Minimalist Wedding at Berkeley Fieldhouse
Berkeley Fieldhouse Minimalist Dream Wedding
Jaimie’s mom reached out to me way back in early 2020 to help Jaimie and Matt with their wedding planning goals and I was thrilled when I met them in person. We met one wet Saturday morning at the cafe owned by Patricia’s Cake Creations in Toronto and had a warm drink and got to know each other. Their style, and especially their personalities really drew me in. Jaimie and Matt are fun and a little sarcastic, really warm, and overall, just such genuine souls. What I really liked best about working with them was that they were really interested in hosting a wedding that was genuine to who they are as a couple and individually. That is a whole different topic for another blog post, but I will say that authenticity in your wedding planning is critically important and a key factor to enjoying the process and your wedding day. No one wants to feel like they are stepping into an artificial role on their wedding day. After so many years of planning, I’ll say that the best weddings we plan are the ones where your guests are overheard saying, “Wow this is SO them!” Anyway, onto the recap! All of these beautiful photos were captured by the talented Kat from Boakview Photography!
As you probably guessed, the Covid19 pandemic ended up derailing our collective plans for the wedding and we ended up postponing their big day twice to September 2022. Their original venue was Airship 37, but Berkeley Events ended up undergoing a restructuring and that venue is no longer in operation so we moved to Berkeley Fieldhouse and moved the date a third time. Our amazing troop of vendors diligently stuck with us and moved the date and venue location and we continued on with our plans. Berkeley Fieldhouse wasn’t a huge pivot for us in terms of location and style, as it is nestled in the heart of Toronto and also has a blank-slate feel. The space itself is open concept with lots of neutral colour and tons of natural light. Jaimie and Matt envisioned sustainable local wild flowers, fresh and in season, alongside touches of romantic candle light and dainty watercolour stationery pieces to complete the look.
Our team works with a lot of couples and bridal parties on the wedding day, but Jaimie and Matt’s squad stood out to us because everyone was so friendly and lively, and genuinely excited to be apart of the festivities. From the early start to the trek on foot over to Berkeley Fieldhouse for photos, these guys and girls were up for anything. We felt the love from their families throughout the day. We loved that this couple opted to buck a traditional ballroom style wedding that would have been expected given their cultural backgrounds and went for a celebration more in tune with their hearts. We also especially loved that they weren’t afraid of a little colour in their wedding palette! They opted for a neutral base for the larger elements, romantic candle glow and so much colour in the wild flower arrangements, artfully designed by our friend Lisa at Whiskey Jack Flowers. Everyone had a wonderful time, including all of our vendors. Thank you again to Jaimie and Matt for choosing us to be your wedding planners!
Vendor love:
Venue & Catering: Berkeley Fieldhouse
Photography: Boakview Photography
DJ: Alley Entertainment
Hair: Shannon Petrolito
Makeup: Rebecca Kupferstein
Florals: Whiskey Jack Florals
Officiant: My Wedding Officiant
Events by Whim is a Toronto-based wedding planning company that travels across Canada to create modern, romantic and timeless celebrations. Our Toronto Wedding Planners work with you every step of the way to plan weddings that celebrate your unique love story and capture the elements of your lives that matter most to you. Get in touch with us today to start planning!
- Published in Real Wedding, Uncategorized
All About Rehearsal Dinners
What are wedding rehearsals vs rehearsal dinners? What do we do at a rehearsal dinner?
The wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinners are two separate items, though the guest list can have some overlap.
The wedding rehearsal is a practice run of the wedding ceremony, and features the full bridal party, parents and any additional attendants (like readers, singers, etc) who have a stake in the program. These typically happen for officiant-led ceremonies and church ceremonies, though any type of wedding can benefit from a run through before the big day. The rehearsal is a great opportunity to practice where all key players will be during all parts of the ceremony, and can help settle frazzled nerves leading up to the big day.
Rehearsal dinners are traditionally held after the wedding rehearsal and is held the night before or two nights before the wedding. This is a kick off to the wedding festivities and an opportunity for the couple, bridal party and families to relax before the big day. The wedding day can be very busy, with lots of guests vying for attention from the couple, so the rehearsal dinner is a great opportunity to spend time together in an intimate setting. This is also a wonderful way to alleviate any pre-wedding jitters by spending time in a warm environment with your nearest and dearest.
Who should I invite?
The Must Haves:
The rehearsal dinner guest list should include your immediate families, all wedding party members and their significant others, and the immediate families of any children in the bridal party. It is also a great idea to invite your officiant and their spouse, though this is optional.
