What Is Event Design?
I've been working in weddings for just about 9 years now, and trends and styles have come and gone. What hasn't is the way that I feel about weddings: "the best" weddings that I've seen or been a part of (aka my favourites) have been the best because of the ways that the wedding makes you feel. They're the best because of how I've been able to see how the couple comes out in the details. As a guest, you walk into the wedding and feel a sense of recognition - you're definitely at the right wedding.
That's why I love being a part of full event design so much. It's about so much more than just the details - yes, we start there, and they play a major role in communicating your style and vision to the guests - but it's more about the way that you want your wedding to feel.
Event design is about designing beyond the flowers. Developing your style, figuring out what it is that will make your wedding special, unique and personal, and then pulling together all of the vendors who will be a part of that - linens and decor rentals, lighting, stationery, cake design - is all part of the process.
To me, a beautiful event isn’t one that has every single little detail that Pinterest shows you, but rather a wedding where the design components are considerately planned, and thoughtfully styled and executed in a personal way. I love taking all of the bits and pieces that you’ve imagined and lend an experienced eye to bring it together into a cohesive, well-designed event...not a wedding that you've already seen on Pinterest, but a wedding that honestly reflects the two of you.
Looking for a wedding event designer in Winnipeg?
Getting married in Manitoba? I have the availability to accept 2-3 full event design commissions for 2019. This service is booked in tandem with wedding flowers, and really allows me to help you create a wedding experience that really and truly reflects you and will put your guests at ease.
(Popular 2019 wedding dates are already booking up!)
Sophisticated Ballroom Wedding with Garden Inspired Style
From winter to spring in a week! I can't believe that Stefanie and Jared's spring wedding at the Fairmont Hotel was almost a year ago already. Their wedding was at the end of May, and let me tell you: May sees the BEST combination of flowers. EVER. Of all the months (and if you've been around here for a while, then you'll remember me extolling all the virtues of a May wedding). So when it came time to plan all the florals and event design for Stefanie and Jared, we knew that a sophisticated, garden-inspired design would be perfect for them!
Fairmont Hotel ~ Dustin Leader Photography ~ Planned Perfectly
Along with the florals, I was also hired to do full event design for Stefanie and Jared. These weddings always end up being some of my favourites, because I get to be so much more involved with all of the aesthetic decisions. Some couples need a guiding eye, some have a hectic schedule so the introductions to other vendors are invaluable and time saving, and others just want to hand off the process. Any of those is perfectly fine for me!
We always start the event design process with an exercise that helps me to get a really clear picture of what's important to the couple as we plan their wedding. For Stefanie and Jared, the clear direction that we created was for an elegant wedding filled with thoughtful, sophisticated details and sentimental charm.
The Fairmont Hotel was a beautiful choice (and it also made it so easy for the guests!) but as it's definitely a classic ballroom, my challenge was creating an overall style that was also fitting with the garden-inspired florals that the couple sought after. The result is one of my favourite styles: sort of an elegant garden party. Because there's no reason why a ballroom wedding has to feel stuffy! Most of my weddings aren't quite this formal, so it was a nice chance to merge my style with theirs.
I couldn't decide which angle of Stefanie's bridal bouquet that I liked best, so you get both ;) It was lush and organic, with a touch of trailing vine and the most delicious combo of fragrant blooms.
Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: peonies, ranunculus (some of the most gorgeous I've ever seen!!), anemones, hyacinth, several varieties of roses, tulips, and finished with eucalyptus, italian ruscus, and the most perfect blooming jasmine vine (we literally NEVER get blooming jasmine).
For Jared and the guys, we just did a simple ranunculus boutonniere. It also bears mentioning that of this couple, Jared is the one who loves flowers, which made me laugh. He was more than willing to blow their wedding budget on massive centrepieces, ha!
I loved the ambiance we created for the ceremony. For logistical ease, we decided on having the ceremony take place in the far end of the ballroom, with a double-sided panel of draping installed by the masters over at Planned Perfectly to separate the ceremony space from the other side of the ballroom, where the reception would be. Candles lined the aisle, and I designed a detailed altar with 4 large floral arrangements set atop thin gold stands. All of this was intelligently incorporated into the wedding's reception design, as well! Take a peek - I'm so proud of how well this all came together and in a way that really maximized their budget.
On the other side of the drapery, we set the head table. Planned Perfectly created a gorgeous design that the couple loved. We let them do their thing with just a touch of guidance as to what Stefanie was drawn to, and I really think that that's when the very best things happen! You can see that we re-purposed two of the tall gold stands from the ceremony to the head table, which just helped to anchor the couple in the large room. The other two were used as centrepieces on the parents' tables, and we also moved over all of the candles from the ceremony to the head table as well.
