It’s been quite a few weeks for me, as the wedding planner got hitched (yup, I’m a Mrs now!). But work doesn’t stop for your own personal celebrations… I had a wedding the following Saturday after mine at Malaparte and I have one this weekend too! It’s been a busy May to say the least, but I’m back in the swing of things, with a sneak peak from a modern wedding at Malaparte this past weekend.

For those that are not familiar, Malaparte is an event space by Oliver & Bonacini, located on the 6th floor of the TIFF Bell Lightbox. It has a beautiful tented terrace for ceremony and cocktail hour, and an even more gorgeous interior space for dinner. Lisa’s team from Sweet Woodruff filled the space with beautiful pink peonies. It made such a difference! Here’s a sneak peak from the wedding.

Beautiful ceremony set up on the terrace, awaiting the guests.

Peonies lining the aisle.

The tables featured luscious flower centerpieces, table numbers created by the bride and pink macaron favours.

Stay tuned for a full feature of the wedding and possibly a sneak peak from my own nuptials

Rebecca Chan is a Toronto wedding planner and day of wedding coordinator providing sophisticated planning for the modern bride. Whether you need planning assistance or wedding day coordination, Rebecca can help you create your dream wedding day. Contact her today, she'd love to hear from you.

I get invited to industry events all the time, and it is always the events planned for event planners that are over the top and super memorable. This time around, I was floored by The Carlu Decadence Gala, celebrating 10 years since they renovated and rejuvenated their 7th floor space at College Park. They didn’t spare any expense here! My fiance doesn’t always love the hours and details of my job, but he sure loves the fact that I get invited (and get a plus one!) to awesome events like this one. If you’re looking for lavish ideas for your next gala or wedding, look no further.

If you’re looking to wow your guests from the start, have a red carpet with complimentary valet service. A great looking themed entrance also doesn’t hurt!

Make a great first impression with guests by having well dressed staff at the front entrance greeting upon entry. A signature cocktail was also a welcomed treat along with lush decor.

Speaking of lush, every corner of the room was dressed up to the nines. This vase in the Round Room was even wrapped with event graphics.

My favourite space at the Carlu, and signature to its logo, is the iconic Round Room.

Lure guests on to the dance floor with a grand chandelier and energizing DJ booth. Bellosound rocked the house! This dance floor was not empty for long.

Along with an awesome dance floor needs to be great entertainment. At one point it was a 15-piece band, with 4 string players and 6 brass instruments. It rocked my socks, seriously. Everyone was dancing! When the band took a break, four horn players around the room took turns with their solos on top of event-branded pedestals.

When I wasn’t dancing or gawking at the awesome decor, I was eating (a lot!). In the Sky Room was the fish bar from L-Eat Catering. Frozen fish hung from the ceiling, while guests lined up for delicious raw fish dishes.

Daniel et Daniel hosted what they called a Meat Bar, a round station of lamb, steak tartar and other yummy delights. Staff had shirts with the menu items so there was no need to ask “what is this you are serving?” Great idea!

Inside the main room of the Carlu was a conveyor belt station, delivering goods all night long. Guests loved it!

On to desserts, Daniel et Daniel converted their bar into a Donut and Cheese bar. It wasn’t just a regular tim hortons donut bar folks, they had flavours like Bailey’s Irish Cream and Lemoncello. Sooo good.

I don’t usually stay too long at industry events but this one was a really well done event. I had a blast. Congrats to the Carlu again for hosting such a wonderful evening and for 10 successful years!

Rebecca Chan is a Toronto wedding planner and day of wedding coordinator providing sophisticated planning for the modern bride. Whether you need planning assistance or wedding day coordination, Rebecca can help you create your dream wedding day. Contact her today, she'd love to hear from you.

Today I have a special treat for you. As you start envisioning your wedding day, you will start to ask the question of what your first dance will look like. Will you do a simple slow dance with your partner or a big choreographed number? If the latter is what you envision, I’ve brought in Karolina Paliwoda for some expert advice on deciding on your first dance as a couple.

