How Much Do Wedding Flowers Cost? Warm Neutral Wedding Reception at Novella

It’s not all that frequent that I get to design the entire reception from start to finish, and I really enjoy digging into that complete process. For this warm, neutral wedding reception at Novella, I started with a brief overview of the colour palette and textural elements I wanted to highlight.

As I got going, I knew I wanted to share a glance at the real life costs behind a reception design like this. Many of my clients come to me asking for designs like this, but have no frame of reference for pricing. So, let’s jump into the design and then the cost!

PS - If you’re wondering, YES, I do offer event design services where I can do this for you! Find more info here. I take on a maximum of 3 event design clients per year and I do require that I’m designing your florals, too.

Photos by Vanessa Renae Photography

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The Design Plan

Below you’ll get a glimpse at the brief visual overview I created to help guide my decision making. I find this to be a really important step that a lot of people overlook when planning their weddings. Anyone can make a pinterest board but it’ll likely still feel disparate, disjointed because it’s usually lacking that thread that ties everything together. A single page, just a few images and colour swatches, is one of the first things I do when working through event design, to set the mood, confirm colouring, and keep my design goals in mind.

For this wedding reception design, I had a few things in mind: mostly warm, neutral tones with touches of cool blue added in, multi-tonal drapery above the tables to soften the industrial ceiling and warm up the white walls, and bringing in natural textures through stone elements.

When it came to the floor plan, I really didn’t need to go this all-out as this was an editorial shoot. But, I believe strongly in doing things right the first time (when I’m tempted to be lazy, this always rings through my thoughts!) and I think that a photo shoot with 1 single table looks, quite frankly, dumb. It doesn’t give a potential couple a proper frame for how the entire wedding could look, and it doesn’t give the wedding professionals imagery that actually reflects the reality of our work.

Novella works amazingly as a single space for both ceremony and reception for an intimate wedding, and the floor plan below is just one example of how you can utilize the space.

A few things I knew right away: I wanted to use Collective’s black bentwood chairs because I love them, and the Melodia glassware because they really elevate a design with a subtle, elegant air. I wanted to layer in stone fragments, and thought this would be a great way to catch any candle wax drips.

The Completed Design

Normally I am fully invested in colour, so choosing to work in a neutral palette felt a little out of left field for me. I really enjoyed the warmth that I was able to create — this isn’t yet another basic white and green wedding. The short cappuccino toned candles (I wanted them as stumpy as I could get them) picked up on the brown veining in the pieris and the tulips. This kind of blending and colour play is essential, no matter what your palette is.

Layering in taupe napkins and sand toned vessels added more warmth, and the black cutlery and lamps tied through to the chairs in a clean, simple way.

How Much Does a Wedding Tablescape Cost?

It's important to note that every tablecsape is going to be different in terms of the elements included, the quantities, and additional rental items. For our purposes today, I've included everything that came from me: florals, vases, candles. The glassware, flatware, lamps, napkins, linens, chairs, and stationery would be in addition.

I also want to note that if you're looking to save on your floral budget, long tables may not be the best choice for you. There is simply more empty space on long tables, which makes them really fun to style but would also be more costly.

For each 8 foot table, I included:

1x fuller, low floral arrangement
2x petite flower frog arrangements
2-3x stem vases
4x chunky pillar candles and stone remnants for styling

8 Foot Table Cost: $345

When I first approached Kayla from Sugar & Salt Bakeshoppe about this project, I shared my full design board and asked for a simple, textured buttercream cutting cake. I didn’t want to be an imposition when she was likely already busy. Her response? “Let me put a spin on it and challenge myself!” And look at this stunning masterpiece inspired by the wedding dress we used! What incredible art.

The Bar

Including a bar feature was a must-have for me, to show how we can extend a design further. Collective’s Waverly collection was perfect. We added a champagne tower (one of Vanessa’s only requests!), layered in some stone vases, and repurposed florals from the ceremony aisle to the base of the cake table to make it a moment.

I hope this was helpful to you in your planning! I’ll link a few more budget-related posts below to assist you in building a realistic wedding flower budget. It’ll either come down to “I will pay what I need to in order to get what I want” or “I have $xx to spend, what can I get within that?” My top advice for couples is to be open about your goals and budget when you’re talking with a floral designer. Knowing which way you lean means we can get creative and make sure we’re proposing the best things for you.

