How Florals Can Be a Part of Your Corporate Event Strategy

The number 1 mistake businesses make when planning an event? Not thinking strategically.

Event Photos by Danny Shumov

You’re not just hosting an event to host an event. You’ve either got a product to launch, gratitude to share, or a PR splash to make. Adding flowers to your event increases the pretty factor, yes. But let’s get a bit more strategic. The worst thing would be for you to spend a chunk of money on your event, hoping to build some great traction for your company, but you plan a forgettable event.

“With the right guidance, florals become more than decor — they become storytelling elements, brand touch points, and moments your guests won’t forget. Safe might feel comfortable, but bold leaves an impression.” Quote

My suggestion: shift your view of event florals away from copy/paste decorations, but as essential elements that define atmosphere, emotion, and visual cohesion. Let me show you how.

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Brand Activations

For the launch of MPG’s exciting collaboration with Winnipeg-based Indigenous artist Jackie Traverse, they planned an inspiring evening at the Winnipeg Art Gallery to unveil the collection. They reached out, wanting to add a floral installation that would bring the clothing to life.

The result was a meaningful interaction between the brand and their guests, while celebrating Jackie and her work.

I chose a bold colour palette that played off the vibrant tones of the clothing, and we played with the scale of the installation — guests were greeted by the mannequins and floral immediately upon exciting the elevator on the Penthouse level of the WAG.

We worked with playful, unexpected combinations of texture, colour, and scale to tell the story — choosing some Manitoba-grown blooms wherever I could, adding moss to create a floor for the mannequins to stand on, and tucking in a few faux butterflies to reference the butterflies in some of Jackie’s designs.

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Brand Launches

Winnipeg is so proud to be Mondetta’s hometown. This fall, they launched a luxury menswear brand, Modern Ambition, with its flagship store located in True North Square. Their creative strategist, Natasha of Studio Giorg, reached out to bring me into the design mix for their kickoff events.

They hosted several events, including this VIP dinner in the polar bear tunnel at the Assiniboine Park Zoo. I was tasked with the event design, from floor planning to rental selections and, of course, floral design.

VIP guests included Scott Gillingham, mayor of Winnipeg, Wab Kinew, Premier of Manitoba, and Jim Moore, Creative Director-at-Large of GQ Magazine. We needed to work within this intimate space, creating opportunities for conversation and celebration.

A few key elements:

-As a menswear brand, they wanted to play into a warm neutral palette with touches of burgundy and red throughout.

-There were a lot of hands involved in the overall planning process, as the Mondetta team were all very excited about the launch. I created a series of digital mockups (a few seen below) to allow them to discuss the aesthetic direction, colour palette, rental options, and so on. This way, we were all on the same page.

-The florals and tablescape transformed the tunnel, creating an elevated, photo-ready dinner (featuring a collaborative meal crafted by 3 of Winnipeg’s top chefs!) that knocked guests’ socks off.

Event Photos by Danny Shumov

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CLient Parties

Outside of conferences, client parties are probably the most common corporate events that take place in Winnipeg. Whether as an appreciation event, a holiday shindig, or a retirement party, let’s start thinking outside of the very basic “white floral centrepiece on a table.” That box is NOT checked. If you want to ensure your clients have any memory at all of your event, and want to get them out to next year’s event, then we need to make some impact.

-Add a welcome sign and make it a design moment. Especially if you’re hosting your event in a large facility, this can become both functional and a beautiful way to welcome guests in.

-Don’t skip a statement at the bar. At these events, clients are going to be lining up for a cocktail so this is a must-have.

-Add a lounge. Large sit-down tables can be a social nightmare at these types of client events, but adding in a lounge with soft seating makes a visual statement and creates a more comfortable, casual way for guests to mingle.

Event Photos by Janine Kropla

This event was designed by Soiree Event Planning, with rentals from Collective Event Rentals and Planned Perfectly.

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LOOKING To Make your corporate event impactful?

I’ll help you ensure a lasting impression.

Stone House Creative is a floral design studio known for transforming inspiration into a unified, expertly considered visual direction. The brand leads clients through a clear, design-driven process that prioritizes palette decisions, spatial cohesion, and intentional detail. Clients choose us for our ability to simplify complex ideas, articulate what will make the greatest impact, and deliver an event that feels cohesive, expression, and uniquely reflective of your brand.

How Much Do Wedding Flowers Cost? Warm Neutral Wedding Reception at Novella

It’s not all that frequent that I get to design the entire reception from start to finish, and I really enjoy digging into that complete process. For this warm, neutral wedding reception at Novella, I started with a brief overview of the colour palette and textural elements I wanted to highlight.

