Simple Summer Wedding at Hawthorn Estates

Gabi and Brad were married on a beautiful summer day back before Covid was a thing. Ah, the good old days, right?

When Gabi first inquired, she told me that she loves plants and gardens, that her style is simple and elegant, and that she just wanted something really beautiful. I was happy to oblige! The plans for her simple summer wedding at Hawthorn began, but don’t be fooled by the word “simple,” because that does not mean it wasn’t beautiful.

I rarely get to work with shades of purple, so anytime I do, I’m excited by the challenge. Purple can be hard to design with — it was a strong trend in design a few years back, which means that it can easily feel tired. It can also feel really aggressive, and that’s not really the vibe that most couples are hoping their wedding gives off. So, I really liked the way that Gabi was working with multiple shades, using both warm and cool tones, and softening it with light greys and whites. It felt fresh and just really lovely.

Bridal bouquet ingredients: peonies, roses, anemones, ranunculus, fritillaria, tulips, astrantia, and eucalyptus and smokebush foliages.

I love the shades of these bridesmaid dresses!

I added one asymmetrical corner floral piece to the arch, which was then repurposed to the fireplace mantle — see that below!

Hawthorn Estates is such a beautiful venue. I love the tone of all the exposed wood beams, the harvest chairs, and there’s a ton of natural light. Gabi painted table numbers onto rocks, and I added a floral arrangement in whites with shades of purple and locally harvest pussy willow.

I also designed a large hanging piece on the ladder above the head table, focusing on textured foliages and branches, with long delphinium stems tucked throughout to add touches of that soft, feminine colour.

I can’t wait for days like this to start happening again! Gabi has since told me that she wishes she could have more weddings, so that she could have one for every colour palette that she falls in love with. Look guys, I think this is a really awesome idea. Can we make this happen? After this last year, I think we all deserve to start throwing ourselves some awesome parties, and we all know parties need flowers! 🌸

Aimee DeLaLande Photography ~ Hawthorne EStates ~ Ashley Brooke Events ~ Bliss Bridal Boutique

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LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?

Getting married in 2022? Wedding flower appointments are now available. Click the button below to check your date!

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! 

The 2020 Portfolio Builder: Part 3

Have you heard the news?

Our next Portfolio Builder event for photographers and videographers is oh so soon!

SAVE THE DATE
Saturday, June 12, 2021

👉🏻 Click for more details

The countdown to the next Portfolio Builder is ON! Emily from Feast & Festivities and I have been having a great time conceptualizing all of the details for our next event for photographers and videographers, and I thought this would be the perfect time to share the final set of images from last fall’s event. These images are from Jensen Maxwell of the Winnipeg Wedding Photographer’s Collective, and they’re so gorgeous! Let’s dive in to the customized look we created for her.

I loved the peach tones that we focused on for this stationery suite, which was custom created by local calligrapher Blake Creative Co. Calligraphy naturally has a very feminine feel to it, and the addition of a velum over-wrap, a mottled pink wax seal, and of course, that peach tone ink amps it up. Notice the combination of different envelope colours, to layer in more visual interest to the complete suite.

Whether the wedding you’re planning has an intimate guest list or you’re holding out until you can host 200+, in my personal opinion, escort cards (and the way they’re displayed) immediately take a wedding design from 1 to 10. This is such an easy way to add in personalized style and further develop your design plan.

I love using an escort card table near to the entrance of your reception space, because it serves both form and function. Here, the combination of a champagne tower and a modern floral display welcome your guests with a celebratory mood.

This might be a little braggy, but guys: I did a dang good job on this bouquet, didn’t I? The palette is so juicy and the bouquet had the perfect amount of bounce and jiggle 😍

Bridal bouquet ingredients: roses and garden roses, scabiosa, carnations, ranunculus, stock, godetia, ninebark, and camellia foliages.

Clean lines, layered textures, and a feminine feel. This tablescape came together so beautifully. We swapped out everything from the place settings to the candles, so that Jensen’s portfolio was unique to her.

Vendors:
Photos: Jensen Maxwell - Winnipeg WEdding Photographer’s Collective
Planning and design: Feast & Festivities
Florals and Design: Stone House Creative
Linens, Chairs: Planned Perfectly
Place Setting Rentals: C&T Rentals
Venue: Cloakroom Wellness
Dress: Bliss Bridal Boutique
Shoes: Bella Belle Shoes
Makeup: Tiopo and Co
Hair: Tori Lynn Hair
Rings: Mokada
Accessories: Luna + Stone
Calligraphy: Blake Creative Co
Cake: Sugar & Salt BakeShoppe
Model: Havilah for Panache Management

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Want to be part of the next portfolio builder?

