“Symptoms of postnuptial depression”

“Symptoms of postnuptial depression”

1.            Depression: You feel beat down, lifeless and have a general negative outlook on your life. You don’t want to wake up in the morning. You think I’m married, now what? What is there to look forward to?

2.            Exhaustion: After being stressed and living life at such a quick pace you feel like you are extremely exhausted even months after the wedding. You don’t feel as energetic as you once were.

3.            Illness: When the adrenaline from the wedding leaves your body, it’s not uncommon to fall ill and get a cold or a viral infection.

4.            Loss of interest in sex: You’re exhausted and just not in the mood.

5.            Arguing: This is also not uncommon. Tying up lose strings from the wedding can cause some head butting.

6.            Disappointment: You’ve been waiting for this day your entire life and now it’s over. You reflect back and think of anything you could have done differently.

Painting the Perfect Picture

When you look back at your wedding photos you want no regrets.  It is a day you should remember feeling beautiful and timeless.  To achieve these memories you have to look natural.  When choosing a make-up for your wedding you should focus on your best features as these will shine through in your photos.

If you have a great smile, choose a lip stain that is a few shades darker than your natural lip to make your mouth pop.  If you have defined cheekbones, get your make-up artist to play with high-lighting and low-lighting technique’s to define them more.

A set of false lashes will widen your eyes.  Try a few pairs prior to your wedding to find which look suits you best.  If you have a hard time applying the lashes yourself, you can visit a make-up stand in the mall that often will apply the lashes for free with the purchase of a set.  A tip to applying these lashes is to put your makeup on as you normally would but skip the mascara.  Then apply the lashes close to your lash line and coat with mascara after, if needed.  This makes the application easier and the mascara afterward will blend your lashes with the false lashes while giving them extra staying power.

Following trends for your makeup can lead to “what was I thinking” photos.  You feel the most confident when you stick to a look that is a more glamorous version of your everyday look.  Stay away from bright colors and heavy shadows that can take away from your timeless beauty.

Natural with a pop looks best in photos, while heavy make-up sticks out like a sore thumb.  Visit your make-up artist prior to your wedding to find a look that is flawless for your face.

Focus on your bride

“Here comes the Bride, all dressed in white” but did you notice the details??? When you’re standing up at the altar and your Bride comes through those doors, make sure you commit all those details to memory.

Trust me, she will ask you how she looked later and you better have a great answer.  You don’t want to have to take a step back, give her the old up and down and then, in true guy fashion say…”sure babe, ya look great”…No, no, no…you’ll need a better answer than that my friend.

When your bride begins her walk down that aisle, lock eyes with her, smile, maybe give her a wink. Then as she starts to walk, she should be looking over the crowd and that gives you a great opportunity to commit as many details to memory as possible to use later.

I suggest starting at the top, the veil, tiara or head piece, you can stare at her cause she’s looking at the guests and trying not to cry.  Make note of the dress, the earrings, is she wearing a necklace? Got that memorized?  Great, now work your way down…what kind of neckline does the dress have?  Sleeves, no sleeves?  By the time your bride has made her way to you, you should be able to recall every single little detail on that dress…and a quick bit of advice if I may…as soon as her Father has passed her hand to you, tell her how beautiful she looks.

Later in the evening when she asks you what you like best about her dress, you’ll have all the details stored in your brain and you can tell her exactly what you liked about the dress and how stunning she looked in her strapless, mermaid cut, lace trimmed dress with chandelier earrings and so on.  It will make her feel so good to know that you have committed exactly how she looked on your wedding day to memory.

She and He Plan Weddings Weekly Video Tip

Planning a winter wedding in 2011? Check out our hot tip for warming up your wedding this year. For more Firefly videos visit our Facebook page.

A Winter Wedding

Today we have a decor consultation with one of our couples for their fabulous winter wedding at the end of December. Here’s our inspiration board for the event! We’re thinking lots of icy crystals, silvers and whites while incorporating the brides choice of teal blue as an accent colour.

She and He Fridays: A Wedding Planner’s Wedding

My name’s Kendra Scott, I’m the Wedding’s Division Manager at Firefly Occasions and as of December 19th, I now have my own wedding to plan! Every Friday I write a feature article where I document my personal wedding planning journey each step of the way.

