Still River Weddings

12/07/2023

👋 Once again, it’s been a while!

This summer was the most rewarding wedding season that I’ve experienced since I started this little business. I was a part of more weddings than ever; my team took on new tasks and responsibilities. I laughed and cried with our clients and their families. I appreciated all the moments.

But with that came late nights and early mornings, building inventory, so much manual labour, saying no to so many things in my life so that I could give our clients as much as I could; as much as they deserve. It was so hard. I know that so many of you out there can appreciate how much work it takes sometimes to do what you’re passionate about to the best of your abilities. I was talking with a photographer in my area and she told me to remember that whenever I felt like quitting, it’s just my over-stimulated brain talking, and that there are more ways to make it work as long as I want to make it work.

And I do want to! Being a part of these special moments is something that I could not let go of yet. But in order to give myself the best chance of keeping this smile on my face throughout the whole process, I knew I needed to make a drastic change.

So, with all that said, I have decided that Still River Weddings will be taking a break for the 2025 wedding season. I am looking forward to a small amount of weddings in 2024, and then will be taking a beat, and focussing on my personal life. It feels so strange to be putting this out there; with the momentum of growth we’ve seen in the last 3 years, anyone on the outside would look in and say this was the wrong move. But in that growth, I haven’t really taken the proper time to sit and decide the right direction of this business. While I’m thankful for exactly what it is now; it’s honestly not what I want it to be. And I want to fix that.

I plan to leave myself open to a few little projects in the wedding space; so please don’t be afraid to reach out even in my off-year. I’d still be so glad to figure out how I can help you!

I’m so excited to have the time and space to create the future I want for this business, and to serve all of your wedding dreams as best as I can.

📸:

10/04/2023

My oh my 😍 Matt and Sarah.

What an amazing weekend. When I first spoke with Sarah, she reached out from Alberta about a virtual consultation call. She told me that she was getting married in Cape Breton; and being based in NB, it didn’t really cross my mind that I would be around to coordinate their big day. But after that consultation call, I just loved talking with Sarah so much that I felt so strongly that I wanted to be there for this wedding. So I reached out to her again about our coordination packages, and I was so happy when they decided to book!

Over the next year we worked together on a regular basis to plan this big wedding weekend where guests were coming from all over Canada to attend at the beautiful . Matt and Sarah arranged all kinds of activities to help their travelling guests experience the east coast. We arrived onsite Friday morning to decorate the venue, and we had way more hands than we thought we were going to when the venue staff stepped in to help us, which was incredible. We ran through the unique ceremony that Matt and Sarah had planned at the rehearsal on Friday evening, and later on they hosted a Welcome Party for their guests at the clubhouse. On Saturday, we were expecting a bit of rain but we decided to chance it anyways and wouldn’t you know it; the rain held out until just after we were done the ceremony. The rest of the day was just gorgeous. A cocktail reception, and dinner in the pavilion. The dance playlist was completely curated by Matt and Sarah, and they filled it with all the songs that easily got their friends and family on the dance floor.

Matt and Sarah, I could not have been more honoured to have been a part of your big day. It was easily one of the top weddings of my entire life. I’ll admit it kept me running the entire weekend; but that’s also part of what I loved so much. The care that you guys put into every detail was incredible. I’m always wishing you guys the very, very best!! 💕

09/11/2023

GAH!! 😍

I’ve been trying to write a caption about this wedding weekend for the past two weeks but I feel like instagram just cannot wait any longer to be blessed with what a stunning bride is 🔥 🙌

But I promise there is more to come later about this amazing wedding 💕
📸:

08/07/2023

We’re almost halfway through our wedding season and so thankful for every celebration we’ve gotten to be a part of! We’re looking forward to what we’ll create for the rest of our wonderful 2023 couples.

08/05/2023

We weren’t involved in this wedding in any major way, and yet the photos seem to be some of my favourites from this year. When I first met Todd and Sabrina, they told me a story we’ve all heard a lot in these past few years; how they had gotten married during the pandemic, and that this wedding was finally going to be a celebration with family and friends. But the stories I’ve heard since then have been anything but ordinary. These two are such a sweet couple with such a beautiful family, and you just have to look at these photos to know how much love surrounded them on their big day. A thousand words might not be enough.

