Cozy Cottage Core Vibes for Nicole and Justin
Nicole and Justin’s wedding was one of the first of my wedding season and it was such a joyful day (also frickin hot). They hosted a small group of loved ones at her family cottage, just over the Manitoba/Ontario border.
With Emily from Feast & Festivities at the helm, the cozy cottage vibes were personal, cheerful, and relaxed.
And, of course, Nicole was immaculate ✨ From her custom gown to her henna, everything about her style was perfection.
Natasha’s style is obviously impeccable, and she came into the planning with a Spanish-inspired vision. The colour palette? Perfect. Her dresses? Breathtaking. The ceremony arch? One of my absolute faves.
Welcome to the cutest cottagecore wedding you’ve ever seen!
Nicole and Justin’s wedding was one of the first of my wedding season and it was such a joyful day (also frickin hot). They hosted a small group of loved ones at her family cottage, just over the Manitoba/Ontario border.
With Emily from Feast & Festivities at the helm, the cozy cottage vibes were personal, cheerful, and relaxed.
And, of course, Nicole was immaculate ✨ From her custom gown to her henna, everything about her style was perfection.
Photos by Casey Nolin Photography
Did I love Nicole’s bouquet? Yes. Did my Instagram followers love Nicole’s bouquet? ALSO YES.
I loved how light it was (seriously, like maybe 1 pound? It felt lighter than air). I loved how much movement it had. And I absolutely loved those locally grown tulips that totally stole the show.
I started with a base of lavender sweet pea, spiralling in the tulips, ranunculus, and delphinium that the colour movement was really soft and just had a small pop of bright orange. We finished it up with some Tono & Co silk ribbon.
Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: Tulips, ranunculus, delphinium, feverfew, sweet pea, stock, and poppies.
The ceremony was in a small clearing, literally just the perfect size for their guests. I designed some ground-based florals for the front, adding in individual stems down the aisle to make it feel very natural. I kept all the floral selections light, wildflowery, and airy. No focal flowers allowed.
Not every cottage has the necessary amount of space to pitch a tent, and Nicole’s place had literally just the right amount of space. Like, literally JUST. Almost like they planned it.
They had a U shaped table plan, with a row of tables in the middle, which created a really communal feel. A small lounge welcomed tired dancers off the dance floor, with a fun hanging seating chart and adorable bar front. It’s those little details that take things to another level, even if it’s a simple and relaxed wedding!
I loved the warm neutral base of taupe linens with wooden cross-back chairs. It felt really easy, not remotely pretentious or overdone.
Such cute place settings, right? I love the relaxed way that Emily layered all of this together. A loosely (but also perfectly) draped napkin (we don’t want anything looking messy here, friends!) — and note that it’s tucked under the plates. I’ve had quite a few tent weddings with a knotted napkin or flat folded napkin that has blown right off the table thanks to our least favourite element, wind.
And then that angled menu with the “scattered” cutlery — so cute, right? Again, it’s meticulously placed and each place setting perfectly matched each other, but it’s also got this inherently relaxed feel that fits the cottage atmosphere really well.
And how cute is that custom made bar? Named after their sweet pup, “Bar Luna”’s ruffled edges perfectly matched with the seating chart, festooned with pressed flowers that Nicole had been pressing for the year leading to their wedding. A personalized, DIY element done RIGHT, my friends.
A few beautiful moments down by the lake, at sunset. Now that’s summer wedding perfection!
Can I tell you how hot it was this day? DANG my friends. It was like 40 degrees celcius. Luckily we were pretty nicely shaded with a bit of a breeze, but whew. Lots of sunscreen and water that day for me, and I also stole a few minutes to splash my feet in the lake, and that made a world of a difference. Cheers to weddings at the lake!
Casey Nolin Photography ~ Feast & Festivities ~ Minted ~ Planned Perfectly ~ Collective Event Rentals ~ Cathy Wiebe Clothes ~ Aldo Formalwear ~ Blush + Blonde ~ Henna by Azma
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
We can design a gorgeous wedding at the lake for you. Find out more about what we do by clicking the button below!
