Lida + Mike | Toronto Wedding Professionals Giveaway Palooza

| Couple: Lida + Mike| Oct 22, 2011 |

Tell us how you two started dating?

Mike and I both used to work at the Loblaw Companies Limited head office in Mississauga. Our first time meeting was during a softball match where our two departments played against one another. During this match Mike would continually informed his teammates to ‘move in closer’ every time I was up at bat (and consequently got me out which didn’t work to his advantage). Despite Mike’s efforts to strike me out, our department beat his department in the match!
A few months later we started to have an e-mail exchange where we discovered how close we lived to each other. This led to eventually carpooling to and from work together and finally going on a first date, which went into the early hours of the morning (nothing x-rated, just chatting)!  Since then, it has been 4 years of bliss (with a few minor speed bumps).

Tell us how you got engaged?

It was Christmas Eve Eve (December 23, 2010) and Mike and I had just started our Christmas holidays away from work. I had one last client call to get on before I could officially start my vacation.

As I was working on my laptop, an advertisement on Facebook caught my attention. It said: “Merry Christmas Lida! Santa thought you were pretty good this year and he got you a little something. You’ll have to search on the Christmas tree to find it!”

At this point, my heart was beating double time, as I had guessed what would be hiding in the tree. I walked over to the Christmas tree and after a few minutes of searching, found the ring. Mike took the ring off the tree and got down on one knee and asked: “Will you make me the luckiest guy in the world and marry me?” Along with tears, I of course said yes. The ring was absolutely stunning and took my breath away.

I was so excited and couldn’t wait to tell my family and friends, however I still had a client call to conduct. After the client call, Mike made me pack a bag, as he had planned a whole day of activities for us.

Activity 1: A day at the spa – we got massages, facials, manicures and pedicures…very relaxing!

Activity 2: Blowdry – Mike had booked me a hair appointment at a nearby hair salon…super thoughtful!

Activity 3: Champagne and Escalades – As I finished my hair appointment, Mike showed up at the hair salon with an Escalade and driver he had rented for us for the evening. We drove around downtown Toronto having champagne in the back and listening to music…amazing!

Activity 4: Dinner – The Escalade dropped us off at Ame Restaurant for the most amazing sushi dinner we had ever had.

Activity 5: Holiday party – The Escalade dropped us off at a holiday party a friend was throwing that night and we got to celebrate with our friends.

We then got to spend the rest of the holidays with our families and share with them the fantastic news.

And to think I thought December 23rd was going to be filled with a client call and a trip to Ikea! It turned out to be the most magical day of our lives!

Tell us a little on how you would like to have your wedding and your vision of it?

After we got engaged, Mike and I decided that we needed three words that people would use when they looked back on our wedding: fun, beautiful and unique. 

Above everything else, Mike and I want to ensure that our guests have the time of their lives celebrating our marriage.  For us, that means making sure the wedding isn’t only designed around things that we would like but aspects that are fun for our guests: great music, open bar, entertainment, activities (even for those who don’t like dancing), and great food.

When we stepped into the venue for our wedding we were both taken aback.  It was only the third venue that we had seen, but we instantly decided it was the one.  Atlantis combines beauty with simple, contemporary elegance by being situated on the shore of Lake Ontario while having an amazing view of the Toronto city skyline.

Regards,

Sarah Wright

Online Editor | Toronto Wedding Professionals

www.torontoweddingprofessionals.com

Below is all the prizes that will be awarded to the couple who has the most “LIKES” on their individual blog post like this couple. To view all the couples, please visit the main blog post with the contest details.

• Blue Six Creative – Wedding Photography Package consisting of the following: Up to 12 Hour Wedding Coverage by Blue Six Creative Photographer Brett. Also, Doug will also be offering his services to provide 12 Hours of Coverage.   
• Having Brett + Doug work as a team to capture your wedding from two angles and provide the full coverage to document your day. After, you will be presented with images from both photographers presented together on a DVD giving you full rights, high-resolution images that you share and use for yourself.
• It also includes an engagement session in Downtown Toronto where you can explore different backdrops. After you will get all the edited images for you to share and use in your wedding planning ($5,500 Value)

• Vivian’s Decor + Designs – is providing a Simple & Sweet head table for up to 12 people, a cake table and complimentary money box. (Value $500)
• Vivian would also love to work with you by offering ideas and advice in planning the decor for your event.  

