Wedding Colour Palettes Featuring Lilac
The fashion girlies are all wearing lilac this year, and weâre seeing that filter into your wedding palettes.
It can be tricky to use something so trendy in a fresh way. But, lucky for us, lilac is one of those shades that you can use in so many different ways to evoke a different design style. Here are some of my favourites!
Lilac is one of the big colour trends of the year, and lucky for us, there are so many different ways to use it!
The fashion girlies are all wearing lilac this year, and weâre seeing that filter into your wedding palettes.
Oftentimes, it can be tricky to use something so trendy in a fresh way. But, lucky for us, lilac is one of those shades that you can use in so many different ways to evoke a different design style. here are some of my favourites!
First things first: feeling stuck? One of my favourite places to find colour palette inspiration is in fabric. Take a look below and tell me youâre not inspired. Another way to find colour palettes that sing to you is in art! I love looking at abstract art and seeing how different shades and tones interact.
Iâm keeping things easy here, with just a few colours in each of the palettes below. But, I often find that the most exhilarating palettes are those that are broad and bold, so donât be afraid to take one of the ideas below as a starting point and then layer in other ideas. Donât just go with 2 colours. We need to blend and create movement, mkay?
Lilac and Peach/Orange
This is undoubtedly one of my favourite combinations of the year. Whether youâre going a bit more subtle with the peach or you want to go bold with orange, these combinations pair so beautifully and feels juicy, fresh, and will legit make you crave candy.
Coral and raspberry are natural additions to this palete!
Floral Design by Native Poppy / See it all here
Stone House Creative / See it all here
Lilac with Pastel Blue and Pink
Pastels are always an easy go-to. If youâre inspired by all things feminine, ruffly, and delicate, then this is a natural choice for you. It works great in a ballroom setting, it works great in a garden setting. Iâd love to see this paired with adorable butterflies (Golden Age Botanicals makes AMAZING ones you could tuck into your bouquet!!). K call me. I want to do this.
Floral Design by Native Poppy / See it all here
Lilac, Grey, and Peach
Another option if your style is naturally feminine, I love that this digs into the cool tones. You can have a lot of fun with smokey greys (these smoke glassware!) and them amping it up with metallic gold.
Lilac and Red
Modern, bold, chic. I need more of this in my life.
This is giving sleek, rock and roll, bold and fearless. Itâs giving red lips and a feather dress. Itâs giving a killer pair of heels.
Floral Design by Isibeal Studio / See it all here
Lilac with Gold and Olive
This one takes a more practised hand to oversee, but I think thereâs a lot that can be done here. Youâre going to need to do some really solid blending, bringing in other tones to make it work.
Floral Design: Stone House Creative / Photo: Aimee De La Lande
looking for a wedding floral and event designer in winnipeg?
Weâve got a small handful of 2023 dates remaining, and 2024 bookings are now open.
Call me biased, but I think flowers are the best way to make a statement at your wedding. I would love the creative challenge of taking your wedding vision and spinning it into a reality that you never could have dreamed of.
Need help with your full event design? Iâll guide you through your colour palette selection, floor plan creation, and collaborate on all the design elements that will make your wedding YOURS. Full and partial event design services available.
My Favourite Wedding Seating Chart Ideas
What do I mean by marrying form with function? Itâs pretty straightforward â your seating chart has a very important purpose: corral your guests and tell them where to go to avoid a chaotic dining experience. Itâs also an opportunity to create an interactive design focal point that wows your guests while getting the job done.
The seating chart: the perfect place to marry form with function.
Madeline Kate Photography
What do I mean by marrying form with function?
Itâs pretty straightforward â your seating chart has a very important purpose: Corral your guests and tell them where to go to avoid a chaotic dining experience. Itâs also an opportunity to create an interactive design focal point that wows your guests while getting the job done.
Before we get started, a few tips on putting together your seating plan:
Order names alphabetically by last name, not by table number!
Ask your parents to help figure out their friendsâ seating
Do away with the singles table
Whether you assign people to tables or to specific seats at tables, make it all REALLY clear
One more general piece of advice that seems common sense until you start going deep into design and you start to lose common sense: make it legible. Thin script fonts, clear acrylic or glass backdrops, too many mirrored elements all make it hard for your guests to actually read.
