Calgary Wedding Planner - Inspired Occasions » cake

Doughnuts…the new delight at weddings

admin — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 19:46:41 +0000

We’ve all had cake and cupcakes at weddings, some of you may have even enjoyed the recent trend of macaroons. But if you are looking for something delicious and sweet as an alternative to cake and cupcakes you might want to consider doughnuts! Doughnuts are fantastic comfort food, they come in a variety of shapes, colours, and flavours, and they are very affordable. I don’t know about you, but doughnuts bring me back to the simple days of childhood.

As with any element of your wedding or special event, presentation is key. If you opt to have doughnuts play center stage at your wedding reception, make sure you think about the set up. Will you stack them into a tower, place them on a variety of footed cake plates, present them on silver trays? Do you want full sized or mini doughnuts? Do you want to offer doughnuts in lieu of wedding cake or cupcakes or do you want to bring them out for a late night snack?

Trays of pink, white and chocolate doughnuts via Green Wedding Shoes

You can still “cut the doughnut” if you want to go this playful route and skip the cake altogether.

Milk and doughnuts

Doughnuts and milk would make a perfect late night snack.

Doughnuts on cake plate

Present doughnuts on a variety of footed cake plates if you want to incorporate a vintage vibe.

Fry Girl Inc.

How amazing would it be to have a mini doughnut action station?! Guests could come up and receive their made to order doughnuts piping hot.

Mini coffee and doughnuts

These mini coffees and mini doughnuts are adorable! They would be perfect for a morning wedding. Imagine greeting your guests with one of these cute delights. They would also be perfect for after dinner for those craving a bit of a caffeine lift and a sweet treat at the same time.

If you are a Calgary Bride and are looking for some exceptional doughnuts to share on your wedding day, you have to check out Jelly Modern Doughuts. They offer gourmet donuts, a stylish store front, and a variety of unique flavours that you won’t find anywhere else. I love that they also use locally sourced and organic ingredients when possible. My hubby even gave them 2 thumbs up and he is a self proclaimed anti-doughnut eater.

If you are planning a Calgary, Banff, Canmore, or Lake Louise wedding and are looking for ways to infuse fun and unique elements into your wedding day we’d love to hear from you! As Wedding Planners and Designers we love nothing more than working with couples to create signature wedding experiences for will leave your guests in awe!

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Jacquie & Ian: Married in Banff

admin — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 17:45:44 +0000

I’m so excited to share with you the details of Jacquie and Ian’s beautiful Banff wedding that took place earlier this summer. We worked with a pallet of chocolate brown, green, and deep red. The red really made the green and brown pop and provided the perfect accent to play up the colours in their venue. Jaquie and Ian wanted a wedding in the mountains as most guests would be traveling to attend and they wanted them to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Banff. The love between these two filled the air all around and it was so great to see the love and support of everyone in attendance. I had such a great time working with these two for close to a year to design and plan their warm and rustic wedding so without further ado, here are the images captured with style by TLAW Photography.

The bride’s deep red and citrus green bouquet. It looked beautiful against her blush coloured gown. I created the reception centerpieces using mini green cymbidium orchids wired onto curly willow. As luck would have it, there were plenty of orchids left over so my team and I saved some stems to be used at the ceremony (tied onto the aisle chairs) and snipped the rest for a surprise orchid toss during the couple’s recessional!

The groom’s rustic tie incorporated some curly willow. I love how this turned out!

We alternated the red rose pomanders with stems of left over cymbidium orchids. The contrast of green and red provided a vibrant punch of colour for the beautiful outdoor wedding ceremony at Tunnel Mountain, otherwise known as “the Meadow.”

Tunnel Mountain is a breathtaking setting for a wedding ceremony.

Here the newlyweds are enjoying the surprise orchid toss that my staff and I concocted. How luxe!

Stealing a kiss in the getaway car before heading off to capture some stunning images of the bride and groom.

