Cute Wedding Signs you Need
By Tarisha Beniprashad
A ton of couples are opting to add cutesy personal touches to their wedding decor by adding handwritten (or not) signs around their ceremony and reception venues, and we are absolutely obsessed with this trend. Whether it’s a quote that near and dear to your heart, some fun dance floor rules for your guests, or a luxe welcome sign, you can’t go wrong with making the addition of a few signs to your decor. If you’d like to see some incredibly cute wedding signs that you never knew you needed, just keep on reading!
CUTE WEDDING SIGNS YOU NEED IN YOUR DECOR
These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to cute signs that you can include in your wedding decor. We hope that our little selection gives you a little inspiration for your own signage! Have you seen any super cute wedding signs lately? Leave us a comment below and let us know, we’d love to hear from you!
xoxo,
The Whimlets
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!
Bridal Party Gift Ideas
By Tarisha Beniprashad
Your bridal party has (hopefully) been at your beck and call throughout the planning of your wedding, and it’s customary to reward their efforts with a token of your appreciation upon the arrival of your big day. We know that it can be pretty tough to choose one item that you think all of your bridesmaids or groomsmen would appreciate, so we’ve come up with a list of a couple different options for bridal party gifts that we think anyone would be happy to receive!. Keep on reading if you’d like to find out about some awesome bridal party favors.
BRIDAL PARTY GIFT IDEAS
Here are some gifts we think your bridesmaids would swoon over:
Foldable Flats
These babies will be the superheroes of the day for your bridesmaids, and probably for you, too. Easy to fold up and stuff into your clutch, your bridesmaids will be forever thankful when they realize can pull these comfy flats out and finally take off the heels that they’ve been teetering in all day. This is a great option, especially if you’re on budget; we’ve found these Sidekicks Foldable Ballet Flats on Amazon for less than $20!
Compact
If your bridesmaids are into makeup, and even if they’re not, there’s no doubt they could use a cute little compact to throw in their purse. Useful when touching up your lipstick on the way to work or taming those frizzies once you get to the office, we’re positive your bridesmaids would appreciate this present. You can find reasonably priced engraveable compacts at Things Remembered.
Best Friend Bangle
Jewelry can be a risky choice, since not everyone has the same taste. However, if you choose something that’s simple and very basic, all of your maids will be able to work it into their everyday accessories. That’s why we love the idea of matching bangles- simple, and easy to wear! Kate Spade has some gorgeous Bridesmaid Idiom Bracelets that come in both gold and silver.
Keepsake/ Jewelry Box
You can’ go wrong with a jewelry box. We’re sure most of your bridesmaids could probably use a place to keep their more precious jewelry. You can’t go wrong with this adorable little box from Things Engraved.
PRO TIP: IF YOU CAN GET IT ENGRAVED OR MONOGRAMMED, DO IT. PERSONALIZING YOUR BRIDAL PARTY GIFTS IS A LITTLE STEP THAT’LL SHOW THEM HOW MUCH YOU APPRECIATE THEM.
We’re sure the men in your party would appreciate these ideas:
Cufflinks\
This is one of the most universal presents you can choose for your groomsmen; at some point or another, we’re sure they’ll need a nice pair of cufflinks. Easy to choose, easy to please. Find different styles of cufflinks to suit your men at Brookstone.
Pocket Watch
Every groomsmen should have a classic timepiece in their collection. Not to mention, this would be a very dapper accessory for them on your big day! Spruce up the accessory wardrobe of your groomsmen with a classy pocket watch from Things Engraved.
Money Clip or Card Case
Save your groomsmen from those dreaded bulky wallet bulges by gifting them a trendy money clip or card case. Easy to keep cash or cards handy without having to carry around a full-sized wallet, this would be a phenomenal present that would come in handy during those special occasions. You can find sleek, engravable money clips and card cases at stores like Things Remembered.
Valet Box
Pretty much a jewelry box for boys, we’re positive your groomsmen would find themselves storing their most valuable items in a spiffy valet box from The Wedding Shoppe.
Here are a few more things we think everyone would love:
Passport Cover
This option (and the next) are fantastic ideas, especially if you’re having a destination wedding. Passport covers are a small way to make your travels feel a little more luxe. We’ve seen some adorable covers on Etsy!
