Real Brides Interview: Tara Elias, MOH

I have quickly learned throughout the planning process that the best source of guidance is not magazines, books, planners, or websites, but advice from real brides!  No wedding advice is more valuable or relevant than first hand knowledge from someone who has already been through it.  And I have found that I have been asking a lot of the married people in my life about their experiences, so I thought I'd interview a few of the most important women in my life about their wedding and planning memories and blog about it!

My first interview subject is my esteemed MOH Tara, who was married to the love of her life, Johnny, last July.  They had a beautiful wedding on a hot summer day and I was honored to be her MOH as well!  Read on...

 

Partners in crime!

Tell me your engagement story!

Johnny and I had a trip planned to New York City for New Years Eve, but we almost didn’t get there.  Our flight was scheduled to leave out of Minneapolis, but on the way there, we hit an extreme blizzard and a 100 car pile-up.  State Troopers closed the highway and made us turnaround.  After a lot of panicked phone calls to my Mom and the airline, we realized we were going to have to either pay out-of-pocket for flights out of Winnipeg, or forego the trip altogether.  Since we had already planned the whole thing and were extremely excited, we decided it was worth the extra money, and rebooked our flights departing out of Winnipeg.  We then high tailed it out of North Dakota before they closed the other side of the highway and trapped us in!

We made it back to Winnipeg hours later and after staying with Johnny’s Mom for a couple of hours through the night, made the early trek to the airport.  We landed in New York City later that day without incident, and jumped right into the first yellow taxi we saw.  Looking back, I realize Johnny was acting a bit weird, but I didn’t notice at the time.  He was distracted, nervous and kept checking his luggage!  When we arrived at the hotel, we were too early to check in, so he suggested we go get a coffee and walk around Central Park while we waited.  We left our luggage with the hotel and did just that.  When we got there, he asked me if I wanted to go on a carriage ride.  I resisted a bit because it was super expensive for the 20 minute ride, but quickly agreed we should do it.  We were on a holiday, after all!  We rode around in that carriage, under a blanket, and all I could think of at first was “this blanket probably hasn’t been washed in a year, and I hope it doesn’t have bed bugs”!  The park was gorgeous, and just as we were coming to the end of the ride, the driver turned around and asked us if we wanted him to take a picture of us with our camera.  I handed it over to him, and showed him how to use it.  As soon as he started taking pictures, I started to pose, but Johnny was getting down on one knee!  I was completely shocked, shaking like a leaf, my face beet red and tears streaming down my face.  And the guy caught the whole thing on camera!  It was an absolutely unforgettable moment in our life.  It couldn’t have been any more perfect.

We didn’t want anyone to find out via Facebook, so the hardest part was keeping it a secret all weekend until we got home!

 

 

How cute is that....

 

 

 

 

...(gratuitous embarassing pic)...

 

 

 

 

...she said yes!

 

 

 

Did anyone help you plan your wedding?  Planner, family, etc?

We had TONS of help!  We made most of the decisions ourselves, but when it came time to execute, we had so many people that were not only willing to help, but EXCITED to help!  My entire family, Johnny’s entire family, our wedding party, Shyan and Haley... everyone came through when we needed something and it was so amazing to have that support.  Whether it was something big or small that was being asked, someone was always there for us.

 

 

Pretty ladies!

 

 

What was your favorite part of the planning process?

 

Is it wrong to say making my organizing binder, which included dividers and a color-coded table of contents, was my favourite part of the planning process?  [Editor's aside: this should surprise exactly no one. End of aside.]

What was your least favorite or most frustrating part of the planning process?

I found decision making to be difficult.  There are just so many important decisions to be made, and they’re not always easy!  I was glad once we had everything booked and in place, because then we could focus more on the fun stuff, like the little details.

What did your husband think about all the wedding plans?  How involved was he?

