It might be a good idea for me to write up some tips for those brides who are also planning the biggest event of their life.
1. Spend most of your money on your food, photography and flower. People know how to entertain themselves at the reception, it’s the food that make them unforgettable for the evening.
2. If you are having a small wedding like mine, and just go by traditional type like mine, make sure you bring out the dessert table EARLY. A lot of people were waiting for Alex and I cutting the wedding cake, and a lot of my guests left after that, if the dessert table comes out too late, it will be a waste. I would recommend to come out the same time as the last course.
3. If you are planning to have a wedding at Old Mill Inn, if it’s popular wedding days.. you might find the garden completely packed!! Either have the ceremony just before the reception, and have your photos taken earlier in the day. Or have your ceremony early in the day so you can have time to take photos in between.
4. Bring a dancing shoe. I took some wedding photos earlier in the day with my dress shoes. Boy, it really hurts my feet after couple hours of wearing. I changed to a white walking shoe for reception. It worked perfect! No one can see it because your dress will be covering it.
5. Speech? Please write down your speech in point form. If you are a type of person who gets nervous making speech in front of people, then I am sure you will forget half of the stuff you suppose to say as well. Write them down in point form and remind what you suppose to say. Oh, and R–E–L–A–X, it’s just a speech 
6. Appoint someone to help you out with the schedule. The only reason why my schedule of my wedding was behind is because i didn’t have anyone who can coordinate with the DJ and the Kitchen. We were toasting with water cuz we JUST realize that we need to do a toast, and no one went to grab a glass of wine to do the toast. *sigh*
Remember, you will be the center of the attention on your wedding day, and you will be in your beautiful dress for the whole night. You won’t be able to do everything, so plan ahead and ask someone to help you out before hand.
Stay tuned!
Tags: toronto wedding blog, wedding, wedding resources
13.Aug.08 
wedding 
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Friday turned out to be a shinny day in the afternoon. We got to Old Mill around 5:15pm, and we started to take some wedding photos at the garden.
The only problem is that, there were too many people in the garden taking photos!! All the nice spot had been taken, and we have to end up taking some indoor shots as well.
The guests slowly showed up around 6:30 and 7:00pm. The cocktail hour suppose to end around 8..but we end up missing the whole 8pm and 8min speech because we were running behind schedule.
(table setting: my orchid centre piece and each person has a Polariod name card (made from Fuji Instax mini 20) on a mini easel. I also gave everyone a little tadpole tea strainer and mini tea can to bring home)
Alex’s bestman -Eric started the welcoming toast, but because we are behind schedule, we didn’t even have wineglass in our hands!! We have to use our water to do the toast!! lol.
After that, the dinner starts, everyone had their soup, and then salad, and then the main course. Eric did another speech, and Linda did a speech as well.
After dessert, Alex gave his speech, he’s so nervous that he forgets half of what he suppose to say. As for me, I briefly talked about our story, thank all the guests who came, and all the people who had helped to make this event happen.
After the dinner, we have our centrepiece games, people can bring home the beautiful flower arrangement done by Parist Florist. After that, we have our first dance. Literally, it’s our “First Dance”. We have never rehearsed. The song that I picked was from this Japanese artist-Utada Hikaru’s song “Fly Me to the Moon”. I find this song gives a kick than Frank Sinatra’s original “Fly Me to the Moon”
And after the dance, we had our bouquet toss and garter toss.
(notice my shoes? I changed to walking shoes for better dancing performance!)
At around 11:15pm.. the dessert table came out, and we get to cut our wedding cake
Even though everything runs behind schedule.. but we still manage to have a fun time. This is the biggest day and event I ever planned. I don’t think it was perfect, but at the end everyone had fun and that’s all that matters.
There were lots of things and details that I could have made the event better, but I’ve tried my best, and everyone keep complimenting on the food, the venue, the music, and everything. I have nothing but to say “Thanks” to everyone who came.
Tags: toronto wedding blog, wedding, wedding resources
12.Aug.08 wedding Comments (0)
The day had came and done, it was so fast and so tiring that it took me over a day to recover myself.
The morning preparation was basically getting my bridesmaid, my mom and my hair & makeup done. We have to make sure we brought our rings and our marriage license to the CityHall to get married!
