Moody Fashion-Forward Wedding at the Hotel Fort Garry
Being part of Sarah and Scott’s moody, fashion-forward wedding at the Fort Garry Hotel last fall was such a delight.
The flowers were not a huge priority for her — and while most of my couples do put a large emphasis on their florals, I know that many couples out there are in the same place as Sarah! And that’s totally, totally fine.
So instead of doing florals all over the place, we kept a close eye on their budget and chose multi-purpose pieces that would highlight a few key areas, and let Sarah’s fashion be the central design moment.
Being part of Sarah and Scott’s moody, fashion-forward wedding at the Fort Garry Hotel last fall was such a delight.
The flowers were not a huge priority for her — and while most of my couples do put a large emphasis on their florals, I know that many couples out there are in the same place as Sarah! And that’s totally, totally fine.
So instead of doing florals all over the place, we kept a close eye on their budget and chose multi-purpose pieces that would highlight a few key areas, and let Sarah’s fashion be the central design moment.
Photos by Michael & Melanie
Sarah wanted to go smaller and simpler for her bridal bouquet, keeping it a little more chic and not take away from her dress.
Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: baby’s breath, cream and white spray roses, and playa blanca roses.
I don’t normally post this many portraits and fashion shots, but this gallery from Michael & Melanie is just SO gorgeous. Sarah is all about the fashion and her bridal looks were absolutely divine, so I needed to share a bit more than usual.
The overskirt? The perfect sleeve length? The way she just shimmered? Amazzzing. It’s an Eva Lendel gown, that fate lined up perfectly to make sure she found, on a pre-loved wedding dress site while she was in London, England, of all places. Amazing!!
“Anyone who was on my bridal era journey with me from the beginning knew I didn’t want a lot of flowers initially, but then I found Stone House Creative and immediately changed my mind. Lauren brings a new vision and creativity to this industry I haven’t seen a match for. Her ability to execute someone’s vision is incredible. Thank you for creating such a beautiful backdrop for our celebrations of love.” — Sarah
This ceremony setup has since become one of my most-requested designs by other couples, which is super fun! Sarah wasn’t quite sure what she wanted, but after deciding that she DID want to go with floral decor and tossing around a few ideas, she felt that she needed to reign in the budget. It was actually her idea to repurpose the tall centrepieces and arrange them as an altar around them.
We rented in the mixed clear and gold pedestals, and while we were setting everything up, I decided to call an audible and remove some of the tall stands so the florals were resting right on the pedestals. This added a lot more dimension, created a more designed feeling, and a feeling that that they were floating.
The tall florals were brought over to the guest tables at the reception, paired up with shorter floral arrangements in gold-rimmed vases. I had no idea that the Fort Garry had reupholstered their chairs in this pink tone, but it was lucky! They actually worked perfectly with Sarah’s overall design.
Winnipeg friends will know. Jeanne’s cake, anyone? (I’ve personally never been that into them…aside from the chocolate shavings, which I love)
Sarah’s got a pretty cool story about her second dress — she had admired this designer for years (Valdrin Sahiti, known for dressing Khloe Kardashian and Beyonce!!), so she flew to their headquarters in Kosovo (after travelling through Europe to try on wedding dresses everywhere she could find), and met with the design team. She then got hit with a wave of indecision, and couldn’t decide on anything that she loved! She ended up coming home, but kept thinking it over…and finally, figured out the custom designed gown that would be perfect for her. The designers shipped it to her just 8 days before the wedding, complete with 1000+ hand-sewn feathers onto the skirt of the dress.
Looking for a Wedding Floral & Event Designer in Winnipeg?
Dates at the Winnipeg Art Gallery book quickly, and we’re one of their top designers! Reach out to inquire about your date availability.
Whether you already have a specific vision or want me to dream up something custom just for you, reach out to find out how we can create the perfect ambiance for your wedding.
Wedding Inspiration Series: Colour Palette Ideas
We’re back with our latest blog mini-series, with the aim of giving you all the inspiration you need to get into wedding planning. I know that a lot of the different areas of wedding planning can be…let’s say, un-fun…but I hope that all of the pretty can feel like a breath of fresh air for you and reinvigorate your ideas with new inspo!
Today we’re highlighting colour palette inspiration trending for 2025. If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, you’ll know that I’m OBSESSED WITH COLOUR. And when I say that, don’t get nervous: when I say COLOUR, I don’t mean that it has to be neon. Or rainbow. Or Crayloa bright (unless that’s what you want).
