Octavia and Simon's destination wedding in Old Montreal

We love to feature some of last year's weddings. Here is another great couple with another amazing story!

Finding itself in the middle of a rainy summer, this beautiful August afternoon welcomed guests that had traveled from across the sea to celebrate Octavia and Simon’s wedding day. This UK groom and Montreal, Canadian, bride where radiant and excited, and most importantly, having the time of their lives on one of the most important days of their lives. The couple knew what they wanted at their wedding, and where they wanted to have it. Seeing as Octavia (Tavia) had moved from Montreal to the UK to be with Simon, the couple chose to have their wedding in Montreal. Loving Montreal made their decision that much easier, knowing that no mater where the ceremony took place it would be romantic and perfect!

“Why are you whispering” Simon tells one of the guests, “this isn’t a church!”

Simon and Octavia were wed at Suite 701, a chic restaurant and bar in Old Montreal. WIth the help of their wedding planner, Maddy K Weddings + Events Atelier, the bar was completely transformed into a simple yet elegant wedding venue. The isle was covered in a fuchsia carpet accented by crystals and white roses. Guests enjoyed the music of the quartet playing the couples favorite songs. Although their theme was black and white, inspired by the damask print on their bedroom wallpaper, adding touches of fuchsia added the summer element to their wedding. Following the reception, guests were invited to Suite 701’s rooftop patio. The view was amazing and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It was the perfect compliment to any wedding reception.

“I’ve been told by those who live here that this is the most gorgeous wedding they’ve seen,” Octativa told Maddy K at the reception “even the british are complementing the wedding and they’re aren’t ones to give compliments!” The damask theme was also present at the wedding reception in Old Montreal at Version Restaurant. Guests enjoyed the private patio accented with fuchsia pillows. There was dinner, drinks, and dancing; surely everyone was having an excellent time. The couple thank their guests for coming to this wonderful event, but not before Simon had one last surprise for his queen. Simon presented Tavia with a Tiffany's bag with 2 gifts. They were pendents in two different colours, he couldn’t decide which one to get her, so he got her both!

“This wedding is completely you, but we know you didn’t plan it... but it captures you perfectly, you know?” Said one of the guest to Tavia at the reception. The entire evening was flawless, but yet, planning this wedding from over 2550 miles away proved to be very difficult. Tavia is still raving about Maddy K and her team. From vendor recommendations to the co-ordination and budget, Maddy K ensured the couple had exactly what they wanted. “We would have no hesitation is recommending Maddy. If any couple was looking for their day to be as memorable and perfect as they have always imagined, Maddy would make this happen.... Even if our circumstances were different and we lived in Montreal, we would have still used Maddy. I would recommend her to anyone.”

A Lavish Honeymoon Across the coast of California

Their dream wedding didn’t stop at the reception. With the help of Maddy K Honeymoons, the couple honeymooned in the most lavish way. Coming form the UK, a typical all inclusive honeymoon was not in the cards for this fabulous couple. Since they had already travelled half way across the globe, why not keep heading west. The couple had their very own Luxury Road Trip planned by Maddy K Honeymoons. The idea was to drive up the coast of California in a convertible and stay at the most fabulous and exclusive resorts on the way. Their trip began in San Francisco then they headed to Napa Valley, Yosemite Park, Monterey, Santa Barbara, Santa Monica and San Diego. “All the places were perfect and included beautiful views, relaxing spas, and to even underwater music! It was exactly what we wanted and everything we had hoped our honeymoon would be!” We wish Tavia and Simon nothing but the best!!! Cheers!

Decor, design, stationary, wedding planning and honeymoon planning was done by Maddy K Photography by Patrizia Castiglione from Magnolia

Flowers by Les Fleurs Kenzo, Octavia's Mother!

Wedding Ceremony: Suite 701 in Place D'armes Hotel

Wedding Reception: Restaurant Version in Old Montreal

Maddy K gets a Make Over!!!

As most of you know and maybe some of you don't, I do come from a background of Interactive Marketing.! So 8 years ago when we launched 'Maddy K' it was a given that we were going to design and brand 'Maddy K' on our own - in house!! Then after sometime I decided it was time to revamp the site... it's usually a rule of thumb that you're website get a face-lift every two years! Again, we kept everything in-house and launched our site - which is the present site!!

We loved it, so did our clients and so did everyone that came across it!!! Everyone gave us lots of complements on the site and frankly it brought 'Maddy K' to new heights!!!Fast forward to 2010... the site is a bit out-dated and although I hated the notion of giving it up, I knew that it was time to get a new site, a new look... a look that defined what 'Maddy K' is and what we stand for!!! Of course now we really have no time to work on designing our site so we gave it to the people that we think would do the best job for us... we worked closely with them to create the look that we want... and I think we have finally gotten there!!! I think - I love it :) But I don't want to get too excited about it yet!!!!!

