Energetic, Colourful Wedding at the Gates on Roblin
If you’re a lover of colour and fun design elements, then get your pinning fingers ready because you’re going to love Erin and Daniel’s wedding at the Gates on Roblin.
They hired me for full floral and event design and I was so excited to get started. I collaborated with their event planner, Alli Mae Events, who took such awesome care of all the logistics so I could focus on the visuals
The most fun couple, the life of the party. Just wait til you see their chaotic and sweaty dance floor pics.
If you’re a lover of colour and fun design elements, then get your pinning fingers ready because you’re going to love Erin and Daniel’s wedding at the Gates on Roblin.
They hired me for full floral and event design and I was so excited to get started. I collaborated with their event planner, Alli Mae Events, who took such awesome care of all the logistics so I could focus on the visuals. It was a dream.
The most fun couple, the life of the party. Just wait til you see their chaotic and sweaty dance floor pics.
Photos by Picture & Poet
Helllloooooo super fun and dramatic ceremony!
The ceremony design was Erin’s first priority, and in fact, when we first met to discuss their flowers and overall event design, the only inspiration images she had were of ceremonies. They wanted The Gates to not look like The Gates. We had some logistical challenges to figure out (namely, the ceremony and reception were taking place in the same room and would require a complete flip during cocktail hour).
I immediately knew that I wanted to create a really cool aisle. At first we looked into building a platform aisle and painting it in this magenta tone, but that wasn’t a logistical feasibility. Then, knowing that the aisle would also become the dance floor, we decided to explore a patterned decal. We worked with Two Fold Paper Co on all the stationery, including the pattern for the aisle (we just adjusted the scale of it to ensure it wouldn’t make people dizzy on the aisle!).
My original plan was also to hang flower clouds above the aisle, but I didn’t end up pitching it due to budget constraints. Cue my excitement when, maybe 6 or so weeks before the wedding, Erin asked if we could add hanging flowers above the aisle. HELLO. Yes. The answer is yes. The BTS of how I made this is actually my highest performing reel of all time, in case you want to check it out here!
Now, I am no photoshop or canva expert. In fact, we all laughed at the rendering I put together below (it’s like my favourite ugly child…like it’s kind of pathetic but I’m also so proud of it and it took me forever lol) BUT can we acknowledge that the mockup was SO close to reality? I’m so pleased with this before/after and how this ceremony design all came together.
We had Creating a Scene custom-paint the seating chart signs in the palette, which we actually installed double-sided so we could have the late night treat menu displayed on it.
For the bridesmaids (all Erin’s beautiful sisters!), we designed single-variety bouquets and I love how chic they were with the women’s black dresses.
Have I mentioned before how much I love a room reveal moment? Eek ✨✨ The middle image above is Erin and me locking eyes and both being so freaking excited about how gorgeous and how perfectly them it all was.
Once the ceremony was over, the drape came down to reveal the dining tables, which we had to shift into place and finish setting during cocktail hour. There was a lot of running around, but it worked so smoothly.
We chose a combination of long tables and round, with coordinating dusty rose velvet linens and toffee belize linens. I chose a white chivari chair for its' clean, classic appeal, and added in taper candles in 4 coordinating shades of the palette.
We wanted to add touches of the wavy stationery trend, so we played with that on the personalized menus, and we backed the table numbers with the same graphic print as the aisle decal.
The party was of utmost importance. They wanted fun food, killer music, and an amazing dance party. As you can see, mission accomplished. I wish I was there for this part — they obviously had the best time. I love the enormous cut outs of their head (my husband suggested we also make decals of their faces to stick on the bathroom mirrors but that got vetoed), and we really went all for it with the late night snacks. All their favourite junk food was served, including McDonald’s blizzards with custom E&D wrappers.
This was truly such a fun wedding to get to be part of. The couple knew that having a great time (both for themselves and their guests!) was their top priority and really let that influence all the design related decisions that we made. They are also enjoyable people to be around and to work with. Thank you, Erin and Daniel, for trusting me with your design and being such wonderful people!
Once again, I absolutely couldn’t have done this alone! A big thanks to my team who worked a long day to make this amazing design happen; Deanna, Vanessa, Emily, Fareedah — you guys are the MVPs!
