Sea Cider Wedding - Victoria, BC, Canada

Sea Cider, Victoria BC, always providing such an incredible backdrop for the most stunning if events.  We were thrilled to be apart of this incredible wedding full of love, stunning decor for Trend Decor and draping from Designer Wedding Rentals, planned by The Good Party and so lovingly full of all the prettiest blooms.  The ceremony backdrop at this wedding is full and lush with multiple varieties of eucalyptus and white accent flowers such as white spray roses, wax flowers, and spirea.  Lush greens stealing the show, garlands dripping over top hand crafted signage, simply LOVE.

     

Simple elegant pew markers are comprised of plumosa fern and juliet garden roses. 

The reception utilized flowers at all levels! A hanging installation and hoops include wild smilax and greenery, wall installs using gold hoops and Italian ruscus, and lush centrepieces, both high tops and low compotes were used to fill out the tables. 

Centrepieces add the moody dark nine bark to add depth and contrast with the softer colours of the alabaster white garden roses, spray roses, juliet garden roses, hypericum, and stock. 

     

     

- Venue - 

Sea Cider

Victoria, BC, Canada

- Planning - 

The Good Party

- Decor -
Trend Decor

- Photography -
Kim Jay Weddings

Wedding Vendor Feature - Rad Occasions, Victoria, BC - Event Planning

Last year, I ran a little wedding planners blogging extravaganza and featured the local event planners that consistently and lovingly support us. We love the trust they give us! Enough trust to refer us to their incredible clients!!  Are we completely grateful? Absolutely YES.  Last year, I had the pleasure of adding Rad Occasions to the list of event planners that continually support us and we had an absolute blast working with Radhika and her awesome team.  Radhika, owner of Rad Occasions located in Victoria BC, is incredibly sweet and incredibly kind, beyond descriptive words.  So let me introduce you to Rad, her team and find out what makes them tick, view some previous events gorgeously planned, find out why we love working alongside her team AND why they landed a very notable Finalist position at the Vancouver Island Wedding Awards.  Way to go!

1.  How long have you been in business and why did you choose to be an event planner?

"We will have been in business for 5 years as of April 22 this year! A little off topic, but with this milestone coming up we will be launching a new website and podcast, which I’m excited/nervous for.  I chose to become certified with the Wedding Planners Institute of Canada after planning my first wedding and after assisting for a couple of seasons with another local wedding company. What really drew me to planning weddings were all the small, beautiful details and how all the moving parts fit together to create one big (or small) event full of so much meaning and connection. "

2.  What makes your company unique, inspiring or different?  

"Lately I’ve been calling us the team that could and that in itself is so inspiring! We are constantly challenging ourselves to learn and strive in new situations be it coordinating a sparkler send off, working with birds, or folding hundreds of cranes. 

I’m also so proud that our team puts a focus on the couples needs while setting a healthy boundary so everyone feels respected and heard. I know when I started in the industry this wasn’t something that I was honouring for myself or with our couples but we have come become more experienced and confident in our abilities over the years and continue to learn and grow."

3. Who are your ideal clients and why?

"We have had the opportunity to work with so many wonderful people from all over the world and along with that many different personalities. Ideally we are drawn to working with people who are looking  to bring all of those that they love together with a meaningful celebration to celebrate their connection. These clients are usually looking for someone to assist with guiding them through the process but they still want to be hands on through out the planning. This is so helpful as we can help stay true to their personalities and rituals while planning and coordinating a rad day that they will love for years to come."

4.  Why should couples planning a wedding hire you?

Sometimes I make quips about how we are the ‘insurance policy’ for the wedding day - meaning that we are there to ensure that if anything does go wrong or run late the problem is solved while keeping it on the down low. In all seriousness though, we take a lot of stress off of the couple and their loved ones and do it with a smile on our faces. 

I also stress education and learning in many forms for myself and the team. For example, all of our lead planners are certified by the Wedding Planners Institute of Canada and we are always going to conferences and workshops to learn new skills or fine tune interests. If you aren’t learning, you aren’t growing!

5.  If there's one piece of advice to your prospective clientele to give, what would that be? 

"I have two pieces of advice: one biased and one I hope that helps!

1) if your budget allows for it hire a wedding planner, even if for month of coordination. If you can have someone along with you during the planning process it saves so much time in obtaining quotes etc plus if you need to take a time out your planner will keep working in the background. If you can’t justify the cost of a full or even partial planner then definitely hire a month of coordinator  - it takes so much responsibility off of your family and friends plus your vendors will love you for it!  

