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Gorgeous bridal gowns aren't hard to find if you're a Kitchener-Waterloo or Cambridge bride

It's no secret that the Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge area has some of Southwestern Ontario's finest and highest-reviewed bridal gown shops.

Brides from all over come to K-W specifically for the high-end designer lines, realistic prices, tons of sizing (so that every bride can not just browse but actually try on - imagine that...) the gowns they see. So if you're a bride on the hunt for a fabulous bridal gown or bridesmaids gown, thank your lucky stars you're in the Kitchener-Waterloo/Cambridge area.

Urban Bride brings stylish accessories, favours, shoes, flower girl gowns and more to the Galt area
Custom-made attire from flower girls to brides allows local brides to turn imagination into reality
Local online boutique offers raw silk & couture designs for the little ones
From décor items to unique bridal fashion, La Crème’s boutiques are a favourite with brides
Charmanté becomes one of the hottest bridal salons in Waterloo Region by making shopping fun and pressure-free
 

OUT WITH THE OLD: wedding traditions vs. weddings today

In a time when couples want their weddings to be unique and original, wedding traditions are being replaced for more personalized aspects. But if traditions are falling by the wayside, what are brides and grooms doing to personalize their weddings and modernize some of the outdated traditions?

We turned to brides in The Wedding Ring community to find out what traditions are disappearing and what’s taking their place. Here’s what we found…

 

