Modern Meets Classic White Wedding Flowers at SMITH
Kate and Denis’ wedding was set in late May — one of the best times for flowers! We’re talking tulips, lilac, AND spirea — and you know I used it all!
They had chosen SMITH for their reception, loving the intimate setting and delicious food. But, they have a more classic style overall, so in the design process we needed to find ways to blend that more traditional style with modern design elements, to create an overall event design that worked with the restaurant setting.
Photos by Brittany Mahood
Planning by Soiree Event Planning
“The flowers were absolutely stunning. Exceeded all of our expectations! Thank you again for everything. We’re just so so impressed and happy. Thank you so much!”
The Floral Design
When I delivered Kate’s bouquet that morning, her mom was shocked to see me, assuming I would have someone else handling deliveries. But you know what? Delivering your bridal bouquet to you on your wedding morning is one of my most favourite moments of the entire day. A lot of brides start to feel like things are getting real when bouquets get delivered and seeing the excitement in your eyes is thrilling.
Kate had a vision for a slightly smaller bouquet, with a bit more of a vertical shape. Her inspiration image was made of faux flowers, which can be tricky for a florist to then figure out how to execute in fresh flowers. There’s the simple but substantial difference of fresh flowers having their own movement, where each stem is going to do what it wants, while faux flowers are super easy to manipulate due to having a wired stem. All that being said, I LOVED the way Kate’s bouquet turned out!! It was delicate, petite, SO lightweight, and filled with a small selection of absolutely stunning blooms.
The bridesmaids carried single stems of large calla lilies, which I tied with a delicate bow. I didn’t originally plan to use a bow, but I did need something on those stems. At first, I tried just a simple wrap of ribbon and it looked like a hilarious bandaid wrapped around the handle, while the bow looked charming. Done!
Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: Spirea, tulips, sweet pea, mini calla lilies, and mini phalaenopsis orchids.
The Ceremony Design
The ceremony took place at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. It’s a really striking space, with soaring ceilings and tons of windows. Since the ceremony and reception were going to be in 2 different venues, we wanted to choose a ceremony design that would be easy to repurpose over to Smith without too much difficulty, and to choose something that would ground the eye. With ceilings that high, it can be tricky to figure out the right scale to design for.
We settled on two pedestals to frame in an altar, with 2 lush, branching floral arrangements added on top. When I tell you I got SO lucky with the timing for both spirea and white lilac to be blooming!!! I added in a few mini green hydrangea to bring that fresh spring colour, and we were set to go.
Smith absolutely glowed that night! We layered in classic taper candles, a few statement branching arrangements (at the escort card table and on the bars), and linen accents to bring the entire space together.
Tabletop Styling
Balancing the moody, modern setting of Smith with the desire for a more traditional overall design, the Soiree team and I knew we needed to make very particular design choices to pull it all together.
We included the classic elements of taper candles and central floral arrangements, modernizing them for the restaurant setting with modern floral styling, warm neutral candles, and varied heights to create visual interest.
Dinnerware
Though Smith has nice dinnerware (most restaurants do!), the in-house plates didn’t give the elevated classic feel the family was really after. Soiree chose the Kaleb set from Collective Rentals, which does a really nice job of adding a chic feel to the place settings!
Taupe Candles and Linens
Kate wasn’t confident about coloured candles at first — we looked at samples of a few different colours, including blues, but it felt a little too playful. White felt too crisp. This sandstone taper candle is just the right choice for warming up the overall design without necessarily feeling like you’re adding a colour. They also chose Planned Perfectly’s taupe linens for the round tables, and wanting to add a bit more polish to the rectangular tables, Kate’s mom made coordinating taupe linen runners.
Stationery
Soiree knows just how to bring in a slight touch of colour to elevate a design! Delicate touches of this perfect dusty blue paper in the table numbers and menu cards was perfect.
Floral Centrepieces
One of my first thoughts when discussing the tables was to keep the vases clear — I wanted as much twinkling candlelight as possible, and it reflects so nicely off of clear glass. They preferred classic arrangements, in all whites and greens, and we simply adjusted the size of container and the quantity of arrangements to the size of each table. Restaurant floor plans are often a little more on the random side, so it’s never a cut and dry “x# of centrepieces that all match.” You need to be a lot more detailed and specific, ensuring there’s enough space on the tables to make it all work.
Who This Design is For
Whether you’re blending a modern setting with a classic style like this couple, or merging your personal tastes with your fiance’s, this wedding is a great example that you can find the right elements to bring it all together.
Looking for a Wedding Floral Designer in Winnipeg?
Florals shape the feeling of a celebration. Our design philosophy sees colour, movement, and composition working together to create deeply intentional floral experiences. We see florals not simply as decorations, but as essential elements that define atmosphere, emotion, and visual cohesion.
If this is what you’re looking for, Lauren would love to connect with you!