Married!

Steve and I can't believe this is our third day as a married couple! Amazing. We're still catching our breath and while Steve has begun his new dream job (congrats Stevie!) I'm checking out Judy's awesome photos!

Here are some tasters:



This one of us in the car is my favourite!! My idea of a yellow mustang convertible didn't quite work out but Judy saved the day by letting us borrow her own convertible!! What a woman eh?!


***Am loving my bouquet!***



Isn't that background amazing? Tuscany or Vineland?




I love how Judy framed Steve's head in the triangle of the wine boutique.


This was a moment of pure relaxation! Wonderful!



Check out Keith's fab grin!


Judy knows me well....convertible lover AND shoe lover! Great way to bring the two together! (Along with my little piece of England - I got the shoes there!)






I'll write another post with information about everyone who helped make our day special including the band, the reverend etc...

Thanks to all the special people who joined us! Steve and I had an absolutely brilliant day!

THANKS!!

Wedding Rehearsal

A big HI to the wonderful wedding party!

A little note to you all about the activities planned for the day before the BIG day!!

The plan is:

11:00am - Wedding Rehearsal at Vineland Estates Winery (for a map see the link in the side bar - http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=3620+Moyer+Road+RR+1+Vineland,+ON+L0R+2C0,+Canada&sll=43.154604,-79.393559&sspn=0.030368,0.081367&ie=UTF8&ll=43.145384,-79.403923&spn=0.030373,0.081367&z=14/)


2:30/3:00pm - Late Celebratory Rehearsal BBQ at my Parents' in Burlington (Cherryhill Cres., Burlington)


6:00pm - The "Boys" go to Cool Auntie Maureen and Joe's in Burlington (Joe's planning amazing meals and has a pool table!)

6:00pm - The Girls continue with the Champers (right mum?!!)


Any questions, just e-mail me: jess AT jesslaccetti.co.uk (replace the AT with the @ symbol).

Wedding Accommodation in Burlington

This is a special message for all the friends and family making the trip over to Canada from England (woo hoo to you all!). Steve and I think the best place to make your base for the trip is in Burlington. Burlington, Ontario is about 24 miles west of Toronto Pearson Airport which is about a 30 minute drive going at a nice, relaxing pace. It is also about a 20 minute drive (again, heading west towards Niagara) to the wedding venue, Vineland Winery in Vineland. Burlington has a great downtown centre on the lakefront, offering wine bars, jazz bars, coffee shops, milkshake bar and all kinds of restaurants. Of course there's the lake too which always has something going on. Burlington also has a smooth 35 minute (sometimes a 45 minute) trip into downtown Toronto on the GO train (nice green double-decker trains). Transport around Burlington is super easy and we'll add that information in a separate post but there are taxis and buses and the Go Train.

A bit about Burlington:

"Originating on the land awarded in 1798 to the legendary Mohawk Chief Joseph Brant for service to the British Crown during the American Revolutionary War, Burlington is situated 60 km west of Toronto on the Niagara Escarpment. The community is largely considered a suburb of Toronto, but does have many worthwhile attractions of its own. The shores of Lake Ontario provide a lovely backdrop for the 24 km stretch of the Waterfront/Trans Canada Trail that runs along Burlington, well frequented by recreational enthusiasts and sunset seekers. Acres of nature areas brimming with seasonal colours are in the locale, including the large Royal Botanical Gardens. The Burlington Art Centre houses an outstanding contemporary Canadian ceramics collection, and hosts exhibits of sculpture, photography, paintings and fine crafts. Step into the past at the Joseph Brant home, a replica of his original 1800s home or at Ireland House, the original property containing artifacts from the 1850s up to the 1920s."

In terms of accommodation, we suggest staying on the lakeside as that's where most of the restaurants and shopping is. The bigger hotels such as the Hilton and Holiday Inn offer airport collection services, this is something you can ring the hotel about when making your booking, or you can enquire online.