Here's sneak peak of the design and the inspiration behind it!!! In the meantime, we would love to hear your comments and feedback... please share with us what you think of the new and improved 'Maddy K'!!

White stands for purity, innocence and softness - I still believe that weddings are PURE, INNOCENT and have SOFTNESS to them!! It comes from the purest place and represents the innocence of LOVE!

Brown is the color of our logo... it really sums up what we stand for as a company: Earthiness, Wholesomeness, Simplicity and Friendliness. In the 8 years that I've been doing weddings, I always get the same feedback from my brides - "We love working with you because you are so down to earth and friendly!!" We believe that the beauty of a wedding is in its simplicity!!

Gray stands for formal, conservative and sophisticated! I can't think of a more formal affair than a wedding!! Yes there are formal galas and parties, but a wedding is the most formal affair to the couple, and we treat it with all the formality needed!!! We are a conservative team, and although we love to push the envelope at times, we do it with sophistication!

Pink stands for sweet, nice, romance, playful and delicate!!!! These words define our brides!!! They are all sweet and nice people... playful at times, delicate at times and have all one thing in common - ROMANCE! Every bride wants to have a romantic wedding, and that is exactly what the color pink stands for!!

Last but not least, we wanted to include a graphical element and chose Lace! Lace has an intricate design that lends an elegant and refined air! It's been around for hundred years and although it's evolved in many shapes, colors, designs.. it always is elegant, romantic, sexy and timeless - just like the weddings we design!!

I know it's a long post.. but I hope you enjoyed it and hope you will love our new look as much as we do :)
New Website and Blog will be up and running in a couple of weeks... stay tuned!

Maddy K Wedding will no longer be offering the Precious Day Wedding Package (day of wedding planning)

The entire Maddy K Team takes pride in their weddings and events from start to finish. The complete experience begins months in advance. Therefore, we are announcing that we are no longer offering our Precious Day Package (day of wedding planning.)

We frequently have brides contact us for “day-of” wedding planning, which consists of 1 consultation before the wedding, and assisting only the day of the wedding. As much as we appreciate the fact that you really do need a coordinator the day of the wedding, the Maddy K team is much more than just coordination and feels as though it’s important to be part of the entire process.

We design the wedding, refer some of the top vendors in the city, have relationships with the best venues and hotels, and are truly confident in knowing that from the beginning to the end, you’re in excellent hands.

When it comes to “day-of” coordination, it’s sometimes is more stressful than not having a planner at all! A vendor could not show up, imagine not having any music or cake, transportation could not arrive, or the flowers show up dead!? Yes, these may sound completely far-fetched, but when you don’t have a professional involved during the entire process, this does happened more often than not!

We want to thank all our brides that have trusted the Maddy K Team over the past 8 years, and we hope to share many more!

Feel free to contact us, we'd be happy to help!

Spring is in the Air - And so is St. Patrick's Day

Well Montreal is being so blessed by mother nature! Beautiful weather = people on the streets, shopping, and smiles! And while we are all taking in the beauty, don't forget the Montreal St. Patrick's Day Parade is on Sunday March 14th! It is THE BIGGEST parade in Montreal and well, everyone becomes a little Irish on St. Patrick's day!

Although green is typically "reserved" for the Irish, we just love love LOVE green decor in spring and summer weddings. It's fresh, fun and surprisingly classic. Green and black are a classic in decor or the more fun and flirty green and pink is another favourite!

Have a great St. Patrick's Day - and enjoy the parade!

Maddy's Favourite Finds - Rouge Nail Bar

Rouge Nail Bar is one of the hottest "girls night out" spots in all of Montreal! This is not your typical assembly line mani/pedi nail salon. Rouge Nail Bar is welcoming, chic and non-toxic! That's right, there are no acrylic nails here! The extended hours helps any diva look their best at practically any time!

The experience is unlike any other! Manicures are preformed at the bar while pedicures are preformed on the couches. Either way, you are situated in-front of huge TV that will be playing something girlie (like Sex and the City) and sipping on a fruit smoothie (delicious!).

"The atmosphere is inviting, the staff are extremely kind and the experience is like no other!" says Maddy "Grab your bridal party or even host your bachelorette at Rouge Nail Bar for some much needed R&R!"