June 12, 2021 is the date and registration is NOW OPEN!

This is a day exclusively for photographers and videographers who are looking to build their portfolio and attract their dream clients. You’ll find an expertly planned and thoughtfully designed styled shoot and bridal editorial created to give you the time and space to get inspired, explore, try new things, and hone in on your skills in a one-of-a-kind outdoor setting.

Whether you’ve been in business for several years already or if you’re just starting out, or maybe you’re thinking about branching out to offer video services to your already established photography business, the Portfolio Builder is the right fit for you.

And let’s be honest…after the dumpster fire that was 2020 and that 2021 is turning out to be so far, we all need some inspiration.

The 2020 Portfolio Builder: Part 2

Have you heard the news?

Our next Portfolio Builder event for photographers and videographers is oh so soon!

SAVE THE DATE
Saturday, June 12, 2021

👉🏻 Click for more details

I’m back at it, with a little more from the Portfolio Builder last fall! As we’re gearing up for this year’s Portfolio Builder, I’m so excited to share more of these images and the work behind the scenes that we did to make this a one-of-a-kind experience for our photographers.

Today, I want to share with you all about the customizations that we do to ensure that each photographer walks away with a unique set of portfolio images, AND, if you’re planning a wedding, this also shows you how you can easily make small adjustments to make a design your own!

These images are all from Tiffany Marie Photography, who actually photographed 2 of our designs, so you can really see all the work we went to to make this happen!

First up, this is the gorgeous design board that Emily from Feast & Festivities laid out to inspire us in creating these wedding designs. I love the feminine, organic feel and it was very rewarding to bring it to life.

Below is a quick overview of the 2 wedding designs that we created for Tiffany Marie Photography to capture: a rectangular banquet table with mocha and taupe linens, clear Napoleon chairs, and textured elements, and a round table with dusty mauve linen, white chivari chairs, and feminine details. Let’s dive into this a little more!

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DESIGN 1

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The first design does a beautiful job of merging modern and timeless styles, with the help of organic textures.

Emily had the genius idea of customizing some of the paper products with dried lavender buds, creating her own wax seal to incorporate lavender, which accented the escort cards and the table menus. This was one of my personal favourite details!

Moving into this table design, you’ll see how layering contrasting textures together can create a unique tablescape that touches all of the senses. Emily paired Planned Perfectly’s taupe panama linen with their oatmeal gauzey runner, custom made taupe napkins with lavender stitching, and the crisp Napoleon chairs.

I created a sense of balanced symmetry with a larger floral arrangement clustered with 2 taper candles, off-set by a smaller floral arrangement clustered with 3 taper candles. This adds a nice sense of undulation and movement to a table, without using the exact same elements over and over again, which can feel a little too repetitive.

I love the way this smoke salad plate pairs with the silver dragonfly flatware from C&T Rentals! The cooler tones feel a little unexpected after the gold and copper craze of the last few years. I’m sure you’ll also agree that the detail on the plate edge adds that touch of femininity that we needed!

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DESIGN 2

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This second design relies a little more on the bolder ochre colour in the palette (one of the things I love about working with Feast & Festivities is that Emily is not afraid of colour!), while also emphasizing the femininity.

We pulled that honey tone throughout, using silk ribbon to customize the simple invitation suite and even adding a touch to each menu — and of course, on the bridal bouquet.

The lavender touches in the invites also play really beautifully into the toffee belize linen from Planned Perfectly, pulling out the mauve undertone in an unexpected way.

Is it just me, or am the only one in the wedding world who still loves round tables? I know that they’re kind of basic, BUT hear me out: you can have some fun with designing on a round table! There’s something about a round table that feels both fresh and classic at the same time.

Now, there are a few things that I can never forgive, with the main one being those crappy little half length table linens on a round table. Who on earth ever thought that that should be a product?

But moving past that, here are a few of my personal design thoughts about round tables:
-You can still create an asymmetrical design. Instead of placing that centrepiece dead centre in the table, create groupings: move that centrepiece over a bit, and group a clustering on candles to balance it.

-Consider seating fewer people at the table, both for comfort and so there’s more space on the table. Round tables do get full pretty quickly, but if you seat 6 people at an 8 person table, you leave more room for charger plates, bread plates, glassware, favours, candles — all of the pretty elements that go into making a tablescape truly special.

Want to know a shameful secret about this cake? It was supposed to be tied with actual ribbon. I ordered some gorgeous gossamer ribbon from Tono & Co specifically for this, and then…I lost it. I think it must have accidentally fallen into the trash can in my studio, because I have torn this place apart and not come across it. I even went through two entire garbage bags to find it 🤦🏼‍♀️ BUT Kayla from Sugar & Salt Bakeshoppe came to the rescue at the last minute, and added this gorgeous sugar bow that she made by hand. Saved by the baker.