Picture & Poet ~ Alli Mae Events ~ Stone House Creative ~ The Gates on Roblin ~ Planned Perfectly ~ Creating a Scene ~ Collective Rentals ~ Spark REntals ~ Something Borrowed ~ Union Table ~ Myuz Artistry ~ Fifth ~ Big City All Star Band ~ Two Fold Paper Co
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
Dates book fast at the Gates on Roblin! Contact us today about availability.
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!
Top Trends for 2024 and 2025 Winnipeg Weddings
Writing my annual wedding trends post is one of my favourite posts to work on. It’s fun to see how many of my couples of digging into “trends,” and TBH it’s also kind of fun for me to hate on trends that other people are talking about. Not all trends are good trends, friends.
I focus on the design-related trends here. There are lots of other cool trends you might consider adding to your wedding — the audio guestbook, for example, or having a content creator with you all day long. I’m just going to stay in my lane, and talk about pretty things.
I always love forecasting wedding trends, so here we go!
Writing my annual wedding trends post is one of my favourite posts to work on. It’s fun to see how many of my couples of digging into “trends,” and TBH it’s also kind of fun for me to hate on trends that other people are talking about. Not all trends are good trends, friends.
I focus on the design-related trends here. There are lots of other cool trends you might consider adding to your wedding — the audio guestbook, for example, or having a content creator with you all day long. I’m just going to stay in my lane, and talk about pretty things.
Photo above by Three Photography
As always, before I jump into some of my favourite trends that I hope we’ll see in 2024 and 2025 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
I just read a quote the other day encouraging couples planning their weddings: “You can’t please everyone, so please yourself. Trying to make every family member and guest happy can lead to a wedding that doesn’t reflect you two as a couple. Focus on what makes you happy.” So my friends, if you don’t like what I have to say here, that’s TOTALLY FINE. You do you, my friends. Make your wedding the greatest it can be, for you.
Oh, and I am still obsessed with the trends that we talked about last year; in fact, I inclulded a few of them here again! Check that out here if you want.
And now, let’s get into the pretty and inspirational! (And PS — if you’re newly engaged, congratulations! If you’re new here, welcome! I share a deep look into my real weddings, along with sharing planning advice and tips!)
Photo by Liz Andolina / Design by Trille Floral and Winsome Floral
Sculptural Floral Design
We’re seeing unique shapes, funky ingredients and textures and REALLY letting the flowers shine. There’s no micromanaging with this — we’re beholden to what cool ingredients we can get, so a client cannot be particular if this is the style they want.
And after so many years of “just a little greenery,” I cannot tell you how truly thrilled FLORAL DESIGNERS are to see a return to actual floral design.
Focal Design Moments
Let’s favour a few focal floral features and minimize other elements. I always look to Australian wedding trends; trends often start there and work their way here — and we’re seeing a lot of abundant, over the top hanging installations, focal floral arrangements, and then somewhat minimized tabletops for banquet tables. Statements moments like a hanging piece, a killer entrance moment, a spectacular cake set up…chef’s kiss.
Mono-Bloom Bouquets
We’ve been seeing mono-bloom bridesmaid bouquets popping up more and more on Instagram, and I’m all for it. Basically, this means we take one specific flower type for each bridesmaid, giving them each a unique bouquet, and then tying it all together with your bouquet.
I really love that we can create very different vibes with this — whimsical and gardeny, modern and sleek, obviously hitting different parts of your colour palette…it’s all good and I’d love to do more of it.
We’re also still scaling back on bouquet size, aiming for a more petite feel.
Creative Seating Plans
An amazing floor plan is like a love language to someone who works in events. A plan that creates visual interest in the room and allows for multiple different design elements, at the same time as allowing for excellent flow, is the absolute dream.
We’re talking differently shaped and sized tables, mixed cocktail and full size tables, introducing interesting seating elements (as long as they’re still comfortable!) and you have got yourself one heck of a good base for your event design.
Colour
Neon.
K now don’t get too worried — this isn’t going to be a widespread trend. But I’m really excited to see some hints of neon working their way into fun, bold wedding palettes. Note that this will be hard to do with flowers, so this is something to consider bringing in with candles, vases, stationery, and so on.
Are these acrylic place mats not DIVINE?!
