Guide to Wedding Ceremony Floral Installations
Last week we talked about hanging floral installations, and this week I thought I’d get a little more specific and talk specifically about wedding ceremony florals. Whether it’s a large focal point design or something scaled back, it’s my opinion that all couples deserve to have an incredible space in which to say their vows.
Last week we talked about hanging floral installations, and this week I thought I’d get a little more specific and talk specifically about wedding ceremony florals. Whether it’s a large focal point design or something scaled back, it’s my opinion that all couples deserve to have an incredible space in which to say their vows.
I loved this simple ceremony backdrop for a winter wedding at Smith!
The Floral Pillars
Massively underrated, in my opinion, a set of floral pillars is a great design plan because it’s flexible to work in many spaces and easy to re-purpose at the reception. In this case, the floral design is obviously more on the modern side but swap that up for a classic urn and fill it with hydrangea and roses, and you’ve got something that fits in any church perfectly!
The Classic Arch
Brittany Mahood Photography, See more here
Curved, flat topped or hexagonal, indoors or outdoors, I’d say that most of my couples opt for some sort of arch structure. I personally love a good curved arch with full floral working its way around, or with a few spotlight sections - there’s something about the arched shape that the eye naturally loves!
Something really important to keep in mind is the stability of the structure. If your ceremony is outside, then we’ll need either a really heavy base or something that can be staked into the ground for extra stability. If it’s indoors, we need to make sure that we’ve got a heavy base as we definitely can’t use stakes.
A lot of the time, my couples will provide their own structure. The vast majority of the time, we have no problem at all. Once in a while, though, the strength just isn’t there. Both times that’s happened has been when the ceremony is on the rooftop of the WAG. It doesn’t matter what the weather is that day, it’s just SO windy up there all the time. Be careful!
Charmaine Mallari, See more here
The Non-Traditional Arch
Here’s what I LOVE about a non-traditional “arch”: each one is so different! Whether I’m creating floral columns or a deconstructed arch or anything else, you know it’s fun for me. The above are some of my favourites that I’ve designed.
First, that gorgeous deconstructed 2 piece gold arch. This was the first time we used it, and I love that it gives the illusion of a full arch and your eye naturally finishes the shape, but it’s a bit more unique, a bit more modern. I’ve got this piece planned for a few other weddings, and all of the florals will be designed in a different way, which you know I love!
Next, the copper arch with a calligraphy backdrop (completely handmade by the bride - WOAH!). This portion could easily fit under the traditional arch category, but the reason why I’ve included it in non-traditional is because of the floral pillars that I added to either side of it. My goodness, did this room smell amazing with all those flowers everywhere!
Finally, my favourite pair of freestanding floral columns. We wanted them tall because the groom was tall, colourful to stand out from the white backdrop, and have a bit of a natural curve to mimic an arch shape. I LOVED these babies.
The Hanging Floral Installation
You can find pretty much everything you need to know about hanging installations in my post last week! I’m sure what you’ll notice in these pictures is that they are all in the same place - Cielo’s Garden. And here’s why: the open rafters! The main thing that I need to plan around when designing a hanging installation is the mechanics - how can I actually HANG something? The open rafters in the chapel at Cielo’s Garden are the perfect structure for something like this.
The “Make Your Own Backdrop”
No matter what your venue is, we can come up with an amazing design - something that gives you a beautiful altar where there is none, something that creates a defined space where there is none, something that adds character where there is none…you get the idea!
I created the greenery arch above right on the wall, in the old Hut K space which was kind of a warehouse looking space. The floor plan was quite tight - you can see the guest tables in the foreground of the image. The guests sat at their tables and post-ceremony, the head table was moved in front of the greenery arch and it served double-duty as backdrop behind the head table. The greenery piece was intended to look quite natural, almost as though it was growing naturally, and it was actually the only piece of floral/greenery decor at the entire reception! It made a good statement.
Below, planner Emily came up with the plan for the firewood, which was perfect as it was a winter wedding photoshoot. We added in the rug to bring warmth, and the wreath (which has dried and hung over my bed for the last 4 years!) to bring a live element. See how it’s all about creating a welcoming space where there wasn’t any warmth before?
Looking for a Wedding Floral and Event Designer in Winnipeg?
2021 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 to Stone House Creative for stunning bridal bouquets, truly unique ceremony backdrops, and beautiful floral centrepieces to create the perfect ambiance for your wedding!
Beautiful weddings, designed for and with love.
Wedding Event Design 3.0 - Designing a Beautiful Ceremony Space
Over this last year, my favourite thing to design has definitely become a gorgeous ceremony space, and I've found this to be a really major part of the event design process.
Sometimes, despite the intimate words that are spoken during the ceremony, I find that the setting still feels impersonal. Chances are pretty good that the place where you're saying your vows wasn't built just for the two of you -- most likely, countless other couples have gotten married there, too. There's no problem with that at all, but it does mean that we have to work a little harder to make the space feel personalized to the two of you.