Luggage Tag
A personalized leather luggage tag would be the perfect way for your bridal party to easily identify their bags. Getting tags monogrammed with each person’s initials in gold or silver is a cute way to spruce this option up! Check out the options on Shutterfly; you could even add photos to the tags that they offer!
Robe
Your hardworking bridal party will definitely deserve a little R&R after your big day, and a fluffy robe would be the perfect relaxation accessory. The Bay has some luxurious robes that you could also get monogrammed.
Flask
A classy little flask would be a great gift for your entire bridal party- who doesn’t like to keep a good swig of vodka handy? Things Remembered has some classy designs to choose from.
This list definitely isn’t exhaustive, but we’ve outlined some pretty cute options that we hope will help you on the quest of searching for your perfect bridal party presents. Have you been a part of a bridal party and received an awesome token of appreciation? Think we left out any cool options? Leave us a comment below and let us know!
XOXO,
The Whimlets
Events by Whim is a team of Toronto’s best 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 2016, Uncategorized, Wedding, Wedding TIps
Wedding Planners: Necessity or Luxury?
By Tarisha Beniprashad
Not many couples realize how integral hiring a wedding planner can be, until they start trying to plan their big day on their own. Wedding planners are basically there to relieve some (all) of the stress from the soon-to-be newlyweds, and make their dreams come to life. Although many couples do manage to pull their wedding day off without the expertise of a certified wedding planner, there are definitely perks to hiring one. Keep on reading if you’d like to find out some of the merits of having a wedding planner!
What can a wedding planner offer you?
Stress Relief
If this is the first event you’ve planned on your known, chances are you haven’t worked with any of the vendors that you now have the option to hire. Shopping around to various vendors for food, decor, flowers, music, and cake, just to name a few, can take a while. With a wedding planner, they’ve already been around the block a few times, and likely know who would be your best bet, depending on your personal vision and budget. You can save a ton of time at this stage of planning, when you’ve got a wedding planner handy.
On the day of your wedding, we’re assuming that you probably won’t have time to be focused on whether the right chair covers were delivered to the venue, or if the flowers will arrive on time. Most wedding planners offer day-of coordination, which pretty much means they’ll take care of everything on the day of your wedding, so that you don’t have to deal with any mishaps (knock on wood) yourself. Even if you don’t want to spend the cash on a planner from start to beginning, it’s a good idea to think about day-of coordination, for the sake of your own sanity!
Getting what you want!
Wedding planner can come in especially handy if you’re working with a tight deadline. We’re all prone to procrastinating every now and then, but it can become pretty tough to secure a vendor or venue if you wait too long- especially if you’re planning your I do’s during wedding season, as many couples are! With a wedding planner at your side, you’ll likely have a better chance at nabbing some great vendors, even at short notice. Wedding planners usually have relationships with a number of vendors around their city, which can totally be of benefit to you- sometimes your planner can even call in a favor if they really need to!
You’ve probably been dreaming about this day for months, even years. But when it comes down to actually planning it, the harsh reality of real life can sometimes sweep away some of your fantastical ideas. Wedding planners are no stranger when it comes to working with a budget, and can be an amazing source for ideas that’ll make your dream wedding a reality, but won’t break the bank. From DIY’s to finding great deals, your wedding planner will do anything to make your vision come to life!
With all this being said, it’s totally possible to plan and execute your own wedding beautifully. However, wedding planners definitely make it easier on you during the planning process as well as on your big day. It really depends on your creative ability and patience for planning- deciding whether or not you need a wedding planner at your side is a personal decision. We’re sure your wedding will be a stunning affair either way!
Think we left out any important details? Drop us a line and let us know what you think about 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 2016, Budget, Uncategorized, Wedding Planning, Wedding TIps
Wedding Invitations: Why so Pricey!?
By Tarisha Beniprashad
Your wedding invitations are the first glance that your guests have of your wedding, and you obviously want to set a tone that screams nothing but fab for your big day. Leaving a good first impression is important, but at what cost?
