The Fair at the PNE

The Pacific National Exhibition is a family tradition. We go every year. I can't remember spending a summer in Vancouver and not going. When I was small, I thought I was so brave when I rode on the roller coaster (kiddie version!) all by myself.

In 2006 and 2007, Rob and I even worked at the PNE as part of their entertainment department which meant spending 17 continuous, and long, days at the Fair! Trust me, Superdogs is fun the first time, but not so much on day 17 :)

The Fair has definitely changed throughout the years. Long gone is the giant map of British Columbia and the home arts exhibits, but some traditions still carry on such as my yearly stick of cotton candy and cinnamon sugar mini donuts.






A giant sized Scrabble game.


You can see how each letter is handmade by wrapping a piece of paper around a box.


Deep fried Oreos and Jelly Belly jellybeans... not my cup of tea... but interesting.


Quad racing and car vs. car battles.



Angora bunnies and baby ducks in the animal farm.

PS. Some great bands (in my opinion) are playing this year including Chris Isaak, En Vogue (tonight!), Hit Men and Famous Players

Alycia & Chris

All I can say is...



SO much fun!
Amazing looking wedding party!
BEST first dance ever!



I wish my pictures came out better, but not to worry, photos coming soon from the lovely Daniela Ciuffa!


Beautiful hand fans for all of the ladies.



Cake and cupcakes from Mary Frances at Cake Crumbs Cake Studio





To celebrate the bride's Polish heritage, the dancing troupe from Polonez performed during dinner service.

Congrats!! Have a fantastic trip to New York and the Bahamas!

wedding rehearsals

image from Lisa Vorce at Oh, How charming!

To some people, wedding rehearsals are a mystery. It's usually the first time people have walked down an aisle and trust me, after attending my fair share of rehearsals, nerves often take over and some seem to forget how to walk!

After reading a recent conversation on twitter by TweetMyWedding, I put together a quick post about what usually happens during a wedding rehearsal.

Depending on your ceremony, some Officiants are laid back and some have a system. Rehearsals are generally their show. This is always true in a religious ceremony. We, as Wedding Coordinators, are there to ensure timing, to gather everybody and to get them all down the aisle.
Five easy points to a smooth wedding rehearsal:

1. Introduction
2. Line up, gather and position everybody that is walking down the aisle (includes parents, wedding party, flower girls, ring / coin bearers, sponsors, secondary sponsors, etc.)
3. Procession and position
4. Ceremony order including readings, songs, signing, pronouncement
5. Recess

Ta da!

Dahlia's Custom Cakes

I wanted to pop in here quickly and share some of the most amazing cakes I have ever seen! Check out this creations by Dahlia's Custom Cakes in Michigan.



Look at that detail!

Flavours include dark chocolate, fresh orange, vanilla cream, chocolate ginger, sweet banana, roasted hazelnut, red velvet, classic carrot, white cinnamon, freckled mocha .... Plus add in's such as cookie bits, chopped toffee, peppermint crunch, cacao beans, crushed malt balls and get this, herb and spice infusions!



These architectural inspired cakes are absolutely amazing.



This one has to be my favourite. Look at the detail!

double header continued ...

As promised, here are the pictures from Barb and Paul's wedding on Sunday, August 16th at the Beach House Restaurant in West Vancouver.

You know how some days everything just falls into place? This was it! The day was absolutely beautiful. I mean, look at the view!



Breath taking flower arrangements by the Flower Factory. Wow! Wow! Wow!



Views of the set up inside and outside in the upper room.



Custom designed menus, guestbook cards, favour cards and invites by Blue Skies and Daisies.

As always, professional photos to follow by the lovely Kim Christie.



Congratulations B&P!

double header

Last weekend was a double header, first off was Leah and James on Saturday. They are one of the sweetest couples that we have had the pleasure to work with.



A few snapshots during set up. Look for some professional pictures later on by the fantastic duo of Holly and Roger from Union Photography. {I seriously love these two!}

Floral arrangements from Ali and her team over at Oasis Flowers.

Congratulations!!

stay tuned for a Beach House restaurant ...

