Photos
Hello! And Welcome..
This is our online wedding preparation journal. Tessa and I have decided to journal the events leading up to our wedding on October 22, 2011. Here we will post all our activities in regards to the wedding. Hope you enjoy!
Mint Photography Shoot (Sneak Peak)
Posted By Tessa on July 7, 2011
Check out a sneak peak from our Engagement Photo Shoot with Natalie from mint photogrpahy.
http://www.mintphotography.ca/blog/?p=1104
You did an amazing job Natalie! We love our photos and can’t wait till the wedding photos!!!!
“Engagement” Photo Shoot
Posted By Tessa on July 6, 2011
Wow, never been apart of a photo shoot before. It was really awesome and special. I am glad that Nathan and I were able to do it. I totally recommend every couple to do an outdoor photo session. It was lovely and romantic.
Our wedding photographer Natalie did an amazing job. Nathan was such a trooper! We shot for a little over an hour out in the country by the Meyer’s residents. I think they’ll turn out beautifully.
Can’t wait to see the results from our first photo shoot together! Will post them soon…
Expect the Unexpected
Posted By Tessa on June 1, 2011
I should’ve expected it. I had been warned.
The unexpected always comes up when planning a wedding. At least it happened now and not on the big day… but I guess we should expect something to go awry then too.
I’ve been told to expect for somethings to go wrong. Something will be misplaced. Something will break. Someone or something will be off schedule. You can’t plan for everything. This advice was by no means meant to be negative. Just wise motherly advice to expect the unexpected and to ignore it so that you can enjoy the wedding day.
Needless to say our wedding photographer cancelled. Which is ok. It wasn’t the end of the world. We survived and we did receive ample notice. Shortly after we sought out and booked another photographer, one referred by a friend, Mint Photography.
I think this little hiccup in our wedding planning was a good lesson for us. Now we will be more prepared and less stressed on our big day.
Reflective Preservations
Posted By Tessa on May 10, 2011
Memories ought to be cherished. Photographs and keepsakes capture these precious moments. In this digital age, too many of our memories are imprisoned to hard drives. Photo albums and framed pictures are becoming replaced by digital gadgets. It’s actually quite sad how society is slowly turning away from tangible keepsakes, photos and not to mention handwritten letters.
Our mothers and grandmothers did it right. Remember your baby book? You know the book your mom keeps under her bed that contains your announcement newspaper clippings and your tiny hospital bracelet. A baby book is the quintessential scrapbook everyone needs and every mother longs to create, well at least for their first child. Our memories need to be written down, kept and cherished.
Inspired by this apparition, I audaciously declared that I would create an engagement scrapbook for the wedding. Being that I am not an expert scrapbooker, I sadly underestimated the time and energy required to produce a book worthy for public display. I think I have 2 and a quarter pages worth done… which really means 1 page and 2 partially completed pages. The amount of time I’ve spent thus far on these couple pages is laughable but in my mind the results are fabulous. Luckily I have my mother-in-law’s help! Under her guidance I’m sure the pages will flourish in quantity as well as quality.
I never thought I’d love scrapbooking so much! Its a marvelous outlet for ones creativity which not only embodies ones artistic ability but ones memories. Photographs and keepsakes are made that more special when they are decoratively placed on a mosaic of clever nic-nacs glued to colourful stock paper.
Despite the fact I’ve barely finished a page in my engagement scrapbook… I already plan to design a wedding scrapbook. Then a baby scrapbook… or two, or three.
Scrapbooking is a serious art that should be embraced by my generation! I urge you to try this hobby and capture your memories before computers make this traditional art obsolete!
Unbridled Love and Marriage
Posted By Tessa on April 20, 2011
When one has found their soul mate nothing else matters. The preconceptions one once held, suddenly unravel and become less significant, they re-mold graciously to accommodate this new companion. So much so that we can loose sight of convictions we once held dear. These personal transformations can be positive or negative… they can transform and brand us forever.
Nathan and I were destined to be married, I knew from the second we reunited. He has brightened my life from the moment we first hugged, kissed and dined (not in that order, but close). Since his November proposal, we have been planning our wedding to the very last detail. But in our planning we were both sadly neglecting something… something ingrained in us since childhood. Nathan and I have been Christian’s since we both can remember. Christianity has been a prominent element in ours lives and in turn in our relationship with one another. It is a prominent component that we have been ignoring… Unbeknownst to some of our friends and our church, we have been living together for sometime now. A transgression resulting from our unbridled love for each other. But a transgression none-the-less.
Nathan and I respect Christian marriage.We have struggled to justify premarital cohabitation. We felt convicted to start our marriage off on the right foot. These convictions along with much deliberation with family and friends, have lead to our decision for a civil marriage ceremony.
On March 31, 2011 we shared private nuptials before God with our immediate family in attendance.