Latest reviews on wedding experts in the Kitchener-Waterloo Area

Sweet Pair Photography shows brides how to have fun and get modern, romantic photos on budget
Sweet Pair Photography is a new name in wedding photography, but you’d never know it from looking at their work. As you browse their gorgeous online photo galleries or thumb through portfolios at your first meeting, you’ll be able to see why brides would say there’s soul behind these images, that Olga and Vladimir listen to you, and that they give you the chance to be the best version of yourself on a day you’ll remember for a lifetime. Owned by Olga and Vladimir Plevak, Sweet Pair Photography is a combination of two different styles and personalities, a couple who feeds off each other’s creative and technical differences, and who offer two photographers at your wedding (who appear to be as in love with each other as they are with the inspiration they find in human nature).
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Inspiration is contagious at Renaissance, a studio built on a foundation of art, design and fashion
For Photographers Clint Russell and Shawn Van Daele, photographing weddings is much like telling a story - a story that's presented in gorgeous, sentimental, fun and creative photographs. Clint and Shawn have built their company, Renaissance Studios Photography, on a foundation of art, design, and fashion (elements that can be seen in each of their photos). "Since we're artists first, it's important to us to get unique, fun and magazine-quality shots throughout your whole day." They want to make sure all their brides and grooms get full bragging rights when it comes time to showing off their final photos. That's why each of the members of their large team of ten professional photographers shoots just about every moment and detail that they can. From quirky little moments, editorial style candids, and fun, vintage twists. And when they're not catching fabulous photos of the bride, groom and wedding party, they're covering the wedding guests in their fabulous 'Smile Booth', a featured service that brides can't help but love.
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Couples who visit Vintner's Cellar toast to homemade wine while  saving hundreds on their bar bill
Knowing that planning a wedding can be hectic and stressful, James Fields, Owner of Vintner's Cellar Waterloo, set out to make at least one part of it easy and fun. With a huge selection of high quality wines and a relentless pursuit of perfection, Vintner's Cellar runs on the motto, “30 minutes of your time makes 30 bottles of fine wine.” They can help you select wine based on both your budget and your food – complementing both and cutting your bar bill in half. In an attempt to provide personalized service for each of their customers, Vintner's Cellar can provide homemade wine for your bachelor/bachelorettes, reception and guest favours with customized labels. They can also host fun and interactive private bottling parties for you and your wedding party.
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Urban Bride brings stylish accessories, favours, shoes, flower girl gowns and more to the Galt area
With ten years of experience in the wedding industry, first as a photographer, then a recent bride, and now the Owner of her accessories and favours store, Urban Bride, Simona Cherler Gagliostro seems to know what local brides are looking for and what they expect in service when they go out looking for it. On top of wanting to give you exactly what you want, Simona's desire is that every bride gets the amazing wedding she deserves. Urban Bride, conveniently located in Downtown Galt, is a one-stop shop for your favours, accessories, flower girl dresses, lingerie, shoes and more. You get the vast selection of shopping online with the comfort of dealing with a friendly and professional person face to face.
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Indulge caters to weddings with a modern, local and organic twist on traditional dishes
Paul Cummings, the Head Chef and Owner of Indulge Natural and Organic Kitchen, is putting inspiration and the local farming community back into the art of planning a wedding menu. He uses a bistro-style cooking approach and ingredients that are local, seasonal and chemical-free wherever possible to put a new twist on traditional dishes. Whether he’s serving from his Kitchener Farmer’s Market location, catering peanut butter panna cotta with caramel and a raspberry coulis (his take on his clients’ all-time favourite food - PB&Js) to 300 wedding guests, or teaching clients how to cook something new in their own homes, this Stratford Chefs School grad seems to look at cooking with a fresh perspective – and it’s obvious he’s having fun while he’s at it.
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Ultimate Affairs raises the bar and makes hiring a wedding planner seem simply obvious
You might want to mentally file away whatever you thought you knew about wedding planners. Ultimate Affairs makes you feel like hiring a wedding planner is simply obvious and the attention they’ve received from the press, the kudos they receive from local brides, and their long-standing, well-known reputation adds to this fact. Ultimate Affairs has grown larger each year they've catered to the Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph and surrounding areas. They have a team of associate planners, two business leaders who've done more than their fair share of wedding planning footwork, and they're a company that is one of the first to say, "Wedding planners are definitely not only for the big budget, formal weddings with mile-long guest lists... With all the demands on a bride's time, even a smaller or more casual wedding design merits the help of an expert wedding planner."
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Brentwood specializes in old-fashioned chauffeur service with genuine care towards couples
There are no shortage of people who have excellent things to say about Brentwood Livery. We'd heard from both brides and other experts in town that Brentwood was a call we needed to make. When we finally met Brent and Marilyn Ferguson, we could tell that everything about them and their dedication to their business, was genuine. With Brentwood Livery, you get the distinct feeling of being taken care of and they truly care about you, your guests and your wedding day.
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Ku'r is the cure for all of your wedding day salon and spa needs
Ku'r Salon and Spa's goal is to make sure you're feeling and looking fabulous on the morning of your wedding day. This Doon South Drive spa is a one-stop shop for all of your beauty needs from head to toe. Taline Danaoghlian and Katrina Byrne, Owners of Ku'r, and their team of expert stylists and aestheticians work from the inside out, relaxing you with massages and facials and making you look gorgeous with manis, pedis, make-up and hair design. This is where a bride goes to get what she wants on her day. They offer bridal discounts, trials and customized packages, all designed to suit the needs of each bride and her wedding party.
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Sonia Ryan's on-site wedding make-up and glamourous style are a hit with local brides
Sonia Ryan is well-known and well-loved by brides and wedding experts alike. She can be seen speaking at conferences, hosting make-up workshops and training newer make-up artists on the ins and outs of wedding day beauty. Sonia offers everything from image consulting to personalized on-site wedding day make-up for bridal parties. She's fun, inspiring, and destined to be booked solid with brides. Let us explain...
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Original designs from Decorating Dreams create elegance & breathtaking romance
Decorating Dreams is about personality and style. Their success revolves around designing countless wedding dreams each year without losing the personal attention that lets you know you're truly taken care of here.
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From sketch pad to oven, Jirina's Bakery still chosen for their always-fresh, custom-made wedding cakes after twenty years
If you grew up in the K-W area, you likely already know Jirina's Bakery by name or by taste - or both. That's because after over twenty years in the business, Jirina's Bakery has earned a reputation for fresh, delicious flavour, and designs that can compete with any of the most traditional or ultra contemporary cake shops in the country.
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It's easy to be in awe of the personality, website & work of D&G Photography
Naghmeh Desroches has an unmistakable eye for gorgeous, authentic and, let's face it, incredible shots that could turn any wedding album into your new favourite book for a lifetime. She will bring you to love posed photography without sacrificing the option to have remarkable photojournalistic photos, which she does with her natural ability to make her subjects feel comfortable and look great in front of the camera.
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Rebel Creek Golf Club offers a secluded wedding locale just minutes from the city
Surrounded by rolling hills, ponds and trees, Rebel Creek Golf Club gives the secluded feeling of a destination wedding location, just a few minutes from town. Rebel Creek is where a bride and groom come if they're dreaming of wedding details such as waterside photos, a cocktail hour held on a gorgeous field stone and wrought-iron patio, or a reception in an incredible banquet facility with vaulted ceilings and a view to fall in love with.
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Impact Movement Pole Dancing Classes for Brides

How to Host a Memorable Bachelorette

Expert Tip from Leanne Giilck and Sarah Willett of Impact Movement Studios Inc.

Bachelorette parties are a right of passage to the much anticipated married life that awaits the soon-to-be bride. Formerly, bachelorette parties were seen as the bride’s last night as a single woman. In recent years, bachelorette parties have become more creative, involving a variety of fun activities to make the evening memorable for all involved. It should be a celebration of the bride and a chance for her to spend a fun night with her ladies.

 

DIY brides in The Ring

:: How one bride took a do-it-yourself approach to décor

by Rebeca Klein, Contributing Bride & Member of The Ring

Decorating is one of the biggest parts of a wedding. It is something that makes each wedding unique, but, at the same time, can be pricey. There are some things you can't help but hire a professional for, or rent yourself, like a backdrop.

 

2009 Budget Spreadsheet: Breaking down costs, item by item

The (UPDATED!) Budget Spreadsheet

The Team @ The Ring have updated the always-popular Budget Spreadsheet! This feature gives basic price ranges for absolutely everything, from the marriage license to the wedding memories. Prices are based on wedding industry rates in the Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge & Guelph communities.

