Polished & Elegant Private Property Wedding
Shannon and Davidâs wedding was a literal dream come true for me. They are both originally from Manitoba, but now live and work in Toronto (fun fact, Iâm actually neighbours with 2 of Shannonâs sisters!). They have incredibly demanding professions and needed to hire a team for their wedding back home that could take the reigns and be trusted. I was so honoured that they reached out to me first, wanting to hire me for floral and event design, and asking for recommendations on other vendors who could make their wedding happen without a hitch.
Shannon and Davidâs wedding was a literal dream come true for me. They are both originally from Manitoba, but now live and work in Toronto (fun fact, Iâm actually neighbours with 2 of Shannonâs sisters!). They have incredibly demanding professions and needed to hire a team for their wedding back home that could take the reigns and be trusted. I was so honoured that they reached out to me first, wanting to hire me for floral and event design, and asking for recommendations on other vendors who could make their wedding happen without a hitch.
Shannon is a self-proclaimed âanti-weddingâ kind of woman. Neither of them enjoy a lot of the typical wedding things, and they really just wanted to create an atmosphere of casual elegance that felt like the best dinner party their chosen guests (about 30 of them) had ever been to, with a polished yet still genuine and comfortable experience.
Right off the hop, I knew that theyâd be best served by a full service wedding planner (weddings at home or on a private property â especially outdoor ones â are no joke!) and made a few recommendations. I was so pleased when they hired Soiree Event Planning, and while I donât typically offer my event design services in collaboration with a plannerâs, Andrea and I felt that we could work alongside each other to create some magic. It worked so well and weâre both so pleased with how everything came together!
Being the very epitome of anti-bride, Shannon wasnât even sure that she wanted a bridal bouquet. They actually werenât even sure if they were going to have an official ceremony! I gently talked her into it, knowing that sheâd appreciate having the accessory of a bouquet and if she didnât want to carry it all day, then you put it down and thatâs fine. In the end, she was really happy to have it!
I decided to soften the colour palette of the bouquet a bit (the eventâs full palette featured more warm beiges, terracotta, accents of black and mauve, along with a range of pink and peach shades).
Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: garden roses, ranunculus, foxglove, anemones, and scabiosa. I kept it simple but just loaded in all the good stuff!
When I saw the front yard and this tree, I knew I had to push for the couple to have a ceremony and to have it RIGHT HERE. I didnât know how I was going to design the flowers until a few days before the wedding, but I knew that this was going to be an amazing focal point. Dave called it âtranquil,â so Iâd say my team and I did alright!
The lounges! Shannon and Dave love to travel, and I had them send me some pictures from some of their favourite resorts and destinations that theyâve been to. I was inspired by the idea of cabanas and wanted to create comfortable, well-styled cabana-like lounges so I suggested using some sort of draping to make that happen. Soiree took it from there and added in the rattan elements and the adorable champagne truck!
We hoped and hoped for an outdoor dinner and no need for a tent (which we had at the ready if needed) and we got our wish! And the weather was absolutely PERFECT for al fresco dining. A cafe light canopy, one long table, and tons of flowers were some of Shannonâs only requests and obviously we were happy to do that.
We started with this taupe linen from Planned Perfectly (honestly, itâs my favourite â youâll notice itâs a go-to in so many of my weddings and for such a good reason!) and layered in tons of candles (tapers, pillars, and votives) and large floral arrangements to create a sense of lush abundance. The place settings came together so beautifully â Soiree located these gorgeous fringed fabric chargers from Table Tales in Toronto (they ship Canada-wide, but in this case, Shannon and David just travelled with them when they came in for the wedding), and then we added a detailed menu booklet and place card to each setting.
Robin Egg Blue Design took care of all of the stationery. With changes to the wedding date thanks to postponements, and a very intimate guest list, we didnât end up using actual wedding invitations but we thought it would be really nice to have a statement paper element at each place setting that sort of mimicked an invitation. Iâd been pushing to use a leather detail since the very beginning of the design work (I wanted to use a leather envelope for the invitesâŚhow amazing would that have been?!) so Michelle from Soiree actually hand-made these beautiful leather place cards with each guestâs name! The front of the place setting featured a custom, hand-drawn floral illustration with the coupleâs monogram, and the reverse side had a personalized note from the couple to each individual guest. It was such a beautiful way for them to share just how grateful they were to be celebrating with their most loved group of people.
Robin also created a detailed menu booklet, and because Shannon and Dave are HUGE food lovers and wanted to create a really customized gourmet feast complete with wine pairings for their guests, this was a much-needed (and very elegant!) guide to the many courses. It included a thick card stock, a vellum insert, and the same floral illustration before getting into the menu details.