Outside of just neon, I’m thinking we’re going to keep seeing a lot of orange — mostly just in accents, but it’s presence will be felt.
Meandering Aisles
This isn’t exactly anything new, but I’ve been noticing more and more ceremony designs making use of the space they have by creating a meandering aisle. This means that your chairs are not perfectly aligned, instead creating a wave pattern that then allows your floral designer to tuck floral arrangements into. Note that you’re going to need a lot of space to do this, and it will not work in every setting as a result.
Unique Draping
This one is a bit harder because it really hinges on your venue, but I’m seeing a lot of really interesting, unique draping installations and I’m HERE for it. Why?
Draping can create a really cool ambiance, and completely change the vibe of the space. Dreamy, modern, organic, clean…all things possible with drapery. And no unsightly venue walls to contend with.
Bows
This one comes to us from my friend Emily at Feast & Festivities:
Bows are a timeless design (they're never out of style), but this year they are making a statement. Big bows and dainty bows, you'll find them tied around the stems of champagne coupes, on the shoulders of gowns, on wine bottles, and adorning anything from menus to cakes and floral installations.
looking for a wedding floral designer in winnipeg?
We can design an incredibly beautiful wedding for you, trendy or not.
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!
Colourful and Fun Winnipeg Art Gallery Wedding
It’s always fun to design for someone I know! Katelin is my brother-in-law’s sister, so I was excited from the start. It also became the perfect combination of elements — the WAG, juicy colour, a collab with Soiree Event Planning, my cute niece and nephew as the flower girl and ring bearer…everything was awesome!
If you’ve been around here for any length of time, you’ll know I’m an unapologetic colour lover. This wedding shows you exactly why!
It’s always fun to design for someone I know! Katelin is my brother-in-law’s sister, so I was excited about this Winnipeg Art Gallery wedding from the start. It also became the perfect combination of elements — an art museum, juicy colour, a collab with Soiree Event Planning, my cute niece and nephew as the flower girl and ring bearer…everything was awesome!
If you’ve been around here for any length of time, you’ll know I’m an unapologetic colour lover. This wedding shows you exactly why!
Photos by Cojo Photography
Another day, another one of my favourite colour palettes 😍😍 Katelin was totally on board for colour and I was thrilled. She was really drawn to oranges, and Soiree created this lovely palette of lavenders, peaches, a pop of orange so it wasn’t overwhelming, and a nice base of soft pinks. Some people think neutrals are only white/grey/beige…in my opinion, soft pink is totally a neutral.
Another bonus of August weddings — the LOCAL FLOWERS. Ugh they just make all the difference in the world. We had a ton of locally grown goods for this wedding.
Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: Locally grown foxglove, sweet pea, zinnias, and lisianthus along with cafe latte garden roses, anemones, and ranunculus.
(Pause for a moment to notice my ADORABLE (sassy) niece as flower girl!!)
This ceremony arch was so delicious. We’ve designed similar styles many times, but never in this palette and it was SO juicy and yummy. We wanted it to be fuller at the base and lighter at the top, in part because we were on the WAG rooftop, so we needed to heavily weight the base and ensure it was sturdy enough to not blow over.
Those orange dahlias were total perfection, and added just the right change in texture to pop in here.
Excuse the interruption while I tell you WHY YOU ABSOLUTELY WANT TO HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER. There’s no knowing what’s going to happen at your wedding. For example, there might be a wasp infestation…
While we were setting up the ceremony, there were a few wasps buzzing around and then a few more and then a few more…and I thought “this seems like more than usual” while Deanna was this close to losing her ever-loving mind over them. I walked over to the stone/tree area along the side of the rooftop, and realized I could hear a lot of buzzing. There were hundreds of wasps. I’m known for exaggeration, but there were HUNDREDS.
I went to Andrea from Soiree right away and let her know that we had an issue. And professional that she is, they took care of it. They had to call in an exterminator, who came in SO quickly, and move the cocktail hour from the rooftop to the Skylight Gallery. There were still wasps buzzing around during the ceremony BUT not a single sting because they had been sprayed and were on their way out. Soiree took care of all of this behind the scenes, and didn’t even worry the couple with the details.
SO YEAH. Hire a wedding planner. I’ve got a few recommendations for planners that we love, if you want (and yes, Soiree is on that list!).