We’ve given you the inside scoop on why wedding photography and bridal hair and makeup seems so costly, and guess what! We’re keeping up the momentum, and now we’re to tell you a little bit about why wedding stationery can seem so costly. I spoke to our very own wedding stationery genius Michelle, and she’s told me all about why wedding invitations can seem so costly.
Here are some of the stunning stationery suites Michelle has created for previous clients!
Why are wedding invitations so expensive!?
Truth is, there are a bunch of factors that come into play when considering the price of your invites. These factors can include whether or not you opt for a custom design, different print processes, and the quality of the papered goods that you choose.
Design
If you choose to opt for a custom design as many couples do, there’s a design fee charged to cover the amount of time and love that your designer has to put in, in order to create your dream invitation. This process generally takes anywhere from three days to two weeks, depending on the number of revisions requested by the couple. Michelle takes great care with all of her designs, and makes a conscious effort to get to know each client so that she can create something that’s “unique to their own style and love story.”
Quality & Print Processes
Our simple, single sided invitations and plain white envelopes here at Whim start at $3 an invite, with a minimum quantity of 50. If you’re someone who wants a thicker and heavier cardstock, or even a shimmer cardstock, that would be an additional charge added onto the cost per invite. Color upgrades to your envelopes can also add on to these costs. Upgraded print processes like foil, thermography, and letterpress can also get pretty pricey. If you have no idea what those words even mean, here’s a quick breakdown:
Assembly
Adding little embellishments to each of your invitations are another additional charge that you need to consider when thinking about your design and cost of your invitations. Add-ons like ribbons, belly bands, jewels, rhinestones, and buckles can give your invite that extra oomph, but come at a cost. Purchasing these embellishments is only a part of the extra cost- those ribbons don’t tie themselves! Each of our custom invitations here at Whim are handmade; even though this process can be time consuming, it helps us make sure that our couples are receiving the highest quality possible.
Just to give you an approximate estimate of the total amount of time that it takes to design, print, and assemble your invitations, here are some general timeframes: A more simple invitation design takes about 1 month, and more complex designs take around 1.5 months.
We hope that we’ve helped to highlight some reasons surrounding the cost of wedding invitations- like most other things in the event planning industry, there are valid reasons as to why invitations can seem so costly, but actually aren’t. When you consider the time and effort it takes to design, print, and assemble each invitation, the cost of wedding invites seem less and less outrageous.
Huge thank you to Michelle for taking the time out to educate me on cost of wedding invitations! Check out more of her fabulous designs on the official Whim Instagram and Facebook pages.
What’s your take on the cost of wedding invitations? Drop us a line, we want to hear what you think!
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 2016, Budget, GTA, Wedding, Wedding Planning
Live Music Options for your Wedding Ceremony
By Tarisha Beniprashad
For some, the wedding reception is the main event of all their wedding festivities, but we’re strong believers that your ceremony should be the highlight. Vowing your love and life to your SO in front of your friends and family is a significant and beautiful affair, and should be decorated as such! Hiring a live musician or vocalist is a fantastic way to accentuate the elegance of your ceremony. We’ve compiled a list (you know us Whimlets love lists) of some live music options that we think would give your ceremony an extra flair! Keep on reading if you’d like some…
Live music options for your wedding ceremony!
Pianist
As long as there’s a piano at your venue, it’s tough to compete with this classic sound. There are
some incredible pianists in the GTA like Liz Craig who can play practically anything, making this a versatile option for any ceremony.
Harpist
If your venue’s got the space to accommodate the instrument and you really want to up the elegance factor, a harpist is the way to go. Whether your harpist is an angel or not, we guarantee a harp will sound angelic at your ceremony! Joanna Jordan is a fantastic harpist based in Toronto, and would definitely emphasize the grandeur of your vows.
Violinist
A violinist is an ideal option for almost any wedding. Your violinist can play songs and adjust their sound to suit the tone of your ceremony, whether its a backyard affair, or a black tie event. We’re big fans of Jill Daley’s versatile sound.
Organist
Organs are usually hidden out of sight and most commonly found in churches, so you’ll probably have a more formal ceremony if you’re opting to have the sounds of the organ grace the ears of your guests before your ceremony. You can’t go wrong with this traditional sound!