Despite their love for food, Shannon and David arenât really dessert people, but still wanted to have something sweet for their guests. They just werenât sure what to do for a cake itself â thatâs when I saw an image of a rustic cake that was decorated simply with figs on the cover of a magazine, and I sent that to them for their thoughts. Kayla from Sugar & Salt Bakeshoppe took that inspiration and ran with it, and I love that this cake continued to emphasize the gourmet nature of the dining experience.
And, obviously, the flowers were pretty spectacular, if I do say so myself! My team really killed it, and we had an awesome time designing lush pieces filled with locally grown and specialty imported flowers. The neutral base of the table allowed us to hit the more colourful aspects of the palette in full force with the flowers, and it came together beautifully.
Event Designed in Collaboration with Soiree Event Planning
I loved the string light canopy over their dance floor! What a magical and romantic place to spin around in your first dance as newlyweds!
And of course, major props to Brittany Mahood, who always does an incredible job of capture both the emotion AND the detail of a wedding day â¤ď¸
Brittany Mahood Photography ~ Soiree Event Planning ~ Karina Walker ~ Planned Perfectly ~ Collective Event Rentals ~ Trend Decor Winnipeg ~ Union table ~ Event Light ~ Robin Egg Blue Design ~ Table Tales ~ Loversland ~ Simii Bedi ~ Academy Hospitality ~ Keith MacPherson ~ Sugar & Salt Bakeshoppe
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
My 2023 wedding date wait list has been 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!
That's a Wrap on 2021!
Thatâs a wrap on an amazing 2021 wedding season! What started out as another pretty bleak year for the wedding industry turned into one of the most beautiful wedding seasons I could have imagined.
Here are a few highlights from the 2021 season!
That's a wrap on an amazing 2021 wedding season!
What started out as another pretty bleak year for the wedding industry turned into one of the most beautiful wedding seasons I could have imagined.
Being a part of weddings this year felt a little different than it has in the past.
(Spoiler alert: the changes have felt realllllly good)
When we would normally kick of wedding season (May and June), we had extremely tight restrictions (does anyone else barely remember those days?!), which gradually loosened throughout July, giving me the opportunity to design for several smaller weddings in July. August came, and with it, much looser restrictions, which made for a season of CRAZY. Multiple weekends saw 3 weddings, sometimes 4 and a few Thursday weddings, too! Many of our weddings were outdoors, and ironically thanks to the drought this year, our couples got pretty lucky with weather (although some extreme heat and bits of wind can make it pretty tricky with flowers!).
I had always planned on having a slower fall (if you missed it, I'm pregnant, and knew that I wouldn't have the same energy levels toward the end of my pregnancy) so September had a luxurious pace of just 1 or 2 weddings per weekend, and honestly, some of the most beautiful fall weddings I've ever witnessed. This year's fall leaves and weather were unbeatable!
I finished off the busy season with the largest wedding I've ever done (see some of those highlights below, with many, many more to come!) and am now officially be on maternity leave until next spring. Let's all hope that come 2022, we have an easier time planning and all the couples who've been postponing can simply celebrate with hearts full of joy and happiness, and not need to worry about anything else.
Here are a few highlights from the 2021 season!
Lynsey Corbett Photography
My Largest WeddingâŚEver
October saw the largest wedding Iâve ever been a part of, and it was a GLORIOUS, flower-filled heaven. Deanna and I tag-teamed the full floral design for this wedding, which was originally scheduled for May 2020 (see their elopement here!). Needless to say, weâd been stressing about the details of this wedding for a looong time â but it came together so beautifully, and so seamlessly!
Thanks to our incredible team, a killer design plan by Soiree Event Planning, and a lot of flexibility from the couple, we created a floral experience that really wowed everyone â including us.
There will be plenty more to share, but for now, Iâll leave it at Iâm both glad that this enormous wedding is complete and also wish that I could step back, pause time, and luxuriate in the florals that we designed to really take it all in.
You can see a few of the behind the scenes on my Instagram, here!
Lauren Cox Photography
Event Design
I love working through full event design with a couple. Itâs something I only offer to 2-3 couples per season due to the hands-on nature of the service, and itâs always a joy to see those spots being filled! This summer I worked with 2 couples to bring their full event design to life, and they couldnât have been more beautiful. Iâm constantly refining my process, and couldnât be more excited about it!
The Portfolio Builder
We really werenât sure if we were going to be able to host this yearâs Portfolio Builder! With gathering restrictions the way they were, we honestly didnât know up until a few days beforehand if weâd actually be able to pull this off the way we wanted to, but with Emily from Feast & Festivitiesâ optimism leading us, we did.
