When the couple has only been to a few weddings in their lives, it means that they’re not interested in/aware of the typical traditions. So we did everything awesome and nothing that wasn't. 

Julia and Austin's wedding was the perfect low key, fun backyard wedding. Their tagline was "we got a good thing" and we wanted them to be at the centre of the entire day, which took place at her family's urban backyard. We wanted to evoke the spontaneity of an elopement, but with just a few more people, and tie through a bit of Julia's rocker edge. Her mini dress and mullet were complete perfection.

Floral & Event Design: Stone House Creative
Photos: Kassandra Donaldson

Nearly all of the flowers for the entire wedding were locally grown, which is always a priority for me. Something I love about locally grown is the range and depth in colouring that we get, that you simply don’t find in wholesale flowers. These are farmed for their consistency, which is what flower shops want so their customers know what they’ll be getting. But when we’re working with a broad, delicious colour palette like this one, we want to be able to blend and move the colour throughout the bouquet.

Bridal bouquet ingredients: cosmos, ranunculus, zinnias, stock, rudbeckia, corn cockle, garden roses, forget me nots.

We worked with Rae & Dot to custom design the stationery. With a small guest list, we didn’t need a lot of pieces but we did want to make sure we gave a sneak into the style and level of casual-cool the wedding would have.

The ceremony was personalized with a dear friend guiding the vows, and we emphasized the existing space with the addition of ground-based florals tucked throughout the garden, and a rattan rug to ground the space. The clear acrylic chairs were one of the first and only requests that Julia made and I love how they worked into the design.

Post-ceremony, the garden gates swung open and a pizza truck pulled up in the back lane. The backyard is completely gorgeous but wouldn't allow enough space for a full sit-down dinner. We tucked in a mix of long tables and cocktail tables, popped a newlywed lounge under the pergola, and a few guests grabbed a seat on the deck and it all worked perfectly. 

Julia’s mom has a lovely garden with a lot of green, so we wanted to enhance it with colour and texture. I LOVE foxtail lily and will use it any chance I get. While I was working on the newlywed lounge, Deanna whipped this garden out and it looked so amazing.

As event designer, one of my favourite things to do is figure out an amazing floor plan. With a small backyard space, we didn’t have a ton of options and I knew we’d need to flip the entire space post-ceremony. Deanna and I hid in the garage while the ceremony was going on — I LOVE getting a glimpse of the big moments of your day ✨

We didn’t need to worry about seating for each guest because the wedding was so casual. But, we did want to create as much space as possible, so I started with one long banquet table along the garage, and a second banquet table the deck. This left us with enough space to do a combination of seated and standing cocktail tables along the garden, where the ceremony had been, with the bar tucked into a nook between the garage and a tree, and it fit perfectly!

We rented in some vintage wicker bar backs and a bar cart, creating functional storage for the limited space, along with adding in some retro personality to fit their vibe.

I knew I wanted to use toffee table candles placed on terracotta trays, and we tucked in the CUTEST mini arrangements to further the colour scheme. I also added a few little disco balls for fun.

THE NEWLYWED LOUNGE. My favourite part of the design, I think. Well, everything was my favourite actually, but this lounge was just amazing. Obviously we were working with a small amount of space and the deck and pergola area needed to be both functional and beautiful, and it was just the right size to add in additional seating so we could get as many seats as possible and a cool design feature, as well. We tricked it out with some big disco balls and hanging flowers above, a funky combination of furniture, and the most perfect floral arrangement that my designer Deanna has possibly ever made. It was SO CUTE and apparently the newlyweds didn’t even get a chance to sit in it because guests loved it too much to share 😉

Kassandra Donaldson ~ Stone House Creative ~ Planned Perfectly ~ Collective Event Rentals ~ Trend Decor ~ Karina Walker (Rentals) ~ Rae + Dot Studio ~ Little Pizza Heaven ~ Harriette Gordon

Looking for a Wedding Floral Designer in Winnipeg?

2024 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!