One of my favourite days during the event design process is when we select linens. I usually have a pretty clear idea of what's going to look great based on the venue and the wedding's colour palette, and for Stefanie and Jared's wedding I knew we wanted to use something in the ivory/champagne/soft gold direction. I brought a few options with me to a walk-through with Stefanie at the Fairmont, which helped her to visualize the space a lot better (I also brought along a few chair cover and rental chair options - I love being able to do this for my clients!). She decided on this soft gold lace overlay, which perfectly toes the line between elegant sophistication and garden-inspired.
We chose two centrepieces styles to bring dimension throughout the room, half tall and half low. The tall ones were my personal favourite! I loved adding the trailing fern to enhance that garden ambiance.
We worked with PSAV, the Fairmont's in-house audio/visual department, for the lighting. Whenever I'm working on event design, I think about a few key things: colour, lighting, and texture. We settled on a blushy amber tone, to create a romantic candlelit feeling.
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 - along with full event design - to create the perfect ambiance for your wedding!
(Popular 2019 wedding dates are already booking up!)
What is Event Design, and What Does it Have to Do With Weddings?
What is event design? Good question - it's one that a lot of brides ask me as the whole category of "wedding event design" isn't something that's really moved north of the border yet!
Photo: Brittany Mahood Photography Stationery: Keeks Paper Co, Design: Stone House Creative
Think of me as an interior designer for your wedding: I don't build the house, but I make it look and feel good. Reeeeallly good. As an architect has to figure out which walls are supporting and where to put the plumbing, so a wedding planner deals with logistics (budgets, guest counts, timelines, etc). So, as an interior designer helps a house become a home, so an event designer helps a couple to create a vision for their wedding that is unique, considerately planned, and thoughtfully styled and executed in a personal way. Through the event design process, I deal with the way your wedding looks and feels.
I love taking all of the bits and pieces that a couple has imagined and lend my experienced eye to bring it together into a cohesive, well-designed event. Developing your style, figuring out what it is that will make your day special, unique and personal, and then pulling together all of the vendors who will be a part of that - linens and decor rentals, lighting, stationery, cake design - is all part of the process.
I very firmly believe that a unique design does not come from already produced work. Rather than spend hours scrolling through Pinterest to see what every other bride has already done, I'm going to walk with your through your venue, pointing out the best parts of it and the areas that we want to minimize. We're going to talk about the best floor plan options, and determine how we can use lighting strategically to enhance the atmosphere. I'm going to take your favourite colours and expand them into a cohesive palette that evokes a specific mood. I'm going to help you communicate this vision to your wedding vendor team: linens, stationery, decor rentals, lighting, and so on - anything that's visual plays a big part! And yes, I'll help you find those perfect vendors, too :) I'll be there on the day of your wedding to oversee your set up, ensuring that everything is going according to our visual plan.
Even better, as a floral designer, I'm the perfect person to trust your event design to. Flowers are a huge part of overall wedding event design - even if you want minimal florals - and I love the way that these two aspects of wedding planning come together and merge to help you create an amazing celebration.
If this resonates with you, then I'd love to connect with you. If you're already one of my floral brides, it's not too late to add event design on. I can work with what you've already got planned, or we can scrap it all if you want to. Or, if you're just starting out in the planning process, then this is the perfect time to bring me on board.
PS I loved working with Prairie Film Co on this video. If you're looking for an amazing videographer for your wedding, then check them out ASAP.
Meaningful Wedding Stationery Ideas
I hope you've seen our recent features on Vale & Vine! For this shoot, we wanted to focus on the ceremony and the beautiful, meaningful moments that should be celebrated. I loved the stationery pieces that Robin Egg Blue designed, and think they should get their own spotlight. This is the perfect example why you should hire wedding pros that you love, and then let them do their thing. Robin's vow booklets were just so perfect!
P.S. This gorgeous botanical design is available in Robin Egg Blue's "Off the Shelf" collection!
Romantic Ceremony Decor Inspiration
As promised, I'm excited to show more of my recent wedding ceremony inspiration, and today it's being featured on Vale & Vine! This is part of 2 designs for a beautiful ceremony, brought together by my amazing creative team: Victoria Anne Photography, Planned Perfectly, Robin Egg Blue Design, Bob & Page Salon, 2 Chicks and a Bag of Makeup, and Bliss Bridal Boutique.
When conceptualizing this shoot, I wanted to focus on the ceremony. So often, the ceremony is glossed over when everyone really knows that those few minutes are the most important of the wedding day, and even of the couple's relationship up to this point. For this look, I wanted to design a romantic space where the couple could feel a sense of intimacy, even in a room crowded with people staring at you. I think this petal altar does just that, and it's cost-effective to boot.
The back of this Nicole Miller gown from Bliss Bridal is just stunning. Doesn't it add a unique touch?
We still have a completely separate ceremony look to showcase next week, and we've also got beautiful stationery ideas coming from Robin Egg Blue Design that I'm looking forward to showing off! Keep your eyes peeled :)