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We always, always recommend that you confirm all of your vendors a couple of weeks before your wedding.
If you have created an itinerary, make sure it gets sent out to all wedding vendors for them to review any wedding day details pertaining to them. For example, maybe you’ve decided that you will do your bouquet toss at 10:00pm, if you send this to your photographer, they will have the chance to let you know how that may affect your agreement with them. Maybe you only have them for a set number of hours which puts them leaving at 9:00pm. (This can save you money because if they stay you’ll be paying for the extra time!) This gives you the chance to make any necessary changes.
We would also recommend that a spreadsheet be created to track wedding vendor cell phone numbers and arrival/departure times of all vendors. For those vendors making deliveries, track when the delivery will happen, who they should be asking for and where the delivery is to be stored etc. It’s also important that your vendors have an on-site contact that they can call in case of emergency throughout the wedding day, this contact should not be YOU!
Photo Credit: http://www.kubuntues.org/certain-things-about-beach-wedding-photography.htm
Your wedding ceremony is the most important and happiest celebration of your life, but that doesn’t mean that you aren’t going to be a little stressed out as you walk down the aisle to meet your future husband. At a moment when all eyes are you and this is your moment to shine, your nerves can get the best of you. As a bride, the only thing you need to focus on to ensure that you feel stress free as you walk down the aisle is your groom (and he’ll be looking at you looking fabulous in your wedding dress!).
You are walking towards the man you love, the man who has been there for you at happy times and not so happy times, the man who keeps you safe, makes you laugh and keeps you calm. This is the groom that you’ve chosen to spend the rest of your life with so as you’re walking towards him, don’t feel stressed out about the wedding details or about being the center of attention, feel calm and happy as you approach your true love and of the journey that you are about to start together.
By Kylene Donaldson
Photo Credit: http://www.menseye.com/tips/what-grooms-should-do-for-wedding.htmA couple of weeks ago we had a week straight of décor consultations with clients. We love these meetings and so do our clients! Since we strive to find elements that most represent our clients, no décor design is the same as the last. One thing however is always the same, they all want the WOW factor.
Your guests are all very different people and therefore the WOW factor can be achieved in many different ways. Whether it be with attention to details and special care such as a beautifully thought out welcome packages for each guest or phenominal décor that takes your breath away, it’s important to always remember that not all people are impressed by the same thing. That’s why we think YOU always need to make the decisions that impress you and your fiance the most.
A WOW factor can come with a big price tag but it can also be relatively inexpensive. We always suggest using the elements that are available to you first. For example, if your venue has an airwall that can be used to divide up the ballroom, this is a perfect way to hide a live band or secret “night club” to be revealed later in the evening.
It’s all about coming up with something that your guests won’t be expecting.
Try to think of the regular activities at a wedding and then think of a way to add some sparkle to it. In a recent wedding, we suggested that the Bride and Groom emerge through a wall of crystal beading, then make their way down a staircase to their first dance. It always requires planning ahead, in the last scenerio for example the coordinators, dj’s and guests all had to be moved and timed perfectly for this to work.
A WOW factor is always an element of surprise, therefor it’s extremely important that the event is organized and coordinated. We always create a detailed, minute by minute, itinerary that is sent out to all vendors. This allows us to ensure that all vendors involved in the surprise know exactly what their role is and when to do it.
Photo Credit: http://weddingsplaza.com/wedding-fireworks/
When I started this blog 5 years ago I was nervous that Brides wouldn’t be interested in what I had to say. Now we have over 10,000 brides subscribed to our newsletter! I love hearing from you and writing articles about weddings that help you plan your fabulous day.
As the years have passed, Firefly Occasions has grown. I’ve helped so many brides plan their weddings by working with them one on one and also connnecting with brides through my DIY wedding planning program. My team has grown too. First my husband Simon joined me full time, then our Wedding Division Manager Kendra Scott. Also on our team, Kylene Donaldson, Jessica Stermann and Brittney Golany. Having a bigger team means we can help more brides. But I realized the other day that a lot of brides think Firefly is just me.
Firefly is a collection of talented planners and designers and I want you to get to know all of them just as you’ve gotten to know me.
That’s why I’m not going to be the only one writing this ezine anymore. The members of my team area all going to be featured here, sharing their different expertise. To kick things off in style I’m inviting you to spend an entire day with us.
Yes, an entire day!
