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I am so excited to get to share this game changer of a DIY, that Laura, of Tuktu Paper Co. asked me to collaborate on!  Laura has always impressed me with her craftiness, but my mind was seriously blown, when she first told me about the process of transferring.  Basically, you can take any printed material (black & white OR colour), and "transfer" it onto a wooden surface.  Talk about wedding planner heaven!!  So, along with Rita Steenssens, of Studio 1079 Photography and Cassie O'Neil Cinematography, Laura & I had one of the most delightful mornings I can remember, shooting the quick and easy process, snacking on some cheese, enjoying the cheerful blooms, and catching up like good friends do.   The finished product was even better than I could have imagined, and I just love how the final table came together!

I couldn't think of a BETTER place to share this DIY, then on the always inspiring blog, 100 Layer Cake!  100 Layer Cake is one of the first blogs that I check in the morning, as their bright, fun and trend setting posts always put a smile on my face, and so thank you sooo much to the ladies over there, for putting a HUGE smile on my face this morning :) Definitely make sure to head over to the feature to view all the steps, as well as check out Cassie's fun video here!

xo Barb

Studio 1079 Photography

Studio 1079 Photography

Studio 1079 Photography

Studio 1079 Photography

Studio 1079 Photography

Studio 1079 Photography

Studio 1079 Photography

Studio 1079 Photography

Studio 1079 Photography

Studio 1079 Photography

Studio 1079 Photography

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Today, I am SOOOOO excited to be featured on Style Me Pretty Canada!!  One of my all time favourite blogs, and it always makes my heart flutter when I get to see my work grace their beautiful pages!  Back in June, I had the amazing opportunity to not only collaborate with these INSANELY talented vendors, but to do so on a BOAT!! How fun is that?!!  Having lived on the west coast my whole life, I have always had a soft spot for the ocean and do my best to never take it for granted.  Looking to do a different sort of styled shoot, Kim Kalyn Photography and Clare Day Flowers came up with the idea of stripping back a wedding to its simplest form: an elopement.  And what better spot to shot an elopement, then out at sea!  I am so honoured that they asked me to help them pull it all together, as I couldn't think of a more fabulous crew of ladies to work alongside! Thank you so much to Melanie Baird Makeup Artist and Conscious Hair by Elena for making the ladies look even more beautiful, Tuktu Paper Co. for the awesome paper goods, as well at The White Peony and Citizen Clothing for the seriously fabulous attire!  And a HUGE thank you, to my friend Richard, for taking us out on his gorgeous sailboat for the afternoon, and for being such a good Captain!  And to make a great day even better, Paper Heart Films tagged along, and put together the sweetest behind the scenes video for us all...it is the cherry on top of an already wonderful shoot! Here are a few of my favourite images from the shoot, but definitely make sure to check out the full feature and video on SMP!

xo Barb

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Every once in a while, I get the chance to work with a couple that are too cute for words!  Julia & Ross were that couple, and I was so thrilled to be asked by them to be their Day-of Coordinator, for their wedding last June.  With an obvious love for detail, Julia & Ross prepared so many perfect touches, that my team & I couldn't stop ogling over them all day!  From the adorable "Bird Bride & Groom" pie topper, to the hand painted driftwood place cards and petal filled music sheet paper cones, the heartfelt details were everywhere!  And being able to take the stress away by ensuring all their hard work was executed perfectly, is something I am so happy we were able to do for them! And their actual wedding was pretty wonderful as well!!!  With a fantastic crew of Victoria vendors by their side, including the always lovely, Erin Bradley, for hair and makeup, Chocolate Lily Floral Design creating beautiful florals (I just LOVE succulents!), and Hunt and Gather Photography, the day was filled with many laughs and even more smiles.   Julia & Ross, thank you so much for having me a part of your wedding day!  I can't think of a more gracious couple, and a more perfect pair!  And thank you so much to Peter & Natalie of Hunt & Gather, for these wonderful pictures!

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...and you've gotta love it when the guests get right into a fun photo booth!  The lobster hats are still my favourite prop!

Happy Valentines Day!!  Every year, my "hubby" and I ask each other how we want to spend this romantic holiday, and every year, we both just sort of shrug our shoulders and say "just hang out at home, I guess." Well, even though it may sound boring, I personally love a good night in, and so a quiet dinner for 2 is right up my alley!  But, to make sure that our valentines dinner isn't just like any dinner at home, a bit of effort is required!  And so, for all you couples out there (or friends as well, for that matter), here are my 8 "ingredients" required, for a low key, but valentines day worthy, dinner at home! 1. Grab some colourful flowers from your market and 2. load up on wine and cheese, for some pre dinner nibbles!

