Cornerstone Events

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2010-04-19T20:11:00.001-07:00

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Staying sane while planning your wedding...

2010-03-27T10:07:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd repost this as wedding season approaches!

1. Dedicate a night for you and your fiance where you don't talk about the wedding. Remember why you got engaged in the first place. Cook dinner at home, open a bottle of wine and just enjoy each other without mention of the big day.

2. So while we recommend setting aside to NOT talk about the wedding, we also recommend setting aside time to talk about the wedding. Make sure your fiance is as in the know as you are. If you hired a wedding planner, make sure they are sitting down to go over your wedding, including the budget.

3. Set and stick to a budget. No matter what the number is you will always be able to spend more. Keep all your receipts and log them in promptly so you always know what youive spent.

4. Pick your top three priorities for the wedding and allocate money accordingly. Is your photography the most important piece of the big day? Or is it the food? Determine what you will not sacrifice on and set aside budget according to those priorities. Better yet, have a wedding planner do that for you and help you find the perfect vendors that are within your budget.

5. Don't sign the first florist you meet. Make sure you do some research on each vendor. It may seem like a lot of work, but ultimately you want to find the right vendors for your big day. Wedding Bells has a great forum where you can see reviews from other brides in your area of specific vendors.

6. Stay organized and keep all documents, receipts, ideas, and all other details in one spot. Purchase a binder and keep all of it together so you know exactly where to find that contract for the DJ when it comes time to pay him.

7. Do things early - hiring a DJ or florist last minute can cost you some big bucks and not to mention stress you out. The more items you check off your list early in the game the better off you'll be. Good venues book up quickly, so unless your budget includes $100 or more per plate, better book one early.

8. Advice - you're going to get a lot of advice from your coworkers to your family to perfect strangers. So what do you do with all this advice, thank them and move on. One person will tell you a wedding gown shop is awful and the next will swear by them, everyone has good and bad experiences, so listen, take notes, but do what's best for you.

9. Guest list drama - the guest list can be a soar spot for couples and their family, but ultimately it's your wedding day. If you haven't spoken to cousin Bob in 5 years, inviting him is up to you. But you want people at your wedding that mean something to you and your fiance. After all they are witnessing one of the most important days of your life. Make sure your family knows that.

10. Ask for help - your friends and family and bridal party are there to help you out. So recruit them to help you address invitations and make your cute favors. Find a wedding planner who includes some of these tasks in their list of services and hand it over. You have better things to do - like visit the spa with your bridesmaids!

Selecting Your Perfect Wedding Colors

2010-03-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

Selecting your wedding colors can sometimes seem like a difficult and daunting task. There are so many great colors and yet only one wedding to plan! So when we found this color quiz on Martha Stewart Weddings, we couldn't wait to share it with brides (and grooms too!)

Pumpkin Pie Martini

2010-01-19T10:04:00.000-08:00

I know I should be blogging about Valentines Day and Spring and Summer weddings, but since I'm also working on a fall wedding for a client, I wanted to post this recipe for a great fall signature drink:

Pumpkin Pie Martini
Mix 1 oz. Vanilla Vodka,
1 oz. pumpkin liqueur,
½ oz. Bailey's Irish Cream,
a splash butterscotch Schnapps and ice

Shake, then pour and sprinkle with ¼ tsp. pumpkin pie spice.
For added "pie" effect,rim the glass with fresh lemon juice and crushed graham crackers.

*source - Simply Creative Insanity

DIY Treat Bags

2010-01-19T09:37:00.000-08:00

What a cute and cleaver idea! These DIY treat "bags" are not only easy to make, but look fabulous. While they were made for Valentines Day, we could easily make these in any color for a wedding, bridal shower, or any other great party favor.

Here are the instructions we got from the site Simply Creative Insanity

What do I need?

8 1/2 x 11 cardstock
small cellophane bags
ribbon
hole punch
candy

What do I do?

1. Cut cardstock to 9 1/2 x 2 3/4
2. Fold as shown in diagram below
3. Fill cellophane bag with candy and fold over twice
4. Place candy bag in the treat bag,positioning the folded top of candy bag inside top of treat bag.
5. Punch two holes through all layers.
6. Tie up with a ribbon

Keeping your Bridesmaids Happy and Fed

2010-01-19T06:30:00.001-08:00

Wedding days go by in a blink of a minute, or so it seems that way on the big day. So keep your bridesmaids and groomsmen happy by making sure they have something to nibble and sip on while you're taking photos.

Keep in mind not to include anything that is oily or can stain your dress, tuxes or your girls dresses. Clear liquids, crackers, grapes, and even finger sandwiches (hold the mustard and mayo!).

