This is soulwishes's Pink Wedding!

I drew a lot of inspiration from sites like StyleMePretty.com when I was planning our wedding so I'm thrilled to have had our wedding featured there.

Click here to view our feature! (Note: clicking this link opens a new window so you don't have to leave weddingbycolor.com to view it)

People have had wonderful things to say about our theme/decor and I am elated that others in the wedding circuit appreciate our style!

At long last here are some actual photos from our actual wedding - some from our pro photographer and our coordinator's pro photographer, while some were taken and sent to us by our wonderful family and friends.

It will look like this only with some added bling and/or a flower on the side, plus I'll have hair extensions in so it looks more full and more hair on the side (more coverage for the good ol' double chin! LOL)

Can you believe I haven't had my dress altered yet??! My friend's mom is a seamstress though who does a lot of bridal work so she's doing it for me this weekend. THANK GAWD! Or I'd be screwed! LOL

She promised/assured me it will be done in time. I trust her. :)

I am not wearing makeup (other than mascara/lipgloss) in these pics, my hair is a royal mess and I'm not wearing proper jewelry or shoes, nor does my dress fit right but here she is after much ado...

Not to be confused with Garbage Pail candy... remember those? LOL

I made these as a thank you to my shower guests though my Maid of honour and bridesmaids hosted the shower for me.

We were supposed to have the shower outdoors at my friend's place, in her backyard. So I thought these favours were fitting - unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate so we had the shower indoors that day, but they were still cute. And here they are!

I bought the pails at Dollarama, 3 to a package for $1 each package.

Each pkg. came w/ the thank you card tags, white ribbon and the 3 pails. I decided not to use the white ribbon. I had this beautiful bright green ribbon w/ pink stitching and I liked that better - thought it was cuter, punchier, more summery. Also found the adorable flower clothespins in Dollarama - they turned out to be convenient. While the "thank you" tags were meant to be strung on the ribbon that ties whatever you put in the pail (presumably, candy I guess, like in my case here), I thought it looked cuter to clip them on the side with the clothespins, and Derrick agreed, so that's what we did. And he helped me put them all together.

Inside each pail were about 3-4oz of fruits n' creme jelly belly jelly beans (no name brand though - good imitation), purchased in quantity, from Bulk Barn, along with the little plastic bags which come in packages of 100. I only needed about 35 favours, so I have leftovers.

All in all I think they turned out nicely!

I spent:

-$22.50 (approx) on the jelly beans - and only needed about HALF of what I bought!
-$4 on 1 pkg of cellophane bags.
-I already had the ribbon but I think I paid about $5 for the roll at Creative Bag a while ago - and only used about half to 3/4 of the roll for this job.
-Flowers $1/pkg, sold 6 per. I bought about 7 packages and have leftovers now, so about $7 total on these.
-Pails/tags were $1/pkg and 3 per. I bought about 14 packages total and had only a couple leftover (like 3-4), so spent about $14-15 total on these.

Approx total incurred expense: about $53.50, or, $1.52/each

I could have done it for about $10-15 less, because I had so many supplies leftover, which could have brough the cost per favour down to about $1.10 per favour. Ah well, you live you learn. :)

Derrick's niece Taylor is 10. We felt it was appropriate to include her in the ceremony somehow but were a bit stuck w/ the dilemma of what role to give her since at 10, it seems she is too old to be a flower girl (traditionally speaking) yet too young to be a bridesmaid. It was suggested we make her a Jr. Bridesmaid by her mother but I felt she was too young for that - to me, a Jr. BM is more someone in the age range of about 14-17 or so.

I decided to include her as part of the actual ceremony, so that she would be asked to do a special reading. I think I'm going to ask her to read something from Corinthians on love, but I'm not sure if I don't want her to read something more age-appropriate for her. Like a passage out of a children's book or some lines from a movie that might be appropriate, I'm not sure... have to decide soon!

Anyway we will give her a gift for doing us the special favour and for being part of our bridal party. I'm not sure what it will be yet but I think it will be somewhat of a loot bag, with a few different things in it. Whatever the gift, it's going in this small tote bag I custom decorated just for her.

I purchased the tote plain, at a craft store for about $2-4 (can't remember exact price). I Used stencils, special washable craft glitter adhesive (as in, it can go in the washing machine and still hold onto the glitter after if need be - meant for crafts like this, avail. in local craft stores) and of course, glitter. I wanted something super girly and sparkly so that's what she got. :) I would have LOVED this when I was a kid!

The name was done in velour iron-on stencil letter transfers. Very easy application, if you know how to work an iron you are already a pro.

The acrylic star crystals were an after thought. I had them already on hand in my craft stash and thought the bag needed a little something extra - they were perfect for the job. I stuck them on using Aleene's Quick Dry Tacky Glue. I know they'll come off if washed in the machine but hopefully they will stay on if it's not washed. Being that it's a bag and not clothing, I think they should be safe at least for a good while. One more DIY project down, 10,000 to go...

Custom designed from scratch by yours truly and hand cut/glued/assembled/stuffed with help from the MOH.

Designed using Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop, printed on Quartz Stardream metallic 105lb cover weight card stock, stuffed into handmade pocketfolds made out of Punch Stardream metallic 105lb cover weight card stock. FINALLY they're DONE!!!!!

My invitations were kept under 6x6" (square) to keep postage costs down. Apparently they only charge double from 6x6" and up. The envelope was handmade by my paper/print shop out of Punch colour Stardream Metallic text weight paper to match the 105lb pocket folds also in Punch. They were done using a 5.75" x 5.75" dimension.

Because the envelope was 5.75x5.75" the pocket had to be slightly smaller to easily slide in/out of the envelope. So the pocket was done at 5.5 x 5.5". The invitation matted to the inside was a 1/4" smaller so it showed some of the cardstock behind it for a border, and its dimension was 5.25" x 5.25".

