The high wedding season is upon us in Ontario. Many of you are getting to the last minute details. The realization that you will likely need a table for signing the 'legal stuff', a chair or two for the grandparents, a great display for drinks, chalkboards for all kinds of notes or suddenly you decided you want escort cards. Well here are a few ideas for you to mull over. Photo Credits: #1 Life Images, #2-4 A Simple Photograph, #5 Sandra Regier Photography, #6 Two Hearts
Sap buckets are so versatile. Not just for flowers but also great when filled with peanuts in the shell for snacking, sand with candles glowing, umbrella holders (just in case it rains), tacked to a tree with more flowers and stacked upside for a textured display.
Wine barrels are super sturdy. Great for cocktail tables or put together with our custom barn board top for a drink or dessert display. Also used a lot at the 'outdoor altar' or aisle for flowers. A stack of 5 or 6 different sized barrels makes a great dessert display too.
Galvanized Tubs are the best for holding tonnes of ice to chill the drinks. Also good for holding quilts and blankets for cooler nights, flip flops for dancing, sand and candles or gifts.
Chalkboards. There are never enough! Welcome. Menus (Bar, Dessert, Dining). Seating Charts. Directions. Sweet Notes.
Vintage Lounge Areas. Come on, you know you want one!
Luggage makes for a sweet cake display. Also good stacked for decor or opened to collect cards or display guest favours.
April 28th was a busy wedding show day for HVR. While I was in Toronto at The Wedding Co. Show, many of the HVR props were being showcased in the Steamwhistle Bar at Hessenland's Spring Wedding Fair.
Fortunately my friend, Sandra Regier, was on hand to capture some shots of the set-up. HVR is returning to Hessenland on May 26th to set-up a similar scene for a wedding that evening.
I had a great day at The Drake Hotel yesterday for The Wedding Co.'s Spring Show. I thought I would share with you some of my favourite finds (people and their talents, not actual vintage props) from yesterday. Some are old friends and some are new who I think all the HVR fans will relate to and enjoy checking out.
from Maelle Vintage Dresses Bridal Collection
First up is Maelle Vintage Dresses. My (My is her first name) Johansson-Ganjoo is the designer. She brought a rack of fabulous '50s and '60s inspired dresses to the show. It is no secret I am a Mad Men fan so I was completely drawn in to her display when I saw it plus My is an absolutely wonderful soul. She has a wedding collection, ready to wear collection and so much more. These dresses are ideal for the whimsy bride who likes hand tailored work and loves the style. I could see a whole bridal party adorned in mis-matched dresses. So pretty and fun! It is a straight forward process to order and purchase from her Etsy shop and to order custom from her web site. I think I'll save some money and buy a dress for myself. My wedding vendor colleagues know how great it is to have a beautiful dress to slip on just before the event. We show up in our runners and lululemon pants to set up but once the party is about to start we have to do our part to blend in. There is always a quick change into something pretty and I think a Maelle Vintage Dress would be perfect!
Katie is wearing her own Cabaret Vintage custom designed wedding gown. Photo from A Simple Photograph
Cabaret Vintage is no secret to HVR fans. Dresses from Tao's shop were featured in our Winter Romance Shoot and Back Roads Shoot. Recently, Tao created The Cabaret Collection for women who love the glamour of vintage-styled party dresses. The gowns are sheer perfection. Seriously gorgeous!! Pricing is listed on the site and it is so easy to order. It isn't just for brides, the dresses can be made in different coloured fabrics too for the bridal party. My favourite (this week)....of course, The Grace Kelly in Antique with the Lace Bodice.
Bow Tie from Pomp & Ceremony
Andrea Dixon is the creative mind behind Pomp & Ceremony. I met Andrea in January and I am so eager for my brides and grooms to try out her accessories. I simply adore her 'For The Lads' line. Pocket Squares, caps and bow ties! Who could resist? She has pretty things for the gals too. Not looking for wedding accessories? Well Andrea's creations would be great for gifts. Moving on from all things fabric, I found my event planning friends, Melissa and Morgan Lukan. I was a bit surprised when I saw them standing next to a vintage styled sweets table full of yummy treats that reminded me of my childhood. Sky high meringue pie, confetti cakes, sweetly flavoured popcorn and lollipops. Yummy! M & M are continuing with their event planning but have added sweet table styling to their services. Bucket & Whisk recently launched as sweet table and favour stylists. The first step is to find yummy, absolutely delicious sweets, cakes and more. The second step is to make all those mouth watering treats you invested in to actually look good on a table! I think Bucket & Whisk is a great service. There was some excitement in the air when Eunmi Park from The Sweetere arrived at the show. There is just something about cakes! I met Eunmi earlier this year and I was so happy to see her yesterday. She is as sweet as her cakes! My neighbour for the show was Olive Studio. Before running out to shoot a wedding, I met the owner/photographer, April. I am drawn to photogs who shoot candidly and who totally and completely 'get' what love is all about (you really can tell the difference). Plus the gal used burlap and kraft paper bags in her display, so how I could not like her!?!? While April was gone for the day, I got to know her photog mate, Dave who was kept busy chatting with couples. I really like their style and I think you would too. And last but certainly not least is the quirky Electric Bus Company. I didn't get a chance to speak with them but I grabbed their card because I knew HVR fans would like them. Whether it is for your wedding party, transporting family or a bachelor party the green inspired bus provides the best choice for environmentally-friendly transport. Plus there is a beverage cooler on board...need I say more?