Our marriage ceremony at City Hall was more then we could ever ask for. Devoting ourselves to each other in front of family, in absence of the pressures a large ceremony can breed, was more representative of our love for each other and our respect for Gods will. We wouldn’t have had it any other way. I still cried at “we are gathered here today” and I will cry when it’s said again in October.
I love my husband and I love our marriage ceremony. Almost as much as I will love our public wedding celebration with our friends and family in October.
Nothing surpasses a simple marriage ceremony solely perpetuated by love. We had a glorious day…
Despite the fact that I worked in the morning and was experiencing anxiety over my miscalculated asymmetrical tresses. Which I might add, was alleviated by the arrival of flowers and loving note to the salon. An exemplary characteristic of Nathan’s more cavalier side. My cousin Rose acted as my personal make-up artist/stylist on this special day. I really can’t thank her enough! She succeeded in making a bride feel pampered on her big day. And to satisfy your curiosity, No I did not where a white dress, I wore a gorgeous navy blue dress to the ceremony. A handy-me-down from my Aunt Shannon, a complete remodel perfected by my seamstress Claudette.
In typical Nathan style, he arrived early to confirm our ceremony with the Justice of the Peace and attended to the arrival of our guests. Not in accordance with Nathan’s calculations, I arrived late to the ceremony (in the traditional bridal fashion) with my cousin / Maid of Honour Jen Martino at my side. (Technically she had to park the car first, but we’ll leave that out). Jen and Nathan’s brother Adam (the best man) acted as our witnesses. We truly appreciated their presence at our marriage ceremony.
Following the ceremony, we met together for the first time as an official family at McGinnis Landing, where we were delighted in the hospitality the restaurant provided. Immediately after dinner, Nathan and I drove to Niagara falls for Honeymoon number 1. Where we spent the remainder of the weekend. Nathan first surprised me with an upgraded honeymoon suite at the Imperial hotel on Clifton Hill. A romantic but nostalgic room reminiscent of the 70′s. Heart shaped tub and all. The next day Nathan amazed me again with a luxurious corner room suite at the Oaks Hotel complete with a gorgeous panoramic views of the falls. We had a romantic weekend visiting the casino, sampling the wineries, and driving along Niagara-on-the-lake. On our final night in Niagara we celebrated my birthday, first at the Skywheel followed by a romantic dinner viewing the falls at the Skyline tower.
Although we are formerly married we plan to complete Christian (pre-)marriage counseling and follow through with our wedding celebration in October. We are ecstatic for our wedding plans on October 22, 2011, where we will exchange our wedding vows and rings. We can’t wait to celebrate our love in front of all our friends and family. Autumn can’t come soon enough!
I am the luckiest girl in the world. Not only did I get to marry my best friend. I get to celebrate it twice for the rest of my life. I have two wedding anniversaries to celebrate! Not many girls are blessed with two wedding dresses, two wedding days and two honeymoons….
Delta Armouries – First Glance
Posted By Nathan on April 9, 2011
Today, Tessa and I, family and close friends got to see the Delta Armouries all decorated for a mock wedding. Everything was pretty much decorated the same as it would be for our wedding in October. Of course we would have different center pieces, and some different colors here and there. It really gave us a sense of how the room would look our our special day. We both loved it! Below is one picture of what it will look like.
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| From Drop Box |
Acute fashion frugality
Posted By Tessa on April 8, 2011
Acquiring a seamstress to create my bridesmaids dresses may sound expensive, a looming over-the-budget expense that will send my bridesmaids in a tizzy, but it’s been surprisingly reasonable.
While the wedding and formal dress market is characterized by current fashion trends and they’re accompanying criminal price tag, the cost of service for a talented seamstress provides opportunities for high-end quality without breaking the bank. Formal dresses purchased from bridal boutiques are massed produced. Their fabrics are not individually cut and the seams are not personally sewn by a top-notch seamstress. To top it off, the dresses have to be altered after purchasing and this can be quite costly.
As word has spread of my upcoming nuptials, I have heard ghastly tales of miss-ordered and misshapen gowns from bridal boutiques. By entrusting a seamstress to create my bridesmaids gowns, which are a copy from a formal line available in stores, I have not only bypassed costly mass production gowns… I am offering my bridesmaids a unique dress that is fitted to their personal taste and shape. Another benefit of deviating from bridal boutique purchases is that the final gown fittings are less than 3 weeks before the wedding. An unexpected bonus for those of us that plan to stop eating before the big day 
I must admit at first my bridesmaids and myself were a little apprehensive of acquiring a seamstress. The main worry was cost. The actual expenditure for the creation of the dresses was not our main concern. And being that she made my prom dress and my stepsister’s bridal party dresses, I was quite confident in my seamstresses Claudette’s ability. The ominous cost of the gown’s fabric is what loomed over all of us. That was until we ventured to Hamilton’s fabric district, ie. a whole block of competitively priced fabric stores, with my seamstress. Much to my surprise we saved over $150 shopping at The Textile Centre in Hamilton as compared to the stores in London. Despite the scandalous price of gas these days the drive to Hamilton was more than justified by the money we saved.
