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
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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!
Simple Summer Wedding at Hawthorn Estates
Gabi and Brad were married on a beautiful summer day back before Covid was a thing. Ah, the good old days, right?
When Gabi first inquired, she told me that she loves plants and gardens, that her style is simple and elegant, and that she just wanted something really beautiful. I was happy to oblige! The plans for her simple summer wedding at Hawthorn began, but don’t be fooled by the word “simple,” because that does not mean it wasn’t beautiful.
Gabi and Brad were married on a beautiful summer day back before Covid was a thing. Ah, the good old days, right?
When Gabi first inquired, she told me that she loves plants and gardens, that her style is simple and elegant, and that she just wanted something really beautiful. I was happy to oblige! The plans for her simple summer wedding at Hawthorn began, but don’t be fooled by the word “simple,” because that does not mean it wasn’t beautiful.
I rarely get to work with shades of purple, so anytime I do, I’m excited by the challenge. Purple can be hard to design with — it was a strong trend in design a few years back, which means that it can easily feel tired. It can also feel really aggressive, and that’s not really the vibe that most couples are hoping their wedding gives off. So, I really liked the way that Gabi was working with multiple shades, using both warm and cool tones, and softening it with light greys and whites. It felt fresh and just really lovely.
Bridal bouquet ingredients: peonies, roses, anemones, ranunculus, fritillaria, tulips, astrantia, and eucalyptus and smokebush foliages.
I love the shades of these bridesmaid dresses!
I added one asymmetrical corner floral piece to the arch, which was then repurposed to the fireplace mantle — see that below!
Hawthorn Estates is such a beautiful venue. I love the tone of all the exposed wood beams, the harvest chairs, and there’s a ton of natural light. Gabi painted table numbers onto rocks, and I added a floral arrangement in whites with shades of purple and locally harvest pussy willow.
I also designed a large hanging piece on the ladder above the head table, focusing on textured foliages and branches, with long delphinium stems tucked throughout to add touches of that soft, feminine colour.
I can’t wait for days like this to start happening again! Gabi has since told me that she wishes she could have more weddings, so that she could have one for every colour palette that she falls in love with. Look guys, I think this is a really awesome idea. Can we make this happen? After this last year, I think we all deserve to start throwing ourselves some awesome parties, and we all know parties need flowers! 🌸
Aimee DeLaLande Photography ~ Hawthorne EStates ~ Ashley Brooke Events ~ Bliss Bridal Boutique
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
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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!
Intimate Indian Wedding at Home
Good things can happen when you plan your wedding in 5 days. WHAT? Yes. Because of constantly shifting covid regulations, Nageen and Jawed had planned their wedding, then postponed, then weren’t sure, and then they pulled the trigger.
5 days is about how much time Amanda Douglas had to pull together the design of this wedding, and I was hired 3.5 days before the wedding. Nageen had sent over 2 inspiration photos and knew that I’d have no control over what flowers I could get at that short of notice, but luckily, it all came together really beautifully!
Good things can happen when you plan your wedding in 5 days. WHAT? Yes. Because of constantly shifting covid regulations, Nageen and Jawed had planned their wedding, then postponed, then weren’t sure, and then they pulled the trigger.
5 days is about how much time Amanda Douglas had to pull together the design of this wedding, and I was hired 3.5 days before the wedding. Nageen had sent over 2 inspiration photos and knew that I’d have no control over what flowers I could get at that short of notice, but luckily, it all came together really beautifully!
Nageen decided to have the entire wedding at her parents’ home, here in Winnipeg. The wedding fell under the timing of a maximum gathering size of 10 people plus the residents of the home, which is a challenge for any guest list. With a combination of a few people in person, and the rest Facetiming/Zooming in, the wedding came to be, just a little bit differently than they envisioned initially.
The focal point of the ceremony was the circular arch behind the settee that they were married on. I sourced the arch from Ornare Event Rentals and Amanda took care of the rest — including voile draping added to cover the living room and dining room curtains, and to cover a wood hutch in the dining room. Pictures and frames were taken off the walls, and the family worked hard to make it a blank canvas so that the wedding decor could stand out.
One thing you won’t notice here is all of the heavy medical textbooks we had to use to weight down the base of the arch — they were covered with a white tablecloth and camouflaged by the couch! That’s something to be aware of when renting basically any arch — the bases are always too lightweight if any kind of floral or lighting or drapery will be added to them (especially if the arch is placed outside).
And because it wouldn’t be a Covid wedding without some Facetime and Zoom guests…I can’t imagine how it would feel to Facetime in to a wedding, but I want to thank all of you who have made that difficult decision over this past year. I’m so grateful.