As I got going, I knew I wanted to share a glance at the real life costs behind a reception design like this. Many of my clients come to me asking for designs like this, but have no frame of reference for pricing. So, let’s jump into the design and then the cost!

PS - If you’re wondering, YES, I do offer event design services where I can do this for you! Find more info here. I take on a maximum of 3 event design clients per year and I do require that I’m designing your florals, too.

Photos by Vanessa Renae Photography

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The Design Plan

Below you’ll get a glimpse at the brief visual overview I created to help guide my decision making. I find this to be a really important step that a lot of people overlook when planning their weddings. Anyone can make a pinterest board but it’ll likely still feel disparate, disjointed because it’s usually lacking that thread that ties everything together. A single page, just a few images and colour swatches, is one of the first things I do when working through event design, to set the mood, confirm colouring, and keep my design goals in mind.

For this wedding reception design, I had a few things in mind: mostly warm, neutral tones with touches of cool blue added in, multi-tonal drapery above the tables to soften the industrial ceiling and warm up the white walls, and bringing in natural textures through stone elements.

When it came to the floor plan, I really didn’t need to go this all-out as this was an editorial shoot. But, I believe strongly in doing things right the first time (when I’m tempted to be lazy, this always rings through my thoughts!) and I think that a photo shoot with 1 single table looks, quite frankly, dumb. It doesn’t give a potential couple a proper frame for how the entire wedding could look, and it doesn’t give the wedding professionals imagery that actually reflects the reality of our work.

Novella works amazingly as a single space for both ceremony and reception for an intimate wedding, and the floor plan below is just one example of how you can utilize the space.

A few things I knew right away: I wanted to use Collective’s black bentwood chairs because I love them, and the Melodia glassware because they really elevate a design with a subtle, elegant air. I wanted to layer in stone fragments, and thought this would be a great way to catch any candle wax drips.

The Completed Design

Normally I am fully invested in colour, so choosing to work in a neutral palette felt a little out of left field for me. I really enjoyed the warmth that I was able to create — this isn’t yet another basic white and green wedding. The short cappuccino toned candles (I wanted them as stumpy as I could get them) picked up on the brown veining in the pieris and the tulips. This kind of blending and colour play is essential, no matter what your palette is.

Layering in taupe napkins and sand toned vessels added more warmth, and the black cutlery and lamps tied through to the chairs in a clean, simple way.

How Much Does a Wedding Tablescape Cost?

It's important to note that every tablecsape is going to be different in terms of the elements included, the quantities, and additional rental items. For our purposes today, I've included everything that came from me: florals, vases, candles. The glassware, flatware, lamps, napkins, linens, chairs, and stationery would be in addition.

I also want to note that if you're looking to save on your floral budget, long tables may not be the best choice for you. There is simply more empty space on long tables, which makes them really fun to style but would also be more costly.

For each 8 foot table, I included:

1x fuller, low floral arrangement
2x petite flower frog arrangements
2-3x stem vases
4x chunky pillar candles and stone remnants for styling

8 Foot Table Cost: $345

When I first approached Kayla from Sugar & Salt Bakeshoppe about this project, I shared my full design board and asked for a simple, textured buttercream cutting cake. I didn’t want to be an imposition when she was likely already busy. Her response? “Let me put a spin on it and challenge myself!” And look at this stunning masterpiece inspired by the wedding dress we used! What incredible art.

The Bar

Including a bar feature was a must-have for me, to show how we can extend a design further. Collective’s Waverly collection was perfect. We added a champagne tower (one of Vanessa’s only requests!), layered in some stone vases, and repurposed florals from the ceremony aisle to the base of the cake table to make it a moment.

I hope this was helpful to you in your planning! I’ll link a few more budget-related posts below to assist you in building a realistic wedding flower budget. It’ll either come down to “I will pay what I need to in order to get what I want” or “I have $xx to spend, what can I get within that?” My top advice for couples is to be open about your goals and budget when you’re talking with a floral designer. Knowing which way you lean means we can get creative and make sure we’re proposing the best things for you.

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Lead Photo & Host: Vanessa Renae Photography
Floral and Event Design: Stone House Creative
Venue: The Novella
Rentals: Collective Rentals
Drapery and Linens: Planned Perfectly
Stationery: Rae & Dot Studio
Cake: Sugar & Salt BakeShoppe
Hair: Isabel Nayet
Makeup: Jessica K Artistry
Dress: Vintage J Mendel
Jewellery: Mokada Jewelry
Models: @meghanheppner and @brendanzebrynski

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LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL and Event DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?