Iâm just realizing how little Iâve shared from this day back in June â it was a whirlwind of a day with multiple photographers and videographers coming through, and re-setting to ensure the content theyâd capture was unique to them. Busy, but gorgeous, and it felt so good to be creating!
Marrying So Many Postponed Couples!
I think I had 14 or 15 couples get married this year who had postponed from 2020, and I have to say, it was really amazing to see the love, joy, and support surrounding all of them. A lot of couples still didnât get to have quite the wedding of their dreams, but many of them also said they wouldnât have changed a thing (except for maybe the stress levels). Iâve got a few more couples next year who had postponed, so Iâm looking forward to helping them get excited and enjoying their wedding planning again!
More Outdoor Events
Almost all of my weddings this year were outdoor! This is actually not just a highlight thoughâŚthere can be a lot of stress that comes along with an outdoor event, but once itâs all worked out, the ambiance is truly unparalleled. Wind and extreme heat were definitely things we battled with this year (though for once, not the bugs!), but we also celebrated under twinkling light canopies, with the breeze rustling through the trees.
This wedding is going to be featured soon on Junebug Weddings, and for now, you can see more on my blog here!
Notable Features
It's always a thrill to have my work featured or to be interviewed in a publication! This year has seen some wonderful press mentions, including Brides, Junebug (upcoming!), Wedding Chicks (3 times!), and the Winnipeg Free Press.
If youâre interested, you can find all my press features highlighted here.
My 7th Anniversary
Stone House turned 7 this past June! And did I forget all about it, in the chaos of the world? You bet I did. I forgot about it until November lol. So obviously there was no celebrating, but it still feels good to have that anniversary and be proud of how my business has grown.
And a few things coming up over the next few months:
Maternity Leave
Technically, Iâm already on maternity leave! Iâm excited to be taking a FULL maternity leave through April. I recognize with gratitude how much of a blessing this dedicated time with the baby will be, and am so happy that even as a self-employed person, Iâll be able to take this time off. During this time I will not be responding to any emails (in fact, my contact form will be turned off). I will begin limited office hours in April and plan to begin meeting with 2023 prospective clients who are already on my waitlist at this point.
The Blog Wonât be Silent!
Despite being on mat leave, I still have some great content scheduled on both my blog and my Instagram to keep you inspired and excited about your weddings. PLus, I want to show off some of the amazing 2021 weddings I was able to be part of. So I wonât be immediately accessible, but Iâll still have some great things to show off!
2023 Wedding Bookings
Taking the summer off of appointments and consultations was SO nice but Iâm also looking forward to talking with couples, hearing their plans and beginning to envision what I can do to make their weddings even more special. My 2022 wedding calendar is quite full â assuming all goes to plan with the rescheduled weddings from this year, next yearâs calendar has just 1 date available in July and 1 date available in August, and then a handful in October, November, and December. 2023 dates will become available at the end of my maternity leave in the spring, but I do have a waitlist started in case you want to tentatively put your date on my calendar. Iâm really looking forward to getting into some brainstorming sessions to design your days!
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
Get on the 2023 waitlist now! Flowers are the best way to make a statement at your wedding. Whether you already have a specific vision or want me to dream up something custom just for you, reach out to Stone House Creative for stunning bridal bouquets, truly unique ceremony backdrops, and beautiful floral centrepieces to create the perfect ambiance for your wedding!
Intimate Fall Wedding at Wild Skies Resort
Tiffany and Stephanieâs September wedding was one of my favouritesâŚand whatâs even better, is that we get to do it all over again next fall, just for a larger group of people!
The couple decided they wanted to still get married on their original 2021 wedding date, but they would postpone the big party until 2022. Steph is a doctor, and Tiff is a wedding photographer, so they both had a pretty good idea of what would be safe and allowable this year. Saving the big party for next year meant changing up the plan for this year â a new venue, a new design plan, and a very intimate guest list. And it was GREAT.
Tiffany and Stephanieâs September wedding was one of my favouritesâŚand whatâs even better, is that we get to do it all over again next fall, just for a larger group of people!
The couple decided they wanted to still get married on their original 2021 wedding date, but they would postpone the big party until 2022. Steph is a doctor, and Tiff is a wedding photographer, so they both had a pretty good idea of what would be safe and allowable this year. Saving the big party for next year meant changing up the plan for this year â a new venue, a new design plan, and a very intimate guest list. And it was GREAT.
