I sometimes, shock myself at my tardiness. Here is their Shropshire garden wedding, from last July, yes 2016. It is fabulous, and I wonder why I have not shared it sooner.
I met Tori & Will at the Most Curious Wedding Fair, in Brick Lane, London. They told me a little about their wedding ideas for an outdoors ceremony at Walcot Hall, in Shropshire. It really is the most amazing venue. Truly British in its eccentricity, interesting artefacts and photos deck the walls. Leaving it a hugely personal and relaxed feeling venue. The walled gardens, are effortless in their beauty, like all the best gardens and are the epitome of an English country garden and perfect for a wedding, should the weather allow and for Tori and Will, it did!
So back to the flowers, Tori and Will wanted lots of colours, summery blooms in reds, blues, yellows and oranges, steering clear of pink. Their wedding was in early July so sunflowers, dahlias and peonies were in abundance. Although the flowers for the tables, in simple mason jars were going to be colourful for the bridal party we ended up deciding to pair the flowers back to simple blues, whites with lavender. The bouquets were light and delicate. For the buttonholes, bunches of garden herbs and lavender tied with twine worked especially well with Will’s tweed suit.
The outside ceremony, had hay bales with cushions (for comfort purposes) and an acoustic duo, who played and sung while I was setting up – perfect. Simple, bunches of colourful blooms in milk urns and steels vases lined the aisle. Given the verdant background, anything muted or too green would have been lost, so the bold colours worked brilliantly.
The photographs taken by Gemma Williams and she really capture a fun day in beautiful grounds… and the gin bar, space hopers, dinner, dancing and a pizza oven. Boy…. I wish I had been a guest at this wedding. Thanks for the booking Tori and Will.
Style: English country garden/rustic.
Colours: ivory and blue – with bold reception and ceremony blooms.
Flowers: nigella, lavender, sunflowers, dahlias, gypsophila and garden herbs.
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I’m falling hard for a less constrained, more spontaneous blend of blooms and foliage that we are seeing in the wedding world and beyond. The perception of what constitutes a well-arranged design is definitely shifting; according to the Wall Street Journal, florists are even foraging from abandoned parking lots and their friend’s back gardens to create original, organic arrangements with looser shapes and more interesting textures.
When chatting about this with Rebecca she told me that “Colours and textures in nature always seem to work and don’t clash in the same way as something man made, its just a case of experimenting to see what you like and what works for you.” Also, plants, berries and flowers don’t grow the same way in the wild to the flowers bought from the wholesalers and it’s that curved or twisted stem which adds interest. For many, it is often not feasible (nor responsible) to use only foraged flowers and foliage, but even a couple of stems from your garden or a hedgerow can really take an arrangement to a new level.
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{Source: Ivy, Pip and Rose, photographed at Rebecca’s London home by Britt Spring} Using berries in a design is a wonderful way of adding pops of colour and texture. Have your photographer capture your florist when he or she is constructing your arrangements – those behind the scene shots add to the tapestry of the day.
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{Source: French Wedding Style, photography by Simone Anne} This is a good example of how berries can add depth to a bouquet moving it away from twee. In this case they work beautifully with voluminous pink blooms and loosen up what our otherwise be quite a formal shape. Add and take away until you feel your arrangement looks cohesive.
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{Source: Amy Merrick} The sweetheart of floral design, Amy Merrick (who is currently in Kyoto, observing and absorbing) is inspired by natural textures and landscapes and has such a beautiful sense of balance and harmony. The palette in this display is fairly restrained but the rich variety of textures and shapes means there is movement and interest. Fragrant flowers will add yet another level of interest.
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{Source: Ivy, Pip and Rose} Rebecca created this bouquet using a variety of herbs and grasses as well as the more traditional peonies. Star of Bethlehem punctuates the arrangement, and Nigella and Blushing Bride Protea all add to the whimsical feel.
