Atlantis Pavilions (Toronto, February 2012)

February 2012

Toronto

Atlantis Pavilions

Our venue search began with Atlantis. We loved their extremely tall floor-to-ceiling windows that surrounded the room and would give our guests amazing views of the Toronto skyline. An extra bonus would be that they offer rooftop ceremonies. With both our families in tow, we trekked over to Atlantis. We parked in the huge parking lot near Atlantis, and got to the venue by crossing a long industrial-looking tunnel over the lake. Once inside, it all looked nice. 

I believe that Atlantis has 3 rooms that vary in size. We needed the bigger room, as out guest list was around 200-something guests. We checked out the medium-sized room first, which was nice, but clearly too small for us. Then we were taken upstairs to the big room. It definitely had that "wow" factor. The windows provided a great view, and we really enjoyed going to the "balcony" level, where you could either set up a lounge (it had a bar), set up extra tables (if you have more people than you can fit downstairs, or do whatever else strikes your fancy.

We were extremely excited about the venue and really enjoyed talking with the staff. They seemed to have some really good menu and bar options, and they were more than willing to work with us to customize our menu in whichever way we wanted. They even offered us free tickets to another bridal show, and pulled out a bunch of extras to cover the whole family (and we were 7 people!). 

But of course, there was a downside. The dance floor is in a corner (image a quarter of a circle), on which the head table is also placed. With such a large amount of guests (that all know how to party like rock stars, which is why we love them), this just wouldn't do. We thought about all the possibilities: moving the head table when the dancing gets going, putting the table in another area (but then half the guests wouldn't see us), and a bunch of other suggestions the staff tried to provide us with. Unfortunately, we left with our hearts heavy as we had to balance what was more important: the amazing windows or having a large dance floor.

I think we knew the answer, but tearing ourselves away from such an amazing venue was still difficult. The walk back across the tunnel over the lake was sad, because we knew that if we were ever back, it would be for something else, not our wedding.We kept brainstorming at home, trying to squeeze some miracle cure from our creativity, but no luck. Eventually we had to concede Atlantis was just not the venue for the type of party that we're having, and keep on hunting. Something should pop up, right?

Tip: It's easy for venues, and other things, to creep into your heart even if it doesn't fit your needs (or perhaps your budget). Make sure that you and your fiance know your priorities and non-negotiables to avoid being pulled into an emotional trap and making a rash decision. Take a few moments, think about it, evaluate it objectively. You don't want to jump into something you'll later regret. 

VERDICT: 5 stars

*****,

ABI

Cinderella Photography: (Thornhill, February 2012)

Thornhill

February 2012

Cinderella Photography

Memories of this date crack us up to this date. One of the most important lessons were learned during this appointment (actually, there were many learned, but this one is a relationship lesson): laugh together. And, when it's not appropriate to burst out laughing in people's faces, laugh with your eyes when looking at each other. Secret couple communication for the win!

Anyways, back to the magic. We first encountered Cinderella Photography at Canada's Bridal Show (January 2012, see previous blog). They were raffling out a chance to win a $3,000 videography package, so we signed up. We were signing up everywhere that day, as we were complete wedding noobs. A couple weeks later, I get a call from Cinderella photography, telling us we had won the $3,000 wedding package! I was so excited, and immediately booked an appointment to go redeem out prize. They gave us their address in Thornhill, and we drove over to meet them the following weekend.

We pulled up to a house in a residential area. It was decent looking, but kind of awkward. We knocked on the door, and were greeted by the owner's wife. We stepped into the hallway, where we were asked to take off our shoes. Feeling awkward in my bare feet, I looked up to see a giant, spinning chandelier hanging above us. Looking back down, I see my fiance's reaction. Commence laughing eyes sequence #1.

We were taken to a dining room area covered in canvases of past works. The lady and her husband flipped through some of the most old-fashioned and cheesiest pictures that we'd ever seen, while telling us the their work was "top quality, top of the line" in the thickest Slavic accent ever. We were then taken to their living room, which was taken over by cameras on tripods and all other types of equipment. Apparently this was "red line, top of the line" stuff.

Finally, they asked us to join them in their office to discuss the details. The lady was very nice and offered us espressos, which were served in nice china. It was a nice touch that we really appreciated. The husband then proceeded to tell us about the photography packages that they offer, but his style of photography really didn't suit our personality. It didn't really have that "special" feel to it, just some typical old-fashioned ideas that were repeated over and over again.

We asked about what we won, and we were told that what we "won" is only valid if we purchase a photography package from them. The "winning" package consisted of:
-10 hours of videography
-2 cameras (one of which we found out would simply be placed on a tripod for 10 hours).
-some editing.