Photos by Megan Steen
This day (which Iâm affectionately calling wedding 1.0) was designed by Emily from Feast & Festivities, with the intention of it being similar to next yearâs big 2.0, but with a few changes. The colour palette was tweaked, though the overall style and vibe will blend together seamlessly with next yearâs celebration. Next yearâs wedding will be out at Pineridge Hollow, but for this yearâs intimate event, Wild Skies Resort was COMPLETELY perfect. The brides and their wedding party all stayed and got ready on site, glamping in the resortâs eco domes, the changing fall leaves complimented the colour scheme gorgeously, and dinner under a canopy of trees couldnât have been more romantic. Once again, the tiny weddings just rule the ambiance!
I seriously canât handle how unique and stunning this ceremony design is. Feast & Festivities curated a flawless selection of vintage furniture that was perfectly on palette, from Vintage Nest, which became the ideal seating for the intimate guest list. I added a mix of petite floral arrangements to some of the coffee tables to tie it all together.
I had a lot of fun designing this arch, too â lots of burgundy and deep green foliages with a touch of foraged yellow leaves, lots of dusty blue delphinium, and deep red roses. It was deliciously deep and moody.
And a reception under the trees! This spot couldnât be more beautiful, and the perfect size for this small guest list. Two long tables, perfectly angled chairs (nice choice by F&F!), cafe lights strung between the treesâŚah. I mixed some fuller, highly textured arrangements in copper bowls with petite arrangements in burnished bronze vases, and Emily added in concord grapes as a fun accent. The colour was perfect and itâs nice to have something different incorporated into a tablescape!
These tables also show that you donât need to go over the top to make something lovely â this design is refined, and beautifully pared down.
Such a dreamy day to be part of! Iâm so excited to do it all over again for wedding 2.0 next fall, and to have even more fun with some gorgeous floral installations. Here we go!
Megan Steen Photography ~ FEast & Festivities ~ Wild Skies Resort ~ Karina Walker Creative Capture ~ Planned Perfectly ~ Collective Event Rentals ~ Spark Rentals ~ The Vintage Nest
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
My 2023 wedding date wait list has been 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!
Hello, Maternity Leave!
Hello from maternity leave! Starting this week, my mat leave officially begins! Iâll be monitoring my email until the baby shows up (which could be literally any time!), and will then be taking a FULL maternity leave through April. I recognize with gratitude how much of a blessing this dedicated time with the baby will be, and am so happy that even as a self-employed person, Iâll be able to take this time off. During this time I will not be responding to any emails (in fact, my contact form will be turned off). I will begin limited office hours in April and plan to begin meeting with 2023 prospective clients who are already on my waitlist at this point.
Maternity Leave Details
Starting this week, my mat leave officially begins! Iâll be monitoring my email until the baby shows up (which could be literally any time!), and will then be taking a FULL maternity leave through April. I recognize with gratitude how much of a blessing this dedicated time with the baby will be, and am so happy that even as a self-employed person, Iâll be able to take this time off. During this time I will not be responding to any emails (in fact, my contact form will be turned off). I will begin limited office hours in April and plan to begin meeting with 2023 prospective clients who are already on my waitlist at this point.
Details for 2022 Current Clients
If you are planning a 2022 wedding and are already one of my clients, please feel free to email me directly if anything major comes up. Please title your email MAJOR UPDATE and when Iâm back in the office in April, your email will be prioritized (major changes would be things like change of date, cancellation, etc). I may be checking my emails once in a while while Iâm on mat leave, but Iâm making no guarantees â I have no idea what itâs like to have 2 kiddos at home! If you have a minor update (table number changes, colour palette change, change in the number of bridal party persons you have, etc) these things can all wait until closer to the wedding. I WILL STILL BE IN TOUCH WITH EACH OF YOU 1 MONTH PRIOR TO THE WEDDING, AS NORMAL. Your payment schedules will not change, though I may forget to click âsendâ on your invoices so those may once in a while be a little delayed. Blame the baby :)
If you are planning a 2022 wedding and are not yet booked with me, please note that May through September are fully booked and I have zero availability. October, November, and December have limited dates available and I always love the chance to get creative with different seasonal palettes and ingredients! If youâre comfortable waiting to officially book your flowers until the springtime when I begin office hours, please email me at info@stonehouseweddings.com with the subject line â2022 WEDDING - your wedding dateâ so I can make sure to prioritize your email when I return.
Details for Prospective 2023 Clients
My waitlist for 2023 wedding dates is already open! If you wish to have your wedding date placed on the list, please email me directly to info@stonehouseweddings.com with the subject line â2023 WAIT LIST - your wedding dateâ so I can make sure to pop you onto my list efficiently during the limited windows of time Iâll have while baby naps.
