Elegant New Year's Eve Wedding at Breezy Bend

While I'm a total homebody and love pretty much nothing more than laying on the couch with some chips and guac, I have to say that the idea of a New Year's Eve wedding has always given me a thrill. What better way to ring in the new year than celebrating with people you love? And for those of us who, like me, find New Year's Eve a little bit stressful (Should I host a party? What if I don't get invited to a party? Is it okay that all I want to do is go to the movies?), being a guest at a New Year's Eve wedding is the perfect solution. Built-in dinner, dancing, and fireworks. Perfect! 

So needless to say, I was really pumped to be asked to do the florals for Libby and Kevin's wedding at Breezy Bend Golf Course. I could tell right away that Libby has great style, and she had a pretty clear idea of what she wanted right off the hop. When I arrived on the day of to set everything up, I couldn't believe how much I loved everything she had chosen. It was glitzy without being tacky, elegant without being stuffy, and glamorous without being over the top. In a word, it was perfect! 

Izabela Rachwal Photography ~ Breezy Bend Golf Course ~ The Manitoba Club ~ Planned Perfectly ~ C&T Rentals

Libby went for a classic black, white and green palette (with an emphasis on lots of green). We still wanted to bring in a lot of texture to the flowers. 

Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: Garden roses, lisianthus, anemones, yin and yang poms, with several varieties of ruscus, podocarpus, and English boxwood (funnily enough, Libby's only request was for English boxwood!).

Obviously I had to include one of me delivering the bouquets :) With a winter wedding, this is how everything comes: wrapped up in layer after layer of plastic to keep the warm air in and the cold air out. It was stinking cold on December 31, 2017 (as it usually is on NYE) so I think I actually had 3 layers of plastic bags on these bouquets!

You'll also see me below showing Libby how to hold her bouquet, which I do with every bride/bridal party. Unless your bouquets are round in shape, there will be a front side and a back side. I always tell my clients that the pins are in the backs of their bouquets, so that's where they can place their thumbs. Once they've got the right side, we talk about where to hold the bouquet so it's most flattering. I really don't want you to cover up your entire dress by holding your bouquet too high! The best position is to place your wrist bones on your hip bones, and angle the bouquet slightly out.

The ceremony was held at the Manitoba Club (just like this winter wedding was), in the ballrooms. It's such an elegant and high detailed space that we didn't want to do too much in here. We tossed around the idea of a draped backdrop with florals along the top, but in the end, settled on a set of 4 mixed height gold, thin gold stands with textured greenery arrangements set on top. It drew the eye in to the "altar" without taking away from the space.

We kept things much the same at the reception: lots of greenery, lots of white, lots of gold. I'll tell you, when I walked in and saw how good it all looked even without centrepieces, I got REALLY excited. The tables were covered in white sequins, which added just the right NYE feeling without feeling gaudy in any way, and the gold-rimmed glassware really upped the elegant factor.

For the head table, Libby wanted a beautiful, low, lush arrangement that would make the small table feel really special. Keeping the focus on the greenery, I decided that the only white bloom I'd use would be white hydrangea. It's a classic, and is perfectly suited to this type of setting.

The guest tables featured a large greenery bouquet, white sequinned table linens with gold accents, and a greenery sprig on each place setting with TONS of candlelight. 

Planning a winter wedding in Winnipeg?

Planning a winter wedding in Winnipeg? I'd love to dream up some incredible ideas for your wedding flowers and I'm now booking for winter 2018/2019! I have plenty of availability throughout November, December, January and February. Whether you already have a specific vision or want me to dream up something custom just for you, reach out to Stone House Creative to create the perfect ambiance for your wedding!