SEASONS OF MISTS AND MELLOW FRUITFULNESS...

For all you nature lovers out there, this time of year is a real treat... The trees are turning from the vivid greens and luscious emeralds into the mellow shades of golden oranges and crisp reds... Yes, autumn has arrived!

For me autumn is possibly the most fantastic of all the seasons. Natures display of transformation is just so fabulous, every year I can't fail to be amazed and all the new blooms to play with just makes it all the more enjoyable for me!

Summers stunning pastel shades make way for the most rich and sumptuous hues... deep scarlet reds, bold, extroverted oranges and fantastic berry tones. There is certainly a sense of indulgence about this season.

Although autumn will never be as popular as spring and summer for weddings, it does have an awful lot to offer for wedding flowers...

For Brides who love rich and indulgent reds (usually the hopeless romantics... I certainly have a penchant for them) this is your season to shine. The velvety texture of the 'Grand Prix' rose reigns supreme here... the infinite ruffles are so decadent, perfect for an autumn wedding. To add depth to your arrangements and bouquets mix this with another red rose, perhaps the 'Ruby Red' rose (aptly named) and add a magical touch of typical autumnal foliage... maybe some oak leaves???... Stunning!!!

I'm a huge fan of using seasonal blooms... and this season is no exception. There are some gorgeous varieties out there this time of year and the Dahlia is quite possibly autumn personified. It comes in a range of colours, from the richest reds to the most subtle coral pink shades... so versatile and so beautiful! The berry colours are my preferred choice. Burgundy and jewel tones are set to lead the way on the catwalks this season and why should floral trends differ? Mix these berried tones with clever foliage to enhance the arrangement, something like a purply red Dracaena would work a dream. Natural Birch would add a further dimension. Look at this stunning arrangement that was created just last week... Berrylicious don't you think?... Take this a step further and why not add actual berries to your arrangements??... Lovely!!

For all you golden oranges and mellow yellow lovers out there, here's an option for you... The humble and often unpopular chrysanthemum bloom is a hidden gem. Again they come in a massive array of colours, perhaps choose a bold orange to really add umph!... nestle them in amongst hardy (and slightly indulgent) 'Charley Brown' Orchids to lessen the blow of the zesty orange and tone down the arrangement, add a sprinkling of skimmia and a whole load of rich foliage and finish off with teeny tiny crab apples... Have this arrangement cuddling a candle and you have on your table something really special for a really special time of year!

Be sure to ask your chosen florist about your options for autumnal weddings... you can really achieve an outstanding display of colour. Theres something for everyone!

With thanks to:

• Beautiful autumn scene: Westonbirt Arboretum 
• The autumnal dome with oak leaves: Stephanie Saunders
• Berrylicious long and low arrangement: Stephanie Saunders
• Autumn personified wreath arrangement: Stephanie Saunders

FEATURED WEDDING - AMY AND JAMES LYALL

This weeks blog post is the first (of many I hope) featured wedding. This is a very special wedding to me as Amy is a very good friend of mine, we spent four years together at uni and I'm so happy she is my first featured Bride...

On August the 3rd 2012, in the most beautiful picture postcard church in South Gloucestershire, Amy married James... the wonderful man in her life.

During our consultation Amy was very keen on a blue colour scheme to complement the beautiful richness of the bridesmaids dresses. Blue can be such a difficult colour to get right as far as flowers can go... To begin with there aren't that many true blue blooms, secondly those that are, are the wrong form for handheld posy bouquets brides traditionally carry down the aisle. Things like Consolida (Larkspur) and Delphiniums are too tall for such uses. As this was going to be a summer wedding I decided to go forward with Hydrangea 'Verena blue' as the main blue component... As you can see it is the most beautiful shade of pale blue, just perfect against the blue of her Bridesmaids. I teamed this with Akito Roses and Freesia 'Crystal River', with a little gentle foliage in the form of soft Ruscus. This formed the basis of the design.

Amy wanted a traditional trailing bouquet... something a little more special compared to the very in vogue posy bouquet. As you can see the flower choice worked beautifully. This was a modern take on the more traditional shower bouquet that the lovely Brides of the 80's carried... It was completely packed with flowers, very structured, almost more of a teardrop bouquet. These bouquets look beautiful with fuller wedding dresses... the perfect complement to Amy's stunning dress. Her two Bridesmaids carried handtied posy bouquets and her adorable flower girl carried a pomander of the same combination...

Aside from the bouquets and buttonholes we also provided tablecentre arrangements for the gorgeous reception at Eastwood Park. For these we decided on a romantic candle arrangement. We grouped different sized candles and surrounded these with Hydrangea florets, groupings of Roses, Freesias and double Eustoma Rosita White, broken up with the silvery foliage of Eucalyptus Cinnerea and more soft Ruscus... very pretty... don't you think? It was a shame we were unable to light the candles in these arrangements as it would have looked stunning but Health and Safety is Health and Safety and better to be safe than sorry!

