Welcome In! Stone House Creative Studio Tour
I would love to have the opportunity to have all of you come in to tour my studio in person, to see where your wedding flowers are designed and see it all come together. Floral workspaces are pretty magical (and also pretty filthy, FYI).
But the reality of a studio is that Iâm not âopenâ in the traditional sense. I donât have a retail storefront, I donât have typical hours of operation (especially because my studio operates out of an oversized double garage, tucked away in my back yard!). I know that can be hard to understand.
But you should still come on in :)
Come on in đ
I would love to have the opportunity to have all of you come in to tour my studio in person, to see where your wedding flowers are designed and see it all come together. Floral workspaces are pretty magical (and also pretty filthy, FYI).
But the reality of a studio is that Iâm not âopenâ in the traditional sense. I donât have a retail storefront, I donât have typical hours of operation (especially because my studio operates out of an oversized double garage, tucked away in my back yard!). I know that can be hard to understand.
But you should still come on in :)
The workshop is basically the sole reason we bought this house 5 years ago. We werenât really looking, but I had majorly outgrown my last studio space (aka the basement of our old house) and the second we walked into the backyard of this open house, we were sold. It basically takes up all of the backyard but itâs perfect for me! Like I said, itâs an oversized double garage and the previous owner had built it as a welding workshop. The shelving and workbench along the wall were already there, so basically all I had to do was build the cooler (I have a good sized walk-in cooler that fits a TON of flowers!) and unpack my boxes. The shelves play host to my range of wedding rentals - vases, candle holders, ribbons, candles, tools, and so on.
I finally got around to hanging up a drying rack from the rafters, which serves a few functions: the drying function (obviously), it keeps my dried stash visible which means that I actually remember to use the pieces that I hoard, AND itâs pretty. I love walking under it and looking upâŚitâs a little dreamy. It would be amazing to have the entire ceiling covered!
I also have a little studio helper đ For years I wanted a studio kitten, but never got one. Iâm honestly not sure which would have been less distracting haha. Jack is 1 1/2 and heâs just the sweetest little thing. He LOVES playing with my flower tubes, throwing stuff into my garbage can that I donât want him to, checking out my glue gun, and climbing my step ladder. AKA heâs an enormous workplace hazard! But heâs such a cutie, so I keep him around.
Over the 4 years Iâve been in this space, Iâve worked on little projects to make it a little less âbasic manâs workshopâ and more of Stone House Creativeâs home. The main wall has been painted white to make it feel a little lighter and airier (though to be completely honest with you, I did 3/4 of that wall 3 years ago and finally finished the last part of it the week before these photos were taken). We switched out the hanging exposed bulbs to these cute but cheap Ikea pendants, and my husband built me an awesome work bench for the centre of the shop with a little extra storage. I usually have some sort of hanging floral installation over the work bench â currently itâs an orb of copper tinted plumosa fern that Iâll be taking pieces of as I work on weddings this summer!
Iâve also got a studio tour up on my Instagram Highlights that Iâd love for you to take a look at! It shows you a bit inside of my cooler, my cardboard hoarding pile of shame, and more of my vase and rentals storage that doesnât look quite as lovely and maybe doesnât deserve its own photo.
And an enormous thanks to Vanessa Renae Photography for coming to take these photos! She does SUCH a good job â Iâve worked with her on photoshoots and on weddings, and the images are always so pretty, she did a fantastic job of getting my son to smile, and sheâs so easy to chat with! Look her up if youâre looking for your wedding photographer!
Vanessa Renae photography
How to Make the Most of Your Intimate Wedding
I have an opinion, and it may seem strange, coming from someone who makes her living off the gathering of large groups of people: I LOVE that we are having an increase in intimate weddings.
If my husband and I were getting married again, I would do it differently than when we tied the knot 10 years ago. We were quite young when we got married (barely 22 years old!) and hadnât actually been guests at very many weddings, so we planned things that we thought we were âsupposedâ to plan them. I donât have any regrets about our wedding at all â I just would do it differently now. And one thing that I would love is to have it smaller.
We had 150 guests, which isnât that huge to begin with, but there were definitely a few tables of people that were on the guest list because, again, I thought I was supposed to have them there. It was such an honour that they did come, but if I were doing it again, Iâd probably aim for 75-ish people. I would love to be bold enough to say 50 people, but with the size of my family (and they are important to me), we simply wouldnât have been able to get away with 50 people. Realistically, I think we could could be looking towards a few months of 10-50 person wedding guest lists, so Iâm excited to envision that with you!
