Mike & Kim’s Winnipeg Wedding

Mike & Kim Geswin
Married August 16, 2008
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Boy Meets Girl -  Kim and Mike first met seven  years ago when Kim, who was just finishing high school, started work at a Food Fare store in the deli department where Mike had been working for a year.  “Mike was really funny,” says Kim.  “We got along very well.  We would hang out together and laugh a lot.  Our first date was on Valentine’s Day six years ago. We went to a movie.”

On Bended Knee – On July 16, 2006, Mike came over to Kim’s house. It was a week before her birthday.  “He said he had an early birthday present for me,” Kim says.

Kiss The Bride – Kim and Mike had an outdoor wedding with standard vows.  The marriage commissioner was a former neighbour of Kim’s family.  “It was very relaxed,” Kim says.  “Our two-year-old daughter stood with us and held my hand.”

Fabulous Details – We had a buffet dinner after ceremony at the country club in Winnipeg.  “Mike’s sister had a buffet dinner at the same country club after her Winnipeg wedding in 2004,” Kim says. “We liked the idea. With a buffet, our guests could eat as much or as little as they wanted.” Kim’s mother baked the wedding cake.  She made a three-tiered black velvet cake with fondant icing.

Their Time Away – A trip to Mexico or Cuba is still to come at a later date.

Text by Myron Love
Photography by First Class Photography

Raw Foods On The Menu?

Dear Diva,

We are planning our wedding for Sept. 10, 2010 and our biggest challenge is planning the menu. We would like our menu to include a generous amount of healthy raw food choices. What is the best way to incorporate raw foods into a wedding menu that everyone will enjoy?

Lisa C.
Winnipeg, MB

With many people becoming more health and environmentally conscious in recent years, this is becoming a common question among brides. Some brides have gone as far as to plan an entire menu of raw and vegan dishes while others are simply working healthier foods into the menu as often as possible.

The key to creating a menu that includes plenty of raw foods but is still guest-friendly is to offer plenty of choices so that you have something everyone will enjoy. Talk to your caterer about a buffet style meal that offers fruit and veggie platters and a wide variety of raw fruit and vegetable salads. If you prefer a plated meal offer a combination of side dishes that includes a green salad, a fruit salad and raw vegetables with dip. You may want to offer a selection of raw snack foods like raisins, nuts or sunflower seeds in small bowls on each table for guests to snack on during the evening.

You can also talk to your baker about a raw food wedding cake option. These are becoming quite popular and there are dozens of tasty varieties available.

For more great ideas, talk to your caterer and wedding planner. An experienced wedding planner or caterer has most likely faced this situation before and will be able to give you even more ideas.

Be Fabulous,

The Wedding Diva

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Have a question for The Wedding Diva?

Email your questions to diva@imaginemagazine.ca

Reflexology & The Stress Free Bride

Are you feeling a little grumpy before your wedding?

Do you know what stress actually does to your body…?

1. Stress increases your blood pressure which could compromise your kidney function;

2. In some cases, the human body responds to stress by shutting down the gastro-intestinal tract, preventing it from processing food and providing our body with the daily nutrition it needs to function properly;

3. Stress causes the liver to release an excess of glucose and fatty acids into the blood stream. The body is then forced to produce significant amounts of insulin to deal with the excess. Over time, this will cause unnecessary fluctuations in blood sugar levels, leading to hypoglycemia and diabetes in some cases. The extra glucose turns to fat since no muscular work was performed to burn it off. In addition, the fatty acids can clog your arteries when unused;

4. Stress exhausts your adrenal glands since they are responsible for producing the hormones which enable the body to deal with stress;

How can Reflexology help?

Through application of pressure on the more than 7200 nerve endings found in each of the feet, Reflexology helps one relax, relieves tension, reduces stress, encourages self-healing by re-establishing the natural balance of the body, improves circulation which rids toxins found in the body and helps healing crises pass more quickly.

What’s more, Reflexology boosts the immune system, promoting a healthy functioning, harmonized system.
Regularly practicing Reflexology will help put the body in a relaxed state, balancing one’s energies and encouraging the body to heal itself without any adverse side effects.

Physical and psychological stress can build up over time and make it impossible for the body to find an internal balance. Help your body restore its natural health and vitality holistically and book a Reflexology treatment with us today!

Text By: Cherilyne Robitaille
Zealous MediSpa

Presentation Preferred?

My fiance and I have lived together for almost 3 years and find we have most of what we would normally register for. Is it tacky to say presentation preferred on our invitations? If so, how do we go about wording this and making it known to the guests that it is preferred?

Kaleigh

A wedding invitation should never indicated that a gift is required or expected in any way. Gift preferences and registry information should never be included on or with the invitations. That being said, there are a number of other options to help spread the word that are more acceptable.

1. Word Of Mouth: Most of your guests will ask your family members and wedding party members for gift ideas. Make sure that your close family and friends are aware of your preferences and ask them to help spread the word by sharing that information with guests.

2. Bridal Shower Invitations: Unlike a wedding invitation, a bridal shower invitation automatically implies that a gift is required. That is, after all, the reason for the shower. It is acceptable to sharegift preferences and registry information in a bridal shower invitation.

3. Your Wedding Website: Many brides are choosing to set up websites or blogs to share wedding planning information and updates with their guests. This is the perfect place to include gift information with guests.

Remember, no matter what you choose to do to spread the word, you will always have a few guests who prefer to bring a gift anyway. Make sure that thank you cards are sent for those gifts and cash gifts alike.

Be Fabulous,

The Wedding Diva