How to Decorate Mason Jars for a Wedding

December 16, 2015 / no comments

Today is Inspiration Wednesday. Are you a DIY Bride? Watch this great video by Alexa wedding planner in Knoxville and learn how to decorate mason jars to use as centerpieces for your wedding. She used lace, twine, burlap, and pink ribbon in this video.

How to Decorate Mason Jars for a Wedding

Happy Planning

Cheers!
RSVP Events | Ottawa Corporate & Event Planners
c: (613) 883-5745

For more information please contact info@rsvp-events.ca

HOW TO USE PINTEREST TO PLAN YOUR WEDDING

December 8, 2015 / no comments

Pinterest is a very popular tool for planning weddings, as long as it is used the right way, you have nothing to worry about! A lot of brides are addicted to Pinterest and so are wedding planners/stylist & photographers. You can easily bookmark and categorize all your wedding ideas and inspirations into different boards that makes it extremely easy to visualize your wedding.  Pinterest is definitely the hottest thing around!

You need to define your aesthetic and if color palettes are not your thing, your wedding planning can seem like a nightmare. What style of wedding are you envisioning for the big day? Are you going for a rustic look, a vintage feel or a more intimate wedding feel? What colors will your bridal party be wearing? Feeling overwhelmed? This is where you can find Pinterest extremely helpful. It’s easy, efficient and you can download the app on your phone- Pinterest on the go! We love it!!!. Here are our easy steps and guide to using Pinterest to plan your wedding. If you are not already following us, do so now- click here and you can also follow us on Instagram here!

How to plan a wedding using Pinterest

Get the AppThe first step is to download the app! Once you create your account, it will give you simple instructions on how to use it. Trust me, it is very easy. Once all is set, start pinning away. Pin ideas and inspiration of what you envision your wedding will look like. Don’t just pin wedding items, home décor or your style of clothing can really say a lot about what your wedding style will shape up to be. For example, if you pin a lot of restaurant items, or great wines etc., you could be a Foodie. You might want to host your wedding at a fancy restaurant to reflect this with good wine. At the end of the day you want a wedding that will reflect both you and your new hubby to be.

Using Pinterest to plan your wedding

Create your boards.Create different boards for different ideas. This will make it easy to really see what you are thinking. And it makes it easy to reference a particular board when you need it really fast. Examples of boards that you can create: Wedding décor, hair and makeup is a big one, wedding dress ideas- show this to your bridal consultant, and photo ideas for the day. Take a look at our boards for ideas and things to pin.

Share a secret board with your wedding planner/designer, florist and even your bridal party Pinterest has the ability for you to create a secret board. If you are not the type to share your ideas the world just yet, this is a great tool to use. Any one you collaborate with, will also have the ability to pin to your board. Cool?

Pinterest Ottawa Events

Don’t forget to follow wedding venues, magazines, bloggers, planners and stylist. The more you follow, the more inspirations will open up to you. And because planning can be time consuming, you are able to pin on the go!

Note: Pinterest is a source for inspiration. You might find very extravagant weddings on the site, this might not reflect your wedding budget. Discuss your options with your event specialist.

Cheers!
RSVP Events | Ottawa Corporate & Event Planners
c: (613) 219-3552

For more information please contact US

How to plan a winter wedding

November 24, 2015 / no comments

Winter is upon us! Who doesn’t like a winter wedding? The great advantages of having a winter wedding is how much you save! Not only is this an off season for many vendors, but it’s an opportunity we urge for you take advantage of as you can save thousands of dollars by having your wedding in this season. If you are thinking of having a winter wedding and not sure how to go about it, we have a few great ideas. Grab a hot cup of coffee or tea and read on.

Planning a wedding in the colder months presents its own challenges but our tips will have you wanting to plan the perfect winter wedding you have ever imagined- we promise!.

Ottawa winter wedding

Photo via: Happy Wed

SAVE THE DATE: It might be the slow times for a lot of the wedding vendors, but it’s a busy season for a lot of people. Not only is it busy, but it is an expensive time of year with all the holiday shopping, vacations and people taking time off to enjoy the holidays. Your guests may have other commitments and you need to ensure you give them plenty of time & notice for the wedding. You can do this by sending save the date cards as early as 4-5 months prior to the big day.

Paper divas-save the date

Found : Paper divas

COZY UP: Think of your guests and how you are going to keep them warm. Provide lots of options to keep your guests warm and comfortable especially during the ceremony and cocktail hour. Make sure you provide some wraps for guests to cover up, hot drinks for right after the ceremony and ask your venue if they provide heating items such as heat lamps, a fireplace area or even heated floors.