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Lead Photo & Host: Vanessa Renae Photography
Floral and Event Design: Stone House Creative
Venue: The Novella
Rentals: Collective Rentals
Drapery and Linens: Planned Perfectly
Stationery: Rae & Dot Studio
Cake: Sugar & Salt BakeShoppe
Hair: Isabel Nayet
Makeup: Jessica K Artistry
Dress: Vintage J Mendel
Jewellery: Mokada Jewelry
Models: @meghanheppner and @brendanzebrynski

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LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL and Event DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?

I love taking a venue and making it into anything but ordinanry.

Flowers are the best way to make a statement at your wedding. Whether you already have a specific vision or want me to dream up something custom just for you, reach out to Stone House Creative for stunning bridal bouquets, truly unique ceremony backdrops, and beautiful floral centrepieces to create the perfect ambiance for your wedding! 

Design Notes: Textural Wedding Ceremony Florals at Novella

Last spring, I designed an editorial for Vanessa Renae Photography and a group of photographers who were itching to get creative, and practise some new photography techniques. Vanessa had found this gorgeous blue vintage dress, and then she asked me to take the reigns on the overall design. Needless to say, I had a lot of fun.

Warm browns paired with cool blues, layers of natural textures, minimalistic yet elevated stationery, a dreamy meandering aisle, multi-tonal drapery, it was all so good. A total dream day ✨

Today, I’m sharing some design notes focusing on the ceremony design, featuring textured florals and a natural style.

Photos by Vanessa Renae Photography

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The Design Plan

Every element of this design was envisioned around the dress. I allowed that to take the lead and then found that everything else came together really easily: I wanted to incorporate a lot of airy and natural textures (floaty florals, stone elements) and soften the entire space with modern drapery.

The Completed Design

Layered and multi-tonal draping, a curved aisle, and an organic focal feature at the front were the pieces that came together to really make this ceremony design.

The Novella is a really, really white space. I didn’t want to go fully white with the drape because it would just feel too stark, so Planned Perfectly added panels of this oatmeal toned drape along with the white. The ceilings are Novella are perfect for this! The draping also made for a really cool photo opportunity that I’d encourage photographers to play with a bit.

I came across these pleated paper stands on Amazon and really liked the idea of their shape and texture — ideally they would have been a bit taller, but beggars can’t be choosers all the time. Incorporating large rocks was part of my vision, BUT as we were shooting in the winter, it was a bit tricky. I actually dug these all up from the snow and ice at my parents’ farm! I would have loved even more, to tuck into the aisle, but the rest were fully frozen.

The Aisle

I love a meandering aisle!! That refers to the curved chair placement, instead of lining up all the chairs in straight rows. This gives us a slightly more dynamic walk down the aisle, typically lending a more casual look/less formal. With the shifts in the chair placements, it also gives us varied amounts of space for aisle florals, so you’ll notice that some of these pieces are smaller, some are larger. I personally love the dynamic and visually intriguing effect this creates.

We added in the floor length blue satin bows to the chairs to bring a hint of that watery blue tone, which was great because I didn’t want to use actual blue in the flowers. I kept the aisle floral pieces very airy and textural, primarily using fillers with a few elongated stems here and there to give a floaty butterfly vibe.

(Photo grid above by Kate Elizabeth Photography)

One of the great things about a ceremony design composed of multiple pieces is that gives you lots of options for repurposing at the reception.

We wanted the champagne tower to really be a moment here, so we added 4 mixed size pieces to the base of that table.

I had a few mixed cocktail tables and coffee tables available from the Waverly collection via Collective Event Rentals, and so I popped a few on those tables as well to give it a little more oomph.

Love this bouquet as much as I did? Click the image above to take you a post where I break down the cost and the flowers included!

Lead Photo & Host: Vanessa Renae Photography
Floral and Event Design: Stone House Creative
Venue: The Novella
Rentals: Collective Rentals
Drapery and Linens: Planned Perfectly
Stationery: Rae & Dot Studio
Cake: Sugar & Salt BakeShoppe
Hair: Isabel Nayet
Makeup: Jessica K Artistry
Dress: Vintage J Mendel
Jewellery: Mokada Jewelry
Models: @meghanheppner and @brendanzebrynski

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LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL and Event DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?

I love taking a venue and making it into anything but ordinanry.

Flowers are the best way to make a statement at your wedding. Whether you already have a specific vision or want me to dream up something custom just for you, reach out to Stone House Creative for stunning bridal bouquets, truly unique ceremony backdrops, and beautiful floral centrepieces to create the perfect ambiance for your wedding! 