So, I aim to design a space for the two of you - maybe it's defined by an installation hanging above the two of you, or I create something to mark around the space where you'll say your vows. Maybe I can incorporate plenty of foliage and flowers to create a piece that appears that it's been growing there for years, enveloping you in it's secret garden-esque feel. I love getting my hands dirty here, working with more than just flowers and foliage! I'm not afraid to get out the power tools and build something, either!
Crafting a space that allows the couple to feel grounded and connected, a place that allows them to cherish each other and remind themselves of the focus of the day, is such a special opportunity and one that I love to have.
Video made by Prairie Film Co.
Below are some examples of different ceremony spaces that I've designed, all in the beautiful chapel at Cielo's Garden, but each feels different. I want my couples to know that I'm going to get creative and inventive for them, designing something different for them than they've seen before or different from what their friends have had. I'm working on some incredible designs for the same space next year, and can't wait for them to become real!
Photo by Pantel Photography / Designing this piece was one of the happiest projects of my wedding season this year!
Photo by Simply Rosie Photography / Loved bringing a garden feel indoors here.
Photo by Rachwal Photography / I was so happy when the bride told me butterflies were attracted to the flowers throughout the ceremony!
Photo by Keila Marie Photography / Designed with Amanda Douglas Events
Photo by Victoria Anne Photography / Setting designed by bride with Stone House flowers
Photo by Mackenzie Jean Photography / I collected the branches to build this piece for months!
If you'd like me to create a beautiful ceremony space for you, please don't hesitate to reach out.
#PEONY4PRESIDENT: FLOWER WORKSHOP WITH BOWS & ARROWS
Earlier this spring, I travelled down to Dallas to visit a wonderful friend of mine, Linda from Wedfully Yours, and together, we took an intimate workshop with Bows & Arrows (one of my floral design idols). Alicia at Bows & Arrows is the originator of #peony4president on Instagram, and she had so many amazing varieties of peonies available for us that I couldn't think of a better title for this post. I loved being able to learn from Alicia and her team, as well as work with some varieties of flowers that I don't usually have access to in Winnipeg. Peonies galore, as well as beautiful varieties of roses, lisianthus, scabiosa, bleeding heart, frittilaria, tropical anthurium (which I've aways been afraid to use but I love how it paired with the more romantic, ruffly blooms!), and sweet pea - so many of my favourites! It's hard to decide what my favourite part of our design day was - the gorgeous ceremony arch, or the joy pf placing each stem into my centrepiece arrangement. It all came together beautifully!
Dallas is a beautiful city, and this particular venue was absolutely stunning - it's an old mansion, which has been renovated into a hotel and is nothing short of extraordinary. I think we need something like this place around here!
Mentorship: Bows & Arrows / Photos: Kayla Barker Photography / Planning and Design: The Wildflowers Events / Dress: A&Be Bridal Shop / Hair and Makeup: Tracy Melton Artistry / Calligraphy: Script Merchant / Model: Alli K / Venue: Rosewood Mansion, Dallas / Decor Rentals: Bella Acento / Linen: La Tavola / Ring: Trumpet & Horn
Wedding Ceremony Decor Ideas at Cielo's Garden
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I absolutely love Cielo's Garden! It is definitely one of my favourite Manitoba wedding venues and the little stone chapel in the woods is the most beautiful spot I can imagine for a wedding ceremony. Even better, it's incredibly versatile. The open rafters make it so easy to create a wide range of gorgeous designs!
For the Cielo's Garden spring open house in May, I worked with Amanda Douglas Events and Planned Perfectly to design a simple but striking ceremony set up. We started with the draping, working with both white and champagne tones. The colours looked beautiful against the soft palette of the stones in the wall, and created enough interest that white on its own might now. I added in my custom-made dark wood stands, with two simple arrangements of flowering branches. Flowering branches are really only available in the springtime, but there are definitely other options that you could use throughout the summer and fall to create a similar style. I loved the light, airy feel these arrangements created in the space.
Photos by the very talented Keila Marie Photography!
Leighann and Paul's Detailed Country Wedding
I LOVED being a part of Leighann and Paul's wedding. First, she was just really awesome to work with (it seems like I'm saying that a lot! I've been really lucky with the brides who have hired me!). Second, she had really great style, and was very trusting of me to just do my thing.
One of my favourite aspects of their wedding was the ceremony space. We were originally going to do their ceremony outdoors with a floral garland attached to an arbor. But when Cielo's Garden unveiled their AMAZING new covered ceremony space, Leighann changed her mind and I'm super glad that she did! The space was so gorgeous - airy, fresh, and felt like it wasn't even in Manitoba anymore. That meant that we had to get creative with those ceremony florals. So, I came up with the plan to create a hanging installation in the place of where an arbor would have been, and I just love the results. I found the perfect branch when I was out playing Frisbee, and I applied the floral arrangements right onto it. We also added two fresh, pretty arrangements at the base!
Photos: Simply Rosie Photography
Day-Of Coordination: Amanda Douglas Events
Venue: Cielo's Garden