(my final hair/makeup, and here’s my brother and I took a picture in my condo)
When we arrived in CityHall wedding chamber, there were two couple lined up before us to get married as well. So it got us an hour late to get married!
Click here to see our Ceremony video
Click here to see we signing our wedding register
There was around 20 people who came to witness the Ceremony. Alex prepared his own vows, and I didn’t have one because I thought we would be using the standard one from the cityhall. lol
It was an exciting moment especially when the minister pronounced us “Husband & Wife”. We exchanged our rings and we signed the marriage register. The whole process took less than 30 min. It was short and sweet.
After the Ceremony, we brought everyone to Osgoode Hall to take some group photos. We didn’t like the background setting at the Toronto CityHall itself.
After the group shots, Kevin took us around Osgoode Hall and University Ave for some wedding shot.
It will take another months before Kevin can process all the photos, but stay tuned for Reception details…
Tags: toronto wedding blog, wedding, wedding resources
11.Aug.08 wedding Comments (0)
After these 6 months of planning.. the day is coming on Friday. Many people had asked me that if I am nervious or excited, believe me, it’s more like “I-just-want-this-to-be-over-with”.
I am anxious of details that I might miss.
Photographer - I had Kevin Lam to take my wedding photo. My company had used him for several events, we love his photos!
Florist - Paris Florist, Raida from Paris Florist is very easy to work with. She will sort out all my flower needs.
Wedding Cake - Cindy from The Wedding Cake Shoppe will make my wonderful 2-tier chocolate cake with mango filling and strawberry filling
Wedding DJ - Brian from High Five Entertainment will provide my music for the night.
Fidelia Makeup - Fidelia will do her magic for my hair and make up.
Wedding Favor - I got those mini tea can and tea strainer for each guest, and also they get to bring home their polaroid photo name card as gift as well.
Wedding Ceremony at CityHall - yep! we got the marriage license and cash!
I think the only thing that we didn’t do is to practice our First Dance. I guess now it’s literally “First Dance” for me and Alex for sure.
Tags: toronto wedding blog, wedding, wedding resources
06.Aug.08 wedding Comments (0)
Finally, after one month and half wait, my photos are now here in my hands. Jon from Union Photography dropped them off this afternoon with care. I ordered 1 8″x12″ with 16″X22″ frame for extra large signing mat that I will be using it as guestbook at my reception.
Here’s all my engagement photos. It’s around 36 images, so get ready to scroll. I will later take those and feature them on my alexandpatty.com homepage.. stay tuned.
Osgoode Hall
The Docks
The Distillery District (well, it’s near there, I don’t remember exactly where..)
Don Valley Brickworks
Tags: engagement photos, toronto, Toronto Wedding & Bridal Resources, toronto wedding blog
22.Jul.08 wedding Comments (4)
Today I have Fidelia to do a trial for my wedding hair and makeup. 
I personally prefer the makeup to be a bit more natural, can you tell there are actually two different color on the eye shadow? lol
Hair Trial # 1 - Half up-do
I think it’s pretty nice, however, it’s not exactly what I was looking for. I was looking for something either fully updo or let the hair down.
Hair Trial # 2 - Up-do
I even try the vail with the hair..
Hair Trial # 3 - Up-do version 2
Now, how about bringing back the bangs and change it up for a bit?
Hair Trial # 4 - hair down
I personally like this hair style the most. I will probably have the hair down and then have the curl at the bottom of the hair.
Tough call. I love either the updo or the down style.. now I guess I have a month left for me to decide which one to go for.
Tags: bridal hair, hair style, makeup, Toronto Wedding & Bridal Resources, toronto wedding blog, wedding hair
21.Jun.08 wedding Comments (0)
Today mark the day that Alex got his perfect fit suit from Indochino . I actually found Indochino’s name through a blog on National Post. It was by Jesse Kinos-Goodin’s Man with Wedding Plan. It was under one of his blog entry called “Man with a Wedding Plan: Tuxedos the easy way“. I got so impressed by his blog that I decided to check out Indochino. First of all, it’s a Canadian company based in Victoria, B.C., but the suit was made in Shanghai, China. We didn’t really care where it was made as long as it is good quality.
