Size does matter...

You can seriously shrink your flower budget by choosing smaller bouquets. 

In total we spent $264.22 in the floral department of Whole Foods.  The boss there got on board my frugal train from the start.  (This is another key part of sticking with a budget you can live with).  At Whole Foods, the whole floral team got really quite excited by the challenge of the $35 bridal bouquet.

The other key to keeping floral costs in line is to go with what's in season.  I chose a colour scheme (red), but was never 'married' to a specific type of flower.  This gave the florists the freedom to hit the flower auction day of, and make the most of the daily bargains.

In the end I had orchids and gerbs, locally grown anemones and even sustainably grown roses.  The bouquets were hand tied with white fabric ribbon and held together with red-headed pins. The boutonnieres looked like sea creatures (perfect for my husband truly devoted to the sea). 

That $264 bill bought us one bridal bouquet, four bridesmaids' bouquets, two flower girl bouquets, 8 boutonnieres and one wrist corsage.

My flowers were stunning.  I doubt any of my guests would disagree.  I don't think any one of them felt there was anything skimpy about my flora.  In the end, the arrangements were more 'me' than I could have ever come up with myself. And at $35, the price of my bouquet, was less than half the average I was quoted elsewhere, and freed me of any crafting on my big day.

Let them eat cake!

And they did! 

A thin layer of white chocolate buttercream separates a decadent carrot and cream cheese interior from its  fondant wrapping...Pure and unadulterated food porn.

My pastry chef sister and maker of wedding cake tells me fondant is sugar, sugar, and more sugar helped along by a few other key ingredients that turn it into a kind of rolled icing.  This traditional wedding cake gloss holds its form.  It is fabulous for sculpting things like the pretty pink roses and green leaves on our cake.

I'd say our guests loved it.  At the end of the night we asked for the leftovers.  All that remained was the smallest top tier.  In my conspiracy theorist head, I began suspecting the club might be serving my carrot cake for desert the next day. So I spent the next few days making phone calls, confirming cake consumption with my guests.  Turns out some like it so much, they ate it twice!

Still trying to figure out what happened to the roast beast though!

Not a party 'till something breaks?

Does a fractured foot count? My pal S danced so hard, she fractured her foot at our Friday night wedding.  This is her cast.  These are her crutches. 

She calls it 'the price of love'. She's a particularly good sport. She'll never forget our event.

S, if you're reading, my offer to feed, clothe and drive you around still stands. 

Oh, and A (who pulled a muscle in her left thigh also killing it on the dance floor), I can rent you some crutches...

Heal fast my friends...love may hurt, but seriously, not this much!

This wedding is our wedding, this wedding is your wedding. This wedding was made for you and me.

The flowers were perfect, the cake was divine.  The dress fit just right.  The girls at MAC can turn a frog into a princess.  The girls at Blo gave us film star hair from just about every era.  A looked like CoCo Chanel,  C looked like Bo Derek and they did a pretty good Audrey on me.

There is so much to say, and so much to write. From the most subtle details, to the surprises -- like a DVD called 'Smile and Nod: Marriage Advice from the Pros'. 

As we run to be with family and friends once more, I just wanted to say thank you - for reading my posts and for traveling this path with me.

There really is so much more to come - so many great deals to share, and moments to celebrate.

More to come!

Lots to blush about this morning

Last night I experienced the Rolls Royce of bridal showers.  There's even a BFB cocktail now:  vanilla vodka, granny smith apple, lemon, vanilla sugar and thyme.  It was created by Best Woman M's husband's brother -- a bartender and cocktail artist in Germany. 

Perhaps it's a function of getting married at 38.  I am surrounded by sophisticated, accomplished women, who know how to throw a party.  Best Woman C has raised the bar to soaring, new heights.  S is just the hostess with the mostest.

No male stripper, no embarrassing games.  Just the finest nibbles, best whistle wetters, most ingenious and  craftiest touches (flower pots blooming with images of Jeff and me over the course of our lives).

The theme was more 'me' than I could have thunk up.  Most of the gifts are consumable, and personal.  Each guest brought a bottle of great wine, and a favourite family recipe, written on a card, with one or two key ingredients.  The Lucky Spring Roll recipe came with the wonton wrappers and vermicelli.  B's blue cheese burger recipe, came complete with Cashel Irish Blue.  I went home with close to 20 bottles of great wine, and even a thong, thanks to my sassy new mother in law!

There isn't much that takes my breath away.  But a room full of my Women of Influence, leaves me speechless.

Blessed and highly favoured

Two days to go according to the registry countdown. This is the whirl wind.

Three airport pick ups yesterday were followed by dinner with my new in laws.  It is an extraordinary thing to look around the table at ten people who've flown in from across the country, to raise that proverbial glass to you.

Through this whole process, and now at two days before, Jeff and I have been almost overwhelmed by offers of assistance.  From slicing tomatoes and flipping burgers at tomorrow's BBQ, to dropping off the boys for their sturgeon fishing adventure in Langley this morning.  My friend A has even offered to loan me her wedding dress.  I actually may take her up on that. Mine went in for a quick steam at the cleaners last week.  It was supposed to be ready yesterday.  Today I was told, 'tomorrow for sure'.

And then there are the truly unexpected gestures that have literally taken my breath away.  On Saturday night, I was going to visit Best Woman C, to hang out with pals S and L for some last singleton cocktails.  I was in C's Yaletown pad for less than 10 minutes, when someone emerged, unexpectedly from the bathroom.  C arranged to fly Best Woman M in two days early, so we could hang out together.  Here I thought I'd be the one full of surprises, at the airport two days later to greet M.

On Monday night, pal S dropped over two CD's - compilations we'll play when the band takes breaks Friday night.  So generous of her and savvie husband W to take the time, think of wedding appropriate hits, and put it all together.  We never expected the two CD's to come bound in special cases, with my wedding dress detail on the cover!

And today, with one final dose of cosmetic acupuncture to stimulate my epidurmis and make me glow for my walk down the aisle,  I am sent home with a really, really lovely bottle of Grey Monk sparkling brut.

Truly 'blessed and highly favoured', as Uncle M might say.

Please make me look like Audrey...

When I was a kid, I had a mild obsession with Anne Frank.  As an adult, I turned to Audrey Hepburn.  For my wedding I want her updo. 'That', says the sweet little stylist I'm test driving the hair with, 'requires serious back comb'.

The hair as you see it in this photo, is obviously not the final product, but the process about half way through.

In the end, at $150 between the consultation and the actual day, the hair will not be my most frugal moment.  But I've never had a proper updo before, or at least one that made it to the function. I did have all the curls and pins and updone details for high school prom.  What I didn't have was the courage to tell the stylist I hated her creation, so I pulled the do down, pin by pin, the moment I stepped out of the salon.

So I'm going for it again. This time, gratefully, I was very pleasantly surprised at the consultation.  38 bobby pins that partially dug into my scalp kept all hairs backcombed and in place.  I'm pretty sure the final product had its own personality, and could stand on its own for days.  It was so big by the end of the audition, we contemplated hiding snacks in there in case I got hungry. There was some debate as to whether the updo was a bit severe, and should be styled partly up, partly down.  But I've now vetoed that.  My Little Sister Heather (bridesmaid number 4), thought it looked an awful lot like a mullet.

So on Friday, my four bridesmaids, two flower girls and I, have a date with the salon at 2pm.  We can bring a little bottle for sipping, and finger foods to absorb the nerves. 

This is one of those special rituals I think is worth the bucks.  Really it's only the Bridal Hair that's a little pricey.  All others are $55 for updo, $33 for blow out, and $21 for girls under 14. 

This one's on me.