One Anniversary

this past weekend we celebrated our ONE year anniversary. I cannot believe how fast it just flew by, but it's been a dang good year together. to celebrate we knocked off a bucket list item, spent the day in the sunshine drinking champagne, and talked about our wedding and what we plan to do for the next 100 years together.  mike - i'm thankful always for the day i met you, the courage to ask you out, and the amazing time it's been together ever since.  i love you to the moon and back. 

(see more of our wedding and honeymoon ) 

**photo credits to our super fab wedding photographer and now friend - Jamieson Dean**

Honeymoon Part 3: Monaco

Now we are off to Monaco... If you've just started following you can check out part 1 and part 2 of our honeymoon trip. The purpose of hitting up Monaco on our trip was not just for luxury sun, fancy  and sand, but so we could enjoy one of the world's most popular races, the Monaco Grand Prix. Monaco is hands down a playground for the uber wealthy. Real estate is probably some of the most expensive this world has to offer and if you don't have a boat or  clothing that looks like it's been dipped in gold you might feel like you don't fit in. True natives to this country are few and far between, but they are there if you look hard enough. It is a stunningly beautiful place and if it was good enough for Grace Kelly, it is more than good enough for me. If you already read our honeymoon part 2 then you know we definitely couldn't afford to stay in Monaco, but we sure as heck made sure we made it for race day.

 My man is a die hard Ferrari fan, so as you can see we got ourselves some styling hats to show our team support ( i won't lie that i often cheer for whoever looks like they might win! yes i jump bandwagons!) We managed to score some super close seats so the rush as the cars passed and the noise level is more intense than words can describe. Thankfully i found those very fashion forward ear muffs you can see me sporting.

After a very long but beautiful race day by the water, we were preeeeeetty sun burnt, exhausted and ready to head back to our quiet and restful B & B oasis in La Turbie. While my husband would tell you the highlight was the race (and I won't lie having never seen an F1 race aside from on TV  it was pretty awesome), the highlight of this day for me might have just been seeing Ron Howard up close and personal chatting about his new movie Rush.

One Special Day

 

close to two months ago I married my husband. he will likely hate that I am posting pictures of him, but he is just so dang cute in a tux that I can't help it. we got engaged on december 22, 2011, and for the better part of a year and a half we took our time to enjoy wedding planning (and you can enjoy it, no matter what anyone will tell you). for those of you who follow me on twitter, instagram and/or know me, you know that i'm a natural born planner. i even make a plan to make plans. as part of my 9-5 job i'm also in charge of event planning , so lists and visual planning boards are very much "my thang". in the wedding industry there is everything you could ever want and more, oh and everything you don't even need that they try and to sell you on. if you are in the midst of planning the best advice I can share is that it's extremely key that you set yourself some guidelines – from day one. for us we agreed early on that each would get to pick one key element that we each felt most important and then ensure that we didn't cut back when it came to those two items. next i created a visual board to help me pull together all my mashed ideas and shape them into one wedding day visual with a colour palette. i have to say as much as it might have seemed nerdy, this little board saved my butt in so many wedding meetings. the  industry is full of visual people so it was much easier to bring out a picture of what you want and what colour you want it to ensure you get the best results. not everyone can read your mind. it still feels crazy to look back on this day and see how much work came together so perfectly – all the planning, appointments and late night diy projects (invites, menu's decorations, etc). now we get to relish all the little things that flew by in a blink of an eye. we also just got our pictures from the very talented jamieson dean and all i can say is they. are. dreamy. (this was my one key thing).

~ this is my favourite  ~

Honeymoon Part 2: La Turbie

the next stop on our honeymoon after we left the beautiful beaches in Nice was a small town situated just north of Monaco (literally, since it's straight up the mountain) called La Turbie. when we planned this vacation my husband-to-be mentioned in passing that the Grand Prix would be taking place at the same time in Monaco. seeing as he is a die hard fan of Ferrari & all things Forumula 1, come hell or high water I was determined to ensure that he/we weren't going to miss that once in a lifetime event (even if the tickets did cost an arm, and a leg, ok, or maybe two legs... ). once our race tickets were booked we began looking for a reasonable place to stay. now, clearly Monaco is a playground for the rich. consider it like cottage country for the uber stinky filthy rich and famous – with enormous boats. we knew from day one that we couldn't afford to stay in Monaco on our "reasonable" budget, so we started looking closer at small surrounding towns when we came across La Turbie and Sophie. literally a 10 min drive to Monaco (or a 1 euro and 20 min bus ride) this town was perfect. I won't lie and tell you it is a moderate size town. it is small. if you blink you will miss it, literally (that actually happened), and you definitely need to be good at walking up/driving up hills because it's a very, very steep town (but good for the buns). we loved this place and in a heart beat we would go back. if not for the peace and quiet in a rustic medieval town, then for the best bed and breakfast run by the sweetest lady named Sophie – who goes out of her way to ensure you have everything you need including, privacy, a cell phone (in case you get lost on day trips) & chilled champagne! La Turbie today is most famous for it's large Roman monument, the Trophy of Augustus. outside of that, it is home to some outstanding views of Monaco, great hiking trails, rich local wines, and a small selection of elegant local restaurants serving up traditional french dishes with new menu's daily. Travel Tip - ensure that you try a Nicose salad and Pistou, which originated from this part of the world. we did and it was well worth it. nom . nom. nom.