The Nice To Haves:
It’s a lovely idea to invite any folks that are coming in from a long distance to attend the wedding, or may not have any other ties to the location of your wedding. Are you having a destination wedding? Consider opting for a welcome cocktail after the wedding rehearsal rather than a full dinner, to save some cost.
Where should it be held?
You have tons of options here! Rehearsal dinners can be held at home, in a restaurant, or even a more formal setting like a banquet hall. Typically the rehearsal dinner is less formal than the wedding itself, so consider that when planning. It wouldn’t make sense to have a super formal rehearsal dinner for a casual bbq wedding. Whatever you do, be sure to specify dress code to your guests so they are comfortable on arrival.
What should I serve?
Again, there are lots of options here! Traditionally rehearsal dinners were formal sit-down dinner affairs, but these days couples are planning backyard bbqs, cocktail receptions and potluck affairs as well. Your budget will ultimately guide you here!
Do I need physical invitations?
This will depend on the style of rehearsal you’re hosting. If you plan to have a formal sit-down affair, invitations with rsvps that indicate dietary restrictions will be required. Your catering team will need a final head count and meal selections in advance.
Alternatively, if you are hosting a more casual event, phone calls, word of mouth, email invites or wedding websites invitations are perfectly acceptable. You will still want some sort of headcount to ensure you have enough food and drink.
Invitations to the rehearsal should be sent out within 3 months of the wedding to ensure that guests coming from further can make necessary arrangements.
Are there any formalities to the itinerary of a rehearsal dinner?
These days rehearsals take so many shapes, but there are a few things that should happen:
- Take a few minutes to greet everyone and thank them for attending your wedding festivities and share any important information about the wedding that may be worth repeating, like transportation schedules and family photo shoots
- The host typically gives a speech. Traditionally, the groom’s family hosts the rehearsal, but more and more couples are hosting themselves.
- if the groom’s family is hosting, the groom’s parents would give the first speech, thanking guests and welcoming their new daughter in law
- The couple will then thank each other and their guests
- The couple may opt to hand out attendant gifts at this time
Most importantly, have fun! If the rehearsal dinner is the night before the wedding, remember to not make it a late night, or to imbibe too much – you’ll want to feel fresh for the wedding day!
Final Notes
I say this a lot, but there is not a right or wrong way to approach a wedding rehearsal dinner. The main item you’ll want to consider is the formality of the event and plan accordingly from there. You’ll want to ensure that you book a space that can comfortably accommodate your crowd, and plan for any dietary restrictions. Rehearsal dinners are a wonderful way to kick back with your wedding party prior to the wedding and enjoy some downtime before the hectic wedding day.
- Published in Uncategorized
5 Essentials for Perfect Wedding Day Detail Photos
5 Essentials for Perfect Wedding Day Detail Photos
Wedding day detail photos are an essential part of any complete wedding album. Achieving the perfect images may seem daunting but we have compiled a list of 5 essentials for the perfect wedding photos! Consider including these items in your suitcase on the way to the hotel, or on display at home. Having these items at your fingertips will make it easy for your talented photography team to design beautiful flat lays that you will cherish for years to come!
1. Wedding Dress, Veil & Gown Accessories
This one may seem obvious but so often the accompanying accoutrements of the dress are forgotten. Be sure to include your veil, garter, any head pieces or jewellery. This helps to create a complete picture of the wedding attire styling.
2. Perfume Bottles
Whether you have a signature scent that accompanies you wherever you go, or a special wedding day aroma that will become a new family favourite, a chic perfume bottle is perfect as a design item for wedding day detail photos.
Beautiful photos by Kendra Ruth Photography
3. Wedding Invitation & Stationery
Having a few copies of your wedding invitations allows us to take them apart and layer pieces with other design details to create a visually captivating flat lay. At least one copy is good, but two is even better! Be sure to also include smaller details like place cards, vow books, table numbers and the like if you have extra copies. Most stationers are happy to include an extra set for this purpose if you ask!
Beautiful photos by Kendra Ruth Photography
4. Wedding Bouquets & Loose Flowers
Your wedding bouquet plays an integral role throughout your wedding photos, and that begins with your getting ready shots. Having loose flowers helps to fill in and add visual interest and dimension to your accessories as well. Most florists are happy to include a few loose blooms, but you do have to ask them to do this. Remember, your entire vendor squad wants to see your photos look their best so asking will take you a far way!