Ottawa winter wedding

How to plan a winter wedding

Source: The Knot , Blog

WEDDING TIMELINES: Unlike a summer wedding, during winter it gets dark pretty quickly. You need to consider how your day will play out when creating a time line. Photo opportunity is very limited during winter. Give yourself plenty of time for this. Because it gets dark pretty fast, lighting is  very important. Ensure you have lots of lights around your venue for photo purposes. Winter wedding planning

Winter wedding
Photo:Beal + Thomas

WARM WINTER MENU: Find great and creative ways to incorporate winter themes into your menu. Think of having a hot chocolate station or serve mulled wine and cider! Be creative. Your guests will appreciate this. Coffee and baileys any one? mmmm

Winter wedding OttawaI hope you enjoyed our winter wedding tips. If you have other great ideas, leave them in our comment box below.

For more gorgeous inspiration, or if you’d like to discuss planning and styling options for your winter wedding contact RSVP Events today!

Take a look at our winter wedding package:

Wedding in a box winter

For a complimentary consultation contact: planner@myweddinginabox.ca

Happy Planning

Cheers!
RSVP Events | Ottawa Corporate & Event Planners
c: (613) 219-3552

For more information please contact US 

Wedding Planning-Feeling overwhelmed?

November 15, 2015 / no comments

Planning any event in general can get overwhelming, stressful and a lot to handle. Between juggling a career for some, school and even kids, it gets hard to find the extra time needed to deal with all the little details that is involved in planning a wedding. We are hoping our tips will allow you to feel more relaxed and ready to tackle the tasks involved in planning a wedding!

Melanie Rabane Photography

Photo credit: Melanie Rebane Photography

Lists

– Create a timeline outlining all the major tasks that needs to get done. For each task that you outline, allocate an appropriate amount of time to get through that particular task. You might also want to delegate some tasks, eg. : 1. Groom: Create realistic wedding budget 2.Bride- Source out potential wedding venue.  Set aside one day a week to talk about your progress and what you have accomplished. If you don’t get to a task (because life happens, as we all know), don’t stress yourself.  Adjust the due date!

Decision making

 -Take your time deciding on the vendors that you want to book. Deal with one vendor at a time as this can become overwhelming. Schedule all your payment to stay on top of it.

Have an Overall Picture

– Have an overall idea of what you would like your wedding to look and feel like. Create a list of the must have items vs. it would be nice to have if the budget allows list. Stick to your plan as much as possible otherwise things can start to get stressful very fast. If you mind is set on getting a photobooth but you do not have the budget for it, let it go if it is on your “it would be nice to have list if the budget allows”. Definitely compromise as much as possible. I would greatly suggest making this list as soon as the budget is created. It will make it very easy on you.

Wedding in a box package

– As wedding planners we offer amazing wedding package to suit any bride and grooms needs. Take a look at our Wedding in a box package as a possible option. Wedding in a Box is an all-inclusive bundle that offers all the major elements of planning a high-end, quality dream wedding at an affordable price with little to no hassle or stress.

Remember that this wedding is about YOU and YOUR partner! Don’t stress too much about everyone else’s opinion. Enjoy the planning process!

If you are still feeling overwhelmed and interested in professional planning help, please feel free to reach out to us at info@rsvp-events.ca

Cheers!
RSVP Events | Ottawa Corporate & Event Planners
c: (613) 219-3552

For more information please contact US 

 

 

How to reserve your wedding block

May 8, 2015 / no comments

What is a room block? A room block is when you reserve and set aside a number of rooms at a hotel for your out of town guests. We recommend setting aside a block rooms if at least 20% of your guests are coming from out of town. This is a huge help to your guests especially if you book the rooms at the hotel that you are having the wedding at or something near the wedding venue (ideally walking distance).

Why will your guests thank you? 

– It will ease of all the transportation issues

-Some of your guests may not know the area well and will appreciate you looking into hotels for them

-You will be able to have all your guests in one location, this will give them the opportunity to meet and become acquainted with other wedding guests

Le Chateau Laurier wedding

Things to keep in mind when choosing a hotel for your guests:

– Location is major factor to consider when booking your hotel. As we mentioned above, try to book something near your wedding location or within walking distance. Also choose something near attractions and restaurants to give your guests something to do. Ottawa is known for its many attractions, check out this link with the top 10 things to do in Ottawa!

-Price is definitely the next thing to consider. Book rooms with different room types to give your guests a variety. Family or friends sharing rooms will mostly likely want rooms with double beds or pull out couches.  Make sure the price point ranges in categories in order to give more options.

