Colourful and Fun Winnipeg Art Gallery Wedding
It’s always fun to design for someone I know! Katelin is my brother-in-law’s sister, so I was excited from the start. It also became the perfect combination of elements — the WAG, juicy colour, a collab with Soiree Event Planning, my cute niece and nephew as the flower girl and ring bearer…everything was awesome!
If you’ve been around here for any length of time, you’ll know I’m an unapologetic colour lover. This wedding shows you exactly why!
It’s always fun to design for someone I know! Katelin is my brother-in-law’s sister, so I was excited about this Winnipeg Art Gallery wedding from the start. It also became the perfect combination of elements — an art museum, juicy colour, a collab with Soiree Event Planning, my cute niece and nephew as the flower girl and ring bearer…everything was awesome!
If you’ve been around here for any length of time, you’ll know I’m an unapologetic colour lover. This wedding shows you exactly why!
Photos by Cojo Photography
Another day, another one of my favourite colour palettes 😍😍 Katelin was totally on board for colour and I was thrilled. She was really drawn to oranges, and Soiree created this lovely palette of lavenders, peaches, a pop of orange so it wasn’t overwhelming, and a nice base of soft pinks. Some people think neutrals are only white/grey/beige…in my opinion, soft pink is totally a neutral.
Another bonus of August weddings — the LOCAL FLOWERS. Ugh they just make all the difference in the world. We had a ton of locally grown goods for this wedding.
Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: Locally grown foxglove, sweet pea, zinnias, and lisianthus along with cafe latte garden roses, anemones, and ranunculus.
(Pause for a moment to notice my ADORABLE (sassy) niece as flower girl!!)
This ceremony arch was so delicious. We’ve designed similar styles many times, but never in this palette and it was SO juicy and yummy. We wanted it to be fuller at the base and lighter at the top, in part because we were on the WAG rooftop, so we needed to heavily weight the base and ensure it was sturdy enough to not blow over.
Those orange dahlias were total perfection, and added just the right change in texture to pop in here.
Excuse the interruption while I tell you WHY YOU ABSOLUTELY WANT TO HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER. There’s no knowing what’s going to happen at your wedding. For example, there might be a wasp infestation…
While we were setting up the ceremony, there were a few wasps buzzing around and then a few more and then a few more…and I thought “this seems like more than usual” while Deanna was this close to losing her ever-loving mind over them. I walked over to the stone/tree area along the side of the rooftop, and realized I could hear a lot of buzzing. There were hundreds of wasps. I’m known for exaggeration, but there were HUNDREDS.
I went to Andrea from Soiree right away and let her know that we had an issue. And professional that she is, they took care of it. They had to call in an exterminator, who came in SO quickly, and move the cocktail hour from the rooftop to the Skylight Gallery. There were still wasps buzzing around during the ceremony BUT not a single sting because they had been sprayed and were on their way out. Soiree took care of all of this behind the scenes, and didn’t even worry the couple with the details.
SO YEAH. Hire a wedding planner. I’ve got a few recommendations for planners that we love, if you want (and yes, Soiree is on that list!).
Can we take a moment to talk about HOW LUCKY we got with the artwork in Eckhardt Hall?! Dang. One of the things about having a wedding in an art gallery is that you never know what the artwork itself is going to be. I know this very vibrant, colour-celebrating exhibit isn’t ideal for everyone but it was incredibly perfect for Katelin and Derek.
One of the design elements I was MOST looking forward to for Katelin and Derek’s wedding was the base palette of monochromatic pinks at the reception: light pink linen, pink glassware, pink vases, and then of course, tying pink into the flowers with vibrant pops of orange and lavender.
I LOVE how this gave a soft and fresh feeling base for the entire event — definitely something to consider for yourself!
A lot of the time, people get stuck in the idea of “white plus my accent colours” or “our main colour is x and therefore that’s what our linen needs to be.” That’s not necessarily true — I think it can work a lot better if you choose something as your neutral, and use it heavily as a base throughout. Then add your primary colour as a focal point but in fewer areas, and that’s what’s going to pop! Like here, the neutral is the soft pink, and the focal colour(s) are the lavender and orange.
Katelin comes from a family of dance-loving people — I wish I could have been there to see it in person! I am a horrible dancer, but I do love it and wish that I could. At my sister and brother-in-law’s wedding, their parents and friends just had their way with the dance floor and it was so impressive.
