Story Coming Soon…

Story Coming Soon…

Story Coming Soon…

Story Coming Soon…

Designing a couple’s wedding with them is one of my favorite parts of my job. It’s so cool to sit with them, hear their stories and try to figure out how we can best represent their vision with their wedding décor. When I say wedding décor I’m not just talking about chair covers. I truly believe that the décor of a wedding includes all the materials that combine to create the ideal atmosphere.
I’ll set the scene for you. Shelley and Ryan were getting married in the Fairmont Palliser’s Alberta Ballroom and then having their reception in the Crystal Ballroom. They wanted the color blue to somehow be incorporated into the design. And the bride wanted a look that was classic and elegant with a twist (I love the part where the twist comes in).
We thought it would be cool to bring in the classic elements of a winter wonderland. The challenge was to line the aisle with trees but make sure that everyone could still see the couple getting married. I contacted a supplier in California and I ordered the materials I would need. We actually hand constructed each tree inside the Palliser. We then used uplighting to give them a blue hue and also to pick up the shimmer on the branches which were covered in sparkly flecks. The trees were later transported down to the Crystal Ballroom so that they could be enjoyed the rest of the night.
I am really, REALLY picky about the fabrics that we use at weddings. I like them to be of incredible quality. I had chair covers shipped in from Ontario as I have a great supplier there that has wonderful chair covers made of the softest fabric that also have the sash attached. As we were switching the covers from the ceremony down to the reception, this was the perfect time saving solution without sacrificing the elegant look.
On the tables at the reception we wanted to pick up the sparkles from the tree branches so we covered each table with a midnight shimmer overlay. Everything was sparkling!
A huge part of the décor is the music. We played the couple this amazing Christmas piece done by a combination of New Orleans horn players. It gives you shivers it is so beautiful. So we enlisted the help of Estelle Elegance in Music’s band leader Don Campbell to recreate that feeling with a more wedding appropriate arrangement. We planned the perfect surprise. As the bridal party started to make its way down the aisle Estelle played Pachebel’s Canon in D (one of my favorites). Then when we opened the door for the bride’s grand entrance but first stepped out a trumpeter who was also playing the Canon, he then joined the band as the bride made her way down the aisle. It was breathtaking!
I work with one of the finest floral artists in the world to create the wedding flowers for our events. The bride’s bouquet was stunning. We wanted to give the wedding a pop of color with the deep black magic and black bacara roses. But we also wanted to include the natural, wintery feel in her bouquet so we used silvery greens and hypericum berries. My favorite part was the 2 little decorative balls that we attached as charms to give the bouquet a fun, flirty feel.
You can see that a lot of elements made up this wedding. I always challenge myself and my team to use new materials and ideas for a unique and striking look. Shelley and Ryan were thrilled with the final result and had an amazing wedding day.

The wedding started with Stu and Elaine greeting all of their guests in their Korean outfits. Guests were then offered appetizers and cocktails (with a bit of a perplexed look I might add). Then everyone was asked to take their seats for dinner. We got quite a few questions like “Have they gotten married yet?”, “Did I miss the wedding?” All part of the fun!
Guests dined on a beautiful 4 course meal and while in the middle of dessert, looked up to see that the bride and the groom and the bridal party had disappeared. That’s when they were let in on the secret, the wedding was going to happen NOW! All the guests were invited outside and given candles and sparklers.
As the sun set our bride and groom emerged again but this time in their Western wedding outfits and were married at sunset with their family and friends surrounding them in candlelight. A definite highlight was when the string trio started playing the Star Wars Theme as the groom and the groomsmen entered, switched into Pachelbel’s Canon for the bridesmaids and then into “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith for the bride. When they were pronounced man and wife all the guests lit their sparklers.
The couple then walked down the aisle and received their own sparklers and posed for pictures. We had The Ranche bring special coffees and champagne out onto the lawn and more appetizers! Guests also enjoyed cigars and cupcakes as the night become completely dark and the sparklers made another appearance with children dancing on the lawn under the moonlight waving sparklers in the air.

It was very important to the bride and groom that the beauty and vibrancy of Fernie be highlighted for all their out of town guests. Having lost her mother at a young age Julia’s father raised her and her sister in Fernie with a great love for the mountains and the two were award winning ski racers. Together with this family we pulled off a wedding that showcased what an amazing destination Fernie truly is. To start things off each guest was greeted with a welcome bag filled with maps, postcards, and Fernie Brewing Company glasses.
We brought in a tent from Vancouver that was an unbelievable sight (check out the tent going up here on our blog). When you’re working with a tent you need to create the floor map yourself which is what we did for this wedding. We also brought in all the rentals and flowers to create the soft color palette the bride desired. We worked with Lizard Creek Lodge to develop a “Nouveau BC cuisine” theme. The result was amazing and well received.
We assisted in planning and orchestrated the whole weekend of events that the bride and groom had planned including their rehearsal dinner and their morning brunch. Guests also went river rafting, golfing, and rode the chair lift to the top of the hill. Each element of this wedding was absolutely fabulous from the church, to the reception, to the light highlighting the tent at night. It was an amazing production.

I’m always saying that the bride and groom’s personalities must shine through in the design of a wedding or it isn’t as special as it could be. Well, with this wedding there was no lack of personality.
Barb and Gian-Carlo live in a beautiful house in Calgary on the banks of the Bow River in Calgary. They are very active in their community and the city’s development plans. In fact, Gian-Carlo was named one of the Top 40 Under 40 by Calgary Inc. magazine.
I met Barb at the Wedding Fair and I instantly knew that I would love being a part of their wedding. The concept was Italian Garden Party. The groom’s family is Italian so it was important to the couple to bring that into their celebration. Plus they had met during an Ultimate Frisbee tournament so they wanted an outdoor wedding where someone could pick a Frisbee and have some fun.
They also loved their community of Inglewood so much that they wanted it featured prominently at their wedding, so they had the wedding entirely at their home and within their community.
Tents were erected to offer shade on the hot summer day. My greatest challenge on this day was switching the tent from being the scene of the ceremony to the scene of the reception for 100+ people.
I brought in a lot of extra help on this day which meant that the bride and groom’s friends and family were able to enjoy lawn bowling at the local park and floating down the river (don’t worry- they got out of the wet clothes before dinner!).
The reception had long tables with burlap runners and ivy streaming down the tables with menus in Italian. Everyone was served an Italian family style meal catered by Spolumbo’s.
When dinner was done the bride and groom shared their wedding cake which a close friend had made. A really cool red ipod stereo was set up and played the bride and groom’s favorite tunes. Family and friends got up on the deck and shouted out words of congratulations. The couple had also toiled over making homemade pesto for all the guests. While everyone was eating I moved the wedding gifts inside and replaced them with the jars of pesto instead. I thought the switch was very symbolic. As the sun set and the moon came out the backyard party was in full swing! All the candlelight really made everything glow and it was a beautiful end to the perfect day.

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Firefly flew in hundreds of white ostrich feathers to create stunning centerpieces. Feathers were included in all the bouquets and Firefly had a custom made feather headpiece designed in Australia for the bride with a crystal incrusted veil.
Their bridesmaids wore feathers in their hair and the groomsmen wore wing tip shoes and fedoras. Their reception was transformed into a swing inspired party complete with tall ostrich feather centerpieces, chocolate brown stain overlays, and atmospheric lighting. Minty mojitos were poured through an ice sculpture shaped like a saxophone and guests were treated to swing dance lessons as a big band played throughout the night.

This wedding was featured in the Fall 2008 issue of Calgary Bride Magazine