Montreal Wedding Planner, An English Rose Blog
Luxury Lifestyle Weddings

An English Rose: New Year, New Office, New Web Site!!

Posted on 1 February 2012 | 4 responses

Last year was a phenomenal year for An English Rose, not only did we plan some amazing weddings and got to work with wonderful couples, but we also took some time out each quarter to work on our company to ensure we were on top of our game!

We spent time in Vegas, Chicago and Niagara working with like-minded Wedding Designers from across North America brainstorming new ideas and enhancing our client’s experience of working with us!

As most of you know Montreal Wedding Butler is a division of An English Rose and we spent some time re-aligning the two businesses’ so that An English Rose can focus on more Full Wedding Designs, while Montreal Wedding Butler specialises more on smaller “A La Carte” Wedding Planning and offers a resource centre on the Butler website for Destination Montreal Wedding clients and local clients who need some additional support.

As with any business we are continuously evolving and as such have now launched our new web site which profiles Video’s and Weddings we have designed, we love the fresh new look and hope you do too!

In December we also moved into our new office premises in Vieux-Montreal, just one block over from the Chateau Ramezey and must say – ‘WE LOVE IT”!!

Needless to say we are very happy, enjoying life, loving our weddings and looking forward to a fantastic 2012 with you all!!

Thank you for all your support

Rachel, Chris and the Team

 An English Rose - Luxury Lifestyle Weddings

 Montreal Wedding Butler – Dream It, Create It, Experience it

 

 

Photo Credit: IPI Studio

 

 

Montreal Wedding Planners are spoilt at the Fairmont Chateau Montebello!

Posted on 25 January 2012 | No responses

For those of you who have been there before, you know what a stunning and magical place it is… and for those of you who haven’t been you HAVE to have a visit… Go for a glass of wine around their gigantic 5-sided fireplace or Brunch on Sunday is amazing and we’ll be coming back to that a little later!

What we love about the Fairmont Chateau Montebello is regardless of whether you are looking for a Winter Wonderland or a Sizzling Summer Wedding there are so many activities to include for your guests it will certainly impress and be the most incredible ‘Weekend Wedding’ location.

There are also a number of different options and rooms to have your destination weddings there whether you are looking for the traditional Logs with Stone Fireplaces, a Modern Large Ballroom with a beautiful glassed foyer and terrace area and not forgetting the option for a wonderful tented wedding too!

Ladies (and Gents) there is a wonderful Spa with couples treatment rooms, which I can confirm firsthand is pure luxury.. plus there is also a manicure/pedicure room which could be hired privately for some ‘girl’ time…. Within the sports complex they also have an Indoor Swimming Pool, Gym and Squash Court and outside there is also a great Pool with gardens overlooking the River. I am sure that I have forgotten many things – but you get the feel! Oh yes and just up the road there is a golf club with a club house that again has a beautiful log banquet room!

So Food.. well need we say more it is a ‘Fairmont’ after all and the Brunch was amazing.. so much so that I know myself I had 5 courses and I think a little Butler next to me may have had more.. but who could resist with the many many array’s of food on offer – and really it was all in the name of research!

Thank you Diane, for a wonderful visit at the Chateau Montebello and we certainly can’t wait to be back again with our couples planning some amazing weddings!

 

 

 

 

Gina & Phil’s Luxury Loft Wedding

Posted on 20 December 2011 | 2 responses

Gina & Phil | July 16, 2011 from International Photo Imaging on Vimeo.

Now you may remember Gina and Phil from back in March when we showcased their first Grand Canyon Wedding, now for part two, their incredible luxury wedding at the Loft Boutique Hotel in Montreal!

Interestingly it took only one visit and one look at the Montreal wedding venue and Gina fell in love with the space and it was booked.

Gina’s was stunning in her Kleinfeld’s Wedding Dress from NY as she walked down the aisle with her brother and youngest stepson, holding a beautiful bouquet of trailing white Phalaenopsis blooms to the sound of Harpists which she had been dreaming of, candles adorned the aisle and it was just a glow of whiteness all around.

Being July, we all know what a super hot summer it was so cocktails were outside on the terrace to the sound great Montreal Jazz Musicians and a Jazz singer which I must admit the sound was amazing, cocktails and canapés flowed and I am sure everyone could have enjoyed a lazy afternoon on the terrace….

