Natasha & Wayne

A beautiful September day marked the wedding of Natasha & Wayne. It was a beautiful day. Natasha was stunning in her gown, Wayne looked great all dressed up and their kidlets looked so cute in their wedding outfits too.

The ceremony was at the lovely Fifth Avenue United and reception at the fabulous Desert Blume Golf Club. The photographer for the day was Renee Michiel from Flare Photography. I have been looking forward to working with her for so long and it was great! Renee posted a great blog about the wedding here and here. I borrowed some photos from her (with her permission) and will post more when I get them.

Congratulations Wayne & Natasha. It was a joy working on your wedding with you and sharing in your day.

Stationery all provided by Noteworthy Designs
Wayne designed a great faux mantel to highlight the fireplace. With the monograms, candles and flowers it look phenomenal!
Here is the talented Renee and I at the end of a very long day!

Photo Shoot

On Friday I had the opportunity to get some photos done for my website. Rachel at Madchen Studios here in Medicine Hat has been doing some product photos for my stationery lines and also did some of myself for my site. I can't wait to see them!! I had a great time seeing her studio setup and chatting with her....until.... I got bit!!

We did our studio shots and then were heading to an outdoor location for a great background. We were all set up ready to go and a bee (or a wasp - I really have no clue and cannot tell the difference) went in Rachel's hair. We swatted it out then it went in mine and got it out right away too. Phew. Or so I thought. Then it bit me. Little bugger. Right on my upper arm on the inside. At first it hurt, but just like getting a needle. There were two stingers in my arm and I could get one out, then used my tweezers (from my wedding emergency kit - see - it always comes in handy!!) to get the other one out. It wasn't as bad as I remember...until later.

The next day I woke up to a great big red ball on my arm. Then as the day progressed - it got bigger (in covering my arm and in swollen-ness). It covered like half my arm and was so itchy. Anyways, it is now going back down (back to the size of Saturday morning) and feeling better (3 days later!). So yes, I felt bad for myself and got my husband too as well.

Here is my favorite part (I hope I can share this part!). Rachel's son came to the outdoor location with us to help hold the reflector (is that what it is called?!?). He informed me that he was getting paid to do this (he is six - did I mention that?? And so super cute!). Then after I got bit, I gave up and said we were done (and none of us wanted to stay around there any longer anyways). He asked his mom (Rachel) "umm, do I still get paid for this?" It was so cute. Loved it. Took a little bit of the pain away!

Can't wait to see Rachel's photos. Check out her blog too - love her work!!

I took some photos of my arm - wanna see? It probably looks quite lame, but it hurt!! And still does. I'll get back to our regular schedule this week - we were in Calgary for a Sunday wedding (great wedding, despite the bad weather - snow, rain and mud!).

The morning after the sting - not too bad.
This was the afternoon the day after the sting - but it got much bigger and wrapped around my arm and was really puffy.

Manners Monday

So this one goes out to all wedding GUESTS! Sometimes I think the guests need more etiquette advice than the couple!

My number one word of advice...RSVP on time and in the manner asked! I have seen many couples and my clients who has provided an RSVP card (including postage, self addressed, etc) and still have to follow up with replies. It doesn't take a guest long to check off yes or no, write their name and sometimes choose what they will eat and then pop it in the mail. Done. Took all of 5 minutes, but saved a ton of time and stress on the couple.

Arrive on time. That one should go without saying, but the couple (and coordinator) has done a fabulous job on getting the timeline right and trying to be on time for their ceremony. There are the times that the bride and maids are all ready to walk down the aisle, but alas, they are still waiting for the late guests who arrived to find a seat.

Read who is invited on the invite. If your invitation is addressed to the Jones Family, for example, then yes, kids are invited. If it is addressed to Mr. & Mrs. Jones - no, the kids are not invited. It is considered bad etiquette if you ask if you can bring your child/ children when it isn't clear on the invite.

This one is overlooked often, but etiquette suggests not bringing your gift to the reception. Ideally, you could have it sent prior to, or better yet, after the wedding. It relieves the stress of who is getting the gifts home. If you are unable to attend the wedding, it is still nice if you sent a gift.

