Wedding Inspiration at A Most Curious Wedding Fair

This past weekend we joined A Most Curious Wedding Fair for the third year running.

Photo: A Most Curious Wedding Fair

We love this fair.  

Mainly because it doesn't feel like a wedding fair, which bring to mind highly stylised stands, fake smiles and a hard sell.  

A Most Curious feels like a group of independent creative businesses who just want to make weddings beautiful and cool, and have tons of fun doing it.  

Photo: A Most Curious Wedding Fair

This year, we were the floral sponsors for the event, which meant dressing various spaces around the pretty enormous and industrial Truman Brewery on Brick Lane.

The theme of the fair was Bush and Wood... ahem... For us, this meant it was all about the foliage, and no flowers!  

Using our installation pieces at A Most Curious, we thought we'd give you some wedding inspiration, showing you how to use foliage for maximum impact at your wedding!

The main entrance window was inspired by a Kinfolk Dinner vibe - a laid back and simple installation of sprigs of foliage pegged to draping lengths of twine.  

This is a really easy way of dressing a window and would look particularly effective against a large, white wall space in industrial venues.  It could also be built onto a frame and used as a a table plan, with luggage labels tied around the foliage sprigs.

For the main staircase, we went for a wild and wispy textured foliage garland.  This is one of our absolute favourite ways to decorate a venue.  Omitting flowers in favour of foliage means this is a cost-effective choice for your staircases, pillars, balconies, archways, basically anywhere! And by using seasonal foliage, garlanding can be appropriate all year round, not just for winter weddings. 

The Style and the Bride catwalk was the epicentre of the fair.

The back walls were built with a Gas & Air Studios pallet backdrop, which we topped with long, tumbling pieces of eucalyptus, ruscus, and asparagus fern so that they crept through the slats of the pallets.  This idea would look great atop wooden beams in a barn venue setting, or even suspended on a swing in a marquee.

We also suspended a fig branch draped with ivy and asparagus fern above the start of the catwalk.  A fuller version of this makes a unique ceremony backdrop, or this idea can be used to demarcate certain areas of your wedding, such as the bar or a quiet zone, in a big open warehouse space.

A pop-up foliage bed of berried ivy, leather leaf, asparagus fern, salal and eucalyptus lined the end of the catwalk.

Pop-up flower or foliage beds can be used as aisle runners or path markers, to line window sills, to brighten up unused church benches or pews, or as long centre pieces for trestle tables - we love them, as they are a super fun way of decorating any space! 

For all those in East Anglia and the surrounding areas, A Most Curious Wedding Fair is coming to Norwich this weekend, so be sure to get down there for more wedding inspiration!

One Flew Over on Wedding Flowers | Ideas and Inspiration

Popular Wedding Flowers

Like those kids at school, there are some flowers that are simply, undeniably, popular.

These are the ones that everyone* wants at their party; they're in demand, have an air of mystery and frisson about them and are highly sought after.

But beware, like those popular girls at school, popular wedding flowers are also a little unreliable, fleeting and a touch unpredictable.  And in some cases, it was all just an urban myth - they were never that great in the first place.

So, it's best to play it cool around popular wedding flowers. Ask them along, but don't expect too much. 

In all seriousness though, there are some flowers with a lot of (deserved) hype, and also some that have made it back from the deep, dark depths of passé to return cooler and trendier than ever.  

*exaggeration - most people

Here's a few from the popular clique:

The Peony 
Sandy from Grease

Photos: Kate Gray Photography // Buzzfeed

The peony's short season means it's just a summer romance. On arrival, they are all closed up and shy (causing florists no end of panic), but with a bit of heat they suddenly bloom into a flouncy showstopper with attitude. It's just as if they've been sown in to some skin tight leggings. 


The Dahlia
Angela Hayes from American Beauty

Photos: Robbins Photographic // Imagozone

Hyper aware of their power to stop people in their tracks with their regal appearance, Dahlias can sometimes be a tad fragile and must be handled carefully.  But they're totally worth it.


Gypsophila
Amber from Clueless.

Photo: greenhousecanda.com // clueless.wikia.com

A full-on Monet - from far away it's ok, but up close it's a big old mess; we try to always warn brides who want gyp that it smells a bit like cat wee.  
Much lovelier scented alternatives for a white, small budded vibe would be Waxflower or Riceflower. More Cher, less Amber.


Freesia
Matthew Lewis (Neville off of Harry Potter)

Photos: OFO // matthew-lewis.com

The freesia has so often been marginalised as a 'granny flower',  but much like poor, chubby Neville in Harry Potter, it's moving swiftly to hero and total babe status.  
Also, smells delicious.  Hello, Freesia. 
(Hello, Matthew).


The Anemone
Jake Perry from Sweet Home Alabama 

Photos: Elle Benton - Yellow Bird Photography // film.thedigitalfix.com

Not a Poppy, but a much better lookalike. Like Jake Perry, the Anemone is a charming, down to earth, open fella that wins hearts and minds.  

And is so pretty, your heart does a little flip.

One Flew Over on Wedding Flowers | Ideas and Inspiration

Wedding hairstyles with flowers

 We absolutely love the use of flowers for wedding hair, and in particular the ever-popular flower crown. 

The trend for floral headdresses has seen us making big ones, small ones, bright ones, budded ones and all-foliage ones, and they do all look ace!

It's an easy way to incorporate flowers in to your outfit, and when you do (eventually and inevitably) put your bouquet down, you've still got a little floral joy with you all the while.

Have a chat with your florist and your hairstylist in advance when thinking about real flower crowns for your big day, as there are a few things that will need to be considered - colour, weight, texture and longevity.  