The inserts were:

-MAP 4.75" W x 5" H
-HOTEL 4.75" W x 4.25" H
-RSVP 4.75" W x 3.5" H

Each insert was 4.75" wide and each was 1/4" smaller than the next. (or larger than the next depending which way you're looking at it).

NOTE: These pics are taken using my webcam. It's a crappy camera and doesn't take great pics. My apologies but this is the best I can offer right now - can't find the charger to my Olympus digital cam. :(

The cost of this project was higher than it should have been for DIY because at the end I was pressed for time and couldn't find a print shop who could print on the heavy card stock I used for the inserts without major paper jams. Neither Staples or Kinkos could do it though both tried. The only shop I knew of that could was the shop I bought the paper from and their costs were pretty high and drove my cost per invitation up quite high despite the fact that I didn't even embellish these invitations with ribbon, rhinestones or anything else. Here were my costs:

$300 for cardstock including all inserts/pockets/envelopes

$155 for printing costs - 140 sheets of cardstock for all the inserts (in batches of 35/insert design with 2 to a page) + 19 sheets of the monogram squares for the front of the pockets (4 to a page)

Time time and more time (I started this design - this was one of many before it) about 4-5 days before the project was completed. Maybe a week.

Total: $455 for 70 invitations = $6.50/invitation NOT including postage. WAY. TOO. HIGH. I was not happy about that.

They look so weird here..... see above for finished product.

Well looks like I've come full circle. It's been a long planning process and I'm getting antsy about pulling it all together and just want it over with at this point! LOL But that said I'm glad I've still got a bit of time left to plan.

I've started tailoring my vision for the floral design of this event towards a clean, modern, airy, sleek and chic summer vibe, still using orchids, but with the interesting addition of chic looking spider mums and dahlias, as well as with the introduction of chartreuse - a yellowy celery green found in all kinds of flowers including: orchids, kermit poms, spider mums, even hydrangea, etc. - and lots of others.

So the palette now, for florals - will be predominantly white, with hints of that beautiful crisp green, and some light pink in a mixture of white ceramic and glass vases all featuring clean sleek geometric lines - my favourite. :) I love the juxtapose created by pairing the feminine curves of a flower with such masculine lines in a geometric sharp-edged cube vase. I love how clean the glossy white ceramic looks especially in contrast with light reflective glass.

At left you'll see the inspirations for my bouquet, my bridesmaids bouquets, the guys' boutonnieres, the cute ideas I decided on for the aisle-side chairs at the ceremony and the trees to stand on either side of the arbour in front of which we will take our vows - and those whimsical floral trees (manzanitas) will double as reception decor, behind the head table.

On the head table, as you'll see at left too (in my rough draft sketch), we'll have a mix of cylindrical glass vases holding curly willow tied with single orchid blooms and draped with strands of crystals, at each end of the table, and in the center on either side of where DF and I will sit.

Along the length of the table we'll have white ceramic "trough" planters and glass rectangle vases. The glossy white ceramic planters will be packed with fluffy, big bloomed mums, dahlias and maybe even peonies if we can get them so late in the season, in shades of white, crisp green and maybe even some light romantic pink. The glass vases in between, will have some natural sand and river pebbles in the bottom to accent the bridesmaid's bouquets which will be within them.

I really like the look we're leaning toward now. We just keep tweaking and fine tuning it and I think we've really got it this time. It's not as blingy as what I had originally been planning but you know what, it's cleaner, more "now," more chic, and more upscale actually without being tacky or overly girly. I really, really like this. I should learn to listen to my gut becaues this is raelly what I had been leaning toward all from the get-go anyway. LOL Go figure. Back to square one we go.

Hi there,

So far this is what we've got for the wedding. I am considering the linen at left, heavily considering it. It's so light and airy and shimmery... and it goes with the girls' dresses, the guy's ties and the throw pillow covers I bought for the lounge seating areas. I think we're on the right track.

I still have to make an appointment to go back in and see what other linens might work but as soon as I saw this one I loved it so I think we may go with it.

It is a bichon linen and is actually on promotion right now for $16 per linen which is great because the other ones I like are $20-30 a piece, to rent them.

For the table centerpieces I am thinking of grouping 3 pieces into an arrangement on each guest table. One will be galvanized steel and the other 2 smaller ones would be glass. The arrangements will be surrounded by candles.

I haven't decided on table CP flowers yet but am drawn most to big pompom mums and/or spider mums though would like to see something else in there as well - orchids? My bouquet will consist of orchids as will head table floral arrangements and ceremony floral arrangements. The BM's bouquets will be all white with possibly a touch of light almost white pink in them, in a mix of hydrangea and whatever else.

The ceremony arrangements will consist of mums at the base of a mass of curly willow set in a planter or vase. The curly willow will have white/pink orchids tied to the branches and will be hung w/ crystal garland. These will be set on a table in front of the arbour, behind where we will stand for the ceremony. In between, our sand ceremony items will sit. On either side of this table, either slightly forward or slightly back, will be 2 tall galvanized steel planters, each about 4' tall, with a large sculpted hedge ball atop each (similar to a topiary only without flowers, just green hedge).

Hanging from the top of the arbour where the ceremony will take place (a 2D structure of 2 vertical wooden beams attached by a horizontal beam that attaches to each) will be approximately 5-6 single orchid blooms, each hanging by a length of clear fishing line. They'll be hung at various lengths to give it a whimsical appeal. We are tossing around the idea of including some hanging amaranthus in between the orchid blooms but we'll see. I don't actually think we need it to be honest now that I think about it.

