Return of the Jessie

After a few months of recuperating post-wedding and working hard at my position as design editor at Style At Home, I am happy to write that I am going to take a crack at keeping the blog up amidst the craziness that is my life. It will be a fun way to give sneak peaks of what I’m working on at the magazine, the progress of decorating projects I have on the go, and more of the same old jessica claire’s world shenanigans that you have so enjoyed over the past 4 years.

To bring you up to speed, the wedding was simply divine. I hope to share more photos with you eventually, but until then these snapshots from the amazing Storey Wilkins will suffice.

As if being a newlywed wasn’t exciting enough, Dave and I also bought bought a house in a wonderful neighbourhood. The catch is that it needs some major reno’s (the photo of the log cabin which was transplanted into the basement sort of speaks for itself, no?) The house hasn’t been touched in decades - we’re talking no central air, knob and tube wiring, asbestos…the works! – so you could say we have our work cut out for us. I can’t wait to dig in and get started so I’ll be sure to update you on the madness as it progresses.

In the meantime, here are some of the latest CityLine episodes I taped this year, including segments covering spring decorating and entertaining ideas, a creative shoe display idea and other stories inspired by the current issues of Style At Home.

Happy viewing!

(wedding photos by storey wilkins)

Bridal Fashion Week

It’s been quite a few months since I shared the good news about our engagement, so I am excited to say that the big day is just over 2 weeks away and I finally have my first fitting tomorrow at White for my Reem Acra dress.

It was very tough choosing a dress because I was torn between two equally gorgeous and enticing styles, so I cannot wait until tomorrow when I finally get to see my final pick.

To help spread wedding fever, here are ten of my favourite dresses thus far from Bridal Fashion Week in NYC:

The lace overlay in this Ines De Santo is breathtaking- love the peekaboo effect on the décolletage- demure yet daring!

Sophisticated glamour - this Rivini dress still feels bridal and soft, despite it’s architectural layered skirt.

Reem Acra’s shimmering stunner is perfect for a retro Hollywood glamour fete – the beaded cap sleeve is so lovely.

Simple and elegant from Carolina Herrera- understated glamour at its best for a no-fuss look

This beauty by Claire Pettibone looks like a gem from another era- such gorgeous detailing on the neckline!

This Lazaro trumpet combines such marvellous textures – like walking down the aisle on a cloud!

In white it suits a high-fashion bride, but in black, this Vera Wang work of art would totally look at home on the red carpet

Be cuter Monique Lhuillier, I dare you - I want this dress in every colour…

For the high-glitz bride who can’t resist pretty shiny things- I love the unusual scale pattern on this Ines De Santo ballgown

This asymmetrical Amasale makes a statement with its beautiful pearly finish and dramatic lines

(all images from Martha Stewart Weddings)

Jessie’s Girls

My bridesmaids blew me away a couple of weeks ago by throwing me the most creative and original stagette ever! An homage to my early days as a rock’n’roll enthusiast, they planned an amazing night taking me on a crazy trip down memory lane.

Starting with a clever dinner with a menu named for some of my favourite bands over the years (awesome examples: “Linda’s Killers Caesar Salad” and “Macaroon5’s”), we gathered at my sister Marlie’s condo, which had been plastered with pictures of me in my band-crazed days for some fun and games.

No detail was spared with the presentation and decor - they even had special cupcakes made by the Duchess of Dough!

After dinner, donning t-shirts printed “Almost Married”and tattoo sleeves, we boarded my very own tour bus with and armfuls of inflatable guitars ready to visit special landmarks my maids chose to mark my indie rock days. Each one was a surprise and was preceded with a hysterical poem about its significance.

Once on the bus, they took it one step further by making me change into my super embarrassing token concert outfit that seemed cool to me in 2003. Yikes!

One of the stops was the Opera House, my most favourite venue ever,  and I don’t think I’ll ever live down wearing a veil and sash while watching thrash metal in the sound booth!

Another stop, Stone’s Place, was a festive dance party, where we boogied to an amazing playlist that had us working up quite the sweat! 

Thanks girls for an incredible bachelorette! I’m so lucky to have such an amazing crew who worked so hard to throw me such an unforgettable night!

Smile You’re Engaged!

A popular option most couples opt for these days is to take engagement portraits with their wedding photographer. It not only offers a chance to work together prior to the big day so you can iron out any kinks, but it also lets you get comfortable in front of the camera with your fiancée. For my portraits, I always knew I wanted to part with the usual hum drum jeans and white shirt sessions you see everyday and try something fun and different. Luckily Dave put on his accommodating hat again and indulged me and our photographer Storey Wilkins!

We started in the apartment where the setee got some cheeky action (and lucille snuck in there too!), and then moved outside into our neighbourhood to hang out by a blooming cherry tree I had scouted. (Storey and I timed the shoot in May to take advantage of the gorgeous blooms)

But the real fun began when we unleashed the mammoth bunch of balloons I had ordered (inspired by the whimsy and plain old prettiness of the Miss Dior Cherie ad that Sofia Coppola created)

We had a great time and are thrilled with the end results.

Thank you Storey!

(all photos by Storey Wilkins)

Bouquets of the Non-Blooming Variety

They do exist! Thanks to Forever Bouquets & Accessories, the recently-blossomed brainchild of Toronto local Emily Pike, brides can opt to carry stunning bouquets made of vintage jewellery and other bits and baubles if they’re not into the usual floral option.