Generally it would be more expensive to have a wedding dress created for you. Wedding gown fabrics tend to be pricier than their bridesmaids counterparts. Designs are more complicated and timely. I would not necessarily recommend hiring a seamstress for a wedding dress. I bought my wedding dress from Sophie’s Gown Shoppe, which was sold to me a size too big…. apparently a purposeful trade mark error made by bridal boutiques. Needless to say I bought my gorgeous wedding gown from a store but my seamstress is altering it for a fraction of the cost. Not only did I cut my alteration cost in half, I can be rest assured that my gown is in safe hands.
A little word to the wise… never mention to a boutique that you are having a seamstress alter your dress and keep it stored at the boutique for as long as possible. To prevent buying the wrong dress and/or size I would recommend bringing your seamstress wedding gown shopping as a pseudo mother-in-law or Aunt. While in the moment of excitement from finding “the dress”I prematurely ordered my veil before consulting with my seamstress. Which turned out to be a costly mistake. If I’d been more patient I could have gotten a custom made veil for the fraction of the cost.
Little Addition
Posted By Tessa on February 20, 2011
Unbeknownst to most little girls, being a flower girl is a proud moment for any Mommy. It’s a welcomed moment to parade your little ones beauty and grace. A flower girls adds a certain innocence and purity to the ceremony. Nothing is sweeter than an angelic girl laying flower petals in introduction for the bride.
As a former flower girl, I vividly recall laughing on the chapel steps as the ring bearer played on the stairs during the ceremony. Although I was not the daintiest little girl ….. I do believe I fulfilled my role. The gorgeous custom dress disguised my tom boyish persona. I honestly think it was the first dress I’d ever worn. I do recall the luxurious limo ride but only because my brother was jealous. Thinking back on my Aunt Liz’s wedding confirmed my need to have my own flower girl at my wedding.
Lucky for us Nathan has an adorable niece named Emily. She captivates the very essence of little girl cuteness. Sarah and Adam thank you for letting me borrow your little one for our big day. We are both very excited to have her be apart of our wedding party!
How lucky we are to have a flower girl
who’s so cute in every way.
Someone who knows how to walk down an aisle
and steal everyone’s heart away.
So thank you for being our flower girl,
and helping to lead the way.
But thank you most of all for helping
to make ours a perfect wedding day.
Travel as in the aesthetic of lostness
Posted By Tessa on February 3, 2011
I don’t think I’m alone in the thought… “that a vacation would be more than just nice”. At this point I think a is vacation is mandatory. This boisterous winter we’ve had has set such a permanent chill in me that I don’t think I can wait till the spring.
My lips cannot wait another minute for that refreshing first sip from a real tropical drink made by a real tropical cabanna boy, who delivers it to me on a try… no make it a silver platter… laced with fried pineapple and coconut. This translucent complexion of mine is just dying for some direct sunlight, preferable reflected UV rays from the ocean. But any sunlight would do for that matter. My feet aren’t quite ready for sand… or public. I’m in desperate need of a pedicure (and a wax for that matter).
I can’t blame this desire solely on old man winter. I have honeymoon fever and my temperature is a rise’n. Not only do I find myself dreaming of my honeymoon nightly, but I find these thoughts are creeping into my daytime subconscious. My thoughts often drift off to long awaited beaches and sunsets. Walking on the sand, lying in the sand, picking the sand from my bum…. anything to do with warm toasty sand. I think you could get me to eat sand at this point my withdrawl is so bad.
Does every bride do this? Do we create such a chronic state of stress over our never ending strive for wedding day perfection that our bodies acquire an almost lustful longing for relaxation and sunshine. Or is this part of some arbitrary pre-all-inclusive-travel ritual that I am not aware of?
But alas our honeymoon is not even book yet…. so for now my mind is allowed to wander. Whether it be on the beaches of Dominican or the golf of Mexico… I truly don’t care, as long as I get to spend the first week of marriage lost in paradise with my one true love.
So for now I am left to dream aimlessly of my Utopian vacation… which in hindsight is too far away. People tell me the wedding, and in turn honeymoon, will come sooner than I think. But I’d have to say I’m ready now!
Dressmaker, Dressmaker make me a Dress
Posted By Tessa on January 10, 2011
The search for the inevitable bridesmaids dress. The historic dreaded task of finding the dress that both satisfies the brides vision and spares the bridal party.