The average price for a taxi from Toronto Pearson Airport to downtown Burlington is $55 - $80, depending on time of day.

From the Hilton website:


More links to hotels on the lakefront, details and images but please do check their location on a map (google maps is useful and so is multimap.com) so you can compare how each hotel is situated, some are right on the lake, some right in Burlington downtown:

Top hotels in Burlington, Canada

	Travelodge - Burlington Burlington, Canada Location. The Travelodge Burlington is located in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. In the Golden Horseshoes District Five kilometers from Bronte Harbor View: Details »		800-372-2496
	Travelodge Burlington On The Lake Hotel Burlington, Canada Centrally located one hour between Toronto and Niagara Falls, the lakeside Travelodge Burlington (Ontario, Canada) is an ideal accommodation for visitors drawn to the attractions of both cities. Bu... View: Details »		800-372-2496
	Comfort Inn Burlington Burlington, Canada Location. Comfort Inn Burlington is located in Burlington, Ontario. Less than three kilometers from Mountainside Park Within one kilometer of a shopping mall View: Details »

	Hilton Garden Inn Toronto Burlington Burlington, Canada Location. The Hilton Garden Inn Toronto Burlington is located in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, one block south of the Burlington Convention Centre. This hotel stands 40 kilometers from downto... View: Details		800-372-2496
	ADMIRAL INN BURLINGTON Burlington, Canada View: Details
	BEST WESTERN BURLINGTON INN Burlington, Canada View: Details		800-372-2496
	Homewood Suites by Hilton Burlington, ON Canada Burlington, Canada Location. The Homewood Suites by Hilton Burlington in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, is positioned two kilometers from Bronte Creek Provincial Park and the Burlington Convention Centre. Downtown View: Details

Some bed and breakfasts:

Baldwin House is lovely and though not right on the lake, it is smack dab in the middle of downtown Burlington, within an easy walk of restaurants. It is only a couple of blocks from the lake and a very big shopping centre, Mapleview, where you can stock up on all kinds of bargains.


Baldwin House Bed and Breakfast







Contact Information

Address: 1392 Baldwin Street Burlington, Ontario L7S 1K3 Contact : Phone : 1 (905) 333-8372 Phone : 1 (905) 333-5257 E-Mail : Click Here to E-Mail us Your Host(s) : Marie and Ron Danielsen
Other Domain : www.baldwinhousebandb.ca

Results from a google search which brings up the main hotels:

	A.	Holiday Inn Burlington Hotel & Conference Centre - www.hiburlington.ca - (905) 639-4443 - 23 reviews
	B.	Comfort Inn - www.choicehotels.ca - (905) 639-1700 - 11 reviews
	C.	Admiral Inn - www.admiralinn.com - (905) 639-4780 - 7 reviews
	D.	Travelodge Burlington QEW - www.travelodge.com - (905) 639-9290 - 11 reviews
	E.	Burlington Homewood Suites - www.burlington.homewoodsuites.com - (905) 631-8300 - 8 reviews
	F.	Hilton Garden Inn Burlington - www.torontoburlington.gardeninn.com - (905) 631-7000 - 12 reviews
	G.	Best Western Burlington Inn & Suites - www.bestwesternontario.com - (905) 639-2700 - 9 reviews

More information on Burlington can be found here: http://cms.burlington.ca/site4.aspx

Flying from London to Toronto

We usually use Air Canada for flights from London to Toronto. They offer great service and all their new planes have personal tvs so you can easily while away the 7 hour flight with movies, sitcoms and games!

KLM is also good with flights from Birmingham via Amsterdam to Toronto. Yes there is a change required in Amsterdam but the airport is so lovely it's a nice stop over anyway.

BA offers direct flights from Toronto and Birmingham but usually is quite pricey. I recommend checking each airline and using expedia.co.uk. Flight prices are constantly fluctuating so it pays to keep an eye on things.