Having these snack boxes in the car or limo will help keep your attendants happy and save you time from having to stop through the drive-thru!

*source - Martha Stewart Weddings

Wedding Day Coordination

2010-01-13T19:13:00.000-08:00

So you've dreamt of your dream wedding for months, maybe even years now, and he finally popped the question! Congratulations!! Now the fun begins.

You know what you want, and are fairly organized, so you'd like to plan your wedding yourself, but maybe you need some help along the way. Did you know you can hire a wedding planner to assist you in finding great vendors or coming up and narrowing down some ideas for you? At Cornerstone Events we don't only offer full wedding planning services, we also offer hourly consultations to help you with everything from finding that perfect venue, to coming up with great ideas for a color palette, etc.

Another one of our more popular packages is our Day of Wedding Coordination. It's where you plan your wedding, and just want someone there on the day of the wedding to ensure things run smoothly. Sure you could ask your mom, mom in law, or a good friend to do stuff for you, but it's not only your day, it's their day too. They want to relax and enjoy your special day just as much as you do. You also want that for them too! You've put in so much time and effort into your big day, you want all your guest to enjoy it!

With Day of, we'll work with you to create a detailed timeline 4-6 weeks before your big day, review all your contracts so we know exactly what you're expecting and what you paid for, and ensure on the big day all your vendors know we're the point of contact should they need any information or need to get in touch with someone. We'll set up those last minute details, transfer items from the ceremony location to the reception location, and make sure you and your husband are relaxed and can enjoy the moment.

Wedding Days go by quick, so ensure you and your guest enjoy every moment. Call us today for a free consultation and we'll take you through step by step what we can do to make this special occasion that much more memorable for you!

Sport Themed Guest Book

2010-01-11T07:50:00.000-08:00

Is your fiance a huge baseball, football or hockey fan? If so, incorporate his love for his favorite team (or yours!) by having guests sign a jersey with your new last name on it. Then frame it and hang it in the house! It'll be a great memory of your special day and all your friends and family that spent it with you!

S'more Station for your Wedding

2010-01-08T06:33:00.001-08:00

I love interactive stations for weddings. Not only do you get to share some of your favorite treats with your guests, but your guests get to move around and have some fun at the reception. So when we saw this latest idea we were really excited about the potential of this idea.

We also love the idea of sending guests home with their own S'more kits to continue the fun at home!

*Source -elly b events

Great Napkin fold

2010-01-06T19:06:00.000-08:00

Here is a video from Lynn Fletcher who teaches at Mount Royal College.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhnCnGryKA0

Putting your "stamp" on your wedding....

2010-01-06T08:33:00.000-08:00

Literally put your uniqueness - your fingerprints - to good use for your wedding stationary. We love this idea which we found on Style Me Pretty!

Favors

2009-12-06T11:12:00.000-08:00

When it comes to your wedding favors, the possibilities are endless. From shot glasses, to personalized CDs of music, you can offer your guests something that fits with the theme of your wedding, or is a reflections of your personality.

But why stop at just one favor? Give guests the option of taking home what they prefer! I love the idea of setting up groups of tables with different options and letting guests decide if they prefer a keepsake from your wedding, something they can nibble on on their way home or the next day or something they can use another day. Let them decide what they want!

Table Number Idea

2009-11-01T07:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday while wandering around Pottery Barn for Holiday decor ideas (yes I'm thinking Christmas already!), I found these cute numbered mason jars. So as much as I was thinking Christmas, my mind always goes back to my favorite event - Weddings! How great would these be as table numbers? Fill each jar with a different type of candy - provide a scoop or some tongs, and encourage guests to share their treats with other tables!

Now Pottery Barn's jars only come numbered from 1-3 - so it's time to get creative and make our own. Here are some ideas:

Go to Ikea - yes that's right Ikea. Their Slom Jar is only $2.99 each and looks exactly like Pottery Barn's Mason jars.

Now go to Micheal's, get yourself some number or even alphabet stencils (you can put whatever name or number you'd like on your jar - maybe each table is named after the candy that's in the jar) and using paint that adheres to glass, stencil your jar.

What a simple and inexpensive way to create a unique way to number or name your tables!

Wedding Dress Illustration

2009-10-15T17:41:00.001-07:00

Our web designer is always sending us unique postings from the web that she thinks we'd be interested in. So today when she sent us this one, well we knew we had to post it.

What girl doesn't sometimes wish she could put on her wedding dress again and parade around in it? Well now you can have a custom illustration of you looking fabulous in your dress forever!