After the ceremony the floral arrangements from the table and in the standing planters, will be moved over to the reception. The 2 table pieces will go on either end of the head table and the standing hedge-ball planter things will go on either side.

So, I couldn't find the dollar store veil I bought just to play with looks, but I was able to find the feather/flower/swarovski/fbirdcage tulle fascinator I bought at a bridal sale awhile ago. It's in no shape to be used for my wedding as my stupid cat got at it (feathers are like drugs for cats- honestly) but it's fine for playing dress up. Who says there's an age limit on playing dress up, eh!? lol

Tell me which type of hairstyle you prefer on me. I can't decide if I prefer half up/half down or if i prefer the full updo with the low side bun. Of course neither of these is supposed to look pro, I just threw it up for both in a regular clip in like, 10 seconds, but am just trying to get the general idea and decide. So what do you think? Up all the way or half up and half down (on me)?

For the updo with the low side bun (which in these pics is not a bun at all but you get the idea), I clipped the fascinator on one side (doesn't sit right on this side, could be the cat's fault; let's just say it is) and started playing w/ my makeup.

I don't think I would want my lips this dark on bridal day but for purposes of playing dress up it's cool. Kinda vintage which sorta goes w/ the hair and the fascinator, doesn't it?

I went w/ my girls to put deposits on their dresses and get fitted tonight and while at the mall I bought this set of swarovski earrings and necklace. These webcam shots TOTALLY do not do this set justice at all.

ALL the girls were oohing and aahing over these at the kiosk where I got them (LOFT), because the detail in them which you can't see from these blurry pics, is so different! I like this set because it's super sparkly without looking princessy, and it's a simple elegant look despite the bling of the crystals which shimmer and sparkle in the light like nobody's business! They are almost shaped like chubby little cubes, but because the crystals are diamond cut, they are rounded on top so the cube now looks round, like a sparkly multi-faceted crystal ball (sort of like a soccer ball if you know what i mean only with less facets).

Each "ball" is made up of 6 large crystals, and each crystal's face is about 3/4 cm in diameter. The metal is rhodium plated copper (so not gold or silver but whatever I got a great price on these). I bought the necklace that matches and got the whole set for $60. I need a different chain for the necklace though, as this one is about 1/2" too short for me so the chain doesn't sit flush against my skin, it's sorta raised because of the pull of the heavy pendant (and it's quite heavy for a small piece). Maybe I can borrow a chain and that can be my "something borrowed." White gold or silver will do.

So here I am in all my childish dress up glory. :) Enjoy the pics!

Side note: Left my mascara in the car the other day so I am not wearing any and also am exhausted, going on 4.5 hours sleep and been up now for 14 hours straight on such little sleep hence the wrinkly bags under my eyes. Just ignore those. LOL

We will have white modern lounge furniture in an area of the tent, with a sofa, coffee table and ottomans. I plan to use these throw pillows to accent that area.

I got a great deal on the shimmery throw pillow covers with velvet floral damask in China Town. I think they are made of taffeta or something like it - but they look like dupioni silk! I will just stuff them with cotton batting myself, unless I can find cheap throw pillows on dumpout (even if they're ugly - they will just go in the covers anyway) for a good enough price.

I love these!! You can't see the colour all that well as I took the pics with my webcam but I bought 4 sets (2 per package). 2 sets in purple and 2 sets in white. Both have the black velvet damask pattern on them. I love the iridescence of the fabric. Heck I just love them. LOL

If you've been following this blog (and i don't expect that you have) you know that my STD cards (LOL - I get a giggle every time I write that) went out early last week.

Derrick handed out some at work. One of the girls he gave one to thought it was an invitation and told him I forgot to put the event times on it. He laughed and reminded her that it's a STD card and not an invitation. It says right in the middle of the design in big white letters (On a blue background) SAVE THE DATE and then at bottom it says "Formal invitation to follow" but I guess she just glanced at it and didn't actually read it. *sigh* Well, I can't expect everyone else to be as interested in what I made as I am, but I still do. LOL

I gave two to Derrick's mom - one for her and another to her for her friend who is close w/ the family. She glanced at it and said thank you but didn't really read it or comment on it - she was in a rush.

My aunt emailed me today from Philadelphia with great response though and it made it all worthwhile. Her reply:

"We just received your hold-the-date cards and they are really lovely -- the nicest I've ever seen. But, you're in the biz; so I'd expect nothing less :)"

AWWW!!! I love her. :) She always knows how to make those close to her feel important, successful and talented. Even if we're not. ;)

Score one for the home team!! I got an AMAZING deal on the bottles I needed for my favours and I'm thrilled to pieces! I had been looking for packaging for some time but I didn't want to pay through the nose for it. I mean, sure, $1 per item seems cheap and affordable, in theory... until you realize you need 125 of them and add it up, add tax, and/or possibly shipping, duty, customization AND whatever goes IN the vessel to top it all off. Yep, it adds up.

I had been considering an aluminum tin, like the small round favour tins you can buy to put mints or candies in. I saw them at Michael's in a bucket of 30, for $30 (plus tax of course - 13% here to be exact), and I almost bought them today after having eyed them for some time, but decided against it at the last minute and put them back. I had looked around on line and found some deals on them, but nothing really cheaper than $1 a piece and was getting frustrated.