I was quite impressed on how easy to get a suit made ONLINE. Indochino’s site provide images or videos for instruction on how to measure. I measured Alex from top to toe and then we just bought the suit online. Two weeks after, the suit is here.
Despite the fact that Alex is 6 feet 6″ tall, and have long arms, we were having a difficult time to find a custom made suit that the price tag is not over our budget. The custom made suit in toronto all start with at least $1000 CAD if you want a 120 thread count tuxedo. I know ordering suits or clothes online is risky because you never really know how it fits.
However, Indochino said that they will refund you $25 if it ever needs alteration, OR you can return the whole suit too. So we took our risk and ordered it.
And? The suit is great! It’s 150 thread count, and 100% wool. I think it’s very nicely made, and the cut is great! There’s only few things that need to get fixed up (eg. button won’t go through the button hole, the arm is a bit long, and the waist is an inch wide) but nothing major.
And how much is the suit? $265 CAD including shipping and taxes. AWESOME deal.
I guess now Alex just need to find his vest and a shirt
See the photos below if you like to see other than just front view
Tags: Toronto Wedding & Bridal Resources, toronto wedding blog, tuxedo
30.May.08 wedding Comments (0)
Me and Alex hired a photographer for our engagement shoot - Jon Thorpe from Thorpe Photo. I actually found him from Facebook Ad. When I saw his site and his work, I was blown away by how beautiful they are.
Me and Alex visited Jon at his studio as well, and had a brief chat with him to take photo for our wedding.. however he was booked full on Aug 8. So we decided to have him to take our engagement photo.
Engagement photos are basically photos with casual wear except the photos are professionally taken. I need the photo so I can put them on the website, and show them off at the reception. lol
We have booked Jon the first week of June to take our photo. The session is around 3 hours, and the price is $400. Prints are extra. We didn’t mind the price because as long as they are good photos. How about where to take photos in toronto? I can’t really think of any on top of my head. So I asked Jon to sent us a list of location with details.
Osgoode Hall
Features: A stunning 1800’s historic building, with colourful manicured
gardens, cobblestone pathways and ornate iron fencing.
Location: Queen and University Streets
Permit: No permit required, however, be sure there are no events or
filming scheduled.
________________________________________
University of Toronto
Features: Charming old architecture on a beautifully landscaped campus.
Use is limited to certain areas, but those areas are great.
Location: College and University
Permit: $120 for non-alumni / $60 for alumni
Phone: 416.978.2187
________________________________________
High Park
Features: Incredible gardens and a wonderful pond.
Location: Bloor and Parkside (west, just north of the QEW)
Permit: Permission may be required, as events may be planned.
Phone: 416.392.8188
________________________________________
Casa Loma
Features: This famous castle provides a spectacular setting. Access to the
conservatory, terrace and gardens are all available.
Location: 1 Austin Terrace (near Bathurst and Dupont)
Permit: $200 to $300 depending on time of day
Phone: 416.923.1171
________________________________________
James Gardens
Features: Traditional park; lots of trees, flowers, bridges, some water.
Location: Edenbridge Drive (east off Royal York Road)
Permit: $50 to$100 per hour
Phone: 416.392.8188
________________________________________
Distillery District
Features: historic distillery built in 1832. Cobblestone streets, narrow
alleyways, and old brick buildings make a unique background for
interesting photos
Location: Mill St. (Between Parliament St. and Cherry St.)
Permit: $150.00
Phone: 416.364.4793
________________________________________
Centennial Park Conservatory, Etobicoke
Features: Three glass houses with interesting plant collections.
Location: 15 Elmcrest Road (west off Renforth Road, just north of Rathburn
Avenue)
Phone: 416-394-8543
________________________________________
The Old Mill Inn, Toronto
Features: Historic building with a beautiful waterfall and landscaped
gardens.
Location: 21 Old Mill Road
Permit: Permission normally required.
Phone: 416-236-2641
________________________________________
Union Station (Toronto)
Features: One of the largest and most opulent train stations in Canada,
with fascinating old architecture, both inside and out.
