Photo: AGI Studio 

For blushing brides who are planning to tie the knot this spring, the months ahead will surely be spent perfecting bridal décor for the big day. Recently, Real Style had the opportunity to chat with Russian bridal designer Maria Kamenskaya, who was in Toronto for the 2017 WedLuxe Show. While based in Moscow, the talented Kamenskaya made her North American debut with an intricate floral installation at the bridal show. Known for her elaborate detail and passion for blooms, the designer draws her creative energy from the runways and beyond. We caught up with Kamenskaya about key Spring 2017 wedding design trends, favourite materials, the season’s most coveted hues and more.

Real Style: Tell us more about hosting your installation at the WedLuxe Show in Toronto. How was this experience?

Maria: We were fascinated by the WedLuxe show, impressed with its high quality, style and beautiful artwork. We follow Western trends in Russia and try to practice the same principles. Personally, I could not have  missed how well the designers work with flowers and their high standards of work. There are no words to describe my appreciation to Angela Desveaux, the owner of Wedluxe Magazine, who managed to organize this event on such a big scale and level of excellence, and build a very professional strong team.

Also, I want to thank Flowers Time and Engineered Arts for creating our design, production and installation. Everything was built absolutely from scratch, that stage, lights installation and tons of flowers! It took them more than three weeks of constant work and three days for the installation. Also a big thank you to organizers and sponsors who helped me to come to Toronto and be part of this incredible show, especially Opus Events Production in Toronto and Ailiks Events in Moscow.

Photo: masha_kamenskaya on Instagram 

Real Style: What are your favourite sources of creative inspiration?

Maria: My main inspiration is always a couple. They tell me about themselves, their life story and dreams. In that precise moment, I get sort of a vision and enlightenment, and a theme is created. Later, the work of creation takes place depending on what we are aiming for. For instance, ideas for the wedding can be found in movies and plays. Also, fashion designs can be used as an inspiration to create a fashion story. A concert can be another source of inspiration to create an impressive show.

Real Style: What are the major trends in wedding design for 2017?

Maria: Talking about trends is not always an easy task. A lot of things depend on the couple’s wishes, dreams and other factors. Sometimes a new take on an old trend can do the trick with a little bit more creativity and imagination. Besides, a desire to make one`s own wedding unique was a new trend of the last season. This tendency has not been completely utilized and most likely will be carried on this year.

Clothing designers have a keen sense of these new directions. They practically look into the future. Some of their ideas can be incorporated into wedding decor. For example, bright pints and unique combination of colours. However, I believe that one should become a trendsetter rather than blindly follow a trend.

Real Style: Do you have any favourite interior designers?

Maria: At the moment, we are inspired by the Designlab Experience designers from Dubai. The scale of their work and projects cannot be replicated in Russia, due to some financial limitations. But it is our goal to reach the same level.

Real Style: What are some key colour trends for Spring 2017 weddings?

Maria: PANTONE has declared Greenery as the colour for this season. It will be a trendy colour as a reflection of nature, along with other colours that are associated with it or in the same group

Real Style: Tell us about your favourite materials to design with.

Maria: We enjoy experimenting with new fabrics and finding creative solutions for our projects. It all depends on our vision. For instance, if we want to create a special atmosphere, we would work with different lights and uplights. The best material to make decorations for our events is Styrofoam. Also, we often use plastic, different kind of draping and milled elements, although special preference is given to flowers. 

Real Style: Have the Spring 2017 runways and fashion trends inspired your work?

Maria: Gucci had a very impressive collection with its vintage elements, combination of unusual materials and optical illusions. Roberto Cavalli’s collection impressed with cultural mixtures and fabrics. These tendencies can be very useful in wedding decoration.