2) remember that it is your wedding day and your chance to honour your identity as individuals and families coming together to celebrate a beautiful coupling. Make it as traditional or untraditional as you want it to be and don’t be afraid to incorporate elements that celebrate your couple-ness. "

6.  Describe your design style when approaching events! 

"It is a little different every time but generally we like to take cues from how the couple’s home is decorated, their personal style, and a Pinterest board or a saved Instagram collection. From there we create a mood board complete with colour palette, design of each element of the wedding day, and a list of vendors that can provide the items. Once I’m completely satisfied with my design it is presented to the couple and we work together to tweak the design until it is just right. Then it’s all about connecting with vendors and securing them to bring the vision to life on the wedding day. "

7.  How far in advance should people contact you to work with you?

"Ideally 1 to 1.5 years for a full/partial plan but some couples book us within 6 months to a year of their date. We once even had someone from out of town book us two months before their date, it was an amazing challenge for us! "

It's been incredible watching Rad Occasions grow into a leading event planning company here in Victoria, BC. Our team absolutely LOVED working with Rad Occasions as there organizational skills were hands down impressive, their creative efforts are outstanding, and truly, the kindest. I loved watching and witnessing their genuine interest in curating incredible events for their clients, defiantly blew us away.  We are thrilled to have 'won them over' and are excited to get our creative juices back onboard this year for 2020.  Thank you, thank you Rad Occasions!  

 Looking for a planner?  Want to reach out to Rad Occasions?  Give them a follow on their social media threads.  Check them out below.  

www.radoccasions.ca

rad@radoccasions.ca

250 516 3770

Instagram: @radoccasions 

2020 Wedding Floral Trends

Photo Credit: Samba Joy 

Now that we are half way through our 2020 wedding booking season, we thought we would round up some of the most popular, trending floral choices for weddings!!!! 

Photo Credit:  Emily Nicole Photography

Disclaimer:  All images used are of Platinum Floral Designs works.  

Our pick:  Number 1

Pampas grass!  

From ceremony decor to centrepieces to bridal bouquets, we are seeing pampas grass EVERYWHERE! Even in the tiniest details like boutonnieres and corsages.  Pampas grass is a great choice especially creating a boho look.  Thick lush and just the right neutral tone to make a huge impact in any display.  Looking for something with a little more colour?  We have also been dying our pampas grass in all sorts, think blush tones, bleached in white, burgandy and if you've brave enough, deep blues, oranges as yellows.  

Check out what we created for The Good Party's re-brand party.

Let's talk pricing:  Pampas grass ranges from $12 to $24CAD a stem depending on time of year and where it's shipped from.  Note: we are located on Vancouver Island, in Victoria, BC - and pricing may vary depending on your location :) 

Photo Credit:  Rivkah Photography

Our Pick:  Number 2

TROPICALS 

Photo Credit:  Emily Nicole Photography

2020 brings tropical vibes infused with local treasures.  Anthurium, King Protea, Ginger and lush tropical foliage such as monstera, banana and palms are amongst some of the most popular requests.

Pricing here in Canada (Vancouver Island, Victoria, BC) - you can expect to pay a wee bit more to import tropical blooms and foliage Pricing ranges from $9 - $60CAD depending on variety used

Photo Credit:  Ameris 

Our Pick:  Number 3 

Bold Colour Palettes

Photo Credit: Samba Joy

Yes!  That's right, you bride to be's are getting extremely bold and brave and we couldn't thank you enough.  Our team here at Platinum Floral Designs, simply LOVE creating colourful and bold florals for you to hold, get married under, or admire over your reception dinner.  In our 11 years of working the wedding floral industry, I have never seen more colour than I am this year!  Think corals, rich hues of oranges, yellows, purples. pinks, blues and even combining them in unlikely palettes sure makes for one artfully inspired day!  

Photo Credit:  Tulle and Tweed Photography 

Photo Credit:  Lilly Ann Photography

Our Pick:  Number 4 

Minimal Greens, Focal Flowers

Photo Credit:  Shari & Mike

A few years ago, trending was wild greens, especially eucalyptus bursting out of bridal and maids bouquets, however that trend has weeded itself out over the years and we are now seeing fuller displays of flowers, using primarily focal flowers to construct the bouquets.  Assymetrical shaped bouquets continue to be strong in 2020.

Photo Credit:  Meghan Hemstra Photography

Photo Credit:  Christie Graham Photography 

Our Pick:  Number 5

Garden Rose

The Most Requested Flower

Garden roses, truly speak for themselves.  With their romantic furling petals, incredible scents and a huge range of colours, there is no wonder they are highly requested.  We also use them in replace of peony when clients are getting married out of peony season.  We love them, you love them and we are thankful for our world wide growers who are continually improving their vase life, their colour options, size, shapes and colours.  

Pricing for garden roses vary from $9.50 to $15CAD a stem - depending on variety and availability 

Our Pick:  Number 6

Techniques 

Photo Credit: Collective Gen

My most favourite florist technique recently has been reflexing roses, and ALL of them - or as many as I can!!! It's a little hidden secret event florists LOVE to use.  We caress open and flip the rose petals starting from the exterior and working inwards towards the centre.  Not only does it double the display, it also makes your roses POP with romance on a whole new level.  Although this technique can be a wee bit time consuming, especially doing 100's of stems at a time, it's absolutely worth it all.  

There you have it, our top 6 trending 2020 wedding floral trends.  

Photo Credit:  Lily Ann Photography 

Looking for a wedding florist?  We would LOVE to speak with you regarding your 2020, 2021 wedding here on lower Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.  Please email:

tina@platinumfloraldesigns.com to book your complimentary consultation today:). 

Platinum Floral Designs - Holiday Tea Blend

I was so lucky when Stacey walked into my life.  She has been Platinum's rock this year and when I tasked her with not only learning the ropes of event floral design, but taking a full step ahead into SO many more aspects of the business, she really took the lead.  She's our  DIY queen, creating up our awesome boutonniere tags, behind the scenes photography, gardener, flower presser, and well, she  produced our Holiday tea Blends.  Stacey is also a part time student studying herbal medicine and is a herbal therapist in training.  I knew I wanted our client gifts to be uber cute and meaningful this year and asked Stacey what she could create for our incredible tribes.  Stacey gave it a thought and came up with our custom blended tea! She produced a herbal tea that truly reflects Platinum Floral Designs, it's a little flowery, sweet, delicious, organic, made with biodegradable bags and of course has super healing medicinal properties.

As the holidays approach we want to make sure you feel your best. She formulated a custom tea blend to help support your immune system and soothe your digestive system.  

Here's what Stacey included:  

Avena sativa* seed (Milky Oats)

Calendula officinalis* flower (Calendula)

Matricaria recutita* flower (Chamomile)

Rosa canina* fruit (Rose Hips)

Sambucus nigra* berry (Elderberry)

Zingiber officinale* root (Giner)

Directions

Add tea bag to hot water. Cover and steep for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!

Why cover your tea while it steeps?

Those lovely smells wafting up while your tea steeps are the volatile/essential oils evaporating into the air. Covering your tea while it steeps helps to hold in the volatile/essential oils and enables you to ingest more beneficial properties of the herbs.

Ingredients

Organic Avena sativa seed (Milky oats)

These oat seeds are called milky oats because they are picked when the seeds are not yet fully mature and contain a milky sap. They are known to help alleviate anxiety, stress and improve your mood. Oats are nutritive, wound healing and demulcent (they help coat and soothe the tissues of your digestive tract).

Fun Fact – These milky oats were grown near Tina’s hometown in Saskatchewan!

Organic Calendula officinalis flower (Calendula)

Calendula flowers are little rays of sunshine with many uses in herbal medicine. They grow prolifically throughout the Victoria area. Calendula is anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and wound healing. It is also wonderful used topically on the skin as an infused oil in products such as salves, lotions and lip balms.

Organic Matricaria recutita flower (Chamomile)

Chamomile is relaxing and a gut savior! It is anti-inflammatory, wound healing, helps alleviate gas and bloating, and is a muscle relaxant. These are just some of the reasons why chamomile is such a popular herbal tea.  

Organic Rosa canina (Rose hips)

After the beautiful petals of a rose have fallen the fruit that develops is known as rose hips. They are high in vitamin C, antioxidants and have a wonderful sweet sour taste. Rose hips are used for colds, fever, headaches, sore throats and stress.

Organic Sambucus nigra berry (Elderberry)

This little berry is packed with antioxidants and has both antiviral and immune boosting properties.  Elderberry has a long historical use to treat cold and flu symptoms. It’s also very effective as a syrup.

