My Top 5 Tips for Planning Your Winnipeg Wedding from Out of Town
I’ve worked with a lot of couples who don’t live in Winnipeg, to plan and design the flowers and full event design for their Winnipeg wedding. Most of them were originally from Winnipeg, and now live in other parts of Canada, the US, even all the way to New Zealand! And truth be told, those are always some of my favourite weddings to work on — the couples are more trusting, and tend to let me do my thing and the creative result of that working partnership is always the best!
Over my years of working with out of town couples, here are my top 5 tips that I’ve learned that will help you best plan your Winnipeg wedding from outside of Winnipeg!
I’ve worked with a lot of couples who don’t live in Winnipeg, to plan and design the flowers and full event design for their Winnipeg wedding.
Most of them were originally from Winnipeg, and now live in other parts of Canada, the US, even all the way to New Zealand! And truth be told, those are always some of my favourite weddings to work on — the couples are more trusting, and tend to let me do my thing and the creative result of that working partnership is always the best!
Learned from my years of working with out of town couples, here are my top 5 tips that will help you best plan your Winnipeg wedding from outside of Winnipeg!
Hire a Local Wedding Planner — not a planner from the city you live in
I’ve had a few experiences with couples who’ve hired wedding planners from the city they live in, and to be 100% transparent with you, it just makes ZERO sense. Why?
-In my experience with multiple out of town planners, they don’t bother putting in the work to research our local industry. This means they have no idea what rentals are available here, what different Winnipeg vendors can do, even what the venue itself looks like!
-It increases the workload on your other vendors (without appropriately increasing their pay) because we end up having to manage a lot more of the work.
-This all boils down to planners who either over-promise to their couples what they can get here (often at a budget point or availability that has absolutely no relevance to the Winnipeg market) OR to planners who develop a hoity-toity attitude that Winnipeg sucks and therefore everything for the wedding must come from out-of-province. Neither of these create collaborative vendor environments, and in fact, can be quite detrimental to the overall way that your wedding comes together.
Luckygirl Photography, Soiree Planning. See More Here.
Research Pricing in the Winnipeg Market
Depending on where you’re coming from, the Winnipeg wedding industry’s pricing may be higher, lower, or on par with what you’d expect to pay for a similar wedding in your locale. This is another time where you just need to trust the vendors that you hire in the city your wedding is taking place in.
“Thanks so much for everything that you did for our wedding. The florals could not have been more perfect — you are so talented. You were so much fun to work with and were so flexible to all of the many iterations of flowers + colour palettes that I had over the year leading up to the wedding. Everything turned out perfectly, and the greenery cloud in the chapel was so dreamy. I absolutely loved everything. Oh, the table arrangements...I died!!” — Stephanie and Andrew
Brittany Mahood, Soiree Event Planning. See More Here.
Start Planning Early
Starting your planning early when you’re out of town gives you a lot more room for flexibility and peace of mind. It also allows you to strategically plan one or two trips back home, and set up any meetings with your planner and other vendors that you’d like to do in person, like food tastings or rental selections. And if you have your heart set on any particular vendors, then starting early is key! Winnipeg’s wedding vendors have a tendency to book up VERY early, thanks to our longer than average engagement length compared to other areas in Canada.
Ariana Tennyson Photography. See More Here.
“Lauren's work speaks for itself. Factors such as long distance, uncertain times, and an abbreviated timeline did not take away from the professionalism and thoughtfulness we received throughout the entire floral and event design process. Lauren allowed us to share our goals, vision, and inspiration for our wedding but also gave us the confidence to know that we could trust her expertise. She was a HUGE reason why on our wedding day, one of the most notable compliments my husband and I received was "Wow, it's so great to see you both so relaxed!" - Diane and Bryce
Ask for Vendor Referrals — and then trust them
Find one local vendor who you’re dying to work with, who you know will be the perfect fit for you in terms of style, professionalism, and vibe. Then, ask them for referrals for their favourite vendors to work with who will also be a great fit for you! Choose to work with vendors who routinely work together to get the best result. We know and trust each other, and work well together! It’ll make things a million times easier for you.
We also know your venue! We know what does and doesn’t work based on the logistics of the venue, as well as what does and doesn’t look good in the space. And, chances are pretty good that we’ve got some ideas on what we can do at your venue to make things a lot more interesting than the average wedding.
Sugar & Soul Photography, Amanda Douglas Events. See More Here.
