wedding prep

Well, wedding planning is in full swing! The engagement has been thoroughly celebrated, and will be capped off with friends and family at a summer engagement party. I don't plan on having a bridal shower, so it felt important to have a celebration at some point ahead of the wedding. 

I have to say, knowing how to start planning a wedding seemed a little intimidating, but lucky Toronto blogs are riddled with "Best Wedding Venue" lists. After preparing our guest list, I figured we had to have a date and a place before any other details could be discussed or decided. We only saw one other venue before finding 99 Sudbury. Turns out a sizable guestlist is slightly harder to accommodate in downtown, especially when "wedding-machine" spaces are out of the picture, but we love the feel of the loft-like space and agreed we could picture getting married there! 

Our approach for the rest of the planning is to take it one step at a time. D and I have been on the same page with everything so far, and enjoying the novelty of being 'fiances'.  

I've started shopping for dresses which is overwhelming and exciting both at the same time. And we've begun emailing florists and researching photographers. We will continue to slowly check off the to-do list and I am sure February 25th will creep up sooner then expected!

the commodore

Last weekend D and I had our first summer bike date night. Everyone once in a while we'll do a tour of a few local restaurants that we haven't tried yet. We'll have an appetizer and drink at each and then get back on our bikes and carry on. It's such a fun way to check out new restaurants and it's one of my favourite date night ideas. I had been dying to check out The Commodore (mainly because of the Instagram photos I had seen of the gorgeous interior) and we were happily surprised by the laid back East-coast vibe and amazing food and cocktails. Both of our cocktails were bursting with flavour and I had to stop myself from finishing it too quickly. We had the smoked trout salad and shrimp on toast and the food was so yummy - the salad was fresh and lemon-y and the shrimp were buttery and perfectly cooked, I can't wait to go back and try the other items on the menu. I would so recommend this spot for your next girls dinner or date night!

clean and crisp

{ pom pom tank }

With this weekends lovely, warm weather, it has me digging out my summer clothes and there's nothing I love more then fresh white in the summer time. White always looks so great paired with a jeans and a tan. Here are a few clean and crisp picks from Old Navy that I'd wear on any warm, sunny day...

{ swing dress }

{ tulip back tank }

{ denim shortalls }

more of costa rica

{ more iphone pictures from our trip, if you care to see... }

casa leo loco

We stayed at the most amazing house in Costa Rica called Casa Leo Loco. A local Sunshine Coast man donated a week at the home in a charity event and D's parents and their neighbors were the highest bidders! The house was spacious and airy and had so much lovely outdoor space to relax. There were the funniest little tiles all throughout of the house of Leo the Loco Lion. We had fun tracking them down all over the house. Leo certainly lives the good life...

costa rica

We're finally back to reality after a wonderfully enjoyed vacation in Costa Rica last week. The house we stayed at was spacious & luxurious. The local people were outgoing and friendly. The food was to die for - we ate our weight in fresh fish. The weather was gorgeous every single day. And the beer was ice cold. What more can you ask for? I'm going to do a week of Costa Rica posts. To start off, here are a few photos if you care to see....

{ we ate fresh fruit for breakfast each morning }

 

{ there were the sweetest little shops }

{ we drank lots of the national beer, Imperial }

{ fresh ceviche from the market }

{ choco-latte from banana's surf club taught us to surf }

{ we toured up the river and saw loads of wildlife }

{ there were cool beach clubs }

{ our house, where you could jump off the balcony into the pool }

{ this was our own little abode for the week }

{ and of course, breathtaking sunsets nightly }