Wedding Event Design 2.0 - The Reception (and the Frequently Made Mistakes by Brides & Wedding Planners)

When we talk about overall event design and decor planning for a wedding, most of our attention is focused on the reception. This is where you spend the most amount of time, and the most amount of money, so it makes sense to focus on the way your reception looks and feels!

Here are the two biggest mistakes I see brides make (and event wedding planners or decorators!) when it comes to planning their wedding decor: 

1) Not paying attention to the venue and what suits it. 
Every space has a particular style. The architect or interior designer have purposely made decisions to create an overall aesthetic, and when it comes to wedding venues, these aesthetic details are often VERY obvious, and sometimes "theme-y." This might be in style or in colour palette. For example: say you've chosen to have your wedding at a rustic barn. Guess what doesn't belong here? Mod white leather chairs. Crystals and bling. Formal linens and draping. It just doesn't GO. That doesn't meant that there isn't a place for those things; it just means that there isn't a place for these things at YOUR wedding. And that's okay!

Here's another example: we've all walked into venues with carpet, and thought, "what the heck were they thinking with this carpet!?" You know what's way worse than that gold-and-maroon patterned carpet? Textured coral table linens with whimsical light blue flowers on top of that gold and maroon carpet. Guys: pay attention to the space! Maybe gold and maroon aren't your favourite colours - but if you've chosen this venue for your wedding, then your overall event design is going to look the best if you find a way to incorporate the venue's colouring into your wedding's colour palette. 

In the same way, notice the most beautiful aspects of your venue and highlight them with your event design choices. Is there a gorgeous fireplace? Position your head table in front or beside it. Is there a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that let in beautiful natural light? Don't ever think of covering those up with draping! 

Pay attention to the characteristics, limitations, and features of your venue. 

2) Paying too much attention to Pinterest. 
I recently sat down with a bride and her wedding planner to talk about her wedding flowers. Both the planner and I cringed (inwardly, of course!) when the bride mentioned one specific Pinterest trend that she thought she might like to incorporate (in this case, it was baby's breath - and lots of it). After we explained that it was becoming a very tired trend, nor did it really fit with her personal style in any way, she mentioned: "I guess I saw baby's breath on Pinterest a year ago when I first started planned my wedding, and I think it must have just been starting to be stylish then." This was really interesting to me, because baby's breath started to resurge in 2011! All this to say: remember that when you see something "new" on Pinterest or on wedding blogs, at least 10,000 other brides-to-be are seeing the EXACT SAME THING. That means that anything trending on Pinterest is not in the least bit unique or personalized to you and your style. That's not to say that Pinterest doesn't have its merits, though!

Here's the thing about those pretty little details and touches that you see on Pinterest or on wedding blogs: they're so pretty because they were first designed with one specific, incredible couple in mind. I very firmly believe that a unique design does not come from already completed weddings. If you hope to have a wedding that looks and feels unique to you, then we need to start fresh, WITHOUT Pinterest.  

So what next? If the way your wedding looks and feels is important to you, but you're struggling to figure out what to do or how to make it happen, connect with me. I'd love to help! I get a serious high from working alongside you to design a beautiful, personal, and fun wedding experience. 

PS I loved working with Prairie Film Co on this video. If you're looking for an amazing wedding videographer, contact them ASAP.

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. 

Modern Indoor Wedding Ceremony

And here is Part 2 of our recent ceremony shoot, as seen on Vale & Vine today. We were working with a loft sort of space, and I wanted to bring warmth to the look while doing something different, at the same time as not spending a ton of a bride's budget! We started with the draping design, and Planned Perfectly really made this look come alive. We wanted to do something different with the drape, pulling together that warm gold tone and a unique shape that hasn't been seen over and over again. Adding in a crescent wreath (I actually foraged the wreath form from branches in the winter, and and hung onto it knowing it would be perfect!) with just a few floral accents draws in the eye to the focal point, and it would be incredibly cost-effective for a bride, too. I love how this came together! 

Vendors Involved: 
Victoria Anne Photography, Planned Perfectly, Robin Egg Blue Design, Bob & Page Salon, 2 Chicks and a Bag of Makeup, and Bliss Bridal Boutique.

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 :)

Behind the Scenes: Winnipeg Wedding Event Designer

Earlier this spring, I paired up with Aly at Victoria Anne Photography as well as some other really awesome local wedding vendors, to put together a pretty spring wedding inspiration shoot. It was a fun chance to play around with some different ideas. I'm excited to share more of the photos in the coming weeks, but for right now, here are some behind the scenes shots!

The draping and chairs were provided by Planned Perfectly. The draping was SO beautiful - can't wait to show you the completed design!

Sarah from Two Chicks and a Bag of Makeup is AMAZING. She did such a beautiful job!

I loved the beautiful stationery pieces from Robin Egg Blue Design, especially those sweet vow booklets.