However, now for the wedding decor and design which was incredible – Gina had really clear ideas on what she liked and we created a design which incorporated Black Linens with Silver & Purple influences and each table alternated with high and low centre piece balls of flowers, wedding favors were Bride & Groom Cake Pops, which linked in with the Cake Pop Wedding Cake and Candy Bar.

The caricature cake topper was just the greatest as we had it specially made and shipped in from the US to include Gina, Phil, their 3 boys and the dog & cat!

As with most weddings, shots at the bar were a must followed by some crazy photo booth pictures and wild dancing all night long!

“I just wanted to take the time and say thank you for everything you had done to help make my wedding a dream come true! We have been told that it was the best wedding that the guests have ever been too! They thought the ceremony, the music that was played by the Harpist, the Jazz Band, the reception room, the terrace area, the Photo booth, the fireworks (LOL), the dinner and the midnight poutine and mini burgers were over the top!!!!!!!! OHHHHHHH! The Cake Topper and the Cake Pops were a hit!!!!!

Many more words were said but you get the jist! The guests thought you were amazing! You and your husband and I told them you were the best Wedding Planner and I was extremely lucky to have had you!”

Video Credit: International Photo Imaging (IPI) Photo Credit: Christina Esteban, Flowers by Flora International, Cake by Luisa Galuppo, Cake Pops by Gateaulogie

The Montreal Wedding Planners have been at it again!

Posted on 23 November 2011 | No responses

The Association of Montreal Professional Wedding Designers were out and about again last week checking out new venue’s in the Montreal area and this time they were at the newly renovated ‘Sheraton Montreal Airport’ Hotel and what a delight it was!

There are over 470 Guest Rooms, 20 Conference and Banquet Rooms including a Ballroom which can accommodate up to 400 for Weddings, an Outside Terrace & Gardens which can also hold up to 300 for a Ceremony and even a Tent can be installed in their 2 acres of gardens - what a hidden gem!!  For the Wedding party there is even a full service SPA on site including hair, plus there is a Gym, Indoor/Outdoor Swimming Pool, Hot Tubs, Sauna’s you name it, they’ve got it!

Now for those of us who love our food, we were kindly offered to sample some food in the newly renovated Eclipse Restaurant which also has a private dining area perfect for Rehearsal Dinners.  The food was amazing and I am now thinking when I have all those UK pick up’s to do at the airport, my family can come and find me here in the restaurant instead LOL!

However we did do more than eat.. we had the most inspiring guest speaker present to us – Annie Young and Sharlene Young from Annie Young Cosmetics at Avanti Spa on Decarie.  Annie’s story is one of hard work, determination, courage and success and showing that if you put your mind to it anything is possible, we were all moved by her story and motivated even more in our own businesses.  It was also lovely to see the great Mother/Daughter relationship and huge respect Annie and Sharlene have for each other… and with those of you who have daughters, that is not always easy to achieve.

Now talking of daughters…… we did have a very special guest at our meeting, the lovely 4 week old Adrianna, the daughter of our great friend Maddy, who is looking fantastic by the way!

We finished the meeting off as always with a great ’round table’ discussion with the Association members which as always is thought provoking and highly interesting!

Until next time…. have a great December!

Onye & Sam’s Incredible Cultural Wedding!

Posted on 15 November 2011 | 1 response

Believe it or not I started working with Onye and Sam back in 2008 so have enjoyed a wonderful relationship with them in planning their wedding!  With both of them living in Toronto and completing their medical studies, we took some time out during the planning process so they could commit to their studies and hectic work schedules and then re-focus the wedding plans – which is sometimes a very sensible thing to do!

OMGoodness, this wedding really was incredible with a cultural mix from Nigeria and the Caribbean, Italy and the US we really had a great time being creative in the planning of their wedding!  But what I had no control over was the stunning clothes the guests wore to the wedding and I was just in awe of their outfits and head pieces, really something very beautiful.

Onye and Sam chose Soft Pinks & Silver as there colour scheme and the Wedding Party wore two different outfits, one for the Ceremony and one for the Reception.  Onye and Sam too had two different sets of wedding clothes and changed after dinner for the Party!

