Review of 2015 & Our Goals for 2016
We had an amazing 2015. We have stated numerous times that we are so grateful to our family, friends and clients for simply being the best! We managed to get off to a running start and learned a ton along the way! We love sharing our successes and teachable moments with you. In that spirit, we wanted to share our 2015 social media statistics and our goals for 2016!
2015 Social Media Statistics
We made huge leaps and bounds with our social media in 2015!
Michelle created this beautiful graphic that outlines our areas of achievement. For example we had over 13K views on our website – which is awesome! We recently relaunched the site, so we’re very excited to see what these numbers look like next year! We also saw a huge increase in our Pinterest following and activity levels. Are you seeing this?? Almost 250,000 views on our pins! Love!
The coolest item? One of our Instagram posts went viral when the official Christian Louboutin Instagram page liked and commented on it!
We also saw areas where we could improve. For example, we only posted 43 blog posts for 2015. We also want to see more returning visitors to our website. We did a fab coaching session with Krista of KJ&Co and learned a whole lot that helped us improve our website a lot!
Now that we are well into 2016, the Whimlets have brainstormed and come up with goals for 2016. We each considered what we would like to accomplish for the year, and to stay accountable, we wanted to share these goals with you. Without further ado, I present to you our…
Goals for 2016! *Cue the Fanfare!*
Alisha
As a team, we accomplished a lot in 2015. Sometimes I forget that our journey began only a few short years ago. We looked at 2015 as the year that we made a name for ourselves in the Toronto events industry. I think we hit the mark and forged a ton of great new relationships. I’d like to see more of that in 2016!
One of my personal goals for 2016 is to create a stronger awareness for our company with venues that align with our brand. I will accomplish this in 2016 by conducting 1 (one) site visit at a new venue per month and writing a blog post on the experience.
Michelle
My personal goal for this year is to create a bigger presence for our Wedding Stationery sub-brand – RSVP by Whim. In order to accomplish this, I will create its own entity within our Whim website as well as build the brand using social media. Across all social media platforms, RSVP by Whim will always link back to the main website.
Lastly.. We have an office!
Yessss we do! This past week we moved into our first ever office! We achieved one of our goals for 2016 really early and we are so excited to invite you all to come visit us! While we aren’t totally finished decorating, we are already meeting new (and existing) clients at our office. We’re located at 8611 Weston Road, unit 28, Vaughan Ontario – the major intersection is Weston and Langstaff. Here’s a sneak peek of part of the space. Want to see more? Come visit :).
Sneak peek of our office space!
We are so thrilled to be able to serve you better, and to have a space that allows us to be productive and creative!
If you made it through this list… thank you!
Whew, it feels good to get that out in the open. We plan to be as open and honest about this journey as we can possibly be. In fact, we’d love it if you called us out on not meeting our goals! We want to be the best version of ourselves so that we can serve our clients better! Here’s to a productive and fulfilling 2016!
Events by Whim is a team of the best wedding planners in Toronto, and we’re ready to help you plan your dream day! Get in touch with us today!
- Published in 2016, Wedding Planning, Wedding TIps
Hilton Mississauga Venue Review
by Alisha Chadee
I love being a wedding and event planner. I love it for so many reasons. The primary reason is that I enjoy helping couples plan the most important day of their lives and I love the creativity involved with designing a themed corporate party. It honestly doesn’t feel like work to me because I enjoy all aspects of the planning and execution. As with any career, there are fun perks! One of them is that the Whimlets are constantly invited by venues to visit and sample their fares. Poor us – having to visit beautiful spaces and eat yummy food. It’s a hard life, but someone has to evaluate all that the wedding world has to offer you! Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered :).
Hilton Mississauga Meadowvale – Yessss!!!
Recently I was invited by the beautiful Hilton Mississauga Meadowvale to come visit their beautiful wedding and event space.
Lobby of the Hilton Mississauga Meadowvale – courtesy of the hotel
As I sat in the lovely lobby and took a few snaps with my camera, I took in the ambiance of the room. I like evaluating lobbies. This is the first spot your guests will see at the onset of your wedding. I loved that this space was warm and friendly, with a professional yet luxurious feel.
