There are many different types of processionals. Generally the officiant along with the groom and best man enter from a side door and wait at the altar. Then, the groomsman and bridemaids walk in pairs down the aisle with the best man and maid of honor being the last pair. If you have a ring bearer or flower girl, they can come next (in some weddings they are before the bridesmaids/groomsmen). And then finally the bride and her escort (often her father) walk down the aisle.

This is very traditional, but many couples improvise. A couple married at Christ Lutheran Church in St. Paul, Minnesota have turned into wedding video celebrities due to their unique processional.

Jill Peterson and Kevin Heinz wowed their wedding guests June 20, 2009 when they (along with their seven bridesmaids, five groomsmen and four ushers) danced down the aisle to “Forever.”

The YouTube video was posted on July 19, 2009 and it has received over 6,000,000 page views, 32,911 ratings and 31,840 comments. I have to say, it’s actually the best wedding processional ever! Hands down.

Enjoy the video:

If you’re considering cupcakes for your wedding cake, we probably don’t have to tell you why people love these dainty, delicious treats!

Generous dollops of frosting, sweet smatterings of sprinkles, and did we mention how pretty they are? If you think you can handle the competition, check out these sweet samples from Montreal’s own, Sugar Rush Cakes.

Image: Vancouver Maritime Museum

In Vancouver, you can find a variety of museums available for your wedding.

Vancouver Maritime Museum
Their meeting rooms, gallery spaces and outside terrace are available for rent. Guests can even explore the historic vessel during your event. They have room for 150 standing guests (cocktail style) or 75 people for a formal sit down dinner.

Museum of Vancouver
Museum of Vancouver has a beautiful space available for weddings. The Joyce Walley Learning Centre features 13 foot floor-to-ceiling windows that offer a view of of Vanier Park, English Bay, Coast Mountains, West End, Downtown and Stanley Park. The location can accommodate 200 standing guests or 90 for seated dining.

Roedde House Museum
Roedde House Museum is located in Barclay Heritage Square. This late-Victorian home is a beautiful location for small weddings and receptions. The grounds and gardens surrounding the Roedde House make it a fabulous choice. The facilities are suited for 45 people or less.

Image: istockphoto

If you are looking for chair cover rentals, in Vancouver or elsewhere in Canada, ask the venue for a recommendation. They could have a vendor that their brides normally work with. However, don’t expect pretty chair covers to come cheap. The hall and other services usually rent chair covers for $4 and up per chair.

If chair covers aren’t an expense that you accounted for in your wedding budget, there are alternatives to renting chair covers. Here are a couple ideas:

Decorated Pillow Cases
Believe it or not, pillow case make good chair covers. If you can purchase them in bulk or from thift shops, you can decorate them with stencils or paints and then slip them over the chairs.

Chair Bows
Head to your local craft shop or dollar store and buy a bunch of tulle. You can make big tulle bows for under a $1 each and then tie them around the chair. If they are big enough, they will cover even the ugliest chair backs. Check out these directions for making your own chairback decorations.

Wedding DJ Toronto

Some DJs read the crowd very well and others have strengths that can range from Musical library to Lighting and setup as well as being able to sing and play other instruments as well. Depending on the tone of your wedding certain DJs can be more appropriate than others. For an older crowd, perhaps consider a DJ that can belt out a good Sinatra tune or if the audience is quite young you might need to have them focus on more contemporary music.

Wedding DJs in Toronto

Setting up the hall for the Dj is also very important. In some circumstances they will be off to the side and in others they will take centre stage so to speak. Make sure they are comfortable and able to see the entire audience. DJs often need to feel the atmosphere in the room to play their best, so audience interaction is very important.

DJ for your Toronto Wedding

Image: istockphoto

Chandeliers are a stunning choice for a formal reception hall but if there aren’t any chandeliers in the facility, you can choose from a variety of other types of sophisticated lighting options. Consider blown glass globes and paper lanterns for a formal affair.

Projection lighting is a great way to customize the lighting at your wedding reception. For example, you can have your initials projected onto the dance floor or behind the head table. Some couples also choose heart or star patterns projected on the ceiling.

For an outdoor wedding, consider both flood lighting and string lighting. Strings of lights can strewn through the trees and shrubs. Different colors of flood lights can be used to illuminate a dance area.

For real drama, use spotlights at your wedding reception. Spotlights can highlight the cake table, head table or other important points of interest. Don’t use blinding white light. Instead pick a subdued hue that blends with your decor. Small pin lights can also be used like spotlights to accentuate specific decorations or flower arrangements.

