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Thanksgiving Comes Early

Posted June 14th, 2010 | 9:00 am | By Emily Wood | 64 Comments

As I write my last post in the competition, I can’t quite believe it’s drawing to a close so quickly. It seems like just yesterday when, one rainy September afternoon, I found out I was a semi-finalist, and a few weeks later (thanks to your awesomeness), a finalist! My blogging journey has FLOWN by, and I’ve had a blast reading about the other ladies’ journeys, sharing nerdy DIY projects, dance experiments, scouting out winter armour outerwear and dumping eggs all over my head for the Internet’s viewing pleasure. It’s been AWESOME, and I have to thank everyone who’s shown their support with kind words, e-mails, and comments (even hopping over to my personal blog!).

In keeping with the theme of gratitude, I thought as I bid you all farewell, I’d take a moment to reflect on everything for which I’m thankful during our engagement. In wedding planning, there are naturally ups and downs, and it’s easy to panic when things don’t go quite according to plan. So with everything wedding-related, I’m trying to adopt the same attitude I do with life’s curveballs: take a moment to count the blessings, and it’s amazing how hiccups can quickly turn around. Read the rest of this entry »

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Something Cold, Something Blue

Posted May 31st, 2010 | 9:00 am | By Emily Wood | 50 Comments

So far in our wedding plans, David and I haven’t really encountered too many challenges. Well, other than losing half the wedding party and my dress disappearing along with the retailer – but that’s all part of the fun, right? Though we’ve become hooked on Say Yes to the Dress as well as Rich Bride, Poor Bride (don’t tell, but I may have received a text message now and then making sure I set the PVR!), the thing that’s surprised me the most is the lack of drama that seems to go along with wedding planning on these shows. But that’s not to say there isn’t one teensy issue proving a little difficult: the whole ‘winter’ thing.

At the beginning of my blogging journey here, one of the big issues was finding outerwear for the wedding party, which proved quite the challenge. You were all rock stars in helping me out – and a HUGE thank you must be said for all the comments (and e-mails, with more online shopping options than I could shake a credit card at)! Outerwear for us has since been located – we found perfect coats (at Superstore of all places!), but that’s not where the challenge ended. We have guests to keep warm! One of the biggest things we want to ensure in this winter wedding is everyone’s comfort. Read the rest of this entry »

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Let’s Face the Music…and (TRY to) Dance

Posted May 17th, 2010 | 8:30 am | By Emily Wood | 57 Comments

So far in my blogging journey, I’d like to think you’ve been able to get to know me pretty well. In that I’m terrified of the cold (yet having a wedding in the dead of winter), I’m a DIY enthusiast, willing to dump eggs all over my head, dress up as a medieval princess, an eternal optimist, proudly English, poor, and maybe slightly too much of a nerd. (Nice to meet you!) But aside from all that, one of the things I’m most passionate about in life is music.

We’re really trying to incorporate fun, personality, and things that really are meaningful for us into our wedding. Short of hiring a kitten-shaped tux and training our little cat on the concept of “straight line,” I think we’re doing quite well! Music is a big part of both our lives, so naturally this was an area in which we could have a little fun.

Our ceremony will be at David’s church. Traditionally Roman Catholic, there are certain restrictions on the sort of music that can be played. Let’s just say my dreams of walking down the aisle to the Star Trek: TNG theme have gone firmly out the window. Luckily, David plays in the church band with one of the city’s best local musicians, part of a duo who are kindly going to sing at the ceremony. He’s wonderfully talented, fun, and down to earth, and I can’t wait to hear them perform! Read the rest of this entry »

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The Recessionista Bride’s DIY Guide

Posted May 3rd, 2010 | 8:30 am | By Emily Wood | 64 Comments

It’s a pretty safe bet to say that we’re far from having the biggest wedding budget in the world. So when times are tight, what better way to save money (and have far too much fun!) than to attempt many brides’ favourite thing: DIY projects! I know I’ve been talking about my über-nerdy cake toppers for a while, but they’re not the only thing we’re doing ourselves. We’re also making our invitations, and centrepieces too. So without further ado, I bring you my DIY Guide for the Recessionista Bride! Read the rest of this entry »

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The Backup Plans’ Call to Action

Posted April 19th, 2010 | 8:00 am | By Emily Wood | 55 Comments

Through talking to many brides post-wedding, it really hit me how important it is, no matter how big or small the task, to have a backup plan. I’ve heard countless times that something will undoubtedly go wrong, no matter how much attention to detail is paid—but I also know that whatever happens, we’ll still end up laughing about it (eventually!), and it’ll make for a great story. Hopefully!