I love taking a venue and making it into anything but ordinanry.

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! 

Design Notes: Textural Wedding Ceremony Florals at Novella

Last spring, I designed an editorial for Vanessa Renae Photography and a group of photographers who were itching to get creative, and practise some new photography techniques. Vanessa had found this gorgeous blue vintage dress, and then she asked me to take the reigns on the overall design. Needless to say, I had a lot of fun.

Warm browns paired with cool blues, layers of natural textures, minimalistic yet elevated stationery, a dreamy meandering aisle, multi-tonal drapery, it was all so good. A total dream day ✨

Today, I’m sharing some design notes focusing on the ceremony design, featuring textured florals and a natural style.

Photos by Vanessa Renae Photography

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The Design Plan

Every element of this design was envisioned around the dress. I allowed that to take the lead and then found that everything else came together really easily: I wanted to incorporate a lot of airy and natural textures (floaty florals, stone elements) and soften the entire space with modern drapery.

The Completed Design

Layered and multi-tonal draping, a curved aisle, and an organic focal feature at the front were the pieces that came together to really make this ceremony design.

The Novella is a really, really white space. I didn’t want to go fully white with the drape because it would just feel too stark, so Planned Perfectly added panels of this oatmeal toned drape along with the white. The ceilings are Novella are perfect for this! The draping also made for a really cool photo opportunity that I’d encourage photographers to play with a bit.

I came across these pleated paper stands on Amazon and really liked the idea of their shape and texture — ideally they would have been a bit taller, but beggars can’t be choosers all the time. Incorporating large rocks was part of my vision, BUT as we were shooting in the winter, it was a bit tricky. I actually dug these all up from the snow and ice at my parents’ farm! I would have loved even more, to tuck into the aisle, but the rest were fully frozen.

The Aisle

I love a meandering aisle!! That refers to the curved chair placement, instead of lining up all the chairs in straight rows. This gives us a slightly more dynamic walk down the aisle, typically lending a more casual look/less formal. With the shifts in the chair placements, it also gives us varied amounts of space for aisle florals, so you’ll notice that some of these pieces are smaller, some are larger. I personally love the dynamic and visually intriguing effect this creates.

We added in the floor length blue satin bows to the chairs to bring a hint of that watery blue tone, which was great because I didn’t want to use actual blue in the flowers. I kept the aisle floral pieces very airy and textural, primarily using fillers with a few elongated stems here and there to give a floaty butterfly vibe.

(Photo grid above by Kate Elizabeth Photography)

One of the great things about a ceremony design composed of multiple pieces is that gives you lots of options for repurposing at the reception.

We wanted the champagne tower to really be a moment here, so we added 4 mixed size pieces to the base of that table.

I had a few mixed cocktail tables and coffee tables available from the Waverly collection via Collective Event Rentals, and so I popped a few on those tables as well to give it a little more oomph.

Love this bouquet as much as I did? Click the image above to take you a post where I break down the cost and the flowers included!

Lead Photo & Host: Vanessa Renae Photography
Floral and Event Design: Stone House Creative
Venue: The Novella
Rentals: Collective Rentals
Drapery and Linens: Planned Perfectly
Stationery: Rae & Dot Studio
Cake: Sugar & Salt BakeShoppe
Hair: Isabel Nayet
Makeup: Jessica K Artistry
Dress: Vintage J Mendel
Jewellery: Mokada Jewelry
Models: @meghanheppner and @brendanzebrynski

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LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL and Event DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?

I love taking a venue and making it into anything but ordinanry.

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! 

Floral Ideas for Your Wedding Cake

Floral Inspiration For yOur Wedding Cake

One thing I will always love, even though I didn’t have one at my wedding and even though I have a gluten allergy, is wedding cake. The reason is possibly quite frivolous, but I’ll admit it: I love the moment that a wedding cake provides. The way that tradition revolves around them, that there can be a pause in a chaotic evening for the two of you to enjoy a moment together, and of course, I love the design opportunities that a cake can bring.

