2023 Wedding Open House
From the champagne wall and floral-lined ceremony aisles, to the debut of our Ballroom chandeliers and new acrylic signage, there were so many beautiful moments to take in at our 2023 Wedding Open House. Whether you joined us in-person on June 2nd, or are just catching up now, read on for everything you need to know (and see) from this year’s show!
Guest Experience
Aside from getting a genuine firsthand dose of the SMW experience, it’s not lost on us that one of the main reasons couples join us at our Open House is to be inspired by the stunningly unique show designs. So, our goal, year after year, is to BRING IT! While we certainly lean into current wedding trends that are inspiring us, we also aim to reimagine and run with these trends within our own playground, with the hope of inspiring you.
Two things that have gained in popularity over the last few seasons are champagne towers and our signature étagère shelving units. In an effort to give the people what they want, but with our spin on things, we created an entire wall of sparkling secco, set upon our étagères. As visitors entered the show through a tunnel of dreamy ivory drapery, they were greeted with a glass of secco — the perfect touch for welcoming guests into cocktail period, or even a fun way to display your seating plan when each glass is topped with its own escort card. See the the reel at the end of this post to get a snippet of our champagne wall.
As always, our in-house Special Events Team was on-hand to offer future couples a glimpse into the SMW experience, through guided tours, answering questions, and helping couples check off many of the boxes on their wedding planning list. When it came to the food, our culinary team prepared a sampling of our finest passed hors d’oeuvres, in addition to a presentation of our beef slider station - which is a popular choice amongst our couples!
Another feature that has become a mainstay at our Open Houses is a panel of real brides! To provide a candid review of their actual wedding days, we invited back two of our past brides - Natasha and Jessica - to chat with couples about their experience working with St. Marys Weddings and our preferred vendors. Not only did event goers rave about how informative it was to chat with the duo, but it was also a blast for Natasha and Jessica to relive their wedding stories (and for our team to welcome both of them back)!
The Ballroom
Knowing that this would be the first time most visitors would be seeing our ten new chandelier additions in the Ballroom, we just had to create a look that would properly serve their debut. Running with a soft and romantic feel that allowed the gorgeous fixtures to take center stage, we opted for minimalistic ivory tones and clean glass accents throughout the airy space, which highlighted a variation of texture over tone.
At the centre of the room, positioned in front of our grand limestone fireplace, sat a king’s head table that was styled in layers upon layers of flowing ivory sheer. This focal point serves as the dinner setting for newlyweds and their wedding party, directly beneath the sparkling crystal chandeliers. Running perpendicular, the family tables were setup in our signature ‘T-shape’ layout, and were styled in unison with the main table. Sleek acrylic risers and rectangular silver metal casbah stands were placed to provide a variation of heights for floral arrangements, and stemmed glass candle holders were woven through the tablescape. Place settings were dressed with timeless silver-beaded glass charger plates, knotted latte-coloured napkins, and a modern arched menu card via Minted.
Along the fireplace mantle and within the firebox, a collection of grand silver candlesticks displayed two tones of taper candles. Rather than choosing a complimenting gold tone similar to our room finishes, we preferred the juxtaposition of mixing metals, which added dimension and interest to the design. The effect of the candlelight and chandeliers reflecting from the milled-in antique mirror was so stunning, it was as if we had created a glistening piece of artwork above the fireplace.
And as is always the truth with a well-styled event, it was the explosion of pastel florals that really brought the room to life. Gorgeous tabletop arrangements of orchids, anemones and peonies were hosted in our new silver pedestal vessel, with an abundance of on-trend bud vases sprinkled throughout the space. To finish off the entire look with a high impact feature, climbing asymmetrically up and along the fireplace was a massive floral installation that had every single guest of the show picking their jaw up from off the floor!
The Hideaway
Over in the Hideaway, we switched gears to a moody and modern vibe, heavily influenced by the unofficial neutral wedding colour of the year - brown! The room was wrapped in the champagne-toned version of our signature floor-to-ceiling Grand Elegance draped backdrop, with complimenting drapery surrounding each of the four glass garage doors. Guest tables were dressed in our new gorgeous latte lamour satin linens, which are a match made in heaven with our dark-framed Chiavari chairs. To create an overly sophisticated and luxurious feel, we leaned into texture over contrast by opting for tone-on-tone napkin styling, laying them loose and organically beneath the champagne-toned Minted menu card.
Again, we chose our signature ‘T-shape’ head and family table configuration for the heart of the room, choosing exposed wood harvest tables to ground the wood ceiling and balance the softness of all the sheer drapery. To elevate the design, we raised a sweetheart table for the newlyweds slightly above their wedding party table, using a wood stage stained in the same finish as the tables. Seating for these key tables was upgraded to wood vineyard chairs with ivory cushions, which again, contributed to a low-contrast and warm feel.
