Join us at our new online home!

We're pleased to announce that we've moved to our new online home at jessehlers.com .  Please join us there for updates and inspiration!

One Month Old!

This little cutie was born a month ago today!  Thanks to Alvina for the beautiful photo shoot!  Alvina was super patient with little Lochley, who refused to go to sleep, but she managed to take some beautiful photos when he finally closed his eyes :).

Please check out her blog for the rest of the photos.

Meet Lochley!

I've been absent for a while now, but I'm excited to be back to work!  Hello!  I hope you are all well and wedding plans are coming along fabulously for you.

June 11th we were blessed with a baby boy.  My husband and I and our five-year-old are thrilled to have this wiggly little baby around.  I have a few posts about the baby lined up, including some fabulous photos, I hope that's ok!  Labour was induced and miserable and took us minutes away from a c-section as the baby's heart rate dropped and we had a few scary moments (the cord was wrapped around his neck twice!)...and then suddenly my body was ready and he was born!

We had amazing midwives and doctors and  nurses, and even though I really really did not want to go Health  Sciences (or any hospital), we were really impressed with all the people involved.

We wanted an uncommon but familiar sounding name, and leaned towards Scottish sounding names (I also like boys names that start with "L" for some reason).  We ended up with Lochley after learning that my Great-Grandparents were married in a town called Lochgelly, Scotland.  My Grandpa was alright with the shortened version, and so that's what we went with!  Do you know how hard it is to think of names for a tiny human that you've never met?  It's hard.  As I use his name more, and nicknames like "Loch" and "Lochie" I love it more and more all the time.

I hope you're having a wonderful Summer and I'll be blogging again about some of our gorgeous weddings soon!

Chai Banquet Winnipeg

My husband volunteers at a fantastic Winnipeg organization called Chai, and I've had the pleasure of decorating for a couple of their banquets over the years.

Chai is a program for new immigrants to attend that helps them to practise their English, connect with Canadians, and learn about what life is like in Canada.  Each week has a very practical presentation from a qualified person - for example a police officer talking about how to contact police and what they do (imagine coming from a country where the police force is corrupt to Canada, where they are here to help), someone who works in housing talking about home repair, rent, etc., and a career counselor talking about finding a job.  And the best part is that the volunteers don't just talk - they help by connecting with immigrants and looking for job postings, housing, and sometimes advocating for them or helping with meetings, paperwork. etc.

Please check out more on the Chai program by clicking here.

You may know that my family spent a year in Bolivia, and although we weren't completely starting a new life in a new country as many immigrants to Canada are, we really appreciated help from those who knew what market to shop at, emergency phone numbers, doctors, and lawyers to help with our visa process.

Focus Manitoba Interview!

We were thrilled to be interviewed by Focus Manitoba about one of our favourite stationery companies, Botanical Paperworks.

The segment aired last weekend, and you can see it by clicking here!

Bar Mitzvah Coordination!

Talia Potash Photography

Last weekend we had the pleasure of coordinating our very first Bar Mitzvah.  I really enjoyed working with this family as they celebrated their oldest of 3 boys.  The game show theme was a huge hit, and everyone enjoyed spinning the game wheel to win fabulous prizes, and the Gates on Roblin was the perfect venue!

Please check out more photos on Talia Potash's blog here, and if you are planning a Bar/Bat Mitzvah or other party, please contact us here!

The amazing vendor team included:
The Gates on Roblin
Retro Flipbooks
Bob's Photobooth
Talia Potash Photography
Superb Entertainment
Sweet C Bakery

Date for Eight Launch Party

Last week we had the pleasure of helping with a launch party for Date for Eight, a fabulous new dating service that eliminates the awkwardness of one-on-one dates by setting people up in groups of eight.

Date for Eight held its Winnipeg launch with a great party at Boa Lounge. Here's a few pictures of the event, all photography is by chronic creative:

Earth Day Links!

 Tracey Kiansky Photography

Happy Earth Day!  Here's just a few of our favourite local, eco-friendly businesses:

Botanical Paperworks - Stationery made from 100% post consumer waste paper, locally made in Winnipeg with wildflower seeds embedded in it.