Starting tomorrow, Friday December 3rd at 10:00am MST, you can spend an entire day with us online. You’ll find us ready to answer your questions via Facebook and Twitter.
To ask us questions via Facebook you would go to www.Facebook.com/fireflyoccasions and become a fan of our page. There, you can post on our wall and ask us questions about your wedding. You can even post pictures or video of ideas you like for us to comment on OR to help our other bridal fans.
To ask us a question via Twitter, you first need a Twitter account, you can sign up free at twitter.com. When you tweet, your question has to be within 140 characters and include the hashtag #fireflywed.
What’s a hashtag?- A hashtag is a way for multiple people to partake in the same conversation on twitter by searching for that hashtag. So for example when we are talking about weddings on Friday you can partake in the conversation by using #fireflywed in your twitter comment OR you can go to search.twitter.com and search for our hashtag #fireflywed and see all the conversations with that hashtag in it.
You can also ask us questions directly by typing in our usernames in your tweet and that will show up in our feed, here are our usernames:
@Ciaradaykin
@simon_daykin
@kendrafirefly
@jessifireflyPR
@kylenefirefly
@brittneyfirefly
Here are examples of how to write us a twitter question:
@CiaraDaykin, how do I fire my Maid of Honour?
My Mother is paying for the wedding, do I need to take her opinion on everything? #fireflywed
Then at noon MST we’ll be having a teleseminar. That’s a phone call where you can call in and join hundreds of other brides listening to our advice over the phone live. A great way to call in is using skype, especially if you’re calling in from work on your lunch hour. Click here to sign up, if you cant make that call you will be sent the recording of it. Here are the call details:
11 Ways to Wow Your Wedding Guests in 2011
On this call you will learn:
- The HOTTEST wedding trends seen in celebrity weddings
- The little details you can add to your weddingn for a BIG impact AND
- The ONE thing most brides FORGET to do and totally underwhelm their guests
Click Here to sign up for all the details!
We hope you can make it, we have so much to share with you!
Love and bridal bliss,
Ciara Daykin
P.S. In case you’re wondering what the picture above is, it’s a collection of what all my commonly used words on twitter are! You’ll notice that Wedding is the most used word on my twitter account!
We’ve been busy at the offices of Firefly Occasions thinking up new, fun ways to connect you with our wedding planning advice. And it came to me…
Let them spend the day with us!
YES! Spend the entire day with the staff of Firefly Occasions.
Now you’re probably thinking… what will this cost?
NOTHING!
We’re doing this absolutely for FREE!
I’m so excited. I’ve been traveling a lot doing events and I’m feeling disconnected from my bridal tribe and the best way to reconnect with you is to spend the day with you and we’re going to do that via facebook, twitter AND a live teleseminar.
Here’s the part I love… we’re going to do all this in just 1 day.
1 day to connect with all the planners and designers at Firefly Occasions.
So here’s the deal:
You are invited to join
Firefly Occasions for
1 Day of Bridal Chatter, Ideas and Mind Blowing Wedding WOWs
on Friday December 3rd
from 10am MST- 4:30pm MST
Connect with live twitter chats using hashtag #fireflywed and @fireflyoccasion AND facebook fan page posts at www.facebook.com/FireflyOccasions.
Then connect with us for a virtual lunch date at noon MST over the phone!
We’ll send you all the instructions on how to join us and make sure that you have a reminder of this exciting opportunity when you sign up here. Plus we’ll send you the mp3 of the teleseminar in case you miss the live call.
So we’ll tweet, update facebook, upload video ideas, and connect over the phone all in 1 day to help you plan your wedding. You can ask us anything about your wedding and we’ll give you the insider scoop.
Every 15 minutes our wedding topic will change and we’ll switch gears to bring you big insights into:
- How you can WOW your guests at your wedding
- Feel stress free as you walk down the aisle
- How you can truly enjoy your wedding day
- Where to find the best vendors
- Easy methods for planning your wedding from out of town
- Big mistakes that brides make
- And so much more!
We are so excited for this breakthrough event!!
Can’t wait to connect with you.
Ciara Daykin & the Firefly Occasions team
PS Don’t forget to sign up HERE because we’ll send you all the info you’ll need to participate and the mp3 recording of our call that day.
