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.

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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.

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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.

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Photo credit: Captured by Cassidy

A wedding planner is up-to-date on the news

Wedding planners are the first to be contacted when a venues or vendors have new promotions, openings or discounts. They want planners to let their clients know. When I attend event conferences, for example, venues will sometimes have great promotions just for our clients.

Our network of Canadian Certified wedding coordinators keep each other updated on the latest promotions and deals as well, so you can bet that a deal will pass through the hands of your planner if you had something specific in mind or they can surely find a great deal.

A wedding planner can get you discounts

The most obvious way a planner can save you money is through discounts, aka hookups! I have built relationships with vendors over the years that I’ve worked with and they can offer my clients a discount. They want to know that the clients are going to be easy to work with and have a reputable planner helping them out (it makes their job easier!).

Discounts range from 10-20% off what the vendor would charge you normally without a planner referral. This can be significant if you do end up spending on them and it certainly adds up! With floral for example, a typical bride may spend anywhere from $1500-5000 on bouquets, arrangements and centerpieces so even a 10% discount will make a big difference.

A wedding planner is a resource

Even without discounts, a wedding planner is a great resource in sharing best practices in planning and securing your vendors. If you’ve never planned a big event before, you won’t know whether you require all the extra add-ons they are trying to sell you or if you are able to find them elsewhere for a better price.

Because I plan numerous weddings and events every year, you can be sure to ask me about whether something is a good deal or if something is a great deal, or if there are hidden fees that you should be aware of in calculating costs.

Couples are starting to realizing that hiring a professional wedding planner is not just a luxury expense, but an imperative service if you are wanting to get the best for your wedding day. Contact me today and let’s get started on talking about your wedding!

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.

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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.

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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.

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Take a peak into their special day here:

James + Sabrina // Montego Bay, Jamaica // Wedding Highlight from the wonderful team at StoriesWorthSharing on Vimeo.

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.

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Bonnie and Ray’s wedding was the lovely movie-themed wedding that I had posted about earlier. It definitely is worth the feature in Wedding Bells, as it was rich with fun DIY details from the bride.

Don’t take my word for it though, click here to see the wedding for yourself!

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.

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You’ve heard it before.

Where the couple tries to explain the moment he popped the question.
The nervous state he expressed as he lowered himself on one knee.
The excitement and the energy they she felt when he revealed the ring.
And, of course, the expression they both shared when she said “Yes”.

We’ve all heard this before – it’s charming and exciting, but have you ever seen it caught on film? Have you seen the “on bended knee proposal” in an engagement album or even the “she just said yes kiss” as a hold the date wedding invitation? This is the essence of a secret engagement photography session.

“How” you ask? Because we are photography ninjas.

Talking to all men, take a moment from your childhood and imagine a ninja – not the “ninja turtle” variety – they were an awesome cartoon back in the day but not realistic. Rather, picture the ancient legends and folklore of a ninja… what do you see? In fact, do you see them at all?

According to legends or a childhood memories for the best ninjas you don’t even know that they are there. We operateour secret engagements using many of the same principles… and we are quite proud of that. Exploring some of the greatest concepts of the practice of the ninja culture, is not as hard as it seems. All you need is great strategist like an event planner and an artist like a secret engagement photographer.

Ninja Trait 1: Bo-Ryaku

How are we practitioners of Bo-Ryaku (strategy) you ask? We, being the event planner and photographer, will meet with you from beginning to end regarding your engagement plans. We are always so excited to not only hear your vision of the day, but serve as a sounding board and an additional creative thinker as you aim to make this special and show stopping in your partners minds. Remember two heads or even three are better than one??

During a recent surprise shoot at Niagara Falls, with an awesome groom to be Blake (backlink can be here as well) we devised not only plans for where we would “meet” but how I and when he would indicate the big moment. A “bat signal” if you will – Blake would stretch out his arms before he made his move. You’re smiling, we know, but trust us it works. Arms up and I got ready with my camera to snap away. If we had not taken the time to devise a signal though it may feel like an eternity the precious moment can happen in a blink of an eye.