With approx 400 guests attending the wedding, it was very cultural for the family members to step in and help out and I must admit they were a godsend!  We had two different caterers; Nigerian Caterer’s came in from Ottawa and we used a local Caribbean Caterer here from Lasalle so it was fantastic that Onye’s two Aunts (who have catering background’s) took over the co-ordination of the food and the kitchen!

‘Westcan’ African Dancers lead the Wedding Couple into the room and MC Trixx, an International Comedian had the wedding guests laughing and laughing at his sense of humour and ‘wittiness’ (if that is a word).

Something that was very special and I really loved was that the ‘Elders’ of both families sat at the table of honor with the couple and were the ones to make the first blessing for the food and for the couple and to welcome guests with the ‘Breaking of the Kola Nuts’,  which is an Igbo tradition.  This is performed as the Welcoming Ceremony at any important gathering, once the Kola Nut is shared and eaten, then the celebrations begin!

“Rachel was instrumental in helping us stay organized, on budget, and in finding ways to incorporate cultural traditions and foods -  she is a phenomenal wedding planner and her team is excellent, she and her assistant actually tracked all 600 guest RSVPs for us!!  We strongly recommend her to anyone who needs a wedding planner!  Thank you so much Rachel! Grazi! Imena! Merci!

Photo Credit: International Photo Imaging (IPI Studio), Flowers by Flora International, Cake by Decor Gateau Montreal

Heather Barranco’s DreamCakes.. the ‘sweetest’ thing to come out of NY!

Posted on 30 October 2011 | 1 response

So forget the Cake Boss… Recently, I met with one of New York City’ fastest growing, hot new wedding cake designers, Heather Barranco of Heather Barranco Dreamcakes. Within just 6 months of starting her business, her company was chosen by Grace Ormonde Wedding Style Magazine to be on their exclusive Platinum List of recommended vendors. They were one out of only two cake designers chosen in the New York City metro area. While Heather was here on a visit to Montreal, we sat down to
have a little ‘cake talk’.

R: How did you grow your business so fast to become one of New York’s leading cake designers?

H: Firstly, it began with a lot of hard work, very late nights and help of my husband, who is also my business partner. But my experience in art, design, architecture and the family business has really aided in the fast growth. I have real world experience in product design and 3-D design. Product designers are the people who design everything from cars to cosmetics to cellular phones;
anything that is manufactured and sold in stores. Because of this experience, it was easy to move into cake design. I approached cake design the same way I would approach any design project with a lot of research and planning. Being a total perfectionist helps too.

Along with an artistic background, I also have a great love of the culinary arts and entertaining. I’ve been told it runs in my blood. My grandparents owned a catering business and 2 bakeries while my father was a chef.

R: Can you name a few of your more famous clients?

H: We just created a cake in the shape of the Hampton’s Watermill Center for Robert Wilson’s 70th birthday; a famous Broadway theatre director and founder of The Robert Wilson Foundation. Some other clients include, Priscilla of Boston, singer Lauryn Hill, and Conde Nast (the magazine publisher of Vogue, Town and Country, etc.) and also for Harrah’s Atlantic City Casino!

R: I noticed that many of your cakes do not look like cakes. Can you tell us about this?

H: As you can see in our gallery, I enjoy thinking out of the box and doing something inventive. People hire me because of my design background.  I have clients that want something custom designed and unique, so that’s what we try to do. I run our business more like a design studio, rather than a bakery. We do a lot of research on the bride and groom’s essence and culture
before designing a cake. I really try to get to their “core” and make our cakes have soul. We especially have a lot of fun making unique groom’s cakes such as cars and sports teams. Every cake is custom designed.

R: You call your cakes “art”. Why do you think it excites so many people?

H: The artists in my studio and I see cake as a medium like oil paint, clay or a canvas. It’s all the same, just another material. We design our cakes from the inside out. There is no such thing as a dreamcake that doesn’t taste good. People experience our cakes using more senses than a typical piece of art; there is taste, sight, smell and texture or touch. I think this is why it’s so exciting.

R: Do you deliver to Montreal?

