Always a Planner, Never a Bride

As a girl I was always a sucker for a good romantic comedy. I'd get butterflies at a happy ending that usually involved some sort of grand gesture or elaborate wedding; the guy getting the girl and riding off into the sunset. And while I can't say my movie watching has set me up for success in my personal life, seeing as we live in a digital age - instead of hoping one day I'll get swept right off my feet I'm only hoping someone will simply swipe right.  

However, the digital age has not dwindled my love for love and I still do love a good wedding. Weddings can be over the top and extravagant but they also have the ability to be an amazing and intimate day that reflects the couple while bringing together their two worlds to celebrate finding one another.

Between the engagement and the I Do's there are so many things that go on to make your dream wedding a reality and, without sugar coating it, there are some highs, lows, frustrations, compromises, tears, more tears and potentially the question of should we just a elope? YOU'RE NOT ALONE. The honeymoon engagement phase often peters out when you realize that you have a year (or often times less) to plan a wedding. This is where the not-so-fun parts come in: How many people are we inviting? What's our budget? Can we afford this dream wedding I've been planning in my head for the past 20 years? Why don't you care about the flowers we're ordering? The list goes on... 

When you're starting to plan any event there are the basics you need to check off. I've used this list from baby showers, work parties and weddings, and it helps define and outline what can feel like an overwhelming task: 

1. Budget: Yup. Start with the hardest first. Figure out your top end and work backwards. Check off the big ticket items first and see how much you can afford to add to your day.
2. Venue: Your wedding shouldn't be a rogue version of who you are as a couple - make it an EXTENSION of who you are. It will feel more natural to yourself and your guests! For example: love wine? Wineries make for amazing venues. Love the beach? All inclusive might be the way to go. 
3. Theme/Decor: This goes along with the venue, but you really shouldn't need to build your vision at whichever venue you choose - you should just add to it. You're not going to add hay bales to the country club, if you know what I mean.
4. Network! This one is HUGE. Every couple who's ever had their own wedding (and even their guests!) are more than happy to share what they loved and hated about their day and what they would do differently. If you remember a wedding where the DJ was awesome and ended the night with Dirty Dancing, find out who that guy is and hire him. Photos so amazing that you went through the entire Facebook album? Find out a name! The wedding business is all about referrals - if one has resignated with you be sure to utilize your network! Social media has also become a tool to reach out to others in your community - there are so many groups to join to ask for advice and tips.
5. Ask for Help! Seriously, ask for help. Organizing the logistics of a wedding is not a small task regardless of the number of people. There are so many moving parts that need to be coordinated: schedules, vendors, last minute details - all of which you might not want to burden your family with. Ten years from now you may not remember the cost of a coordinator - or you may cringe at the memory of your dad and father-in-law dashing dinner midway to hit up a 7-11 and stock up on Coca Cola because the caterer misjudged the demand. Sometimes a little cost goes a long way.

I've had the opportunity of being a day-of-coordinator for some amazing weddings. So, what is a day of coordinator? To put it simply, a day-of-coordinator takes away any stresses leading up to and the day of your wedding. I work with couples to provide a detailed timeline of your day, act as liaison for the venue and point of contact for all vendors, do the complete set up and take down of decor and ensure your vision of hard work and planning becomes a reality! By having a day of coordinator it allows your friends and family a stress-free day to enjoy you and your wedding, without the interruptions of last minute questions or details. The reality is that even with months of planning there are always day of changes that can be inevitable; leave those last minute decisions and trouble shooting to your coordinator! Ultimately it is my goal at every wedding to make sure that your day is as perfect as it can be. The unplanned will happen but the one thing you can plan for is to have someone there to take care of those details.

With wedding season fast approaching it's time to wrap up the details and plan for the execution! I've worked with numerous vendors and venues in Greater Vancouver Area, and would love to sit down with you and discuss your ideas for your day.

Read some testimonials with past couples I've worked with here. 

