December Wedding at Stewarts Bay Lodge

December Wedding at Stewarts Bay Lodge

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Photography by Michelle Dupont

December 2016 I provided flowers for a special wedding at Stewarts Bay Lodge on the Tasman Peninsula.  Stewarts Bay Lodge is next to the Port Arthur Historic Site, so many couples choose to have photographs taken in the beautiful gardens that are part of the site.     

Photography by Michelle Dupont

The bride asked for reds, whites, pinks and greens in her bouquet, and loved lots of cascading foliage.  December 2016 was mild and the summer weather hadn't fully arrived so there were many Tasmanian waratahs still blooming.  They are such a treat to use in a bouquet with their intense red colouring.

For cascading foliage, I used Agonis Flexuosa which is in flower over the summer, with little white star-like flowers along the stems.  This native foliage plant has a lovely weeping habit which means it falls beautifully.   I also used foliage from a sweet smelling Incense Cedar.

Along with the Tasmanian Waratah, I used Scarlet Ribbon Leucospermums, Protea Compacta, and Protea Repens.  Some red and intense pink Callistemons or Bottlebrush flowers were also added.  Dark burgundy Leucadendron Safari Sunset provided contrast.  

For whites, I added Button Bush or Berzelia, with its fluffy white balls of flowers.  Berzelia is a late winter and spring texture plant which flowers in early summer and is usually finished by December.  I also added some white Hebe flowers.

For the two bridesmaids, I left out the Berzelia.  The purple flowers are Isopogon Formosa, also called Cone Flowers.  They are such a gorgeous colour.   Who said natives were brown and boring?!  Isopogons are a spring flowering plant and because of the mild weather in December 2016, they were still flowering for me to use.  

The richness of the colours was really special.  I loved the hot pink Callistemons with their tiny little yellow-green highlights at intervals along the flower.  Even the buds added beauty and texture.

Photography by Michelle Dupont

The wedding photography by Michelle Dupont was amazing.  Its always such a treat to see her work!

For the groom, there was more of the beautiful Berzelia.

Agonis foliage and flowers, gum, Berzelia, Blushing Bride, and some Leucadendron cones from the Jubilee Crown variety.  

I also made some floral crowns for some of the little girls at the wedding - always so cute!  More of the fragrant cedar foliage, Agonis flowers and Berzelia.  

Table decorations for the reception at Stewarts Bay Lodge were more colourful.  I added peach coloured Fountain Leucospermums.   

I loved the riot of colour and texture in these centrepieces.  The reds, pinks, orange and purple!  

The little pots of colour sat on log rounds on each table.  

Joyful bursts of colour!

Photography by Michelle Dupont

Such a beautiful bride!  It was a pleasure to be able to provide flowers for this wedding.  

Late Summer Wedding at Avalon Coastal Retreat

Late Summer Wedding at Avalon Coastal Retreat

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In late February, I provided flowers for a wedding at Avalon Coastal Retreat at Swansea on Tasmania's east coast.  Its a stunning  location with views of some of Tassie's most picturesque coastline.  The bride loved flowering gum and wattle, and February delivered on both counts.  

I created a bouquet for the bride using three different shades of Corymbia Ficifolia, a popular flowering gum that blooms in late summer here in Tasmania.  A rich, hot pink, candy pink and baby pink formed the bulk of the bouquet.  Acacia Retinodes is a wattle native to the southern states of Australia that flowers periodically throughout the year.  Some long arching branches from a local tree provided the wattle blooms.  Acacia Retinodes keeps its form quite well when picked, unlike some species of wattle which last only a short time.  I also love the foliage of the Acacia Retinodes, which falls happily.

The pastel tones of the bouquet included a Protea Pink Cream, an orange Pincushion Cordifolium, and a touch of blue with a Nigella flower from the garden.  The olive-green berries are a pittosporum berry. I also used Leucadendron Pisa which at the end of summer has large silvery white cones surrounded by yellow and lime green bracts.  

Other bouquet ingredients include Brunia Albiflora, Leucadendron Silver Tree, Bronze Fennel flowers, Eucalyptus Cordata foliage, and Irish Juniper foliage.

For the groom's boutonniere, I used Corymbia Ficifolia in hot pink, with a large Corymbia leaf at the back.  A sprig of eucalyptus, some Acacia Retinodes, Leucadendron Pisa and a Nigella bud where the other flowers used.  

The bride wanted a floral crown to match her bouquet.  Local coastal tea-tree foliage dotted with Brunia balls made the circlet.  

Flowering gum, wattle, L. Pisa cones, eucalyptus and Nigella were added as a focal point.