I have an opinion, and it may seem strange, coming from someone who makes her living off the gathering of large groups of people: I LOVE that we are having an increase in intimate weddings.
If my husband and I were getting married again, I would do it differently than when we tied the knot 10 years ago. We were quite young when we got married (barely 22 years old!) and hadnât actually been guests at very many weddings, so we planned things that we thought we were âsupposedâ to plan them. I donât have any regrets about our wedding at all â I just would do it differently now. And one thing that I would love is to have it smaller.
We had 150 guests, which isnât that huge to begin with, but there were definitely a few tables of people that were on the guest list because, again, I thought I was supposed to have them there. It was such an honour that they did come, but if I were doing it again, Iâd probably aim for 75-ish people. I would love to be bold enough to say 50 people, but with the size of my family (and they are important to me), we simply wouldnât have been able to get away with 50 people. Realistically, I think we could could be looking towards a few months of 10-50 person wedding guest lists, so Iâm excited to envision that with you!
So, letâs make the most of your intimate wedding!
Above all, what I want you to come away with is this knowledge: even if you didnât originally envision or plan an intimate wedding, that doesnât mean that itâs not a wedding worth celebrating, and celebrating HUGE. Get excited!
For any of your couples considering a smaller wedding this year, I HIGHLY recommend it. I was very much against the thought of a smaller wedding initially but it was honestly everything I could have wanted and more. I am so glad we went ahead with it and truthfully, the ceremony itself meant so much more to both Daniel and I because of who we did have there!
-Lainie and Daniel (married in an intimate backyard wedding on June 28, 2020)
What itâs all going to come down to is carefully designing a plan to treat your guests to an experience unlike any other, and that means starting with what YOU love!
Photo by Lynsey Corbett Photography ~ Planning by Soiree Event Planning ~ See more here!
My Must-Haves for an Intimate Wedding:
-Petals (or confetti or bird seed) for each of your guests to toss as you celebrate down the aisle.
-Live music, at least for the ceremony.
-Over the top florals, obviously. At least for your ceremony!
-A catered dinner from your favourite restaurant with ALL the menu options.
Letâs be honest: you may never have the reason to do something elaborate like this ever again. With fewer guests, youâll have an increased amount of budget to spend per guest, which means you can treat your favourite people to the ultimate wedding, the wedding you dreamed of in the beginning before the realities of money ever got in the way.
Imagine how it would feel to be a guest at this wedding:
Planning, Design, Florals by Rhiannon Bosse (sheâs got some amazing ideas on your blog for you!)
Youâre welcomed in with personalized charcuterie boards and pre-poured cocktails, while a musician plays acoustic guitar in the background.
The table is set to the highest degree: the scent of flowers sweetly floating on the breeze, elegant glassware in your hand, personalized menus and place cards with a note from the couple written just to you to make sure you know that you are an important guest.
An incredible dinner awaits, and itâs far from the basic bottle of wine and salad/entree/dessert. Your palette is spoiled with upgrades: a full bar, multi-course dinner with wine pairings, table-side creme brĂťlĂŠe. Maybe the typical dinner fare is skipped in favour of the coupleâs favourite elevated street food instead â individual servings of hand-smashed guacamole and grilled corn, or a beloved food truck has set up shop in the backyard for the night!
The evening finishes on a sweet note with a personalized dessert board â petite molten cakes in individual ramekins, the brideâs favourite cookie, a scoop of the groomâs favourite ice cream, a hot chocolate shooter.
I think itâs safe to say that your guests will agree that thereâs absolutely nothing missing from the experience, and if theyâre being honest, itâs probably the best wedding theyâve ever attended.
Donât let anyone leave without a gift â and Iâm not talking about your regular old wedding favour. Perhaps itâs as simple as an elegantly wrapped box of your favourite Constance Popp chocolates, or a premium welcome bag featuring your prized must-haves from local Manitoba makers: a sweet bottle of Bee Project honey, a can of your favourite Little Brown Jug ale, or locally made bitters or shrubs from Abiding Citizen.
Left: Sinclair & Moore, Middle: A Signature Welcome photographed by Corbin Gurkin, Right: A Signature Welcome photographed by Rebecca Yale
A few final thoughtsâŚ
Instead of spending $75 per table centrepiece for 20 tables, you could spend that total $1500 on floral arrangements for 4 or 5 tables. I canât even begin to tell you have stunning that will be! Thereâs NOTHING that does a better job of bringing life and excitement to an event than fresh flowers (in my completely unbiased opinion đ).
I very literally salivated while imagining all of these food options and dreaming about which restaurants I would order fromâŚ529 Wellington, Merchant Kitchen, The Red Ember food truck, and I have always wanted to host a party catered by Nuburger!
