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May 10, 2012
The WG Centrepiece Shop
Welcome to the all-new Centrepiece Shop within the Shops @ WG! Every Thursday, our design and sales team will be bringing you a new centrepiece idea complete with photo inspiration, DIY How-Totutorial, pricing estimates, and access to our fabulous Wedding-Planner wholesale shopping.
Today’s gorgeously elegant centrepiece was first published on MarthaStewart.com and has inspired many-a-bride to recreate a similar romantic look on their own reception tables.
{ the Breakdown }
To create this centrepiece, you will need:
1) a 2″ styrofoam riser (with a 12″ diameter)
2) a 12″ round mirror
3) 3″ wide satin ribbon to match your wedding decor (with a smaller accenting ribbon if you’d like)
4) a ridiculous amounts of straight pins
5) a cylinder vase
6) long-burning votive candles in glass votive holders
7) loose floral stems
{ the DIY details }
Creating this centrepiece riser is the most time-consuming part of the entire project. You will need to use straight pins to attach your satin ribbon to the top and bottom of the styrofoam riser and meticulously make sure that the ribbon is tightly folded over itself so that it doesn’t bulge when you place the riser on the table with the mirror on top. This would be an excellent time to recruit your bridesmaid posse to lend a hand! Once your wide base ribbon is attached, you can accent it with a thinner coloured ribbon, or some textured element that matches your design such as burlap or lace. These can often be attached with double sided tape, or pulled tightly and secured with a couple of straight pins.
You can also use the same accenting ribbon or texture to accentuate the bottom (or middle, or top!) of your cylinder vase. Keep in mind that the bolder the colour, the more it will draw the eye – so you decide where you want your guests looking! In the inspiration photo, the ribbon at the base of the vase anchors the centrepiece and creates more dimension around the candles, leaving the flowers to showcase themselves.
{ the Cost }
This beautiful centrepiece is remarkably affordable to create! You can get the riser, mirror, ribbon, and long-burning (12 hour) votives (in glass) for under $25 per table through the Shops @ WG! Fresh florals are also available. *Note: Specific pricing is subject to adjustment based on quantities purchased.
{ the Follow-up }
If you’d like to go ahead and purchase your Centrepieces, please get in touch with us and we’ll give you all the details you need.
If you’d like to submit a centrepiece design for us to feature in an upcoming Centrepiece Shop blog, please do so by emailing us – info{at}WeddingGirl{dot}ca – with the subject line, “Centrepiece Shop”.
May 3, 2012
… tall? medium? small?
Having a tough time figuring out what sort of centrepiece you’d like to have at your wedding reception? Don’t worry – you’re not alone! Of all the details that most brides stress about, it’s these tricky little numbers that tend to give the most grief. Think back to the last wedding you attended – do you remember the details of the centerpiece? Likely not…. but what you will remember is if it was – well – terrible! Centerpieces don’t necessarily need to BE your decor, they just need to complement your decor. Whatever your budget, there are gorgeous centerpiece options to choose from… and here are some tips and tricks on narrowing down your choices!
Ask yourself…..
How much money do you want to spend on your centerpiece? Categorize your response into one of these classifications: Budget (say, under $30 per table), Moderate ($30-$60 per table), or Deluxe ($60+ per table).
And do you want to do any of the centerpiece details yourself? DIY can drastically reduce the costs of traditional decor designs.
For comparison’s sake, here are a few examples of each:
- Budget -
(The ingredients: lovely little assorted vintage bottles found in the fields + old stockpiles around the bride and groom’s house – filled with water and sand to make them bottom-heavy and less likely to move around on the table. Fresh flowers from the florist to tie in the floral design of the girls’ bouquets, DIY table numbers, and flickering LED candles – tied together with twine). This centerpiece was designed to be both budget- and safety-friendly for a beautiful country+rustic barn wedding.
(The ingredients: This Parisian-inspired wedding boasted a gorgeous, footed hurricane vase wrapped with a simple satin ribbon. The pillar candle inside the vase was stamped with a fleur-de-lys and votive candles with rose petals were scattered on the checkered overlay to carry through an outdoor cafe design).