If your on the fence about whether or not to hire a wedding planner, check out our new video tip. This week, KendraFirefly explains why hiring a wedding planner is important to her as a bride. Kendra is also the manager of our wedding division at Firefly; she has some great insight from previous clients about planners.
Our tip this week is to plan your wedding in the off season. Why? Click the video to find out!
Simon Daykin is currently celebrating his birthday in California with his wife, Ciara, and son, Declan. The Daykin family is currently enjoying the sunshine and working on hot new events for Daykin Productions in the US. The rest of the team from YYC wishes Simon a very happy birthday filled with sunshine, California cocktails and hopefully a handsomely priced birthday present from Rodeo Drive!
If you haven’t met Simon, check out his bio below: Simon is an accomplished designer. He began his career in Ontario at Sheridan College prior to moving to Calgary to work as an Architectural Designer. Simon is also an accredited interior decorator. Simon’s involvement in events began early in his career when he was the co-owner of a successful DJ company in Toronto. Having been the DJ at over 200+ events, Simon knows that music impacts the entire atmosphere of an event. Simon also worked directly with artists during his career in the Canadian music industry with an independent artist recording distributor. He was the guest judge at many battle of the band events and has a diverse taste in music.
During his studies in interior decorating Simon took a particular interest in Feng Shui and transfers this knowledge to the events he designs at Firefly. Simon is skilled in creating moody lighting to enhance the ambience and is experimenting with fragrance to heighten the senses of the guests as they walk into his creations.
Simon now lives in Calgary with his wife, Ciara Daykin, The Event Choreographer for Firefly Occasions. Together, Ciara and Simon infuse events with unique detailing. The two travel extensively, researching event production in different countries and cultures.
Most recently, Simon and Ciara have been traveling California with their new son Declan!
The Firefly Occasions Signature Decor Collection
Featuring the Signature Silver Candelabras
Candelabras are a timeless classic that offer a romantic elegance to your ceremony and reception wedding décor. Our silver candelabras are part of the Firefly Occasions Signature Decor Collection that is exclusively available only to our brides and grooms.
These tall and graceful candelabras will create a wow factor at your wedding ceremony. When lined along the isle, the décor pieces have a great impact since guests are accustomed to seeing pew bows or small vases. Flowers placed on the candelabras sit high and create a beautiful dramatic effect. This is perfect for weddings held outdoors or in venues with high ceilings.
Flowers, crystals and pillar candles can be used to custom design the candelabras to harmonize with your venue and your overall wedding décor vision.
When using the signature candelabras at your wedding reception, Firefly recommends that not every table have one. Placing the décor pieces on only one third of the tables will avoid the room from looking cluttered.
These are just a few ways to take your wedding décor from cookie cutter to haute couture. See how Firefly Occasions can custom design the signature silver candelabras for your wedding.
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.
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.
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
Bridal shows can be completely OVERWHELMING for a bride. There are so many other brides, so many booths, everyone is trying to get from point to point and it can really get crazy. In this special edition of my ezine I’m going to give you some savvy tips and tricks for hitting the bridal fair with style and sass!!
Tip #1: Wear comfy shoes! - You’re going to be walking a mile on a hard tradeshow floor. Yes, it’s lovely to look fashionable but the brides in stilettos never last long at the Bridal Expo. If you really want to see everything and be comfortable think about your feet first! (But be a little elegant and leave the stinky gym sneakers at home… opt for some cute supportive flats)
Tip #2: 1000 Brides Gather In 1 Place – You think it might be a bit of a mob scene? Well then you’re absolutely right! If you really want to get some valuable one on one time with the exhibitors I recommend planning the timing of your visit to the Expo. When the fashion show is taking place the booths slow down significantly. This is a great time to chat with an exhibitor.
Tip #3: Your Hand Will Cramp – Many exhibitors will be offering prizes at their booths and you’ll be asked to fill out a ballot form. You waste valuable time writing out your contact info again and AGAIN. So print off a couple sheets of labels that include your name, your groom’s name, your wedding date, your address, phone number and email. Then it will be easy to just peel and stick your info to the ballots. Then you can spend quality time checking out all the cool stuff on display!
Tip #4: Watch Out For Bridezilla! - I often see the dreaded bridezilla at the Bridal Expo. You know her… she’s the girl that pushes your Mom aside so she can get a better look at the booth, she criticizes your wedding colors when she overhears you gushing about them, she muscles her way to the prize box while telling the exhibitor she doesn’t want any information (just the prize!) and she complains loudly about how expensive everything is…. Oh yes… Bridezilla always makes an appearance at the Bridal Expo. But don’t let this kind of bride ruin your good time! She has a bunch of BAD karma surrounding her so just IGNORE HER and have some fun!
