The other experience was my makeup trial, I love makeup and it was so much fun collaborating with my stylist to get that perfect look , I felt beautiful,  confident, it definitely created more anticipation and excitement for my wedding day to arrive.

I was recently chatting with Melanie Tremblay, owner and head stylist of Mink Makeup & Hair and she shared with me some great ways to prepare for your makeup trial so that it to can be a memorable experience for you.  She suggests:

- Lots of research.  Like your gown, flowers and decor, look at images of hair and makeup styles you love and share them with your stylist. However, in the end you may need to take those ideas and work together to tweak them to make it work for you. You want to have a style that not only will look fabulous in photos and video but one that will also allow you  to feel confident and comfortable “in person” mingling with your guests. You don’t want a style that isn’t you, but you also may want to try something different and special for your wedding day.  Make sure you work with a stylist that won’t push you too much in either direction.  Remember your feeling of comfort and confidence on your wedding day is key!

- Go to your trial with a clean and moisturized face and clean and dry hair.

- Don’t be afraid to share information.  The more information you give your stylist about past makeup and hair experiences, expressing the things you loved and hated saves time and energy and ensures the perfect look is created for your wedding day.

Get to know Melanie from Mink Makeup & Hair on VeilTV (Images provided by Butterfly Photography and Simply Rose Photography)

There are several ways to properly exfoliate the skin:

- Mechanical exfoliation which is the use of scrubbing the skin with an abrasive such as a micro-bead facial scrubs, facial brushes or microfiber cloths.  All of these items can be purchased at any skin care and beauty store. Melanie suggests making your own gentle exfoliant scrub by simply using baking soda and a little water to form a paste and rub gently on the face.

- Chemical exfoliants that can be used on a daily basis. These products contain either alpha hydroxy acids, glycolic or malic acids or other enzymes to help loosen and ease away the dead cells. The concentration of these acids vary from product to product, if you have a skin condition consult with your dermatologist first.

Melanie explains, the longer you have between the implementation of a new skin care regime and your wedding, the more your skin will have time to adapt and benefit from it. Often skin will “purge” (i.e. breakout), redden or peel from the application of new products and procedures, particularly if they are of clinical-grade. Skin also takes 4-6 weeks to fully benefit from many new topical products used. So, give yourself a good amount of time if you plan on implementing a new skin treatment to see results.

Questions or to learn more skin care tips leave a comment for  Melanie here. You can also meet her on VeilTV (Images provided by Big Grin Images, Jennifer Kirk Photography and Brendon Purdy)

When you walk into your reception venue Evan suggests you look at the entire space, the complete space matters. Focus on more then the individual tables.  Imagine a large floral chandelier over the head table, or a dramatic floral structure at the entranceway.  The creative possibilities are endless.  ”For one wedding we created giant plexiglass screens that went 12 feet high and strung runners of wire with Calla Lilies woven through them along with other intricate wire work. The guests were greeted by these floral sculptures as they came up the escalator to the entranceway of the reception, it was dramatic”, Evan describes.

I’m sure I know what your thinking, you have to have a crazy big budget to make a statement like this, Evan explains that this is not the case.  He recommends that if you would like to do something unique you can move away from over the top table centrepieces.  Do something elegant, but simple on the tables and allocate your budget differently and make a statement in the room.

Here are some amazing examples of what Flowerz created for some of their couples.  You can meet Evan on VeilTV.

Image provides by Blue Olive Photography (meet them on VeilTV)

Basically, brides will research and look at amazing images online or in high end wedding magazines and choose a bouquet or arrangement that they want to have for their wedding.  They will then show the image to their florist and express their need to have a bouquet just like the one in the picture.  The problem is, sometimes that floral arrangement doesn’t work with the bride’s budget and they they feel incredibly disappointed.   Perhaps those particular blooms are not in season so they would have to be imported which increases the cost or they just happen to be an expensive type of flower.

Bottom line,  it is unrealistic to have that floral arrangement.  A bride needs to have an open mind and allow the florist to see what is possible for their actual budget,  perhaps create a variation of the bouquet you see in the magazine.  It’s important to trust and listen to your floral designer so that they can maximize the value of what you will be getting in your floral pieces.

