EMBRACE THE COLD

Some couples choose to get married in the winter months, seeing it as an excuse to plan a destination wedding down south and get out of the cold. Other couples choose not only to embrace the cold weather our winter months are famous for, but head even further north to celebrate. If you're planning a winter wedding and fall into the 2nd category, Viva has the perfect place for you!

Since 2001 the Hôtel de Glace has wowed over half a million visitors. Open from the begining of January to the end of March, every year the hotel is redesigned and rebuilt in its entirety (which takes approximately five weeks). From the moment you enter the hotel, you'll be blown away by the amazing decor made entirely of ice and snow. Chandeliers (made of ice of course!) hang from 18 foot ceilings, artwork emerges from the walls of snow, and all the furniture is made of sheer ice.

There are 36 rooms and theme suites for guests to spend the night - yes, your bed is a block of ice but a wood boxspring and matress lie on top. There's an interior courtyard, an Ice Cafe, hot tubs, saunas, functional fireplaces, an ice slide (9 feet high and 53 feet long) and a reception room known as the Ice Bar - the perfect place to enjoy a little live entertainment and a cocktail or two.

And for those of you planning your wedding, there's the Chapel (pictured below) - a unique and simply beautiful place where couples exchange their vows each year. There are three wedding packages to choose from - The Romantic from $2199, the Exotic from $3899, and the Magical from $6199. Arrival in a horse drawn carriage, fireworks and open bar are all optional add-ons to help personalize your day.

The Hôtel de Glace is at Station touristique Duchesnay on the shores of Lac St-Joseph, just 30 minutes from Québec City.

TAKE ME TO THE BEACH!

Brrrr! While Viva loves winter weddings, we don't love winter. It's darn cold in Ottawa and after blogging about a hotel made of ice, we need a little something to warm us up! Lisa Vorce of Oh, How Charming! to the rescue!

Lisa was the creative mind behind this rustic beach wedding. Not the typical wedding we may invision when we think of a destination beach wedding but that's what got our attention. There isn't a detail here we don't love.

Photo Credits: Elizabeth Messina

SNEAK PEEK AT VÉRONIQUE & ANDREW'S WEDDING

Véronique & Andrew were the 1st place winners of Viva la wedding's Inspiration Board Contest back in July 2009. Details of their wedding to come but in the meantime, here is a teaser of the fab photobooth they created.

The photobooth was set up for guests to enjoy during the cocktail hour and throughout the night. Around the two framed cut-outs hung pictures of Véronique & Andrew's parents and grandparents on their own wedding days.

Needless to say, it was a big hit and made for some wonderfully unique photos!

TURQUOISE WEDDING

With Turquoise being declared the colour of the year by Pantone, we thought it was only right to provide you with a little inspiration.

The Schultzes took some amazing pictures of Jenn & Brad's wedding including this one of the gorgeous bride and her stylish groom in his turquoise blazer. Jenn's turquoise hair accessory provided the perfect touch of colour to complement Brad's blazer and complete their look.

Dying to see more? Here you go...

THE BREAST DRESS PROJECT

While I have a few blog posts lined up to wow you with wonderful winter destination wedding locales, inspire you with breathtaking beach wedding ideas if you’re trying to escape from the cold, and even excite you with fun new accessories to funk up your shoes, I felt the need to put them all on hold as there was something much more important I wanted to blog about. A post that deserves much more attention. That post is THE BREAST DRESS PROJECT.

While October is known worldwide as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it’s unfortunately not the only month of the year that people are affected by it. Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among Canadian females, affecting many thousands of women and their families each year and causing concern for millions more. Jamie is one of those women.

Last March, at the young age of 33, Jamie Johnston was diagnosed with breast cancer. She found a lump in her breast two years prior but because of her age the doctors told her it was nothing to worry about. When she was finally diagnosed in March, Jamie was Stage 2 and had to undergo chemotherapy treatment. In early December she finished her treatment and TBDP was born.

For those of you that don’t know Jamie, she and her husband Paul are the owners of Groovy Linen - suppliers of chair covers and table linens in the Ottawa area. Also well known in the wedding industry is Jamie’s friend Stacey Price - wedding coordinator and owner of Marry Me Productions. Together they launched TBDP in hopes of finding a cure for breast cancer.

The idea is for past brides to donate their previously worn (gently used) wedding dresses, TBDP will have them cleaned, and in turn new brides-to-be can buy these dresses at a discounted price with all proceeds raised going to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Here are Jamie & Stacey to tell you more about it!

Some researchers are working to learn more about what causes breast cancer so that one day it might be preventable. Others are finding new and better ways to detect, diagnose and treat the disease. Donating your dress to TBDP will allow the research to continue so that one day we can beat this for good.

WEDDING SHOW SURVIVAL GUIDE

With the Wedding Palace Bridal Show around the corner, we thought it was a good time to revisit a post we made last year - Wedding Show Survival Guide, full of tips on how to get the most out of your day.

The Wedding Palace Bridal Show is this weekend (January 9 & 10 2010) at the Westin Hotel from 11am-5pm. Viva la wedding won't be there this year, but we have a free pair of tickets for the first five grooms-to-be that contact us. That's right, grooms-to-be!

Have a great weekend at the wedding show and happy planning!

ETA - Congratulations grooms-to-be Kevin, Mark, Jake, Scott & Luc who are all going to the Wedding Palace Bridal Show this weekend on Viva la wedding (or at least giving the tickets to their lovely future wives). Enjoy!!

2010 COLOUR OF THE YEAR

Pantone, the global authority on colour and provider of professional colour standards for the design industries, recently announced that Turquoise is the colour of the year for 2010. Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise is a colour that most people respond to positively. It's universally flattering and appealing to men and women alike.

With both warm and cool undertones, Turquoise pairs nicely with all colours in the spectrum. It adds a splash of excitement to neutrals and browns, compliments reds and pinks, creates a classic look with deep blues and livens up all other greens. Turquoise is especially trend setting with yellow-greens.

For brides wanting to incorporate it in their wedding, Turquoise can either make a statement that is elegant and dressy or casual and fun. Because of its versatility, it's a great accent colour for decor as well as jewelry, purses, shoes, hair accessories and even nail polish for women and ties and shirts for men.