Summer must be here....

Location for an event, whether private or corporate, is always a key decision for planners. Big or small? Intimate and romantic or grand and elegant? There are so many fantastic venues in Ottawa and I had the pleasure last night to attend two events.

The Atlific Hotels of Ottawa-Gatineau hosted a special wine & beer pairing evening to celebrate the Spring/Summer season. It was fabulous to have the opportunity to meet the teams from Courtyard Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton, Hotel Indigo, Lord Elgin and Residence Inn - all together. Not only did I get to mix and mingle, I was indulged by the food pairing stations that spoiled me with cocktails made with ginger beer and Russian Standard Vodka, white/red wine, and even scotch. There was food stations from seafood to the chocolate fountain and everything was topped off with live music and great company. Congrats to the Atlific Hotels in Ottawa-Gatineau, 2010/2011 will be filled with exciting and new opportunities!

Lago Bar & Grill has since been a great spot for weddings and events. It recently underwent some renovations. Last night, at their grand re-opening party, I had a preview of the new layout, format and full use of the patio overlooking Dow's Lake - the sunny weather just made it even better on the patio. Fantastic venue that brings out the best of elegance and romance. There were samples from the new menu (including oysters to lamb chops) and special drinks! Well done and I'm looking forward to more exciting news from Lago.

By Appointment Only Bridal Boutique...

On May 8th, I had the pleasure of attending the Grand Opening Night of the Ashton Station Bridal Boutique in Carleton Place.

Nestled in an old church, Luigi and Tracy Porcari have renovated the space into a beautiful, modern boutique that provides brides with
high-end bridal gowns designed by Canadian designer Rita Vinieris. In talking to Rita, I'm inspired by her creativity and vision. She is truly a fashion icon in the Canadian wedding industy with presence in many of the International runways, including New York.

Ashton Station is by appointment-only. This offers brides the chance to share their first moment of trying on wedding dreses, with their closest family and friends. The boutique currently offers not only many Rivini dresses to try on but also shoes, headbands and jewelry.

Luigi and Tracy's story was shared by the Ottawa Citizen. You can find the article at: "Say yes to the dress".

You can also read about them at the Smart Bride Boutique Blog. Photo courtesy of Smart Bride Boutique.

Before the wedding season kicks off...

I had the pleasure of co-hosting a sangria and networking event in April, with Trixie Tulip - The Bytown Bride, for Ottawa Wedding Professionals. It was the first ever networking event in Ottawa for this type of industry. Not only was it fun and relaxing but also a night in which we managed to bring together talent and experience from different areas of the wedding industry.

I was graced with fantastic people that night...I probably would have never had the opportunity to do otherwise, especially once the summer wedding season kicked off for 2010. I was able to enjoy the company of Smart Bride Boutique (from Toronto), Sylvain and Caroline Renaud from Reno Video Productions, Julie Butler, and Tangerine Smile...just to name a few among a great group of professionals.

Thanks to everyone for a great night and looking forward to our second Ottawa Wedding Professionals Networking event - save November 17th and bring lots of business cards!