Polished & Elegant Private Property Wedding

Shannon and David’s wedding was a literal dream come true for me. They are both originally from Manitoba, but now live and work in Toronto (fun fact, I’m actually neighbours with 2 of Shannon’s sisters!). They have incredibly demanding professions and needed to hire a team for their wedding back home that could take the reigns and be trusted. I was so honoured that they reached out to me first, wanting to hire me for floral and event design, and asking for recommendations on other vendors who could make their wedding happen without a hitch.

Shannon is a self-proclaimed “anti-wedding” kind of woman. Neither of them enjoy a lot of the typical wedding things, and they really just wanted to create an atmosphere of casual elegance that felt like the best dinner party their chosen guests (about 30 of them) had ever been to, with a polished yet still genuine and comfortable experience.

Right off the hop, I knew that they’d be best served by a full service wedding planner (weddings at home or on a private property — especially outdoor ones — are no joke!) and made a few recommendations. I was so pleased when they hired Soiree Event Planning, and while I don’t typically offer my event design services in collaboration with a planner’s, Andrea and I felt that we could work alongside each other to create some magic. It worked so well and we’re both so pleased with how everything came together!

Being the very epitome of anti-bride, Shannon wasn’t even sure that she wanted a bridal bouquet. They actually weren’t even sure if they were going to have an official ceremony! I gently talked her into it, knowing that she’d appreciate having the accessory of a bouquet and if she didn’t want to carry it all day, then you put it down and that’s fine. In the end, she was really happy to have it!

I decided to soften the colour palette of the bouquet a bit (the event’s full palette featured more warm beiges, terracotta, accents of black and mauve, along with a range of pink and peach shades).

Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: garden roses, ranunculus, foxglove, anemones, and scabiosa. I kept it simple but just loaded in all the good stuff!

When I saw the front yard and this tree, I knew I had to push for the couple to have a ceremony and to have it RIGHT HERE. I didn’t know how I was going to design the flowers until a few days before the wedding, but I knew that this was going to be an amazing focal point. Dave called it “tranquil,” so I’d say my team and I did alright!

The lounges! Shannon and Dave love to travel, and I had them send me some pictures from some of their favourite resorts and destinations that they’ve been to. I was inspired by the idea of cabanas and wanted to create comfortable, well-styled cabana-like lounges so I suggested using some sort of draping to make that happen. Soiree took it from there and added in the rattan elements and the adorable champagne truck!

We hoped and hoped for an outdoor dinner and no need for a tent (which we had at the ready if needed) and we got our wish! And the weather was absolutely PERFECT for al fresco dining. A cafe light canopy, one long table, and tons of flowers were some of Shannon’s only requests and obviously we were happy to do that.

We started with this taupe linen from Planned Perfectly (honestly, it’s my favourite — you’ll notice it’s a go-to in so many of my weddings and for such a good reason!) and layered in tons of candles (tapers, pillars, and votives) and large floral arrangements to create a sense of lush abundance. The place settings came together so beautifully — Soiree located these gorgeous fringed fabric chargers from Table Tales in Toronto (they ship Canada-wide, but in this case, Shannon and David just travelled with them when they came in for the wedding), and then we added a detailed menu booklet and place card to each setting.

Robin Egg Blue Design took care of all of the stationery. With changes to the wedding date thanks to postponements, and a very intimate guest list, we didn’t end up using actual wedding invitations but we thought it would be really nice to have a statement paper element at each place setting that sort of mimicked an invitation. I’d been pushing to use a leather detail since the very beginning of the design work (I wanted to use a leather envelope for the invites…how amazing would that have been?!) so Michelle from Soiree actually hand-made these beautiful leather place cards with each guest’s name! The front of the place setting featured a custom, hand-drawn floral illustration with the couple’s monogram, and the reverse side had a personalized note from the couple to each individual guest. It was such a beautiful way for them to share just how grateful they were to be celebrating with their most loved group of people.

Robin also created a detailed menu booklet, and because Shannon and Dave are HUGE food lovers and wanted to create a really customized gourmet feast complete with wine pairings for their guests, this was a much-needed (and very elegant!) guide to the many courses. It included a thick card stock, a vellum insert, and the same floral illustration before getting into the menu details.

Despite their love for food, Shannon and David aren’t really dessert people, but still wanted to have something sweet for their guests. They just weren’t sure what to do for a cake itself — that’s when I saw an image of a rustic cake that was decorated simply with figs on the cover of a magazine, and I sent that to them for their thoughts. Kayla from Sugar & Salt Bakeshoppe took that inspiration and ran with it, and I love that this cake continued to emphasize the gourmet nature of the dining experience.