 

Inspired by Spring Bouquets

Written by Staff @ The Ring with Carrie Lynn Weber, Floral Designer

With balmy March weather melting away the layers of snow, spring will soon be officially sprung, and so too will lustrous pastel, fresh green and crisp white flowers that come with it. Floral designer, Carrie Lynn Weber says spring flowers can create some of the most gorgeous wedding bouquets, and she proves it with two of her favourites from recent weddings...

 

Tyla & Brian: Saying ‘I Do' in Style

June 14 2008 :: Hauser Hall, Heidelberg

Like so many couples today, Tyla Fullerton and Brian Sweet met on the internet. Brian said one of the things he loved most about Tyla was that she is a strong intelligent woman “who cares deeply about her family and community.” For Tyla, it was about “Brian’s sense of humour and his optimism. He can always make me laugh and he keeps me grounded.”

 

Dana & Adam: Northern Ontario Wedding Style

October 4 2008 :: Algoma Mills

Dana Arkilander and Adam Lauder met six years ago while sharing the late shift at a Waterloo coffee pub. After work, they often found themselves playing cards into the wee hours of the night. After Dana first asked Adam out to on an official date - to a movie - that was it. "We've been together ever since."

 
The Wedding Ring Magazine - Spring/Summer 2010 Issue
 

Bridal Shows @ A Glance

Mon Feb 08, 2010
Wedding Planning Weekend in Punta Cana
Sat Feb 20, 2010
Stratford Spring Bridal Expo
Sun Feb 28, 2010 @11:00AM - 04:00PM
The Wedding Show, DIY Edition
Sun Feb 28, 2010 @11:00AM - 04:00PM
2010 Wedding Show
Sun Feb 28, 2010 @11:30AM - 04:30PM
'Wedding Expo 2010' Spring Edition
Sun Feb 28, 2010 @12:00PM - 05:00PM
Kitchener-Waterloo Gay Wedding Show
Tue Mar 02, 2010 @06:30PM -
Hamilton Bridal Showcase
Sun Mar 07, 2010 @01:30PM -
Burlington Bridal Showcase
Sun Mar 14, 2010 @01:00PM - 04:00PM
Kitchener Spring 2010 Welcome Wagon Bridal Showcase
Sun Mar 21, 2010 @11:00AM - 04:00PM
Woodstock Wedding Wonderland

Sales & Savings in The Ring

Mon Feb 08, 2010
5% of your wedding favours order will help Haiti
Mon Feb 08, 2010
March wedding décor savings
Mon Feb 08, 2010
Taylor's Gown Sales to Help Haiti Relief
Mon Feb 08, 2010 @08:00AM -
Save 10% on photography with Pure Photo
Mon Feb 08, 2010 @08:00AM - 11:59PM
The BIG Win Your Wedding Photography Contest 2011
Fri Feb 12, 2010
Trunk Show @ Couture Threads

From the forums...

  • Subject: Re:Destination Wedding + at home Reception - by: Uniglobe Mindful Traveller
    Hey Jenn It's me Dawn, we have a meeting tomorrow so looking forward to that!!! I agree with your brides here ... my daughter got married in destination and then a reception back home, we waited only about 2 weeks, which was mildly hectic getting everything together once we returned, but mostly it was weather and time related, June was the month of both! Give yourselves time in between but again not too much time that people forget you! lol Invitations ... most brides are sending out combined invites with wording along the lines of "we'd love to have you join us on the beach in Jamaica for the week of January ... but if you cannot come we understand and hope you'll be able to attend the reception when we return!" send 2 dif. RSVPs might help one for wedding, one for reception most of the will call me, the agent etc., and get onboard for the wedding trip so sometimes not necessary to RSVP toyou with return cards etc. I always suggest an RSVP on anything you send out, even if there really isn't one, as people tend to set aside something with no clear deadline. Typically they call me either right away to get their deposits it or wait until that LAST day, haha, either way you make sure you have the space available for them to book so leaving it too long can create a problem if the flights or hotel get sold out ... Hope that all helps, this is such a fun thing to do getting excited a whole year in advance for a beach wedding! Yeah!!!!! I have some good pricing for 2011 coming in and good deals that could also happen soon for us! see you soon thanks DAWN www.destinationweddingsbydawn.com dawn@uniglobediscover.com
  • Subject: Re:Needs ideas for inside wedding pictures - by: Two Tone Studios
    The rain delay plan for a wedding I did in Stratford was to go to Shakespere ( the little town next door) and shoot within their many Antique shops. There's some nice shops down town, and a couple of pubs and coffee shops you can use. Just ask First. Their City Hall is AWESOME. I have never shot in or around it, but it is one spot I would love to use. Check it out. Where is the reception and Ceremony Locations? Can you Use the reception spot for the Family and group photos? My Suggestion is that you do all the family photos either at the reception hall or the Ceremony location, and take the wedding party downtown to coffee shops and pubs. Bring umbrellas, and do some shots of you and your man out in the rain. Its fun and you will get a ton of great images. Good luck, and here's to a NO RAIN wedding day. Kurt

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

Shrimp with Coconut Milk and Butternut Squash from Paul Cummings, Owner and Head Chef at Indulge Natural and Organic Kitchen.

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