Classic Wedding Flowers - Lillies

Do Lilies really have any place in a modern day wedding? Sometimes I do wonder...

Lilies used to be a popular choice in floral arrangements for weddings, and were used in the Brides bouquet as well as on tables and venue arrangements.

In the last 20 years, more brides have been opting for hand tied bouquets rather than shower or cascade bouquets and lilies seem to have fallen out of favour.  A couple snuck into a shower bouquet is quite traditional but hand tied, they're not the most delicate of flowers it has to be said.

I love how they are used in this bouquet though. Still a strong, focal flower but softened by sprigs of Astilbe or wild grasses, clematis and nestled into squishy plump Dahlia. Great colours too.

 And I like the wildness that trailing ivy and amaranthus add to this shower bouquet.  There are lots more images out there of Oriental Lily bouquets, but none that feel right here. They're just not doing it for me.

So what if I'm not a big fan of lily bouquets, I'm not going to stop you using them if you love them. Its not as if I have anything against lilies themselves, I love them in a big vase at home and they are great for decorating the venue.

The traditional arrangement of a few stems in tall lily vases is of course a wedding classic, if not a bit of a cliche but I can't deny that they do make a big impact in the venue with their long stems, large blooms and heady scent.

Maybe I'm a little jaded as a florist, but I'd much rather see lilies used en masse in large vases instead of those tall skinny things with 1 or 2 piddly liliies in! Stand them on plinths for the ceremony and move them to food/drinks/side tables for your reception.  Either on their own or with eucalyptus, contorted willow branches or mixed with other flowers like roses and hydrangea they can make a really impressive display.

Another way to use them for decorating the venue is to use them in arrangements. Big focal flowers like large lily blooms really add drama to swags, garlands and archways.

How lovely is this lily stairway garland. As with any fresh flowers that are not going to be in water it would be best to make these early morning on the day of the wedding. Another reason, if you need one, to leave the floral arrangements to a florist. 

Alternatively you could use artificial flowers (ick can't believe I'm saying this!). The strung lilies below used silk flowers, and from a distance you would never know they were fake. Thats the best way to view silk flowers in my opinion, from afar. But it has to be said I really love this idea, its such a great backdrop for the photos. If you'd like to have a go at this, follow the image link below for the DIY.

How do you feel about Lilies? Will you be using them for your big day and if so how? As always I'd love to know what you think.  Next in the series, Kate's favourite, Lily of the Valley.

Top image my own, the rest from here, here, here, here, here 

Simple Vases - Fern-tastic

Thought I'd share a little leafy love for this weeks simple vases. Foliage table centres are perfect for those who aren't keen on flowers (weird I know but there are some out there). Also great if you're allergic to flowers of pollen or want to minimise the discomfort of friends and family who suffer from hayfever.

Green table arrangements can be both classic and modern when pared with crisp white linens, and fresh and informal with natural linens and rustic hessian or burlap.

This week though I wanted to look specifically at ferns. There are so many varieties of ferns available to suit different wedding styles and themes you can't fail to be inspired.

Here a just a few ways you could make them work for you:

Use different types of fern, individually, in a display of mixed glass vases and they become a botanical installation, like a real life version of lovely old botanical drawings. Above, the tints of blue and green glass are really subtly pretty.

These single stems above with their well defined leaves have a really graphic feel too, making them perfect for minimal modern styles.

On mantlepieces, drinks or sweet tables use varying vase heights or raise some up on a custom made ledge, a piece of wood styled with bits of moss or lovely old books.  

Generous amounts of soft bushy ferns create a more abundant display. I love the opulent feel of these gold vases. The contrast between the high gloss and matt textures of the vases lends more drama to this otherwise simple display. The gold runner grounds the display and adds warmth.

If you're considering a natural green palette for your wedding you might want to incorporate vintage brown pharmaceuticals bottles, and other details like wood slices and bell jars to make a feature of pretty foliage leaves and plants. 

This last example is more of a planted arrangement. Use low glass dishes and a mixture of foliage plants, or experiment with oasis foam and different foliage. If you are going to have a go at this, try it out in advance of the big day because not all foliage (or flowers for that matter) like oasis. And do make sure you condition your foliage really well before adding to the wet foam.

So what do you think? Would you forego flowers for foliage? Have you seen any gorgeous green weddings? As ever, would love to hear what you think..

Images from here, here, here, here, & here

Brunch at Bills and a New Venture

Hey, how was your weekend? The rain stopped many from risking a trip to the shops meaning I was able to crack on with making topiary trees for a window display.

Sunday I popped in for a browse around the Reading Vintage Fair, held at Revolutions. The location was once home to an undercover market of independent traders, including a treasure trove called the Magpies Nest where I first lost my heart to vintage.


There were treasures to be found this weekend too and it was great to have a little rummage. Loved the stock from Frock and Roll who only recently opened their doors to the Reading public. Will definitely be checking them out again soon. Was also tempted by a couple of possible bridesmaids dresses in sweet sherbert shades and a cute beaded tapestry bag, but I refrained and decided to save my pennies for a spot of lunch.

With a snackette on the agenda, we headed over to Bills which is a small chain with a handful of restaurants in the south east, and luckily for me, one in Reading. I love this kind of place, it has a really nice atmosphere with soft low light (always a blessing), wooden tables and a combination of beautiful architectural details, exposed brickwork and industrial-style piping strung with raffia. Its the kind of place I could linger all day.

Between us we tucked into open sandwiches, potted mackerel and mini yorkshire puds, olives, dips, chips, a rather fine date and walnut cake and topped it off with tea served in an enamel pot. Yum.