It is a busy week at HVR. This morning I was so happy to see HVR props on The Marilyn Denis Show. Julia Keilty highlighted 2012 wedding trends, including the colour orange and vintage touches. The Tan Series luggage and our tub stand show off a pretty arrangement from Lilium and fabulous candles from Holt's (seriously two of my favourite places in Yorkville). Our little rusted cast iron birds look so sweet too.
Photo from The Marilyn Denis Show
Tomorrow, Cal (who just received a new brake line....always a good thing!) and I are hitting the road with our assistant, Shelby, to set up tonnes of vintage props in the Coach House Bar at Hessenland Country Inn. This weekend is Hessenland's Spring Wedding Fair. HVR is thrilled to be styling the Steamwhistle Bar for all the wonderful couples and visitors over the weekend. We are setting up a sailing inspired lounge area complete with ideas for displaying escort cards, a typewriter for guests to leave sweet notes and more. If you are along the Lake Huron shoreline this weekend be sure to stop by. The grounds are absolutely stunning, there will be some great wedding pros on-site to answer your questions and lots of great drinks and h'or d'oeurves too. Even though HVR props will be at Hessenland, I will be in Toronto at The Spring Wedding Show at The Drake Hotel on Saturday. As a follow-up to our appearance at The Wedding Co. Show at The Carlu in January, HVR is thrilled to return to the land of all things uber-creative and trendy for Wed Co's Spring Show. If you are in Toronto, be sure to stop by on Saturday. The HVR table display is in the dining room. On display will be the sweet Art Deco movie house piece I teased you about last week. It is a black & white theme all the way! Hope to see you there.
I know ya'all are on a budget. Budgets are good things and should be adhered too. Lately I started receiving inquiries from brides & grooms who bought vintage 'stuff' for their weddings and would like to sell it to me for my inventory. I always appreciate these inquiries and sometimes (but not often) I buy things from them.
It got me thinking about where you are spending your money. I have said before that if you are passionate about creating a collection of something you love, you should go ahead. Use it for your wedding, use it in your home.
BUT, if you are a couple that is collecting in order to 'save' money, take some to consider the following;
a) How much money and time are you spending driving around looking for the items you want?
b) Where are you storing the items? Taking up space in the front hall or your parents' garage until the big day?
c) Don't forget about the time needed to wash/sand/scrape the items.
d) Just what are you going to do with those collected vintage things afterwards? I'm guessing they are going back to the front hall to be tripped over for a couple of more months or you going to spend time posting to wedding sites to have other brides reuse it (which isn't such a bag thing, really).
e) Have you ever really tried to move a tandem bike? It is not an easy task, my friends.
So consider putting your budget dollars into the smaller items and set aside some dollars for renting vintage. We buy it, clean it, store it, deliver it and take it all away. What could be better than that?
There are accessories that you can enjoy buying and they will add a special touch to your vintage themed celebration.
