Wedding Flowers - from design consultation to the big day
Step 1 - Design Consultation
Your wedding is one of the most important moments in your life. Flowers are often found everywhere at a wedding - they form a special part of the wedding celebration and help to create the mood. Flowers become part of the imagery of the wedding - often seen in every wedding photograph taken for posterity. Bearing in mind the importance of every floral design, my aim is to ensure that you receive beautiful bespoke floral designs that play a vital part in the aesthetics of this magical and memorable day.
Design consultations are all about working together to understand your requirements then translating this into a design proposal. The venue is discussed, the flowers and foliage selected and your preferred colour palette and style of arrangements. A personalised design proposal is created and includes the primary and secondary colour palette, the floral and foliage selections, inspirations for bouquets and other designs, choice of vessels and candleholders, as well as an estimate of the overall cost.
Flower & Colour Palette Selection:
I try to use British seasonal flowers. They smell beautiful and tend to be a little more interesting and unique compared to mass produced imported flowers. Using British seasonal flowers is also better for the environment. During the consultation process, we will spend time talking about your preferred colour palette and theme. The wedding design proposal will bring your theme and colour palette visually to life.
Some Flower & Foliage Favourites:
Spring:
Anemone
Peonies
A focal bloom - the peony
Tulips
So many varieties - tulips from the garden (parrot tulip)
Hyacinths
Larkspur
Lilac
Ranunculus
From the buttercup family - ranunculus
Sweet Rocket
Alchemilla Mollis
Lilly of the Valley
So exquisite - lilly of the valley
Spirea
Beautiful in bouquets - spirea from the garden
Muscari
Solomon’s Seal
They are not around for long - solomon’s seal
Cherry Blossom
Snakes Head Fritillaria
Mint
Clematis
Virburum
Summer:
Cosmos
An easy garden flower to grow - cosmos
Achillea
Phlox
Roses
The classic rose
Spray Roses
Veronica
Larkspur
Astilbe
Delphiniums
Beautiful in blue - delphiniums
Gypsophila (used in the flower crown above)
Scabiosa
Stocks
Limonium
Long-lasting and lovely in buttonholes - limonium
Nigella
Sweet Peas
Light and airy in any design - the sweet pea
Corn flowers
Foxgloves
Dahlias
Clematis
Queen Anne’s Lace
Alchemilla Mollis
Beech
Jasmine
Mint
Sage
Pittosporum
Autumn:
Hydrangea
They drink from their petals - hydrangeas
Dahlia
Chrysanthemum
Rudbekia
Geranium
A hardy flower/foliage - geranium
Winter:
Anemone
Hellebores
Narcissus
Wax Flowers
Lasts long out of water - waxflower
Eucalyptus
A winter favourite - eucalyptus
Ivy
Skimmia
Willow
Step 2- Flower delivery
Different flowers and foliage last for different lengths of time. Some flowers take longer to bloom than others. The ordering process is different dependent upon the flowers selected.
Flowers that take longer to open arrive at the workshop at least four days before the wedding e.g. peonies. Roses will typically arrive four days before the wedding to given them time to fully bloom. The foliage will also arrive around four days before the wedding. The more delicate stems will typically arrive two days before the wedding e.g. sweet peas.
Step 3- Conditioning
I always make sure that the buckets are crystal clean. This is really important to ensure there is no bacterial build up. After their journey, the flowers need time to rest and hydrate for at least 24-hours before arranging. The buckets are filled with fresh clean water. All of the lower leaves are removed. The stems are cut at a 45-degree angle. This helps to increase the surface area so that the flowers can drink more easily. Some of the stems are seared (placing around 10% of the stem in boiling water). For woody stems, I cut a vertical slit up the end of the stem. This helps the flowers to drink more water.
Step 4- Creating the designs
The bridal bouquet, bridesmaids posies, flower crowns and buttonholes are created very early on the morning of the wedding. Some buttonholes and flower crowns, depending on flower selection, can be created the evening before. The beautiful bouquets, buttonholes and flower crowns are delivered straight to the bridal party at the venue. Installations and table designs are created on site. Some of the design work is carried out off-site beforehand.
Step 5- Pack down
The designs are cleared away on the evening of the wedding, or the day after. Flowers can be created into small hand tied bouquets for wedding guests. Any waste is composted. Some flowers from the bouquet can be pressed and framed as a memory of the day.