2022 and 2023 Wedding Trends

I always love forecasting wedding trends, so here we go!

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2022 and 2023 are going to be BUSY years for the wedding industry. We’re still working through the backlog of postponed covid weddings from 2020 and 2021, and then we also have all of the couples who were originally planning to get married in these years anyways.

So what does this mean for wedding trends? I think it means that we’re going to see a lot of creativity, a lot of personalization, and a lot of couples doing things their own way.

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Before I jump into some of my favourite trends that I hope we’ll see in 2022 and 2023 weddings, here are a few things that are always at the top of my list:

• Environmental Responsibility

• Quality Over Quantity

• Locally Grown Flowers

• Doing Things Your Own Way

These are all things that I’d love to see you filter through your entire wedding planning!

And now, let’s get into the pretty and inspirational!

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Photo by Natalie Watson / Floral Design by Amy Osaba

Intimate Guest Lists

In my opinion, the greatest thing to come out of Covid’s gathering restrictions is intimate guest lists. Why? Because everyone at your wedding actually KNOWS that you want them there. They’re not just on the list because you’re a co-worker or a cousin. They’ve been chosen by you, to celebrate with you, and the impact that has on the ambiance is pretty incredible. I’ve witnessed such joy, such support, such celebration and it’s amazing — and that’s just from my very behind the scenes view!

Janine Kropla Photography

Photo by Sophie Epton / Design by Amorology

Broad Colour Palettes

You know I’m a lover of colour. Whether it’s pastels or bright and bold, I just want each of my weddings to feel and look differently than the others, and the best way to do that is with a well-developed colour palette.

I don’t have any key colour palettes that I think are going to be super trendy (though I’m sure we’ll keep seeing more of the warm toffee and terracotta tones!), but overall, I encourage you to broaden and deepen your colour palette. Choose one or two focal colours, and add in supporting colours and shades, metallic and textural accents, and let your palette bring the wedding design to life.

Amy Fanton Photography via Junebug Weddings

Upgraded Stationery

Detailed stationery is one of my favourite elements of a wedding, so it always breaks my heart when couples don’t pay any attention to their stationery. Whether it’s just your invitations or if you have the budget to develop a fully customized suite, a well-designed piece makes all the difference between an okay event design and a memorable event design.

Don’t forget to layer in colour, play with the weights of the paper and various printing methods, and consider the little touches like envelope liners!

515 Photo Co / Design by Melissa Baum Events

Upgraded Place Settings

Glassware, flatware, layered charger and dinner plates, napkins, menus and place cards, you name it. The details matter, and they matter more than ever in 2022/2023. We’ve entered into a new realm of personalized wedding design, and the basic options that come along with your venue’s package just don’t cut it.

Some of my favourite local suppliers include Planned Perfectly, Collective Event Rentals, Trend Decor, and Union Table.

Stone House Creative

Pre-Wedding Cocktails

With couples feeling less pressure to do the typical and traditional, brings in more of the opposing desire: to create an ambiance of fun, celebration, and joyfulness. And when it comes down to it, most couples just want to spend as much time as they can with their loved ones. So why not host a pre-ceremony cocktail party? Whether you’re physically at it or not is up to you, giving your guests a welcome beverage that’s delightfully on-theme is such a fun way to kick off the evening.

Stationery by Inquisited

Statement Details

Whether it’s a far more interesting seating chart than the typical, a breathtaking lighting display, or a wedding cake completely surrounded by flowers, adding in one (or a few!) statement design elements to your overall event design plan is highly in demand.

Scaled Back Bouquets

I have nothing against big bouquets. In fact, I love them. But there’s something so chic and current about a scaled back bouquet, featuring ruffled blooms and smaller textures in a more intricate colour palette. Especially when paired with a more streamlined and architectural style dress, the effect is stunning.

Photo by Heather Nan / Bouquet by Tinge Floral

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looking for a wedding floral and event designer in winnipeg?

Get on the 2023 waitlist now! 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!

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My Top 5 Tips for Designing a Beautiful Tent Wedding

With covid the way it is, I expect that we’ll continue seeing a lot of tent weddings throughout the 2021 wedding season.

There are many things to love about a tent wedding:

the ability to host your loved ones at a special property, the ease with which you can customize the event design, and the ambiance can be so exciting and inspiring.