There’s such a wide range of what we can do with colour. It really sets the stage for your overall ambiance and vibe, and that’s why colour palette is ALWAYS what I start with when I design a wedding. Layering in different shades and tones, adding depth in just the right places, or a pop of something really vibrant to bring that breath of life…nothing but colour can do that.
Inspiration For yOur Wedding Colour Palette
We’re back with our latest blog mini-series, with the aim of giving you all the inspiration you need to get into wedding planning. I know that a lot of the different areas of wedding planning can be…let’s say, un-fun…but I hope that all of the pretty can feel like a breath of fresh air for you and reinvigorate your ideas with new inspo!
Today we’re highlighting colour palette inspiration trending for 2025. If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, you’ll know that I’m OBSESSED WITH COLOUR. And when I say that, don’t get nervous: when I say COLOUR, I don’t mean that it has to be neon. Or rainbow. Or Crayloa bright (unless that’s what you want).
There’s such a wide range of what we can do with colour. It really sets the stage for your overall ambiance and vibe, and that’s why colour palette is ALWAYS what I start with when I design a wedding. Layering in different shades and tones, adding depth in just the right places, or a pop of something really vibrant to bring that breath of life…nothing but colour can do that.
Photos by Brittany Mahood
Colour Palette Inspo 1: Pastels
One of the main things I’m seeing for next year is pastels on pastels. 10 years ago we did a ton of romantic pastels, and it’s back in a big Taylor Swift-loving way. But, we’re not just going to go sugar sticky sweet with baby pinks and blues and lavenders. We’ll amp it up in a modern way, of course! That might be a hint of lime or a few pops of saturated pinks that blend with the softer tones, like in the image below.
One of the best ways to ensure that you’ll love your pastel palette is to use locally grown flowers. Locally grown flowers are the BEST for blending a delicious palette (but, of course, you’re limited on the season). We’ll often see multiple tones within a single local bloom, which is what gives us the ability to blend that palette and create something with depth for you.
Below is one of my favourite bouquets I designed this year, in a lovely pastel fluttery combination that was meant to compliment her fluttery ethereal dress. We used more saturated peaches and lavenders throughout the decor flowers, but her bouquet was light and dreamy.
Colour Inspo 2: Reds
Just like in fashion, red has been all the rage in weddings and it’ll continue to move that way for another year or two. I know that a lot of you are afraid of red. You don’t have to be. Yes, it’s bold and it makes a statement BUT do you really want to spend a lot of money on a wedding that doesn’t make any statement at all?
A few ways to play with this:
-Go for a full monochromatic look. Shades of red together is really strong and delicious. I remember a former boss of mine softly suggesting to a bride that she not choose red and white, because it would look like the target symbol…amen to that! If you’re going to go for a bold tone like red, then fully commit to get the most impact.
-Red can read very classic. It can also read very modern, or very bold, etc etc. Choose what direction you want to go and make sure to communicate that to your floral designer, because different shades or varieties of flowers will make or break your look.
-Don’t be afraid to darken your palette for a moody fall/winter wedding, or play it up with some chartreuse or caramel tones for something more summery and fun.
Above are two images from a recent fall wedding we designed at the WAG with Soiree Event Planning. The creative brief called for deep, moody tones of burgundies, dark reds, and plums with architecturally-inspired designs. Obviously we LOVED IT. Much more to come!
Colour Inspo 3: Soft Yellows
This is obviously an extension of the pastel palettes, but one shade I expect we’ll be seeing a lot of (and that I would LOVE to design for you!!) is soft yellow. This hue has a naturally wildflower look to it, and pairs beautifully with soft greens and whites for a really fresh feel. I think soft yellow is best when left on its own or in a simple pairing like these images below, but you could also tuck in a bit of pale pink for some more femininity.
Now, one thing to know is that there aren’t a ton of readily available soft yellow flowers. It’s strange — some of our local growers specifically save seed from their blooms that have been paler than others, so that they can try to encourage the lighter tones more. So, the key is just to avoid using anything that’s too bright, and then working with your fashion and stationery choices to bring in more of that soft yellow. And don’t be put off if your florist suggests something that’s “cream” because that can be the perfect way to pull it together!
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
I hope you get the idea now, that we’re unapologetic lovers of colour. We would love to make some magic happen for your wedding.
Call me biased, but 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!