see! who couldn't fall in love with this ancient town. clearly the girl in these pictures is a few  drinks wines in on a lazy afternoon. give her a drink and she'll be silly for hours. i should also mention that on this leg of the trip we started our ritual of "amazing-mouth-watering-stone-oven-freshly-made-pizza" for lunch every day. i have officially concluded that a) I've unearthed a unbelievable obsession for stone oven pizza, and b) pizza really is better everywhere else in the world. let's get it together Canada.

Honeymoon Part 1 - Nice, France

during our year of wedding planning, we came to a point where we had to sit down and plan out our honeymoon ideas. Like most we started with a map, some markers and some resource books from which we made a list of all the places we would love to visit until we finally narrowed it down to the French Riviera and Tuscany. After all was said and done we  had a sweet honeymoon planned and long list of "other" anniversary trips we would tackle.

the day after our wedding we picked up our bags and boarded a plane to the beautiful and bright south of France. Nice was the city we decided to make our hub for the first week of our holiday. It's a central location that's easy to get to with many great small towns nearby. my husband LOVES the beach, and well, me not so much (not a huge fan of super hot weather), so this was the perfect combo actually. The air was warm with a nice breeze, stunning art deco architecture everywhere, an historic old town, beautiful but rocky beaches, and excellent food for sampling. We were lucky enough to have a rental car the whole trip, so we planned some day trips –  the beautiful medieval art down of Eze, Cannes for the film festival and the perfume capital Grasse. All in all, it was the perfect start to this honeymoon.

**new music on the player at the end of this post
*** all pictures shot with Sony NEX-3 

May 18 2013

a little over two weeks ago now i became someone's wife. it was by far the best day yet. it's a remarkable feeling when you look around a room and realize that everyone you care most about is standing there cheering you on. people you'll never see together in a room again probably for the rest of your life. weddings are such a crazy whirlwind of emotions but i'm so very thankful for all the memories. it was an absolutely perfect day beginning to end. does anyone think it is wrong to wear your dress around the house every now and then? ... I think not. the day after the wedding (with absolutely no voice) we packed up and shipped off to the South of France, full of bright colours, amazing food and warm sun. We spent four blissful days there and then from there drove our little rental audi and to Monaco for some glam and more sun. We fancied it up and enjoy the grand Grand Prix before driving the coast over to Tuscany.  After this whirlwind honeymoon we are back into the swing of things, and i'm proud (yes proud) to say i have taken over 1300 photos on my new Sony NEX cam. Now trying to catch up on work and sleep, my next task is photo editing... so I can share a few snippets from our adventures. 
       I should also point out that I do hope to do a slight over hall on the design of the blog in the coming months. I'm working on some new writing outlines, creative goals, long-term plans and promise to share them as soon as they are better defined, so stay posted. 
xoxox from the now Mrs.

One step back, two steps forward

Sometimes we all need a little bit of a break. Lately the Mr. and I have been head deep in pushing through planning for the upcoming wedding in order to stay on top of things. It has also been hectic for us with work projects, holiday plans and checking off home projects. At times it can all get a little stressful and very overwhelming, so this past weekend we decided to try and take a step back. On Friday night we did something we haven't done in a long time – we went to a movie (it's been a very long while). We decided to plan a James Bond movie date night, complete with our favourite Vietnamese dish "Pho" (if you ever have a cold, this is the dish for you!). Then Saturday was an early morning meet up with the bridal party ladies. The ladies and I met up over some much needed coffee and set out for a day of bridesmaid dress hunting. The fireplace at the new house finally got a good check and clean, and is now in top working order, so it was home to test out a night by the fire with a good magazine. It's just starting to get cold and the snow is seriously thinking about making a comeback (which I love), so the weekend was ended with a tasty, made from scratch, macaroni pasta and shrimp dinner! Life is all about the little things, and sometimes recognizing you need to take a step back can actually allow you move two steps forward.