Plan for Extra Time With Your Guests
Chances are, you’re “coming home” for this wedding and there will be a lot of people you haven’t seen in real life in a long time, and you’re going to want to spend as much time with them as possible. Whether you’re planning to have a welcome party, bachelor/ette parties, or a day-after brunch, or if you’re just planning for the wedding day itself, look for ways to spend as much time with your people as you possibly can. That might mean giving your timeline some extra cushion between the ceremony and reception so that you can mingle with an extended cocktail hour. If you host your ceremony and reception at the same venue, you’ll be able to maximize the amount of time you can all be together.
Janine Kropla Photography. More Coming Soon.
“I love working with out-of-town couples.
It’s definitely a different planning dynamic, but the level of trust a couple gives us to really be here on the ground and acting as their proxy is an honour. I love getting to do site visits, floral meetings, or linen meetings with them virtually, or provide them with our detailed design boards and bringing them visuals the best way we can, to help establish that trust factor and ensure they’re still feeling included while making the process as easy as possible for them.
My favourite part of planning with a couple long distance is their surprise! When they finally see it all come together, and realize it’s exactly what they wanted but didn’t know it — that’s so satisfying!” - Amanda Douglas, owner of Amanda Douglas Events
Special Note:
I think it’s particularly important to hire professional vendors at basically all times, but especially when you’re planning from out of town. It’s awesome to have people you love involved, but it adds a layer of stress that you just don’t need. I’ve seen and heard some friend-or ( friend-vendor) drama first hand, like people who were supposed to set up your sound system or a gardener aunt who was supposed to do the flowers, and while it sometimes works well, it often doesn’t. You really don’t need those kinds of things happening on your wedding day!
Brittany Mahood Photography
“We hired Lauren for complete floral and event design services for our intimate 2021 wedding. As soon as I stumbled upon her portfolio, I immediately hired her before we had made any other decisions. We were planning our wedding from out-of-province and would need an experienced vendor team we could fully trust and Lauren graciously provided us with her experienced and candid opinion to guide us in selecting everyone from our planner to photographer.
In perfect coordination with our event planning team, she took a leadership role in helping design our event. She constructed a vision for the evening by incorporating inspiration from our travels and favourite resorts, interior design elements from our home in Toronto, and inspiration photos I'd flip to her at all hours. This provided for a meticulously cohesive design that flowed through all elements of our event allowing for a full transformation of our private property and had guests questioning whether they were still in Winnipeg.
Lauren is an expert at her craft, hard-working, detail-oriented, and creative. If you are lucky enough to have her, my advice is to allow her to take full creative control and just prepare to keep saying "wow" when you see what she comes up with.”
— Shannon and David
What is Event Design for Weddings?
What is event design for weddings? In short: event design is what makes your wedding look and feel good.
Let me tell you more.
What is event design?
Let me explain it in house-building terms: like a contractor deals with all of the trades, schematics, logistics, and budgeting, so too does a wedding planner consult with all of your vendors, create your detailed wedding day itinerary, and oversee your budget.
Where the beauty comes into your home is thanks to an interior designer: the way your floor plan is brought to life, the well-planned uses of colour, the perfectly combined elements to create the space you live your life in. In the wedding world, this is the job of your event designer: to thoughtfully craft an aesthetic experience with all of the visual components in mind: stationery, linens, rentals, lighting, bridal party attire, floral design, and so on.
Photos by Esther Funk Photography
In short: event design is what makes your wedding look and feel good.
Event design is a common service in the US, but here in Winnipeg, it’s still a bit unknown. Many couples inquire with me about hiring me for both floral and event design services, but then the first thing they ask, what IS event design? They know they love the sound of it, but just aren’t sure what it encompasses.
Consider my role as your event designer to be like your wedding’s creative director. I’ll lead you through a multi-layered process that will allow me to distill what you’re hoping your wedding will look and feel like, and then expand on that vision to dream up unique, creative elements that haven’t been done before. I’ll create a detailed design brief, which will outline your colour palette, vibe, as well as the many components that we’ll use to achieve the vision: florals (obviously), stationery, lighting, rental items, floor plan options, and so on. I’ll also refer you to my preferred vendors, who I have complete trust in and know will take the very best care of you!
Who is event design right for?
-Couples who want an expertly crafted visual experience, but don’t necessarily have the creativity to do it themselves. You’ve seen images from weddings that had unique installations, creative displays or a really engaging tablescape and you know you WANT those things…but you just don’t have the innate vision to dream and execute it.
