Moody Romantic Wedding at the Leaf
Welcome to Tara and Adam’s moody, romantic wedding at the Leaf in early September.
When we start our floral discussions, I always clients (and their planners) to tell me about the overall vibe they’re hoping to achieve. Tara said, “romantic, moody, with lots of lighting and candles, and focusing on making it a memorable experience for guests.” I LOVE that. Such a fun brief for us to get creative within!
Welcome to Tara and Adam’s moody, romantic wedding at the Leaf in early September.
When we start our floral discussions, I always clients (and their planners) to tell me about the overall vibe they’re hoping to achieve. Tara said, “romantic, moody, with lots of lighting and candles, and focusing on making it a memorable experience for guests.” I LOVE that. Such a fun brief for us to get creative within!
Photos by Brittany Mahood
This palette — whew! It started off as mostly white, green, and gold. I wanted to bring more richness and depth to it, so I started tucking some cappuccino and brown tones into my floral design board, along with some of those neutral pinks — the idea was to transition pink into a fall palette. As you scroll, you’ll see how that developed in the reception with the perfect linen selections and the custom stationery. This couldn’t have come together more beautifully, and I forever want to use brown ninebark in everything from now on.
Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: Cappuccino and cafe latte garden roses, magic mocca spray roses, white ranunculus, and locally grown lisianthus, orlaya, jewel of opar, ninebark, and explosion grass.
The ceremony took place in the Leaf Performance Gardens. When we started planning, this site was actually developed yet so we tentatively decided on a loose plan of ground-based pieces, and it worked perfectly in the end. I even incorporated some potted plants that corresponded with the gardens (and they’re now planted in my garden!).
Listen. You can fight me if you want to, but I might be almost fully converted to a lily lover. These rose lilies (double blooms) are particularly spectacular. They don’t always have a place, but in installations like this where I am desperately looking for anything with a non-circle shape to bring some architectural variety, the star shape of a lily can really elevate a design and bring a lot of visual interest. I love roses, but I can’t JUST use roses, and basically everything available to us at the wholesale level is round so I need something different!
See what I mean about the depth of this palette looking SO chic and delicious in the reception?
One design element that I really wanted to hit on when designing the tablescapes was repeated clear glass elements. I knew that would work perfectly with the clear acrylic chairs, and pick up on the twinkling of all the candlelight. I chose clear glass vases for the floral centrepieces, as well as all the bud vases and candle holders.
The overall space felt so warm, so welcoming, and just held a really beautiful, modern and moody ambiance.
Bonus — a large majority of these flowers were locally grown!
I love a good floor plan that integrates multiple table shapes. A room with all round tables can just get really boring, really quickly. Connie at Harlow designed this floor plan around the dance floor and the bar, making them 2 natural focal points in the room.
The dance floor featured a twinkle light canopy, flanked on three sides by long banquet tables and by the band stand on the other side. Round tables were set outside of these, with another long banquet table along the exterior wall with windows, mirroring the bar on the opposite end of the room. This was a really nice way to use the Leaf space!
I loved the place settings! The “toffee” napkin paired with “taupe” linen (all from Planned Perfectly was such a gorgeous combination that added femininity and richness. The personalized menus by Blake Creative Co were also the PERFECT colour.
On the round tables, we placed a medium size floral arrangement, incorporating the full palette and some fun locally grown textures. I flanked that with a collection of different candle holders with soft taupe and beige candles for a little more depth.
The long tables featured those repeated clear glass elements, with the taupe and beige taper candles in clear hurricanes, votives on gold-rimmed and gold-based candle holders, and a mix of stem vases with petite stems in each. The gold flatware and clear carousel goblets were a really nice finishing touch.
And by the way, all these vases and candle holders are part of my rental collection :)
We need to give a MOMENT to this bar. This is the perfect example of why you need to trust your vendors and leave it in our hands to create the good stuff. Connie from Harlow had planned out the curved bar with the black bar backs, framed with those gorgeous gold chandeliers hanging above and a gold pedestal at the front (which served a dual purpose, first with the signature cocktails and then later with the wedding cake). We were intending to repurpose some ceremony flowers but hadn’t really settled on anything specific.
