Our Community Members

And now, a special word from our sponsors...well, the local stores that we supported for our big day, anyway!

The Flower Shops
One of the most important parts of my celebration was the flowers - they just bring a lovely sense of intimacy, nature, and light. So, i went to my favourite flower shop, Cindiloowho, where the amazing owner Dani did her usual wonders for our table. We also went to an amazing flower market at Avenue/Davenport with my sis and friend Kelly (who incidently has a great air-conditioned car). We spent about $100 on random flower bunches but each was gorgeous in its own right. I even got peonies and runnuculus that are supposedly out of season! Other flowers were sunflowers, daisies, snapdragons, lisianthus, gerberas, big mums, and some others i don't even know the names of! I had an absolute ball making the flower arrangements Friday night, and the time doing this was appreciated at it brought a bit of calm to my night!

The Cake Maker
Yum yum! First of all, this tea house/cafe is a place Joel and i go to for 'special dates' like our birthdays, and now assumedly our anniversary. It is such a hidden treasure in the city. Picture Alice in Wonderland tea party cakes and desserts and that is the essense of the Red Tea Box. They have a huge selection of teas and yummy lunch/brunch items. A perfect place to unwind in. They customize cakes for you and even ask you to bring in things that 'represent' you. I wanted a blue tier cake with peach cherry blossoms, and loads of chocolate. That is what a got and more! Han, the owner and cake maker extraordinnaire, made me a vegan cake and it was a masterpiece. One of our extravagent splurges and one of my 'wedding' things but so worth it. I can't wait to eat the leftover pieces! FYI, the top tier is off in this photo, but it was also completely blue.

Cabaret
This is a regular stop for us when we're shopping on Queen W. Cabaret specializes in vintage clothing and has an amazing selection of formal and fun wear at great prices and in excellent condition. Joel and i met Tao months ago, and he dedicated himself to help me find the 'perfect dress.' While i have to admit i didn't fnd it there, we did find just about everything else including Joel's suit, my petticoat, a headpiece for my flower girl and some other important things like my bathing suit and nightgown. Thanks Tao and everyone else for your continued commitment to help us and for your amazing greeting everytime we go in to see you!

The B & B
We stayed at a wonderful bed and breakfast on the island (did you know there were b&b's there?) called Swan's End. Kiloran and Jeffrey were the perfect hosts and they made us feel at home and pampered. I loved coming home to a tray of cherries and almonds, and we always had cold bottled water on hand to combat the heat. Staying there for 4 days really helped us to get a feel of the island and we loved every minute of it!

Algonquin Island Association
What a perfect location for our celebration. A school and daycare during the week transforms into party central on the weekends. It's just a big hall with the bare bones to offer, but anyone can make it special and personalized (with a bit of work!) We loaded 4 wagons on the ferry and about 20 boxes full of decoartions and key ingredients like presents, 40 aprons, vases, flowers, cake plates, lanterns, you name it. We worked hard Friday night and again post-party Sunday morning, but it was all worth it. During the day, there was a perfect breeze and intimate feel and at night, well, the view was priceless. Even our Toronto friends were mesmerized by the view of the Toronto skyline from the AIA. We have no idea how we found it but are so happy we did!

Other Important Players include:
- neighbourhood Goodwill, Value Village and Salvation Army for vintage dessert plates and aprons
- Caterer David Godfrey for the tasty vegetarian food - tempeh stew and grilled tofu dinner options plus quinoa salad, rice, grilled veggies and a selection of finger foods for 'cocktail time'
- the water taxi dudes for transporting people and our stuff
- neighbourhood grocers for our fair trade coffee and teas, vegan truffles, freezies, and cookies
-ebay because i found my Stella McCartney dream shoes there just in time for breaking in before July 15!!!
- i'm sure i'm forgetting some, but stay tuned because we will be thanking all our important 'key players' soon (aka wedding party and friends who helped out!)