Real Wedding: Annamaria & Justin

Annamaria and Justin hosted a beautiful wedding in July of last year.  This was the first Greek wedding I'd coordinated and I really fell in love with the incredible Greek Orthodox Church where the two said their vows.  I am sure you can see why!  Greek weddings have some really beautiful traditions both in the church and outside - one of the best parts of the day was the traditional walk of the bride and her family to the church.  

The bride was escorted by both her parents, bridal party, family and a Greek band.

Annamaria and Justin had hired me just a couple of weeks before their wedding (see it's never too late to hire a day of coordinator!).  We quickly pulled all the last minute details together.  Annamaria had a very clear vision of what she wanted her wedding to look like and had incorporated some beautiful items - like the repurposed vintage plates as table numbers.  

The reception was held at the elegant and timeless Fort Garry Hotel in The Crystal Ballroom where the staff had prepared an incredible meal of oysters, custom created appetizers, steak and more. The Fort Garry Hotel is a great place for those who take their food seriously.  The Greek band played traditional music throughout dinner, so the dance floor was always full and people danced all night long.

To see more photos of Annamaria and Justin's wedding by  Austin Kylie Photography visit the gallery here.  I have select dates available for Month Of Coordination left for 2018 check your availability today.

Real Wedding: Ally & Josh

The Crystal Ballroom at the Fort Garry is one of the most spectacular backdrops for any wedding, but what I loved about it at Ally and Josh's brunch wedding was the light that streamed in.  It gave the day such a warm glow.  

For a brunch wedding, you can't pick a better venue than the Fort Garry Hotel, which in Winnipeg has long been famous for its elaborate brunch spreads.  Ally and Josh's wedding certainly didn't disappoint - complete with a mimosa bar, a Garnish Your Own Caesar Bar,  the Thom Bargen Coffee Cart and fresh made Bronuts with custom rose gold sprinkles thanks to the amazing woman behind Scientific Sweets.  You can see why Ally and Josh were pretty much my dream couple right?  As a non breakfast person (I don't eat eggs, am not a big bread eater and I don't like mushy things like oatmeal) I can get behind brunch.  SO many more options!  Plus it's perfectly acceptable to drink sparkling before noon at brunch.

Planning with Ally and Josh was so much fun.. I am not sure you can actually spend anytime with the two of them without laughing, a lot.    They were the type of client that invited you over for dinner and a glass of wine to plan. We bonded over a love of all things food and wine and the colour pink.  Ally had chosen the prettiest shades of pink and rose gold for her wedding with pops of navy blue to tie in Josh's suit.    Pinks, creams and golds are perfectly suited to the opulent Crystal Ballroom.

I loved the contrast of Josh's navy suit with the black ones the groomsmen wore.

Photos by Charmaine Mallari Photography

Ally and Josh had their ceremony in the room with their guests.  We used the head table as their ceremony backdrop, so we opted for larger pieces.

Photo by Charmaine Mallari Photography

Ally's dress details were incredible.  The best part of Ally's outfit though was her flip flops!

Take a peek at more photos from this beautiful wedding on the  Our Work Page.

2017 - A Year in Review

It's hard to believe that today is the last day of 2017.  This year has really been something else.  Had you told me last January that this is where I'd be in my life - running Inspired Elegance Events with a successful first year coming to a close, I would have said you were crazy.  

One year ago, I had a job that I loved with my whole heart, filled with the best clients, but in a place that wasn't healthy.  I ignored that latter because of how much I loved what I did and the people I did it for.  Then that changed. I didn't have that job any more and I was lost.  I had put so much energy into that job for so long I wasn't sure what came next.  Insert some amazing people here.  

When people started asking "What's next?" I'd stare blankly.  This was answered every single time with "Sheila, you're going to do what you love, what you're great at, where your passion is.  Start your own business."  When I couldn't see what came next, it was so obvious to everyone around me because no matter what happened, no one could take away what I loved doing.  

There it was.  Great life lesson.  Insert more amazing people here.  Friends and family who looked at logos for hours, website drafts, photo selections.  Individuals who took the time from their days and businesses to give advice, who helped me translate myself into Inspired Elegance Events, because even when I didn't know what I wanted it to say, I wanted it to feel personal and authentic.  I realized along the journey that this message was so important to me.  

Instagram's Best 9 have been flooding in the last week or two and I posted mine.  

This is what it looked like.  Some really personal moments - my first head shot, my business card design, my first "Friday Introduction" and my first booth design for a wedding show.

What I realized, as I looked through the images is that there were so many more moments that I was insanely proud of or that taught big lessons that weren't represented.  I have reflected over the last week about what exactly my personal best moments were for the year.  These were so hard to choose!