As soon as we walked into the room during setup and saw the bar with the chandeliers, it looked good — it looked really good! But the scale felt a bit off. It’s hard to get the scale right when we’re just at the mercy of what rental items we have available to us (we have a smaller rental market here in Winnipeg, so a huge kudos to our planners and event designers who roll up their sleeves to constantly be reinventing what we have and find new ways to display it all!). I digress — but the shelving unit felt a bit short.
Enter, the Stone House team. Rather than putting flowers on the bar top as was the original plan, I asked Connie if we could veto that and instead line the top of the shelving units with flowers. She is always down for whatever we suggest, and DANG, DID IT TURN OUT GREAT. I picked my three favourite pieces from the ceremony ground floral nest, and placed them on top of the shelves (we weighted them down to make sure they were nice and sturdy up there), placed another in the centre of the bar behind the signature cocktails menu, and tucked a few more on the floor to camouflage the base the truss system that suspended the light fixtures. The bar became an immediate focal point in the room, which I always love to do, because people are going to spending a lot of time there, anyways!
This lighting canopy over the dance floor was SO special. I love the idea of twirling around together (I mean…if you can dance. Which Tara and Adam clearly can!) for your first dance under this romantic canopy of lights with all the rest of the room dimmed. Especially when you have a live band like Big City!
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
Planning a wedding at the Leaf and want to elevate the space? I’d love to be your floral designer.
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!
Sweet Simplicity Spring Wedding at the Pavilion
Last May, I had the pleasure of designing two weddings at the Pavilion at Assiniboine Park. The first was kind of a modern take on a garden-inspired design, and the second was Gwen and Gavin’s simple, intimate, blush and peach wedding.
Gwen’s style is very feminine and romantic, and she wanted her ceremony arch to be the centrepiece of the floral design.
Last May, I had the pleasure of designing two weddings at the Pavilion at Assiniboine Park. The first was kind of a modern take on a garden-inspired design, and the second was Gwen and Gavin’s simple, intimate, blush and peach wedding.
Gwen’s style is very feminine and romantic, and she wanted her ceremony arch to be the centrepiece of the floral design.
Photos: Brittany Mahood Photography
It’s always good to keep a bride’s frame in mind — I knew that Gwen was petite with tiny hands, and we didn’t want anything too large. And when I gave her her bouquet, I was astonished because what looked so small in my hands looked full and large in hers!
Bridal bouquet ingredients: ranunculus, sweet pea, sweet escimo roses, freesia, baby’s breath, and sahara sensation spray roses.
Oh I loved designing this arch! I really like the deconstructed arch base — it’s so easy to do so many different designs on it. Gwen wanted a lot of baby’s breath and we went with a modern garden style, tucking in peach and light pink florals with lots of stem length.
With about 30 guests, the room had more than enough space to keep the ceremony and reception in the same room. The morning ceremony was followed by brunch, and we decided on 4 banquet tables set with Planned Perfectly’s toffee linen (see how nicely they can skew pink?) with gold chivari chairs. We decided on mixed pink, peach, and white florals with an airy feel. Sweet, simple, lovely!
Photos: Brittany Mahood ~ Venue: The Pavilion at Assiniboine Park ~ Video: KT Films ~ Linens and Chairs: Planned Perfectly
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
2024 wedding dates are now booking! 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 for stunning bridal bouquets, truly unique ceremony backdrops, and beautiful floral centrepieces to create the perfect ambiance for your wedding!
Rainy Fall Wedding at Pineridge Hollow
After a Covid postponement and an intimate wedding the woods, it felt like it was high time for Tiffany and Stephanie to be able to celebrate their wedding with ALL their loved ones. It was mid-September, with a moody and rich colour palette, and some surprise rain.
After a Covid postponement and an intimate wedding the woods, it felt like it was high time for Tiffany and Stephanie to be able to celebrate their wedding with ALL their loved ones. It was mid-September, with a moody and rich colour palette, and some surprise rain.