Ninja Trait 2: Cho Ho

Not only do we have to work out our strategy, but we must work on our ability to practice some level of Cho Ho (Espionage). Why do we most men typically love every Bond movie? The Bond character tends to be smart, funny, brave, and to fool us right in front of our face. Before she knows it, you and her are the stars of a “show” she didn’t even know she was attending.

Like ninjas, Cho Ho (Espinoage) our methods of successful espionage were perfected. Not only is it important to capture the secret engagement on film, equally important is to recruit others in on the plan. Great event planners have numerous connections and vendor relationships to help with your engagement planning and setup – all the way to the big day…

Ninja Trait 3: Henso-Jutsu

The day of the event, don’t worry, we don’t look like a ninja with full face paint. Instead we master the art of Henso-Jutsu (Disguise and Impersonation) by assuming false identities and moving undetected through what ever situation has been planned.

We promise even when noticed your future bride will mistake us for another tourist (actually the photographer) with a camera taking pictures of his wife (actually the event planner or second photographer). How? We discreetly position a second individual close to the couple so even if we are discovered it would appear that I’m just another guy taking in the sites with his wife. Though we do eventually reveal ourselves after you pop the question by asking you to point us out in the crowd.

Ninja Trait 4: Shinobi-Iri

One of the ninja’s greatest tactical methods Shinobi-Iri (Stealth and Entering Methods) is one of our greatest assets. Togakure ryu ninja learned special walking and running methods for covering long distances, passing over floors silently, and for staying in the shadows while moving, in order to facilitate entry and escape. . Although there were a few moment’s that I thought I may have lost them, I sprinted all over Niagara Falls to catch Blake’s important moment – I wouldn’t have missed it for the world! Yes, we have to stay fit to catch the exact moment when she says I do.

Now knowing all this, if you could have a ninja (or two) on your team for your big day, why wouldn’t you?

1KW Photography is a husband and wife team based out of the GTA who not only love wedding photography, but love secret engagement photo sessions more. Like what you read here? Check out more about them here:1kwphoto.com

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.

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Some of the wedding vendors were at both Wedluxe and Wedding Co. Show so I won’t repeat them here. What I will share here are some ideas for fun and interactive food displays. A great display will get mouths watering and we all know that we eat with our eyes first. As a bonus, I’ve included some drop dead gorgeous wedding gowns!

Food Inspiration from the Wedding Co. Show

The Shangri-La Toronto showcased their creativity with a fun display that turned uber fun when I realized it was a cotton candy tree! It’s such a whimsical idea, love it. If you actually did this at a wedding, you’d have to ensure that the branches were clean before putting the cotton candy on!

Neptuno had their mobile bar of delicious gourmet oysters. They were garnished with custom created condiments like red wine shallot vinaigrette and passion fruit relish. Having an oyster bar with an artistic flavour would make any guest’s night!

Usually candy buffets aren’t too impressive (been there, done that right?) but LOL candy had a display that was anything but boring. Their mini champagne bubblies gave it a nice gourmet touch and the glitter-dipped oreos on a stick looked especially decadent!

Paulette’s is known in town for their fried chicken and donuts, but have you seen a donut cake at a wedding yet? Perfect for a comfort food station or as a cake alternative, these gourmet donuts will make guests real sugar happy.

One of my favourite caterers Daniel et Daniel shows that even breakfast food can be reinvented and served in a new way. Delish maple glazed mini pancakes (bite-size!) and little breakfast sandwiches were new twists to classics.

Gorgeous Ines Di Santo gowns

Yum, I’d love to outfit my wedding with all of these foods, wouldn’t you? Speaking of outfit, as promised here were some outstanding dresses on display from designer Ines Di Santo at the Wedding Co. Show 2013. Such a nice mix of glamour and romance in these dresses!

Thank you to Therese from Artiese for the beautiful photos! Here we are taking some photos for ourselves in the sweet Snapshot Photobooth.

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.

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