January Wedding at Bangor Wine and Oyster Shed

January Wedding at Bangor Wine and Oyster Shed

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Early January, and the first wedding of the new year was at Bangor Wine and Oyster Shed at the northern tip of the Tasman Peninsula area in Dunalley.  Bangor is is a stunning spot, on a hill surrounded by vineyards with water views in seemingly every direction.

Bangor Wine and Oyster Shed

Bangor is known for exceptional quality local produce, so any wedding celebration would be sure to please the guests! Its location is really special too - another reason many people choose to travel to Tasmania to tie the knot.  

The bride was going for a vintage/bohemian look with the colours of sage green, champagne and ivory.   Such a gorgeous, subtle palette.  Protea White Ice flower throughout the year here in Tasmania and in summer they tend to be more champagne coloured, with are darker central mass.  I built the design around these proteas.  

The Brunia Albiflora were ready picking earlier than usual this year, so I was able to use them with their soft grey-green tones.  Each bouquet also had a hydrangea variety called Paniculata in a white and green colouring.  Maui Sunset Leucadendron are a gorgeous mix of olive and grass green tones with pink tips in summer. They were scattered through.  I also used some old-gold Banksia Formosa (formally Dryandra Formosa)   They added a warmth and richness to the mix.

Soft and beautiful flowering gum in an off-white were used, as well as gum nuts, still green,  from a Corymbia.  I also used some Leucadendron Discolour and their cones.  The last few remaining Berzelia can be seen peeping out from each bouquet too.  They are usually all gone before January so it was a treat to be able to add them.

Foliages were really important for these bouquets.  I used some silvery grey-green Eucalyptus Crenulata, as well as some Risdon Peppermint.  

Branches covered in little lime green seed pods were foraged from a native plant growing at my local beach.  They were prolific in producing seeds this season and the colour and texture was so beautiful!  Also foraged were some local ferns.  Fishbone Water Fern are at their best after the new leaves have hardened off.  

I also used native Coral Fern which I love using in bouquets.  It sits so well around the edges of the bouquet.  

The groom had a combination of foliages - the Crenulata, Coral Fern and foraged seed pods (I haven't been able to find a name for them yet!) along with some of the last Berzelia, a Leucadendron Discolour and a green Corymbia gum nut.  

The rest of the boutonnieres followed the theme!

  

For decorating the venue, I did some large urns with lots of texture.  I used white hydrangeas, tea tree, fluffy white flowering gum, and some Berzelia.

Leucadendron Discolour, green with a pink blush, Pink Ice Protea, and Brunia Albiflora were the larger flowers.  The cones are the beautiful dried cones from the Leucadendron Silver Tree.  They are such beautiful things!

I also added more Hydrangea Paniculata too.  The greens included the native Fishbone Fern, Eucalyptus Crenulata, the foraged seed pods, and the gorgeous draping Coral Fern.  

I really enjoyed the colour scheme of this wedding - pared back and subtle and packed with interesting textures and shapes.  As always, a pleasure to be involved!

Cradle Mountain Wedding in December

Cradle Mountain Wedding in December

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Photography by Michelle Dupont

Cradle Mountain is one of Tasmania's iconic natural beauties.  Its no surprise then, that some couples choose to tie the knot in this remarkable location.  In December 2016, I provided flowers for a summer wedding at Cradle Mountain on what proved to be a very wintery day.  It's not unusual for Cradle Mountain to be dusted in snow, even during the summer months.  The weekend chosen for this wedding was cold one with some wild weather but I think you'll agree from the gorgeous wedding photos, that the weather added to the atmosphere in this extraordinary place.

The bride wanted natives in red, green and white.  For the green, I used Tasmanian Myrtle-beech foliage.  Myrtle-beech is the dominant tree in Tasmania's cool temperate rain forests.  Its fresh new growth is a rich green and perfect for bouquets.  For the red, I used Waratahs.  The Tasmanian Waratah (Telopea Truncata) flowers mostly in November, but because of the mild spring weather, there were still plenty of flowers available in mid December.  Their rich vibrant pinky red seems to glow.

For the 'white', I used Berzelia Lanuguinosa, a white flowering fynbos plant that has lots of little balls of tightly packed flower heads. When the Berzelia flowers, the balls look fluffy and white - so pretty in bouquets.  The Berzelia at Swallows Nest Farm flowered right up til the end of December which is later than usual, but it was a treat to have them flowering so plentifully for so long. 