I ended up in Dollarama at some point late this afternoon and while looking around for just anything and nothing in particular, hoping something would just jump out at me, I found the bottles pictured at left. In sets of 2, for $1 PER SET, bringing the cost per unit to a whopping $0.50 a piece! I felt like I hit the jackpot, I tell you whut. I quickly began counting to see how many sets they had on the shelf and asked the store staff if they had any more once I was done. I had counted 40 sets, bringing me to a total of 80 jars. I still needed another 45 jars or so (so about 23 sets more) to ensure I had enough for everyone on the guest list. They didn't. But they did give me a box, help me count them to be sure of how many I had, and walk me to the cash like I was royalty. And I felt like it. I was a VIP shopper in Dollarama today! LOL I cleared them out. They recommended I visit other Dollarama stores in the area, saying they all carry the same stock. So tomorrow's prey is Dollarama at Yonge & Steeles, with intent to pick up the rest of what I need to get my favours done. Yippeee!!

My grand total at Dollarama today including 2 cans of tomato soup, a loaf of raisin bread, a box of copy-cat Nutrigrain bars, 4 bottles of water AND the 80 jars was $49 and change. SCOREEEEE!!!

The intent is to fill these vessels with a spice rub (adobo, jerk seasoning, steak spice or something like it), add custom labels, ribbon and tags and call it a day. I love them! So they're not sleek and metallic but you know what, these babies have character, and I like character. I respect character. And they were 50 cents. So there.

I love this!! It's up there with my top choices for what I'd like to use for our ceremony. I have always been a writer with a love for and a connection to words, and at times have even been a poet or a lyricist of sorts... hence why this pillow especially appeals to me. You can click the image if you like, to admire the detail close up.

Other favourite ring pillow choices are displayed in earlier posts, below (or maybe on the previous page).

This baby is 100% dupioni silk (well I'm not sure about the words part but the pillow cover is) and retails for $52.80 USD plus $6.95 USD shipping. It would match my silk bridal gown perfectly!

Unfortunately I just don't think I can afford it. But we will see...

The Sonnet Ring Pillow is brought to us by Throwmeapillow.com

Hard to believe we're just 121 days away from THE BIG DAY!! It's freaking me out a little. Exciting... but sorta scary too. I'm not scared of marriage, more of post-wedding blues. This process has been taking over my life for the last year, what ever will I do with myself once all has been said and done!?

Allyson Meredith Cakes!

Had written a detailed post here and somehow it got deleted so...... let's try this again, the short version.

We've been through a bunch of great and not so great cake shops trying to decide who to go with and what design/flavours to choose. Today, we made that decision. Allyson Meredith of AM Cakes did that stunning aqua/fuschia/gold cake I posted a few weeks ago (see earlier posts if interested in details), and that cake is what drew me in. Once we were there however, I found that I wasn't as drawn to the aqua/fuschia cake as I was to some of the more traditional styles for some reason.

The aqua cake was actually quite small and the cake, while a cake masterpiece from an artistic visual standpoint, just didn't look the least bit appetizing to me. I mean it was a deep shade of teal for starters and painted w/ gold. It actually didn't look like food. And so, we explored what else she could do for us and settled on a stunning 4 tier white cake painted with luster dust to give it a nice iridescent sheen for some textural depth and some really classy hand made details.

The 1st cake pic at left (white) is similar to the cake we chose in height and shape, only with one extra tier at bottom. It's not even dissimilar in sheen or design but the design in the last ca vintake pic here at left (black/white cake) is most like the cake we chose. It has the fondant stripes on alternating tiers (only ours would be white on white not black/white), and a floral design on the other tiers (only on the one she had in the shop, the floral design was piped and not done with fondant to resemble lace applique). I've asked her to bling it up a bit with a silver/crystal vintage brooch one at least one of the 2 striped tiers. I think that would make give it that something special.

So there you have it - we're on our way. HURRAY!

P.S. I finally, at long last had my FIRST ever, Parisien Macaron, from Bobbitt & Belle, which is another of Allyson's ventures, with a partner. Oh, today, I had a wee piece of gianduja hazelnut heaven. Does it GET any better? Me thinks, not.

Edited to add: Now if only I could get her to get back to me so I can actually get her my signed contract/deposit and secure our date... we had the meeting last Monday and I've not heard from her since despite 4 emails. Hmmm..... a little worried. I had one cake shop not get back to me for a few weeks and when I finally was able to touch base w/ her she said "as she didn't hear from me (?????) she was now booked for my weekend." I am sincerely hoping this is not a repeat. I don't think so because I even mentioned that happened at our meeting and she seemed really sympathetic and ready to take over where cake shop #1 left off, but we'll see. I asked her to get back to me by Monday and I hope she does.

What will your groom wear? What about his groomsmen? How are you bringing the wedding party together through their attire? How will your groom's attire differ from that of his groomsmen? Every place we've been to so far has encouraged us to put Derrick in a white or ivory vest/tie to differentiate him from his groomsmen - are the rest of you doing this? Or will he match them?

My fiance looks better in darker colours than lighter ones but I feel like it's a shame for him not to match me. By tradition he is to compliment the bride and the groomsmen are to compliment the bridesmaids.

What are you doing? What are your thoughts? Please share your comments here. I look forward to them!

As mentioned in the last post, we changed our minds again on tux rentals and decided at long last to go with Syd Silver as they have a far nicer selection than Tuxedo Royale and at Moore's he couldn't even try anything on until it had been fitted and ordered!

Edited to add: We have since made this FINAL!! HURRAY!!

We decided on a Joseph Abboud black, tone on tone 3 button, notch lapel tux which apparently retails for about $1000 or something but which rents for about $200 or just under. And the nice thing is, Derrick's tux is free!! My man is going to look SO chic! ;)

He tried on a bunch of different combinations until we finally settled on him wearing the black tux w/ a white shirt, dark silver Ralph Lauren faille vest and matching dark silver, black/white striped tie - and he looked super hot if I do say so, myself!

I know that traditionally the groom wears white or ivory under his tux in vest/tie but I just didn't love what those colours were doing for Derrick.. and more important than tradition to me, I think Derrick should look HIS personal best (and he so does in this ensemble!).

