Farewell from bonitabride!

Its my last cup of coffee here at bonitabride and wanted to thank you for stopping by. As the wedding was last October all things Wedding related have died down here and now looking forward to the next chapters in our lives.
Come visit me at my other blog beautyparler.ca! And keep this one bookmarked for Wedding related topics.
Hope you have enjoyed my wedding planning and thank you for all your comments and ideas.

a BIG thank you to all the vendors, without your wedding wisdom & your ability to create our vision none of  this would be possible!

xo

(images: Clint Russel of Renaissance Studios)

how to number your wedding tables {decor}

Things are wrapping up here at bonitabride! 

However, before I close-up here I wanted to wrap up with last minute details that you can use at your Wedding.

Table Numbers:

Table numbers are one area in the wedding that tend to get neglected. However, its one detail that is easy to personalize. Being that my husband and I are both from the Toronto area, our surrounding area played a big part in our dating. Many streets had significant meaning for us, we did date for 12 years, so wasn't hard choosing significant street names. 

All the street names we choose were not randomly chosen, each one had a memory connected to it. In the example above Mississauga Rd was where I went to University and where we would meet-up sometimes for lunch dates.

Guest List:

The guest list was a brainstorming nightmare, I had so many ideas on how to display the guest list and tie it in with the rest of the wedding and make it easy for guests to find their tables.

As we had alot of little favors for our guests we also wanted to make them multi-functional.

I happened upon these cute little burlap bags at Creative Bag; awesome place for party decor/gift wrapping/party favors. Since, we gave our guests coffee as their main wedding favor the mini burlap bags were perfect to tie-in the coffee theme. 

To include my Portuguese heritage, almonds were placed in each bag, in the Portuguese culture (as is popular in Italian and Greek cultures too) almonds have significance. Printed on the back of the label;

Five almonds signify five wishes for the new husband and wife

These wishes are health, wealth, happiness, children, and a long life.

TIP: brainstorm early in the wedding planning, try to thing of everything that is need. My original idea was to have a fireplace mantel with all the guest list hanging from it. But once I found these mini-burlap bags everything changed. So, keep an open mind and don't get stuck on an idea or it will drive you crazy searching for resources.

Have you seen any interesting table numbers at Weddings? Do tell.

To Sell or Not to Sell {wardrobe dept}

After the Wedding I always assumed I'd sell "the Dress". Thinking that I wouldn't actually get emotionally attached to a garment. However, this garment is not just any garment. The Dress is such an integral part of the wedding planning process and the marketing of the importance of finding the Dress is instilled in every bride since a young age.

Perhaps because the search for the Dress was such a process and the fact that I travelled to New York City to purchase it at the now closed Priscilla of Boston. After the wedding I had the dress dry cleaned at a cost of $500, yes add the cleaning expenses to your budget. At the dry cleaners the owners who have been in the business for over 40 years, Courtesy Gown Preservation, suggested I sell it as it was such a timeless dress and great quality.

The question is; to Sell or Not to Sell? I'm leaning toward not to sell. What did you do with your wedding dress after the big day? 
(images: Renaissance Studios)

Newlywed Photoshoot: a new trend?

Perhaps my husband & I started a new trend? Nine months after our wedding we finally had the time for our "engagement shoot". Due to scheduling we didn't have the chance to have our engagement shoot before the wedding so why not afterwards! We had so much fun, stress-free, and we also got to showcase our first home together as the photoshoot took place at our place and a park near by.
Here are a few props:

Brides-to-Be: did you know there is a helium shortage in the Toronto area? It took me 3 hours to find a balloon place that actually had helium and when I finally did it cost me $16.00 for one heart-shaped 36" balloon.  Which by the way popped in the car on the way home...

Did you have engagement pictures taken? Anyone else after the wedding?