#TBT - Blue Jays Edition

Via Pinterest

One week ago, Toronto was in the grips of our first case of the Blue Fever in 22 years as we were hopeful our boys would take us on a World Series road trip.  One week later, we are reminiscing about the season that was and the championship that was not to be. Some of us, instead of seeing blue, are seeing red over the news that Alex Anthopoulos is leaving the team but that's a whole other story...... So, instead of being mad about this Blue Jays decision (#thankyouAlex#sadBlueJaydays) how about a little slice of Jays awesomeness?

Kevin Pillar, Toronto Blue Jays centre fielder, potential Golden Glove winner this year (and very likely related to Superman!) got married last October and he and his lovely wife Amanda's wedding was featured on 100 Layer Cake and it was beautiful! The theme was outdoor rustic, and everything, from the bride's shoes to the wedding favours, was a study in cozy and inviting. Take a look!

*~Mr. and Mrs. October: Kevin and Amanda make October beautiful!~*

Happy one year anniversary Kevin and Amanda!

Wishing you a day as limitless as you are~
Lisa and April

Wednesday WOW!

Photo via fearlessphotographers.com

Thanks to our smartphones with their ready cameras and a grillion photo apps that offer cool filters and effects, we can all snap a great image whenever the mood strikes.  But even with the ability to take a gorgeous picture at our fingertips, nothing takes our collective breath away quite like a professional photograph.   And nothing inspires us more than seeing love, in all its unexpected, spontaneous, romantic moments captured in fresh new ways!

In June, the folks at fearlessphotographers.com showcased a collection of some of the most beautiful images from weddings taken around the world.  On this rainy, gloomy, windy day that is anything but - let's take a look at something decidedly cheerier!

~Things that make you go 'ooooh!'~*

Wishing you a day as limitless as you are-~
Lisa and April

Wednesday Look-Ahead

Photo via dippedinlace.com

On Monday, we took a look at what the next few months will look like, in terms of the colour and textures that are on-trend.  For folks who are getting married in the spring of 2016 and onwards, it's time to start dress-shopping in earnest, and what better way to whet your wedding gown appetite than by looking at a great sampling of the styles and details that graced the runways - and are headed our way next year? Whether it's feathers, layers, flowers, overlays, and shades other than white, these dresses have all these - and more!

*~Here comes the styles....not just in white...Oh la la la la la lalalala la la la!~*

Wishing you a day as limitless as you are~
Lisa and April

And The Forecast Calls For.....

.......Colours......

Via Pinterest 

..... And prints .....

Via patternbank.com

....And textiles, oh my!

Via Pinterest 

This past Saturday night, we went out for a night of board games, good company and even better food. I came to three realizations:

1) I should wear stretchy pants to all future get-togethers to ensure that I can take advantage of ALL the goodies that people bring. Immoderation in all things dessert, that's what I say!

2) Board games are my new best friends.

3) I needed to wear a wool coat and sweater; I STILL needed the seat warmer on the drive home because I was freezing. It's official. WINTER IS COMING. Autumn has us in it's cool embrace.

So it seemed like the right time to look ahead for the next few months,  to see what we can expect fashion-wise for the fall and winter wedding season.  What is beautiful is the colour palette covers the spectrum; you'll find shades of goldenrod, burnished orange, crimson red and clover green, eggplant, navy blue, chocolate and shocking pink - and it doesn't stop there. Those are just a sampling of the colours that will be bursting through the darker skies and colder temperatures. Bold and vibrant will cozy up to muted and soft, and there truly will be something to appeal to everyone, whether you're bold and fearless, or romantic or ultra-modern.

Photo via fashiontabs.com

Photo courtesy fashionisers.com

Via afmu.net

Image via pinterest.com

And the vast array of colours are matched in number by the myriad of patterns and textures that are showing up.  From quilted to geometric patterns, florals and boho sensibilities all the way to watercolour-like swirls, beautiful drama abounds! Beads, fringe, faux furs, brocade, embroidery, and mixing materials and patterns add tactile flair and draw the eyes in even further!

Photo via stylep.com

Via bgfashionweek.com

Photo via takemeto.eu

We've got a Pinterest board showcasing a collection of looks for the next few months, so please check it out, and check back often as we add to it!

*~What do Fall & Winter look like? In a word: AMAZING!~*

Wishing you a day as limitless as you are~
Lisa and April

#TBT - CanCon Edition!

Photo via kisax.com

Happy Thursday! It's a pretty happy Thursday for us because last night,  the Blue Jays advanced to the AL Championship!

