a dreamy french wedding

I follow Camille Style's blog religiously and was thrilled to learn that Chanel Dror, Executive Producer of the blog, would be sharing her Parisian wedding via Vogue.com. A Parisian destination wedding would be just about as dreamy as it gets, and Chanel definitely did it up right - with every aspect of the wedding day being perfectly executed. Take a peek at photos of the day here. The late-night dance party sounds epic and her photos have me desperately wanting to return to Paris!

PS. Take a look at the photos from the pre-wedding picnic & rehearsal dinner too!

bridesmaids earrings

 

{ top left to bottom right: 1, 2, 3, 4 }

As we continue to check off items on the wedding 'to-do' list, we're starting to get into some of the fun, smaller details of planning. All of the wedding party will be dressed in black the day-of and two of my three bridesmaids have had success finding beautiful black gowns. I'd like to have a small gift to give each friend the morning of the wedding as we get ready together and love the idea of finding earrings for them to wear with their dresses. I'm leaning towards styles that are more modern with a funky personality. I've started browsing, but will likely wait until the my maid of honor finds her dress for a final decision. 

Which style do you love best? 

And for all you married folk: Did you give bridesmaids gifts? I'd love to hear ideas and suggestions!

weekend in collingwood

{ the farewell gift: home baked orange shortbread }

D and I managed to sneak away to Collingwood last weekend. For my birthday this year, D's family gave me a two night stay and a cooking class at the Willow Trace Bed and Breakfast in Collingwood.  The hosts of the B&B were welcoming and we had a quiet room at the back of the house, which was perfect for cozy sleep-ins. The cooking class was led by a British chef and was very informative and interactive - we sipped on wine as we learned to make fresh pasta, three protein dishes and crepes! We were a little nervous the cooking class would be out of our comfort zone but everyone was so kind and we ended up playing pool afterwards with two of the other people in the class! We agreed we'd love to go back and try another class!

We also snuck in some sightseeing and shopping around Collingwood which is often overlooked when we go up to ski. We checked out a local brewery on Friday and visited the local shops on Saturday. One of the shops Leuk was breathtakingly gorgeous, filled with rustic furniture and cashmere sweaters - if you're in Collingwood you must stop in!

It was such a wonderful, laid-back weekend. We enjoyed the quiet time and came home with some new things for the house and some new cooking skills to boot!

{ making butternut squash ravioli }

wrapped up

{ teal marble wrap kit }

{ ribbon + parcel tags }

{ blue marble wrap kit }

 I saw a photo on Oh Happy Day's IG earlier this week of a gorgeous parcel wrapped in the forest green/teal marbled paper. I tend to gravitate towards festive, holiday themed papers, but these marble papers might be the most beautiful alternative I've ever seen. I love the idea of pulling out and highlighting the accenting vein colors with ribbon and parcel tags. Would it be weird to ask Santa for wrapping paper...?

bad bitch cards

{ #badbitch card deck, $16USD }

I came across this Bad Bitch Card Collection recently online. Described as "a standard poker card deck inspired by powerful, accomplished women" - it's just that, 52 cards with illustrations of inspiring, intelligent females. There are informative tidbits and facts on the back of each card, so you can get to know these #badbitches better. I've ordered a few decks to give as Christmas presents and love that a gift can involve female empowerment in such a fun way! Go girls go!

Check out all the bad bitches here!

happy weekend

{ wedding invites sealed & ready to be mailed }

It was a good week - we picked up our wedding invites and they were even more beautiful then I could have imagined. We stayed up late stuffing and sealing them and dropped them at the post office this morning. It's been an exciting check off the to-do list that really helps make the wedding feel real. I also can't wait for all of our friends and family to see them!

D and I are off to Collingwood for the weekend this afternoon. His parents and Aunt & Uncle gifted me a stay at a bed and breakfast and a coupon for a cooking class - so it will be a fun and relaxing weekend, and hopefully a nice distraction from wedding planning brain!