-Busy professionals: you might have a really good handle on the logistics and the budgeting component of your wedding, but you don’t have the time or skill set to pull together the design for yourself.
-Couples planning from out of town. It’s one thing to save images on Instagram of details and ideas you like…it’s a whole other thing to know how to achieve that from another city.
-If you are the type of person who can evaluate a good outfit, but you can’t pull together the individual pieces for yourself, event design services are something you should consider investing in!
Personally, I’ve always been cautious about following trends too closely.
I never wanted to have the same outfit as someone else. I’d much rather invest in quality pieces that will last a few years rather than an inexpensive, trendy item — and since I want pieces to last, that also means that I can’t hit the trends too hard because that outfit will look really dated in just a year — and let’s be honest, with Pinterest and Instagram churning out trends in seconds, a look dates MUCH quicker than in just a year.
I feel the same way about wedding design. I’d rather invest my time and creativity to create a design that has lasting power, that has quality, and that is different than what everyone has done. It may cost a little more, but you’ll be spared the embarrassment of wearing the same outfit as someone else.
So, here’s why I think you should consider hiring me as your event designer.
I’ll start with this compliment to many floral designers: we really are the design experts here.
Those images of weddings that you're finding on Pinterest and Instagram that make your heart sing and inspire your entire wedding? Guess what: that was often made possible because of the FLORAL DESIGNER. So it only makes sense to let your floral lead your entire event design, and trusting the same creative professional to direct the visual aesthetics is the perfect way to make the entire process and design seamless.
Note to add: not all floral designers also offer event design services (and nor are all floral designers interested in offering event design, or skilled to do so). They are not one and the same thing. If you are hiring someone for event design, know that that is a specialized service that should be paid for separately and worked on separately. It’s not just a matter of saying “So and so has nice candle holders, you should rent from them.”
Here’s what you need to look for in hiring someone to fulfill the role of event design: someone who knows how good design works and comes together. You don’t want your designer to just mimic what Pinterest shows you — you want someone who can take the design further.
An event designer should have an excellent understanding of colour, texture, movement, scale and size.
Stone House Creative accepts a maximum of 3 event design commissions per year, in addition to my other floral-only clients. Event design clients also receive complimentary access to my rental inventory!
A note for couples who are working with a wedding coordinator or wedding planner:
Event design does NOT overlap with wedding coordination, and Stone House Creative does not provide coordination services (though I can refer you to several excellent coordinators if you like!). There CAN be overlap between specialized event design services and the services of a full wedding planner, but while I don’t want to be rude, not all wedding planners are gifted in event design. They may be able to deal with the logistics of your wedding better than anyone else, and be able to look at a Pinterest photo and say “rent this linen from this company,” but evolving the design into something creative, polished, and personal is not in everyone’s skillset.
Alternatively, you might want to handle all of the planning, logistics, and budget details on your own but you want help with the visuals and the wedding management — for that, you would hire both an event designer (👋🏻) AND a wedding coordinator, to get the services that you’re looking for.
My Design Philosophies
I believe that:
A unique design does not come from already produced work
Pinterest is not the end all and be all
Context matters
Your wedding should look and feel like you
Colour doesn’t have to be intimidating
Elegant doesn’t mean boring
Any style should still be refined and well-executed
The most beautiful designs come from an open, trusting partnership
Want to see the full gallery from this shoot?
Watch for Part 2 tomorrow!
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
Getting married in 2022? Appointments to design your dream wedding are now available. I currently have the availability for a maximum of 2 more event design clients in 2022 — if you want that to be you, click the button below to get started!
Please note that event design services are only available in conjunction with Stone House Creative’s floral design services.
My Best Friend's Wedding: A Colourful Farm Wedding During Covid
Roberta and Fernando were originally going to have about 150 people at the Winnipeg Art Gallery with a ceremony at her parents’ farm. Since Fer is from Mexico, and his family lives there, obviously that meant major changes to the wedding plans. They still wanted to get married, but they pivoted: everything would now be on the farm just outside of Stonewall, and since his family couldn’t be there, the guest list would be massively reduced to the bare minimum: the bride’s parents and siblings, my sister and myself, and the groom’s best man and his wife.
It may have been small, but dang, it was mighty.
How is a wedding designer supposed to feel when her cousin/lifelong best friend starts to plan her wedding? Excited, inspired, super happy…and in my case, also stressed lol!