I know people have their ups and downs with wedding cakes and whether they’re a priority or not. In my mind, it comes down to this: if you’re going to invest in a wedding cake, then make 👏🏻 it 👏🏻 a 👏🏻 moment 👏🏻

Photo above by Brittany Mahood

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Cake Meadows

Brittany Mahood // Sugar & Salt Bake Shoppe

I have loved designing cake meadows these last few years. If you’re going to make your cake a design focal point in your reception, then this is such a great way to do it. Florals surrounding the cake is delightful for a few reasons — no stems actually have to poke into the cake, so we can use whatever type of flower we want (even if it’s poisonous!), they can have a constant water source so stay fresher longer, and it’s also just a WOW moment.

Casey Nolin Photography

Simply Rosie Photography // Baked Expectations

Things to know if this is what you want:

Please budget accordingly. I don’t think I’ve ever charged appropriately for these, to be honest 🤦🏼‍♀️ This labour should be done entirely on-site because it’s difficult to deliver, and you really can’t design it well without the cake present so you can get the scale right. Additionally, be sure to ask your florist to design this floral foam-free, because that $h!t is toxic and we don’t want that anywhere near anything you’re eating.

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Dramatic Floral Moments

Brittany Mahood // Jenna Rae Cakes

This is a go big or go home kind of moment.

If you’ve got a really large venue space to fill, if you’ve got an impressive floral feature like this 20 foot wide hanging floral installation (yes, we really did that!!), then take the opportunity to really go for it and make the cake a focal point in the floor plan. This design (laid out so carefully by Soiree Event Planning) saw the cake elevated on a circular platform, and set in the middle of the lounge and underneath the hanging florals, right in front of the dance floor, so that everyone could see it. It made for such a sweet cake cutting moment and was really spectacular!

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Partial Floral Meadow

Esther Funk Photography // Jenna Rae Cakes

I designed this many years ago, before floral meadows were becoming popular, and I still love it. The crescent moon shape allowed me to add some height behind the cake, while still allowing full access to cut into the cake. The combination of sugar flowers, hand-painted flowers, and fresh flowers was such a flirty, fun combination and I really love that the fresh flowers accented the sugar flowers without taking over the design that the baker lovingly created.

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Fresh and Sugar flower combination

Rachwal Photography // Jenna Rae Cakes

Things to know if this is what you want: This is a combination that you need to trust to a cake artist. I LOVE placing fresh flowers on a cake. I would NEVER dream of touching the sugar flowers. The idea of accidentally breaking or causing damage to those delicate sugar flowers that were handmade by someone else is so stressful to me.

Additionally, this needs to be done by a cake artist with the eye for detail that you’re in love with. Not just anyone could do what Jenna Rae Cakes did here and make it look this amazing.

To do this, I’ll connect with your baker to ask about the design they’re planning, and then figure out roughly how many loose florals they’ll need. The bakery will typically send someone to pick up the flowers from my studio a day or two before the wedding, so they can have everything they need in-hand to create their masterpiece!

**Please make sure to ask your florist and baker for food-safe flowers and floral applications. Flowers should never just be shoved into cakes because a) many are toxic to humans, and b) without proper care they will die really quickly, and c) most commercial flowers are grown with a LOT of chemicals, so even if it’s not a toxic flower, it could still be covered with icky things. We don’t want any of this going into your body.

See more from this wedding at The White Poplar here!

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Petite Floral Touches

Because you don’t always need something huge! Here are some sweet, petite floral moments — from a few blooms that I carefully inserted into the cake, to a small arrangement placed beside the cake, to locally grown, edible flowers sprinkled on top of the cakes. Sweet and simple!

Photos by Bennett Murphy-Mills, Kass Donaldson, Nicole Plett, and Brittany Mahood

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Simple cake, big placement

Brittany Mahood // Reverie Gluten Free

I personally love a small cake, big placement moment. You may not wish to serve wedding cake to your entire guest list, or maybe you have specific allergies so a small cake just for the two of you is the way to go, and you maybe don’t even wish to add flowers to the cake. But placing the cake intentionally in your floor plan in a place where it gets more attention because of what it’s placed by (in this case, in front of the floral-covered bar), is just a smart move!

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Repurposed ceremony arch

Top Photos by Keila Marie, Jenna Rae Cakes // Bottom Photos by Brittany Mahood, Sugar & Salt

Things to know if this is what you want: Chances are pretty good that your arch is the piece that will need to move locations. If this is what you want, then you have to contract your floral team for a flip and refresh, which means that they either stick around during your ceremony (instead of leaving when their work is completed), or they come back, so they can move the arch for you (and will incur an additional service fee). This really should not be done by anyone else — firstly, it’s that floral designer’s art, and it’s BIG, and someone else touching it just isn’t that appropriate because a lot of things can go wrong. Secondly, a lot of damage can be done during the move-over, and the florist may need to redesign some elements, or remove spent blooms and refresh them with new. Additionally, your planner and your family are busy doing other things. This shouldn’t be their responsibility.