Talk to your wedding venue manager or wedding planner to find out which types of specialty lighting might be on hand and which can be rented and used. Whatever type of lighting you select for your wedding, be sure to discuss it with your videographer and photographer so they can be prepared to capture the best pictures of your event.

Image: istockphoto

A terrific way to honor loved ones who have passed away is to light a memorial candle as a tribute to their lives and inspiration. Memorial candles are generally wax pillar candles that are engraved with your loved one’s name and dates of their birth and death. They are normally large and white or ivory in color. You can find a variety of vendors that will personalize memorial candles with the names, dates, a Bible verse, poem or other text.

The memorial candle lighting ceremony generally takes place at the same time as the unity candle ceremony. You minister of officiant can announce the tribute to your wedding guests by saying, “Before the couple lights their unity candle, they are lighting a memorial candle in honor of the memory of (insert name).” Sometimes the bride or groom chooses to read a poem or say a prayer as part of the tribute.

To further honor loved ones who have passed or can’t be present at your wedding, have their information (names and relationship) printed in your wedding programs.

Image: Liberty Grand

Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex
A popular location for weddings in Toronto is Liberty Grand. The Liberty Grand is located in downtown Toronto on the western edge of Exhibition Place. It’s a gorgeous historic park with lush gardens and spectacular waterfalls.

The complex has some amazing ballrooms as well as the gorgeous courtyard area. Choose the Centennial Room on the east side of the building. This room is furnished with grand columns, marble floors and Chippendale chairs. The floor-to-ceiling windows display an amazing lakefront view. This room can accommodate 400 guests for dinner or 700 guest for cocktails.

Paletta Lakefront Park and Mansion
If you want to get away from downtown Toronto, head to Paletta Lakefront Park and Mansion in Burlington. This restored mansion sits on the 14 acres on the western banks of Lake Ontario. A smaller venue, the mansion can accommodate up to 85 people for a sit-down dinner. The views are breathtaking and the service is top notch.

If you are concerned about your wedding budget, with a little effort and knowhow, you can make the decorations and centerpieces yourself. Here are a few ideas for easy-to-make, beautiful weddding centerpieces.

Miniature Christmas Trees
Purchase artificial mini-Christmas trees and spray them with white snow, if you like. Add tinsel and ornaments that coordinate with your wedding colors. All silver or all white balls are particular nice for a winter wedding.

Image: sxc.hu

Snow Globes
Ideal for a winter wedding centerpiece, glass snow globes can by found at craft stores, hobby shops and boutiques. The smaller globes are relatively inexpensive and can be clustered in a group or used alone. Place fiber batting in the center of the table and sprinkle it with silver glitter. Then place the snow globe in the middle.

Pinecones and Boughs
You can make an arrangement of pinecones, boughs, holly and/or berry sprigs in a wide shallow bowl. Another idea is to place candle in a hurricane lamp in the middle of the table and then surround it with a wreath to create your wedding centerpieces.

If you want to really get in the Christmas spirit, you can incorporate Santa, reindeer and sleigh figurines, along with candy canes to create your centerpieces. Also consider a winter wedding centerpiece made from a miniature Christmas village or nativity scene.

Image credit – marganz

Image: sxc.hu

Orchards and Vineyards
Orchards and vineyards are perfect wedding locations for an outdoor wedding in the fall. Many smaller vineyards will allow you to host your wedding and reception on site at very low cost. Check out the wineries and vineyards in Canada. Just outside Ottawa, Orchard View is a fantastic wedding location. It features picturesque scenery, outdoor gardens, lakes, waterfalls, a wildlife santuary and an orchard view. They have extensive experience with holding both indoor and outdoor weddings at the facilities.

Old Churches
Old 17th and 18th Century churches are nice wedding locations for your ceremony. The architecture both inside and outside of will look amazing in photographs. They are particularly nice for holding a fall wedding reception on the church grounds.

Mills, Barns and Ranches
Any outdoor location with a rustic feel is a terrific idea for a fall wedding. Mills, barns, ranches and other such venues are perfect. Bachelor star Andrew Firestone wed is his wife in a barn on his family property. If you don’t have your own barn, many facilities are available for your wedding. Saar Bank Farms in Lower Mainland, BC has held several weddings in recent years. It’s a private residence and you can contact Magdalene Vanderlinde at 604.864.0624 for details. Victoria Garden Estate, 25 minutes from Victoria, hosts weddings in a rustic barn-like building or in their gazebo. You can find out more about the facilities at victoriagardenestate.com. Check out thebarnjournal.org for more wedding locations in the States and Canada.

Now all you have to do is find the perfect fall honeymoon destination!