It's pretty hard to get more picturesque than Hatley Castle, and for those couples wanting a wedding out of a fairy tale, this is the spot for them! Linda & Ying, are from Seattle, and after falling in love the Castle and Victoria, decided to host their summer wedding at this majestic venue.  We began working together around 6 months before their August wedding, and dove head first into the planning.  Food and overall guest comfort was top priority for these guys, and so a lot of planning went into their fantastic 3 course plated meal and all the transitions throughout the day.  And we infused so many fun little personal details into the wedding, that instantly made the guests smile!  My favourite of which being their "math problem" seating chart.  {Full disclosure: I had absolutely nothing to do with coming up with the math problems their guests had to solve in order to find out their table number, as if I had, everyones would have been similar to 1+1...}

Their classic palette of white, blush, champagne & gold, suited the castle beautifully, and I love the fresh/bright approach we took when designing the dining room, which is sometimes a tricky room at Hatley Castle.  Adding in the white chivari chairs instantly brightened the space, and the head table placed in the centre of the room, amongst all the other guest tables, gave the room a very sophisticated flow to it.  All throughout the night, it was so lovely watching Linda & Ying, a couple clearly ridiculously in love, spend meaningful time with their guests, and I know that everyone there felt right at home.  It was perfect. 

**Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the complete list of all the kick ass vendors that helped make this day so incredible!  All photos courtesy of Joanna Moss Photography.

Planning/Design - French Kiss Events
Photography - Joanna Moss Photography
Floral Design - FLEURtacious
Ceremony Venue - Hatley Castle
Catering - Truffles
Hair - Conscious Hair
Makeup - Melanie Baird
Specialty Furniture - Bash Specialty
DJ - Highway Productions

• FKE Featured 24
• FKE Living 7
• Office Talk 55
• Planning Tips 13
• Real Weddings 48

Spring has finally sprung in Victoria, and we are keeping super busy these days, as wedding season is just around the corner.  Lots of exciting things are brewing, and we have a very BIG move happening soon (more to come on that soon), so spring cleaning is a bit of an understatement.  To celebrate the start of a new month (hello April!), here's a peak into some of the office chatter that's been around these parts as of late...

Our Favourite Wedding Movies of All Time:

Barb: Father of the Bride

Paula: My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Laura: Bridesmaids

Current Spring Fashion Trend We are Loving:

Barb: Embroidered Tops

Paula: Clogs

Laura: Seaside Stripes

Our Current Reads:

Barb: Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

Paula: The Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo

Laura: A Man Called Ove

• FKE Featured 24
• FKE Living 7
• Office Talk 55
• Planning Tips 13
• Real Weddings 48

Music.  The soundtrack to your wedding.  It is one of our absolute favourite parts of a wedding, and has the power to instantly change the vibe of any space. There is always a lot of excitement around a couples First Dance song, and we love seeing what our couples come up with, hearing the story behind it, and knowing that it will forever be "their" song!  We decided to share some of our tips for picking out a first dance song, and some of our all-time favourite real FKE couple choices. 

First Dance tips & tricks:

• Take one of your favourite songs and have it performed acoustically

• Find a song that both you and your partner love! Think about songs that mean a lot to you both lyrically and melodically.

• If you are nervous to be hitting the dance floor, make sure to pick a song that isn't too long! Find a song 3 minutes or less, or see if your DJ or band can cut it down for you.

• Don't think your first dance song has to be slow and sappy. Upbeat songs are just as great!

• Consider having your first dance before dinner, alongside your grand entrance to the reception. It's a great way to get a picture perfect moment and also get over any nerves.

• Hire a dance instructor to show you how to properly dance to your tune. We're not talking a perfectly choreographed performance, but instead learning the basics of how to lead and follow (so you can be like Fred & Ginger on the dance floor!)

• Practice with your wedding shoes on.

• Make sure your wedding dress bustles so you aren't tripping over extra fabric.

• Don't be afraid to try something fun and different.  Your guests will love it!

Over the past 6 years of weddings, we have had the privilege of witnessing countless beautiful first dances.  There are a few that stand out though, and still give us chills when we think back to them.  Below are some of our personal favourite first dances from past FKE weddings.  Give the songs a listen, close your eyes, and we promise you'll end up having a huge smile on your face! 