H: We could definitely deliver to Montreal for a special event or wedding. We can NOT ship cakes by UPS, etc. They would need to be hand delivered by plane or van.  It can be done. I also go to Montreal twice a year to visit my in-laws. My husband grew up in Montreal.

Heather Barranco Dreamcakes can be reached at 212-920-9777 or emailed at info@heatherbarranco.com.
To view the website see http://www.heatherbarranco.com/ Read more about
Heather’s Dreams in Cake Blog at http://www.heatherbarranco.com/blog/

 

Adam & Steve’s Old Montreal Wedding

Posted on 18 October 2011 | No responses

From the first time we started working with Adam & Steve planning their wedding we had a wonderful time, so much so that on a trip to Chicago for business in May we all got together and had a fantastic night out.. mainly ‘tasting’ lots of Champagne Cocktails as I recall – but all in the name of research!!

Adam and Steve love Montreal, especially Old Montreal and wanted a wedding that reflected the two of them so we planned a weekend wedding for their guests so they too could experience what Adam and Steve enjoyed about our City.  Friday night’s rehearsal dinner took place at ‘Le Local’ and we bought in pots of Lavender to decorate the windows adding candles for a great ambiance…  I was also very proud that the boys decided to have a little ‘poutine’ as one of their courses for their guests (an absolute favorite of mine), going completely against their professions as Dr’s…… but they managed to overcome it!  After Dinner I understand from the pictures that the group had a great time at Pang Pang’s Karaoke Bar downtown!

Saturday could not have been more perfect… a very moving ceremony took place on one of the private terraces at the Hotel Nelligan with the sun on the roof tops of Old Montreal and the sound of the bells from the Notre Dame Basilica it was really something, but what made it more special was the support of both Adam and Steve’s parents, siblings and friends who all flew in from the US to be with them.  Jazz Music played out through the Cocktail hour which continued on the rooftop with some very special Champagne Cocktails with a dash of either ‘Canton’ or ‘St-Germain’ courtesy of the Adam and Steve!

We then headed over to the famous XO Restaurant at Le St-James for a gastronomique 6-Course Dinner, the tables decorated with very elegant White Calla Lilies, a 3 Tier-Chocolate Ganache Cake with a black and white theme.

Great speeches, great people and great friends all had an amazing evening and then headed back to the Nelligan… which was just as well as 30 minutes after they left Mr Bono and U2 arrived back at Le St James and it became a little crazy for a while.

Sunday morning guests enjoyed Brunch at Versus Restaurant before heading out to explore our wonderful province of Quebec.

“I just wanted to let you know how much Steve and I loved working with you. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful service and  ultimately flawless event. I still have people telling me how wonderful everything turned out and what a great, intimate setting our wedding and reception was…. but more importantly, we feel as if we have made a great friend during the process.”

Photo Credit: IPI Studio, Flowers by Flora International, Cake by Décor Gateau Montreal and Jazz by Ben Henriques

Mansion House, Georgville – A Unique Wedding Venue

Posted on 11 October 2011 | No responses

We recently met up with Barbara Cartmel (another Brit) who is the lucky owner of ‘Mansion House Georgeville’ which some of you may recall used to be Auberge Georgeville in a previous life!

Barbara and her husband and family have spent the last year renovating the Auberge into a glorious Victorian Home which she now rents out for Weddings ‘exclusively’ through An English Rose.

I must admit I am a sucker for Old Victorian houses… the history and character… the wrap around verandah’s… afternoon tea… croquet on the lawn… ahh I could just dream the afternoon away!

However, lets get back to the real joy here, this is an absolute perfect location as I said earlier for small intimate weddings, they have 8 double bedrooms all with en suite bathrooms  of which 4 all have small private seating areas – perfect to host the family or wedding party with a beautiful renovated open plan kitchen and dining area.

Being only a few minutes from the US boarder this is also a perfect place for our US friends who are looking for somewhere special to host their legal same sex marriage!

The wrap around veranda can accommodate believe it or not 40 + guests for outside eating or alternatively for larger weddings the grounds of the Mansion House can easily accommodate a tent and host larger weddings of up to 100 + guests.

Locally there are great B&B’s for your guests to enjoy and the Mansion House is only 15 mins from Magog with great shopping, restaurants & hotels!