After scouring through bridesmaids dress, after bridesmaids dress, I have come to the conclusion that the wedding market dictates that all bridesmaids should be wrapped in the most shiny unflattering satin imaginable. Since most wedding dresses are divine, I can only guess that designers are not to blame for this grave miscalculation in wedding fashion. So I have come to the conclusion that the selfish bride is to blame. The only logical explanation is that all brides since the beginning of time have chosen to outshine their bridal party by strategically forcing cruel and ungodly apparel upon them. Thus in turn, dictating the skewed wedding fashion market to focus solely on the bride.
Don’t get me wrong I am still a selfish bride to some degree. But not so selfish that I feel the need to punish my best friends for my expense. Forgive me I know I’m going against tradition, but I’d like my girls to look their best too (just not better than me, jk). That being said I have sought out a dressmaker to create my bridesmaids dresses. This dressmaker isn’t just any dressmaker. Exactly a decade ago she made my prom dress and a little more than a decade ago she made my stepsister’s bridesmaids dresses. Anyways she’s a good friend of the families and I am really excited to meet with her again tomorrow.
It would be unfair of me to bash all bridesmaids collections without mentioning that I am mimicking the single nice design left in the entire world…. or at least London. But in my defense I am changing the fabric and sewing the design to suit each of my maids. During this streak of unabashed honesty, I guess I should also mention another irony that overcomes all odds… all my maids love and agree on the dress design.
Is it really supposed to be this easy? I guess were defying all dress shopping traditions!
Preparing for a New Year
Posted By Tessa on December 27, 2010
As 2010 is coming to an end and the new year is about to unfold, I find myself becoming sentimental. 2011 is literally going to be a life changing year for us. Last year was a big year don’t get me wrong. I graduated, started working, got engaged, did a ton of camping… But last year was about us as individuals simply joined as a couple. A loving, close, delightfully happy couple… but our lives were not completely and utterly intertwined.
Last year contains a lot of I did this and I did that. Next year is going to be filled with we did this and were doing that. In 2011 were not only planning to get hitched, were also planning to pay off Nathan’s precious “Z” Jocelyn, buy a house and if everything pans out (as I’m hoping “hehehe”) pay for my grad school. Now that I think about it next year seems kinda absurd. Were ambitious planners all right and we may be bordering on crazy, but it’s our plan.
As you’ve probably already notice most of our wedding is already booked. The ceremony and reception venues are booked. The decorator and florist are booked. The DJ and photographer are booked as well. Oh and did I mention we got engaged only a month ago amongst my numerous health debacles. What can I say there’s not much else to do when your lame and stuck on the couch!
I think our passion for scheduling and planning keeps us joined at the hip. I am the sort’ve person that adds (just to scratch out) tasks already completed on my to do list. I do this just to experience the triumphant feelings that accompany completion of a completely life-irrelevant task. I am not necessarily your typical type A personality, I like to consider myself an elaborate concoction of all personality types. Thanks to my parents I’ve got a little bit of A, B and C. Nathan on the other hand is your typical type A. For example, we were able to pin point the exact date and time of our “spontaneous” first date because he added it after the fact. Nathan dutifully add things to his calendar that have already happened and subsequently as a result events do not occur (in his mind) unless they are on the calendar. As a result we happily share a google calendar and our lives are mapped out in this precise form.
As impassioned planners we will join together and continue our relentless cycle of planning. We will plan and prepare to our hearts content. But we will just have to wait and see if our schedule fits Gods prescribed plan, cause we all know God loves to stick in surprising challenges along the way. Whatever is thrown our way we will prevail cause our love is genuine and strong…
Update from Tessa’s own Matronly Maid
Posted By jennifer on December 22, 2010
When Tessa asked me to be her maid of honour I jumped on the chance to play such a special role in one of the most important days of her life. Having never held this honourary position before, it never occurred to me that most of the fun would happen long before the wedding takes place. I’m still not quite sure how my inexperience will play out, but I look forward to getting the inside scoop on weddings (and marriage) from this front row seat.
The first logical act I could think of was to secure a wedding planning book for my seemingly weak, dehabilitated, couch ridden, cast wielding cousin. Little did I know that this simple gesture would catapult a flurry of wedding magic. Only a few days later I received an invitation to go wedding dress shopping. Visions of months of appointments and long hours in boutiques immediately began swirl in my mind. To be honest, the idea had me a bit stressed out . I’m an “in and out” kind of girl. See it, like it, buy it. Worry about the details later. You can imagine my surprise when, on the day of our very first appointment, Tessa found a dress before I even arrived at the store! I still can’t believe that dress #3 was it, or that I have found my shopping soul mate in my very own cousin. Power to you cus – you certainly know how to get the job done!
As mentioned, I’m not well versed on the ins and outs of being a maid of honour, but I’m starting to think that the pressure is greatly reduced when your bride is off work due to an untimely fall. How a woman in a thigh high cast a) models wedding dresses, b) physically scopes venues, c) meets with a decorator and d) facilitates brides maid dress fittings (all in less than three weeks) is beyond me. There really only is one answer – my cousin belongs to the justice league. Luckily this leaves me free to fully focus my energy on the really awesome stuff, like party planning. Any ideas and tips from the more experienced among you are more than welcome!
