Pink Party for the Cure!

We at Revel Events are in the early stages of planning a fabulous pink party to raise money for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.  Through their Tie the Knot program, the CBCF makes it easy for couples to incorporate fundraising for breast cancer research into their wedding day, but you can have a pink party anytime!  Canadian Living Magazine has some great ideas for planning a Cook for the Cure Cocktail Party at your home.  In the meantime, we hope you’re “tickled pink” by our Pink Party for the Cure inspiration board!

Scrumptious cold strawberry soup, wild pink shrimp, and ahi tuna are deliciously pink.  For those with a sweet tooth, have pink cupcakes on hand.  Why not rent a vintage cotton candy machine, too?  And what’s more fabulously pink than a Cosmopolitan (or pink lemonade for the kids!).

Hire a photo booth and stock it with pink boas, hats, wigs, and other props, and “charge” your guests a minimum donation for each set of photos.  Place classic pink piggy banks around the venue for extra fundraising opportunities.  These pink ribbon favours are plantable–your guests will have pink wildflowers popping up in their gardens for months to come, to remind them to continue to give generously to this and other important causes.

Stay tuned for more details about our fundraiser!

Engaged? Don’t miss Veil–it’s fabulous, and free!

Distinguishing itself from the madness of the typical “Wedding Show”, Veil is a great opportunity for couples to meet some of Vancouver’s best wedding vendors in a relaxed and intimate setting.

Mark this one on your calendar, and be sure to RSVP–you don’t want to miss out!

Plan a Parisian Party!

“I love Paris in the springtime.
I love Paris in the fall.
I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles,
I love Paris in the summer when it sizzles.

I love Paris every moment,
every moment of the year.
I love Paris, why, oh why do I love Paris?
Because my love is near.”

– Cole Porter

Who doesn’t love Paris?  A Parisian party will wow your guests any season of the year, and for any occasion!  The theme can be dressed up or down, and matched to most colour schemes.  I chose reds and blues in homage to the French flag.  And I love toile!  Vintage Postcards can be used as a unique guest book, while the smaller format cards would make great name cards at your place settings.  Ask your DJ for some classic French cafe music: Edith Piaf, Serge Gainsbourg, and Yves Montand will set the mood for your celebration. Enjoy!

Vintage French Menu Card by Paris Hotel Boutique;  Place card holders and favour boxes from Wedding Things; Carnation centrepieces featured on Country Living; Beautiful (numbered “3,” “4,” “5,” “6″) Tent Cards by KF Collection (via Etsy); Small format Paris postcards (bottom left) by Green Acres Cottage (via Etsy).

Casual Elegance: a farm wedding

Here’s a brown, green, and orange Inspiration Board based on the idea of a fun and friendly summertime wedding in a beautiful old barn.  Inspired by green apples and coral-coloured orchids.

Bouquet and Split-pea and Mokara Orchid centrepieces photographed by Mariela Bancz; Dahlia boutonniere and Origami guestbook by Martha Stewart Weddings; Green apple cake by Kiccacakes; Jam favours photographed by Steven Myers Photography; Personalized Jones Soda bottles photographed by Denise Cregier; Tent Cards by SunshineAndRavioli (via Etsy).

Enchantment Under the Sea!

No, this isn’t a post about the prom in Back to the Future!  It’s a heads-up about one of the coolest event venues in the city: the Vancouver Aquarium.  From a casual evening of cocktails to a seated buffet dinner for 350, the Aquarium can accomodate all sorts of celebrations.  They’ll even work with you to create a custom menu, which you can be assured conforms to their sustainable Ocean Wise food initiative.  Indoors or outdoors, who could imagine better views?  …Particularly if blue is in your colour scheme!

Vancouver Aquarium Catering

“Ties that don’t suck.”

A few years ago, my roommate got married and her husband and groomsmen wore suits with what appeared to be solid-coloured silk ties underneath.  After the ceremony, the men began to remove their jackets, and as the guests settled in to a much-anticipated pulled-pork sandwich buffet, they were treated to a complementary surprise:  these seemingly unembellished ties actually featured cartoon pigs being dropped into a meat grinder!

I know that Lou and Chris ordered those ties from Etsy, and I suspect that the maker was none other than Bethany Shorb of Cyberoptix TieLab.  On Etsy, you’ll find her handmade, screenprinted ties under the profile Toybreaker,  slogan: “Ties that don’t suck.”