But the Mansion House can also be rented for many other occasions with accommodation for 16 why not rent it for those family reunions.. weekend getaways,  Christmas, New Year… and with Mont Orford only 20 mins away or the US border just a few minutes away this could be a perfect place to get all your friends together during the Winter for great Ski-ing!

So if you are looking for a Unique Wedding Location 90 mins from Montreal or a perfect retreat for family & friends to get together then the Mansion House Georgeville could be just the thing.

For more information or Winter reservations, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 514 448 2480 or contact us directly at info@an-english-rose.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leah & Susanne’s Bordeaux, Bord d’eau Wedding!

Posted on 7 September 2011 | No responses

Our couple came all the way from Bordeaux France to enjoy the wonderful surroundings of Montreal to be married – and why not with our country supporting same sex marriages where else could be more perfect!

Leah & Susanne wanted an intimate wedding and we chose a stunning Lakeside location with the ceremony right at the tip of the point with water on both sides of them, Leah wore a vintage style wedding dress with the most beautiful ornate Victorian bracelet.. her grandmothers and Susanne wore a very stylish black suit custom made in Paris!  Ladies, imagine just popping to Paris for a shopping trip! 

What I loved about the wedding most was that both mothers gave a very emotional reading and Leah’s mother incorporated elements of their Jewish faith into the ceremony including the Chuppah and insteading of breaking of the glass, they broke a local Montreal Plate and gave a piece to each guest!

Cocktails and Canapes took place on the lawn and a sumptuous 5-course menu including all local Quebec produce, cheeses & wine soon followed – Now the girls had a bit of a chocolate craving so the wedding Cake was a gooey 2-tier chocolate cake and in France they don’t have the couple on top of the cake, so for Leah and Susanne it was something they really wanted so we had two ladies on our cake!

Deep Red Flowers adorned the table, which was a large oval table for 18 – a very beautiful intimate wedding!

“We decided to get married in Quebec while we lived in France and did not know anyone in Canada. Rachel took care of everything and was able to conceive a wedding that met our expectations and resembled us.  She was very professional and extremely kind as she took us through the different steps, as well as her husband Chris. On the wedding day, our guests, family and friends valued her kindness and support. Thank you Rachel and Chris for making this important step in our life a great success!”

Photo Credit: International Photo Imaging (IPI), Flowers by Flora International, Cake by Decor Gateaux Montreal, Venue – The Forest & Stream Club

Bianca & Andy’s Elegant Wedding

Posted on 14 August 2011 | 2 responses

I have had the privilege of working with Bianca and Andy in designing their wedding for the past year and it all came together in a very romantic elegant affair at the Windsor Ballrooms on a very special day of July 2^nd.. not because it was Canada weekend, but because Chris and I were also married on the 2^nd July – so of course another match made in heaven!

Bianca and Andy both live in Winnipeg so we planned and worked together at a distance with Bianca coming to Montreal every few months and I ensured we maximized her visits with vendor selections, tastings and design meetings!  With Bianca’s family coming from Haiti and Andy’s family from India, it was great to bring in some cultural & spiritual elements especially during the ceremony where they honored their grandparents who were no longer with us!

As guest took their seats for dinner the room glowed in subtle gold, from the high floral centre pieces that were natural earth tones with a touch of soft pink through to the Organza overlays which were adorned in gold sequined flowers – perfectly matched with the Bridesmaids who wore Bronze/Gold colored dresses and the MoH (Maid of Honor) in a Dusky Pink dress.

After dinner the bride made a surprise entrance in a stunning Indian dress escorted by an all Male Indian Dance group who came in from Toronto to entertain the guests – it certainly sent a buzz around the room and kicked off the party!

Another nice touch was the wedding favors which were given out to each guest personally by the Bridesmaids just after dinner, while I played ‘reporter’ with the Videographer getting great video stories from each of the guests to add to Bianca & Andy’s memories of a perfect day….

“Thank you for that superb organisation everyone was happy, the food, music, the bar, the flowers and of course the bride and groom were stunning – everything was perfect” (Mother of the Bride).

Photo Credit: Feddel Photography, Cake: P&B Patisserie, Flowers: Flora International, Venue: Le Windsor

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