Planning: Gather Events | Photo: Nancy Ray | Via: Town & Country

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Let’s ensure your wedding is more beautiful than the typical tent event.
Read on for my 5 top tips to design a beautiful tent wedding!

PS Before you scroll too far, open up this Pinterest Board in another tab! Here you’ll find more awesome tent wedding ideas 😘

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1. Pay Attention to the Colour Palette

   Tent weddings usually mean lots of green (grass) and lots of white (tent walls). This makes it really easy to design a classic white and green wedding, but if you’re working with a different colour palette, you really need find ways to incorporate your palette to make it stand out!

My favourite way to bring a colour palette to life is actually with the table linens. Upgrading to coloured table linens makes a massive difference simply because of the large amount of visual real estate that table linens take up. Choose the foundational colour in your palette so that you can make the rest of the palette sing with other accents, like your centrepieces.

Planning and Design: Alison Events | Photo: Tec Petaja | Via: 100 Layer Cake

2. Play with the Floor Plan

One of the awesome bonuses of a tent is that you are not restricted to any structural barriers, nor do you have to feel like you have to follow any set of rules. You can do whatever you want! Mix of long banquet and round tables? Do it. Want to put the head table right in the middle of the floor plan? Love it.

Choose what you want to be the focal point of the tent, and design your floor plan around it.

Planning: Always Yours Events | Photo: Jessica Schifilliti

Planning: A. Dominick Events | Photo: Jodi & Kurt Photo | Via: Ruffled

4. Incorporate Unique Lighting

Enlist the help of a great lighting team. Frequently, tent weddings take place outside of the city where it gets really nice and dark in the evening. Whether you want bistro string lighting, classic chandeliers, or a collection of casual textured basket lanterns, some sort of overhead lighting will make a large impact on the overall ambiance. And, of course, don’t forget about the power of candlelight, flickering low to the table all night long.

My go-to lighting experts here in Winnipeg are Event Light. They cover everything power-related (thank goodness, because I don’t think I’m alone in not knowing what any of that means), they’ve got a great inventory of stylish lighting options, and they also have all the tall ladders I ever need to hang flowers 😉

Planning & Design: Amorology | Photo: Tenth + Grace | Via: Style Me Pretty

3. Make a Grand Entrance Statement

Tents are often large, and with the side panels open, guests can trickle in from anywhere. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the flow of traffic can feel a little directionless, so establishing a focal point can make an enormous difference to your guests' experience. I love taking this opportunity to create a gorgeous entrance to the tent that also serves a purpose: welcoming guests, guiding them to their tables, and adding to the overall event design. ⁠This could be a large floral installation or oversized floral urns flanking the entrance, an expertly designed seating chart or escort card table, or a welcome table set with champagne. Create a focal point, designed with a purpose, and add something extra to the guests’ experience.

Planning: Amorology | Photo: Scott Clark | Via: Style Me Pretty

5. Upgrade Your Rentals

This one is a big one for me: upgrade your rentals, people!! Caterers often include a very basic set of plates, glasses, and cutlery but we’re talking BASIC. Not at all beautiful. Coloured glassware, layered dishware, elegant metallic flatware, a coloured napkin…these things make a HUGE difference in your overall event design. Don’t forget about the chairs — the basic white folding resin chairs that are available from most tent companies are fine, but they don’t necessarily fit with every aesthetic.

Here are a few more ideas to make your tent wedding the BEST:

• If space allows, incorporate a great lounge area. Many typical venues will have some sort of entry area with couches and chairs where people can relax post-dinner if they aren’t interested in dancing. A tent doesn’t have that opportunity, so build it in to your plans! If your wedding is in summer, place a lounge outside the tent under a tree, rent some great soft seating (here are some of my faves!) — don’t forget about adding a coffee table and end tables for drinks to be placed on! — and create a great atmosphere.

• Make sure your guests are comfortable with either portable heating systems or fans. And if it can be a misting fan, all the better.

  If your wedding is in spring or fall, a clear top tent is your secret weapon: the greenhouse effect created keeps the atmosphere a little more toasty and gives you a little more natural heat.