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!
Dreamy Pastel Wedding Editorial
I was so happy to be part of this dreamy pastel wedding editorial this past January, with Kayla Lagos Events. Kayla presented a gorgeous vision for a soft, delicate palette, featuring fluttery and whimsical flowers.
It’s always fun to get creative during the off season. I don’t usually have many winter weddings, so it’s a different set of flowers, palettes, and inspiration to work through and I really enjoyed this!
I was so happy to be part of this dreamy pastel wedding editorial this past January, with Kayla Lagos Events. Kayla presented a gorgeous vision for a soft, delicate palette, featuring fluttery and whimsical flowers.
It’s always fun to get creative during the off season. I don’t usually have many winter weddings, so it’s a different set of flowers, palettes, and inspiration to work through and I really enjoyed this!
PS You can see more from this bouquet on my Instagram, here!
Photos by Aimee De La Lande Photography
We all love the champagne tower trend, but I have to say that this cake from Sugar & Salt was the highlight for me! The colours of the buttercream flowers were perfect, and it was just really pretty, too.
I also loved the floral confetti on the table. It made a big statement without taking a lot of budget to achieve!
And aren’t Sarah and Scott so cute? They’re a real life couple, getting married this October. I can’t wait for their wedding day!
How much do you think this bridal bouquet costs?
Bridal Bouquet Ingredients:
Garden Spray Roses
Dutch Lisianthus
Clematis
Phalaenopsis Orchids
Delphinium
Allium
Stock
And finished with hand died silk ribbon from
Stella Wolfe
BRIDAL BOUQUET COST: $465
Okay, so for those of you who are freaking out about the cost of this bouquet: don’t worry. I am, too 😂 Here’s the thing: this shoot took place in January, when zero locally grown flowers were available and we had to import everything (with garden spray roses from Japan and lisianthus from Holland), AND I just happened to use everything expensive. It’s a tricky habit lol!
But woah baby, was it worth it. Those orchids!! I died. The allium! Gosh darn it. The lisianthus, as expensive as it was 😍 And I think it paired quite perfectly with those delicately ribbed sleeves you can add on to the Lovenote Bride “Marion” gown (designed and made in Canada!!).
This palette! Obviously we shot this in winter so it had that freshness when we were most dying for it, but I think this feminine palette could transfer easily to spring and summer as well!
Lavender, peach, soft blue, soft pink, mauve and springy green
Kayla wanted to play with a few looks, mixing and matching rental options to create do a “one look, two ways” concept.
Look 1: Gold chivari chairs and smoke glass stemware
Look 2: Smoke acrylic chairs and pink glass stemware
One Look, Two Ways
If you’re seating your guests at rectangular banquet tables, make sure you get the width of them. At the Manitoba Club, they use a “king’s table,” which is nice and wide (that’s what you see here). A lot of venues use narrower tables, which simply gives less space to add in decor. You need to be aware of how much space you have to add in flowers, candles, glassware, and so on.
With this table, we had a lot of space to feature 2 fuller centrepieces, with 3 petite modern stem vase style arrangements of pink anthurium. We tucked in taper candles and still had plenty of negative space — which is crucial in a design. A lot of the time I feel that tables are overloaded, but it can be the negative space that sets off design.
Fun little personal fact: this is the last time I’ve straightened my hair! January 26. My hair is wavy but I’ve never known how to deal with it, so I decided that I would just stop straightening it and see what happens. I still have no idea how to deal with it but I’m enjoying letting my hair just do what it does.
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
Are you as into this colour palette as we are?
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!
Luscious Lavender and Peach Wedding Editorial
If I were only allowed to use one word to describe the floral vibes for this editorial shoot, it would be “JUICY.” Everything about this luscious lavender and peach design made me crave fruit and candy. It was just delicious!
I worked with Eventzy on this project as an editorial to be featured in the Wonderful Wedding Show magazine. It was such an honour to be asked by them; they really wanted to go for it and make a bit statement, and I was so thrilled to make it a success for them.
