Preparing for your wedding day can be stressful! Between dress shopping, menu tastings, finalizing the guest list and mastering wedding etiquette, brides often feel overwhelmed during what should be one of the happiest times of their lives. Exercising, eating right and taking time to unwind often take a backseat to pre-wedding checklists, which can result in weight gain, mood swings and difficulty sleeping.

To help you feel healthy and balanced as you gear up for your big day, Jennifer Bergman Weddings is partnering with a few of our favourite local health and wellness businesses. Every Wednesday for the month of May, local experts will share best practices to keep you motivated, refreshed and on track with your goals. Plus, we’re giving away 4 weeks of custom wellness experiences!

You don’t have to be walking down the aisle in order to participate – bridesmaids, family and friends of brides are all welcome to enter the giveaways! Simply fill out the form at the end of each post and a lucky winner will be chosen at random.

Check back on the blog and follow us on Facebook to find out which experience you could indulge in each week!

Jennifer + Team | Jennifer Bergman Weddings
Edmonton Wedding Planning + Design

Chock full of personal details and unique touches, it’s no surprise that Alexis + Tom’s charming summer wedding was featured in the latest issue of Blush Magazine.

The entire celebration was held at Christ Church – a beautiful 1920s church in the heart of downtown Edmonton that looks like it belongs in Europe! An intimate late afternoon ceremony flowed right into an outdoor cocktail hour complete with delicious appetizers, lawn games and an assortment of refreshing drinks such as cucumber water and strawberry lemonade. 

At the reception guests were treated to a decadent family style dinner catered by Culina and an illustrious dessert table full of cakes and pies made with love by family members.

Her keen eye and love for bicycles made Blake Loates the perfect fit to photograph this wedding! Enjoy a glimpse of Alexis + Tom’s big day below.

Jennifer + Team | Jennifer Bergman Weddings
Edmonton Wedding Planning + Design

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Credits:

• Wedding Coordination + Design: Jennifer Bergman Weddings
• Photography: Blake Loates
• Catering: Culina Catering
• Stationery: Pinkpolka Wedding Design
• Florals: faBLOOMosity
• Rentals: Special Event Rentals
• Cake: Cake Couture
• Reception Music: Mr. Entertainment
  
• Hair: Headlines
• Makeup: Suzanne Dargis
  
• Gown: Paloma Blanca from jojobride

The Canadian Event Industry Awards (Star Awards) is a national award program that recognizes outstanding achievements in Canadian special events, meeting management, conference planning and exhibition management.

Last month we were honoured to attend the awards gala in Toronto and take home a Star Award for Best Wedding Under $75K! The award-winning wedding was Paula + Sheldon’s Scottsdale, Arizona soirée. This family-friendly destination wedding entertained guests over an entire weekend and provided them with the quintessential southwestern experience.

Jennifer Bergman accepting the 2014 Canadian Event Industry Star Award for Best Wedding Under $75K

Photo Credit: prombee

Photo Credit: foxbackdrop

We are thankful to work with truly amazing clients who entrust us with such important milestones in their lives, and talented industry professionals who continue to push the envelope. Congratulations to the fellow winners and nominees across all categories!

Jennifer + Team | Jennifer Bergman Weddings
Edmonton Wedding Planning + Design

Catherine + Neal’s Royal Mayfair Golf Club wedding was recently featured in Edmonton’s own Bridal Fantasy Magazine. 

They chose to incorporate traditions from both of their backgrounds. Neal and his groomsmen wore Scottish kilts and his grandmother gave a blessing in Gaelic before dinner. To represent Catherine’s Polish side, perogies and cabbage rolls were served at the rehearsal dinner and the marriage commissioner said a few words in Polish before the ceremony began. A very unique element of the ceremony was a Celtic handfasting using the official tartans of Alberta and Nova Scotia, representing the bride and groom’s places of birth.

Their favourite moment of the day? “Seeing each other for the first time was both awesome and hilarious. The anticipation and excitement is so evident in the photos. Our other favourite part was listening to everyone’s speeches. Each of them was so heartfelt and funny – we felt very special.”

Enjoy a sneak peek into this wedding through Carey Nash‘s talented eyes…

Jennifer + Team | Jennifer Bergman Weddings
Edmonton Wedding Planning + Design

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Credits:

• Coordination + Design: Jennifer Bergman Weddings
• Photography: Carey Nash Photography
  
• Officiant: Todzia Aird
• Backdrop: katebackdrop
• Florals: FaBLOOMosity
• Rentals: Special Event Rentals
  
• Drapery Canopy: Site 6 Events
• Cupcakes: Cake Couture
  
• Ceremony Music: McDades Celtic Trio 
• Reception Music: Premiere DJs / Urban Metropolis 
• Transportation: Eternity Limousine
• Hair Stylist: Bailey Gartner
• Makeup Artist: N2 Makeup Artistry
  
• Gown: Pure Bridal
  
• Groom/Groomsmen: Scottish Imports

Catherine + Neal wanted their Royal Mayfair Golf Club Edmonton wedding to be contemporary yet timeless. To achieve this look we paired geometric patterns with a chic palette of black, cream and gold – we just love how it turned out! The inspiration:

Photo Credits (clockwise from top left): Black and Gold Tablescape – Wedding Obsession; White Peony Centerpiece – Martha Stewart Weddings; Tartan Menu Wrap – The Knot; White and Green Wedding Bouquet – Jennifer Bergman Weddings; Ceremony Canopy – Kehoe Designs; Black Gold and Ivory Wedding Cake – Sweet & Saucy Shop; Black and Gold Table Design – Style Me Pretty.

…and the reality!

Photo Credit: Carey Nash Photography.