-Room types- As we just mentioned, ensure you get different room types to suit all your guests needs. You can get single rooms, rooms with double beds, suites, handicap accessible rooms, adjoining rooms. Please remember that a hotel will not always guarantee this but will try to accommodate this as much as possible.

Ottawa Hotels

Extra services and Freebies:

Most hotels may provide extra services if you block rooms with them. Make sure to ask your hotel. 

  • SHUTTLE SERVICE- Make sure its complimentary 
  • FREE ROOMS- Bridal suites are usually provided to the bride and groom, especially if the wedding is at the hotel itself. If not, most hotels will provide free rooms for every 10 rooms or 20 rooms booked. Find out and use this to your advantage. 
  • BREAKFAST AND PARKING- Find out if your hotel offers complimentary breakfast and free parking for your guests. This is a bonus if they do. 
  • BRIDAL SUITE- Some hotels may offer a bridal suite for the bride and the bridesmaids to get ready in. Find out if this is available to you, and how early you can check in.

Bridal suite

Photo credit: Acorn to Oak Photography

Time to book that block

If you are in a large city with lots of hotels around the area you normally would not rush to book the space. We recommend booking your room as soon as you have booked your venue. If your wedding venue or event is located at the hotel, they would normally book the rooms at the same time as you booked your wedding venue.

A city that is as busy as Ottawa, we definitely recommend booking in advance to secure your spot.

Contracts 

– Read through the contracts carefully. Some hotels may require your guests to call in to book the rooms themselves under the block. If a room is not picked up, they will release this at no extra charge. Others will have you be responsible for any rooms that were not picked up. A majority of the hotels will hold the spot up to 30 days prior to the wedding and release the rest. In this case you would not be responsible for rooms that were not picked up. READ THE CONTRACT.

Questions to ask before booking

  • How many rooms can your facility accommodate- for those with large numbers
  • What is the wedding group rate including taxes and fees?
  • Is parking included? If not how much is it? -you need to let your guests know
  • What time is check-in?  What are your policies about early check-in? (Remember this is never guaranteed)
  • What time is check-out?- For those that may want a late check out.
  • Do you offer a courtesy block? What is the maximum number of rooms?
  • If we need additional rooms, can we add to the block? What are the fees associated with this? Can I get it at the same rate?
  • What would the cut-off be for adding rooms?
  • What sort of amenities come standard (shuttles, breakfast, internet, gym etc?
  • Is there a bar and restaurant onsite? What are the hours of operation
  • Is there a minimum stay requirement?
  • Do you have facilities to host pre- or post-wedding events onsite?

Welcome baskets for the guests

Wedding party

What to include in the bags:

 A list of things for the guests to do while in town

-Some snacks, especially after a long flight

-A nice souvenir for the couples to remember the city by

-A nice beverage (Does not need to be an alcoholic beverage)

-A thank you note  

Hope you enjoyed all the information

Cheers!
RSVP Events | Ottawa Corporate & Event Planners
c: (613) 219-3552

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DESTINATION WEDDING IN OTTAWA

Wedding ceremony decor

May 4, 2015 / no comments

As we are busy planning some beautiful weddings for this season, here are a few ceremony decor that we are totally in love with. The focus is typically on the beautiful couple.

Ceremony decor

Wedding ceremony

Ceremony wedding

Ceremony decor

Ceremony

We hope you are feeling inspired! Happy planning.

Source: Via Intimate weddingsFound on colincowieweddings.com / Found on stylemepretty.comFound on stylemepretty.comFound on fickle-whimsy.tumblr.com

Cheers!
RSVP Events | Ottawa Corporate & Event Planners
c: (613) 219-3552

Choosing your wedding colours

March 17, 2014 / no comments

CHOOSING YOUR WEDDING COLORS

Recently engaged? Your friends and family are without a doubt happy for you and you are now extremely excited to get the planning started! What’s on your mind? Wedding décor, wedding colours and venue! The color and style of your big day will play a big role on determining your wedding location. If it doesn’t, it should!  The colors you pick will set the tone for your big day. You have fantasied about this day since you were a little mini you,  and you pretty much have a good idea of what colors you want to use. Some of you may not have a clue, we suggest using the tips below to get you started.

Choosing your wedding colours

SOURCE: Pinterest

WHAT IS YOUR BRIDAL STYLE?:

First thing you need to do is determine your bridal style. Modern & Minimal, Casual & Relaxed, Classic & Timeless, Romantic and Soft, Bold and vibrant, Chic and Modern,  these are just a few words that should help describe your wedding style. Let the time of year help you determine the colours as well. Another way of you determine your colours is to look around you, your environment, your wardrobe (not your standard black work outfit), the place you like to hang out (Bookstore, coffee places). This will definitely make it easy for you. Once you have pinpointed your style, work with it. Use a mood board to pin all your ideas (Hint: use Pinterest as a start). Look at your mood board and see how you feel. Get help from a wedding stylist!  