A huge thanks to my amazing team of freelancers who helped make this floral magic come together! My associate designer Deanna, Andrea from Addison Taylor Designs, and Andrea from Cameo Flowers. The WAG has a shorter setup timeline (which makes sense, they are open to the public during the day!), so when it comes time to setup, it’s GO TiME and all hands on deck. So grateful for these hands and the way they made my vision come together.
Cojo Photo ~ Soiree Event Planning ~ Winnipeg ARt Gallery ~ Planned Perfectly ~ Collective event rentals ~ Event Light ~ Bailey Delbigio ~ Taylor Neufeld Hair ~ DJ Sir Charles ~ Keith MacPherson
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
Getting married at the WAG? Stone House is one of their preferred vendors, and in our completely biased opinion, we’re the best at bringing the space to life 😎
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!
Organic Tent Wedding on Private Estate
Kristin and Sam’s organic tent wedding on his family’s private estate was a MAJOR highlight of 2020 for me! Their date was originally scheduled for late June, but they pushed it back into late August with a backup date on the calendar for 2021, as well. They ended up deciding to just go forward in August with as large of a guest list as they would be allowed to, and it turned out that it was scheduled for the perfect time, in that summertime covid lull.
Kristin and Sam’s organic tent wedding on his family’s private estate was a MAJOR highlight of 2020 for me! Their date was originally scheduled for late June, but they pushed it back into late August with a backup date on the calendar for 2021, as well. They ended up deciding to just go forward in August with as large of a guest list as they would be allowed to, and it turned out that it was scheduled for the perfect time, in that summertime covid lull.
Let me tell you: this property COULD NOT HAVE BEEN COOLER. Right on the Red River and less than 10 minutes outside of the city, with multiple cabins dating back decades, towering trees and a creek running through…it was so, so amazing.
Blush, cream, and sage is a timeless palette and Kristin wanted to keep the floral elements fairly simple, especially for the bouquets. This really allowed the incredible setting to take centre stage and caused the flowers to support the surroundings instead of compete with them.
Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: white o’hara garden roses, quicksand roses, blushing bride protea, white ranunculus, olive foliage, gunni and seeded eucalyptus foliages.
Kristin handmade this arch! She built it at home in Vancouver, then took it apart and shipped it here to Winnipeg in time for the wedding. She also designed all of her stationery, created her table numbers and escort cards, and some really cool acrylic signage. Quite creative! I wouldn’t have had a chance of making those details myself.
I love the statement these florals make. Again, it’s simple but appropriate in size and scale and really brought a garden-inspired feel. The ceremony overlooked the Red River, and with the tree line behind, it really couldn’t have been a more gorgeous location.
When you’re so tired mid-day that you just need to take a little break with your bridesmaids 😴
When I did a site tour with Andrea from Soiree Event Planning, we were both so struck with this tree. The shape of it! The size! It is just a perfect tree. We knew it needed to be used somehow, and I’m so glad that she suggested using it as a lounge setting. Wouldn’t you want to relax a little under this gorgeous tree? All of the lounge rental furniture was from Trend Decor and I particularly love those rattan armchairs. The addition of the rattan textures (lanterns, rug, chairs) brought a casual feeling element to the overall event design that was really nice.
Reception time! They installed 2 separate tents, one for dinner (with tons of space for the tables to be really spread out), and a smaller one with a lounge, dessert table and live music (this was also the backup location for the ceremony). We lightly strung greenery along the entire tent ceiling, and added greenery and florals to Event Light’s basket lanterns above the head table and above the bar. I loved this element — it felt really special and was one of those small touches that went a long way to creating an amazing atmosphere.
The floor plan included both round tables and harvest style banquet tables, all with a heavy amount of floral and candles added.
Since covid, a lot of couples have chosen an open-side tent. With every panel open, the flow of traffic can feel a little directionless, so establishing a focal point can make an enormous difference to your guests' experience. I loved using this opportunity to create a gorgeous entrance to the tent that also served a purpose: welcoming guests, guiding them to their tables, and adding to the overall event design.
One of my favourite design elements was actually the containers that I used, which might not be that excited to pretty much anyone else. Soiree’s design brief incorporated a lot of natural textures, so I selected a pottery compote and matching longer oval vessel along with ceramic stem vases. We also decided to use sandstone pillar candles instead of plain white, to bring a little more warmth to the overall palette.
