ÉLÉGANCE PARISIENNE

As far as elegant, chic weddings go, the French seem to have it covered. They do elegance effortlessly well. Just look to their leading fashion houses and world recognised design gurus... Chanel, Yves Saint Laurant and of course my favourite, Christian Louboutin!! They seem to get it right every time, so why not look to our French neighbours to inspire your special day.

Think pearls, crystals and lace combined with ruffles, silks and indulgent fabrics. Think loose curls pinned up into a chignon. Think romantic, iconic tree lined promenades and stylish cars. They all form the perfect Parisian wedding!

For a truly Parisian inspired look for your floral needs I would suggest you stick to pastel shades (although maybe with exception of red roses, for a truly decadent touch, perhaps an autumn/winter wedding! - This would look spectacular!)

The humble rose, although traditionally perceived as an English choice, should form the basis of the floral design. - The beautiful, infinate ruffles look so pretty, especially if combined with other more blowsy flower forms, perhaps double eustomas, lilacs or florets of hydrangea and creamy green guelder roses. Sweet groupings of freesias nestled among your arrangements would create the most beautiful scent to accompany your big day! Brooches, pearls and crystals could feature also, perhaps adorning the binding ribbon of your bouquet and transforming it into something really special and indulgent.

For brides wishing for a more contemporary Parisian feel I would strongly suggest a masse of white blooms and stick to one flower type. The simplistic design philosophy 'less is more' relates to this theme. Choose one pure white bloom and commit to it... A mass of pure white Dolomiti roses or Akito roses would look sophisticated and elegant. The utter simplistic Calla lily 'Crystal Blush' would work a dream also.

Be careful when deciding on your wedding day theme... for it to be a true success and give the overall look you want it to, you must follow it through to every aspect of your day. From the invites, to the dress, to the cake, to the flowers, to the favours... I could go on! This particular theme is pure romance, the embodiment of sophistication. It's something really special that I'm sure your guests will remember for a long time... I know I would.

I will of course be blogging about other wedding day themes in the coming few months but until then do give this one some serious thought. C'est très beau!

With thanks to:

• Bride and Groom in Paris: Featured on Parisian Events
• Gorgeous Bouquet: Featured on French Wedding Style blog, flowers by Sol Y Flor,  France - Some stunning floral design. Well worth a look!
• Tree lined promenade image: Featured wedding on societybride.com 
• Beautiful ruffle cake: Holly & Scotts wedding featured on Hotels International

INTRODUCING MY PERFECT BLOOMS...

As this is my very first post on my brand new blog I thought I'd start at the very beginning...

I love flowers, I always have and I always will. I love them so much I decided to devote my professional life to them. I love how they pick you up when you're feeling down, how they spread joy and always put a smile on the face of the lucky recipient, how they say sorry, or thank you, or I love you. They are an expression that words sometimes can't say... Flowers are natures way of telling us that the Earth is smiling!

I often get asked, by Brides struggling to find inspiration, what flowers I would choose for my wedding day. This question poses quite a dilemma. I am yet to get engaged so have never sat down and truly thought about it seriously. Of course I have grown up with this picture perfect idea of abundant blooms and extravagant displays but I have never even considered what I would really choose.

I work so hard to transform every couples wedding day flower ideas into their perfect backdrops to their celebrations. Whatever colours or blooms they choose I can't help but see the beauty each different type of flower holds. And after spending some time deliberating about my own wedding day flowers I think I can safely say I would choose soft pink for the signature hue. It is just so romantic... the absolute epitome of girly elegance!

However, because there are so many exquisite flowers in this shade, this is the part that makes it so difficult!

I love Peonies... Their blousy, fluffy heads can't fail to make me smile. Even on the dullest day (and lets face it, theres been quite a few of them lately) they bring sunshine into my life. They are so ridiculously girly, I defy anyone not to love them! I'd combine them with the Sweet Akito Rose, - a gorgeous hue of pale pink, and delicate heads of Sweet Peas in the softest hue of pink. I think all three combined would make the ultimate bouquet for me!... But I must stress that point... Every wedding day is different and my ultimate wedding bouquet might differ considerably from yours. It is such an personal decision to make.

Brides... before your consultations with your chosen florist do take some time to visualise the perfect backdrop to your wedding day. What do you like? What flowers are significant to you?... But should you need some inspiration do sit tight... I'll be blogging some more inspirational ideas soon!

With thanks to:

• 'Pink Rose and Diamante bouquet' - Stephanie Saunders
• 'Pink Parisian bouquet' - Flowers by Cornelia McNamara Flowers, Photography by Melissa Hayes, featured on Style me Pretty blog.
• 'Pink Table centre' - Pistil & Vine, Julia Franzosa, featured on Onewed.com

LAUNCH BRIDAL SHOOT

Stephanie Saunders recently teamed up with a beautiful bridal boutique, for a very exciting launch shoot of our bridal collection. Here is a taster of the results...

More pictures and information about our wedding service will be available on our website shortly, once it has been launched. For further information in the meantime, please get in touch by email, or give us a call...

Stephanie Saunders

Floral Design

07854 624 982

info@stephaniesaundersflowers.co.uk