Company: Awespiring Weddings and Design
Location: Edmonton and area
Website: www.awespiringweddings.com
Blog: www.awespiringweddings.com/blog

What made you get started in wedding planning?
I’ve always been on an event planning committee, no matter what job I was working at.  I love being behind the scenes.  When it came time to help my sister plan her wedding followed by planning my own, I loved it!  My sister also felt the same way; we looked up how to get certified in the industry and took the Wedding Planner course offered by the Wedding Planners Institute of Canada.  I haven’t looked back since!

What type of wedding planning do you specialize (Full, Day of, Design)?
We do it all.  We offer a variety of services to our clients.  We also customize packages to meet a clients needs.

What is your favorite part of a wedding?
When the bride and groom see each other for the first time, it’s a magical moment!

Do you have a favorite style/theme of wedding?
I don’t have a favorite style/theme.  I love when a couple has a vision of what they want their wedding day to have, and we can make that vision come to life for them.

What are some of your hobbies?
scrapbooking, card making, reading and spending time with my husband.

What is one word of advice you would give to a bride?
Its your day, make decisions that will make you happy.  You are the one that has to live with the decisions made.

Company: High Culture: Weddings & Special Events Inc.

Location: Edmonton and area & further destinations

Website: http://web.mac.com/high.culture/

Blog: High Culture Blog

What made you get started in wedding planning?
I have always been a planner. The source of inspiration to plan weddings and special events came to me at a very young age. For as long as I can remember, I have always been inspired by Preston Bailey and Colin Cowie and when I was younger, I absolutely loved to watch Giada de Laurentiis television program Behind the Bash. I grew up in the hospitality industry – my father a Food & Beverage Director and my mother a pastry chef (former). From there, I worked part time at events for my dad and in grade ten, I was a student in the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme where I completed a personal project about weddings – what they consist of and how to plan one. After I had finished my project which I had been fully consumed by, I felt like I was missing something in my life – wedding planning, so I completed a Wedding & Special Event Planning course directed by Milena Santoro, a former wedding & special events coordinator from Vancouver. It was an absolutely incredible experience. After I received my certificate from completing the course, I slowly began to gain clients (while still a high school student!).

What type of wedding planning do you specialize (Full, Day of, Design)?
I do it all – I plan other functions as well but weddings are what I choose to specialize in. In regards to weddings, I do full coordinating, day of management, and design. I enjoy working on events both locally as well as other destinations. I love to travel – I have a passport that is always ready to be used!

What is your favourite part of a wedding?
This is a tough one – I have a lot of favourites! When I complete full coordination, I absolutely love going through the planning process ensuring that a couples vision will be executed as well as being able to see everything unfold on the day of! I find it so gratifying to see my clients wowed and to go beyond their expectations. A few favourites: the beginning of the ceremony, the first kiss, speeches (I love listening to sentimental and heartfelt speeches)… I LOVE knowing that I have been a part of one of the most significant days of a couples lives.

Do you have a favourite style/theme of wedding?
I adore classy and elegant weddings. Candlelight and flowers are two of my favourite items in the area of decor. I also love it when a wedding is unique to the couple – when a couple adds their own personal touch(es) to their wedding, it feels more real, more them.

What are a few of your favorite blogs?
Preston Bailey
Edmonton Wedding Photographers – there are so many gorgeous images to view!
Wedding Obsession

What are some of your hobbies?
I love to travel! I am constantly intrigued by trends and traditions within each culture and I think that traveling is the perfect way to gain cultural knowledge. Cooking & baking (I am a total foodie), painting & decorating, and reading are also some of my favourite pastimes.

What is one word of advice you would give to a bride?
Well, I think that the advice can be shared between the couple – your wedding day is a stepping stone to spending the rest of your lives together and I think that this process is really the precursor to what you can expect from your life together. Enjoy the moment!