 

He was definitely more involved than I would have initially guessed!  He loved talking about it and giving ideas, and I’d say he was most involved in the planning of the social, the transportation, the guest list and music.  He left the invitation and favour making to me!  He didn’t care much when it came to flowers and centerpieces, either ;)

 

What was the happiest moment on your wedding day?

Without question, the happiest moment of my wedding day was when I started to walk down the aisle and saw his face and his reaction to seeing me. 

 

 

 

What a beautiful family!

 

Any funny stories you’d like to share?

I don’t know about funny, but some memorable moments were the walk back down the aisle in our sunglasses, the slideshow, Haley’s dance and the very last song of the night (Journey – Don’t Stop Believin’) when everyone stood in a circle, holding hands and danced and sang like crazy!

What do you remember most about your wedding?

So many things!  It’s so hard to pick.  Seeing Johnny as I walked down the aisle, seeing everyone in tears during the ceremony, the pastor declaring “I now pronounce you man and wife”, sweating our butts off at pictures but everyone being such a good sport, the receiving line where we got to have a little moment with each of our guests, the speeches, the dancing and visiting with the different tables.  But when I think about all those moments, the common theme was that we felt so loved.  So supported and loved.

 

What do your guests remember most about your wedding?

I’ve gotten a lot of comments about the wedding color, which we chose to represent our love for the Caribbean (we had initially considered getting married there, but after considering all factors, decided against it).  I’ve also heard a lot “I haven’t cried like that at a wedding in a long time!”.  Those are two great compliments.

 

 

The bridal party in Tiffany Blue...

 

Is there anything you would change about your wedding?

I wouldn’t change one single, solitary thing.  Not even the things that “went wrong” at the last minute.  They all contributed to making the day exactly what it was.  Perfect.

 

What advice would you give to me when planning my wedding?

My advice would be to take in every moment of that day, because it’s over so fast.  You’ve spent a year and a half planning it, so when the day comes, don’t let anything bother you and just soak it all in.  You will never have a day like this, ever again, in your life.

 

 

Absolutely <3 these two.

 

Johnny and Tara Elias

 

Wedding Date:  July 21, 2012

Ceremony:  Evangel Chapel

Reception:  Masonic Memorial Temple

Photography:  Kim Griffin

Gown and Bridesmaid Attire:  David’s Bridal

Groom and Groomsman Attire: Michael’s Formal Wear

Invitations:  DIY

Cake:  Laurel’s Cake Creations

And there you have it!  Stay tuned for more posts from all my favorite old married ladies!  A club I'm very excited to join... ;)


Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!


~M

Decisions, decisions....

As soon as I came down from my floaty cloud of after-engagement bliss, I was very excited to get started on wedding planning.  I went out and bought some bridal magazines, started looking at bridal websites and researching online, and downloaded a wedding planning app for my iPad.  The iPad app is awesome because it allows you to organize your guest list, seating chart, budget, planning notes, and contact information for vendors all in one handy place.  But what caught my eye was the to-do checklist. 

 

I’m sorry, what?

 
135 things to do to throw a wedding?!?  That’s insanity.  So we decided to get cracking as soon as possible and learned it wasn’t as easy as we might have thought.  Okay, this looks easy.  Pick a photographer.  Well, you can’t find a photographer until you have a date.  You can’t confirm a date until you find a venue.  You can’t find a venue until you know approximately how many guests you’re going to have there.  You can’t know the number of guests you can invite until you’ve set a realistic budget.  And more importantly, you can’t shop for shoes until you’ve found a venue, chosen a theme and color palette that compliments that venue, chosen a bridal gown and evaluated whether you want colored shoes or white shoes to go with the gown, unless your bridal gown is ivory, in which case white shoes won’t work....and on and on.

 

 

Where do I staaaaaaart?!?!?!!

 

So after being at this since September, I am happy to report that we have made a couple of major decisions!  Hooray!

