NEW VENUE SPOTLIGHT: TRINITY TAVERNA ON THE BEACH

Although there are so many amazing Toronto Venues, it’s been a very long time since a Toronto Event Venue has excited me! That is until last night when I, along with other Toronto Event Planners, was invited to visit Trinity Taverna on the Beach.

From the minute I approached the building my excitement was brewing as I had seen so many photos and heard raving reviews about this restaurant from others in the Greek Community (and trust me, we Greeks are picky). Once I entered the large gorgeous Mediterranean blue doors, I was transported to Greece!

The friendly greeting from the staff just added to what promised to be a beautiful experience. 

Our wonderful hostess from the Faulhaber Communications team, gave my colleague and I the grand tour. 

On my right was a beautiful market style display of fresh seafood and butchered meats leading into the open concept kitchen. On my left and beyond, was the brightly lit dining space glittered in white, pale & dark woods, a branch ceiling and glorious multi-coloured pillows that made my heart skip a beat. The focal point was a beautiful bench that cuddled a wonderful stationary blue-sea coloured water fixture surely meant to resemble the radiantly azure Ionian Sea.

As we continued through the restaurant, we came into an elegant cove of a semi-private room that had my heart racing and my creative juices flowing. The room was comprised of a floor to ceiling wine rack, complete with a ladder on the right side, floor to ceiling windows to the left, the far wall decorated in ancient clay vase displays and gorgeous wood beamed ceilings with a beautiful chandelier. The room flowed into a patio and I could swear I was smelling the salt-water from the sea.

Trinity Taverna, is deceivingly quite big! Along with the dining space, the Cove Semi-Private space an additional semi-private dining room with floor to ceiling windows and a majestic outdoor patio, there is an incredible private lounge upstairs! It’s absolutely perfect for a party of any type including a wedding. I’d recommend an elegant standing cocktail and dinner reception in this space. I loved the dark wood butcher block tables, open concept surrounded by very large windows, sofa style seating throughout, a lovely bar and the beautiful breeze coming up from the lake. Both the Lounge and lower level dining spaces overlook Lake Ontario, and if you didn't know any better, you'd swear you were on the shores of the Greek Isles.

The lounge extends into a dim-lit patio that is perfect if you want to separate yourself for a moment or if you want to enjoy a cigar or cigarette. Now, I’m not one to promote smoking, but this place thought of it all! Each room has an adjoining outdoor space so that your guests are not inconvenienced or made to feel uncomfortable in any way by having to exit the restaurant. Every little detail was considered so that the Trinity Taverna guest would feel welcome... and those of you who know me, know that I'm a stickler for detail and filoxenia (hospitality)! 

As for the food, well, that took the entire evening up about 100 notches and blew me away. It was a symphony of taste and flavour. From the savoury dumplings filled with lamb, caramelized leeks, feta & truffle oil wrapped in Filo Pastry, the sesame crusted feta topped with caviar to the mouth-watering shrimp, flavourful lamb chops, Mediterranean inspired battered cod with Greek style poutine and fresh Oysters, the flavours danced on your palette and surpassed your taste expectations. I'd describe the cuisine as a fusion of Mediterranean and French Styles with a sparkle of Greece; a dream for any foodie. 

Trinity Taverna is perfect for any event; the staff is exceptional; the owners willing and ready to make you happy and the event menus able to fit most budgets; the backdrop of a beautiful blue lake and with the addition, coming next year, of their outdoor tent that will be available year-round, where else would you go? On top of it all, they love working with Planners!! 

I truly had a magical experience and felt as if I was in Greece....even if it was only for a couple of hours. So for those needing to get away or those wanting to have a Destination Wedding but don't have the time or budget, this is your next best bet. 

