With each new season we see trends come and go and below you can find the latest in spring trends for this year!
Colors: Normally spring weddings are all about the neutrals but this year we are beginning to see more bright and bold colors. Tangerine Tango was voted Pantone’s color of the year for 2012 and looks great incorporated into your décor! For those of you who do not like orange, we are seeing lots of splashes of limes or pinks mixed into the usual pastel shades.
Dresses: This spring the high-low style wedding dresses are becoming more and more popular. For those of you who are not
familiar this dress is higher in the front than in the back and allows you to show some skin and – of course – those gorgeous shoes!! Ruffles are also huge this season and these ruffles add layers and volume to your dress making them fun and completely flattering. Let’s not forget about illusion necklines either - these dresses may seem like they are strapless but they include a sheer material to make it more of a bateau cut. Crystals and pearls can be added to this fabric to give the dress a more glamorous look.
Bridesmaids: No bridesmaid is the same so why should they all wear the same thing? We are beginning to see brides dressing their bridesmaids in different dress styles and it is important to be careful with this trend because you don’t want your bridesmaids to clash. You want to make sure that any bridesmaids can stand next to another and still match and you may want to select the same color, but have them wearing different cuts. Matching bold accessories can do the trick also!
Hair: Forget those sleek back up-dos and opt for a more natural look. Loose waves are gorgeous this season and all the more to the relaxed look and feel of the spring season. If you still prefer your hair up then a braided up-do may be for you!
Guestbooks: Say goodbye to the traditional guestbook as couple’s are opting now for more “fun” guest books. Guestbook trees, posters, photo booths, typewriters, picture frames are all great ideas for this and may be more functional than a traditional book.

Sweet Tables: Although we still love cupcakes & macaroons, they are beginning to share the spotlight with a new neighbour…Cake Pops, Cake Pies & Nougat! These tasty treats are easy to eat and look great on your sweet table…you can even have them made in your wedding colors and favourite flavours! They can also be packaged and used as wedding favors to give to all your guests.

This week’s blog was bought to you by Carly Gunther of An English Rose, Luxury Lifestyle Weddings

On Tuesday May 8th the girls from the Association of Montreal Professional Wedding Designers (AMPWD) went out to visit two beautiful venue spaces! The first was the ‘Chateau Versailles’ and the second was ‘Le Meridien Versailles’ both located on Sherbrooke Street Ouest in the “Golden Mile Square” and both of these hotels are members of the Starwood preferred hotels.
one is different from the other which adds to the overall character of the hotel. 13 of the Chateau’s suites still have the original fireplaces that were installed in the original house in 1911. The hotel is pet-friendly and offers a complimentary continental breakfast with your room. Within the hotel there are two small meeting spaces: Le boudoir, and Le Petit Trianon which can accommodate up to 40 people cocktail style. These rooms could be perfect for small gatherings such as brunches, bridal showers or even your Rehearsal Dinner! 



Within Le Meridien Versailles, there is also an Italian Restaurant and Bar called RIDI which has a very modern feel to it with again windows on 2 of the walls and great ‘booth’s on the inside wall. The capacity of the restaurant is approximately 50-70 seated and there is also a private room at the back of the restaurant where 10-12 people can enjoy a more intimate setting – again perfect for a more intimate celebratory dinner. We met with the Chef and owner, Peppino who confirmed they are very happy to accommodate weddings any day of the week!
This week’s blog is being dedicated to our “groom’s week” we have just had on our
the wedding and one of the creative ways you could do this is by having a whisky bar with all different types of whisky for the guests to sample – just make sure you also include ‘Sortilege’ a favourite of the ‘Butlers’! This could also be done with many different drinks such as martinis, port, tequila and scotch etc.
such as a s’mores bar where guests can assemble and melt their own cookies, perfect for those outdoor summer weddings or how about designing your own Cupcakes… have flavoured cupcakes with lots of different frosting & toppings and create your own ‘Designer’ or ‘Design-A’ cupcake station - this is also very appropriate and fun for any kids that may be attending. Again we even bought in Ben & Jerry’s to create an Ice Cream Sundae Bar for one client.
fits ‘properly’. It’s really important to make sure you have a full range of motion because you’ll be dancing, shaking hands and hugging people all night long! You also want to make sure it is weather appropriate, and by that we mean you don’t want to be wearing a really thick, black tuxedo on the hottest day of the summer! Try to find something in a lighter color and not as thick because you want to make sure you’re comfortable all day. The last rule when choosing your outfit is to discuss the formality of your wedding with your fiancé, you want to make sure you’re not too formally dressed or too under-dressed for this special day and remember as the ‘Moores’ advert so perfectly says… “when all eyes are looking at her… she will be looking at YOU”.
Sometimes this can be an extremely difficult decision for groom, for some it's obvious and for others it’s really not. The first step is to decide on a number eg the classic ratio is approximately 1 groomsman per 50 guests or you can base it on the number of bridesmaids that your fiancée is having. It is not mandatory to have the exact same number of groomsmen as bridesmaids however it does makes things look more balanced. 
When we found out that Montreal's Rialto Theatre was putting on a special Gala Event last night for the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic we just had to go! Our daughter Sasha has been addicted to Titanic from the young age of 5 when she fell in love with the film (or maybe it was Leonardo di Caprio) and as it is her birthday today, just one day after that historical date it made for a perfect birthday treat!
say 'passengers' all dressed up in Titanic era clothing adorned the theatre in full spirit of the event... we were welcomed with Champagne and Canapes and a beautiful String Quartet playing the familiar sounds that haunted those last final moments as everyone was literally 'jumping ship'.