Location: 65 Front Street West (at Bay Street)
Permit: $100
Phone: 416-392-8188
________________________________________
Edwards Gardens Conservatory, Toronto
Features: Similar to James Gardens, but larger with a fountain and a
staircase. Edwards Gardens website
Location:
Permit: $50-$100 per hour
Phone: 416-392-8188
________________________________________
Cherry Beach, Toronto
Features: Situated on Lake Ontario (East end of Toronto), featuring Sandy
beach, wooded areas and a boardwalk.
Location: at the south end of Cherry St.
Permit: None required
________________________________________
Humber Bridge, Etobicoke
Features: Situated on Lake Ontario (West end of Toronto), featuring sandy
beach, parkland & trees, and walkways
Location: Lakeshore Rd. and South Kingsway
Permit: None required
________________________________________
Alexander Muir Gardens, Toronto
Features: Situated next to a ravine, beautiful sunken gardens, treed
walkways, benches, stone wall & stairs
Location: Yonge St. & Lawrence Ave.
Permit: $80.00
Phone: 416-392-8188
Example wedding: Tammie & Andy
________________________________________
TD Centre, Toronto
Features: Urban environment, tall skyscrapers, concrete walls, and small
greenspace
Location: Bay St. & Wellington St. W.
Permit: None if venue is canoe restaurant
Phone: 416-869–2277
Example wedding: Melissa & Kevin, Diane & Colin
________________________________________
Front Street/Esplanade area, Toronto
Features: Nice architecture, shops and outdoor cafes, greenspace with
flowers and water fountain.
Location: Front St. & Market St.
Permit: None required.
________________________________________
St. Lawrence Market, Toronto
Features: City architectural landmark, farmers’ market, indoor food market.
Location: Front St. & Jarvis St.
Permit: Call for permit information
Phone: 416-392-7219
________________________________________
Ashbridges Bay, Toronto
Features: Situated on Lake Ontario, features expansive beaches, a harbour
& marina, and boardwalk cafe
Location: Lakeshore Blvd. E. & Coxwell Ave.
Permit: Call for permit information
Phone: 416-392-8188
________________________________________
Hart House, U of T, Toronto
Features: Beautiful courtyard, grounds and Gothic style architecture
Location: 7 Hart House Circle (U of T Campus)
Permit: No permit required if wedding is held at Hart House.
Phone: 416.978.2187
________________________________________
Glendon College, York University, Toronto
Features: Beautiful Rose gardens, treed pathways, an old manor, and stone
walkways
Location: Bayview Ave.& Lawrence Ave.
Permit: permit required
Phone: 416-487-6798
________________________________________
Spadina House
Features: Victorian mansion surrounded by restored victorian gardens.
Location: 285 Spadina Rd.
Permit: Call for permit information
Phone: 416-392-6910
________________________________________
Black Creek Pioneer Village
Features: Fully restored rural ontario 19th century village
Location: Steeles Ave. & Jane St.
Permit: Call for permit information
Phone: (416) 736-1740 ext. 5444
________________________________________
Don Valley Brick Works, Toronto
Features: Comprised of distinctive industrial buildings, a quarry garden,
surrounded by parkland.
Location: Bayview Avenue and Pottery Road
Permit: Permission required.
Phone: 416-392-8188
________________________________________
Todmorden Mills, Toronto
Features: Adjacent to the Don Valley Brick Works historic site, the
Todmorden Mills Museum is a unique industrial settlement built in the 18th
century.
Location: Pottery Road, west of Broadview at Mortimer Ave.
Permit: permit required
Phone: 416-396-2819
________________________________________
Sunnyside Park & Pavillion, Toronto
Features: Situated on Lake Ontario, featuring beaches, Late 1800’s
architecture, iron gates, Courtyard with fountain, treed areas and a
boardwalk.
Location: Lakeshore Blvd. and Colborne Lodge Drive
Permit: $40 per hour (for up to 20 people)
Phone: 416-392-8188
________________________________________
Allan Gardens Conservatory, Toronto
Features: Six indoor greenhouses ¬ great for late fall and winter weddings.
Location: 19 Horticultural Avenue (south side of Carlton between Jarvis
and Sherbourne Streets)
Permit: $40 per hour (maximum 12 people)
Phone: 416-392-8188
Example Weddings:
________________________________________
Harbourfront, Toronto
Features: Toronto’s newest waterfront park.
