Lemon Blueberry Loaf!

It's been a while since I've posted about my epicurean adventures here. That's because I've been contributing to Vancity Buzz. A local lifestyle blog about all things Vancouver.

I baked this Lemon Blueberry Loaf recently as part of my series "Pinterest Recipe Wins". I love this recipe because of the intense lemon flavour. If you're not a lemon fiend like I am, you can still make this recipe without the lemon extract.

For the recipe, head over to Vancity Buzz! I'll post some of my other Pinterest (follow me!) recipe experiments soon!

What's your favourite lemon recipe?

~Meesh

Engagement pictures are done! FINALLY!

We've been engaged for over a year now, and we JUST got our engagement pictures done. We didn't book Justin from Three Sixty Photography until June last year, and by them he was knee deep in wedding season. We thought about doing our photos during Winter, but we're not really winter people.

It was a beautiful morning when I went out to get my hair and makeup done. My regular hairstylist needs a couple months notice, and we booked our date so late, I had to find a "random". I was debating between Blo or Holt Renfrew Salon. Since the prices were pretty much the same, I decided to go with Holt's. I was not disappointed! By the time I finished hair and makeup, which took about two hours, the skies were beginning to cloud over. By the time we got to our first location, 49th Parallel, it was a MASSIVE downpour. At least we were inside was all I could say. Justin made us feel so comfortable, and he was able to make Chris laugh, which is no easy feat. When we were done at 49th Parallel, it was still pouring rain. But we decided to go on with our second location anyway, Queen Elizabeth Park. I'm so glad we decided to keep going because by the time we arrived, it had stopped raining, and was just slightly overcast, which is the perfect lighting for photographs!

We received about 100 photos to print, and share as we wished. Here are a few of our favourites!

Here are the obligatory "engagement photo" poses for the family.

Do you know what to look for in a photographer? Check out my previous post!

xoxo
~meesh

DIY Wedding Signs

I've been collecting DIY ideas on Pinterest for over a year now. It's finally come time to execute some of these ideas. First up - directional signs! I got my inspiration from signs similar to this one on Pinterest:

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My mom is a very crafty person. She makes jewelry, dolls, pictures out of pressed flowers. I, however, am not crafty whatsoever. I collect ideas and ask her to make them for me. Unfortunately, she's been out of town, so I've been left to my own devices. Luckily Chris' sister is artistic, so I got some help from her.

We started off by getting some wood from Michael's. They were about 2' x 5". The original plan was to paint the writing on the wood. But we were at the Penticton Farmer's Market and saw a vendor selling signs with etched writing. We decided to do the same. Off we went to Wal-Mart, and we got some wood stain, and a wood burner. Chris' dad trimmed the wood pieces for us so they are like arrows. Chris' sister wrote on the signs with a pencil (I have terrible writing), and I got to work burning the wood.

Here is the finished product! The top sign only has one coat of stain, the others have 2 coats.

I took my time so I got the depth and width I wanted for each letter, but it was definitely worth it!. The wood was about $2.00 each, the burner was $15, and the stain was $7. We still have lots of stain left for other projects. If you're interested in the signs, shoot me an email! We would love to start a business doing this!

What are some of your DIY projects for your wedding?

xoxo
~meesh

Invitations - Signed, Sealed and Delivered!

A question I often get asked is how much should we spend on invitations. This is really a personal questions and depends on your budget. My invitations came to about $1.20CDN each. I was also very lucky that my aunt is an amazing artist, and she drew everything on our invitations by hand, and her friend created the digital files for the printer. Our costs probably would have doubled if did not have my aunt and her friend's help.

My friend had her invitations made in Indonesia, and it cost her $0.12 each. That's not a typo. Twelve cents! My bridesmaid's wedding invitations are laser cut, with a photo as the backing, and will cost between $3.00 - $5.00 each.

So my advice: choose a style you love, and get as many quotes as you can. You will most likely find the cheapest prices in Asia. If you have the time, and are not afraid of the potential risks, such as shipping, communication, and quality, then definitely have them done in Asia. If you're doing a small batch, and don't want to take those risks, then do them locally. But always ask around, get as many quotes as you possibly can, and NEGOTIATE!

We received our unassembled invitations from China a little while ago. While looking at the parts of the invitations was VERY daunting, it actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be when I was putting everything together. I also realized I am more anal-retentive than I thought I would be.

Our invitations had a backing card, vellum page (with the actual invitation details), map, RSVP, and also an invite to our rehearsal dinner. Since we are having a destination wedding, most of our guests are from out of town, so we thought we might as well invite everyone to our rehearsal dinner.

Step 1. Punch holes in the backing card and the vellum. Luckily the printer also printed marks for where the holes should be. That saved me a LOT of time. It's a good idea to get your printer to do the same for you.

Step. 2 Cut the ribbon to the length you want. I did a test ribbon, and just cut the rest to the same length. Tip: use SHARP scissors, and cut all the ribbon first, instead of one at a time for each invitation. I also decided to dovetail the ribbon. To do that, simply fold the end in half, and cut at an angle. I wasn't too particular about have the exact same angle for each ribbon. It probably would've taken me a lot more time if I was THAT anal.

Step 3. Tie backing card to the vellum with ribbon. This part was pretty quick once you get in the zone. Pay attention about which side of the ribbon is shiny, and also how the knot is tied. I tried to make them all as similar as possible.

Step 4. Tie all the different cards together with raffia. I wanted a more rustic look, so I tied everything together with raffia. I only got one roll of raffia from the craft store, so guests who didn't give me their address in time for the first batch of invites ended up not getting raffia with their package.