The design was rich, dramatic, and warm — and also completely cozy.
Photos: Megan Steen Photography
Their Covid wedding was also GORGEOUS. It was an intimate day at Wild Skies Resort — see it here!
One of the things I really admire about the way Emily from Feast & Festivities designs is the strategic way she uses colour. Take this magenta, for example: she wanted to use this bright pop, but obviously it’s the type of colour that can very quickly take over a palette. So we added just a few touches into the florals, and like how totally perfect is that velvet ribbon around the invite?
Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: This was another bouquet that was mostly locally grown — woo woo! Zinnias, scabiosa, lisianthus, amaranthus, ninebark, yellow and burgundy smoke bush, and I added in imported garden roses, pepper berry, and viburnum berries.
Welcome to Pineridge Hollow like you’ve never seen it before.
It can be hard to re-envision a space that has been doing weddings for so long. We certainly don’t want your wedding to look or feel like every other wedding, so we’ve got to find ways to bring your style into it.
For this wedding, the floor plan, the tent entrance, and the ceiling greenery and lights made the biggest differences. Steph and Tiff (and their guests) aren’t huge dancers, so instead they set up multiple cozy lounges for hanging out. The mix of banquet, round, and cocktail tables brought a lot of visual interest and depth through mixed (but still elegant) linens. And the ceiling greenery, well. Chef’s kiss, right there. A huge thank you to Event Light for adding the cable for us to work from!
I love this floor plan! I’m always down for a mix of table shapes, because it creates a lot of interest and movement, and also allows people to interact in different ways. A sea of the same thing over and over gets really boring, really quickly. It can also be a clever way to maximize your space.
Okay friends, here are the elements of this wedding that you’re going to want to steal if this is the look you’re going for: romantic lighting and plenty of candles, velvet textures, moody linens (these deep emerald linens are gorgeous!), and a few pops of something jewel toned in the flowers to bring it all to life. Once again, CHEF’S KISS.
Megan Steen Photography ~ FEast & FEstivities ~ Pineridge Hollow ~ Stone House Creative ~ Collective Event Rentals ~ Planned Perfectly ~ Event Light ~ Trend Decor ~ Bailey Vanderveen ~ Hair by Guy Lemieux
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
2024 wedding dates are now booking! Whether it’s an intimate wedding for 30 or a celebration the likes of which have never been seen before, 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!
A Chic Spring Wedding at the Assiniboine Park Pavilion
I wasn’t planning on working on Mother’s Day weekend. I had my baby about 5 months earlier and was looking forward to a relaxing Mother’s Day with my boys. Then Andrea from Soiree texted me, asking if I knew of any floral designers who were still available for that weekend. I felt myself starting to cave a little…so I asked about the style and vision for the wedding…and then I saw the design board…and heard that it was at the Pavilion…and before I knew it, I said “You twisted my arm, count me in!” and there it was.
Julia and Rob’s chic spring wedding at the Assiniboine Park Pavilion was officially on my calendar!
I wasn’t planning on working on Mother’s Day weekend. I had my baby about 5 months earlier and was looking forward to a relaxing Mother’s Day with my boys. Then Andrea from Soiree texted me, asking if I knew of any floral designers who were still available for that weekend. I felt myself starting to cave a little…so I asked about the style and vision for the wedding…and then I saw the design board…and heard that it was at the Pavilion…and before I knew it, I said “You twisted my arm, count me in!” and there it was.
Julia and Rob’s chic spring wedding at the Assiniboine Park Pavilion was officially on my calendar!
Photos: Brittany Mahood
I love this romantic colour palette — soft pink, moody mauves, crisp black — and it worked beautifully to create the modern, romantic vibes. And can we take a moment to take in her dress and headband combination? Dang.
Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: wabara garden rose, anemone, butterfly ranunculus, faith rose, sweet pea, and pieris.
I haven’t worked at the Pavilion in a few years so I was super excited to be here again! It was closed for a few years, then underwent a huge remodel, and then Covid happened so everything that was scheduled was cancelled or moved. The remodel that was done there is really beautiful — it’s always been one of my favourite spaces in the city with the amount of windows and natural light. In the summer, the terrace is stunning for ceremonies or cocktail hours, and it’s obviously in the park so there are plenty of perfect photo locations within walking distance.