The round table featured a floral piece in a compote with a little more of the blush tones in them (so they stood out from the white linens), and the harvest tables incorporated an elongated centrepiece in the centre, along with a lot of stem vases with petite arrangements. I loved the copper flatware they chose for the visual interest it brought.
Believe me when I say this — it was SO HOT. These misting fans were absolute life savers. I spent a fair amount of time in front of this one, myself 😂They were stationed around the dinner tent and around the lounges and dessert area as well. Thank goodness!
A huge thanks to my amazing team of freelancers who helped make this floral magic come together! My associate designer Deanna of Deer Dutch Creative, Kyla Ferguson, and Erika Tata. Each of them played such an important role, and together we all kept our heads (and our cool) on an insanely hot week. They also had the thrilling job of lifting and positioning sheets of plywood for me to drive the scissor lift on, and doing that inside of a clear tent is basically like doing heavy lifting in a greenhouse 😓
Brittany Mahood Photography ~ Soiree Event Planning ~ Planned Perfectly ~ C&T Rentals ~ Trend Rentals & Decor ~ Event Light ~ D’Lite Tents ~ High Tea Bakery ~ Laugh Love Cakes ~ MYUZ Artistry ~ Danny Kramer Dance Band ~ Urban Prairie Cuisine ~ Rhyme & Rhythm Cinematography
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
Getting married in 2022? Wedding flower appointments will start in the new year and I have a wait list started in the meantime. Click the button below to get on my wait list!
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!
Sunset Inspired Boho Wedding Inspiration at Manitoba Club
A sunset inspired palette, boho Australian vibes, and one of my favourite downtown Winnipeg wedding venues? Sign me up.
When Shaelynn from Manitoba Club approached me with the request to design the florals for this shoot, I was on board. It was a busy summer and this didn’t come at the best time in my calendar, but I couldn’t say no. The Club had the goal of promoting their outdoor space, the Bonnycastle Gardens, and needed to create some beautiful imagery to show it off.
A sunset inspired palette, boho Australian vibes, and one of my favourite downtown Winnipeg wedding venues? Sign me up.
When Shaelynn from Manitoba Club approached me with the request to design the florals for this shoot, I was on board. It was a busy summer and this didn’t come at the best time in my calendar, but I couldn’t say no. The Club had the goal of promoting their outdoor space, the Bonnycastle Gardens, and needed to create some beautiful imagery to show it off.
Even better? I pretty much had free reign over whatever I wanted to do! We were really inspired by the Australian wedding trends and wanted to tap into that boho vibe.
This bridal bouquet was a really fun one for me. It was a different palette, featuring those sunset tones with the faded caramel, touches of rusty orange, mauve, and a bit of coral to liven it up. I really let the flowers dictate the shape, and just kind of let them go and do whatever they wanted to do.
Bridal Bouquet Ingredients:
locally grown zinnias, lisianthus, amaranthus, and cosmos with imported garden roses, standard roses, lunaria, gardenia foliage and acacia foliage.
Ceremony space! This was actually plan B, and I’m so glad that plan A didn’t work out. I pulled in my gold metal stands and pretty much just moved the flowers up and down to create an interesting shape for the eye to follow.
We grounded the space with this beautiful blue rug - it wasn’t planned for, but it couldn’t have been more perfect!
And moving over to the reception! Obviously the Garden is a smaller space, but for a dinner for about 50 people or so, I think you could have a really incredible intimate evening. With bistro lights strung from one side to the other and the brick patio, and then on the other side of the fence is the Upper Fort Garry park, it’s a really beautiful setting!
The tablescape came together really beautifully. Shaelynn had selected this incredible rusty orange satin linen with the idea of laying it over with the lace, which tied in so well with the boho bridal gown. We planned to use the black chivaris from the beginning, so I brought in these black vases and paired them with my black metal candleholders and burnished copper votives.
The place settings were a last minute design that worked SO well. I’d suggested that we use some actual terracotta elements, and Maria from Little Dove Calligraphy hand-wrote the guest’s names on shards of a planter that Shaelynn had smashed up! On the shoot day, while I was working on the ceremony setting, Shaelynn was pacing up and down the table looking at a few different options for place settings, using different coloured napkins, different ways of folding the napkin to show off the menu, different placements for the terracotta name card. I LOVE the way the blue napkin offers a soft contrast to the orange linen and pick up on the cool tone of the acacia foliage. Other excellent touches are the amber glasses and the white/gold flatware.
