They say that they are motivated by, “Seeing people touch my cards and watching their faces light up when they feel the tactile quality of a letterpress print.

Image Courtesy of Sunlit Letterpress

There’s nothing that quite compares to the gorgeous texture and look created by an antique letterpress, and if you’re having a vintage wedding and can fit it into your budget, it’s a beautiful memento of your day. Each invitation is a work of art

Check out Sunlit Letterpress for yo
ur wedding stationary, because in addition to invitations they also  design and print letterpress save-the-dates, ceremony programs, menus, place cards, seating cards, table cards, day-of stationery, thank you cards, stationery favours for guests, and more.

The post Fancy Finds | Sunlit Letterpress | Vancouver Letterpress Studio appeared first on Heirloom Magazine | Vancouver Wedding Magazine.

Calling all vintage lovers! Mark your calendars with these amazing upcoming vintage and handmade markets… this month is FULL of amazing places to stock up on bits and pieces for your big day, and your home! Here’s our pick of May vintage markets:

May

Saturday, May 4th, 2013 – Crafty Affaire: 10am-4pm at Elgin Hall (14250 Crescent Road, South Surrey)

Saturday May 11th, 2013 – The Eastside Flea: 9am-3:30pm at The Wisehall (1882 Adnac Street)

Saturday, May 11th, 2013 – Antique Show: 8:30am-4:30om at The Vancouver Flea Market (703 Terminal Avenue)

Saturday, May 11/12, 2013 – Spring Fling Craft Fair: 10am-5pm at The Vancouver Convention Center East (1055 Canada Place)

Sunday, May 26th, 2013 – 21 Century Flea Market: 10am-3pm at The Croatian Cultural Centre (3250 Commercial Drive)

The post Friday’s Find | May Vintage Markets and Antique Shows to Visit appeared first on Heirloom Magazine | Vancouver Wedding Magazine.

Love all things handmade? We’ve got the perfect place for you to spend your weekend!

There’s been a last minute emergency venue change for this weekend’s Got Craft Spring Edition, but the show will go on as scheduled! Due to a fire in the office of the Maritime Labour Centre, Got Craft? has moved a few blocks away to the gymnasium of Templeton Secondary School Gymnasium (727 Templeton Dr) on 27th and 28th from 10am-5pm. Admission is $3, but kids 10 and under are free!

All images courtesy of [stu-di-o] by jeanie

Expect to shop independent and local from more than 80 local designers, artists and crafts people passionate about cdo-it-yourself culture! There will be a big selection of quality handmade goods ranging from jewelry, one-of-a-kind clothing, ceramics, stationery, housewares, plush toys, and more. Also, there will be tons of tasty treats including delicious food carts, homemade baked goods and artisan chocolate.

Be one of the first 50 people each day to receive a FREE swag bag filled with amazing goodies from the show’s vendors and sponsors, but get there early… the line ups for this start at 6am!

The best part are the DIY workshops, and Heirloom Magazine just so happen to be teaching one of our own on Saturday from 3pm-5pm! Come on by, and we’ll teach you how to make your very own customised stenciled burlap placements!

Click here for more information!

The post Friday’s Find | Got Craft Spring Edition This Weekend! appeared first on Heirloom Magazine | Vancouver Wedding Magazine.

Any little knick-knack that you need for your home or wedding, your sure to find something at the Delish General Store. They are headquartered in Edgemont Village, North Vancouver, BC and are proud to bring hard-to-find products to fellow Canadians, and all over the world.

Images Courtesy of Delish General Store

Cute notepads, washi tape, awesome striped and polka dot straws (perfect for your signature cocktails when you add little flags with their pennant flag stickers) all shapes and sizes of mason jars and lids, bath and body products by Feest.

The nut and treat cups as well as the chevron, polka dot, striped and floral patterned treat bags are perfect for your candy bar, popcorn or whatever wedding favour you can fit inside. Use their kraft tags for your escort cards and tie them up with some of the awesome colours of hard-to-find baker’s twine they have for sale.

It is any vintage bride’s delight to find a place with all these DIY wedding essentials!