I have been so busy lately with all of the fabulous weddings we have been working on that I haven’t had a chance to blog about my own wedding at all. I was reminded last week by a fellow wedding planner that these blogs are missed, so here it is!
Today I booked my linens!!! This is really exciting news for me hahaha. I’m obsessed with beautiful fabrics Actually, I had been going back and forth for the past couple of months on a couple different options. One being a beautiful bustled combination and another being an alencon lace which we just used again this past weekend and it was stunning as always. Both linens can be seen in a previous Friday post featuring a vision board for my wedding. However, Wednesday morning I stumbled upon a new linen and fell in love. I was on the phone with Leslie from La Tavola Linens within seconds saying “I just saw a linen on Style Me Pretty and I need to know what it is!!” As though they aren’t featured on Style Me Pretty 10 times a day haha. Luckily she was willing to search through the posts they are tagged in and when I heard the name, I knew that me and this linen were a match made in heaven!

I have been in love with Monique Lhuillier since 2005 when I studied bridal wear in Toronto. I was in love specifically with one gown called Swan Lake, you may remember it, Barbie made a doll featuring this signature Monique gown. So in love, that when I came across this gown in a sample sale I bought it, even though it was two sizes too big (and I would not alter a Monique) and one other small detail….I wasn’t engaged. Minor detail right? Truthfully, I had no intention of wearing it at my wedding and now that I am engaged, I actually bought another gown. I just had to have that Monique Lhuillier gown in my possession for the rest of my life. So I bought it….like a designer purse. But back to my linens, I knew instantly that these linens were perfect for me. Then, I found out that they were called Monique Antique, named after/inspired by Monique Lhuillier! So, the order has been placed and I can’t wait for them to arrive!

I’ve attached the photo’s for you that caught my eye

I’m not sure if I already put this in a previous post, but we’ve also gone ahead and booked the Harp Angel for the ceremony which I’m very excited about. I think Jessi was going to try to upload a sample of her music in here for you. We haven’t selected our songs yet, that will be something to think about in the near future.

Lastly, I was thinking last night with my fiance that it might be really nice to have the guests greeted as they arrive at the ceremony with a mug of hot cocoa and marshmallows. So they can literally sit down with their hot cocoa and sip away at it while we get married. I figure it’s going to be a cold January afternoon and I just really want everyone to internally have a warm and cozy feel. I just hope no one spills on my linens hahaha.

Talk to you all soon!
xoxo
Kendra

What’s up in Hollywood Wednesdays: Wedding Dress Style on the Red Carpet

JessiFirefly posts your weekly dose of pop culture

In case you missed the Emmy’s this weekend, we have a quick recap for you. Well.. the important stuff at least. Celebs wore gowns inspired by renowned wedding dress designers. These designers know how to make killer wedding dresses and as you can see, they aren’t too shabby when it comes to making red carpet dresses either. You can thank Celebrity Weddings Blog for the compilation of photos below! www.celebrityweddingbuzz.com

www.celebrityweddingbuzz.com

Above: Kyra Sedgwick

www.celebrityweddingbuzz.com

Above: Tina Fey

www.celebrityweddingbuzz.com

Above: Deanna Argon

www.celebrityweddingbuzz.com

Above: Heidi Klum

She and He Trendy Tuesdays: How to Pose for Wedding Photos

www.ameliastrauss.com

1. Don’t stand square in front of the camera. This is where the saying “the camera adds ten pounds” came from. Stand slightly sideways and move your head towards the camera or angle one shoulder towards the camera to avoid the bulkiness.

2. Point your nose away from the camera and look at the camera. This makes for a sexy smile that isn’t head on and flat looking.

3. Put your weight on mostly one leg. This will help you shift your weight and show off curves and angles that photographers love.

4. Go with the flow. Don’t be shy to be yourself on camera. It’s better to be extra silly and adventurous than stand there awkwardly. Remember that photographers also feed off of your energy. Photos will turn out better when you really give them that good vibe.

5. Gently place your hand on your hip. This will convey confidence in your photos as well as make you look thinner.

6. If you have a floor length gown, wear comfy shoes. Stilettos and grass just don’t mix. Also you don’t want to get your white heels dirty before the reception.

7. Be careful with black eyeliner outside. When wearing black eyeliner it’s extremely hard to look against the sun. Not only does it create a squinty look but the photos will make your eyes look very dim and harsh.

8. When you sit on a couch, your thighs automatically appear bigger. Your upper arms have this same effect when you hold them close against your body. Hold your arm slightly away from your body during photos to avoid this flattening effect.

9. Keep the drinks to a minimum. Have you ever noticed how you sweat immediately after drinking champagne or wine? Nobody wants sweaty wedding pictures.

10. Think about the shots you want to get. Are you really going to use all those photos of yourself with a half-made face while you get your makeup done? You also don’t need 50 family shots. The majority of the photos should be taken of you and your fiancé.