I talked to my friend Kaytee of Roots Floral Design, who is a wedding florist in Cincinnati, and she made an extra good point: âTake advantage of the outdoors! Each region will have different guidelines and regulations, but most places are much more lenient with outdoor intimate weddings (and I think many of your guests would be more comfortable attending an outdoor wedding!). Take advantage of a smaller venue with beautiful outdoor scenery to hold your wedding. Other options are a relative's backyard, parks (if they allow it), or even an Airbnb! One of our couples choose a beautiful Airbnb property to hold her intimate wedding celebration. Their wedding became a weekend long celebration with their closest loved ones. When painted in this light, intimate weddings sound so dreamy, right?â
A few vendors and I were chatting at an intimate backyard wedding we were working on together this past weekend, and all said how much we have been loving these smaller weddings. Why? I realized that everyone is HAPPIER. There's so little stress with these smaller weddings; fewer things to be concerned about. Even if you are DIYing some elements, or cooking some of the food, you're only doing it for 30 people and so the time investment is so much lower.
If you need some help pulling together the loose ends for your intimate wedding, donât hesitate to ask your vendors. I have loved the opportunity of being more involved with some of my couples, and I know Iâm not the only one. Kaytee said it perfectly: âNo matter what you decide for your wedding, we know that it will be perfect and just right for you. Your wedding day should be exactly how you envision it to be, even if that vision slightly changes. Hiring the right vendors will help you bring that vision to life.â
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL DESIGNER IN the WINNIPEG area?
2021 wedding dates are now booking, with limited 2020 dates still available! Whether itâs an intimate wedding for 30 or a celebration the likes of which have never been seen before, 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!
Guide to Wedding Ceremony Floral Installations
Last week we talked about hanging floral installations, and this week I thought Iâd get a little more specific and talk specifically about wedding ceremony florals. Whether itâs a large focal point design or something scaled back, itâs my opinion that all couples deserve to have an incredible space in which to say their vows.
Last week we talked about hanging floral installations, and this week I thought Iâd get a little more specific and talk specifically about wedding ceremony florals. Whether itâs a large focal point design or something scaled back, itâs my opinion that all couples deserve to have an incredible space in which to say their vows.
I loved this simple ceremony backdrop for a winter wedding at Smith!
The Floral Pillars
Massively underrated, in my opinion, a set of floral pillars is a great design plan because itâs flexible to work in many spaces and easy to re-purpose at the reception. In this case, the floral design is obviously more on the modern side but swap that up for a classic urn and fill it with hydrangea and roses, and youâve got something that fits in any church perfectly!
The Classic Arch
Brittany Mahood Photography, See more here
Curved, flat topped or hexagonal, indoors or outdoors, Iâd say that most of my couples opt for some sort of arch structure. I personally love a good curved arch with full floral working its way around, or with a few spotlight sections - thereâs something about the arched shape that the eye naturally loves!
Something really important to keep in mind is the stability of the structure. If your ceremony is outside, then weâll need either a really heavy base or something that can be staked into the ground for extra stability. If itâs indoors, we need to make sure that weâve got a heavy base as we definitely canât use stakes.
A lot of the time, my couples will provide their own structure. The vast majority of the time, we have no problem at all. Once in a while, though, the strength just isnât there. Both times thatâs happened has been when the ceremony is on the rooftop of the WAG. It doesnât matter what the weather is that day, itâs just SO windy up there all the time. Be careful!
Charmaine Mallari, See more here
The Non-Traditional Arch
Hereâs what I LOVE about a non-traditional âarchâ: each one is so different! Whether Iâm creating floral columns or a deconstructed arch or anything else, you know itâs fun for me. The above are some of my favourites that Iâve designed.
First, that gorgeous deconstructed 2 piece gold arch. This was the first time we used it, and I love that it gives the illusion of a full arch and your eye naturally finishes the shape, but itâs a bit more unique, a bit more modern. Iâve got this piece planned for a few other weddings, and all of the florals will be designed in a different way, which you know I love!
Next, the copper arch with a calligraphy backdrop (completely handmade by the bride - WOAH!). This portion could easily fit under the traditional arch category, but the reason why Iâve included it in non-traditional is because of the floral pillars that I added to either side of it. My goodness, did this room smell amazing with all those flowers everywhere!
Finally, my favourite pair of freestanding floral columns. We wanted them tall because the groom was tall, colourful to stand out from the white backdrop, and have a bit of a natural curve to mimic an arch shape. I LOVED these babies.