This favourite find is the perfect place for your next party. Anyone can rent the entire space for birthday parties, bachelorettes, bridal showers, baby showers and girls night out! (and they do cater to the bachelorettes... having the place to yourselves means watching whatever you want on the TVs!!) Cater the party yourself or ask Rouge Nail Bar to have your party catered! The possibilities are endless.

Take your bridal party there for some R&R before and or even after the wedding - treat them to something special and unique. Private party information can be found here.

The boutique offers a little something for everyone too! From karmasuttra massage oils to heavingly infusers, it's the perfect compliment to your day!

Rouge Nailbar
3790 St. Laurent Street
Montreal, Quebec
H2W 1X6

Free Parking
On Roy between St. Dominique and Coloniale

Phone: 514-840-3003

Open 7 days a week

11am - 10pm

Maddy's Favorite Finds - L&V Sweets

L&V Sweets – the look of elegance and the taste of tradition!

Who doesn't love cookies? Obviously not many people, and with that thought Lara & Vanessa opened L&V Sweets. They custom make cookies for all occasions, but we are especially impressed with their wedding cookies.

Brides have chosen L&V Sweets for wedding showers, bachelorettes, engagement parties and of course at their wedding reception as wedding favors for their guests. It's not hard to guess why L&V Sweets would be part of Maddy's Favourite Finds, "My brides get so excited when they see some of L&V Sweets work! Their cookies are just too cute! From sexy lingerie to baby bottles, I would use L&V Sweets for, engagement parties, bachelorettes, weddings, and even baby showers!" says Maddy.

These cookies are a favourite among the entire Maddy K Team!

Visit the L&V Sweets website for photos and more information on their delicious cookies!

Maddy's Favorite Finds

A resource for Couples looking for the Crème de la Crème.

Introducing Maddy's Favorite finds, blogs and posts helping you find the best products, services and vendors. All products and services featured on Maddy's Favorite finds have the Maddy K seal of approval. If you use these services, you're in good hands!

The first post will be up this week - and we'll post Maddy's Favorite Finds practically every week! So grab a cup of tea and indulge in Maddy's Favorite Finds.

The Maddy K Team is Growing Again

We've got a new addition to the Maddy K Team, and this time we have a new Assistant Coordinator.

Say hello to Jackie!

You may recognize her from the Bridal Boudoir... she was one of our amazing Bloggers! She's sweet, funny, in LOVE with weddings and fashion! (and fits right in!)

Welcome to the Team Jackie!

Katrin Leblond Fashion Show

I was lucky enough to have attended the fabulous Katrin Leblond fashion show during Montreal Fashion Week. After some back and forth emailing with the Katrin, Jackie and I were seated front row for the show!

Katrin does bridal gowns - although this show wasn't a focus on bridal, she did tell me that her actual wedding gown would be in the show! It was purple! Amazing! The trend of a non-traditional gown has grown over the last few years, as it should! :)

We also saw a range of amazing dresses for parties, nights on the town and dancing! Have an engagement or bachelorette party and are looking for something unique and fun!? Well, Katrin has it.

I was inspired by the "oh so talked about" grecian dress! (the top left hand dress). This 1 shoulder dress would be prefect for your honeymoon or any other hot travel destinations, seriously it was my personal favorite!

Katrin Leblong is located:
4647 boulevard Saint-Laurent
Montreal, QC H2T 1R2
(514) 678-9616

Visit her site http://www.katrinleblond.com/

Were you at the show? What did you think? What's your favourite Katrin Leblond piece?

Vintage Weddings

The wedding trend for 2009 and now 2010 is vintage. We have a lot of brides asking us for a “vintage wedding” and sometimes we feel like brides aren’t sure what it means exactly. Vintage represents the high quality of a past time, is obsolete or the best of it’s kind.

It’s important to remember that a wedding has to reflect the couple and not the current trend.

We find a lot of inspiration for vintage weddings from the most regular places, from shops on Notre Dame Ouest to Blogs online. A variety of sources help us design and ultimately fulfill a brides vintage dream wedding.

One of our most favorite wedding blogs dedicated to vintage weddings is Ruffled. Their whimsical and vintage weddings inspire us every time! Theses images represent a portion of what vintage stands for, but they are also beautiful images! We invite you to take a look!

If you are looking to have your wedding designed just so, let the Maddy K Team know! We design a variety of weddings!


*All pictures were taken by the Ruffled Blog

It's no secret that we love Amy Atlas... it's also not a secret that we love to get inspired by the best in the industry... and bring the best to our brides!!! So when 5 of our brides showed up to their planning sessions with clippings of Amy Atlas dessert tables, we realized that we have a problem!!!! There are no companies in Montreal (that we know of) could design a fabulous desert table - Amy Atlas Style!!!