11. Last but not least, don’t overdo anything. This includes tanning, hair dying, teeth whitening and all that good stuff. It’s much easier to Photoshop on a tan than to scrub your entire body with a wire brush like Anne Hathaway in Bride Wars (2009).

www.ameliastrauss.com

She and He Heart Mondays: Skinny Jeans, Skinny Lattes… Skinny Centerpieces?

Let’s be serious. Nobody hearts Mondays. So every Monday we are here to lighten the mood and talk about things we do heart: Tall vase centerpieces.

www.artofcreativecelebrations.blogspot.com, www.artofcreativecelebrations.blogspot.com, www.prestonbailey.com

As a kid at the breakfast table you moved the cereal boxes, milk cartons, or any other center arrangements that you could find, in front of your siblings to block his or her face.

Now you’re finally getting married and you’re choosing centerpieces that will dazzle your guests and make the entire room sparkle… not centerpieces that will be great for blocking off guests’ faces.

This is why we love the Eiffel tower vase centerpieces. Not only can you see who is sitting across from you at the table, but the tall centerpieces make a major impression! When we decorate a room nothing makes the room pop more than a big flower arrangement on top of a tall and elegant glass vase.

Tall and skinny center pieces look great when decorated with ostrich feathers as well as floral arrangements.  To add that extra touch, use floralytes or LED vase illuminators to light up the vase. You can hide these lights right inside the Eiffel tower vases without any problems. Floralytes: http://www.printcanadastore.com/60.html

Tip: Talk to your wedding planner or florist to ensure that the flowers you chose fit in the tall vase. You might need to coordinate flowers that specifically work with the vases that you have in mind.

Below is a photo of one of our recent weddings at the Banff Springs Hotel where we used tall tower vases.

F8 Photography

She and He Fridays: A Wedding Planners Wedding

My name’s Kendra Scott, I’m the Wedding’s Division Manager at Firefly Occasions and as of December 19th, I now have my own wedding to plan! Every Friday I write a feature article where I document my personal wedding planning journey each step of the way.

Boys In Bows!

Brett and I went this week to take a look at some attire options for the men in the wedding. This brought up a great question, what is the difference between a tux and a suit? It’s a pretty rare occasion to see a man in a tailcoat these days and with more and more men opting for the less formal, classic tuxedo jacket, some may be a little confused. So what is the difference between a classic tuxedo jacket and a suit? The biggest difference is that a classic tuxedo jacket will use satin on the lapels and the buttons. You’re not necessarily expected to show up in a tailcoat and top hat when the idea of a tuxedo is brought up.

Here’s the thing though, a woman never wants to wear the same dress twice and would never wear the same dress as another woman at the same party. Each dress is different, some may be skin tight while others drape lovely chiffon. It could be backless, or floor length, a halter or empire waist; the list goes on and on. For the most part, any time a man will ever dress up in his lifetime, he’ll wear a suit and tie; a timeless and classic look that women love. But is it just me or does nothing beat a classic black tuxedo and bow tie? I mean really, how many chances are you going to get in your life to wear a bow tie? Prom, wedding, maybe your children’s wedding one day. Unless you’re a Hollywood actor, an event like the Oscar’s won’t come around every year.

So on that note, I told my fiance that I would prove to him that a bow tie was in style, he’s a little on the fence about it. However, what I found was that the tux and bow tie really can’t go out of style. In my research all of Hollywood’s leading men opt for a bow tie when it’s the appropriate occasion. Regardless of age or personal style, the tux and bow tie is sure to be a hit!

And since nobody can resist a dapper looking man in a tuxedo, here is the proof

Kendra:
Upper Arm: Start: 10″ Now: 10.25″ = UP 1/4″
Bust: Start: 35.5″ Now: 34″ = DOWN 1 1/2″
Waist: Start: 28.5″ Now: 28″ = DOWN 1/2″
Hips: Start: 39″ Now: 38.25″ = DOWN 3/4″
Thigh: Start: 22″ Now: 21.5″ = DOWN 1/2″
Total lost: 3″

Jessi:
Upper Arm: Start: 9″ Now: ″ 10
Bust: Start: 37″ Now: ″ 35
Waist: Start” 26″ Now: ″26
Hips: Start: 34.5″ Now: ″33
Thigh: Start: 20.5″ Now: ″20
Total Lost: 2″

She and He Video Thursdays: Testimonial from a “Day Of” Coordination by Firefly

Follow the fabulous lives of the Firefly team, see our client’s testimonials and take a sneak peak at our events, weddings and any other special events.

