a little small. I have not picked out my specific dress yet, but I do have one in mind and... let's just say that it's not a small dress. I think it needs a slightly bigger bouquet.

So, armed with the idea of button bouquets, I poked around Flickr some more and found this treat from Little Chrince:

(Flickr link to that photo right here.)

Two things I especially love about that are the swirly bits (I have no idea what that is -- I asked Little Chrince and she said, "I bought that at a home decorating store. I'm not exactly sure what they are. It's like a plastic strip and then it's dipped into a gluey substance. Then when it's dried, it's bendable. The lady who owns the store makes the materials herself." Anyone have any idea what that is?)

And I also love her awesome felt flower, which adds more volume to the bouquet:

(Flickr link to that photo right here.)

Once the idea of felt flowers had been planted (har har), I kept poking around Flickr. And wow did I find the jackpot of loveliness with the amazing creations of Miss_Violonjello. Just look at this bouquet:

(Flickr link to that photo right here.)

I am so impressed by her gorgeous work! Behold the stitching on this lovely flower:

(Flickr link to that photo right here.)

(That bouquet is for sale here and the lovely flower pin is right here in her Etsy shop. Go on over there and drool over her amazing craftsmanship. Beautiful!)

So after I had the idea of button flowers and felt flowers, I thought of perhaps making a generally crafty bouquet and poked around for other kinds of flowers I could make. And I found some!

There are these lovelies made from organza by latarnia_morska -- she has a tutorial on her lovely blog House of Art right here:

(Flickr link here.)

And look at these fantastic little fabric flowers by the crafty goddess wisecraft, who also offers this great tutorial here:

(Flickr link here.)

While poking around for handmade flowers, I found some beautiful work by Pavoreal. I think I could make some "stems" using a technique like she uses for her hairvines -- sort of like a faux baby's breath to add a little bit o' something:

(Flickr link here).

(She also has an Etsy shop where she sells her beautiful wares. She's on vacation right now, but she's definitely one to watch -- her creations are really breathtaking.)

Of course, now that my brain is teeming with ideas, I will definitely have to edit. Again, I don't want this thing looking too heavy -- no need to be carrying a knitting basket down the aisle.

Or why don't I just buy real flowers, right? Nah... this is too much fun!
-kelly

Mmm... cupcakes!

Despite having several people send us links to the Stanley Cup Cake on Ace of Cakes (video here -- it's quite a thing!), we're planning on going with cupcakes. Right now we're thinking half of them red velvet with white frosting and half white cake with red frosting. Mmm... cupcakes!

There are several cupcake shops in Toronto and we are gearing up to try a few when we are there in a few weeks. Since cupcakes are so popular right now, it's not too surprising that there are tons of cupcakery reviews available online, which is helping us to decide where to go.

Here is a three part series of really detailed reviews. Amazingly detailed. Like, wow.

Based on that series of reviews and other google-poking around, we've found a few places that are making red velvet cupcakes:

Yummy Stuff -- red velvet seems to be a specialty of theirs, they get good reviews, they deliver, and their cupcakes are gorgeous. This one seems to be first on our list right now.

Swirls -- Great reviews, they've got red velvet on the menu, but they're outside of Toronto, so we'll have to find out if they would deliver for us.

Sweet Bliss Baking Company -- This one does not list red velvet on the menu, but google indicates that they do it (and well). But we're not sure if they deliver.

Flour Studio -- This one gets amazing reviews, so we may just have to go there to eat a cupcake. Unfortunately, it's another one outside of Toronto (questionable delivery) and also they don't specifically list red velvet (they'll do "custom flavours").

So it looks like we'll have to do some calling around and make ourselves a little cupcake map of places that a) carry red velvet and b) deliver.

Meanwhile, if anyone else is looking for cupcakes in Toronto, here's a general cupcake map that someone else has made. Wow. That's a lot of cupcakes!

Red and White

After much searching and casting about over various color combinations, we've made a decision: Red and white!

The Canadian flag, classic Chuck Taylors, Detroit Red Wings, our Mini Cooper... seems like it's a winner for us.

And here's a little inspiration mosaic from other people's Flickr photos to get us all in the red and white mood:

1. Red powaaaaa 2. Captain Canada 3. Doll quilt
4. Peppermint sticks 5. Cherry tomatoes 6. My trusted buddies
7. History in Hockeytown 8. Love bites 9. Feeling patriotic?
10. Stand up 11. Rosso cherry 12. Extra red chili
(Mosaic created with fd's Flickr Toys.)

Bring on the red velvet cupcakes! Mmmm...

Oh, is that all?

Our friend Hollie recommended Martha Stewart's website as good source for a wedding checklist as we figure out all of the things we need to do in preparation for our nuptials.

So we went to the site and signed up and here's the screen that greeted us (this is a bit tiny and hard to read, so keep scrolling and it will be better explained...):


Although it's written in the smallest blue font on the page, this is the information that really jumped out at us:


Only 115, eh? Oh, is that all?

Wheeee!