I met with Richha, the Catering and Sales Manager, and she strove to welcome me and answer all of my questions. Richha took me on a tour of the ballrooms, meeting spaces, restaurant and even a guest suite! Check out a few photos of the lovely ceremony and reception spaces. All event space photos courtesy of the Hilton Mississauga Meadowvale.
Compass Room Reception Space – beautiful for a cocktail reception
The Greenwich Room – perfect for a reception dinner and dance.
The Greenwich Room is also very appropriate for a lovely and modern wedding ceremony
I am OBSESSED with modern ceremony spaces and the Hilton Mississauga Meadowvale delivers!
Modern and luxe. It’s difficult to find spaces in Toronto that can cater to groups of up to 900 that have this ambiance. Like I’ve mentioned before – I love modern.
It wouldn’t be a good site visit without sampling the fare offered by the culinary geniuses at theHilton Mississauga Meadowvale. Richha and I headed over to their in-house restaurant, Quest. The food was delicious and beautifully displayed. The head chef is able to customize their menu to suit even the pickiest palette and I was pleased with the extensive selection of wines.
Are you drooling yet? I wonder if I can do a second site visit..
This meatloaf was amazing! I (reluctantly) shared my leftovers with my husband. It was gone in seconds!
Richha’s three-cheese mac! Yum!
All in all, I really like the Hilton Mississauga Meadowvale for an intimate or large wedding reception for a few reasons:
- Modern couples looking for a hotel wedding experience usually think of the options available in Toronto. I was very pleased to see that we have a great modern, luxurious hotel option here in Mississauga. I love the West-end, and I’ve lived here my entire life – so the more it develops, the happier I am!
- I very much enjoyed the food. I am a foodie at heart and I believe that your guests will always appreciate a well thought out meal at your wedding. Working with experienced chefs and sommeliers guarantees that your guests will have a wonderful culinary experience. I also enjoyed the flexibility of the menus. There are sit-down and buffet options, along with a multitude of cultural variations available.
- I love modern wedding and event spaces. TheHilton Mississauga Meadowvale offers a sleek, contemporary design and is suitable for modern luxe weddings.
Hilton Mississauga Meadowvale – Quick Facts
Location: 6750 Mississauga Road, Mississauga Ontario
Capacity: 10 to 900
Size of Space: Up to 40,000 square feet
Catering: Available onsite
Bar: Available Onsite
Photo Ops: Available in Courtyard
Amenities: Many – but ample free parking is available for wedding guests.
What do you think of our review? We’d love to go with you on a tour of theHilton Mississauga Meadowvale for your upcoming wedding or event. Contact us today and we can get started!
xoxo
- Published in 2015, Vendor spotlight, Venues, Wedding, Wedding Planning, Wedding TIps
Creative Guestbook Ideas for the Fun Bride
By Alisha Chadee
You’ve picked your wedding colour scheme, you’ve picked your wedding theme and your planning is coming along nicely. Wonderful! Time for the final details, like your wedding guestbook. Here’s an excellent opportunity to showcase your theme in a creative way! There are tons of ways to showcase your creativity and leaving the boring old guestbook in the past. Where it belongs. Forever. Without further ado…
Creative Guestbook Ideas
The Whimlets have planned and coordinated a ton of weddings over the years, and we’ve always advocated for as much creativity as possible. One of our favourite areas to incorporate this is in the guestbook and receiving line items. Guests enjoy the fun extras and out of box ideas that show you care about their experience. For example, one of our couples featured a guestbook tree. The guestbook tree featured an Fujufilm Instax camera with slips of paper for guests to fasten their instant photos and leave a message. The messages were then tied onto the tree and created the leaves. The Diya Decor tree was visually stunning, standing at 6ft tall, and had all of the guests raving.
Closeup of the Guestbook Tree and hanging ‘leaves.’
The beautiful Diya Decor creation at #Anilina2015
I’ve always loved simplicity – it’s the ultimate sophistication, right? In that spirit, I love the idea of artwork that guest can sign. These pieces are then hung in the bride and groom’s home after the wedding. Check out this artwork created from the thumbprints of the bride and groom, fashioned into a heart. Guests signed around it and the bride and groom displayed it in their home. I really like the underlying message of two becoming one.