Catherine & Patricio: Sunday Kind of Love by Etta James

Taylor Roades Photography

Brad & Nicole: Cheek to Cheek by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

Jennifer Ballard Photography

Lauren & David: A Kiss to Build a Dream On by Louis Armstrong

Jenna & Tristan Photography

Mica & Nate: Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You by Lauryn Hill

The Nickersons Photography

Barb & Nick: You Are the Best Thing by Ray LaMontagne (Acoustic Cover)

Ameris Photography

And just for fun here is our prediction for the #1 first dance song of 2017...

• FKE Featured 24
• FKE Living 7
• Office Talk 55
• Planning Tips 13
• Real Weddings 48

Ok folks.  I am so, so, SO excited to share this one with you.  I've been holding on to it for way too long, as we had some publication hopes for it, but it is just too good to wait any longer!  This wedding had all of the key ingredients to make it incredible: beautiful couple, gorgeous venues, A-team of vendors, and a palette that has me craving a big glass of Sangria! Ok.  So now on to the details...

Roslyn & Luke’s whimsical summer wedding took place ocean side, on a hot and glorious day in the summer of 2015, and oh was it lovely!  Working with this adorable couple was an absolute dream, and their fun, quirky personalities paired with the drop dead gorgeous backdrop of the PNW, was the perfect recipe for wedding perfection.  The day was overflowing with whimsical and romantic details, fun elements and elegant touches.  The Bride’s parents home played host to the ceremony, and was the dream location to share their i-do’s!  The couple met at University down in the States, and so many of the friends and family of the Groom, were travelling to this beautiful part of the world for the first time.  One of my favourite parts of their wedding, was how we incorporated their dog into so many aspects of the day.  From the invitation and day of goods, to even a special floral dog collar…Milo was the centre of attention!  The stunning florals, designed by our good friend, Verbena Floral Design, also took centre stage, and wowed the guests from start to finish.  

The colour palette, inspired by Roslyn’s (and mine!) favourite summer drink, Sangria, was filled with rich plums, magenta’s, orange and peach.  The bouquets popped beautifully against the grey bridesmaids dresses, and the rest of the florals complimented the lighter blush tones throughout.  The invitations and paper goods, all custom designed by Caribou Creative., were illustrations of the couple and their dog.  And the large painting that hung above the fireplace at the reception, a surprise to the couple from Verbena & myself, helped to create a really cozy and intimate feel in the dining room.  This was such a beautiful and fun celebration, and one that we won’t soon forget!  

**Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the complete list of all the kick ass vendors that helped make this day so incredible!  All photos courtesy of AMERIS, and video courtesy of Orriss Films.

Planning/Design - French Kiss Events
Photography - AMERIS
Videography - Orriss Films
Floral Design - Verbena Floral Design
Paper Goods - Caribou Creative
Ceremony Venue - Private Property
Ceremony Catering - Toque Catering
Reception Venue & Catering - Brentwood Bay Resort
Hair - Conscious Hair
Makeup - Erin Bradley
Cakes - Schur to Please
Specialty Furniture - Bash Specialty

• FKE Featured 24
• FKE Living 7
• Office Talk 55
• Planning Tips 13
• Real Weddings 48

I don't know about you guys, but I love a good cocktail. Nick & I have been serious cocktail lovers for years now, and even ensured that at our own wedding, the cocktails got as much attention as the rest of the decor (proof: here).  So when Cahoots, a "small-batch" simple syrup company based out of Vancouver, got in touch with us, we jumped at the chance to try out their products!  

I love that all of their syrups can be used to instantly elevate a drink, and when used while hosting (either at your home or large scale event), help to avoid all the mess & extra work that is normally involved when mixing drinks. Their site has a ton of fun cocktail recipes, with some of my favourite being the Lavender Gin Sour and the Aged Rum Old Fashioned.

One of the recipes that they sent over to us was the Cahoots Lavender Mojito.  Nothing sounded more refreshing, and so we did the tough task of trying it out....tough day at the office, right?! lol!  And I swear I'm not lying when I say that for this particular round, the drinks were made sans liquor.

Cahoots Lavender Mojito

2oz White Rum
3/4oz Cahoots Lavender
Half Lemon
Handful of Mint
Soda
Crushed Ice

Slice lemon into quarters and muddle in a shaker. Add the remaining ingredients with a small handful of crushed ice and shake gently just to incorporate. Pour ingredients into a double highball glass, fill with crushed ice, top with soda and garnish with a mint bouquet and/or lavender flower.