With an old-world style that transitions easily into contemporary design, we accented all tables with new ceramic candle holders — one of our favourite styling items as of late! Glass chimneys were placed over the taper holders to both create additional ambiance through the reflection of candlelight and to keep open flame controlled. Clear beaded glass charger plates and silver flatware completed the place settings, and a row of eight crystal chandeliers were suspended and layered along the backdrop to complete the feature wall design.
Much like in the Ballroom, the florals infused colour into the design — with blooms in tones of dusty pink, blush, burgundy, and ivory. Our new footed ceramic bowls hosted the floral arrangements on guest tables, and multiple mini versions of these pots were placed throughout the tabletops of key tables. Sculptural arrangements crafted from dyed feathers, amarynthus and Spanish moss hung above the head and family tables, and drew the eye up to the statement wood ceiling.
Outdoor Spaces
Never does our design vision end with the rooms themselves. With a focus on current wedding trends that speak to us, ceremony spaces for the show were designed to include dramatic aisles that would create both big impact moments and tie in with their respective room designs. On the Ballroom grounds, a dreamy, floral-lined, roses en masse walk to the alter was created from over 200 individually-picked stems. To complement the floral garland showcased inside the Ballroom, large floral pieces sat outside at the base of each pergola post, appearing to grow from the ground and organically trail up and along the ceremony structure.
For the Hideaway, a grandeur custom mirror aisle stretched the full length of the white garden ceremony chairs, and was surrounded by organically-designed florals. Flower arrangements appeared one with the ground, and followed an ombre colour pattern of white bleeding into dusty pink and burgundy. The finishing touch at this ceremony setting was our new acrylic unplugged sign, which is a part of our modern signage collection. Available as an upgrade or add-on option with Decor packages, the contemporary collection includes this beauty, our new acrylic bar sign, and our ever-popular seating chart and welcome sign trio.
On the patios, we showcased seating areas for wedding guests to use throughout their cocktail period and reception. The Ballroom patio featured a grey-upholstered love seat, vintage-inspired area rug and metal accent chairs, and a ‘Happily Ever After’ neon sign suspended in front of our infamous live greenery wall. Outside the Hideaway glass garage doors, a pair of white leather lounges were placed alongside wicker end tables, velvet accent pillows, and a cozy firepit.
Preferred Vendors
Rounding out the list of reasons for attendee registration is a curated selection of quality vendors, who participate in our show. Photographers, videographers, DJ services, officiants, makeup artists, bridal registry, bridal attire, photo booth services, and bakeries – many of our preferred vendors were available for couples to personally connect with that night.
Wine samples of all the varieties couples choose from for their own wedding were provided by Pelee Island Winery, and Cowbell Brewing Co. was onsite to provide tastings of their popular craft varieties included in our bar packages. Both The Cake Box and Grandma’s Oven Bakery & Cakes Inc. treated attendees to an array of sweets, from cake pops and cupcakes, to pre-wrapped sugar cookies. The Modern Bride beautifully-displayed three of their gorgeous bridal gowns, and Makeup Artistry by Heather offered real-time makeovers. Providing the right soundtrack for the evening is one of the most crucial elements of any wedding, and as usual, both The DJ Alpha Company and AK Productions created the perfect energy in each of their respective rooms. Outside the Ballroom doors, The DJ Alpha Company setup their 360 Booth for guests to create easily sharable videos, capturing the fun from all angles. And out on the Hideaway patio, The Boho Photo Bus sent couples and their entourages home with photo memories of their time at the show, proving why photo favours are a huge hit for wedding guests. See the full list of participating vendors at the end of this post.
HUGE thank you to everyone who made this year’s show a night to remember — our incredible floral partner Lyric Flowers for bringing our vision to life, the one and only Nina Polidoro for capturing every moment ever so perfectly, makeup and hair goddesses The Artist Collective for making our team feel extra beautiful, our preferred vendor family who are such an integral part of the overall show experience, our beloved past brides Natasha and Jessica for offering their time and their stories, our in-house Special Events Team who are second to none and care for our couples so genuinely, and last but certainly not least, all of the guests who hung out with us on June 2nd! We thank you!
Photography by Nina Polidoro
Design & Styling: Above & Beyond Event Design by St. Marys Weddings
Floral Design: Lyric Flowers
Real Brides:
Natasha Gravett and Jessica Sheldon
Participating Vendors:
Lyric Flowers: Floral Design | Nina Polidoro Photography: Photographer | The Artist Collective: Makeup Artist | The Cake Box: Baker | The Alpha DJ Company: DJ Services | Enduring Promises: Officiant | The Modern Bride: Bridal Boutique | Michael Steingard Photography: Photographer | Black Dog Weddings: Dog Caretaker | Tina Dias Ceremonies: Officiant | One Shot Films: Videographer | Bradshaws: Bridal Registry | Makeup Artistry by Heather: Makeup Artist | AK Productions: DJ Services | Jenna Graham Photography: Photographer | Celebrations of Love: Officiant | Grandma’s Oven Bakery & Cakes: Baker | The Boho Photo Bus: Photobooth | Pelee Island Winery: Wine Supplier | Cowbell Brewing Co.: Beer Supplier