We tend to choose hardier stems that should stay looking fresh, we make them on the day and we'll deliver them in time for your hair stylist to perfectly place. These are not one to DIY on your wedding day, but leave it to the professionals and, we promise, it'll be totally worth it. 

Here are a few of our favourites so far:

Hacker Wedding Photography

Our bride Ellie had a gorgeous plaited up-do, so we made multiple, single floral hair pins to be placed throughout to give the impression of a fresh flower headdress; spray rose, freesias, clematis.

Hacker Wedding Photography

 

All of Ellie's bridesmaids had full flower circlets too, made up of the peach, pastels and blues of the bridal flowers; lisianthus, freesias, spray rose and clematis. 

Claudia Rose Carter

Jo had a full circlet which she wore to start the party, after the ceremony (there was a really elegant veil for that part).  This was made in slightly softer, more pastel tones than her bouquet; freesias, spray rose and wax flower.

Claudia Rose Carter

And her gorgeous flower girl had a slightly simpler crown of pale pinks and creams; lisianthus and spray rose.

Ellie Gillard

Our lovely Sarah had a heavier wedding flower crown, filled with greens and pastels for her wild garden wedding; scabious buds, wax flower, clematis, lisianthus, spray rose, hydrangea and hebe.

 Caro Hutchings 

And gorgeous Romy wore a circlet to be Helen's bridesmaid; freesia, spray rose and lisianthus.

If you want more information about how we do wedding flowers, get in touch! 

Proper Weddings: Jess & Jon

This week we have one from the vaults... 

The nuptials of Jess and Jon was one of our early weddings, when we still had other jobs and squeezed in flowers at the weekend - back in August in 2013. 

The pair married at Cambridge Cottage, Kew - home of the delightful (even for a none florist, promise!) Kew Gardens Gallery.  The former private residence is a totally beautiful, intimate venue where botanical drawing line the walls.

Jon and Jess' ceremony took place in the Drawing Room, which looks out over (as you'd expect of Kew) a superbly well maintained lawn and gardens.

 

Chair-back posies lined the aisle for the ceremony.  The bunches, as if 'just-picked', followed the natural, meadow feel of the day and were affixed on to the chairs with raffia. 



Jess and Jon re-purposed these to empty jars, ready and waiting, on the tables.  Re-purposing, like this or between spaces, is a really great way to reduce costs... but make sure there is a well-briefed events team on hand, or some sober ushers!

Once released and moved to the gallery for the Wedding Breakfast next door, the bunches of flowers were placed in amongst their pals - lots of other jars, already set up on the dining tables, meant that the tables had a good fill of flowers.

Summer inspired, yellow was the main colour for all florals, but especially for this sunny bouquet, popping out amongst a palette of warm whites, peaches and soft, grey-greens.  


Rumour has it Jess was wearing show stopping yellow shoes under her floor-length gown...

All photos courtesy of the wonderful (and very fun) Marriane Chua.

Ellie and Ryan

... And some wonderful photos by Hacker Wedding Photography.

This week we were sent the shots of Ellie and Ryan's Islington and Mc Motors wedding. A set which truly captures this lovely couple, their super fun wedding and all the (flattering) debauchery. 

Especially love the shots of the dress up, the boys tramping down Upper Street with their buttonholes, and all the flowers, obviously. 

Visit Hacker's blog to view the full set!  

Festive Wreath Workshop

On a cold, Sunday night in December, we will lead the way and show you how to create a fresh, natural and festive wreath for your front door, fireplace or friend.

We'll provide all the know-how, the tools and the loveliest festive foliage for you to make and take home a really unique Christmas wreath, plus you'll leave with the savvy to do it again!

Just bring yourselves and some coins for a warming mulled wine.

 Where: Stories Bar, Broadway Market

When: December 7th, 6-8pm

How much: £20*

Get Tickets

Advance booking required

*Since we all get to hang out this Christmas, we've decided to donate £5 of your ticket price to the Crisis at Christmas appeal in order to reserve places for the homeless to eat and keep warm at Crisis shelters this Christmas.

How To...Use Your Leftover Pumpkins!

Today we attended our very first networking event, where we had the pleasure of meeting some really great people. Even better, we were asked to bring or talk about something Halloween related (it being that time and all). Of course we turned to the humble pumpkin to inspire some fright night florals. Prolific right now, here's how to use any leftover hollowed pumpkins and turn them into a neat Halloween or Bonfire Night centre piece. Simple as pie...

You will need:

• Oasis (floral foam)
• A pumpkin (hollowed and tops off)
• Some flowers and foliage of choice, sturdy stems suit Oasis best, in general
• Scissors (florist's preferably)

 First, soak your oasis by popping it into a sink full of water. Let it sink on its own, that's it soaking all the water up - be patient, do not push it under the water or it won't soak properly.

Pop some cellophane into the bottom of your pumpkin, you can use the cellophane your flowers are wrapped in, or just a bit of sandwich bag will do.

Cut your Oasis to size, so it fits in the pumpkin but pops out by an inch, so you can fill it with flowers all the way around. 

Cut your stems to the correct height as you go, remember you can cut stems shorter but can't add any height so be cautious. Also, remember you're aiming for a good shape all around - nice and full.

Start building your shape with foliage, it works best to get going with foliage and then add in your flowers later, once you've got a nice idea of your size. Remember to cut all your stems on a slant, and remove any leaves that might go into the Oasis - just nice clean stems go in to drink.

Keep adding, building your shape and turning as you go. Look from above and the sides to make sure you hide all that nasty green Oasis too! 

Your finished product will look fit to burst and good enough to eat. We chose flowers with an Autumnal but bright colour scheme; hydrangea, freesia and alstromeria. 

Happy Halloween!