An elegant wedding with vintage glamour settings.

Jessie Copper :: Monday 10th April 2017 :: Latest Blog Posts

Blimey, where did that winter go!? I had huge plans to bring you plenty of new blog posts through the quiet times that winter brings for a wedding florist.... but I literally haven't stopped! The joys of my first full winter without my flower shop has meant that I have had time for not only lots of new adventures, but also to get stuck in to learning new skills, enjoying hobbies and generally feeling that everything isn't being done at such a crazy rush! And now the spring has arrived, along with glorious sunshine, and before I start to fill my social media pages with new floral gems from 2017, I feel it would be a good idea to give you some in-depth visuals of one of last year's most memorable and glorious weddings - the splendid nuptials of Brooklyn and Tom.

This really was a wedding of epic proportions. Such huge proportions that - because of prior bookings that I already had in place - when Brooklyn and her mother first came to enquire about availability, I was unable to take on all the work required. However, due to having a favourite secondary school in common (clearly she was there long after I was!) and therefore a certain mutual fondness, Brooklyn decided that she'd still like me to create as many of her florals as I had availability for. We agreed that I would design all her bouquets, buttonholes, hairflowers and cake flowers (the fiddly bits!) whilst another local florist undertook all the larger venue decorations. 

All images (unless otherwise specified) are courtesy of Matthew Williams-Ellis Photography.   

The setting was Brooklyn's parents amazing home in Lower Burton, Dorchester. One of the many things I love about my job is the places that it takes me to. On this occasion, I could not believe that such an amazingly beautiful home (miniature stately, really!) could be so close to the town that I know so well and yet be so completely hidden from view. I had absolutely no idea it was there! A fabulous experience....

Colour-wise, Brooklyn and Tom had chosen a very elegant soft palette of ivories, nude and the palest blush pink with hints of baby blue. This was taken further into stronger tones within the venue decorations, but as far as my work was concerned this was a very pastel palette. Both the bride's parents are from Australia originally, so we also wanted to make sure that there was a hint of Oceania influence with the presence of eucalyptus.

I mixed 'Quicksand', 'Mentha', 'Early Gray', 'Sweet Avalanche' and 'Roman' roses with spray roses 'Sweet4Tune, 'Jana' and 'Madam Bombastic' to create a wide ranging soft palette, combined with nigella, freesias, astrantia, astilbe and a lovely wide-leafed jasmine from my own garden. The posies were kept reasonably compact but with plenty of texture to give a rustic-yet-elegant feel.

The bridesmaids all wore demi-circlets of flowers in their hair, and Brooklyn also wore a crown of flowers for the afternoon/evening antics, once the happy couple were back at the venue and her veil was removed.

Dramatically, upon delivering the flowers to the house, the sky went as dark as can be, and then the heavens opened. I honestly don't think I've ever seen such torrential rain. A true August monsoon..... This was one of those weddings where having those white umbrellas on stand-by was a worthwhile investment. As I continued on my journey north to deliver the groom's buttonholes, my windscreen wipers were not up to the task. And then suddenly I came over the hill into Sherborne, where the skies were completely clear and the sun was shining. Quite a breathtaking contrast, and so lucky for the ceremony.

The ceremony venue was the stunning Sherborne Abbey (close to both mine and Brooklyn's old stomping grounds), and the nude colours of the flowers perfectly echoed the warm tones of the ornate stonework. The groomsmen were in army attire and the whole occasion had a certain sense of pomp and circumstance about it.

After the marriage service, the happy couple and their entourage returned to Dorchester in a troup of matching vintage cars, to enjoy an afternoon of splendid festivities, including a carousel and dodgem cars! I'll stop nattering on about it all now, and let you enjoy the pictures....

(This image is courtesy of Hemma Mason Photography.)

... except to say that this stunning cake was created as a collaboration between us and the Angel Cake Company of Dorchester.