Elegant Garden Wedding at Ashgrove Acres
What a joyful wedding day this was for Erika and Jace! It wasn’t the easiest day to get to, what with the constantly changing restrictions, but the way they forged ahead and adjusted their plan to allow them to celebrate was awesome.
What a joyful wedding day this was for Erika and Jace! It wasn’t the easiest day to get to, what with the constantly changing restrictions, but the way they forged ahead and adjusted their plan to allow them to celebrate was awesome.
When Erika and I first started planning, we envisioned a very different palette and style, cooler in tones and more feminine overall — and a bit more basic, to be honest. Mid-way through the planning, she asked me to warm it up a bit, and I was so excited to take the reigns on that. Enter a brand new colour palette and design plan that I loved coming up with for this elegant garden wedding at Ashgrove Acres!
I just loved putting together these bouquets for Erika and her girls! They were a gorgeous combination of warm and cool tones, ruffled blooms and delicate textures, and the way they played against the dove grey bridesmaid dresses was delicious.
Bridal Bouquet ingredients: white o’hara garden roses, ranunculus, amnesia roses, lisianthus, button mums, sweet pea, scabiosa, foxglove, and ninebark and olive foliages. So many of these gorgeous blooms were locally grown — always my favourite!
Ceremony time! We kept the florals classic, adding pieces to the arch, to the start of the aisle, and scattered petals down the aisle as well.
The arch at Ashgrove Acres is deceptively large (future couples marrying there, take note!), so you can’t get away with anything too petite. We kept with the same overall floral ingredients and colour palette, and it just looked really nice and fresh.
The reception was obviously intended to be indoors, but with gathering restrictions at the time, indoor weddings were limited to just 10 people. Luckily, Ashgrove installed a tent on the property for outdoor dinners this year, and we shifted out there.
Erika chose really lush, full centrepieces in gold compotes, and I suggested we layer in cool toned candles to offset the warmth of the gold, so I mixed simple grey votives with my rippled smokeglass votives for visual interest.
Oh and that seating chart! Blake Creative Co did an amazing job and it really personalized the space.
When you’ve got a lot of flowers at the ceremony, you might as well repurpose them to make a stunning statement for a sweetheart table!
We repurposed the arch florals, finishing the design with lots of extra roses and candles. Repurposing arch flowers isn’t actually as straightforward as it always seems — they’re designed in a specific style, and that doesn’t always translate well to a head table. So, it was great that we were there to do the work so we could adjust and fill in the holes to make the design transfer properly.
I just wanted to send a HUGE thank you again for our flowers!!! They were exactly what I had in mind and more. I said they were my flower dreams come true! I have received soooo many compliments on them too.
Thank you so much!
—Erika
Brittany Mahood Photography ~ Ashgrove Acres ~ Jamie Loewen Videography ~ Melanie Parent Events ~ Modern Plate Catering ~ Collective Event Rentals ~ Taylor Neufeld Hair ~ Beauty by Isza and Tori Brynn Makeup ~ Park & Fifth Co ~ Minted ~ Blake Creative Co
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
2022 wedding dates are limited, and my 2023 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!
My Top 5 Must-Haves for an UNBELIEVABLE Elopement
What I love about an elopement is IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PROMISES AND THE TWO OF YOU. In the current climate, I’m assuming that many of you who are planning an elopement is because you can’t have the large wedding that you’d like, but you still want to have the ceremony and make your promises to each other. Whether that’s your case or not, I wanted to talk about my must-haves for an UNBELIEVABLE elopement!
Photos by Ariana Tennyson
What I love about an elopement is IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PROMISES AND THE TWO OF YOU. In the current climate, I’m assuming that many of you who are planning an elopement is because you can’t have the large wedding that you’d like, but you still want to have the ceremony and make your promises to each other. Whether that’s your case or not, I wanted to talk about my must-haves for an UNBELIEVABLE elopement!
Love Letters
I’m assuming that one of the things that’s making the decision to have an elopement a challenge is that you’ll miss your loved ones. So make sure they’re there with you, in spirit: ask your loved ones to write letters to you, that the two of you can read together on your elopement day. I found this idea on Junebug Weddings, and there are some other amazing elopement ideas here!
Create an Amazing Scene
No eyes will be on you, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t deserve a breathtaking ceremony backdrop. My goal is always to design a ceremony space that gives you a sense of space that’s just for the two of you. A space that feels grounded, that creates an ambiance that you’ll never forget. How are we going to do this? Florals, furniture, tons of candles, scents…whatever your style is, I’m going to make that happen.
If you’re able to have a dinner afterwards, then let’s do that up, too. While you’re taking some photos with your new husband/wife, I’ll re-purpose pieces of that ceremony design and bring in tabletop elements to put together the most perfect evening for two — or, brunch!
Don’t Forget To Capture It
Make sure that your photographer and videographer will be there to capture your elopement so you can show it at your party later! You’ll never regret having those photos taken. My favourite photos are always the ones that are taken right after the ceremony is over, and the photographer sneaks away with the couple for a few private moments.
