Alternative Autumnal Palette
I am a big fan of rich colours for an autumnal wedding. While there is nothing more classic than white and green on a wedding day, my heart sings for bold colour mixes – especially pinks, reds, plums with a cheeky hit of peach!
When I met with Beth and her mum to discuss her floral scheme, we’d already narrowed down some ideas via email as Beth and Will live in London, so it made sense to get the ball rolling before we met. Beth knew that colour was important to her, and that she didn’t want anything too ‘perfect’ but still wanted the day to look considered and stylish. I had a good idea where I wanted to head with the whole scheme and Beth was trusting enough to give me free reign to pull it all together for her and Will.
Kid in a sweet shop
When it came to ordering for Beth I was like a kid in the proverbial sweet shop! I really wanted to use gorgeous David Austin Kate and Darcey roses for their beautiful ruffles and scent, I knew that Black Bacara roses would work beautifully for a hit of moody red, and Peach Avalanche would lift the scheme and stop the colour being overwhelmingly dark. Relatively new to the market are the brown and wine coloured Eustoma, which I hoped, along with seed heads and berries would also provide depth of colour and varied texture too. I’m fortunate to be able to purchase seasonal foliage boxes from an amazing English grower for weddings and the selection was just so perfect for the scheme I could not have been more thrilled – just look at that burgundy cotinus leaf in the bouquets!
Hair today
Beth commission five bespoke floral hair combs from my faux floral collection. She selected an asymmetrical piece for herself (without a comb to allow for her veil to sit correctly) and four smaller versions for her beautiful bridesmaids to wear, two for the back of the head and two to sweep to the side. I was thrilled to see how well the faux florals matched the fresh. (Images below by me) I have since been told that Beth wears this piece at any opportunity – I love that everyday is a flowers in your kinda hair day!
Highs and Lows
The table decor was one thing Beth wasn’t too sure about. Having only been to Osmaston Park once before she wasn’t sure what would work in the large space, helping to make it feel slightly less vast! After discussing numerous options we decided to go for a mix of high and low designs. So we decorated my stunning candelabra with big wild balls of flowers, nothing too formal, and replicated a similar vibe for lower compote bowl designs. I just went a bit wild with the flowers here. I used biscuit amaranths, anthurium, glorious lily (which turned out to be significant flower from the couples travels – I didn’t even know!) stocks and an array of grasses, herbs and twigs!
The mixed level table centres worked really well, and combined with a large selection of votives and tea lights added to a really cosy, intimate feel during dinner.
I have since heard that it was a real day to remember (despite rain and wind like you wouldn’t believe), and considering the couple arranged the whole day from scratch in less than five months, I think the end results was super stylish and actually one of my favourite commissions from the whole year.
Thanks Beth and Will for letting me play a small part in this big day!
Pete Henderson Photography was behind the lens for all these beautiful shots of a wonderful day.