This pallet of chocolate brown, green, and deep red was perfect for the Juniper Hotels’ Bistro where the reception was held. The tall centerpieces my team and I created added the perfect rustic, yet modern and elegant touch that the couple desired. The height really created drama in the room and drew guests eyes upwards where they were able to appreciate the stunning views outside the wall of windows facing the mountains.

I also created some low green centerpieces for one long guest table using spider and button mums. I re-purposed the red rose pomanders from the ceremony and placed them atop low square vases with green cymbidium orchids in the bottom. I flanked the ends of the head table with these and placed the remainder in the bar lounge area. They looked great at the reception!

We brought in a touch of the deep red with the table numbers, which played up the leaf pattern in the sheer chocolate overlays used on all of the guest tables.

I always like to think of unique ideas for the backs of the table numbers to give guests something interesting to look at and read. For Jacquie and Ian’s wedding, we put bios of the wedding party on the back. This was a great way for guests to get to know these guests of honour and why they are such treasured people in Jacquie and Ian’s lives.

The cake was covered in green cymbidium orchids with deep red throats and was placed atop a tree trunk cake plate. It was the perfect compliment to the overall wedding design and mighty delicious too. We had a custom lime flavour created for Jacquie and Ian’s wedding that was green in colour and also offered a raspberry ripple option that played up the red colour. Both were summery and fresh and were a treat to the eyes when sliced.

During the cocktail hour guests enjoyed a signature red martini as well as a non-alcoholic ginger limeade that was green in colour.

Here are the ceremony pomanders at work decorating the cocktail space.

Tray passed hors d’oeuvres were enjoyed by guests during the cocktail hour and let them know that they were in for a delicious meal.

In order to get the bride and groom to kiss, guests had to stand up and demonstrate how they wanted Jacquie and Ian to kiss. Needless to say this was very entertaining and led to some passionate kissing.

After dinner Jacquie and Ian got the party going by performing a choreographed first dance as well as a fun a flirty choreographed second dance with their wedding party which resulted in guests getting up and joining in. The dance floor was packed for the remainder of the night. Just as night was falling, Jacquie and Ian snuck outside with their photographer for some stunning twilight photos.

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Jennie & Shane – Lake Louise Wedding

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:16:58 +0000

I am so excited to share Jennie and Shane’s beautiful Chateau Lake Louise wedding that happened this past weekend. I spent close to a year working with Jennie and Shane to design and plan their spectacular wedding day and I must admit that I loved every minute of it! I was first contacted by Jennie while she was finishing her PhD in the USA and due to scheduling she wasn’t able to attend the initial consultation. We emailed back and forth and I could tell that she was someone I would love to work with. Luckily I had the opportunity to meet with Shane while Jennie was still in the USA finishing up her studies. I was so excited after this initial meeting about the possibility of planning and designing his and Jennie’s wedding at the Chateau Lake Louise.

When Jennie returned to Calgary I had the opportunity to meet with her and I we totally clicked! Anyone who knows Jennie and Shane knows that they are two of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. These two are clearly very much in love and their excitement about getting married after 12 years of dating was contagious. I knew that they were interviewing several Calgary wedding planners and designers and so I had my fingers crossed that the great connection I felt was reciprocated. I was over the moon excited when I learned that they had chosen me as their wedding designer and wedding planner out of the several that they had met with and interviewed.

Jennie and Shane were married on July 17, 2010. She was the picture of bridal elegance in her Vera Wang gown and he looked dapper in his chocolate brown suit, complete with coral tie. I remember going to the bridal salons with Jennie as she tried on the top contenders. When she walked out in her Vera her face absolutely glowed and it was obvious that this was her dress! She adorned her gown with a sparkly broach which took this already gorgeous dress to a whole new level. It was sheer perfection.

When their photographer, Wei, of Photobolic asked me to describe their wedding design I told him it would be beautiful and elegant with a touch of whimsy and a dash of rustic. Regardless of how you choose to describe it, Jennie and Shane’s wedding was a day filled with love and laughter and was the perfect celebration to honour a couple so happy and in love you can’t help but be filled with the warm fuzzies just being around them!

