Originally, we wanted to have our engagement pics taken at Grand Lake in the winter but ended up doing them in the late spring at a place we love to go barefoot running, hiking with Melli and relaxing: Odell Park in Fredericton, NB. The awesome Kandise Brown (www.kandisebrown.com) took our pictures. Check them out!
http://www.kandisebrown.com/2012/06/fredericton-engagement-photography-tom-kait/
Friday, June 22, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Decor and a shout out!
For our wedding we hired Sylvain Pitre from W.E.D.S (Weddings & Events Designed by Sylvain) to do the design. The general theme is 'enchanted forest', which we're achieving by loading the place up with candles and... surprises? We're not letting the secrets out entirely!
A few cool points that I'd like to point out:
1) Place settings: I don't want to ruin the surprise here, because we both think these are super cool, but the place settings are a really cool by-product of a local process. You'll have to see them, but when Sylvain pulled them out and asked, "what do you think about these?" our jaws hit the floor.
2) Centrepieces: The centrepieces will be made up of glass cylinders with floating or tall candles in them. We've scoured the beach at Grand Lake and rounded up loads of beach glass that will be spread across the candles along with some locally collected beach stones. The design looks quite nice.
3) Tables: We've opted against the traditional round tables set up and are going with long tables. Think Harry Potter (clearly, we'll be sitting at Gryfindor and Slytherin isn't invited). In order to get everyone to their proper seats, we will have a seating chart set up in the reception, on which you can find your name and section where you're sitting. We'll arrange seating, but it's not steadfast: if you want to sit next to someone, you can juggle around. Just make sure that you keep your place marker - that's what will tell the servers your food order!
4) Flowers: For flowers we were caught in a dilemma: there's no option around here for local and organic plants. On the one hand, local flowers are non-invasive and potted plants may be planted after the ceremony without risk of spreading and causing issues. On the other hand, non-organic plants would mean fertilizer run off, which has been linked to algae blooms and other water concerns. As well, pesticides have led to health concerns in people, and run off is harmful to wetlands and other ecosystems. In the end we opted for the local option, figuring that the benefits of the organic flowers were more than offset by the flight up from South America that would be required.
1) Place settings: I don't want to ruin the surprise here, because we both think these are super cool, but the place settings are a really cool by-product of a local process. You'll have to see them, but when Sylvain pulled them out and asked, "what do you think about these?" our jaws hit the floor.
2) Centrepieces: The centrepieces will be made up of glass cylinders with floating or tall candles in them. We've scoured the beach at Grand Lake and rounded up loads of beach glass that will be spread across the candles along with some locally collected beach stones. The design looks quite nice.
3) Tables: We've opted against the traditional round tables set up and are going with long tables. Think Harry Potter (clearly, we'll be sitting at Gryfindor and Slytherin isn't invited). In order to get everyone to their proper seats, we will have a seating chart set up in the reception, on which you can find your name and section where you're sitting. We'll arrange seating, but it's not steadfast: if you want to sit next to someone, you can juggle around. Just make sure that you keep your place marker - that's what will tell the servers your food order!
4) Flowers: For flowers we were caught in a dilemma: there's no option around here for local and organic plants. On the one hand, local flowers are non-invasive and potted plants may be planted after the ceremony without risk of spreading and causing issues. On the other hand, non-organic plants would mean fertilizer run off, which has been linked to algae blooms and other water concerns. As well, pesticides have led to health concerns in people, and run off is harmful to wetlands and other ecosystems. In the end we opted for the local option, figuring that the benefits of the organic flowers were more than offset by the flight up from South America that would be required.
5) So much more! Just wait and see!
Sylvain has been an awesome help, and his design is going to look wonderful. He's been so successful with his start-up business that already he's found a need to work on it full time. Congratulations, Sylvain!
Places to rest your head
I think by this point most of you have probably secured some form of lodging, but if not then here is a rough guide.
THE DELTA: The Delta is west of downtown, so people looking for a convenient location relative to the venue should take advantage of the discounted room rates we're getting for doing everything there. Rooms are reduced to $135 per night, but to get that rate you have to first book the night of the wedding and let them know that you're coming for the wedding.
THE DELTA: The Delta is west of downtown, so people looking for a convenient location relative to the venue should take advantage of the discounted room rates we're getting for doing everything there. Rooms are reduced to $135 per night, but to get that rate you have to first book the night of the wedding and let them know that you're coming for the wedding.
UNB: The University has apartments that can be rented at an apparently quite reasonable rate. We've heard that the suites are booked up, but there should still be room for singles or doubles.
OTHER HOTELS: There are a handful of other hotels you can find through a quick Google search. The Crown Plaza is downtown and quite nice. Most of the other options will be up the hill, and therefore closer to the East Side Mario's than the Palate.
BED & BREAKFASTS: Fredericton has a great selection of B&Bs in and around the city. Look around online for a little while and you'll likely find somewhere that nicely matches your needs.
