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Novia Mia launches their Winter 2012 Collection

No me preguntes si te amo,
porque esa pregunta me ofende,
si pudiera colocar moneda sobre moneda
para hacer una torre de todo lo que siento,
créeme llegaría hasta el cielo.

Verdades (Anónimo)

Shopping for a wedding gown is such an important part of the planning process that it means even more when you find a salon that treats you as special as you deserve to feel. Novia Mia is a beautiful, Calgary based bridal salon, featuring custom made bridal gowns and evening wear, that offers specialized one-on-one service for brides who are looking for some extra attention to detail.

Novia Mia recently released their 2012 collection of gowns and we are so excited about them! What’s so wonderful about a custom made wedding dress is that it is made 100% to fit your body. Whether your body type flatters long and lean or curve hugging , above are two examples of their beautiful gowns. These dresses have intricate and detailed beadwork, just an example of how dedicated these ladies are to their brides! Stunning gowns that are made with love and detail. We’ve posted some of our favourites below and a few snaps we took from The Wedding Fair in January!

Image via Novia Mia Facebook Page, Photograph by Cassie's Camera

Image via Novia Mia Facebook Page, Photograph by Cassie's Camera

Image via Novia Mia Facebook Page, Photograph by Cassie's Camera

Filed Under: Blog, Posts by Alix

Novia Mia’s 2012 Bridal Collection, shot by Cassie’s Camera

A wedding dress says so much about a bride and how she has dreamed of her big day – old Hollywood glamour, romantic and royal, sophisticated and sexy, or prim and proper. Some people even say that the entire wedding starts with that dress – the shape, the size, the flow, the feel. It is casual, it is high society, is it modest? Many wedding planners start their conversations with “What does your dress look like?” because rarely is a bride at a loss for words when describing her wedding dress.

Once again, we’re so proud to feature the custom, original dress designs of the ladies at Novia Mia Bridal. Their 2012 collection is diverse and beautiful, and there is a dress for every style of bride. From cropped cocktail style to layers and layers of ruffles and long trains, each dress is customizable and brides can add their own unique details to make each dress perfectly theirs.

This shoot was put together by a team, featuring Carena of Hair by Heer, Cassandra of Vicked Beauty and the lovely Cassie of Cassie’s Camera, who’s photographic talents you see below. It can be very challenging putting together wedding shoots, gathering the right collaborators, finding the right locations and accessories and not to mention all the logistical planning – Cassie and her team did an amazing job. To see the full post, with over 40 photos, check out Cassie’s blog post here!

Filed Under: Blog, Posts by Alix

On the Edge of Forever: Silvertip Resort

Sometimes it seems that golf clubs and weddings were born to be together. Does that sound weird? Maybe a little – but really, when you think about it, they complement each other so well, kinda like you and your honey, non? Perfectly manicured gardens, top chefs, pristine views, privacy and big open dining areas, dreamy for a reception space. It’s true that many new golf courses are having their clubhouses built with wedding season in mind.

Silvertip Resort is a favourite of Calgary wedding planners. Their stunning views are of epic proportions and their beautiful reception venue is a blank slate. With the ability to bring in all of your own decor means that the world of wedding creativity is your oyster! Whether it’s a wedding for 25 or 250, Silvertip can do plated or buffet meals, indoor or outdoor, tented or open air. It’s whatever your heart desires!

Image courtesy Silvertip Resort, courtesy Scott Gage Photography

Silvertip Resort is a first choice for many brides and grooms with in the city and I can easily see why. I got a chance to chat with Wanda Shaw of Silvertip about how a bride goes about securing one of Alberta’s most sought after venues, and few details that are good to consider when thinking about booking a golf course for your big day!

How many weddings a year does Silvertip host? Currently, Silvertip Resort has 110 weddings for 2012!

How far in advance should brides come in to take a tour and possible book? To ensure that they get the date that they want, they should be looking at least 1 ½ years in advance for larger guest lists (over 100) and up to 6 months out for small parties.

Image via Silvertip Resort, Courtesy Orange Girl Photography

Are the groom and his groomsmen able to golf that morning and get ready at the club?

Silvertip Resort does not have accommodations at this time and there is not a place for the men (or ladies) to get ready. Most get ready at the hotel where they are staying. Depending on the timing for the ceremony, there would be time for them to get a round of golf in the morning of. A typical round takes approximately 4 ¾ hours.