(The ingredients: Gillian and Kyle’s modern+chic fuschia, black, and white wedding took place at an upscale golf course in the Niagara region. Not wanting to spend much money on centerpiece vases, this DIY duo opted to wrap apple juice tins with heavy black paper, tie it with an accenting fuschia ribbon, and asked the floral designer to create miniature bouquets for each tin. The damask table runners were made by the Mother-Of-The-Bride with fabric purchased from a wholesale lot on Ebay and were sold after the wedding to another eager and damask-loving Bride to be!)
So a note on budget centerpieces – they don’t have to look cheap! On the contrary, all three of these budget designs were meticulously created to complement the wedding decor that abounded throughout the day. Some common elements of a budget centerpiece? limited amounts of flowers, inexpensive vases, and some DIY touches. If you’re looking for centerpiece decor on a budget, be sure to check out the Shops @ WG as well as some of our Garage-Sale Previously Loved items!
- Moderate -
If you’re thinking that you’d like to showcase something more floral-forward on your reception tables, but you’re still not wanting to spend large amount of money on the design, consider working with your florist to create some moderately priced centerpiece options. These can include glass and candles to create dimension on your tables, but can still have limited florals to keep your costs down. Here are some lovely examples of not-too-big and not-too-small centerpieces we’ve seen…
    With moderately priced centerpieces, you can either opt for more flowers and a less expensive vase, or more vases + candles, accentuated with a more modest floral arrangement. You don’t have to sacrifice height for budget – you can choose to fill a tall vase with an inexpensive vase filler, top it off with some big-hitting budget blooms (like hydrangeas!), and scatter some petals or candles around the base to give the design some elegant dimension. Ribbon is another cheap and great way to create various visual lines – so consider wrapping your votives and/or vases in colours that match your decor scheme!
- Deluxe -
Deluxe centerpieces tend to be elaborate; stunning creations of oodles of flowers perched atop fancy vases and surrounded by mini-bloom arrangements (our favourite!) and candles. You can choose to spend a bit less money on a simple but tall vase and allot more of the budget to the flowers themselves, or you can opt for a slightly pricier rental (like a candelabra or crystal globe) and have your florist design a more modest arrangement to complement it.
    Just because a centerpiece LOOKS to be deluxe doesn’t mean it necessarily has to come with a steep price tag. Utilize contacts that you may have for flowers, DIY designs, and cheap labour (read: your wedding party!). Having friends help out is a great way to skip fees charged by decorators, florists, and coordinators – but if you want your loved ones to celebrate alongside of you on the Day Of rather than be elbow-deep in centerpiece decor, create all the elements yourself and hand over step-by-step instructions to a pro to take care of it for you.
Think outside the centerpiece box….
Whether you’re looking to spend a little or a lot, whether you’re looking for elegantly understated or bold and lavish decor, don’t forget to think outside the centerpiece box. If you’re not a traditional vase+floral arrangement bride, get creative with the use of other elements like tiered candle designs, petals, ribbons, and unique vase fillers. Incorporate elements from your life – vintage books, fancy frames, or personal tokens from your relationship. If you really want to get original, create a common centerpiece theme but make every table different! We love it when brides have an open mind to letting us design a few different centerpiece options for them – tall + medium + short, some over-the-top, others small and quaint. With a good eye for style, you can keep your theme flowing across every table and do it all on a budget!
If you have any questions about centerpiece design, are looking to buy some wholesale decor items, or could use some fabulous decor + floral referrals, feel free to visit our Decor Shops, browse some of our Previously-Loved items, or get in touch!
Happy Centerpiece-ing!
December 2, 2011
{ Vintage + Rustic + Modern + Chic }
Every season there are a few weddings that stick in your mind. Whether it be the colours, the flower choices, the relationship you form with the couple or the theme; it leaves a lasting impression on you. For Lush Florals this season, it was all of these things combined to create the perfect spring wedding for Andrea and Jeremy. Afterglow Images captured the lovely ambiance of the day, which took place at the Ancaster Old Mill, perfectly!