#followfriday

If you twitter, you know all about #followfriday. I wanted to share some of my recent wedding finds with you.


(image credit: lollipop events)

twitter name: lollipopevents.
Based in San Diego, CA, Lollipop events is both a full service event and wedding coordination company as well as a print design company. I stumbled upon them while surfing the internet and was immediately drawn to their website. A great combination of fun, colour and amazing design!

Check out their blog for some daily inspiration.


(image credit: Rock N Roll Bride)

twitter name: RocknRollBride
Why? .... because everybody wants to be a rock and roll bride! One of the most innovative and freshest wedding blogs out there. Filled to the brim of daily inspiration through the website and some of the most amazing (sometimes good.. sometimes bad) images. If you are looking to add a little rock, a pinch of punk and maybe a side of indie, trust me, visit Kat's website!


(artist and image credit: the small object via Etsy)

twitter names: etsyfindsdaily and Etsy
Etsy is the place to find all things unique and handmade. They have categories that you can use to search for specific items and even a geographer locator to find a designer close to home. However, for newbies, sometimes etsy can be quite overwhelming which is where twitter comes in. EtsyFindsdaily tweets daily fresh picks for you to check out. Perfect way to discover new artists and things that you could not live without.

:: Follow me on twitter - lotusevents for daily ramblings on life, things around town, events and weddings ::

summer

Some summer snapshots from our past few weeks in and around town....


It's all about the pancakes at Deacon's!


We stumbled upon Krause Berry Farm by accident....


... by following these strawberry welcome signs!


Our haul plus a raspberry shortcake.


On my to do list: Homemade baked onion rings with fresh walla walla onions - yum!

etsy love!

I am swooning over these gorgeous crocheted floral bouquets and boutonnieres by Petal to the Metal!



Using recycled yarns and animal-free products whenever possible, these lovely bouquets are made to order and with almost 30 colours to choose from, they can match the colours of your wedding day.



Petal to the Metal (aka Robyn) started the shop while planning her own wedding in early 2009. After being overwhelmed by florists and floral arrangements, she wanted something that reflected her uniqueness and craft-minded nature.



These flowers would be such a perfect touch for those brides with a DIY spirit and a great surprise for a centerpiece giveaway!

PS. If you are looking for some more DIY inspiration, visit the got craft blog and check out feature #9 - Amanda from Owl + Pussycat

heat wave

It is a "balmy" 23C today, but holy was it ever hot last week! Each summer, I say "Was it this hot last summer?! It couldn't have been THIS hot." Of course, each winter, I also say "Was it this cold last winter!? It couldn't have been THIS cold." However, I have to admit that I can make that statement this summer, because, yes, it was that HOT. 34C broke weather records across BC and believe me, I am not a hot weather type of person. Plus, that was the temperature outside.. add a few degrees and you have our apartment on the third floor. Our box fan, that was saving us earlier in the summer, had no cold air to draw in and our oscillating fan was just blowing hot air around us. Needless to say, our little kitty Cleo was wishing she had a zipper on her fur suit! She still wanted to be with us, so she would follow us around the apartment and just flop over with everything exposed. Rob and I even tried to rub her down with an ice pack, but she wasn't too keen on that.

I kept an eye on emails, but everything pretty much halted for lotus events. I even considered renting a hotel room to enjoy a refreshing dip in the pool and some A/C! This weekend will be spent playing catch up. Rob and I spent Saturday working at the cruise ship terminal with a program. Yesterday was week 4 of 5, so one more round to go. Today, Rob is busy with the Pride Parade as the Scotiabank Aids Walk for Life on September 20th has a float plus a booth over by the main stage. So far, I started the day with a hot walk over to pick up some wedding pictures I had developed to find out that they were closed. I headed next door for an iced coffee instead (which i spilled on my clean shirt!) and stopped in to the poorly neglected community garden plot.

Despite the neglect, a few things are growing quite happily. Anybody want some zucchini?




pumpkin


more lavender

Stay tuned for my tutorial on how to make your own reusable dryer sachets using garden lavender on Granville Magazine!