I am excited to be featuring Kalos Floral Design on the blog today. I met the owner, Jessica, many years ago when we attended the same church and youth group. It was a joy to see where life has taken her over the past years: marriage, her first child, and starting her own floral design business. Enjoy some lovely photos and an interview with Jessica. 

Who are you? My name is Jessica, owner of Kalos Floral Design.

Why did you start doing weddings? Flowers are pretty much in my blood. My grandfather worked as a floral wholesaler, and his business was passed down to his four sons, one of whom being my Dad, who has continued to work in the flower business for well over 30 years. Throughout my teen years I worked part-time for his business arranging flowers.  After I had my daughter, I took the step to start my business doing wedding flowers. I love the extra room for creativity and design that weddings allow, and it is such a fun occasion to be a part of creating!

What is your favourite part of working in the wedding industry? I love seeing everything come together on the wedding day. From the bride herself to the ceremony and reception sites, it’s so much fun seeing all the hard work and planning come together.

Any advice for brides and grooms who are currently planning their wedding? It seems that more and more brides and grooms are really having to plan on a budget. Whether you are on a tight budget or not, take some time to do a little bit of research about what kind of look you would like for your flowers, but also utilize your florist! We know a lot about when flowers are in season, what types of flowers maybe be in or out of your budget, and ways to be creative to give you the look you are wanting within the price point that you feel comfortable. Basically, have some ideas, but try your best to remain flexible.

A random fact (or two) about yourself. Red wine and dark chocolate.  Need I say more?

Today's vendor feature is Salon Fifty Five, a local hair salon that offers hair styling to brides and their bridal party. Check out their Facebook page for references to each stylists work! Follow their page as they are constantly sharing hairstyles and they even have the odd random contest.

All day, on February 17, 2012, I felt nervous. Nic had been hyping up our "surprise" date so much and I had a sneaky feeling that he would propose. However, I kept telling myself that I shouldn't expect an engagement. I was worried that I'd be disappointed. But no matter how many times I told myself to NOT expect a proposal on this date, I couldn't help but still feel anxious and expectant.

My meal came, but I had lost my appetite because of the nerves. My steak was extremely under cooked, which I discovered as I cut into it and blood gushed out. I don't do well with blood and had it sent back to the kitchen to be remade. Once it was returned, I could only manage a few bites. I kept expecting Nic to drop to one knee in the restaurant, or for a plate of dessert with the writing "will you marry me?" to appear. But it never happened. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. We ate our food, paid our bill, and left. No proposal. And I was so disappointed. 

On the ride back to his house, I held back tears as I said: "I thought you were going to propose tonight." Nic came up with some ridiculous excuse about how dinner was just his way of thanking me for all I had done to help get his car on the road. We got back to his house and he invited me in. I stayed for half an hour and we watched a TV show. I left as soon as the episode ended. The ride home was filled with sad Adele songs and an overwhelming sense of disappointment. The lump in my throat wouldn't go away, but I refused to cry. When I got home, I sat in my car for a few minutes to gather my thoughts and then I headed inside. I was upset and didn't want to talk to anyone, so I tried to sneak inside and rush upstairs. My mom asked a few questions along the way and I mumbled my answers as I ran up to my bedroom.

But when I got to my bedroom door, the door was closed. The door was never closed. A sign greeted me that read: "for all those times I never bought you flowers." I slowly opened my bedroom door to find many bouquets of flowers on my desk. Roses, tulips, lisianthus, wax flowers, mums, lilies and my favourite: my own orchid plant (like I'd always talked about wanting). I was in shock. I stood in front of the flowers and didn't know what to do. I looked around the room, trying to find someone to explain this, though I knew full well what was to come.  

I met Andrew in college, and have been privileged to watch his photography business, Andrew Lukianiuk Photography, grow and expand over the years. He and I have worked weddings together several times now, and he's always fantastic to work with. His photography is excellent, and I would definitely recommend checking out what he has to offer. Feel free to read the following blog post to learn more about this talented photographer. 

I must start this blog by admitting that I love my job! I love the many people I have the privilege of meeting through event planning, and I love that I've had the opportunity to connect with many amazing vendors for vendor features on the blog. Today's vendor feature is Jordan & Calsie of JordanOrbek DJ & Photobooth. They are a talented duo that work together to provide entertainment for weddings and events. Feel free to learn more about them in the following blog post. 

Who are you? Jordan & Calsie Oorebeek from JordanOrbek DJ & Photobooth.

Why did you start doing weddings? We decided to bring together both of our strengths and passions to start this business as a team. Jordan is a recording engineer and music producer and it was second nature to him when he began to DJ. Calsie works in the wedding industry in a few different capacities and has always loved weddings and event planning. 

What is your favourite part of working in the wedding industry? We have so much fun being involved in such a special day in people's lives. We appreciate everyone who was involved in our wedding and want to be a part of making each couple's day just as wonderful as ours was.

Any advice for brides and grooms who are currently planning their wedding? Try to meet in person (if possible) with the vendors involved in your wedding. We suggest this with all of our clients. This puts your mind at ease as the bride and groom, and gives us a chance to get to know you, as well as how you want your wedding day to go.  

A random fact (or two) about yourself. Jordan claims to hate board games but dominates at Monopoly every times he plays (which frustrates his competitive wife). Calsie had a mini two-person Ferris Wheel in her backyard growing up.