Step 5. Here they are, all in their little pearlized envelopes. I also had a rubber stamp made with our names and return address. But because of the type of paper the envelope was made of, the stamp just smudged. So sadly, we didn't use our stamp.

Step 6. Labels. I used clear printer labels. I have terrible hand-writing. So why waste time writing out names and address when I can just print them with a nice font? Efficiency is key!

I assembled about 60 invitations. It took me 5 hours, and I did it on my own. It obviously would have taken less time if I had help. But I wanted everything to look the same, so I opted to do everything on my own.

My question to you, how much did you/will you be spending on your wedding invitations?

xoxo
~meesh

How To Get Married in BC

We are getting married in a church, so luckily, we didn't have to figure out the details of hiring a marriage commissioner. However, if you are not having a religious ceremony, here are some things to consider.

In Canada, you can't get a friend like Joey Tribbiani ordained to marry you.

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You will need to hire a Marriage Commissioner to perform your civil ceremony. Marriage Commissioners have replaced Justice of the Peace in conducting ceremonies. You must book a commissioner as soon as you set your date. There are a limited number of Commissioners in Vancouver, and most of them do multiple weddings in a day, especially in the summer time. There are actually only 321 registered Commissioners in B.C. Fees usually start at $75, but it can vary depending on the commissioner you hire. You can search for registered Marriage Commissioners here.

Once you book your date, and a commissioner, don't forget to apply for your marriage license. You can search for businesses that give out licenses here. A few of the London Drugs in Vancouver are issuers. If you think you can get the license done and out of the way, DON'T! The license is $100, and only valid for 90 days, also the cost is non-refundable.

If you are getting married in a religious ceremony, your Priest/Pastor/Rabbi/Reverend etc will have all the information you need. We are getting married in a Catholic church, and there is a whole bunch of paperwork that needs to be done. We have already met with our parish priest, and also the priest of the parish we are getting married in, also the priest that is actually marrying us (yes, there are 3 priests involved). We are also required by the church to complete a marriage preparation course. This is a seven week course that talks about things that could help you in your marriage. Things such as communication, family planning, and finances. Chris and I also need to request a copy of our Baptismal certificates from the church where we were baptised. After we get the course completion form, the Archdiocese of Vancouver will send our paperwork to the Archdiocese of Nelson to get our wedding approved. It's a little more complicated for us since we are not getting married at our "home" Archdiocese, let alone, our "home" parish. It actually not as daunting as it seems. The church takes care of most things for us.

For more information on how to get married in BC, check out the government's website.

Romona Keveza Trunk Show @ Blush Bridal

If you missed the Vera Wang trunk show at Blush Bridal this past weekend, don't worry! Blush is hosting another trunk show THIS weekend featuring Romona Keveza, Feb. 15th - 17th, 2013. They are even offering 10% off a custom Romona order! This is amazing! Be sure to RSVP at bridal@blushoccasions.com

P.S. Did you know Romona Keveza is Canadian, and all her dresses are made in Canada?

What to look for in a photographer!

I thought instead of being narcissistic all the time, I'd post some helpful tips for wedding planning. I've been in the planning process for about a year now. Like most brides-to-be, I spent a lot of time contemplating various details, and also figuring out what questions I need to ask various vendors.

One of the most important vendors you will be working with is your photographer. My way of thinking is that you’re not just paying for some pictures, but you’re buying memories. I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s the truth. You may look back at your shoes and remember how pretty you felt, but you’d probably also remember how uncomfortable they were.

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Here are some things to look for in a photographer:

1. What style are you going for? My fiance and I are casual people. We aren’t super cheesy people who stop and pose for pictures. When we researched photographers, we looked for portfolios that had candid, more journalistic shots. However, being Chinese, I also needed to satisfy my family with some portraits. So we also had to make sure the photographer we chose was comfortable in taking huge family portraits.
2. Cost: This is a biggie. Ask your friends who got married recently and find out how much they spent. You can also check wedding forums and get feedback from other brides if you are the first to bite the bullet. Create a budget and stick to it. As much as I believe in buying your memories, you also don’t want to be broke.
3. Packages: When you request a quote from the photographer, they are going to give you prices on various packages. The packages will include things such as hours of photography, number of photographers, and goodies such as number of retouched photos. When you are comparing prices, make sure you’re comparing apples to apples. One package may seem cheaper, but may not include as many deliverables such as albums or printed photos. You need to be sure your overall spend (including prints, and albums) is within your budget.
4. Interview: If you’re in the same city as your photographer, SET UP A MEETING! You need to be sure your personalities fit. This is a great opportunity to ask questions, and also look at a larger portfolio. Most photographers have part of their portfolio on their website, but those online are only the tip of the iceberg. You may not like a photographer’s website, but you like his prices. It doesn’t hurt to set up a meeting. You may be surprised by what you find.
5. Sign the Contract!! If you like what you see, chances are, another bride getting married on the same day will like him too. Once you sign the contract, you can move on and plan other aspects of your wedding! (In my case, I’m contemplating my table settings)

After thinking about all these things, I got a few quotes from photographers from Vancouver, and also in the Okanagan area. I quickly eliminated a lot of them based on cost. As much as I believe that you shouldn't skimp on photography, I also couldn't justify spending half my budget on it. I was so happy to find Justin from Three Sixty Photography. I discovered him at Vancity Bride's blog! Justin has a great portfolio, and great pricing. He really listens to what you're looking for, and will do whatever he can to accommodate. What I like about him is that he's done journalistic style shoots, as well as the formal portraits. Him being Chinese is a plus, since he already knows how to handle the demanding aunties! Haha!

We will be doing our engagement shoot soon. I'll be sure to share some of the pictures once they're available!

I hope these quick tips will help you in finding the perfect photographer for your special day!