2020 and 2021 Wedding Flower and Decor Trends

Every year, I put together a “wish list;” concepts or ideas that I would love to play with or design more of for clients. What I love about doing this is that it makes it a bit easier to think on my feet during a consultation - I already have some great ideas in my back pocket, and if one of those ideas might be perfect for you, then I can suggest it right away. While I often talk about the big wedding flower and decor trends around engagement season, this year I want to highlight some of the design concepts on my wish list!

A Floral Nest

Oh, how sweet would it be to say your vows, take your newlywed portraits, or enjoy your first dinner as husband and wife completely surrounded by flowers? These nest styles have been popular for a few years, and I’ve been dying to give my take. I can imagine a truly stunning indoor ceremony completely brought to life by layer upon layer of flowers - maybe in the Oak Room at the Manitoba Club, or a more modern space at the new Convention Centre that’s just begging for some freshness?

Florals by Max Owens Design, Photo by Charla Storey

Classic Ceremony Urns

I’ll never get tired of designing a beautiful arch for a wedding ceremony, but once in a while it’s nice to do something a bit different. I love the option of popping a couple of big urns with seriously statement-making floral arrangements at the front or back of your aisle, and whether you want yours designed with a classic, rounded shape or something a little more asymmetrical and garden-inspired, I can make it happen!

Florals by Moss Floral, Planning by Lindsey Brunk, Photo by N Barrett

Florals by Sweet Root Village

Wow Factor Head Tables

A lot of my couples are asking for something DIFFERENT than greenery across the front of their head table, and I do not blame them one bit. Chances are, if you’ve been to a wedding in the last 5 years, greenery was spilled across the front of the head table. Now there’s a good reason for this - it looks good! But it’s time for a change. Let me have some fun 😁

Budget tip: if you want the wow factor, but you don’t have a wow budget, consider opting for a sweetheart table for the two of you, instead of a table for your entire bridal party. I can make a major statement with far fewer flowers on a table for 2 vs a table for 12!

All designs below by Fairmaven Floral, who does a stunning job of wow factor head tables!

Modern Event Design

Have you seen Justin and Hailey Bieber’s wedding? (Never thought I’d mention them on my blog, lol!) Their wedding is the perfect example of modern event design done well: a crisp, neutral palette, black accents, repeated smaller floral arrangements in a modern style (please, please send your mason jars to the thrift store!), and nothing that feels cold or overly “glam” (that’s right, I don’t want to see a single crystal or blingy bit anywhere). I’d love a palette of black/nude/blush or black/blush/berry and I’m bringing in some gorgeous smoke glass candle holders that I know some of you are going to LOVE.

Siren Floral Co; Pinterest; Planning by Mindy Weiss, Floral by Mark’s Garden, Photo by Jose Villa; Floral Design by Blush & Bloom, Planning by Baum Event Company, Photos by Purple Tree Photography;

Scaled Back Bridal Bouquets

We’re seeing a gradual decline in the oversized, massive wedding bouquets that have been requested over the last 5 years. Now I’ll always love a big, juicy bouquet, but I’m totally on board with this trend for a few reasons: with a smaller bouquet you can show off your dress (and your waist!) more, your arms won’t be exhausted, and your flowers will feel a little more timeless. We’re still designing in a garden-inspired aesthetic, but a little sleeker in shape and texture - less of the wide, horizontally designed bouquets and more slightly manicured shapes.

Centrepieces that Require ACTUAL Floral Design

Sometimes it’s hard to remember that we are actually florists, with skill that sets us apart. Why? Because it can feel like people don’t value floral design. Now I understand that everyone values different things and that’s perfectly fine - and this is a different conversation for another day. But floral design is an art form, a living custom art form using perishable product - there is no chance that two floral arrangements can EVER be exactly the same, even if they have the exact same types of flowers and the exact same number of stems. And you know what this FLORAL DESIGNER wants to do? Actually design floral arrangements. lol! Greenery has its place, and I know it’s been trendy for a few years…but simply tucking greenery in and around some candles isn’t exactly art (which is not to say that anyone and everyone can do it, and make it look nice). If you appreciate floral centrepieces and you know that you want to place a gorgeous piece of living art on your wedding tables, I’d suggest budgeting from $125 - $175 per table for us to create something that looks remotely like the $500 arrangement you’ve saved on your Pinterest board 😂

Floral design by me, photo by Kayla Barker Photography

Warm Toned Colour Palettes

Whether you’re looking for a neutral palette or something a little more bold and colourful, I’m gravitating towards warmer undertones. This might mean a golden mustard accent to a mauve/purple palette, a base of taupe to an otherwise all-white palette, or camel tones added in with corals and rich greens. All of the pictures below are giving me SERIOUS inspo that I cannot get out of my head!

