When Rachel, a close friend of mine from school, announced her engagement to George, I had my fingers crossed that she'd give me the privilege do her wedding flowers. So, I was thrilled when they asked me to support with planning and arranging the bouquets, buttonholes and table centres for their big day. With a few months notice, and with me being about to have a baby, we knew I wouldn't be able to grow all the flowers myself, but we planned to include as many home-grown flowers as possible, while incorporating other blooms that would be in season.
Rachel and George wanted their flowers to be colourful and airy, incorporating pinks and blues. As the wedding was in June, we used roses as the focal flowers, with snapdragons and eryngium playing a supporting role. For foliage, we used ruscus and eucalptus to keep an airy feel and match the garlands that Rachel had ordered for the reception room.
I picked flowers from my patch the day before the wedding, as well as collecting an order from a floral wholesalers. I processed these at the farm and then left them in the chiller overnight to condition.
Rachel hosted our Flower Shower at her parents' beautiful home in Wadhurst, where we put together the arrangements, with support from Rachel's close friends and her sister. It was a relaxed afternoon; Rachel's friends did a great job of putting together the table centres and buttonholes, while she and I created her bridal bouquet. We also made corsages for the two bridesmaids - this was a first for me, but they turned out beautifully in the end. George gave some input into the design of the buttonholes too, choosing the focal flowers and the overall look he wanted.
The wedding day itself was dreamy; the weather was perfect and Wadhurst Castle provided such a beautiful backdrop. Most importantly, Rachel and George radiated happiness which just made the day so special. Despite the heat, the flowers held up really well (Rachel's bouquet even survived being thrown in some photos!). At the end of the day, I managed to take the bouquet and a few arrangements home with me to dry as a gift for Rachel and George to remember their big day.
I just love helping couples achieve their floral dreams for their wedding; being able to do it for such good friends made this one extra special.
Venue: Wadhurst Castle
Photographer: Matt Birchall (with some from me!)
Rachel's Hair: Natalie Blake
Rachel's Make-Up: Laeticia Rix