Let's grab a coffee with you and chat about all things wedding! 

Email me at daywithlauren@gmail.com or message me here for more details. 

I look forward to hearing from you, I'll leave you with one of my favourite quotes:

“When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”
– When Harry Met Sally

xx

LC

Words to Live By

I've realized that I have a playbook of words and phrases that I'm constantly referencing in my day to day. Whether it's new people or my childhood friends, it's often quickly pointed out to me that I'm a rolodex of quotes from movies, music or people. Full disclosure: I know a lot of pointless information that maybe only Jerry Seinfeld would appreciate. 

Regardless if you have an elephant memory like me, I think people resonate with different words in life and like to have reminders of these sayings that have meaning to them. Whether it's a sticky note on your computer or words on a t-shirt, it's becoming more prominent to display these quotes or quibs in different forms as an extension of who you are and what you stand for.  

I've always been a big fan of Conan O'Brien's "If you work really hard and are kind, amazing things will happen". I was inspired by an Instagram photo I'd come across and decided this mantra I so firmly believed in needed to be framed in my home. I couldn't be happier with the result: I found this print on Etsy (find it  here) for $30 and framed it at Michael's. Cheers to affordable art!

My dad is a big fan of classic rock and while we wouldn't admit it during our teen years, he gave us the best music education growing up. Let's just say while my classmates were singing 'Barbie World' during our talent show my twin brother and I performed 'Heart of Gold' by Neil Young. I love that music can be such a reminder about a time in your life or person; a certain lyric or melody can bring back a flood of memories.

Again, following my affordable art trend in my home, I framed some album covers that remind me of my childhood. Look to your favourite artist and you're guaranteed to find some album cover gems. During my recent trip to Portland there was a Dr. Dre's 'The Chronic'  album featuring classics like "Nuthin' but a G Thing" and "Dre Day" - if you haven't heard these on vinyl, you haven't lived.  Hit up your local record store, see what you can find, and then frame your choice album with this (on sale now!) There is no Dre on my wall but The Beatles, Dylan, Young and Mellencamp represent my old soul well.

Unlike my taste in music, my taste in jewelry is something that has evolved through my twenties: I used to often find myself stalking up on costume pieces from the local H&M or department store bi-weekly. Like your taste in clothes, your jewellery style changes as well. Today, I find myself wearing the same pieces over and over, day or night. I would rather have fewer more beautiful pieces than a plethora of junk.

This necklace from Sweet Harriet Designs is my latest piece and I'm so happy with it! "Let's get carried away": I was immediately drawn to this saying because of my love of travel and new places. My bucket list still lists for me to walk into an airport and ask for a ticket on the next plane out of here. When I'm wearing this necklace it acts as a reminder to not take life so seriously, go with the flow more and perhaps worry a bit less. Styled for coffee or after work drinks - this will be my go to necklace this spring. 

Words are the ultimate creative outlet and I think it's great to showcase a string of them that you live by, in whichever way you want. 

What words represent you? 

xx

LC

How I Updated my Kitchen under $1000

With every change in season I always get the itch to do the typical big clean, purge my closet of all the clothes I've worn to death and take on a new décor project! Bathrooms and kitchens are always big ticket renos so I have to get creative with my updates...

Let's just note my dream kitchen below...

Photo Credit: https://www.pinterest.com/homebunch/

The previous owner of my condo did some updates but left some definite room for improvement. I have white cabinets - which I love - but I also have this sort of terrible green granite counter tops to work with. I knew I couldn't afford to replace the counter tops so I just needed to tone down the colour and shift focus away from it.

FLOORS! The floors were something that definitely could use a facelift and would not break my bank. Originally an awful laminate reminiscent of a school classroom, I worked with Carecraft Contracting and upgraded to a beautiful porcelain floor in black with a bit of gray undertone. I chose larger floor tiles and to lay them vertically to make the surface area look larger. Also, these large tiles compliment my choice of smaller tiles for the backsplash.