Florals by White Oak Floral CO, Photo by Purple Tree Photography

Florals by Siren Floral Co; Sweet Root Village

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The Wonderful Wedding Show is coming up this weekend! I won’t be there, but some of my flowers will be :) You’ll be able to see some of these trends in action.

Looking for a Wedding Floral and Event Designer in Winnipeg?

2021 wedding dates are now booking! I might be biased, but 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! 

Moody Monochromatic Wedding Inspiration with Baby's Breath

Baby’s breath. I’ll be honest that it’s not my favourite flower, and never has been. But for some reason, it was pulling at me earlier this year and I wanted to explore that a bit. I’m also not huge on white weddings, but again, I wanted to explore this monochromatic and scaled back palette of white, grey, and black.

And guess what? I kind of love it. A full table runner, composed entirely of baby’s breath en masse.

I took that concept of repeated simple elements and applied it to the entire event design: single element bouquet, single element table centrepiece, monochromatic colour palette, and so on.

As featured on Knotsvilla.

Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: White garden roses, Queen Anne’s Lace (hidden WAY down deep), camellia foliage, and scented geranium foliage.

This design wouldn’t necessarily be the most practical for a real wedding scenario, but there are ways we can make it (or something similar!) happen! I’ve got some ideas for similar styles but using different flowers that I’d love to explore, too - hit me up if you’re interested in hearing more!

Mmmm I really, really love the way this tablescape came together. The smoke plates from C&T is the perfect neutral grey without being boring. The marble candleholders and black tapers are sleek and modern. The simple type on the flat place card is perfect. All of these details act as supporting elements that allow the baby’s breath table runner to play the centre role.

I selected this stationery suite from Minted (I have an exclusive discount code if you’d like it!). I chose it for the clean, modern type, the monochromatic colour palette, and the sort of watercolour/water stained background. I thought it would tie inn really well with the photo backdrop that I painted in shades of greys.

Nothing comes together without a fantastic creative team! Sometimes it can be a little exhausting pulling the entire design together but it makes it all worthwhile when you show up, set up, and watch everyone else do what they do best, too. Like the makeup, for example - Bobbi from Primped Nd Polished actually mixed up a custom shade of lipstick because she just wasn’t happy enough with what was available. Those are the kind of people you need to trust to make your wedding happen!

Vanessa Renae photography ~ Stone House Creative ~ Prep collective ~ Planned Perfectly ~ C&T Rentals ~ Trend Rentals & Decor ~ Carly Cee Hair ~ Primped Nd Polished ~ Panache Model Management ~ The Everyday Host ~ Bliss Bridal Boutique ~ Steve Madden ~ Minted

Modern Rainbow Wedding at Whitetail Meadow

When Paige and Mark first reached out to me from Toronto, I was unsure that I could handle the scope of their wedding. I was going on mat leave a few weeks later and would be unavailable for much of their planning time…but sometimes, a wedding is just TOO GOOD to say no to. Case in point, this modern rainbow wedding at Whitetail Meadow!

Then I talked with my girl Deanna from Deer Dutch Creative, and we came up with a new arrangement: we would work collaboratively between our two companies, tag-teaming the floral design and assembling the most amazing team to bring this day to life.

The first thing you’ll probably notice is that this wedding had SUCH AN AMAZING COLOUR PALETTE. As in, we basically got to design with every amazing colour under the sun. Paige wanted a bold red bouquet, and then we started working more colour in throughout the rest of the designs. 

The original plan for the ceremony was to use a low hanging branch as a sort of natural arch, but we decided that wasn’t quite reliable enough. We pivoted directions and had this 2 piece gold arch custom-made, and I envisioned floral pieces “growing” naturally down the length of the aisle. We decided to colour block these pieces as well, while keeping the arch itself in the reds to coordinate with Paige’s bridal bouquet.

One thing we knew we wanted to do was have some serious colour play throughout the reception tent, graduating from one shade to the next as we moved down the tables. We started one end with yellows and ending with blues on the other end. Deanna designed some gorgeous red pieces just for the bridal party tables, in the centre of the tent, and we got to use these INCREDIBLE locally grown peonies that were the perfect finishing touch. Coloured candles played a large role as well, which I really wanted to do to blend the overall palette from floral section to section. Tall pillar candles were mixed in with vibrantly coloured votives, as well and it was a lot of fun to design the table plan.