Photo courtesy of  sportsnet.ca ..... and karma

#batflip#joeybatsforthewin#baseballkarma#torontowantsitmore#byebyeRangers

And wow, did we.

Despite being down by two games and the Rangers needing to win only one more game of the remaining three to eliminate us, despite some inflammatory Blue Jay rally towel/Texas pitcher's butt action (Staying classy: you're doing it wrong, Derek Holland), DESPITE a head-scratcher of a Texas run scored (the homeplate umpire hadn't called 'play' and ruled the run dead as the runner crossed the plate but it ended up being allowed when reviewed due to a little known rule, which shouldn't have mattered anyway because the UMPIRE HADN'T CALLED FOR PLAY TO RESUME WHEN SAID RUN SCORED!) and desssssppiiite some bench-clearers (one being blowback from Rangers pitcher Dyson walking directly into Tulowitzki on his roundabout, exaggerated way to the dugout in a blatant attempt to exchange a few words and nudge him) ..... We. Came. Back.

Photo courtesy of theprovince.com.... And karma!

22 years ago, Toronto was in the throes of baseball fever and that fever is burning through this chilly October day!  We won our last World Series in 1993.  So it seemed only fitting that our Throwback Thursday wedding would today, while our Canadian hearts swell with pride, be another Canadian icon that does us proud....

Photo via Pinterest 

Shania Twain married producer Mutt Lange in 1993. They met earlier that year when he heard some of her early work, and things developed quickly for them, leading to a wedding in 1993 at Deerhurst Resort, where she used to perform in the late 1980's. The wedding was simple and sweet, considering Lange was a pretty successful producer: they would go on to make her album 'The Woman in Me' together which was a massive success for her but prior to that, he had worked with some big artists like AC/DC, Def Leppard, Bryan Adams, XTC, Heart, Foreigner, Michael Bolton and Tina Turner. The day seemed to really be about the two of them starting their lives together and they led low-key lives as a married couple, until they announced in 2008 that they were divorcing,  after he cheated with her (former) best friend. In an interesting twist, she found love with the ex-husband of this friend and they remarried in 2011. But before we had Puerto Rico in 2011, we had Ontario in 1993.....

*~Before magazines ran special 'Wedding Album' issues - Shania and Mutt Lange say I Do~*

Wishing you a day as limitless as you are~
Lisa and April

#goJaysgo

Wednesday Wedding-ish

Happy Wednesday! We hope you all had a great Thanksgiving weekend filled with all the usual suspects - good eats, great company, some time to rest and some time to play!

So...... Do you remember in 'Sex and the City,' when Carrie's Manolo's were stolen from a baby shower? Quick recap: in the episode 'A Woman's Right to Shoes,' Carrie and Stanford go to their friend Kyra's baby shower, where all guests must take off their shoes and leave them at the door.

Photo via fabulouslybroke.com

At the end of the night, Carrie's beautiful new silver shoes, above, are gone. After trying to track them down with no luck, Kyra offers to pay for the shoes but then balks at the price ($485) and offers to cut a cheque for $200, explaining that she shouldn't have to pay for Carrie's expensive shoe choice. Carrie is chastened at the shoe-shaming but reminds Kyra that it wasn't her choice to take off her shoes. The episode itself focused on the deeper theme of women's choices if they don't go down the married-kids-'happily-ever-after' road and remain single.  After doing a tally of how many times she had celebrated Kyra's choices monetarily, she ended up sending her a wedding announcement, saying that Carrie was getting married to herself and she was registered at Manolo Blahnik. Kyra gets the hint, and gets the shoes in Carrie's registry (the only item on the registry, her stolen shoes) and asserts her right to shoes.

Carrie's wedding to herself was cheeky and got the job done... And the deeper message of celebrating our life choices, no matter what, is as relevant today as it was twelve years ago.  Last week, I saw a post about an Argentinian company,  Falsa Boda, who throw fake weddings for people to get the opportunity to attend a wedding and party, reception-style. The company came to life when a group of friends realized that their larger circle of friends just aren't getting married so a lot of people hadn't been to weddings, and started throwing these faux-wedding receptions instead.  So, presented without judgement, and a raising of the glass, this is what a faux wedding looks like!

*~The wedding is fake... but the party is REAL!~*

Wishing you a day as limitless as you are~
Lisa and April

#TBT - Solange Knowles AMAZING Wedding

Photo courtesy of usmagazine.com

Back in May 2014, Saturday Night Live introduced us to the Beygency - a (fictional) shadow-y organization of well dressed agents whose job it is to track down and deal with rogue non-Beyoncé fans.  Andrew Garfield was a man on the run, because he wasn't a huge fan of 'Drunk In Love' and I sympathized with him because I'm not a huge Beyoncé fan, and I get a goodly amount of incredulous looks when people find out!

