Imagine your photo on a delicious piece of chocolate - and I don't mean an M&M, I mean good quality chocolate in flavors like passion fruit, pomegranate and saffron swirl. Now you don't have to imagine anymore! Epiphanie Chocolates in Calgary can make you a one of a kind chocolate with your photo, wedding date and personalized message right on the Delicious chocolate! They look too good to eat, but trust me, once you try them, you'll want more and more and more!

You've spent years thinking about your perfect wedding day, and you've spend countless hours towards making that perfect day a reality. Now you want to enjoy this magical day without having to worry about who is going to take the floral arrangements from the church to the reception. While friends and family might be more than happy to assist, you want them to be free to celebrate and enjoy this special day with you. Let Cornerstone Events take care of it all so your day is stress free for you, your fiancé and all your guests.

Services provided:

• Initial meeting to discuss your wedding plans and expectations
• Creation of wedding day timeline
• Review of all vendor contracts to ensure you “get what you pay for”
• Main vendor contact on wedding day to ensure stress free day
• Supervision and direction of wedding rehearsal.
• Use of our wedding day emergency kit.
• Day of wedding coordination from 2 hours before your ceremony to the time of bouquet toss (approx 12 hours).
• Ceremony site check and set up.
• Directing guests, bridal party and family before and after ceremony.
• Last minute decor details – attaching pew bows, scattering petals, guestbook table set up, table numbers, guest favors, etc.
• Manage wedding day timeline (working with your MC and DJ)
• Manage reception i.e. cueing bridal party for speeches, cake cutting, dances and bridal bouquet toss.
• Transfer all gifts and envelopes to safe location and distribute payments to vendors.
The above list is just some of the things we can do for you on your day; these are flexible and can be tailored to meet your specific needs. We will work with you and your fiancé to ensure you can fully enjoy your day!

Receive 10% off the above package if you book by December 15, 2010!
Call us today at 403.619.4718 or email to info@cornerstoneevents.ca

For all you brides (and grooms!) who attended yesterday's fabulous Calgary Bridal Expo here are some of our favorite vendors you may have seen while checking out all those gorgeous booths yesterday:

Bridal Fashions:
Bridal Center
Frocks Modern Bridesmaids

Cakes:
Buttercream Bake Shoppe
Cakery Bakery


Decor and Rentals:
Great Event Rentals

Favors:
Canadian Cancer Society

Florists:
Modern Petals

Gift Registry:
Bed, Bath and Beyond

Invitations:
Glimpz Invitations

Jewellery:
Stella and Dot

Lingerie:
She Apparel

Photography:
Bliss
Preserving Memories

Reception and Catering:
Great Events Catering
Calgary Zoo

Tuxedos:
Bridal Center

Videographer:
Preserving Memories

Tomorrow I'll fill you in on all the great vendors out there that did not attend the show - there is a lot more talent in the city then just what you saw at the show!

So we've probably all been to a wedding that had a candy bar, and we all know how much fun and how great they look. Especially when the bride and groom create a theme, whether it be their wedding colors or types of candy (such as old school candy - Poppey Smokes or gold mine gum anyone?)So here are some new food station ideas to WOW your guests!

Hot Chocolate Bar - think biscotti, chocolate drizzled marshmellows, whipped cream, colored sprinkles....

Coffee Bar - from espresso to flavored lattes, you can even use some of the ideas from the chocolate bar above - biscotti and coffee..mmmm

Popcorn Bar - Use sweet and savory flavors to appeal to all pallets

Cookie Bar - include some shoots of milk to wash down delicious homemade cookies

Ice Cream Bar - sprinkles, choclate and caramel sauce, whipped cream, bananas, cherries... keep your guest cool while their on the dance floor

Carnival Food Bar - Popcorn, corn dogs, mini burgers, candy floss, and of course mini donuts!

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!

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

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!!

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!

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!

Your Dream Wedding - how much will it cost you? With everything going on in today's economy, this is the question on most bride and groom's minds. How much will this day cost us, and how much are we willing to give up?