The groomsmen will be in the same tux only their tie will be magenta, black and white striped instead of the black/white/silver one that D will be in. The magenta in the GM's tie will tie back to the colour of the BM's dresses. Finally things are coming together.

We put down a $20 deposit with Syd Silver today. Now to get our $10 deposit from Moore's back followed by getting our $30 deposit with Tuxedo Royale back (we're just making friends all over the place, aren't we?)... *le sigh*

Hi girls! I haven't been posting for the last week or two because I've just been totally swamped but I'm still on the wedding planning train and pleased to report that our save the date cards are officially IN the mail!

You can see the finished product (after much ado) at left, both back and front. They are glossy post cards (one side is glossy, other is not so you can write on it) and though the webcam didn't take a good pic and you can't really see the colours (the actual colours are posted 2 posts down in my first post about Zazzle.com), and though these pics totally don't do the cards justice at all they look AMAZING (if I do say so myself!).

The colours are a very light robin's egg blue for the background, with a light steel blue design topped with a chocolate brown chandelier. Our names are in magenta (like a pinky purple) and it says "we're getting married!" under the white Save the Date line, in teal. The date is in chocolate brown to match the chandelier as is location and at the very bottom in teal caps it reads: "Evening event - Formal invitation to follow."

So as you can see, things worked out with Zazzle.com after all (see below for full story) once I worked my way to dealing w/ the management of the place who were very accommodating once there, and now I'm onto figure out what to do for invitations. I have some ideas but as usual, there are lots of decisions to be made.

In other news, we changed our mind about the tuxes, and are going to get them from Syd Silver instead of from Moore's (as first thought) or Tuxedo Royale (as second thought). Moore's had the best pricing by far, but Syd Silver has the nicest selection. He will be wearing Joseph Abboud and he is going to look HOT! I'll post about that separately.

Ok ladies in a nutshell here's what happened. I customized these gorgeous Save the Date cards (below) and decided it was worth the risk to order from the US, and incur additional shipping costs plus duty in order to get them. The cost per card was just over $1 each so I thought no big deal. And I love the design.

Not 5 min. after processing payment I realized that the chandelier I was trying to match the font to, was actually BROWN and not black. Which is better actually because our palette involves brown and not black, but I had used black font and now it looked unprofessional and unstreamlined. I am very visual and have done a fair bit of art direction in my career, so working with images and making sure that the whole look/feel is cohesive and perfect before anytihng goes out is just in my blood now. I can't, in good faith, send these babies out as is.

So within seconds of realizing this (again just 5 minutes post-order on a Fri. or Sat. night when I know they won't go to print until Monday), I go back into my Zazzle account to update the file to the correct colour font. I contact Zazzle immediately by email (their phone number which is toll free, does not work from Canada - how convenient).

I specifically request they NOT send this to print as is, and that they please use the most recent version of the file attached to my account and NOT the one attached to the original order.

I get a message back 2 days later (Monday) saying that "we're sorry but you only have 2 hours to fix anything on your order and after that you're locked in." EXCUSE ME?!? I've been trying to fix this since 5 minutes after placing the order!! They tell me there is nothing they can do. They are now forcing me to receive this item, to incur the cost of shipping + duty, and to incur yet another shipping cost to ship it back should I wish for a refund of the item. It's not like it was already in transit. They still had it in production (if that's even accurate) at their facility - it had not yet been shipped!!

So STOP production. They won't. They say I "have" to receive it but that "if" I am not happy (of course I am not, I don't even want to receive it as is!) I can return it for a full refund (less the cost of shipping oh AND I am responsible for paying return shipping on the item too, did I mention?!?!?

So that's $36.99 USD lost for shipping it TO me when I specifically said it's wrong, do NOT send me that version. And then another cost of shipping to return it. And they think I'm going to re-order from them!?!?

I considered re-ordering the correct version only because I love the design of it and I put so much time already into creating and customizing these, but I would ONLY do that, if I was guaranteed they'd waive the shipping cost ($36.99!!) to re-send me the 2nd order. I am NOT losing $36.99 on the first order, incurring the cost of the return shipping, and also paying $36.99 AGAIN to receive a 2nd order, no sir, no way, no how.

I emailed the request that they waive the shipping cost yesterday afternoon and have not heard back. It's been almost 24 hours. I sent a follow up a few hours ago and still have not yet heard back. I am assuming they are not going to cooperate with me on this and therefore obviously don't need or want my business that bad.

This is a company I most certainly DO NOT recommend ladies. I was so excited when I found how great their website is, how awesome the concept of what they have to offer is, but the service outright SUCKS. There are better run companies out there who work way harder to earn your hard earned cash, I highly recommend you take your business to them and NOT Zazzle.

*getting off my soap box now*

I'll let you know how they look in person when I receive them.

In the meantime if you are thinking about doing business with Zazzle or had a bad experience and just looking for others to commiserate with, go here for reviews of both product/service from Zazzle. Clearly, offering anything close to what most would consider "good" service is NOT their strong suit.

While the internet has enabled an entire generation of work from home entrepreneurs who have created their own success because of the substandard requirements for operating a business online, from the consumer standpoint it irks me that online anyone can call themselves a business even if they don't abide by what have become standard business ethics in today's consumer driven marketplace. Like fixing customer problems when they occur instead of making them worse, or replying to inquiries in a timely manner.

Anyway, off to check out Wedding Paper Divas. Stay tuned.

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UPDATE:

So I received a message from a senior CSR (supervisor?) at Zazzle, thanking me for my message (but not apologizing at all for any inconvenience I've endured nor accepting responsibility for the frustration I've been caused), and saying:

"I have been escalated this case for resolve. I would advise you refuse the parcel and avoid any duties. Please let me know if this can still be done. If not, we will work with you on other ideas. If you can refuse it, please let me know and I will refund your order in full, allowing you to place a corrected order at your convenience."