If I were only allowed to use one word to describe the floral vibes for this editorial shoot, it would be “JUICY.” Everything about this luscious lavender and peach design made me crave fruit and candy. It was just delicious!
I worked with Eventzy on this project as an editorial to be featured in the Wonderful Wedding Show magazine. It was such an honour to be asked by them; they really wanted to go for it and make a bit statement, and I was so thrilled to make it a success for them.
Photos by Mandy Wright Photography
This editorial was featured in the Wonderful Wedding Show’s magazine. You can find it here!
Bridal bouquet ingredients: Lavender stock, pink anthurium, peach Juliet garden rose, barista rose, coolwater rose, peach and orange ranunculus, lavender spray roses, raspberry scoop scabiosa, and purple phaelanopsis orchids.
The circular stage was the PERFECT altar. Eventzy had it custom made and I’m very into it!
I created this hanging piece (two thumbs up for venues with open rafters!) and encircled the stage with arrangements and smilax vine and I love the lush effect. The aisle was lined with plenty of candlelight.
And just WHAT A GREAT PALETTE. Sometimes we’ll choose to keep one section of the floral designs more or less subdued, or adjust the colour palette throughout the event, but for this one I wanted the colour to be EVERYWHERE.
Fun fact: I got trapped in the elevator during setup. It was a slightly terrifying start to the day but it ended up just fine 😂
Alright, let’s talk about this hanging piece over the dining table! This was a BIG SUCKER. Like 8x10 or something like that! To save on cost, we first covered the frame with faux greenery from House of Silk. Then Deanna and I went in and weaved through a ton of smilax vine — you can’t even see the faux greenery at all. We then strung up individual flowers, bloom by bloom. Again, we used a few stems of faux orchids which had a nice long line, and then added in plenty of roses. They brought the freshness and the scent we were looking for, and dang, the colour!
On the table, we went for mixed sizes of arrangements in cute clear glass vases from my rental inventory. Aren’t these pieces so cute! They pulled through all the colour, and played nicely against the copper flatware and pink water goblets.
We also did a second centrepiece style — the tree! House of Silk created a small tree base, which I then weaved through fresh vine. That made it a lot larger and gave that natural feeling, while having the faux base as a solid structure to work with.
We also added in a lot of lavender stock and lavender spray roses to bring in some colour. I chose to keep the floral palette in the tree monochromatic so that it didn’t feel overwhelming. And for large pieces like this, unless you have a very large budget, a monochromatic look will give you a more impressive visual statement.
I loved the brighter coloured candles at the base to add a little more vibrancy!
AND THE FRICKING CAKE. Jenna Rae Cakes nailed it, once again. The sugar orchids were absolutely incredible. I have a gluten allergy so I never get to eat cake (granted, this one was a faux cake) but the fondant was real and it smelled so delicious.
Wedding design tip: if your ceremony and reception are in the same space, I LOVE utilizing your ceremony floral feature as a way to display your cake. If you’re going to invest in a cake, then give it a serious moment to shine!
Mandy WRight Photography ~ Event.zy ~ Novella at Collective ~ Collective Event Rentals ~ Chantal’s Bridal ~ The Artist Groupe ~ Creating a Scene ~ Asarye Paperie ~ Jenna Rae Cakes ~ Swish Models
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
Planning a colourful wedding in Winnipeg? I’d love to be your floral designer. Inquire today!
Call me biased, but flowers are the best way to create the ambiance 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!
Sophistication Meets Modern Wedding at St Charles Country Club
Carlee and Matt’s June wedding at St Charles Country Club was the perfect mixture of sophisticated, timeless design and modern elements! And I do not often think that things are timeless, so that’s quite a lot coming from me lol!
When she first reached out to me, Carlee explained that she was inspired by a Nancy Meyers aesthetic (Parent Trap wedding, anyone?). With Emily from Feast & Festivities, they merged this into a literary and poetic inspired design featuring a mostly white palette with accents of sage and light blue that’s just too good to miss.