Fuzzy photo...worse floor.

So much better!

BACKSPLASH! Another easy/inexpensive way to update a kitchen - and subway tile is my favourite. Gloss, matte, glass, colour and you can have fun with the grout as well to make it more noticeable (think white tile with dark grout to make it stand out!). My backsplash surface area is on the smaller side, so I opted for a monochromatic look in white tile and light gray grout. I'm super happy with the result! Like the Big Lebowski woud say, it really pulled the room (kitchen) together!! Handy work by the talented team at Carecraft Contracting again. 

Pre-Subway Tile

PASSTHROUGH! One of the reasons I bought my place was because the face of the kitchen was "open" to the living room and dining room. The passthrough offers a small counter space, but it was topped with laminate that had no curb appeal. I worked with a carpenter and picked out a gorgeous piece of wood and stained it to bring out the natural grain. The pass through - although a minor detail - looks fantastic and contrasts the granite, tile and stainless accents in the kitchen. Moreover, it is a nice transition into the dining room. Not too mention its function for serving, housing my cook books and everyday entertaining use.

Before...

Between the floors, backsplash and passthrough upgrades, I was able to makeover my kitchen while staying on my $1000 budget! The counter tops even seem a little less green now...

The finished project! 

So don't shy away from kitchen or bathroom upgrades - set out a budget and decide what will offer the most impact while not breaking the bank!!

What is your next weekend project?? 

xx

LC

Set the tone to your home!

Is your entry solely designed for functionality or do you use it to introduce the style and feel for your home?

Why not make it both!

When I bought my condo 3 years ago I was beyond excited to decorate it the way I wanted, a clean slate - a blank canvas. First thing I did was paint the walls with a neutral gray, and off I went furnishing 700 square feet. My credit card was getting quite a workout to say the least and, after investing in some big ticket items, I had to slow the decorating down. I put off the entry way til the very last because I didn't know what I wanted to do with it! The space is a little tight, so I didn't have the option of making it its own separate room. I spent many hour Pinning and still couldn't come up with anything I liked or I was too nervous to try...In the mean time, Jim Morrison hung behind my door.

The before...

I finally came across this Pin and it inspired me to do a circle mirror gallery wall combo. I liked the simplicity of all the white frames, but there are some super great gallery walls that combine lots of different colours and textures. I'll try on my next wall - baby steps!

Photo Credit to bowerpowerblog.com

I have so many photos I've collected over the years and enjoy framing pictures of my travels, so I knew I wanted a mix of both art, words, my favourite places with my favourite people. This was the mix I came up with!

• Heart of Gold - this was a gift from a dear friend AND my favourite Neil Young song. (similar one here)
• A Banksy Art Piece "There's Always Hope".
• London's skyline (dear to my heart from when I lived there briefly in 2014).
• My friend Kathryn and I with a backdrop of Manhattan.

I'm definitely not a knick knack person and there is a fine line between too much accessories and just enough, but details are a great way to add personal touches of you... even in a small entry way!

• The IKEA side table was upgraded with a new mustard rose handle (an easy inexpensive way to update a piece!). This knob's an oldie from Anthropologie, but you can find a similar one here. 
• My keys hang on the slogan my mother feels she needs to repeatedly tell me: "Keep Calm and Carry On".
• My mail has a home on a cute heart envelope dish - it also holds left over change from world travelling (note the British pence). It's also a great dish to store other grab-and-go items (like my sunglasses so they don't get lost in the black hole of my purse!)
• An anchor door mat because nautical is always in and I need to display my constant life dilemma of Converse vs. Metallic heels.

This is my current entry way, I'm happy with the progress I made and my first gallery wall but I think an entry way might just be one of those spaces that's ever evolving... I'm thinking wallpaper next? 

How will you welcome your guests into your home?? Get creative! 

xx

LC

aaaaaaaaaaaand one last quick check before heading out!