Thanks for trusting me with this honour Tessa. Newby or not, I won’t let you down! 
The Mother-of-the-Bride Report
Posted By jodi on December 20, 2010
Mother-of-the-Bride here, reporting for duty.
My husband Paul and I were thrilled when we heard that Tessa and Nate were engaged. She and Nathan truly have a deep and loving connection that is a joy to see.
Already there has been a whirlwind of preparations. Nate, being the practical, organized man that he is, made sure that first and foremost, the wedding budget was established. Tessa, being the natural born shopper that she is, immediately tried to think of ways to reallocate funds to her particular priorities. Let the fun begin!
Church, check. Reception venue, check. Dress, check. Florist and designer, still needs a check (deposit). Education of the mother-of-the-bride, just getting started! A lot has changed since the Dark Ages apparently.
I never knew before that tables had to be “draped.” If we had tablecloths at the reception, that was pretty swanky.
What do you mean, chairs have to be covered? If everyone has a place to plant their tush, you should be covered.
Save-the-dates, seating charts, elaborate table centrepieces, and vases for the bridesmaids bouquets are essentials now. Options that I would never have dreamed of back in the day include cupcakes, candy tables, chair bows, and coloured napkins. Our napkins always matched the tables, because the linens were all white.
Of course, that is if you had linens at all! A lot of us old-timers had our receptions in church basements, with the family or ladies from the congregation providing the meal. If you were fortunate, the church had something to cover the tables. If you were extremely lucky, they weren’t stained from years of banquets and potlucks.
After all, everyone got married in a church or other house of worship, because there were no alternatives. Great-Aunt Harriet would have had a conniption at the thought of being wed in a hotel or golf course or restaurant setting. From cradle to grave, every major life event was celebrated within the sanctity of the sanctuary.
Today there are more choices to be made, which is exciting and fun, but it can become stressful and expensive as well.
Tessa and Nathan, as you plan your wedding, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the possibilities. With so many details to consider in the busy days counting down to October 22, 2011, keeping perspective will not be easy. (Tessa has heard what follows many times, but here it is in print.) Pay more attention to preparing for your marriage than you do to preparing for your wedding. Let nothing take precedence over your life as a couple. Your love is the precious gift of God. By continuing to treasure each other, you will be blessed beyond anything you can imagine now.
Thank you for so generously including me in your plans.
Colours, colours, colours…
Posted By Tessa on December 18, 2010
After much deliberation, I have finalized my colours. I am not at liberty to share the selected colour palette with you at this time. Your just going to have to come to my wedding.
Ironically one of the decorators that I noted in my online search, works extensively with the Delta. This company, Patzees Floral Scapes, is already contractually obligated to set up all my chair covers and draperies for the main tables at my wedding. At a cost of course. Exploiting this established relationship definitely was to my advantage. Patzees already has to coordinate with my Wedding planner from the venue. I am hoping for a seamless symbiotic relationship between the two companies. I know there is always potential for some blunders. But a girl can always dream.
If that wasn’t enough of a reason for me to acquire Patzees services, the fact that she does floral and decor just blew me away. Don’t make fun of me. I realize this combination is not some new revelation. Maybe it was more the convenience of everything that left me in awe. I thought wedding planning was supposed to be hard? Or is it just that flowers and decor are pretty and fun? Anyways…
Being the gimp that I am. I had to get a ride. Nathan was conveniently not available to drive me to look at flowers and decoration. He had to go do something like work or something along those lines. I guess pretty flowers and drapery are not his forte. Not that it is for me. For the life of me I still don’t know the difference between a orchid and a begonia. I just found out that a mum is short for chrysanthemums. And I still can’t distinguish them from any other flower other than maybe a rose or a daisy. I even had to look up flower names to insert as examples… that’s how extensive my botany education is.
Thank god my mom and step dad came. My step dad used to own a flower boutique and was able to grasp what flowers I was seeking by my vague descriptions. “Ummm…. its kinda red, I think, without a centre and their are bunches of petals, I think…” Needless to say flowers come in a variety of colours and various forms. Eventually, after much consideration we stumbled upon my flowers and finalized my bouquets.
The bare bones of what we need for the decor are finalized. But my decorations are not officially finalized. Secretly, well I guess not so secretly now, I am hoping to sneak in more money into my decor budget to just add a bit more pizazz to the reception. Just a bit of money babe… not a lot. A little touch of DIY magic. But I am happy to say I am getting the centerpieces and bouquets that I really want. Either way I think the reception will be quite lovely.
Did I forget to mention that flowers are expensive! And who would’ve thought that renting, yes renting, decorations would be so expensive. I didn’t that’s for sure. Man, if your a savvy private business owner and not sure what market to tap into… get into weddings.
