WEDDING FLOWERS: cradle mountain

Tasmania has a reputation as a tourism destination, and I find that often couples like to combine a special event in their lives with a trip to our fair shores. This April, a gorgeous couple decided to celebrate their engagement with a holiday and photoshoot. What a fun thing to do!

An eclectic mix of natives with lots of colour and texture was the idea for the bouquet.

The flowers needed to travel well as the photos were taken in various places over the course of a few days.

Protea Repens in both light pink and rich pink, both flowering and non-flowering Brunia, Protea White Mink, Banksia Burdettii and Banksia Brownii were the larger flowers that I used. Leucadendron Galpinii (Purple Haze), Safari Sunset, and Leucadendron Discolour were the secondary flowers.

A range of foliage including Tasmanian Myrtle Beech, Risdon Peppermint, and Banksia Brownii added fullness. I also added some dried leucadedonron cones which are a rich autumny brown.

Beautiful!

By the looks of the gorgeous pictures, they had a wonderful trip!

And the photos will make great memories too.

For the boutonniere, I used a dried leucadendron cone so that there were no wilting issues along the trail. The Banksia Burdettii leaves are so gorgeous with their zig-zag edges, and they were teamed with Myrtle Beech, Risdon Peppermint among other bits and pieces.

The iconic view of Cradle Mountain from Dove Lake - definitely a memorable destination for a special occasion!

What a fun job! I wonder where they'll go for the wedding?

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.