Vocalist
What’s more romantic than walking towards your groom to the sweet lyrics of your special song? Nothing, that’s what. Susan Dunstan is an amazing singer, and we’re sure she’d moisten some eyes before you even walk down the aisle!
Ensemble
You probably won’t opt for a full out wedding band for your ceremony, but a small ensemble or even a quartet would be a lovely option to orchestrate your processional. We’re big fans of violin and cello duets; check out Walla Music for some heavenly ensembles, and samples of their work!
Band
Hiring a versatile band is another great option if you’d like to incorporate live music into your ceremony. From a graceful ceremony duo to a full dance band at your reception, groups like Brent Miller Live can entertain your guests throughout the days events! We had the privilege of hearing this band live at the 2016 WPIC kick off at The Forth, and we can personally assure you they’ve got an amazing sound!
This list ins’t exhaustive, but we hope that we’ve helped you out a little when contemplating your options when it come to live music at your wedding ceremony. You can’t go wrong with any of these sounds- any of them would be the perfect way to begin your happily ever after!
Leave us a comment and let us know what you think about live music at wedding ceremonies, and if you think we missed any interesting options!
xoxo,
The Whimlets
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 2015, GTA, Trends, Uncategorized, Vendors, Wedding, Wedding Planning, Wedding TIps
Intimate Wedding Venues in the GTA
By Tarisha Beniprashad
Having trouble finding the perfect venue for your intimate wedding? Did our Unique Venues in the GTA post not help you find the ideal spot for your nuptials? Fear not, we’ve come up with a new list…
Intimate wedding venues in the GTA
These spots are ideal for a cozy ceremony and a reception just for you and your closest loved ones. Keep on reading if you’d like to find out more about some of the most popular intimate venues in the GTA!
Old Mill Inn & Spa
With a variety of rooms to choose from, the Old Mill offers class and Victorian style like no other. They also have an on-site 16th century candlelit wedding chapel with stained glass windows that would make for some amazing photographs. With amazing in-house catering and luxurious outdoor gardens, Old Mill is an ample choice for any small event.
Miller Lash House
Featuring high arched ceilings, fireplaces, antique furnishings, and wooden trim, the Miller Lash house is both versatile and beautiful. The University of Toronto owned spaces allows for 50 seated guests, and a cocktail reception of 100.
Ancaster Mill
The Ancaster Mill is a little oasis in the scenic suburb of Hamilton. With a waterfall complementing the exquisite exterior, this is the ideal location for a small outdoor wedding. There are also a number of rooms inside of the inn to choose from, if you’re interested in an indoor ceremony. You can choose from rooms with a more modern feel, or go for something a little more rustic. intimate wedding venues in the GTA
We hope that this collection of intimate wedding venues in the GTA helps narrow down your search, and gets you closer to finding the perfect venue for your wedding! Are there any venues you think should be on our list? Contact us today so we can get started on finding the perfect intimate venue for your wedding!
xoxo,
intimate wedding venues in the GTA
- Published in 2016, GTA, Rustic, Trends, Uncategorized, Venues, Wedding, Wedding Planning, Wedding TIps
2016 Bridesmaids Dresses
by Alisha Chadee
Let’s face it, being a bridesmaid is fun! You get to look fabulous and play an integral role in the lives of your dearest friends on the happiest day of their lives! Cheers to that! The playing an integral role part is fairly obvious, so I won’t get into that right now. Instead, let’s focus on the fabulous part! We love stylish bridal parties, so without further adieu, here are our picks for our favourite..2016 bridesmaids dresses
2016 Bridesmaids Dresses!
Our brides know that we are always here to help, and this is no exception. We want you to be on trend and looking your best. We’ve done the legwork and compiled what we think are the best glam, trendy styles that your bridal party will go nuts for! 2016 bridesmaids dresses
Sweet Separates
Gone are the days when bridesmaids had to wear single toned, single fabric gowns. I’m loving the trend of separate tops and bottoms that we’re seeing everywhere this year! We are so hoping that one of our more daring brides will embrace this gorgeous style!
