Dreamy Pastel Wedding Editorial
I was so happy to be part of this dreamy pastel wedding editorial this past January, with Kayla Lagos Events. Kayla presented a gorgeous vision for a soft, delicate palette, featuring fluttery and whimsical flowers.
It’s always fun to get creative during the off season. I don’t usually have many winter weddings, so it’s a different set of flowers, palettes, and inspiration to work through and I really enjoyed this!
I was so happy to be part of this dreamy pastel wedding editorial this past January, with Kayla Lagos Events. Kayla presented a gorgeous vision for a soft, delicate palette, featuring fluttery and whimsical flowers.
It’s always fun to get creative during the off season. I don’t usually have many winter weddings, so it’s a different set of flowers, palettes, and inspiration to work through and I really enjoyed this!
PS You can see more from this bouquet on my Instagram, here!
Photos by Aimee De La Lande Photography
We all love the champagne tower trend, but I have to say that this cake from Sugar & Salt was the highlight for me! The colours of the buttercream flowers were perfect, and it was just really pretty, too.
I also loved the floral confetti on the table. It made a big statement without taking a lot of budget to achieve!
And aren’t Sarah and Scott so cute? They’re a real life couple, getting married this October. I can’t wait for their wedding day!
How much do you think this bridal bouquet costs?
Bridal Bouquet Ingredients:
Garden Spray Roses
Dutch Lisianthus
Clematis
Phalaenopsis Orchids
Delphinium
Allium
Stock
And finished with hand died silk ribbon from
Stella Wolfe
BRIDAL BOUQUET COST: $465
Okay, so for those of you who are freaking out about the cost of this bouquet: don’t worry. I am, too 😂 Here’s the thing: this shoot took place in January, when zero locally grown flowers were available and we had to import everything (with garden spray roses from Japan and lisianthus from Holland), AND I just happened to use everything expensive. It’s a tricky habit lol!
But woah baby, was it worth it. Those orchids!! I died. The allium! Gosh darn it. The lisianthus, as expensive as it was 😍 And I think it paired quite perfectly with those delicately ribbed sleeves you can add on to the Lovenote Bride “Marion” gown (designed and made in Canada!!).
This palette! Obviously we shot this in winter so it had that freshness when we were most dying for it, but I think this feminine palette could transfer easily to spring and summer as well!
Lavender, peach, soft blue, soft pink, mauve and springy green
Kayla wanted to play with a few looks, mixing and matching rental options to create do a “one look, two ways” concept.
Look 1: Gold chivari chairs and smoke glass stemware
Look 2: Smoke acrylic chairs and pink glass stemware
One Look, Two Ways
If you’re seating your guests at rectangular banquet tables, make sure you get the width of them. At the Manitoba Club, they use a “king’s table,” which is nice and wide (that’s what you see here). A lot of venues use narrower tables, which simply gives less space to add in decor. You need to be aware of how much space you have to add in flowers, candles, glassware, and so on.
With this table, we had a lot of space to feature 2 fuller centrepieces, with 3 petite modern stem vase style arrangements of pink anthurium. We tucked in taper candles and still had plenty of negative space — which is crucial in a design. A lot of the time I feel that tables are overloaded, but it can be the negative space that sets off design.
Fun little personal fact: this is the last time I’ve straightened my hair! January 26. My hair is wavy but I’ve never known how to deal with it, so I decided that I would just stop straightening it and see what happens. I still have no idea how to deal with it but I’m enjoying letting my hair just do what it does.
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
Are you as into this colour palette as we are?
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!
Elegant New Year's Eve Wedding at Breezy Bend
While I'm a total homebody and love pretty much nothing more than laying on the couch with some chips and guac, I have to say that the idea of a New Year's Eve wedding has always given me a thrill. What better way to ring in the new year than celebrating with people you love? And for those of us who, like me, find New Year's Eve a little bit stressful (Should I host a party? What if I don't get invited to a party? Is it okay that all I want to do is go to the movies?), being a guest at a New Year's Eve wedding is the perfect solution. Built-in dinner, dancing, and fireworks. Perfect!
So needless to say, I was really pumped to be asked to do the florals for Libby and Kevin's wedding at Breezy Bend Golf Course. I could tell right away that Libby has great style, and she had a pretty clear idea of what she wanted right off the hop. When I arrived on the day of to set everything up, I couldn't believe how much I loved everything she had chosen. It was glitzy without being tacky, elegant without being stuffy, and glamorous without being over the top. In a word, it was perfect!
Izabela Rachwal Photography ~ Breezy Bend Golf Course ~ The Manitoba Club ~ Planned Perfectly ~ C&T Rentals
Libby went for a classic black, white and green palette (with an emphasis on lots of green). We still wanted to bring in a lot of texture to the flowers.
Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: Garden roses, lisianthus, anemones, yin and yang poms, with several varieties of ruscus, podocarpus, and English boxwood (funnily enough, Libby's only request was for English boxwood!).