I absolutely HAVE to dedicate some space here to Nageen’s incredible bridal lehenga. The colour, the softness, the intricate detail, the stunning way that it drapes…I’m in love. I want to re-design my entire life around the way this outfit makes me feel.
I’m so glad that Nageen and Jawed opted for a few of the typical wedding moments. With such an intimate wedding, and especially with it being at-home, it can be a challenge to create that wedding-like vibe.
Brittany Mahood (obvs one of my favourite photographers — she shot my maternity photos!) took them outside and celebrated with them. I love these portraits!
They headed back to the home, at which point the ceremony space had been flipped to the dinner setting. A champagne linen, gold chivari chairs, and gold-detailed place settings allowed the burgundy, mauve and pink flowers to take centre stage.
I’m so grateful to have been a part of this Covid-cautious wedding! This October wedding took place during a time when it felt like the world was just about to end and it was so special to see love still being celebrated, and celebrated safely.
Event Design: Amanda Douglas Events ~ Photos: Brittany Mahood ~ Florals: Stone House Creative ~ Linens, Chairs, Drapery: Planned Perfectly ~ Tabletop and Couch Rentals: C&T Rentals ~ Backdrop Rental: Ornare Event Rentals ~ Cake: Chocolate Zen Bakery ~ Makeup: Ashley Tiopo Artistry ~ Lighting: Event Light
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL DESIGNER FOR YOUR INTIMATE WEDDING 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!
Minimal Mid-Century Modern Inspired Tent Wedding
Technically I was supposed to take this weekend off…but when I got the email from Emily of Feast & Festivities asking if I’d be available, and I caught a glimpse of the fun design board, a thrill sparked my fingertips into typing that yes, I was available!
Jess and Donny’s wedding was one of my 2019 highlights. Creative uses of colour, cheerful design elements, and that chic mid-century modern inspiration brought this clear-top tent wedding to life!
Technically I was supposed to take this weekend off…but when I got the email from Emily of Feast & Festivities asking if I’d be available, and I caught a glimpse of the fun design board, a thrill sparked my fingertips into typing that yes, I was available!
Jess and Donny’s wedding was one of my 2019 highlights. Creative uses of colour, cheerful design elements, and that chic mid-century modern inspiration brought this clear-top tent wedding to life!
One of the first things that I was told was the overall design was to have a mid-century modern influence, and I immediately thought that an arm bouquet would be a perfect way to do that. Jess was down for something unique and interesting, so I got to work on selecting some juicy blooms to play off the cheerful colour palette.
Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: locally grown ranunculus, delphinium, and snapdragons, with campanella garden roses, billy balls, and oncidium orchids.
This is easily one of my favourite ceremony designs I’ve worked on. It’s pretty simple, but when Emily came up with the idea for me to design flowers both on top of the clear pedestals and inside them, I was pumped.
Jess and Donny got engaged in Hawaii, so they wanted to incorporate a touch of tropical flair. We used some sago palm in the large arrangements, and made Jess a white dendrobium orchid lei and Donny got a traditional Hawaiian ti leaf lei. The leaves were supposed to be more green, but the darker tone looked awesome with his suit so it was a happy mistake!
My favourite thing is that they wanted the flowers to really do the talking, so they actually stood behind the arrangements!
When working with a tighter budget, it’s a great idea to go simple overall while introducing a few major statement pieces. For Jess and Donny, that was the ceremony florals, which were repurposed to the seating display outside the entrance to the tent, along with a garland swagged along the top of the tent entrance.
How amazing does this set up look? I love the neon orange acrylic, and Jess actually designed the decals herself and applied them to the acrylic sheets. She repeated this method with the table numbers and bar signage.
Another favourite design element was the neon orange carnation installation suspended above the head table. The goal was to bring a punch of that unexpected bright orange, and the mechanics of this piece were actually quite easy but it was really time-consuming to create. I’d do it again in a heart beat, though, because it turned out so cool!
I also put together a feathery and lightweight plumosa garland for the photo booth aka Donny’s VW Westfalia that he’d been restoring.
Office fan, anyone? I love how they incorporated a few little touches from their favourite show throughout the day — from the Pam & Jim snapshots, to the place setting above, reserved for “Assistant to the Regional Manager.”
So all in all, I’m pretty glad I decided to work this weekend instead of taking it off 😂
Brittany Mahood ~ FEast & Festivities ~ Stone House Creative ~ THat First Spark ~ Planned Perfectly ~ C&T Rentals ~ JP Hoe ~ cielo’s Garden ~ JP MEdiaWorks ~ Truvelle ~ ALdo FormalWear ~ Tiopo & Co ~ Fifth ~ Urban Prairie Cuisine ~ Sweet Impressions ~ Oh Doughnuts ~ Marry Me, Hunnie
LOOKING FOR WEDDING FLOWERS 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!
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!