How to Hold Your Bridal Bouquet and Some Behind the Scenes Wedding Prep at My Studio!

How to Hold Your Bridal Bouquet in 3 Easy Steps

You might assume that holding a bridal bouquet correctly is easy — and it is! But in my years working in weddings, I’ve learned that you really just can’t assume anything 😂 Including something as simple as how to hold a bridal bouquet. Here are my 3 easy steps to help you correctly hold your bridal bouquet to show it off the best!

Step 1: Find the front.

Gosh, you would be amazed at some of the pictures I’ve received back from weddings just to think, “how did no one realize that the bouquet is SO backwards?” Even with trailing ribbon attached to the front, bouquets have been held backwards. I always put the pins in the back, so put your thumbs on those pins and you’ll be fine. And if you have requested trailing ribbon or a ribbon bow, that’s obviously going to be in the front. Finally, no matter how the bouquet is designed, the most glorious of the flowers are always going to be in the front!

Step 2: Find the Proper Height.

Let’s all avoid that awkward early 2000’s bridesmaid look, okay? No one needs to be walking down the aisle with their elbows up next to their ears. It’s pretty simple: just put your wrist bones to your hip bones. This allows you to comfortably carry your bouquet at a flattering height that also shows off the neckline and waist of your dress, which is often where a lot of the detail of your gown is. Let’s show that off.

Step 3: Angle the flowers out.

Angle your flowers toward the camera and your florist will love you forever 😏 Seriously though, no one needs to see the stems of your bouquet, so you don’t need to hold it perfectly up and down. By angling the flowers out, you’ll show off all their beautiful shapes and textures, and let the flowers have their glory moment. Have fun with it, maybe resting it over your elbow or letting it hang down by your side, but overall, just let the flowers themselves do the talking.

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Mid-summer, Karina Walker from Creative Capture came by the studio to take some video footage of me prepping for a wedding, and then also came along on a wedding set up to capture the installation and setup process. I can’t wait to show you all of that (along with the final images of that wedding from Izabela Rachwal!), and in the meantime, here are some behind the scenes shots she took while I was working!

Thank you so much Karina!

Karina Walker, Creative Capture

If you’d like to see more of my studio, check out this studio tour post from last summer! I love working here in the summers. I keep the garage door open all day, with sunlight streaming in (and once in a while, a bee) and it makes me so happy to work in the fresh air all the time. It’s a great little space!

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LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?

My 2023 wedding 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! 

Summer on the Prairies Styled Wedding Shoot

I loved working on this summer on the prairies styled shoot with Soiree Event Planning back in late June! The perfect prairie location, an elevated and fuss-free aesthetic, and a cheerful colour palette — you know there’s nothing else that I could want!

You might remember that June was absurdly hot…and this day was no different at all. We were setting up for a few hours before the lighting was just right for photos, and I’ll tell you what, we were scorching 😂 But, I still didn’t get a sunburn!

Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: Ranunculus, delphinium, feverfew, and grasses. And that’s it! Sometimes it’s best to keep things sweet and simple, and the colour does all the talking here.

I finished the stems off with this gorgeous golden silk ribbon from Tono & Co.

My concept for the ceremony florals was to keep it all understated — I wanted everything to feel very natural so I actually went in and created all of the wildflowers that you see here. This was just a grass aisle before me! I hammered in water tubes in clusters along the seating, each with little bundles of grasses, wheat, and feverfew, just to bring in a little more of that prairie wildflower vibe. It’s not overly noticeable, but without it, the aisle would have fallen a bit flat.

Of course I am obsessed with the mixed seating options for the ceremony seating. It feels casual and comfortable, while still giving a very chic vibe. The mixed seating also enhances the intimacy of a smaller guest list, making things feel more personal and more interesting!

I love working with the Soiree team because they are seasoned professionals who really know how to make it all come together. I’ve most often worked with them on weddings, and the way they tie together the little details with the larger design goals, while ensuring an efficient day for the wedding professionals and a fun, enjoyable atmosphere for the couple and their guests is really admirable and not that easily done. If you’re looking for a planner, be sure to consider them!

A few of the notable design elements that their team customized for this shoot are the leather name tags wrapped around each salad fork (LOVE! If I were a guest, you can bet I’d be taking that home) and some of the stem vases! They purchased some of the glazed vases, and then added that terracotta wash to others. It’s a really cool project that can allow you some more flexibility with picking up random vases from the thrift or dollar stores, and still making sure they all look good together — and let’s be honest, is far more interesting and current than spray painting everything gold.

