At last we have had some sunshine, and flowers having been coaxed out of hibernation are now opening up and shimmering with an array of colour. How English of me, I’m talking about the weather! which is an occupational hazard when talking to a florist and especially when you are discussing seasonal flowers for your wedding.
This weekend (20th April 2013), I had the pleasure of preparing flowers for a really lovely Bride. I have known Nicky Crocker for some years, her sister Sarah being my (very wonderful) hairdresser and for whom I had the privilege of creating the flowers for her wedding last year, when Nicky became engaged to Lee. From the outset we had an excellent relationship, it helped that Nicky is extremely organised, but also and very importantly ‘open minded’.
The wedding took place in Lydford a beautifully picturesque village in Devon including a Church, (St Petroc’s), a ruined castle and a pub next door (perfect location), with the reception being held in a marquee on the lawn of Lydford Country House, approximately a mile up the road.
On our first planning meeting Nicky showed me a picture of her dress and told me that she had settled on the colour of navy blue for her Bridesmaids and the men’s outfits, but initially, she could not decide on the colour of the flowers.
I have to say from a florists point of view, that generally when you are told the colour scheme is blue, your heart drops. The reason for this is that people often try to carry the blue into their flowers. However, navy is the ideal back drop for many vibrant colours, think of strong pinks, orange and yellow, for softer tones peach looks wonderful and yet is rarely chosen. (Except in the 1980′s when peach was really popular).
Here is an example of a traditional blue and white bouquet. Where the blue is a true hue which is rare in flower colours. The bouquet is filled with ivory roses, mint, delphiniums and eryngium (thistle).
So, when it came to talk about the flowers I decided we would come back to the colour later and discover Nicky’s preferences for flower types. She was quick to respond, she loved tulips and roses. Well April is ideal for both and is a lovely combination and the simplicity of just two types of flowers works really well. Tulips of course come in so many different textures, with doubles, parrot’s and the lily varieties, and roses too have many different forms. The combination quickly sparked the idea of going polychromatic, that is to say multi coloured. We got so excited about the idea I just wanted to go off and make something straight away. This excitement is, by the way exactly what you should feel when you and your florist hit on the ideal floral plan.
Amanda Randell's flower workshop with the bouquets ready for the handles.
Photograph by Amanda Randell
When I first get enquiries from Brides, I send out a sample mood board, highlighting the different elements that make up the detail of the decoration, this includes the style of the dress, the bridesmaids, the colour schemes, any photographs they have collected of table decorations, how the invitations will look together with the place cards and menus and anything specific that links the couple. Nicky picked a heart theme, being a fan of hearts myself we used Pinterest as a source for them (you can find many heart pictures to inspire you on my Pinterest site). Nicky used the heart theme on her invitations, she had cut tiny hearts in slate for the place names with the guests names written in chalk, larger slate hearts for the table names, cream zink buckets with heart cutouts so that you could see the candles and a heart on the top of the cake.
Nicky with her Father Mike setting off for the Church.
Photograph by Amanda Randell
Nicky's sister Sarah dressed in sophisticated blue silk which makes the flower colours really sing.
Photograph by Amanda Randell
The Church carried through the colour theme with trees outside, an arrangement on the font and a pedestal design.
To create a really romantic atmosphere use up old used ivory candles on all the window sills – it really is astonishing how effective this simple tip can be. Ask your florist as they often have candles left over from other events but still have plenty of life left in them.
A finished tree to go either side of the Church doors
Photograph by Amanda Randell
Nicky and Lee for their gift table decided to do something very different. Instead of gifts, a wishing well was created by Lee with a simple poem carved in a slate tablet inviting guests to give money so that they could exchange old items they already possessed with something new.
Lee's handiwork.
Photograph by Amanda Randell
The wedding cake continuing the theme with the flowers and even the iced bride has a multicoloured bouquet by her side.
To re-create this lovely combination of theme and multi-coloured flowers:
- When using a mix of colour the ideal Bridesmaids dress colour is navy blue. Ensure you have a minimum of 5 colours to make the flowers really pop out.
- For maximum impact carry the colours through all of the designs. Link them with the Church, marquee, cake and table decorations, this will give a cohesive look that is both sophisticated and fun at the same time.
- Remember that the key to a successful event is in the planning. Make sure that your florist gives a detailed breakdown of all the items to be made together with their costs so that there are no surprises.
Next time I shall be looking at texture through a vintage filter.