The cocktail itself was incredibly easy to make!  The Lavender Simple Syrup added a lovely light sweetness to the drink, and I completely devoured it (#noregrets).  Such a great way to elevate the average Mojito, and definitely a drink that we will be making regularly around here!  

So often at weddings, couples chose to offer signature drinks, and I honestly love how easy these syrups make that (and the bottles would definitely elevate the styling of the bar! lol!).  Thank you so much Cahoots, for introducing us to your products, and we highly recommend hoping over to their site to see where you can buy some yourself.  

Cheers!

• FKE Featured 24
• FKE Living 7
• Office Talk 55
• Planning Tips 13
• Real Weddings 48

We missed last months Currently Inspired by post (we blame this never ending winter), but we are back at it this month with our latest inspirations! Since we are currently knee deep in design plans, what you are seeing below is a reflection of what we have been loving for our 2017 weddings!

Geometric Decor
We are just digging this modern and clean cut decor lately. It is classy and playful at the same time. LOVE!

Source: Ruffled Blog / Sarah Libby Photography

Source: Style Me Pretty / Kim Lyn Photography

Unconventional Dishware
Whether it's ceramics, patterns, or unique textures we are leaning towards dishes that pop these days.

Source: Martha Weddings

Source: Once Wed / Manda Weaver

Stationary from Minted
We are having too much fun checking out the new designs on Minted.com! Peruse for yourself if you want to see all the beauties they have on there. We have worked with Minted product many times and are always blown away by the quality.

Source: Minted

Source: Minted

• FKE Featured 24
• FKE Living 7
• Office Talk 55
• Planning Tips 13
• Real Weddings 48

AMERIS

It has been a couple of years since our new website was launched, and so figured it was about time to freshen things up a bit around here.  Over the past year, the FKE team has grown to include the lovely and talented Paula (our office & design assistant), basically the sweetest and most driven lady I have met.  Having her join me in the office has been amazing and everyone who meets her loves her as much as we all do!  We have also officially welcomed Nick to the team, who has basically been with us from the beginning (something that happens naturally when married to the owner of a company).  He is an instrumental person when it comes to FKE's growth & vision as well as helping with on site logistics at large events (and even carrying a chair or two).  We are thrilled to have finally convinced him to step in front of the camera.   And then there's Laura....oh Laura...she has been with me since the beginning, and I honestly couldn't imagine FKE without her!  She is our most senior production assistant, and operates as my brain on wedding days.  To say that she's a total rock star would be a major understatement, and it's been so much fun having her involved in some new upcoming projects as well.

AMERIS

We always have so much fun when working with AMERIS, and I can't even begin to tell you how hard it is to keep a straight face when being in front of their camera.  WAY too many laughs were had (is that possible?), and we are all thrilled with the results! I've included a few of my favourite shots below, and then make sure to head over to our About page, to read more about everyone.  The FKE team is like family to me, and I love that I get to spend my days working alongside them! We have a lot of exciting projects and new ventures in the works, none of which would be possible without them.  Thank you so much for following along and helping make this dream of mine a reality! xo

AMERIS

AMERIS

AMERIS

AMERIS

AMERIS

AMERIS

ps - Thank you as well, to my talented friend Elena, who made my hair look as perfect as it did, and also to Club Monaco for my outfit.  White jeans in winter was definitely a risk, but I'd say it was one worthy of taking! lol!

• FKE Featured 24
• FKE Living 7
• Office Talk 55
• Planning Tips 13
• Real Weddings 48

If you asked me to sum up Heather & Gaven's wedding in one word, it would hands down, without a doubt, have to be FUN!  This beautiful young couple (& their wedding party) was filled with an abundance of energy, and the celebratory mood of the day was not lost on any one of the guests.  The wedding was overflowing with southern charm (Heather hails from Oklahoma) and a west coast ease (Gaven is from Victoria), and highlighted the couples fun loving nature to a tee.  