But let me tell you, Solange is my JAM.  This lady personifies strong, fearless style, you can get a sense of who she is personality-wise and at times, we see glimpses of her spunk and fire (who doesn't remember Elevatorgate at the MET Gala?)   I love the fact that when it comes to her style, she is edgy, fashion-forward and will always choose avante-garde over sexy, which ends up reading as intoxicatingly sexy!

Here she is, at the Costume Institue Gala's 'China: Through the Looking Glass' and the Gala is tailor-made for her innate ability to wear the hell out of a great statement dress....

Photo via aceshowbiz.com

Photo via popsugar.com

Even though her first anniversary is two months away, making her wedding a little less 'throwback', the fact that her fab event took place in 2014 is why she's our #TBT wedding this week.
Also, her bridal style SLAYS and looks just as cool today as it did last November! So grab your passport, we're off to N'Awlins (aka New Orleans).......

Look at this dress and cape ensemble. Look at the groom complementing the dress with his suit that is so mint. Proof positive that you don't need a crown to look like royalty. #QueenSolange

Photo via nypost.com

Before Taylor Swift and her impossibly gorgeous posse,  there was this photo that exemplified Squad Goals.#whitewedding

Photo via nypost.com

And more bridal steeze and details on the special weekend!

*~Style Royalty - Solange Knowles marries Alan Ferguson~*

Is it possible to fall in love with an outfit? Because her bicycling outfit, that swank ivory jumpsuit, is giving me some serious heart flutters!

Wishing you a day as limitless as you are~
Lisa and April

(Nearly) Naked is Beautiful

Photo via fashionistaeleven.blogspot.com

This past weekend, April and I attended a family member's wedding.  It was all play and no work for this one, we were guests and initially, we felt like fishes out of water. We kept having moments where we thought we needed to be doing something and feeling like we weren't on-the-ball! We kept fighting the urge to check in on the bridal party, or make sure that the night was on-schedule, and wondered more than once where our hard-copy of the day's itinerary was  - there was an issue with the ladies washroom and we set off to look for the event coordinator to resolve it!  Once we realized we could sit back with our feet up and enjoy the wedding, we really had a chance to appreciate the sights and sounds of the event. Christian and Victoria put together a lovely night for their family and friends - warm autumnal feel, intimate and clean lighting that created an inviting space, and in a word, the night was intoxicating in the best possible sense!

The bridesmaids were a gorgeous vision in mix-and-match black dresses - each dress was amazing and suited the lady that wore them perfectly.  The groomsmen looked like an editorial shoot straight out of GQ magazine, they rocked beautifully cut deep blue suits, and everything from the hair to the shoes were modern and fresh. But what was the standout for me was.....the Bride.  Victoria, who is a beautiful lady, looked FABULOUS - she wore her hair down, loose and flowy and her make-up was flawless; she didn't look 'done' and after having known her for years and having seen her at many events where she has turned it out in style, it was amazing to see her look as lovely as she always does and always is (seriously, I can't stress how naturally beautiful she is!) and wearing make-up that complemented her and didn't overwhelm her.

 Photo via facetimemakeup.com

Flare magazine had a great article last month that illustrates how 'Your Face for Your Day' can be natural AND beautiful....

*~Your Face Is Already Pretty Amazing, Celebrate It!~*

... and I wholeheartedly agree! To be fair, this is the new ideal that is catching on with make-up artists, so could the overly-done, caked-on face be a thing of the past? Please Wish Genie, make it so!!

Wishing you a day as limitless as you are~
Lisa and April

#TBT - 100 Years of Wedding Dresses

Photo via exquisiteweddingsmagazine.com

The folks at Mode have come up with some awesome timelapse videos that show how fashion has evolved over the last century so we knew a wedding dress retrospective would be inevitable.... And here it is!

*~You've come a long way, baby!~*

It's amazing to see each decade represented from head to toe, and to see just how each decade had its own distinct aesthetic and style. The beauty of the video for me was that there was a charm and appeal in elements of each style of dress, and not only that, you can see how some of those same elements have been re-imagined and incorporated with current dresses, making them a fresh and modern interpretation of some very classic looks.  Long sleeves, flapper-esque beading, cocktail length - it goes to show that wedding fashion has an element of timelessness and never really looks dated (ok, maybe the 1985 dress wasn't a classic, but hey, she worked that dress and make-up like a champ, so maybe the takeaway from that look was less about the dress and hair, but more about sass and fearlessness? Let's go with that!)

Wishing you a day as limitless as you are~
Lisa and April