And, obviously, the flowers were pretty spectacular, if I do say so myself! My team really killed it, and we had an awesome time designing lush pieces filled with locally grown and specialty imported flowers. The neutral base of the table allowed us to hit the more colourful aspects of the palette in full force with the flowers, and it came together beautifully.

Event Designed in Collaboration with Soiree Event Planning

I loved the string light canopy over their dance floor! What a magical and romantic place to spin around in your first dance as newlyweds!

And of course, major props to Brittany Mahood, who always does an incredible job of capture both the emotion AND the detail of a wedding day ❤️

Brittany Mahood Photography ~ Soiree Event Planning ~ Karina Walker ~ Planned Perfectly ~ Collective Event Rentals ~ Trend Decor Winnipeg ~ Union table ~ Event Light ~ Robin Egg Blue Design ~ Table Tales ~ Loversland ~ Simii Bedi ~ Academy Hospitality ~ Keith MacPherson ~ Sugar & Salt Bakeshoppe

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LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?

My 2023 wedding date wait list has been started!

Flowers are the best way to make a statement at your wedding. Whether you already have a specific vision or want me to dream up something custom just for you, reach out to Stone House Creative for stunning bridal bouquets, truly unique ceremony backdrops, and beautiful floral centrepieces to create the perfect ambiance for your wedding! 

Fresh and Feminine Editorial at The Gables

When Vanessa Renae Photography first reached out to me about creating an early summer editorial at the brand new venue The Gables, I was on board immediately. The venue is an absolutely gorgeous, newly built facility in Southern Manitoba, which has been so beautifully designed and constructed. I couldn’t wait to get to work!

Vanessa sent me just a couple of inspiration pictures, and I knew right away that I wanted to design an earthy, feminine, and fresh aesthetic that would bridge the rustic barn-like setting with a romantic feel.

I really, really love using locally grown flowers and so I was determined to use 100% locally grown product for this editorial. Why? Not only are the flowers more ruffled, scented, and variegated in colour, focusing on locally grown flowers is also far better for the environment and for our local economy. I’m able to support local farms at the same time as eliminating packaging waste, lowering shipping fuels, and lessening chemical usage.

Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: peonies, ranunculus, foxglove, lisianthus, phlox, sweet pea, yarrow, and poppies with a touch of brown ninebark foliage.

Every year there comes that hazy, lazy time when summer has really just started, the vibe is great, and everything feels fresh and full of possibility. And when you live in a climate that is covered with snow for 5-6 months of the year, you REALLY want to celebrate in that perfect window of time.

I worked with Leech Letter Co from Brandon (she’s actually one of my former wedding clients!) on this gorgeous stationery suite.

When working on the design plan, I wanted to highlight the gorgeous wood tones of the venue, so I chose to keep the overall colour palette feminine and earthy: taupe, yellow gold, peach, salmon, blush, touches of brown, and focused on placing a ton of florals on the table.

Want to design this table alongside me? Download my Design Guide here!

The cross-back chairs add that somewhat rustic feel, which was complimented by the natural textures in the stationery, soft fringe in the napkin, and pottery vases.

When it came to selecting the rentals, I knew that I wanted to keep the place settings sleek and clean. C&T Rentals’ Lilly place settings were just the right choice, with their simple, modern lines and minimal lip.

I love working with coloured candles, and for this table, I chose 2 tones: sandstone and toffee. I wanted the candles to emphasize the earthy side of my design, and loved the warmth these neutral tones brought to the tablescape.

My favourite images are the glowing early evening portraits on the expansive lawns and meadow (secret: that meadow is actually a small sheep pasture!).

Thank you so much to Ashley from The Gables for hosting us — your space is mesmerizing and I look forward to coming back!

The Gables Wedding Barn ~ Vanessa Renae Photography ~ Stone House Creative ~ Leech Letter Co ~ Adrianna Papell from Christie’s Bridal ~ Mokada ~ Mrs Box ~ Ashley Lauren from Nikki’s Beauty Bar ~ Emily Leiding from Nikki’s Beauty Bar ~ C&T Rentals

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Want to be part of the next portfolio builder?

June 12, 2021 is the date and registration is NOW OPEN!

This is a day exclusively for photographers and videographers who are looking to build their portfolio and attract their dream clients. You’ll find an expertly planned and thoughtfully designed styled shoot and bridal editorial created to give you the time and space to get inspired, explore, try new things, and hone in on your skills in a one-of-a-kind outdoor setting.