I replied to ask if "refunding in full" meant I would also be refunded the cost of shipping the item and am awaiting reply on that (will be another 5 hours or more I'm sure, before I get reply).

I told him I would only reorder if the cost of shipping was waived. We'll see if they care about my satisfaction that much once I hear back.

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UPDATE 2:

Zazzle's reply

"Please contact your local Post office, advise them you do not want to receive your parcel from zazzle.com. This will ensure you are not held responsible for said duties. The reason we were unable to stop your original order is due to our processing time. Since cards can be produced so quickly, stopping them after they have entered production in not an option.

Generally we accommodate the original parcel/order in question; offering an option of refusal is best since you will not have to pay to send it back, and you will not be paying duties in accepting it. The parcel is then considered an abandon; Zazzle will not get it back after producing and shipping it. For this reason accommodating a future order is not an option. Thank you for your understanding."

My Reply is too long to post here but in a nutshell I told them they don't know how to run a business, told them that if they had been smart they would notice that I was ordering printed goods for an upcoming wedding and would also have needed invitations, thank you cards and possibly other items to be printed by them had they made any effort at all to ensure my satisfaction but they didn't, so they have lost my business. The clincer is the part that says "we can only accommodate the order in question we cannot accommodate your future orders." Pardon me?!? That is ridiculous. I can't tell you how many times businesses I have worked with in the past have offered discounts on future orders or purchases to compensate for a customer's trouble on a past order.

Anyway I won't be doing business with them again. I am going to refuse the order when I get it, and be done with it. They are going to refund my order in full (they better!). I am waiting to find out if that means the shipping I paid will be refunded as well. It better be!

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UPDATE 3

So I received a call from zazzle yesterday, a manager I gather, wanting to make things right. Said the guy who had been dealing with my correspondence (the guy who had taken over from the original CSR because the case had been "escalated" to him due to the issues), had said he thought he better deal with it and passed it onto him.

This guy finally seemed to be empathetic to the situation and acknowledged it had not been handled properly in the first place and apologized for that. Thank you Eduardo Sanchez! :) He quickly made arrangements for the re-order of my items at no additional shipping or duty cost to me whatsoever - he said Zazzle will absorb those costs and he will ensure they are prepaid before my order goes out. So I should receive my cards early next week! YAY!

I love when things go right. I just wish it hadn't taken for me to make a huge stink to get the issue resolved and to get Zazzle to take accountability for where THEY had gone wrong. The original order should never have been shipped in the first place - they should have just held it back and printed the correct file as per my request.

Anyway a happy ending. I think? Stay tuned for the arrival of the cards.

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UPDATE 4

I just logged into Zazzle and see that my most recent order is showing as being printed in a quantity of ONE (I need 65!) and that it's being shipped STANDARD and not EXPRESS as per discussion with the guy who was supposed to be making this right for me, and furthermore there is a price attached to it, which says it's being paid on my credit card (though has not been posted to my CC account yet with the bank). The fee is just $4.93 USD but still. I was told I would not be charged ANY additional fees. What are they pulling here?

I emailed Eduardo and am currently awaiting reply. If they don't get it right today I'm going to cancel and demand refund because as it is if they don't go out to my guests by end of next week there is NO point in sending them at all since invites go out in another month or 2. No point at all. I'd rather save my $$ in that case. And the headache. Again, stay tuned.

Well, though I have been struggling w/ finding a summer motif I want to use in my printed goods, and though my invitations may not end up being the same as the Save the Date cards, I found a card I was happy with and which I finally customized and ordered from Zazzle.com. I have no idea what quality of paper I will get but as it is a postcard I would imagine it's standard postcard type paper which is a bit thick and rigid, like a thin cardboard or a thick paper.

Here they are.... only I can't show you how I customized the back because zazzle has disabled the ability for people to copy/distribute their images online (i don't want to distribute it - I just want to borrow it to show you here!), but I used the same font on the back as where it says "at long last we're getting married" on the front, only it says "we look forward to sharing our special day with you" and I put this at the bottom of the blue portion on the back, in right-alignment. I like the way they turned out. I just hope that I am happy with them when they arrive and also that I don't end up paying a fortune for customs/duty because they are coming from the US.

These cost me $1.10 USD per postcard which is really not bad at all. I ordered 65 of them so it came to $71.50 USD before shipping and duty.

Shipping to Canada is expensive unfortunately and I chose Express shipping instead of basic shipping, because I want tracking in case they lose my order (it happens!), as well as because I want it sooner than later because I'm already pushing the time limit considering the wedding is July 10th which is as of today, 137 days away (5 months roughly), and invitations will be going out in/around mid to end of April. My shipping costs came to $36.99 USD with promise to have it delivered within 2-10 days (assuming they mean business days, I hope they get it to me within the next week!).

I am praying duty doesn't cost me more than $10 when they arrive (have to pay duty on import of all goods into Canada from Internationally).

I have calculated the postage will cost me somewhere between $30-40 total to send these all out. THankfully most of our guests are in Canada like us, and stamps are $0.54 a piece for mailing letters in Canada.

To the USA postage costs almost double at $0.98 a piece. I only have about 4 of those to send thankfully. :)

All in all before postage and duty, these babies are costing me in Canadian Dollars, a grand total of:

$108.49 USD = $135.744 CAD

Because... as per XE.com's currency conversion based on today's current rate:

United States Dollars Canada Dollars
1 USD = 1.25121 CAD 1 CAD = 0.799224 USD

I'm looking forward to receiving these!

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UPDATE:

Had a terrible service experience w/ Zazzle and ended up not getting these at all. Am really disappointed. See above post for details.