She and He Trendy Tuesdays: Ultra Chic Lounges at your Wedding

We love lounges at weddings. It’s a great focal point and place for guests to feel comfortable and take a second to take in the blissful moments of the day.

When creating a lounge you need to do more than wheel in the furniture and plunk it down wherever you see fit. Creating an entire lounge atmosphere at your wedding is key. We suggest draping the room and using your color choice of up-lighting similar to the photo below. If the lounge is indoors it should be dim and lit with candles or up-lighting. If the lounge is near the dance floor at the reception, don’t bother with music. If the lounge is being implemented during the cocktail hour, chill lounge music is a great option. At one of our recent weddings we created a lounge with an icy blue feel. The draping was lit up with dark blue and there was an ice bar placed on the opposite ends of the white modish furniture. Overall, it was a great place for guests to chill out and mingle before or after dancing instead of sitting back at their meal tables.

www.stylelist.com

www.masterpieceweddings.blogspot.com

www.prestonbailey.com

www.jasminestarphotographer.com

The following is a photo from a New Years Eve Wedding we did last year.

We created a lounge with white draping and elegant white furniture.

www.fireflyoccasions.com

She and He Fridays: A Wedding Planners Wedding

My name’s Kendra Scott, I’m the Wedding’s Division Manager at Firefly Occasions and as of December 19th, I now have my own wedding to plan! Every Friday I write a feature article where I document my personal wedding planning journey each step of the way.

Lately I have been really grateful for the amount of time I allowed myself to plan the wedding. One of the really nice things about having a longer engagement is really having the time to plan the wedding in small chunks and be stress free. I got engaged the same weekend as Carrie Underwood and always envisioned a 7 month engagement. I thought, you get engaged because you want to get married, so why would you ever want a long engagement? Well, since I set my sights on a wedding in the winter, we had no option but to have at least a 13 month engagement. I have to say, it’s been really REALLY nice. Since I work in this industry, booking my major vendors was quick and easy and for the most part done within the first month. Obviously a huge benefit for me is that I’ve seen a lot of these vendors in action and knew who’s style I liked and who best suited myself and Brett. Saving myself the time and energy that most brides put into researching vendors has allowed me to have a lot of time to spend on the fun things such as selecting a wedding gown, bridesmaid dresses, flowers, linens etc. I mentioned in a previous post that we had selected the bridesmaid dress options, I only actually ended up placing the order yesterday. Since I was ordering the dresses for my bridesmaids, I needed to wait to receive all measurements required to place the order. These are the types of things that you need to take into consideration when planning out your time lines. A bridesmaid dress can take four months to arrive but you need to remember that your bridesmaids have busy lives as well.

Account for extra time wherever possible, especially when things are being shipped from the USA. You never know how long something could take to clear customs and believe me we have experienced the best of it when it comes to customs delays. Not only has a longer engagement allowed me a comfortable amount of time to plan the wedding but it’s really nice to be engaged, people always want to hear about your wedding plans. I suppose this leads back into our other project at hand, the hot bride project. If you’re trying to get in shape for your upcoming wedding, you definitely want to leave yourself a healthy amount of time to do it properly! Jessi and I are still working very hard towards our goal and have three months left. We took our measurements again today. It’s hard to notice a huge difference when you measure each week but so far I’d say we’re making progress. I think just taking a break to exercise in the middle of the day helps you focus more on your other tasks at hand as well. So, our arms seem to have gotten slightly bigger….we’ll just ignore that for now haha we’re only a week in. Here are the results so far.

Kendra:
Upper Arm: Start: 10″ Now: 10.5″
Bust: Start: 35.5″ Now: 34″
Waist: Start: 28.5″ Now: 28.25″
Hips: Start: 39″ Now: 39″
Thigh: Start: 22″ Now: 21.5″
Total lost: 1.5″

Jessie:
Upper Arm: Start: 9″ Now: 10″
Bust: Start: 37″ Now: 35″
Waist: Start” 26″ Now: 26″
Hips: Start: 34.5″ Now: 34.5″
Thigh: Start: 20.5″ Now: 20″
Total Lost: 1.5″

She and He Trendy Tuesdays: Ivory Wedding Dresses and Tan Suits

She and He introduce a weekly cutting edge style combo for him and her.