Another element you’ll be sure to notice is the greenery on the ceiling! The couple asked for some kind of greenery statement and we played around with a few different ideas but weren’t sure what the right one would be, mostly because we didn’t have a solid understanding of how we could actually install it - the tent that the ceremony was in wouldn’t actually be set up until about a month before the wedding! We ended up working with the lighting company to have them install cable the day before the wedding, so that on the wedding day we could simply attach the garlands to the cable. It worked out great...although it wasn’t me who was up on a 20 foot ladder, lol!

Florals Planned and Designed in Collaboration with Deer Dutch Creative

Special thanks to our amazing team of freelancers who helped make this floral magic come together! Kelly and Steph from Lilystone Gardens, Kyla Ferguson and Danielle Jamieson. Each of them played such an important role, from Kyla’s skilled handiwork on the bridesmaids’ pieces to Danielle hand-making every one of those ceiling garlands, to Kelly and Steph actually hanging those garlands and all of them making the ceremony design come to life...team work really does make the dream work!

Luckygirl Creative ~ Soiree Event Planning ~ Whitetail Meadow ~ Planned Perfectly ~ C&T Rentals ~ Trend Rentals & Decor ~ The Vintage Nest ~ JP Hoe ~ Event Light ~ Glitter and Glue Parties ~ Grace Hill Salon ~ Deer + Almond ~ De Luca’s

Inspiration Tables from The Gates on Roblin Open House

I had a great time at the Gates on Roblin’s open house two weeks ago! All of the creative/decor vendors were tasked with designing 3 inspiration tables: one each of the categories of modern, romantic, and vintage. I’m not personally one that’s big on “themes” so my goal with these table designs was really to just create something that I liked and would appeal to engaged couples who like my style. Truth be told, I also didn’t want to spend a ton of money 😂Because guys, flowers ARE expensive, even on the wholesale level. But that’s beside the point!

The Gates on Roblin ~ Mandy Wright Photography ~ Soiree Event Planning ~ Planned Perfectly ~ C&T Rentals

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Modern Wedding Design

I had one initial idea for this modern wedding design style: this incredible variety of rose called Toffee. They’re an absolutely incredible colour, they open up beautifully, and they’re a gorgeous selection for a warm neutral (which is the next big colour trend). I paired it with black accents (vase, candle holders, chairs) for some depth and drama, and chose Planned Perfectly’s new taupe linen. It’s got a beautiful texture and is a beautiful neutral base. The black metal candle holders are new to my inventory and I love them! They give off such a great glow. The perfect finishing touch was those black and gold cutlery from C&T! I’ve been hoping for black flatware to be brought into Winnipeg and here they are!

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Vintage Wedding Design

I love olive foliage. The stems are a hardy branching shape, the colour of the leaves is a silvery sage green (similar to the colour of eucalyptus but MUCH more interesting…FYI I’m tired of using eucalyptus all the time), and it’s really pretty en masse like this. I also knew that I wanted to use these cross-back chairs from Planned Perfectly, and thought they’d look great with the walnut chargers from C&T Rentals. We added the copper flatware and I popped some dried hydrangea into my copper votives to add some interest to the base of the tall vase. The terracotta menus were actually samples I had on-hand from Minted, and didn’t they work PERFECTLY? (and PS, I have a discount code for any of your from Minted - let me know if you want it!)

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Romantic Wedding Design

This centrepiece design was my anti-dote to personally being tired of the typical cylinder vase trio with pillar candles and greenery. I still included three pillar vases, but mixed them in with coloured taper candles and bronze votives, and then created some free-form mini gardens at the base, using moss, fern, and a few floral bits and pieces. I selected the mauve velvet linen as the base and Andrea from Soiree Event Planning completed the table design by selecting the place settings - I was originally thinking all white plates but I love that she stacked the grey charger with the scalloped white dinner plate and salad plate!

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My Set Up

And last up, I designed this for my own little set up. I wanted to do something with a little more colour (because as we all know, I LOVE colour) and I started with the dark blue delphinium because I needed the height. Then I knew that I wanted to bring in some coral and peach, and thought I should add in a touch of yellow for a little more vibrance and fun. The light blue velvet linen from Planned Perfectly was SO gorgeous and if you’re looking for an incredible linen to take your tables from basic to amazing, this might be it! They also have a new green velvet that is STUNNING.

