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. 

Budget Friendly Wedding Centerpiece Ideas

When it comes to wedding planning, I know: it's expensive. Every part of a wedding is expensive, and flowers are no exception. So when you're looking for ways to save a little money, I've got a few ideas for budget-friendly centrepiece ideas for you. 

PILLAR CANDLES WITH UNIQUE COASTERS
Many wedding venues don't allow for open flame on the tables, for two reasons: 1) fire hazards 2) wax drips. If your venue allows for open flame, then you've got the perfect option for your centrepieces: pillar candles with unique coasters or dishes, to catch that pesky wax. Pillar candles are inexpensive to buy (hello, Ikea!), and will burn for much longer than your reception requires. Adding a coaster underneath, unique to your style and aesthetic, is a great way to pull it all together. In this case, we used marble coasters but if you're craft in any way, you could DIY something with concrete, wood, leather, glass...almost anything! 

TAPER CANDLES WITH LOW-COST RENTALS
Taper candles immediately elevate the look of a table, and I personally love coloured tapers to deepen your colour palette. Clustering 3-7 taper candles together at the centre of a table is such a simple, elegant look for a reception. Here, I've popped them into vintage brass candle holders (rented for just $0.50 each) along with a low-budget cylinder vase. Easy to set up, easy to clean up, and cost-effective! If you want to create your own taper holder, I love this super easy modelling clay candle holder tutorial!

FLOATING FLOWERS
I'm not sure when or why floating flowers were forgotten about as a great option for cost-effective centrepieces. This style is easily updated depending on your style or wedding date: a single floating peony in a glass vase for a springtime wedding, or a few bright blooms in a fun copper bowl like this one from my inventory. I've also taken lined a ceremony aisle with galvanized buckets, and popped a combination of bright flowers with floating candles in them. Look for a pretty container than suits your style and test out a few different flower options (not everything floats well!). 

BUDGET-FRIENDLY WEDDING CENTREPIECE TIPS

1) MIX AND MATCH: Alternate a higher cost centrepiece style with a lower cost centrepiece style to fit your overall budget. Just because you can't afford a $75+ arrangement on each of your guest tables doesn't mean you can't afford a total cost of $45 per table. You might alternate a fuller floral arrangement on half of your tables and something with candles on the other half of your tables.

2) WHEN IN DOUBT, KEEP IT SHORT: Floral arrangements that are short will almost always be more budget-friendly. The taller your centrepieces are, the more flowers that you'll need to create visual balance, and make a statement. So if you're on a tighter budget but want flowers on your tables, ask your floral designer to keep them low to the tables. 

3) SINGLE-VARIETY ARRANGEMENTS: Keep centrepiece costs lower selecting arrangements that feature just one type of flower. An arrangement composed solely of stock is going to be more budget-friendly than a  vase of roses, tulips, and stock. Why? Because all flowers come in bunches of 5, 10, or 25 stems and the more bunches that are ordered, the better wholesale price your floral designer gets on them. In most cases, it's also a lot quicker to design with just one type of flower than it is to work with several varieties.

4) STEM VASES ARE YOUR FRIEND: If you're looking to make a statement but want to keep you budget in line, ask your floral designer for stem vase options. You can cluster a few of these together with mini arrangements or single stems in each in the centre of a round table, or space out several stem vases down the length of a long table.

5) DON'T UNDERESTIMATE FOLIAGE: Just like stem vases are your friend, foliage is your FRIEND with a capital F. Some varieties of greenery are more expensive than others, but you'll always get WAY more of out 1 bunch of foliage than you will 1 bunch of flowers. A few stems of wispy greenery arching down the centre of a long table is beautiful, or a vase filled with foliage-only could make a unique and vibrant centrepiece. 

Looking for more decor ideas for your wedding? Check these out! 

STONE HOUSE CREATIVE IS NOW BOOKING 2017 WEDDINGS. I'D LOVE TO TALK WITH YOU ABOUT YOUR IDEAS - INQUIRE TODAY!