The place was so full we sat upstairs where I spotted this amazing room with a great long table and comfy leather and sacking seats scattered around. It would be perfect for hen parties, workshops and meetings, which got me thinking...

Bit of a do

Just a couple of quick snaps from a laid back affair at the Crooked Billet in Stoke Row.

It was just at the end of that warm spell we had in March when summer came early, remember that? The bride-to-be was worried we'd been spoilt with sunshine and that she'd miss out when her day came around.

She needn't have worried. There was barely a cloud in the sky. 

Romantics Anonymous

Its Friday and I'm in love. With Ranunculus. Swoon!

Need I say more?

Classic Wedding Flowers - Calla Lillies

  

The second in a new feature On Classic wedding flowers, this week I'm talking all things Calla lilies. Arum and Calla Lilies have become a modern classic. I've seen them grow in popularity since the 90's with their tubular flower heads and clean linear stems providing a perfect match for simpler gowns.

Theirs is a very understated beauty, that won't overshadow the finer details of your dress. What makes them so stunningly elegant is their simplicity, so stick to simple designs and try not to overcomplicate your bouquets and arrangements. 

If you're opting for Hand tied flowers, I would choose either a few of the larger fuller heads of Arum Lilies, or more of the tubular Calla Lily for a good bridal bouquet.

They also lend themselves to shower or cascade bouquets, where you could combine them with roses, and phaleanopsis orchids for a really wowee bouquet.

A great way to avoid blowing the budget is to give your bridemaids over the arm bouquets. A few Calla lilies, some choice foliage and grasses is perfect for simply elegant floral touches and because you only need 3-5 stems, they won't break the bank. 

As for gents, unless your chap is a statuesque rugby or basketball player, I'd recommend using the smaller Crystal Blush Calla for buttonholes as larger varieties can swamp all but the biggest lapels.

Callas can work right through the theme - they're elegant in tall vases, or stunningly simple tied or spiralled in low vases or fishbowls. I'm really liking the clean minimal style of having flowers within vases too.

And don't you just love the styling of this stairway. Groups of long stemmed bunches have been used in vases on plinths and arranged so that they criss cross. You'd want to use fairly sturdy glass vases or possibly even pinholders to have avoid topples as those leaning lilies could be top heavy.

A stunningly simple idea that could be adapted to decorate all manner of venue and table displays.  Next time, I'll be looking at Lilies and asking if they still have a place in modern weddings.

Images top to bottom from here, source unknown, here, here, here, here, here, via here, and here.

Purple Rain

I love the colour purple. Its strong, deep hues, a combination of reds and blues, are both rich and cool at the same time. One of the most requested colours for bridal flowers lately, I thought I'd give a quick run through some of the options available if you're thinking of using purple in your wedding.

Incredibly versatile, it can be soft and pretty with pinks, creams and lilacs but can also work with creams and vibrant sunny yellows, and I love it with orange (its opposite on the colour wheel) and lime green. Mix it with reds and you have a very seductive combination.

These above and the lilac flowers below are Eustoma, more commonly known as Lisianthus. Sometimes mistaken for a rose and also known as a chinese rose, its not related but you can see where the confusion arises. Like the rose it does have soft blousey petals but its perfect spiralling buds are all its own.

If you like natural country garden style flowers these below are Veronica. They work really well with Lisianthus, thistle and spray roses for a cottagey feel. They look sweet popping out of mixed spring bunches too and are relatively inexpensive and widely available pretty much all year round.

When you're choosing flowers, whether for a vase at home, a gift or a wedding it helps to think about the effect that different types of flowers have on your arrangement. Your florist will advise with this but its usually a good idea to have a combination of linear and rounded shapes.

Clematis below has a beautiful lightness to it. Its stems curve and climb and can lend a lovely rhythmical  movement to your arrangement so that it flows and looks natural.

Hydrangea in contrast are quite a weighty flower with large heads of lots of little flowers. As a general rule, its a good idea to keep your heavier focal flowers towards the base of arrangements and lighter smaller blooms towards the top. In vases, space and foliage help to balance out different shapes.  

This Hydrangea is a lovely variety with the most amazing variation of colours on one head. And no, this is not a trick of the light, these flowers actually have green, pink, lilac and blue tones on each tiny head. Amazing aren't they?

If you prefer cleaner lines there are still plenty of options out there if you're looking for purple flowers. Vanda orchids come in a few different shades of purple from the more commonplace vibrant pinky purple, to dusky browny purples that would work well in vintage themes, and this new variety which is a great strong "Cadbury's" purple. 

Tulips are perfect for classic, clean bouquets and do come in purple, although they look more pink here they are definitely more on the mauvey/magenta side of purple. As always I'd recommend sticking to using using them when they're in season as not only are they cheaper they're also much stronger and longer lasting.

So there it is purple - the colours of kings and queens and er, Prince - the tiny put him in your pocket prince of pop. Hence Purple Rain. And it has been raining quite a lot here, just not purple. That'd be worrying.

Simple Vases - mix it up

To create an informal feel for wedding tables, or just for a pretty arrangement at home, instead of one large vase of flowers use a mix of vases of assorted shapes and sizes.

Petite vases, even egg cups or votives, show off delicate stems and individual blooms.

For a stylish display, stick to one colour palette, but use groups of one type of flower in each vase.  You could add decorative details like lace to link the vases. Or for a cheaper alternative, try textured paper or doilies. Dress the table with coordinating accessories.

A combination of tall and shorter vases adds depth and interest to the table centres. A single colour theme for the vases and flowers keeps the display clean and modern. Simple. 

Photos from here, & here (If anyone knows where the middle one is from please do let me know so that I can give credit)