The truth about wedding planners

One of the first things I do when a Toronto Engaged Couple contacts me is ask them some screening questions. Questions like: What date are they hoping for?  how many guests they are hoping to invite? what city they want to have their wedding in?  and; what is their budget? Contrary to some beliefs, I don't ask these questions because I want to know how much to charge them, I ask because it let's me gage how realistic they are about their budget. In other words, if my couple wants a Saturday July Wedding for 150 guests in downtown Toronto for a budget of $15,000.00, I know that I need to put on my 'reality check' hat to educate them of some real costs.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that a lower budget wedding in downtown Toronto is impossible, I'm saying that they first need to understand how much things cost. They need to know the compromises & cuts that must be made in order to make that happen. Compromises like: a smaller guest list, different reception time and type, choosing a less popular day of the week etc. 

Many couples tend to wrongly think that hiring a Wedding Planner will automatically mean negotiations with vendors to get them better deals. Sometimes we can get some added value with vendors and on occasion a discount or two, but nobody works for free. Think of it this way, if your boss came to you and said "I'm on a tight budget and can only pay you 1/2 of your pay for the same amount of work", how would you feel? I bet that it would not bode well and you'd think your boss didn't appreciate you; it would be unacceptable. You, rightfully, want to get paid for your hard work. Same goes with your Toronto Wedding vendors including your wedding planner.

Remember that your wedding planner will spend countless of hours researching all your needs, emailing, calling and visiting venues and vendor's to find ones that are perfect for your wedding; create and manage your budget, produce your timeline, fully develop the wedding theme or vision you have, handle confirmations, follow-up calls and visits with your vendors, create your itinerary for you and your vendors, attend, manage and even direct your rehearsal and wedding ceremony, if you need it and coordinate and manage your wedding day. By the way, that's just the condensed list.

A common misconception that couples (and sometimes their wedding party and family has) is that we wedding planners will pick up ALL the slack that you either didn't have time to do or forgot to do all free of charge because we want to make you happy and give you a stress-free day. Although it's true that we are there to make your day exceptional and as low-maintenance as can be, and it's also true we do whatever is in our power to solve and divert any last minute issues, we are not miracle workers.  We cannot make your delivered $50 centrepieces look identical to the photo you printed off Pinterest of the $300.00 one you asked your florist to scale down to save costs. We cannot simply add in unordered champagne for your guests on the day-of because your 'fave uncle' decided he wants to make a toast. If you didn't purchase the champagne, the venue likely would not have it kicking around. We cannot challenge signed contractual agreements or coerce your wedding vendors to do things you did not agree to prior to your wedding day.  For example: I can't guarantee that your photographer will be convinced to stay later at no cost because you were late to your ceremony and everything is running late. Likewise, I can't convince your venue to keep the bar open later just because your guests are having a great time. As a planner it is my job to help plan your wedding based on your budget and try to make it work with your vision in some way. My job is to help on the day to manage your event to have it all run smoothy and hopefully without incident.  It's my job to direct the wedding and troubleshoot any situations or problems that may arise. So, if your 'fave uncle' did want to make a toast, I could instead ask that a wine or sparkling cider be provided for your guests for an extra fee by your venue; although there are never guarantees, it would be a more likely scenario to expedite.

Although I can't guarantee or promise perfection, I can promise that my team and I will do a perfect job in putting our best foot forward every step of the way and providing prompt, quality service during your planning and wedding day; I can promise that I will always advise you of all your options; the upsides and downsides to all your wedding ideas;  I can also promise that I will be your eyes and ears on your wedding day to make it a beautiful experience for you and your loved ones.

Keep in mind that hiring a planner, even for just a series of consults will help. Regardless of your budget, it is important to meet with a professional coordinator to, at the very least, help get you organized and on the right track. 

Love, Elegance and Luxury - Our wedding featured on Wedluxe

Last Year we had the pleasure of being the planning & coordination team for Jade and Daniel's Wedding. It was a stunning day. They chose our Month-of Partial Planning and Day-of Coordination Package to make sure they're day went off without a hitch. We were thrilled to be working with some of our favourite vendors at one of our most loved venues. As always a great team brings great results and we are thrilled to have been recognized on the WedLuxe Blog. You can check it out here and see some of the stunning eye candy as captured by Parasol Photos. Here are some teasers!