The day before the wedding was grey and rainy in Lake Louise and I have to admit I was starting to feel a little nervous about what mother nature had in store but the day of their nuptials was sunny and blue skies from dawn till tusk and it couldn’t have been more perfect.

I loved the subtle pink hue of Jennie’s dress and the soft, flowy layers; perfect for a mountain wedding.

I love this image of Shane and his parents. It really shows how happy EVERYONE was that the big day was finally here.

Such a spectacular setting for a wedding.

The entire wedding party was relaxed throughout the day and had a great time.

Jennie was the calmest bride I have ever met. Nothing mattered except getting married to her best friend and enjoying the day she had waited so long for.

She was stunning!

I had so much fun designing Jennie and Shane’s Chateau Lake Louise wedding. The colour scheme of green, brown and coral was a delight and we were all so excited to see the lollipop seating card boxes come to life. They were amazing!

The ballroom was gorgeous and the guests raved about all of the details that came together to create Jennie and Shane’s signature event. The custom coral lighting added incredible warmth and elegance and was the perfect compliment to the overall design. We alternated the stunning floral centerpieces between high and low to add visual interest and the guests loved the orchid we carefully placed on each napkin. The details definitely dazzled, the couple was thrilled, and their guests kept commenting about how this wedding was the best they had ever attended…this is exactly what an Inspired Occasions wedding is all about!

Check out their custom M&M’s. Not only did they have their names, their wedding date, and “I DO” printed on them, they also had their picture!!!

We incorporated the design from all of their stationery products onto the cake topper. It tied everything together perfectly!

The reception was one big party and everyone had a blast!

Congratulations Jennie and Shane!

Move Over Cupcakes…Macaroons are Stealing the Show

admin — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:37:29 +0000

Cupcakes have been a hot wedding trend for the past few years but now there is a new star on the wedding dessert horizon. The macaroon is hot, hot, hot with Calgary Brides right now, and with brides across North America for that matter. It is fast becoming the popular choice for infusing one’s wedding with a fun, colourful, bite size treat that is sure to satiate the sweet tooth of all in attendance.Image credit: Laudree via Bliss Weddings Market

If you really want your wedding to be the talk of the town, then spend some time ensuring your have a well designed sweet table. The items on this table should complement your overall colours and design aesthetic so that it flows seamlessly with everything else in the room that you have worked so hard to put together. Check out this sample below from Bobette & Belle which showcases wedding cake, cupcakes, macaroons, and candy. What more could you want?

If you are looking for an alternative to the traditional wedding cake and want to incorporate macaroons somehow, why not consider a macaroon tower?

Above 5 images featuring colourful macaroons credit: Bobbette & Belle

Whimsical DIY Inspired Wedding Ideas

admin — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:39:00 +0000

If all this winter weather has you dreaming of warmer, brighter days then perhaps you’ll enjoy these images that I think are just perfect for those looking for both simple DIY wedding ideas as well whimsical wedding elements to incorporate into their special day. If not for your wedding then perhaps a birthday party, baby shower or other upcoming celebration.

How cute would these DIY Pinwheel Seating Cards be stuck upright in a tray of grass? Visit Vintage Glam Weddings for step-by-step instructions and to download the template.

Check out these delightful flowers. These would be a simple DIY flower project. You can grab shot glasses (to use as mini vases) as well as the taller slim vases at the dollar store making this a super affordable project. Add some coordinating ribbon from your local craft store and viola, you are done! Flowers can be ordered inexpensively from places like COSTCO or even your local super market.

Above 3 Photos credit: Rae Leytham Photography via Elizabeth Anne Designs

How about incorporating some colourful signature drinks. These are sure to delight your many thirsty guests.

Blue Cocktail Photo credit: Meg Baisden Photography

What would be better suited to a whimsical theme than one of these delightful cakes by Pink Cake Box?
Is there anything more precious than a fairy flower girl??? Photo credit: Anna Kuperberg

Any Calgary brides out there looking to incorporate whimsical design elements into their wedding day? If so we’d love to hear from you and share your ideas with our readers.