Sharon + Scott’s Natural Southern Ontario Winter Wedding
Whenever I design flowers for a couple’s wedding, I always think about seasonality. Most of the time that means I’m thinking about spring, summer and fall flowers. But winter flowers are so often overlooked and forgotten. A true shame because winter offers some truly lovely possibilities! Check out this gorgeous Southern Ontario winter wedding featuring some of my favourite things: lush winter greens, preserved and dried botanical accents, a unique ceremony set-up and anemones – a favourite winter bloom! If you want to incorporate wintery elements but you don’t want it to feel “too Christmasy” read on, because it is totally doable!
First of all, I refuse to call my favourite evergreen foliages “Christmas greens” as many do. After all, up here in Canada our winter persists far past Christmas. Whether in December or February, these seasonal foliages feel fresh and completely appropriate. For Sharon + Scott, we used winter greens everywhere: delicately framing bouquets, as lush garland down their head table, spilling out of their table centrepieces and mixed with glowy candles on the venue’s stately fireplaces. We even created a grounded, greenery ring on the floor to frame the ceremony space. This space was designed to serve as the backdrop for both their wedding ceremony and for the traditional tea ceremony. I wish you could have smelled Berkeley Church. The earthy and bright, citrusy scents of pine and cedar filled the space and set the stage for this very unique wedding.
The most Christmasy thing about this wedding was entirely intentional (and adorable!). Sharon + Scott wanted to combine their wedding with one of their family traditions: a holiday potluck with gift exchange. Instead of receiving gifts, they had all their guests exchange gifts! You can see all the presents lined up on the stage in front of a backdrop of quirky, natural evergreen trees. Backlit with blue and purple, it almost felt like a Canadian winter scene complete with aurora borealis.
Looking back on these photos I feel so blessed to have been part of this day. It is an honour to help craft elements to celebrate a couple’s love in a very personal and unique way. Deepest gratitude to Anastasia of Olive Photography for capturing the whole day beautifully. And heartfelt congratulations to Sharon + Scott on their nuptials and deep thanks for letting me contribute to their day!