Sorry for teasing you about the budget all the time babe. Thanks for striving to accommodate my wedding day dreams while trying not to break the bank!
Said yes to the dress
Posted By Tessa on December 13, 2010
I’m kind have an accidental shopper. I’m not referring to the fact that I fall a lot. Preplanned expeditions, yes expeditions, to the mall are a rarity for me. Don’t get me wrong just like any girl I love shopping. But 6 years of being a more than poor student have stifled my shopping aspirations for so long that I’ve lost the innate female need for sporadic shopping. It’s really true if you don’t use it, you lose it.
Just ask Nathan. I still have pants and shoes from when I was 14. I keep everything and I only go shopping for things I need. After we got engaged, it dawned on me that I get to go wedding dress shopping! This reality more then reinvigorated my shopping desire. I think every bride-to-be would agree with me that fantasizing about your wedding dress and shopping for that perfect dress are some of the best parts of planning a wedding. Apparently I am no different even despite my crippled shopping past. Don’t get me wrong I do have good taste. I really do. I just am deceiving and bum around in my sweats all day.
Being the accidental shopper that I am. I sort have stumbled on my dress. I mean I bought the third dress I tried on and I wasn’t even supposed to be dress shopping yet! Dress shopping in crutches was definitely not high on my to do list. Needless to the say the clerks at Sophie’s Gown shop were great. They pretended not to be alarmed by the fact I was on crutches. The fact that I needed to be helped into every dress and the threat of my crutches ripping every dress I touched didn’t even phase them.
The first dress I tried on the clerk pulled. It was lovely. I mean a barely noticed I was using crutches to stand. But I felt like I was wearing someone else’s dress. The second dress. Well we don’t even need to go there. The third dress, obviously I cannot describe, was perfect. I knew right away. It was exactly what I had pictured and it was undeniably me. All these thoughts were undeniably confirmed by my mom tearing up. Thank god my mom was there, cause I can be a bit indecisive. Not horribly indecisive. But I’m a thinker and I almost always have to leave a situation to get away from outside influences for some serious introspection. This is exactly what I did that day.
A Maid of Honor should be the brides-to-be rock. A rock in the sense that are stable and reliable support. Not the rock between you and a hard place. Hahahaha… bad joke but you know what I mean. Not all maids of honor remember that its not their wedding. My cousin Jen is my proverbial rock. Meaning she literally came to my rescue and took me out of the store just to give me time to think. Buying your wedding dress is a big deal and all the dresses available are beautiful, thus making the decision even harder… but its an important and as my fiancée has pointed out an expensive decision finding the right dress. Actually, correction. If you have any reservations regarding the dress then its probably not the dress. I knew but I thought it was unheard have to buy your dress on the first day shopping. Like a bad omen or something (After the fact I was informed that I am silly and this is not the case. Remember indecisive tendencies).
So Jen took me to a 50% off sale that I have been meaning to visit. I think I tried on 4 dresses. I can’t even remember how many, that’s how memorable these dresses were. I don’t know if I missed out and everyone else got the pick of the litter or if my size had already been ransacked. Regardless, it became evident I was just trying to find the exact dress I fell in love with but at a cheaper price. Despite the sales clerk (notice I put in sales this time) was overly pushy, the second shopping trip was not a complete loss. After a couple glasses a wine at a pub next door, the second trip confirmed that the third dress was meant to be.
We returned to Sophie’s and I tried on the third dress. Now you may think… me, wine, crutches and expensive wedding dress was probably not the best combination, but it happened. Needless to say the dress survived my second fitting and I bought it. I bought it for 10% off and under budget. Nathan was so proud.
St. Luke’s in-the-garden Chapel
Posted By Nathan on December 11, 2010
Today, Tessa and I got up nice and early to go visit the chapel we were thinking about getting married at. The chapel would be open today from 9am-9pm. It’s located on the grounds of CPRI, just off Sanitorium Road.
I think right when the both of us saw the place, we secretly knew this was where we would get married. We definitely made up our minds! We have both decided this is the perfect place to hold our ceremony!
The outside is nicely decorated with wild vines, and the inside is clean and simple. There is ample room for our wedding party, and just the amount of room for our guests. There’s even a small room near the front, where the groomsmen and I can “bond” before the ceremony.
We both Love it!
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| From 11 – Visiting Church for Ceremony |
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| From 11 – Visiting Church for Ceremony |
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| From 11 – Visiting Church for Ceremony |
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| From 11 – Visiting Church for Ceremony |
And for the people wanting to know how to book this chapel. The website is http://www.cpri.thehealthline.ca/ . Phone Number: 519-858-2774. Give them a call, and they will send you a packet with the payment instructions, etc, etc. They will also give you the hours that the chapel is open, and you can go in and look at it before you book. Any questions, email Tessa and I at wedding@nathanandtessa.ca. More picture of the church here. Take a look at this google map for an exact location of the church.