Photo Credits: Esther Philbert Photography

07/07/2023

Introducing our new Bridal Attendant Package coming soon!
With this being our second full season of wedding planning, we’ve been really evaluating how we can offer the very best services to the area we live in.
And we have so many beautiful weddings of all need levels that take place around here. Sometimes for a more laid-back event, you just need a little help. Not someone to handle all the logistics of the wedding day, but just to handle some of the

07/06/2023

I’ve often said that I don’t blame people for being hesitant when it comes to booking wedding professionals. It can be a large investment when you feel like you could just do it yourself or have the maid-of-honor do it for you. But I will preach it loud and a million times over; so many people regret not hiring a wedding planner for their big day. If not working with a wedding planner; at the very least, they regret not hiring vendors to handle decor, DJing,

07/04/2023

What should each of your wedding party members reasonably expect to do on your wedding day?
(Swipe to read)

We know that we have to ask our friends and family to be a part of our bridal party; we can’t assume that they will want to do it. There’s a big time commitment, and often a

07/04/2023

Do you know the difference between the roles of wedding professionals? Sometimes the language around what wedding professionals do can be a little confusing. There are di

07/02/2023

Why do I care so much that you know how to save money on your wedding?
Like I said earlier this week,

06/30/2023

3 more tips for keeping your wedding costs low! 💍
(Swipe to read)

1. Flowers

06/29/2023

3 tips for keeping wedding costs low (slide to read)

1. Make a budget. Take the time to look at the big picture before you book anything; ANYTHING. Then from there, decide on your priorities. This will help to curb a whole lot of disappointment throughout the wedding planning process. Be upfront and real with your potential vendors, and they’ll let you know what they can and can’t do!

2. Remember that tradition is not law. You can do absolutely anything you want to (within reason of course!); it’s your wedding day. If you don’t want to wear a

06/27/2023

This isn’t a finance page; but I feel like on this topic, I can speak pretty con

06/23/2023

Congratulations to all the couples getting married this weekend! We’re so excited for you! 🩷💍

06/17/2023

Heading into our first two weddings of the season this weekend, but still dreaming about all the projects we got to be apart of in the off-season. This year so far has taught me to fill my calendar with all the things that make me come alive; and this is definitely part of that. I’m so excited to be looking back in a few months at another season in the books.

06/15/2023

We’re still swooning over this photo shoot 😍🤍

06/13/2023

Peep our decor behind Sydney looking at this gorgeous dress from Azazie. I hope you’re all ready to see this photoshoot in your feed for the next week (at least) cause I have been sooo excited to share!!
Photo credits:
Venue:
MUA: .by.abigail

06/11/2023

Happy 1 year anniversary Kristina and Stephen! 🤍

06/08/2023

I don't think that creating a vision board is a step that anyone overlooks in the wedding planning process (probably because it's so much fun! ). This is actually super important to the rest of the wedding planning process, and is also the very

06/02/2023

The sweetest way to start your forever❤️

Wedding season is quickly approaching and we couldn’t be more excited! 🥰

05/31/2023

The other night, one of my brides was mentioning how stressed she was with all the tiny details that still were left to be done. I’ve talked about how hiring a wedding planner will take away the stress surrounding the wedding process so that you can just enjoy. While I stand by that statement on the whole, I think it’s still accurate to say that there’s no way that I could ever help you avoid every single stress-point. Because a wedding is such a personal event, and each one has its own unique needs, it’s just true that there are still going to be a few items that fall to you to handle; except when it comes to the wedding day itself, where I don’t want to see you do a dang thing 😉

To be honest, even knowing that I can’t control everything, seeing a bride stressed can make me feel like I’m not doing my job. So I will always check in to make sure whether it’s something I can take off your plate! I’m confident that no one can handle everything for you. But we care so deeply about protecting the atmosphere of your wedding experience.

So here’s some things that I can guarantee to you 100% when you hire us:

1. Guidance. All of our extensive knowledge is at your disposal. If we don’t have the answer, we know where to get it!
2. Organization. We love to keep things neat and easy, and we’ll help you do the same!
3. Laughter. Nothing makes us happier, and there will always be a reason to laugh, even in the thick of it.
4. Walking with you through the stress. Like I said, it’s going to be near impossible for you to feel absolutely no discomfort at all during this process. But we are here for you to vent to, to ask questions, to keep you going. Leave everything that you possibly can in our hands, and we’ll help keep that stress at bay.

Along with all this, we’ll help you figure out if what you’re stressing about is actually something to stress about! And on the big day, we hope you can still look back and say that you enjoyed the process 💕

05/26/2023

A few weeks ago we were supposed to be a part of a styled shoot that unfortunately had to be postponed. Feeling like I still wanted to do something creative that week, I reached out to to see if she was available and she so graciously jumped in with both feet! She gave me the idea of using loft space as our studio, and she helped track down some models in the 11th hour. In two days, with Ellen Street’s help, we put this beautiful shoot together and I couldn’t be happier with it.
Walking into the day of, I still wasn’t 100% sure of how the elements I chose were all going to come together. Although they’re not an actual wedding venue, anyone who’s ever been to Ellen Street Floral and Goods knows that they just exude a clean, modern and peaceful atmosphere in their shop. So, I just knew that I wanted this shoot to echo that atmosphere; to be clean, modern, and beautiful in all its simplicity. Because we didn’t have too much planning time, a lot came together in the thick of it. But our models were so adaptable and easy to work with, and we all had such a good time working together.
When Kaitlyn sent me the gallery I think that I actually shed some tears! It is so incredible to see something you worked on looking so good in photos; and to have had the privilege of working with a photographer who took the time and care to capture everything so beautifully was such a delight. Not to mention how e

05/24/2023

where happily ever afters begin 🤍🌿💐

Photography by
Wedding venue

05/03/2023

03/28/2023

Keeping it Simple.