The cake was a real treat... Amy wanted it full of flowers to make a real feature of it. The top was structured using a teeny tiny floral foam disc and flowers literally spilled out of it. Each layer was then crammed with more Hydrangea florets, more Roses and more Freesia with some stunning unfurled Eustoma, making an appearance...

To top it all we included a pedestal arrangement that decorated both the church and the venue. We used even more of the same and included some very elegant 'White Heaven' Lilies to make a big bold statement, a showy display that sat proud at the front of the church and in the reception venue!

I hope you agree with me when I say what a pretty wedding this was... If you keep the flower choice simple you can't really go wrong. I could have used Delphiniums and other blue, line form flowers in the pedestal but I feel this would have taken away from the beauty of the blue Verena Hydrangea. That was the star of this wedding design and I'm so pleased to report that Mr and Mrs Lyall thought so too!

For a better look at the wedding and a little more insight into the overall look of the floral design please do have a look at this wonderful video, just click on the following link... Amy and James Lyall 

With thanks to:

• The wonderful video shot, edited and produced by Andrew McCabe. Do take a look at his other work. A truly talented man, all details to contact him found on my website!
• The beautiful photography by the super talented Caroline at  Bristol Wedding Photographic her website is full or gorgeous images and well worth a look!

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER...

When the lovely men in our lives pops that all important question we have been waiting our lives to hear we often seal that with a diamond ring... Why?... Diamonds are a symbol of happiness, beauty and eternal love.. A diamond, ladies, is for life!

It is undoubtedly the most exquisite of things. All made by nature, a pretty fantastic thing don't you think? Why not continue this theme when planning your wedding day and wrap it up beautifully with an iconic white ribbon. Yes darlings... This weeks inspiration is about all things Tiffany's.

No one can fail to recognise the signature bright turquoise box and white ribbon. The simple beauty and elegance of it shouts quality from the rooftops. Is it any wonder that so many Brides are using this icon to plan their wedding day around?

So many ideas are possible - it is far too easy to overdo it! Remember Brides, the turquoise should only be an accent colour. For this reason, (and partly because there are no true blooms in this bright shade, and to dye them would just be sacrilege) I would strongly suggest you stick solely to pure white blooms.

Please do not be afeared. This is far from an 'incipid' choice. A mass of white blooms look so beautifully chic, you cannot fail to make a statement. If you were to then team this with the one thing that Tiffany's is so famous for then you are carrying in your hands the winning combination! Introduce diamonds, any where, any how! My personal choice would be a mass of Dolomiti Roses, the purity of this white Rose would make it the perfect choice. Within the spiraling of the bouquet I would set diamond sprays that would add a touch of sparkle under the subtle lighting of a softly lit church / ceremony room. To bind, I would propose to use the bright turquoise colour in the ribbon with perhaps one or two diamond accessories to embelish and secure with diamond headed pins - WOW... Just perfect!

To carry this theme throughout your day I would suggest the use of crystal candelabras to decorate your guests tablecentres. Upon this already stunning piece use a combination of Stephanotis, more Dolomiti Roses and perhaps a Freesia or two, keeping the foliage to a bare minimum. This would look lavish and expensive... Very Tiffany's. Accompany this with tea lights and lots of them, perhaps scattering faux diamonds (or real, budget depending - now thats a wedding I would love an invite to) among the candles to make the best possible use of the candlelight. Of course each guest and table setting would have their very own Tiffany's box, encapsulating a little treat as a thank you for sharing your day. And the cake... Well the cake could just be amazing. It is truly fabulous what some people can do with sugar these days!

This may not be a theme everyone is keen on, but I hope everyone reading this can understand the unique beauty it can bring to a wedding day.  As with all themes you can go as far as you like with it... you may only want to hint at Tiffany's and the next couple may want to immerse themselves in all things Tiffany's. It is a bold and beautiful choice and can look stunning if the finer details are well done and precise. The colour turquoise on the binding ribbon, for example, must match perfectly with the other turquoise featured, whether thats the bridesmaids dresses, the chair sashes or the favours. The small details say an awful lot and can certainly make or break the theme!

Either way, love it, like it or hate it... Tiffany's has a timeless grace to it. And as the beautiful Marilyn Monroe sang... "square cut or pear shaped, these rocks don't loose their shape, Diamonds are a girls best friend."

With thanks to:

• Featured bouquet with diamond detailing - Stephanie Saunders
• Stunning crystal cake - featured on Project Wedding