For the Bride's bouquet, I also used a larger, NSW Waratah (Telopea Speciosissima) and a Protea White Ice. 

The bride and the four bridesmaids also had some Scarlet Ribbons pincushions in their dark red phase, with orangey styles and deep red "ribbons".  The rich burgundy of Safari Sunset Leucadenrons was a great addition too.

I also added gum nuts and Leucadendron Jubilee Crown which are a rich red leucadendron cone.

Red, green and white, without being too christmassy - always important in December.

For the groom and the groomsmen, more myrtle, Tasmanian waratah's and Berzelia.  The groom also had a Jubilee Crown cone.

Photography by Michelle Dupont

The breathtaking photos by Tasmanian photographer Michelle Dupont were just perfect.  

Photography by Michelle Dupont

Beautiful landscape, beautiful light, beautiful bride! 

Photography by Michelle Dupont

As always, it was a privilege to be involved in this beautiful wedding!

Christmastime Wedding in Hobart

Christmastime Wedding in Hobart

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Photograph by Nina Hamilton Photography

I really enjoyed providing flowers for a December wedding in Hobart, just days before Christmas.

I was excited to be able to use some beautiful flowers that I don't often have available all at once, and I loved the romantic tones of cream, rose gold and burgundy that I was able to play with.

Berzelia is a spring flowering plant which, due to the mild start to summer, had lingered and was still looking fabulous in December.  It's fluffy white clusters of flowers are so pretty in bridal bouquets.  The green-grey clusters of Brunia are usually an after-Christmas flower but there were some early heads ready for picking.  Its the first time I've ever used both Berzelia and Brunia in the one bouquet.  A rarity!

Protea White Ice and Pink Ice were teamed up with a gorgeous wine coloured Banksia Praemorsa.  Leucadendron Safari Sunset, a dark burgundy colour in summer, added to the mix.  Foliages of Risdon Peppermint Gum, Irish Juniper and Pittosporum were used.  

Leucadendron Lemon Spice is a green leucadenron which changes to a creamy white in spring, with a dusting of pink.  Its such a treat to use in bouquets.  Beautiful rich berry red Leucadendron Jubilee Crown cones added more burgundy tones.

For the groom, a Lemon Spice Leuco, some Berzelia, Irish Juniper, Pittosporum, L. Jubilee Crown and a L. Pisa silvery cone.  

Photograph by Nina Hamilton Photography

It was such a treat to find such gorgeous photographs by Nina Hamilton Photography - great photographers capture such beautiful memories!  

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.

Native November Wedding in Soft Blush Colours

Native November Wedding in Soft Blush Colours

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Mid November I did a wedding with a gorgeous colour scheme.  The bride sent me a little colour board that showed the colour and feel she planned for the day.  The suits were blue (a current personal favourite!), as were the bridesmaids, and the flower girls were in shades of blush.  

My Protea White Ice were just beginning to flower well for the first season and they gave me the inspiration for the flower combination that would suit the theme.

White Ice are a white protea with a soft blush colour in the central flower mass.

Other spring flowers that I teamed up with them were Protea Compacta in a rich pink with a central mass of bronzy red.

The  Scarlet Ribbon Pincushions were early and are a lovely soft colour when they just begin to flower.  They added to the colour combination.

The brides bouquet also had a white waratah - Shady Lady White.  My plants are still very young and flowering sporadically to it was great to have a couple to sprinkle through.  Other flowers that I added were the soft golden Dryandra Formosa.  I just love these for weddings!  You can also see some Berzelia. Another secondary flower that I think worked really well in this wedding was the Leucadendron Discolour which was in its creamy white phase, with a dusting of pink blush. 

An experimental planting of Serruria Blushing Bride provided a few blooms to add to the mix.  I used one here for the grooms boutonniere.  Some fluffy white flowering gum makes an appearance too.  Dryandra are great for boutonnieres, and just imagine these on a blue suit - great colour combination!

The foliage that I used throughout was a Tasmanian eucalyptus called Cordata.  It has lovely blue green juvenile leaves with a rounded shape.  

I really enjoyed the colour combinations in this wedding!