Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/582166
PROMOTED CONTENT SPECIAL FEATURE ingredients. And don't forget to o-er a late- night snack. "at's huge these days," the Marriott Victoria Inner Harbour's Olson says. "We try to make it fun, with a build-your-own poutine bar or a slider bar." BLOOMING BEAUTY If there's one thing a couple is usually happy to splurge on, it's the owers. "I'm deœnitely seeing a lot of attention on the oral arrangements," says Sutherland, of the Parkside Hotel & Spa's wedding clients. "at seems to be what they're spending most of their money on." Florals set the tone of the event, whether it's rustic Mason jars œlled with wildowers or dainty bud vases sporting single blooms. "We're seeing people going back to medium or larger arrangements, but they're not formal – lots of loose blooms and trailing vines," says French Kiss Events' Walker. Of course, it helps when the venue itself is œlled with owers, and that's what makes the Island's gorgeous garden settings, like the famed Butchart Gardens, perennially popular. RUSTIC AND REFINED When it comes to décor, couples are looking for a venue that is stylish but somewhat of a blank slate, where they can create their own vision. at means clean lines, neutral back- grounds and few bright colours or vivid pat- terns. "ey kind of want to take it and make it any way they want for the wedding," says Parkside's Sutherland. "We're deœnitely seeing a lot of brides wanting to do their own decor and being inspired by Pinterest," Marriott's Olson says. In recent years, that inspiration has largely been rustic – think chalkboards, burlap and lace – but Walker œnds that look giving way to something more elegant and reœned. Colours, too, are changing. Blush and gold are being replaced by deep, vibrant burgundies, burnt oranges and golds this fall; and for spring, navy, green and other cool hues shine. Sutherland says, "I think that natural is a huge thing for Victoria because we have so much natural beauty in the city."