Roberta and Fernando were originally going to have about 150 people at the Winnipeg Art Gallery with a ceremony at her parents’ farm. Since Fer is from Mexico, and his family lives there, obviously that meant major changes to the wedding plans. They still wanted to get married, but they pivoted: everything would now be on the farm just outside of Stonewall, and since his family couldn’t be there, the guest list would be massively reduced to the bare minimum: the bride’s parents and siblings, my sister and myself, and the groom’s best man and his wife.
It may have been small, but dang it was mighty.
You can read some of Roberta’s reflections on what it was like to plan her wedding during Covid in an earlier blog post, here!
Here’s what you need to know about Roberta and Fer: They love colour. So much colour. Roberta has always been a jewel tones girl and I’ve been planning her bouquet for years already. Fernando is a neon guy, and orange is his favourite colour.
I won’t lie, orange can make me nervous…but this wedding converted me. In the right dosage and shade, I now will happily proclaim that orange can be awesome.
Like, did I ever think that a burnt orange suit would be the most amazing? And yet, it totally was.
One of my VERY favourite parts of the wedding: the custom-made bumblebees made by Toronto artist Golden Age Botanicals. Roberta and Fernando met on Bumble (hence “we swiped right” on the hankie above!) and I wanted to reference that in a unique, fun way. They were incredibly realistic (the bride’s brother got quite the fright) and are now keepsakes in the couple’s home!
I just love making colourful bouquets! Roberta told me she trusted me fully and I knew she did, but being that she’s my cousin, making her bouquet was a strangely detached process for me. I was a little stressed about it! She likes an organic look but is a classic girl to her core, so I wanted to blend those styles together while not going too far in either direction. And of course, jewel tones were the primary request!
Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: locally grown dahlias, zinnias, sweet pea, cosmos, scabiosa and gomphrena with imported ranunculus, garden roses, waxflower and foliages.
I absolutely HAVE to mention that many of the flowers that I used were locally grown, right here in Manitoba. I feel like I talk about locally grown flowers all the time, but in case you’ve missed the memo, these are my favourite flowers to design with. The colour, the texture, the hardiness…it is all unmatched by the vast majority of imported flowers. More plusses: fewer chemicals, far less travel-related environmental impact, the opportunity to support a local business that pays living wages to its employees, and the list goes on and on. For this wedding, I also got to use some blooms from the mother of the bride’s garden, which I loved!
Roberta came to me with 2 inspiration pictures: one of a ceremony with mismatched chairs, and the other with a serpentine dinner table.
Her dad mowed a clearing into the pasture, a short walk through the oaks from the house. I can’t communicate how magical this space was! Because her dad was also officiating the wedding, Roberta walked most of the aisle alone, and the look on her face was so joyful and expectant. Fer was standing up at the altar, already crying when he turned to see her, with his family Facetiming to join in.
We debated between an arch or freestanding floral pieces for the altar, but I always knew that I wanted to have the aisle “planted.” Roberta’s mom loves to garden so this would be a perfect project for her to take charge on. The aisle planters and some of the wood pedestals were made by the woods teacher at Roberta’s school, and I just loved the opportunity to bring so much colour to the already stunning wooded scene.
One of the great things about these very intimate weddings is the atmosphere. There’s no stress, there’s no feeling like you have to put on a “show.” Case in point, Roberta’s brother played her down the aisle on acoustic guitar. Their other sister was to cue him…but something happened and he started playing too early. She hissed his name and made that “cut it” hand signal across her neck…and it was just plain funny! We all sat there and grinned but didn’t feel any worry about people seeing or things not going perfectly. He then came in at the right time, and it was, indeed, perfect.
After the ceremony, we celebrated with a group toast at the end of the aisle. The servers from CHEW so kindly set this all up for us in complete silence while the ceremony was going on, so it was all ready as soon as the vows were said!
Post-ceremony, Esther Funk led the way with a few group and family portraits in the ceremony site, and then the wedding party drove down the road to an old stone barn (you might recognize the scene from this wedding and featured on Once Wed here!). This site used to belong to our ancestors, and is right across the road from where I grew up (in a stone house, obviously!). The stone walls were the foundation of a barn that was demolished many years ago, but the ruins are so stunning, and make an incredible backdrop for photos. I had my own wedding photos taken here 10 years ago!
Alright, here we are at the reception! We set up under the oak trees on the front lawn of Roberta’s parents’ house. With cafe lights strung from the trees and music softly playing, once again the atmosphere was so incredible. There were 15 of us and with the exception of the best man and his wife, we’re all family so dining under the stars together really just felt like the best, most celebratory family dinner we’ve ever had. It felt so comfortable, so content — it was the best evening I’ve spent in a long time.