And now, letâs get into the pretty and inspirational! These are all from weddings Iâve designed the florals for in the past few years, and each was amazing for different reasons. Read on for more (And PS â if youâre newly engaged, congratulations! If youâre new here, welcome! I share a deep look into my real weddings, along with sharing planning advice and tips!).
Looking for more? Iâve also created a Pinterest Board rounding up some seating chart designs that recently caught my eye. Check that out right here!
Fun Colour Use
Oh my goodness, I absolutely LOVED the way this bold seating display came together for Jess and Donnyâs wedding a few years back.
Emily from Feast & Festivities is very detailed in her design planning, and sheâs definitely not afraid of colour. Using this orange acrylic is just SO MUCH FUN, right? It also helps to make the names legible, as clear acrylic can make it pretty tricky to read.
The florals were all repurposed from the ceremony, and the staggered plinths takes this design from basic to extraordinary, while also being cost-effective!
As featured on Carats & Cake.
Arches and A Little Disney
This seating chart is simple but impactful. The repetition of the arched elements makes a big statement, pairing the seating chart (hung from a black arched frame) with an arched backdrop displaying their name a touch of Disney. Note that the names are arranged alphabetically! Woo!
Thereâs almost always an opportunity for some florals, but I definitely prefer a statement floral piece as opposed to âjust a little something added to the sign.â If youâre not going to go big, then just go home â as in, donât bother adding florals to your seating chart if the budget doesnât support it. Adding a âlittle somethingâ just adds up quickly without making an impact to the design and often just feels like unnecessary fluff.
See more from this wedding here!
Enter in Style
One of my design goals for Tiff and Stephâs tent wedding was to really bring the outdoors in, which was especially good as it rained most of the day. We designed this lush, delicious tent entrance and then nestled my seating chart base into it. Feast & Festivities put together the seating chart itself, and I just ADORE the magenta. Itâs an unexpected colour pop, which really grabs everyoneâs eyes and makes sure they canât miss it.
Modern Base with Florals Added
I had this modern, clean white base custom-made for this wedding that I provided both florals and event design for. The seating chart itself was printed on a large piece of foam-core, and slid right into the base.
We positioned the seating chart at the entrance to the room in SNAC, which served to bring a little more purpose and presence to the cards table while welcoming everyone in.
I then designed this all-white floral piece to place on the ground in front of the seating chart base, and I was lucky to incorporate a lot of locally grown white lilac, which is one of the brideâs faves. More to come from this wedding soon!
Big, Bold, and Creative
This coupleâs wedding was inspired by their love for Big White, the ski hill where they first met and shared their first NYE midnight kiss (adorable). So for their seating chart, they took inspiration from the ski runs, using it as a graphic backdrop for the chart itself. And instead of a typical seating chart, each guestâs name and photo was printed to look like a ski hill pass, and then clipped onto a custom lanyard. It was so creative!
I LOVE a good colour blocked floral moment. While itâs not right for every wedding or coupleâs style, colour blocking your florals can make a big design moment feel even more impactful.
See more featured on Green Wedding Shoes!
Go for the Wow (and Fill Space!)
Everything about Karleigh and Mattâs wedding was a designerâs dream, and this seating display was certainly no exception.
In many venues, youâre really limited by the amount of space you have to work with. But here, we had the entire 7th floor of the Fort Garry Hotel, with the dinner in one ballroom and the party in the other, so the entire hallway served as a welcome and cocktail area, and that left a lot of space to add in a statement making seating display.
The plinths were a combination of clear acrylic and mirrored gold, which felt very glamorous and also allowed us to design some florals inside the pedestals, some outside, some on top.
See the entire wedding here for some more jaw-dropping design elements!
Cottage-Core Influence
My dear bride Brenna planned and designed her wedding and every element was a perfect reflection of her personal style. They created this backdrop that served to guide guests in to their backyard, added a guest book on their adorable console table, and the seating assignments were added to the pegboard backing, too. Multi-functional and tres adorable. Oh, and it hid the wood pile behind it!
I cannot wait to share more from this backyard wedding. In the meantime, take a look at this cutie reel showing their romantic ceremony setting.