In the body of your email, please include the following details: date of wedding, wedding venue locations, your email address and phone number, the number of bridesmaids and groomsmen you anticipate, your estimated guest count, your estimated wedding flower budget, whether you are interested in floral design only OR if youâre interested in adding on Event Design services as well, along with some details about your vision and ideas for the wedding! If you have a Pinterest board, you can include this link here as well.
Prospective 2023 clients will be added to my waitlist in the order in which the requests are received, and you will be contacted in April/May to set up your complimentary floral appointment so I can begin the proposal process for you. Please note that I do require a minimum floral investment of $2500, with a suggested budget of $4000+ to achieve the look that I find most of my clients desire. Some exceptions may be made for intimate weddings, and clients who are adding on Event Design (typically a $1500+ investment on top of their floral budget) may receive first priority of date (though I cannot always guarantee this), as I have limited availability for these services.
My 2022 wedding season begins in May, and while Iâm taking on fewer weddings this year than I typically have in the past, I am SO excited for the amazing designs and celebrations that are already planned. I donât anticipate that you will notice a change in my services aside from a slightly longer email response time, and once in a while, you might see a little baby strapped to me on your wedding day ;) I do have a great team prepared to help me with weddings again this year, so donât worry: you will be in the same excellent hands as always! While my priorities will be shifting a bit, rest assured that caring for my clients and my business will always be one of the things that I love doing the most.
I also want to say thank you to everyone who has supported us throughout this pregnancy and the kind and excited words that Iâve received from clients and vendor friends as well. Mama friends, especially mom-preneur friends, your advice and feedback on everything from bottles to maternity leave structure has been invaluable. At the beginning, I didnât think this pregnancy would ever end and now that Iâm suddenly close to that point, I feel so much more prepared because of all of your help and guidance.
Intimate Winter Wedding at Hawthorn Estates
It only takes 2 weeks and a bit of flexibility to plan a gorgeous wedding! Caitlin and Michaelâs intimate winter wedding at Hawthorn Estates was a complete dream to flower for, with just a few pieces that each made a major impact. Her easy-going nature combined with beautiful vision and complete trust in me allowed this design to become what it did!
It only takes 2 weeks and a bit of flexibility to plan a gorgeous wedding! Caitlin and Michaelâs intimate winter wedding at Hawthorn Estates was a complete dream to flower for, with just a few pieces that each made a major impact. Her easy-going nature combined with beautiful vision and complete trust in me allowed this design to become what it did!
Photos by Ariana Tennyson
A 2 week planning timeline is just what happened for Caitlin and Michael - she reached out a few weeks beforehand, saying that she was pretty sure they would be planning their wedding for the end of February but they wouldnât be sure until they heard the latest round of Covid restrictions. We chatted a bit about her ideas (originally, just the fireplace installation for the ceremony) and then added in a bouquet and the hanging piece above the head table, confirming everything just 2 weeks prior to the wedding when weddings were allowed to have 10 guests.
Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: Toffee roses, combo roses, quicksand roses, bunny tails, dried palmettos, phragmite grass, dried strawflower, waxflower, and phalaenopsis orchids (the brideâs favourite!).
The winter wedding ceremony of my dreams â¨
I love venues that have fireplaces, and wish that all ceremonies took place in front of them. Theyâre such a good way to create a killer ambiance. Caitlin added the million candles, and I took care of the extremely luscious flowers, and the entire space just glowed with beauty.
More roses, delphinium, flowering branches (that werenât actually flowering đ), bouvardia, strawflower, a few orchids, and greenery - all good things!
Up nextâŚthe piece de resistance! When Caitlin asked about adding something spectacular hanging over the head table and shared a few incredibly luscious images with me, you could say I got a little bit excited.
A few things I knew: first, that I wanted to go overboard (lol). Second, that I wanted to make this really special. Third, that I had a huge hanging chandelier composed entirely of copper plumosa fern left from this Planned Perfectly product shoot that would be PERFECT. We started with a base of chicken wire, added in the fresh greenery and the copper plumosa, and then started tucking in the flowersâŚand lots of them. Some were on water tubes, some without, and this entire piece was foam free! We finished it off by adding in some of Hawthornâs glass hanging bulbs for a little extra candle twinkle!
Want to see how this came together? I time-lapsed this install and love watching it, right here on my Instagram Reels.
I just wanted to say that the flowers were amazing!! Thank you for bringing my vision to life - it was absolutely perfect! Last night was a dream. Thank you so much!
Ariana Tennyson Photography ~ Hawthorn Estates ~ Bliss Bridal Boutique ~ Colleen Olafson ~ Modern Plate Catering
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
My 2023 wedding date wait list has been 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!