Obviously I had to include one of me delivering the bouquets :) With a winter wedding, this is how everything comes: wrapped up in layer after layer of plastic to keep the warm air in and the cold air out. It was stinking cold on December 31, 2017 (as it usually is on NYE) so I think I actually had 3 layers of plastic bags on these bouquets!
You'll also see me below showing Libby how to hold her bouquet, which I do with every bride/bridal party. Unless your bouquets are round in shape, there will be a front side and a back side. I always tell my clients that the pins are in the backs of their bouquets, so that's where they can place their thumbs. Once they've got the right side, we talk about where to hold the bouquet so it's most flattering. I really don't want you to cover up your entire dress by holding your bouquet too high! The best position is to place your wrist bones on your hip bones, and angle the bouquet slightly out.
The ceremony was held at the Manitoba Club (just like this winter wedding was), in the ballrooms. It's such an elegant and high detailed space that we didn't want to do too much in here. We tossed around the idea of a draped backdrop with florals along the top, but in the end, settled on a set of 4 mixed height gold, thin gold stands with textured greenery arrangements set on top. It drew the eye in to the "altar" without taking away from the space.
We kept things much the same at the reception: lots of greenery, lots of white, lots of gold. I'll tell you, when I walked in and saw how good it all looked even without centrepieces, I got REALLY excited. The tables were covered in white sequins, which added just the right NYE feeling without feeling gaudy in any way, and the gold-rimmed glassware really upped the elegant factor.
For the head table, Libby wanted a beautiful, low, lush arrangement that would make the small table feel really special. Keeping the focus on the greenery, I decided that the only white bloom I'd use would be white hydrangea. It's a classic, and is perfectly suited to this type of setting.
The guest tables featured a large greenery bouquet, white sequinned table linens with gold accents, and a greenery sprig on each place setting with TONS of candlelight.
Planning a winter wedding in Winnipeg?
Planning a winter wedding in Winnipeg? I'd love to dream up some incredible ideas for your wedding flowers and I'm now booking for winter 2018/2019! I have plenty of availability throughout November, December, January and February. Whether you already have a specific vision or want me to dream up something custom just for you, reach out to Stone House Creative to create the perfect ambiance for your wedding!
Romantic Winter Wedding at Whitetail Meadow
So now that spring is on the horizon, shouldn't I finally post this winter wedding inspiration at Whitetail Meadow? ha!
I LOVE being a part of venue open houses - it gives me a chance to get creative and envision the space differently than it's been used for weddings so far. If you follow my work, you'll know that one thing that's really important to me in my designs is creating something that's different than what your friends have had for their weddings. However, when you're working at a brand new space, you're not hampered by anything! Such was the case for the open house I recently got to design for at Whitetail Meadow, a brand new venue open just outside of Niverville.
Esther Funk Photography ~ Amanda Douglas Events ~ Planned Perfectly ~ C & T Rentals ~ Jennifer Bianca Calligraphy ~ Bliss Bridal Boutique ~ Hairology ~ Ashley Tiopo Artistry
If you are in search of a location for your wedding, make sure you put Whitetail Meadow on your list. The structure is a refurbished barn, so it can accommodate weddings at any time of year. They did a beautiful job on the renovation, with hardwood floors, a stone fireplace, and a loft space. Ceremonies can be held on the adjoining veranda, in the meadow out back, or near a small creek, so you can really have whatever kind of setting you'd like! I'd love to do a winter wedding here with the ceremony taking place on the staircase landing, and just covering the staircase with greenery and flowers. I can dream!
For the open house, we designed a romantic winter wedding setting, featuring a palette of pastel pink, purple, and copper hues.
We borrowed this invitation suite from Jennifer Bianca Calligraphy. It was actually designed for a different couple's real wedding, but it worked so flawlessly with this design as well! I love the difference that a little colour makes. Those soft pink envelopes are just perfect.
Tedi and Evan are a real-life couple, and they actually work in the wedding industry, too! They own The Picture & The Poet, a dual studio offering both photo and video. They're so much fun, so if you're looking for some goofy, hilarious people to spend your wedding day with, check out their work. Also, Tedi has THE DAINTIEST HANDS AND WRISTS I HAVE EVER SEEN. I feel like she needs to be hand-modelling professionally.
Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: I wanted to keep this one really simple, so that's what I did. Lavender roses, lavender spray roses, soft pink roses, and Queen Anne's Lace mixed with a few types of greenery. Easy peasy pie.
If your venue has a focal point, such as this fireplace at Whitetail, then I HIGHLY recommend using it, and using it well. Allow it to truly be the spotlight that it was designed to be. Here, we've imagined a ceremony taking place in front of it, and then the head table placed in front of it during the reception. It's a great design, because the mantle is high enough for me to design statement-making florals on the mantle.
Below are my initial sketches (super amazing, I know. My next career will be in art fo sho).