I think we may have actually nailed a palette I can live with. I have said this before however............ but things are really starting to come together between the centerpieces (purple orchids in a white cube vase), Derrick's suit (tan colour with ivory vest/tie), the bridesmaid dresses in "plum" (so the designer calls it, looks like magenta to me), the groomsmen in the tan suits w/ the magenta diagonal striped ties... yes, things are really starting to come together. Oh yes and that glorious cake!!! (see below for the post on that). Yes, it's definitely all coming together. :) Destination theme, here we come!

Now I have to figure out how to decide on a motif/look/feel for the printed goods (invites, save the dates, etc) and FAST. In print, I'm drawn to vintage looks, and chandelier motifs, damask patterns, etc. in black, white and/or aqua. I just don't think any of that really goes with this theme!! I thought orchids should have been the main motif/theme. What to do?

I absolutely LOVE this cake!! It is hand painted in 22k EDIBLE GOLD!!!

I may actually get this cake and am really excited about it!

After our last cake shop fell through on us unexpectedly, I had initially contacted the creator of THIS design, (not realizing it was painted with real edible gold, I just liked the design and colours), asking for a quote.

It was WAY out of our price range - but when I told her so, she said due to the economy she's beginning to see that she can't expect people to pay the kinds of pricing she was charging last year and lowered it CONSIDERABLY (i.e. like $500).

So we are going to arrange a tasting and see if we can work it out. It just goes to show you, it is worth attempting to negotiate pricing with vendors especially w/ the economy being what it is today.

Our caterer (well potential caterer) actually said when I asked him about how his biz was affected during a conversation we had the other day at our tasting that his business is at 30% of what it normally is. That is a HUGE jump down, and businesses are fighting to stay afloat. They NEED our business more than we need their services.

Don't try to scam vendors, I urge you to be fair in your negotiations and not try to rip anyone off as we all need to put food on the table and keep our families and businesses afloat. But do ask about discounts and if you feel like you want something that is out of reach due to budget, ask your vendor about how they can work with you to make it happen. You might just be pleasantly surprised at the outcome. My experience is that if you are fair in your negotiations, most vendors will be fair in return. Good luck!

In the meantime, how glorious is this cake?!

I love this website!! KarenTran.com

If you love glamourous contemporary weddings with great outdoor (and indoor but mostly outdoor) settings, LOTS of florals and sumptuous details, you will love this website too. Tons of inspiration. Makes me wish I lived in San Diego - I'd hire Karen in a snap! Well budget permitting........... ;) I have a feeling she's pricey but well worth it I'd say.

Derrick will wear this tan suit from the After Six collection, rented from Tuxedo Royale. We were going to go with Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein at Moores but their options are SO limited and they don't even let you try it on before you order, you have to pretty much just guess out of a catalogue if you like it or not. It's lame.

He'll wear this "destionation" style suit with an ivory satin finish vest and tie, and the guys will wear the same suit but with a vest in the same fabric/color as the suit and then their tie will match the bridesmaids, so a magenta colour (like a raspberry or azalea type colour, with a diagonal stripe).

They'll have orchid boutonnieres, and brown shoes. I love it!! It's not as formal as my dress, but it really looks good on him - we didn't really like any of the tuxes we saw.

I like this in grey too (see pics at left) - but he doesn't. Still I want to see him try it on because I think he might just change his mind once it is on. :) We go next Friday for him to try them on in his size and then the boys go in w/ him on Saturday next weekend to get fitted after decisions have been made for sure about who wears what. This is perfect for our outdoor summer wedding!!!

How long did you date before you got engaged?
9 years!!

Did you get the ring you wanted?
More or less. I didn't have a specific ring in mind. I tried on something very similar in a jewelry store before he bought it and I liked it. He knew that which is why he picked the ring he did. :)

Was the proposal a complete surprise?
Absolutely. I was beginning to give up hope to be honest! We had talked about marriage for years but he wasn't making any moves... I thought what is WRONG with this guy!? lol Alas, on vacation last year he totally threw me for a loop while we were sightseeing and the rest is history. I couldn't have been caught any more off guard than I was.

Do you wish you had a bigger/smaller diamond? If so How big or small?
It wasn't about size of diamond for me it was about quality and craftsmanship of the ring. If I was to choose my own e-ring it would be very similar only with more fine detail in the band, and better quality diamonds (to the naked eye they are beautiful they're just not worth as much as higher quality stones would have been. Unfortunately my fiance didn't realize there was a difference between one diamond and another other than size or shape. LOL Ahhh gotta love him. :) I do!

Did you cry when he proposed?
No, I was too stunned by the moment. I got a bit watery eyed though.


When do you want to go for your honeymoon?
Not sure. Ideally as soon as possible. But July is a hard time to go where we want. To be determined.

Are you buying his wedding band for him?
We already have combined income so we're buying it together.

Have you gone over your original wedding budget?
Yep.

What day of the year will your wedding be?
Friday, July 10, 2009

What kind of weather?
Early summer; hopefully warm without being too humid or overbearingly hot. And hopefully no rain, or if any not much.

Inside or outside?
Outside all the way. Though we're under a tent for the reception.

Church/justice of the peace/other?
"Officiant." Who is also a JOP.

How many people will be there?
100-120ish.

Time of day?
Early evening ceremony followed by cocktails followed by a late dinner and lots of partying but only until 1am. I hate that all these venues and vendors give you time limits. Should be partying 'til dawn! Then again, I bet we'll be so tired we'll just want to pass out by midnight! LOL

Any kind of theme?
Modern glam with a hint of vintage woven in. The menu is very summer/tropical themed.

How many bridesmaids? Who would they be?
5 = 3 friends and Derrick's 2 sisters.