 

Our official wedding date is June 14, 2014.  I know this seems far into the future.  But the truth of the matter is, I love being engaged!  I’m sure that once the wedding gets closer I will be very anxious to skip down the aisle and become a Mrs., but you’re only a “fiancé” for a short time in life and I want to soak it up as much as possible.  Plus, this gives us a lot of time to plan the perfect wedding of our dreams.  Wedding planning can be stressful, but it’s also fun and I know time will probably fly by! 

 

 

“Yep.  I’m no longer a bride.  I’ll never be a bride again.  Now I’m just someone’s wife.”

 

 

“And I’m the happiest man in the WORLD!”

 

When it came to the ceremony, Eric and I knew we didn't want to get married in a church.  Neither of us are particularly religious, and we want the opportunity to customize our wedding ceremony to really reflect us a couple.  Not only have we asked longtime Dance Mom, Friend and Officiant Extraordinaire, Carrie Cassie, to marry us, we’ve also officially booked our ceremony space at the U of W Convocation Hall.  I absolutely love this venue for a ceremony, it’s so gorgeous!  I had never seen it before in person, but as I spend a lot of time on the internet looking at city weddings, I came across this space in the gallery and fell in love.  The lush red carpeting, high ceilings, large windows and light streaming in...Eric and I went yesterday to see it in person and we were both sold! 

 

 

Real weddings at the U of W Convocation Hall

 

As you can see it also has a balcony, which instantly made me want to recreate this scene from my favorite movie of all time, Love Actually....LOL!

 

And as I previously hinted at in this post, we officially booked the Millennium Centre as our reception venue on Monday night!  It was really an easy decision, as this space is beautiful and we were both very taken with it.  I also love how the high ceilings of the U of W Convocation Hall tie in with the high dome ceiling of the Millennium Centre.  Plus they have a really cool room off the main hall called the Tapestry Room which Eric loves, and has some fun plans for.  ;)  We are very excited to have an awesome party with all our favorite people in this place!

 

 

Love!

 

Phew!  So 3.5 months in, our to-do list looks like this:

 

Oh boy...

Stay tuned as we tackle the rest of the 132 tasks!  :)

 

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!

 

~M

Let's Just Skip To The Happily Ever After...

 

Hi everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season.  Eric and I certainly did – we spent a lot of time with family, ate delicious food, drank a lot of wine, and indulged in some much needed rest and relaxation.  But now it’s 2013, and our wedding is officially 17.5 months away, so we are ready to concentrate on wedding planning this year!

(PS:  I got a lot of heat for taking a 2 week hiatus from the blog!  I will try not to let it happen again!)

One of the things that Eric was most excited to talk about and plan regarding the wedding was the honeymoon!  For those of you that don’t know Eric too well, he is very well-travelled and has been to many places around the globe, including some that most people wouldn’t even dream of.  He loves to visit new places and experience new cultures, and a big trip like a honeymoon is right up his alley!  So naturally, he got right on it.

It didn’t really matter to me too much where we decided to go, because travel means a lot to Eric so I want him to have a really cool experience, and we manage to have a blast no matter where we are.  But, I did have a couple requests so that we didn’t end up honeymooning in a Mongolian mud hut:

1.       No hostels, dirty places, scummy areas, or dangerous parts of the world.  I’m kind of a princess like that.  Eliminates: places like Iraq, Afghanistan, the bowels of South East Asia, Serbia, Israel and Palestine, etc.

 

 

“I don’t care if you are on your honeymoon, get in line!”

 

2.       There needs to be a good mix of fun activities and places to just chill and relax. I am not really looking to lie around on the beach for 10 days, but I also don’t want us to be hiking up mountains every day either.  I would like us to spend some parts of the trip enjoying each other and relaxing after all the wedding stress, and some parts doing some crazy fun once in a lifetime activities.  Eliminates:  resort-type places like Mexico, Cuba, the Bahamas, Dominican, etc.

 

Definitely nice, but gets kind of boring after a while.

