Each year, the The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada kicks off the new season with a lavish and beautiful soiree intended to celebrate the accomplishments of event planner alumni across Canada. This year, the WPIC pulled out all of the stops with a stunning display at the Mississauga Convention Centre. A whole host of Toronto’s top vendors came together to make the 2018 WPIC Kick-Off event better than ever before! Take a peek at the highlights below artfully captured by Sara Kardooni with video by our friends at Naturally Captured.
Tracey Manailescu of Tracey M Events, and Danielle Andrews of The Wedding Planners, are the co-founders of the WPIC, both strong proponents of continuous improvement and education among wedding professionals in both Canada and across the world. As planners, we’re mostly acting behind the scenes and so rarely do we get the opportunity to socialize and network with one another. With this in mind, it’s always great to get together, talk shop, enjoy each others’ successes and catch up. It also doesn’t hurt that each kick-off is beautifully appointed and full of delicious food and drink. This year’s enchanted theme was no exception, with three incredible and diverse tablescapes hand-selected by Danielle and Tracey. Each table felt trendy and luxurious, each offering its own unique and stylistic vibe.
Tracy at First Comes Love Weddings & Floral Designs had an elegant, upscale, rustic-glam feel with delicate candle lighting and gorgeous floral pieces.
Opulence Wedding Design used tall, ornate centerpieces which paired perfectly with the incomparable selection of chair rentals from Detailz and stunning linens from Linen Closet.
DT Floral & Décor went full-blown romantic with big, bold floral arches paired with delicate glass tea light holders – a definite wow factor!
Complete with an assortment of hors d’oeuvres, the MCC crafted an elegant three-course feast delightful to the eye and the palette. I enjoyed the creative display of the starter course, which included a Scallop BLT and an Unagi Sushi Pizza. The MCC is always able to capture my heart with their bountiful plates and wonderful staff. The dessert was a Pear Mascarpone Cheesecake Tart that almost made me cry.
This was a particularly special year because it marked the inaugural run of the WPIC Alumni Awards, and the talent in the room was immense. It was very gratifying to see so many well-deserving planners and designers receive their dues. Highlights included the Best Tablescape (August In Bloom), Onsite Wedding Coordinator of the Year (The Waterside Inn), Wedding Designer of the Year (Paras Events) and Wedding Planner of the Year (Jessica Lisi Events).
Stage decor and step and repeat created by In The 6ix Weddings
Always on the hunt for new and inspiring ideas, the WPIC sought out the Edible Balloons Group to introduce us to the world of edible balloons! This display was so much fun to watch and each balloon tasted like cotton candy!
The handsome guys from played their hearts out and we ate up every moment of it. I loved their coordination and their high energy performances. They played back-in-time favourites and had the crowd on their feet the entire time. Their stage presence was simply unreal!
Brent Miller LIVE set the tone perfectly entrancing the crowd with their local flair of upbeat favourites, including the always crowd-pleasing Mario theme! I loved the WPIC hashtag letters, provided by Marquee Marc and the dance floor decal created by DFD Event Solutions.
Mallory Cheung and Michael Coombs each sporting their WPIC Wedding Award.
As the old adage goes, it takes a village to put together any successful event, and the annual WPIC Kick-Off is no exception. Each year this wonderful event gets better and more beautiful, and I’m so happy and privileged to be apart of an organization that recognizes and celebrates the industry’s accomplishments! Hats off to Tracey and Danielle for yet another successful kickoff, and a huge thank you to all of the incredible vendors and sponsors who gave their time, talent and energy for all of us!