As mentioned in our last blog - on Monday March 19th, we were given the chance to visit 8 different venues spaces in the Old Montreal area all managed exclusively by Apollo Agency. After our visits to 4eme, 227 & 229 and Kai loft we headed off to ‘Parc Ephemeres’ which is located at the corner of Notre-Dame & St Jean in Old Montreal.

Marche Bonsecour complete with stone walls and wooden pillars… the room is absolutely brilliant, and we think it’s a great hidden gem for private dinners, rehearsal dinners, after wedding parties & more!! The room is 700 square feet and can accommodate up to 50 people (cocktail style) and one corner of the room has brown couches to create a lounge feel. We personally LOVE this space and can’t wait to see it in person, as there are so many different things you could do here!



tour of new venues in the Old Montreal area managed exclusively by Apollo Agency!! We had eight different venues on our schedule for the day including Le 4ème, Kai Loft, 227 & 229, FH Studio, Parc Éphémère, the CIBC Building, and The Cave.
We met Patrick and Eric at Le 4eme – a loft on Rue de la Commune with a stunning view of the St-Laurent and the Old Port. With wooden floors, cement walls and chandeliers throughout the room the space is just magnificent. The loft contains a great open plan room with a bar & some sound equipment and it also gives you the flexibility of bringing in caterers & decor companies making it a truly unique venue & an amazing location to hold your wedding ceremony, reception or after party.


On Sunday March 11, 2012 the ‘English Rose’ and ‘Montreal Wedding Butler’ teams, headed to Maddy K’s Bridal Boudoir Affair at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. It was surely an amazing event that was not to be missed where future wedding couples, and wedding professionals filled the rooms meeting different Montreal Wedding Vendors. 
After the fashion show we sampled a few of Brahm Mauer’s cocktails – a must and took a little tour of the room and we saw some familiar faces as well as some new ones behind the vendor booths. We also lost the Butler at Jewels Bespoke catering for at least a good 30 mins while he chatted with Nicolina and did a little Malt Whisky tasting.
On the sixth floor there was a Fantasy Room created by Maddy herself with beautiful table designs each with a different theme and colour, from fun and relaxed to classic luxury and on entering a warm wonderful coloured design hit you, courtesy of Joe's Prop House.




Invitations: It is important to make sure that your invitations do not reflect a holiday greeting card but yet still bring out the theme of your wedding and a great way to do this would be to avoid folding cards. Snowflakes act as a great way to reflect the theme of your wedding as well and we recommend you take a look at winter wedding invitations online and in bridal magazines to get some inspiration. Remember, it is crucial to send your “save the date” cards early so guests know not to make plans to travel somewhere warmer when you are planning your wedding!
lace-sleeved dresses (just like our Kate Middleton), or even a fur edged dress! If you’d prefer wearing ‘strapless’ dress then you can opt for a faux-fur wrap or a colorful wool shawl. Crystals and sequins are also very popular and can reflect the snow outside, very pretty. Don’t forget your foot ware, it may be easier to opt for a classic pump or flat as you will need a sturdier shoe for walking on slippery surfaces, or even Boots that you can change out of.
the feel of winter into your ceremony.
In order for your wedding ceremony to run smoothly, it is important to rehearse the ceremony beforehand. The wedding rehearsal typically happens one or two days before the wedding beginning with a run-through of the ceremony and leading into a dinner for all of the guests afterwards.
Mailed letters to the guests are not essential, as this is a more casual event.
Where does the rehearsal dinner take place? The rehearsal dinner is a more casual event. It should be an event where guests could talk and get to know each other, as well as toast the happy couple into married life. The location could range from a family members backyard, to a formal dinner in a restaurant, as long as it is not in the same location as the wedding!
Happy New Year! It's 2012 and for those of you who became engaged over the holiday season - CONGRATULATIONS, this is the time when you transition into a Fiance(e) and then to a Wife or a Husband and the next few months are going to be full of excitement, confusion, maybe some fustration but most of all a time in your life you will never forget!