Another important point Evan stressed is that weddings are personal, the little details in your decor and flowers can be a way to showcase parts of your personality, so even thought you may fall in love with an image in a magazine, take those elements and with the help of your designer create a way to make it your own and unique to your wedding.  This is what floral designers love to do…design something special for you.

You can meet Evan on VeilTV. Feel free to contact him directly if you have any questions or would like to learn more.

1. Ones personal style and aesthetic. Are you trendy and modern or do you relate more to a style that is elegant and romantic?  Understanding your personal style is very important before starting the process of determining what flowers will fit with your wedding day.

2. You need to consider the time of year and date of your wedding.  If you have chosen to get married on a major floral holiday such as Valentine’s day or Mother’s day , it can significantly increase the cost of the flowers.  It is not the florist that marks up the cost, the blooms are bought in auction and price is based on supply and demand.

3. What kinds of arrangements and flowers do you like? Do some research to determine not only what you like, but also what turns you off. Giving your florist some ideas of your likes and dislikes is integral to the initial consultation.  Clip or pin pictures and bring those with you to help guide your florist in creating the perfect wedding floral designs for you.

4. Decide what is important to you.  Are you detailed oriented? Do you like floral arrangements that contain wire work? As you are researching and looking at websites narrow down your list of florists that utilize those techniques in their work.  Then you will know that you are saving time and only meeting with vendors that reflect your style.

5. What is your budget?…Well no one really ever knows their exact budget.  It isn’t until they start researching that they realize the cost and are sometimes in shock when they do. A good rule to consider is that your floral budget should be 10-15% of your wedding budget and closer to the 15% if you are having elaborate floral decor.

You can meet Rosalba on VeilTV. Feel free to contact her directly if you have any questions or would like to learn more. (Images provided by Jasalyn Thorne Photography and Bantilleon Photoraphy)

To kick off the week we would like to do a vendor spotlight on one of our  new vendors on our site, Fiorire – Custom florals by Rosalba . Rosalba started her award winning custom floral business in 2004 and has provided floral designs and artistic input for many weddings, special and charitable events. She, personally, will work with you to ensure that every aspect of your event florals are perfect and then completes the work so that every detail is perfect. Rosalba will combine your vision with her own creative flair to create both beautiful and memorable pieces customized specifically to you and your event.

Here is the award winning style she created for one of her fabulous brides.

Images by Sakura Photography.

Last Wednesday were the 2011 Professional BC Wedding Awards where I was the runner up for Best Overall Wedding Photographer for all of British Columbia.   Even though I didn’t come in first … the feeling that night is one I will not soon forget.  I was in a theatre filled with the most amazing talent shmoozing and networking with people that I had either just met, haven’t seen for a while or people I consider close friends in the industry.   I was so nervous.  Most of the awards were already handed out when I was chatting away and discussing the photos that were up on the screen when my name appeared with one of my photos for Best Overall Wedding Photographer…I think I lost all color in my face and my heart was racing … I heard some of my friends screaming … I remember turning around to look at my husband for support … only to see how proud he was of me … that was an even better feeling and made me a smidge calmer.  Although the extremely talented Sakura won … I couldn’t be prouder of the work I did at Roseanne & Derek’s wedding and for them trusting me with so much creative freedom.  Truly … madly … deeply … do I love what I do!!!!!!!!

Here are the photos of mine that were submitted for the competition (in no particular order).

This is the perfect opportunity to get something special for your someone special – or, just to have some beautiful images to celebrate you! And it’s excellent timing for Valentine’s Day!

Every session includes one hour of photography with Laura Stapleton of Magnolia Photographic, and professional make-up by the very talented Tara Lasko of Paint by Numbr. Sessions take place in a local hotel, in a specially selected posh suite. A $100 credit is also included, which can be used towards a custom designed Secret Album or any of our other beautiful and unique products.  Full details can be found at our website, dedicated entirely to our boudoir work, www.secretsessions.ca

To book your time, please contact Laura by email or phone at 778-230-1161. To see examples from past Secret Sessions, please check out the Portfolio section on the Secret Sessions website.  And if you know anyone else who might be interested, please let them know about this great event!