Autumnal Magic

Earlier this fall, my friend Kat Willson (and amazing photographer!) asked if I would collaborate with her on a last minute, moody photo shoot. I loved how it all came together: there was a bit of rain in the sky, the perfect amount of yellow leaves were peaking through the trees, Natalie's hair and makeup was perfect and easy, and we found a gorgeous spot in the middle of Bird's Hill Park. We even saw a little family of deer when we pulled up!

Vendors: 
Kat Willson Photography ~ Jessica Kmiec Makeup ~ American Apparel ~ H&M ~ Brit Robson Hair ~ The Find Lab

As featured on Wedding Sparrow. This bridal bouquet was also chosen by Elle Decor as one of their 30 Best Wedding Bouquets!

Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: Dahlias, ranunculus, snowberry, pieris, celosia, amaranthus, and foraged foliage.

White and Copper Winter Wedding Flower Inspiration

Oookayyy. You know I love colour. A jewel or berry-toned wedding palette gives me heart palpitations. But this white and copper palette? It's amazing for a neutral-loving bride, totally luxurious, and perfect for a winter wedding.

As featured on Host Winnipeg.

Creative Direction & Styling: Host Winnipeg | Photos: Janine Kropla | Venue, Tabletop Items and Furniture: Hut K

Floral Ingredients: Peonies, amaryllis, tulips, ginestra, magnolia leaves, copper beach, and israeli ruscus, and navy privet berries. I LOVED using this amaryllis - it's a winter flower, and creates an obvious focal point any time it's used thanks to the large, star-shaped blooms. Aren't they gorgeous?

Get the recipe for this spiced ginger and pear cocktail here!

Elegant Blue Wedding Ideas at Cielo's Garden

Here is another of the styled tablescapes I helped to create (this one, alongside Liz of Styled Wedding & Event Planning!) for our editorial day with Host Winnipeg this past spring, at Cielo's Garden. Liz went for a more elegant approach to her table design, choosing a gorgeous palette of dusty blue, white, soft green, and the tiniest hint of pale pinks. Rather than going with the typical glamorous or stuffy feel that an elegant wedding theme often has, Liz created a design more fitting for an elegant garden party. With this lush white and green centrepiece in my silver mercury glass compote, the look was complete!

Even better - I love seeing these images all over Liz's website. If you're looking for a fantastic day-of wedding coordinator, connect with her!

Photos: Pantel Photography | Event Design: Styled Wedding & Event Planning | Floral Design: Stone House Creative | Venue: Cielo's Garden | Stationery: Keeks Paper Co

Beach Engagement Session with Full Floral Crown

Not every girl can pull off a big, full flower crown. Jessica certainly can! I made this lush crown for her for her beach engagement session with Andrei, and it was sort of a trial run for her wedding day, to make sure that she liked the way the flower crown looked and felt on her.

A large flower crown like this can be challenging - I'm always worried that it's going to cast a shadow on the bride's face, and take all the attention in a photo. I want to see a bride's face in her photos! But, these images from Kampphotography of Jessica and Andrei were just beautiful!

By the way, I just love engagement or wedding photos at the beach! For Jessica and Andrei it was the perfect spot, as they love to spend time at the lake. But no matter where you vacation, beaches are a beautiful backdrop for photos. The calming colour palette of watery blues, stone greys, and sand, the endless shoreline...it's photo gold!

More from their wedding day coming soon :) 

Jungle-Inspired Dinner Party

Man, am I ever late on blogging this amazing dinner party! Early this spring, Emily from Feast & Festivities contacted me about a dinner party she was planning. She wanted to do something different - an industrial jungle theme it was!

I know that most people don't want to spend a fortune on decor for a dinner party, so Emily's idea was to use simple, jungle-esque greenery to pop on the table. It's a great idea - it doesn't take up a lot of space, provides a rich pop of colour, and is so simple to do! using different heights and sizes of cylinder vases, along with different types of tropical leaves, created a varied look with lots of interest. Emily also crafted some really cute DIYs and a signature cocktail called the "Jungle Rumble." Get her top tips for hosting a great dinner party on her site, here!

See more from this dinner party featured on Host Winnipeg!