Here’s a look at those serpentine tables Roberta envisioned! One unexpected bonus about using serpentine tables is that the curve forces you to sit farther apart than you usually would set a table. Not exactly the 6 feet of social distancing, but definitely less close. They are a little tricky to cover with linen, so we had to play around with pleating and layering the blush linen we selected as a more neutral base.
The centrepieces were basically the only part of the decor plan we never had to change! We were always going to use my copper bowl as the vessel, and fill them with a riot of colourful flowers. I also had Roberta’s mom plant small terracotta planters with flowers and herbs to fill in the tablescape with. I wish more people did this!
Because of the reduced guest count, it was within their reach to splurge on rentals that they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford for 150+ people. We chose cross-back chairs from Planned Perfectly for the guests and fun dark blue velvet chairs from Trend Decor for the couple. China from the bride’s mom and grandmother’s collections was layered for the place settings, and then we selected gold flatware, gold-rimmed wine glasses, and light pink glass water goblets from C&T Rentals. We finished the place settings with white linen napkins that we added our own navy fringe trim to, adding in some whimsy and reinforcing the dark blue in the palette. And when I say “we”, I mean that I ordered the fringe on Etsy and my mom sewed them onto the napkins 😂
You know I’m a huge fan of coloured candles, and for good reason! Can you imagine how boring white candles would have been here? The mix of harvest gold and navy pillar candles, with tropical pink votive candles, layer in depth to the table without feeling out of place. I always buy my coloured candles from Yummi.
This wedding was so much more meaningful to me to be a guest and bridesmaid at. I didn’t experience the amount of emotion experienced by all of you who have had to decide between going ahead with vastly different weddings than you imagined, or postponing. None of 2020 was easy. I know that it’s not over yet, either.
But if I learned anything from this wedding, it’s this:
You and your love absolutely deserve to be celebrated.
Whether you want that to be in small or huge ways, whether you want to go ahead with it or postpone until later, this day deserves to be celebrated. And I hope that when your wedding day does arrive, you can put aside the stress and anxiety that planning a wedding during covid has caused you, and let go to celebrate.
I want to say a huge thank you to all of the vendors who took part in making this wedding so amazing. 2020 was a really hard one to be in the wedding and events industry, so anytime we got to make magic happen was really special.
Esther Funk Photography ~ Stone House Creative ~ Bliss Bridal Boutique ~ Essense of australia ~ BHLDN ~ RW & Co ~ Planned Perfectly ~ C&T Rentals ~ Trend Rentals & Decor ~ Chew ~ The Blushing Blonde ~ Justine Barry Artistry
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
Getting married in 2022? Appointments to plan your dream florals are now available. Click the button below to get 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!
Romantic Garden Wedding at the Gates on Roblin
It’s taken me quite a while to put together this blog post for Sabrina and Giuliano’s garden wedding at The Gates on Roblin, and for a few reasons:
1) Brittany Mahood’s photos are amazing and there are TONS of them so it’s really hard to choose!
2) I loved being a part of this wedding SO much and somehow, finally blogging it makes it really feel over.
3) Along with floral design, I also took care of their entire event design. Sabrina and I walked through every visual aspect of their wedding and designed a gorgeous celebration.
So here we are: a garden-inspired wedding with a palette of mixed pinks and mauves, incredible calligraphy details, mini sized Nutella guest favours, a pasta course…AKA the best wedding a person could ever want to be a guest at!
It’s taken me quite a while to put together this blog post for Sabrina and Giuliano’s garden wedding at The Gates on Roblin, and for a few reasons:
1) Brittany Mahood’s photos are amazing and there are TONS of them so it’s really hard to choose!
2) I loved being a part of this wedding SO much and somehow, finally blogging it makes it really feel over.
3) Along with floral design, I also took care of their entire event design. Sabrina and I walked through every visual aspect of their wedding and designed a gorgeous celebration.
So here we are: a garden-inspired wedding with a palette of mixed pinks and mauves, incredible calligraphy details, mini sized Nutella guest favours, a pasta course…AKA the best wedding a person could ever want to be a guest at!
Brittany Mahood Photography ~ Stone House Creative ~ The Gates on Roblin ~ Jennifer Bianca Calligraphy ~ Planned Perfectly ~ C&T Rentals ~ Chocolate Zen Bakery
Sabrina’s bouquet was lush and layered with ruffled blooms, including several varieties of roses and garden roses, ranunculus and Queen Anne’s Lace. I finished it off with trailing Stella Wolfe silk ribbon.