Image via Silvertip Resort, courtesy Orange Girl Photography

How large a wedding can Silvertip accommodate? Our maximum is 250 guests.

How many ceremony site and reception options do you have? Silvertip has one outdoor ceremony location and our ceremony times are 11 am, 2 pm & 5 pm. We have 7 function rooms in total and can accommodate parties of 2 -250.

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Article, Posts by Alix

Personal touches – with the help of professionals

Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads which sew people together through the years. That is what makes a marriage last.

Simone Signoret

There have been some great posts out lately predicting the biggest 2012 wedding trends. It’s so much fun going through, but I always find it difficult to get on board that train and make an entire list of predictions! Maybe it’s because I comb through so many weddings, maybe it’s because I know so many amazing girls who have gotten married the last year, I guess I won’t even give myself enough wedding credit to make any sweeping predictions.

But here there is one trend that I think will last into 2012 and that’s hand made weddings. You see a lot of photos of hand made weddings and it seems to be about more than just a picture perfect wedding – its about those small imperfections that stand out. Personal touches seem to make guests exhale and relax a little – it says that you, as a bride, don’t take yourself all that seriously.

Many brides spend hours upon hours putting personal touches on their wedding – and there are just as many wedding planners who take their projects and make their dreams into a reality. Building an entire wedding with a handmade look is an enormous task, but planners are professionals – they know exactly what little touches will create just the right look and feel . Taking on too much without a trusted wedding professional by your side is a big task, and even the most organized and dedicated brides can use a little help.

There are tons of projects to tackle if you want to add a little extra to your big day – like home made jam as favours, hand written place cards, hand picked flowers for your centre pieces or even small jars filled with buttons, rocks, beads or grains to accent your table settings. Think small if you’re doing it all by yourself – your wedding is a big enough task in itself!

It seems that rustic and vintage have all but been lost in the wind but I feel like hand made touches might something that lasts…

Image via SimplySavannahEvents.blogspot.com

Image via Modernly Wed

A few more great sewn invitations from Modernly Wed

Image via Etsy

An amazing paper chandelier! Look at that – just strips of paper, drapped – love it.

Image via Green Wedding Shoes

Image via TheKnot.com

Filed Under: Blog, Posts by Alix

Raining Flowers: Floral Bridal Shower!

A weed is but an unloved flower.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Floral patterns are all the rage this year – we’re seeing them as cute prints on dresses, belts, shoes, shorts, headbands and purses. Calgary brides and bridesmaids are embracing the beauty that is Spring in more than just their vases and gardens, and I, personally can’t get enough of it!

We’re heading right into the thick of Bridal Shower Season, so today we’re looking at some easy and cute details that can add the trendy floral touch to your Spring celebration!

Although we all love a good drink now and then, sometimes it’s hard to rally yourself for an early afternoon cocktail, especially after you’ve slept in. So for your guests who may not be mimosa happy at 1pm, why not dress up your non-alcoholic beverages to be just as charming and fun ? Love this sparkling juice with this sprig as a sweet added touch! Pick sparkling lemon, grape fuit and grape juice as your options, and buy some sprigs that match accordingly.

In my house – my side tables are different from my coffee table, which is totally different from my dining table, which is naturally different from my buffet. Don’t even get me started on my kitchen. So why not matchy-match things together with table clothes? A great way to lighten up the room and make things a little more unified! Floral table clothes are actually an insanely simple DIY – head to your local thrift store and look for fabric or drapes in a floral pattern, and do a basic hem around the edge. And totally brag about them at the party if you made them.

This is a rather ingenious idea – so adorable, and I think you could even make a gluten free version! This is a flower pot desserts and it’s made of cookie crumbs, cake and ice cream, topped off with a silk version of your favourite flower! Delicious, tasty, adorable, memorable and seriously impressive!

Of course, we had to give Martha a shout out in this post. Flowers + bridal shower = completely Martha’s turf. So we’re sharing these really cute tissue wrapped favours, which are most likely a sweet smelling candle, but the tissue is done up to be a sweet little flower. Okay, Martha. You win.

So here’s another ridiculously cute favour idea – little tiny viles of lavender. Anything lavender you know I’m obsessed with / love, so I’m going to try not to focus on it but really. So cute. The tags are adorable too – did you know you can have a custom made stamp done up? Most print shops can do those, and they cost about $25. You design your stamp on your computer (I usually use Word or Paint, because I’m a computer genius) to draw up the design and then email them the JPG or PDF. A personalized little tag like this is such a sweet touch!