Question 1

What is your advice on planning an autumn wedding?

Accepted Answer

Autumn is an excellent time to enhance your wedding with stunning seasonal flowers. The palette of rich colours including burnt orange, deep reds, and lustrous golds, along with a touch of crimson, creates a perfect combination. In addition to beautiful flowers, incorporating fruits such as blackberries, conkers, beechnuts, and naturally, pumpkins can add a characterful touch to your wedding décor. Large branches in shades of brown and red can be used to create a magnificent archway, ideal for an unforgettable photo backdrop.

Question 2

What is your advice on planning an autumn wedding?

Accepted Answer

Autumn has so much to bring to your wedding florals and is my favourite time of year. Whether your theme is traditional and formal or wild overgrown woodland, there'll be seasonal flowers and foliage available. These might include stunning local dahlias, late f lowering roses, rich chocolate cosmos and dramatic amaranthus which, when used together with berries, seed heads and foliage mean you'll never be short of those special touches for your autumnal theme. Of course, there will also be many varieties of pumpkins available too, with colours ranging from a traditional orange through to greens, greys and creams – combining these with more unusual plants such as delicate Chinese lanterns, snow berries and sedums, or pungent moss and herbs can provide those more unusual textures and scents to create a special atmosphere and bring your dream to life.

Question 3

What is your advice on overcoming the most common planning concerns?

Accepted Answer

Here are my top tips for getting started. •Think about the colours you naturally gravitate towards. What does your wardrobe or home look like? What complements your skin tone or personality? Do you love polished neutrals or rainbow brights? Dark and moody or light and airy? Complementary colours or direct opposites can work beautifully. I often like to throw in a colour curve ball adding black to neutrals, brown to peach and blue to make something characterful. •Agree on your wedding aesthetic. The venue sets the tone for your wedding but flowers and styling elevate that to create an aesthetic, a feeling and experience. Whether you're planning an arty party or calm modern elegance, beautiful boho or rustic romance, have a discussion together about what best represents you. I encourage my couples to think about these keywords to help narrow things down. •Create wow wedding flower moments that add value. Focussing on one impactful floral installation that can be re-used can really add value. A super-stylish arty flower cloud above your ceremony space, later suspended over your top table and after that the dancefloor, can frame beautiful wedding photos that last a lifetime. Alternatively, what about a floral arch that can be moved to your top table and create a backdrop for guest photos in the event, or aisle flowers that later line the front of your top table? Our signature modular floral arrangements are designed to move with your day. The opportunities are endless but will vary depending on your wedding, the ceremony and reception venue. Speak to your florist to devise a plan. •Budgeting. Costs vary depending on your preferred flowers, season and overall look you're going for, as well as the impact you're looking to create. On average, you should be looking at spending 10 to 15 per cent of your budget on wedding florals covering your bridal party, ceremony and reception. •Choosing your wedding suppliers. Pick suppliers that can support you in bringing your vision to life. We work directly with you and your wedding suppliers, so that your florals integrate seamlessly with your day to generate the greatest impact and add value – this includes wedding planner, stylists, cake designers and even photographers are aware of details ahead of time.

Question 4

What is your advice on planning a sustainable wedding?

Accepted Answer

Choose flowers that're in season and locally-sourced. Flower farms are all over the country growing an abundance of seasonal blooms. Ask your florist to source from them or pick them up yourselves. We're very fortunate to have lots of Yorkshire-based flower farms right on our doorstep. Head to charity shops for some great finds such as vintage china and glassware. You'd be giving something to a good cause when you buy, then you can donate the items back afterwards. Make your own confetti. If you have bunches of flowers around the home past their best, pick off the petals and dry them. You can also ask your family and friends to do the same. In no time, you'll have plenty of natural confetti ready to be thrown on the big day, and the bonus is the petals smell amazing even when dried. If you're giving favours to your guests, then gift something homemade such as jams and gins, or be really eco-friendly with a packet of seeds to plant at home.

Question 5

What should we look out for in the world of weddings in 2024?

Accepted Answer

Following on from the success of my brides choosing the most colourful bouquets in 2023, I'm going to say the bolder and brighter the better! Muted colours have been around too long so let's have a change and go wow. Let's make 2024 a bright floral boom filled with the colours of the rainbow in your bridal bouquets! Show off your colourful personality by having a floral, colourful wedding. Why not bring back those hippy days with any colour goes? On that note, sunflowers along with other brightly coloured blooms will give you a wedding to impress.

Question 6

What is your advice on creating an elegant winter wedding?

Accepted Answer

To infuse an elegant winter vibe into your wedding flowers, first consider some key elements. Embrace rich, regal colours such as burgundy, deep greens, navy, and plum for a cosy winter feel. Incorporate textural elements too, for example velvet ribbons, faux fur wraps or metallic accents for added luxury. Meanwhile, include evergreen foliage like pine, cedar, and eucalyptus to achieve a winter forest vibe, complete with a touch of gold or silver metallic accents to create a sense of opulence. Alternatively, to mimic the glistening frost of winter, incorporate crystal elements or sparkling accessories. You might even consider a light dusting of artificial snow or iridescent glitter for a frosty touch. If a rustic vibe is more your thing, go ultra seasonal with red berries and pine cones. Finally, candlelit décor is a must when creating a warm and inviting atmosphere, so combine with your floral arrangements to achieve the full effect. By blending any of these elements you and your floral designer can create wedding flower arrangements that exude the elegance and magic of a winter wonderland, making your special day one to remember.

Question 7

I keep reading about the importance of using seasonal flowers for our wedding. Why is this – and what flowers should we consider for our August day?

Accepted Answer

Being a sustainable florist, I agree wholeheartedly! The varieties in season will be in abundance, so are more likely to offer better value for money. I also work with local growers which means the distance from field to bouquet is limited, making the flowers more environmentally friendly with a lower carbon footprint to boot. Some of my favourites for a summer wedding would include Butterfly Ranunculus, Cosmos in several varieties, Achillea in various tones, Sweet Peas, Larkspur, Cornflower, Nigella, Scabiosa and Clematis, to name a few. Almost all varieties come in a wide choice of colours and tones, so anything is achievable.

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