LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW!

Photo Credits: James Christianson

SHOE BLING - BLING IT ON!!

Canadian company Erica Giuliani was founded in 2008 after discovering a hot new trend emerging in the fashion industry and identifying an untapped niche in the market. From simple clips and sparkly shoe strap jewellery to stylish boot sleeves and cozy fun fur leg warmers, their fierce collection of accessories (also known as "shoellery") instantly transforms your plain jane footwear into fashion statements. These accessories can easily be applied to your shoes or boots allowing women to mix, match and customize their looks.

Designed in Italy, the accessories are made from a variety of materials and divided into collections depending on their style. Popular with brides-to-be are the shoe clips and sparkly shoe strap jewellery, turning your regular wedding day shoes into something unique and really special. Prices range from $20 to $125 a pair.

Here are some of Viva's favourites!

THE MAN-GAGEMENT RING - DIAMONDS CAN BE EVERYONE'S BEST FRIEND!

You heard right, man-gagement ring. Don't laugh, we're not kidding. The engagement ring for men is a trend that's growing in popularity. Women are no longer the only ones telling the world they're taken with a little bling. More and more women are buying engagement rings for their future husbands and more and more men actually want to wear them. Infact, the demand for man-gagement rings has grown to the extent that high end designers are now including them in their collections of wedding jewelry stating that couples are looking for new ways to celebrate their love and publicly declare their intent for life long commitment before their big day.

Some skeptics just aren't buying it though and believe that in this rough economy the groom's engagement band is just a sales tactic, invented by jewelers to trick young couples into spending money, and don't believe there's a man out there who would be excited about showing off his shiny new engagement ring to his pals. The tradition of his and hers engagement rings however is said to date back to the 15th century. In many European countries couples exchange matching gold bands before tying the knot. Now the male engagement ring is starting to catch on here in North America too.

Brides.com conducted a pole asking women if they'd consider buying their fiancé an engagement band. 45% said yes. Would you?

Photo Credits: Scott Kay

BRIDAL BOOT CAMP

When November arrives and the temperature drops we seem to forget about the leafy green salads and fresh fruit we couldn't get enough of in the summer months and try to beat the cold weather blues with a plate of warmth.

Ah yes, comfort food! Mac & cheese, hearty beef stew, chicken pot pie, mushroom ragout... feeling comfy yet? You may also be feeling like your True Religions are fitting a little tighter than they used to.

As if planning your big day wasn't stressfull enough on it's own, what about the pressure to drop a dress size or two? If losing weight before your wedding is on your to do list and ordering your Vera Wang in a smaller size isn't motivation enough to get you moving, why not try boot camp? It may be the kick in the booté you need to get yourself slim and trim for your big day.


Booty Camp Fitness is a women's only boot camp. 8 week (16 booty camp sessions) and 4 week (8 booty camp sessions) packages are offered at several locations in the Ottawa area including Kanata, Barrhaven, Gloucester, Hunt Club, New Edinburgh, Downtown, The Glebe and Westboro. Register now for sessions starting the week of January 11 2009.



Survivor Boot Camp If it's bridal boot camp you want you'll find it here, offered in small group private sessions at the location of your choice. Starting your bridal boot camp program at least six weeks before your wedding date is recommended. Regular boot camp sessions are also offered in Kanata/Stittsville and Centerpointe with the next one running from November 30 2009 to December 18 2009.



If boot camp just isn't for you, here are theknot.com's five basic common sense tips to help you lose weight for your wedding - and stay healthy too!

1 - Drink Water

Skip the diet soda and start getting your fill on water. Besides being good for you, water helps your body get rid of toxins, and constant sipping can help keep you from over-snacking. So grab a bottle you can tote around with you and figure out how many refills you'll need to get your daily fill. Eight glasses a day is a good round number, but the amount of water your body requires is really based on your weight. How much do you need? Divide your weight in half. The resulting number equals the ounces of water you should be drinking every day.

Tip for the taking: Get a filtered water pitcher for better-tasting water, and add a few lemons or limes to your water bottle to give it some flavor.

2 - Slim Down Servings

Gargantuan servings are one of the main calorie culprits of weight gain. Start with small portions and take more only if you're still hungry. Experts even suggest that it's better to eat four or five small meals with moderate portions throughout the day than to have two or three large meals.

Tip for the taking: Carry healthy snacks with you when you're on the go like fruit, nuts, or granola bars. Healthy munching will not only keep your energy levels up, it'll also keep you from binging on a big meal when you finally do sit down to eat.

3 - Fill Up On Fruits and Veggies

If you fill up on fruit and vegetables every day, you'll have less room for more fattening treats. To keep your snacks interesting, find a good produce store where you can pick and choose from more than just carrots and celery sticks. Stash some exotic fruit in your bag for when you're running errands or at work. While you're at it, buy a good knife to make prep work on fruits and veggies painless and quick.