The Hanging Floral Installation
You can find pretty much everything you need to know about hanging installations in my post last week! Iâm sure what youâll notice in these pictures is that they are all in the same place - Cieloâs Garden. And hereâs why: the open rafters! The main thing that I need to plan around when designing a hanging installation is the mechanics - how can I actually HANG something? The open rafters in the chapel at Cieloâs Garden are the perfect structure for something like this.
The âMake Your Own Backdropâ
No matter what your venue is, we can come up with an amazing design - something that gives you a beautiful altar where there is none, something that creates a defined space where there is none, something that adds character where there is noneâŚyou get the idea!
I created the greenery arch above right on the wall, in the old Hut K space which was kind of a warehouse looking space. The floor plan was quite tight - you can see the guest tables in the foreground of the image. The guests sat at their tables and post-ceremony, the head table was moved in front of the greenery arch and it served double-duty as backdrop behind the head table. The greenery piece was intended to look quite natural, almost as though it was growing naturally, and it was actually the only piece of floral/greenery decor at the entire reception! It made a good statement.
Below, planner Emily came up with the plan for the firewood, which was perfect as it was a winter wedding photoshoot. We added in the rug to bring warmth, and the wreath (which has dried and hung over my bed for the last 4 years!) to bring a live element. See how itâs all about creating a welcoming space where there wasnât any warmth before?
Looking for a Wedding Floral and Event Designer in Winnipeg?
2021 wedding dates are now booking! 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!
Beautiful weddings, designed for and with love.
Guide to Hanging Floral Installations
Iâm kind of known for my hanging floral installations here in Winnipeg. It seems that whenever a couple says they want hanging flowers, they get referred to me - and obviously, thatâs the way I like it! Iâve done them big, small, floral heavy and greenery focused, at reception spaces over a head table or dance floor and at ceremony spaces creating an altar. Sometimes theyâve involved the addition of ribbon streamers or built on wood boards, sometimes Iâve added in string lights, once I created a floral chandelier. All of them have involved tall ladders!
I thought Iâd run you through some of the things I think about while Iâm designing hanging floral installations!
Iâm kind of known for my hanging floral installations here in Winnipeg. It seems that whenever a couple says they want hanging flowers, they get referred to me - and obviously, thatâs the way I like it! Iâve done them big, small, floral heavy and greenery focused, at reception spaces over a head table or dance floor and at ceremony spaces creating an altar. Sometimes theyâve involved the addition of ribbon streamers or built on wood boards, sometimes Iâve added in string lights, once I created a floral chandelier. All of them have involved tall ladders!
I thought Iâd run you through some of the things I think about while Iâm designing hanging floral installations!
Designed for Planned Perfectlyâs 2020 catalogue photo shoot at the Manitoba Club. Photos by Luxe Images by Jill.
Mechanics
Without a doubt, the mechanics of the HOW itâs going to hang is the most important part of planning a hanging floral installation. The first step of that is making sure thereâs something that I can actually hang OFF of. Open rafters is always the best case scenario because theyâre nice and sturdy! Sometimes I need to hire a lighting company to install cables for me to work off of, and for a wedding this summer, Iâm planning to take a licensing test to use a scissor lift - bah!
I also need to make sure that thereâs something that I can build the installation off of, some sort of base to use. At Hawthorn Estates, they have a suspended vintage wooden ladder that hangs above the head table that forms an EXCELLENT base. Iâve also used wood lattice, lots of chicken wire, rope, airline cableâŚlots of stuff.
Photos by Aimee de la Lande
Ingredient selections
Choosing the right floral ingredients is SO important because I donât typically have a water source built into the installation. Foliage and flowers need to be hearty and last pretty well without water. Most foliages are pretty good - especially if they have a woody stem or waxy leaves. Many times we can water tube flowers so they have a few hours of drinking, but some things like roses or carnations donât really need to be in water to last well. I try to use as little floral foam as possible in my work (itâs hazardous to the environment as itâs essentially a non-biodegradable single use plastic, and itâs bad for my health as itâs carcinogenic), and though I canât always figure out a way to work without it, using foam isnât best in hanging installations because it is very heavy and it often drips - again, reinforcing the need to choose flowers that either do well without a water source or can be watertubed.
Photos by Izabela Rachwal at The Gates on Roblin
Designing for Context
I always want to keep the vibe of the venue and the weddingâs style in mind as I plan the design. Maybe I donât want to do something super modern and sleek in your average golf course banquet room (since they are typically not modern or sleek đ¤Ş), for example, or design with a gorgeous berry toned colour palette in a room with orange wallpaper. This rule goes for all design, not just hanging installations, but I wanted to mention it nonetheless!