• Hire pros. Hire hire hire. I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard people say, “We’re just going to make it easy and have a tent wedding.” LOL guys. Since when is building a venue from scratch in your own yard easy?? But if you hire the right professionals, it can be both easy AND beautiful. This starts with a planner who is well-versed in tent weddings and knows how to take care of all of the logistics — because there are a lot of them. If you need some recommendations, just ask away :)

Proof of how amazing the misting fans are! On a hot summer day, a misting fan is the little piece of heaven you didn’t know you needed. This one is available through Event LIght.

Planning: Soiree Event Planning | Photo: Brittany Mahood Photography

Find the full gallery from this elegant tent wedding on a private estate here, for some more great inspiration!

LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?

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!

How to Design a Gorgeous Wedding Place Setting

I’m a sucker for a gorgeous place setting.

Photo by Brittany Mahood | Wedding Planning & Design by Feast & Festivities | Florals by Stone House Creative

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You want your guest ambiance to be awesome, for your guests to mingle and enjoy themselves.

But you also want them to have a “home base” for the evening, somewhere for the quieter guests to feel comfortable and for the busy bees to drop off their belongings at before they go shake some hands. So why not put a little energy and attention into that home base?

I’ve always been a sucker for a gorgeous place setting. Layering bits and pieces together creates a well-designed element to your tabletop that sets the overall design apart. It can tell a story to your guests, or give them a taste of what’s to come throughout the evening, or combine form with function. Whatever it is, it’s in these little bits and pieces that your wedding design comes to life.

This is probably one of my favourite place settings from a wedding that I’ve designed the flowers for. Emily from Feast & Festivities does a beautiful job of pulling together the intricate details in a clean, modern way. She actually custom-made the napkins and the accent colour thread is AMAZING, as is the way she folded the napkin across the dinner plate. At this wedding, the meal was served family-style, so the plates were all layered together, which looks beautiful but isn’t necessarily functional for every wedding.

Read on for some more inspiration, at different budget points and with different elements pieced together!

Plus, I’ve put together an entire Pin board with some more gorgeous place settings for you to check out, here!

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Keep it simple, stupid

Planning: Birds of a Feather Events | Flowers: Bows & Arrows | Photo: Apryl Ann

Or not stupid. Didn’t mean to be rude.

I wanted to start this off with a simple place setting, with budget-friendly pieces that don’t require you to add too much in the way of “extras.” If your dinner is going to be served, then it’s coming on a plate. If you don’t want to add the extra expense of a charger plate, then a flat-folded napkin can easily serve the role of plate setting. Add in a menu or place card to simply make a big impact.

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Have some fun with accents

Design: Rhiannon Bosse Celebrations | Photo: Samantha James

A flower, a favour…a mini pineapple?

Whatever your style might be, layering in a fun accent is a great way to bring some personality and design to your place setting. I love this combination of wood charger and smoke grey bread plate because it checks off both the form and the function boxes.

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Creative Use of Colour

Design: Amorology | Florals: Siren Floral Co | Photo: Tanya Menoni

You know I’m all about the colour.

No matter what your palette is, extending it into your place settings will make a massive difference. Winnipeg doesn’t have a ton of options for non-white plates, so consider how you can use napkins, cutlery, coloured glasses, and menu to tie your design together.

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When paper products make all the difference

Planning: Amorette Events | Floral: Siren Floral Co | Photo: Lucy Munoz

Go the extra mile and further personalize each guest’s place setting with perfect stationery pieces.

When I’m setting up a wedding, my favourite thing to do is read the menu and pretend that I’m a guest. I very often literally start to salivate. If your budget allows, placing a beautifully designed menu at each setting is another way to further tie your design throughout the wedding. Place cards are more than just an aesthetic element, though the soft marbling of the card in the image above is breathtaking. Sometimes guests really do need to be told where to sit — especially when you’ve chosen rows of long tables, and it becomes trickier for couples to find seats together.

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Play with the Napkin Fold

Planning: Michelle Lynn Weddings | Photo: Kerry McIntyre

This is another really budget-friendly option.

If you want to add upgrade your place setting without upgrading your budget, simply play around with the napkin fold! Every guest needs a napkin anyways, so even if you’re just using the venue’s basic white or ivory napkin, a knotted napkin can go a long way towards making an interesting impact — as can upgraded cutlery. I love the gold flatware here!

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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! 

What is Event Design for Weddings?

What is event design?