Warm, Inviting Fall Wedding at SMITH
I just LOVE restaurant weddings, so when Ange and Jonathan first reached out about their fall wedding at Smith, I was pumped. Then I heard more that Connie from Harlow Events had planned, and the ceremony location at the Forks, and I was so excited to be on board.
Warm, inviting, and a colour palette that transitioned from summer to fall was the name of the game here, with a real focus on the guest experience. The couple really wanted their guests to have an amazing time, and that always makes for the best weddings.
I just LOVE restaurant weddings, so when Ange and Jonathan first reached out about their fall wedding at Smith, I was pumped. Then I heard more that Connie from Harlow Events had planned, and the ceremony location at the Forks, and I was so excited to be on board.
Warm, inviting, and a colour palette that transitioned from summer to fall was the name of the game here, with a real focus on the guest experience. The couple really wanted their guests to have an amazing time, and that always makes for the best weddings.
Photos by Megan Steen
Oh my goodness gracious, how I LOVED their flowers and colours. Ange and Jonathan’s wedding was in November, so my wholesalers actually had a tricky time getting everything that I wanted because the industry had already shifted away from fall tones. Luckily for us, everything ended up working out flawlessly! The richness and saturation of these tones…divine.
Bridal Bouquet ingredients: Moab, nina, and toffee roses (a STELLAR combination), ranunculus, kangaroo paw, copper beech leaves, cymbidium orchids, and the most divine bittersweet berries.
Angeline didn’t have a wedding party, but I love that the couple still spent time with their friends throughout the day. After we were finished setting up, we took a taco break at the Forks and got to see the girls all hanging out and oohing and aahing over everything, and it was so sweet to watch. It looked like an easy day to be part of — lots of time together, no pressure, and an easy schedule.
I loved this ceremony design and this space. The only other time I’ve been in this room at the Forks was to see a children’s comedian (lol mom life) and obviously this looked a bit better ha!
The chuppah was meant to feel textural and saturated, and it really popped from the white drape behind (which hid a giant hole in the floor — gotta love these old buildings!).
We lined the aisle with candles, and added differently sized pockets of floral throughout the wooden structure. It just looked SO good and the ambiance in this room was amazing.
After the ceremony, everyone walked over to Smith for the reception. It was a pretty beautiful day and we lucked out there, at the end of November!
We scattered mixed size floral arrangements and candles throughout the entire restaurant, using copper bowls and ribbed clear and smoke glass vases. I wanted the space to feel very collected but chic, and of course, bring in a lot of warmth through the colours. One of the things I love about Smith is that it has a very distinct vibe but it can handle a lot of different colour palettes.
Another gorgeous wedding, another amazing vendor team, and another fantastic (smelling) meal — seeing as though we don’t actually eat at weddings, but it sure does smell the best at Smith! The ambiance of a restaurant wedding is unlike anything else.
Megan Steen Photography ~ Harlow Events ~ Smith ~ the Forks ~ Dream Day Decorators ~ Event Light ~ Isabel Nayet Hair and MaKeup ~ 4 Square Foto Booth ~ Dirty CatFish Brass Band ~ LoveNote Bride ~ La Petite Paperie ~ Flour and Flower ~ Union Table ~ Collective Event Rentals
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
We like to consider ourselves specialists in restaurant weddings; we know what it takes to make each space feel unique, create a killer ambiance, and what elements are worth investing in vs not.
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!
Wedding Inspiration Series: Centrepieces and Tablescape Design
We’re back with our latest blog mini-series, with the aim of giving you all the inspiration you need to get into wedding planning. I know that a lot of the different areas of wedding planning can be…let’s say, un-fun…but I hope that all of the pretty can feel like a breath of fresh air for you and reinvigorate your ideas with new inspo!
Today we’re highlighting centrepiece and tablescaping inspiration. There are a few cool design ideas starting to make their rounds, so I’ll highlight some of these, and give you some budget ideas should you find something that you want to focus on at your wedding!
Inspiration For yOur Wedding Centrepieces
We’re back with our latest blog mini-series, with the aim of giving you all the inspiration you need to get into wedding planning. I know that a lot of the different areas of wedding planning can be…let’s say, un-fun…but I hope that all of the pretty can feel like a breath of fresh air for you and reinvigorate your ideas with new inspo!
Today we’re highlighting centrepiece and tablescaping inspiration. There are a few cool design ideas starting to make their rounds, so I’ll highlight some of these, and give you some budget ideas should you find something that you want to focus on at your wedding!