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{Source: Ivy, Pip and Rose for an Alchemy inspired style shoot, photo by Anna Bianco} Finally, who doesn’t want a pink pineapple in their bouquet? Rebecca added touches of whimsy to this bouquet, with the viburnum berries from the garden which help and keep the overall shape quite loose and fanciful. The foliage has a big part to play in creating interest in an arrangement; experiment with eucalyptus {which you can then dry afterwards}, various kinds of ferns and foraged leaves.
When you are thinking about your no-rules arrangements, be inspired by stylists such as Sibella Court, who mixes up treasures from her global travels. Don’t hold back! Explore your surroundings and look at floral design in a new way.
See you soon,
Jo
It’s aways a pleasure to meet with couples who have clear ideas about their wedding day. Thidar and Ming met with me at the elegant Corinthia Hotel in London last spring and we talked about their concepts. The flower styles Thidar and Ming were drawn too invoked nods to Asia, with hundred of orchids, tropical leaves, grasses and clean lines.
The colourful, fun, joyful wedding was sensational! There were so many personal touches throughout the day, for example Thidar made hundreds of origami cranes to decorate the tables and Ming played the violin at the reception. There was also a magical acrobatic silks show to entertain the guests, whose rehearsal we caught earlier in the day as we set up for the wedding.
The day was divided into a civil ceremony, a reception, a Chinese tea and a blessing ceremony. The creative couple picked different shades of pink roses and white and pink orchids which formed the bulk of the flowers. The pops of blue came from the hydrangeas. Looped grasses and folded tropical leaves provided a clean, elegant look and nodded to the Eastern influences.
Thidar’s elegant wedding dress worked fabulously with white and pink orchids and ‘All for Love Roses’. The bouquet was slightly asymmetric and it was heart stopping to make with the cascading orchids. The bridesmaids bouquet centred around variegated pink and white hydrangeas, with cluster of roses and looped grass. The sumptuous flower garlands for the blessing were also brilliant to make.
There were four different types of floral table design; I loved that for the top table, we used braided foliage to form the base of the arrangement with clusters of roses and bear grass that swept from the centrepiece to the glass stem. The arrangements focused on clean lines and asymmetric shape which can have the effect of drawing together and balancing displays. The three other designs were of different heights to add interest.
Enjoy the photographs by the talented Xander & Thea, and be sure to read about the wedding on the Corinthia Hotel website.
Becky
The colours: white, dusty pink, turquoise
The style: elegant city wedding with Asian influences
The flowers: roses, orchids, hydrangeas, tropical grasses and foliage
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P I N this to pinterestWell, what a year it has been! Things have been a little quiet on the blog front – let’s face it, I’ll never win any social media awards – but in my own life things have been rather hectic since relocating from London to beautiful Criccieth on the North Wales coast. Adjusting to country life, having two jobs, renovating a Victorian apartment and trying to semi-train Ted my Cockapoo left me kinda pooped. Now the big apartment jobs are, largely, done, life is calmer again and I am also down to one job – this one. I am loving splitting my time between clients in London, Wales, the North West and beyond. My family and friends have been extremely supportive over the past year. I hope now, that I have adjusted to my new life (including warmer clothes) that I can really focus on Ivy, Pip and Rose as it grows; we have exciting weddings and styled shoots to share, plans for more regular blog-posts, an inspiring workshop in the diary with Jay Archer Flower School, the Most Curious Wedding Fair is booked for March 17-19 in London, and of course we have lots of beautiful weddings in to look forward to in 2017.
Please do get in touch with ideas and feedback, and enjoy the last few weeks of 2016.
Rebecca
Yes that’s right…floral crowns for all!!
Its a new year full of promise and plans, as well as a host of beautiful bridal-wear trends: floral wedding dresses that look like watercolour paintings; bling-tastic embellished frocks and my favourite, the wedding crop-top!
When it comes to florals, trends can move even more quickly. Air plants, succulents and vegetables in bouquets may have been unheard of a few years ago but no one will mind if these appear in your 2016 wedding! Same goes for cacti centerpieces and macrame backdrops. What would Granny think? One trend that stands the test of time is the floral crown. As a bridesmaid in the mid-80s, I loved wearing a handmade headdress of gypsophilia tangled into my Kylie-esque permed hair-do. Little did I know I was wearing something with a long history and a promising future; check out this wonderful Vogue article about The Flower Crown before you decide only Coachella-going chicks can pull off this look!