The first image (top left corner) is of a photoshoot I did with Casey Nolin Photography and an incredible cast of local Winnipeg talent.  This shoot was featured in Love Inc. Magazine, Aisle Society and locally with Host Winnipeg which was an exciting start to the first couple of months of running my own business.  I loved getting to work with vendors I'd known for years but in a different capacity.  It also allowed me to meet some new faces - Fauna and Fern, Brittany Jill Photography and Brenna Faris Photo. This photoshoot is also the first time I worked with Casey personally and am so blessed that this has developed into an incredible friendship.  Casey's support and optimism have been amazing to have.

The second image (moving clockwise) is of Ally and Josh's lovely brunch wedding in April.  Ally and Josh were one of my first booked clients after launch thanks to a referral.  Working with Ally and Josh was so much fun, they were the type of clients that invited you over for dinner to plan. They started off my year with a perfect reminder - personal and authentic.

The third image is of a beautiful wedding that taught me so much about being a business owner and about boundaries.  Thank you.  Image courtesy of Austin Kylie Photography.

Mandi and Juliano were a full coordination client that I had the pleasure of working with.  They had such an incredible sense of what they wanted their wedding to look and feel like, which makes planning so much easier.  I learned the importance of tailoring how I planned with a client to suit their specific set of needs and maintaining the consistency of this throughout the process.  It also brought Chantelle into my life who has brought a lot of laughter and a great sounding board for all things business.  Photo courtesy of Chantelle Dione Photography.

The bottom middle image was so hard to select from this photoshoot.  There were so many that I loved. Charmaine perfectly captured how I wanted this Boho shoot to feel (which is always a fear I have with photoshoots - that I won't be able to translate what I see in my head into what you see).  This photoshoot has been featured on Prairie Weddings and Style Inspired Weddings.  Charmaine has also a great teacher to me.  She has taught me about staying true to what you want to do and how you do it. This photoshoot introduced me to a florist that I hadn't worked with previously - Geranium Lake Botanicals.  If you aren't familiar with Amanda's work, I suggest you take a peek!  Her bouquet from this shoot was selected by Style Inspired Weddings in their Top 10 Gallery.

The final image is of Allison and Kevin's wedding.  I have selected it because when they hired me (after meeting with a couple of other planners) they told me that the reason they chose me was because they were confident in me and my experience.  One of the things that I have had to learn this year is how to sell myself.  I used to be a venue coordinator - I can sell you a venue.  Being a business owner though means that I have to sell me, my experience, it's almost like a running job interview.  It meant so much to me knowing that this was how they felt after a consultation.  I also got to work with Tony of BLF Studios, which I loved as BLF Studios has long been a favourite of mine. Photo courtesy of Tony at BLF Studios.

2017 has been a year of lessons and gratitude.  I can't thank all my family (especially Ken, Shannon and Yared),  friends and vendor friends enough for pushing me and supporting me.  Thank you to all the couples who've chosen me and trusted me.  Cheers to 2017 for showing me that anything is possible!  

Real Wedding: Christel & David

I loved Christel and David right from our first meeting.  This couple had an amazing vision for what they wanted their day to look like and weren't afraid to do what felt right for them.  They wanted a party with all of their favourite people, incredible food and lots of music.  This was a wedding that I could definitely get behind.  They selected The Club Room at the historic Fort Garry Hotel because of it's Gatsby style charm.  From there their vision came to life.

These two had style for days and Nancy from  Kiex Fotography captured all the magic with her creative eye and bold style.  I couldn't think of a photographer who could have done it better.  Christel and David's wedding had such an authentic and personal feeling to it.  Their love and personality shone through all day.  And can we take a moment to appreciate that incredible bouquet by the team at Beyond Flowers.

Click here to see more of Christel and David's bold and stylish wedding.

Want to see more?  There's more magic here!

Elegant Green & Grey Warehouse Wedding Inspiration

This spring shoot kicked off my season and I couldn't be more excited about how it turned out. The venue was an old warehouse building in the heart of Winnipeg that used to be the Ogilvie Flour Mill. Casey Nolin Photography and I were thrilled about the space because we were the only people who've staged a shoot in the building. When Casey and I were planning the shoot we wanted to feature the fantastic pool of Winnipeg Wedding Vendors we have. From the Gatsby Gown by Anna Lang Bridal - designed locally, EPH Apparel's custom suit, Tallgrass' Vodka and Gin used in the creative cocktails supplied by Bees Knees Bar Services and the gorgeous white & green bouquet by Fauna & Fern, every piece came together perfectly. I love how it feels timeless and elegant in an effortless way.  Plus it was amazing to see this shoot get picked up by both Love Inc. and Aisle Society! If you're planning a wedding and loving the way this came together we'd love to hear from you. Click on our Contact button to set up a your preliminary consultation.