Look at that bouquet 😍😍
I love the idea of setting up a special lounge seating area for your guests! Even better when all of the rental items can come from the same place 😅Trend Decor is a newer company in Winnipeg and they’re providing a totally different line of rental options from everyone else and it’s really refreshing! A bit more modern, great textures, varied options for furniture - you’re going to want to check out their inventory! I’ve personally got my eye on their green velvet chairs for my cousin’s sweetheart table later this summer!
Planning and Venue: Manitoba Club Weddings ~ Photography: Black and Gold ~ Florals and Design: Stone House Creative ~ Linens and Chairs: Planned Perfectly ~ Stationery: Little Dove Calligraphy ~ Rentals: Trend Decor ~ Dress: Bliss Bridal Boutique ~ Suit: EPH Apparel ~ Makeup and Hair: Fifth | Makeup: What’s Her Face Beauty | Hair: Hair by Abs
Looking for a Wedding Floral and Event Designer in Winnipeg?
2021 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!
Jenn and Bill's Garden-Inspired Wedding at Cielo's Garden
Ah, Jenn and Bill’s wedding day. It was SUCH a good day. Late August (the day before my birthday, in fact!) is a gooood time for a wedding because it’s not QUITE as hot as the rest of summer and the weather is basically always perfect. Except that it actually rained throughout the evening of their wedding - which I’m telling you, has NEVER HAPPENED ON MY BIRTHDAY BEFORE. So I may or may not have told them that they’d have perfect weather and I may or may not have come out looking like a liar.
BUT, this garden-inspired wedding at Cielo’s Garden was one of my favourites of the year. A unique take on a purple palette with some of the most subtle combinations (you’ve heard me say before that I think ultra-violet is one of the most offensive colours of all time but this? This take on purple was gooooood), flowers literally everywhere, and a light and airy feel that just made this wedding feel special. I would happily re-live this day over and over again!
Moore Photography (plus some of my iphone photos)~ Amanda Douglas Events ~ Cielo’s Garden ~ Cocoa Beans Bakeshop ~ C&T Rentals
This bridal bouquet was one of my favourites! I felt like it was such a unique take on the colour palette and I really, really loved the combination that I got to use. The colour and texture depths were really lovely.
Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: early grey roses, menta roses, amnesia roses, pink stock, white larkspur, locally grown white sweet pea, black pearl lisianthus (drool!) and scabiosa, with mixed eucalyptus and foaged foliages. I finished it with this gorgeous mauve Stella Wolfe ribbon that I’d been hoarding all year.
Working with Jenn was one of the best experiences I’ve had as a wedding floral designer. Why? Because she trusted me SO much. She loved my style, and she knew that with her busy life AND the fact that she doesn’t live in Winnipeg anymore, she decided to just hand over the reigns and chose not to worry about anything. That made this wedding a dream for both her and me! Outside of just flowers, she asked me for vendor recommendations (helllloooooo gluten free desserts!!) and when I suggested that she consider hiring a month-of wedding coordinator, she trusted me on that, too. I actually always recommend that couples getting married at a venue like Cielo’s Garden, where there isn’t a banquet coordinator on-site (like you’d find at a hotel or a golf course), always hire at least a month-of coordinator. There’s no need for you to have to run your entire reception when you could be enjoying it!
Is there such a thing as TOO much trust? Ha! Jenn trusted me so much that she actually didn’t bother to review her flower order because she knew that I had it all under control…except she forgot that she had added a bridesmaid since the last time we talked! 😂There were a few stressful moments when that was figured out - I was working on the ceremony instal in the chapel and the wedding coordinator asked where the 5th bridesmaid bouquet was. “What 5th bridesmaid?” was my response. It actually worked out really well - I stopped working on the chapel instal, the couple did their first look photos in the chapel, and I took flowers out of the buckets that were ear-marked for the ceremony arch and sat on the ground outside and whipped together another bouquet! Ironically, that was the one day I chose to take extra ribbon OUT of my tool bag since I wouldn’t need it, but the wedding coordinator had some bits and pieces that I could use. By the time the first look photos were finished, so was that bouquet! I was also very sweaty - ha!
