Elisa and Ian exchanged their vows in a beautiful, outdoor ceremony on the banks of Shaws Creek at The Alton Mill. Simple, heartfelt details enhanced this gorgeous celebration which included twine wrapped bottle vases full of pale pink lisianthus and delicate blooms of baby's breath. Dinner was in the stunning Annex Courtyard that was lit up by strings of fairy lights that Ian and his groomsmen had hung only hours before the ceremony. This was such a sweet and beautiful celebration of their nuptials surrounded by their dearest friends and family.
Lovely photography by Kyle and Vanessa Chupp.
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The gorgeous barn at Cambium Farms was the perfect backdrop for Lesley and Graeme's beautiful, vintage themed summer wedding. Fragrant blooms of stock, garden roses and freesia, along with tall dephinium, feathery Queen Anne's Lace and sweet Chamomile blossoms were included in the soft, romantic bouquets and arrangements. Not only did Lesley collect and curate all the antique silver and bottle vases for the centrepieces (oh, and all those books too!), but she created all the sweet, chalked messages on the mirrors and boards throughout the barn, and, along with her mom, baked the fourteen pies her guests enjoyed after dinner!!! I loved this sweet, creative, thoughtful wedding so much. Congrats again, you both looked absolutely gorgeous! Big thanks to Dallas and Brian of Dallas Curow Photography for all the beautiful images. There were so many gorgeous shots, it was hard to narrow it down. Styling and co-ordination were by the darling ladies at The Event Room, thank you Jenna and Jennifer! The first time Melanie and I chatted, it was immediately apparent she was passionate about her flowers and wanted them to be that finishing touch to tie in all the decor details at her wedding. I loved all the classic white and gold detailing for the arrangements and was so grateful to the flower gods who bestowed on me, despite being so late in the season, gorgeous Anemones and her favourite, green and white Parrot Tulips. Bride and bridal bouquet, were absolute stunners!!!! The Mill itself was gussied up like no wedding I'd seen there before. Classic vineyard chairs, French settees and tufted ottomans were intermixed with glossy white, contemporary bar tables and stools. The Millrace Room and Waterfall Courtyard were transformed into casual yet elegant spaces where guests could enjoy the indoor and outdoor areas of this incredibly unique building. Where else can you celebrate a wedding, under the stars, with the backdrop of a historic building that includes , no less than, a waterfall, a rambling creek, a pond, a stone courtyard, a spot for a bonfire and of course, amazing indoor and outdoor art installations and sculpture??!!!! Call me biased, but the Mill was in fine form on that perfect, summer evening. Since Mel and Rob exchanged their wedding vows on the grass beside the Annex Courtyard, I got to witness the beautiful ceremony from the second floor view of my studio. It was such a gorgeous, timeless wedding that promises to go down as one of my favourites...ever. A huge thank you to Stacey Kinkaid Photography for her incredible talent and generosity, these images are simply stunning. Typically, on the day of an event installation, all the vendors involved to pull together the spectacular affair are rushing about and working independantly of one another. Oftentimes, I don't get to see or meet any of these various players and yet magically, all the gorgeous details fall into place.
Creative styled shoots are a wonderful opportunity to meet other vendors in the industry and witness first hand their amazing talent. A chance to see the models transform under the steady hand of a makeup artist, watch as gorgeous gowns are steamed and accessorized and eye with envy, the incredible lenses and equipment a photographer lugs around to get that perfect shot. When I'm setting up a wedding, my timeline typically falls just after the caterer has placed all the linen and dinnerware and just before the DJ arrives to set-up and check the sound system. So to see an entire space get transformed and to watch all the gorgeous models in their beautiful dresses was such a treat. This shoot took place in the late Spring at the lovely Cambium Farms; styling for the event was by Caryn Small of As You Wish Weddings and the beautiful images were shot by Jacqueline Hofing of InJoy Imagery. Here are the rest of the amazing vendors who worked on this pretty shoot: Stationary Suite: Ashly Bollert Cakes and Sweet Table: Sweet Table Hair and Make-up: Blushing Belles Gowns: Something Green Bridal Boutique Mason Jar Chandelier: shoplaceandlumber.etsy.com Rentals: Vintage Rentals and Chairman Mills Styling and Co-ordination: As You Wish Weddings Photography: InJoy Imagery Venue: Cambium Farms More images from this fantastic shoot can be found on Style Me Pretty .... We managed to fit in a quick visit between weddings to Old Quebec City over the Canada Day long weekend. Of course, copious amounts of gelato and fresh baked goods were consumed as we toured the historical sites of this beautiful, charming town. I had some serious, planter box envy as we walked up and down (and up, and up and up) the cobblestone streets, stopping constantly to snap a quick shot of an amazing potted treasure. My favourites, were the massive succulent planters in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral; we must have walked by these dozens of times during our stay and there were always loads of people poking and prodding these spectacular moss and succulent curiosities. We had a lovely visit and hope to return again soon. Living and working in the