As Rebecca has seen this style interpreted in so many different ways, we thought a round-up of blooming gorgeous ideas will get you thinking about this style for your own special event! Also look out for invaluable hair-styling hints from our friend Olivia Howarth at Vintage Styling.
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{Source: Claire’s colour burst wedding captured by London-based photographer Charlotte Hu; flowers by Ivy, Pip & Rose} This is exactly the kind of wedding I love: fun, feminine and bold. The ranunculus in Claire’s headpiece complement her simple twisted up-do and stunning minimalist wedding dress. Did I mention how much I love this wedding?
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{Source: Florals by Ivy, Pip & Rose, styling by Violette Niandu Ngoy, photography by the wonderful Katy & Co} This is one of my favourite floral headdresses – loaded with interesting textures and softening the sleek glossy hair style. Hair stylist Olivia Howarth of Vintage Styling says a key word when wearing a flower crown is balance: “A floral crown has to be complemented by the right hair style. We may also need to consider hidden support for the crown”. Consider the overall shape you like and ask Rebecca to suggest how your favourite blooms could help to create it.
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{Source: Hello May} I love all the crowns created by my favourite Australian florist Kamisha at Little Wren Flowers, but this one stood out to me because the individual textures of the flowers really pop out. There is a beautiful vintage vibe to this design and its a more subtle way to wear a crown if you are a little bit less confident about huge blooms on your head! Beware of going for a crown so big that it overshadows your face or hair; Olivia mentions that a huge crown might be photogenic but not everyone suits them.
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{Source: Ivy Pip & Rose} A half headdress is a pretty alternative for younger bridesmaids, and I love just using one kind of flower. This one is modelled by Isabelle, Rebecca’s beautiful niece, made from an abundance of clematis that was covering the garden shed!
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{Source: Ivy, Pip & Rose} Rebecca has been sourcing some fantastic preserved ‘everlasting’ flowers lately. She says: “These are perfect if a bride is getting married overseas and needs to take her flowers with her. They are fresh flowers and foliage that have been preserved with glycerine, which replaces the moisture in the blooms. My favourites are the preserved gardenias as they are so simple and elegant”. Talk to Rebecca if you think these gorgeous flowers could work for you.
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{Source: Ivy, Pip & Rose} Preserved gardenia headdress.
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{Source: Ivy, Pip & Rose} This informal headdress has plenty of texture using preserved hydrangea, rice flower, dusty miller, eucalyptus, cream roses and a gardenia.
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{Source: Flowers by Camilla Floral Design, discovered via Bride Chic} The clusters in this half-crown arrangement are so feminine and draw attention to the natural curls in the bride’s hair. I love the timeless quality of this style and the mix of orchids, roses and face-framing foliage.
{Source: Florals by Oui Fleurs, photography by Serena Cevnini, via Le Frufru} Grab a long drink and sip your way through the stunning images from this country wedding. The brides headdress is in a few pictures, so pin away. Olivia of Vintage Styling has seen some beautiful bridal trends emerging with jewels and ornaments and this approach would work well with a simple headdress and long veil like this one.
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{Source: Feature in Hello May with florals by Sydney-based The Fragrant Bloom and atmospheric photography by Dan O’Day} Now this is the way to do a floral crown! The pops of colours in the bride’s headdress and the muted use of leaves in the bridesmaids keep the overall design looking fresh and sassy. This approach could be interpreted in many ways and won’t have your bridesmaids freaking out about wearing some flowers on their heads!
We hope you’ve been inspired to give floral crowns a chance! Experiment, be bold, talk to Rebecca about your ideas and most of all have fun with it! Olivia says, “it’s exciting to work with brides who want to be creative and push the boundaries on a traditional flower crown!” Maybe you will be that bride? Let us know!
Until next time,
x Jo
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