Define Your Tent Entrance
If youâre hosting a tent wedding in the summer, chances are pretty good that youâll have the walls open to bring in some fresh air. And if thatâs the case, then it can be tricky to get your guests to enter from the correct spot, which could interfere with the serving staff or bartenders, cause people to trip over electrical wires, and so on. So, integrate your seating chart into a tent entrance design that defines the entryway.
This particular seating chart was super simple â just individual names with their table number hand-calligraphed and pinned onto a linen-wrapped board, and topped with a little greenery sprig!
If youâre looking for more tent wedding ideas, Iâve rounded up my top 5 tips for designing a beautiful tent wedding right here.
looking for a wedding floral and event designer in winnipeg?
Weâve got a small handful of 2023 dates remaining, and 2024 bookings are now open.
Call me biased, but I think flowers are the best way to make a statement at your wedding. I would love the creative challenge of taking your wedding vision and spinning it into a reality that you never could have dreamed of.
2023 and 2024 Wedding Trends
When I wrote my trends post last year, I forecasted a lot of personalization, a lot of creativity, and a lot of couples doing things their own way.
And guess what? 2022 wedding couples took this all and totally ran wild with it.
I always love forecasting wedding trends, so here we go!
When I wrote my trends post last year, I forecasted a lot of personalization, a lot of creativity, and a lot of couples doing things their own way.
And Guess what? 2022 wedding couples took this all and totally ran wild with it. Honestly, last yearâs weddings were so spectacular in so many ways that I have no idea how Iâll ever top that year, but I have a feeling that my 2023 couples are up for the challenge.
Before I jump into some of my favourite trends that I hope weâll 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 Iâd love to see you filter through your entire wedding planning!
And now, letâs get into the pretty and inspirational! (And PS â if youâre newly engaged, congratulations! If youâre new here, welcome! I share a deep look into my real weddings, along with sharing planning advice and tips!)
Photo by S Berard / Design by Wild Heart Events
Sculptural Floral Design
Weâre seeing unique shapes, funky ingredients and textures and REALLY letting the flowers shine. Thereâs no micromanaging with this â weâre beholden to what cool ingredients we can get, so a client cannot be particular if this is the style they want.
And after so many years of âjust a little greenery,â I cannot tell you how truly thrilled FLORAL DESIGNERS are to see a return to actual floral design.
Focal Design Moments
Letâs favour a few focal floral features and minimize other elements. I always look to Australian wedding trends; trends often start there and work their way here â and weâre seeing a lot of abundant, over the top hanging installations, focal floral arrangements, and then somewhat minimized tabletops for banquet tables. Statements moments like a hanging piece, a killer entrance moment, a spectacular cake set upâŚchefâs kiss.
Display Style Design
Pedestals, plinths, asymmetrical momentsâŚwhether for a unique ceremony setting, an interactive dessert display, unique display moments, a creative seating chart, get into the display design â whatever might suit your weddingâs needs.
Negative Space
With a more sculptural design style, we then need to look to the overall design and ensure thereâs balance by incorporating negative space. One piece doesnât sing if thereâs clutter everywhere. That means only include those elements that are necessary to support and build the table as a whole. What does this look like? Getting rid of the venueâs bulky tea lights, and asking the venue to simplify the place settings (no coffee cups or spoons out). If youâre offering favours, consider having an interactive favour table/station instead of leaving them on the place settings.
Basically, streamline the tablescape so you can have some negative space.
As Charly Goss would say, itâs all about proportion. And in event design, this translates into being all about negative space.
Colour
Black and white is always popular for a classic venue or that âart galleryâ style vibe, but itâs easy to fall flat. My opinion? Just go for colour. Weâre seeing lots of very bold palettes, including some hilariously vibrant pinks (possibly influenced by Barbie?!).
Ready for something fun? Iâm feeling a lime moment these days. Chartreuse is the perfect way to tuck in some vibrancy and fun! Adding a hit of lime to something otherwise feminine or subdued can very aptly be described as âsweet and sour.â That touch of chartreuse can just bring such a delicious bit of life to a palette.
A Return to Round Tables
This gives us a great opportunity to pair form with function. Functionally, round tables are great for service, and most venues own them so that eliminates the need to rent in specialty tables. From a design perspective, we need to think of a few things â creating movement, adding height in the centre of the table, eliminating as much of the unnecessary things off the table as possible (for the love all good things, would venues please stop setting coffee cups on the table!?).