Can we take a moment to talk about HOW LUCKY we got with the artwork in Eckhardt Hall?! Dang. One of the things about having a wedding in an art gallery is that you never know what the artwork itself is going to be. I know this very vibrant, colour-celebrating exhibit isn’t ideal for everyone but it was incredibly perfect for Katelin and Derek.
One of the design elements I was MOST looking forward to for Katelin and Derek’s wedding was the base palette of monochromatic pinks at the reception: light pink linen, pink glassware, pink vases, and then of course, tying pink into the flowers with vibrant pops of orange and lavender.
I LOVE how this gave a soft and fresh feeling base for the entire event — definitely something to consider for yourself!
A lot of the time, people get stuck in the idea of “white plus my accent colours” or “our main colour is x and therefore that’s what our linen needs to be.” That’s not necessarily true — I think it can work a lot better if you choose something as your neutral, and use it heavily as a base throughout. Then add your primary colour as a focal point but in fewer areas, and that’s what’s going to pop! Like here, the neutral is the soft pink, and the focal colour(s) are the lavender and orange.
Katelin comes from a family of dance-loving people — I wish I could have been there to see it in person! I am a horrible dancer, but I do love it and wish that I could. At my sister and brother-in-law’s wedding, their parents and friends just had their way with the dance floor and it was so impressive.
A huge thanks to my amazing team of freelancers who helped make this floral magic come together! My associate designer Deanna, Andrea from Addison Taylor Designs, and Andrea from Cameo Flowers. The WAG has a shorter setup timeline (which makes sense, they are open to the public during the day!), so when it comes time to setup, it’s GO TiME and all hands on deck. So grateful for these hands and the way they made my vision come together.
Cojo Photo ~ Soiree Event Planning ~ Winnipeg ARt Gallery ~ Planned Perfectly ~ Collective event rentals ~ Event Light ~ Bailey Delbigio ~ Taylor Neufeld Hair ~ DJ Sir Charles ~ Keith MacPherson
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
Getting married at the WAG? Stone House is one of their preferred vendors, and in our completely biased opinion, we’re the best at bringing the space to life 😎
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!
Top Wedding Venues in Winnipeg
Some of my most popular blog posts highlight my personal fave wedding venues, but in the last few years, there have been quite a few changes in the Winnipeg wedding venue landscape so it’s time for an update!
Whether you’re looking for a wedding venue inside Winnipeg or within a few minutes of the perimeter, we’ve got some really great options — just make sure you book it early!
Some of my most popular blog posts highlight my personal fave wedding venues,
but in the last few years, there have been quite a few changes in the Winnipeg wedding venue landscape so it’s time for an update!
Whether you’re looking for a Winnipeg wedding venue or something within a few minutes of the perimeter, we’ve got some really great options — just make sure you book it early!
Previously, I’ve broken this up into My Top 5 Unique Wedding Venues, and Top 5 Best Wedding Locations in Manitoba (outside of Winnipeg). Since those posts, we’ve seen a number of new venues open, as well as a few on my previous lists close down or shift gear. I’ve had the distinct pleasure of working at almost all of these venues within the last 12 months, and they’re all SO great.
Without further ado, here are my Top favourite wedding venues in Winnipeg (and area) in absolutely no particular order!
Winnipeg Art Gallery
The WAG has long been one of my favourite venues for weddings. The building is absolutely beautiful, and of course, has every amenity that you need already taken care of. The rooftop makes for a gorgeous spot for ceremonies and cocktail hour (though prepare for wind! There’s nothing quite so windy as the WAG rooftop), Eckhardt Hall is a breathtaking backdrop for chic receptions, and since the opening of Quamajug, there are a few additional spaces available that are also visually inspiring.
The White Poplar
Near East Selkirk, the White Poplar has been a popular outdoor venue for a few years. It’s similar in style to a lot of tent facilities, in that you bring in your own caterer, florals and decor, music, and so on, so you can really customize how much your wedding is going to cost you. The pavilion style building has open sides with a permanent roof, a fantastic catering building that also houses the washrooms and a wedding party suite. The property features a pond, is fully treed, and has multiple options for gorgeous ceremony backdrops. There are a lot of wins here!