How to Plan Your Wedding Flowers, Part 4: Booking Your Florist

All right. You've inquired with some floral designers, talked about your ideas and heard their suggestions, and received a few quotes from them. If you've inquired with more than one designer, you've now got a decision to make: who do you choose?

Image by Brittany Mahood Photography, designed by Stone House Creative for Host Winnipeg

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR WEDDING FLORIST

Your best bet will always be to go with your gut: choose the person you CONNECTED with the best. If you're debating between two floral designers and they both came in at similar price points, but you had a better conversation with one than the other, then your decision is easy-peasy. Now, if you're debating between two or more designers who came in at different budget numbers and who offered you different ideas, I'm again going to suggest that you consider the one who genuinely GOT YOU better (assuming, of course, that you are a fan of the work of all of the designers you're considering). Selecting the person who really understands your vision and is excited about bringing it to life with her own creative spin on it, will be the happiest decision. If this company is a touch over your budget, you can come back to her with a request for a lower budget option, knowing that she'll still be able to create something that works for you because she gets you!

A FEW DETAILS:

• Expect to sign a contract and submit a non-refundable deposit (your payment structure and refund policies should be noted in the contract).
• This is the perfect time to ask any last questions that have come up since your consult and your initial conversation! 
• Send your designer any inspiration pictures and pictures of your dresses for your designer to keep on file.
• Here are some tips on how NOT to plan your wedding flowers.

WHEN SHOULD YOU BOOK YOUR WEDDING FLORIST?

I suggest that you book as soon as possible after you know who you want to work with. There will always be minor changes (or sometimes, even major changes!) that you need to make throughout the wedding planning process, but don’t feel like you have to wait until you know all of those details. In fact, it will likely work AGAINST you to wait - your floral designer may be booked up by the time you get around to it. Most floral designers suggest booking their services 8-12 months in advance of the wedding, and keep in mind that Winnipeg vendors tend to book up even earlier than that (I'm currently booking 2017 weddings!).

Don't miss a single post in this helpful 4-part series! You can find Part 1 here, Part 2 here, and Part 3 here. And, now that you know everything you need to about planning your wedding flowers, click the button below to check your date with me, and tell me a little about your plans so far! As mentioned, I'm now booking 2017 wedding consultations. I have some winter 2016 availability still, so if you're planning for November/December of this year, shoot me an email right away and we can start talking.

How to Plan Your Wedding Flowers, Part 3: The Consultation

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I strongly believe planning your flowers should be one of the most fun parts of your wedding. And therefore, your floral consultation should be nothing but awesome! So today, I'm going to talk a little bit about how you can prepare for your wedding flower consultation, and what to expect.

Image by Brittany Mahood Photography, designed by Stone House Creative for Host Winnipeg

WHAT TO BRING TO YOUR WEDDING FLOWER CONSULTATION

The BEST way to use your consultation is to help the designers get a really good feel for your personal style and your wedding plans so far. Have you found your gown, or the bridesmaid dresses yet? Bring a picture. Talk about your colour palette and bring swatches. Have you done the hard work of narrowing down that highly curated Interested board yet? Perfect. Sharing images that you're drawn to will help your designer get a good understanding of flower types you like, the bouquet shape you love, and more. If you've planned  details like your stationery or your table linens, be sure to tell them.

You'll also be asked about the list of floral items that you're needing, so have a good idea of the number of table centres you need, the approximate number of rows of chairs you'll have at the ceremony, and who you'd like to have boutonnieres and corsages (parents, step-parents, grandparents, siblings, ushers, and so on).

WHAT YOU NEED TO COMMUNICATE TO YOUR FLORIST (HINT: Budget)

Now that you've shared some of your wedding plans, the floral designer you're meeting with should have a good feeling for your style. Now, you'll also need to share your budget. I know, this isn't always easy. Along with the budget conversation will also come your top priority: in a lot of cases, the wants list exceeds the budget. So, make sure your floral designer understands what the most important elements are to you. That way, should your budget not match up with your dreams, your florist will be able to come up with some ideas for special arrangements or elements to add in that will help you achieve the look you dream of at a more affordable price tag. 