Carlee and Matt’s June wedding at St Charles Country Club was the perfect mixture of sophisticated, timeless design and modern elements! And I do not often think that things are timeless, so that’s quite a lot coming from me lol!
When she first reached out to me, Carlee explained that she was inspired by a Nancy Meyers aesthetic (Parent Trap wedding, anyone?). With Emily from Feast & Festivities, they merged this into a literary and poetic inspired design featuring a mostly white palette with accents of sage and light blue that’s just too good to miss.
Photos by Kassandra Donaldson
There’s a funny coincidence, that Emily from Feast & Festivities and I seem to only do white palettes together at St Charles. Take a look at this white rose wedding from last summer, and you’ll see! But I love that with a different take on a floor plan and some different focal design elements, two weddings can look completely unique even if they’re in the same space and with the same palette. Hats off to Emily, for the beautiful event design!
Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: white roses, white garden spray roses, white sweet pea, and olive foliage.
I love the chic black gowns the bridal party wore, and that we paired them with simple white roses. This is a fantastic way to save on your budget, while also making a more modern statement.
The ceremony was on the lawn at St Charles, and though the garden wasn’t in bloom yet (aside from a few peonies, which smelled DIVINE), the arch did all the talking. I used my classic garden arch, and we went for full coverage in a classic design. We didn’t want anything too messy or organic in shape. I used a lot of white roses, along with baby’s breath, stock, and white tulips.
We also placed two ground-based arrangements at the end of the aisle, which were then repurposed onto the fireplace mantle as part of the lounge.
Pretty pretty reception space! St Charles renovated a few years ago, and it’s now a very clean, neutral space with so many great windows. It’s got a bit of an awkward shape, with that L shaped floor plan, but using a mix of round and rectangular tables worked really well.
Emily brought in Beyond the Lounge’s high gloss white banquet tables, which are a bit on the narrow side. So, we kept the centrepieces minimal, just lining the middle of the table with stem vases and candles. One of my favourite touches was a custom scented candle that Emily partnered with Farmer’s Son Co, so the wedding had a subtle scent.
The round tables were draped with a taupe linen, and we placed an all-white compote centrepiece on them. The locally grown tulips that we included were totally the star!
I loved this disco ball and fringe installation over the dance floor! I know they’re trendy, but I just cannot get enough of the shimmer that a disco ball gives off. I’m thinking about hanging one in my office.
I love that the dance floor and lounge area is somewhat separated from the dining space — it gives a really cool opportunity to shift the vibe.
The experience was truly flawless from introduction to execution. She has incredible creative vision—even though the colour palette for my day was mostly white and I knew I wanted to incorporate a lot of roses, she put in thoughtful care and consideration choosing complementary blooms so that each bouquet and installation looked truly intentional and beautiful and visually dynamic. Our ceremony arch was even more breathtaking than what I could have imagined. Lauren hand delivered my bouquet the morning of our wedding, giving us all a few tips about how to hold our flowers and some well wishes for the big day. She was an excellent and organized communicator and clearly goes above and beyond for all of her clients. Couldn’t recommend Lauren more!
Looking for a Wedding Floral Designer in Winnipeg?
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 for stunning bridal bouquets, truly unique ceremony backdrops, and beautiful floral centrepieces to create the perfect ambiance for your wedding!
What Do Floral Installations Cost at Weddings?
It’s basically impossible for someone who’s not in the floral industry to have any clue how to budget for, or price out, a floral installation. Let me help!
It’s basically impossible for someone who’s not in the floral industry to have any clue how to budget for or price out a floral installation. Let me help!
Photo: Esther Funk Photography
I recently had an off-putting encounter with a bride (not one of my clients), who walked into the tent at Pineridge Hollow while Deanna and I were setting up a wedding.