Find them April 27 &28th at Got Craft? Spring Edition at the Maritime Labour Centre (1880 Triumph Street). May 4th at Fort Langley Farmer’s Market at Bedford House Restaurant (9272 Glover Road) and on June 1 & 2 at Mini Got Craft at Vancouver Mini Maker Faire at the PNE Forum Building (2901 East Hasting St.) or order online.

The post Friday’s Find | Get Your Goodies at the Delish General Store appeared first on Heirloom Magazine | Vancouver Wedding Magazine.

By mixing new and vintage elements, like crochet and watch faces, she has created one-of-a-kind accessories including hair pieces and clips, bracelets, rings, necklaces, and glass gem studs.

These sweet finds are absolutely gorgous … find them at local craft fairs, Spruce Collective in Abbottsford, Barefoot Contessa on Main Street, and more!

Images Courtesy of Barefoot Contessa

The post Friday’s Find | Vancouver Jewellery Designer | Type B appeared first on Heirloom Magazine | Vancouver Wedding Magazine.

One great feature of the site is the ability to search for items by location. To do so, simply scroll down to the bottom of the home page, and you will find a box titled “More ways to shop” and then a “Shop Local” Title to click on. I did this for Vancouver, BC and it came up with 1,736 items in Vancouver alone. (I further refined my search to show items for “Weddings”, and items not just delivered to Vancouver, but located here. Check some items below that I found interesting, and then see if your can find a few items in your neck of the woods that can supply fun and one of a kind handcrafted items for your day.

The post Friday’s Find | Buy Local appeared first on Heirloom Magazine | Vancouver Wedding Magazine.

Today on the blog we have a guest post from Aimée Sulz, one of five lead singers with the Famous Players Band, a Vancouver-based wedding and party band. She has a nine year old daughter, is recently married, and is a few credits shy of a degree in psychology. She has been to more weddings in the last nine years than she can remember and is totally biased when it comes to music and weddings. Aimée tackles the big debate from an insider’s perspective… Should you hire a wedding band vs wedding DJ?

Images Courtesy of Famous Players Band 

Aimée writes:

As a singer and a recent bride, I have an uncommon perspective on the debate between hiring a wedding band vs a wedding DJ. In this blog-post, I hope to give you a little insight and advice on choosing the musical entertainment for your wedding.

Researching for my own wedding, I found a rather eye-opening statistic: People spend almost twice as much money on photography than they do on music and entertainment. Now, I understand that you want great photos to remember your big day with. But, you only get one chance to have the party of your life; to host and thank all of your family and friends for their support over the years. If you don’t have a great reception, your best memories will be your photographs. And, isn’t that just a little sad?

My first bit of advice is this: if you have the budget, do it all! Get your favourite band and a DJ. Most bands and DJs can work really well together, and you get the best of both worlds. With both a DJ and a band, you can have a seamless night of music, entertainment and partying until the clock strikes whatever time you have noted on your contracts with the venue. However, if you’re like me, and you can’t afford to have it all, go for the band.  Here are a few reasons why:

Live Music = Energy

You’re throwing a party here. What’s the biggest buzz kill at a party? An empty dance floor. With a live band, you’re not only paying for the music, but also the show. Live bands are like party magnets. Trust me, I’ve seen it happen. We played a show once where there were multiple venues and multiple forms of entertainment. We were the only live band, however. By the end of the first hour, our dance floor was packed and the people who weren’t dancing were still in the room, watching. The DJ rooms were empty. Why? Because, whether you like to dance or if you prefer to be more of a wallflower, with a live band, you get the music and a show. With a band, you get the energy of living people, who are genuinely enjoying themselves, and that, my dear readers, is contagious.

Live Music = Adaptability

Wedding band’s are professional entertainers. We can read a crowd and move with you. Are you shy? We can start you off slow, and even do some silly things to get you to loosen up. We can help you feel more comfortable, before the cocktails kick in. Not so shy? A great band can play songs from every era, so, if grandma wants to hear Elvis, then you want to dance to Beyoncé, we can do that! Heck, we’ll even lead the crowd in a Michael Jackson dance off, if that’s how you roll.