Like a lot of brides getting married in June, Andrea wanted peonies. She chose to incorporate this gorgeous bloom into her yellow, grey, white and purple colour scheme. She had a vintage, but modern and rustic wedding theme…make sense? Yellow craspedia (billy balls) and grey echiveria provided the modern, yellow garden roses, peonies and dusty miller added the vintage, while pops of purple moonvista carnations gave contrast.
The gentlemen complimented their grey suits with echiveria and craspedia boutonnieres
Andrea and Jeremy’s ceremony was held in the garden at the Old Mill. The arbour was accented with architectural arrangements of mitsumata, hydrangea, stock and button mums (there is your modern). Hanging aisle markers in teal vintage mason jars led the bride down the aisle.
For the reception held in the Millview room Lush re-used the aisle markers along with low arrangments in rustic white washed containers for each table.
Lush would like to wish this amazing couple a lifetime of happiness! Every moment from planning to executing this wedding was enjoyable.
November 17, 2011
This past summer, an amazing WG couple, Amrita and Darrel, tied the knot in Toronto.
Their Hindu ceremony took place on Saturday of the May long weekend, complete with the handsome groom arriving on horseback and the absolutely stunning bride carrying an elegant white bouquet of roses and orchids.
A Western wedding ceremony and reception followed on Sunday, with festivities set to take place at the gorgeous Toronto Botanical Gardens. Purples, whites, blacks and bling inspired this stunningly elegant celebration.
Mother Nature couldn’t quite decide what she wanted to do with the weather for Amrita and Darrel. Our day went from beautifully overcast to slightly spitting… and back and forth again. We tried to make a rain call earlier in the day, but had our hearts set on pulling off an outdoor ceremony if possible. Even though we initially set up our ceremony decor outdoors in the Botanical Gardens courtyard, we also had to consider the threat the weather posed to our live musician’s equipment, and ultimately opted for a chic indoor setup instead.
Following a beautifully personalized wedding ceremony, the Newlyweds and their wedding party traveled to Union Station for some downtown urban photos and rejoined their guests in the evening for dinner and dancing at Woodbine Banquet Hall.
Here are some of the Behind-The-Scenes photos I quickly snapped with my iPhone throughout the day….
* note how we opted to re-use the ceremony aisle decor in front of the head table! the extra bit of candlelight added some dimension and romantic ambiance to the head table display.
{ the Details }
Wedding Planning + Coordination: done by Us!
Ceremony Location: Toronto Botanical Gardens
Ceremony Musician: Grenville Pinto
Reception Location: Woodbine Banquet Hall
Floral Design: Fleurish Design Studio
Reception Decor: LK Wedding Decor
Wedding Cake: Just Temptations
A hugely heartfelt Congratulations goes out to Amrita and Darrel!
The two of you hold a special spot in my heart and I’m honoured that you chose us to be a part of your Big Day! We love you both! xo
November 3, 2011
I recently received this GORGEOUS inspirational photo from a bride and I’m officially in LOVE!
An elegant combination of a vintage-inspired colour palette, accentuated with classic pearl brooches and whimsical elements of feathers and lace, this bouquet is most definitely the definition of enchanted romance. Couple this design with an airy wedding gown, soft bridesmaid dress colours, and timeless venue decor for a picture perfect Happily Ever After.
For a less classic and more shabby-chic inspired look, just replace the brooches and lace with burlap and buttons!
October 17, 2011
{ blooms on a Budget }
Over the past few years, a handful of our WG Brides have opted to have us create their bridal bouquets, bridesmaids’ florals, and even their decor and centrepiece arrangements – all to try and help create luxe on a budget!
Chrissy and her bridesmaids had gorgeous peony and carnation arrangements for their Old Hollywood Glam inspired wedding:
Catriona and her girls carried sleek and sophisticated posy bouquets of roses for their Parisienne wedding:
Anna’s classic white + ivory + navy wedding boasted elegant blooms:
… while Jamie’s Shades of Pink bouquet delivered some seriously colourful punch!
{ the Flower Shop – at the new Shops @ WG }
Flowers are the heartbeat of your wedding – and brides on a budget tend to want to skip florals to avoid excess budget constraint. The truth is – flowers don’t have to break your bridal bank!