 

3.       There had to be some kind of romance factor.  It’s our honeymoon, and it should feel like it!  Eliminates: places like the aforementioned Mongolian mud hut.

Oh come on...a little candlelight, flowers, soft music, and this place is romance-central.

 

4.       It has to be somewhere Eric has never been.  I want us to experience everything together for the first time.  You’d think this would be easy but Eric has been all around the world!  Eliminates: the following countries - Austria, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Cambodia, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, England, Estonia, France, Ghana, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Morocco, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Rwanda, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United States, and Vietnam.

 

Hey Eric, how about a gorilla trek?  Oh.

 

Let’s go check out some traditional African celebrations!  Hmmm, never mind.

 

We could ride camels in the Sahara desert?  Oh right.

 

 

 

Ooh, look, the tallest building in the- damnit!

 

 

Those are all real photos of Eric's.  Wow right?!

 

So through some discussions we came up with a few contenders of where we both might like to go including the Mediterranean, Ireland, and the British Virgin Islands, but then decided on the best option....South Africa!

 

Helllloooooo Cape Town!

 

This is really the best option for us because it has everything we could possibly want in a vacation.  We are close to some nice sandy beaches to relax and sprawl out, but there are also a ton of really awesome things to see and do in that part of the world.  Some of the highlights that we are looking forward to:

 

Wine Country – As lovers of wine (or as we are more appropriately named, winos) we will be pretty close to heaven in the South African wine region.  We have had a great time touring the Niagara region and most recently the Okanagan (where we got engaged!) so visiting the wineries, tasting great wine, and bringing home many souvenir bottles will definitely be in order.

 

Don’t mind if I do....

 

Safari – No way are we visiting Africa and not going on safari.  We will head up to Kruger National Park, where I will probably pee myself with glee when I see my first big cat.  Lions and elephants and giraffes, oh my!

 

OMGOMGOMGOMG

 

Shark Cage Diving – Boom.  Up close and personal with the Great White.  I’ll probably pee myself again, not out of glee but out of sheer terror. 

 

View from the cage.  Pretty awesome!

 

So while we have lots to look forward to with planning the wedding, our social, our bachelor and bachelorette parties, and then experiencing the big day, we are pretty excited about jet setting off on our honeymoon too!

 

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!

 

~M

 

 

 

 

 

Wedding Traditions: Yay or Nay? (Part 1)

So when Eric and I started to get into some of the smaller details when it came to wedding planning, we found ourselves questioning certain aspects of traditional weddings and whether or not we wanted to include that in our day.  We are not terribly traditional, nor do we want a boring, cookie cutter wedding that our guests can’t wait to get out of and go somewhere more fun.  We also have a budget to stick to, so we need to decide what's really important to us and what we can feel comfortable letting go.  So today I thought I’d share with you some of the things we’ve been discussing and whether or not we’re going to incorporate it into our big day.

 

Engagement photos

Luckily, we were both on the same page with this one.  We don’t see any need at all to spend thousands of dollars on photos of us in our plain clothes.  Wedding photos?  Ultra important.  Engagement photos?  It was hard to come up with a reason why.  Because that’s what you do?  To send out Christmas cards?  For a Save The Date card maybe?  To get comfortable in front of the camera?  We both just thought it was kind of a waste of cash, and we’d rather put that money towards getting a really awesome photographer for the wedding.  Now, I’ve talked to some other brides that have said when you book the photographer for the wedding date, sometimes they will throw in an engagement session for free!  In that case, we probably will but otherwise, we’re saving that dough for when we’re all dolled up.  (And we came up with a really awesome idea for a Save The Date card that will only require one photo of us, and we can do it quick and easy!  Boom.)

Verdict:  Nope.

 

Cute, but we can really do that anytime.

