Summer Garden-Inspired Wedding at Elora Mill

This garden-inspired wedding at Elora Mill tops the list of our favourite weddings of all-time. We got to work on a fun, warm, colour palette that inspired us right from the beginning. From a warm terracotta to a soft romantic peach, paired with tiny hints of yellow and purple supported by a backdrop of green made everything feel so punchy and perfect for this late summer wedding.

Once our palette was set, we started the floral design with Forever Wildfield. Michelle wanted a lush garden-inspired wedding, but I knew that it could quickly fall into overload and feel overwhelming if we weren't smart about scaling the florals appropriately to the size of the room and available table dimensions. This meant creating some very cool winding floral arrangements down the guest tables that were taller than they were wide, using the available vertical space without interfering with conversation across the table. We then worked on creating focus around their sweetheart table so it didn’t feel small and out of place in a large room with 180 guests. We then worked on the tabletop pieces so that some elements seemingly blended away into the florals (ie. the tan-coloured glassware and terracotta and peach-coloured candles) and the charger plates, napkins and menus offered loads of texture layered on the tabletop, playing to both the sight and touch senses.

Now that all the big picture elements were lined up, we could start pulling details from them to give guests their first taste of what was to come through the invitations. Melissa from Statue Rue is one of my favourite Toronto wedding invitation designers. Having a love for paper, it’s no wonder her designs appeal to the sense of touch with hand-made cotton papers, natural hand-torn edges and printed with letterpress to reveal the impression of the text in the paper. It was fun to incorporate a delicate flower wreath around the invitation as a nod to the floral glory that was to come at the garden-inspired wedding reception.

The Elora Mill wedding team did an impeccable job ensuring Michelle’s dream came to life with their attention to detail on the day - from the wedding concierge to the catering team, we think they’re pretty important in making the days run so smoothly for our clients.

The team includes Jeff Shuh Photography, Forever Wildfield, Statue Rue, Simply Beautiful Decor, Allyssa Helm Beauty, Sweet Celebrations, 586 Event Group and Leith Quartet. Michelle’s dress is a Galia Lahav design.

Service: Full Planning and Design

THE FLOORPLAN

The Elora Mill Grand Room is an asymmetrical shape making it sometimes hard to imagine something new, especially if your guest count maxes out the room. We didn’t do too much here to change things from the norm, but we did find small ways to make it unique with a round sweetheart table and a division between two of the tables at the back of the room. We also changed around which green and white charger plates were used at each table to create a bit more of a difference between the tables.

You can see more of our Elora Mill weddings and their floorplans here.

A Colourful Summer Tent Wedding in Copetown, Ontario

By now you probably know that tent weddings are our jam and a challenge we embrace with open arms. There’s something about building a beautiful space where nothing exists that will never get old. And this particular wedding is a great example of a wedding that oozes class but with a casual edge. I think that also sums up so much of what we try to do with all of the weddings we plan so this feels like a great example of what we strive to build.

Not only that, this was something we fully planned in just four months. The family’s property is stunning, with the home being over 150 years old. It was standing in 1867 when the Dominion of Canada was created. How neat is that?!

Guests were greeted by a champagne table with the sounds of a New Orleans-style band playing, and it felt like a true celebration! The ceremony was set under a huge old tree, offering shade for guests and an incredible backdrop for the exchanging of vows and a reception following, catered by the incomparable Treadwell Catering and bartended by our favourite mobile bar truck, The Sway Bar. Guelph Tent Rentals pole tent was a showstopper with its Father of the Bride lighting, making a lovely glow all night long. Kendon Design Co. was tasked with the responsibility of filling the space with colourful florals including a round ceiling installation hanging above the head table, set directly in the middle of guests for a less formal feel. Simply Beautiful Decor’s fresh new line of Hampton Plaid linens and Florina Tan dinnerware helped to feed that casual chic design vibe. Once dinner was complete, The St. Royals, our favourite Toronto wedding band, kicked off the dance party with a short break that somehow so perfectly timed the launch of a firework show! It was all so serendipitous.

Oh, and I can’t forget to mention what is probably my favourite wedding cake that I think I’ve ever had for a client. A huge thank you to The Dessert Room for making this one just so perfect!

Kayla Potter Photography outdid herself capturing all of the details we all worked so tirelessly on for and we, and I am sure our clients, will be forever grateful! I still cannot get over the incredible flat lay she did of the invitation suite so carefully designed by Statue Rue, along with all of the other wedding stationery pieces.

We wanted this to feel fun, bright, joyful, and elegant and I think we accomplished just that. Enjoy scrolling through this beautiful colourful summer tent wedding in Copetown, Ontario. You’ll find the links to all of our wonderful vendors at the bottom of this post.

A Colourful, Private Estate Tent Wedding in Millgrove, Ontario

Kathryn and Evan’s colourful, pattern-filled wedding took place on her parent’s private estate in Millgrove, Ontario on October 2, 2022.

If you’ve followed along for a while, you know we love the challenges of planning tent weddings on private estates. The best part is that you can start from scratch with the design as there’s not much that controls the aesthetic like you would have in a traditional venue with its own style.

We started with a colour palette that pretty much included the rainbow and got started on the custom colour-blocked wedding invitations with Paper and Poste and a stunning lush floral design by Forever Wildfield. We then got the tent secured which was a gorgeous sailcloth tent from Guelph Tent Rentals. From there, we worked with Simply Beautiful Decor and Plate Occasions to select linens and tabletop pieces to carry through the navy and teals from our colour palette in a way that felt refined and elegant but still very in line with a more relaxed setting of home.