Celebrate the Season
Whatever season your elopement will be in, let’s do it to the max. A super cozy fall ceremony outdoors in the woods. An intimate, romantic ceremony in December in front of your fireplace while the snow falls outside. See what I mean?
Cheer each other down the aisle
You know that moment, when the bride walks down the aisle and the guests all stand to greet her? Or that moment, once the vows have been said and the kiss happened, when the music picks up, and you rush back down the aisle together, hands held high? Just because you don’t have a large guest list doesn’t mean you can’t have those moments. Cheer each other down the aisle!
Bonus Must-Have: Make sure you feel your best
Get your hair done, your makeup done, wear your dress, drink some champagne. Oh, and carry a gorgeous bouquet 😘
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.
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.
Guide to Hanging Floral Installations
I’m kind of known for my hanging floral installations here in Winnipeg. It seems that whenever a couple says they want hanging flowers, they get referred to me - and obviously, that’s the way I like it! I’ve done them big, small, floral heavy and greenery focused, at reception spaces over a head table or dance floor and at ceremony spaces creating an altar. Sometimes they’ve involved the addition of ribbon streamers or built on wood boards, sometimes I’ve added in string lights, once I created a floral chandelier. All of them have involved tall ladders!
I thought I’d run you through some of the things I think about while I’m designing hanging floral installations!
I’m kind of known for my hanging floral installations here in Winnipeg. It seems that whenever a couple says they want hanging flowers, they get referred to me - and obviously, that’s the way I like it! I’ve done them big, small, floral heavy and greenery focused, at reception spaces over a head table or dance floor and at ceremony spaces creating an altar. Sometimes they’ve involved the addition of ribbon streamers or built on wood boards, sometimes I’ve added in string lights, once I created a floral chandelier. All of them have involved tall ladders!
I thought I’d run you through some of the things I think about while I’m designing hanging floral installations!
Designed for Planned Perfectly’s 2020 catalogue photo shoot at the Manitoba Club. Photos by Luxe Images by Jill.
Mechanics
Without a doubt, the mechanics of the HOW it’s going to hang is the most important part of planning a hanging floral installation. The first step of that is making sure there’s something that I can actually hang OFF of. Open rafters is always the best case scenario because they’re nice and sturdy! Sometimes I need to hire a lighting company to install cables for me to work off of, and for a wedding this summer, I’m planning to take a licensing test to use a scissor lift - bah!
I also need to make sure that there’s something that I can build the installation off of, some sort of base to use. At Hawthorn Estates, they have a suspended vintage wooden ladder that hangs above the head table that forms an EXCELLENT base. I’ve also used wood lattice, lots of chicken wire, rope, airline cable…lots of stuff.
Photos by Aimee de la Lande
Ingredient selections
Choosing the right floral ingredients is SO important because I don’t typically have a water source built into the installation. Foliage and flowers need to be hearty and last pretty well without water. Most foliages are pretty good - especially if they have a woody stem or waxy leaves. Many times we can water tube flowers so they have a few hours of drinking, but some things like roses or carnations don’t really need to be in water to last well. I try to use as little floral foam as possible in my work (it’s hazardous to the environment as it’s essentially a non-biodegradable single use plastic, and it’s bad for my health as it’s carcinogenic), and though I can’t always figure out a way to work without it, using foam isn’t best in hanging installations because it is very heavy and it often drips - again, reinforcing the need to choose flowers that either do well without a water source or can be watertubed.
Photos by Izabela Rachwal at The Gates on Roblin
Designing for Context
I always want to keep the vibe of the venue and the wedding’s style in mind as I plan the design. Maybe I don’t want to do something super modern and sleek in your average golf course banquet room (since they are typically not modern or sleek 🤪), for example, or design with a gorgeous berry toned colour palette in a room with orange wallpaper. This rule goes for all design, not just hanging installations, but I wanted to mention it nonetheless!
Photos by Luckygirl Creative at Whitetail Meadow
Next week I’ll be chatting about all things wedding ceremony flowers. If you have any questions, drop me a line and I’ll happily address it!
Looking for a Wedding Floral and Event Designer in Winnipeg?
2021 wedding dates are now booking! From Gimli to Steinbach, out to Kenora or anywhere in the Winnipeg area, reach out to Stone House Creative to create the perfect floral compliments for your wedding.
I create beautiful weddings for great people, designed with and for love.
The Number 1 Thing You Can Do To Get The Best Wedding Flowers Possible
Want to know the number 1 thing you can do to get the best wedding flowers possible? It’s actually really easy, and it has nothing to do with how much money you spend:
Give your floral designer some flexibility.
Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Maybe a little too easy to actually be the answer? It’s not - I promise.
Here’s the thing: when you work in the wedding industry, obviously you work a LOT of weddings. Depending on the year, I’ll take anywhere form 25 - 60 weddings. And the other thing about weddings is that they are very trend-focused, and trends are very cyclical. Thanks to wedding blogs and Pinterest, everyone getting married sees the exact same things and is inspired by them. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this - at the end of the day, when you’re happily married and loving life with your new spouse, all I want is for you to have loved your wedding day. But at the end of my day…I can get bored. And I feel a little guilty for saying it out loud.