Tip #5: Be Patient & Be Nice – Be the opposite of bridezilla. The exhibitors at the show have brought some really great deals with them… some that you won’t even know about unless you talk to them! It’s true! At our booth I have a SPECIAL OFFER JUST FOR YOU!! If you come to my booth I’ll give you a special gift if you introduce yourself to me and let me know you read my ezine. But I’m ONLY giving this gift to brides on my ezine list that visit my booth- no exceptions. But I might be a little busy, so please be patient and look around our booth because I do want to talk to all the brides that come by.
This kind of mentality will get you far with other exhibitors as well. I find myself giving extra nice brides FREE advice! I know other exhibitors do too!! (because we all want to work with nice brides)
Tip #6: Hydrate! – The Round Up Centre with over 1000 people in it at any given time can heat up pretty quick. And you can bet the water ain’t cheap! So bring along some water for your journey. You don’t want to get a headache!! 
Tip #7: One Step at a Time – Okay, the truth is that there are going to be A LOT of booths, people, and noise at the Bridal Expo. But it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. YES, there are a lot of choices but you don’t have to choose EVERYTHING or choose ANYTHING right there and then. Here are a couple of TIPS within my TIPS to dealing with all the choices:
BONUS: Tip #8: Overwhelmed? Come Relax With Me – The day can get a bit hairy but think of my booth as a sanctuary. Come by and enjoy the elegance, look at pretty wedding photos and chat with us about your wedding. It’s really hard to figure out which exhibitors you should be seeing and I can point you in the direction of some of my favorites. I can also tell you about our FABULOUS programs that will do ALL the work for you (they make you feel like a celebrity!). So always know that I’m waiting with a smile (and a hug if you need it!)
Ciara’s Bridal Advice
Good luck and I’ll see you there!! Don’t forget to introduce yourself to me for my SPECIAL OFFER, available ONLY to subscribers of my ezine!
Sunday is the Calgary Bridal Expo and we are so excited! Our booth is really fantastic. We’ve created a design unlike anything we’ve ever done before and I can’t wait for you to see it. Come by our booth and tell us you read our ezine and we’ll give you a free gift!
We’re also running some Twitter and Facebook contests which we talk about below.
More exciting news: The Calgary Bridal Guide Magazine is out and we have 2 weddings featured plus 2 of my articles have been published and 1 of Simon’s articles was published. Pick it up and check us out!
We’ve also added a new team member, Kylene Donaldson. Kylene has worked at the Wedding Pavillion, the Fairmont Palliser and the Deerfoot Inn and Casino. She has a ton of experience with weddings and she is a welcome addition to our Firefly team.
AND the news I’m the most excited about… we’re moving offices! We’ve been in a cute renovated church for the last 6 months but our friends at Frocks on Macleod Trail approached us as the shop next to them was available. Now we’re going to be neighbors! For those of you driving into downtown Calgary each day watch for our fun window displays at the intersection of 10 Avenue and Macleod Trail SE right beside Frocks.
Can’t wait to see you at the Expo!
Love and bridal bliss,
Ciara
Tweet and Facebook About Us
It’s contest time! Come and visit us at our Calgary Bridal Expo booth and win awesome prizes! First if you tell us you read our ezine we’ll automatically give you a free gift. Then if you’re one of the first 5 people to visit our Facebook fan page and tell everyone what our booth design is and what you like about it you’ll get a free 30 minute 1 on 1 call with Kendra Scott our Wedding Division Manager to ask her anything you want about your wedding.
Don’t forget about Twitter! The first 5 brides to tweet about our booth and include @fireflyoccasion will get the 1 on 1 with Kendra too!! You could even take a twitpic!
AND we’ll have an overall winner… The person who impresses us the MOST with their Facebook or Twitter post will win an additional 30 minute 1 on 1 with me, Ciara Daykin, The Event Choreographer. So get creative!!!
Please note that all 1 on 1′s will be via the phone and must be used before December 31 2010.
Oh, and one more thing- There is a tabletop design competition at the Bridal Expo. Please be sure to vote for Firefly Occasions!
