Year in Review 2025
2025 is coming to an end, and I’m grateful for a slower season this winter as well as the end of an amazing wedding season!
This year was a bit different for me, and it was really nice. It was paced differently, with small breaks peppered throughout my calendar. Next year looks like it’ll be a bit different, too, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves!
It’s kind of weird to write an annual recap, because to be completely honest, I don’t remember much of the year. I have a rather pathetic memory to begin with, but designing for different weddings every single weekend and then “on to the next!” makes it really difficult to be able to truly take anything in and make memories. But I think it was a good year 😂
A few Numbers to kick things off…
34 weddings
7 corporate events plus a handful of social events (birthday parties, bat mizvahs, and baby showers!)
40 girls between 8-11 years old. I taught a “design in a mug” class to the Girls’ Club at my parents’ church 🫠 (it was honestly so sweet and they were all so excited!)
2 flower arranging classes: I used to do this annually pre-Covid and it’s always so much fun!
11th Anniversary!
I’m so grateful for Stone House, for 11 years, and for all of my clients past and present who have trusted me with their flowers. I’m one of the rare people that gets to say that I TRULY LOVE my job. Even the meh things like bucket washing and emptying the van out all the time aren’t that horrid.
That being said, this year was the year that I realized I’m no longer the young, cute florist on the scene anymore 😂 I’m 37, so I could have realized this quite a long time ago. But in the post below, you’ll see what I mean:
I used to be the young and cute one. Those days are gone now ☠️ I laughed when I realized this (it doesn’t help that it was a rainy and humid day and we were all frizzy) but it also got me thinking: I used to be the young and cute florist who wedding couples were excited to invest in because they both loved my work AND they loved the idea of supporting a small woman-owned business.
I’m STILL a small woman-owned business, and it’s because of all of you who have trusted me with your wedding flowers over the last 11 years, who have referred me to your friends and family or your clients, that I’ve been able to grow this business substantially.
I may no longer be the cute, young florist -- now, I’m the experienced, talented florist who your vendors love to work with because they know that I’ll make them look good without missing anything. I’m the one who’s able to pull together any size of team needed to create your wedding because there are a lot of talented floral designers and set up crew members who really enjoy freelancing with me, because I’m kind, organized, and a solid leader. I’m the one who's been able to grow in this business, raise my babies in this business, and support my community with this business.
So no, I’m not the cute, young florist anymore. And I owe a lot of thanks to you that I’m now the experienced, talented, long-lasting florist 😘
A Few Highlights
My wedding season was kicked off very early in January 2025, starting with this beautiful, intimate, moody engagement party/surprise wedding at the Manitoba Club.
Photos below: Kass Donaldson
In July, I flowered for my largest floral wedding of the year but with a relatively small guest count, which means I had a lot of fun with the flowers. This couple was quite possibly the most joyful I’ve ever worked with. Eager to allow me to get creative, and just so HAPPY on their wedding day. It was so wonderful! Photos are still incoming, but this video of their wedding weekend is stunning! Kaira’s bridal bouquet was one of my favourites that I’ve ever created.
Video below: Jay and Mack
We bumped around all over Manitoba and Southern Ontario this year, heading up to Clear Lake a couple of times, Neepawa, and Kenora area. While these semi-destination weddings are so much fun, they’re also a TON of extra work to get all the logistics down. And I love every part of that. My brain functions well in logistics :)
Photos below: Cody Goetz, Pretty Burd, Jennifer Fortier
Corporate Work
While the bulk of my work is and always will be weddings, I also love the opportunity to work on a few corporate jobs each year. Some small, some large, all special. It gives me the chance to get out of wedding mode and really consider how I can best help that particular business showcase itself best.
Below: branding photos for the beautiful Holly of Evergreen Weddings; Mad About Style’s 15th anniversary celebration; Wellington Altus’ client holiday party.
In October, I designed an event for the launch of the Modern Ambition brand, in conjunction with Natasha from Studio Giorg. And we only had about 4 weeks to do it, from start to finish. It was stressful, I’ll say that, but it came together so beautifully. They hosted a VIP dinner under the polar bear tunnel at the Assiniboine Park Zoo, with featured guests including Wab Kinew, Scott Gillingham, and notably, Jim Moore, Creative Director at GQ Magazine. We needed to impress, while also making sure the event was functional (that tunnel is smaller than it looks!).
Favourite Moments
Of course it’s impossible to choose favourites from such a full year! But here are a few, in no particular order, and with many still yet to come as their galleries come in from photographers! (and ps, if I did your flowers this year or even last year, I’d still love to get your galleries!)
Photographers: Brittany Mahood, CoJo, Karina Walker, Michael & Melanie, Ally Sigurdson
Room Reveals
I always love seeing these moments! The moment when you first see your wedding space, completely finished. Your dreaming has actually, finally, happened. It’s exciting!! For a lot of you, this moment won’t be caught on camera (a lot of logistical planning needs to happen to allow for this!) and those moments are just as sweet to me. Even if I’m standing in a pile of stems I’m in the midst of sweeping up, when you walk in and see it all, it’s so exciting.
I also want to note, these images are from weddings of all sizes and budgets. You should love your wedding flowers this much, no matter how much you have to spend on them.
Above photos by Michael & Melanie, Brittany Mahood, and CoJo Photo
I always like to promote some charitable offerings at the end of the year, in case any of you are looking for a great cause to donate to. Here’s a couple that I love:
Villages of Hope is an amazing Canadian organization that partners with communities in the poorest nations in Africa, providing schools, shelter, safety, nutrition, healthcare, and above all, hope. Their Hope Packs are a super cost-effective way to make a huge difference for a child, and include books, toys, clothing, and treats. They’re only $25!
Mainstreet Project: Amazon Wishlist
The Mainstreet Project is a Winnipeg organization that serves our city’s most marginalized people. Their Amazon wishlist is such an easy way to support them with the items they need, without needing to worry about Canada Post.
So what’s coming up next?
Next year you’ll see a beautifully refreshed and updated Stone House Creative brand and website. We’re working on it now and I cannot wait to put it all together and launch it into the world!
2026 will see more incredible weddings, both large and small, many of whom are referrals or family members of my past clients. That means the world to me — thank you! I do still have some space available next fall (September, October, November) so if you know someone planning their wedding in those months, I’ve got some killer ideas I’d love to make happen and I might be available!
Below, my inspiration board for 2026! Or shall I saw, one of my inspiration boards for 2026. I’ve never done this before, but I often write out a wish list of design elements I’d like to incorporate into my designs, and I thought a visual representation could be a lot of fun. I’ve got a few that I’m causally working on — my fall inspo board is looking particularly delicious!
If you’re interested in following along for more regular updates, I post on Instagram every few days with snippets of my wedding season, featured weddings, and behind the scenes of my work!
The Winnipeg wedding industry is an amazing industry to be a part of. There are a lot of great people, working to make sure that all of your weddings come together wonderfully. There is also a lot of creativity and professionalism, a lot of knowledge and excellent service. It’s an honour to be a part of that. Thank you to all of my colleagues for making every wedding such a great work environment.