I love this floor plan! The mix of round and banquet tables, the “head table nook” utilizing 3 round tables for the VIPs in the alcove, it all worked to create great movement throughout the room.
The focal point of the design was obviously the hanging florals above the head table! The colour palette, the shape, the inclusion of pussy willow branches…it was all just do great. I’d do it again any day 🥰
We also kept the centrepiece on this “head table” simpler, just focusing on black candles so the floating florals above could sing.
The floor plan situated round guest tables around the outsides of the room, which we styled with a lush floral arrangement with a duo of black taper candles. It felt both full and minimalist in a good way. Across the dance floor was a pair of long banquet table, which had cards placed on them advising guests that the tables would be removed for dancing — so smart! — and because the tables were being removed, we went simpler on the centrepieces here, using black taper and votive candles, and petite bud vases for just a bit of colour.
“I just want to let you know that you are KILLIN’ it in the floral game. And more importantly, you are a lovely human and just a joy to work with and be around. I am so honoured you agreed to be part of my special day. The flowers were the talk of the day and still are. I can’t tell you how many guests asked WHO did the flowers. So from a “consumer” point of view - you are pure magic! Correction* in all ways you are pure magic ❤️ ” - Julia
So now you can see why I left mat leave early! This was the perfect wedding to start my season off with and I’d just love to do it over and over and over again.
Celia and Cam's Intimate, Warm Fall Wedding
I LOVE designing for intimate weddings. There's something so very special about being able to really narrow down your guest list to just the people that you love the most and who you love the most. While I couldn't do it, I certainly envy those who can! Celia and Cam are one of those couples, and their intimate, warm fall wedding was a dream.
Wedding Planner: Amanda Douglas Events | Photographer: Sugar + Soul Photography | Ceremony Venue: Leo Mol Sculpture Garden | Reception Venue: The Kitchen Sync | Linens: Dream Day Decor
Celia is just the most adorable. She's this tiny little package of beauty and also happens to have this adorable Australian accent that you cannot get enough of. I only got to meet her in person on the day of her wedding to Cam, so I loved seeing these incredible photos from Mel at Sugar & Soul!
I LOVED CELIA'S FLOWERS. This palette was full of life and was the perfect way to end my busy season. Those delicate peach dahlias finished the bouquet in the very best way. Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: dahlias, mums, scabiosa, garden roses, eryngium, spray roses, blushing bride protea, and several types of eucalyptus.
Leo Mol, part of Assiniboine Park, is one of the most beautiful areas in the city for a wedding ceremony. Given that they were having a fall wedding, though, we had no idea if there were still going to be any leaves on the trees to bring colour. We lucked out with literally the most gorgeous fall day! But, I still wanted to add some colour and romance to the ceremony space so I created this petal altar for them, which was on the platform where they said their vows. It was simple but made a statement.
This was my first time working at Kitchen Sync, which is an incredible space for smaller events. I would LOVE to do a 50 person wedding here once a month :) The stone walls are just gorgeous!
We started off with this gorgeous escort card display. I can't tell you how much I LOVE escort cards - I'm not sure why. I think it has something to do with the luxurious feeling they create! I chose a stone vessel for this greenery arrangement and offset it with more of those gorgeous dahlias. Simple touches of feather eucalyptus lined the table!
Celia and Cam chose to do 2 different centrepiece styles, which was suggested by their wedding planner, Amanda Douglas (I love working with wedding planners!). This worked really well, as they did a combination of round and rectangular tables. On the rectangular tables, I laid out loose greenery, sort of like a viney garland, and tucked in individual blooms and candles. On the round tables, a bronze urn with low floral arrangements featuring decorative artichokes!
And, to finish it all off, the sweets! Since they didn't have a full cake, we didn't need to do much in the way of cake flowers, but I really loved adding the greenery and floral accents to the table and around the base of the cupcake stand.