 Brilliant Bash Brilliant Bash is a Canadian company based in Newfoundland (they use to be in Toronto). Paper straws, favour bags, huge balloons and napkins are available. The site is set-up with colour themes. You can't go wrong with Etsy. Conduct a query for businesses in Canada to find tonnes of great stuff.  Comme Les Loupes from Montreal on Etsy  Jaden Raifelt from Kelowna on Etsy |  i love this from Toronto on Etsy  Cider Antiques from Ontario on Etsy | If you need a cross-border shopping fix, my new favourite is Garnish. They ship to Canada! They offer some great items for picnics, packaging and twine too. I think my favourite is the Pack A Punch Box or is it the Sno Cone cup or the wooden utensils or the kraft ripple cups.....you get the idea!  Pack A Punch Box from Garnish
This is it. The final surprise for this week. And likely for awhile. Wedding season starts this week for me and I simply can not wait to start seeing all these fabulous ideas from couples go into action! Just before we delve into the big season, I am proud to launch Hazlitt Events. This winter was full of creativity and Hazlitt Events evolved from that experience. Read the back-story and then pop over to the web site to take a look. If you are being married along the shores of Lake Huron it will be of particular interest to you. Hazlitt Events only offers services in Bayfield, Goderich and the surrounding area. So here goes the history of how Hazlitt Events evolved..... Over ten years ago when I moved 'home' from my big city job I chatted with Nancy Snell from NJS Design Events & Rentals about the need for an event planner in our rural community. At the time, there wasn't really any demand and in the end I took a chance on love and moved to Alberta for a couple of years. (BTW, that chance on love worked out. We have an-almost 7 year old son and live on what I consider to be one of the most beautiful country roads in Ontario). Anyway back to the event planner gig. Any friend of mine will tell you that I enjoy hosting parties. I get that from my parents and my Grandmother, who always knew how to host the most elegant of luncheons. But being an event planner takes more than just having a good party. It needs skills of time management, budgeting abilities, process management, networks, a helpful personality and more. I like to call my former career in government, my 'past life'. I use to coordinate research days for 100 staff and university professors, province-wide conferences for 400 people and more. These events usually involved dignitaries too, so protocol was of the utmost importance. I sat in board rooms listening to employees talk about a process that would take them an hour to explain when really with some efficiency it should only take 5 minutes. (Gee, after reading that you probably know why I sought out something more fun & creative) I am having so much for with Hazlitt Vintage Rentals. Since opening in the fall of 2010, I can't believe the amazing events where the rentals were used or the fabulous events that I attended to help with decor and more. Plus the people, I must say I landed amongst a fine group of creative entrepreneurs. I count myself lucky for that! When I was researching for Hitched in Huron this winter I came to realize there are a lot of out-of-town people coming to my 'home' area to be married. A lot of them are returning 'home' for their wedding celebrations but live & work in Vancouver, Toronto, London or further. I knew I could help! From logistics of transporting guests to their celebration, organizing tastings for when the couple is home for a short-time, mailing linen samples or sourcing that exact sweet treat, I am available to coordinate and manage it for couples. There are more details on the Hazlitt Event site and more to come too. So stay tuned. I'm not sure where this part of the journey will take me but for now I will relish in the excitement of helping couples host their celebration of love in the country-side and lake-side region of southern Ontario. Oh ya, lets not forget about Hazlitt Vintage Rentals. That isn't going anywhere. We have oodles of events this year and lots of shopping trips ahead. In fact, on Wednesday I'm going on a day-trip, you might just see me out there picking through vintage finds.
First up I want you to pop over to Hitched In Huron. It is being launched TODAY! So go on, click on the link, take a look at the site and then come back here to find out the story.  Long gravel roads Everyone needs a winter project, don't they? This winter I delved into getting to know the local wedding pros. We had lunches, shared likes on Facebook, brainstormed ideas and shared a few laughs too (special thanks to Luann, Nancy and Hayley for their extra time on this). I discovered we have tonnes of talent and resources for creating fabulous love celebrations!
Indoor, outdoor, intimate, whimsy, beach side or in a field, is seems this grand ol' place I call home has a lot to offer. I kinda already knew that but I figured out that most of you do not know much about this place I call home. Huron County is in the heart of south western Ontario, along the shores of Lake Huron. About an hour north of London and just over two hours from Toronto (but you won't find traffic jams here). Our land is rolling hills, sweet fields of annual crops, long gravel roads, winding rivers, beautiful wood lots and stretching sand beaches. Nestled in the landscape are harbours, quaint Main Streets, historic inns, and more. It is a place I'm glad to call home.  A Simple Photograph The Hitched In Huron site is for you! Looking for a sweet destination wedding but don't want to hop on an airplane? Muskoka traffic is just too much? Drive west (find out where we are)! Our lovely area is perfect for intimate celebrations and some of our venues can accommodate up to 200 guests. If that isn't enough room for you, there are always tents. Mmmm tents in wide open fields, doesn't that sound majestic? Our Cream of the Crop wedding pros look forward to helping you put together a fabulous event. Our blog features local businesses and real weddings. If you were recently married in the area, please contact us. We would love to feature your wedding. Special thanks to our photographers who provided pictures for the launch; A Simple Photograph, Fresh Lens, Jakal Photography, Sandra Regier Photography and Your Life In Stills. There is more to come and I promise to keep you posted. There is one more surprise to come too. I just realized it is a short week and the third surprise will have to wait until next week. Don't worry, some of you will be so busy savouring chocolate that your curious mind won't even think about it.