Live Music = Integration Like I said above, if you are less inclined to dance, a DJ leaves a lot to be desired. With a live band, maybe you don’t want to dance, but you’ll stay to watch the show. The more people who stay and enjoy your party, the more successful your party will be. With a live band, you have the opportunity to please everyone, because there is a little something for all tastes and all personalities.

Live Music = The Classiest Choice Ask your grandma. Back in the day, everybody had a band at their weddings. If you really want that vintage feel, get a great room, a great band and a great cocktail and canapé menu. The rest will sort itself out.

This is your wedding: Your chance to throw a party like no other. When it comes to entertainment, you deserve to have the best. The best memories I have from my own wedding are dancing with my husband and watching my daughter sing (and steal the show) with my band mates. With a live band, you get people who love what they do. You get expertise, adaptability and energy that you simply cannot get from a DJ. You get an interactive form of entertainment that everyone can enjoy, from young to old. With a live band you’re getting the party going, before it even starts.

The post Friday’s Find | Wedding Band vs Wedding DJ: A Wedding Singer’s Perspective – Famous Players Guest Post appeared first on Heirloom Magazine | Vancouver Wedding Magazine.

Today we are excited to share with you a guest post from the uber-talented, Victoria and Vancouver-based wedding photographer Kelsey Goodwin.

Kelsey specialises in photojournalistic, artistic and ethereal wedding photography. She’s giving you a few pointers on what the most important photos of your wedding day are, and the way to find the photographer who will capture the images and create the collection you’re hoping for. Here are her tips on how to find the photographer whom you can trust and communicate with, and share your unique story.

All Images Courtesy of Kelsey Goodwin -  KGOODPHOTO

“As women, most of us have an idea of what we want our wedding to look or feel like before we get engaged, sometimes even before we fall in love. It’s fun and exciting. But in the throws of inspiration and pinterest boards, we can sometimes forget that there is no right way or wrong way to do your wedding.

From a photographer’s perspective, brides fall in love with other peoples’ wedding images they see. Or they are supplied with a “shoot list” from another bridal resource. When you hire a professional, we know to focus on the rings and the kiss and the first dance etc. Supplying a shoot list to your photographer is like telling the florist not to forget the bouquet.

Communication and trust are equally important with your photographer. What I am looking and asking for is the real list or conversation. The one that informs me that your fiance’s grandmother is having health problems but is still going to attend – and that it’s her wedding band that will grace your finger that day. If I wasn’t aware of the circumstances, I might not have snapped that shot of her holding and appraising your newly endowed hand, for example, or even the bond expressed between the two of you that might have been missed while we were organising for another formal portrait.

I want to know about the inside joke funny face that you and your lover have together – a face I might not include in the final collection if I didn’t have the story. Your story. Your photographer needs to know the prologue if they hope to pave the epilogue in all its glory.

Just as culturally rich ceremonies have many small nuances that have a deeper importance, every wedding is filled with small moments in between the big ones that will portray the day in a more personal way. Each wedding is so different and this is why it’s difficult to try to emulate another person’s wedding photo – timing, emotion, relationships, location etc. all play a crucial part in the final imagery.

This especially includes the skill of the photographer. Hence it’s often best to hire the author of the photograph that you fell in love with to achieve the same quality and tonality. Tell them what you like about it and they will know the type of wedding images you seek. If that is one of the photos they displayed on their website or advertisement, chances are they are passionate and talented at creating those types of images. You can then be certain they will achieve a similar collection for you.

The most important moments to immortalise are the relationships that are important to you. Even though this is the joining of two families and the formation of a new one, the most important relationship of the day is of course between the bride and groom. This is my favourite relationship to capture, and I approach it in many different ways – photojournalisticly to capture your natural affection, and some guided romantic portraits with a fashion fairytale approach, because I want everyone to look and feel like a rock star.

Above all else, do find a photographer whom you trust and can easily communicate with. Telling them your story will help him or her be hyperaware of the important moments during your special day. It’s good to have a game plan but don’t forget to also relax and enjoy the moments naturally, because the best images are often the spontaneous ones!