Hockey Hall of Fame, here we come!

A few days after we got engaged, we had this brief conversation:

Kelly: So, where do you want to get married?
Bill: I dunno. The Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto?

And that, folks, is pretty much all it took to get the ball rolling. We went to their site and found out they do rent the place out. Also, that it is awesome and amazing and beautiful and fun. Sah-weet!

It took them awhile to get back to us, but they finally did and now we're ready to party! We're going there to check it out next month and seal the deal.

In the meantime, here's an fun little exercise:

Compare and contrast how Americans feel about Hockey vs. how Canadians feel about hockey, based in these images:

First one: Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
Second one: US Hockey Hall of Fame in Minnesota.

Hrrrrm.

Overwhelming bridal information

Immediately upon getting engaged, I succumbed to an urge at the Detroit airport: the urge to buy a wedding magazine. At first, I kind of poopooed the idea, but then I thought, "What the heck! I'm only a bride once!"

As I fondled the magazines, Bill had a look on his face like: "Nooooo."

The magazine I bought was called Brides, and, as far as I could tell, it was basically a glossy catalog of wedding dresses. Since we had not (and still have not) decided yet where and when we are going to get married, the glossy ads instilled in me a rising sense panic. When Bill woke up mid-flight, I was staring at him and gripping the arm rest: "Where are we gonna get married, huh? Where? Huh? Wherewherewherewhere?"

Bill, ever the calm fellow that he is, said to me, "Honey, put down that magazine." It was sound advice.

Soon after I got home, my good friend Shayne sent me a box of goodies that she promised me "are not just glossy catalogs of wedding dresses." [I hadn't even told her about my experience -- she's married, so she's been through it.]

And it's some good stuff! She gave me three magazines:


And loaned me three books for "as long as I need them":


These books have definitely infused the experience with the "fun" again, so I will try my best to stay away from panic-inducing bridal gown mags and focus on other magazines that have a bit more content.

Whee! Cause getting married is fun, right? Hell, yeah!
-kelly

Already accessorizing

We still have no idea where we are getting married (well... we've got some ideas, but nothing firm yet), but I'm already thinking ahead to the crafts I am going to make (of course!)

It's foolish to even be thinking about this because I haven't even decided on a dress yet, but I love this shrug from Knitty.

I wouldn't make it in white, though -- I'd make it in whatever color we choose for our "wedding colors." I've seen it in brown (for the bridesmaids) right here on craftster and I think it looks great.

Now I guess we need to figure out what our wedding colors are. Oh, yeah. And I need to find a dress. And, um, like a million other things. But, hey! I know what shrug I want to knit!
-kelly

The ring

Back in August 2006, Bill asked me, "So... if I ever did propose, what kind of ring would you want?" There was some discussion and a bit of back and forth about this via email.

Me: Well, I don't want to wear two rings for the rest of my life [my thought: one more thing to lose] so how about a big fun ring that I can wear later on my right hand?

Bill: Ok.

I waffled for a bit on what kind of stone to choose -- if you know me, you know I like big rings. Really big rings. Like "inappropriate to buy a diamond that size" big rings. So I was thinking of other jewels that I love and I thought of pearls.

Me: How about this one? (and I sent him a link)

Bill: Ok.

And then we never really discussed it again.

Almost two years later, Bill kept that link, bought that ring, and presented it to me in a surprise proposal:

(I had the worst time getting a good photo of my actual ring, so I took this photo from American Pearl. If you like pearls, check out that site -- lovely, lovely things.)

As hard as it is to get a photo of it on its own (Pearls are tricky! Who knew? It's luster, baby, luster!), it's even harder to get a good photo of it on my hand, but here's one that shows that it's, um, well, it's BIG:

I luuuurve it!

At some point in the next year or so, we'll need to pick my wedding band. Decisions, decisions. If you keep readin' along with this blog, you'll get a full Ring Report as it happens.

Meanwhile, we already have Bill's band, as he is going to wear his dad's. It has stood strong for over 40 years, so we're sure it's got at least another 40 in it.
-kelly

The proposal: Fireworks

It was July 3rd and there were fireworks overhead.
And then fireworks spilled out of Kelly's mouth...

Bill: How long has it been now? Five years?
Kelly: Yup. Five years this month...
Bill [getting down on one knee]: How about we make it official?
Kelly [totally and completely shocked]: Are you f'ing kidding me?!
(Except she didn't say "f'ing.")

(I apologize to anyone right now who is shocked and horrified, but that is what I said. I have a foul, foul mouth. I know, I know -- what a shame for such a lovely girl, blah, blah. What can I say? I'm gross. -kelly)

Bill: No! I am not kidding! Will you marry me?
Kelly: [suddenly the fact that Bill has a ring in his hand sinks in -- he's serious!] Of course! I would absolutely love to marry you!
Everybody: Awww!

Later on, Bill said, "Why on earth would I joke about such a thing?" So, to clarify: The question "Are you f'ing kidding me?!" really meant: "Why would you f'ing joke about this?!"