Scaled Back Bouquets
I have nothing against big bouquets. In fact, I love them. But thereâs 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
looking for a wedding floral and event designer in winnipeg?
Weâve got a small handful of 2023 dates remaining, and 2024 bookings are now open.
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 Much Do Wedding Flowers Cost in Manitoba
I hear this question ALL the time. Literally, all the time. And while I can't give you an accurate blanket statement response, I wanted to at least give it a shot and explain some of the behind-the-scenes of wedding flower pricing for you. Because, letâs face it, pricing of everything in 2023 has changed, flowers included!
How much do wedding flowers cost?
If youâre getting married in 2023, you have to be prepared to spend 2023 money.
Over the years, Iâve written multiple blog posts about wedding flower budgets in Manitoba, how much bouquets actually cost, ideas for maximizing your flower budget, and more. I personally think those posts are extremely helpfulâŚexcept for the fact that in this post-(ish)Covid world wâere living in, with inflation and costs being what they are, literally everything has changed.
So, I figured it was time to revisit the topic of what wedding flowers actually cost in Manitoba, and hopefully itâs a good time of year for you as youâre planning your 2023 and 2024 weddings!
The other day, I was talking with a wedding planner friend of mine. I had just received an inquiry that was so unrealistic in her budget expectations that I had to vent about it. Her answer was amazing, and itâs everything that you need to keep in mind:
âIf youâre planning a wedding in 2023, you have to be willing to spend 2023 money.â
AKA if youâre planning a 200 person wedding at a high end venue, and your floral requests are âlush and full,â you absolutely cannot expect to spend less than the $2500 budget this particular bride had budgeted. In fact, you canât expect to spend less than probably $7000.
To be clear, inflation hasnât risen so much that a $2500 budget from a few years ago is now equivalent to a $7000 budgetâŚitâs definitely risen BUT that $2500 budget wouldnât have been sufficient for that brideâs floral wish list for at least the last 15 years. Maybe never, I donât know. Iâve only been doing this for 12 years đ
So, here we go. What do wedding flowers, in Manitoba, in 2023 and beyond, ACTUALLY COST?
Figuring out how much to budget for your wedding flowers can be a major challenge â for most newly engaged couples, it's just going to be a major shot in the dark. Most of the online resources available are in American dollars, from very different markets than we are in, and are written by magazine editors â not florists â who haven't bothered to do their research on how much things actually cost, making their supposedly helpful suggestions to be completely unrealistic. Some of the big magazines and wedding planning sites offer "helpful" wedding budget breakdowns, with a suggestion for spending 10-20% of your overall budget on flowers, but there's a big difference between 10 and 20%!
So, before you even try to figure out a preliminary wedding flower budget, start here:
1) Figure out your priorities and what aspects of the flowers you really care about, and what aspects may be less important.
2) Understand that your budget needs to match your wants and needs list. If you don't want to spend a lot of money on flowers (which is perfectly fine! I was a budget bride, too!), you can't expect the world.
Probably the worst part of my job is finding a way to delicately tell a couple that their wish list is just way too enormous for the amount of money they're comfortable spending. While I adjust some prices on my end, most of what I have to charge is set by the growers and the wholesalers. There are a LOT of hard costs in this industry, which means that as much as we would love to, your floral designers can't just give you everything you want without a price tag attached to them. If you take just one thing away from this entire post, please know this: we aren't trying to rip you off. Believe me, we don't make a lot of money, especially when compared to the intensive work we do. There are simply very definite hard costs in the floral industry, and that just kind of sucks, because it means that we can't necessarily give you as much as we would honestly love to!
There are many things to consider that contribute to the overall amount of money you're spending on wedding flowers, including:
-The flowers themselves (duh).
-The amount of items your florist needs to make (8 bridesmaid bouquets add up really quickly!).
-The time of year (sorry to everyone who wants to get married in February, but all growers increase wholesale flower pricing for the month of Valentine's!).
-What your style is (some design styles require a lot more or less floral than others).
-The supplies required to create a design (you'd be surprised at how much time floral designers spend in Rona!).
-There's also, unfortunately, the border crossing factor. While I love to use locally grown flowers as much as possible, there are many things that just don't grow here in Manitoba. Anytime a flower crosses the border, there are increased expenses. It's a bummer, but a simple reality. What a florist in California might pay $0.50 per stem for, I have to pay $1.50 for.