The post Choosing a Wedding Photographer Who Will Capture Your Unique Story – Guest Post By Wedding Photographer Kelsey Goodwin appeared first on Heirloom Magazine | Vancouver Wedding Magazine.

The gentlemen of Vancouver have long been looking for a line of men’s apparel to help them look snappy. Finally, this is where Belvedere Gents has stepped in. This classic collection of men’s accessories is inspired by the gentlemen of the 1950′s as well as today’s modern chap, will have your groom and groomsmen looking fine in no time!

Owner Kari Bergrud’s handmade designs include ties, tie your own bow ties, suspenders, pocket combs, and tie clips made from vintage spoons & forks which bound to infuse any significant male in your life with a touch of dapperness akin to classic gentlemen of years gone by – perfect for a vintage wedding.

Images courtesy of The Barefoot Contessa

The bow ties come in so many colours, patterns and florals, you’re sure to find one to match your ladies dresses or the colour scheme of your big day. Gentlemen, not to worry if you don’t know how to tie a bow tie, it’s a rare trait these days. You receive a handy instruction sheet with every purchase.

The ‘things that are manly’ pins are also super cute, with words like, elk, pulled pork, craft beer and pocket knives. Find Belvedere products at this season’s craft markets around the city and at Barefoot Contessa on Main or Commercial.

The post Friday’s Find | Classy Goods for Classy Gents : Belvedere Gents appeared first on Heirloom Magazine | Vancouver Wedding Magazine.

On Saturday March 2nd, brides-to-be and Vancouver wedding industry pros alike gathered at one of Vancouver’s most sought after wedding venues for what promised to be a new and exciting addition to the Vancouver wedding show scene. The Terminal City Club’s Hush Wedding Show was a beautiful and intimate cocktail evening. Everyone was buzzing with excitement for an exclusive meet and greet with some of Vancouver’s most reputable wedding vendors.

Upon arrival, guests were eagerly greeted at the door by two of the Terminal City Club’s doormen. In the main lobby was a white vintage car courtesy of Ultimate Limo, foreshadowing the excitement ahead. Upon registration or ticket purchase, each bride-to-be was given a gift bag and welcomed into the main ballroom. As always, Evan Orion and the team at Flowerz outdid themselves, providing visually stunning, unique and outside-the-box décor throughout the club. From the Chanel inspired curtain of white paper floral, making for a gorgeous dramatic entrance, to various tablescapes in the ballroom, there was more than enough inspiration and eye candy to go around.

Tunes could be heard in the Metropolitan Ballroom from Audio Edge Entertainment, giving the room an alluring and inviting vibe. Blink Acro had a contortionist on hand to give a wild performance that had everyone entranced, and Photobooth Vancouver provided fun snapshots for everyone throughout the night. Guests could be seen eagerly sampling treats from the exquisite dessert buffet or sipping cocktails from the bar whilst chatting with friends and vendors.

On the main floor, another popular feature was the Men’s Whiskey Lounge. Donnelly Group was in attendance mixing custom cocktails and providing hot shaves for the grooms-to-be, a must for any groom looking to relax with a luxurious treatment on the days leading up to his wedding.

A personal favourite of the night was on the second floor in the president’s ballroom – a stunning ceremony set up with dramatic white draping and refreshing outdoor inspired greenery. Alongside delightful passed canapés and gorgeous couture gowns on mingling models, courtesy of Blush Bridal, left all guests feeling content that they chose Hush Wedding Show at the Terminal City Club as the place to spend their Saturday evening.

Although there may not have been as many vendors as there could have been and some of the rooms fell a little flat, such as the tea ceremony room, the team at the Club did a magnificent job of putting together a classy, relaxed and inviting cocktail wedding show in just under three months. If the goal was to show off the venue in a gorgeous way by giving brides many different ideas and inspiration, it was hands down a tremendous success.

Can’t wait to see what they dream up next year!

Guest Blogger | Cristina Sampers, Fluent Productions
Photographer | Union Photographers

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