countryside often requires traveling long distances for simple conveniences. Even services most people take for granted, like hi-speed internet and cable TV are still unavailable for many (this only became my reality three years ago; my world was dial-up internet for a very loooong time!!! ). A playdate for the kids, grocery shopping or even dinner out inevitably requires a trip in the car along a winding sideroad, concession or bypass. Quick, convenient and drive-thru simply doesn't exist in these parts. Fortunately, in the case of wedding vendors, I'm surrounded with some amazing talent, all in this little pocket of Caledon near the studio. The area really has become a hub of wedding related activity and I'm grateful to have a wonderful network nearby as a source of support , info and collaboration. I'm so happy to share these images from a creative, styled shoot we worked on together in the gorgeous rustic barn at Cambium Farms. Here is the amazing team behind the shoot: Props : Marvelle Events Cakes and Sweet Table: Crumb and Berry Photography: 1486 Photography Venue: Cambium Farms Gown: Sherry's Bridal More images and info from the shoot were also featured on the Wedding Chicks blog. A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of creating some arrangements for an event hosted by Farm and Food Care Ontario. The task was to incorporate edible Ontario Farm ingredients, including flowers, grains, fruits and vegetables as the components in all the pieces. I used some leafy greens, asparagus, chives and herbs and accented those with some favourite Spring blossoms of Allium, Lily of the Valley, Forget-Me-Nots, Iris and Phlox. The arrangements were rounded out with foliage of Grapevine, Ninebark, Hosta, Lady's Mantle and velvety Lamb's Ear and designed in old Mason jars and Milk bottles with details of burlap and twine. And on the topic of local food (as well as beer, wine and cider!!!), this weekend marks the sixth annual CUISINE-ART Festival at the Alton Mill. The Festival is a celebration of Food and Art, and includes food and wine tastings, chef demos and cook-offs, art exhibits, a marketplace as well as a special exhibit I'll be featuring in my studio called, "Pots, Pans and Posies". Have a peek at this video of last year's event to get a taste of what's in store. A few years have passed since the last wedding in my family so there was such anticipation leading up to Kim and Wayne's big day. My cousin Wayne and sweet Kim have been together since forever, so this was just a formality; Kim has always been family. As the wedding planning progressed, we all knew her creativity and sense of fun and whimsy would be included in all the details. Kim is super crafty, a Pinterest junkie, and guaranteed to always be stylishly accessorized in anything tropical, purple or green. So when we talked flowers, she gave me free rein, just as long as I kept the colour palette to shades of amethyst/ violet/ mauve/ aubergine/ apple/ lime and chartreuse. Since we couldn't get ourselves to Hawaii, we were going to bring Hawaii to us!!! As my design tendency leans towards the earthy, woodsy and rustic and my wardrobe doesn't extend much past the neutral tones of beige/ gray/ brown and black, COLOUR and especially INTENSE, TROPICAL COLOURS were a welcome change. And if the first few shots are any indication, no details were spared and oh, we had one hell of a party! Love you guys!!! xo
Thank you Mark & Naomi from Let Us Go Photo for the gorgeous images I was still in the process of setting up the new studio space when I first met Jenn so our initial meeting was amongst the chaos of unpacked boxes and general disarray. She was such a relaxed bride-to-be and had a clear vision of what she
wanted for her flowers- loose and natural arrangements in shades of ivory, tangerine and gray, lots of texture, berries, branches and greenery. Well, in a nutshell, everything I love. So lovely to work with you both and congrats again! Photography by Dave Abreu Well friends, it's officially March 1st today and the last time I posted we were just recovering from the freak ice storm that hit during the Christmas season. And now, over 2 months later, we're still suffering it's chilly aftermath, deep in the blustery abyss of the polar vortex (excuse the melodrama, but really, this madness needs to end NOW!!!). But hope remains for the green and the verdant and the sun and the warmth....can you feel it yet???!!!!
The boys from Mumford & Sons, capture this hopeful, sentiment best, in my fave ditty, Winter Winds. Cue the trumpets!!! (If you know the song, it's the best part) .... Remember spring swaps snow for leaves You'll be happy and wholesome again When the city clears and sun ascends But despite it's icy chill, winter really is beautiful (as long as you don't have to shovel or drive in it). Below are some images I captured of the garden after the ice storm and of the Mill's aptly named winter festival, Fire & Ice. The arrangement I made for the festival featured some bold, bright, blooms- giant orange amaryllis, textured leucadendron, gnarly curly willow, tulips (closed tulips are nice, but OPEN ones are way better!), under-rated Alstroemeria (so long lasting and such detail on each petal!) and of course some snowball viburnum, because, they are fun and fluffy and well, named after snowballs!!! The amazing art featured in the shots are by Alton Mill, acrylic, mixed media goddess, Lucille Weber. Her work is stunning and moves and dances, actually, it JUMPS off the canvas. And lastly, the fire images are the result of the genius of Mill artist, Paul Morin, who put on an amazing spectacle with his Fire Sculpture, complete with fire dancers, didgeridoos and djembes. |