Fresh Summer Natives for a December Wedding

Fresh Summer Natives for a December Wedding

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A December wedding, held at Steeles Island Retreat in Southern Tasmania called for fresh summery natives.  The brides dress was a deep blue and the rough colour scheme of the wedding was blue and yellow.  In terms of colours for the flowers, the bride loved vibrant reds, yellows and deep greens, pincushions and gum nuts.     

Perfect colours for summer natives!  

The larger flowers I used for the bouquets were pincusions in red and orange teamed with orange Banksia Ericifolia.  The dark rich burgundy of summer Safari Sunset Leucadendrons provided contrasting tone.  The lime yellow leucadendrons with the silvery central cones are Leucadendron Pisa and I used gum nuts from Corymbia Ficifolia.

Bright sunshine yellow Kangaroo Paw really brightened up the bouquets.  I also used the last of the Berzelia Button Bush, in its fluffy white flowering stage and, just seen peeping out are some orangey-green cones of Leucadendron Goldstrike with the outer bracts removed.   For the foliage, I used Tasmanian myrtle beech - a gorgeous rich green.  Some flowering Agonis Flexuosa provided beautifully draping foliage as well as little white highlights.  And a lovely last minute find of some acacia in bud really added something special in the way of texture.  

All together, the bouquets made real statement of colour.  I love this fresh summery look.  

The profusion of foliage had a draping effect I really loved, but its difficult to capture in the pictures.  I think these colours would have really popped with the navy blue dress! 

For the boutonnieres I used more gum nuts, teamed with the yellow Kangaroo Paw, L. Safari Sunset and L. Pisa, all backed by some of the myrtle and acacia foliages.  The grooms boutonniere stood out with the addition of some Berzelia.

I love that little touch of texture that the acacia buds provide!  It's the little details that really make wedding flowers special.  

The fresh, vibrant, summery colours of seasonal natives really make an impact.  I hope the bride and groom had a wonderful, memorable day.

Red and Gold Summer Natives for a December Wedding

Red and Gold Summer Natives for a December Wedding

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Photography by Rosie Hastie

An intimate wedding in December at Stewarts Bay Lodge on the Tasman Peninsula called for red and gold, and seasonal natives.   "I just want something colourful and simple to hold", said the bride.  

 Banksia Coccinea were my inspiration for the "red".  For the "gold",  I used Dryandra Formosa.  I teamed it with some Leucospermum Scarlet Ribbons, fully flowering with their rich red ribbons exposed, and Protea Compacta in pink with a rich red centre.  I also used some rich orange Banksia Ericifolia.   

Photography by Rosie Hastie

Such beautiful photos by Tasmanian Photographer Rosie Hastie!  I love the glow of the red Banksia against that gorgeous wedding dress!

Other flowers I used were Leucadendron Safari Sunset which are deep maroon in summer, before they start their growth phase.  I also used some Leucadendron Jubilee Crown with their ruby cones.   Some grevilea foliage, and gum foliage gave some texture.  I also added some smoke bush foliage with some of the wispy feathery red flowers.  Such vibrant warm summer colours!

For the groom, who was wearing a burgundy red and gold tie, I used myrtle and grevillea foliage, Leucadendron Safari Sunset, Leucadendron Jubilee Crown, and for the gold, the Dryandra Formosa.  

Aisle decorations for the ceremony were hung and then brought inside for the reception.  

Photography by Rosie Hastie

Leucospermum Scarlet Ribbons, Kangaroo Paw in burnt orange, Leucadendrons Safari Sunset, Pisa and Jubilee Crown, and Agonis Flexuosa foliage,  all combined to create a vibrant splash of colour for both outside and inside.

Photography by Rosie Hastie

I think it was a great idea that worked really well to provide decoration for both the ceremony and reception whilst keeping costs down.  

A simple arch framed the spot for the ceremony.

Photography by Rosie Hastie

Perfect for a summer bush wedding.

Photography by Rosie Hastie

Gorgeous!

Photography by Rosie Hastie

The red and gold theme really added an intense splash of colour.  

Photography by Rosie Hastie

The cake topper used a Banksia Coccinea too, with some Leucadendron Safari Sunset and Dryandra again.  I think it was a beautiful fresh look for a small, intimate wedding. 

The bride's bouquet was paired with a little bouquet for the flower girl, using the same combination of flowers on a smaller scale.

Photography by Rosie Hastie

So sweet!

Photography by Rosie Hastie

I really enjoyed creating the flowers for this gorgeous wedding, so it was lovely to see some photos of the day.  A good photographer just captures the details so brilliantly!