One thing you need to plan for is wind. It’s a windy property, and seemingly no matter what is happening in the sky, it’s going to be windy enough to knock vases or candles off tables in the pavilion. Plan to keep your centrepieces low and large enough that the vase has good weight to it and is more likely to stay on the tables, and consider framing your table numbers and tucking menus and place cards into napkins or forks.
Another great thing about White Poplar — they are SO good to vendors. Honestly, they make our jobs easy and that’s not something you find at every venue. Extra bonus points for a happy vendor team 😊
The Pavilion at Assiniboine Park
I am SO EXCITED that the Pavilion is once again open. They did weddings back in the day, and then the restaurant was closed, and then they reopened for weddings with a refreshed look but then Covid happened…and I just am so happy about it because it’s a beautiful wedding venue with a long list of pros. Some of my favourite elements include
-an open ceiling that allows me to hang flowers 🌸
-gorgeous natural light thanks to a lot of windows
-a prime location inside Assiniboine Park making it so easy for guests, and so many locations for your wedding photos
-a beautiful outdoor terrace perfect for ceremonies and cocktail hours
-the venue capacity for a seated dinner is 100 people, which gives you the perfect excuse to have a slightly trimmed down guest list while still including all your most important people!
The St Norbert Arts Centre
SNAC is just a few minutes south of the city, making it really convenient while also being situated in a unique historical and natural environment. The room is on the smaller side, with light hardwood floors, lots of windows, and white walls. Long tables work really well here, and in the image above, we brought in the crossback chairs and ceiling drapery to create a more refined rustic vibe.
Heads up, though, that the SNAC is not air conditioned, so you’re likely going to want to avoid booking a mid-summer wedding here. May/June and September/October is PERFECT.
The Manitoba Club
The Manitoba Club is one of my favourite venues in Winnipeg. Now here’s the thing — the Grand Ballroom and the Oak Room are two absolutely stunning rooms, with a very old-world quality that lends an elegant, traditional atmosphere, but the thing that I love the MOST about Manitoba Club is actually their outdoor space, the Bonnycastle Garden! Just take a look at this — it’s perfect for intimate wedding receptions, an outdoor wedding ceremony, or even your cocktails and dancing!
Alloway Hall at the Manitoba Museum
I’m super excited that, after a few years’ hiatus, the Manitoba Museum is once again taking wedding bookings in Alloway Hall! I’m eagerly anticipating my first wedding there next summer. We’re going with a lot of colour and a maximalist gallery vibe, which will go beautifully in the large, open, white and black space. You can do a LOT of things in here, but you’re not going to want to go minimal with decor.
Here’s what I love about Alloway Hall:
-it fits a LOT of people - up to 600!
-it features tall ceilings, white walls, and dark floors with a gallery-style vibe, so it’s a great blank canvas for different styles
-one wall is entirely windows, with a gorgeous view of the Steinkopf Gardens between the museum and the Concert Hall
-built-in lighting options!
Restaurant Weddings: Smith, Gusto, and Cibo
Restaurant weddings will always be a fave of mine. Why? The food is always going to be great, the atmosphere is a bit more relaxed and less traditional than your typical wedding venue, and they’re often so beautifully designed that you just need to add a few flowers or candles and you’re all set to go.
Keep in mind that tables are usually a bit more helter-skelter (they won’t all be exactly the same, making the floor plan a bit trickier to figure out) and also usually quite narrow, so you won’t have as much space for florals. I’d recommend doing a plated dinner as there often won’t be enough space for share platters.
St Charles Country Club
In the heat of the summer, sometimes what you really need is an indoor wedding venue with the reliability of air conditioning and no wind. And ideally, a pretty space as well :) You certainly get that at St Charles! Plus gorgeous grounds, a truly idyllic outdoor space, and a gorgeous fireplace for those iconic portraits and first dance moments. They renovated a few years ago, and it still feels fresh and clean. The ceilings are on the lower side, and the floor plan can be a bit strange because it’s a long room with two wings on either end, so not every guest will be able to see the wedding couple throughout the evening (though I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing!).