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You can see more of this stylish wedding in the current issue of Bridal Fantasy Magazine, and stay tuned to the blog for Part 2…coming soon!

Jennifer + Team | Jennifer Bergman Weddings
Edmonton Wedding Planner + Designer

The latest issue of Bridal Fantasy Magazine features an article we wrote outlining some Edmonton wedding planning tips, titled Top 10 Big Day Blunders. In other words, problems or hiccups experienced by many couples who plan their weddings without professional help. If you are in the midst of planning your wedding, have a read and avoid these common planning pitfalls!

1. Not hiring professionals. From photography to flowers and everything in between, if you try to cut costs by hiring hobbyists or inexperienced wedding vendors you may end up with more headaches than you bargained for. Prices tend to reflect quality and experience, so if you think you’re getting a really good, cheap deal — there might be a reason for that!
2. Guest list regrets. If you really want someone or a group of people at your wedding, then make sure you invite them. The extra cost per head will seem inconsequential after the wedding, and you may end up regretting that they missed your special day.
3. Being inconsiderate. Be mindful of the demands (time, financial) that your wedding will place on guests and your bridal party. For instance, if many of your guests are travelling from out-of-town it is thoughtful to arrange transportation for them to get to your ceremony and reception locations. Likewise, if your attendants are paying for their attire you may want to cover their hair and makeup costs on the wedding day.
4. Technical troubles. We’ve all been to a wedding where the slideshow doesn’t work! This creates an awkward pause in your reception program. If you absolutely must have a slideshow, ensure you have the right equipment and cords rented well in advance and that someone is responsible for testing it before the reception.
5. Not having a contingency plan. Of course your wedding day will be warm and sunny with a gentle breeze…but what if it’s not!? So many couples forget to plan for things going wrong. If you’re having an outdoor wedding, make sure that you have an alternate location in case of inclement weather – especially here in Alberta!
6. Running out of alcohol. If you’re supplying your own liquor for the bar it’s always better to overbuy and return the unopened leftovers than to run out before the party is over. There are lots of helpful resources online for estimating quantities required. (Note: The same rule applies to candy or sweet tables!)
7. Reception program runs too long. After approximately 2.5 hours sitting at their dinner tables guests will get antsy, so you want to ensure that your dinner service and speeches are completed within this time period.
8. Family or friends had to “work.” Paying a little extra for décor setup and teardown services through your decorator, coordinator or venue could save your sanity and be a real gift to your loved ones. They’ll appreciate being able to enjoy the wedding weekend without the added stress of cleaning up after the party.
9. Forgetting to thank people. You may think you can “wing” your speech, but it can be difficult to think clearly on such an emotionally charged day. Too often couples don’t take the time to prepare their thank-you speech in advance and they miss thanking very important people (in some cases their parents who have footed the entire bill for the day)!
10. Not enjoying the planning process. Most couples spend 12-15 months planning their wedding day…that’s a lot of time to be stressed out about wedding details! Don’t let the planning consume you. Take breaks, delegate tasks to those who offer, and if you know you just don’t have the time or energy to put into the process, hire a planner or coordinator to take some or all of the planning off your plate.

Jennifer + Team | Jennifer Bergman Weddings
Edmonton Wedding Planning + Design

Beena + Craig’s wedding last summer was a fusion of two diverse, vibrant cultures: East Indian and Guyanese. Living apart to pursue their careers, they opted for a longer engagement in order to pace out the wedding planning decisions. We made the most of our emails, calls and whirlwind planning weekends to arrange their festive 400-guest celebration at All Saints Anglican Cathedral and Meridian Banquets.

You can read all about this gorgeous wedding in Avenue Edmonton Magazine’s January 2014 issue. JDS Photography did a fabulous job (as usual) capturing the special moments throughout the day – enjoy a sampling of images below!

 Jennifer + Team | Jennifer Bergman Weddings
Edmonton Wedding Planning + Design

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Credits:

• Wedding Planning + Design: Jennifer Bergman Weddings
• Photography: JDS Photography
  
• Formal Gown: katebridal
• Stationery: Pinkpolka Wedding Design
• Florals: FaBLOOMosity
• Rentals: Special Event Rentals
  
• Lighting/Drapery: Site 6 Events
• Cake: Cake Couture
  
• Ceremony Music: Mathias Silveira
• Reception Music: Premiere DJs – Harman B and DJ Kwake
• Transportation: Esquire Limousine
• Bride’s Wigs+ Makeup: Niawigs

Featured on Elizabeth Anne Designs blog, Lisa + Marc’s modern wedding is one of my favourite designs from our 2013 season. The day began at St. Joachim Catholic Parish – one of the most beautiful churches in Edmonton. The wedding party took photos on the U of A campus where Lisa + Marc had met (and spent plenty of time over the years)!

Signature cocktails welcomed guests to the reception in the Riverview Room at Shaw Conference Centre, where bold geometric patterns and pops of green and navy brightened a classic cream and black palette. The dynamic duo from Diamond Cake Photography captured all the emotions of their day. Enjoy!

Lisa + Marc: Your huge smiles in the wedding pictures above say it all – you’re destined for a life of happiness together! So glad we could be a small part of it. All the best!

Jennifer + Team | Jennifer Bergman Weddings
Edmonton Wedding Planning + Design

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Credits:

• Planning + Design: Jennifer Bergman Weddings
• Photography: Diamond Cake Photography
• Stationery: Pinkpolka Wedding Design
• Florals: Wild Orchid
• Rentals: Special Event Rentals
• Drapery + Lighting: Site 6 Events
• Cake: Cake Couture
• Ceremony Music: Mathias Silveira
• DJ: Premiere DJs
  
• Hair + Makeup: Jenn Chivers
• Gown: Delica Bridal