Happy Thanksgiving - Fall Inspiration board

2009-10-12T10:13:00.001-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. We thought we'd share an fall inspiration board with you today while you're enjoying turkey and gravy!

Calgary Bridal Expo

2009-09-28T06:50:00.001-07:00

A big thank you to everyone that visited our booth on Sunday at the Calgary Bridal Expo. We hope you had fun and found some great ideas and vendors. There were so many great booths and great ideas for upcoming weddings. Some of our favorite vendors were there yesterday including Buttercream Bake Shop who just happened to be right across from our booth. Those of you who visited our booth know those amazing little morsels of chocolate cake we're talking about. I left with half a dozen of those yummy delights!

We'll be posting the winner of our Relaxation package later this week, so stay tuned! For those of you that visited you may recall that we were offering a 10% discount in that package for the lucky winner!

Have more questions about our services? Call us today to book a consultation!

Karlee and Jason

2009-09-26T18:51:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of working with Karlee and Jason on their wedding. They held their ceremony, cocktails and reception at the Saskatoon Farm, just south of Calgary. It's a gorgeous little venue and guest had a great time. Wei from Photobolic just posted some photos from their wedding, so we thought we'd share. Now I know were Jason was before the ceremony! Very cool gift!

Congrats again to Karlee and Jason!!

Calgary Wedding Expo

2009-09-25T19:59:00.000-07:00

With the Wedding Expo on Sunday we wanted to share some tips on how to survive these big shows.

1. Wear comfortable shoes - I love any excuse to break out my heels, but this isn't the day to do it. Hard concrete floors + a few hours walking around = very sore feet!

2. Don't bring your whole bridal party - There are A LOT of brides, maids of honour, mother of the brides, bridesmaids and even grooms that attend these shows, and it makes it hard to navigate through all these people. If you have more than two other people with you, you'll find you're always looking for them and not focusing on finding vendors for your big day. Stick to bringing only one or two people with you.

3. Hand cramps - There will be a lot of draws to enter, so save your hand and your time by coming prepared with labels with your name, address, phone number and email address on them. This will make entering the draws a piece of cake.

4. Know who will be there - all the shows have a website that list the vendors that will be at the show. Take a look at these before hand, check out the vendor's website and try to make a list of who you want to talk to. Once you're at the show, only take the business cards and brochures of vendors you're interested in. It will make it easier when you're weeding through your bag when you get home.

5. Bring water - We've all been to the Round-up Center (now BMO Center) and know that a simple bottle of water can cost over $3. You'll need it when you've been walking around all day and possibly tasting cupcakes and chocolate covered strawberries!

6. Have Patience - If you really want to talk to a vendor don't get discouraged if their booth is crowded around by other potential brides. Walk around and come back to them, better yet, come back when the fashion show starts. The floor usually thins out while the show is on.

7. Sales Pressure - You're sure to run into a DJ or other vendor who tells you that he only has one opening left for your wedding date. There are a lot of other vendors at the show to talk to, so don't feel like you need to sign without having talked to the rest of them.

8. Bring a pen and take notes - so you can remember what each vendor said, bring a note book and pen and make quick notes. That way you'll be able to remember what each one said.

9. Go early - find out when the doors open and be one of the first brides there. Wait until late
afternoon and it will be more crowded on the floor.

10. Have Fun! - After all you are getting MARRIED!! Whether you're bringing your fiance, mom or maid of honour - make a day of it. Go early, get your stuff done, and then go for a great lunch to thank them for coming with you. You'll be able to compare notes and talk about what you saw at the show.

And last but certainly not least - COME VISIT US! We'll be at booth #81. Tell us you read our blog and we might have a special surprise for you!

Great Calgary wedding venue

2009-09-15T19:04:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of working with the Art Gallery of Calgary where Leslie and Nic got married. We hosted their ceremony on the main level of the gallery, and followed it with a champagne cocktail party immediately after on the second level of the gallery. It was a great way for guests to mingle with the bride and groom and allowed the bride and groom to capture all the photos they wanted with their family right at the gallery.

Here are some photos of their ceremony, my assistant and I were so busy ensuring everyone had food and drinks, that we didn't get any photos of the Champagne cocktail party - we'll have to wait until Johnny from JT Images posts some of his photos so we can share them with you!

Thanks to Dacey at the Art Gallery and all the staff and volunteers on board that day! And congratulations to Leslie and Nic on a spectacular day!

What we've been up to....

2009-09-09T20:24:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since we've blogged, so we thought it was about time to get back online and see what everyone was up to. Here's what's been going on with Cornerstone Events.