Karolina is an independent latin and ballroom dancer and instructor, and is the Canadian Champion and World Championship finalist. She has spent two years working in New York for Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin from So You Think You Can Dance, and now does instructor training workshops for many dance studios in the GTA.

Here are some of her impressive competition shots and below are some questions I asked her about choosing a first dance. She provides some valuable insight on deciding what your first dance will be like given your circumstances. Enjoy!

What styles are most popular for the first dance?

From experience, every single couple has their own unique style, and their own image of how they would like their first dance to look. Two of the most popular ballroom dances are the waltz and the rumba, however I have choreographed many different first dances, from beautiful waltzes to exciting salsas. All dances are possible to have choreographed for a first dance, and the end result is always a comfortable and impressive performance.

What factors influence what type of ballroom or latin dance is chosen?

The couple’s dance choice is influenced by their song choice, the size of the dance floor at their venue, as well as their attire.

Couples usually choose to dance to a song that has special meaning to them, or perhaps one that they heard when they first met or fell in love. The structure and melody of their song ultimately influences their ballroom dance choice, as only certain ballroom dances can be danced to certain types of music.

The size of their dance floor varies at every venue and should also be considered. Ballroom dances (for example a foxtrot or a quickstep) travel counterclockwise around the floor and require slightly more space, whereas latin dances (for example a rumba or a jive) can be choreographed to be more stationary. The goal is to choreograph a routine with steps that allow the couple to look and feel comfortable, and work perfectly with the space available to them.

Every dance style also has its own pace. If a bride is planning to dance in her long wedding gown, it is a better choice to choose a slightly slower dance. This will ensure that both the bride and groom will feel comfortable with their steps, and that fabric will not get in the way of their performance.

How many dance lessons does it take for couples to learn their first dance?

If a couple chooses to create an entire dance, including an entrance and conclusion, it takes at least 10 lessons for them to learn their choreography and some technique. If a couple perhaps does not have much time to prepare before their wedding date, it is also possible to make a shorter routine within 5 dance lessons. Overall, it is never too late to have one or two sessions to learn a few basic steps for such an important occasion.

How early do you suggest couples to start their first dance?

It is never too early for couples to start learning their choreography and perfect their technique. As the wedding date approaches, there are always last minute details that come up and other matters to tend to. It is best to have choreography memorized and rehearsed at least one week prior to the event, eliminating any stress the day of. If couples can, is it a good idea to begin taking lessons 1-3 months before their wedding, which gives them lots of time to practice their choreography, technique, and schedule any extra lessons if they need more help! Creating a first dance is truly a wonderful experience that a couple can share together. It is an opportunity to create beautiful memories, as well as an expression of love for one another through music, movement and dance.

Rebecca Chan is a Toronto wedding planner and day of wedding coordinator providing sophisticated planning for the modern bride. Whether you need planning assistance or wedding day coordination, Rebecca can help you create your dream wedding day. Contact her today, she'd love to hear from you.

I’ve been asked a lot about my custom designed sapphire engagement ring, so I thought it would be fun to feature some of the many wonderful boutiques and designers we have in the city. Sure, you know you can step into any mall and find a ring, but Toronto has a great selection of designers and goldsmiths able to fit any style and budget so you can find THE ring. Today, I am highlighting Anne Sportun‘s unique line of alternative bridal engagement rings. Of course, the store carries styles with white diamonds, but this post is especially for the ladies looking for something with a bit more flair.

I had the pleasure of meeting the team at Anne Sportun’s flagship store to talk about what they call alternative bridal – engagement rings as unique as the brides who wear them. For anyone seeking a ring with a certain je ne sais quoi, Anne Sportun’s ready made one-of-a-kind pieces could be for you.