Photography by Rosie Hastie

I love this shot of the bride and groom with Tasman Island in the background.  The gorgeous blue of the sea and sky really make the flower colours sing!  

Colourful Summer Wedding in Early December

Colourful Summer Wedding in Early December

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"I just love things that are colourful" said the bride.  Music to my ears!  Early summer gave me plenty of colour to play with for this December wedding.  

The bride also loved combinations of interesting shapes and textures - leafy and flowery.  So The main flowers I used were Protea Compacta in rich pink/red, Banksia Ericifolia in deep rich orange and Leucospermum Scarlet Ribbons in their red phase with orange styles.  

The secondary flowers I used were Leucadendron Safari Sunset in a rich burgundy for contrast, Leucadendron Safari Goldstrike in its post-flower phase having green bracts around a large orange tinged cone, and Leucadendron Discolour female in its creamy pink-tinged phase of late spring early summer.  The Boronia Heterophyla was great to use with its intense pink and beautiful fresh fragrance.

You can also see dried Leucadendron cones, some late flowering Berzelia, Risdon Peppermint Gum foliage and some foraged native fern.  Overall, the colours are fruity and warm, perfect summer natives.

The flower girl carried a basket of flowers.

I bet she looked extra gorgeous with the flower crown too.

It was made with a mixture of Walpole Wax flower and Berzelia.  My wax flower bushes have been almost unusable this year after a possum decided they were his favourite winter snack.  They've never been touched before so it took me by surprise.  I have had to use the wax flower sparingly!

The bride wore a floral comb, with touches of colour and texture, using Leucadendron Discolour, Berzelia, Dried Leucadendron Cone, Boronia, Peppermint Gum and Native fern.  

The grooms boutonniere matched, with Leucadenron Discolour, Boronia, Wax flower, Peppermint and Fern.  I also added some Banksia Speciosa leaves with a touch of orange on them.  Banksia leaves are brilliant shapes!

Simple table decorations in wooden boxes carried on the colourful summer theme.

I really enjoyed using the native fern.  I think it really made the whole theme come together.

Epsom House, Pontville

The wedding was held at Epsom House in Pontville, a beautifully restored historic building.  The reception was set up in the ball room - very grand!  Epsom House has many bedrooms, where the wedding guests stayed.  Brilliant for an intimate wedding with lots of guests from interstate.  

Epsom House, Pontville

I would recommend Epsom House for a venue - just beautiful!

I really enjoyed playing with the fruity summer colours and textures for this wedding.  I hope the bride and groom had a wonderful, memorable day.

Winter Wildflower Wedding

Winter Wildflower Wedding

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Winter weddings are few and far between in Tasmania. The colder months are quiet times for those who provide services for weddings.  This makes me a little sad at times because as a native flower grower, it seems such a waste to miss out on all the gorgeous seasonal flowers that winter brings.  

I was really excited to get a winter wedding request.  It was a small simple wedding with the bride and groom flying in to Hobart from the mainland.  A simple bouquet and boutonniere were all that they needed, but it was such a great opportunity to "play" with some winter blooms.

The brides dress was in deep green silk with rich dark blue patterning.  I decided to go with green and blue and add warm yellow and orange.  The inspiration began with the banksias that were in flower.  In the basket are some Banksia Marginata which grow wild on my property.  The flowers are light fresh lemony yellow.  Wattle was just beginning to bud and I loved the yellow hints with the great texture.  I also picked some branched of Blue Spruce - what a great colour!  And its structure is fantastic too.

Another banksia in bloom was the Banksia Brownii.  Its flowers are less lemony yellow and have a purplish tip.  Brownii foliage is just gorgeous too, and some found its way into the bouquet.

Banksia Ericifolia was flowering prolifically.  I love the rich orange colour with the purple tinges on the tip.  It really worked will with the other banksias.

Going all out with texture, I also added some early Berzelia, some Eucalyptus buds, some Tea Tree and, as blue green highlights, some sweet little succulents.

Winter can be so beautiful!

I love the happy little gum buds sitting proud of the bouquet surface.

You can see the purplish tips of the Banksia Brownii and Banksia Ericifolia here.  I love the way the colour adds depth to the colour scheme.  You can also see just a few Phylica Plumosa flowers.  I picked the very first flowers just days before the July wedding.  Phylica is such a brilliant flower for weddings.

The boutonniere had Phylica too, teamed with the Blue Spruce, Tea Tree and Berzelia, as well as some gorgeous blue green succulents.

It was such a great opportunity to "play" with some stunning winter blooms.  I hope more couples decide not to wait for the warmer weather!