Let me explain it in house-building terms: like a contractor deals with all of the trades, schematics, logistics, and budgeting, so too does a wedding planner consult with all of your vendors, create your detailed wedding day itinerary, and oversee your budget.

Where the beauty comes into your home is thanks to an interior designer: the way your floor plan is brought to life, the well-planned uses of colour, the perfectly combined elements to create the space you live your life in. In the wedding world, this is the job of your event designer: to thoughtfully craft an aesthetic experience with all of the visual components in mind: stationery, linens, rentals, lighting, bridal party attire, floral design, and so on.

Photos by Esther Funk Photography

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In short: event design is what makes your wedding look and feel good.

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Event design is a common service in the US, but here in Winnipeg, it’s still a bit unknown. Many couples inquire with me about hiring me for both floral and event design services, but then the first thing they ask, what IS event design? They know they love the sound of it, but just aren’t sure what it encompasses.

Consider my role as your event designer to be like your wedding’s creative director. I’ll lead you through a multi-layered process that will allow me to distill what you’re hoping your wedding will look and feel like, and then expand on that vision to dream up unique, creative elements that haven’t been done before. I’ll create a detailed design brief, which will outline your colour palette, vibe, as well as the many components that we’ll use to achieve the vision: florals (obviously), stationery, lighting, rental items, floor plan options, and so on. I’ll also refer you to my preferred vendors, who I have complete trust in and know will take the very best care of you!

Who is event design right for?

-Couples who want an expertly crafted visual experience, but don’t necessarily have the creativity to do it themselves. You’ve seen images from weddings that had unique installations, creative displays or a really engaging tablescape and you know you WANT those things…but you just don’t have the innate vision to dream and execute it.

-Busy professionals: you might have a really good handle on the logistics and the budgeting component of your wedding, but you don’t have the time or skill set to pull together the design for yourself.

-Couples planning from out of town. It’s one thing to save images on Instagram of details and ideas you like…it’s a whole other thing to know how to achieve that from another city.

-If you are the type of person who can evaluate a good outfit, but you can’t pull together the individual pieces for yourself, event design services are something you should consider investing in!

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Personally, I’ve always been cautious about following trends too closely.

I never wanted to have the same outfit as someone else. I’d much rather invest in quality pieces that will last a few years rather than an inexpensive, trendy item — and since I want pieces to last, that also means that I can’t hit the trends too hard because that outfit will look really dated in just a year — and let’s be honest, with Pinterest and Instagram churning out trends in seconds, a look dates MUCH quicker than in just a year.

I feel the same way about wedding design. I’d rather invest my time and creativity to create a design that has lasting power, that has quality, and that is different than what everyone has done. It may cost a little more, but you’ll be spared the embarrassment of wearing the same outfit as someone else. 

So, here’s why I think you should consider hiring me as your event designer.

Vanessa Renae Photography

I’ll start with this compliment to many floral designers: we really are the design experts here.

Those images of weddings that you're finding on Pinterest and Instagram that make your heart sing and inspire your entire wedding? Guess what: that was often made possible because of the FLORAL DESIGNER. So it only makes sense to let your floral lead your entire event design, and trusting the same creative professional to direct the visual aesthetics is the perfect way to make the entire process and design seamless.

Note to add: not all floral designers also offer event design services (and nor are all floral designers interested in offering event design, or skilled to do so). They are not one and the same thing. If you are hiring someone for event design, know that that is a specialized service that should be paid for separately and worked on separately. It’s not just a matter of saying “So and so has nice candle holders, you should rent from them.”

Here’s what you need to look for in hiring someone to fulfill the role of event design: someone who knows how good design works and comes together. You don’t want your designer to just mimic what Pinterest shows you — you want someone who can take the design further.

An event designer should have an excellent understanding of colour, texture, movement, scale and size.

Stone House Creative accepts a maximum of 3 event design commissions per year, in addition to my other floral-only clients. Event design clients also receive complimentary access to my rental inventory!

A note for couples who are working with a wedding coordinator or wedding planner:

Event design does NOT overlap with wedding coordination, and Stone House Creative does not provide coordination services (though I can refer you to several excellent coordinators if you like!). There CAN be overlap between specialized event design services and the services of a full wedding planner, but while I don’t want to be rude, not all wedding planners are gifted in event design. They may be able to deal with the logistics of your wedding better than anyone else, and be able to look at a Pinterest photo and say “rent this linen from this company,” but evolving the design into something creative, polished, and personal is not in everyone’s skillset.