Photos by Luckygirl Creative at Whitetail Meadow
Next week Iâll be chatting about all things wedding ceremony flowers. If you have any questions, drop me a line and Iâll happily address it!
Looking for a Wedding Floral and Event Designer in Winnipeg?
2021 wedding dates are now booking! From Gimli to Steinbach, out to Kenora or anywhere in the Winnipeg area, reach out to Stone House Creative to create the perfect floral compliments for your wedding.
I create beautiful weddings for great people, designed with and for love.
Sunset Inspired Boho Wedding Inspiration at Manitoba Club
A sunset inspired palette, boho Australian vibes, and one of my favourite downtown Winnipeg wedding venues? Sign me up.
When Shaelynn from Manitoba Club approached me with the request to design the florals for this shoot, I was on board. It was a busy summer and this didnât come at the best time in my calendar, but I couldnât say no. The Club had the goal of promoting their outdoor space, the Bonnycastle Gardens, and needed to create some beautiful imagery to show it off.
A sunset inspired palette, boho Australian vibes, and one of my favourite downtown Winnipeg wedding venues? Sign me up.
When Shaelynn from Manitoba Club approached me with the request to design the florals for this shoot, I was on board. It was a busy summer and this didnât come at the best time in my calendar, but I couldnât say no. The Club had the goal of promoting their outdoor space, the Bonnycastle Gardens, and needed to create some beautiful imagery to show it off.
Even better? I pretty much had free reign over whatever I wanted to do! We were really inspired by the Australian wedding trends and wanted to tap into that boho vibe.
This bridal bouquet was a really fun one for me. It was a different palette, featuring those sunset tones with the faded caramel, touches of rusty orange, mauve, and a bit of coral to liven it up. I really let the flowers dictate the shape, and just kind of let them go and do whatever they wanted to do.
Bridal Bouquet Ingredients:
locally grown zinnias, lisianthus, amaranthus, and cosmos with imported garden roses, standard roses, lunaria, gardenia foliage and acacia foliage.
Ceremony space! This was actually plan B, and Iâm so glad that plan A didnât work out. I pulled in my gold metal stands and pretty much just moved the flowers up and down to create an interesting shape for the eye to follow.
We grounded the space with this beautiful blue rug - it wasnât planned for, but it couldnât have been more perfect!
And moving over to the reception! Obviously the Garden is a smaller space, but for a dinner for about 50 people or so, I think you could have a really incredible intimate evening. With bistro lights strung from one side to the other and the brick patio, and then on the other side of the fence is the Upper Fort Garry park, itâs a really beautiful setting!
The tablescape came together really beautifully. Shaelynn had selected this incredible rusty orange satin linen with the idea of laying it over with the lace, which tied in so well with the boho bridal gown. We planned to use the black chivaris from the beginning, so I brought in these black vases and paired them with my black metal candleholders and burnished copper votives.
The place settings were a last minute design that worked SO well. Iâd suggested that we use some actual terracotta elements, and Maria from Little Dove Calligraphy hand-wrote the guestâs names on shards of a planter that Shaelynn had smashed up! On the shoot day, while I was working on the ceremony setting, Shaelynn was pacing up and down the table looking at a few different options for place settings, using different coloured napkins, different ways of folding the napkin to show off the menu, different placements for the terracotta name card. I LOVE the way the blue napkin offers a soft contrast to the orange linen and pick up on the cool tone of the acacia foliage. Other excellent touches are the amber glasses and the white/gold flatware.
Look at that bouquet đđ
I love the idea of setting up a special lounge seating area for your guests! Even better when all of the rental items can come from the same place đ Trend Decor is a newer company in Winnipeg and theyâre providing a totally different line of rental options from everyone else and itâs really refreshing! A bit more modern, great textures, varied options for furniture - youâre going to want to check out their inventory! Iâve personally got my eye on their green velvet chairs for my cousinâs sweetheart table later this summer!
Planning and Venue: Manitoba Club Weddings ~ Photography: Black and Gold ~ Florals and Design: Stone House Creative ~ Linens and Chairs: Planned Perfectly ~ Stationery: Little Dove Calligraphy ~ Rentals: Trend Decor ~ Dress: Bliss Bridal Boutique ~ Suit: EPH Apparel ~ Makeup and Hair: Fifth | Makeup: Whatâs Her Face Beauty | Hair: Hair by Abs
Looking for a Wedding Floral and Event Designer in Winnipeg?
2021 wedding dates are now booking! Whether itâs an intimate wedding for 30 or a celebration the likes of which have never been seen before, 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!