Minimalism is not a new concept when it comes to wedding decor, but it is definitely becoming more and more popular as an entire theme for the wedding day. I feel like there’s a general push in the world these days for us to simplify our lives, and I think the wedding industry is echoing that. There will always be people who enjoy grandeur, and there’s nothing wrong with that! But keeping things minimal can make just as much of a statement.

When it comes to decor, nothing says ‘minimalist’ more than choosing a monochromatic colour scheme. A simple white bouquet, a simple white cake, simple white floral details in your hair.

You could nix some of the classic traditions in favour of something easier or lighter. Instead of a sit-down meal, a cocktail reception. Instead of long speeches, have guests leave you a note. Instead of a big and public ceremony, invite just immediate family.

But don’t think that minimalism means giving up everything. It’s never all or nothing.

I wrote a little blog post about this that will release later today. Can’t wait to share some more thoughts! 😊

03/23/2023

We’re about 12 weeks out from our first wedding of the year! And I cannot wait to get back to working with vendors, smiling and laughing with families, and witnessing moments like this 💙

📸:
👰‍♀️:
⛪️: St. Patrick’s Catholic Church

03/15/2023

We still have limited dates available for 2023! We’d be happy to work with you 😊

02/24/2023

We posted quite a bit in our stories but we haven’t talked otherwise about our experience at the 😊

First and foremost, I am so excited to see the pictures that were captured throughout the day when they arrive because I know there were much, much better photographers there than me 😂 the above picture being Exhibit A.

We headed out early in the morning and it took about 2.5 hours before we were happy with our booth setup. And when the doors opened I really didn’t know what to expect, being that it was our first-ever show.

It was honestly overwhelming, but in all the best ways. We had the pleasure of meeting so many couples in all phases of the wedding process, and all with the unique joy on their faces that this stage of life can bring. We also got to meet tons of vendors, some we maybe have spoken with but never met face to face! And it was such a great reminder of how blessed we are to be a part of this industry.

Tear down always takes a very small amount of time in comparison to set-up; I’m talking minutes 😋 then we headed back for Miramichi! We learned so much about what we would do differently the next time, what we would keep the same, and more. I already can’t wait to do this again! 😊

02/09/2023

I’m at the airport with some extra time and some terrible lighting, so I thought ‘what a great time to share some personal thoughts!’ If you’re only here for the wedding content, feel free to scroll on!

2023 was actually a whole year in the making. I’ve talked before about 2022 being a year of preparing and it truly was. Most of my clients already know that this is my first full season being 100% in this business; no side jobs, no backups. This is it. And it took all of last year to prepare for that. Financially, mentally, emotionally; in every way. So needless to say, I’ve felt the pressure. And even with the success we’re seeing, I still struggle to believe that it was the right call. Sometimes I look at other people who are so busy they’re already booking into 2025; or they have thousands of Instagram followers, and I think to myself, ‘money and a huge following just can’t be the only way to know if what you’re doing is right/is working.’ I mean I know what I want to get out of this business; and maybe it just feels like it’s taking longer than it should. But man, the lows seem more frequent than the highs sometimes.

But then there are those days. When a client looks at me and says that I have given them a sense of peace surrounding their wedding day that they didn’t think was possible. That after we chat, they feel like a huge weight has been lifted off their shoulders. That they used to just want the day to be over with, and now they’re enjoying every moment of the planning process. I don’t know if I could ever explain to someone how much joy that fills me up with. The smiles on your faces; that’s confirmation for me that I’m right where I’m supposed to be. I believe that God created me with the gift of service; and when it comes down to it, I’m just hoping to be the kind of business owner He wants me to be. I think to give more than you take is the whole point of this life. And if that’s all that comes out of this, I think I’ll be happy with that. And the opportunities I get to cheer other wedding pros on as we all build our businesses alongside each other; that’s pure gold. We’re doin’ this thing. We got this.

01/31/2023

💍 Engagement season is nearly coming to a close, and we are so excited to see all the happy couples popping up! 💍

Wedding planning can easily become overwhelming, and we want to help as many of you as we can (even if you’re not our clients…although we hope you will be! ☺️).
So, we have a new series of reels planned for the next few weeks called ‘4 Questions to Ask Your Vendors.’ If you recently got engaged and you’re starting to plan your special day, or even if the big day is quickly approaching, we hope these little tips will maybe help you speed the booking process along.

See you soon! 💙
📸: c/o