Artwork that guests can sign are a fun alternative to the traditional guestbook. We love this thumbprint design. Photo by Jonathan Young Weddings
What do you and your fiancé like to do? What are your hobbies? For example, couples who enjoy travel may consider using a globe and have guests sign it. This would be a neat piece to display in an office or in a family room. Like I said before, I love creative guestbook ideas that double as art!
Fun globe guestbook idea for smaller weddings – great nod to a globetrotting couple’s shared interests in travelling. Found via Elizabeth Anne Weddings.
As an alternative to this idea, rather than using a globe, use a map and frame it afterwards!
Frame a personalized map and have guests sign it. After the wedding, hang it up in the family room! Found via HereAndThereShop on Easy.
Are you a wine lover? Yeah, so am I! Start collecting those corks and have guests sign and add them to a shadow box! The shadow box can be personalized to include your wedding monogram and brand!
Wine lovers unite! Have your guests sign corks and add them to a shadow box! Display it after the wedding! Found Emmalinebride.com!
I loveeeee Jenga! It’s such a fun game for groups or even a low-key date night. My husband and I play all the time and it turns into a battle royale! I digress.. Have your guests sign Jenga pieces on one side and add a piece of advice on the other! You’ll have fun playing afterwards and the game might even become a keepsake for your future children!
Break out the Jenga! Guests will love leaving advice and you’ll love playing on date night! Via OhLovelyDay.com
Creative guestbook ideas are all around us – just think about the activities that you enjoy as a couple and the ideas will flow! How did you like the suggestions that I’ve given you? Leave me a comment and let me know! If you are looking for help with putting together your dream wedding, contact us today!
- Published in 2015, Trends, Wedding, Wedding Planning, Wedding TIps
A Modern Romance at Liberty Grand in Toronto
Liberty Grand is a beautiful spot. Seriously gorgeous.
We never get tired of weddings at Liberty Grand in Toronto. It’s such an elegant spot, with great modern features set against a historic building. Naturally when one of our August 2015 couples contacted us and said their venue was Liberty Grand, we were seriously stoked.
Meet Valerie & Jon. Adorable, right?
Valerie & Jon’s Liberty Grand wedding, shot by Memory Video Productions
Valerie & Jon’s Liberty Grand wedding, shot by Memory Video Productions
Apart from their obvious cuteness, these two were such a delight to work with – so laid back and genuinely excited about getting married and showing their guests a great time. Michelle and I were more than happy to get involved and help them with their finishing touches. This wedding had a lot of fun features to keep guests entertained all day and night!
Valerie & Jon hired a very talented group of vendors to help pull their wedding together, and based on their review of us, it’s safe to say that they are happy with the end-result :). Check out a few more of their photos, and a full vendor listing below. Thanks again to the fabulous Memory Photo and Video based out of Woodbridge. You guys rock! Guests walked away with hand-rolled cigar favours, individually wrapped. Michael McDonnell and a team of two arrived on site after dinner to provide caricature sketches for guests to take home.
This cake was a huge hit with us and all of the guest. This delightful confectionary creation was created by the Wedding Cake Shoppe in Toronto :).
This crowd had a blast from start to end. There was a ton of audience participation and everyone clamoured to be involved!
Is this a bridal party or a magazine spread? Valerie & Jon’s beautiful bridal party!
This is the beautiful bride with two of her bridesmaids and the most adorable little flower girl in the world. This shot was taken in the courtyard of Liberty Grand
Rose gold and blush head table. Isn’t the backdrop stunning? Wedding Wows Toronto provided the beautiful decor.
The Key Players
Wedding Planners: Whim Event Coordination & Design
Photography & Videography: Memory Photo & Video Productions
Venue: Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex
Decor, Floral & Rentals: Wedding Wows Toronto
Transportation: Lucid Limos
Cake: The Wedding Cake Shoppe
Ceremony Music: Duo D’amour
Hair & Makeup: Brush Boutique
Entertainment: Michael McDonnell Caricature
Favours: Frank Correnti Cigars
Are you dreaming of your big day? OMG we are too! Contact us today and we’ll show you how we can make it happen together!
- Published in 2015, Real Wedding, Wedding, Wedding Planning