If you're having trouble communicating to your fiancé or parents why flowers are important to you, this post will be a great read for you. Remember that there's a lot more to selecting your florist than just the budget they present you with, so be sure you keep an open mind during your consultation to hear what she has to suggest to you. You want to hire someone who is excited, creative, and shares your vision!

WHEN TO LOG OUT OF PINTEREST

Okay girl, now is officially the time to stop looking at flowers on Pinterest. I know that Pinterest is full of so many great ideas, but it can also be a very dangerous trap, convincing you to spend more money than you can afford and adding way too many things to your to-do list. So here's what you do: stop pinning wedding stuff. Delete the images that no longer fit with your vision. Find more tips here. 

Keep your eye out for Part 4 next week: Navigating the quotes and booking your florist!

Don't miss a post! Here are the other posts in this series:
Part 1: Find Your Style
Part 2: Find The Right Florist

Planning your wedding flowers? I'd love to help. Click the button below to connect with me!

How to Plan Your Wedding Flowers, Part 2: Finding Your Florist

Planning your wedding flowers begins with figuring out your style and what you like. Once you've got that down, it's time to see what your local floral designers can offer you! 

Image by Brittany Mahood Photography, designed by Stone House Creative for Host Winnipeg

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A FLORAL DESIGNER

So, what should you be looking for in your floral designer? How many should you meet with? How do you compare them to decide who to meet with?

Start by a simple google search, "Winnipeg Wedding Florist" and open up a few websites. Click to their portfolio or their wedding tab to see what they offer. Visit their social media channels or their blog to see their most recent work. Do they have any current testimonials on their site, or have any of your friends used them? This initial search will help you create a shortlist of a handful of local floral designers who you're interested in learning more about.

Next, consider what's really important to you. Is great customer service something that's going to help you streamline your wedding planning process? Are you all about a specific design style? Is it important to you that the florist has worked in your venue or with your wedding planner? Compare your needs to what these websites are telling you. No recent blog posts? Scratch it off the list. Does their online portfolio look like it hasn't been updated in a couple of years? I'd be worried. How do they interact with their clients on social media, and how frequently are they posting quality work? Does it seem like they share your aesthetic? 

Hopefully, now you'll have found 1-3 florists you're interested in inquiring with. 

Keep in mind the most important thing: you need to have a great connection with your floral designer (click for more on that).
You will be trusting a huge part of your wedding day (and your hard-earned money!) to this person, and they need to do a good job for you.

what to include when you're inquiring with a floral designer

Whether you're sending an email, a message through a contact form, or leaving a voice message, there are some very important details to include when putting together your inquiry. 
-Your wedding date (obviously)
-Your ceremony and reception venues
-Your estimated floral budget
-A few extra details that will help determine if the florist can accommodate your needs:
how large is the bridal party? are you requiring floral decor? what is your personal style?

All of this info will help the floral designer(s) you're inquiring with to know whether or not they can take your wedding, in which case, it will be time to set up a consultation.

WHEN TO BOOK YOUR FLORIST

Winnipeg is an interesting market, where wedding vendors are booked up fairly far in advance. We're 6 weeks into 2016, and I'm already meeting with couples for their 2017 weddings, and many photographers and venues are booking heavily into 2017. So, when it comes to inquiring and booking your floral designer, be sure to give it enough time.

I'd recommend inquiring 8-16 months in advance. I know, that seems a little crazy. But, it's important to connect really well with vendors who bring your aesthetic vision to life, and therefore, it's important that you book those vendors early before someone else does.

Part 3 is coming next week, and we'll be talking about the actual consultation itself - how to prepare, what to expect, and so on!
Want to book a consultation with me? Click below!