So after hours of research and discussions we at Maddy K decided to launch an extension to Maddy K Edibles... our Dessert Tables!!!! The funny thing is that we created this just for our brides but after a while, we started getting calls from brides just asking us for our dessert table... which resulted into this post!!! :) I guess it's no longer our little secret and although at first we wanted to limit this to only our brides, we have decided to open our Atelier to all brides... so you could still have a Maddy K Dessert table without having your wedding designed by Maddy K!!!

Below are some of the images of Amy Atlas Dessert tables to inspire you!!!

We'd love to hear from you...

Amy Atlas Dessert Table - www.amyatlas.com

Chapeau de Gateau

Maddy K LOVES Chapeau de Gateau! These innovative, unique toppers to make wedding and special occasion cakes truly extraordinary. Each Chapeau de Gateau topper is handmade from the finest quality Mokuba ribbon, and personalized on the bottom with the names of the bride and groom along with their wedding date. It is a memorable keepsake enjoyed long after the cake has disappeared. To complement a chosen theme, inspired ribbon center-pieces, and tabletop accessories can also be created.

To find out more about these wonderful cake toppers, visit Chapeau de Gateau's website.

A lot of our couples are internet savvy and can certainly book their on vacation online. So we're often asked "Why do I need a Travel Agent for my honeymoon planning?"

We sat down with our Maddy K Honeymoon & Destination wedding planner, Alexandra Allard. Alexandra explained why having a travel agent for your honeymoon is so important.

Honeymoon specialists are experts in their field, maintaining strong relationships with those who cater to your travel needs, like airlines and hotels. They attend seminars and travel events and network with other agents and agencies to get the latest information that is not available to non-agents. The Internet may have a wealth of information, but it doesn't have the emotion and the experience of being there. Honeymoon specialist actually visits many of the places they represent. There's a good chance they have intimate knowledge of the destinations you want to visit. You may get a much better deal because some travel providers will only deal with specialists. Also, if you contact one provider, for example an airline, they are not likely to tell you that you can get a better fare elsewhere. A honeymoon specialist will do his or her best to get you a good deal. A good honeymoon specialist will fight for your best interest and may assist if you have a problem while traveling. When a dispute occurs, a specialist has a great deal more leverage than an individual would, since travel providers want to maintain ongoing relationships with specialists.

In most cases, honeymoon specialists provide one-stop service for all arrangements for transportation, lodging, event tickets, and special dining reservations. This saves you the time and headache of trying to coordinate with several providers yourself. You can spend hours on the Internet putting together your own trip. And once you are done, good luck finding help if you should encounter a problem. On the other hand, a honeymoon specialist is someone you have an ongoing relationship with, like a personal concierge. Travel scams abound on the Internet. You may think you are connected to a large, well-known company that provides travel arrangements, when you have actually found your way to smaller, unknown companies. Perfect honeymoons don't just happen; they have to be carefully planned.

Did you know that all Maddy K Couples get FREE HONEYMOON PLANNING!

Even if you aren't planning to book Maddy K as your wedding designer, you can still trust the Maddy K Honeymoon planing specialist.

Email Alexandra at Alexandra {at} maddyk.com for more info!

To my Valentine...

It's Valentines!!! I used to love Valentines back in the days... the idea of LOVE was just so beautiful and in my head I used to think of 'Valentines' as a sneak peak of what love stands for and should be ! Well I was very very wrong!!! Although I do appreciate Valentines, my feelings of Valentines have changed through out the years and that is why I decided to dedicate this post to my true valentine - My Husband!!! We've been married for almost 7 years now and he has thought me the true meaning of Valentine... the true meaning of LOVE!

Being in love goes much deeper than just the level of 'Valentines' and although 'February 14th' allows us to stop and celebrate our love... for me, I will take that date as the date to not just say 'I Love You' but also to stop and appreciate the love you have in your life! I am so grateful for having such an amazing man to spend my life with, a man that is so supportive, so dedicated, so understanding, so loving and it is ultimately his love that makes me the woman I am! Thank you Babe for everything you do and thank you for being you!!! I love you!!!

Win a Maddy K - Bridal Boudoir - Gift Bag

So you've probably heard all about the gift bag that brides received at the Bridal Boudoir Affair. With gifts from Christofle, WedLuxe, Weddingbells, Kiss My Face, Benefit cosmetics, Finesse, Schick Razor, DavidsTea, Sylva K Makeup, and many many more... It will be one of the best Gift Bags you'll get all year! Well guess what... we have one for you!

All you have to do is comment on the Facebook fanpage post and tell us all the services that Maddy K offers. We'll give you a hint, there are 5 services.

