You are planning the most expensive and biggest party you’ll ever throw! The options you have in front of you are as varied as your guest list. Breweries, wineries, historic buildings, art galleries, golf clubs and local riverfront beaches– the choice in Essex County locations is endless.
We have superb wedding suppliers from bakers to bridal services to ballrooms. We have sorted through and delivered the very best of them in The Wedding Guide Windsor/Essex County, the ultimate resource for brides and grooms-to-be.
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Planning your wedding can be fun and exciting if you give yourself enough time and stick diligently to a schedule. It can be easy to procrastinate and try to fit all the planning into the last two months.
Most weddings are comfortably planned in 12-14 months. Smaller or off peak weddings can be planned in a shorter period of time. Following a wedding timetable will help you and your fiance time for fun activities.
Take time to enjoy a movie, a concert and relaxing dinner out where planning is not part of the conversation. Your day will be exactly as you have dreamed about, if you keep focused and take care of each and every step along the way.
Blush Photography, Windsor, ON.
A dinner following the wedding rehearsal is not a necessity, but it is a lovely way to begin your wedding festivities and allows your attendants and families to relax and get acquainted.
Jaques Scheepers Photography
The meal is traditionally hosted by the groom’s parents, and includes the immediate family of both the bride and groom, the clergyman or officiant and members of the wedding party and their spouses. In some circumstances, you may want to include special and out-of-town guests who have already arrived.
The rehearsal dinner is the traditional time for the groom’s father to make a formal toast to the couple. It is also an appropriate time for the attendants’ gifts to be given out. Seating plans and place cards are especially important at this dinner, probably a first meeting for more than one of the group. The bridal couple generally sits at the head of the group, their parents flank them. The members of the wedding party are seated throughout the rest of the family members and special guests. Presumably, they will feel more at ease and be able to assist in making the other guests more comfortable.
Because it is an icebreaker of sorts, relax and enjoy the rehearsal dinner. Don’t linger too long, however. Brides look terrible with bleary eyes. Get home early and pamper yourself tonight- for tomorrow you’ll be married!
Every wedding starts with one and it’s no secret that this is prime time for wedding proposals. Between Christmas Eve and Valentine’s Day, you’ll find the big question being popped often with weddings being planned. It’s romantic and exciting but you want to make sure it doesn’t overshadow the holiday season. You want it to be right, fun and memorable and your words are what makes it unique and beautiful.
Frank Michael Photography, Windsor, Ontario
Although there is no wrong way to ask your love to marry you, the one certain thing is that you want the proposal to go off without a hitch. If there ever was a time to be sentimental, this is it, so take care to create your wonderful story; one that will delight you both, as you retell it in the years to come.
Proposals are magical so you will want yours to have that surprise factor. It is also suggested that you give the ring last; deliver your words first, your emotion and delivery should come before the sparkle. Take your time before you open that ring box.
Deciding to marry is a big step and it’s important that you know your future spouse well. Some people prefer intimate and private situations; they would rather avoid the spotlight, where others would not mind being proposed to on centre ice, at your local hockey game. Timing is, of course everything and you may want to go back to the place where you met, where you shared a first kiss or where you first date was held.
 Jaques Scheepers Photography, Windsor, Ontario
It’s always advantageous to be sure the location you do choose will be there in the future, so a historical spot or a geographical local may be the ideal place. Failing that, you may want write down the menu- so if you want you’ll be able to recreate the drink, the dinner or the dessert menu to commemorate future celebrations.
Willow Haven Photography, Windsor, Ontario
Today, a photographer may be hired to chronicle the moment . This is where secrecy and good planning is essential. When you capture the moment in print, you will have a cherished keepsake of that emotion to show your children and grandchildren!
You will also need to have an airtight plan so that she won’t have the opportunity to say no to your plan. Perhaps you can enroll a trusted friend to help you detract her to keep the surprise, a surprise and get her to where you want the proposal to occur.
Every proposal is unique to the couple involved. They can be spontaneous to intimate and orchestrated in a grand manner. What you do and how you do it is part of your history together, so create a memory that’s creative and will never be forgotten!