Introducing — blooms on a budget at the WG Flower Shop….
Now at the WG Flower Shop – wholesale stems, budget bouquet design, and affordable decor solutions!
Contact Us for details or to chat about your own Blooms on a Budget!
September 19, 2011
{ a cavalcade of colour! }
A huge THANK YOU goes out to the fabulous Jessica at Fleurish Design Studio for creating this inspirational collage for a bride of ours who is planning a jewel-toned, no-colour-scheme wedding!
In doing some design research for this particular bride, we came across this non-colour-schemed wedding at KnottyBride.com and realized – even in the calamity of not having a colour scheme, a prominent theme seems to emerge.
Long story short, we’ve decided that we love the elegant chaos of not having a strict colour theme… and here are some jewel-inspired tones that show just how seamless it can be!
{ wedding planner Tip }
While colourful typically means bright and beautiful, it is possible to over-do it on colour. Make sure to stick to colours that tie in together somehow (i.e. stay away from pastel-this and chalky-that). If you’re using peacock colours to theme your event, consider incorporating peacock feathers into your flowers or using complementary ribbons around the vases and favours (like we did for Jillian and Ray’s beautiful, colourful design!)
August 5, 2011
{ baby’s breath }
When Charlotte married Harry in the sixth season of Sex And The City, she carried a super elegant hand-tied bouquet of nothing but baby’s breath.
{ Baby’s Breath wedding design }
What was once known as a somewhat tacky filler flower has now become a whimsical element of wedding floral design on-a-budget! We found some beautiful online inspiration for how to use Baby’s Breath either as a delicate accent throughout your wedding, or even as a showpiece arrangement!
{ Baby’s Breath wedding bouquets }
{ Baby’s Breath ceremony decor }
{ Baby’s Breath wedding centerpieces }
{ our Real Weddings }
We’ve seen the gorgeous accent of Baby’s Breath at both Jenn and Sean’s vintage-rustic Ever After, as well as at Christyne and Brad’s Big Day, planned with a similar theme.
 Photography by Amanda Lachapelle Photographic Artists 
{ Tips from a Wedding Planner }
If you’re using Baby’s Breath as a decor feature in your wedding design, be sure to confirm with the florist the quality (size) of baby’s breath you’ll be getting. They’re not all created equal! Some blooms are large and full, while others are much smaller and more green than they are white. This will save you from being disappointed on the Day Of when your pieces are delivered.
If you’re using Baby’s Breath as a bouquet flower, keep in mind that even though the blooms are light and airy and take up lots of space, the stems themselves are very skinny. If you’d like the base of your bouquet to be more substantial when you’re holding it, make sure to ask your florist to add in some additional stem pieces to ‘bulk up’ where you’ll be holding.
Happy Planning!
August 3, 2011
{ welcome to the Shops }
We recently launched our new online boutique – the Shops at WG!
Now, you can browse new and previously loved wedding items from vases, fillers, and LED lights, to cake toppers, ribbons, and more!
Looking for some vase inspiration? We scoured the internet and here are some of our favourites!
{ real weddings }
Take a peek at some of the weddings we’ve planned and the way we used vases to add light, colour, and sheer elegance…
 Archeo Wedding Ceremony, Distillery District - Toronto  Chateau Le Jardin, Woodbridge  Toronto Botanical Gardens, outdoor wedding ceremony  Edgewater Manor, Stoney Creek  Edgewater Manor, Stoney Creek - Fireplace Mantle Decor  Edgewater Manor, Stoney Creek  Tamahaac Club, Ancaster  Tamahaac Club, Ancaster { wishlist }
Once you’ve decided what you’re looking for, visit the Decor Shop within the Shops @ WG and create a wishlist for product details and pricing! Make sure to Get In Touch if you have any question!
Happy Planning!
July 6, 2011
We’re currently planning a beautiful Happily Ever After for a May bride whose inspiration comes from the airy classic elegance of ivories, champagnes, peaches, and corals.
Her design is coming together so exquisitely that we had to share some of the inspiration photos we’ve collected from here, there, and everywhere!
 
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