Beautiful photos by Kendra Ruth Photography
5. Rings
If possible, try to have all engagement and wedding rings together during detail shots. Your planning team can ensure the rings are in the right hands prior to the wedding ceremony.
Did we miss any details that you plan to include with your getting ready shots on your wedding day? If so, leave us a comment and let us know!
Essentials for Perfect Wedding Day Detail Photos
- Published in Uncategorized
Help! One of My Wedding Vendors Cancelled!
Sometimes things don’t go according to plan – I’ll be the first to admit it. I have had weddings where a vendor has had to cancel, I’ve also had couples book me at the last minute to help them figure things out for the same reason. I want to address this issue today because it’s a sensitive topic on both sides and merits some discussion. Also, please note that I am not talking about vendors who ghost on you – only vendors that reach out in advance to discuss a cancellation. So, with that said,
What do you do if your Wedding Vendors Cancel?
This is going to sound silly, but try not to panic. As stressful as it is when you get notice that a wedding vendor is having to cancel on you, chances are there is a solid reason for it. Most wedding vendors are well intentioned people who also have families, personal lives and any host of things that could cause an emergency to come up. If the vendor wasn’t legit, they would have ghosted on you and attempted to keep your money (we have seen this before, too). The fact that they are reaching out means that they are just as committed to helping you find a solution. Here are a few things to keep in mind before and after booking your wedding vendors.
Consider purchasing wedding insurance from the onset of your planning
Wedding insurance liability policies often have additional optional provisions that can save you a LOT of frustration and money if a vendor happens to cancel on you. Click here to read more about enhanced wedding liability insurance. Policies cost as little as $55.00 for a LOT of peace of mind!
Life happens sometimes – try not to take it personally
In most cases, when a wedding vendor cancels, it is because of a personal emergency. While you are dealing with a business, the people behind the business do have families and circumstances that are sometimes out of their control. I’ve seen many examples of this, including
- Death in the family
- Pregnancy/miscarriage
- Personal illness
Do keep in mind that vendors are not required to disclose the nature of personal issues even though some will. Remember to be gracious as this person is navigating murky waters that have blurred across personal and professional lines. It’s easy to only think of the wedding but a little compassion goes a long way. Chances are, your vendors are doing everything they can to deliver the perfect wedding for you, and are considering alternatives in case they cannot.
So what do you do if a wedding vendor cancels?
Let’s go through our options.
Pull out your contract and review cancellation clause to understand what is required of you vs the vendor
Anyone providing a service or product should have a cancellation clause in their invoice and/or contract. This clause will outline what happens if the client cancels vs if the vendor cancels. Typically if a client cancels within a certain amount of time, there is a forfeiture of initial payment (deposit). Usually if a vendor cancels, there is a full refund of the amount paid. If there is a partial cancellation (ie some services will still be provided) the amount paid is adjusted on the final invoice.
As the vendor who cancelled to suggest alternative vendors for their service or product
Chances are, they’ve done this already. Like I said before, it’s stressful for a vendor to have to cancel. This is their livelihood and most wedding vendors are very keen to provide end-to-end excellent customer service. In the unfortunate instance of a cancellation, chances are they have sought out alternative vendors available on your date to cover the service or product they are providing. Some vendors will do this under their contract with you on the back end, others will have you cancel with them and create a new contract with the new vendor.
Consider hiring a planner if you’re super stressed and are out of resources
Not to throw in a shameless plug, but wedding planners have the resources to find you vendors very quickly. Not only that, they are finding you reputable vendors that can provide the same, if not better, quality than you originally contracted. I’d love to say that hiring a wedding planner from the onset means that you won’t have any vendors cancel, but that wouldn’t be fair.
To my beautiful couples out there in internet-land reading this – if a wedding vendor cancels, they probably are mortified. Chances are they are super stressed about letting you down, and also with whatever it is that has caused the cancellation. You do have options, and don’t be afraid to ask your original vendor to help you navigate this tricky issue.
Events by Whim is a team of Toronto Wedding Planners committed to creating intimate and elegant celebrations for Toronto’s discerning couples. Contact us today if you have any wedding planning questions or are ready to get started on your dream day!
- Published in Uncategorized
How to Interview Wedding Vendors Like a Boss!
- Published in Uncategorized
Janean and Carlo’s Soft, Dreamy Vaughan Wedding at Da Vinci Banquet Hall
A few years ago, Janean and I connected in my office and we had such a lovely conversation. Janean is a smart, beautiful and above all kind soul who had a very specific vision for her wedding – dreamy and romantic with large, lovely blooms. I had the best time working with Janean and Carlo to create a design that stayed true to that vision. Check out the fabulous pro photos from Yasmeen Mesrie’s team over at Muse Moi Studios!