2009-08-10T18:30:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had the pleasure of working with another great couple. Sylvana and Brett are so in love and you could see it through the entire day. Sylvana did a fabulous of picking out all her colors and details, the ceremony and reception looked amazing.

We also got to work with some great vendors. Special thanks to Kristy and Erin and all the wonderful staff at the Sheraton, Theresa from Simply Elegant Decorations, Judy from Cake Sensations, and Corina from Dutch Touch Florist for helping the day turn out as magical as it did for these two love birds!

We'll have some other photos up soon from Maria Lang, the wonderful photographer who captured all the wonderful moments of the day!

Great Wedding Video

2009-07-26T21:09:00.000-07:00

I love when couples think outside the box. This video proves that everyone should have a little fun on their wedding day! We walked back up the aisle to Barry White's - You're my First, my last, my everything. Even my parents and in-laws danced up the aisle!

Infuse some fun into your wedding day and let your personality show :o) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0

Sandra and Doug

2009-06-23T20:12:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate enough to work with a wonderful couple like Sandra and Doug, who were married on June 6th. I also enjoyed working with Virginia Booth - owner of Hot Shoe Photography. Virginia is such a talented photographer! We'll be posting more photos of Sandra and Doug's wedding soon, but here's a sneak peek from Virginia's blog.

Congrats again Sandra and Doug!

Candy Store!

2009-06-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

I was so excited when owner of Weigh 2 Go, Allison, sent me an email inviting me to visit her store. Since I was literally in the neighbourhood of her store on Southland and Macleod, I popped in to see her amazing selection of bulk food and CANDY!

She has this amazing wall of every flavor of Jelly Bellies - including Peanut Butter and French Vanilla - YUMMY! What they don't have in store they can order for you too. So if you're in the Calgary area looking for Candy for your wedding candy bar, then pop into Weigh 2 Go to see their selection of yummy treats!

See our blog post on Candy bars too.

Butterflies and Puffy Eyes

2009-06-03T20:43:00.000-07:00

Before we start I want to introduce Julia - my amazing wedding assistant! Julia is a recent graduate of the University of Calgary and has this amazing ability to remain calm, cool and collected on frantic wedding days! She's also my go to person for beauty tips - so here's one of many articles Julia will be contributing to Cornerstone Event's wedding blog - Welcome aboard Julia!!

They say the eyes are the windows to your soul, so on your wedding day, the last thing you want is your soul mate to look into puffy, sleep deprived eyes, right?

As a result of butterflies and a system bursting with excitement and adrenaline, numerous brides, myself included, almost always never get enough sleep and end up suffering the consequences afterwards.

Solving that problem is quite simple! Here are some easy DIY tricks that can get rid of those dark circles and puffy eyes in a flash - trust me, you’ll feel much better once those puffs are gone, and your eyes are awake!

1. Chilled teaspoons - keep an arsenal of these little babies in the fridge overnight, and throw them over yours eyes in the morning. They are the perfect shape to cover the eye area, and you will feel NOTHING but a refreshing chill on your eyes. It’ll not only take down the puffiness, but it’ll also revitalize and wake up your entire eye area. This no mess option is also great to take on the go if you can put it inside a cooler and keep it chilled. Keep them handy in the morning, after or even during the ceremony and the reception and you’ll have fresh eyes all day!

2. Chilled teabags - This is a wonderful option for puffy eyes since it not only deflates the puffs, and corrects discoloration from dark circles, but acts as a minispa in your own home! With the teabags, there are two options - looseleaf teas (you will have to get teabags to put the leaves inside. Specialty tea stores offer often offer numerous styles and sizes of teabags), or prepackaged teabags. While the prepackaged teabags are often easier to do, the looseleaf teas can give you more options in mixing and creating the right infusion for yourself. Here are some pointers in choosing the right tea:

a. Black Teas - contains natural caffeine, so it can 'wake up' your eye area

b. Chamomile/Lavender Teas - both of these flavours are known for its soothing and calming
properties, it can help to soothe your eye area as well as your mind

c. White Tea - known to have more antioxidants than even green tea, white teas will provide
both nutrients and refreshment for your eyes

d. Mixture - if you are choosing looseleaf teas, most specialty tea shops can create an infusion to
your liking.

Instructions:

The night before you need the teabags, take a couple of teabags and steep them in a small pot of boiling water.
Once the tea has been steeped for about 5-10 min, remove the teabags, throw them out, and chill the tea overnight.
When you are ready to use the teabags, put an ice cube in the chilled tea, along with the number of teabags required, until the teabags are saturated.
Squeeze off excess water and place over closed eyes