For those asking....

The first meeting went well...really well actually! FI bbq'd fish and stakes and I made my famous guacamole dip....we ate....we chatted.....and we only discussed the wedding for about 10 mins. Kinda weird but it was nice to see there were other things to chat about.


PHEW...big sigh of relief.

Parents Finally Meeting Parents and Update

This weekend will be the first time FI's parents meet my parents. We decided on having both sets over  for a nice dinner at our place Saturday night and although I'm sure it will go great I will admit I'm a bit nervous. Ive just learned to expect the unexpected since so many things have happened and the last thing I need is any added stress.

We hired and fired our contractor because he made our living room ceiling leak (long story) and have been living with a gutted master bathroom since we moved in 2 months ago. Due to the dust and future renos we haven't been able to sleep or use our master bedroom so for now the guest bedroom is our temp sleeping quarters.

I'm SO ready for this washroom to be done and have had one contractor come in to quote us on finishing the job and another is coming by today. Wish us luck we need our bedroom and house back!!

Since finding the dress Ive dabbled with the idea of ordering a replica from china as I had someone I know do this and she was happy with her $200 purchase. It's been a struggle to justify spending $1500 on a wedding dress ill wear once but in the end I think it may just be easier to deal with a vendor here and get the real deal as opposed to a knock off. Either way the store told me i have about a week to make that decision so I better get on it.

Ive also been toying with the idea of having a jewelry or brooch bouquet. Its an idea I had seen online about a year ago but go reintroduced to when a beautiful bride I know Emily designer her own for her wedding this past march. I have started to collect jewels but still have to decide if I'm going to move ahead with this idea or not.

Ive somehow talked myself into getting a videographer even though I didn't care much for it before and so we will be meeting with a company this Sunday to see what they can provide. All I'm really interested in is a non cheesy 10 min recap anyway so we will see how much that will cost me.

Someone kindly pointed out the other day that I only have about 6 months left... YIKES! Why did I think I had all the time in the world? Am I falling behind on planning? I feel lost....

What is it with these MIA vendors?

I know I still have 7 months to go before the big day but why are some of my vendors so MIA. My emails have gone unanswered, deadlines past and I'm left wondering and worrying.

Being in the industry myself this really blows my mind. While I don't (so far) regret any of the vendors Ive chosen, I do wonder if their lack of communication has hindered their business at all. I don't want to come across pushy or anything but I need answers people UGH....

Rant over I'm going to go back to waiting by my inbox now...*sigh*

Am I Saying Yes To The Dress?!

This past weekend I went to try on dresses (because apparently I'm running out of time, hogwash if you ask me!). This is a task I have been dreading because being a curvy girl I was certain no dress would make it past my thighs. After expressing my concern to a few wonderful friends I was assured that Beckers Bridal would have a great selection of larger sample sizes to try on - and by larger i mean anything over a size 8!

They were right! I was led into the back room where there must have been 100's of beautiful gowns to try on. Since I had no idea what I wanted or what would look good I allowed the sales consultant (Liat) to pull some selections for me. She allowed me my privacy getting into the dress and then helped me tie, clip and pin things in place so that I could have a better idea of how the gown would fit.

After trying on 2 I "liked" 1 but it wasn't love....dress #3 however....LOVE!

Totally not a style I would have thought would look the best on me but I felt beautiful, elegant, classy and best of all comfortable! The dress is all silk and light which after wearing this baby for 12-14hrs I'm sure ill appreciate.

I went over to another store after just to take a look and found another I really liked but it wasn't as 'me' as the first so after "keeping it real" with myself as I walked to the car, it was decided I have found THE dress!!!!

I almost feel weird or guilty that is was that easy but I'm totally satisfied and have no need to keep looking because Ill only end up confusing myself. The next step is take the 2 moms to see it... here's hoping they love it as much as I do :)

One thing I promise I WONT be ordering for my wedding...

Ordering a 5ft replica cake of myself!!!

Really?!

To read all about this brides cake of herself click here....

Vendor Spotlight: Decor - The Perfect Setting Inc

Decor was one of those areas that I knew would be ultra important to me as I have a "vision" lol, this was also an area that was a no brainer for me when it came to who to choose. I had been a fan of Naphisha's (theperfectsetting.ca) work since I first saw it at my BFF's wedding. She did both her mendhi night and her reception day and I was blown away with her attention to detail and ability to pull together my friends ideas.

Since then she had also done another friends wedding and again I was blown away, so obviously Naphisha was the first vendor I contacted after we booked our hall. From our first "meeting" at the Suhaag wedding show where her booth was calling us over with its glitz and glamour as soon as we entered. It was meant to be and after we chatted quickly and I confirmed she had my dates available (thank god!) I emailed her and we set up an appointment to discuss our ideas.

We arrived at her office and just from her small display of decor (I later found out she has 3 warehouses full of decor!) I was again assured I was making the right decision. Her husband greeted us as she was just around the corner on her way (we were early), he sat with us and asked us questions about our venue and # of guests when Naphisha popped in with a smile. Her husband then left us to chat but insisted he grab us coffee from Timmies (so sweet), we chatted about everything from our colors to our vision to our backgrounds and in the end we signed our contract and secured the date feeling 100% sure she had capture our ideas perfectly!

Since then Ive met up with Naphisha once more to see her sketches of our big day and all I have to say is I left feeling inspired and more excited than Ive been almost this entire whole planning process. I absolutely love Naphisha, she is so sweet, warm and has a creative mind that leads me to believe she CAN do anything!

Marrying the man of my dreams will no doubt be the most exciting thing about my wedding day but I have to say The Perfect Setting's decor is a close second!

Here are some photo's of their work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more information visit their site at theperfectsetting.ca let them know Farah sent ya ;)

Vendor Spotlight: VENUE - Platinum Convention Center

After searching for a venue that me and my FI both liked, could agree on, that could not only accommodated 350ppl but that served both Indian and non Indian food too we finally found one we loved!

We found that Platinum Convention Center (hall A & B) was the perfect blend between modern and glam with its sparkling grand crystal chandeliers and stylishly neutral color scheme. It is centrally located (for us) in Woodbridge Ontario, has ample parking, standard gold Chiavari chairs (BIG bonus for us) and a grand foyer with 3 chic fire places.

When we went one day to check it out we were greeted by the sales manager Manny, he acknowledged us with a smile and mentioned he would be right with us as he was showing "repeat" customers around. When we finally sat down with him we realized his bubbly personality was so refreshing from some of the other halls we had visited that barely took the time to sit down with us. We chatted with him (without an appointment mind you) for about an hour about all of our options and came to a compromise on the price.

We left feeling good about the place but I insisted that we still go see the rest of the halls on our list that day. We did, none compared! We brought my parents to see it that week and booked!

Our experience with Manny and Platinum Convention Center has been nothing but wonderful. He has been accommodating and has answered my long list of questions and assured me that my day will go off without a hitch which is exactly what I want to hear at this point!

My overall experience with my venue (so far) is pretty good but I will update you as the months go on.

Here are some pictures of Platinum Convention Center.