Almost Married: Everything You Need to Know to Plan Your Dream Wedding

Hey ladies! (And listen up, gents: this one is for you as well!) The process of selecting engagement and wedding rings that perfectly represent your unique bond can - and should - be an enjoyable experience that you share together. For this episode Aly is on the line with Stephanie and Emily from Michael Hill Jeweller (https://www.instagram.com/michaelhillj/?hl=en) in Australia. This international company boasts 40 years in the industry, so today’s guests are here to share their expertise with you lucky listeners.  Which styles would best suit your tastes, but also your life? Although we may initially be drawn to what is popular, we may need to consider whether our rings will also work with our occupations. We also need to love them forever! Maybe choosing ‘timeless’ over ‘trendy’ works for you? Or personalizing something vintage and meaningful? Aly shares her own story of how she actually had to redesign her ring after-the- fact... (this is definitely not recommended!) Whatever selection you make, keeping a few key tips in mind can help ensure you'll love your rings for years to come and make sense for your real life adventures. Today's guests have insight on other super important shopping tips, including the ethics of where materials are sourced, “The Four Cs” (cut, colour, clarity, and carat), and how to start figuring out what the right style is for you. If you invest the time and thought now, your rings will make your hands and hearts happy for all of the blissful years to come. Thanks for listening! Make sure to follow Aly on Instagram @eventsbyaly (https://www.instagram.com/eventsbyaly/) for more tips & tricks to plan the wedding of your dreams.

Au natural? Uber-dramatic? Extensions? Lashes? Highlights? What are the current hair and makeup trends and how on earth are you going to make 100% sure that you’re looking flawless on the most photographed day of your life? The answer is always planning! As with other aspects of your wedding, the beautification of you and your bridal party requires research, a bit of practice, and mindful selection as to what best represents YOU. In this beauty episode, two Vancouver-based industry professionals are brought in for an informative Q&A session: hairstylist and extension guru Veronica Gomes, and makeup extraordinaire Jasmine Hoffman. They share their expertise about products, trends, important timelines, expenses, hiring etiquette, and (most importantly!) insisting on trial runs of everything. After all, you definitely don’t want any surprises as you’re preparing to walk down the aisle! Remember that it’s not just about photo-ready styling - it’s also about finding the perfect ‘fit’ of a beauty team that creates a stress-free experience for you and your bridesmaids. You’ll all be gorgeous, happy, confident, and ready to ‘wow’ the guests! Thanks for listening! Make sure to follow Aly on Instagram @eventsbyaly (https://www.instagram.com/eventsbyaly/) for more tips and tricks to plan the wedding of your dreams.

The tables have been turned around this week: Aly herself is in the hot seat answering all the questions you have about the nitty-gritty wedding planning process. Aly's husband Jordan joins in to ask Aly a long list of listener-submitted questions, including how much a wedding planner actually costs, what's the first thing you need to do when you get engaged (other than celebrate!), how long it really takes to plan a wedding, and so much more. Aly also tells the crazy story of planning a wedding under three weeks (which she does not recommend even though it's possible!) and how she   even hired a wedding planner for her own wedding. Thanks for listening! Make sure to follow Aly on Instagram @eventsbyaly (https://www.instagram.com/eventsbyaly/) for more tips & tricks to plan the wedding of your dreams. 

With the lead up to your wedding involving so many other celebrations -- bachelor and bachelorette parties, wedding and bridal showers, engagement parties, and (of course) many romantics dinners with your soon-to-be spouse -- it can be really tough to stay on track with your diet and fitness regime to ensure you look and feel great on your wedding day. On today's episode, Aly is joined by leading fitness and nutrition expert Phil Mackenzie from LeanSquad to chat about the basics you should focus on, and the "advice" you may hear from others that you can ignore! Phil explains how far in advance you have to really focus on your diet and exercise (aka how long you can put it off for!) and goes into detail on the cardio vs strength debate and what will give you the results you want. He also gives his thoughts on the trending KETO and intermittent fasting diets, how to handle portion control, and how approaching your fitness with your partner is sometimes the best motivator there is. Thanks for listening! You can follow Aly on Instagram @eventsbyaly (https://www.instagram.com/eventsbyaly/) , and if you'd like more information on Phil's LeanSquad, you can go to https://lean-squad.com