The Fort Garry Hotel
The Hotel Fort Garry has been hosting weddings in their ballrooms for over 100 years already so it’s not as though you didn’t already know the venue existed, BUT, it’s still one of my favourite wedding venues in downtown Winnipeg, and in particular, the Provencher Room on the first floor is a personal fave. If you want your wedding to feel classic and elegant, there’s no better option for you. The benefits of being able to get ready in one of their suites, visit the spa, and simplify your out-of-town guests’ stay are obvious as well!
For this gorgeous flower-filled wedding, they utilized the entire 7th floor and created a really unique guest experience. Guests stepped off the elevator and knew the entire space was for their celebration. The ceremony and pre-cocktail party were in the Concert Ballroom, with additional cocktail tables and the seating display in the loggios / hallway, dinner in the Crystal Ballroom, and then back to the Concert for dancing. It worked beautifully!
Wild Skies Resort
Owned and created by amazing wedding photographer Megan Steen, Wild Skies is an incredibly unique outdoor venue that’s ideal for couples who love camping/glamping, are eco-conscious, and are looking for something a bit more on the intimate side. In 2021 I was so lucky to do Tiffany and Stephanie’s intimate wedding under the trees at Wild Skies, and since then, they’ve built a modern pavilion (complete with pizza oven 🤤) that I’m aching to see in person.
Pineridge Hollow
Pineridge Hollow has always been on the list, and for good reason. Everyone loves it! It’s a semi-permanent tent situated in the tree line at this popular destination bordering Birds Hill Park.
At PRH you always know the food is going to be top-notch, and the grounds are beautiful. They also offer unique customizations that take the guest experience up a few notches. While the tent itself could use some refreshing, they’ve recently added permanent bathrooms (woo!) and offer multiple ceremony settings so you can really get the vibe you’re going for. At this recent wedding, I added greenery to the ceiling (lighting by Event Light) and decked out the entranceway between the bar tent and the main tent, and that really amped it all up.
Lilystone Gardens
New kid on the block! Lilystone is the perfect example of why every wedding venue should be designed by a wedding florist, my friends. Kelly has done the most amazing job of creating a space that is just begging to be covered with flowers AND EVEN BETTER it’s at her flower farm. WHAT.
Air conditioned. Indoor and outdoor spaces. Multiple gorgeous ceremony locations. Catering kitchen on premises. Getting ready suite right there. I mean. There are only pros here. I’m so excited to have a wedding here next fall!
Florals in the above photo by the talented team at Lilystone! I did work on the hanging installation along with Deer Dutch, though 😊
Ariana Tennyson Photography
Hawthorn Estates
Hawthorn is just about 30 minutes outside of the city (and it’s actually super close to my end of town, so it’s very convenient for me lol!) and they’ve done SUCH a beautiful job of creating this amazing wedding venue. They have options for your ceremony to be fully outdoors or in their covered solarium (I LOVE THE SOLARIUM!), and the reception space features this gorgeous fireplace (which also makes for a stunning ceremony spot!) and beautiful distressed timber beams throughout. There’s a great amount of natural light, as well as really nice bathrooms, which always bumps a venue to the top of my personal list!
I’d love to work with a client at Hawthorn who wants to get creative…I’d picture the ceremony in front of the fireplace, with the sweetheart table moved in front for the reception, and a mix of banquet and round tables throughout the room. Velvet linens, lush florals on the fireplace…oh baby, who’s in?
The Gates on Roblin
The Gates is one of those spaces that has been around for a long time, has gone through multiple iterations of itself, and always exudes excellence. My aunt was married in the restaurant when I was kid, and I remember just loving that day, so it’s always been special for me.
The food is excellent, the venue staff are fantastic, and you have the option to have your ceremony outdoors or indoors, cocktails on the patio, and if you have a smaller group, then the restaurant has several private rooms you can use instead of the full venue!
In my opinion, the reception space does require a lot of dressing up, so ensure that you’ve budgeted appropriate for ceiling and wall drapery. It’s a pretty neutral space, so you can do pretty much any colour palette well, which is always a bonus!
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
2023 wedding dates are now booking! Whether it’s an intimate wedding for 30 or a celebration the likes of which have never been seen before, 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!
2024 WRAP UP
At the risk of sounding cliche — here we are! The end of another year and I can’t believe we’re here.
It’s been a pretty amazing year. I’m going to run through some of the high points and hopefully that’ll help me actually remember what we got up to because the year went by so quickly.