We considered getting a photo package just to save some money on video, but the phabloto packages were pretty limited and ranged from $2,000-$5,000. I'm pretty sure the cost of the "winning" package was just embedded in it. After some silent visual communication between my fiance and I, we know that something smelled funny. We didn't sign up for anything, and he seemed rather disappointed. We told him that we wanted to think about it, and he told us that if we walked out, the "winning" offer couldn't be guaranteed.

Just as we were leaving, the doorbell rang. Another couple walked in and took off their shoes. The husband jogged towards them, yelling "Ahhhhhhhh, congratulations to the winners!!!". We couldn't wait for the door to close so we could get in our car and laugh hysterically at the trap we almost fell into. Needless to say, we had nothing to "think" about, and we just left it at a fun experience with the spinning chandelier, which was also probably "top of the line".

Funny enough, at a later visit at a DJ's office, we met a photographer who happened to be there for the day and asked us if we had already arranged for photo services. We told him that we hadn't, but that we had had "an interesting experience as the winners of a so-called video package", to which he instantly asked "from Cinderella Photography?" I guess these two are notorious for their generous offer to make everyone winners of the $3,000 video prize.

This company wouldn't be too bad if they were straight forward and customers were looking for the type of services that they offer, but the so called "winning" package lure didn't cut it with us.

VERDICT: **

**,
ABI

Canada's Bridal Show (Toronto: January 2012)

January 2012
Canada's Bridal Show

There's nothing like the bitter cold outside to make you rush into a car and immediately try to turn the heating on to the max, even if you know that it won't work for a while. At least the radio helped us get our minds off of our freezing thighs and chattering teeth. That's how we found out about Canada's Bridal Show of January 2012, and decided to attend.

Freshly engaged and with  no idea as to what to do, we figured that it might be a good starting point. Armed with an open mind and my parents for extra opinions, we entered a whole different universe. There were flowers, feathers, crystals, candles, cakes, chocolates, coordinators mirrors, make-up, dresses, designers, desserts, photographers and videographers, limos and party buses, and... and... *mental explosion*!

We're not sure if it was the sugar high from all the food sampling or the fun we had watching their fashion shows (with beautiful models in dresses that actually fit them, a LMFAO-inspired theme, and some of the funniest competitions ever!), but it was truly one of the best experiences that we've ever had.

We saw some very beautiful arrangements (albeit also very expensive... $1000 per table?!?!?) and felt like Alice when tumbling down the rabbit hole. We took every pamphlet that was thrust at us, and eventually ended up with several overstuffed satchels of booklets, flyers, samples, gifts, and business cards. When leaving, I felt like we had participated in some sort of marathon from how much we walked around and all the weight that we carried, but it was well worth it. We came home with piles and piles of information and coupons which I overwhelmingly left scattered all around my bedroom floor.

The next morning, I woke up and saw the huge mess that we had left last night. After my dose of coffee and breakfast, I drove over to Staples and bought a bunch of document holders (you know, the huge pockets that you close by wrapping a string around a round thing). I somehow convinced (maybe bribed?) my mom into helping me go through everything. We sat cross-legged on the floor, sorting out everything by category:
-Menswear
-Bridal wear and bridesmaids
-Cake and Food
-Venues
-Transportation
-Photo and Video
-DJ
etcetera...

Then we sorted duplicates, and put the copies in folders to pass along to other friends who were getting married. We labelled every folder with what companies were inside, and called it a day. It wasn't long until engaged friends would request these, and we were more than happy to share.

Canada's Bridal Show was a great experience for us, and for the many friends that we passed pamphlets on to. If you ever have the chance to go, we recommend it!

VERDICT: 5 Stars!

*****,
ABI

Hello!

It seems that I have a lot of catching up to do.

I'll start by introducing myself. I'm a bride-to-be in my early 20's who got engaged to a wonderful man during the holiday season of 2012. I'll be signing myself as A.B.I; And Blog It. We are one of the firsts in our group of friends to get married, so we had to make our own path with wedding planning. We had some friends tie the knot before us, and some of them have offered us some great tips, which we were truly grateful for. I wish I had a blog to read the detailed the experiences of some other brides, so I'd know what to watch out for.

So far, we've had good and bad experiences with almost every vendor, with few exceptions that have been truly bad or truly good. I plan to discuss these experiences in this blog. Even if you're not from around here (The Greater Toronto Area), perhaps you'll learn something from our mistakes.

Since I have a lot of catching up to do, I'll start now, with each post being about a particular date and vendor. Please feel free to comment and add any of your thoughts and experiences. If you're a bride who would like to post about her experience with a vendor, please let me know and I'll be more than happy to add your post as a Guest Post on the blog!

Nice to meet you,
ABI.