I didn’t realize that the idea would be put to the test so soon: since the last time I wrote, the retailer of my unfinished dress went out of business; the veil I’d ordered (that looked so lovely on the internet) arrived—stiff, cheap-looking and larger than life; all my bridesmaids dropped out of the wedding party, along with our reception MC, and we realized our reception tables were smaller than anticipated—leaving us 12 centrepieces short! So, what did we do? Started working on Plan B!

The Dress

It’s not often I’ll consider myself lucky to public transit every day, but in this instance, it really worked in my favour. My route home from work includes a trip past the store where I’d bought my dress—which now has “For Lease” signs all over it. David and I had been watching an awful lot of Say Yes to the Dress recently (don’t tell anyone!), and I’d been questioning my dress more and more—it was cheap, it was off the rack, and it was grubby from handling and missing a significant amount of beading. He told me he wanted me to really love my dress, “like they do on the show!” and that I should take this opportunity to go look at some other ones. So I humoured him. And found my dream dress! It’s infinitely more beautiful, more flattering, and completely different from anything I would’ve imagined picking—but I am in LOVE with it. And I even got $100 off because the saleslady liked me! Read the rest of this entry »

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My Big Fat British French-Canadian Anglo-Catholic Wedding

Posted April 5th, 2010 | 8:30 am | By Emily Wood | 42 Comments

Some of you may remember from my first post that I actually grew up in England. My family moved to Canada 10 years ago (I can’t believe it’s gone so quickly!), and though I love Canada dearly (the country that brought me into adulthood, taught me many valuable lessons, and, most importantly, brought me my true love!), I’ve always stayed true to my British roots. I don’t think a day goes by without us both watching EastEnders or listening to BBC radio in the house! David, however, is Canadian through and through. More specifically, French-Canadian. He was raised speaking dual languages, and since we’ve been together, I’ve learned lots about his family’s culture and traditions. We’d really like to incorporate elements from both sides throughout the day, and have the ceremony itself a fusion of not only our cultures, but of our different spiritual backgrounds, too. Read the rest of this entry »

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Vibrating Gadgets, Pronged Gloves and Egg on my Head

Posted March 15th, 2010 | 9:00 am | By Emily Wood | 62 Comments

…and who said wedding planning was not fun? I’ve had a love-hate relationship with my hair my entire life: it’s frizzy and unruly, and though a straightening iron may mask my secret Cyndi Lauper-esque identity, it sadly also contributes to fragile, breakable ends—making the dream of long, romantic waves for the wedding seemingly unattainable. Thanks to all your suggestions (thank you!), I’ve decided on a down-do. I feel far more comfortable with my hair down, plus it’ll cover my tattoos! But the clock is ticking—I have a matter of months in which to get my hair strong enough to keep growing past my shoulders, and stop breaking off in pieces all over the bathroom sink.

I’ve read up on my options, and after being told extensions may cost between $500 and $1,000 (!), decided the only way to do this is to try everything. Read the rest of this entry »

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Capturing our Hearts

Posted March 1st, 2010 | 10:40 am | By Emily Wood | 60 Comments

Photography courtesy Mike Latschislaw.

Various wedding magazines, TV shows and Weddingbells’ most recent Reader Survey informed me that the average cost to get married these days is around $20,000. As much of a dream as it would be to have that sort of money to spend, the reality for many couples, David and I included, is that we simply can’t afford it. Which is fine—the most important thing to us is having our closest family and friends share in the day we celebrate our love and commitment to each other, regardless of the lavishness of the decorations, or the poofiness of my dress! Cutting down on costs has led to many outside-the-box thinking sessions and DIY projects—watch this space!—but we decided the most important thing to actually spend money on was photography. Read the rest of this entry »