One wedding dress would never fit every single bride – nor should every color. Your wedding day is all about finding your true beauty and your personal style and finding the perfect dress that matches YOU. White dresses are absolutely stunning and gorgeous…. but have you ever just tried on an off white or ivory dress? If you don’t tan easily, have pale skin or red in your hair, ivory will look stunning on you. This off white, ivory look adds texture, volume and a dreamy quality to your attire. If you have an outdoor wedding, ivory will look romantic and classy while stark white may come off harsh on a sunny day. Sarah Jessica Parker pulled of a stunning ivory dress in Sex and the City… why can’t you?

She Says: “If you are set on sheer white, just try on an ivory colored dress. I dare you. You will be surprised about how lovely your skin looks. –Happy shopping!”

Top to Bottom and Left to Right 1)www.altf.com 2)www.jennifersalzman.com 3)www.giacanali.com 4)www.cathydavidphoto.com 5)www.moniquelhullier.com 6)www.cathydavidphoto.com

Instead of going for a black tux try a sandy or beige colored one. These are great for outdoor weddings in the summer. Black is very formal and classic. There’s nothing wrong with that. However, this is just one more way you can amp up your wedding with original style. Also, many guys will tell you that it’s easier to wear a tan suit again instead of a black one. Having a tan tux paired with an ivory wedding dress is very romantic.

He Says: If you’re having a destination wedding, think about a tan tux. Black ones look much too formal for the beach and ocean backdrop. Especially if it’s a barefoot wedding!

Top to Bottom and Left to Right 1)www.lindachaja.com 2)www.aniesinggallery.com 3)www.annemariephotography.com



She and He Fridays: A Wedding Planner’s Wedding

My name’s Kendra Scott, I’m the Wedding’s Division Manager at Firefly Occasions and as of December 19th, I now have my own wedding to plan! Every Friday I write a feature article where I document my personal wedding planning journey each step of the way.

Most brides set out to lose a few pounds before the big day. In fact, this is so common that some brides will even purchase gowns that are a couple sizes too small in hopes of losing those last few pounds. The network Slice picked up on this and started their series Bulging Brides to help some of these ladies look their very best and fit into their dream dress.  So with 5 months left until the big day, “Project Hot Bride” as a friend recently stated, begins.

I have found that the best way to lose weight is with a friend. In my personal experience, this friend cannot be my fiance haha. I prefer to leave him out of this aspect of wedding planning all together. My fiance is quite active and eats really well. In the past, I’ve asked him to help me with diet and exersise programs but I very quickly realized that having my fiance remark on food choices quickly developes into a complex for me haha. He’ll do what I asked him to and then I’ll think that he thinks I’m fat lol isn’t that how it always works?

So, my co-worker Jessi and I have embarked on a program together!

Step 1: We needed to come up with a plan that we could stick to. In discussing our excersize habits, we determined that we are both hopeless runners. I used to have a roomate in school that was a runner. She would run all over Toronto and I always thought “that’s so nice, it would be so nice to just go for a run.” Last summer I embarked on a Learn to Run program and let me tell you, I did not learn to run.

Step 2: Once we determined what excersizes we enjoyed, we needed to come up with a schedule that would work with our work schedule as well.

Step 3: We needed to determine what foods we were going to eat, which meals we would eat together and then implement it. Jessi and I for example, are eating breakfast and lunch together at 9:30am and 2:00pm and we have purchased the groceries that we need and keep these groceries and supplies at the office.  This works really well for us because we work together, maybe a co-worker is a good choice for those of you out there looking to do something similar.

Here are some of our picks:

Whey Gourmet:

For lunch, Jessi and I decided to have a protein shake. We picked up a couple different flavours to make sure that we don’t get tired of the same one all the time. Today, we blended the strawberry/banana protein powder with skim milk and frozen berries.  Another tasty one is blending the chocolate protein powder with milk, ¼ of a banana and a spoon of peanut butter J This is a super quick lunch for us to make at work that doesn’t leave a lot of cleanup behind.

Jackie Warner, Power Circuit Training:

We wanted to pick a daily excersize that we can easily do on our break. At our office, someone needs to be available to answer the phone during business hours. With this option, we’re still in the office to do that, even though we’re taking our break together.  We want an excersize that will work our muscles in a way that helps us to burn more calories throughout the day but wont bulk us up.  Celebrity trainer to the starts Jackie Warner is a great option for us as she offers a DVD that does just that. This circuit training program uses only 2-5 pound weights in excersizes that move at a really fast pace.  We’re getting our cardio at the same time that we’re toning our muscles.

Step 4: Keep track and be held accountable. Jessi and I will be posting our new measurments each Friday, at the end of the “Wedding Planner’s Wedding” blog posting. I’d love for you all to post your personal results and experiences in the comments each week!

Jackie Warner's Video