Glam Sequins
I am a glitter queen! I live for anything glitz and shimmery! I don’t think there was anyone on earth happier than I was when glittery sequins began to play a huge part of trends for 2016 bridesmaids dresses. Even the most modest bridesmaids will feel fine and fab in a sequin gown! I particularly enjoy these dresses in metallics and nude shades. 2016 bridesmaids dresses
Flutter Sleeves
Flutter sleeves are so elegant and whimsical, and as our name implies, we like whimsy! These sweet dresses come in many cuts and styles. Personally, I like the A-lines with slits. Cute, and a little saucy. Much like myself.
We hope you enjoyed our picks for the prettiest 2016 bridesmaids dresses! We want to hear your favourite picks, too, so leave us a comment and let us know if we missed your favourite!
We are Events by Whim, a team of Toronto’s best wedding planners. Contact us today to get started on your initial meeting with our team!
xoxo,
- Published in 2016, Wedding, Wedding Planning, Wedding TIps
Average Wedding Day for Wedding Planners
Today on the blog we wanted to address what the average wedding day looks like for our team. This is the time of year when we get tons of inquiries from interested brides and grooms. We know there are skeptics out there that wonder what they are paying for with a month-of coordinator, and if our services are worthwhile. We believe that knowledge is power, and that you should know as much about our process as you can before deciding if you want to work with us! Bearing that in mind, we wanted to present…
Our Average Wedding Day Schedule!
Depending on the type of service you select with our team, we’ll have a lot or a moderate amount of contact before your wedding day. Regardless of the service, in the 6-8 weeks leading up to the wedding day, we spend a lot of time with you and your vendors. We do a thorough venue walkthrough and we meet with you to finalize all of your details, timings, floor plans and seating chart. We also attend your rehearsal and coach your bridal party through their entrances. We teach them how best to walk down the aisle so the photographer can capture happy smiles and happy tears. There are lots of good times and lots of laughs, and we aim to keep you nice and relaxed straight through to the wedding day.
Start Time on the Average Wedding Day
6:00-10:00am
On the average wedding day, we are up and caffeinated by 6:00am. We begin by confirming that our bride and groom are awake and ready to tackle the first line item on their schedule. As we sip our warm bevvies, we send quick messages or make calls to your vendors to confirm that they’re on schedule. After slamming back some breakfast and hauling on pantyhose, we pack up our car(s) with your wedding favours, table numbers, schedules, copies of your speeches and entrance music, give lots of hugs and kisses as we split up and head to your ceremony and reception sites.
Okay, I lied. We stop for another cup of coffee and then head to your ceremony and reception sites.
Once we arrive on site, we ensure that your ceremony decor is set up. The requirements and time commitment here vary by type of wedding ceremony. Either way, we check in with the officiant or religious official, ensure the ceremony decor is set up correctly, and check in with the bridal party. On the average wedding day, we build in extra time for hair and makeup and transportation to the ceremony site. In our experience these areas are the number one causes for late starts to the day. Still, we like to make a quick call to the group to find out if we’re on schedule. Average wedding day.
At the Ceremony site – 10:00am – 3:00pm or so
At this point your ceremony space is set up beautifully, we’ve checked in with your vendors and one of a few things may be happening. Some of our couples opt to do a first look, and this usually happens before the ceremony. We help facilitate this to make sure that the photographers get the most genuine reaction. We’ll then assist with pinning on boutonnieres, jujjing dresses [you know – fluffing them up?] and doing a entrance quick run-through with the bridal party. We remind everyone to walk slow and smile, and check in with any children in the bridal party. We make sure our bride and groom are hydrated and have eaten. If not, into the emergency kit we go and give them a little snack. Once guests begin to arrive we instruct the bridal party to take their places.
We then help with the entrances by manning the doors. Once the bridal party is down the aisle, we’ll fix the bride’s veil, train and bouquet, give her a quick hug and remind her to take it slowly down the aisle and for Dad or other loved one to lift her veil before handing her off to the groom.
At the Reception site – 12:00pm – 5:00pm
While the ceremony action is going on, we’ll also have another member of our team overseeing the set up of the reception space and setting up seating arrangements, cardboxes, guest favours, centerpieces and DIY decor. This will generally keep our lead or assistant busy right through to the start of the reception. We’ve coordinated weddings with guest lists over 500. That means 500 individual name cards and guest favours to place onto each setting.