Want to know the number 1 thing you can do to get the best wedding flowers possible? It’s actually really easy, and it has nothing to do with how much money you spend:
Give your floral designer some flexibility.
Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Maybe a little too easy to actually be the answer? It’s not - I promise.
Here’s the thing: when you work in the wedding industry, obviously you work a LOT of weddings. Depending on the year, I’ll take anywhere form 25 - 60 weddings. And the other thing about weddings is that they are very trend-focused, and trends are very cyclical. Thanks to wedding blogs and Pinterest, everyone getting married sees the exact same things and is inspired by them. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this - at the end of the day, when you’re happily married and loving life with your new spouse, all I want is for you to have loved your wedding day. But at the end of my day…I can get bored. 😬And I feel a little guilty for saying it out loud.
But hear me out: if I design florals for, say, 50 weddings a year, I can almost guarantee that about 1/2 of them will want basically the exact same things as each other - and that is the LAST thing that I want. I want you to love your flowers, and maybe you’d love pretty much anything that I give you! But I also want your flowers to be uniquely designed, for you. And when 50% of my clients bring in the exact same inspiration pictures, it gets pretty challenging for me to come up with unique combinations and ideas that will make your wedding flowers different than the rest.
So here’s what I’m suggesting: Give your floral designer some flexibility, and we’ll be in a much better position to design a gorgeous, creative, unique floral design for you. Bring us those inspiration pictures, yes, because we want to get a really good feel for what you like and what you’re drawn to (whether you’re aware of it or not! I love finding commonalities between a bride/groom’s inspiration pictures) - and then once we’ve looked at those together, say the magic words: “I’d love to hear your suggestions!”
We’ve always got ideas and things that we want to do. I keep a running “wish list” every year, of ideas I have and designs I have been dreaming up in my head and want to bring to life. Your wedding might just be the perfect place to create one of those floral designs, but if I don’t get the feeling that you’re open to ideas, I might not pitch it to you.
Here are some of my favourite things I’ve created when I felt like I had the client’s permission to be a little flexible:
These pictures are examples of designs that I had been dreaming about in my head and were on my “wish list" - so when those clients asked me for ideas, I was ready!
Somewhat coincidental that these were all at Cielo’s Garden…but not really. If you’re planning to open a venue, do your floral designers a favour and build a space that’s really easy to work and design in!
Left and middle photos by Ariana Tennyson, Right by my super iphone skills 😂
With this head table design at Pine Ridge Hollow, I had full creative control from the beginning. Meredith loved the idea of something over the head table, because she really wanted the wedding to feel as outdoors and garden-inspired as possible. She didn’t care what I did as long as it tied with the rest of the florals. I had so much fun coming up with this concept!
Photos by Camryn Elizabeth Weddings
These are all examples of playing with colour palette. I LOVE working with an interesting colour palette - whether it’s muted but layered, or vibrant and bold - I just feel like a great palette brings everything else to life.
First, you’ll see a fairly traditional white and blush bouquet - in weddings, we get asked for this palette a lot. I suggested that we add in the smallest caramel and raisin accents in the way of foliages. It’s still obviously a blush and white bouquet, and the accent colours don’t compete with that palette at all, but the additional touches add a little something extra.
Next up, this peach and coral number which I LOVED. This was a fall wedding, and I loved being able to compose this bouquet with a lot of peach hues, tucking in coral and orange. I also layered in some mauve and plum blooms deep into the bouquet, which provided unexpected depth and really set off the peach. Photo by Jaclyn Leskiw Photography.
Third, a more interesting take on neutrals. Why go all white when you can add in some very soft sandy tones for a little warmth? Depending on your overall wedding style, your venue, your dress - something like this could take your bouquet from just another white bouquet to a really well-designed statement. Photo by Almond Leaf Studios.
Finally, a delicious berry tone palette. I did a bit of colour blocking to make specific flowers and sections of the bouquet stand out. Any time a client asks me for something like this palette, I’m going to just eat it up :) Photo by Izabela Rachwal.
And I’ll wrap it up with two more colour palettes that I LOVED and that show you two very different ways of using colour. On the left, Lauda asked for a really vibrant palette that would fit with their late summer garden wedding. I used a lot of locally grown flowers and I loved the boldness of it. And on the right, Stephanie and I chose a more earth-tones palette of terracotta and sandy tones, with the accent of the lavender. Both of these are out-of-the-norm colour palettes that aren’t really muted AT ALL, and through comparing them you can see that you can go many, many different ways with colour.
Left by Sugar & Soul Photography; Right by Ariana Tennyson.
So bring your ideas to your floral designer, and then say those magic words: “I’d love to hear your suggestions!”
Looking for a Wedding Floral and Event Designer in Winnipeg?
Whether you’re planning a whimsical garden-inspired celebration or a formal ballroom fete, I think flowers are the best way to make a statement at your wedding. Maybe you already have a specific vision or you might want me to dream up something custom just for you - either way, 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!
Now booking 2020 weddings. Limited dates are still available.