Vintage Bling - Beautiful jewelry made from vintage pieces.

Tall Grass Prairie - Cakes & catering made from local, organic, quality ingredients

Berns & Black - Natural, chemical free hair products.

Fort Whyte Alive

Qualico Centre

Featured on Alvina Grace Photography Blog!

Thanks to Alvina Grace Photography for the wonderful feature about With a Flourish on her blog!

Click here to check it out!

Winnipeg Wedding Set-Up

Happy Monday!  I'm excited to share a new service we've been offering for this year, and are already booking for 2014.  It's a very small version of our Day-Of Coordination, and it's perfect for people getting married at venues that have a small window of time to set-up (for example, churches that open right when you want to be putting your dress on, or reception venues that open while you'd like to be getting photos taken).  Here's what we're including:

A venue walkthrough to go over details
Confirming details with all vendors who will be arriving while we are setting up on the wedding day
2 hours of set-up on the wedding day

This service is booking up quickly, but we do have some Fall dates available!  Contact us to set up an initial consultation!

Winter Glam Photo Shoot: Part 3

Happy Friday! Here's the rest of the photos from our Winter shoot!  Thanks to Alvina Grace Photography, Labelle's Bridal, Laugh Love Cakes, Accessible Elegance, Purple Peony, Cas Klassen, The Little Linen, and Sweetness Stationery.

Winter Glam Photo Shoot Part 2

Today we've got photos of the two tables we set up for the shoot.  Thanks to the following businesses for their creativity: Alvina Grace Photography, Labelle's Bridal Boutique, Purple Peony, Accessible Elegance, Sweetness Stationery and The Little Linen!

Featured on Wedding Obsession!

Over the Winter, Alvina of Alvina Grace Photography and I spent several chilly days coming up with ideas for a photo shoot.  And today we're SO EXCITED that the shoot is on Wedding Obsession, a Canadian wedding blog that I love.

Head on over and check it out! http://bit.ly/YNQ2xq

I'll blog the full shoot later, but for now I want to give a shoutout to the amazing vendors involved:

Photography: Alvina Grace Photography
Design: With a Flourish / Alvina Grace Photography
Venue: Fort Gibraltar
Desserts: Laugh Love Cakes
Dress: Labelle’s Bridal
Linens & Stationery: The Little Linen
Flowers: Purple Peony
Chairs: Accessible Elegance
Makeup: Makeup by Cas
Hair: Yalda Walizada

Throw an Awesome Launch Party!

A launch party is a great way to promote your new business and make a great first impression.  Here's a few of our top tips for making it a success:

1.  Consider your brand.  If you're a luxury business, hold your party in a high end establishment.  If you run a business that caters to children, consider a park or a party room.  If you want your launch party to attract neighbouring businesses, hold it during lunch, coffee break, or just after work hours.  If it makes more sense to have only media there, have a super special "media launch".

2.  Collaborate.  Since you're a new business, collaborating is a great way to get more guests to your party...if you have live entertainment, a caterer, etc., they can invite their connections to the party as well.  If you're opening a coffee shop, you could invite a local artist to display their art, etc.

3.  Create an experience.  Live music, specialty drinks, entertainment such as a wandering magician or artist give people something to talk about.  If you're in the sports industry, consider getting a couple pro-athletes from your city to come.  If you're in fashion, have a fashion show or models wearing your designs.

4.  Educate your guests.  You want them to learn all about your new business, so be sure to have great materials for them to take, do a live demo or short presentation to make sure everyone knows exactly what you do, so they can go out and share with everyone they know. 

5.  Contact the media.   If you can get a writeup in the paper or a spot on the news or radio, that is great advertising, and be sure to hype up your event!  Don't forget about bloggers, there are probably a few in your city or industry that have large followings.  Try to get personal RSVP's.  And be sure to send out a reminder before the event.  And p.s, good food and drinks is always, always a good hook :).

What are we missing?  What are your tips for throwing a launch party?