So this stationery…man, was it gorgeous! One of the first things I like to work on with event design clients is their invitations because it really sets the stage for how your guests will experience your wedding and style. I suggested that we work with Jennifer Bianca Calligraphy, and it turned out that Sabrina had already been following her and even inquired with her already! We looked through some of Jennifer’s samples and realized Sabrina was leaning towards a full calligraphy suite. I really wanted to add in some colour and Jennifer had a few gorgeous options for the paper stock in mixed soft pink and mauves. A vellum wrapper and rose gold monogrammed wax seals were gorgeous finishing touches.
What drew Sabrina to The Gates was all of the windows and natural lighting. It’s a beautiful all-white space, but I wanted to make sure that it wasn’t overly stark or crisp. The main thing was bringing in mahogany chivari chairs to add depth. We layered the tables with light grey napkins and rose gold cutlery, plenty of candlelight, and of course, flowers. Since the room at the Gates is so large, we had enough space to play with the floor plan and were able to work in a variety of rectangular tables and round tables, along with an oversized double sided head table. Sabrina had these gold hoops that she wanted added to the head table and some hanging behind the head table, so we added a few floral touches to them to finish it off.
Nutella favours. Could there be a smarter idea? I was hoping to find a box of leftover ones somewhere 😂I was unsuccessful.
I love the oversized calligraphy seating chart. Jennifer did such a beautiful job (even though it was hard to photograph ha!). And to finish things off, a sweet little cake from Chocolate Zen!
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 wedding dates!
Burgundy and Gold Fall Wedding at Qualico Family Centre
I’m continuing on with sharing more or my fall weddings, even though what we’re all longing for right now are the lazy, hazy days of summer :) Those days will be here in a flash, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from working in weddings, it’s that time moves very quickly. One minute you’re engaged and getting married in a year and a half, and then next you suddenly find yourself collecting RSVPS and making your floor plan. So, those fall weddings are really just around the corner!
I’m continuing on with sharing more or my fall weddings, even though what we’re all longing for right now are the lazy, hazy days of summer :) Those days will be here in a flash, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from working in weddings, it’s that time moves very quickly. One minute you’re engaged and getting married in a year and a half, and then next you suddenly find yourself collecting RSVPS and making your floor plan. So, those fall weddings are really just around the corner!
Jaclyn and Chad’s wedding was in September at the Qualico Family Centre, featuring a palette of burgundy and gold with a fairly formal feel and some really beautiful flowers.
Amanda Gundrum Photography (and some iphone photos from me!) ~ Amanda Douglas Events ~ Qualico Family Centre ~ Two Chicks and a Bag of Makeup ~ Planned Perfectly ~ C&T Rentals
Oh, how I LOVED Jaclyn’s bouquet! It was lush and delicious with one special little ingredient: faux lily of the valley. I don’t normally use faux flowers, but Jaclyn’s grandma’s favourite flower was lily of the valley and since that’s only available for about 12 minutes in May, I suggested I track down a high quality silk and it worked beautifully. It tucked in really nicely!
Bridal Bouquet ingredients: burgundy dahlias, quicksand roses, sahara sensation spray roses, mauve astrantia, rice flower, and antique carnations with hasmine vine and nagi foliages. The spray roses were actually a sub for something else that I was hoping to get, but in the end, they were actually my favourite variety in the entire bouquet!
I always like working at the Qualico Family Centre. Why? Because it’s so easy to make beautiful! It’s a nice, neutral space on its own with a warm and airy feel thanks to soaring ceilings and enormous windows, but with the right colour palette in there, the space really becomes something special. Personally, I love using warm neutrals with an accent of rich colour at Qualico. You can see how the gold and champagne tones are the perfect base, and the accents of burgundy are just delicious.
The focal point of the reception design was definitely the head table. Set in front of a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, the long table was set apart with a contrasting sequinned linen and a full greenery and floral garland lining the front. On the guest tables, we alternated tall arrangements with low ones. The tall were designed on a baroque-style brass pedestal we sub-rented from Dream Day Decor, and the low arrangements were a lush combination of blooms from the bouquets in my ceramic brass urns.
Looking for a Wedding Floral and Event Designer in Winnipeg?
I’m now booking 2020 wedding dates for both floral and event design!
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!