July 2014 was the month when Maurice and I finally tied the knot, on a surprisingly sunny day in North Yorkshire’s Howardian Hills. It will come as no surprise to readers of this blog that as in our ordinary life, flowers were to feature heavily in our celebrations. I found our florist, Joanna from Twisted Willow, before we had even secured a venue, and all planning subsequently revolved around her availability.
She was worth it. With a head full of floral ideas I may not have been the simplest of clients, but from the very first meeting she patiently listened to my sometimes ineloquent ramblings, and delivered exactly what I hoped she would.
It was important to us that our flowers not be too rigid (I have to admit that a perfectly formed bouquet of identical roses leaves me cold) but would express more about who we are and what we love. In our garden we love the layering of textures, scents and colours, and wanted to reflect this with an array of seasonal British blooms and foliage.
In her design for the wedding Joanna combined the classic elegance of large roses (the beautifully vintage ‘Quicksand’ and David Austin’s blousey ‘Juliet’) with cottage garden favourites, such as Sweet Peas, Nigella, Larkspur, Freesias and Rosemary. The resulting bouquet was soft, tactile and deliciously fragrant. I felt as if I were holding summer in my hands!
As we married in summer, when the garden was at its most plentiful, we decided to make a selection of drinks from our own produce for guests to enjoy upon arrival. Rhubarb and Strawberry Cooler, Gooseberry and Elderflower Cordial and Lavender Lemonade were all served from large glass dispensers.
Hand-painted stationery and table names continued to reflect our interest in cottage garden and wild flowers.
As we wanted our guests to feel as connected to the flowers as we were, we decided to create a ‘Make Your Own Buttonhole’ table. We filled vases with Sweet Peas, Cosmos, Larkspur, Freesias and Cornflowers from our cut-flower patch, and raided the herb garden for sprays of Dill and purple-flowering Mint, Lavender, Variegated Oregano and Golden Marjoram. We provided scissors, florist’s tape, pins, and lots of ribbon and lace. Seeing each guest’s own creation was one of the many highlights of the day.
The table decorations followed the same form as the bouquets,with lovely organic rings encircling sparkling hurricane lamps and candelabras.
For wedding favours we invited everyone to ‘give’ the planting of a packet of wild flowers, and to ‘take’ a little pot of local honey. The ‘leftovers’ have been put to good use in our garden and (with fingers crossed) will provide us with a miniature meadow later this year.
We must send out a huge thank you to everyone who helped make our day so special, and hope this post provides you with a little inspiration for your own special day.
All photos in this blog are by the very talented Chris Milner.
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