We loved this soft palette. We focused mainly on a lot of ivory and white with touches of very antique champagne and pink tones – nothing overly bright, and the barest hint of greenery with tons of romantic candle light. Janean is more into full blooms rather than greenery, and while we love both, we can respect that choice, too! A standout feature of this design was the full floral ring around the beautiful cake from Sammy Cakes and the oversized cherry blossom arch hanging above the head table. We loved the use of all white drapery and cherry blossom stems, which in turn caused the full fresh floral head table runner to pop even more. The entire bridal party was a treat to be around, and this crew had just the best day!
Janean and Carlo, we’re wishing you the best that married life has to offer. We were honoured to be a part of your big day and we can’t wait to see what else life has in store for the two of you! A huge thank you to the amazing team that worked so hard on this amazing wedding!
Vendor Love
Venue: Da Vinci Banquet Hall
Ceremony Venue: St Clare Catholic Church
Wedding Planner & Designer: Whim Event Planning & Design
Decor & Floral: Princess Decor
Photography: Muse Moi Studios
Cinema: SDE Weddings
Wedding Cake: Sammy Cakes
Stationery: RSVP by Whim
Whim Event Planning and Design is a team of Toronto wedding planners and day of coordinators, specializing in modern romantic weddings for fun, sweet couples. Get in touch with us today to start planning your dream day!
- Published in Uncategorized
Wedding Planning with Authenticity
Feeling like you aren’t planning an authentic wedding is a crappy feeling. I can’t tell you how many couples have lamented that the wedding was starting to get out of hand and feels like something they’d not even want to attend. That makes me really sad, because weddings shouldn’t be about putting on a show – they are an opportunity celebrate (not showcase) your love. When the good folks over at The Wedding Pic reached out and asked if I would address the topic, I felt like it was a good chance to really let my thoughts on the subject loose.
Authenticity in wedding planning is always on my mind, and truthfully, it’s something I evaluate when I do my initial meetings with couples. Planning a pretty day is well and fine, but I’m here for true love stories, and genuine, loving couples. If I don’t get that vibe in the initial consult, I awkward-Nick-Miller-moonwalk right out the door.
Check out the link below to read the article, and definitely follow The Wedding Pic, a leading Toronto-based Instagram influencer sharing engaging and inspirational wedding content and offering practical relationship and wedding advice for modern couples.
Click here to check out our feature, and let us know what you think!
Did we miss a great wedding fund source? If so, leave us a comment and let us know! We’d also love to know how you funded the wedding of your dreams!
Whim Event Planning and Design is a team of Toronto wedding planners and day of coordinators, specializing in modern romantic weddings for fun, sweet couples. Get in touch with us today to start planning your dream day!
- Published in Uncategorized
Build Your Wedding Fund
We get it, weddings are mad expensive. We’ve worked with our couples to develop rock solid budgets, to get us from “Yay we’re engaged!” to “I do!” With that in mind, we’ve collaborated with the fine folks over at The Wedding Pic to write an article outlining the most ways to build your wedding fund. It basically comes down to help from family, personal savings and lastly, credit. We’ve had couples using each method, or a combination therein, to build their wedding fund. Personally, I’m not a fan of the credit approach, unless its a short term solution. I realize that there are a lot of large payments that need to happen right before the wedding (hello, venue final payment!), so I totally get using a credit line for cashflow purposes. However, I have actually turned couples away who have told me that they are piling on the debt to pay for the wedding. I just can’t get behind that – it’s much better to scale back smaller and start your married life without a whole pile of debt.
As with any project involving money, there are benefits and detriments to each option, and we’ve outlined them all. Click the link below to check out the article, and definitely follow The Wedding Pic, a leading Toronto-based Instagram influencer sharing engaging and inspirational wedding content and offering practical relationship and wedding advice for modern couples.
Click here to check out our feature, and let us know what you think! Did we miss a great wedding fund source? If so, leave us a comment and let us know! We’d also love to know how you funded the wedding of your dreams!
Whim Event Planning and Design is a team of Toronto wedding planners and day of coordinators, specializing in modern romantic weddings for fun, sweet couples. Get in touch with us today to start planning your dream day!
- Published in Uncategorized
Our 2017 Team Photo Shoot with Tom Wang Photography!