They call me the seeker…
Posted By Tessa on December 10, 2010
Decisions. Decisions. Decisions.
Planning a wedding for an engaged couple is a like a mini marriage trial. A wedding involves so many decisions, most of them costly, not all of them fun. Patience in times of stress. Understanding during times of compromise. The way an engaged couple interact during their planing may reflect their future together. But one must not forget that marriage is a learning process. Before someone has reached the married stage in their life I think we are all a bit narcissistic in our own little way. We start out stuck in this old mindset when our main concerns were what are plans were and what we wanted . When you start planning a wedding though, it has become all to clear to me that this day is not just mine. Our wedding day is for both of us. Brides that just get too carried away with the wedding plans forget the most important part. The marriage. When I started planning our wedding, I was kind have taken a back by how many opinions and concepts my future husband had for the big day. It’s not that expected him to just roll over and let me do whatever I wanted. Besides if he did we’d be broke. I just thought in a daydream of consciousness that wedding planning would be a breeze. I’d know how to do everything and that my fiancée would say yes to all the things I truly wanted. Now I think its more of a blessing that I have someone just as interested and excited as me in our big day, and in turn our future marriage. So that being said, I should start talking about our venue search (which was the whole point of this posts).
A couple of months ago before we were even engaged Nathan and I checked out one venue, the Stoneridge Inn. It was a bit premature I know but I guess where sort have keener’s and like to plan everything in advanced. I think most of our family knew we were getting married in October of next year before I even had a ring! Both of our mother’s had even already bought their dresses. Well anyways, we had reservations about the first venue and halted our search for a couple of months.
After we got engaged Nathan became the research maniac that he is and found me the tools to help me search for a venue. Me being the internet pro that I am (not) struggled to find many venues in London that we agreed on. I wanted an outdoor wedding (My whole life I’d always pictured my wedding outside in a garden or lake setting). Nathan detested the idea. I hated the idea of hotel. Nathan thought the idea of a golf course was tacky. It became apparent really quickly that we both had strong and different opinions on what we thought our wedding day should be. Eventually we did come to a compromise. Needless to say a wedding outside has to many drawbacks that I had to concede with his decision. Golf course weddings are usually out of town and don’t offer overnight rooms. After many days of not so heated debate we decided on a hotel.
Upon contacting a few potential venues I slowly realized the surmounting costs of a wedding and that our selected date was booked up. To say I was stress and in a panic would be a understatement. (Just a little side note for men out there planning to propose. Make both of your lives a little easier and propose a little more than a good year before your perfect wedding date, especially if its during prime wedding season). Well Nathan came to my rescue in more ways then one. After calming me down, he suggested we just adjust our wedding date. With his expert skills on the web he found us some more options.
The next debacle involved where to have the ceremony. Nathan for practical reasons wanted the ceremony and reception at the same venue but in different locations. I really didn’t care. All I cared about was location for pictures. It ended up being to difficult to find a venue that satisfied this need at an appropriate cost. Some venues wanted an arm and a leg for the use their venue. And sorry right now I could only offer one bum leg. Even if we had all the money in the world, I don’t think we could justify paying that sort of money on one day. Besides I haven’t even bought my dress yet and you know I”m gonna go over budget. Sorry babe.
Long story short we’ve put on hold St. Luke’s in-the-garden chapel near CPRI on Sanatorium road. The pictures of this chapel, though hard to find, are very cute. It’s a quaint little chapel built god knows when. The Hertiage charm of the chapel didn’t win me over. The 2 min drive to Srpingbank park did! I know Nathan really liked the idea of a little church, but I think its the price that sealed the deal. $150 to rent a church. Hells ya, I’m getting my dress.
More importantly the reception venue. We put the Armouries ballroom at the downtown Delta Armouries on hold. It is a lovely elegant hotel that is actually affordable, or should I say unrealistic. Note no wedding venues are really affordable unless you get married in mommy and daddy’s backyard. The ballroom has its own private foyer where the bar is located. The space is a bit longer and narrower then we’d like, but its gorgeous. Most importantly the ballroom is getting redecorated before our big day. Plus we get a free honeymoon suite thats inside one of the turrets of the hotel. Oh and did I mentioned my big wedding party is going to be in a castle!
So ya, decisions, decisions and they’re be many more decisions to come. We have a meeting with a decorator Patzee on Wednesday. I am hoping Nathan’s bargaining skills will come into play. I am sure the post after that meeting will be a most interesting one!
