2017 Bridal Open House
Sunday, June 4th, 2017 marked the date of our fourth annual Bridal Open House, where we enjoyed the company of more than double our regular attendance! This year’s wedding show was particularly exciting, as we unveiled our brand new event space – The Hideaway!
Departing from the classic champagne tones, airy feel, and modern esthetic of our much-loved Ballroom, The Hideaway emphasizes more of an old-world, rustic, and moody design – with an exposed wood beam ceiling, polished concrete floor, elegant gold chandeliers, copper bar, and black-pane garage doors that open to the surrounding outdoor grounds.
The Hideaway reception space features an exposed wood beam ceiling, elegant chandeliers and pendant lighting, dark-framed Chiavari chairs, and massive black-pane garage doors.
As if the unique finishes in the room itself weren’t enough, we designed a private washroom corridor and Bridal Suite for the Hideaway that is full of rich details, like floral wallpaper, Moroccan floor tiling, bronze hardware, live edge wood shelving, and luxurious fabrics. To top it all off, the Hideaway features a private grand entrance (double doors plus 12 foot high garage door), which is framed by a larger than life steel wave structure and breathtaking view down to the ceremony pergola.
St. Marys Hideaway brides will enjoy being pampered in their private Parisian-inspired Bridal Suite, filled with luxe velvet and bronze gold finishes.
Seeing the reactions on the faces of both our couples and our vendors was truly an unforgettable moment for us! Some of our couples even stayed for the full four hours of the Open House, as they could not get enough of all the eye candy, and wanted to soak in every last detail.
To inspire our couples and help them envision a wedding day setup in the Hideaway, we partnered with the extraordinary Above & Beyond Event Design and Lyric Flowers, who are two of our top preferred vendors. The décor and floral vision complimented the rustic, industrial, moody, earthy, and elegant vibes of the Hideaway design – a perfectly eclectic mixture. Using fresh moss, Lyric Flowers covered a custom wood and galvanized metal backdrop by Above & Beyond, with Edison bulb marquee lights strung above. Set perfectly at the centre of the backdrop was the Head Table, which was uniquely placed protruding into the room as a king’s table, rather than flush and parallel with the backdrop. Along with the Head Table, wood harvest tables were used for the immediate family tables as well, and these were placed perpendicular to the Head Table.
Wood harvest tables and vineyard chairs are always a beautiful choice for a Head Table, especially when they're setup king's style and feature a greenery garland. Venue: St. Marys Golf & Country Club. Decor & Styling: Above & Beyond Event Design. Floral Design: Lyric Flowers.
To keep with the eclectic feel in the space, we used St. Marys Golf & Country Club’s Hideaway seating options throughout – wood vineyard chairs at the Head Table, and dark brown Chiavari chairs with champagne cushions for all other tables. Above & Beyond dressed guest tables with beautiful navy crinkle taffeta linen and champagne napkins, while harvest tables were left bare with navy blue napkins. Elegant gold-rimmed glass charger plates were set at each place setting, and moss-covered table numbers were added to each table.
Thanks to Lyric Flowers, the floral design in the Hideaway was impeccable. We chose a moody, rich and romantic colour scheme of deep plums and reds, ivory, a hint of blue and blush, and loads of greenery – a colour scheme completely on trend for this year, as we previously discussed in our blog about 2017 Wedding Colours. Lyric used only the finest in floral varieties, adding peonies, ranunculus, garden roses, and sea holly to the mix. Along the Head Table was what we call tablescape heaven – lush greenery runner, numerous floral arrangements, and lots of light flickering from pillar candles and custom cement candleholders.
Custom-made cement candleholders with copper-toned interiors, by Lyric Flowers, reflect romantic warm light for a wedding reception.
Lyric Flowers finished off family and guest tables with massive floral centerpieces, raised on champagne gold stands. To tie everything together, Above & Beyond used a mixture of copper, gold, wood, cement, and galvanized metal accents when styling the rest of the space.
Over in The Ballroom, the décor and florals were focused around a soft, feminine palette of white, cream and champagne – complimenting the classic tones in the space. Displayed behind a sweetheart table just for the Bride and Groom, Devine Wedding Design created a floor to ceiling flowing cream and champagne sheer backdrop, featuring a weaved accent at the centre. The sweetheart table was dressed with matching champagne sheering that romantically puddled onto the floor. Guest tables were topped with gold candelabras, and place settings on all tables were finished with cream scalloped charger plates and napkins folded into roses. Lush floral centerpieces by The Flower Shop & More were kept monochromatic, set against a pillow of greenery and displayed in white and gold Kate Spade vases. Popular varieties were used to create the floral arrangements, such as ranunculus, hydrangea, roses, and variegated pit. All other tables in the room were dressed in cream and champagne linens of varying textures – sequin, lace and tinsel wave – and our champagne metal Ballroom Chiavari chairs were displayed for guest seating.
Beyond the styling inspiration in both rooms, couples were able to piece together many important aspects of their wedding day, with preferred vendors from all categories available to chat. Our in-house Wedding Planners and Coordinators were also available for quick tours and to answer questions about our venue. To help couples envision how their Cocktail Period would feel, our service staff passed a selection of our finest hors d’oeuvres, and The Fro.Zen Trolley provided frozen yogurt samples direct from their portable cart. Pelee Island Winery kept our bar busy, with samples of wine that our couples are able to choose from for their big day! The full list of participating vendors is available at the end of this article.
All in all, we were blown away by the anticipation leading up to our Bridal Open House, and truly honoured to receive such exceptional feedback and buzz following the Grand Opening of the Hideaway. To all of our incredible couples, vendors and staff, we cannot thank you enough for your continued support – none of this would be possible or meaningful without you! We look forward to all the beautiful weddings we will host this season and beyond!
Bridal Open House images taken by Nina Polidoro Photography
Full collection of photos available on our Facebook page
Participating Vendors:
Above & Beyond: Décor + Event Styling [Hideaway] | Amotion Films: Videography | Bradshaws: Bridal Registry | Cakes by Julie: Baker | Cherrey Bus Lines: Transportation | Devine Wedding Design: Decorator [Ballroom] | Enduring Promises: Officiant | Lipstick Lounge: Makeup Artistry | Lyric Flowers: Floral Design [Hideaway] | Makeup Artistry by Heather: Makeup Artistry | Michael Steingard Photography: Photographer | Music By Brock: Disc Jockey | Music Central Entertainment: Disc Jockey | Nina Polidoro Photography: Photographer | Once Upon A Time Weddings: Bridal Attire | Painting With Light Photography: Photographer | Pelee Island Winery: Food & Beverage [Wine] | Sensations Salon & Day Spa: Hair Styling and Nails | The Flower Shop & More: Florist [Ballroom] | The Fro.Zen Trolley: Food & Beverage [Frozen Yogurt]