Please note that the winning person must be from the Montreal and Surrounding area. (or plans on being in Montreal after march 1, 2010). Contest ends on March 1st 2010, 1 name with the correct answers will be drawn at random.

GOOD LUCK!

As metioned, we've been inspired by all we saw in New York and have the perfect ideas for your destination wedding in New York.

So we've found the perfect place - the Crosby Hotel in NY. Now it's time for the little details for your guests traveling to your destination.

If you're planning a destination wedding, set the theme - our suggestion, passport invitations (cute, right!??). This way, as soon as your guests get the invitations, they know that buying new luggage should be on the agenda! :)



Now once your guests arrive, it's always nice to thank them with a little gift. They did just travel to be with you! So our suggestion is "The Little Black Book of NY." It's the perfect way to introduce your guests to the city and encourage them to enjoy themselves!

What are your perfect little tips? We'd love to hear them!

Maddy K is looking for an intern! This is your chance to get a first look at the hustle and bustle of wedding planning.

Qualified candidates will have some event planning experience or have volunteered at similar events.

It's not all about "partying" and "free food" wedding planning consists of hard work, long hours and making sure the couple say "I Do!" without any stress. Your time with the Maddy K Team will help you gain experience in an ever growing and ever changing industry.

please send all inquiries to info@maddyk.com
PLEASE NO PHONE CALLS!

Thank you & Good Luck!

We were recently invited for a private tour and lunch at the fabulous Crosby hotel in New York city. The CROSBY STREET HOTEL is situated on a quiet cobbled street in the heart of New York's vibrant SoHo neighborhood between Prince and Spring Streets. Everything is on the doorstep including some of the worlds most exciting shopping, bars, restaurants, cafes and galleries. Vanity Fair even quoted this amazing location as: “The most prestigious thoroughfare in the neighborhood - all cast iron and cobblestones, slightly off the beaten track, lined with independent boutiques”

So you can imagine our excitement when Lisa Barr (@bridaleasee on twitter) invited Maddy K, Valerie our PR girl, and Sylva K of Sylva K Makeup to an amazing lunch with some of NY’s finest wedding planners, bloggers and photographers at the Crosby Street Bar.

They have a variety of rooms on the lower level of the hotel for private events and parties. From intimate affairs to full out events the crosby caters to all! While walking through, we easily envisioned ceremonies and reception areas in so many creative ways! The walls and decor are so perfect that you don’t have to add much in order to make your event special (cost saving? I think so!!) Can you just imagine, candles from wall to wall making the beautiful space extremely elegant and romantic. I can!

No one guest room is decorated alike, and no, it’s like like the Opus with “themed rooms” the rooms are actually decorated completely different. The crosby suites -- the penthouse like suites -- are the ultimate in luxury and class. They are far bigger than most New York apartments and well, the wall to wall windows certainly make any guest feel like royalty! And with the Ripa’s (as in Kelly Ripa) as a neighbor, why wouldn’t you indulge?

For the more modest budget, you can indulge in the Junior suites or Meadow Suites. All so inspiring and beautiful - these truly are rooms you'll never want to leave!

This week - we are inspired by all we saw in New York and have the perfect ideas for your destination wedding in New York. Stay tuned for tomorrow's blog -- invitation ideas & souvenirs for your guests! ;)

The amazing guests included:

Lisa Bar

Tammy Golson

Lisa Green

Merci New York

Christopher Duggan

Gina Fleur

Can't wait to see you all next time!

Make the "I DO!" moment Perfect!

Asking her to marry you is one of the most important moments of your lives. The story will be told to family, children and eventually grand-children. So it's imperative that you get this right!

Maddy K has teamed up with a group of professionals that can make that moment PERFECT.

Imagine, having the moment captured on photo? Having a string quartet show up after she says “YES!” Pick her up in a fancy limo. It’s all about the moment and experience and make it a lasting one. Just like we did for the couple in the photo above and Michael from Phototera was there to capture the moment!

Contact us at info@maddyk.com for more info or call (514) 694-4575

We were really surprised to learn that at Preston Bailey's Party in NYC the lights, multimedia and runway were designed by local Moment Factory.

We were really impressed by the runway - which actually looked like it was moving! Amazing! The concept behind the runway was "over-sized old fashioned printing press that mimicked how the book was printed."

Preston Bailey recently sat down with Moment Factory’s Creative Director, Sakchin Besette. I invite you to read the entire interview here.

If you're a bride looking for an amazing out of this world experience for your reception - I think we have the company (locally) to do it! Was the Maddy K Team inspired by this runway for the Bridal Boudoir Fashion show? I think so!!!!!

;)