Wedding planning isn’t difficult but there is lots of research and planning to do. From weekends away with the girls to cakes and stationery, you will be constantly challenged with coming up with the best answers for the two of you.
We appreciate that you are busy with school or work and planning your wedding is sandwiched in between your regular routine. When picking your vendors, make sure that they not only understand what you want and how you wish it to be delivered, be very certain that you can work together well to achieve the goal that you are looking for.
Bachelorette Weekend
Jaques Scheepers Photography, Windsor, Ontario
What used to be one last night of the single life has turned into a weekend trip with the girls! Many brides are finding a group getaway a great alternative to girl’s night out. Though the main idea of any celebration is to have fun, the destination is as different as each bride-to-be. Las Vegas, Toronto, New York or Chicago are always popular choices with their abundant night life and package pricing. Another alternative is a destination spa weekend. Though you may opt to fly to a famous spa resort for a few days of pampering, there are now well-regarded overnight spas in most areas as well as in upscale hotels. You can even make your own weekend get-away; settle in at a friend’s cottage, on or off season, and organize all types of activities. Get manicures and pedicures from a traveling spa, have a chef visit for a cooking class, or plan a day of shopping at the local boutiques.
A note from the two of you
The time when you are ordering your wedding invitations and announcements is also the perfect opportunity to order your own personalized stationery ensemble. Some items you may want to include are thank you notes, correspondence cards and letterhead with coordinating envelopes printed with your return address. You may want a set in both your names, as well as a set for each of you separately. Some wedding invitation packages may include some of these items such as personalized thank you cards. Take time to browse through the many options that are offered before making your decision-there are so many beautiful colours, papers and styles available to choose from. Pick something that expresses and complements your own unique personalities! If you can’t make up your mind or don’t know where to start, ask for guidance from the invitation expert that you are working with.
It’s His Ring Too
Take some time for the two of you to shop for your wedding bands, at least a few months before the wedding. Since many men end up forsaking their wedding bands sometime after their “I Do’s”, perhaps a little more input from your groom on the style and design of the bands will result in a choice of rings that you’ll both love. You might want to start at the jeweller where your engagement ring was purchased; someone that you are both comfortable working with. Choosing a family heirloom ring that has been passed down from generation to generation means much more emotionally than purchasing a new ring, but you’ll still need to have it sized by a professional jeweller and maybe personalize it even more by engraving it with a special message or your wedding date, inside the band.
Choose wisely
One of the more important decisions most couples have to make after they become engaged is figuring out who they want to include in their wedding party. Family politics may play a part in the choices but it’s usually best to let your own intuition guide you. Probably the best advice you’ll hear is to choose attendants that have played an important part in your both your life and in this special relationship. And be sure they are people that you can rely on. Be clear with your attendants on what their responsibilities will be; especially in terms of what expenses they will be expected to bear and what costs you will pick up.
Getting to know each other
 Jaques Scheepers Photography, Windsor, Ontario Some wedding officiants offer or require pre-marital counseling programs for couples that wish to be married in their house of worship. Take advantage of this great opportunity to know each other better under the tutelage of professionals. Many couples believe the communications skills they learned in these sessions and weekends have helped them through difficult times in their marriage. Though some couples come away from this time with the realization that they may not yet be ready for marriage or are not suited to their intended, most find they are better prepared for what lies ahead in their relationship and have a more realistic vision of what married life will be like. There are often other married couples that have been through the same program available to provide wise advice that can last a lifetime.
The Icing on the Cake
In the cake portion of your wedding celebration, many avant-garde options have become available to today’s couples thanks to the creative minds and efforts of pastry chefs everywhere. Often, instead of one large wedding cake, guests are now treated to their own individual mini wedding cake, complete with layers and elaborate décor. For the bride with decision difficulties, there can be a cake for each table, decorated to order and each featuring a different flavour. For the young-at-heart, cupcakes, macarons and mini pies have emerged as a popular alternative to the traditional wedding cake. Cupcakes of varying flavours and icing are decorated to match the theme and atmosphere of the wedding itself and are displayed in grand style. Dessert bars and elaborate sweet tables have also become popular.
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