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3. Put on some music (I'm currently obsessing over Robbie William's newest swing album, Swing Both Ways) and 4. light some candles

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5. Slip on a cute skirt or dress and 6. lay out a nice dress shirt for your man

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7. Spend some time together in the kitchen, cooking some delicious pasta, and 8. finish the meal off with a cupcake (or 2!)

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Thanks to Pinterest for all the inspiration, and I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentines Day with their loved ones!

xo Barb

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Well, this is a special one!  Not only was I fortunate enough to have teamed up with some of the best vendors around, and  have it featured on the front page of Style Me Pretty (um...can you say, dream come true?!!), but my future groom to be and I, got to be the models!!  Talk about a wedding planners ultimate dream!

Adrian Michael, a fine art film photographer based in Victoria, approached me about doing a winter engagement styled shoot, back in early December.  And seeing as his work is breathtaking ALWAYS, I of course jumped on the opportunity!  Nick's & my engagement was still fairly new, and so when it was suggested that we in fact be the models, how could I say no!! With it being just a few weeks away from Christmas though, and the fact that things were getting busy for everyone involved, we decided to keep it on the simple side, and really highlight the natural beauty that can be found here on the west coast.   As you can see, the results were insanely beautiful, and (as Style Me Pretty said) "leave you stunned and speechless".

Vanessa, of Verbena Floral Design killed it with ALL things florals, and Erin Bradley hung out by my side all morning, making sure I felt gorgeous.  Thank you also to the extremely generous ladies of Blush Bridal Boutique, who loaned us the perfect Pronovias gown, as well as Tuktu Paper, who designed the most luxurious and winter inspired Save the Date I have ever seen!! And finally, thank's to my handsome fiance, for being always game for anything, and for keeping me nice and warm on that cold, cold wintery day! Here are a few of my favourite images, but definitely make sure to check out the full feature, on SMP!

xo Barb

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Working on Maren & Ben's wedding, at the stunning Inn at Laurel Point, was a wedding planners dream come true!  Not only were they an incredibly sweet and gracious couple, (with THE BEST sense of humour!) but they had an obvious appreciation for quality, and were totally committed to ensuring that their guests had an amazing time! Which is, in my opinion, the best priority to have! Originally from Germany, Maren had many guests travelling to Victoria for their wedding, and wanted to make sure that they were made to feel right at home.  So with a nod to their international theme, amazing custom Passport invitations, were designed by the extremely talented Tuktu Paper Co.  Many of the paper goods by Tuktu, were done in both English & German, including my favourite, the Bi-lingual Phrases to know/Escort card.  It had the basics, like "My name is...", and "Do you know the Bride/Groom", and then the super handy ones like, "My room number is...." and "I've had too much to drink. Please don't take me seriously" (which in case you were wondering, is "Ich habe zu viel getrunken, nimm mich bitte nicht ernst." in German)

Dahlia's and Baby's-breath were the flowers of choice, and were the perfect fit for the soft grey, pink & green colour palette;  Clare Day Flowers went above and beyond to deliver some of the most romantic and fresh florals around! And to top it all off, pink and blue slippers were provided to all the guests, to ensure that they could party the night away to Jason Cook's band, The Adults!! A HUGE thank you to the wickedly talented, Jon-Mark Photo, for the fabulous photo's below!  And thank you to Maren & Ben, for asking me to be a part of your wedding!  I had the most incredible time working with you both on the planning and design, and couldn't have asked for a more lovely Bride & Groom!