Photo Sesh – 3:00pm – 6:00pm
During photo time, we assist with herding the bridal party around and getting cooperation for the photography team. While we do love you and your bridal party to pieces, on the wedding day it’s not always easy to wrangle the group together to take photos. Yes, we all love a great selfie, but you’ve paid a professional photographer a great deal of money to capture high quality photos. We’ve realized that there is value to having an extra set of hands available to assist the photographer. And also to fluff the dresses a few more times. And maybe reapply your lipstick.
Cocktails, Canapés and Catered Delights – 6:00pm – 7:15pm
Once you photo session is nearing completion, we touch base with our team to ensure that the reception site is good to go, and that cocktail hour is going well. Our team back at your reception site are managing the logistics of your cocktail hour and ensuring that canapés and drinks are flowing smoothly.
At this point we’re in constant contact to make sure that your reception entrance, however we’ve planned it, is about to go down smoothly. Some couples prefer not to be seen until their grand entrance into the reception hall, and others choose to arrive during cocktail hour to mix and mingle a bit. Either way, one of our favourite moments is watching the look on your face when you see the surpassing gorgeousness of the décor for the first time. There’s nothing like it.
Also – we do our best to make sure there is a snack waiting for you and the bridal party in the bridal suite. Being gorgeous all day and taking fun pictures really is tiring, and we want you to be at your best before you start the main party!
We are now tasked with assisting your DJ/MC and family members gracefully move your guests from the cocktail hour space into the banquet hall. This is no small feat, since on our average wedding day; we end up with 400+ guests to artfully guide into the banquet hall. Most guests want to keep hanging out in the cocktail hour space and continue mixing and mingling. However, the Whimlets pride ourselves on keeping our weddings on time! We make friends with your guests throughout the day, that way when we have to deliver the ‘end of cocktail hour’ news; the devastation is at a minimum. Usually knowing that a sumptuous dinner waits is enough to get everyone hustling to their seats.
Dinner, Speeches and Happy Tears – 7:15pm – 9:30pm
After your parents and bridal party dance their way into the hall, as queued by the MC, it’s your turn! We do a quick fluff of the wedding gown, give lots of hugs and well wishes, and open the doors at the perfect moment and send you in to the deafening cheers of your guests! Once you’re seated, we slip into the hall and begin liaising with the catering manager on when to start service. Average wedding day
Timing is everything with the dinner courses – the last thing we want is for the service team to be clearing plates while your mom is giving her speech that she’s waited to give your entire life! We are constantly watching throughout the dinner festivities to ensure that our schedule and the kitchen’s schedule are perfectly synced. Lots goes on during the wedding day and it’s easy for the itinerary to be thrown off – our main goal during dinner is to make sure that the people you’ve elected to speak have the opportunity to do so with as little disruption as possible. There is a strong chance that we’re sipping coffee #10 by this point. Just kidding – it’s probably only #4 or #5.
Also, I should mention – we love speeches. You see, I spend many months, sometimes years, working closely with my couples. I get to know you – your idiosyncrasies, your likes and dislikes, and the beautiful love story that you share with your intended. I love the speeches because I get to see you in the light that your closest friends and families see you, and the stories are always funny, sweet and endearing. I loathe having to step out of the hall during speeches. Average wedding day
Party, Cake, More Yumminess and Lots of Dancing – 9:30pm – 12:00am
At this point it’s time to get the party started! You may have opted to do your first dance earlier or maybe you’ve decided to do it now. Either way, at this point the guests have are full of wine, dinner and desert and are ready to party!
While you and your guests are partying it up, our team is setting up sweet tables, late night food stations and preparing the cake to be cut. We’ll pull you aside to remind you about throwing the bouquet and the garter toss, and late night photos if you’ve opted to have a session. We’re touching base with the photographer and videographer about milestones that they’ll want to capture for you.
