LAGO: A Gem on the Rideau Canal

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm really HUGE on customizing each wedding to suit the couple I'm working with. But Ottawa, for the most-part, is extremely conservative. There seems to be a tendency to shy away from change, from reinvention, from pushing the envelope. Which is especially frustrating for me as I spent most of my adult years living in Toronto where "Anything Goes". I'm always inspired when I meet a vendor or a bride who seeks to be different, to be daring, and who seeks to create something truly special!

Some venues I've run into portray the typical conservative mentality. If you ask your venue manager how a "typical" wedding would run from start to finish at their location they should NOT be able to give you an answer. The answer should be, "We don't have a typical structure. Every wedding is unique and we help build a day based on the client's vision". Or something to that effect.

When I asked Catherine Landry, Promotional Sales Rep at LAGO, this question she looked at me like I had four eyes... then she gave me the answer I wanted (along with a very long list of how a wedding could be fabulously unique given all of the special qualities of the venue).

Imagine a couple paddling up to the restaurant in a kayak, or biking up the trail on a tandem bike. The beautiful patio off the second floor Vista Room could allow guests a unique opportunity to watch the couple taking photos across the canal during cocktail hour while the couple would still feel the privacy of a secluded photo session amongst the beautiful trees and gardens that surround the canal.

How about a ceremony in the park, or for those more adventurous couples, what about taking your vows on a paddle boat out in front of the Pavilion while guests watch on from land? With Juliana Park, The Experimental Farm, and the Rideau Canal literally steps away the possibilities are endless. If you're not a typical "Ottawa" personality you'll really appreciate the potential.

This stylish seating area located in the restaurant on the first level could be closed off for a private bachelorette party.

The venue itself is fabulously unique from the shape of the Vista Room to the modern industrial feel of the decor. That, paired with super-chic lounge-style seating and tables, creates a high-end atmosphere that trendy couples will certainly appreciate.

I'd like to extend a huge thanks to Catherine and Gyneya for my "Day Away". It was truly refreshing to meet a couple more like-minded individuals in this city.

Are you a unique bride? Maybe LAGO is the place for you... check them out soon, though, because although they only opened their doors last July word is spreading fast and availability is limited.

Happy Planning!

Sophie

Coverall Event Coordination

Trends 2009: Vintage

[Photo Courtesy of Rosie Parsons]

The fabulous thing about vintage is that pretty much anything that is old and outmoded fits the bill. Vintage is characterized as mature or as carrying an enduring appeal; classic, if you will. So vintage is not quite as boxed in as one may think. A 1920s vintage wedding would look very different from a 1950s vintage affair. Both are vintage nonetheless.

I dug up some fantastic images from some of the hottest wedding blogs to demonstrate the beauty of this trend. Classic for sure!

[Photo Courtesy of The Bridal Wishlist]

[Photo Courtesy of Elizabeth Anne Designs]

[Photo Courtesy of Bliss Tree]

Sophie

Coverall Event Coordination

Sandals, Jamaica

As many of you may remember Cindy recently took off to Jamaica for a week to check out some of the Sandals and Beaches Resorts first hand. After a week of touring the island, eating the food, and experiencing everything Sandals has to offer Cindy has returned and wanted to share her experience with you. The photo below is one of Cindy and four other WPIC Certified Wedding Planners (Cindy's the one laughing, so typical). Enjoy!

Destination weddings are on the rise! With an increase of 400%, more and more couples are opting for a destination wedding to avoid a long engagement and a large expense. On average a destination wedding will cost you $4,000.00, a measly penny compared to $20-25,000.00 for a traditional wedding.

I was recently given a great opportunity (thanks to Sophie’s oh-so-convenient due date) to become a certified Destination Wedding Planner while touring one of the world's greatest wedding destinations - Sandals resorts in Jamaica! Not only did I get to see everything first-hand, I got to experience the resorts, the rooms, the beaches, the service, and the food...(oh the food!) just as a couple would experience it all.


Pictures never do justice. If you think you love the pictures you see when you look at Sandals Whitehouse, or Sandals Royal Carribean, or Sandals Dunn’s River Villagio, or Sandals Negril, or Sandals Montego Bay, or even Sandals Grande Ocho Rios, just wait until you see it in person you will literally fall in love. Sandals is all about the love, their motto “Love is all you need” definitely transfers from the loving welcome you get as soon as you arrive, right down to the kissing swans surrounded by flower petals on your luxurious mahogany king size bed.

Nothing is perfect, of course, and I feel that it's my responsibility to warn you that you may lose some muscle mass while you’re away; I think the heaviest thing I lifted over the course of the week was a fork.

I took so much away from the trip that it would be overwhelming to list every detail that make these resorts so fantastic. I've narrowed the details down to the top three things that I want you to know about Sandals.

1. Personalization

Sandals staff always seems to go that extra mile to ensure that your experience is a personal one. For a returning couple, you will walk to your door to find balloons with the message “Welcome Home” written on them. You then walk into your luxurious room to find that someone has taken the time to create a “Welcome Home” collage on your bed in island leaves and tropical flower petals. It’s absolutely beautiful and definitely welcoming.