Forever Bouquets & Accessories came to life when Emily wanted to forgo using flowers at her wedding and was thinking of other items to substitute in for the expected blossoms. Daring to be different after working in the bridal industry for years at Lift Beauty Boutique, she had her heart set on carrying a vintage jewelled clutch down the aisle - but decided she needed a compromise that would still give her the desired traditional vibe.

Enter her genius idea to combine the two for a bejewelled bouquet with a twist. Emily raided her own stash of costume  jewellery  for sentimental items such as her very first watch and a set of chandelier earrings that she wore to prom, and also asked her friends and family if they had anything that they could offer into the mix. After rounding out the various baubles with filler from crafts and antique stores, she had her very own custom meaningful bouquet that totally wowed her guests (including me) at the ceremony!

The overwhelmingly positive response from guests and other brides who saw her innovative creation has boomed into a new business, which also includes beautiful accessories.

Brides can work with Emily to customize the look and contents of their bouquets for their own unique bridal style statement or order headbands and other headpieces for their themselves or bridesmaids as well.

Check out Forever Bouquets & Accessories’s facebook page to get in touch with Emily and check out more of her creations.

(top two images by Storey Wilkins photography)

Engagement Party Cookie Favours

Our engagement party that my generous parents threw for us was last weekend and it was absolutely wonderful! Dave and I had smiles plastered across our faces the entire night and both of our families and friends had an amazing time.

In addition to making sure the soiree incorporated some of my favourite things, such as pink peonies and signature cocktails, I also dove headfirst into the Martha-inspired task of making homemade sugar cookie favours for an edible and memorable save the date treat to our guests.

Inspired by our silhouettes that we used on our invitations by Paper Ideas, I had custom cutters made by Victor Trading Co to match our eerily accurate profiles. My mother and I made 12 batches of my favourite sugar cookie dough, baked them up and then iced them over four very long nights. Rolling them all out took twice as long as anticipated (my pesky ponytail didn’t want to cooperate) and piping them first and then flooding later with the royal icing proved to be super time-consuming! We packaged them in cello bags with a scalloped card backing to help protect them from breaking and tied them up with black and white grosgrain and the little save the date card.

Despite my incessant borching throughout the lengthy process, the favours turned out great so here are some snaps I took of the cookies out of their packaging and next to our invite so you can get a closer look of our hard work:

PS- this weekend we also had our engagement portrait session with our wedding photographer Storey Wilkins!  We got dressed up and had some fun with nature and props, so I can’t wait to share some proofs when they come in :)

Decor Spotting in Bridal Fashion Ads

You can take the bride out of the decorator but you can’t take the decorator out of the bride!

As I flip through the pages of my endless pile of bridal mags, I can’t help but ooh and aah over the little decor moments I spot in the various fashion advertisements.

Take for instance the gallery wall hiding behind this Judd Waddell gown. You don’t always see a gallery wall aligned perfectly into a linear shape so it definitely caught my eye!

The Parisian parquet flooring and marshmallow and buttercream yellow painted panelled walls made me pause in this Ivy and Aster ad.

The princess and the pea vibe of this Lela Rose Bridesmaid for Dessy ad made me swoon with its pretty pink floral wallpaper and various fabrics used for the mattresses. The mix of ticking, various sheen levels and bold patterns would make any boho gal swoon with delight!

The stacked gold chiavari chairs and tone on tone paneled walls seen in this Liancarlo ad are very in tune with my own bridal vision.  Love the dress too!

Pearls For My Girls

I am very lucky to have an amazing group of close girlfriends and family to call my bridesmaids.  I was stumped trying to imagine a clever way to ask them to stand next to me on my special day, so I decided to combine the bridesmaid gift with “the ask”…

  

The result is a riff on Lu Lu Guiness’s mantra, “Put on Your Pearls Girls” which alluded to their present: a vintage pearl necklace which they will each don the day of the wedding.

I handmade the cards, using an archival image of Jackie O’s bridal party that I found online showing her maids all in pearls too! (not that I’m Jackie-O material but it doesn’t hurt to try and channel her class act on this important occasion). I used my trusty doily-lace scallop-edge punch from Martha for the top detail and finished it off with a single ivory bloom sticker with a pearl pistil. I wrapped the boxes in black and white tissue and a hand-tied ballet pink satin bow completed it all perfectly (could this be a clue to my colours perhaps…)

More wedding posts will be coming up so keep reading if you’re feeling bridally-inclined!

Cake Opera Co: A Symphony of Sweets

One of my absolute favourite booths at The Wedding Show last weekend came courtesy of local pastry genius’s The Cake Opera Co. I had scoped out the website very briefly prior to the show after reading in one of the tabloids that they created the cake for Nicole Richie and Joel Madden, but I still was awe-struck after seeing the creations live and in person at the show. Not only were they gorgeous, but they had an eccentric couture twist to the designs that I hadn’t seen from the other cake bakers at the show.

After sampling the incredible red velvet cake and meeting Alexandria and Jessica, the dynamic duo behind Cake Opera Co., I proceeded to spend an inordinate amount of time on their website ogling all the literal goodies!

From the first image of a graffiti’d Marie Antoinette that greets you on the homepage, to all the detail shots of their desserts, it was hard to pick my favourites! Check out these unbelievable works of art:

Not just one-trick ponies, Cake Opera Co. go way beyond the confines of cake:

Butter cookies, cupcakes, croquemboche, meringues, macaroon towers and marshmallows are just some of the other tasty and gorgeous treats they can customize to perfection!

Cake Opera Co. will combine any number of their fanciful desserts into operetta tables to complement the theme of your event –  it’s edible set design! Check out their retail storefront and concept studio at  1136 Eglinton Avenue West to see (and taste!) for yourself.