This year saw us complete 35 weddings! I think I’ll try to cap future calendar years a little lower than that — we were thrilled to be part of each of those weddings, and the season went farther into November than I’ve done in the past, but I’ll be honest, it was definitely exhausting and we could have done with a few more breaks.
At the risk of sounding cliche — here we are! The end of another year and I can’t believe we’re here.
It’s been a pretty amazing year. I’m going to run through some of the high points and hopefully that’ll help me actually remember what we got up to because the year went by so quickly.
My family moved last October — literally the day after my last wedding, we all got hit with food poisoning, and then the day after that, we moved. That was pretty chaotic.
The plan was to build my new workshop over the spring to be able to work in it this summer, so we started off the year working in our very messy garage until the shop was built. I sort of can’t believe that it all happened!
Photo by Vanessa Renae
This year saw us complete 35 weddings! I think I’ll try to cap future calendar years a little lower than that — we were thrilled to be part of each of those weddings, and the season went farther into November than I’ve done in the past, but I’ll be honest, it was definitely exhausting and we could have done with a few more breaks.
The studio build
The building process was really cool. The permit getting process was not. It was just frustration after frustration with very little helpful information available and a really poorly designed submissions website. But eventually we got everything approved, with like 4 days to spare before the concrete was poured!
My brother-in-law’s company, Abe’s Kongcrete, poured the pad for us and installed the heated floors. You know what’s funny, is I totally didn’t anticipate how messy this stage of the process was. Like somehow I thought that my yard wouldn’t get totally destroyed and everything would be perfectly tidy. So that clearly wasn’t accurate.
We then worked with Star Builders to build the actual shop. It’s 20x30 so we’ve got an awesome amount of space, and it was astonishing how quickly it went up.
Insulating, OSB walls, painting, my husband built me an incredible and huge work bench, the cooler got all set up…and there we were. It took a little longer than I hoped for, but then we were in and it was amazing.
Next year I’ll do a proper studio tour. The front space is all intended for designing, and the back houses the cooler and lots of storage space for vases and stuff, and overall I’m really proud of the entire studio!
Above are a few shots from when we were working in the attached garage! It worked out quite well all things considered — aside from the fact that my entire living room was filled with all of my inventory (literally the ENTIRE LIVING ROOM) and we needed to move our bikes in and out of the garage every single day. It was chaotic and not ideal, but it did work.
One of my personal and work values is to work as earth-friendly as I possibly can. As I’ve said before, it’s surprisingly hard to do in the floral and in the wedding industry.
You know I love my locally grown flowers, and I use as many as I possibly can for each summer wedding. Of course we can’t get everything we need locally, and one challenge we have is that imported flowers typically can’t be composted here in Winnipeg, because our facilities can’t properly handle the high level of chemicals coming in on the flowers.
So, I work with Compost Winnipeg to compost all of my green waste!
Working with them, I have diverted 405 kg so far this year! That is equal to 365kg CO2e, and equal to the carbon sequestered by 6 trees grown for 10 years or the emissions avoided by 16 bags of trash composted rather than landfilled. I don’t understand it all, but it’s cool!!
We did a lot of pretty things.
We launched our Rentals Collection! I did this for a few reasons — to bring in a little more revenue, to be part of a few more weddings and help elevate their aesthetics, and because it really bothers me when every supplier brings in the exact same inventory and all of our weddings just look the same over and over and over. I hope that by offering my rentals to other floral and event designers, that they won’t all feel the need to expand their rental inventories with more of the same.
Each year brings me to different wedding venues, and it’s always interesting to see any patterns in where I’m working. Last year, we worked at so many venues one time each. This year, we had a good spread but our top venue was by far the WAG, with 4 weddings, along with a couple each at the Assiniboine Park Pavilion, St Charles Country Club, and the Leaf. We also designed a stellar wedding at Alloway Hall for the first time, and at Lilystone Gardens!
I got lucky this year with a fantastic combination on multiple occasions: indoor weddings that actually look good 😂 I really don’t mean to be rude with this, but let’s be honest: a lot of indoor locations are really just lacking (especially for ceremonies). But I managed to snag myself a handful of clients who get sunburns as easily as I do, at great venues, so we had a comfortable working day. Aside from the one time that Deanna got heatstroke on the hottest day of the year!!