-You're also paying for the service that you receive and the experience and expertise of the floral designer you've chosen. Perhaps you've chosen to work with someone who's been working with flowers for 15 years. Their experience deserves a higher pay grade. You'd expect to pay an experienced accountant more than a brand new one, wouldn't you? Or maybe you've chosen someone based on their creativity and the unique designs they create. Part of what you're paying for is their brain, which no one else has - being able to access their creativity is a benefit to you!
-Set up and delivery has a price tag attached to it, too (more on this coming in a future post!).
a few notes on what impacts flower pricing:
Covid:
Covid has affected so many areas of the floral industry. When it first hit, basically every farm worldwide had to lay off staff because they couldn't safely have their employees work, and because there was no demand for flowers. With that, they completely mowed down their crops. Some of these crops are flowers that take multiple years to grow before you can actually cut and produce them. This means we're looking at several years before production returns to full normal. At the same time, Americans decided that everything was "back to normal", causing a huge surge in demand with very limited availbility. Farms are still struggling with financial losses, and prices have increased. And as can expected, covid caused many wrinkles with shipping. Fewer airplanes are in the air, everything associated with crossing the border is more expensive, etc etc. Everything costs more to get here.
Supply and Demand:
Supply and demand, baby. Wedding trends affect pricing. The more people who want the coveted toffee rose, the more expensive they're going to be (and hot dang, they are expensive).
Supply Chain Issues:
Yep, just like the rest of the world, the supply chain is affecting hard goods and supplies in the floral industry. It's definitely getting better, but it's still hard to find the quantity of vases that we want, and the ones we can get are more expensive than they used to be. There are also certain supply products (like floral glue) that are just no longer made.So, how much do wedding bouquets cost?
The graphic below has long been one of my favourites, though the pricing is no longer relevant. My wholesale costs have risen, on average, 30% this past year. So, add 30% minimum to each of these bouquets and I guess youâd be closer to accurate pricing; $150 is now $200, $250 is now $325, and $350 is now $455. The graphic is still a great visual comparison. For those of you who like a certain style but aren't so picky about the types of flowers that are used, be sure to take a closer look - this might give you some thoughts on how you can lower your overall budget!
For reference, my bridal bouquet pricing now starts at $300 each, with some exceptions.
Quill + Oak, a florist friend of mine in Ontario, recently put together this comparison on centrepiece sizing and pricing, and it's also a pretty good estimation on what you could expect to receive in Manitoba!
Floral designs by Quill + Oak | Photos by Olive Photography
Iâd suggest that if youâre looking for a nice, medium sized centrepiece, you start your budget at $100 each. A bud vase trio can be more cost-effective, while a tall arrangement youâll want to budget minimum $250 each, and keep in mind that that is the bare minimum and not the lush, full arrangement youâre seeing on Pinterest and Instagram.
Candles are always a must-add, in my opinion. Whether youâre looking at taper candles, pillar or floating candles, or simple votives, aim for 3-7 per table depending on the centrepiece design and combine smaller votives with larger/taller candles for a more interesting look. But thereâs this misconception that candles are the cheap optionâŚI mean, if youâre doing 1 candle on a table, sure. Thatâs $10-$15. But thatâs not whatâs shown in the inspo pic that youâre giving meâŚyouâre probably showing me something with $75 worth of candles and rental, per table. Just keep that in mind.
If youâre looking for an arch of some kind, those price ranges can vary wildly. A floral arch is going to be a minimum of $1500 - $2000, but Iâd really suggest planning on $3000+ if you want full coverage, double that if the entire back of the arch needs to be covered (most of the time we have a light green coverage on the back). If you like the idea of a single floral piece added to an arch, plan for at least $500 per piece.
So, let's get down to IT. How much can you expect to spend on wedding flowers in Manitoba?
For full service florals (bridal party and family flowers, ceremony decor, reception decor), my clients are spending an average of $7500 + taxes. This might not apply to your specific needs, your guest list, your vision, but I hope thatâs helpful as you budget!
And if you need to reduce your spend, here are my top tips for lowering your wedding flower quote:
-Cut out all boutonnieres and corsages. Theyâre small details that donât get much attention and are kind of tacky and outdated, anyways.
-Cut or reduce your bridesmaidsâ bouquets. Iâve had quite a few weddings this year opt for single roses just for the girls to have something in their hands walking down the aisle. At this Spanish-inspired wedding, the women carried hand fans and it was so chic!
-Create a couple of large, focal design moments that your guests will interact with, that will set the tone, and simplify the rest. Scaled back candle centrepieces are all you need if youâve got a killer hanging installation above. Forgo aisle flowers and increase the arch. Eliminate boutonnieres and corsages to add a beautiful floral arrangement at your welcome table.
-Forget about the lie that greenery is cheap. Itâs not. Costs on foliage have risen so high that I honestly canât afford to include much greenery in my floral orders anymore. You get WAY more bang for your buck with colourful floral than you ever will with a couple of stems of greenery.
-Cut out the flowers on your signage. For the last maybe 5 years, everyone has wanted a âfloral or greenery touchâ on their welcome sign, their seating chart sign, etc etc. Man, this is a waste (in my opinion). Unless you have the budget to really make this special, save the $150 and push it to something that will actually be noticed and make your design more impactful.
Here's what I offer to clients:
-Full Service Floral Design (with a minimum investment budget of $5000)
-Event Design (in addition to floral design, and you can find out more about that here!)
I would love to discuss your wedding flower needs. I can help you narrow down your style, determine what are the most important aspects of the flowers to you (and therefore, where you should focus your budget and where you can reduce your spending), and also come up with some great ideas for unique designs that your friends didn't all have at their weddings.
Don't hesitate to reach out by clicking the button below!
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My Top 5 Tips for Planning Your Winnipeg Wedding from Out of Town
Iâve worked with a lot of couples who donât live in Winnipeg, to plan and design the flowers and full event design for their Winnipeg wedding. Most of them were originally from Winnipeg, and now live in other parts of Canada, the US, even all the way to New Zealand! And truth be told, those are always some of my favourite weddings to work on â the couples are more trusting, and tend to let me do my thing and the creative result of that working partnership is always the best!
Over my years of working with out of town couples, here are my top 5 tips that Iâve learned that will help you best plan your Winnipeg wedding from outside of Winnipeg!
Iâve worked with a lot of couples who donât live in Winnipeg, to plan and design the flowers and full event design for their Winnipeg wedding.
Most of them were originally from Winnipeg, and now live in other parts of Canada, the US, even all the way to New Zealand! And truth be told, those are always some of my favourite weddings to work on â the couples are more trusting, and tend to let me do my thing and the creative result of that working partnership is always the best!
Learned from my years of working with out of town couples, here are my top 5 tips that will help you best plan your Winnipeg wedding from outside of Winnipeg!
Hire a Local Wedding Planner â not a planner from the city you live in
Iâve had a few experiences with couples whoâve hired wedding planners from the city they live in, and to be 100% transparent with you, it just makes ZERO sense. Why?
-In my experience with multiple out of town planners, they donât bother putting in the work to research our local industry. This means they have no idea what rentals are available here, what different Winnipeg vendors can do, even what the venue itself looks like!
-It increases the workload on your other vendors (without appropriately increasing their pay) because we end up having to manage a lot more of the work.
-This all boils down to planners who either over-promise to their couples what they can get here (often at a budget point or availability that has absolutely no relevance to the Winnipeg market) OR to planners who develop a hoity-toity attitude that Winnipeg sucks and therefore everything for the wedding must come from out-of-province. Neither of these create collaborative vendor environments, and in fact, can be quite detrimental to the overall way that your wedding comes together.
Luckygirl Photography, Soiree Planning. See More Here.
Research Pricing in the Winnipeg Market
Depending on where youâre coming from, the Winnipeg wedding industryâs pricing may be higher, lower, or on par with what youâd expect to pay for a similar wedding in your locale. This is another time where you just need to trust the vendors that you hire in the city your wedding is taking place in.
âThanks so much for everything that you did for our wedding. The florals could not have been more perfect â you are so talented. You were so much fun to work with and were so flexible to all of the many iterations of flowers + colour palettes that I had over the year leading up to the wedding. Everything turned out perfectly, and the greenery cloud in the chapel was so dreamy. I absolutely loved everything. Oh, the table arrangements...I died!!â â Stephanie and Andrew
Brittany Mahood, Soiree Event Planning. See More Here.
Start Planning Early
Starting your planning early when youâre out of town gives you a lot more room for flexibility and peace of mind. It also allows you to strategically plan one or two trips back home, and set up any meetings with your planner and other vendors that youâd like to do in person, like food tastings or rental selections. And if you have your heart set on any particular vendors, then starting early is key! Winnipegâs wedding vendors have a tendency to book up VERY early, thanks to our longer than average engagement length compared to other areas in Canada.
Ariana Tennyson Photography. See More Here.
âLauren's work speaks for itself. Factors such as long distance, uncertain times, and an abbreviated timeline did not take away from the professionalism and thoughtfulness we received throughout the entire floral and event design process. Lauren allowed us to share our goals, vision, and inspiration for our wedding but also gave us the confidence to know that we could trust her expertise. She was a HUGE reason why on our wedding day, one of the most notable compliments my husband and I received was "Wow, it's so great to see you both so relaxed!" - Diane and Bryce
Ask for Vendor Referrals â and then trust them
Find one local vendor who youâre dying to work with, who you know will be the perfect fit for you in terms of style, professionalism, and vibe. Then, ask them for referrals for their favourite vendors to work with who will also be a great fit for you! Choose to work with vendors who routinely work together to get the best result. We know and trust each other, and work well together! Itâll make things a million times easier for you.
We also know your venue! We know what does and doesnât work based on the logistics of the venue, as well as what does and doesnât look good in the space. And, chances are pretty good that weâve got some ideas on what we can do at your venue to make things a lot more interesting than the average wedding.
Sugar & Soul Photography, Amanda Douglas Events. See More Here.
Plan for Extra Time With Your Guests
Chances are, youâre âcoming homeâ for this wedding and there will be a lot of people you havenât seen in real life in a long time, and youâre going to want to spend as much time with them as possible. Whether youâre planning to have a welcome party, bachelor/ette parties, or a day-after brunch, or if youâre just planning for the wedding day itself, look for ways to spend as much time with your people as you possibly can. That might mean giving your timeline some extra cushion between the ceremony and reception so that you can mingle with an extended cocktail hour. If you host your ceremony and reception at the same venue, youâll be able to maximize the amount of time you can all be together.
Janine Kropla Photography. More Coming Soon.
âI love working with out-of-town couples.
Itâs definitely a different planning dynamic, but the level of trust a couple gives us to really be here on the ground and acting as their proxy is an honour. I love getting to do site visits, floral meetings, or linen meetings with them virtually, or provide them with our detailed design boards and bringing them visuals the best way we can, to help establish that trust factor and ensure theyâre still feeling included while making the process as easy as possible for them.
My favourite part of planning with a couple long distance is their surprise! When they finally see it all come together, and realize itâs exactly what they wanted but didnât know it â thatâs so satisfying!â - Amanda Douglas, owner of Amanda Douglas Events
Special Note:
I think itâs particularly important to hire professional vendors at basically all times, but especially when youâre planning from out of town. Itâs awesome to have people you love involved, but it adds a layer of stress that you just donât need. Iâve seen and heard some friend-or ( friend-vendor) drama first hand, like people who were supposed to set up your sound system or a gardener aunt who was supposed to do the flowers, and while it sometimes works well, it often doesnât. You really donât need those kinds of things happening on your wedding day!
Brittany Mahood Photography
âWe hired Lauren for complete floral and event design services for our intimate 2021 wedding. As soon as I stumbled upon her portfolio, I immediately hired her before we had made any other decisions. We were planning our wedding from out-of-province and would need an experienced vendor team we could fully trust and Lauren graciously provided us with her experienced and candid opinion to guide us in selecting everyone from our planner to photographer.
In perfect coordination with our event planning team, she took a leadership role in helping design our event. She constructed a vision for the evening by incorporating inspiration from our travels and favourite resorts, interior design elements from our home in Toronto, and inspiration photos I'd flip to her at all hours. This provided for a meticulously cohesive design that flowed through all elements of our event allowing for a full transformation of our private property and had guests questioning whether they were still in Winnipeg.
Lauren is an expert at her craft, hard-working, detail-oriented, and creative. If you are lucky enough to have her, my advice is to allow her to take full creative control and just prepare to keep saying "wow" when you see what she comes up with.â
â Shannon and David