Overall, enjoy the wedding and celebrating the new marriage of the couple! You have been invited to share a very special day with this couple and honor them in their new life together. What a great gift to be a part of!

Why Do I Do What I Do?

How many "do's" can you put in a title? Anyways, onto the purpose of this post.

Yesterday was a great reminder for me and one of the many reasons I am a Wedding Coordinator. I was at a tasting with a client (and no, although that is definitely a perk of my job, not a main reason!). The venue manager asked my client if they were stressed and the bride answered "no, I've got Laura for that!". It's true! One of the benefits with having a coordinator is we worry about the details and getting things done (with the bride & groom, of course).

I was so elated to hear that they weren't stressed and that they were enjoying the wedding planning process - the way it is supposed to be! Plus I am super excited for their wedding - cannot wait!!

Madchen Studios

I was doing my regular daily blog surfing checks to see what has been updated, etc and imagine my surprise when I visited a wonderful local photographer highlight Noteworthy Designs on her site. How kind!! I was so surprised to see Rachel blog about our past visit and link to my site. See it here.

Rachel does some amazing photography and has a blog that she updates regularly. Check her out at Madchen Studios.

Photo taken from Rachel's blog.

Brides Unveiled Photos

It came and went and now I have some photos to share. Thank you to all the brides (and grooms!) who stopped by our booth to say hi and learn more about Noteworthy Designs. We had a great time meeting people and finding out about your weddings. There are so many ways Noteworthy Designs can help you, so we encourage couples to book a free consultation to find out how Noteworthy Designs can help make your event noticed!

This is me, Laura bright and early at our booth.



That's our portfolio in the front and our emergency kit is what you see in the back. It always comes in handy - I had to use it a couple times yesterday! Thank goodness I have it with me at all events.



Our display as a whole



This is Tanis who helps us at Noteworthy Designs. It was great having her there yesterday and being a part of the team. Thanks Tanis!

Brides Unveiled 2008

It's nearly here!! The Brides Unveiled Spring Bridal Show 2008. If you are in Medicine Hat (and area) and getting married, come check out some great vendors, ideas and services for your own wedding. It is presented by Magical Occasions and is one day only!

Sunday January 13, 2008
10am - 5pm at The Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede - Cypress Centre

You definately don't want to miss it. Noteworthy Designs will be there and would love to meet you. Come by to find out how to get a free 1 hour consultation to find out how Noteworthy Designs can help you plan an 'event that gets noticed'.

See you there!

It's Done!

Today was the Welcome Wagon Bridal Showcase for Medicine Hat. I got home a couple hours ago and was anxious to post a couple photos. I had a great time, and Meghan was my assistant for the day (but I just realized, I don't have a photo of her!) - thanks Meghan for all your help and support carrying everything and doing all that you did!

It was great to meet a bunch of brides and chat a little bit about their weddings. So fun! There were lots of great booths and other vendors that I got to meet as well. Here are some photos.

This is me (Laura) at our booth just before all the brides and their guests entered.


This was our view of the fashion show from our booth - look at those great chinese lanterns - The Design Room was the decorator for this event.

Bridal Showcase 2007

It's nearly here! The Welcome Wagon Bridal Showcase for Medicine Hat is this Sunday September 30 at The Medicine Hat Lodge. Noteworthy Designs will be there...will you?!? Come by and say "hi".

If you are a bride and want to come, click here to register. My tip for you - get ready for some fun, great ideas and wear good shoes.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Fire in Medicine Hat

This morning, Medicine Hat had a fairly large fire in our small downtown. I believe there were two buildings that were destroyed and one of them was home to one of the only wedding gown boutiques in our city! There was lots of damage from what I have heard and many brides lost their dresses in the fire as the store holds them until close to the wedding. How sad and stressful for the brides!

I wish that I had cleaned my dress after our wedding (a couple years ago!) and that it was with me here instead of Calgary. If it was, I would be all over lending it out to whoever it would work for! Facebook has started a cool group Medicine Hat Emergency Wedding Dress Swap to try and connect dresses that are sitting in a closet to brides who are in need.

A few photos taken from The Medicine Hat News website.