Stone House will be turning 10 in June 2024! I’ve got some ideas rolling around for something celebratory, but overall, I’m not great at allowing myself the luxury of celebrating so I’ll need to really force myself to let it happen. I’m really proud of these last 9 years and year 10 is going to be a record breaker in many ways.
Photo above by Keila Marie Photography
3 Photography Toronto
Planning for Next Year
We’re going to be launching an A La Carte floral service — still working on the details, but we’ll hopefully announce it soon!
I’ll be taking part in some cool opportunities within Winnipeg next year — Camp Rover (a conference for creatives), along with Design Your Day (a wedding workshop for engaged couples with Kayla Lagos Events).
Hopefully a trip to Quebec for some floral design inspiration, if the stars align!
You know what I love? Room Reveals.
I don’t often get to be there in person when you see your wedding design for the first time. But sometimes I do, like with both of these weddings below, and I LOVE seeing your excitement and complete overwhelm at how good everything looks in person. Making this all come true for you is one of my favourite things ❤️
Also, if you have 5 minutes in your schedule, and the details have been important to you, ask your photographer and wedding planner to arrange for a room reveal. It’s so special for you to see the room completely put together, with no one there aside from the two of you.
Photos below by Picture & Poet
Some other notable moments for the year:
Designing for Stanley Cup Winner Mark Stone
In late July, I designed the flowers for NHL Las Vegas Knights’ Captain, Mark Stone (a Winnipeg man!) for his Stanley Cup party at Breezy Bend Golf Course with Soiree Event Planning. I even got to see the Stanley Cup itself about 3 feet away from me— I am not a hockey player, but grew up in a hockey family, so that was very cool.
Designing for TikTok
We don’t have a ton of intriguing corporate events here in Winnipeg, so when I got a call from TikTok asking if I would design for the final dinner of an Accelerator Program for Indigenous Creators that they were hosting at the Millenium Centre, I was super excited. It was a very last minute event, but it went so well!
Some Near Misses
I’m 9 years into this business. I’m really good at it. I won’t pretend that I’m not. But this year we had some near misses — one wedding that I somehow forgot to order 2/3 of the flowers for, and one wedding that my wholesaler missed the order on. In both situations, we managed to pull EVERY SINGLE THING that we needed and everything else went off without a hitch. Aside from the panicked stress moments 😂
The cutest bridesmaid proposal party
We don’t just do weddings! This bridesmaid proposal party was the literal cutest I could possibly imagine. So here’s a note for you: I want to be part of your bridesmaid proposals, your rehearsal dinners and day-after brunches, your wedding showers, your engagement party…anytime you want something a little extra, you just call me.
I am so grateful for all of the amazing people who were part of making this wedding season happen. It’s absolutely not just me over here.
Deanna’s been working with me for at least 7 years now, but this year, she came on with me full time. It was a big leap for me to do that, but I couldn’t be happier that we did it. It was SO amazing having her full time, not only because she’s a phenomenal designer but also because having her here meant that my time was freed up to work so that I didn’t have to work every single evening. She designs most of our centrepiece arrangements and we tackle most installations together; we work really well together and I truly trust her with everything. She’s amazing!
At various weddings, we’ve also had in a crew of wonderful freelance designers and set up help. I’m so thankful that I can hand off jobs to people who I know will do an amazing job so I can keep other things moving along on schedule. Vanessa, Andrea P, Andrea N, Emily, Natalie, Fareedah, Shantel, Roberta, and of course, my husband Chad as well — YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING. Thank you!
Before I close out, I wanted to mention an organization I’m connected with that’s doing amazing work in some of the poorest, most underserved communities in the world: Village of Hope Africa. It’s a Christian organization, so if that’s not your thing then that’s fine, but they work to bring hope to children through education, nutrition, shelter, and healthcare. We (aka you and me together if you’re one of my clients!!) support a child in their Malawi school (the 9th poorest nation in the world).
They’re organizing something called HOPE PACKS, which are just $25 and include toys, books (children in Malawi have such limited access to books!), clothing, and treats. If you’re feeling generous today, I’d be thrilled if you’d send a hope pack!
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
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!
Photo by Picture & Poet