There is a bit of a misconception out there that only couples with large budgets can afford to hire a wedding consultant or wedding coordinator. We're here to tell you how hiring a good wedding consultant can actually help save you money!

Case #1 - We recently had a bride and groom who really wanted chair covers for their reception. The thought of paying $5-6 per chair cover was more than they wanted to pay for this decor item. Since this couple works full-time and has a number of different obligations, they had little time to try to find chair covers at a price they wanted to pay. After hiring us, they indicated their dilemma to us and we had a solution for them. A local vendor we work with rents chair cover for just over $3/chair cover. She also offers us a discount for our clients. The savings this couple realized were almost enough to cover our fee. We've since been able to help them find more vendors that have quality product and services that work within their budget.

Case #2 - Another bride and groom were having a small wedding to keep costs low. They hired us to help them plan the reminder of their wedding, including finding vendors for flowers, invitations, chair covers, and all their decor items. We are able to gather 3 vendor quotes for all the remaining items - thus finding them the perfect vendors for them and at the best possible price without sacrificing quality.

Most of our brides and groom work full-time and only have one or two full days off together. We are able to help them not spend those days planning their wedding, and instead spend it enjoying the spring and summer!

Budgeting out your wedding before hiring vendors is such an important part of planning your wedding. Having a plan and sticking to it will ensure you have the wedding of your dreams without going over budget. We'll work with you to ensure you have a plan and stick to it - and have that AMAZING wedding you're dreaming of!

It's been a busy few days for us and we've been lacking on the blog posts! We'll be back at it next week as we're off to Lake Louise tomorrow for the weekend. The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise has invited us to tour the facility along with a select few other wedding planners from Calgary and Edmonton area. Then we're off to Banff for the day on Sunday to do some additional touring of venues and vendor meetings.

We'll be sure to share all the great photos and ideas once we're back. Do you dream of a romantic mountain wedding? Be sure to contact us to start brainstorming some great ideas for your upcoming wedding, whether you're planning a wedding here in Calgary, on the beach somewhere warm, or in the Banff, Canmore or Lake Louise area.

Happy Weekend everyone!

1. Prioritize your priorities - Is it the dress? The food? Photography? Pick your top three priorities and the three things that are least important, and budget accordingly.

2. Plus One – Don’t feel obligated to invite a date for all your single guests or all your pals at work. Cutting guest doesn’t only save money on catering, but on all other items that can quickly add up such as favours, centerpieces and invitations.

3. Save on postage – Sign up for a free wedding website to collect RSVPs or include a phone number for guests to reply to. This saves money on postage and printing costs. Not to mention it’s environmentally friendly too!

4. Think outside the box – Opt for less traditional reception. Host a cocktail and hors d'oeuvre party after an evening ceremony, a lunch after a morning ceremony or a dinner reception on a day other than Saturday. Alternatively set a date in wedding off season (October – April).

5. Happy Hour – Have wine served at the tables instead of having a bottle of red and white at each table. How many weddings have you been to where you see full bottles of open wine at the end of the night? Save money by having the wait staff pour your guest wine before dinner. Close the bar for an hour during dinner, or opt for a toonie or loonie bar. Your guests won’t mind chipping in a dollar or two for each drink and it will help with the costs of the bar, which is often a big expense at a wedding.

6. Pay now or pay later? – Ask vendors if they offer any discounts for paying in full up front. Often you can save 10% for doing this. These savings can add up.

7. Two for One – Stack favours in the center of your guest tables or have mini wedding cakes tiered as centerpieces. These will serve as guest desserts/favours and centerpieces.

8. What’s in bloom? – Ask your florist which flowers are in season and stick to these for your bouquets and other floral needs. You’ll save a lot of money by doing so.

9. Picture Perfect – Shop around for a photographer and ask if you can purchase or if a CD of your digital images are included in the package. You can save a bundle by being able to print your photos when you need and many photography shops let you create beautiful photo books.