She was just checking it out as her wedding was upcoming there, and she asked which floral company we were with. When I responded “Stone House Creative,” she kind of muttered “of course” and I politely responded, “was I already booked for your date?” She replied no, and kind of fumbled over the words: “you’re too expensive.” She then proceeded to say that she was willing to splurge because she wanted the ceiling covered in greenery and the tent entrance poles covered with florals and greenery exactly like she had seen me design for another wedding at the same venue last fall.
So…she thought that I was too expensive, but hadn’t even inquired with me or received a quote from me, all at the same time as wanting TWO very labour-intensive and product-intensive installations.
I was so confused and a few weeks later, it’s still so unsettling to me. I know that you all don’t know what goes into the costs of floral design and what it is what we do — and you don’t have to know! That’s totally our jobs.
But there are a few lines that need to be drawn, and that’s this: don’t assume something is too expensive without looking into it, AND if you’re supposedly on a low budget (because I’m too expensive? that’s the inference I assumed from the conversation) then don’t assume that you can afford multiple large installations.
(And to note: Stone House Creative is not really more or less expensive than any other established floral designers who specialize in weddings and use the premium quality product that I do. There are definitely companies who charge too little, but that doesn’t mean that I’m charging too much — there’s a big difference between the price tag associated with a company that undercuts or doesn’t charge for rental items, and a company like mine that is built on solid business practises and isn’t interested in going into the red to pay for other peoples’ weddings.)
This does give me the perfect opportunity to talk to you all about budgeting for installations. When a floral designer or wedding planner uses the word “installation,” we’re referring to those large focal moments that are massively eye-catching and make a huge impact on your wedding design. These are also going to be large budget line items, as they generally require a lot of labour, a lot of product, and a lot more logistical consideration than just designing a centrepiece and popping it onto a table.
So, let’s talk about floral and greenery installations, and what they cost.
First, I have to give the annoying caveat that every installation is going to cost a completely different amount than the next. The very nature of an installation is that it’s 100% customized to the space, the product used, the amount of time and labour it takes to put together, and so on.
Second, I’ll give the broad-scale notice that nothing large is “cheap.” Ever. Nothing. You can look at a very floral-heavy installation and think “if she makes it out of carnations, it’ll be cheap.” That’s just not true — large, statement making pieces require a TON of product, time, expertise, and labour, and none of that is inexpensive. It’s like if you’re buying a car, and you think “a Mercedes is too expensive for my budget; I’ll get a Corolla instead,” but then you upgrade to literally every single premium option in that Corolla, you’re still going to be spending a lot of money. It’s still not cheap.
Planning: Feast & Festivities | Photo: Megan Steen Photography
Greenery on Ceilings
If you’ve spent any time on Pinterest or Instagram looking for wedding inspo, you’ll have seen images of tents or ballrooms with greenery vining across the ceiling. It can be incredibly gorgeous, yes!
Here’s what you’re not thinking about: the rigging or lighting company needs to first go up on ladders or a lift, and install cables or line for the florist to then go up and attach the greenery to. This takes them a few hours.
Then the floral designer gets up on the ladder or the lift and attaches the greenery. This takes a few hours, and at least 3 staff. And not everyone is comfortable getting up on a ladder!
Now, the vining greenery that we often use for this type of work is called smilax. It comes in a large quantity, often in a giant garbage bag crammed into a cardboard box. It does not come in smaller quantities. You can’t just get a small bit of it. It’s also covered in thorns, and twisted up in vines and it’s really time consuming to carefully pull apart to get the right pieces. And quite frequently, by the time it gets to us in Manitoba, it’s partially rotten and so we have to buy more to account for this.
Based on the amount of product that we have to order, the absolute bare minimum that you’ll need to invest in ceiling greenery is $1000, and that’s just the cost of product. That’s not including labour, time, or logistical needs like renting a scissor lift. Depending on how large of a space you’re covering, or how dense you want the coverage, this is most likely not going to be nearly enough. Without knowing anything about your space, I’d suggest budgeting at least $3000 for anything on the ceiling. This could easily go up to over $8000 depending on the size of space you’re working with.