Want to know something amazing about these flowers? Every SINGLE stem of flowers and foliage used for this entire photo shoot was grown right here in Manitoba, by my friend Kelly at Lilystone Gardens. She provides the most stunning blooms, all summer long (I have no idea how she does it!) and is an incredible designer as well. She’s also just about to open her own wedding venue at her flower farm! If you love flowers, supporting local, or have an interest in weddings or farm life, then be sure to check her out on Instagram. Thank you Kelly, for growing and providing these flowers so that I can do what I love!

Lynsey Corbett Photography ~ Soiree Event Planning ~ Planned Perfectly ~ Union Table ~ Trend Rentals & Decor ~ Sugar & Salt Bakeshoppe ~ Karina Walker ~ Minted ~ Bliss Bridal Boutique ~ Eph Apparel ~ MYUZ Artistry ~ 204 Red

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LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?

2022 wedding dates are limited, and my 2023 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! 

Birds Hill Park Wedding Anniversary Photos

If you recognize these cuties, it’s because they were married last summer and I shared their gorgeous intimate wedding photos! This summer they were hoping to have their larger reception, but with Covid and the restrictions the way they were, Amanda and Ryan decided to put the larger reception on hold and celebrate their first anniversary in style with a sweet photo shoot just for the two of them. It was not how they pictured celebrating, but I loved that they went for it and still wanted to make this a special day for the two of them.

For their anniversary, their amazing photographer Brittany Mahood found this gorgeous location in Birds Hill Park with just the perfect tree to set up under. I had approached it from a different parking lot than they did, and I remember thinking, “I wonder if that’s the spot. That tree looks pretty perfect.” Lo and behold, that was the spot!

You may also notice the haziness…this was right in the midst of the summer wildfires. It was a bit smoky, and each day was a bit different in terms of what to expect.

I love the lovely setup that Amanda put together. She’s got great taste, and I knew that it would be romantic and beautiful! She rented some pieces from Trend Decor to create an intimate seating area, laid out a delicious looking charcuterie board, and picked up some treats from Jenna Rae Cakes that tied in perfectly with her colour palette. She also added in a few accents that were planned for their wedding — lilac and peach candles and a grey chiffon runner across the velvet bench.

I added in a number of floral touches — a few larger arrangements, some stem vases, and petite touches in vintage brass vases or white stone containers from my rental collection.

And can we talk about how beautiful that champagne bottle is?! Amanda asked her dad to pick them something up, ideally something with a pretty bottle…and man, did he ever rise to the occasion!

I just LOVED making this bouquet for Amanda. I used 100% locally grown flowers and there were so many delicious ingredients to work with. I wasn’t able to get quite as bright of a peach as we had planned, but I love the softer, romantic feel of this design.

Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: lisianthus, foxglove, sweet pea, poppies, bachelor buttons. We tied it off with grey silk ribbon from Stella Wolfe that she had bought for the original wedding date!

In the larger floral arrangements, I also used asters, ranunculus, delphinium and cotoneaster foliage.

Happy anniversary, Amanda and Ryan!

Photos: brittany mahood Photography ~ Floral Design: Stone House Creative ~ Hair: Amra and Tiana from GracE hill Salon ~ Makeup: myuz artistry ~ Suit: Eph Apparel ~ Wedding Dress: WIllow by Watters from Stella’s Bridal ~ Furniture Rentals: Trend DecoR

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LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?

2022 wedding dates are limited, and my 2023 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! 

My Top 5 Tips for Planning Your Winnipeg Wedding from Out of Town

I’ve worked with a lot of couples who don’t live in Winnipeg, to plan and design the flowers and full event design for their Winnipeg wedding.

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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 — 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!

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Janine Kropla Photography

Hire a Local Wedding Planner — not a planner from the city you live in

I’ve had a few experiences with couples who’ve 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 don’t 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 you’re coming from, the Winnipeg wedding industry’s pricing may be higher, lower, or on par with what you’d 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.

“Thanks so much for everything that you did for our wedding. The florals could not have been more perfect — 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!!” — Stephanie and Andrew

Brittany Mahood, Soiree Event Planning. See More Here.

Start Planning Early

Starting your planning early when you’re 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 you’d 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! Winnipeg’s 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.

“Lauren'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 — and then trust them

Find one local vendor who you’re 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! It’ll make things a million times easier for you. 