Our Engagement Party

At the end of June we celebrated our engagement with a party. It was a great chance for both sides of our families to mix and mingle in a fun and semi-formal way! There was lots of bright colours, handmade pasta, balloons, red velvet cake and DIY decorations. The day was filled with overwhelming generosity and love. We are both so very blessed to have such lovely people in our lives. We now cannot wait to decorate and use some of the fantastic items we received in our new home! Now with the party being over we are even more eager for the upcoming partying that will take place at our wedding. To everyone who made that day so memorable – a HUGE thank you. To go along with this post listen and enjoy the new playlist in the player! Ps. I decided to post this on our very last anniversary as a "dating" couple, before the adventure begins. Happy 9 years to you babe! I could never have found anyone better than you.

Engagement Postcards!

Signed, sealed and delivered! Our engagement party postcards are officially out the door! Now we look forward to this little family meet and greet summer celebration shindig.

When it came to deciding on what we wanted to do for the invite, we both knew we wanted to make something ourselves and inject it with personality. So, from that we decided on the idea of a DIY postcard and thought with a photo on the front it makes a nice keepsake for family. In doing a postcard format we also really liked that we could then handwrite each one to give them a more personal touch. It’s an easy item to create (but ensure you check with the post office for weight requirements and post marking areas before printing) and saves on the cost of envelops. After scratching through a bunch of layouts and ideas, here is what we created! We are so thrilled with how they turned out (and not to mention we got some great engagement shots from it as well which I will post at a later date) we would highly recommend this option for any event. However, once we got going we couldn’t have pulled this project off so successfully without the help of some very lovely friends. Shout outs to: Shelley Tavares (amazing photo taking and photoshop teachings) Chris Johnstone (support and design tech skills) and Giovanni Rimasti Illustrations (assistance with layout construction and good cheap printer contacts). After finally sending these beautiful postcards out, I find I just can't wait to marry my bestfriend.

The Colour Wheel

Colour. Whether designing for your home or planning a party (or upcoming wedding), deciding on your colour palette can help determine the tone and feeling you wish to convey. Colour can be used to inspire and excite, or relax and mellow out. Some choose to go monocromatic, while others may prefer a mashing of various selections. Currently, I'm in the throes of colour choices for my upcoming wedding. Now that we have the venue booked it makes it easier to decide the styling of the event. 

Colour trends for 2012 

aqua	tangerine	lilac	mustard	antique blue
	deep red	latte	lavender	charcoal	sage

When choosing colour I always recommend one goes and looks at all their options. Decide what works with the space you have. What feeling are you going for? I suggest visiting your local hardware store and grabbing tons of free paint colour samples (and books) then explore mixing and matching colours at home. The books are great, because they will help you to learn what colours compliment each other.

 

Photo credit (clockwise from top left): www.betsywhite.com; blog.fiftyflowers.com; www.marryyoume.com; www.theperfectpalette.com; delightfullynoted.blogspot.ca; www.groomsoldseparately.com

At the end of the day there are no hard and fast rules. Choose whatever makes you happy and fits best with your event or space. As for weddings, there are TONS of wedding colour schemes to be found that will easily compliment any season. Above are just a few examples of some fantastic uses and colour combination's. Feel inspired and have fun! 

Getting Hitched!

At the start of my Christmas holidays, my very best friend and love of my entire life asked me to marry him. Being the silly dork that I am, I did try and capture a few special moments via my phone camera. 

Yes, my face did look that stupid. best. moment. ever.

Just over eight years ago now we met on tractors while working at a summer landscaping job for a local private golf course. We met, we chatted, we raced, we laughed, there also may have been a food fight, and then we agreed to go out for a competitive round of mini golf on our very first date. The rest, I guess they say, is history. 
Shortly after we started dating, I totally fell in love this adorable boy. 

He is, and always will be the smartest, kindest, most caring person I have ever met. 

He is also secretly hilarious.
He comes with a little pet turtle (Mr. T) who I am also excited to welcome into our little family.

We are both pretty excited to be planning our wedding and look forward to sharing this time with our close family and friends. I promise to share some of the creative event ideas and DIY decor projects, as well as planning tips through Oomph as we move forward.

Thank you to everyone who has sent us very sweet congratulations messages! 

We are beyond thankful and left without words.... this is my dream come true. xoxo.