I’m sure you could guess without too much effort why this ceremony design was one of my favourites of the entire year! I always love coming up with different ideas to implement for ceremony spaces, and especially when it’s such a beautifully blank canvas as Cielo’s Garden is. Creating a freestanding, deconstructed arch had been on my design wishlist for a while after seeing some similar styles on Instagram, so when I suggested it to Jenn, I was pretty pumped that she loved the idea. She really let me just do whatever I wanted! I decided to use the same ingredients as the bouquets (which was very lucky when I had to create that extra bridesmaid bouquet!).
The reception was also full of beautiful things! Literally flowers everywhere! I was so impressed with the level of detail that Jenn brought considering that she lived out of town throughout the entire planning. The gorgeous rose gold and copper place setting details were from C&T Rentals and though you can’t see it too well, the vases that the centrepieces were in are also copper, which I felt really complemented the floral palette nicely! We also tucked in flowers throughout the guest book table are, the bar, and of course, on the cake. I am a bit of a fan of flowers, flowers, everywhere :) And then they also brought the ceremony arrangements and placed them behind the head table, which looked so pretty!
Looking for a Wedding Floral and Event Designer in Winnipeg?
My 2020 waitlist has already been started, and couples interested in full event and floral design will be contacted first about their dates. I offer a limited number of dates for event design each year, in order to allow me to work closely with each couple. Combining event and floral design is the perfect option for couples who live out of town, or couples who feel they need a little extra help in creating the visual plan for their wedding day. Click this link to learn more!
Stephanie and Andrew's Stylish, Organic Wedding at Cielo's Garden
Stephanie and Andrew were married mid-June in an incredibly stylish, organic wedding at Cielo's Garden. They live in Toronto, and it was clear to me from our first email exchanges that Steph has a gorgeous personal aesthetic so I was really excited to work with them. I think the biggest challenge was deciding on the colour palette - we started off with Steph telling me that she only wears black and gray, but wanting a bit more colour at the wedding. We thought about lots of terracotta accents (which were eventually removed from the plan), and ended up tucking in a bit of mauves to the loose palette of peaches, plum, apricot, dusty greens, and earth tones.
I worked on their event design along with their floral design, though we ended up doing a bit of a hybrid design package as a result of the features of the venue as it is. You don't need to bring in a lot to make Cielo's gorgeous!
Photos: Ariana Tennyson ~ Floral and Event Design: Stone House Creative ~ Venue: Cielo's Garden ~ Day of Coordination: Melanie Parent Events ~ Catering: Chef Ben Kramer ~ Stationery: Everly True ~ Hair: Mallory at Prep Hair ~ Makeup: Tina at Myuz Makeup ~ Officiant: Colleen Olafson
Head's up: there are a LOT of really good flower photos from this wedding, and I'm just going to share them all. Sorrynotsorry.
Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: cappucino roses, amnesia roses, ranunculus, scabiosa, iris, flowering ninebark, freesia, magnolia, boxwood, and ruscus. I finished it with a touch of mocha toned silk ribbon from Tono & Co.
The girls chose their bridesmaid dresses sort of at the last minute. The one thing Stephanie said at the beginning was that she didn't want them to wear blush 😂I absolutely love their choices - both dresses complemented Steph's so well and I love that they're obviously not "bridesmaid" dresses. They just look stylish.
Below is Stephanie's second dress of the night - see what great style she has?
They loved the hanging greenery pieces that I've done for other weddings, but asked that I sort of mimic the shape of the window. I really love how this one came together - we used several different types of greenery so it was really textured, and almost looked more like a living plant wall.
Because of the features of the venue itself, Steph wanted to really load up the tables and make them look full, but also keep them really in keeping with the natural environment. With the clear walls and ceiling giving you 100% views of the woods around the tent, I think it's really important to suit the views with the design. Steph's personal preference was for nothing to look perfect, so I used several different types and cuts of glass vases (keeping them all in clear glass maintained the overall design integrity while bringing visual interest), and a mix of fuller arrangements, individual floral or greenery stems, and greenery arrangements.
Stephanie and Andrew dropped by the studio a couple days before the wedding and she saw my scraps jar, and really liked that - which I thought was hilarious. So, I made sure to add in lots of texture and dried "weedy" bits into the floral arrangements, and almost went a little haphazard with the greenery arrangements to keep them messy.
Looking for a wedding florist in Winnipeg?
Getting married in Manitoba? I might be biased, but 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!
Limited summer 2019 wedding dates remain available. Click below to check your date!