Some example fares, for 2 adults, round trip (these fares were found today, 10 November 2008):
AIR CANADA - Thursday 11 June 2009 - Sunday 21 June 2009: £365 per person. Cheaper fares are available (between £50 and £80 per person) if you're able to leave a day or two earlier and leave Canada on a Wednesday or Thursday. In airline terms, the cheapest day to fly is a Wednesday so if you can book a return flight from a Wednesday to Wednesday, you'll probably be able to get the best deal. Children on Air Canada are those 2-11 years old and then they qualify as "Youth" which is 12-15 years old.

KLM - £616 per two adults from London to Toronto. Children with KLM get 50% off adult tickets but need to be 11 or under, otherwise they are adults.

BA - £698.20 for two adults from London to Toronto. With BA on these dates, children's return tickets cost £197 each. (children are those under 12).

I've plugged in Wednesday 10 June 2009 and then a return date of the following Wednesday the 17 of June and Expedia says:



And for two adults and two children (12 or under):



If you can manage one stop (good chance to stretch legs!) and go via Amsterdam and/or lengthen your stay, you can save a bob or two:

Accommodation

Family and friends that are making the hike to Vineland from England might be interested in some accomodation in the surrounding area (of the wedding venue). Also, most of these places offer "get away" packages which include wine country tours, city tours etc...

Home & Hearth Bed and Breakfast
Website: www.homeandhearth.ca
Matt & Thelma MacKinnon
3985 Fifteenth Street
Jordan Stn., Ont. Canada L0R 1S0
Phone 905 562-7152 Fax 905 562-1912
handh@iaw.on.ca Reservation Requests - Directions

The Black Walnut Manor
Website: www.blackwalnutmanor.com
Carole & Michael Gurgol
4255 Victoria Avenue - RR #1 Vineland Station, Ontario L0R 2E0
Phone/Fax : (905) 562-8675 Toll Free: (800) 859-4786
blackwalnutmanor@sympatico.ca

Hillside Haven
Website: www.hillsidehaven.com
John & Shirley Faber
3496 17th Street
R.R.#1 St. Catharines
Ontario, Canada L2R 6P7
Phone: (905) 562-7021
Toll Free: 1-877-562-9103
info@hillsidehaven.com

Honsberger Estate
Website: www.honsbergerestate.com
Barbara Honsberger-Condotta
4060 Jordan Road, Jordan Station
LOR 1S0
(905) 562-6789 or (905) 562-4339

The Fairview at Rockway Country Retreat
Website: www.thefairviewbandb.com
Julie and Glenn
3241 Ninth Street
Town of Lincoln
RR#1
St. Catharines, Ontario
L2R 6P7
(905) 685-4653 (GOLF)
info@thefairviewbandb.com

The Vineyard Loft
Website: www.bbcanada.com/thevineyardloft
2799 Seventh Avenue
Jordan, Ontario
L0R 1S0
Phone : 1 (905) 562-8200
E-Mail : Click Here to E-Mail us

Toye House
Websites: www.toyehouse.com
www.bbcanada.com/8021.html
Ed and Maria Toye
4376 Victoria Avenue
Vineland Station, Ontario
L0R 2E0
Phone: (905) 562-8955
E-mail: toyehouse@sympatico.ca

The Bullfrog Pond Bed and Breakfast
Website: www.bullfrogpond.com
Andy and Barbara Furlanetto
3801 Cherry Avenue
Vineland, Ontario
LOR 2CO
Phone 905-562-1232 or 905-327-4560
Fax 905-562-1232
Please contact us by phone at 905-562-1232 or by email to make reservations.

Red Maple Bed and Breakfast
Website: www.redmaplebb.com
Saira & Saphia
2393 Red Maple Ave.
Jordan Station, Ontario
(905) 562-9682
redmaplebb@sympatico.ca

The Atherton House
Website: http://athertonhousebb.com/index.htm
Tom and Patricia
4265 Twenty-first St.
Vineland, Ontario, Canada LOR 2EO
map

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[13 June 2009]

Nine months and counting:

13 June 2009