Organic Zingiber officinale root (Ginger)

The spicy sweet undertone in the tea is ginger. It’s wonderful for warming the digestive system, alleviating nausea and improving peripheral circulation, as well as the immune system. Ginger is another herb commonly used for colds and flus.

The tea bags are 100% biodegradable, made from 100% natural unbleached paper, sustainably harvested Canadian and American wood pulp (Cut 1 tree, plant 2). 

Caution: It is recommended to consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using any herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications. Allergy to Compositae/Asteraceae. May have come in contact with potential allergens, such as peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, or soy.  Oats are gluten free, however some people may have cross-reactivity to avenins.  

This information is for educational use only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This information has not been evaluated by the FDA.

We hope you love your tea mix and wanted to send out a VERY huge thank you to all our 2019 clients.  Merry Christmas. We are so very blessed to be able to do what we do year after year and simply wouldn't be able to do it with the support we receive.  

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FOLKS!   

Part 2: Dramatic, Bold, Luxurious Wedding Reception at Fairmont Empress Hotel, Victoria, BC, Canada

If you missed Part 1 of this incredible wedding held at The Fairmont Empress, Victoria, BC, make sure you check back on a blog post, it's really worth the gander.  The stunning wedding party here stepped outside the heritage hotel and the bridal party sure looked dashing as they explore the Inner Harbour in downtown Victoria, BC, Canada in mis matched gowns, laughter and all the sunny fun!

  

     

Centrepieces featured the same lovely colour palette as the ceremony, buckling with rose beauty galore - it truly was all about the rose in this wedding. Trend Decor fused the traditional blue and white ceramic vases to pay homage to the traditions within the family and we absolutely LOVED filling them with a stunning, luxe display of primarily roses, in custom colours such as burnt oranges, blush, peaches and deep reds, however items such as blue tweedia, agonies greens and burgundy ranunculus were also highlighted in the design.  I would say, these beauties where a perfect fit marrying both traditional values and modern takes.

We absolutely LOVE what Trend Decor did with the signing table.  Using a variety of different elements such as umbrellas, fan and family pictures, this table was absolutely stunning and a perfect spot to pay homage to the joining of two families.  

         

Michele decided to switch out of her stunning traditional Canadian gown, into a stunning heritage gown for the reception.  The outstanding cake created by The Fairmont Empress, Victoria BC, show cased a spiral of stunning florals within the palette colours.  What a cake!

 

The perfect end to the perfect day!  Going out in a sparkler sent off, is well, probably one of my favourite ways to exit into a whole new beginning together.  Thank you Michele and Bryan for allowing us to be apart of your very special day.

- Venue - 

Fairmont Empress Hotel

Victoria, BC, Canada

- Planning - 

The Good Party

- Decor - 

Trend Decor

- Photography - 

Rivkah Photography

- Drapery - 

Designer Wedding Rentals

Part 1: Dramatic, Bold, Luxurious Award Winning Wedding Ceremony at Fairmont Empress Hotel, Victoria, BC, Canada

Photo credit:  Rivkah Photography

Michele and Bryan's wedding was a beautiful blend of elegance and rich colours with family traditions incorporated throughout and it was simply stunning with ALL the right details in all the right locations.  This wedding also won us, BEST WEDDING FLORALS via Vancouver Island Wedding Awards, 2018 and took finalist positions for BC Wedding Awards - Best Wedding Florals - and we were absolutely thrilled (thank you Rivkah Photography for providing the most stunning photos of our work!).   There's so many photographs and so many details, we have broken this wedding down into 2 parts.  Enjoy part 1.

      

      

Florals featured rich and bold colours such as red and toffee roses, calla lilies, ranunculus, and lush, cascading greens. Texture and muted tones were added using various types of eucalyptus and italian ruscus. The large arrangements on the mantle provided a stunning backdrop and really enhanced the ceremony location held at The Fairmont Empress, Victoria BC.  We were simply thrilled with all the product that arrived for this wedding, everything performed incredible well.  We are always awe-struck at what nature provides.  Thankful for our nature candy and uber thankful for the talented flower farmers that work relentlessly year round to provide the most delish product!

The Fairmont Empress Hotel never disappoints! The Good Party planned the perfect day and brought the couple's vision to life while Trend Decor incorporated unique elements to pay homage to the traditional values of the family.  

- Venue - 

Fairmont Empress Hotel

Victoria, BC, Canada

- Planning - 

The Good Party

- Decor - 

Trend Decor

- Photography - 

Rivkah Photos

- Drapery - 

Designer Wedding Rentals