Photos by Grace and Ardor
Design Idea 1: CaterPIllar Style Round Tables
There’s a definitive trend of round tables positioned in a curved line, creating a long tablescape. This looks cool, and it’s a really fun way to fill space in a big ballroom, but for most guest lists, it’s not actually practical. This style seats very few people, and is kind of isolating in the way that chairs are positioned. So while it looks cool, it’s probably not actually something we’re going to see much of.
Design Idea 2: Creating Height Between TAbles
Bringing height between your tables is a surefire way to create a unique statement — whatever you want that statement to be. Tall arrangements set on pedestals and breaking up the floor plan can be a way to create opulence, or create some modern moodiness with bar-back style tables and large planters.
A few ways to play with this:
-Add pedestals between lengths of long tables, with tall arrangements placed on top. This can create an art gallery type of effect, and could also allow you to go simpler on the table tops themselves (a runner of candles with a few statement floral moments throughout a room would be amazing!!).
-Curved light stands with suspended lamp shades or florals arching over a table would be amazing. If this excites you, come talk to me. Your girl has got IDEAS she is wanting to play with. And Mix Event Rentals in Winnipeg offers these stands!
-Trees (real or faux!) placed throughout the room or behind the bar would be such a cool way to bring some height to the space while also feeling very organic and fresh.
How to Accomplish this in Winnipeg:
Below are images from a recent Clear Lake wedding we designed the florals for, and these tall silk trees were brought in from House of Silk to place around the outskirts of the dance floor. It added amazing ambiance! Photos by Brittany Mahood, with much more to come from this gorgeous day.
Design Idea 3: minimalist tablescaping with a grounded floral focal point
I’m sure I’ve said this many times, but it’s always a great move to plan for a few design focal points, allowing you to go big in a couple of high traffic areas while keeping it more attainable in other areas. This is the perfect example — minimalist tablescaping, with a grounded floral focal point. A dramatic floral moment like this pairs beautifully with candles and petite florals, because that negative space is an important part of creating a modern design.
A few ideas if you this design style:
-If budget is tighter, invest in only one of these pieces at your head table. It’ll naturally draw eyes to you and make you feel amazing, creating the ambiance you dream of but at a more attainable total budget.
-Waterfall or growing up, you decide! The two main ways to feature a design like this will be either a waterfall end-cap, which starts on the tabletop itself and then cascades off the edge of the table, or a piece situated on the floor and grows up the table.
-If you chose a ground-based piece that grows up the table, this is something that can (with the help of the right floral designer) be repurposed from your ceremony. As a lover of good design, though, please choose the right floral designer. It’s so easy to make a piece like this fall flat and bland. It’s not always as easy as picking up a piece that was lining your aisle and popping it on the ground. While that can look great, it can be so much better.
-While the budget for a floral installation piece like this will always be a range, if you want a piece that’s more floral-heavy, expect to budget at least $1000 and if you’re okay with something more green-heavy like the below left image, you can likely get away with something more in the $700 range. If you like a free-standing piece like the bottom right, you can probably be safe in the $500 range.
Below are a few recent designs that we’ve tackled here at Stone House! These floral waterfalls were a HUGE hit — this end of the tables was what guests saw when they entered the space, and I can’t tell you how many times I heard “gasp! the florals!” and that makes my heart SO happy.
And another idea — it would also be divine to go minimalistic on those tabletops but go big UP. Hanging pieces or a greenery/floral canopy above your tables with simple candlelight or bud vases on the tables themselves makes an enormous impact.
I’ve always been so inspired by this image below on the left, where the tables had to be quite narrow to fit enough guests into the space. So, the designer cleverly chose only to use candles on the tabletop, but to do a lush greenery canopy above.
On the right are images from two weddings where we took a similar inspiration, but applied it at different budget points and aesthetics to local venues!
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
We can design a beautiful, unique wedding environment for you. Find out more about our floral services by inquiring below!
Call me biased, but 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!
Citrus-Filled Autumn Wedding at Lily Stone Gardens
Gosh darn it, I looked forward to Chantal and Anthony’s wedding for probably over a year between booking it and the wedding day finally arriving. When we first started talking, their venue hadn’t even been built yet! But we threw around some amazing ideas and over the many months to follow, refined those ideas (along with their wonderful planner, Connie from Harlow Events) until we created the perfect citrus-filled autumnal wedding.
