Weddingbells Celebrates 30 Years!

I had the opportunity to attend the Weddingbells 30 years anniversary event. I love Weddingbells! They were one of the first magazines to get in contact with me, when I got engaged. They are the "go-to source" for Canadian brides. The lovely event was at the Design Exchange in Toronto. 

Alison McGill, Editor-in-Chief of Weddingbells stated that the anniversary would be eventful-

"From live performances and innovative décor concepts, to an on-trend party menu of cocktail foods, an epic candy table and a very special wedding cake; this will definitely be a celebration to remember.”

Wedding: Bridal Shower Advice from Weddingbells’ Editor-in-Chief Alison McGill

After a lot of convincing from my future sister-in-law, I decided that I should put having a bridal shower on my list of wants. Let me start off by saying... I've never been to a bridal shower before. On top of that, I have no idea how the whole goes. Sooo when you don't know anything about the topic.. You speak to an expert!

I got Weddingbells Editor-in-Chief Alison McGill to answer those questions
that you may have about bridal showers.

Editor-in-Chief Alison McGill tackles my bridal shower questions

Wedding: The Ins and Outs of Wedding Guest Lists Advice from Weddingbells’ Editor-in-Chief Alison McGill

Let's back track a bit. Last time I interviewed Weddingbells’ Editor-in-Chief Alison McGill the topic was wedding dress shopping. Today's topic is something that ALL brides dread.. The wedding guest list. This is the one part that has caused me so many headaches! I'm trying to keep my wedding small but all these people are popping up out of nowhere! Trying to accommodate everyone- plus listening to your parents requests is stressful. Hope this helps someone out there! 

Editor-in-Chief Alison McGill tackles my wedding guest list questions

How do you pick who comes to your wedding?
On your wedding day you want to be surrounded by those nearest and dearest to you (both family and friends). Whether you invite all of them will depend of course on your wedding budget and the size of the guest list you can accommodate. If your wedding is super-small and intimate, you may be challenged to narrow down exactly whom you invite. There are no hard and fast rules on who must be there—invite the people who mean the most in your life, who are extra-special. Wedding invites are a delicate subject and often come with their fair share of drama. It’s always good to be prepared for backlash because it happens. Often.

Are plus ones necessary?
Plus ones are not necessary but it’s often expected. Your guest will expect to invite a guest to accompany them to the wedding. If you are not extending the invitation to a plus one, be sure that is clearly indicated on your guest’s invitation. You may hear from the guest asking to confirm that a plus one is not invited. Taking it one step further, your guest may write in the name of their plus one even though you have indicated the invitation is for them alone. Once again be prepared to deal with this situation as you may have a disgruntled wedding guest on your hands.

How early in advance should you send out your invites?
Wedding invitations should be sent out no later than three months in advance of your wedding day. Better yet, it’s always appreciated by your guests if you send a save the date far in advance of your wedding day. People love advance notice on events and you want to be sure they clear their calendar for your wedding day.

What should be in the invite? (Response cards, for example)
Your invitation package includes the actual wedding invite and an RSVP card (or an email address/website where guests can respond). Including a map of the ceremony and reception location is also a great idea.

RSVPS: Mailing them back vs. email corresponding?
Either way is acceptable. It all depends on what the couple is asking for. If there is an RSVP card enclosed, fill out and send back. If there is an email, then send your reply electronically.

Wedding: Dress Advice from Weddingbells’ Editor-in-Chief Alison McGill

Time is going by so quickly. One of the items on my list in the distant future is the dress. I'm actually the oldest in my family and the first to get married- so the whole process is a new one. 

I'm extremely lucky to give this exclusive advice from Weddingbells’ Editor-in-Chief Alison McGill!

When is it the best time to look for your dress? One year before? Six months?
The sooner you can start shopping for your dress the better. Some dresses can take up to six months to manufacture and deliver so that’s why the more time you allow the better.

Where should you get dress inspiration from?
There are so many places to find dress inspiration. You can definitely find it with Weddingbells, both in our magazine pages and online where we post extensive galleries of the newest designer collections from New York and London (Spring 2015 collections were posted earlier this month). Pinterest of course is also an endless source of inspiration for all things weddings. Read fashion magazines, and I also recommend looking to the red carpet to see what celebrities are wearing—it is one of our main sources of inspiration at Weddingbells!

Who should you bring along when you go dress shopping? (Who shouldn’t you bring?)
When you are bridal dress shopping, keep the crowd to a minimum. I advise bringing only one or two people with you—and as for who you invite, that’s completely up to you. It should be people you are comfortable with, whose opinion you value and who will make the day a fun one for you. That might be your mom, sister, best friend...it may even be your fiancé. Most women still want the dress to be a surprise for the groom on their wedding day but we are seeing some brides who do take their mister-to-be along for dress shopping.

When going dress shopping what are three helpful tips to keep you organized?
1. Go in with an open mind. The dress style you may think you will never wear might turn out to be the one.
2. Before you go dress shopping, be sure to be fit and measured for proper undergarments! I can’t stress this point enough. It is totally going to impact how things fit and what looks good on you.
3. Don’t overschedule your shopping. You may think booking a ton of appointments in one day to visit bridal boutiques would be an efficient way to shop and see lots of options, but it will lead to wedding dress overload! Pace yourself and book no more than three appointments in one day.