A few weeks ago, I put out a call for any questions on Instagram and I loved all of the questions that I received! It’s always surprising to me what those questions are — they’re almost never what I expect. So, here we are!

All photos by Photography by Jodi, from Shannon and Michael’s wedding in Kenora, summer 2019.

A. This is an interesting question! Without a doubt, summer is an AMAZING time for flowers because the locally grown blooms are killer. Some of my favourites are lisianthus, feverfew, delphinium, foxglove, sweet pea, and zinnias. Generally speaking, locally grown flowers tend to be “affordable,” though I should also be clear: flowers are a luxury, perishable item. No matter where they’re grown, they’re attended to with utmost caution and grown and cut by hand. There’s a LOT of work that goes into flowers, so they’re never really cheap — and they shouldn’t be.

I also want to touch on the word “seasonal” because it really doesn’t mean very much anymore, due to the way that farmers across the world have been able to extend their growing season. If you truly want “in season” flowers, then the word you need to look for is LOCALLY GROWN. For example, order gatherers, Costco, grocery stores, and so on often say they have “seasonal” bouquets, but that means absolutely nothing. The flowers they use are available year-round because they’re grown in greenhouses near the equator with perfect weather. If you want is truly seasonal, then what you want is locally grown.

Often we’ll read advice from wedding blogs and magazines that the best way to save on your wedding flower budget is to choose “in season” flowers, and that’s a misconception. What that really means is not to choose out of season flowers. For example, a peony in season is still going to cost at least $15/stem, whereas a rose is going to cost you $5/stem at any time of the year. That $15/stem peony is NOT cheap…but it is technically “seasonal.” So again, if you want to look for seasonal flowers, then ask for locally grown (keeping in mind, of course, that we live in Manitoba and our growing season is ramping up throughout June and really hits its stride in July and August, before tapering off in September while we wait for those first few frosts to hit).

In the image below, you can see a closeup of icelandic poppies, ranunculus, and delphinium, all of which were grown locally in Manitoba!

A. Wah. Don’t remind me 😭 I’m still hoping to get my hands on as many flowers as possible this summer. I have a few couples who are opting for an elopement style ceremony this summer with their big celebratory party next summer, so I get to create some beautiful bouquets for their elopements! I’m also hoping that things with Covid will relax enough to allow me to work on some personal projects and photoshoots, so that at least I can enjoy the flowers while they’re blooming locally!

A. Lainie, you’re killing me. How on earth can I choose? I tend to be drawn more towards colour combinations, and my natural love is for brighter corals and peaches with beiges and pinks, and I LOVE ruffled flowers. I could see this combination looking killer with garden roses, zinnias, sweet peas, butterfly ranunculus, foxglove…all the good stuff.

Lately, I’m finding myself drawn more to using fewer ingredients and fewer focal flowers. I’m not sure if this will be working into my wedding arrangements or not, but it’s something I’m going to be playing with on my own.

A. This is another interesting question! I think what you’re asking here is where we get the product from. I used to work in a retail floral shop (over 7 years ago) and we imported all of our product — a small amount from across Canada and Holland, but mostly from South America. I still bring in a lot of flowers from these regions in my business today, but I try to utilize as much locally grown product as I possibly can.

There are a LOT of benefits to using locally grown flowers. To start, I know my farmers. I know that by ordering from them, I’m supporting their small, women-owned businesses, who pay their staff living wages and I really like that — let’s do everything we can to keep our money in our own economy. I also seek to reduce my carbon footprint where I can, and ordering locally grown flowers obviously cuts down dramatically on shipping and packaging material waste. Additionally, the quality of locally grown flowers is UNBELIEVABLE. They are sturdier, healthier, and more beautiful (in my opinion). I should do a comparison post when local flowers are growing, so you can see the differences yourselves!

I would highly encourage you to ask the florists you are considering hiring for your wedding if they are able to use locally grown flowers for you!

A. My client average spend is $4500, and that sees a typical 18-20 tables , 4-5 bridesmaids, and something gorgeous for the ceremony! If you want to create a realistic floral budget based on what you’re looking for, here’s a really good rundown of different price ranges of typical items!

A. Favourite question ever 😂 I’m not going to share this person’s name, so that her boyfriend doesn’t get weirded out ha! Obviously I LOVE the idea of a “sky is the limit” floral plan for a wedding, but when it comes to what that budget number should be, that depends on a lot of things. In particular, the guest count: how many tables do we need floral heavy arrangements on? Then I’d also want to know what other focal areas you want to emphasize with flowers: an unreal cake display? A floral-heavy entrance to your ballroom or tent? When you’re talking sky is the limit, balls-to-the-wall flowers, I’m assuming you’re not just talking about the typical order of bridesmaid bouquets and table centrepieces. My client average spend is $4500. If you’re looking at a typical 18-20 tables and 4-5 bridesmaids, but you want a LOT of flowers, I’d suggest budgeting in the $10,000 range. And then call me 😘

A. Ah, another good question. I know that wedding planning can be super overwhelming at the best of times, especially when you’re just getting started. There are SO many decisions to make (especially if you’re not a good decision maker), many options to consider, endless referrals from people you know…so let’s start by getting really clear on a few things: This is YOUR wedding. That means the two of you make the decisions. Feel free to make those decisions based on what’s important to you and keep those “most important” things at the forefront of your mind, as that’s likely where you’ll be spending the bulk of your budget.

I always suggest starting with the aspects of the wedding that are most important to you — nailing down the right venue, the date, and then your top 3 or 4 VIP vendors (for me, that would be my photographer, floral designer, and dress. I’d suggest a wedding planner or coordinator be included in there as well!).

Hire vendors based on how well you get along with them (particularly your photographer — you’ll be spending all day with him or her!) and how well they seem to be aligned with your personal style and vision (especially your floral designer and your planner). Choose high quality vendors that you trust, and ask them what they suggest within your budget, rather than trying to force your budget on the vendors you really want, or worse, assuming that those vendors you love won’t work with you because of your budget.

When it comes to the design and details of the day, try not to get sucked into the Pinterest trap! Same goes for Instagram. Looking at what other people have done for their weddings will be like quicksand, getting you stuck in a loop of what OTHER people have done. You’re not other people! Let’s design something that’s just for YOU. The best way to do that is ask your design-related vendors to give your creative vendors a lot of flexibility and encourage them to get creative!

A. Well, this answer totally depends on what those favourite flowers are! During spring you’ll find the perennial favourites: peonies and ranunculus, blooming branches, and tulips and hyacinth. These are all quite feminine, delicate, and lovely — exactly what you’d want for a spring wedding! Summer brings us the best locally grown flowers in a riot of colours and textures: lisianthus, zinnias (a personal fave), cosmos, snapdragons, strawflower, sweet pea. Early fall we can still get some locally grown flowers (just up until the frost starts) but you can also get most flowers still available through the wholesaler. And obviously, here in winter we can’t get anything locally grown but many things are still available through wholesale (roses, always) — my favourite winter flowers include amaryllis (woah baby, especially the peach ones), agapanthus, lots of interesting textures like pieris, privet berries, and skimmia.

As to which flowers are most expensive? Probably all the ones you love the best 😂Peonies, garden roses, ranunculus, butterfly ranunculus, poppies…I know, I know. All those ruffly, special, beautiful blooms. What an we do? We love all the pricy stuff!

Looking for a Wedding Floral and Event Designer in Winnipeg?

2021 wedding dates are now booking! 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!