2. The Service

Gone are the days of "all inclusive"; say hello to "luxury inclusive". Where else can you go and say the you had a butler for the duration of your honeymoon vacation? The service you receive from the Sandals staff is something else. I can say with a fair amount of certainty that you will leave Sandals with a few staff friends. You can expect to be called by name, get some hugs, and even a joke here and there. On one of our stops our bus driver asked, “Would you believe me if I told you I could drink this bottle of beer without even opening it?", "No" we replied, "how would you do that?", the driver shrugged and responded, "I would ask you to open it”. Hahaha!

Not only are you treated like royalty but you’re treated like family. What a marvelous combination!

3. The Sandals Foundation

Sandals has developed a foundation designed to give back to the community. Their focus: community, education and environment. In a country where poverty, educational underachievement, and access to health care services are just a few issues faced by the people, the Sandals Foundation is doing their part. To date they've built computer labs, community centres, and organized free health clinics and training programs. They've also awarded millions of dollars in community scholarships and adopted 26 schools to ensure that they are maintained and that students are getting a proper education. To protect the environment they've developed beach clean-up programs and marine parks designed to balance the marines ecosystem through better fishing practices.

For me, this was definitely a big draw. If you would like to know more about the Sandals Foundation or to make a donation, please visit: http://www.sandalsfoundation.org

There is so much more to tell and if you want more information about Sandals or if you want to discuss other wedding destinations feel free to send me an email at cindy@coverallevents.com. I would be more than happy to help you with your destination planning needs.

Cindy

Wedding Planner
Coverall Event Coordination

Coverall Interview on AM 1220

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to give you all a heads up that on Monday, May 4 I will have the pleasure of speaking with Mr. John Bolton on his morning show Cornwall Today. We'll be discussing the climate of today's wedding industry and I'll be dishing out some valuable tips to help couples prepare for their big day.

You can catch the show Monday morning between 8:30 and 9:00.

I hope you'll all tune in!

Cheers,

Sophie

Coverall Event Coordination

Coverall Seeks Motivated Individual For Internship Position

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen!

As we head into our busiest wedding season yet we've now begun looking for someone to join the Coverall team for our summer and fall weddings. We've received numerous requests about this position over the past few months and we're now ready to find Mr. or Ms. Right!

We've listed the personal qualities and position requirements below and once we've narrowed down our choices we'll hold interviews with a few candidates before making our decision. Please take note that this is an unpaid internship; your reward for joining our team will be the valuable knowledge and experience you gain and the industry professionals you encounter along the way.

Personal Qualities

- Integrity

- Energy

- Self-discipline and the ability to work with little supervision

- Ability to take direction

- Ability to work in a team environment

- Ability to make clear and concise decisions

- A love of working with people

- A genuine desire to learn, to create, and to help others

- WPIC Certification and/or Event Management training/experience is considered an asset but is not necessary to be considered for the position


Position Details and Requirements

- This is an unpaid internship position.

- Between meetings, weddings, research, and general administrative work the position will require between 150 and 200 hours of the candidate's time.

- The successful candidate must have reliable transportation and be able to travel to locations up to 1 hour outside of the Ottawa area.

- The candidate must be willing to sign both an Internship Agreement and a Client Privacy Agreement.

- This position will include the following:

• Learning and adhering to the company's policies;
• Attending meetings which may be held during the day, evenings, or on weekends;
• Long hours (up to 12 hours on a wedding day, most of which will be spent on your feet);
• Some heavy lifting;
• Researching industry trends, seeking out local industry news, and potentially contributing to the company blog; and
• Additional research and administrative tasks as assigned.

How to Apply:

- Please apply by email to sophie@coverallevents.com with the subject: INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY.

- Your application must include the following:

• Your current CV
• A cover letter (can be provided as an attachment or in the body of the email itself)
• A short paragraph on why you are interested in the Wedding Planning industry and what you hope to gain from this experience (this can be incorporated into the cover letter but should be clearly identifiable)

THIS COMPETITION CLOSES ON SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2009 - CANDIDATES UNDER CONSIDERATION WILL BE CONTACTED AFTER THAT DATE TO ARRANGE AN INTERVIEW.

PLEASE NOTE: If you have already submitted your resume in recent months you must resubmit and provide all of the information required in one email. Only submissions meeting the requirements outlined above will be considered (this is a very detail-oriented position so details will be taken into consideration at every step of the process).

Please let me know if you have any questions about this opportunity.

Best of luck to you all!

Regards,

Sophie
Coverall Event Coordination

Wedding Mapper Launches Their New Site

Wedding Mapper has just launched their great new website. The new site is easier to navigate than the old one and the new colour scheme is fantastic!

The site still offers the same great FREE services they used to (like allowing you to create a complete wedding map to send to all your guests) and they've tossed in a couple of really great new features such as the Advice Section where you can read tips from experts and talk wedding with other brides and local couples.

I personally love this site for couples who are either planning a wedding from another city or for couples who expect a lot of out-of-town guests. The site allows you to pin-point all of your wedding location details (such as ceremony location, reception location, hotels, airports, etc.) AND you can narrow down some local attractions and points of interest for guests who will be looking for other things to do during their stay.

This new site makes the whole process easier than ever and your guests will definitely appreciate it.

Happy Mapping!

Sophie

Coverall Event Coordination

Trends 2009: Bow Ties

[Photo courtesy of Red Apple Images ]

Along with the rise in beautiful vintage style weddings is a definite lean toward the oh-so-classic bow tie. Marry the bow tie with a funky pair of dress socks for a really fun look.

[Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Anne Designs]

Happy Planning!

Sophie

Coverall Event Coordination