 

Open Bar

Oooh, the everlasting wedding argument.  Do you let your guests go wild on your dime?  Or make them bring cash to your party if they want to indulge?  I can definitely see both sides of this argument.  If you have an open bar, a lot of times people will get hammered, leave half full drinks everywhere, and a lot gets wasted that the bride and groom still have to pay for.  On the other hand, a lot of wedding guests say a cash bar is a hassle and just reduce the presentation they offer the couple to pay for their drinks.  Regardless of the pros and cons of each, it is very important to us to have an open bar for our guests.  We enjoy our bevies, our friends like to drink (a lot, as evidenced by our engagement party) and we know a lot of our other guests enjoy a sip or two now and then...Dance Moms, I’m lookin’ at you.  We don’t want our guests worrying about paying for drinks, we just want them to have a great time.  This is why it was important that the venue we book allows us to bring in our own booze.  We want to have premium liquor and a signature drink (cosmopolitans...natch), and we also have a little something extra planned between the ceremony and reception... 

Verdict:  Drink and be married!

 

Wave your hands in the air like you just don’t care!

 

 

 

This could be you.

 

Groom’s Cake

Neither Eric nor my dad (affectionately dubbed FOB on this blog) had heard of a Groom’s Cake before.  Basically this is a way for the groom to be recognized and represented on the cake table.  The wedding cake itself is usually a tall, white, sparkly beast – all things bride.  Groom’s Cakes are fun because they allow for the groom’s interests to be displayed at the wedding.  When I first brought up the idea to Eric, he was sort of indifferent and asked a few questions, particularly what would be on it.  When I said that it usually is the groom’s favorite sports team or something like that, he said “You had me at Oakland Raiders.”  Now, a Groom’s Cake would normally be considered a splurge because as we all know, wedding cakes are usually pretty expensive.  But because MOB is also the Cake Boss Supreme, we’ll be able to get Eric a ridiculously awesome cake for just the price of a few hugs.  Right mom?  Right? 

Verdict:  RAIDER NATION!

 

Like this, but way better.  Have you seen my mom’s cakes?  Check them out.

 

Awkward Wedding Party Dance

Why?  Just why.  The only reason I can think of why people do this is because it’s a tradition.  That is not a good enough reason to slam your bridesmaids and groomsmen together for 4 minutes of pure awkwardness.  I liken this dance to kids at a junior high dance.  You can’t dance too closely, but it’s also weird if you’re too far away.  You can’t chatter in their ear the whole time, but it’s also weird if you don’t talk at all.  You can make some small talk, but you are also three inches from their face.  It’s creepy to look them in the eye the whole time, but you also don’t want to be looking around either so your partner feels like you’re counting down the seconds until Amazed by Lonestar is over even though really, they feel the same way.  Nobody needs to see our wedding party dance with each other.  We want everyone up on the dance floor right away!  Finish your dinner and let’s party!

Verdict:  Save it for the sock hop.

 

Pretty much looks EXACTLY like this.

 

Bouquet and Garter Toss

Yet another tradition that nobody seems to question and therefore it’s included at every wedding.  Let’s break this down.  When a single girl is at a wedding, she’s probably feeling a few pangs of jealousy as it is.  Not saying that every single girl is dying to get married, but I’m sure there are a few fleeting moments of wondering when her prince charming is going to come along.  Do you think it makes said single girl feel better when suddenly, the party is stopped.  The lights go on.  The DJ booms over the microphone “LET’S GET ALL THE SINGLE LADIES ON THE DANCE FLOOR!”  Then people around her start pointing it out to her.  “Go on, you’re siiiiinglllllle!  Get up therrrrrre!”  So she begrudgingly goes to the dance floor with all the other single girls, on display for everyone to see.  Yes everyone, I’m single!  Take a look!  Nope, no man over here!  Then the bride turns her back and shuns her poor, lonely single friends, and tosses her bridal bouquet over her shoulder.  Take my used scraps losers, I’m married now!  And since it’s well known that the bridal bouquet is the last chance any of these single girls have at romantic happiness, things can get a little vicious.  Clawing, pushing, shoving, scratching...until finally, one single girl emerges victorious and can dream of the day she gets to throw a bunch of flowers in her single friends’ faces. 