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Ground-based pieces around cake table

Grace & Ardor

Gina Brandt // Sugar & Salt Bake Shoppe

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LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?

We can design a beautiful, unique wedding environment for you. Find out more about our floral services by inquiring below!

Call me 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! 

Best Tips for Small Weddings in Winnipeg

Lately I’ve been finding myself more and more drawn to small, intimate weddings. Possibly because the two weddings I’ve designed for so far in 2025 have both been for under 30 people, but also because there’s just SO much that you can DO with a smaller wedding.

Let’s get into it — if you’re thinking about having a smaller wedding, here are some of my favourite ideas!

WEdding Dinner Party

Photos by Tedi Jean

I absolutely love a good dinner party. Full disclosure: I am almost never invited to them 😂 But I love being with a small group of people (whether at a home or at a restaurant!) and eating amazing food. With a smaller group of people, you can really go for it with multiple courses, pairings, and a customized menu that feels a lot more interesting than the typical banquet fare.

Now even if you can’t host your entire group in your dining room (understandable!), we have SO many amazing restaurants and unique venues in Winnipeg, many of which can take on small weddings. Some of my favourite unique venues to work at are Smith, Pizzeria Gusto and Gusto North, and Cibo. These images are from a wedding I designed in summer of 2024 at Pizzeria Gusto, which was set up like a combo cocktail party meets dinner party. Such great vibes!

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Small Backyard Wedding Reception

Photos by Esther Funk Photography

A few years ago, we planned my cousin’s wedding. It was originally going to be a larger wedding, but scaled back to 15 people due to you-know-what, and we ended up in her parents’ farmyard. Let me tell you, it was PERFECT. With a small group of people, we didn’t need to worry about renting in bathrooms, or a rain backup plan (we would have all fit inside the house if we needed to!), and we could afford to rent in upgraded tableware items that they wouldn’t have been able to prioritize for a group of 150 people.

The florals were bright and colourful (which is always what I want, but I think the colour especially pops off all the green in the backyard!), the dinner was catered by a local restaurant and served out of the house kitchen, and the details were really quite easy to pull together.

View this entire, colourful wedding here!

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Garden Wedding Reception Outdoors

Photos by Brittany Mahood Photography

If you have a connection to a beautiful property or yard where you can host your wedding, then an outdoor garden wedding reception is truly unmatched. Shannon and David’s wedding was hosted a few summers ago on the property of a family friend, and it made for such a beautiful atmosphere. Not only was the yard beautiful, but the ambiance was made even more special because of the happy family memories spent on that very lawn.

They hosted about 30 people, all seated at one long table, and served an incredible multi-course dinner by Academy Hospitality. They had a raclette cheese, guys. Obviously I filled the table with as many florals and candles as I could, and it was set against the backdrop of the lush treeline. It was perfect.

view this entire garden wedding here!

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what if you don’t have access to a property for your small wedding?

There’s no reason why you can’t have your dream small wedding at a venue.

If you don’t have access to a property or garden, consider one of these spots: Wild Skies Resort, Elkhorn Manor if you’re up for a bit of a destination, the Manitoba Club Bonnycastle Garden or the Oak Room, or The Pavilion at Assiniboine Park.

Each of these locations offers a different vibe, so if you’re hoping for intimate but an elevated indoor spot, then the Oak Room at the Manitoba Club is the one for you. If you really want to disconnect from the world and celebrate in nature, there’s no better place than Wild Skies. You may not own the property, but there’s no reason why you can’t still have the small wedding of your dreams.

see more of this intimate wedding at wild skies resort here!
Photos by Megan Steen

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what about a good old elopement?

Photos by Kass Donaldson

When Vanessa and Richard began planning their wedding, they quickly realized that what they really wanted was to spend the day together, just the two of them, and then jet off to Europe for a honeymoon. So that’s what they did! They added 3 friends — one to marry them, and two to act as witnesses — and I added some flowers (courtesy of my a la carte wedding florals collection!) and the day was spent just celebrating them, with nothing else to think about.

They chose a beautiful nook in Assiniboine Park’s English Gardens, and just rolled on up.

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Looking for a Wedding Floral and Event Designer in Winnipeg?

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No matter the size of your wedding, I can design the florals of your dream that will take the ambiance from 1 to 100. Let’s get started!