The Wedding Cake Guru!

It's extremely hard to find someone that can create the wedding cake of your dreams and make it taste good too!!! :) Of course after years of dealing with different vendors and trying different cakes, I came across my favorite pastry Chef of all time Michel Denis!!! He's great in designing the cake you want as well as giving it the taste that you want!! I highly recommend him!!!

Usually brides give him an electronic picture of the cake they like, and he is able to duplicate it, and make the cake in the flavor that you want (Chocolate, Vanilla, fruit etc...)

The knot has a great cake gallery which you could go through and get inspired!!!

If Montreal brides would like to contact him, email me for his contact info.

Budget...Budget...Budget!!!

The first question that is on every couples mind is "how much will this wedding cost us?" What is a reasonable budget for a wedding??? Unfortunately for a wedding planner, it is not easy to give you a budget right off the top of our heads. To give you an estimate of how much your wedding would cost, we would need to have answers to many questions. Weddings don't have a cookie cutter formula, and since each couple is unique, so is each budget for a wedding!!!

I came across an Article on www.theknot.com which I thought could help couples get a idea of how much they should allocate as a budget for their wedding:

Wedding Budget 101 (The Knot)

Figuring out your wedding budget can be stressful, but don't worry -- whether you're dreaming of a lavish hotel affair or an intimate garden get-together, answering these questions will help you figure out what you have to spend to make it happen.

Who's Paying?

Talk with your families about who will pay for what: Some brides' families still pick up the entire tab, but more and more groom's families are participating too. How do you bring up the conversation? For many couples, talking to each family separately is the best way to have truly open discussions. When you do talk, here are strategies for determining your initial budget.

Ask both of your folks to commit to a specific dollar amount, and then add up all the contributions to create your budget.

Alternatively, it may be easier to ask each set of parents to finance a particular aspect of the wedding (such as the ceremony, honeymoon, or catering) instead of just committing to a dollar amount.

Decide how much you two can contribute between now and the wedding. (37 % of the couples we polled say they're planning to contribute financially to their wedding.)

How Much Do You Actually Need?

Just like buying shoes, an apartment, or a pair of jeans, when it comes to financing a wedding, you should figure out how much you need to spend to get what you want. Set your expectations accordingly. Knot Note: The average cost for a 150-person wedding is about $25,000 (higher in urban areas).


Here is a basic breakdown of what you can expect to pay:

Reception: 48%-50%

Ceremony: 2%-3%

Attire: 8%-10%

Flowers: 8%-10%

Entertainment/Music: 8%-10%

Photography/Videography: 10%-12%

Stationery: 2%-3%

Wedding Rings: 2%-3%

Parking/Transportation: 2%-3%

Gifts: 2%-3%

Miscellaneous: 8%

To avoid stress, allot about 5% of your budget for a "just-in-case" fund.

If you're paying for your honeymoon yourselves, remember to budget for that as well.

How Much Can You Save?

As soon as you're engaged, start putting aside as much of your income as you can for the wedding. Saving 20% of your monthly income is a good -- though painful -- goal. The longer your engagement, the more you'll be able to sock away.

Ways to save: Limit your spending on small stuff (renting movies instead of going out; going to Starbucks once instead of twice a day; downloading just the song you love instead of buying the whole CD). These changes will hardly affect your quality of life, but after a year, the extra cash will cover some wedding essentials.

Make the most of your money: Instead of stashing your money in a low-interest savings account, consider buying CDs or opening a money-market account. The interest rate can be double that of a savings account. Just check the fine print to avoid penalties.

Old-school Funding

Here's an ultratraditional list of who pays what. Think of it as a starting point, because how you get to your bottom line is up to you!

Ceremony

Bride and family pay for church or synagogue, sexton, organist, etc.
Groom and family pay for marriage license and officiant's fee.

Clothes

Bride and family pay for bride's dress, veil, accessories, and trousseau
Groom and family pay for groom's outfit.
All attendants pay for their own clothing (including shoes).

Flowers

Bride and family pay for arrangements for church (including huppah if a Jewish ceremony) and reception, plus bouquets and corsages for bridesmaids and flower girls.
Groom and family pay for bride's bouquet and going-away corsage, boutonnieres for men, and corsages for mothers and grandmothers.

Honeymoon

Groom and family pay for complete honeymoon.

Photography

Bride and family pay for all wedding photos and video.

Prewedding Parties

Bride or groom's family plans and hosts engagement party; if there is more than one, bride's family hosts the first one.
Groom's family plans and hosts the rehearsal dinner.
Bride plans and hosts bridesmaids' luncheon.
Groom hosts and plans bachelors' dinner.
Maid of honor and bridesmaids host shower.
Best man and ushers host bachelor party.
Friends may throw additional engagement parties or showers.

Reception

Bride and family pay for all professional services, including food, drink, decorations, and music.

Rings

Bride and/or her family pay for groom's ring.
Groom and/or his family pay for both of the bride's rings.

Stationery

Bride and family pay for invitations, announcements, and wedding programs.

Transportation

Bride and family pay for transportation of bridal party to and from ceremony and reception.

Proper Addressing for Wedding Invitations

Through out the whole wedding planning session, I firmly believe that the most cumbersome and annoying part is to address the invitations!! It seems to be the most common question I get as a wedding planner... what is the proper way to address wedding invitations!!!