If there's one piece of advice you should take away from this week's episode it's this: do not (we repeat, DO NOT) do anything new to your skin right before your wedding day. Well, that and wear sunscreen every single day - even in the winter! We were so fortunate to be joined in the studio by Natasha from The Vanity Lab to chat about how to get that wedding day glow we know every bride is after. Natasha and Aly chat about the basics of at-home daily skincare and all the trends in clinical treatments, including peels, laser treatments and more. With her science-based background, Natasha is an incredible wealth of knowledge in all things skincare, and tells you which treatments to avoid, which to do ASAP, and which you can save a few bucks on by doing yourself at home! If you're interested in injectables such as Botox or fillers, she also runs through the ideal timeline you should aim for to ensure you don't have any mishaps for your big day. Also on this week's episode, Aly tells the shocking story of her own sister's skin scare on her wedding day, and Natasha (who is also a bride-to-be!) fills us in on a treatment she's getting that you for sure have never heard of! Thanks for listening! Make sure to follow Aly on Instagram @eventsbyaly (https://www.instagram.com/eventsbyaly/) for more tips & tricks to plan the wedding of your dreams. 

After finding the man or woman of your dreams that you want to say "I do" to, the next big item on many brides' minds is finding the dress of their dreams. Yes, we mean the dress. With all the lace and glitter (or lack of lace and glitter!) that you've always visualized for yourself on this momentous occasion. Instead of just popping into the first wedding dress shop you stumble upon, you should have a plan in place on what you're looking for: budget, the setting of your wedding, and your own personal inclinations of what you love and don't love. Ironically, however, you should also have a plan to  potentially abandon your plan. Not when it comes to your budget or musts for functionality, but when it comes to style. Wedding dress consultants literally spend their lives looking at bridal fashion and helping brides like yourself find the dress that makes them feel on top of the world. Be receptive and open minded -- you may surprise yourself! Two of these such consultants, Colleen and Natasha from Bisou Bridal in Vancouver, BC, have joined Aly for today's podcast to give some really incredible insight on all the things you should know and start thinking about before saying yes to that dress: how far in advance do you need to choose a dress? When is the final fitting if you need to get something adjusted? How much does a dress really cost? If you have a tight budget, how can you still get an amazing dress? And what is in and out of fashion in 2019? Thanks for listening! Make sure to follow Aly on Instagram at @eventsbyaly (https://www.instagram.com/eventsbyaly/) for more tips & tricks to plan the wedding of your dreams.

We know how it is: you're all over Pinterest, leafing through your favourite wedding magazines, and have a laundry list of wedding blogs saved on your browser's bookmarks -- all in pursuit to not only create the wedding of your dreams, but to capture it in a way that you'll be able to enjoy for years - and generations - to come. Let's just say it -- hiring a wedding photographer is a BIG DEAL. You're literally trusting that this person or team of people can not only deliver the look and feel of photos you love and ensure you look your best ever (come on, all this hair & makeup & dress cannot go wasted!), but also capture all your loved ones on this incredible day. This week, Aly is joined by the incredibly talented Vancouver-based wedding photographer Kristy Ryan, one half of the husband-and-wife duo behind Blush Wedding Photography (http://blushweddingphotography.org) . Kristy and Aly not only walk you through how the choose the right photographer, if or if not you should do "first look" photos, and the details you should understand (think timelines, hours, pricing, etc.), but also what they loved most (and least!) about their photography experiences at their own weddings. Thanks for listening! Make sure to follow Aly on Instagram at @eventsbyaly (https://www.instagram.com/eventsbyaly/) for more tips & tricks to plan the wedding of your dreams.