Whatever you are up to this weekend, enjoy yourself! xx

{ a luxurious eye mask that smells of lavender }

{ a fun new tea towel (and officially the first Christmas decoration!) }

{ the best hair clips from dry bar }

home crush: garden inspiration

There is always so much potential for outdoor spaces and I find it so interesting seeing how architects and designers put together exterior spaces as an extension of the home. I love the zen feel of this London backyard. The geometrical finish of the stepping stones inlaid in the gravel is a look I can't wait to replicate in our yard one day. And I love the way the black seating area is juxtaposed against the perpendicular overhang - again, book marked for future reference :)

Check out the full before and after reveal here.

returning to tradition

{ J. Crew Printed Sleep Set, $39.50 }

We grew up with several Christmas traditions, one of them being that a neighboring family came over in their pajamas on Christmas morning to open presents and have brunch. They've moved away from the neighboring house, but still come over the morning of the 25th. My sister and her boyfriend will be home for Christmas this year too - so we're returning to what the tradition was for so many years, which makes my heart want to burst with excitement. Of course, to celebrate, I feel matching pajamas are a necessity - my vote goes to these adorable J.Crew set, which would be sure to be comfortable to spend the morning in.

happy weekend

{ received my wedding earrings this week with the kindest note }

I've been fighting a cough and cold this week and I always forget how much it stinks being under the weather! I managed to return to my workouts mid week, and also caught up with an old friend who I hadn't seen in a while. I'm proud to share that I'm attempting a dry November and have successfully lasted eleven days so far! (Only 19 more to go!)

D and I have plans to start wedding suit shopping tomorrow, both for him and for his groomsmen, which is exciting! We both know little about suits, so it will be an interesting and fun education.
I'm  meeting up with my girlfriend to go bridesmaid dress shopping on Sunday and we will wrap up the weekend at dinner with my Dad (my mom is still away, so we're trying to keep him company!).

Whatever you're up to, enjoy your weekend! xx

+ + + + + 

Here are a few photos and links for the web....

{ my new favorite uber eats - North Poke (the tuna was amazing) }

{ I'm slightly obsessed with this candle scent... }

{ it's safe to say our house will smell of balsam & cedar all winter long }

{ shopping finds: floral velvet + masculine stripe button-down }

{ Rosen's cinnamon buns were totally worth the walk to College & Ossington }

+ + + + +

It's still hard to believe how the election unfolded in America earlier this week, but I have to say, I choose to share in these sentiments. It was a decision that reminded me how lucky I am to be Canadian.

I love this marble macbook cover

This movie has been hailed as the best of the year

The sad death of a ladies man

Ab exercises to work off the Halloween treats and slim down before holiday feasting

These photo sessions are making me wish we were doing an engagement shoot

Have you (or would you) make the switch to natural deodorant?

Tips for avoiding chapped lips 

Did you know Suits babe Megan Markle is dating Prince Harry!?

I think I've found what's for dinner tonight, yum!

crave worthy salad

{ Roasted chickpea & Kale salad with Tahini dressing }

I only just recently (as in a few months ago) realized that I really enjoy tahini dressing! Who knew! It came on a salad I randomly chose for lunch on Uber Eats and it was delicious and creamy but still light, nutty and satisfying.

Next step: trying to use tahini at home - I'm not comfortable enough with the ingredient to just wing it, so I think this salad will be the first recipe I attempt!

just because

{ J.Crew Scalloped heels in festive plaid $314 }

These plaid J.Crew shoes are the first thing to top my Christmas wishlist. (psst, I'm size 9.5)

Only issue, I want them a month early so I can wear them to all holiday outings.  :)

happy weekend

{ beautiful mini roses that replaced the gourds earlier this week }

This week has felt long and I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend. I purposely avoided making any plans and can't wait to just relax and see what the days turn into. I did a big grocery shop on Monday and we've cooked wonderful meals at home all week - we had had about two weeks of busy nights and take-out, so it felt good to get back in the kitchen. D booked a reservation at Farmhouse Tavern for a Friday date night, and I've been dying to try it since we moved into the neighborhood, so I'm excited. 

