Tuesday, February 14, 2012

....LESSONS FROM A WEDDING...

How appropriate that I can write about the wedding one last time on Valentine's Day. The lovebirds are married...yipeee! ... and on their honeymoon.  I, on the other hand am experiencing severe symptoms of wedding withdrawal!

Michelle VandenBosch
Let me just say straight up that Michelle's and Jordan's wedding was everything and more than we expected. In fact, I can honestly say, I was not sure what to expect, except that 170 people were coming to witness a 20 minute ceremony, cocktails, and reception in the Great Hall at the National Gallery of Canada.

.... 12 lessons...

1. ... champagne, either straight up or as a mimosa, is an excellent nerve calmer if consumed in small doses throughout the day accompanied by a wee toast....Father of the Bride aka FOB, should be at the ready to pop the cork(s)

source

2. ... the Father of the Bride MUST stay out of the master bedroom and bathroom when the Mother of the Bride is primping and preening ....do not ask why....just accept it!

3 .... when 4 Bridesmaids, one Bride and a Mother of the Bride are getting ready, there will be untidiness, clutter, and champagne flutes scattered throughout the house ...you must learn to ignore..... the mess will still be there tomorrow for you to tidy up (wether you are napping and/or suffering from severe wedding withdrawal)

4. ...the photographer "KNOWS WHAT SHE IS DOING...SHE IS A PROFESSIONAL" will be repeated to the FOB several times before he gets it...enough said!

Barbara Ann Studios
5....some of you may know this already.....when you are dressed in your wedding attire and feel the need to visit the ladies room, after drinking the aforementioned champagne, or because your tummy is experiencing butterflies, hold off as long as possible.  There will be fewer repeat visits and far less struggling with the SPANX etc.

6.... when walking your baby down the aisle... do not be surprised if you cry... do not be surprised if you do not cry. I almost lost it, but thought my eyelash extensions might not survive the salt onslaught , so I decided to do the closed mouthed, bite your tongue, 'I'm enjoying what I'm doing' look.  Dreading those pics!

7.....choose your MC wisely. We certainly did!  Jeff, a close family friend with many connections to many guests, made it his mission to know personally a few tidbits about every single person he introduced....he was cool, calm, funny and possibly hungry, as he was on duty all through our fabulous dinner.
I promise to feed you this weekend Jeff.

8.... If the speeches are fabulous, and go waaaaaaay over the allotted time...forget about it. Skip the traditional Father /Daughter dance ....forgo the cake cutting photo...and who really cares about the garter toss.
Move on to the PARTAY and start the dancing music. This happened and I can honestly say, not one guest questioned those 'missing' elements.

MC
Father of the Bride
Mother of the Bride
MC
Father of the Groom 
Mother of the Groom
MC
Toast to the Bride 
MC
Toast to the Groom 
MC
Maid of Honour (sister)
Bridesmaid (sister)
MC
FLASH MOB PERFORMANCE ...a huge success 
MC
Bridesmaids 
MC
Best Man 
MC
Groomsmen
MC
=
Father / Daughter Dance     cake cutting photo opp       garter toss 

9.... THE BAR.  After the ceremony, we had a cocktail/open bar. At dinner we had servers pour only red and white wine....no open bar. At the reception, we served wine, beer, pop, scotch..and it was a cash bar for mixed drinks. This was recommended to us by the vendor as a way to cut back on guests who might otherwise be over-served....a wedding faux pas. It worked.

10... do not wear your comfortable (they were for the first 6 hrs) Christian Louboutin shoes for 12 solid hours. I REPEAT....
Christian Louboutin

11.....yes, things will not go 100% according to plan...it happens....it's out of your control... do not involve the Bride and Groom with these details. Move on, most of your guests will neither know, nor care.

12....THIS IS A BIGGY.....your wedding will only be as successful as the guests you invite. We invited fabulous, caring, fun loving, appreciate guests to the wedding. I cannot tell you how many compliments our guests .... gave to our guests.  Even the DJ did not want to shut 'er down.



That's it...that's all folks. I'm hoping that the 'severe wedding withdrawal' symptoms will subside quickly. I have a few clients who need my assistance and I'm also involved in.....

EXTREME MAKEOVER KINDNESS EDITION 2012  reveal February 25th

The Royal Inspiration Awards Gala coming up on March 2nd...  two more raffle tickets to sell



HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY


10 Comments:

At February 14, 2012 at 7:01 PM , Blogger Sonya Kinkade said...

Great post Maureen, cherish it all....and remember you have 2 more to go...bahahaha ;)

 
At February 14, 2012 at 9:09 PM , Blogger Michelle VandenBosch said...

This wedding was beautifully planned and seemed like a great deal of fun with family and friends. Seemed perfect to me. I assure you, your feet hurt because of the granite floor of the National Gallery and certainly NOT the Christian Louboutins but if you are a size 9 and are looking to unload them :)

 
At February 15, 2012 at 12:29 AM , Blogger K&B by the Sea said...

LOVE the purple calla lily bouquet, and Michelle is a beautiful bride :-)Sounds like a great time was had by all - and who says that you HAVE to follow all the usual wedding traditions? Better to go with the flow and just enjoy whatever happens :-)

 
At February 15, 2012 at 7:58 AM , Blogger Ottawa home renovations said...

Congrats Maureen to your daughter and your family. Sounds like a wonderful day. I don't have much to say about Christian Louboutins :-)

 
At February 15, 2012 at 8:32 AM , Blogger Lynne Knowlton said...

BEAUTIFUL on every level....and WOW does your daughter ever look like you. A stunner. Now that you have worked in those gorgeous shoes, you should be able to sprint in them ...*_*. Let's test that when we get together this year. haha. Do you like how I am SURE that we will meet this year? I am sure. xx
Gorgeous !!
Congrats on the fab fab fab day.