Vendors:
Photos: Tiffany Maire Photography
Planning and design: Feast & Festivities
Florals and Design: Stone House Creative
Linens, Chairs: Planned Perfectly
Place Setting Rentals: C&T Rentals
Venue: Cloakroom Wellness
Dress: Bliss Bridal Boutique
Shoes: Bella Belle Shoes
Makeup: Tiopo and Co
Hair: Tori Lynn Hair
Rings: Mokada
Accessories: Luna + Stone
Stationery: Minted
Calligraphy: Blake Creative Co
Cake: Sugar & Salt BakeShoppe
Model: Havilah for Panache Management

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Want to be part of the next portfolio builder?

June 12, 2021 is the date and registration is NOW OPEN!

This is a day exclusively for photographers and videographers who are looking to build their portfolio and attract their dream clients. You’ll find an expertly planned and thoughtfully designed styled shoot and bridal editorial created to give you the time and space to get inspired, explore, try new things, and hone in on your skills in a one-of-a-kind outdoor setting.

Whether you’ve been in business for several years already or if you’re just starting out, or maybe you’re thinking about branching out to offer video services to your already established photography business, the Portfolio Builder is the right fit for you.

And let’s be honest…after the dumpster fire that was 2020 and that 2021 is turning out to be so far, we all need some inspiration.

Intimate Indian Wedding at Home

Good things can happen when you plan your wedding in 5 days. WHAT? Yes. Because of constantly shifting covid regulations, Nageen and Jawed had planned their wedding, then postponed, then weren’t sure, and then they pulled the trigger.

5 days is about how much time Amanda Douglas had to pull together the design of this wedding, and I was hired 3.5 days before the wedding. Nageen had sent over 2 inspiration photos and knew that I’d have no control over what flowers I could get at that short of notice, but luckily, it all came together really beautifully!

Nageen decided to have the entire wedding at her parents’ home, here in Winnipeg. The wedding fell under the timing of a maximum gathering size of 10 people plus the residents of the home, which is a challenge for any guest list. With a combination of a few people in person, and the rest Facetiming/Zooming in, the wedding came to be, just a little bit differently than they envisioned initially.

The focal point of the ceremony was the circular arch behind the settee that they were married on. I sourced the arch from Ornare Event Rentals and Amanda took care of the rest — including voile draping added to cover the living room and dining room curtains, and to cover a wood hutch in the dining room. Pictures and frames were taken off the walls, and the family worked hard to make it a blank canvas so that the wedding decor could stand out.

One thing you won’t notice here is all of the heavy medical textbooks we had to use to weight down the base of the arch — they were covered with a white tablecloth and camouflaged by the couch! That’s something to be aware of when renting basically any arch — the bases are always too lightweight if any kind of floral or lighting or drapery will be added to them (especially if the arch is placed outside).

And because it wouldn’t be a Covid wedding without some Facetime and Zoom guests…I can’t imagine how it would feel to Facetime in to a wedding, but I want to thank all of you who have made that difficult decision over this past year. I’m so grateful.

I absolutely HAVE to dedicate some space here to Nageen’s incredible bridal lehenga. The colour, the softness, the intricate detail, the stunning way that it drapes…I’m in love. I want to re-design my entire life around the way this outfit makes me feel.

I’m so glad that Nageen and Jawed opted for a few of the typical wedding moments. With such an intimate wedding, and especially with it being at-home, it can be a challenge to create that wedding-like vibe.

Brittany Mahood (obvs one of my favourite photographers — she shot my maternity photos!) took them outside and celebrated with them. I love these portraits!

They headed back to the home, at which point the ceremony space had been flipped to the dinner setting. A champagne linen, gold chivari chairs, and gold-detailed place settings allowed the burgundy, mauve and pink flowers to take centre stage.

I’m so grateful to have been a part of this Covid-cautious wedding! This October wedding took place during a time when it felt like the world was just about to end and it was so special to see love still being celebrated, and celebrated safely.

Event Design: Amanda Douglas Events ~ Photos: Brittany Mahood ~ Florals: Stone House Creative ~ Linens, Chairs, Drapery: Planned Perfectly ~ Tabletop and Couch Rentals: C&T Rentals ~ Backdrop Rental: Ornare Event Rentals ~ Cake: Chocolate Zen Bakery ~ Makeup: Ashley Tiopo Artistry ~ Lighting: Event Light

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LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL DESIGNER FOR YOUR INTIMATE WEDDING 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! 

The 2020 Portfolio Builder: Part 1

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Have you heard the news?

Our next Portfolio Builder event for photographers and videographers is oh so soon!