The design of the other boutonnieres was a simpler version of the groom's, showcasing the just the wattle.  

I loved using the Acacia Retinodes.  

The bride ordered wholesale flowers for some DIY fun, to make up the bridesmaid's bouquets.  What she saved on costs, she used to order wrist corsages.

They were a lot of fun to make, using tea tree foliage, eucalyptus, different shades of flowering gum with a Leucadendron Pisa cone.  I also popped in some sprigs of wattle, and some of the olive green pittosporum berries.  

I think they were a great alternative to the traditional pin-on corsage.  This was a great wedding to be involved in.  I really loved the colours the I got to play with and was really happy with the results, particularly the brides bouquet.  

Early Autumn Wedding in the Huon Valley

Early Autumn Wedding in the Huon Valley

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Photography by Michelle Dupont

 Early March, summer is coming to an end, and the Huon Valley is filled with orchards laden with apples.  The Apple Shed, an old packing shed from earlier days, has been transformed into a cider house with an historical flavour, show casing mementos of the Apple Valley in its hey day and home to Willie Smith Cider.  Its the scene for a wedding that I was thrilled to be involved in.  I was equally thrilled to see the beautiful photographs taken by Michelle Dupont.  

The bride was after an eclectic style with lots of colour.  

Late summer provided plenty of colour choices.  Leucospermum Fountain, the peachy orange Pincushion added warmth to the bouquet.  Three different banksias make an appearance, the creamy Banksia Baxterii or Birdsnest Banksia, The warm yellow Banksia Praemorsa,  and the red Banksia Occidentalis.  

Protea Pink Mink, a Nerifolia with black fringing adds a luxurious touch.  Also making an appearance is a stunning rich red Calla Lily, native to South Africa and a first for me.  I was given some bulbs in a gorgeous range of colours and have been enjoying them in my garden.  

Photography by Michelle Dupont

 Leucadendron Jester, a variegated Leuco is in season in March.  It was sprinkled throughout the floral designs for this wedding.

Photography by Michelle Dupont

The foliage used includes Myrtle Beech, a tasmanian native foliage which grows in the rain forests of western Tasmania.  I also used Irish Juniper foliage, a stunning blue-green that really complimented the colours of the flowers.  For highlights I used some Pittosporum berries.   I like the textural effect they created.    

For the boutonniere I used Myrtle Beech foliage, Irish Juniper and more of the pittosporum berries.

I just the love colour of the Irish Juniper.

Photography by Michelle Dupont

The leucadendrons are Jester, a variegated form of Safari Sunset.  There rich red was great agains the blue of the suits.

Photography by Michelle Dupont

 Each boutonniere had a green Corymbia Ficifolia gum nut.  The green nuts are the previous years fruits.  The trees also retain older fruits but they loose the green colouring and look more woody.  I think the green ones really worked in this instance.

Photography by Michelle Dupont

The Mother of the Bride wore a Gum Nut corsage too, also using Myrtle Beech foliage, more Irish Juniper, pittosporum berries, Sedum, and a sprinkling of yellow fennel flower.  

Photography by Michelle Dupont

 I think the photographs from this wedding are some of the best I've seen.  It's worth checking out the website of this talented photographer. 

Photography by Michelle Dupont

 No Autumn wedding in the Huon Valley would be complete without some orchard shots!  These are just beautiful!

Photography by Michelle Dupont

 The autumnal colours of the bouquet are enhanced in the beautiful afternoon light.

Photography by Michelle Dupont

Love this shot of the groom holding the bouquet!

Photography by Michelle Dupont

Just stunning!

Floral decorations for the Apple Shed reception venue were carefully planned by the bride who collected around 60 glass vases and vessels in all shapes and sizes to create groups of arrangements.

Large vases were grouped with smaller bottles and jars, all will a profusion of late summer colours.  

I loved playing with the rich red and orange tones. The additions of juniper and pittosporum berries, and Brunia added texture.  

Some of the little vases were vintage glass.  This little jug looked lovely with a Banksia Occidentalis, Leucadendron Jester, Brunia Albiflora and some Irish Juniper foliage.

The vases and smaller vessels looked so gorgeous and colourful en masse.  It was a pleasure to work on these.  

For a cake topper, I used a Pincushion Fountain as the central flower, surrounded by Sedum, Fennel, Pittosporum berries, green gum nuts, Funiper, Hebe, and Leucadendron Jester.  

Photography by Michelle Dupont

The bride was keen for the cake topper to reflect the bridal bouquet.  

Photography by Michelle Dupont

Such a stunning looking cake!

Photography by Michelle Dupont

This wedding was a pleasure to be involved with and I think you'll agree that the stunning photos really  capture a special day.