New to inventory today - the chandeliers. Finally back from their trip to the electrician and ready for the party debut on April 14th. I'll be adding a new section to inventory, aptly named 'lighting'. Stay tuned. In the meantime you can look here.
Large Chandelier (reproduction)
Medium Chandelier (reproduction)
Small Chandelier (vintage)
Edison Bulb Lights (reproductions) 4 available
The above lights have bulbs that look like this.
Spring time brings open streams and anglers together. The season isn't open in Ontario yet but I thought a little inspiration was in order. Enjoy some pictures a of little window installation I did in Bayfield for Edward Jones. It will be there until late June when we shift it up for summer fun. If you are walking along Main Street in the Village, try and spot the window.
I have to say it.
I simply cannot keep it inside any longer.
It is about THE jar.
We all love the jars. No doubt about it.
BUT it is time we have a chat about THE jar. Here is are some FAQs about the jars.
It is just a jar, isn't it?
Well, yes and no. I wrote about the jars in 2010 on the blog. At the time I was much more forgiving about calling all jars mason jars. Now it is has been over a year or so and I have come to have an appreciation for each jar. People generally refer to canning jars as the MASON JAR. MASON is a type of sealing closure for canning jars and also the name of some canning jars. MASONS were produced by BALL (confusing, huh?). Plus some of my very savvy couples are making specific requests for KERR, BALL or CROWN or ATLAS or GEM.
If you ask for a blue (some say green) jar, well that would usually be a BALL jar that you want. We will talk more about that later.
When should I use brand new jars?
It is inexpensive to buy a dozen canning jars at the grocery store or big box retailer these days. Heck, I do it every year when I make jams and pickle all sorts of goodies from my garden. A box of 12 new jars costs about $7. There are party uses that are specific to new jars. They are a good choice for DIY projects like wrapping them in lace or twine.
from Anna Boos House blog
Also a good idea to use new jars for guest gifts that include food; jam, honey, candy and cookie mix.
Jam (love the kraft paper & twine) from The Sweetest Occasion
Guest Favour Candy from Wedding Party Wire
Honey from Martha Stewart
Jars are also trending high for signature drinks. Again, this is where you would use brand new jars because a) you need a lot of jars on ice to serve guests b) it doesn't matter if these jars are taken home or lost and c) washing them afterwards in the dishwasher is much faster than hand washing.
from debutante season
When should I rent vintage jars?
When it comes to table centre pieces and other arrangements or candle light in the venue, I would highly recommend going with a true VINTAGE canning jar (it goes without saying that I am bias). It all comes down to the look of the jar. True vintage jars look great on their own as a single arrangement or as a collection to create a centre piece. When you put candles in them, they glow differently. The bubbles and imperfections in the glass give a true vintage glow.
The difference is subtle but it is there.
HVR jars lined up for flowers.
HVR jars with peonies.
100% vintage, the lid and glass imperfection gives it away. Photo from A Simple Photograph
More HVR vintage jars
The entire inventory of jars at Hazlitt Vintage Rental are true vintage jars. The collection was created in the 1960s and 1970s. We have clear jars and blue Ball jars. We have small, medium and large jars. We have over 200 jars!
You know we prefer to prepare custom quotes but I'll let you in on our jar pricing. Our jars range in price from $3 each to $5 each, depending on size, quantity or a specific brand and any extras you might need (i.e. a piece of twine wrapped around the top, a wire handle for hanging in the trees, etc)
A Fake?
It has come to my attention that there are some rental companies passing off new jars as vintage jars. This makes a difference to some renters. If it does make a difference to you, make sure you ASK! Do your homework. There should be a significant rental price difference too. Remember it costs $7 for a box 12 jars. This is the look you would get with NEW jars.
NEW jars: will do the trick if you must. Photo from wedding perfect
These NEW jars available at Pottery Barn for $9.91 each
Should I collect my own jars?
If you LOVE jars, I mean REALLY LOVE them AND you have the time to collect AND the space to display your collection AND the extra cash to buy them, please follow your passion. Start collecting. It is a great hobby and fun too.
Spring is here and so are the flea markets and antique shows. I'll give you some tips for buying jars.
1) Check whether it is a fake or not: Glass should have bubbles and imperfections in it. Ask it the jar colour has been enhanced. Ball jars are the ones that are predominately blue (they made clear ones too). Hand dying jars is popular right not, so make sure you are buying true vintage.
2) Buy with the lids and rubber sealers. It is more valuable as a collector to have the entire jar.
3) Price. Some jars are very unique, others not so much. Do some research on the web before you go.
4) Take a box with you to carry home your purchases. Jars don't survive well in bags, so bring along some extra tissue and a box for packaging.
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