HOSTEL: The Fredericton hostel is, in a (two) word(s), kinda gross. At $30 a night it's a fairly cheap option, but not nearly as nice as many other hostels we've stayed in for comparable prices. The location is good, and based on the number of stoves and fridges in the place, I'd imagine they have a fairly large number of rooms. They have a pair of really nice old reading rooms, and half of the building has a really nice old feel to it.
OTHER HOTELS: There are a handful of other hotels you can find through a quick Google search. The Crown Plaza is downtown and quite nice. Most of the other options will be up the hill, and therefore closer to the East Side Mario's than the Palate.
BED & BREAKFASTS: Fredericton has a great selection of B&Bs in and around the city. Look around online for a little while and you'll likely find somewhere that nicely matches your needs.
HOSTEL: The Fredericton hostel is, in a (two) word(s), kinda gross. At $30 a night it's a fairly cheap option, but not nearly as nice as many other hostels we've stayed in for comparable prices. The location is good, and based on the number of stoves and fridges in the place, I'd imagine they have a fairly large number of rooms. They have a pair of really nice old reading rooms, and half of the building has a really nice old feel to it.
APARTMENTS: There are apparently some apartments that can be rented somewhere midway between downtown and the Delta. If you are interested, we can try to find more information on this by request.
CAMPING: There are a few campgrounds near Fredericton, but reviews are few and generally unfavourable. Our backyard can probably fit one or two tents, but we'll have to pass it by our landlords first. Odell Park might be another option, though I'm not sure if camping is allowed, so you may need to hike into the bush a little while before setting up to avoid getting caught.
CAMPING: There are a few campgrounds near Fredericton, but reviews are few and generally unfavourable. Our backyard can probably fit one or two tents, but we'll have to pass it by our landlords first. Odell Park might be another option, though I'm not sure if camping is allowed, so you may need to hike into the bush a little while before setting up to avoid getting caught.
Dinner, Drinks, and Dessert
OK - it's been a while, but we're back. Sure, we never left, but we've logged back in and are ready to post another post. This one is about food: dinner, cakes, all that good stuff.
Food is extremely important to both of us. We are of the sort who carefully selects their food and opts for local and organic options at every opportunity. We research our food and try to correct health concerns by modifying our diet. Given this, we've tried to put a bit of extra thought into the catering and meal choices.
Food is extremely important to both of us. We are of the sort who carefully selects their food and opts for local and organic options at every opportunity. We research our food and try to correct health concerns by modifying our diet. Given this, we've tried to put a bit of extra thought into the catering and meal choices.
Back when we were selecting the venues food was a big factor. For outdoor venues the sky was the limit (although the clouds were fairly low then), but for indoor settings each venue had their own in-house catering service. At the Kingswood Lodge the food provided the last handful of nails for in the coffin: the taste was poor, there was a lack of organic or vegetarian options, and, our favourite, the location for the buffet would have had every golfer and their caddies walking through the party.
In the end the Delta came out on top. Their kitchen offers gluten-free options (the gluten-free margherita pizza at DJ Purdy's is great!), delicious vegetarian dishes, and the head chef makes a point of growing herbs on-site and shopping at the market every Saturday for local produce. Clearly this place was for us!
Not everyone is vegetarian - we know this - and not everyone wants to be - we know this also - but for one meal of one day we would like to request that everyone give it a shot (though you don't have to). As the invitations pointed out there are two options for meals (you're kind of locked-in to your choice, so resist the urge to change your order, please!):
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(1) Atlantic salmon: wonderful East Coast Atlantic Salmon, served with asparagus and baby potatoes.
(2) Vegetarian: succulent somethings over a luscious bed of I-don't-know-whats. OK - we're still working that one out. There are a bunch of great recipes on the table, and it's looking like they'll all be amazing dishes. If you're thinking, "I don't want to be hungry after eating the veggie option", fear not! We have your back. The other day we made one of the options (lentils with grilled aubergine) at home and it was so good Kait had thirds. Oh yeah.
(1) Atlantic salmon: wonderful East Coast Atlantic Salmon, served with asparagus and baby potatoes.
(2) Vegetarian: succulent somethings over a luscious bed of I-don't-know-whats. OK - we're still working that one out. There are a bunch of great recipes on the table, and it's looking like they'll all be amazing dishes. If you're thinking, "I don't want to be hungry after eating the veggie option", fear not! We have your back. The other day we made one of the options (lentils with grilled aubergine) at home and it was so good Kait had thirds. Oh yeah.
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Now, with the dinner out of the way, let's discuss the cake.
The cake will be made by the wonderful folks at the Happy Baker, a great spot in downtown Fredericton.
In recognition of the many different diets that will be joining us we are putting together a cake for everyone. The current plan includes three cakes: one chocolate and vegan, one lemon and gluten-free, and one large vanilla for the rest of us. After the cake cutting, we'll be having the cake served as dessert by the wait-staff.
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