 

 

Let’s tear it to pieces in a humiliating display of self-loathing!

As for the garter toss, hilarious.  For as excited as the single girls get when they see the trajectory of the bouquet heading straight toward them, the guys could not care less.  Most of them are three sheets to the wind already and don’t even know what they are doing up there.  Not to mention the awkward moment where the bride has to sit on a chair and her groom has to root around under her dress to find the thing.  And if it takes any longer than 8 seconds, people lose interest.  Why stop the party for this?  Worst.

Verdict:  This tradition needs to die.  Now.

 

 

Could this be more awkward?

 

Fireworks

 

 

Come on, a girl can dream can’t she?

 

Verdict:  I think they are illegal downtown.  But if I could get away with it, I would.

 

Funny story:  When I asked for Eric’s input on this list, he came up with tons of good examples and the list ended up needing to be split into 2 parts.  Then he goes, “your shoes? ;)”  My groom thinks he’s pretty funny!  But seriously, those were never anywhere but the “Absolutely Necessary” category.

 

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!

~M

A Grand Celebration!

This past weekend Eric and I celebrated our engagement with our family and close friends at our engagement party, hosted by our parents at my MOH’s beautiful home.  I am so happy to be engaged to my handsome fiancé and was very excited to celebrate our upcoming nuptials!

 

“I love you.  And I just wanted to shout it from the top of a mountain.  But I didn’t have a mountain.  I had an engagement party.”

 

I ordered the invitations from Wedding Paper Divas.  I love this website, especially all the customization features and the fact that the invitations are budget-friendly.  We were able to put anything we wanted on it, and even included a photo from our proposal on the back. 

Eric’s middle name is Andrew.  Not Jehoshephat.  Long story for another blog post...

 

Of course, my DIY streak was in full force and I wanted a keepsake for each guest to take away from the party without breaking the bank.  I picked up champagne glasses from Dollarama for $1 each (love Dollarama!) and rhinestones from Michael’s, and decorated each one.  Then I had my MOH, who is also Scrapbooking Queen Supreme, make a pretty tag for each glass with a message from us.  We used the glasses for the toast at the party, and guests got to take them home! 

 

Bling!

 

 

 

Our little thank you...

 

 

 

Ready for the toast!

 

I was overwhelmed at how much our family and friends came together and helped with the party.  MOB, who is also Cake Boss Supreme, made us a pretty engagement cake along with some ultra yummy red velvet cupcakes that were positively to die for.  They were all decorated so beautifully – I loved it all!

 

So pretty!

 

 

 

Eric and I got special cupcakes on the top tier...

 

 

 

The theme is “bling”.  Can you tell?

 

Eric’s parents made the most fabulous cheese spread I have ever seen with every type of cheese imaginable, and even made cute little signs to stick in the cheese.  Eric’s brother Adam brought a yummy fruit platter, Eric’s sister Marita made delicious punch, and we had hors d’oeuvres catered by Amici Catering.  It was all very tasty!

 

We also received a special set of engagement presents from our parents!  I have been eyeing the Swarovski Crystal Champagne Flutes for a while, for Eric and I to have as our toasting flutes at the wedding.  They have a crystal base as well as hundreds of tiny crystals in the stem.  They are positively divine and I couldn’t imagine us using anything else to toast to our new life together. 

 

SQUEE.

 

So I was shocked and delighted when we opened a box from my parents to reveal these gorgeous goblets, and then unwrapped a bottle of very fine champagne from France from Eric’s parents!  So thankful and so excited!!!

 

Look at that handsome man....

 

All in all we had a fantastic engagement party and fun was had well into the night.  I want to thank everyone who attended and made it so special for Eric and I, we are overwhelmed by your love and generosity.  <3

 

 

One happy couple!

 

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!

 

~M