 
At February 15, 2012 at 8:43 AM , Blogger Maureen @ Modecor said...

No doubt in my mind what so ever Lynne....I'm really good at making things happen, have a feeling you are too!.... And thank you, for all the compliments Lynne .

 
At February 15, 2012 at 8:53 AM , Blogger Lisa said...

Oh it sounds like you had so much fun! And you are right no one notices those silly details but you! And I want all the details on the Flash MOB performance!

 
At February 15, 2012 at 12:20 PM , Blogger Solace Interiors said...

I'm with Lisa. Looks like a great party...no surprise! The Flash MOB must have been priceless...

 
At February 16, 2012 at 12:26 AM , Blogger OR DESIGN glassworks. Distinctive Custom Architectural glasswork said...

Congratulations on Beautiful Bride Michelle's wedding and thanks for sharing those great tips! Good to keep in mind! Very impressed that you wore those gorgeous high heels for 6 hours! Michelle and Jordan's special day must have been a beautiful event to cherish for all your family!

 
At February 16, 2012 at 9:25 AM , Blogger Maureen @ Modecor said...

Lisa, Nicole...flash mob was excellent....even 85,84,82, 80 year old grandparents participated (THAT was a challenge)
Pam...I wore the shoes for 11... ELEVEN solid hours.....I recommend 5 hrs tops.

 

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Maureen at Modecor Muses: ....LESSONS FROM A WEDDING...

....LESSONS FROM A WEDDING...

How appropriate that I can write about the wedding one last time on Valentine's Day. The lovebirds are married...yipeee! ... and on their honeymoon.  I, on the other hand am experiencing severe symptoms of wedding withdrawal!

Michelle VandenBosch
Let me just say straight up that Michelle's and Jordan's wedding was everything and more than we expected. In fact, I can honestly say, I was not sure what to expect, except that 170 people were coming to witness a 20 minute ceremony, cocktails, and reception in the Great Hall at the National Gallery of Canada.

.... 12 lessons...

1. ... champagne, either straight up or as a mimosa, is an excellent nerve calmer if consumed in small doses throughout the day accompanied by a wee toast....Father of the Bride aka FOB, should be at the ready to pop the cork(s)

source

2. ... the Father of the Bride MUST stay out of the master bedroom and bathroom when the Mother of the Bride is primping and preening ....do not ask why....just accept it!

3 .... when 4 Bridesmaids, one Bride and a Mother of the Bride are getting ready, there will be untidiness, clutter, and champagne flutes scattered throughout the house ...you must learn to ignore..... the mess will still be there tomorrow for you to tidy up (wether you are napping and/or suffering from severe wedding withdrawal)

4. ...the photographer "KNOWS WHAT SHE IS DOING...SHE IS A PROFESSIONAL" will be repeated to the FOB several times before he gets it...enough said!

Barbara Ann Studios
5....some of you may know this already.....when you are dressed in your wedding attire and feel the need to visit the ladies room, after drinking the aforementioned champagne, or because your tummy is experiencing butterflies, hold off as long as possible.  There will be fewer repeat visits and far less struggling with the SPANX etc.

6.... when walking your baby down the aisle... do not be surprised if you cry... do not be surprised if you do not cry. I almost lost it, but thought my eyelash extensions might not survive the salt onslaught , so I decided to do the closed mouthed, bite your tongue, 'I'm enjoying what I'm doing' look.  Dreading those pics!

7.....choose your MC wisely. We certainly did!  Jeff, a close family friend with many connections to many guests, made it his mission to know personally a few tidbits about every single person he introduced....he was cool, calm, funny and possibly hungry, as he was on duty all through our fabulous dinner.
I promise to feed you this weekend Jeff.

8.... If the speeches are fabulous, and go waaaaaaay over the allotted time...forget about it. Skip the traditional Father /Daughter dance ....forgo the cake cutting photo...and who really cares about the garter toss.
Move on to the PARTAY and start the dancing music. This happened and I can honestly say, not one guest questioned those 'missing' elements.

MC
Father of the Bride
Mother of the Bride
MC
Father of the Groom 
Mother of the Groom
MC
Toast to the Bride 
MC
Toast to the Groom 
MC
Maid of Honour (sister)
Bridesmaid (sister)
MC
FLASH MOB PERFORMANCE ...a huge success 
MC
Bridesmaids 
MC
Best Man 
MC
Groomsmen
MC
=
Father / Daughter Dance     cake cutting photo opp       garter toss 

9.... THE BAR.  After the ceremony, we had a cocktail/open bar. At dinner we had servers pour only red and white wine....no open bar. At the reception, we served wine, beer, pop, scotch..and it was a cash bar for mixed drinks. This was recommended to us by the vendor as a way to cut back on guests who might otherwise be over-served....a wedding faux pas. It worked.

10... do not wear your comfortable (they were for the first 6 hrs) Christian Louboutin shoes for 12 solid hours. I REPEAT....
Christian Louboutin

11.....yes, things will not go 100% according to plan...it happens....it's out of your control... do not involve the Bride and Groom with these details. Move on, most of your guests will neither know, nor care.

12....THIS IS A BIGGY.....your wedding will only be as successful as the guests you invite. We invited fabulous, caring, fun loving, appreciate guests to the wedding. I cannot tell you how many compliments our guests .... gave to our guests.  Even the DJ did not want to shut 'er down.



That's it...that's all folks. I'm hoping that the 'severe wedding withdrawal' symptoms will subside quickly. I have a few clients who need my assistance and I'm also involved in.....

EXTREME MAKEOVER KINDNESS EDITION 2012  reveal February 25th

The Royal Inspiration Awards Gala coming up on March 2nd...  two more raffle tickets to sell



HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY