Strike a Pose!

Last night, Colin and I had an engagement photo session in the Distillery District. Our photographer started off by giving us a "crash course" in fashion photography. He gave us tips on how to pose, what to do with our hands, where to look etc. Colin is quite the natural model. He was very suave and cool when he posed for the camera. I, on the other hand, felt a bit awkward and at times, thought some of my poses were a bit exaggerated. I guess we'll have to see how the photos turn out (2-3 weeks). But overall, I appreciated how our photographer directed the session. I also appreciated how our photographer saved us $175. Apparently, you need a permit to take photos in the Distillery District but our photographer knew how to get away without paying for one. We took photos in several areas of the Distillery District he knew would be safe and it wasn't until the very end of our photo session that a security guard told us to stop taking photos.

Licensed to Get Married

I took today off work to take care of a bunch of wedding-related errands, including picking up our marriage license at Toronto's City Hall. We were originally going to get the license in Ottawa but the City of Ottawa charges a fee of $145 compared to the City of Toronto 's fee at $130. I'm not sure what is the reason for the $15 difference; but with wedding costs starting to add up, every penny counts and it is important to save where we can.

I arrived at City Hall in the afternoon and quickly found the Registry Services office. There was a small line-up so I had to wait but not too long. While I was waiting, I couldn't help but notice there were a lot of same-sex couples getting marriage licenses, including one couple who came from the US. I thought that was really nice. Anyway, after a few minutes, it was my turn. I dealt with a very serious-looking clerk. He reviewed my form, checked the IDs and then informed me that the marriage license was $400. I said, "Excuse me? Are you pulling my leg?" Then he replied (still with a very serious look), "Yes." I still wasn't sure whether he was joking. I asked, "It's $130, right?". And he replied, "Yes." If he had said no, then I would have just simply walked out and gone back to Ottawa. What a weirdo.

88 = Lucky

I went to Pacific Mall today with Colin's Mom and we were able to snag a "lucky" deal. I ended up getting a traditional-looking Chinese wedding gown for the lucky price of $88 (no tax). I say "traditional-looking" because apparently, it is still not the real thing...even with the 3/4 sleeves. And of course, none of my non-traditional picks were acceptable. So, I compromised. After browsing through a couple of stores, I finally tried on two dresses at one store. The dresses actually fit quite nicely; no alterations required. While I was in the fitting room, Colin's mom started to negotiate with the sales guy. She had gotten the price dropped from $130 to $100. I said that maybe we should just keep looking. The guy basically told us that if we left, then the deal was off. But maybe he could offer us more of a bargain: $90? Well, $90 was better but Colin's mom still didn't like the number. As you know, "8" is a lucky number. She asked if we could get a better price. And that's how we snagged the lucky deal of $88. Of course, we had to pay in cash. The purchase cleaned out my wallet because I only had $70 in cash. So, I had to borrow $20 from Colin's mom. :P

My First Dress Fitting

Colin and I left Ottawa at 5am this morning and arrived back in Toronto just in time for my first dress fitting. The dress fits just as nicely as I remembered. The only alterations required is shortening the hem and creating the bustle. I wore the heels that I was planning to wear with the dress so that the hem would be accurate. However, while the seamstress pinned my hem, they were starting to pinch my feet. I am definitely going to have to wear them in before the actual wedding day. Unfortunately, my veil didn't come in yet so we couldn't see the whole effect. I scheduled a second fitting for the end of June. And then I am told I would have to come in for one final fitting. How many fittings does a bride really need?

A Follow-up Note Regarding Round 1 Invitations

As you may recall from an earlier post, I was facing a guest list dilemma. I would love to invite everybody on my half of the list to both the ceremony and reception, but it is just impossible. My family is too big!!! So, in order to maximize the space at the ceremony site, we are distributing two rounds of invitations. That way, I can find out who from my half of the list cannot make it to the ceremony, so that I can extend the invitation to someone else. In an effort to be fair, I have distributed my Round 1 invitations to my immediate family and first level of extended family (i.e. my parents' brothers and sisters and their families). So, to my friends and second cousins who might be expecting an invite, don't despair if you haven't received anything yet. There is just a slight delay until I have a better idea on actual numbers for the ceremony.

Wedding Invitations are on their way!!!

Denise and I spent the weekend preparing the invitations. Well, the maps have been cropped, the labels have been printed, the envelopes have been stuffed and sealed!

The first round of invitations are now on their way! For some, the surprise will be in your mailbox, for others, they will be hand delivered.

Please R.S.V.P as indicated in the invitations to help us better plan our special day.

Thanks so much!

Custom Wedding Band

Some of you may know, I've been pondering getting a custom wedding band for quite a while. The reasons are as follows:

- Why does the bride-to-be get the diamond engagement ring and all I get is a ball and chain?
- Why does the bride-to-be get to have to get the diamond wedding band? A plain wedding band is still nice.... what do you mean I have no style?!
- Okay, if you can get the diamond wedding band, at least I want a small stone in my band.

Well, I've found the ring that I was trying to design... Here it is!!!

Hehe... All joking aside, I've been told that I am not representing myself enough in blog postings. Well, I haven't been coasting in our wedding preparations. Quite the contrary, I've been doing the behind the scenes work again. Upcoming changes include our RSVP page as wedding invitations are sent. Tomorrow, we'll be stuffing the envelops and licking the stamps (for those that will be hand delivered, it will be a proverbial stamp).

Wedding Cakes are Works of Art

The wedding cake is the next item we need to take care of. I did a quick search on the internet to get some ideas and there seems to be endless possibilities. Some of them were quite elaborate like the one in the photo below.

I thought this one was very cute. Just like a Tiffany's jewellery box.

I thought the mini wedding cakes were also a neat idea. Slightly different than the current wedding cupcake trend right now.

Although these ideas are amazing, Colin and I will probably select something more simple and classic. We have a pretty good idea what we want but I'm not going to reveal anymore now. You'll have to wait until the wedding day!

Who's the Bride?

After a meeting at work today, I returned to my desk to find out that my mother had been trying to contact me. She had phoned me at work. She tried phoning me on my cell. And, she sent an email to both my work account and my home account in an effort to track me down. What was the "emergency"? She was anxious to tell me that my wedding gown had arrived. I think my mother was more excited about the arrival of the wedding gown than I am.

In her email, she asked when I would be in Toronto next and to make an appointment for a fitting then. She also kindly informed me that she would be away Victoria Day weekend. I replied and told her that the next time I was going to be in town was actually Victoria Day weekend. I then asked if she wanted me to schedule my appointment for a day when she could make it. She emailed back and asked if I needed her to be there. I told her that I didn't "need" her but that if she wanted to come, I could delay my appointment to the following weekend. She promptly replied yes and told me to make the appointment for 10am. My mother is hilarious. You would think that she's the one getting married and not me.

Early thoughts about the Honeymoon

One common question that Colin and I get asked a lot is "Where are you going on your honeymoon?" To be honest, we have only given it minimal thought as we have been focusing on the actual wedding itself. A number of other questions come to mind: Should we go on a honeymoon immediately after the wedding or delay the honeymoon until the winter? How long should we go for? Should we have a relaxing type of honeymoon or a more active type of honeymoon?

There are two destinations that are next on our list of places to travel to: Greece and Hawaii. The logical next step would be to do a little bit more research about each place, determine which vacation spot interests us more and then take it from there. Some friends have kindly lent us Hawaii for Dummies, which I have been perusing with a lot of interest...But if you have any tips, ideas or advice that could help us make a decision, please feel free to pass it on!

In the meantime, Colin and I need to renew our passports. I'm a little annoyed because my passport expires in June (i.e. before the wedding and possible name change). So, in the event that I legally change name, I'd have to get a new one after that...what a hassle. Maybe we should have gotten married earlier? :P