• Paper Bliss – is providing the Stationery for the couple “at cost”, this will cover all the materials for all the Announcement + Day of Stationery that will be designed and hand-crafted by Laurie from Paper Bliss. Paper Bliss is also offering the couple to choose from their selection of Favors and they will also provide these to the couple “at cost” that will offer the couple those savings as well.  

• StylEyes – will provide the winner (bride only) of the contest full-face airbrush makeup applications for engagement photos, bridal makeup trial, wedding day makeup and a touch-up and removal kit. (Value $285)

• Brides Etc. – will provide the Bride with a Free Hair Trial as well as Free Bridal hairstyling on your wedding day. Tania Dee has 20 plus years experience in the beauty industry. ($300 Value)

• Scotia Entertainment – will provide professional DJ Services for your Reception. They will provide up to 8 Hours of service by providing the winner with a professional DJ that will provide a Sound System and full music library. It will also include 2 Semi-Intelligent Lights & a wireless Microphone to make your reception memorable. ($950 Value)

• Enduring Promises Wedding Officiants – will provide the services of one of their Officiants to work with you in the planning process and help the couple create a personal and memorable wedding ceremony.
• They will be walking them through every step and element of the wedding ceremony to ensure it reflects who they are. ($300 Value)

• WeDDings Jubilee Planning Services – is excited to present to the winner of this contest a fabulous planning prize. The winner of this contest will receive 3 hours of Wedding Planning consultation as well as a gift certificate of $250 to be used against any of our planning packages. In addition, we would also like to offer the winner a 3 hour Planning and Consulting prize from our sister company Travels Jubilee for any travel or guest service arrangements the winner may need for their wedding or wedding related festivities, guest arrangements, room blocks, car services etc. (Total value: $750)

• Petals, Stems & Leaves – would love to support the winning couple by providing them with all of their floral needs for their wedding “at cost”. Owner and Head Designer Nicole North will donate her time to work one on one with the winning couple to design and plan the flowers for their wedding. She and her staff will also donate their time to create all of the arrangements. With these savings the couple could enhance their wedding with more flowers or use those savings towards the cost of the wedding itself.

• Buds and Blooms: Corrine who owns and designs for Buds & Blooms is offering the winner a $75 gift certificate to be used at Buds & Blooms Online Storefront. Buds and Blooms is an independent Canadian design label specializing in delivering high-quality, hand-made, reasonably priced, gorgeous adornments to fit any lifestyle.

Night Day Productions -is excited to offer a “Prequel” Featurette Video ($700 value) that includes the following to the winner of the contest:

• Up to 2 continuous hours of 1-camera video coverage of your engagement shoot with Blue Six Creative in downtown Toronto

• Immediately followed by up to 1 hour of interviews session (same location, 1 camera)

• Video footage from this shoot will be edited into a 3-5 minute featurette: candid moments from your engagement shoot spliced with interview segments, highlighting how you and your fiancé met and why you can’t wait to spend the rest of your lives together
• Complete edit with tasteful transitions, non-copyrighted music and titling included.
• It also includes one web-sized video file that could be used to upload to your Facebook profile to share or “save the date” with them.
• This tribute to your relationship will be submitted on one Standard Definition playable DVD, ideal for showing off at your wedding reception.

Sweet Something Designs – would like to award the winner of the contest with a sweet $250 gift certificate that can be used towards a Sweet Table Candy Buffet for 75 or more wedding guests at your reception. It would include set-up and tear down at the end of the evening. It would make a perfect take away for guests and some will simply enjoy sampling before they head back to their table.

Wedding Bliss | For New Beginnings – would like to award the winning couple with a free Wedding Dress at their upcoming fundraiser. They are holding a charity Bridal Dress Sale & Bridal Show where dresses valued between $800 to $4000 will be sold for $99 to $350. As well as all the couples entering in the contest will get two complementary tickets for the event on March 6th, 2011.

Samuel Kleinberg Jewellers – is awarding the winning couple with a $250 gift certificate that they can use towards the purchase of their wedding bands. Samuel Kleinberg has been celebrating events like this with their clients for over 42 years and jumped at the chance to participate in this contest.

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Good Luck! Also, please take the time to check out what each wedding professional offers by clicking on the pictures above.

We will also be giving away prizes from more Toronto Wedding Vendors for 2nd place, so please check out the main Blog Post with all the contest details and what those vendors will be offering.

Regards,

Sarah Wright, Online Editor | Toronto Wedding Professionals