Alternatively, you might want to handle all of the planning, logistics, and budget details on your own but you want help with the visuals and the wedding management — for that, you would hire both an event designer (👋🏻) AND a wedding coordinator, to get the services that you’re looking for.

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My Design Philosophies

I believe that:

• A unique design does not come from already produced work

• Pinterest is not the end all and be all

• Context matters

• Your wedding should look and feel like you

• Colour doesn’t have to be intimidating

• Elegant doesn’t mean boring

• Any style should still be refined and well-executed

• The most beautiful designs come from an open, trusting partnership

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Want to see the full gallery from this shoot?

Watch for Part 2 tomorrow!

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LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?

Getting married in 2022? Appointments to design your dream wedding are now available. I currently have the availability for a maximum of 2 more event design clients in 2022 — if you want that to be you, click the button below to get started!

Please note that event design services are only available in conjunction with Stone House Creative’s floral design services.

7 Wedding Tasks You Can Keep Planning During Covid Uncertainty

I know Covid has put a dent in your wedding planning,

but believe it or not, there are still a lot of planning tasks you can keep working on without any hesitation!

Photos: Esther Funk Photography | Dress: Bliss Bridal BouTique | Hair, Makeup and Nails: Fifth Hair lounge and beauty bar

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I challenge you to still have some fun with your planning, even while we’re in this phase of not knowing what this summer will bring.

Here’s a list of my top 7 wedding tasks you can keep planning!

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1. WRite your vows and work on your ceremony program

A lot of couples leave this for the last minute, but why wait? Take some time to envision your wedding ceremony and how you want those incredible moments to feel.

One of my pet peeves is when people forget that the very definition of a vow is a promise: rather than just listing off things that you love about your partner, start planning out the promises that you intend to make. And don’t forget to write them all down in a beautiful vow book!

2. Make your music selections

I see a lot of posts from engaged people asking for what songs other people have walked down the aisle to, or swayed to their first dance to. Call me crazy, but choosing someone else’s song just doesn’t feel that personal.

No matter how many guests you’ll have at your wedding, you’ll still have those major moments and you should remember the soundtrack to your wedding day for your whole life (I walked down the aisle to Edelweiss on string quartet and LOVED it).

3. Nail Down your Wedding Day Style

Start scouring Instagram and Pinterest to help you nail down your wedding day style. Hair, makeup, nails, accessories — there are tons of inspiration images available and probably way too many ideas, too, so figure out a storage solution and start saving images. In a few weeks from now, see what images and styles your thoughts have kept coming back to and narrow down the options.

5. envision a more thorough design for your tabletop details

Think through the tabletop details you’ve planned and how you can create a more thorough design:
-Candles: variety is the spice of life, and more is always better. Mix sizes, textures, patterns and colours.
-Place settings: literally my favourite wedding reception detail, because it is seen and touched and noticed by every single guest. How can you layer in more colour? More texture? Something edible?

Check out my Pin Board for more ideas!

7. Plan your wedding night / weekend lingerie

So obviously you’re going to be planning where you’ll be staying on your wedding night (there are a few hotels in Winnipeg with stunning suites that are worth the splurge for 1 or 2 nights!), and you might as well have a little fun with some online shopping. I recently came across Adore Me, which is actually a sort of club/membership set up that offers affordably priced lingerie and tons of different styles with inclusive sizing, so even a non-lingerie person like me can find something they think is cute!

4. Broaden your colour palette

This is where your girl gets excited. Brainstorm how you can broaden your colour palette to bring in more life and interest. I’m not saying you need to change up everything that you’ve planned so far, but perhaps working in another hue of your main colour will create depth, or adding in a complimentary accent colour will make your trendy palette feel fresh!

6. Plan for design focal points

If budget allows, add 1 major focal point into your event design plan. This could be a killer cake table surrounded with flowers, an entry table with an impressive champagne display, or a sweet heart table with a stunning backdrop and abundant candlelight.

When you’re on a tighter budget, creating 1 focal point is a smart way to create something memorable and well-designed, while allowing you to spend less in other areas.

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Looking for a wedding floral and event designer in winnipeg?

2022 wedding dates are now available

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!

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