Whatever you're up to this weekend, I hope you enjoy yourselves! xx

P.S.: My Mom is currently in Australia visiting my sister and her boyfriend. I've been getting loads of snapchats and it looks like they have been having the best time. My sister sent this photo of them up for sunrise at Ayers Rock - I love their sleepy eyes :) I have to say I have a little bit of FOMO wishing I was there exploring with them! 

P.S.S: I've been listening to the My Favorite Murder podcast on my drive into work this week. Two girl friends host it and hilariously chat away like they're catching up over a glass of wine. It's light and funny, which seems funny given the subject matter is murder, but super interesting to hear them talk about murder cases. I'd recommend looking it up where ever you listen to podcasts!

ikea holiday catalogue

I'm trying to avoid getting too over zealous for Christmas so early on - which is proving really difficult for me - but the Ikea Holiday Catalogue is not helping anything...  I sheepishly confessed to D last night about my lunch time trip to Home Sense, where I had zero will power and indulged in my first holiday purchase (Christmas towels with the cutest little reindeer and festive napkins and coasters) and now I'm thinking there's some more shopping to be done... uh-oh!

wedding update

We're less then four months away now until wedding day, (later this month, the 100 day countdown will begin - which just seems crazy!) I wanted to share a few updates on recent progress...

Invitations: The design has officially been sent off to the printer! I cannot wait to see how all the elements come together. We're mailing out the invites ourselves, and I'm looking forward to sitting down to stuff envelopes and allowing ourselves to get excited about the idea of having all the people we love in one place. I cannot say enough good things about Lexi at Paper & Poste - she has been a dream to work with and it feels like talking with an old friend over the epic email thread.

Flowers: We're thrilled to be able to work with Jackie O - they're based out of Liberty Village and designed the florals at a friends wedding last year, which were absolutely breath taking. It took a bit of negotiation, but was worth every ounce of effort to arrive at our final decision. We're already on hugging terms with the staff and I truly have every confidence that Todd and his team are going to transform the space into something more beautiful than we could ever dream of.

Band: We are happy to share that Soular will have the dance floor rocking all. night. long. We've heard through the grapevine that they're terrific and they played a family friends wedding and had my Dad dancing on tables - which is always a good sign, right?!
There will be live music playing during the ceremony and throughout cocktails and then the party will continue after dinner! I think my Dad has picked a song for our father daughter dance (which I think is so sweet), but D and I still have a choice to make for our first dance (I think we have it narrowed down to an old favorite though).

My 'look': I recently returned to Sash & Bustle to shop for earrings and left with more then I bargained for. I've found the final piece to complete my bridal look and am bursting with excitement at how everything has come together. I will have some alterations to take care of once everything arrives but I can envision the final look and can't wait for D to see me!
I also found shoes, which was stressing me out slighting, so I'm glad that's resolved!. They are Badgley Mischka with a small kitten heel and girly sparkly details - very 'bridal'.


We've successfully made it through the major decisions and have come to a place where we just have to keep working away at the smaller decisions (minus D's suit - which is just as important as the dress ;). I actually had a dream (read: nightmare) earlier this week about the wedding - all the decor was pink, my hair style had completely fallen out and I showed up without writing my vows! I woke up and was relieved to realize that with all the planning we've already done, and the time we have left to attend to the details, we are sure to avoid the disaster in my nightmare and will be able to pull off a near perfect wedding day!

Left to Do:

- Plan ceremony & write vows (which I expect to be a very emotional exercise) 

- Suits & dresses for the bridal party

- Make favors

my favorite scent

{ No. 5: Spruce }

There are always candles burning at our house. Within twenty minutes of getting home from work, I've usually lit a candle in each room. I love the glowing warmth and soft scents that waft through the apartment.
The P.F Candle Co. makes the loveliest soy candles that burn clean and have wonderful natural aromas. I have burned through many amber jars filled with their Teakwood & Tobacco scent but recently came across Spruce. It is woodsy and comforting and exactly what winter should smell like.