10. Fairy Godmother to the rescue – Many brides and grooms think hiring a wedding consultant is an added expense to their budget. In reality, hiring a wedding professional can save you all kinds of money in the long run. Many of them have relationships with vendors that can get you discounts on their products and services. As well, this is their business, so they know who is out there and have already done the leg work for you, so let them recommend the vendors that meet your needs and are within your budget. As an added bonus, on your wedding day, you won’t have to worry about all the details. They will be there quarterbacking your day and ensuring it runs smoothly.

We're excited to announce that our website has launched today! Please visit www.cornerstoneevents.ca
Over the past three months we've made significant progress towards making sure we have all the tools needed to help brides and grooms with their wedding planning. We've completed the Professional Development program through the Association of Bridal Consultants and have worked with a fabulous web designer on our site. We want to ensure all our clients and potential clients know we're serious about our business and their weddings!

We arrived from honeymoon in Jamaica last night and have so many amazing things to fill you in on! We stayed at Couples Swept Away in Negril Jamaica and while we were away saw over 10 beach weddings on our resort alone! I met with Kenisha and reviewed all the options for a destination wedding in Jamaica and at Couples Resorts. I'll be filling you in on all the great options for destination weddings at Couples and Sandals over the next few weeks for all you Calgary Brides that want to get away to say "I do"!

We're also excited to launch our website this month! We'll keep you updated on the progress, but we're hoping we can go live within the next couple of weeks. Can't wait that long? Call us for a free consultation to discuss your upcoming Calgary wedding!! We still have some great dates available for 2009. Let us help you plan your 2009 Calgary, Banff, or Canmore wedding. As Calgary's newest Wedding Consultant and member of the Association of Bridal Consultants, we have some amazing ideas to take your wedding dreams from paper to reality!! Call us today at 403.619.4718 or email us at cornerstoneevents@shaw.ca today!!

We're very proud to announce we have just received the designation of Professional Bridal Consultant with the Association of Bridal Consultants! We are now officially ready to assist brides in the Calgary and surrounding markets with their wedding day plans!

1. Flowers or Food?
Once you’ve established your budget, make sure you know what is most important to you and your fiancé. Is the food and venue important to you? Or is hiring the best photographer in your area more important? Have a plan in place so that you know approximately how much money you want to set aside for each line item in your budget.

2. Venue Selection
Find out what’s included with your venue rental. Do you need to rent tables, chairs, linens and dinnerware? Or do they have all those items included with the rental? Unique venues such as art galleries are amazing spaces, but often you have to rent all the items required to convert the space into a reception hall. Figure all this out and make sure you have the necessary funds needed for this.

3. Trim Your Guest List
For each guest on your list it’s not only an added plate of food and drinks. Don’t forget about decor for the extra tables, linens and favours. It all adds up quickly. Don’t feel obligated to let single friends bring a date. Let them know you would love for them to bring their date, but you only have so much room. Instead seat them with people you know they’ll have things in common.

4. Save on Postage
Gone are the days where you need to include inner envelopes which can just add weight to your invitation. Sign up for the many free wedding websites available online to capture RSVPs or use a telephone number for guest to call. This will reduce not only the postage, but also another envelope and insert.

5. Setting the Date
A lot of couples are now opting for Friday or Sunday weddings. Not only will this open up the number of vendors available, but most charge premium rates for Saturday nuptials. Other ideas include a champagne and cake reception after an evening wedding, or a brunch after a morning wedding. Also think about setting a date outside the popular months of June, July and August. Winter weddings are beautiful as are spring weddings.

6. Bar Service
In order to reduce the cost of your bar bill there are a number of things you can do. If it’s an option, charge a loonie or a toonie for each drink. This allows you to recover some of the costs and also makes guest a little more accountable for their drinks. You can also have servers pour wine at the table for guest instead of having a bottle of white and red on each table. At a lot of weddings we see open bottles of wine sitting there untouched at the end of the night. Because they are opened you will be charged for them. You can also ask your caterer to limit the types of alcohol available. Having just beer and wine available for guest is a great option.