We kept the guest tables in keeping with the rest of the overall design. While Whitetail has these beautiful wood tables, we decided to add this textured copper linen to create a more elegant base. It paired really nicely with the venue's mahogany chivari chairs as well as the gold flatware we got from C&T Rentals. All of the place setting details are from them!
One large floral centrepiece was set in the middle of the table, and we clustered candles and stem vases on either end of the tables. Something to note when you're using rectangular tables is to keep in mind the width of the tables - I went a little overboard with the size of the arrangement and would have preferred it to be a little more streamlined.
Seriously. Look at how delicate those beautiful little hands are. And that's Tedi's own engagement ring, which they found through Heidi Gibson in LA.
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!
Beautiful Winter Wedding Decor Ideas
Well, I realize that we are heading into summer (which I literally could not be more pumped about), but that means that all of you brides and grooms getting married in winter are in the midst of making all of your decisions! So, I want to share my favourite ideas for beautiful winter wedding decor.
Add in Texture - And Lots of It
One of my favourite "tricks" when designing a winter wedding is using lots of texture - branches, pine boughs, berries, wood, velvet. Emily from Feast & Festivities came up with the idea to create a winter ceremony backdrop out of firewood. It was gorgeous!
Esther Funk Photography
Serve a Hot Drink
Whether it's a hot chocolate bar where your guests can choose from fun mix-ins, an espresso cart, or serving hot toddies as your signature cocktail, serving a hot drink during your cocktail hour or as your guests arrive at the ceremony is a lovely way to welcome them to your celebration. Abiding Citizen is my favourite craft beverage company; their shrubs, bitters, and syrups are perfect.
Decorate with Warm Textiles
For this tablescape designed by Host Winnipeg, we used a gorgeous blanket as the table covering. The texture added warmth softness, which is just what you want in winter. Thick linen tablecloths would also be great!
Janine Kropla Photography
Gift a Fresh Favour
Some of my favourite wedding favours have been Ferrero Rocher chocolates or individually packaged macarons, but the idea of a fresh bundle of herbs waiting for your guests is beautiful. The fragrance alone would be intoxicating, and your guests could take these home for cooing savoury soups and stews, or throw them into their fireplace for a cozy night in.
Focus on Lighting
Mood lighting is the best way to create the right atmosphere for your winter wedding. Whether that means soft candlelight for an elegant evening or cafe lighting for a celebratory fˆ´te, lighting will accomplish the right look.
Don't Shy Away from Greenery
One of my December brides once told me that she wanted her wedding to look the way it feels when you look up at the dark, starry sky through the bare branches. I thought this was so beautiful. But, rather than using branches everywhere, we chose greenery! I used a lot of feather eucalyptus, which has skinny, feathery leaves that created that branchy feeling. Greenery bouquets marking the aisle, tall arrangements of evergreens, suspended greenery installations - any of these would be beautiful at a winter wedding.
Get Outside, Even if it's Just for a Few Minutes
Half the reason you chose a winter wedding date was probably so you could take some outdoor photos. No matter how cold it is, pop outside for a few minutes with your photographer, to grab some of those coveted snow falling, rosy cheeked, chilly aired photos.
Choose Rich Flavours
Warm, savoury soups and rich, luxurious desserts are the way to go! In the winter, we all crave a little extra luxury, so a thick chocolate cake slathered in buttercream or a classic New York style cheesecake is the perfect choice.
MY FAVOURITE VENUES FOR WINTER WEDDINGS IN MANITOBA:
Bridges Golf Course
Hotel Fort Garry
Fort Gibraltar
Qualico Family Centre
Hawthorne Estates (I can't wait until their 2018 re-build! The plans are incredible!)
Fairmont Hotel
Madison and James' Elegant Winter Wedding at St. Boniface Golf Course
This is a long one. There were just WAY too many great photos that I had to share! Madison and James' elegant winter wedding at St. Boniface Golf Course was my first wedding of 2017 and it was a great one.
Working on the flowers, I only see one part of the whole picture. For this wedding, all the flowers were white and green and I was worried it was going to feel a little "typical winter." But when I walked into St. Boniface Golf Course and started setting everything up, it all came together. Soft mocha and champagne tones and touches of pale pink layered together to create a really elegant feel.
Wedding Planner: Amanda Douglas Events | Photos: Sugar & Soul Photography | Linens: Dream Day Decorators | Lighting: Event Light | Desserts: Jenna Rae Cakes and Cake-ology | Venue: St. Boniface Golf Course
I really loved putting together Madison's bouquet. It had a lovely shape to it while still feeling manicured and contained. Bridal bouquet ingredients: O'Hara garden roses, tibet roses, ranunculus, lisianthus, eucalytpus, Italian ruscus, cedar, and variegated Italian pittosporum.
Ah! Madison's veil and this dewey, moody lighting is just gorg.
See what I mean?! This room together in a really beautiful way. As a spotlight, behind the head table I created this hanging installation. Birch bark poles combined with plenty of hanging vine and flowers along with hanging candles and it turned out wonderfully. I owe very many thanks to my assistant Danielle for hep help with this!