Here are a few of my favourite Toybreaker designs:

Ties from Cyberoptix TieLab Studio

(From left to right) Top row: “Bluebird”; “Abstracted Fern”; “Wind Turbines”; “Clipper Ship”.

Second row: “Oak Tree”; “Cherry Blossom”.

Third row: “This is not a tie”; “Underwood Typewriter”.

Bottom row: “Mehndi Paisley”; “Intersection”; “Victorian Gears”.

“Plant Love. Leave No Waste.”

Check out this great stationery from Botanical Paperworks, a Winnipeg-based company whose products are handmade, eco-friendly, and beautiful!   They’re printed on 100% post-consumer waste plantable paper.  The best part is that after your big day, your guests can plant these products (all of them!) and watch them grow!

Here’s an invitation:

"Beginnings" by Botanical Paperworks

I think this reply card is my favourite.  It says, “Something old, something new, something shared, and something Beautiful is Planted”:

"Sweet" by Botanical Paperworks

This Thank-you card is simple and elegant:

"Hello" by Botanical Paperworks

The invitations, reply, and thank-you cards will reward your guests with beautiful wildflowers once they’re planted–indoors or out!  And if you want to carry the theme over to your wedding reception, you can order favours from Botanical Paperworks that your guests can plant to grow fresh, certified organic herbs: parsley, dill, or basil.  If you’d like, you could pair this with a lovely little flower pot:

"Savor" by Botanical Paperworks

All of the stationery can be printed in blue, pink, green, yellow, or orange, and for some styles you also have a choice between brights (as in the yellow favours above) and pastels.  If you order your invitations, reply cards, and thank-you cards at once, you’ll get a 15% discount.  According to their website, Botanical Paperworks doesn’t have any retailers in Vancouver yet, but you can order their handiwork online.  I’ll keep searching for them here on the West Coast and update when I find them!

Love it!

Vancouver Brides: Monique Lhuillier Sale at Bisou Bridal!

This one’s by appointment only, Saturday the 27th to Sunday the 28th.  Sounds like it’ll be fun and fabulous!

Bisou Bridal Monique Lhuillier Event

Ann Wood Handmade Cake Toppers

Sweethearts by Ann Wood Handmade

I came across Ann Wood Handmade while scouring the internet for special touches to put on a same-sex wedding.  Look at this adorable cake topper!

Based out of Brooklynn, New York, Ann Wood ships her handmade delights all over the world.  Her cake toppers are unique, whimsical, and manage to combine craftiness with elegance.  I love them, and I also love her design philosophy:

“I make things, paint, and draw for my life and livelihood. I work with mostly found, and salvaged materials, many of them vintage or antique garments. There is  a kind  of  affection and tenderness in the re-use and re-purposing of things that were once personal and perhaps treasured possessions. Much of my inspiration comes from these materials as well as from many of the ideas I have been infatuated with my whole life : smallness, intricacies, miniaturization, collections, repetition; lost or abandoned things discovered and rescued; the idea of haunted and enchanted places, things and creatures; the setting of a tiny stage. My birds are either one of a kind or in very small quantities. They are made from mostly vintage and antique fabrics and garments.“

Check her out at AnnWoodHandmade.com!

Inspired by Vancouver: Cherry Blossom Inspiration Board

I went on a bike ride in the sunshine this (chilly) afternoon, and let me tell you: I can’t get enough of the cherry blossoms blooming in Vancouver right now!  So, I’ve been mining the internet this evening to create an inspiration board based on the chocolate brown, pale pink, and hint of green in these stunning trees.

What do you think?

Ukiyo-e Watercolour-inspired Eco-friendly Cherry Blossom invitation by Vancouver’s own Something Green; Pink and Brown Striped Tablescape and Cherry Blossom Cake by Martha Stewart; Cherry Blossom Centrepieces by Opalia Flowers, Brooklyn (Photo: Julia Newman Photography); Gumball Topiaries found on blisstree.com; Blossom Bouquet photographed by Chetanddot (via Flickr); Adorable Cherry Blossom Boutonnieres by DK Designs; To-die-for shoes by Badgley Mischka; Candy Buffet by Elizabeth Anne Designs; Pillow Favour Boxes by Beau-coup Wedding Favours.