The Engagement Story…
Posted By Tessa on December 6, 2010
You may think it rather unconventional and quite possibly unromantic to have your wedding proposal at a hospital. But I would like to refute this misconception that the typical orchestration of a proposal is ideal. A hospital proposal can be one of the most romantic and memorable moments in your life. Offering to share your life with someone when they are struggling and at a low point in their life, just says that you’ll always be there “through sickness and in health”. Sure proposing during a more classically romantic event may seem more appealing, but you just can’t beat this engagement proposal story…
Those who know me well, know just how lucky I am. I mean I have a knack for catching that certain virus or wounding myself in some of the most absurd ways. Well this truth still stands true especially in the month of November. Early in the month I was lucky to experience a rather statistically uncommon injury for my age let alone my sex. During a swimming photo shoot for my online bio for work , I somehow managed to rip open an inguinal hernia on my left side. Sounds painful, but really more of a drag than anything. An inguinal hernia meant no more exercising and no more lifting anything over 10 lbs. Poor Tucker was devastated!
Luckily, I was not to be permanently cursed with this protrusion. My surgery date was November 26th. As anyone awaiting surgery I was ecstatic. So ecstatic with the one injury, I just had to have another. I’m sure most of you realize “bad things come in threes” or “when it rains it pours”. I think that’s the mantra for the female members of my family. We are blessed so often with such unfathomable circumstances that we really ought to write a book. I’m serious, my mom’s writing a book.
So I fell. But not just any fall. As as I have mentioned before, have some godly gift of being in the wrong place, at the wrong time, surrounded by the wrong people. Wrong people, as in a group of rude men decidedly in a real need for beer. So badly did they need their after shift fix that they just had to rush past me in the LCBO causing me to step backwards. Of course when I stepped there was something lurking behind me just waiting to accentuate my fall. Just a couple of neglected boxes strewn all over the walkway. And of course I tripped and landed wrong. A distinctive Tessa move. An awkward landing resulting in a cracking sound and an elegant limp. Needless to say the hospital visit definitely dampened our plans with Michelle and James that night in Barrie.
So ya…. boo hoo. So I’m hurt whatever. It was just the combo of having my leg in a cast and my surgery that put the icing on the cake. 5 days stuck in a bed in a hospital in Toronto for patients a good 20, 30 years my senior. Trust me I didn’t feel out of place or alone at all. I love a good game of bridge. Well to be honest to say I wasn’t a happy camper is an understatement. But on Shouldices’ behalf I will commend them on their amply supply of pain killers and sleeping pills.
Upon my surprisingly uneventful arrival at Shouldice Hospital… No car accident. No problem getting admitted. I had no idea Nathan had planned to stay the weekend in Toronto. Not a clue. Being the sweetie that he is I should have guessed it. Nathan blessed me with ample visits always bearing flowers. He even snuck in during non-visitation hours. He was very adamant I get outside. On the last full day of my stay, Nathan took me out for a walk…. er I mean wheeled me outside in my wheelchair . He took me to a quaint walking path beside a river. Needless to say my chair isn’t exactly a 4×4 but he made he made it work. We stopped at a bench so Nathan could sit. As I might remind you I was already sitting.
Nathan brought 3 red roses. The first he said represented our past. The second our present (which has been a little tumultuous given the normal frustrations that accompany injured parties). The third rose he said represented our future. Attached to this rose was my gorgeous engagement ring. Now I’m pretty blind, so Nathan had to spell it out for me by getting down on one knee and proposing…. “Tessa will you marry me”. I’m pretty sure I cried before saying yes. And for the record I did say yes.
Getting started…..
Posted By Nathan on December 3, 2010
So how do you start planning a wedding? Doesn’t the beginning planning stages feel so overwhelming? So many places that you could start. With Tessa and I, we agreed that we need a wedding book, or a online wedding organizer website. So we started with the knot. It’s a fairly extensive website, with different tools like guest list, wedding checklist, etc, etc. We through it’s a great idea to use this site to get started. So I added all my names into the guest list, and Tessa started to thoroughly look through it, and I don’t think she was 100% happy with it. There was SOOOO much on the site, and we both feel it’s a little overwelming. Time for plan B.
Plan B was to create our own organizational spreadsheet / document. I’ve called it “The Super Duper Wedding Spreadsheet”, and I created it inside Google Docs, and shared a copy with T. The premise behind this spreadsheet is to place-hold all our information about the wedding. Guest list, To-Do list, Budget, Idea list, and Delegation list. Now we can organize these lists however we want, and if there’s something we don’t like, we change it ourselves!
So I spent an hour or so creating these books (EXCEL), and formatting them so they hold the information in the best possible way. Tessa soon after adopted the spreadsheet, and even adding a couple pages, and heading to best suit her needs. It is QUICKLY filling up!
So.. we now have tons of information / ideas in our spreadsheet, but what do we do with it all? What gets done first, then next? That’s where Tessa’s cousin Jen comes in. She bought Tessa a nice Wedding planning book, that pretty much documents the whole process to getting married!
So by following the process in the book, and using our database to store the infomation, and organize the info, I think we are WELL on our way!
Photos