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Jon-Mark Photo

Another year has come and gone, and I find myself, once again, looking back at all the great (and not so great! lol!) moments of 2013!  Overall, it was an incredible year, and I am beyond grateful for everyone that helped make 2013 a stellar year for FKE!  This past year brought many new couples to the FKE family, and I am so honoured that we got to be a part of so many weddings and events.  Thank you so much to all the newlyweds (and soon to be newlyweds) out there, for welcoming me into your lives and allowing me to be a part of such a huge time in your life!  It means the world to me!! This past year, also brought some amazing inspiration projects, alongside some incredible vendors!!  Junebug Weddings, Grey Likes Weddings, and On to Baby were gracious enough to feature some of these fun projects. I also had the privilege of joining the extremely coveted, Style Me Pretty's Little Black Book, as well as the always inspiring Once Wed Blog's, vendor list.  Seriously...pinch me now!!!  This past Fall was spent working closely with the extremely talented Laura, of Tuktu Paper Co., on some fabulous branding paper goods for me.  I cannot WAIT to share them with all of you, and so stay tuned for a new branding post, coming soon.  And last, but definitely not least, I am so so soooo grateful for all of my industry friends, new and old, who continuously blow me away with their kindness, graciousness, and talent!!  We had so much fun all partying together at the 1st ever Victoria Wedding Industry Meetup, and I cannot wait to do so again, for many years to come!!

So, without further adieu, here's a roundup of some of my favourite moments over the past year, and here's to another fabulous year!

xo Barb

*ps, a HUGE shout out to all the fabulous photographers, who have captured this year.  Thanks to Kim Kalyn Photography, Ameris, Jennifer Ballard Photography and Jon Mark Photography, for the photo's below.

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Kim Kalyn Photography

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Jennifer Ballard Photography

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Jon Mark Photography

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and then, just because it's fun, here's some of my Instagram fav's from the year!

2013-Roundup

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I feel beyond honoured to have this mod-New Years Eve soiree, from last year, featured AGAIN, this year!!  In 2012, it made it's first appearance on SMP, and this year, had the honour of gracing the seriously fabulous pages of Grey Likes Weddings!!  Thank you to Lady Grey, and all the other society ladies out there, for featuring this shoot, and I hope that it helps to inspire some seriously glamorous New Years celebrations this year!!

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It's that time of year again, and with snow on the ground (more like a dusting...but I'll take it!), it is feeling more and more like Christmas around here! I can't believe what an incredible year it has been for French Kiss Events (and my little family) and am so excited to be taking a look back at all the highlights that made 2013 so amazing, in early January (check out last years here)!  The new industry friends I made, styled shoots, beautiful weddings and ridiculously awesome clients, inspired everything that we created over the past year, and I cannot wait to see what is in store for us all in 2014!

So, for now, Happy Holidays to all of you, and I hope that you find time over the next week to share many laughs and hugs with your family and friends, and maybe even steal a kiss under some mistletoe ;)  Thank you as well, to my good friend Jesse Holland, for once again, rocking our annual Christmas card this year!  Nick's face is priceless...

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For anyone out there that has had anything to do with the planning of a wedding, you know that it takes more than just 1 person to pull everything together!  At French Kiss Events, I am so incredibly fortunate to work with some fantastic ladies, that are total rock stars with whatever task I give them, are amazing support to both our couples and me, and are just fun all around!  I thought it was about time that I properly introduced Laura & Marika to everyone, and so after an absolutely fantastic summer, I approached my sweet friend, Kim Kalyn Photography, to see if she would be up for taking some FKE team shots.  And because she is one of the sweetest people I know, she instantly agreed!!  Thank you Kim for such a wonderful morning (even with the rain!), and for these beautiful images. Make sure to check them all out, and even read up on a the ladies of FKE.

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Name: Barb Raymond Position: Owner, Lead Planner & Event Designer Hometown: Victoria, BC Coffee or Tea: Can I say both?  Coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon. Your "must have" wedding detail: Floor length linens.  They can instantly make any space feel high end.  Oh, and menu cards! Colour palette of choice: ANYTHING with gold in it!!! Flower love: White Anemone. Favourite wedding moment: First seeing the newlyweds as they finish their walk down the aisle! Pure joy!!

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Name: Laura Henry Position: On-site Assistant Hometown:Toronto, ON Coffee or Tea: Definitely coffee! Your "must have" wedding detail: Candles, Candles and more Candles! The only lighting needed, and turns any venue into a romantic, elegant evening. Colour palette of choice: Shades of green Flower love: White Lily Favourite wedding moment: The moment between the Bride and her Father before they walk down the aisle. Whether it be a few words, a hug or just a teary eyed glance, it is by far my favourite secret moment to witness.

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Name: Marika Beise Position: Junior PlannerHometown:Calgary, AB Coffee or Tea: Tea all the way- London fog to be exact Your "must have" wedding detail: Anything stationary, and mini pies! Colour palette of choice: Gold, Mint, and Creme Flower love: Any sort of succulent Favourite wedding moment:The moment just before the groom see's his bride for the first time

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