SAVE THE DATE
Saturday, June 12, 2021

👉🏻 Click for more details

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I’m so excited to FINALLY share this first set of images from the Portfolio Builder that Emily from Feast & Festivities and I hosted together in the fall!

The concept of the Portfolio Builder is something I’ve been envisioning and planning and trying to figure out the best way to make it happen for several years already. I knew that I didn’t want to take it on on my own (so much work!) and I knew that Emily would be an amazing partner. You’re going to hear from her a little later in this post.

This set of images were taken by the talented Photography by Jolaika!

The 2020 Portfolio Builder was originally supposed to take place last April, but we decided to postpone due to Covid, and I’m so glad that we did. By the time our new October date rolled around, the case numbers were actually a lot higher but we we knew how to best organize the day to keep it safe for everyone involved, and had so much more peace of mind.

As I’ve been envisioning the Portfolio Builder over the last few years, I knew a few things would be important:

1) That I wanted to gear it towards photographers and videographers.

2) That each of the participants be given privacy, customization, and the chance to do their own thing. I’ve seen the behind the scenes of a lot of shoot-outs and photography workshops on Instagram, and honestly, they look terrible. Jostling over each other’s shoulders to try to get the shot you want? Nah. That’s no good. I know that if I were in that situation, I would shrink to the back because I wouldn’t want to take away anyone else’s chance at getting what they need, and in the end, I’d be super unhappy with my final product.

I’ve got a soft spot for beautiful seating displays. Whether it’s a traditional (and cost-effective) seating chart, or an elegant display of escort cards like this one, I love to see that attention has been paid to the details. This is one of the first things your guests will interact with, so it should be beautiful!

Here, we carefully lined up rows of (alphabetically arranged!) escort cards beside a champagne tower (HELLO! That’s a good way to welcome everyone to the party!) and completed the design with mixed size floral arrangements. Because, obviously every table should have gorgeous floral arrangements 💁🏼‍♀️

A few notes from Emily of Feast & Festivities:
"One of my favourite event details to design is the dining table. It's where guests all simultaneously gather and move through an experience together. Planned and designed well, a table has the essentials for the making of a cherished memory—carefully chosen food and beverage, personal touches, and good company.

The sunny and tall ceiling surroundings of Cloakroom are so refreshing and white. We took the opportunity to draw on that blank canvas with neutral linen, chairs, and tableware, which allowed the colour palette to really stand out in the cheerful florals and candles of the tablescape. I always love a custom detail incorporated into the event's place setting. For these settings, we added a vellum wax seal embellishment with lavender buds to the menu. The card was placed on top of a custom-made Everyday Host linen napkin with a soft purple edge, highlighted by the particular fold of the napkin. I'm such a sucker for a timeless linen texture napkin!"

One of my very favourite design moments of the day, this sweet little cake and champagne combination. Adding depth is often forgotten about, but so much life is brought to this moment of your wedding design, through the varied heights of the cocktail tables, the layering of texture through napkins and plates ready to go for your cake cutting, and a few simple taper candles placed behind the cake.

Obviously any time anyone wants me to floralize a champagne bucket, or a wedding cake display, or just about anything, I’ll be happy to do so. I encourage you to think through your wedding day and imagine when those special moments will be happening. Then, how can we enhance the ambiance of those moments even more by adding a thoughtfully-planned design element?

This was such a joyful day, and I cannot wait to share more from the other photographers.

Vendors:
Photos: Photography by Jolaika
Planning and design: Feast & Festivities
Florals and Design: Stone House Creative
Linens, Chairs: Planned Perfectly
Place Setting Rentals: C&T Rentals
Venue: Cloakroom Wellness
Dress: Bliss Bridal Boutique
Shoes: Bella Belle Shoes
Makeup: Tiopo and Co
Hair: Tori Lynn Hair
Rings: Mokada
Accessories: Luna + Stone
Stationery: Minted
Calligraphy: Blake Creative Co
Cake: Sugar & Salt BakeShoppe
Model: Havilah for Panache Management

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Want to be part of the next portfolio builder?

June 12, 2021 is the date and registration opens NEXT WEEK!

This is a day exclusively for photographers and videographers who are looking to build their portfolio and attract their dream clients. You’ll find an expertly planned and thoughtfully designed styled shoot and bridal editorial created to give you the time and space to get inspired, explore, try new things, and hone in on your skills in a one-of-a-kind outdoor setting.

Whether you’ve been in business for several years already or if you’re just starting out, or maybe you’re thinking about branching out to offer video services to your already established photography business, the Portfolio Builder is the right fit for you.

And let’s be honest…after the dumpster fire that was 2020 and that 2021 is turning out to be so far, we all need some inspiration.