So here goes:

Married couples with the same last name:

Outer envelope: Mr. and Mrs. William Smith
Inner envelope, formal: Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Innerer envelope, contemporary: Michelle and Bill

Married couple, different last names:

Outer envelope: Ms. Michelle Franks and Mr. William Smith (Both names on same line)
Inner envelope, formal: Ms. Franks and Mr. Smith
Inner envelope, contemporary: Michelle and Bill

Married couple with children under 18

Outer envelope: Mr. and Mrs. William Smith
Inner envelope, formal: Mr. and Mrsl Smith Joanne
Inner envelope, contemporary: Adam, Mary and Joanne

Unmarried couple at same address
Outer envelope: Miss (or Ms.) Michelle Franks
Inner envelope, formal: Miss Franks
Inner envelope, contemporary: Mr. Smith Michelle and Bill

Single woman

Outer envelope: Miss Cynthia Green
Inner envelope, formal: Miss Green and Charles (it's better to find out the name of a single's date rather than saying "and guest")
Inner envelope, contemporary: Cynthia

Single Man

Outer envelope: Mr. Michael Ross
Inner envelope, formal: Mr. Ross
Inner envelope, contemporary: Michael

Married couple with children under 18

Outer envelope: Mr. and Mrs. Adam Fossini
Inner envelope, formal: Mr. and Mrs Fossini
Inner envelope, contemporary: Joanne Adam, Mary and Joanne

Unmarried couple at same address

Outer envelope: Miss (or Ms.) Sarah Raymond
Inner envelope, formal: Miss Sarah Raymond
Inner envelope, contemporary: Mr. Jeremy Kuhn Sarah and Jeremy

Check out the site www.mygatsby.com ... Not only does it have great invitations, but it also included everything you need to know about invitations!!!

Etiquette Questions???

Many of my brides and grooms tend to get stuck when it's time for etiquette decisions. I highly recommend Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette, Fifth Edition book to all my bride. Specially couples that don't have wedding planners to help guide them.

Today’s weddings have more possibilities than ever, with new traditions replacing old, and new relationships to consider as family life grows more complex. In this book, Peggy Post provides solutions to all wedding questions, showing how to manage the big decisions and the little details with consideration and confidence—leaving you free to enjoy all the happy times along the way!

There is even a couple of chapters dedicated to grooms. Incorporating today's technology into your wedding plans, plus updates on destination weddings, working out wedding finances, same-sex unions, and more, Peggy answers every couple's contemporary concerns.

Peggy Post is a nationally trusted wedding expert, she also provides tried-and-true guidelines you can count on for a memorable wedding, from announcing the engagement to budgeting for the ceremony and reception to dealing with sticky situations -- uninvited guests, last-minute slipups, avoiding tacky gift gaffes, smoothing conflicts, and more -- and bringing it all off with minimum stress and maximum style.

With this book, you can feel confident that your wedding will be a wondrous time you'll remember with pride as a day that was joyful for everyone.

For more info visit: www.emilypost.com

Destination Weddings - So many choices???

I get a lot of couples knowing that they want to have a destination wedding, but have no clue where to start looking!!! It does get overwhelming once you start surfing the net and realize there are tons and tons of destinations to chose from!! This is what I suggest you do:

1. Limit your choices to three or even two destinations!! So before you even start looking at hotels, your objective is to find the destination that fits your needs!! Ask yourself questions like - Do I want to make my guests take long flights or not!

2. Once you do decide on a location, then you have to make sure that getting a marriage license in that destination is hassle free... Some destination require you to be there a week prior to the wedding day...so make sure you read all requirements prior to deciding on your location!

3. Now that you have a location in mind, you could start shopping for resorts... you decide do you want an all inclusive one, or would you want a more exlusive one. Some hotels might not be all inclusive, but could cater to groups and give you a group rate and meal plans...so make sure you keep all your options open!

Once you decide on the hotel, then you could get into the details of the actual wedding day. Most hotels have in house wedding planners that could help you, however if you are limited with time, then it is highly recommended you hire a wedding planner from your home town... there will be many hours of planning going back and forth to put the details of the day together! Not to mention everything else that needs to be done, prior to flying to your dream destination :)

One of my favourite places is Ocean Club (One & Only) in Paradise Island, Bahamas!! It's absolutely beautiful and a perfect location for your dream wedding!!! :)

For more info on the hotel visit: www.oneandonlyresorts.com

Open House...

On wednesday April 5 Armina, which is a new reception hall in Laval will be hosting an open house for future brides and grooms starting 7 p.m. It is extremely hard for budget concious couples to find a good location that is new, clean, is well maintained and looks both elegant and simple. First time I was invited to visit the hall, I was a bit iffy, since I am not too crazy about the way halls look in Laval. So when I finally went to meet with the owner, I was pleasantly impressed with the place and what it had to offer!! It's definitely worth a visit, and the open house is an occasion to do it... While youre there, make sure you check out all the table settings and decor... they will be done by yours truly.... Maddy K Decor!

See ya there!

Welcome to Maddy K's Blog...

Welcome to the world of Maddy K. I am so excited to start this blog and to share it with all of you. I will be updating it regularly and the objective of it is to keep you informed with new and exciting ideas for your upcoming weddings. During the process of planning weddings for my clients, I come across many interesting vendors, ideas and exciting discounts that in turn will share with you ... I hope you will enjoy my blog as much as I will enjoy sharing my experiences with you.

Happy Reading :)
Maddy K.