When it comes to choosing an engagement ring, whether it is a diamond or not, the team at Anne Sportun says that there are no rules. When you buy a ring you should buy a ring for yourself, not for what you think you should get. To give you an example of what an alternative engagement ring could look like, I’ve shared with you a couple popular styles that gals are wearing in lieu of a white diamond ring. Which do you like?

Cognac diamond engagement rings

These gorgeous rings are set with a cognac diamond – diamonds that are taupe in colour. They cost less than the common white clear diamond, but can have a similar sparkle and shine. The cognac colour exudes class, if you ask me.

One of a kind engagement rings

When I say one of a kind engagement ring, it really does mean one of a kind! Each ring is inspired by the stone, and because each stone is so different in its features, you may not find another one just like it. The stones range from being raw diamonds to black diamonds to sapphires. Unlike a white diamond where the sparkle comes from within, the shine and sparkle from these rings often come from the surface of the rose cut. These rings have a real artisan quality to them and are so unique! These are always one of a kind; once it is gone, it is gone!

If you’ve ever stepped into a big jewellery store looking at engagement rings, stepping into the Anne Sportun store will feel like a breath of fresh air. No pushy sales people here, only beautiful jewellery! It doesn’t hurt that there is a super cute dog in the store to help calm pre-proposal nerves too. Take a gander next time you’re down the Queen Street stretch, you might find something special to take home!

Rebecca Chan is a Toronto wedding planner and day of wedding coordinator providing sophisticated planning for the modern bride. Whether you need planning assistance or wedding day coordination, Rebecca can help you create your dream wedding day. Contact her today, she'd love to hear from you.

As your wedding day approaches, you may have started preparing your wedding day timeline – a detailed rundown of the day’s events. Beyond the basics of what time things happen, there are a handful of extra details to be mindful of to ensure that you have covered your bases. Be prepared by including some of the finer details that I’ve included below.

AV cues

Whether it is your AV person, DJ or just a friend helping you out, they will need to know what your rundown will look like in terms of the audio-visual needs. Take the guess work out by listing out all the things you require of them. This usually is a separate rundown, but with an extra column for AV needs, detailing what song to be played, what mics are needed and any extra things to be prepped like videos or slideshows to be played at what time.

Timing your food

Ask your venue for their recommendations for timing your dinner agenda, as you need to account for serving the food, eating the food, and then clearing the dishes. This is often a part of the timeline that is miscalculated for how much time it will take. The more guests you have, the more time it will take to serve and clear the plates. If you have speeches happening in and around dinner time, you certainly do not want wait staff to be clanging around dishes, nor do you want your food to be cold because you slotted in too many activities before the food is served.

Include important set up times

Do you have a dessert table or entertainment that needs to be set up ahead of time? If so, what time is best and how long do they need for set up? If you don’t know the answer to this question, ask the venue or specific vendor what time they usually prefer to do their setup. Include these details in your timeline so that your coordinator knows when things should be completed. If you have a dessert table going up, you want it ready and prepared, when it is time for desserts. Ensure that this happens by laying out the ground work for set up timing.

Typically I recommend couples to start planning their wedding day timeline as early as possible, then make changes to the details as they get closer. This at least gives you a rough idea of when things will take place (this will be useful when booking vendors that are calculated hourly like photographers). About two months in, you should have a pretty good idea of what time things will happen, when deliveries will be made and so on. If you are having trouble envisioning the day, consult with your wedding planner, photographer or venue, as these parties usually have a good idea of how things are timed.

A detailed wedding timeline will be very useful for sending out to the venue, vendors and helpers closer to the day. With these tips under your wing, you should be all set for creating a detailed timeline to distribute. All the best in your planning!

Photo credit: VisX Photography

Rebecca Chan is a Toronto wedding planner and day of wedding coordinator providing sophisticated planning for the modern bride. Whether you need planning assistance or wedding day coordination, Rebecca can help you create your dream wedding day. Contact her today, she'd love to hear from you.