We have had a whirlwind 2017 wedding season, and to end it, we decided to get together and have a fun photo shoot with each member of our team. One of our favourite wedding photographers, Tom Wang Photography, offered to capture the details for us, and we couldn’t be happier with the result! We are so excited for you to get to know our team, because this group of passionate planners want you to party with pizzazz!
Meet Alisha
Lovely headshot by Tom Wang Photography
Alisha Chadee, one of Whim’s co-founders and lead planners, has a background in adult education and project management, plus several years of corporate event planning prior to starting up Whim with Michelle. Alisha’s take on wedding planning stems from the belief that if couples are well-educated about the wedding industry and each aspect of the planning process, they’re more likely to make great decisions about their wedding. She cries at every wedding she plans, and her detailed itineraries constantly amaze her vendors. She thinks in floor plans, is a socaholic, and enjoys long walks to the fridge before watching Game of Thrones.
Meet Michelle
Lovely headshot by Tom Wang Photography
Michelle Brijlal, one of Whim’s co-founders, is a professional graphic designer who excels at event design, wedding stationery and custom signage. She feels strongly about personal branding, and thinks every couple has a unique love story, and she’s itching to tell it through print and pretty paper. Though Michelle’s primary passion is event design, she also loves coordination, and it’s not uncommon to see her chasing errant bridal party members and setting up the receiving table just so on your wedding day. When she isn’t loving all over our couples, you can find her dreaming up new adventure, cottaging or hunting for the best oysters in Toronto.
Meet Ilina
Lovely headshot by Tom Wang Photography
Ilina Dasgupta, our lead planner, is a creative genius when it comes to wedding planning. She believes that there is a solution to every problem, and loves working hard and playing harder! Her background in corporate finance has polished her customer service skills, and her other background in professional dance makes her a graceful hoot to have around the office! This firecracker is as creative as she is sweet, and works hard to bring all of her clients’ wedding visions to life!
Meet Sylwia
Lovely headshot by Tom Wang Photography
Sylwia Kwak, our lead coordinator, is a bundle of energy on the Whimlet team! Her extensive experience in adult education, project management, and customer service in the wedding industry shines through when you work with her! She loves to sing and dance, so don’t be surprised if you see her tapping her toes along to the beats your DJ is dropping!
We had such a fantastic early morning shoot with Tom, who is honestly so much fun to hang out with – as many of our wedding couples can tell you! He captured to essence of our team – we try to look fly (and more or less succeed) but we mostly like having fun together while we work! We’d also like to send a huge shout out to Straight Laser for our gorgeous new laser cut sign, which you’ll be able to see in person on display at Canada’s Bridal Show this January 2018, since Whim Event Planning & Design will have its own booth for the very first time! We hope you like our shoot as much as we do, as well as getting to know our team of wedding planners!
Whim Event Planning and Design is a team of Toronto wedding planners and day of coordinators specializing in modern romantic weddings for fun, sweet couples. Get in touch with us today to start planning your dream day!
- Published in Uncategorized
Elegant Wedding Magazine Feature!
Our latest feature on Elegant Wedding Magazine’s Blog!
We’ve had a crazy busy couple of months so far for 2017, and we’re really happy to see our work being featured all over the place! Our latest feature is on the Elegant Wedding Magazine Blog! We worked on a stunning cherry-blossom infused styled shoot with some of our favourite friendors in the industry, and we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out!
Check out the full feature here:
https://www.elegantwedding.ca/wedding-style/style-shoots/cherry-blossom-wedding-ideas/
A huge thank you to our vendor team for making this amazing shoot happen!
Best Vendors Ever:
Venue: Hilton Mississauga/Meadowvale
Photography: ChriLee Photography
Floral: Fete Floral Boutique
Furniture/Decor Rentals: Princess Decor
Furniture/Decor Rentals: Southern Charm Vintage Rentals
Linens and Chair Rental: Chair Decor
Cake, Sweets and Styling: Sinfully Sweet Co
Attire and Accessories: Ferre Sposa Bridal Boutique
Accessories: Blair Nadeau Millinery
Cocktails: Fresh Pours
Hair and Makeup: Beauty by Sacha and MUAH Beauty
Calligraphy: Love Lettering
Lighting Design: Alley Entertainment
Custom Aisle Runner: Dance Floor Decor
Candles: Helix Candles
Whim Event Planning and Design is a team of Toronto wedding planners and day of coordinators specializing in modern romantic weddings for fun, sweet couples. Get in touch with us today to start planning your dream day!
- Published in Uncategorized