We also know your venue! We know what does and doesn’t work based on the logistics of the venue, as well as what does and doesn’t look good in the space. And, chances are pretty good that we’ve 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, you’re “coming home” for this wedding and there will be a lot of people you haven’t seen in real life in a long time, and you’re going to want to spend as much time with them as possible. Whether you’re planning to have a welcome party, bachelor/ette parties, or a day-after brunch, or if you’re 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, you’ll be able to maximize the amount of time you can all be together.

Janine Kropla Photography. More Coming Soon.

“I love working with out-of-town couples.

It’s 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 they’re 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 it’s exactly what they wanted but didn’t know it — that’s so satisfying!” - Amanda Douglas, owner of Amanda Douglas Events

Special Note:

I think it’s particularly important to hire professional vendors at basically all times, but especially when you’re planning from out of town. It’s awesome to have people you love involved, but it adds a layer of stress that you just don’t need. I’ve 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 doesn’t. You really don’t need those kinds of things happening on your wedding day!

Brittany Mahood Photography

“We 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.”

— Shannon and David

2022 and 2023 Wedding Trends

I always love forecasting wedding trends, so here we go!

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2022 and 2023 are going to be BUSY years for the wedding industry. We’re still working through the backlog of postponed covid weddings from 2020 and 2021, and then we also have all of the couples who were originally planning to get married in these years anyways.

So what does this mean for wedding trends? I think it means that we’re going to see a lot of creativity, a lot of personalization, and a lot of couples doing things their own way.

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Before I jump into some of my favourite trends that I hope we’ll 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 I’d love to see you filter through your entire wedding planning!

And now, let’s get into the pretty and inspirational!

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Photo by Natalie Watson / Floral Design by Amy Osaba

Intimate Guest Lists

In my opinion, the greatest thing to come out of Covid’s gathering restrictions is intimate guest lists. Why? Because everyone at your wedding actually KNOWS that you want them there. They’re not just on the list because you’re a co-worker or a cousin. They’ve been chosen by you, to celebrate with you, and the impact that has on the ambiance is pretty incredible. I’ve witnessed such joy, such support, such celebration and it’s amazing — and that’s just from my very behind the scenes view!

Janine Kropla Photography

Photo by Sophie Epton / Design by Amorology

Broad Colour Palettes

You know I’m a lover of colour. Whether it’s pastels or bright and bold, I just want each of my weddings to feel and look differently than the others, and the best way to do that is with a well-developed colour palette.

I don’t have any key colour palettes that I think are going to be super trendy (though I’m sure we’ll keep seeing more of the warm toffee and terracotta tones!), but overall, I encourage you to broaden and deepen your colour palette. Choose one or two focal colours, and add in supporting colours and shades, metallic and textural accents, and let your palette bring the wedding design to life.

Amy Fanton Photography via Junebug Weddings

Upgraded Stationery

Detailed stationery is one of my favourite elements of a wedding, so it always breaks my heart when couples don’t pay any attention to their stationery. Whether it’s just your invitations or if you have the budget to develop a fully customized suite, a well-designed piece makes all the difference between an okay event design and a memorable event design.

Don’t forget to layer in colour, play with the weights of the paper and various printing methods, and consider the little touches like envelope liners!

515 Photo Co / Design by Melissa Baum Events

Upgraded Place Settings

Glassware, flatware, layered charger and dinner plates, napkins, menus and place cards, you name it. The details matter, and they matter more than ever in 2022/2023. We’ve entered into a new realm of personalized wedding design, and the basic options that come along with your venue’s package just don’t cut it.

Some of my favourite local suppliers include Planned Perfectly, Collective Event Rentals, Trend Decor, and Union Table.

Stone House Creative

Pre-Wedding Cocktails

With couples feeling less pressure to do the typical and traditional, brings in more of the opposing desire: to create an ambiance of fun, celebration, and joyfulness. And when it comes down to it, most couples just want to spend as much time as they can with their loved ones. So why not host a pre-ceremony cocktail party? Whether you’re physically at it or not is up to you, giving your guests a welcome beverage that’s delightfully on-theme is such a fun way to kick off the evening.

Stationery by Inquisited

Statement Details

Whether it’s a far more interesting seating chart than the typical, a breathtaking lighting display, or a wedding cake completely surrounded by flowers, adding in one (or a few!) statement design elements to your overall event design plan is highly in demand.

Scaled Back Bouquets

I have nothing against big bouquets. In fact, I love them. But there’s 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

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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!

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