What kind of cake/what will it look like?
Not sure yet. We thought we had it all figured out until our cake shop fell through and now we have to start the search over. Taste testing has been fun though! We will likely do a vanilla cake with some kind of mango mousse and lime buttercream or something.

Where will you have the reception?
Under a tent on a beautiful historic estate amidst lush gardens and the great outdoors.

What kind of dress will you have/color/material?
It's a Madison. I posted a pic of it in an earlier post. Pure natural silk. Not bleached white, not dyed ivory either. Just natural. So like an eggshell white. Sweetheart neckline, clear and silver beaded bust that follows to the back and down alongside the corset back. THe bodice features an asymmetrically ruched bodice and waistline which flows into a modern pick up skirt with beaded applique at each gather, with a chapel train in back.

What kind of flowers in your bouquet?
Orchids and not sure what else yet.

Kind of engagement ring?
don't know if it has a name. see my photos in an earlier post. :)

Kind of wedding bands?
Mine matches my e-ring and is white gold with a row of channel set diamonds. STill have to get his. Will probably be white gold, modern and quite simple.

How will you wear your hair?
Not sure yet but will be half up with lots of volume and body, with side-swept bangs. I don't want anything pasted to my head, I want it natural looking but sophisticated. Accented by some bling hair combs on each side and/or maybe a flower.

Who will be important to be there?
Don't know if I understand this question. Everyone invited is important that's why they're being invited.

Will the reception be big or small?
Depends on your perception of size. To me it's big but to others it's small.

What will the groom wear?
black tux w/ ivory vest and tie on a white or black shirt. We might change this though.

How old will you and the groom be?
At the time of our nuptuals I'll be 30 and he'll be 32. He'll turn 33 4-5 weeks later.

How long will you be engaged before you get married?
year and a half

Live together before or wait till married?
been living together a loooong time now.

Take a long time to plan the wedding or will it be simple?
Not simple at all. I've been planning since we got home from vacation after getting engaged and won't stop until the day we say I do.

Will you do it yourself or with family or hire someone to plan the wedding?
Mostly just me planning it with input and ideas from family and friends plus the wedding industry people I've met along the way. We have a coordinator but I didn't book her to plan the whole wedding because I knew I could do it myself and would prefer to allocate that $3k elsewhere.

Will you write your own vows or use something pre-made?
Not sure yet but probably not writing our own.

As with everything else in my wedding, I like to do things with a twist.

So, in my quest for unique ways to present the ring, I've come across some really glam looking ring pillows that while classic, are beautiful modern twists on the old ring pillow standard. See them at left. I love the look of large single blooms in design and decor details, so my wedding is of course, no different!

The last of the 3 is a Martha Stewart DIY project that I might just try, though I really love the first image of feather flower ring pillows, from Aalexis (I can't find anyone in Canada who carries them unfortunately).

So Mirella (florist) has gotten back to me after a visit to her supplier to let me know that unfortunately, the manzanita and/or magnolia branches are WAY out of my price range... :(

But, the good news is, I've found a newfound love for curly willow and I think we can really make this work. Curly willow IS in my price range. :) The only issue is, can we or can we not, hang votive candles from curly willow branches? I've seen plenty of centrepieces in images online where they are hung from curly willow, but, some sources don't recommend it because willow branches are thin and not as sturdy as your typical manzanita or even the mitsumata (or is it matsumata) branches that Mirella used in my sample (see the post 2 down from here for images of those branches in my sample).

Mirella has suggested that perhaps we could combine curly willow with the matsumata, but I am thinking I actually like the natural wood colour of the willow branches unpainted and Derrick says he likes the natural colour 100% better than the painted wood; he's more into the natural look. I have to take his thoughts into consideration too, and I don't really disagree w/ him here anyway. So will have to let Mirella know.

Anyway, in the meantime, I've gone hunting online again (thank you Google!) for images of centrepieces with orchids and curly willow, for inspiration on what my centrepiece can look like at the end of the day. Here are my found treasures, today (see images at left for inspiration).

I'm thinking, my white cube vase (see below), maybe replace the orchids w/ hydrangea or something else (dahlias maybe?), curly willow branches, and orchids just attached to the branches along w/ a few hanging crystals and votives. Or, leave the orchids as is in my sample, and just keep it ALL orchids instead of mixing it up. What should I do?

Enjoy and stay tuned! :)

Hi girls,

I'm just wondering what most of you are doing with regard to YOUR cake decor. Will you use real flowers or have your cake artist create hand made sugar or gum paste flowers for your wedding creation? Will you have for your cake, fabric ribbon around the base of each tier, or fondant detail?

I have been talking to cake people in my quest to find the cake for our wedding, and I can't decide if it's better, more cost effective, etc. to do real flowers for the cake, or just allow the cake artist to do the gum paste, sugar paste or fondant flowers?

Of course, your cake cost diminishes significantly if you don't use the edible flowers because then you're probably looking at a simple iced cake, taking out the bulk of the detail work for the cake shop. And really, who eats gum paste or sugar flowers anyway? In most cases they are only for decoration.

But on the other hand, why use real flowers on your cake, where your florist would have to supply the flowers to your cake person on the day of, and then the cake person would have to decorate the cake AT the venue, on the day of, possibly hiking up your set up cost (I'm not sure)... and the flowers may wilt being on the cake for so many hours without water anyway...

Which brings me to my question. What are you doing? And what do you think the pros and cons to using real flowers or sugar paste (etc) flowers would be? I want to hear from YOU.

In the meantime if you have no idea and are looking for information I found this link which I have yet to read myself but it looks like it may have some pros/cons to each method:

http://www.wedding-cake-advice.com/wedding-cake-flowers.html