Sam & Joel’s Whimsical & Colourful Lake Wedding

Last July, we dreamt up a colourful tent wedding loaded with natural and bright citrus colours and pastel details. Keep scrolling to read all about Sam & Joel’s whimsical and colourful wedding in Kenora.

When Sam and Joel approached us about planning a destination wedding for their guests in Kenora, we jumped at the chance! Sam and Joel are based out of province, but wanted to celebrate in Sam’s childhood hometown and nothing is more beautiful than a picturesque summer wedding under the Starsl in Lake of the Woods! Together we envisioned a bright, modern and romantic wedding with a joyful colour palette.

Aside from researching and sourcing decor, managing the logistics of this wedding was no easy feat. We reserved hotels all over the town of Kenora to ensure guests had ample accommodations and coordinated weekend transportation for the group since most guests were flying into Winnipeg. Sam and Joel treated their guests to a weekend experience and the couple enjoyed a fabulous Friday night boat ride after their wedding rehearsal and a Farewell Sunday Brunch for their guests before everyone went home.

The couple got married on Sam’s parents’ property and the house was a natural place for Sam and her Bridesmaids to get ready the morning of the wedding. We also reserved a grouping of private cabins for the couple and their wedding party close to the ceremony site and this is where Joel got ready the morning of the wedding.

Check out how we incorporated colour and whimsical fonts into the stationery suite thanks to @TwoFold Paper Co.

The couple enjoyed their first look on the dock, followed by wedding party portraits prior to the late afternoon ceremony. Sam’s bouquet designed by @Stone House Weddings captured a gorgeous natural, wild flower aesthetic. The bouquet featured more of the subdued tones in the palette (whites, taupe, softer peaches and rose, and a small touch of orange, yellow and light blue). Lauren focused on a lot of locally grown flowers to really create a floaty wildflower feel.

As they concluded their formal portraits, the couple’s photographer, @Keila Marie Photo took some stunning solo shots of Sam here, which was a nice mix of fun and some more posed looks. Check out these sleeves and pearled veil by @Blush & Raven .

As the couple and their wedding party relaxed in the house after portraits, Lauren and our team were putting the final touches on the ceremony details. We positioned their deconstructed 2-piece full floral arch overlooking the lake and we also had Lauren attach florals to the chairs, alternating with polaroid pictures of the couple.

We had limited parking space available, so we scheduled shuttles for all guests departing from sites around Kenora to avoid congestion in the driveway at the ceremony. Upon arrival, guests were greeted by flavoured water and prosecco and then took their seats to watch the family and wedding party make their way down the aisle.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Sam and Joel exited back down the aisle under a white confetti canopy. These recessional photos were some of our favourites all season and the couple nailed these poses! Following the ceremony, the couple and their guests headed over to the reception in the available shuttles to continue the celebrations.

As guests arrived at the reception site, they were greeted by a display of polaroids of all the couple’s memories over the years, interspersed with suspended pieces of dried citrus fruit, lovingly assembled by the Bride and Groom!

The couple also had a special table honouring loved ones who had passed away and beside it, an audio guestbook by @Something Borrowed so guests could leave recorded messages. These special areas included matching colourful signage to compliment the invitation suite.

We had lawn games for guests to enjoy, passed wine and had two bars stationed outside the tent with their own canopy for all weather coverage. The entrance of the tent was framed with delicate white drape and in front of it, the coral seating chart with white base and a floral arrangement to mirror the ‘whimsical’ style of the ceremony.

Guests enjoyed cocktail hour taking in the scenery on this stunning dock and we set up a few lounge areas supplied by @Trend Decor. Ray and the catering team from @The Gates served passed food for guests, including herbed goat cheese on crostini, mini chicken and waffles, dumplings with chili soy sauce, and bacon and cheese stuffed mushroom caps. We also had a slush machine on hand to serve up some refreshing (spiked) beverages, including Joel’s signature cocktail the ‘slush long island iced tea.’

Much like the ceremony, we wanted the reception tent to feel joyful, light and fun. The tables were dressed in a soft blue textured linen with blue goblets, white scalloped plates and knotted dusty rose napkins. Since the florals were colourful, we opted for a more neutral tablescape with sleek dinnerware and simple place settings and matching soft blue candles to compliment the palette.

Stone House Weddings placed rich, greenery vining along the long tables, along with taper candles and we added some round guest tables to vary the seating. The round tables featured a mixture of wild flower inspired blooms surrounded by floating votive holders and matching soft blue candles and the look was so dreamy! We love these coral table numbers for a finishing touch from @Crafty Creations by Laura.

Our favourite part of the tent decor - we also placed rattan baskets above the white dance floor with additional greenery vining up the poles and throughout the baskets.

The couple was seated at their own half moon sweetheart table, flanked by ceremony arrangements with low floating candles along the front of the table and Sam’s bouquet prominently on display on the other side. Their table was also dressed in linens and napkins to match the guest tables.

During the couple’s Grand Entrance song, {Levels, by Avicii), we planned a table dash - instead of taking their seats right away, the couple took a photo with every table in 5 minutes while the song played. This was engaging, fun and a great way to capture everyone in attendance before the tables get messy during dinner. Once everyone was seated for dinner service, the couple snuck out for these stunning sunset pictures by the water and then came back for a quick cake cutting before toasts.

Before the dance floor officially opened, the couple enjoyed their first dance underneath the lantern and greenery canopy to ‘Lover’ by Taylor Swift. DJ Tec G picked up the pace and during dancing, the guests enjoyed a coffee and dessert station featuring cake pops, donuts and macarons by @Sugar and Salt Bake Shoppe and dessert squares by @Sweet Impressions. Guests mingled by the bars and the lounge area on the deck, enjoying the sunset. There was also an additional area on the beach set with adirondack chairs for s’mores later in the evening.

Our shuttles ensured guests were transported safely back to their hotels throughout the evening and the couple and their guests danced into the wee morning hours!