Whether you’ve been in business for several years already or if you’re just starting out, or maybe you’re thinking about branching out to offer video services to your already established photography business, the Portfolio Builder is the right fit for you.

And let’s be honest…after the dumpster fire that was 2020 and that 2021 is turning out to be so far, we all need some inspiration.

Reveal: Playful and Crisp Wedding Style Editorial

Helllllo playful colour! Today I’m going to walk you through the execution of this editorial I created over the summer. While a photo shoot does not come together in the same way that a real wedding does, I go through much the same process with a lot of the behind-the-scenes design planning.

Right from the onset of a personal project like this, I usually have a pretty good idea of what I want to do. When I’m working on wedding flowers, I also usually have a clear picture of what I want to do for you. But when I’m working on event design for a couple, it’s more of a process of pulling ideas out of you, then teasing them in my mind to see how I can expand on it.

Yesterday, I spoke all about my event design services and my design philosophies.
If this resonates with you, I'd love to speak with you about coming on board your wedding vendor team in the larger capacity of event designer. Read more here!

Vibe

I always begin event design projects by considering the vibe I (or the client) want to create. With this editorial being a project for myself, a few words kept coming to me: playful, cheerful, crisp. I knew I wanted to evoke a sense of happiness and light-heartedness (and I planned this before Covid hit...who knew how badly I'd need this!!).

To achieve this, I started with the colour palette: lavender, peach, and coral (some of my go-to’s!) and then surprised myself with the addition of yellow and orange. I'm so glad that I stepped out of my comfort zone (orange has historically been my least favourite colour, but no longer!), because these two brought the citrusy fresh hints that I needed to break up the femininity of the rest of the palette.

Stationery

Your wedding invitations are one of the first projects that we tackle under event design. The stationery sets the tone and can help to "brand" your wedding -- to give you a definable style and visual direction. For this suite, I asked Robin to explore a design that would feel playful and colourful, with clean, modern lines. I knew I wanted touches of colour, but a good amount of white space to balance out the full palette used elsewhere.

She suggested that we use a vellum outer envelope, to show off the flirty pieces inside, and also added a lot of visual interest through the use of different coloured stocks, the rounded edge, and a tall and narrow menu card and place setting on the table.

Florals

I planned two completely different sets of floral ingredients — a spring set (for my original shoot date), and a summer set. I lucked out with my August shoot date, because I was able to incorporate many of my favourite locally grown summer flowers!

Locally grown flowers have the BEST colour variations, with flecks and speckles that perfectly blend a palette and simply aren't possible with wholesale flowers.

The Tablescape

Full florals in the centre of the table, coloured taper and votive candles, gold-dipped flatware combined with clean, modern place settings…Designing a tablescape is all about layering together varied elements to create a unique, personalized look.

I wanted a clean, minimal base for all my colour, so the foundation of white linens with a white tulle topper was perfect.

The Cake

This cake!

I sent Jenna a really pathetic sketch, after having this idea of incorporating both hand-painted flowers and 3D sugar flowers that would move in from the outsides of the cake. I knew I wanted to create some sort of floral piece encircling the cake. I explained this haphazard idea to Jenna and she took it and made it 1 million percent better. This cake is so stunning! It felt fresh, unique, and playful.

The original plan for the cake was so different. This just goes to show you that sometimes, sitting on an idea and seeing where it goes can be a very good thing!

The same goes for your wedding planning: Don't feel like you need to make every decisions or have every answer at the same time.
Some ideas just need time to come together.

I’m so grateful to everyone who shared their talents to be a part of this editorial. I originally started brainstorming this before the first Covid shutdown, and at that point I was just going to focus on a tablescape. Esther suggested that I add a model, and I’m SO glad I followed her advice! One of my favourite details from this editorial was the ensembles created by Maison Corazon for the bride — they could not have been more perfect.

The way this entire project came together was so life-giving and exciting.

Esther Funk Photography ~ stone house creative ~ Planned Perfectly ~ C&T Rentals ~ Trend Rentals & Decor ~ Robin Egg blue design ~ Maison corazon ~ Jenna Rae Cakes ~ Jessica Kmiec Artistry ~ Beauty by B Fey ~ Prairie Clay ~ Mokada Custom Jewelry

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LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?

Getting married in 2022? Appointments to plan your dream florals are now available. Click the button below to get started!

Flowers are the best way to make a statement at your wedding. Whether you already have a specific vision or want me to dream up something custom just for you, reach out to Stone House Creative for stunning bridal bouquets, truly unique ceremony backdrops, and beautiful floral centrepieces to create the perfect ambiance for your wedding!