Romantic blush wedding

Source: Pinterest- Blush wedding 

WEDDING LOCATION

Consider your wedding location. If your wedding venue has rich colours, you need to consider colours that will compliment this. Look at the curtains if any, the carpets is a big one, do they have neutral decorations around the room? Can you move these decorations or are you not allowed to touch them. You might have to work with what the venue has in order to make it work. The last thing you need is having the colours over powering each other.

AVOID TRENDS

There is absolutely nothing wrong with following wedding trends.  We ultimately want you to create something that reflects you  as a couple. You need to pick something that screams YOU but also creates a fun environment for all your wedding guests. If you really want to follow a trend use something that you have seen from a past wedding, wedding magazine, wedding blog and add a spin to it to reflect you and make it uniquely yours. Do your research and find something that works for you. 

CHOOSE A MAXIMUM OF THREE COLOURS

We suggest using three main colours for your wedding. Pick one colour to dominate, the other to support and the third colour to be used as an accent colour. The dominant colour is the colour that stands out and is the most obvious colour. The supporting colour can be a different shade of your main colour, such as red and a dark orange.  The accent colour is used to highlight your main colour by giving it contrast or by giving your main colour more emphasis.

With this in mind, you can add different items to your wedding to make it work. Use different textures, lighting, and flowers to add to your overall look. Use a mood board to make it easier.

Mood BoardSource: Munaluchi bridal

Love this bold yet romantic mood board by Munaluchi Bridal!

INCORPORATE YOUR WEDDING COLOURS

Now that you have your colours all figured out, it’s time to tie all this together to produce something out of this world (Hopefully :)). Lighting around the room is a great way to use the colours, your bridesmaids’ dresses and even your wedding cake. Your wedding flowers- make this your dominant colour or the accent part of your colour choice. Wedding invitation, table numbers, ribbons are all great ways to tie in your colour scheme to work. The grooms men – The waist coat, boutonnieres or the ties will need to have the wedding colours incorporated.  

 OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER

–    Do the meanings of certain colours matter to you? For example, Lavender symbolizes femininity, grace and elegance. Does this describe your wedding style?  

–    Are they any cultural or traditional consideration that might play a part in choosing your colour scheme? For example in China, red is the color of good luck and is used as a holiday and wedding colour whereas in most parts of Africa, it is considered a colour of mourning and represents death.

–    Wedding season- Keep in mind the different seasons. For winter seasons, blues, silver and whites tend to work well. For a fall weddings- the gold, browns, reds and dark oranges are great colours.

These are just guidelines. You are allowed to pick any colour of your choice. Your colours should flow well. If you require more help, do not hesitate to contact our planners.

Happy Planning! Contact us for more details.

Cheers! | Ottawa Wedding Planner

RSVP Events

c: (613) 807-7787

 

Wedding In A Box

February 26, 2014 / no comments

LAUNCH OF WEDDING IN A BOX PART II

We relaunched our Wedding in a box package at the Wedding Palace bridal show January 11th & 12th. We are happy to be working with most of you this year and for the 2015 season! Welcome…Here are a few photos that the lovely Melissa from Melissa Johnston Photography captured, thank you again.

Wedding planner Ottawa

Wedding planners

Wedding planner Ottawa

 

Ottawa wedding show

Wedding in a box

Ottawa wedding

 

My wedding in a box

 

Happy Planning! Contact us for more details.

Cheers!
Della & Divine | Ottawa Wedding Planner
RSVP Events 
c: (613) 807-7787

READ MORE ABOUT WEDDING IN A BOX HERE!

Holding your Wedding bouquet

February 10, 2014 / no comments

HOW TO HOLD YOUR WEDDING BOUQUET!

Ever wondered what the right way of holding your wedding bouquet is? Holding it way to high is definitely not the right way. Looking through wedding blogs and magazine, I often see the bride holding the bouquet I see lots brides to high. You are hiding your face and most importantly the beautiful details on your wedding dress! Lower the bouquet a little. The rule is that your thumbs should be at your belly button or as close to it as possible. Have your bouquet turned forward slightly (If possible, hide the stem).

NO

Wedding Bouquet

 

YES

Wedding bouquet

Happy Planning! Contact us for more details.

Cheers!
RSVP Events | Ottawa Corporate & Event Planners
c: (613) 219-3552

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Wedding traditions:

toss the bouquet