When it came time to food and beverage options, Kathryn had a specific vision in mind and there was no question that Saving Thyme Bistro would cater the event as Kathryn’s family has been long-time patrons of the restaurant. The cocktail experience was important to both Kathryn and Evan, and The Sway Bar knocked it out of the park preparing six speciality cocktails while also making sure everyone had their favourite wine and beer at the ready. To satisfy the sweet-tooth post-dinner, Sweet Celebrations created an epic cookie bar!

Additional lovely vendors include Radford Beauty, Signal Hill Band, 586 Event Group, and Wellington Music

Captured by Will Reid Photo.

Service: Full Planning and Design

THE FLOORPLAN

Tent wedding floorplan layouts can be tricky since you’re starting from scratch. Below is the floorplan we created in case it helps inspire your own tent wedding reception floorplan layout.

An Intimate Ancaster Mill Wedding

Like many of our clients, Liz and Dan are busy professionals who knew that the limited available time they had for wedding planning should be used carefully. It’s always a pleasure being entrusted with a couple’s wedding planning journey, but when the event is intimate it feels like an even more special honour to be included.

Already having settled on hosting their intimate wedding at the Ancaster Mill, we were able to spend the majority of our time focusing on the decor elements and it truly was fun to be able to work with a colourful palette of teal and fuschia. The Streamside Chapel created a lush setting for their wedding ceremony and the 1812 Room at the Ancaster Mill can host up to 70 guests seated. Through the use of texture and colour, we are so thrilled how this all came together.

Take your time scrolling through this one. It’s an impeccable one featuring an intimate Ancaster Mill wedding.

Photographed by Norr Studio, florals by Jodi Leigh Designs, stationery by Paper and Poste, beauty by Makeup Worx, tables from Special Event Rentals and tabletop rentals from Simply Beautiful Decor.

Service: Full Planning and Design

The Floorplan

We’ve also included the floorplan we designed for the 1812 Room as some inspiration for your own wedding layout at The Ancaster Mill.

Elegant Green, Black and Gold New Year's Eve Wedding at Langdon Hall

Jacquelyn and Christian are high school sweethearts. They both also have incredibly good taste and thoughtfulness and generosity are their love language so it’s no surprise that the day was filled with the sweetest details big and small.

I got pretty lucky when it came to my clients having Covid restrictions requiring them to make last-minute changes in the days before the wedding. We somehow managed to have weddings scheduled only at times when things were opening up so I definitely got a doozy when it came time for this New Year’s Eve wedding at Langdon Hall on December 31, 2021. By the time the day unfolded, we were pretty much on plan D, having been thrown every single curve ball you could imagine. The final day turned out to be an event split into multiple experiences with a small 50-person lunch followed by an outdoor ceremony and toasts for all 130 guests and with the first 50 guests departing post-ceremony, the celebration continued with the second set of 80 guests for dinner cocktails. It was still absolutely wonderful despite all the changes.

We’ve talked before about how difficult it can be to design for holiday-specific weddings, but this is another great example of how you can design with the holiday in mind without going overboard or too literal with the theme.

The elegant green, black, and gold can feel garish, but with colours in the middle to soften it all and with plenty of textures to create interest we came up with a design that felt refined and elegant but also festive and fun!

Captured by Elizabeth in Love for Simkova Studios, florals by Patchouli, stationery by Statue Rue, Rentals from Simply Beautiful Decor and Divine Furniture, videography by Your Day by Lucas. DJ’d by InTune Events, beauty by ES Bridal, designed and planned by Laura Olsen Events with support from Lindsay Plank Events.

A Fall Wedding at The Broadview Hotel, Toronto

We’re going back a few years to this gorgeous Broadview Hotel Toronto wedding from October 2019. We had the pleasure of designing this event but passed the planning torch off to INLY Events, one of our favourite local planners. Photographed by Agnes of Northern Wildflower and super dreamy florals by Kenilworth Florals brought this beautiful fall wedding to life. Irene, the bride, is an incredible graphic designer so it was honour to provide her with direction for her invitations and day-of stationery pieces with an extra personalized touch. We wanted dark, moody colours with pops of brighter colours through the use of patterns which she did in a gorgeous Victorian style. The vibe flowed seamlessly from the wallpaper at the hotel to the menus and sleeve envelopes for the personalized, handwritten thank you cards at each table. It truly was a spectacular day!

Colourful Tented Wedding in Burlington, Ontario

This private estate tented wedding in Lowville was such a joy to design and plan. Julie, our bride, wanted flowers everywhere and she certainly wasn’t afraid of colour. Pulling together all the spring colours created a fun, upbeat, upscale, and romantic wedding aesthetic at their home. Food and guest experience were incredibly important to our couple, Julie and Tom, and they wanted to ensure guests had a choice for all courses. We were fortunate to work again with Gourmet Chef at Your Table who did an incredible job bringing that goal to life.

The available level ground was limited so we did a long narrow tent 15’ deep and 50’ long in addition to a canopy on the patio to connect the dining tent with the house. A huge thank you to Special Event Rentals for their assistance in creating an intimate setting for their 65 guests and a feeling of an extension of their home.

Their dog, Harper, was almost the star of the show with his own place setting at the head table including the beef tenderloin for dinner. Have a scroll through the photos to see him being a very good boy!

We were thrilled to assist Julie and Tom with their wedding planning. Tent weddings are tricky to plan as there are so many moving parts but with careful consideration, they can be a success and worth all the effort.

Photographed by Cleland Photographs, florals by Kendon Design Co., tent and rentals from Special Event Rentals, stationery by Statue Rue, catering by Gourmet Chef at Your Table, cake, and sweets from Sweet Celebrations, and beauty by ES Bridal.

Service: Full Planning and Design