In Tasmania, its not often you get someone wanting to plan a wedding during the winter months. The weather is a major factor in planning a big day here in the southern-most state of Australia. Spring and summer are the busy times for weddings, and at Swallows Nest we are excited to be providing flowers for a some weddings over the next few months.
Proteas and Natives are not the traditional wedding flower, but they are becoming much more popular, and with good reason. I know I am biased, but really, they do have so much more to offer than many people realise. Natives offer an incredible range of colour and texture that can lend themselves to both modern and traditional type weddings. They can be rustic, and simple or sophisticated and sharp. They can be feminine and soft, or bold and expressive. Its all in the way you combine the colours, textures and forms. And then of course, theres the fact that most Natives are hardy and long lasting and remove the worry of a wilting bouquet!
I've been doing some research into the uses of Natives for weddings so I thought I'd share a few of the ideas I've found. The internet is awash with ideas and I've recently discovered Pinterest - a serious risk for time-wasting, but full of wonderful ideas for just about everything. There are some lovely images of weddings that have used natives in creative and beautiful ways, and I've been really inspired.
The Bouquet, really the central floral point of any wedding, is the focus of these finds.
This beautiful bouquet uses Pink Ice proteas with a variety of Leucadendrons (two variegated forms called Jester and Corringle Gold) and a mix of other beautiful folidages. There are also some Banksias - what look like Speciosa and Occidentalis. It has an informal, softly coloured beauty.
The use of proteas in this bouquet is a different take on a more traditional wedding bouquet shape. I love the use of eucalyptus foliage too, for the colour and form it adds.
This is another combination bouquet, using Banksia Baxterii as the main flower and combining it with more traditional flowers. I love the vibrancy of this one!
More Banksia Baxterii in this one, but adding some Hakea nuts and paper daisies. I love the leaves of the Banksia Baxterii and I think they've been used well in this cute posy-style bouquet.
There is a great range of whites in the protea family, perfect for weddings! This is a combination of mini King Protea and white Protea Nerifolia, with the lovely soft black fringing. A few magnolia leaves complete this simple, informal bouquet.
For a spring wedding, Waratahs are a spectacular wedding flower. I love this bouquet which in addition to the gorgeous red waratahs, also has flannel flower, gum nuts, everlasting daisies, leucadendron, serruria or blushing bride, and a form of brunia.
Waratah's are also available in white and, as this bouquet shows, are really well suited for a wedding too. This bouquets combines them with leucadendron, wax flower, blushing bride or serruria, and some blue flowers that look like cornflowers. Gorgeous!
I recently did a wedding with an orange and black theme. The colours and textures of spring were perfect - yellow green Phyllica, Leucadendron Maui Sunset and Red Gem, the bright yellow pom poms of Leucadendron Tall Red, soft Silver Tree foliage and Berzelia or Button Bush all together to form this fresh bright bouquet.
This fabulous native bouquet uses Banksia Coccinea and Protea as the main flowers, with Safari Sunset Leucadendrons, and what look like a yellow Salignum Leuco. Very memorable!
Another Swallows Nest Farm bouquet, with simple spring flowers includes an early Waratah, and some Protea Pink Ice, surrounded by soft yellows and greens. There are Leucadendron Gandogeri, Phyllica Pubescens, Leucadendron Silver Tree, and Berzelia or Button Bush, a wedding favourite. Adding white highlights is Thryptomene.
I'm looking forward to the pincushions coming out here at Swallows Nest. They are later here than on the mainland of Australia, and go right up until just after Christmas. Faboulous for weddings in shades of yellow, orange and red, with some beautiful soft colours available too.
(koruwedding.blogspot.com.au)
More Pink Ice Protea with Leucadendrons, Flannel flower, Thryptomene and beautiful Eucalyptus pods. Wow!
Last one - I promise! Although there's so many beautiful native bouquets!! I love this freestyle bouquet with my favourite Brunia Albiflora, Eucalyptus pods, foliage, and Leucadendrons. Gorgeous!!
I hope you're inspired! I hope you've seen the versatility, variety and beauty that natives can bring to a special occasion like a wedding. I'm looking forward to the rest of the "wedding season" here is Tasmania, hoping to get lots more opportunities to explore what can be done with these fabulous flowers.
