No one achieves success without others...

No one who achieves success does so without the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude. -- Alfred North Whitehead...

Last night was our second networking event for Ottawa Wedding Professionals and we mixed it up with martinis! Our host was the Ottawa Marriott Hotel's Summit which overlooks the city, 29 floors above Ottawa and I'm sure everyone agreed that it was breath-taking.

I can't say enough about all the people who made the event a success...but I'll try:

THANK YOU to Marco for hosting the event at his beautiful venue (the Summit) overlooking the city! Looking forward to many more ;)

THANK YOU to all the martinis and networking event sponsors at the Ottawa Marriott's Summit last night: Little Cakes Cupcakes, Reno Video Productions, Quality Entertainment, Tripp Photography, Lou Truss photography, Mastermind Events, Full Bloom, and all the staff at the Ottawa Marriott Hotel - it was truly a pleasure and you were all integral in making the event a success!

THANK YOU to our donations of door prizes: Cake pops from Little Cakes, floral arrangement from Full Bloom, gift certificate from the Ottawa Marriott Hotel and the Courtyard by Marriott, and the gift certificate and bottle of wine from Trixie Tulip!

THANK YOU to our featured guests: Brian Henry (MC), Cristie Vito (and Christine Tripp) and Carrie Irvine.

THANK YOU to my fabulous volunteers who worked magic for me: Allison Milne (of Beyond Events), Kat, and Stephanie!

AND THANK YOU to all the great Wedding Pros who came out to network! I hope you each connected or re-connected and walked away with at least 5 great contacts that you will stay in touch with.

OK I feel like this blog post is my Grammy acceptance speech but there are not enough THANK YOUs to express how blessed I felt last night! Woke up with a smile...

For those who couldn't make it out stay tuned for the next one...in the meantime, please find a recap of the night courtesy of Sylvain and Caroline Renaud of Reno Video Productions:

Adding Flair to Events

Clients are always looking for unique ideas to entertain their guests at an event. One idea that goes beyond the idea of a signature cocktail is adding flair bartending. Not only are drinks being served that look and taste great but everyone will be highly entertained by the technique and the special moves choreographed by the bartender.

My first experience was watching “Cocktails” with Tom Cruise and it has since intrigued me on how skilled these individuals are in mastering throwing bottles around, rolling them off their body and not breaking anything or spilling a drop of alcohol.

BartenderOne's Movers ‘n’ Shakers are “Canada's Largest team of professional bartenders for hire, catering more than 1000 special events per year from coast to coast.” If you're looking for a way to keep your guests excited and having fun you should consider hiring flair bartenders.

Here’s a great video of BartenderOne's bartenders for hire:

Networking for any industry

Business Networking is an effective tool in promoting your business. For some it’s a skill that needs to be developed and for others it comes naturally but for both it takes time and energy to master.

Networking is not about passing out as many business cards as you can or sales pitching to everyone that you come across. It is about listening, connecting and focusing on how you can help the person. A small business owner who takes the steps to attend networking events to meet new people will create opportunities to exchange ideas, business contacts, and support.

Laura Allen, co-founder of 15 Second Pitch for About.com, explains How to Network More Effectively. No matter what industry your company is involved in. As a business owner, networking as much as you can with like-minded professionals will not only help you to master this skill but it will help you to build strategic business partnerships that may become mutually beneficial.

If you just happen to enjoy networking and own a business in the Ottawa Wedding and Event industy, we are hosting a Martini and Networking night on Nov 17th - pls feel free to join us. For more information, please visit: http://martininottawawedprofnetworking.eventbrite.com/

Personalize your event...it means more!

I love to recommend to my clients that they add something personal to their wedding or event. It can be carried throughout in a subtle way or as simple and as fun as personalizing the favours or small gifts for their guests. Here's some really great ideas I've come across and thought I should share:

1) Jones Soda - not only can you personalize the label but you get to choose the flavours too.

2) Hockey puck or mini sticks - for those avid hockey fans (I know you're out there) why not celebrate your passion for the sport.

3) Hot Sauce - the site says it all, "Leave memories of your day on the tips of their tongues for months on end."

4) Magazine Cover - make yourself famous and create your own magazine cover.

5) Custom Postage- amazing and your friends and family will love receiving this in the mail.

6) Custom cookie designs - cute and edible!

7) Swarovski Crystal Lingerie - always a nice gift for your girlfriends or bridal party.

8) Personalized Cigar Humidors - an essential gift for any guy who likes a good cigar.

9) Custom soap - why not? It smells nice and everyone needs to use soap ;)

10) Personalized M&M's - because everyone loves chocolates and you can add your photo!

Fashion and Glam in Ottawa - all in one weekend!

Ottawa Fashion Week has become THE event to attend in Ottawa! Now on its fourth season, fashionistas and art enthusiasts from everywhere are brought together in the Nation’s Capital for a weekend of glamour and fashion. This year it was held at the spectacular National Gallery Grand Hall.

Over the three days, Beyond Events was a part of the Vendor Gallery. We were among some great vendors such as: Karen McClintock whose gorgeous jewellery hit the runway on Opening Night, Lilac Lingerie, Ottawa Flowers, Dress it Up by NZ, and Beauticontrol. We had so much fun having our table beside two event sponsors, Le Spa Ottawa/The Loft Ottawa and Rob Reid. A shout out to George and Rob - both entertained us and made the weekend fly by!

We had a great view of the runway and the gorgeous models sporting 21 of the most talented Canadian designers such as Adrian Wu, Rachel Sin and Kania Couture.


Among the crowd of media there every night, I had the pleasure of meeting MaryLou from Twenty York Street, a “Fashion and Lifestyle Blog that showcases the latest trends in fashion, style and events in the city”, Julie from Pop Champagne , an “outrageous commentary on celebrities, fashion, popular culture- as well as the happenings in Ottawa, Canada and Holly from My Journey 613, a blog to share ideas and events around Ottawa with everyone. Loved meeting these ladies and can’t wait to read more of their blogs…


There were lots of laughs, I connected with many people (including Max Keeping), enjoyed plenty of beauty and style, and of course took pictures for my readers to enjoy…I'm looking forward to the next one!