Unique Ideas for Memorable Marriage Proposals

When a man decides to ask the woman of his dreams to marry him, he becomes preoccupied with thoughts of engagement rings, wedding plans, and planning a proposal that he and his beloved will remember for the rest of their lives. While some men are confident that a simple “Will you marry me?” will be enough, there are many who want something extraordinary.

A good place to start in creating your own proposal is to go through the amazing ways men have devised just to get their girlfriends to say yes. Here are some of those inspiring ideas you can use.

·     One man hired a magician to perform on the very street where he was to take his girlfriend for a walk (and eventually propose). The couple stopped to watch the magician’s tricks and, at the end of the routine, the magician produced a small velvet box. The man, of course, took the box, which, of course, contained the engagement ring; goes down on bended knee; and, asks his girlfriend to be his wife while an adoring crowd cheers him on.

·     One of the simplest but still romantic ways to propose is to order a special cake where you can place your engagement ring as part of the décor – or the filling. Many bakeshops will have useful suggestions to make the engagement ring stand out or easy to take out when it’s time to propose.

·     If you are fond of movies, you can ask the management to insert one slide that would obviously look like coming from you, asking your girl to marry you. Your message can come after something as mundane as a notice for people to turn off their mobile phones.

·     If she has a dog or a cat for a house pet, you can tie your gift box around the pet’s neck and casually bring the box to her notice by saying something like “Your pet has a gift for you.”

·     Halloween and jack-o-lanterns can be romantic, believe it or not. You can carve out the all-important question on a row of pumpkins and set them on her doorway on October 31. To add an even more romantic touch to the occasion, convince her to dress up as a princess and make sure you’re all suited up as her Prince Charming.

·     An evening at home with friends can provide a good setting for a marriage proposal. Ask everyone to play charades and act out the big question. When someone guesses what the words are, you can kneel in front of her and propose.

·     Order a mug with the words “Marry me” at the bottom. When she is done with her coffee, she will be able to read your proposal. Just in case she doesn’t drink her coffee to the last drop, you can also order her favorite cake or dessert with the same words and get her to finish the last bit of morsel so she can read your message.

When a man asks a woman to marry him, it’s an event of a lifetime. Make sure yours will be worth remembering. Let loose your creative side and allow your love to shine through. Once you do this, you’ll surely think of a unique way to get her to agree to spend a lifetime with you.

Special thanks to Sofia Angeli for her blog contribution!

Photos & Video by Denise Georgiou-Newell of an engagement planned by WeDDings Jubilee Planning. 

Author Bio:

Sofia Angeli is a PR & communications consultant for companies in various industries. In particular, she brings her writing skills and passion for travel, culture, arts and lifestyle, including wedding planning and engagement rings, to the online world.

Wedding Cake Alternative for a Greek Wedding!

I love to personalize wedding details and am known to bend the envelope here and there. Although I do love some traditional aspects to weddings as it ties in the old with the new, I do love when people get creative with Drinks, Food and Desserts. Particularly Cake.

The other day when I walked into a Greek Bakery to purchase a lent-friendly dessert for a surprise baby shower I was planning, I came across this stunning and unique cake alternative and thought it would be perfect for my clients' awesome 400+ 'Big Fat Greek Wedding'. She is not big on cake but loves greek desserts. I texted her the photos immediately ... fingers crossed that she'll 'Say Yes to the Baklava Tower'.

I had a quick one-on-one chat with Kosta from Select Bakery in Toronto about how he came up with it... his response was simple: he wanted to do something creative and different so he stands apart from everyone else.  What do you think of these Baklava Masterpieces? This Toronto Wedding Planner absolutely loves them!