How did you announce your engagement?

Happy Friday Everyone! 

I have a question that I'm wondering if you can help me with - when you got engaged, who did you call personally and who did you let find out through the grapevine?  When did you post your new status on facebook?

When I got engaged, I called my parents and 2 or 3 best friends, and stopped at my in-laws house that same night.  I told my grandparents the next morning, and by the end of the day, pretty well everyone had heard.  Facebook wasn't a thing, and I was pretty late to the texting game, so there wasn't a way for us to send out the information to everyone at once.

What do you think the correct order is?  If you posted to facebook before telling people personally, were any feelings hurt?  Let me know in the comments!

Our Oscar's Best Dressed

Happy Monday!  Well, I admit that I was out last night and didn't watch the Oscar's, and that the only nominated movie I've seen so far is Silver Linings Playbook.  But I do love a good gown, and here are some of my favourites:

I thought Jessica Chastain looked amazing in this sleek bronze dress and red lips:

This gown on Amy Adams didn't get a very good response on twitter, but I really love the fit and the texture...I think it would make a fantastic bridal gown:

Regular readers know I love a good sparkle, and this dress on Naomi Watts is super interesting:

I'm a huge fan of Octavia Spencer, so I love almost everything she wears...this blush gown is floaty and beautiful and would make a great bridal or Mother-of-the-bride dress:

This dress on Zoe Saldana also has great texture and I like the ombre detail:

This dress looks a big poufy on the bottom, but I love the colour and style, and think it would look fabulous on a bride:

And as a bonus...I give you Channing Tatum and his beautiful wife Jenna Ewing Tatum, and HOLY COW LADY THAT IS HOW YOU DRESS A BABY BUMP!

What are your favourite Oscar looks?  Any that you would like to see as wedding gowns?

Thanks Ayoko Magazine!

I've been very fortunate to meet many kind and supportive business owners in my (almost) 5 years of running With a Flourish, but Yoko Chapman is definitely the most influential.  I met Yoko very soon after launching, and after stalking the progress of the Eco-Luxe group she created (a small group of eco-friendly wedding businesses).

Yoko has been so helpful in giving me advice and suggestions over the years, and for the past couple years has been running Ayoko Design, focusing on marketing and branding for businesses. She's one of those people who can think of ten great ideas on the spot and knows SO many business owners and people to connect with...she is truly brilliant at what she does and I'm really grateful and lucky to know her and have really valued her ideas over the years!

In January, Yoko published the second edition of Ayoko Magazine, and I was so excited to have some pictures included! The article we are in is "Help Your Products Shine" and the photos are from the photoshoot we did with the wonderful Erin Alexander Photography.  Yoko launched this edition of the magazine with a fantastic party at Blue Moon on Pacific, and it was such a fun night with great entertainment, food, and people!

I know that a huge chunk of my blog readers are business owners, and if you are looking for help with branding and marketing, social media, etc. I strongly recommend that you give Yoko a call!

Music Monday - Next to Me

I hope you're all having a warm and cozy Louis Riel Day!  

I realize that I'm probably the last one to hear this awesome Emeli Sande song (just like I was the last person to hear of Adele), but it's on repeat in the office and so I thought I'd share for Music Monday! Next to Me by Emeli Sande:

Happy Love Day!

Simply Chic Photography

Wedding Show Booth - Gold, Jadeite & Peachy Pink!

We had a fabulous time meeting brides, grooms, wedding parties and families at the Wonderful Wedding Show!  Alvina of Alvina Grace Photography was very kind to come and take these wonderful pictures for us, check it out:

Sweet Impressions baked up these gorgeous and delicious desserts:

Purple Peony designed the floral arrangements.  Aren't they beautiful?

This was our seating chart idea, with all stationery by Cards by Cristina:

And delicious, custom-made chocolates a favours Chocolatier Constance Popp:

The beautiful linens were from Dream Day Decorators, and chivari chairs from Accessible Elegance.

Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to our booth!  We are SO pleased with the way it turned out and our experience at the show!