Location: South side of Queen’s Quay Blvd. West (between Spadina Avenue
and Bathurst Street)
Permit: No permit required for outdoors; please call to inquire about
indoor permits.
Phone: 416.392.1111
Example Weddings:
________________________________________
North York Rose Garden, Toronto
Features: In the heart of North York, the Rose Garden has winding
pathways, mature trees and a lovely array of greenery and flowers.
Location: Northwest corner of Yonge Street and Park Horne Avenue
Permit: $12.25 per hour
Phone: 416-395-6055
________________________________________
Toronto Music Garden, Toronto
Features: Beautiful outdoor architecture, with spectacular indoor
opportunities.
Location: 65 Front Street (between Bay and York Streets)
Permit: Permission may be required, as events may be planned for certain
dates.
Phone: 416-864-3440
Example Weddings:
________________________________________
Fantasy Fair, Toronto
Features: Ontario’s only indoor amusement park, complete with rides and
attractions!
Location: Woodbine Centre, 500 Rexdale Blvd.
Permit: No permit required; however, rides can be reserved for a fee.
Phone: 416-674-5200
________________________________________
Other “Alternate” locations
Downtown Streets (candid walking shots)
Fields
Alleyways
Train Tracks
Building Ruins
Train Tracks
Other Locations to Consider
Allen Gardens
George Brown House
Humber Arboretum
Kensington Market (candid walking shots)
Mackenzie House
Old City Hall
Ryerson Campus (Gould Street)
St. James Park (downtown)
Toronto Island
Indoor Locations to Consider
Most indoor locations require permits, although often we are allowed to
take just the bride and groom inside for some quick shots, without a
permit. However, if the bridal party and/or family members need to join
the shoot, then a permit is always needed.
King Edward HotelFour Seasons Hotel
University of Toronto (Victoria College & Hart House)
Toronto City Hall
Old City Hall
Mississauga City Hall
Markham City Hall
The Eaton Centre
The Manulife Centre
Union Station / The Skywalk
Fairmont Royal York Hotel
St. Lawrence Hall
York Event Theatre
BCE Place (they will say “no” if you call in advance, but they have said
“yes” many times on the spot if we do some quick shots of just the bride
and groom)
If I found some where else interesting in toronto, I will post it up. Stay tuned!
Tags: toronto, Toronto Wedding & Bridal Resources, toronto wedding blog
15.May.08 wedding Comments (0)
few week ago, we finally sent the payment to Brian from High Five Entertainment. We didn’t really spend a lot of time looking for a DJ mainly because most of the DJ site I went.. they all suck. Either they don’t provide pricing, or their site is so outdated that needs to fix it up.
We actually got Brian’s name from Hello DJ , we were looking for someone who’s hip, fun and trendy. I think both Hello DJ and High Five fits what we were looking for. Except Hello DJ is totally booked, so we looked into High Five. The price and the package is perfect for my reception! (700 + Tax for 8Hrs of DJ-ing, and lighting rentals)
I guess now me and alex just have to figure out what music we want for the reception! stay tuned!
Tags: toronto, Toronto Wedding & Bridal Resources, toronto wedding blog, wedding dj
12.May.08 wedding Comments (0)
I just rented a car on Sat to our biggest asian mall in toronto - Pacific Mall. It’s located at the corner of Steels Aves and Kennedy.
I suppose to just pick up a pair of new eye glasses, but then I end up doing dress shopping for my bridesmaid - Linda.
If you go up to the top floor of Pacific Mall. You will find people are selling all kinds of stuff and all kinds of prices. We found this store called “earth”.
They sell dresses all under $100! It’s good for events that you just want to look fabulous for one day!
So I got a cute brown dress for Linda as her bridesmaid dress for $90, and it also includes a shawl. Best deal EVER.
Their website is at http://freedress.ca/
If you are good at bargaining, you should definitely go there to check it out!
Tags: bridesmaid, deals, evening gown, gown, toronto, Toronto Wedding & Bridal Resources, toronto wedding blog
05.May.08 wedding Comments (0)