After meeting in University down in Oklahoma, and falling head over heels in love, Heather & Gaven first met with me in the summer of 2015.   The combination of Hatley Castle & The Beach House for their wedding venues allowed them to have the best of both worlds, Glamour & West Coast beauty, and I loved working with them on designing their dream day.  Heather L O V E S pink, and pretty soon, we realized we had an un-official "50 shades of pink" theme running through the wedding.  Subtle pink ombre touches, through the bridesmaids bouquets, reception tables, and paper goods, made their appearance, and modern elegant touches kept the design feeling sophisticated.  The beautiful images, captured by the wickedly talented Luke Liable, are oozing with the energy that was present that day, and they still put a huge smile on my face!

**Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the complete list of all the kick ass vendors that helped make this day so incredible!  All photos courtesy of Luke Liable Photography, and video courtesy of Paper Heart Films. 

Planning/Design - French Kiss Events
Photography - Luke Liable Photography
Videography - Paper Heart Films
Ceremony Venue - Hatley Castle
Reception Venue - The Beach House
Floral Design - Verbena Floral Design
Beauty - Erin Bradley
Cake - Passion for Cakes
Ceremony Music - Opus String Trio
DJ - DJ Pro

• FKE Featured 24
• FKE Living 7
• Office Talk 55
• Planning Tips 13
• Real Weddings 48

We can't believe it's March already! The month that doesn't have a whole lot going for it, except for maybe St. Patrick's Day and the beginning of the Spring season (which we are very, VERY excited about)!  Although it doesn't feel like Spring is anywhere close after the snow we have had recently...  So, in honour of the new month, we thought we would share our latest guilty pleasures (ie. the things that have been non stop on our minds)!

Current Obsession:

Barb: Home Renos

Paula: Dine Around Victoria

Laura: New puppy!!

Beauty Favourites of the Moment:

Barb: Lady Like by Essie

Paula: Anastasia Glow Kit

Laura: Rouge Cream Lipstick

Must See Movies this Month:

Barb: La La Land

Paula: Beauty & The Beast

Laura: Moonlight

And because we can't help ourselves... here's the trailer for the upcoming wedding flick Table 19! Because who doesn't love Anna Kendrick and cheesy wedding movies?

• FKE Featured 24
• FKE Living 7
• Office Talk 55
• Planning Tips 13
• Real Weddings 48

It has been just over a year now since the launch of our sister company, Heyday Events, and I am STOKED to be finally sharing a bit more about it over here on the blog!  If you are in the wedding industry on Vancouver Island, you may have heard about Heyday, and we are all so appreciative of the amazing support that this wonderful community has given us so far!  I thought it was about time though that I introduced Heyday formally, and shared with you what it is all about!

Photo by: Jesse Holland Photography

Heyday Events is a "Day-of Coordination" specialty company, meaning "day-of" is all that it does, and it does it right!  Day of Coordination is an invaluable planning service that has been around for a long long time, but its title is often very misleading. Day of Coordination is so much more than help on just the day.  A day-of coordinator typically becomes involved in the planning 1-2 months prior, helping the couple tie up any loose ends, put together timelines, and take on final confirmations with the vendors.  It is the perfect service for those couples who are super excited to take on the planning themselves, but don't want to "work" their wedding.  Or, for those couples who really see the value in having a professional on the day, but don't have the budget for a full service planner.  

Photo by: The Best Men

From 2010 - 2015, Day-of Coordination was a service that we offered at FKE, and we loved being able to help couples bring all their hard work and planning to life!  In 2015 I decided to remove this service from FKE and focus solely on a Full Service/luxury planning experience for our couples.  I see such value and importance in a really good Day-Of service though, and wanted to continue to offer that to couples in BC, hence the idea of Heyday was born!  A company that would become known for stellar day-of coordination, and would also be a place for planners to learn, grow and become even more involved in the wedding industry.  The team of "heyday makers" that we have is absolutely incredible, and all of the planners come from a great background in events.  It has been such a pleasure working with them, providing guidance when needed, and seeing them work alongside some wickedly cool couples!  Last season, we tested the waters (success!), and this upcoming wedding season, we are going full force!  We have a lot of awesome weddings lined up for Heyday, and still have some weekends available this summer.  SO.... if you, or someone you know, needs a bit of extra help pulling things together, or is at the point of wedding planning where they realize that yes, it IS a good idea to have a planner, check out Heyday Events, and give the girls a shout!  

Photo by: Sabrina Patrice Photography

Photo by: The Best Men

• FKE Featured 24
• FKE Living 7
• Office Talk 55
• Planning Tips 13
• Real Weddings 48