Photos: Megan Steen Photography
Gosh darn it, I looked forward to Chantal and Anthony’s wedding for probably over a year between booking it and the wedding day finally arriving. When we first started talking, their venue hadn’t even been built yet! But we threw around some amazing ideas and over the many months to follow, refined those ideas (along with their wonderful planner, Connie from Harlow Events) until we created the perfect citrus-filled autumnal wedding.
Photos: Megan Steen Photography
Chantal is one of those people who loves and serves with her whole heart, and I knew that I had the opportunity to make her heart so happy on her wedding day. The woman wanted FLOWERS and I was so excited to make it happen for her. Just check out that excited smile above after she saw her bridal bouquet for the first time and it really sunk in that it was time to get ready to get married!!
I loved the palette that Harlow Events put together, but some of it was challenging to pull through into the flowers. That’s where we work in other elements — so just keep that in mind for your own wedding! The flowers don’t need to have an equal amount of each colour in your palette. For example, the purple in the palette was really quite a “grape” colour…which is pretty hard to come by in flowers. Instead, I chose this absolutely amazing velvet silk ribbon to bring that colour in.
Chantal wanted her bouquet to be “super juicy,” in her rich autumnal palette, so I chose large blooms and interesting textures.
Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: Heart of Gold rose, Leonidas rose, dahlias, globe thistle, deep eggplant mini calla lilies, celosia, bittersweet berries, smokebush foliage, oak leaves, and the perfect touch of ferns (her grandfather’s name is Fern, and we wanted to make sure he was represented).
Lily Stone has multiple beautiful spots for the ceremony, and this peaceful spot in front of the pond is so pretty! We decided to keep the ceremony flowers on the simpler side, making sure they were pieces that could be easily repurposed to the reception. So, 2 oversized pieces on top of wood pedestals was the way to go!
I tucked in some perfect purple kale, which was a lucky find that week in my wholesaler’s cooler. It was the ideal colour and such a neat texture to add in.
Aren’t the scarves/shawls the bridesmaids wore lovely? And their jewel tone velvet dresses were just amazing.
HELLO RECEPTION!
Like I mentioned, Lily Stone wasn’t actually built yet when we started talking, but I knew that Kelly had plans for a fantastic hanging structure to allow florals to be the centre stage (every wedding venue should be designed by a florist!). Chantal really wanted a dramatic hanging installation, and to be able to position her head table underneath it. We kept the other guest tables simpler, so that we could allocate as much budget as possible toward the hanging installation.
To make sure the florals went as far as possible, I chose to vertically hang long-lasting blooms individually off the chandelier grid. With a lucky base of smilax foliage, this looked so amazing. I then added in chains and loops of carnation garlands, along with garlands of freshly strung orange slices. When I tell you this space smelled SO FRESH, I hope you believe it. When Chantal walked in and saw us working on it before it was even finished and already started to cry, I knew we had done the job right :)
This seating chart was a labour of love for Harlow Events and Blake Creative Co! I absolutely LOVE the way it turned out (though I know it was pretty hard to get the lettering on the terracotta pots). We styled the pots with some wooden blocks for levels, filled each with different greeneries to appear like potted plants (including some more ferns for Chantal!), and added in more citrus slices. A few sweet photos and details with their pups made it even more special.
The guest tables alternated between a low, medium sized floral arrangement on the round tables, and scattered stem vases on the round tables. Each was completed with coloured candles and fresh fruit styled with the table numbers to really bring that juicy, citrus theme to life.
We skipped adding flowers to the head table, since it was sitting below the hanging pieces, and instead loaded it full of coloured pillar candles and fresh fruit. Note the guest below cutting into an orange 😂
And of course, we can’t design a wedding at a venue with a beautiful fireplace, and not fill it up. I will always love a good mantle design! This one gave us the opportunity to use more of these fun bittersweet berries, which were just delicious (to look at, not to eat!!).
You’ve got nothing on a delicious fall celebration! I’ve still got plenty of fall availability for 2025, so if you’re interested in a delicious, warm palette like this one, and you want to be as happy and excited when you walk into your reception as Chantal was, then be sure to shoot me an email because I would LOVE to be part of your wedding.
Megan Steen Photography ~ Harlow Events ~ LiLystone Gardens ~ Blake Creative Co ~ Collective Event rentals ~ Nomad Box Bar ~ Colour Me Artistry ~ Made Beauty Co ~ Bark Wedding Date Co ~ Planned PErfectly ~ Karina Walker
LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?
Loving these fall wedding flowers? Us too.
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!