We’re also keeping an eye out to make sure you’ve eaten enough, and that your parents/family members are enjoying themselves. We also check in with the DJ and MC and make sure that they have enough water and a snack, too. Average wedding day
End Time on the Average Wedding Day
The Grand Finale, Smiles and (Some) Tears – 12:00am-1:30am
All too soon, the bar is doing last call and we’re getting calls from your décor company to see if it’s time to come pack up. We get teary eyed knowing that our wedding journey with you is almost at an end. It seems funny that we started off as strangers meeting at our office and now we’re dear friends. We will let your family know where all your personal décor items are and do a quick survey of the room to make sure that your rentals are still where they ought to be. We chat with the catering manager and make sure the leftovers from your wedding cake is packed up properly, and we put aside a takeaway container of food for you to eat at your after party or hotel. We don’t want you to have to hunt for late night fast food!
Then, at the last moment, when we absolutely have to do it, we’ll take our leave. We give you lots of hugs, kisses and well wishes, get a little emotional, and promise to be in touch soon. We tell you how much we loved working with you, because we absolutely did. We then pack up our stuff and head to our cars. Before hopping in, we’ll high five the team and head off to our respective homes. Average wedding day.
Another beautiful, special wedding complete. It’s bittersweet for us, because we’ve come through, helped coordinate a wonderful wedding day, but we will missssss you. And there you have it. This is what an average wedding day looks like for our team. Full of laughs, great times and some tears. Seriously, I’m teary-eyed just writing this and reminiscing. Average wedding day
It’s a journey and we absolutely want to be there with you for it! Do we seem like the team of Toronto’s best wedding planners that you’d like to work with? If so, contact us today – we want to hear all about your wedding!
With Love,
- Published in 2016, Wedding Planning, Wedding TIps
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
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 :).
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
Markham Hindu Wedding – #Anilina2015
Markham Hindu Wedding
We have waited with baited breaths for the professional photos from one of our favourite weddings from 2015. A huge thank you to G+H Photography for sharing these snaps with us! Here it is…
Gorgeous Markham Hindu Wedding at the Markham Hilton Hotel
Back in Fall of 2015 we had the pleasure of meeting Anil & Ilina, aka #Anilina2015. We immediately loved this fun, vibrant couple – I mean how could you not? They made a freaking palindrome anagram of their names and turned it into their wedding hashtag! It was true love, right from the start!
Meet Anil & Ilina – Aren’t they adorable?
We worked with a multitude of vendors to bring this wedding to life. Anil & Ilina are one of the most thoughtful couples we’ve worked with so far. Their main concern was that their guests be as comfortable as possible. We love couples who put a focus on guest experience as a key element to their wedding. For example, a variety of flip-flops were provided so the ladies in attendance could ease their aching feet while dancing. Pretty sweet!
The bride and groom created custom favours. These were no ordinary favours – they customized each individual message for each guest in attendance!
-Customized guest favours with individual messages to each guest in attendance. Photo by G+H Photography.The beautiful decor for both the ceremony and reception was crafted by Diya Decor. The look and feel in the Markham Hilton Hotel was very sumptuous, thanks to the elegant decor and lighting. Anil & Ilina’s guests had a wonderful time and enjoyed every bite of the food, catered by The Host. As an aside – we really enjoyed it, too! Markham Hindu Wedding
As you all know, I love weddings. I love every part of a wedding. What I especially love are speeches, and I wanted to take a second to acknowledge the truly wonderful displays of love toward Anil & Ilina by their family and friends. It was beautiful to behold, and I felt like I was in the presence of a great and everlasting (and super fun) love. The groom’s father Terry, who happens to be an international motivational speaker gave the best wedding speech I’ve ever heard! Markham Hindu Wedding
Here are more snaps of the happy couple – and please do check out the full vendor listing at the end of our blog post!
VENDOR LOVE
Coordination: Whim Event Coordination and Design
Venue: Markham Hilton Hotel Markham Hindu Wedding
Photography: G+H Photography
Videography: Digital Concepts
Caterer: The Host
Decor: Diya Decor
Baraat: Ponies R Us
Makeup/Hair: Amplified Soul
Makeup/Hair: EyeKandii
Snacks: Tiny Tom Donuts & Chipotle
Entertainment: Flipbook Studios
We hope you enjoyed this recap of #Anilina2015! Let us know in the comments if we hit the mark on this blog post. We’d love to chat more with you about your wedding! Contact us today to get started with a no-obligation initial meeting!
xoxo,
- Published in 2015, Real Wedding, Venues, Wedding