I would DIE to create this style of arrangement curved around or in front of a sweetheart table, or as a “nest” for a really intimate ceremony setting. Wouldn’t it be incredible to say your vows knee-deep in flowers?!

The bridal bouquet ingredients included the most perfect peach amaryllis (wowza, am I right?!), roses, agapanthus, alstroemeria, and a couple of cute billy balls. I finished it with a TON of silk Tono & Co ribbon.

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Hire a Talented Wedding Floral and Event Designer in Winnipeg

I’ll be announcing my 2021 appointment dates in the next few weeks! My waitlist has already been started so if you want to be one of the first I meet with for a 2021 wedding, make sure you get on the list early. Couples interested in full event and floral design will be contacted first about their dates. I offer a limited number of dates for event design each year, in order to allow me to work closely with each couple. Combining event and floral design is the perfect option for couples who live out of town, or couples who feel they need a little extra help in creating the visual plan for their wedding day. Click this link to learn more!

What's the Actual Cost of a Bridal Bouquet? Late Summer Boho Bouquet Breakdown

I’m often asked by brides-to-be on Instagram about the cost of a particular wedding flower arrangement that I’ve posted. I won’t lie - I often don’t hear back from those inquiries.

I can’t always give specific pricing because it’s not necessarily relevant to the inquiring bride’s date, or flower requests, or it might not be appropriate to share what an actual couple has invested in their flowers, so I generally give price ranges that someone might expect. For reference, my bridal bouquets start at $225 and often come in between $225 - $250. Couples who are attracted to my work generally fall within a similar design style (garden-inspired, romantic, floral-heavy), and that means incorporating certain types of flowers that start at a higher price point - garden roses, peonies, ranunculus are all examples. I wrote an entire blog series on wedding flower costs in Manitoba and if you want to know more, you can read that here!

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So, with all that said, I wanted to break down this actual bridal bouquet that I designed for a photo shoot at Manitoba Club in late August. I’ll be sharing the full shoot soon, so consider this a sneak peek!

Bridal Bouquet Ingredients

Zinnias*
Lisianthus*
Garden Roses
Cosmos*
Amaranthus*
Gardenia Foliage
Acacia Foliage
Lunaria

*Denotes locally grown here in Manitoba - yay!

Bridal Bouquet Cost: $285

You‘ll probably ask, what makes this bouquet $285? Like I said, most of my bridal bouquets come in between $225 - $250, and this one incorporates a lot of the typical types of blooms that I’m drawn to: garden roses as a focal flower, lisianthus and zinnias are the perfect secondary flowers (truly some of the best locally grown flowers available - they’re just totally delish!), and a few varieties of greenery.

You’ll be surprised to find out that one of the most expensive part of this bouquet is actually the lunaria - the unique, silvery white flat seed pods popping out here and there. I only included 3 stems - for a total of $45! I’m sure all of you would agree that they’re totally stunning, but even so, I doubt most of my clients would feel really strongly about including a few stems into their bouquets when they find out the cost.

On the other hand, the garden roses are also pricey but they play a more important role: garden roses are a more impressive and immediately noticed focal flower, and they really create the foundation of this colour palette. These garden roses come in at $18/stem, and with 7 stems in the bouquet, make for a total of $126 - just shy of half of the cost of the bouquet.

I also designed a couple of corresponding boutonnieres, a ceremony space, a completed reception tablescape, and some other accents (like a cute lounge and bar set up!), but you’ll have to wait to see the rest!

Vendors:
Planning and Venue: Manitoba Club Weddings ~ Photography: Black and Gold ~ Florals and Design: Stone House Creative ~ Linens and Chairs: Planned Perfectly ~ Stationery: Little Dove Calligraphy ~ Rentals: Trend Decor ~ Cake: Cake Studio ~ Dress: Bliss Bridal Boutique ~ Suit: EPH Apparel ~ Makeup and Hair: Fifth | Makeup: What’s Her Face Beauty | Hair: Hair by Abs

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Hire a Talented Wedding Floral and Event Designer in Winnipeg

2021 wedding dates will be opened in the new year, and in the meantime, you can get on my waitlist! Couples interested in full event and floral design will be contacted first about their dates. I offer a limited number of dates for event design each year, in order to allow me to work closely with each couple. Combining event and floral design is the perfect option for couples who live out of town, or couples who feel they need a little extra help in creating the visual plan for their wedding day. Click this link to learn more!