7. Favours
Have your favours do double duty as centerpieces. Packages can be stacked in an elegant way on a cake stand with a pedestal. How about individual cakes as your centerpieces? These will take the place of a large wedding cake. Have your baker make you a small cake to cut and save for your first anniversary.

8. Flower Power
Ask your florist what flowers are in season. If you are not picky about the type of flower you want for your bouquets and other floral arrangements, you can usually find flowers in your colors that are in season. Gerber daisies are always in season and come in some many beautiful colors.

9. Say Cheese!
Shop around and find a photographer that includes your negatives as a part of your photography package. You’ll be able to print as many photos as you need without having to pay $5 - $10 per photo. Depending on how many you think you’ll need, you may want to look into this option.

10. Dress for Success
Shop early for your wedding gown so you can take advantage of off the rack sales and other specials some bridal shops have. Find a seamstress that can do your alterations. Many bridal shops charge high prices for alterations in-house. Sometimes they can be almost half the cost of your dress!

And finally, hire a wedding planner. Most couples think a wedding planner will cost them more money and only brides with large budgets can afford the luxury of one. Realistically a wedding planner can often save you money by recommending vendors that they have relationships with. Remember it’s their job to keep on top of trends and vendors in the area, so often their contact list has vendors you might not have thought about that can save you money. Call Cornerstone Events and let us discuss your wedding plans with you and show you how we can help you plan a magical day within your budget.

*image from www.nebridalguide.com

After some editing and redesigning we're happy to announce Cornerstone Events is launching their new logo! Website to be launched end of January/early February. Stay tuned for more details!

1. Dedicate a night for you and your fiancé 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 fiancé 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, on a scheduled basis.

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 you’ve 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 – 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 fiancé. After all they are witnessing one of the most important days of your life. Make sure your family knows that.

10. Hire and 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!

PS- Did you know Cornerstone Events offers all types of wedding planning packages? We customize design them to fit your needs. Call us today for a free consultation!

You're engaged! Congratulations! Now all the fun begins... but hold the phone, first you have to tell people you're getting hitched. Here's the 411 on the etiquette surrounding announcing your upcoming nuptials.

Children - If you or your fiance have children, whether together or from previous relationships, they should be the first to know.

Parents - Next comes mom and dad. You can either tell them all together - say host a dinner and announce the news, or tell the separately. Either way, they should be next to know about your engagement.

Family - Grandparents, siblings and other close relatives should be next to be contacted. Most times parents start spreading the news to these special people in your lives. But make sure you give grandma a call and let her know from you, especially if you two are close.

Friends - with all of the new social media sites, announcing your engagement on Facebook might seem like the logical way to announce your engagement, but before you do, make sure you contact your close friends personally. Your best friend doesn't want to find out from a relationship status change on Facebook. She'll appreciate the call.

One tip for choosing your bridal party, wait a few weeks and then do so. You want to make sure you and your fiance agree on how many people are in the bridal party before you start asking people.

Your co-workers - telling your boss or supervisor first at work is a courteous gesture. Then tell a few of your closer co-workers and give them the go ahead to spread the news if you choose.

Stand on a mountain top and tell the rest of the world next! While taking out newspaper announcements doesn't seem to happen too often, you can choose to run an ad in your local paper. I love opening up the Calgary Herald and seeing wedding announcements! There is nothing like good news, especially when it's two people in love who have decided to spend their lives together in matrimonial bliss.

Determine if you're going to set up a wedding website. Many sites offer free wedding websites. For a minimal fee you can also set up a site with a unique website address. This is a great place to keep friends and family up to speed on wedding details! Once you're ready to send out your invitations you can also set your site up to collect RSVP's too. What a great way to save on paper and postage!

Happy Planning!

PS - Don't know where to start? Give us a call for some consultation hours, we can help you set up your budget and get you on your way to planning your dream wedding!

We just had an incredible two days! We are an official member of the Association of Bridal Consultants, met with a web designer, a web guru and purchased the rights to cornerstoneevents.ca!
We'll keep everyone updated on a date for our website launch!