Tip for the taking: When cutting back on calories, it's crucial you take a daily multivitamin. Lack of vitamins and iron may leave you tired and inclined to reach for a candy bar or fatty snack.

4 - Cut Back on Booze

A celebratory drink can cost you 150 calories or more. And that's if you only have one! Even if you're in the habit of having just a few drinks a week, cutting back on alcohol can save you hundreds of calories in the end. Save the cocktails for the special occasions coming up and sip water instead.

Tip for the taking: Can't give them up entirely? Try alternating alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages so you won't feel left out of the festivities.

5 - Exercise!

Yes, this is an obvious one. But seriously -- do something (anything!) to get moving. Twenty minutes of exercise a day will do wonders to boost your energy and kick-start the calorie burning process. Walk to the grocery store, take the stairs at work, or at least do a few laps of window shopping in your local mall. If you're serious about shedding inches, aim to do 30-45 minutes of aerobic exercise (running, cycling, swimming) three or four days a week.

Tip for the taking: Choose a time of the day when you usually feel motivated and energetic -- that way, you'll be more likely to stick with it. If you're a morning person, hit the gym before work. But if you're the "don't talk to me till I've finished my coffee" type, an evening or even a quick lunch workout may be better for you.

THE FIRST DAY OF WINTER

Winter officially begins in a little less than a month (December 21 2009) but you'd never know it was just around the corner with the weather we've had in Ottawa these past few weeks. While most of us are quite happy with the milder temperatures and lack of snow, Viva la wedding is currently finalizing details with clients for their upcoming Winter weddings who are keeping their fingers crossed this isn't a sign of snowless months to come.

To the couples out there hoping for a white wedding, these pictures are for you!

Photo Credits: The Knot

HOOKED ON PRESTON

If you weren't already hooked on Preston before leafing through the images in his most recent book Celebrations, I bet you are now.

The Preston Bailey website is just as spectacular. Be sure to take a look at his Before & After Designs. The transformations are unbelievable!

Interested in hiring him to design your wedding? Start saving your pennies. When asked the starting price for one of his functions Preston replied “a lot” - seating for 1,000 and elaborate flower arrangements are routine. A girl can dream though, can't she? Exploring Preston's ideas and drawing from the creativity displayed in his collection of books may be a little more realistic for the average bride to be.

Here is the entire Preston Bailey collection. Each book equally inspiring as the one before it.

Review of David Honl's DVD "LIGHT"...

For $39 you will get two DVD's that contain one hour and fifteen minutes of instruction covering nine different portrait shoots and wraps up with a talk about the equipment David Honl uses.

In "Light" David Honl will walk you through each shoot using from one to three small strobes (he uses Nikon SB-800 & 900's) to shoot portraits both indoors and out.

He will show you how to overcome existing light and rebuild it with the light you want and where you want it.

The equipment is minimal - a camera, strobes, pocket wizards, and the occasional snoot, grid, gobo, and reflector to move light around.

"Light" is extremely well produced, better than most photography DVD's, and you feel less like you are being taught and more like you are hanging around with David for a day of shooting and he is sharing with you how he works

There is even a cooking lesson thrown in... I know what you are thinking "how does that fit in?", trust me, it fits in quite nicely.

What you won't get is details, you won't get the settings for each flash in a given shoot (other than they are set to manual), that's not what I am looking for because I don't want to robotically reproduce a lighting set up.

What I want is concepts, I want to understand light shaping, I want to be exposed to ideas that make me think so that when I walk into a given situation I can bend and adapt the ideas (and the light) to fit the situation and walk away with a great shot and that is exactly what you will get from David in "Light".

Though it is laid back style, it is also fast paced so have your remote handy because you will want to pause, rewind, and re-watch.

I invited a friend and fellow photographer to watch this with me and then asked him to write a paragraph about what he just saw, here it is:

"The first thing that should be noted about David Honl’s DVD “Light” is the laid back style of the entire presentation. Unlike many DVDs which seem to be making a video attempt at being a 500 page “How to Book”, David Honl’s DVD takes the viewer leisurely through diverse portrait photo sessions. In each David starts by describing the setting, what he wants to accomplish, and the tools he will use. For those that are either new to photography or the advanced hobbyist the first thing that will be noted is that David makes use of dedicated speedlights to achieve his amazing images almost exclusively throughout the DVD. For the budding photographer, I think the idea that the dedicated flash they may already own has much more creative capability than they may realize once they take it off the hot shoe.

After each session David breaks the shoot down, giving the viewer the exact position of the lights used. He also details how he modifies and shapes the light with modifiers like grids, snoots, reflectors and gobos. By keeping the video laid back David subtly conveys that with application of the right modifiers and some basic planning for light placement, a photographer can walk into just about any situation and shoot with confidence."

There you have it, two photographers, four thumbs up.

If you are starting your list for Santa, this should be on it.

Here is a trailer to help wet your appetite: