Wedding Event Design 3.0 - Designing a Beautiful Ceremony Space
Over this last year, my favourite thing to design has definitely become a gorgeous ceremony space, and I've found this to be a really major part of the event design process.
Sometimes, despite the intimate words that are spoken during the ceremony, I find that the setting still feels impersonal. Chances are pretty good that the place where you're saying your vows wasn't built just for the two of you -- most likely, countless other couples have gotten married there, too. There's no problem with that at all, but it does mean that we have to work a little harder to make the space feel personalized to the two of you.
So, I aim to design a space for the two of you - maybe it's defined by an installation hanging above the two of you, or I create something to mark around the space where you'll say your vows. Maybe I can incorporate plenty of foliage and flowers to create a piece that appears that it's been growing there for years, enveloping you in it's secret garden-esque feel. I love getting my hands dirty here, working with more than just flowers and foliage! I'm not afraid to get out the power tools and build something, either!
Crafting a space that allows the couple to feel grounded and connected, a place that allows them to cherish each other and remind themselves of the focus of the day, is such a special opportunity and one that I love to have.
Video made by Prairie Film Co.
Below are some examples of different ceremony spaces that I've designed, all in the beautiful chapel at Cielo's Garden, but each feels different. I want my couples to know that I'm going to get creative and inventive for them, designing something different for them than they've seen before or different from what their friends have had. I'm working on some incredible designs for the same space next year, and can't wait for them to become real!
Photo by Pantel Photography / Designing this piece was one of the happiest projects of my wedding season this year!
Photo by Simply Rosie Photography / Loved bringing a garden feel indoors here.
Photo by Rachwal Photography / I was so happy when the bride told me butterflies were attracted to the flowers throughout the ceremony!
Photo by Keila Marie Photography / Designed with Amanda Douglas Events
Photo by Victoria Anne Photography / Setting designed by bride with Stone House flowers
Photo by Mackenzie Jean Photography / I collected the branches to build this piece for months!
If you'd like me to create a beautiful ceremony space for you, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Jungle-Inspired Dinner Party
Man, am I ever late on blogging this amazing dinner party! Early this spring, Emily from Feast & Festivities contacted me about a dinner party she was planning. She wanted to do something different - an industrial jungle theme it was!
I know that most people don't want to spend a fortune on decor for a dinner party, so Emily's idea was to use simple, jungle-esque greenery to pop on the table. It's a great idea - it doesn't take up a lot of space, provides a rich pop of colour, and is so simple to do! using different heights and sizes of cylinder vases, along with different types of tropical leaves, created a varied look with lots of interest. Emily also crafted some really cute DIYs and a signature cocktail called the "Jungle Rumble." Get her top tips for hosting a great dinner party on her site, here!
See more from this dinner party featured on Host Winnipeg!
Wedding Event Design 2.0 - The Reception (and the Frequently Made Mistakes by Brides & Wedding Planners)
When we talk about overall event design and decor planning for a wedding, most of our attention is focused on the reception. This is where you spend the most amount of time, and the most amount of money, so it makes sense to focus on the way your reception looks and feels!
Here are the two biggest mistakes I see brides make (and event wedding planners or decorators!) when it comes to planning their wedding decor:
1) Not paying attention to the venue and what suits it.
Every space has a particular style. The architect or interior designer have purposely made decisions to create an overall aesthetic, and when it comes to wedding venues, these aesthetic details are often VERY obvious, and sometimes "theme-y." This might be in style or in colour palette. For example: say you've chosen to have your wedding at a rustic barn. Guess what doesn't belong here? Mod white leather chairs. Crystals and bling. Formal linens and draping. It just doesn't GO. That doesn't meant that there isn't a place for those things; it just means that there isn't a place for these things at YOUR wedding. And that's okay!
Here's another example: we've all walked into venues with carpet, and thought, "what the heck were they thinking with this carpet!?" You know what's way worse than that gold-and-maroon patterned carpet? Textured coral table linens with whimsical light blue flowers on top of that gold and maroon carpet. Guys: pay attention to the space! Maybe gold and maroon aren't your favourite colours - but if you've chosen this venue for your wedding, then your overall event design is going to look the best if you find a way to incorporate the venue's colouring into your wedding's colour palette.
In the same way, notice the most beautiful aspects of your venue and highlight them with your event design choices. Is there a gorgeous fireplace? Position your head table in front or beside it. Is there a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that let in beautiful natural light? Don't ever think of covering those up with draping!
Pay attention to the characteristics, limitations, and features of your venue.
2) Paying too much attention to Pinterest.
I recently sat down with a bride and her wedding planner to talk about her wedding flowers. Both the planner and I cringed (inwardly, of course!) when the bride mentioned one specific Pinterest trend that she thought she might like to incorporate (in this case, it was baby's breath - and lots of it). After we explained that it was becoming a very tired trend, nor did it really fit with her personal style in any way, she mentioned: "I guess I saw baby's breath on Pinterest a year ago when I first started planned my wedding, and I think it must have just been starting to be stylish then." This was really interesting to me, because baby's breath started to resurge in 2011! All this to say: remember that when you see something "new" on Pinterest or on wedding blogs, at least 10,000 other brides-to-be are seeing the EXACT SAME THING. That means that anything trending on Pinterest is not in the least bit unique or personalized to you and your style. That's not to say that Pinterest doesn't have its merits, though!
Here's the thing about those pretty little details and touches that you see on Pinterest or on wedding blogs: they're so pretty because they were first designed with one specific, incredible couple in mind. I very firmly believe that a unique design does not come from already completed weddings. If you hope to have a wedding that looks and feels unique to you, then we need to start fresh, WITHOUT Pinterest.
So what next? If the way your wedding looks and feels is important to you, but you're struggling to figure out what to do or how to make it happen, connect with me. I'd love to help! I get a serious high from working alongside you to design a beautiful, personal, and fun wedding experience.
PS I loved working with Prairie Film Co on this video. If you're looking for an amazing wedding videographer, contact them ASAP.
Beautiful Ideas for Floral Wedding Cakes
Confession: I didn't have a cake at my wedding. Instead, we went for a dessert buffet that was entirely chocolate-themed, and that worked for us. But, that meant that we didn't get to have anything as beautiful as these wedding cakes commanding our guests' attention. I love using fresh flowers on wedding cakes - we can use them to create such gorgeous designs and bring depth and life to a cake table. Here are some of my favourites!
Photo by Kayla Barker from the Bows & Arrows workshop; cake by Sugar Bee Sweets.
This one is hands-down my favourite: a simple cake design accented by an amazing amount of florals. This floral wreath at the base of the cake is absolutely stunning: peonies, pieris, frittilaria, roses, lisianthus, scabiosa, and bleeding heart. I seriously want to do a floral wreath at the base of EVERY. SINGLE. WEDDING. CAKE.
Photo by Moore Photography, cake by Chocolate Zen.
Christine combined this cute calligraphy-inspired cake topper with a floral accent. Ivy stems, a spotlight garden rose, a few ranunculus blooms, and some baby's breath perfectly tied together her bridal bouquet, centrepieces and the cake!
Photo by Kat Willson Photography
I LOVE a good buttercream cake. Touches of floral accent the tiers of this simple buttercream cake in a sweet, simple way that also brought a bold pop of colour.
Photo by Gabrielle Touchette Photography, cake by Laugh Love Cakes, planning by Feast & Festivities.
Emily from Feast & Festivities had a fantastic vision for this baby shower cake. It was dripping in yellow (white) chocolate and Kayla from Laugh Love Cakes added fresh orange ranunculus and red alstroemeria with plenty of foliage to create a fun, vibrant, and kid-friendly design. I loved it!
Photo by Rachwal Photography, Cake by High Tea Bakery
This wedding had an elegant feel, so I really liked working with High Tea Bakery to add these floral touches to a buttercream cake. Marsala toned roses with touches of blue eryngium and blush spray roses created a really pretty effect!
Photo by Pantel Photography, Cakes by Laugh Love Cakes
I LOVE this sweet display of naked cakes (that's what it's called when there isn't a ton of icing on the cake...see? They're naked!). Kayla from Laugh Love Cakes baked up this beautiful assortment of cakes and all I did was leave her a bunch of flowers and greenery to play with. I love that each is a little different!
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.