Planning: Feast & Festivities | Photo: Megan Steen Photography
Tent Entrances or Staircase Installations
I love a good tent entrance moment ✨ Read more here to find out why (and some of my other favourite ways to design a tent wedding!).
Tent entrances and staircase installations are relatively similar in the way that we have to design. Basically we need to take the amount of space that we’re designing (50 stairs approx 12 inches deep each, or 2 tent poles approx 8 feet high, etc) and then figure out how much product we need per foot, and multiply that by the dimensions we’re working with. We also need to consider how much volume we’re using, if we’re trying to camouflage something like a tent cable, and so on.
Another important question to ask is, are we using all greeneries/foliages or are we incorporating floral, or is it entirely floral? This is going to affect the final cost, as well as how long it’s going to take, what the mechanics are, what needs a water source, and so on. A tent entrance could likely start around $2500 for a foliage-focused design, while I’d suggest that a full staircase installation like the photos you’re looking at on Pinterest would start more around $10k.
Planning: Soiree Event Planning | Photo: Brittany Mahood Photography
Hanging Installations
Hanging installations can come in many shapes and sizes. This season alone, we’ve done medium to large pieces hanging over a bar or a head table, to greenery-dense grids hanging over a dance floor, to floral clouds hanging over an aisle. You can see how it’s impossible to give a blanket quote for these types of things.
7 years ago, when I started doing a lot of hanging ceremony installations at the now closed Cielo’s Garden, I priced them starting at $500. Just as with every other industry in the world, floral costs have increased much since then.
If you’re wanting a single hanging piece over a head table or a bar, for example, I’d suggest budgeting at least $800 (similar in size to the picture above). This will also vary if you need it completely double sided, or single sided (as in, is the back going up against a wall and no one will notice if there are no florals on the back side?).
If you’re wanting something more dramatic, like flower clouds down your aisle or a large piece over your dance floor, I’m going to again suggest budgeting a minimum of $3000. If you have a large space (like a 20x20 dance floor, for example), obviously that will take more product to cover. You also don’t need to fully cover it! A few hanging pieces here and there can be absolutely dreamy!
Photo: Ariana Tennyson Photography
Fireplace Mantles
Fireplace moments are SO delicious to me. We’ve got a few wedding venues in Winnipeg and area that have some glorious fireplaces that I love flowering, including St Charles Country Club, Hawthorn Estates, and Lilystone Gardens.
One thing that’s great about fireplace installations is that it can be a great place to repurpose a ceremony floral piece! Make sure to measure the fireplace and ensure it’s deep enough (some are mostly decorative and don’t have much space on the mantle). If you have aisle pieces or an arch piece, these might find a good home on the fireplace.
Floral designs always come together best when they’re designed for one particular spot, so if budget does allow for you to give the mantle it’s own moment, you’ll be the happiest with the final product. Mantles can be done as a lush, full floral and greenery piece, as well as easily done as a collection of candles and mixed stem vases and varied size arrangements.
The cost is going to depend on the size of the fireplace, but if you’re looking at a large floral piece, I’d start your budgeting around $200/foot of coverage that you want, and if you’re looking to incorporate candles and stem vases, you could probably budget that at $75 - $100/foot of coverage.
Planning: Eventzy | Photo: Mandy Wright Photography
Custom Backdrops and Focal Points
Sometimes we’ll get requests for a floral spotlight at a welcome sign, as part of a photo booth backdrop, a cake table, and so on. These prices are also going to range widely, but I think you’d be safe to start your budgeting at $300-$500 for a “smaller” floral piece, and $500+ for a larger moment.
I hope this is so helpful for you! I know that wedding flower budgeting is incredibly unsexy and also very mysterious. It’s not a world that you’re familiar with, and that’s okay. Generally speaking, online resources are completely useless and out of touch with reality, so that doesn’t help you either. That’s what we’re here for :)
Getting married in 2024?
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 us for stunning bridal bouquets, truly unique ceremony backdrops, and beautiful floral centrepieces to create the perfect ambiance for your wedding!